Mother's Day 2017

Happy Mother’s Day  (May 14, 2017)

Summer Flowering Tree

     We can not believe that our missionary experience is coming to an end.  We have 3.5 weeks until we start our drive home to Idaho Falls.  We have a few places we will stop along the way home.  From San Benito, TX we will first drive to the Dallas/Fort Worth, TX area where Tom’s Mother lives.  While there, we will attend the wedding of his nephew, Michael Measom.  Mike is getting married the day after we leave our mission.  After Dallas, next stop is St. George, UT where we see April Davis (our eldest child) and her family and Christina Wilson (our youngest child) and her family.  From St. George, we travel due north to Salt Lake City, UT to see more family.  Finally, we head to our home in Idaho Falls, ID.  It will take us a full week to make the trip with all the stops along the way.  We will start our trip home on June 7, 2017.  It seems hard to believe that we have been here a little over 17 months.  The time, for the most part, has passed quickly.

We love our Sisters

     We love it here in the Rio Grand Valley of Texas, except for the high humidity and heat (Whew!).  We will sorely miss all of the great friends we have made while we have been here.  The Church members are kind and welcoming.  Everyone here puts family first.  Some Church members from Idaho Falls have recently moved into our Harlingen Stake.  Phillip Cook (son of Bishop Cook from Old Butte Ward) and his wife have just moved here and also another family from Ammon recently moved in.  We met Phillip just before Easter and got to know him better at a Bar-B-Que party at the Elkin’s home. 

     Here the traditional Easter egg hunt is significantly different than anything we have ever seen.  Over the previous year before Easter, families save the the entire egg shell after they use its contents by carefully emptying the egg through a small hole cracked in it’s top.  Just before Easter, the empty egg shells are dyed (or colored) on both inside and outside surfaces and filled with confetti.  Once the egg shells are filled with confetti, the top hole is sealed with a colored paper patch.  Next, the adults hide the eggs outside in the yard.  When the signal is given, both kids and adults quickly collect the colored Easter eggs.  Now the real fun begins.  Everyone runs around and smashes the eggs over each other’s head causing the confetti to go everywhere – in one’s hair, clothes, grass, just everywhere.  No-one is safe.  Parents, children, grandchildren, friends, and neighbors, all go after each other and happily smash eggs on each others’ heads.  It is a hoot!.  It is also a good outside activity, for the confetti and egg shell bits get all over the place.

South Texas Easter Egg Smash

     After Easter, we decided to go see what Corpus Christi was like for a Friday and Saturday excursion.  Corpus Christi is only 2 hours away from our apartment and is much closer than Laredo, which is the other boundary side of our mission.  While in Corpus Christi, we visited the USS Lexington (retired aircraft carrier) and the Texas State Aquarium on the Gulf of Mexico.  It was a lot of fun for us, for we had not been away from our area (Weslaco, Harlingen, Brownsville) for our entire mission.  We have made a few trips to McAllen, but that was for missionary meetings.  We had a lot of fun and met up for dinner with some of the Sister Missionaries that used to serve in San Bonito, but now serve in Corpus Christi.

USS Lexington Aircraft Carrier

     Most of the Senior Missionaries will be finishing up their missions and leaving this Summer.  The Hewits (Mission Nurse and Transportation Coordinator) are from Pocatello, ID and served in this mission for 23 months.  They left to start their trip home on May 8^th.  We are the next couple set to go home.  We leave June 7^th.  The remaining Mission Office Senior Missionaries leave within 2 months of us and other Senior Missionaries are ready to take their places.

 

Mission President, Office Staff, & Us

     The Winwards (from Boise, ID) are also Employment Specialists and are assigned to the two McAllen Stake areas.  The Employment Missionaries are not being replaced.  Instead, the Employment Missionary aspect is being encompassed by a new self-reliant program that has started to be incorporated into the Church in the United States.  This program has been a tremendous success outside of the United States, but is now being introduced and ramped up in our mission.  Hence, the program is run by Church Stakes and incorporates what we would normally teach, but will offer much more.  It will be introduced into the Harlingen Stake (where we are) starting in July, 2017.  The last Stake in the mission will start the new program in August, 2017. 

