Getting Behind

Feb. 14-21, 2016

  Starting Monday, we called one of our candidates (Robert Perez) and found out he had obtained a full-time job in Brownsville and was very excited and happy to be working again.  Tom has been very diligent in searching the LDSJobs database and passing along job leads to the people who come to us for help.  The Bishops, Branch Presidents, Missionaries, and friends refer people to us and we sign people up on LDSJobs.com.  We also help them with job leads, writing resumes, and encouraging them to think positive about getting a job.  When a person is out of work, they forget that they have lots of skills and often become negative and depressed.  Hearing that Robert got a job was very exciting for us.

Love the beautiful trees here.

  We are still working on learning Spanish and the MTC Tutors are very helpful.  We are studying saying prayers for ourselves and in a group.

  For most of the week, it was slow in the office and we were not having a lot of success.  We noticed that we had not had anyone make an appointment or come to the office and it was already Wednesday.  Tom also made the point that lately we have been so busy and were just rushing off in the morning without reading our scriptures.  Can you believe it?  Missionaries not reading their scriptures in the morning?  On Thursday, we made it a point to read & study our scriptures before rushing off to work.  Later that same day, we got a call from the Missionaries that there was someone in the Ward that needed a job.  They setup an appointment for us to meet with Sister Marcia Sanchez to help her find a job.

On Friday morning, we signed up Sis Sanchez onto LDSJOBS.org and gave her several job leads for office and medical administrative work.  We also helped her complete a resume and all were very happy such that when it was printed out, we all gave each other high fives.

Cool-looking Missionary Car

  Later in the day on Friday afternoon, we were at our office in Harlingen when the Sister Missionaries called and asked about a mission-wide missionary conference the next day (Saturday) from 9am-Noon in McAllen.  We then called the mission office and found out that they had just found out about the conference, too.  We then made preparations to take the 4 Sister Missionaries in our truck (seats 6) and went to the conference early Saturday morning.

  At the conference, the spirit was very strong.  President and Sister Maluena (our Mission President & wife) talked.  There were beautiful musical numbers and Elder Corbridge (from 1st Quorum of 70) spoke.  Afterward we drove back home, took the Sisters to Whatburger for lunch, and then reviewed our talks for Sunday morning.

Spring is here - cactus blooms

  We spoke in the Treasure Hills Branch at 9am, in Harlingen.  We spoke about self-reliance and the LDS Employment Resource Center.  After Sacrament meeting, we stayed for the remaining two Ward Sacrament meetings in the building we were visiting.  At the conclusion of last Sacrament meeting, an elderly woman sought Tom out to tell him Thank-you so much for helping Robert (her grandson - note 1st paragraph) find a job.  Robert's grandmother said that he was very happy to be working full-time and that he was going out with the Missionaries during the week.  She also told Tom that her grandson's efforts had inspired her to come back to Church, for she wanted to have blessings, too.

  Sherrie had missed Robert's Grandmother expressions of gratitude, for she was with someone else asking her to teach the following week's Relief Society lesson on being self sufficient and living within one's means.  It is amazing how the blessings of our mission keeps pouring in.  It is also amazing how we get to enjoy and hear about some of the positive outcomes of our work here.

  Love, ..................... Elder & Sister Clark.