Life en la Costa Caribeña‏

This week went by really fast for me! It wasn't the greatest week, but we worked hard anyway! We had one of the best lessons I have given in my life with Nilson and Carmen about why the Book of Mormon and the Bible compliment each other. They were knocked over with shock at the lesson, and Nilson said that he believed what we said because he felt it. Neither of them came to church though, and we were pretty sad for that. Karen is too ill with her depression to comprehend the lessons,but the family still loves us a lot. Luis got sick with Chikungunya and couldn't come. But we had a lesson with his two sisters, and in the middle of the lesson I had the impression to change the whole lesson. I told them the story of Peter and Jesus. Jesus said "do you love me?" two times to which Peter responded "you knowest that I love you", and after he said "feed my sheep" I told them that every time the missionaries ask people to commit to something its because God loves them and wants what's best for them, and He asks us the same question with every commitment. "Do You love me Wendy/Yaritza Polo?" "You knowest that we love you" Then God tells us "Go to my church/read my scriptures/talk to me daily and nightly in prayer". They both came to church and Wendy was "rescued" or is active in the church again. I have also reactivated a separated mother whose child doesn't want to see her again. We had 6 less actives come to church this Sunday. And the Bishop told us "I know that cambios(transfers)are this Monday, but you guys are the 4 best missionaries this ward has had in years, possibly forever". We were pretty happy afterwards. I am very happy. I have focused on only three things: the people, the Lord, and becoming consecrated. I feel like I was born into the mission, and that life before the mission almost didn't exist. It is weird. But good. I have quite literally never been happier in all of my life. I'm so glad that I am an example to Nick. I want him to change the list to say "Be like Jesus Christ" instead of "Be like Clark". This is going to sound very Baptist/evangelical but I have come to know Jesus Christ very personally. I only think of him almost all day long, and I am trying to be more like him, finding and giving service everywhere we go. I have washed dishes, ironed clothes, and cleaned houses all of this week, and the people are more receptive of us! It is great! One of my pairs of shoes is unrecognizable as a shoe because I have worn them in so hard. Definitely serve as missionaries. Without member missionaries, the work does not exist. So transfers are today and I will find out what happens tonight. To be a missionary, (I have realized this week) we should focus on the less active families and people. Ask the Bishop and missionaries who they are and immediately befriend them. There were about 300 people that live in my area that are members. 4 of them died without the ward knowing. About 260 of them have moved without the knowledge of many. And the rest are almost all less active. This shouldn't happen, because the ward should be like a family. Much love, See ya next week (in Email) Élder Clark Manwaring

This is HIS Work and Glory...‏

This last week was tough, and disapointing in some aspects, but I am much tougher! I was still sick and I got worse and worse, until I figured out that it was the Multivitamin that you gave me before I left that was acting like The Terminator in my stomach. Lets hope it "wont be back" (Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation). I am so deep in the spirit and love for the people that surround me, sometimes it kills me inside when I can't comfort someone with a hug, I love these people so much. I am much more Costeño now. I am much less timid or shy, and more open to share my feelings with people, and have a good time! I am loving my mission so much! Ay Hombe Wey Pa Jey (it means woo hoo in Vallenato) I pray for you all so much! Nilson and Carmen are progressing so well, especially Carmen. She almost became a Nun in the Catholic church, and is a women's pastor in a evangelical church, but is learning and growing in testimony so rapidly, its crazy! The Mom (Emma) and Karen her daughter next. We visited them several times during the week. One of the times, we came as Karen was having a severe episode of depression. It was one of the worst sadness's I have ever seen. I could see in her eyes that she was trapped inside of herself and wanted to be normal, but was wrenching in pain on the outside and screaming and crying. I told my companion "We need to sing a hymn". I chose my favorite. Abide With Me tis Eventide. It reminds me of when I felt the spirit in our home in Utah, when the house is clean, there is a candle lit, and the house seems to be a soft shade of orange in all the house. She stopped crying and went to her room and fell asleep, exhausted after crying for hours on end. Her Mom said that she had never seen even medicine calm her that fast during an episode. It sounds like this week has been super busy for all of you guys! Especially you and Avita ;) You guys are really starting a change in the world of pediatric Cancer, and helping out others as well! I hope it goes really well for you guys on TV again! Wao! I also hope you did well in Stake Conference! Another story: We met up with a less active guy of my same age named Luis Miguel Polo. He hasn't been to church in years, and the missionaries have been visiting him for 10 years, with is about 100 missionaries. I asked him "where do you want to be in 5 years?" He answered easily and I wrote it on my mini whiteboard. I then asked the same question, but in 10 years, it was harder for him to answer. But he did. I wrote it and then asked where he would be in 25 years. He stopped and he said: "I will be 50 years old, and nothing will matter to me." I told him "Your family will be what matters to you. And if you strive to be more like Christ you will mean the world to them." He stopped and said "I will do everything to make that a reality" and so I said "You can start by going to church with us tomorrow." He did! And he bore his testimony in front of everyone, and thanked me for helping him set his priorities straight, and progress towards his goals. His inactive sister came too. I almost cried I was so happy! Congratulations to Lauren for her accomplishment(getting accepted to BYU)! And Nicks campaign is freaking awesome and endorsed by his brother ;). Muy Bien! The story is touching and was a little hard to read. But I am excited to see how it turns out in the Magazine. Ava is marvelous! And cute! Love you all so much, and I hope it goes great for all of you guys this week. This is quite possibly my last week in Valledupar, because we have area changes this next Monday. Te Amo al Tizo (Costeñol for the most), Élder Manwaring

