The Family!
And Justin Beaver ( I hope the video loads )
Monday, December 29, 2014
Transfer 11.5 Pictures
Merry Christmas from the Tokyo South Mission! (If you go to the left and the count up 7 people, and the count across about 5 people, I'm around there)
ADORABLE STOCKING.
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.5 Pictures
This is poodi cooda. I love it. It is SO MUCH FUN! :D
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.5 Pictures
Year of the Sheep!!
And christmaskai with ma tomodachi *too lazy to english*
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.5: Kofu Christmas
What a long week! But at the same time, it was slow.... But it was also way fast.... It was also way weird. This week, like every week, has been crazy. Let us see if I can review some of the highlights.
At the temple on Tuesday, I saw so many wonderful members from my past wards. It was so amazing! My friend Osamu went to the temple for the first time! And I got to see Seiya and Kurokawa kyoudai and it was wonderful!! Sister Blake let me do some shopping in Fuchu before heading back to Hachijoji to spend the night. We met some people from Egypt who were incredible nice (and stylish!) and ate bread and had a wonderful conversation about Christmas with a Japanese girl. We really felt the spirit, it was so nice.
Spent the night in Hachijoji, which was stressful because of the many things that needed to get put together for the Christmas conference the next day. Which was amazing! It was really good to see everyone! I got to see Sister Maloy and Jones and Lope and Feist and it was really great! We also got a new phone, which was a bit troublesome. Santa Claus came and we did a gift exchange, in which I got pikachu socks. Ah yeah. Score.
Then we rushed back to Kofu, made frosting for the carrot cake and came to the church! We had a successful Christmas Eve party with our English class students. And everyone liked the carrot cake I made! {thanks mom! :) }
I even got to skype with my family, which was way weird! Because before they were like "see you next Christmas, bye, love you, miss you so much!!!!!!!!!!" But this time it was like "love YA, see you in two months" wait, what? Two months? TWO MONTHS? Less than two months? Are you kiiiiddings me? *runs around frantically until crash and burn* Keep calm and don't panic. Everything will be okay. (=ﾟωﾟ)ﾉ
Toshie Shimai was confirmed a member of the church and it was beautiful. It was a very exciting day! We had three investigators at church. What the! We have also been blessed to be able to meet with members a lot recently. I guess that happens when everyone has work off for New Years. Oh, Japan and New Years. Good times. We will see how it goes.
Today we had a fun party with our friend Akemi and her son. Good times. Her son loves Elder Terry, and he was apparently WAAAY excited for him to come over. It is a really cute relationship. Hopefully he will stay in Kofu forever. Because Hikaru is going to be the saddest little boy when Elder Terry leaves.
Now it is time to sleep. Oh wait, we have an appointment. Appointment time! WHOO hoooooo!
Love you lots! I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!!
Cheers,
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Monday, December 22, 2014
Transfer 11.4 Pictures
Guacamole exchange
On the train
Sister Blake and I with Toshie and Brother Suzuki, her son.
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.4: Why Do Members of the Seventy Come to OUR Ward?
It has truly been a marvelous week.
First off, I got to go on my very first exchanges as a STL with Sister Ogawa. It was amazing! Sister Ogawa is a marvelous sister who is really doing well. It was, of course, raining pretty hard the whole exchange, which made it more difficult to do straight proselyting, but we had a great time nonetheless. She let me make guacamole!
We had a way fun Eikaiwa where we made Christmas ornaments (aka paper snowflakes) and then pinned them on a tree with our eyes closed. We have a big plan for an awesome Christmas Eve Eikaiwa this next week! We are going to be doing the nativity. I am shepherd number 2.... And the director basically. I get kind of bossy when it comes to theatre, I guess.
On Friday, we had a really really classic Japanese Christmas dinner. AKA Christmas cake and KFC. It is the oddest tradition, I swear. It was very delicious! Then the next day, I went on my first splits with a member. Sister Blake was singing in the Christmas party, and had to rehearse, but we already had planned on visiting a less-active couple. So we went our separate ways! With member companions! It was pretty exciting. It was a good chance to lead the way and come closer to the members.
On Saturday, we really felt like we should go to the church to do various things and as we were doing various is, the church phone rang! It was a less-active who was looking for information on church times in order to give the church a present. That was surprising! I'm glad that I was able to explain everything! I'm glad we were at the church! Later, we had our Ward Christmas party.