Super TMM Missionaries

     The Texas McAllen Mission (TMM) missionaries are doing a great job of finding and baptising investigators.  Sometimes we are fortunate enough to  be invited to go participate in a lesson and then see these same investigators get baptized.  This is a really special experience for us, to see and experience the love the missionaries have for the people of this area.  President Torres has encouraged the missionaries to stay in contact with their converts and teach them about family history, and in helping them with getting family names submitted to the Temple.  In this way, new converts are fellowshipped and are working toward preparing themselves for temple ordinances and work.  This has significantly helped retain new converts within the Church.  We pray everyday and have been greatly blessed and we can see the Lord’s  hand in keeping us happy, healthy, and safe. 

Marcos's Baptism with Sisters Walker and Luque

     Well, we will see you soon. ……….. the Clarks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

     We have been busy since we last wrote.  Throughout the first quarter of this year, we’ve had a lot of people come into our offices that wanted help finding jobs.  We helped them create resumes, searched online for job openings, and taught them how to “network.”  Networking is a strategy to have several people help a person obtain a job.  It is similar to how the missionaries (here in Texas McAllen Mission or TMM) obtain referrals.

Spring Flowers

      In January, we gave a 5^th Sunday lesson in the Spanish Mercedes Ward on "Networking" with the help of a Translator.  We introduced ourselves in Spanish and then the lesson was translated from English to Spanish.  The lesson was conducted during the last hour of the block and the Priesthood, Relief Society, Young Women and Men, basically the whole Ward excepting the Primary attended.  The entire Cultural Hall was filled for our lesson. The lesson went very well and we had members come and set up appointments to meet us in our office later that week.

Sister Training Leaders at Mission Office

     We have been using social media to help get the word out to all the Church units we are responsible for.  We have learned that posting flyers and getting announcements made over the podium or placed into the bulletin,  have not produce very good results.  We have been making announcements (like upcoming employment classes, job leads, etc.) on Facebook to each of the Unit’s Facebook page.  The response to our postings has been enormous and we are finding much greater success in helping the people of this area.

Oil Platform parked off Port Isabel, on the Gulf

     On Wednesdays of each week, we work in our office in Brownsville from 1pm to 8pm and take an hour (around 5pm) to grab something to eat.  We usually go somewhere close like Chick-Fil-a or Ultimate Taco and we normally always ask the Manager on the way out if they are hiring.  Recently, we went to dinner at Chick-Fil-a and one of the employees (named Jeremy) came to our table and thanked us for helping him get his job.  We had never met Jeremy before, but he had seen our posting on Facebook for job openings at Chick-Fil-a and he had obtained his new job.  He told us that obtaining this job was an answer to his prayers and wanted us to know that he was very grateful to us.  Jeremy made us feel good that posting things on Facebook had reached more people than we thought.  He bought us an ice cream cone to show his appreciation.  Helping people that we do not even know through Facebook, is a great blessing for us.  To find out about this young man was a tender mercy from the Lord.

Honey, where are the ducks?   I have looked everywhere for them.

     Earlier this month, our car was having problems with the windshield spritzers not working.  They worked one time and then not anymore.  We opened the hood to check on the windshield fluid and found that the oil cap (on the engine head) was missing.  The underside of the hood and engine were coated with hot oil.  Tom checked the oil dip stick and could not see any oil on it.  We had the car’s oil and filter changed in late January and it was likely the mechanic did not put the oil cap back on.  Thus, the oil had been spraying all over the engine for a month.  A quick phone call to the car dealer’s service department got mechanics to our apartment and they found the oil cap in the engine.  They put more oil into the car and took it to their dealership and cleaned up all the oil.  The tubing for the windshield spritzer was replaced and another part (fire retardant layer) that fits under hood has been ordered.  We now have our car back and it has had another oil change and new filter.  The mechanics said that we were lucky that our engine did not seize or that we did not have a fire or explosion occur.  We know that we have been blessed by Heavenly Father and that we were protected. 

     President Maluenda (our 1^st Mission President) taught the Missionaries to pray for “safety" before they go out every single day.  We have followed his advice and know we have been blessed with safety.  Our car experience is an example of following the council of our leaders. 