This week in the Valle! ‏ 02/23/15

Colombia supports Nick! I will tell the stories of this week first. First, we found a man who has one good eye and the other is all light blue, he is addicted to all hardcore drugs that exist here in Colombia, and has been for 25 years. He is 36 years old. He is Rolo Cachaco (from Bogota). We taught him the Word of Wisdom and set a plan to get him out of addiction. His dad met us and we gave him a little pamphlet/book of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We finished the lesson, and walked away, but the dad followed after us running and said "I read the pamphlet, and how much does a Book of Mormon cost?" He had read and underlined almost the entire pamphlet in 15 minutes and he wanted a book of Mormon! So cool! Katarina is doing awesome and attends church every week! I know that she will be a leader in the church someday. Another story is that the couple that can't have kids invited us over again, and immediately we felt the spirit. The guy is named Nilson Diaz, and the wife is named Carmen Ariza. Carmen told us defiantly in the Restoration lesson "Everyone knows the first pope was Peter, the disciple of Christ." I know from experience that arguing never works, so I bore my testimony, stronger than I have ever before. Afterwards she said that she believed my words, that like the wind, she couldn't see it...but she could feel it. I committed them to baptism, and they both came to church and sat next to us. They said afterwards "this is how the church of Christ should be. There are no guitars, or yelling, or paying money to receive "revelation" from a pastor". Awesome! And another story of success. We passed by a more poor part of the area (which means that they are still rich) and a girl yelled to us "brothers!" (Hermanos!) She looked slightly deranged, but I walked up to her, and asked her how things have been. In a few short minutes, we had both her and her Mom out on the front porch talking to us. The girl explained that she almost was baptized, but fell into deep depression and was hospitalized days before the baptism. She felt like she had no friends, and the Elders were her only friends. They both believe that the church is true. The Mom dreamed a vision where she spoke with Joseph Smith. She and her mother explained that the missionaries were angels in their lives, but left after a time (sent to another area). She and her mother cried so hard the day they left, and the ward didn't continue to befriend them. The girl named Karen re-fell into depression, and they thought that God gave up on them, until we passed by that house and decided to talk to them. They both accepted baptism dates! Woo Hoo! And Lastly, I had 3 days of a stomach bug. The reason? I bought unlabeled Granadilla seeds in a container. I ate a bunch, but it tasted a little different. Its because it had certain preservative that causes blowout diarrhea. Those three days were crap. Literally. I lost about 8 or 9 pounds. In the house of a member I had diarrhea while going to the bathroom. The house was small and the noises were echoing in the house. I heard laughter in the living room. But I am costeño, so it didn't bother me. I left the bathroom and said "Did you guys hear my concert/symphony in the bathroom?" To the kids in the house, and there was less tension afterwards. :) That is so cool that you guys and going to be famous on KSL and Worldwide in the "Friend" magazine. Friend doesn't exist here in Colombia. Liahona does. But send me a photo of Ava in the magazine when it comes out! And Tell the littles that I love and miss them, and that they should pray often. And that the family can do scripture study every night! I recently finished the Book of Mormon for the 2nd time in my mission! I know the Book of Mormon like the back of my hand now! Love you guys and hope everything goes really well for you guys this week. Stay close to the Lord. You are a good person Mom. When I introduce myself to the people I teach, I show them the picture of the whole family in the Library. They always say "Your Mom looks like she is from Colombia, she is very beautiful." or "Your Dad is a lucky Man." Love you all so much!I appreciate all of your encouragement. I have really felt the hand of the Lord in the work.