We had a really great Christmas party! Quite a few investigators came and I became best friends with a girl named Yukari. She is Brazilian but speaks Japanese. She is also 7. I think Santa Claus got in a fight with someone at some point... I mostly was trying to keep Yukari out of any drama.... It was very interesting.
And then SUNDAY! We had lots of preparations for the beautiful baptism! And Elder Aoiyagi showed up! Yay! Second seventy in two months.... What a lucky Ward, I guess! I have definitely been surprised!
But even better was the baptism. Toshie was smiling and dancing and was just so full of faith and love. We all promised to meet again in heaven, no matter what. That is one promise that I plan on never breaking. I am so, so lucky. I am so, so blessed. It is so wonderful to see the light and life of the gospel touch people's lives.
I have various pictures that I want to upload, so we will see how that goes. I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! I hope you have felt the love of Christ like I have this Christmas season.
With love,
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Transfer 11.3 Pictures
Pictures are few this week.
At the Wada's (my mission president) home, they have a ton of super cute nativities!
Also, sometimes we photobomb high school girls selfies, so we decided to take one ourselves this time, haha. Always hilarious.
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.3: BUSY
Oh man...
Where do it even start for this week? It's been kind of like one big ol' blur of awesome.
Tuesday was probably our only free time. We decided to try and find a former investigator whose location was a mystery to us. We just knew what area she was in. So basically we just started asking people if they knew a "Fujita" San. Talking to a few people on the way. But following the spirit, the 3rd person we asked was like "oh, yeah, she lives like, right here." And we were like SWEET! ... She wasn't home. But that is okay! Because we were able to have a lot of good conversations with others in that area. I love making new friends!
Wednesday, we biked for 5 miles, taught a lessons, and biked back. Biking ten miles is painful after a while. At least it was in the daytime. We got back just in time for Eikaiwa, in which we taught Christmas songs and explained was a "Yuletide carol" is. Lots of fun. We have a lot of fun Christmas activities planned.
5:30 AM the next day, I headed off to Mission Leadership Council in Kichioji. Talked with some long time friends. Ate too much food. Felt the spirit and received revelation in order to improve my own area and help those around me. It was a marvelous experience, I am certainly grateful for it. Definitely worth the 5:30 train.
Friday, we had two lessons planned! Unfortunately, both lessons fell through. Our Chinese friend had a cold, and the other lady just simply didn't show up. I had another meeting in the morning, and so it was another 2 hour train ride from there, but we were lucky to sit next to a really nice girl! We became friends and we were blessed to be able to share the Book of Mormon with her. She was very open and listened with an open heart to our message. Hopefully we will get to teach her more soon! :)
Stake meeting early in the morning, another 2 hour train ride, a less-active lesson with the Agrens (she is so funny. She is just always like "we are less-active honey, and we have got to fix it as soon as possible" and he just nods) and then a CRAAZY dinner with a couple in the ward, our WML and his mom (our investigator) and another member. Lots of cooking, and things to put together, and various other things, but it all turned alright in the end and everyone felt the spriit! Phew!
And yesterday was wonderful. Our investigator passed her baptismal interview and will be getting baptized on Sunday. I am so incredibly blessed to be able to see her conversion. What a stupendous experience! But lots of work to be done to make sure everything goes smoothly. Please pray for us!
I hope that everything is going well with you this Christmas season. May we always remember the Lord in all we do.
With love,
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Monday, December 8, 2014
Transfer 11.2 Pictures
Thanks again to my wonderful parents! The socks are waaaay warm! :)
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.2 Pictures
5 hours of walking did make for a lot of pretty sights!
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.2: Teagan Clark, Super Adult
Sooo...
It was my birthday.
Thank you everyone who posted nice things! It really made me feel warm and special! I needed it, haha. Sometimes, I need all the compliments I can get, haha. My birthday was okay. I fasted all day and then ate cold McDonald's. Delicious. But! I did get a nice package from my parents and I will forever be grateful to them! They basically rock. I did feel a bit homesick. Time is dwindling, my friends. Slowly dwindling...
But besides that, we saw some really amazing miracles is week! I love miracles and I love seeing Gods hand in the work we do every day!!