Birds, Birds, everywhere

     Our missionary job as Employment Specialists is being absorbed into a self-reliance services program that the Church is promoting in the United States.  It is a program that has been running in Wards in other countries for a few years now.  President Torres (our current Mission President) said that he had seen it work in Honduras, where he is from.  He said the program had helped many people provide for themselves.  Harlingen Stake (which contains the majority of Church units we serve) is starting the new self-reliant program in July, after we leave.

President & Sister Torres with us 

     This new self-reliance program was recently a pilot project in Houston, TX where Bro. Stotts (our Manager) has been running the program.  He said that it is changing people lives and activity rates in the pilot Houston Stake have increased considerably.  The McAllen West Stake are starting the new program and we are attending meetings and witnessing its planning and start-up process.  It is really an exciting and an inspired program. We are excited to see it work at home in Idaho Falls where the Eagle Rock Stake will be starting its planning process in July, after we are home off our mission.

Some of our Amigas

     We can’t believe that we will be coming home in June.  We are excited, but also sad.  We will miss all the friends (amigos) we have made here.  The people in the Rio Grande Valley (TMM) have been so kind, loving, caring, and we will miss them terribly.  The area is beautiful and has lots of wild life – especially because migrant birds fly through this region every year.  Even so, we are excited to see all our friends, family, and be of service wherever we can at home.

     May the Lord bless us all …………….. the Clarks.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas from Texas!    Feliz Navidad de Texas!

Happy New Year!  Feliz ano nuevo!

  

Merry Christmas from Texas

We celebrated our year mark Dec.7, 2016.  A year ago we entered the BYU Provo Mission training Center (MTC Provo) for a week of training in “Preach My Gospel”.  Then we went to St. George to visit April, Jon, Paisley, and Stella Davis.  We also visited with Christina, Brian and Eli.  We then traveled to visit Tom’s mother (Lucy) in Dallas and then on to McAllen, Texas.  We arrived in Harlingen Dec. 19,2015.  We are in charge the two employment offices for the Harlingen Stake which includes the Cities between Harlingen and Brownsville, and also Weslaco and Mercedes in the McAllen Stake.  There is another couple the Winwards in McAllen.  There are a total of 14 Wards and Branches that we help members and non-members to get jobs.  

Elder & Sister Clark ready for 2017

Ldsjobs connects to a large data base of available jobs in the United States and other Countries.  We search for jobs on the internet and sign in people to the ldsjobs.com website. My computer skills have improved and my fear of the computer has diminished.  This mission calling has forced me to type faster and learn how to use the computer software.  Tom still knows more about computers and is more patient using them, but I am learning.

Winter tree blooms match Sherrie's blouse

One new thing we have been trying in the last few months is the Harlingen Stake and Ward Facebook pages.  We have announced upcoming classes in self-employment and job openings that are told to us by members.   We had a self-employment workshop in October to help people who want to start their own business.  Pres. Paz (counselor in the Harlingen Stake Presidency) taught the class and it was well attended.  We had one in Brownsville (in Spanish) and one in Harlingen (in English).  Pres. Pas is bilingual.  Most of the people heard about the workshop on Facebook, even though we also advertised in Ward Bulletins and in Sacrament Meeting announcements.  Facebook is our new advertising medium.  We are slow learners, but we have learned from others who have been using it for years.

Harlingen Zone Missionaries

Another of our joys is helping with the going home class that the Winwards give every 6 weeks.  All the missionaries going home get this presentation about how to look for jobs.  Why it is important to get an education and how to get scholarships to pay for their education.   We were so surprised by the number of people here who drop out of school, don’t have driver’s licenses and can’t get a job.  We take for granted that our kids will graduate from High School or get their G.E.D.  That they will go on to get a college, technical school or some other additional training.  But here that is not the case.  In this day and age we need an Associate’s Degree or Bachelors from College, a Technical School Certificate or more education to get a good job.  People cannot even apply for a housekeeping job in a motel if they don’t graduate High School.  Being able to speak both English and Spanish is also a very big plus.