First Baptism!

Katharine's Baptism! El Mirador Monumento Todo Valledupar! I can see my house from here ;) La Sierra Nevada Montañas Katharine was baptized, by me! I baptized a little bit fast the people said afterwards. But I did it in 1 try...which is impressive because the people here have at least 4 names. I have included an awesome picture before she got baptized! I am able to Email because we do not celebrate Carnaval here in Valledupar. A little bit. But what they celebrate here is a gigantic music festival called the legend of Vallenato more. So we are safe :) We went to Mirador as a district this morning. I am glad that my brothers look up to me. They should know that they already have their mission calls, because God knows where they will go, and that they should live worthy and grow a testimony now to live up to the special place and people that God will place in their paths later on. Colombiana soda is very Cachaco (Bogota) or Paisa (Medellin, Cali). Its delicious but what we drink here in the coast is Pony Malta or Kola Roman (freaking gross, literally it is red throw up). But its cool that you guys met a guy that served here. Valledupar really is the City of the Mangos! I'm so happy that Grandma and Grandpa could visit, but sad that they are getting very old. Happy that they are proud of me! Nick is very brave to dance with those lucky girls. My mission has taught me that God blesses those that are willing to do things that others wont, that he blesses those who take risks even if they end up looking dumb, and that those who do his work see his hand more in their lives. Nick will be and is a good missionary, and I hope he enjoys his 8th grade year! Tell Nate that he looks Vacano Chevere in his dancing gear! I had a lesson yesterday where I felt the spirit tell me that this couple that I had just met 2 minutes earlier couldn't have children, but I told them that they could fast to have a child. It was so powerful, and the husband started crying, and the Girl told me "how did you know we could not have kids?" I love you all a ton too. P.S. We found a Rat in the house.

February 9

Me and an artifact and a picture of my house. I am glad I have a new companion too. But the area is a little rough. We have lost almost all of our investigators and less actives, and I am worried that the Mission President is going to shut down the Area for a little while. Please pray that it will stay open, and that we will have more people to teach. My area is infamous for being the hardest area in the mission, but I am still working hard to change that. Katharine (It is pronounced Katarina)passed her interviews for baptism and will be baptized this Saturday! We asked her who she want to do the baptism and she picked me! I was so happy that after the lesson I almost cried. She was taught all of the lessons just in time for the interviews, and she is soaking in the teachings like a sponge! She has changed so much since the first time I met her and committed her to baptism! When a less active member comes back to church at least three times and has all of the lessons re-taught they can be what we call "rescued". So we had the opportunity to "rescue" a sister and she's doing great. Her son wanted to be baptized but has recently moved away. The place where I live is bigger than our house in SLC! It has 2 levels, and 4 bathrooms, but 2 don't work. It is pretty sweet. But we don't have an oven, so I can't make the brownies you guys sent. When you referred to Elder Nelson's talk when he says, "ask the missionaries, they can help you"... you can also help the missionaries by giving them references and then offer to have lessons with investigators and missionaries. To help the missionaries, place a book of Mormon with your testimony to a friend in the stake that is not a member or is less active, be their friend, and give a reference to the missionaries. The work is tiring but awesome. I'm living my dream! I am loving it here in the Valle, and I hope that this week is Chevere o Vacano para Ustedes!

