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Friday, November 21, 2014

Earthquake and Libros de Mormon!!!

November 20, 2014



Holy smokes I love being a missionary! This week was seriously so great, TONS better than the first and I’m glad a good amount of the adjusting to missionary life is over. First off on Friday I think, we had an EARTHQUAKE! Well actually a sismal which I think is like an earth tremor. Anyways... just chyillin and learning some spanish when I started to feel the earth vibrate under my feet and then my chair started vibrating and shaking against the wall behind me. The teacher told us to follow him so we evacuated the building. Holy smokes was it scary! First time I’ve ever been in one and apparently they get them a lot, so that was fun!
Then on Saturday we got to teach some young men from our maestros ward, btw our teacher is the bomb! He just got home in March and is so funny and spiritual it’s amazing. Anyways, we taught his young men just to practice strengthening members and such and one kid we were talking about why it was hard for him to get to church and he said because he didn’t have enough money... its like half a sol which is like maybe eight cents! Then we were talking about maybe getting help by calling one of his leaders and he just looked at us like we were nuts! He said he didn’t have a cell phone! Duh! I felt like such a dumb rich American and it was such a humbling and real moment for me. You can hear about all that stuff, but when you have a fourteen year old in front of you saying it, it is crazy. My companion was confused and thought it was a mock discussion and invited him to come to church with us and he said yes... but I was like, that wont happen cause were in the CCM... so I called my teacher over and he solved the whole thing. I felt bad because the kid looked kind of frustrated and embarrassed... but he said that he got it all work out for him to come with his leader.... still figuring out what 3rd world means!
ALSO mostly for the fam, but an Elder here looks JUST LIKE PEETA MELARK! And everyone tells him so, it’s a little creepy. Anyhow, I bust up laughing almost every time in basketball and soccer or see him  because of the Studio C haha...then today at volleyball he passed out a few extra churros and I said Elder Melark, the boy with the bread!! and we all just about died... so funny and reminds me of those last fun days with the fam, haha. Girl I got your back mmnn!
We had Elder Evens of the 70 who is over all the missionaries come speak twice on Sunday and it was awesome!! I also sang in the choirs, which was really fun to sing and feel the spirit in spanish. AND we had a chocolate fountain at lunch. Best. Day. Ever. That night we also watched Ephraims Rescue and for some reason every spiritual thing as a missionary is like Christmas. IT WAS AMAZING! I loved watching it and seeing how the lord prepares people in their lives for the work he needs them to do. Especially cool thinking in the terms of a missionary.
And as of this week I am officially and INTERMEDIO! I actually feel really comfortable with spanish, I cant conjugate much right now but I can definitely hold conversations and understand lots. The gift of tongues is more real than I had ever imagined!! I also did the session at the temple today in spanish and understood almost all of it, crazy how much the Lord helps me through the Spirit!
Okay, by far the highlight of the week was yesterday. We went to migraciones earlier this week for visas and stuff and the whole time we were there I was like, I just want to talk to these people, but I don’t know how! You see people so differently as a missionary. I just wanted to tell them all how much the gospel means to me and can change their lives. Oh that I were an angel haha.... Anyhow, I decided I was going to write my testimony in my extra LDM (book of mormon) and bring it with me to interpol yesterday, and prayed that if I was prompted I would have the courage to open my mouth. And guess what..... with the help of the Lord and another sister I PLACED 3 LDMS!!! It was sicker than skydiving or anything! Like and adrenaline rush of the spirit and excitement! First off it was a super nasty place where they check your teeth and take fingerprints with stray cats running around. I love it here haha.. And we were just talking (hermanas) to two nice men in their 40s about life and stuff, why we were there, etc, and I asked if he was interested in learning more, and to my surprise he said YES! So i pulled out the book, showed him Moroni’s promise, my simple testimony i had written in the front, some other classic explanation scriptures and gave it to him. Then his friend wanted one and luckily some elders that had been out for forever were there and had more books of Mormon! Talk about loaves and fishes.... anyhow, we were also talking to a super nice man who just moved here and got married and he was so interested. We gave him all of the elders info and another book and it was just so good! I have no idea how they understood me, but they seemed to and were so interested! They were super excited which I was not expecting. Then I was sitting again next to these two girls going to school that were friends and we started talking and I started teaching them as well! A fluent missionary came over and we taught the first lesson and got their information. Sadly we were out of books of Mormon, but they were so excited for the elders to come to their house. Truly an amazing experience. I almost threw up after because I realized they were all REAL! I just did what we’ve been practicing on teachers, but I knew that the Spirit had helped me and was so grateful I got the experience.
Everyone in my district after was like, wow you are so cool! But honestly, I just wanted to share it. I’ve been waiting a while to be on a mission, and now that that is my job full time I was like, what is holding me back! (besides my caveman spanish) but it truly was an answer to my prayers this week and a lot through my life. Can’t wait to learn more and do that every single day! The people really do want religion down here and are so prepared and loving. It’s incredible.
We went to garages today, super sketch mall of just garages and got some jerseys and candy. Besides that just a fun week at the CCM. I LOVE it here and will be sad to go. There are so many amazing missionaries and I’ve learned tons.
Thanks for all the emails, prayers and love. I truly can feel it and am grateful for all of the support. I know that as we try to give more to the lord, and humble ourselves, he opens the windows for blessings beyond our comprehension. Have a great week!!