Tom teaching education benefits to Missionaries going home  

But, family is very important to the members in this area.  Families are very close and do lots of things together.  We have been invited to the Ward and Branch parties and celebrations beginning in October with the Mexican Independence Day Celebration.  There was a program with music and dancing.  All ages participated and there was authentic Mexican food to eat.  Everyone shows up to the parties and celebrations.  The leaders wonder where they are on Sundays. 

San Benito Sisters (L to R: Sisters Bingham, Rasmussen, Calero, & Chappel)

For Thanksgiving Dinner was the same as at home, except for the few jalapeño peppers that made it into the stuffing.   SPICY! WOW!  More water please…..

 

Harlingen District Elders singing at Ward Christmas party

Ward and Branch Christmas Programs and Dinners started the first week-end in December.  They are usually turkey or ham and everyone brings a side dish or desert.  We have gotten to know a lot of the people in the Stake by visiting each of their Wards/Branch on Sundays and by attending their Ward/Branch functions and parties.  Everyone knows that we are here to help people get jobs.  Because there are 14 Wards/Branches, we only get to see them every 3 1/2 months, but we attend all three meetings for that Ward/Branch.  When we first got here we were told to attend only the Sacrament Meetings in each of the 7 Buildings.  But we found out that people didn’t know who we were or why we were here, unless, we stayed for all three meetings and got to know them at their Ward functions.   Now most of them know who we are and why we are here. 

San Benito District having lunch together

During the first week of December, Tom received a call from the Sisters in San Benito.  They were screaming and then would hang up.  Finally, they called again and said there was a huge spider on their apartment ceiling and wanted Tom to come save them from it.  They said that the spider was huge and was about the size of their hand.  When we arrived at the apartment, all the Sisters (4 total) were sitting on the kitchen counter with their feet off the floor.  They pointed to the spider near their ceiling attic entrance.  They were right, it was huge, black, and creepy.  It must have been a tarantula, but Tom did not take the time to research it.  He immediately took a flat sticky bug trap and laid it over the spider and and then pulled if off the ceiling.  Sherrie got some pictures of the spider and the Sisters sitting (& screaming) while the capture process took place.  With the spider caught in the sticky trap, Tom collapsed the trap crushing the spider and then sealed the attic opening so there would not be anymore unwanted visitors.  The Sisters were so grateful.

Yep, the spider was BIG!

Sisters on Kitchen counter being brave

A few weeks ago we went to the Mercedes (Spanish speaking) Ward.  The missionaries came up to us and said that in correlation meeting that morning they were talking about the people who needed employment in their Ward.  Then, we show up at their Ward for Church and were able to talk to some of those same people.  How well the Spirit guides His children.  On the next 5^th Sunday in January we will make a presentation in Priesthood/Relief Society about a technique called networking.  85% of all jobs are found this way.  This is also about the only way people who are not citizens and don’t have working permits can get work.  We are all God’s children and want to be able to work and support our families.

Sharing a picture with the Muppetts at Christmas Village in Brownsville

Our Christmas tree & gifts

Two weeks before Christmas, we have to check the missionary apartments and bikes in Harlingen.  We do apartment & bike checks before each 6-week transfer.  The last transfer was on Tuesday (Dec. 27, 2016).  We also go to Port Isabel on the Gulf Coast near South Padre Island to inspect the Sisters’ apartment & bikes.  Jakob flew into Harlingen last Saturday for Christmas.  We love our family and enjoyed having him here for Christmas.  We miss you all and hope you had a Merry Christmas and wish the best for your New Year.

Christmas Eve in Brownsville with our son Jakob

Love, ………Tom & Sherrie Clark.

The secret of Christmas is not the things you do at Christmas time, but the Christmas things you do all year through.  -Mormon Tabernacle Choir-

agosto / septiembre 2016

Viva Mexico!

Dear Family and Friends,

  We are still here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  We have not written in our blog for a while and it is so hot and humid here that just typing wears us “Northerners” out.  This Summer has been like a steam bath.  Luckily for us, there is an afternoon breeze that helps move the air around.  Sometimes it rains, which helps cool the temperature, but then the humidity is overwhelming.