Transfers and Such :)‏

I didn't get transferred, but Elder Giron did. He is now in Cartegena. My new companion's name is Elder Cavero. He is from Lima, Peru...and He is awesome! We have already had some good times together. We are working in Loperena, and it is very rich. The people we commit to baptism almost never do get baptized, they like to say "yes" to everything but not follow through, but we have some super awesome news :) We visited Katherine Padilla this week and I asked if she was able to pray to know if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. She waited one moment, and with a big smile on her face she said "I actually did." so I asked how she felt. She said "It was overwhelming, I cried once I finished the prayer...I have never in my life felt such a profound peace." I almost cried! My first Golden Investigator! She came to church and the Young Single Adults were awesome in inviting her to do everything with them! She can't wait to be baptized the 14th of February. She told me she wants to be a missionary too, but cant because she has a daughter. But she will be a strong convert to the church. She also was answering questions in the Gospel Doctrine class like a pro! The only thing is that she has lots of teachings that are missing that we still need to teach. But she is progressing like crazy! Also Valledupar had a riot (literally, I'm not joking) about the mototaxistas (Taxi Drivers) and we couldn't leave the house for a day and a half! So we just studied, cleaned, slept and ate. Interesting huh? I am beyond happy that you guys have felt blessed by my efforts. Sometimes I go home at night feeling like I have not accomplished anything, because my area is like a desert right now. There is literally no one in the streets, and not very many people are accepting us in their homes. But Jaime is progressing for baptism. He needs to get married, and so we are setting a goal for this month for him to get married. He told us that he thought he was already a member of the church! :) I hope that everything is going super well! Pray for us that we can teach all of the lessons to Katherine! Love you all sooooooooooooo much! Work with the Elders whenever you can!

Misión Posible :)‏

Pictures: A missionary leaving for Argentina Named Pedero Castro, My District, My companion and me. This week was really good! Jaime was not baptized, he actually moved away because of the loss of his job. It was very hard to hear. Katherine didn't come to church, but wanted to super bad. But she is progressing rapidly, and absorbing every lesson like a sponge! This week has been really good and prosperous, If you remember I met a man right before Christmas who was a humble carpenter. We met with him again and although he is not interested, his son wants to get baptized... interestingly enough his name is Jesus. Pretty cool, huh? I prepared 6 people for Baptisms this week. I'm glad you guys are enjoying your Primary calling. Here in Valledupar there is just One primary teacher for 30 kids, she has a super big job! Tell Ava that she is da cutest warrior princess I have ever seen! Her hearing aids are awesome! So cute! I will know about transfers tonight :). President Searle came to Valledupar this week to do interviews! Before the interview we had a special training session with the assistants to the president. The aim of the practice was to find the need of the investigator (the assistant) and say "chocolate" when we know the need. I did almost all of it, and when he said a few things about some troubles in his life my companion yelled "chocolate!", and the assistants asked me why I didn't say the word. I told them that the investigator doesn't have just one difficulty, and maybe his problem is a lot bigger. They said that, out of about 80 missionaries they tested with this practice I was the only one that had passed thus far. Woot! The interview was with President and his wife! He said that he doesn't know of many gringos in the mission that speak and understand 100 % of the Spanish AND is working so hard right off the bat. He sympathized with me when I told him that my companion doesn't want to work in the rich areas. He said to seek inspiration to find a way to preach in those areas. So I did, and the revelation came. I told my companion "we´re going to do a competition to see who can ring the doorbell of the gate of the biggest mansion and speak with them; the biggest mansion wins." I won. I found the biggest house I think I have seen in my entire life. A man answered with the German last name Moisel. He was excited to hear that we wanted to share with him and his family! We have a teaching appointment with him this week! I met a woman, and we told her that I was going to start an English class soon. She asked who is going to teach? And I said "me" and she said "where did you learn English?" I said "in my own country" and she said "They speak English in Chile?" She assumed I was Chileno! I'm so proud of Lauren and Nick! I hope Lauren has a super awesome time (here in the Caribbean coast we say: Vacano- Ba Ca No- instead of Chevere, and we cant use either of the two in the mission). And Nick Mi Pequeño Saltamonte-young grasshopper. He IS THE MAN! Tell him that I hope he gets called to this mission, and I wish he was my compañero, we could baptize the whole world together. And yes, it is a privilege to be what Christ would be, do what he would do, and say what he would say. There is a real power that I can literally feel around me in all times, because the Priesthood and righteousness are cultivated while we obey the rules. I love all of you guys Muchisimo, and hope that things are Fantastico back at home! Be a missionary! Write your testimony and give it to someone. Or just say it. Be a friend to someone on your way home. The Lord expects his servants to do what he would do if he were right here beside us! I can feel your prayers for me and for those I teach. I pray for you all as well, but interestingly the people I teach are also praying for you. I love you all so much, and my Familia Vallenata too! Love, Élder Mánwaring