愛してます

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Some Final Pictures

Sushi with Sister Chie Suzuki :3

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Some Final Pictures

My turn for adorable puppy pictures!!

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Some Final Pictures

Korean food and all my planners 

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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The End?

Wait...

This must be wrong.

The end? Absolutely not.

It's not like I go home to America in 4 days. Nope nope nope. NOPE NOPE NOPE. 

This past week as fairly adventurous. It mostly was including in various eating adventures and some sore tummies. Also included various packing when it could be done. Meetings and more meetings. The normal missionary life. Talking to people when we can. Getting rejected. Getting accepted. 

On Sunday, I spoke in church and did my best. People said I did well, and I like to believe them. Elder Ferni spoke too. Ran around with various errands. Taught Sister Toshie for the last time. 

So I admit it. I am leaving this week. I am going home. I am leaving with a vast accumulation of knowledge gained over 18 months of work, of doing my best. I feel like I could feel novels and novels with what I have learned. To think about writing it all is a daunting task. But I want to write some basic thinks that have been engrained in my soul. 

God answers prayers in His own time and in His own way. 

Repentance is a continuing, perfecting process.

Hard work can be fun work.

Communication is essential in every relationship.

Love knows no bounds. It is completely and absolutely possible to feel the love of Christ for ever single person you see. 

Following the gospel of Christ isn't exactly easy, but it is simple and it is the only way to salvation and exaltation. 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church of God on the earth today. No doubt.

When God comes first, all other things fall in place, BUT ONLY IF GOD COMES FIRST. 

I am eternally grateful for God seeing fit to save someone like me for His work. This has been an amazing 18 months, 12 transfers, 2 baptisms, 8 companions and a lifetime of knowledge. I definitely feel like I've gone through the Life Training Center. Ready to enter the field. I certainly hope I'm ready. I'm so grateful for Sisters Jones, Hathaway, Matsuzaki, Harper, Maloy, Wright, Tamagusuku, Blake and Kaizaki. I have learned so much from each one of them and am grateful for the others who have blessed me immensely during my mission. 

Is this the end? Absolutely not. We are never done enduring. I am a better person. I am ready and excited to embrace the world as such. I hope that I can continue to grow as the Lord would have me grow. I hope that I can be a blessing in the loves of those around me each and every day. I thank you all so much for your support and your prayers. I promise you that those prayers have been answered in the everyday miracles. 

May we all keep the faith and become who God would have us be. I pray this this day and always in the sacred name of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I hope that you may feel His peace in your heart as you continue to follow him.

Amen.

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.6 Pictures

Happy Valentines Day!!

Sister Kaizaki, Luo, and Me

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.6 Pictures

Kids English!!

Kofu district is going crazy. 

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.6: *ugly sob*

Wait just a second here.

Didn't I write this email like... A few days ago? Are you kidding me? It can't have already been a week. There is no way. Someone must have made a mistake. Did you check your watch? Will you check it again, please? 

What do you mean it is already the last week of the transfer???!!!

*bashes head against wall* I am not emotional prepared for this, ladies and gentleman. I can't even.

BUT what I can do is talk about some of the miracles that I saw this week!

Tuesday we were like "let's visit this less-active!" And then when we got there the name on the door was different and no one was home so we thought "hmmm, maybe they moved?" So we looked at the time and decided we have just enough time to house the one section of the apartment building. The first door we knock on is the less-active member! Turns out there was a mistake in the address. She can mostly only speak Spanish and some English... I cannot speak Spanish, haha. She said that she is now Jewish but her heart is Mormon and that she would like us to come back... So we are planning on coming back.

Then on the floor below her, we knocked on the door of a Chinese woman who immediately was interested in hearing our message, asked for a pamphlet, told us that we are incredibly adorable and that she wants us to come back. Uhm... Absolutely!!

Thursday, Friday, Saturday was filled with meetings and poor nights of sleep. Thursday was the shortest president interviews of my life, followed by weekly planning and good times with Sister Ogawa and Sister Magleby. 

Friday was an amazing and exhausting sisters conference. Good spiritual thoughts and exercise practice and some amazing final testimonies (including my own and the other beautiful sisters coming home with me). Looking back to when I first decided to go on a mission and who am now.... It's a big difference, a big change. And it is weird, because I still like Harry Potter and guacamole... It is a change that I can't quite describe, but I like it. I love this spiritual change and I hope that it can continue until I am like my Father. 

I feel like life is on fast forward. Monday to Saturday to Wednesday and then suddenly I'm home. WEIRD. Things are going to be so different, everything completely changed. It is making me nervous, haha, but I get to come all the way back with Sister Jones at my side and I have nothing to worry about! No stress! Got some final shopping done today! Invited some people out to church! Hugged my adorable companion! That is all it is about! Love love love it! Love Japan! Love the mission! Love all of you! I hope you are doing your best to follow the gospel of Jesus Christ wherever you may be.