No one here on Thursday and we drive right onto the beach - part of our mission

  We have been told that Summer is coming to an end and Fall is just around the corner.  The temperatures fall from high 90-100F degrees with 85% humidity to mid-low 90F degrees with 85% humidity.  To our good fortune, we are normally inside our offices, which are in air-conditioned Churches and we have fans blowing most of the time.

San Benito District

  On August 13^th, we presented to the Stake Relief Society (Sociodad de Socorro) Sisters, what we do on our mission.  The theme of the meeting and activity was “Self-Reliance” and was in the largest Brownsville Church building    There were two groups of Sisters – those who spoke Spanish and those who spoke English.  Sherrie stayed in the Chapel and taught the Spanish class with the help of a Spanish translator to over 50 Sisters.  Tom took the remaining Sisters (~30) to the Relief Society room and taught them a similar lesson.  Another Stake Missionary Couple taught the Sisters (both in Spanish and English) about the Pathway Program that is sponsored by BYU-Idaho.  There seems to be two groups of Sisters.  One group is the older Sisters who grew up speaking only one language (English or Spanish).  The second group of Sisters are younger, grew up speaking both languages fluently, and are bilingual.

Love these Sisters

  On September 14th, we set up a “Start your own Business” workshop in Spanish in Brownsville.  We decided to advertise the workshop with emails to the Bishops and Presidents of each corresponding Ward or Branch.  We also texted all the Sisters (from the Stake Relief Society Activity) who signed up for the workshop, and also on Facebook.  We became Facebook friends to all 14 Church units (Wards & Branches) in our area and also to the Harlingen Stake Facebook page.  We had a great turn-out to the workshop.  We asked those who attended, how they learned about the workshop.  Most of them said they found out on Facebook.  Hence, we will be using Facebook to help

us get messages out to people.  On October 12^th, we are going to have another “Start your own Business” workshop, but this time in Harlingen and in English.  Facebook, here we come again!

Class Attendees to Start Your Own Business Workshop

  On Friday, September 16^th, the Stake celebrated Mexico Independence Day with singing, dancing, and food.  It was a great evening and lots of people came.  It was a huge production and each of the Church Units put on traditional Mexican dances with bright and colorful costumes.  It was a real treat. 

Brownville 2 -  Bishop and Sister Zaletta

  We took the Harlingen Zone Leaders with us to the Stake activity (~30 minute drive).  They asked us what we liked most about our mission.  This was a hard question, for there were several things.  We decided that the best thing was “the people.”  Here everyone is welcoming, kind, and loving.  They greet you warmly with a hug, a kiss on the cheek, or a firm hand shake.  They are always interested in how you are doing and how they can help you.  We love them very much.  And the younger Missionaries are the same for we love them also.

Independence of Mexico Activity

  We recently passed our ½-way mark (hump day) on September 7^th.  It doesn’t seem like we have been here for 9 months, but we have.

Beautiful long dresses & colors

  One hazard we have run into is flying rocks on the expressway.  We take the expressway (kind of like a freeway) at least twice a week from San Benito to our Brownsville office on Wednesday (miercoles) and Thursday (jueves).  On Monday (lunes) and Tuesdays (martes) we are in our office in Harlingen and on Friday (viernes) we take appointments.  These offices are about the size of a Clerk’s office in each Church building located near the Bishops’ & Presidents’ offices.  On the expressway, the speed limit is 65 mph.  It is a nice road except once in a while rocks are kicked up by passing cars or trucks going faster than the speed limit.  We have replaced our car windshield once since we have been here.  A couple of weeks ago, we got hit twice on the same day.  One chip spread ½-way across our windshield in one day.  Tom bought some glass resin and went to work on the windshield.  Most of it looks pretty good except for the crack, but at least we are safe and determined to keep this windshield till when we get home.  Now we know why people drive with cracked windshields here.  It doesn’t matter how careful you drive, your windshield still gets hit.

Mexico traditions are rich

  Two weeks ago, we had a zone conference.  Our Mission President and his wife speak mostly in Spanish so we concentrated and listened and felt the spirit.  After lunch, we went back into the chapel and tried to concentrate again to understand the Spanish, but we were exhausted from so much effort to understand the speech.  We truly are Seniors.