On Tuesday, we first went to visit a LA with the bishops wife. She wasn't home. But she has the most American house I have ever seen in Japan, except for maybe the bases. After that, we went to visit some referrals with Elders Barker and Huntsman! We just had to climb a few measly mountains, right? No need to bike right? Wrong. Don't listen to Clark Shimai's suggestions. Number 1, the wind was particularly frigid that day. That is the day it began to get cold. Number 2, we ended up walking for 15 kilometers. It took 5 hours. On the plus side, Elders Huntsman and Barker are hilarious and kept things interesting and there were various vending machines with hot beverages to keep our fingers warm. Sister Blake chatted the whole way. Spanish Class that night was the most exhausted I've been for a loooong time.
Other things we did this week was eat yakiniku and visit various members! Before Yakiniku, we decided to visit a LA who worked close by. We had various small promptings that we followed, like not copying something we planned on, and hurrying on our way, which lead us to great a mother walking her baby. She immediately said "your Christians, right? Oh, I have you book." And we ended up having a good talk and setting an appointment, which we taught last week! She is Chinese. Her and my mom have the same name. :D
Something similar happened on our way back from another member visit. We said hello to someone we were walking past and she said "oh yes, you are the Mormons." And we talked with her. She had really been thinking deeply about life recently and we were able to to give her our contact information and an invitation to the Christmas party coming up soon.
Saturday, an appointment got cancelled and so we decided to talk to people around the train station, where there was an event going on. We were able to have a lot of good conversations. And then SAKURAIZER! Apparently, each prefecture in Japan has a hero. And SAKURAIZER is Yamanashi's (that is where I am living) so we took our picture with them and a friend we met!! It was pretty hilarious.
Thanks again for all of your prayers for my behalf and for the behalf of all the other missionaries out there. We really feel the effects, promise!
Always remember to share the gospel, at all times, and it all things, and in all places! You won't regret it! Let the spirit guide!!
Love,
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Transfer 11.1 Pictures
Happy Thanksgiving!
I am so grateful for this mission and the numberless blessings that have come as a part of it.
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.1 Pictures
Autumn is still going strong her in Kofu. But not for much longer!
My beautiful Persian friends, Rosario and Sylvia.
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Transfer 11.1: The Last 12 Weeks
Well, here we are. As a missionary, when you first get to the field, you get a booklet for training called "The First 12 Weeks".... But they don't prepare you for the last 12 weeks! What a whirlwind I am about to enter!
First off, transfer call. I got a call from President Wada this morning informing me that I would be staying with Sister Blake in Kofu, and also that I will be taking on some Sister Training Leader responsibilities. My first Mission Leader Conference is next week. I honestly thought that I would never be STL and still don't really feel like I am... I don't want it to just be a pity calling. But I trust President Wada and I trust God.
We have done some fun things this week, like go all the way down near Mt. Fuji to visit some members there, have a lesson in half Spanish, half Japanese, Blake Shimai be sick with a cold, and most importantly, see various miracles!
One happened while I was on exchanges with Sister Bickmore! On the way back to Kofu from interviews that morning, we invited a woman to sit down next to us. We quickly discovered that she is deaf and she quickly discovered that I was probably the only person on that train who could somewhat communicate in Shuwa, or Japanese Sign Language. Can you imagine! Sitting next to some foreigner, and suddenly they whip out some Shuwa! I have had the opportunity to learn Shuwa little by little throughout my mission and have really enjoyed the opportunity. I love Shuwa and perhaps I learned it just so I could invite one of Gods children to learn more about Jesus Christ.
Another miracle happened at a big Thanksgiving dinner that a family in our Ward invited us to. Their children invited their coworkers and etc. and it ended up that there were several non members there! It was such a great environment to talk to people and introduce them to us and church. One person who came immediately had interest in learning more and practically invited herself to church. Only yesterday did we find out that the son who invited her is less active and his wife is against the church. It continually amazes me the power of member missionary work. I doubt that that member meant to refer that friend to us, but God always has a plan that is better than our own.
I look forward to another amazing transfer. So many miracles are ahead! I am really going to begin to finish things off with a BANG!! Lots of love!
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Transfer 10.6 Pictures
Only in Japan...
Did you know that I love Guinea Pigs? A LOT?!
Sister Teagan Clark
クラーク姉妹
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