With love and a little anxiety,

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.5 Pictures

Good times today!!

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.5 Pictures

Our beloved zone leaders, "joining" district meeting via Skype (Elder Hansen and Blanchard) 

Chocolate decorating for valentines in relief society.

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.5 Pictures

I found Obama

My suteki comapanion Sister Kaizaki and an adorable puppy

Majestic Mt. Fuji

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.5: Sunrise, Sunset, Swiftly Fly the Days

Happy P-Day everyone! I certainly have had an AWESOME one!

I won't even try to attempt an adequate comment on the passage of time. How quickly it goes. This week was especially fast I believe. We have had some good times. 

On Tuesday I had the feeling to visit a certain member, but I was like "nah" so we visited some other off-the-radar members who all were NOT interested in talking we us. Very rude, I think. Anyways, as we were riding our bikes I recognized where we were as being very close to where the member I was thinking about visiting lives. So we went over to say hi and it turned out that she needed a little bit of garden help and that we turned up at the perfect time! She said it was such a blessing and I felt blessed too! I'm going to give her my bike before I go home. It is a deal. I'll probably cry. Crying everyday. Cry party.

We went to talk to people around a nearby college. We ended up meeting the architects of this really nice building their building and had a good conversations with them. It is a really cool building. Apparently when you go their, you can only speak English. I'm in. 

My last Mission Leadership Council was this week! All the tears! It was really good. Lots of good things to think about and ponder. Lots about accountability. Good discussion as a zone. It's kind of easy to sit idle, but it is also fun to talk about and get things going on a role. I love working with the Takao sisters. Such a blessing. 

Saturday was kind of a tough and weird day. One of our progressing investigators suddenly dropped us out of the blue. No reason. Just "here, let me give you back the Book of Mormon" It was really confusing and made me really sad, but I realize that she'll have another chance. Just now isn't the right time. 

We then had a great relief society activity and our friend was able to come with her daughter. We also had a great game activity and the opportunity to go to a members home. But there was just a weird twang about the whole day. 

Sunday, we had a great day. That night, we saw a small miracle where Kaizaki Shimai felt that we should house a certain apartment complex and when we did, we found someone who said we could come back! It was great!! I'm so lucky to have such a great companion!! 

Today we got to spend sometime with our friends Eriko and Kanako. Such fun! We ate delicious ramen and ice cream and I found a lot of my favorite things! Super lucky! But really! I'm such a happy camper!! Today was great. 

I hope to continue up this awesome streak. We've got great things planned for this week as well. Prepare yourselves for more amazing things to come! Love you all so much!!

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.4 Pictures

Twinkle twinkle little sushi

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.4 Pictures

Kaizaki Shimai is way cooler than me, but it was still a pretty cool tunnel.

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.4 Pictures

Epic tunnel pictures feat. Clark and Kaizaki

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.4 Pictures

Sister Ogawa and Watashi, outside of a train

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.4 Pictures

Sister Ogawa being adorable with the Ramos' cat

Sister Teagan Clark

クラーク姉妹

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Transfer 12.4: A Lemon For a Shinier Lemon

Tick tick tick tick. 

Looks like we're are down to another update. Whoop whoop. Let's see if I can give you some exciting updates. 

We had district meeting. Like usual. And then we had a lesson with our Gold friend! Who isn't so golden... It seems like she is going to drop us soon. We are going to work heard through the spirit to see what else we can do to help, but sometimes people just use their agency and their is nothing more to be done.

But it seems that the Lord is trading one Chinese investigator for another. We got a referral all the from Hong Kong. We called her! And then a had a lesson together! And it went really well. She is interested in learning why her friend likes this church so much and is sincerely. She doesn't know anything about the church, but we are slowly teaching her and the spirit has been really strong in the lessons. It is amazing. 

This year, I started a children's English class in Kofu and it has actually had quite a bit of success! We have 3-4 families regularly coming and it is so much fun to teach! Kids are funnier to teach than adults, but I don't mind teaching adults either, I suppose. As long as they listen. 

Thursday was pretty busy and terrifying. If you think driving on a small freeway with big semi trucks passing by is scary, try doing it on a bike. Now THAT is scary. 

Had zone meeting and exchanges with Sister Ogawa. Good stuff. Actually it was a really long meeting. I gave a training on unceasing ministry to those we love and I thought it went alright. Sister Magleby said it was her favorite one, so I heard. I hope it at least kept people awake, haha. 

I think that about sums it up. Sister Kaizaki is such a sweet companion. I'm a ticking emotional time bomb every day and she is just so sweet and helps me out. Cheers to applying my mission to my life every single day! 

Sister Teagan Clark

I found the source of the ticking! It's a クラーク姉妹!

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