Beautiful soloist, daughter of Bishop Herrera

  Every 6 weeks, we get to inspect the younger missionaries’ apartments and bikes in the Harlingen Zone and one Sister pair in Port Isabel (near South Padre Island), part of the Brownsville zone.  We inspect apartments and bikes the week before transfers, which was for us last week.  Since the Tracys’ (Senior Missionaries in Mission Office over apartments & finances) have been here, the Mission apartments have been scrubbed clean and the bikes closer inspected so they are safe.  The Zone Leaders and District Leaders have charge of making sure that changes get made if the apartments are dirty and if the bikes are unsafe, after our inspections.  A couple of years ago, two missionaries were killed while riding their bikes in our mission.  We take our job very seriously and we don’t want that to happen again.  Tom revised the bike inspection checklist that all inspectors follow.  Sister Tracy is asking the missionaries to change clothes dryer filters, wash vacuum filters, and change heating filters on a regular basis.  The missionary cars are also inspected for damage and cleanliness.  At the Zone Conference, we also had a lesson on budgeting.  These are all life skills that will help each missionary in their future lives, as well as on their mission.

We have lots of Cowboys here

  We are coming to find out that there are many kinds of Senior missions (full-time, part-time, 3-months, 6-months, 1-year, 18-months, and 23-months).  For some missions, you can stay in your own home and for some you can relocate – it is your choice.  Each mission has a different cost and you choose in a ball-park range what you can afford.  Seniors pay for their own mission.  Some Senior missionaries work in the mission office, some give support to Wards, Branches, and Stakes.  Some support Young Single Adults.  Some give tours at historical sites.  Some help in Temples all year or just during high visiting seasons when they are needed more.  Some serve without their spouse when single, divorced, or widowed.  All can serve in their own way.

Love the colors & spirit

  The General Women’s Conference and General Conference were so great.  We loved it all so much.  This last weekend, the English sessions were in the Harlingen Stake building and the translated Spanish sessions were in the largest Brownsville building.  We went to Harlingen and listened to conference in English.  We are able to understand Spanish better, but we must concentrate really hard to understand what is being said.  We did listen to conference in English and enjoyed it very much.  It is nice to be with the Saints and sing the hymns together and we did really enjoy the conferences.

Enjoying this atmosphere

  We are enjoying our mission.  As Employment Specialists, we are unique Senior Missionaries in that we take direction and report to two sets of people.  We have a Mission President and his wife (of Texas McCallen Mission, TMM).  Our Mission President is our spiritual leader.  We also are directed by a regional Employment Office and our contact is a Church Employee out of Houston, TX (this is out of our mission boundaries).  His name is Steve Stotts and he visits and trains us on our tasks one day out of the month.  Our mission has its ups, downs, and challenges.  But, your kind words of encouragement and instruction from our leaders gives us courage.  Also, the people here make us feel welcome and of value.  We know we are making a positive difference here and once in a while we get to see the positive results.

  We love you all and ask the Lord to bless you. …………. Tom & Sherrie Clark, (clarkida@msn.com)

July 2016 Retroactive

  We had a wonderful event on July 1^st. Our daughter (Christina) gave birth to a baby girl, our fourth grandchild. There are now four Wilsons; Christina, Brian, Eli, and Lucy. With April, Jon, Paisley, and Stella Davis, Jakob, Julie, and us, that makes twelve (12) people in this Clark clan.

Sweet Baby Lucy

  We are still in Harlingen, Texas. We know it is way past July 4^th, but we had such a wonderful day and did not want to forget it.

  We were invited to the Treasure Hills Branch Pancake breakfast in Lisa & Simon Mata's backyard. There were many people there and it was fun to be with the Mata family again. I say again, because on Saturday (July 2) we went with their family to watch the Harlingen City fireworks. They were great and we had a great spot to watch them.