-Hermana Clegg

PS
Mom- did we pack the scooby doo fruit snacks? I can’t find them and think either I forgot them or the cleaning lady stole them... let me know so I don’t lose my mind. Thanks for your recordings... I bawled. Love you!
Dad-Thanks for your email, it was great to hear from you and how things are going at home, some people asked what you do and I said an inventor. The sad thing is when I say Caratucus Potts, they say, who? Your welcome haha
Dawsen-Chicks like super heroes, but it sounds like you are getting a little crazy haha... let me know how school and all that stuff is going!
Tanna- Congrats on making the top mtn west Team!! That’ll be tons of fun, tell dad you are sorry he has to drive all over the valley again haha.... your awesome!
Andie- congrats on your concert and YW night, and thanks for your email! Hows your new friend
Brookie- Glad you replaced me with a fireplace haha.... I slept with my suitcase on my bed last night to pretend I was with you and you were hogging the whole thing. Love you!

Sunday, November 16, 2014

Week One Accomplished

Nov. 13, 2014

Me and my companion Hermana McCally at the Lime Peru temple

Holy smokes just knowing that I am FINALLY A MISSIONARY and writing a letter is making me so happy right now! I have so much to say, but first let me say this is the greatest thing ever. I LOVE IT SO MUCH!
The flight here was great, we all had tons of luggage and felt like harry potter running through the parking lot trying no to get hit by cars with our massive carts.... haha so great!! My companion is Sister McCally from Washington and is super fun. The other hermanas going to Chiclayo are Hemana Wood and Thruston from Canada and Arizona. Super nice girls, Wood is like the definition of adventure and all the craziness I aspire to be. She backpacked Thailand and rock climbs daily. Awesome.
Spanish is so hard! The adjustment has been a little rough too because we all just want to be AMAZING missionaries RIGHT NOW! But especially here where NO ONE. NOT A SOUL. speaks English. It is so hard to know what in the heck we are supposed to do.... I’ve been doing a ton of “figuring it out” and such because seriously, were in the dark, but it’s gotten a lot better and I feel like we just need to be patient and then its awesome! So many funny sayings in trying to learn a new language (you eat babies? you are studied?) I have laughed so hard I’ve had tears and the maestro is like “what the heck is wrong with you?”
Also the first night the older hermanas told me they had a letter from a latino for me and were like “what did you do?” Turns out it was a letter from Elder Lewis who I went to school with! In his city in Chiclayo he met a kid who was coming to the CCM and he wrote me a letter with tips and such! So nice, but for days it was like the talk of the CCM “did you get your letter?”
All the teachers call me Hermana Click because they can’t say the egg part... and they ask “like the mouse?”
I play basketball every day with the elders and hermana wood and it’s so fun! They are so good and remind me tons of BYU spring, I also tried to play futbol with the latinos the other day and it was such a blast! They are insanely good, and in the game I went to kick the ball and accidentally kicked his foot and knocked him straight on the back! They all started yelling “rojo carita” or something like that for red card and were laughing so hard because he was tripped by a hermana..... I said lo siento a billion times. Also that game I scored a goal!! It was super lucky but then all of the lations were saying hi to me and stuff... got on the in level with them hahah... such a blast.
I say all my prayers in spanish, we teach in spanish, all classes in spanish, it is weird to write this in english! I love the language so much and it hasn’t been too bad. There have been classes or exercises where I get super frustrated and want  to cry, but for the most part, especially speaking I feel the spirit so strong and all the words I learn just stick so easy and I can remember them so well! Definitely the gift of tongues.
Also me and mi companerio have become super good friends with the group of latino sisters here and they are SO HILARIOUS! We laugh all through dinner every day and I kind of love the language barrier because we can kind of communicate, but most of it is through laughter and feeling of their sweet spirits! Also a love the food here more than anything... probs too much! It is so delicious every day, and the CCM is super nice because there are like maybe 90 people here so you get to know everyone super well!
I realized later this week why being a missionary is so awesome, cause before it was kind of like We just have no idea what we are doing and stink at spanish! But when we taught the latinos and fake investigators i feel the spirit SO STINKIN STRONG! It is amazing. It’s like i know exactly what to say and have such a strong desire to share it and bear testimony. Also only knowing simple words makes it that much better.
However last night we taught a much harder fake investigator and our lesson was not good. I think i was just nervous or distracted, but i couldn’t speak at all and it was so hard! Then we had to teach two more latinos and they speak so fast and can’t understand us at all.... it was just a long, frustrating night. Then to top it off the elders we taught last were giving us feedback and said “You are very good teachers, but your spanish is so bad it makes me want to kill myself!!” haha if you know me my eyes started to tear up and it was hard to shake off. Then when we got to our room i kind of broke down because i was so frustrated!! Hermana Wood was having a SUPER rough time too so she asked for a blessing and I went on splits and tagged along, it was amazing and the spirit was so strong, and they’re like do you want one? UM YEAH! It was amazing and so powerful and all I wanted to hear. I love the priesthood and the amazing power of it. Today we went to the temple and then shopped and I just know I love this country and the people. Even though they are crazy drivers and I can only greet them and say “i know god loves you” haha....
Anyways, sorry it’s so rushed and jumbled, I just had so much to say for the first week, and so little time! This seriously is so fun and I know it’s where I’m supposed to be. I LOVE IT!


Hermana Clegg

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Made it to Peru!

Nov. 5, 2014
Hey I made it to the CCM safely and am loving it! Got in late last night around 2 and are just getting started today! I love Peru already and have had so much fun! Everyone is super nice and we had fun on the flights and are stoked to get started!! Love you!! :)
Hermana Clegg