Week 97 - Easter and the LAST transfer

Transfers have come again, and I am still here in Eastwood with Elder Rencher. So, Elder Rencher will be my last companion and Eastwood will be my last area. Well, there's nowhere I'd rather be for my last transfer of my mission.

My favorite miracle that happened this week happened at the Korean Conference. As we started role-playing, I was amazed at how well I was able to teach the plan of salvation and answer the questions that were asked. It was truly a great experience. As we were leaving the conference, I just felt so happy with everything that had happened there. In all honesty, since this program has gotten started, I have found my love for and power to speak Korean have grown. Since this program has begun, I've feel like I have been able to magnify the Korean-speaking part of my calling much more than I did before.

We've been having a lot of good experiences as we've changed the way we do lessons with members. Instead of presenting messages like we have in the past, we've started having discussions like we did with at the conference with Elder Bednar. In preparation for the lesson, we've asked them what they've wanted to have a lesson on and then prepared a short message to open up the conversation with. This has given us the opportunity to prepare something that is relevant to them, and then allow them to receive their own revelation on the topic as we then discuss it. It's allowed us to step outside of conventional "member lessons" and create a spiritual environment for everyone involved.

To give a bit of a preface for this paragraph, President Howes asked us to write a letter to the First Presidency outlining which aspects of the missionary rules we didn't agree with and why. This is my response: I couldn't write a letter to the First Presidency about the aspects of the missionary handbook that I disagree with simply because I don't disagree with any of them. At the beginning of my mission, I felt like the missionary handbook was something that was there to form an abstract "ideal" missionary. I was still willing to follow it and everything, but it was more out of mechanical obligation and possibly fear of the consequences should I disobey. Then, my perspective changed as I arrived in the mission and learned what it meant to be "freely obedient". I realized that the missionary handbook was not a mold through which missionaries must pass in order to have success, it is a foundation upon which we can build a Christ-like character and a revelatory mission. The missionary rules are means to that end, not the end itself. Once I realized that, obedience became a much more liberating experience. Am I perfect yet? No, but I've always wanted to be, and looking back, I have improved over the course of my mission. That's been a great miracle of it's own.

Love,

Elder Clark

Churros as a district last week.

Me with Winston, who was in investigator back when I was at UNSW, but is now a member in the YSA ward. I haven't seen him for about 16 months, it was a big surprise to see him.

Former companion, Elder Stephens, who goes home this transfer.

District/Ward photo after Church