  After breakfast, we went to the Harlingen Iwo Jima Monument. (There are only two of these in the United States, one here and the other in Arlinton Cemetery). While at the monument, we met up with two other Senior Couples from the Texas McAllen Mission (TMM). One of the couples were the Neils (work in Mision Office) and the other were the Winwards (who are the other Employment Specialists in the mission, like us). The Winwards work in McAllen and westward, while we work on the mission's eastern side. Elder Neil did a little research and gave a history on the World War II conflict on Iwo Jima. Sister Clark loves history, so it was great. Afterward, we went to lunch at a pizza buffet, we all got our Sr's discount, and enjoyed getting to know each other better.

Harlingen Iwo Jima Monument

  In the evening, we were invited to the Elkins' house for a Bar-B-Q with the Stake Presidency and their families. (We got to know President and Sister Elkins the first week we were in Harlingen.  Tom wanted to watch the BYU football bowl game and they invited us to watch it with them. We have been great friends since.)  After dinner, the teenage kids at the BBQ, helped Tom practice his Spanish.  We all (kids & adults) had a good laugh trying to improve on his Spanish. Tom is a good sport and the kids had fun teaching him.  After dark, the kids and Dads set off some fireworks in the backyard while the ladies toured the Elkins' well-organized food storage and daily work board. It was fantastic!

Our San Benito District

  For fast & testimony Sunday, we fasted for more people to help get jobs. We had five appointments the previous week, but nobody showed up. This seems to happen frequently even though the people here say they really need help finding work. We have learned that people have free agency and we can't make them get a job. They have to show up to their appointment, apply, and interview for the jobs themselves. We can't do it for them.

  We have seen many more people in our employment offices since Fast Sunday.  Tom says the best way to get help with your prayers is by fasting. We really saw this in action the following week. We helped more people than the 5 that did not show up, the previous week. One young man (we are still helping) was baptized the week after we met him. George is a very nice and needs a job. Unfortunately, he does not have a car or a driver's license and is limited to jobs within walking distance of his home. He wants to be a Border Patrol Officer, but needs a job, first, to get money and experience to apply for his dream job.

  We are so surprised to find out that many people don't have driver licenses, cars, or bikes here.  They rely on family and friends to take them places. This is hard when you want to work somewhere other than within walking distance. We find that many people are here illegally in the United States (especially Brownsville, where the Mexican border is right next to the south part of town). Most of these people want to work. We can help them search online for jobs, but most businesses require Social Security Numbers, driver's licenses, and/or work permits. The people we help just want to take care of their families needs. They don't care what kind of work, they just want to work. We are all Heavenly Father's children and he wants to bless us. So, we do what we can to help everyone.

Our car odometer showing 90K miles (or 9K miles since we arrived)

  We had a surprise the next Sunday. We met a BYU Summer Roommate of Sherrie's when we were at BYU together (Ream's Apartments, 1979). Connie Garcia was here visiting her mother and saw us at the Harlingen 1^st Ward sacrament meeting. We haven't seen her for 36 years. She lives in Orem, UT, teaches school, and visits her Mother for one week each year. What a surprise to see her and catch up on life. She grew up in this area (Raymondville) and taught school in Snowflake, AZ. Sherrie was a teacher there, also. What a small world in the Church.

  Sherrie got to talk to her brother, Kay and his wife Lynn, on the telephone. They just returned from their second mission in Germany. Their first mission was in the Ivory Coast, Africa. Sherrie's other brother Wendell and his wife Linda, just returned from their second mission assignment in South Africa (their first mission was in Botswana, Africa).  It does not matter where you serve (i.e., foreign, domestic, or from home). It is just great to serve.

Its cotton pickin hot here

  We keep studying our Spanish. It is slow going, but we are learning. We are praying in Spanish, practicing with anyone who will help us, and we have tudors from the Provo MTC who help us over Skype. The best teacher of all is the Holy Ghost. He brings all things to our minds, if we just ask for His help. We find a big difference when we pray for the help of the Holy Ghost in learning to speak Spanish. Sherrie is starting to understand what is being said in some Church meetings. Tom says he is still lost, as ever (not true).

  We look forward to hearing about what you are doing from Facebook (tomsherrieclark), by email (clarkida@msn.com), or by phone (208-716-4781). May the Lord bless us all to live His way.

Love. ….......…………….. Tom and Sherrie Clark.

