ANOTHER BAPTISM FOR ELDER CLARK

 

Wow, for an elder who is struggling to adjust to life in Brazil, I am glad that he has taken to heart their mission motto:

Só Batismo!! (just baptise)
This is Fabiano Ferriera de Melo.  This is baptism #2 for Elder Clark, #3 really, because he and his comp each baptised someone last week.
We have faith that Chris will adjust with time and pray that in the meantime, he will........   Só Batismo!! 

NEW ADDRESS

Hi Everyone!

Please take note of the new address that we will be using for Elder Clark from now on...(to the right)

Today's letter came with Chris feeling both bad, and good.  Let's focus on the GOOD~!

 

A BAPTISM HIS FIRST WEEK OUT!!!!!!!

Christopher was blessed to be able to baptise the young woman in this photo.  Her name is Rafaela dos Santos.  He said in a letter to Paul and I, that minus the blisters on his feet and hands, it was the happiest day ever!!

Chris loves the CTM!!

Chris has just 13 days left at the CTM!! Wow, can you believe that? He has absolutely LOVED his time there.  In his letters home he writes a lot about the people he has met there and the Temple and all the learning he is doing there.. As many of you know, who get his letters, he is also having the time of his life!!  He is always positive and tells me not to worry about him (ya right!!).  He and his companion Elder Arnold have been a great companionship as they are enjoying learning together and laughing together. 
Here is a bit of this weeks letter home:

another great week, i am excited to go proselyting again this friday, me and elder Arnold are going to rock the socks of all Brazil. umm... lets see, not to much happened this week, still striving to learn portuguese, its coming, but its slow, i cant believe we only have 13 days until we fly out to Joao Pessoa, we are getting super excited, its awesome to see the change that we have made from being the District that is asking all the questions and needing all the help to actually being the District that is giving the questions and being asked for help. We went to the Temple today, it was awesome (Sao Paulo) everybody had a good time and the bus trip was very calm suprisingly. We have one more p-day after this and then its over! Today we are going to buy an Amazing lunch!! we are all getting a bacon Burger and Banana Juice and im going to follow it up with either a cinamon roll or a peice of Awesome Cheese Cake!! i cant wait.

 

Burgers and Banana Juice

View from Chris' window on the 7th floor of the CTM, taken just last night!!                               

MISSIONARY UPDATE

 

Wow, doesn't that look yummy.  Chris' letter this week was fun to read.  It is the first letter that I did not cry while reading.  I laughed a few times though!!  It would seem that the elders have as many fun things going on as they do spiritual...Chris is loving the CTM.  This picture is of the "famous" cinnamon rolls that they sell at Cheney's.  Cheney's is a store just by the CTM where the elders go to do their emailing.  I went onto the www.missionties.com website last week and purchased a gift certificate for Chris to use at this store, he LOVED it because as you can see they have yummy things there.  They also sell american icecream and milkshakes and other nonedible items as well, what a great place!!  Hopefully you are all getting his letters and know that he is doing great.  He says he is getting lots of mail and email, so thank you all for writing to him.  Hopefully Chris will do his own blogging next week as that is so much more fun to read.  

Thanks everyone:)

 

            

Chris and a fellow Elder

Journal Entries

Well, i just wanted to share what i wrote during the last few days. It was one of the most spiritual events that has happened to me so far in the mission.

25/08/08

Today was sad, our brazilians are leaving tomorrow morning. All day long we have been telling one another how much they will be missed. I cant imagine the CTM without them. After our classes we went and got our cameras to take photos with all of them. It was such a fun time. Everyone was laughing and hugging. After pictuers is when the real party started in our room. Me and my roomates had decided we were going to give some of our things to E. Nascimento and E. Silva. I gave Nascimento a white shirt and tie and Silva was giving a white shirt from E. Swain and a tie from E. Eberspacher, Elder Arnold gave them both a stick of American Deoderant (Best in the world). When Nascimento came in and saw his parting gift he came and hugged me. Not until i felt his tears on my shoulder and neck did i realize how much this meant to him. (our brazilians only had 3 shirts to last them 7 days with 2 ties.). I only gave him a shirt and tie but to him it meant so much more. I told him that we were friends in heaven before this life. He said he thought so too. We have stayed up well past 12:00 talking about our future as missionaries and as friends. Today was one of the funnest-happiest-sad days here in Brazil.

26/08/08

This morning i cried like a baby. Our Brazilians left, all of our friends we had come to love had to leave, i will especially miss E. Nascimento (Anderson) and E. Lucas Silva. As we stood in a circle to offer our last prayer the spirit was so strong. We were all crying within seconds of the start. It was a beautiful prayer. I wonder how it is possible to get so close to someone in such a short amount of time. The spirit really brings people together. Nascimento was wearing the stuff i gave him the night before, every time i passed by him we would hug. He will make a really amazing missionary. So will E. Silva and all our other friends. I am going to miss staying up till 12:00 talking in a broken portugues trying to convey thoughts and emotions to them. My heart is full of the spirit when i think about them. I cannot wait to join my bretheren in the mission field. They will always hold a special place in my heart.

Group Photo!!

us with Nascimento

Room party