Romanian Christmas Eve

I was able to eat some amaaaazing Christmas food from Romanian on Christmas Eve, but unfortuantely it made me sick. It was so worth it though. I also got to help make some of it. The meat was soooo delicious! It was this super seasoned meat rolled up in a leaf thing and boiled in a soup. Can't remember what it's called, but it was nothing like I have ever tasted before.

Christmas really isn't a big deal here. It's mostly Christmas Eve that's more celebrated. So I will definitely be looking forward to my next Christmas at home in snowy Utah with my family :) Speaking, of family, it was soooo nice to skype them yesterday!! Ahhhhh!!! Just the best!!!!

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! Christmas in the mission is so great! I was able to grow even closer to Christ, my Savior :) I've been thinking about his mother, Mary, and how wonderful of a woman she must have been.

I love you all! Merry Christmas!

-Hermana Clark :)

Ps- For the New Year's tradition here, I have to stuff 12 grapes in my mouth. I will let you know how it goes ;)

Bulgarian Sass

I met a Bulgarian man the older day. It was a riot! I don't I have ever seen so much sass in one man before hahaha. He speaks English, but looooves to talk in an English accent, even though he says that he prefers an American accent. He also gave me a Bulgarian sweet, so that was nice. I was just thinking about Victor Krum from Harry Potter, so that shows that I need to brush up on my Bulgarian history haha. He's one of those people that can't help laughing when telling funny stories, and so you just end up laughing even more.

Today we went into Sephora looking for makeup, and I found a bottle of foundation that costs 93€. So of course I had to try out the tester, just so I could feel like a wealthy woman for 5 seconds. And now I know that there is a huge difference between Wal-mart makeup, and ridiculously expensive makeup. But don't worry, Dad, I didn't buy it ;)

We had the lovely experience of watching one of my favorite little girls get baptized yesterday. But even more beautiful was watching her mother give her testimony for the first time. Her mom got baptized at the end of September. It's amazing to watch people grow and change. I will always remember my time here in Spain. Always. I think I will always look back on my experiences here with a tad bit of longing, but I don't want to forget to look to the future, either. The past doesn't serve us anything if we don't use it to build our future.

Well, I love you all soooo much. Really. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas weekend! Enjoy time with your family. Be happy. Don't let little things get to ya!

-Hermanita Clark :)

Ps- If you know who Bing Crosby is, you might be my favorite person ever. We hear his songs allll the time.

You have no idea how much I love Christmas

 I am sitting here in the shopping mall next to our apartment, using their wifi haha, and all of the sudden, bells starting ringing. And then Christmas music starting playing!!!! I am soooooo HAPPY. I cannot express just how much I love Christmas. I remember trying to deny how much I liked Christmas when I was little, because EVERYONE loved Christmas, and I didn't want to be like everyone else haha. But now, I don't care. At all. I just love Christmas! Everything is so much happier! And there is snow! (Well, not here, but whatever I'll be back in Utah someday haha) And lights! And chocolate! And the birth of Christ! And my mom's baptism!

This week, we had our zone conference with all of the missionaries in Valencia. I loooved it! Everything was focused on Christmas and Christ! I really cannot tell you how happy I am. I am super excited to spend Christmas here in Valencia! The hot chocolate here is amazing! It's super thick and dense, but not too sweet. We dip toasted bread in it, and then drink it. It's a beautiful creation that's for sure. Thanks Spain!

Okay, I will talk more about Christmas next week haha. We are teaching a bunch of people here. Around 10ish. I'm not really sure... But, we should be seeing a few getting baptized here in a few weeks! So about a two months ago, a mother and a daughter got baptized. I cried a bunch at their baptism. They are amazing people. Weeeelllll, one of her other daughters is getting baptized on Sunday! One step closer to an eternal family!

I hope you are all enjoying yourselves at home. Hopefully finals are over, and y'all passed. Hopefully you are all enjoying the snow (I assume there is snow... I have no idea...). Do something good to help someone out. Cause everyone wants to be happy! I am a firm believer that one of the best ways to cure sadness is by doing some good old fashioned service. Love you all! Be safe!

-Hermana Clark :)

Ps- We went ice skating today in the center of Valencia! And we went to the port to watch the sunrise with all the missionaries in Valencia!

#paella

I thought that Utah was cold. This is a whole new level of cold, and I'm in Valencia for pete's sake! It's supposed to be hot here. It's not. Humid cold is a whole different type of cold. But I definitely don't mind drinking hot chocolate all the time. That's a bonus! I am also a huuuge blanket lover. I love my morning studies all snuggled up in two blankets! It's the best!

Life as a missionary is so interesting, fun, hilarious, weird, hard and unforgetable all at the same time. I really just love it! I get to experience things and do things that I know I will never have the chance to do ever again. Sometimes I just like to stop and take it all in. I think about where I am at, where I have been, and then I get excited when I look to the future and where I need to go! It's all just so exciting!! Of course, not every moment is so exciting and full of butterflies and sparkles, and that's okay. We all need the hard moments. It's a major way how we learn in this life. But the thing is, we cannot get stuck in those sad and miserable moments. Appreciate the struggle, learn from it, and do everything you can to get out! Move on and progress.

I love you all so much! I also love Christmas! It makes me so happy! I love the spirit of Christmas! But even more, I love the spirit of Christ! I'm so glad that Heavenly Father sent Him here to earth for us. He loves us a lot. :) Be good! Do good things! Be brave!

-Hermanita Clark

Ps- I ate a really good paella yesterday. Man, I just love Spanish food!