6 Months In

June 9, 2016

Texas rain storms

  Rain, rain, go away.  Come back in July and August.

  It has been raining for a week straight.  We have never seen it rain so much and for so long.  Lots of thunder, lightning, and rain in these Texas storms.  Yesterday, it rained in San Benito so much that Elder Clark got his shoes and socks wet just getting in the car (in apartment parking lot) to drive us to Brownsville.  As we were driving, the rain turned off like a curtain separating the wet road from the dry road as we left San Benito.  Dry roads after that all the way to Brownsville.  We go to our Brownsville office (room near Bishops' offices at the Church) on Wednesday and Thursday, every week.  On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, we are in our office in Harlingen (room near Bishops' offices in the Stake Center).

Weslaco & Mercedes Chapel with flowering bushes

  We went to Brownsville 2nd Ward last Sunday for Fast & Testimony meeting.  The Ward meetings were all in Spanish and we were surprised that we understood just enough to know what was going on.  We enjoyed the testimonies.  Sunday School was about the Holy Ghost (Espiritude Santo).  Relief Society was  Elder Oaks Conference talk on "Opposition in all Things," and Elder Clark bore his testimony in Spanish in Priesthood.  We were also invited to a Father's Day Party (dinner) on June 17th.  We loved being with the Spanish members.  They are so welcoming, loving, and kind.

  We have been taking Spanish lessons over Skype from the MTC twice a week.  Sister Elkins (wife of Stake President) has been teaching us once a week.  The missionaries are helping us by speaking Spanish when they drop by our offices.  Anyone that walks by that looks remotely Hispanic, we stop and try to talk to them in Spanish.  Little by little we are learning.  For us, understanding is much easier than speaking.

Missionaries - Aren't they funny?

  We met a couple from the San Benito Branch (Spanish) that came to the office 2 months ago and wanted a job in any Temple in the United States.  They are from Central America and previously worked in the Temple there.  They want a job to save up money to go on a Senior's mission together.  They have a daughter that lives in Denver, Colorado.  We called the Denver Colorado Temple and asked if they had any paying jobs available in their Temple.  We were told to call back in June, for some people were retiring then.

  We had forgotten about them until last Sunday,  We decided that we should call and see if the Denver, Colorado Temple job was available.  On Monday, we went to the post office and as we drove, we discussed the cute couple that had come in to see about a Temple job.  We have been feeding the missionaries ice cream, after their district meetings.  After our Post office run, we decided to stop by the grocery store and buy ice cream for the next day's missionary district meeting.  As we went into the store, this same couple from San Benito was coming out and we met them at the door.  (Wow, we were blown away).  On Tuesday morning (next day) the first thing we did was to contact the Denver, Colorado Temple to check on the potential job opening.  The Recorder (who does the hiring) said he had people retiring in July and that he remembered the previous inquiry.  He then emailed an application for these people to fill out.  They also need a resume, which we will help them with.  Hermana Clark called the couple and told them about the job opening.  The couple are coming into our office tomorrow (Friday) to fill out the application and create a resume.  The Lord really does know and love all His children.

Missionaries love ice cream!

  We have been watching the crops grow around here.  One crop looked like short corn stalks with a big brown tassels on top.  We found out it is sorghum used to make molasses.  Besides most citrus fruits (oranges, grapefruit, etc.) we also found out that Aloe Vera, Deseret Agave, and sugar cane grows well here, too.

Field crop of Sorghum

  The end of this month (June), we are saying goodbye to our mission President and his family.  President and Sister Maluenda have been here 3 years.  They speak both Spanish and English fluently.  We are getting a new Mission President from South America who doesn't speak English.  We need to learn Spanish faster than ever now.

  As of the June 7, 2016, we have been out on our mission for 6 months and it feels like it was just yesterday when we left.  We left in December '2015 (before Christmas) and now it is June '2016.  We really love this area, these people, and this Church.  It is amazing how much love we can have for others.  Members of the Church have so much love to give others.

  We are grateful for this Church, our Savior, our Heavenly Father, our mission, our friends, and family.  We wish you all the best.

  Love. ....................... Elder & Hermana Clark