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-