I like strawberries

What a week! I can't remember a thing! hahaha Just kidding, but seriously, sometimes I am concerned that I am losing my marbles out here haha. Have I said that already? Probably. hehehe. Anyways, it has been snowing all day today! My companion and I went to the center of Barcelona and wandered around all of the old ruins in the pretty snow. We wanted to go into a pretty looking church, but it cost 7 euros. So yeah, I'll just watch a Rick Steve's Europe on it when I get home haha.

I was talking to some other missionaries the other day, and we were talking about how life is pretty darn hard. Like, it's really hard. It's scary and I want to run away, but I can't do that. I can't hide my head under the sand. I have to do what I have to do. Even if I can't see the end. That's when I have to push through in the darkness and use the faith that I have so carefully tried to nourish and grow.

We had a meeting the other day and we talked a lot about discouragement and how it is Satan's biggest tool. Satan will more often use discouragement instead of a temptation. It's a lot easier for him, and it works just the same. It was an interesting discussion.

Well, I'm a little short on time today. I love you all soooooo much! Enjoy the start of March! Also, special birthday shout out to Chad! Woot woot!

-Hermana Clark

Ps- Strawberries are coming back in season here! I'm soooo excited!

Somewhere in Time

I totally forgot to mention last week that for my one year mark, my companion woke up at like 4 in the morning, cut out a bunch of paper 1's and taped them on EVERYTHING. Literally everything. My chicken, my toothbrush, my popcorn, etc. We also burned a pair of my tights on the balcony. It was lit.

I just love being a missionary. I really do. I love teaching about Jesus Christ, and then watching people change their lives and draw closer to their Savior. Their countenance changes and they just become happier. I love the mission!!!! Yes, it is hard. I had no idea how hard. But there are a lot of things in life that are harder than the mission. And so I realized that I really want these hard experiences in the mission because they are preparing me for my life after the mission. Everything happens for a reason. God does everything with a purpose. But sometimes, we literally just have to buckle down, hold on, and wait it out. I can't afford to just run away at the first fleeting chance of fear or of failure. I need these hard experiences. They make us better. And God will always help us. Always.

Well, I've gotta run here pretty soon. I will taking out a brand-new, fresh out of the MTC missionary tonight. I love taking out the new missionaries :) They make me happy :) I love you all back home! Be good! Be kind! Be patient!

-Hermana Clark :)

Ps-Hey Dad. I'm in the mission office right now, and the song "Somewhere in Time" is playing. Made me think of you. Love you :)

White Barcelona

A couple of Chileans treated me to some completos for my one year mark last week. I honestly thought that the word "completo" was made up. Completos are basically just over-the-top hotdogs. I thoroughly enjoyed myself by eating three. Speaking of eating, yesterday we got fed three time within 7 hours. One can only eat so much rice in one day. I was very concerned that I was going to throw up. But, good news: I didn't.

We are teaching a man from Gabon who only speaks French and Catalan. I know that the power of the spirit and the Book of Mormon is so real, because we have so many miscomunications. He came to watch a baptism on Saturday, and suddenly in his broken Spanish he asks me when he can get baptized. He loves reading the Book of Mormon and he told us that his little brother suddenly passed away last week. And so he wants to know what happens after we die. We should be meeting with him tomorrow, so I am suuuuper excited for that!

Yesterday we were sitting outside of a bar on the curb. (Restaurants and bars are the same thing here in Spain.) We were just doing some phone calls and sending some whatapp messages. Then a man from inside the bar sneezed really loud. So without thinking, I yelled, "Salud!" Which is the Spanish equivalent of "Bless you". Then the man yelled man, "Gracias!" We died laughing hahahaha. Sometimes I just remember that I am in Spain and so many weird things happen on a daily basis. I will never be able to do this again.

My companion is finishing her mission and goes home in a week. So I will be getting a new companion next week. I'm pretty curious to see who it will be! I hope all is well back home. Oh! I almost forgot! It snowed here in Barcelona on Thursday! Well, to me it was just hail. But all the Spaniards say that it was snow. Stuff was white for about 5 minutes. We were inside planning out our week.

Enjoy your week! Drink some hot chocolate! Have fun watching the Olympics! I personally love watching the pairs figure skating. Be good! Work hard!

-Hermanita Clark :)

Ps- I've kind of been getting into yoga lately. It's nice.

Dementia

Yesterday I found a tiny carton of icecream with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. It was 6 euros, but soooooo worth it. Also, it was Ben & Jerry's. I really enjoyed it. It was like a little nugget of gold. And today one of the elders gave me his french fries. Tender blessings are real. I will admit that it is possible to bribe me with french fries and peanut butter cups.

I was thinking the other day about the human potential to create. We are creative beings. We have so much potential to do good and to be good. I want to create good things. I want to help others. I am really starting to see what God's plan for me is. It comes little by little. But I have to work to see it. We really do do the things in life that we want to do. I am so excited for the future. I have never been so excited before! I just love it! I have so many ideas!

On another note, this week we ate lunch with a woman from our ward who has a bit of dementia. She reminds me so much of a woman I took care of for about 8 months before the mission. Just the little things. The way she pats the dish cloth or repeats herself. The way she leaves her mouth hanging a little open. The way her retorts back a sassy answer. And the way that she loves me even though she has no idea who I am. I have so much love for her. I think I've come to love people even more since being on the mission.

I love Spain. I don't want to leave. But at the same time I miss home. It's an interesting feeling.

-Hermana Clark :)

Ps-I hit my one year mark in Spain. It's going too fast.