I am writing this blog to keep friends and extended family of Elder Clark Julian informed during his service as a missionary in the Salt Lake City, UT South mission. I primarily post Clark's letters as he writes them, but I sometimes insert an explanatory note in orange or an English translation in purple.
If you want to learn more about missionaries and what they do, click HERE
You can learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Mormon.org
Thanks for stopping by!
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Elder Julian left the MTC in Provo, Utah and arrived at his mission home (via a 30 minute bus ride)
on Wednesday. We haven't yet received a letter, but I found these pictures on the mission blog.
If I counted correctly, he was accompanied by 33 other missionaries. Wow!! We'll keep you posted on his first area, his trainer (first companion) and more as soon as we know!
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There's no way that was a week. I feel like I just emailed you guys ha.
Mom and Dad, I really enjoyed reading your letters this week. I am so thankful for all the blessings in our lives, and for parents who understand the gospel, and live it. I totally met the Patil family, well kinda, when we were taking a family walk we talked to them, Trey and I were throwin the frisbee ha, but I do remember them. (We wrote about a great dinner conversation with our new neighbors the Patils) They have a little girl about Addies age right? AWESOME. Keep me updated. Hey who are the missionaries in our ward right now? Elder Walker and Elder Sione still there? How are Missy and Tim doing? (Missy and Tim are a couple with three children that are learning about the church. They've recently married and are progressing toward baptism!) Next wednesday I get to take a 30 min bus ride to my mission! YeE!!! ha I can't wait. I will hopefully have something to write about. Sorry this was short--I used all my time writing to dad. But I will get more time to email in the mission field.
Love you all, keep doing what your doing.
Have a great week!
p.s. Addie, I love you too. I love and miss you all, y tambien estoy muy agradecido que podemos vivir juntos para siempre. (and I am also very grateful through that we can live together forever.)
Note: We also received a "just for family" portion in our letter this week with a really cool note to Geoff (Dad) and news that Clark and his companion were selected to do a teaching demonstration for new missionaries who just entered the MTC. What an awesome boy!
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Hola!
How ya doin? I have a new cousin!? That's awesome. I can't wait to meet Zindy Mikel (My sister Chanda had a baby on Saturday, July 20th). And that is horrible to here about the shooting in Colorado--I couldn't believe it! Very scary for one of the Elders in my zone because he is from that part of Colorado. So glad to be a missionary to a world that could defiently use the message. Yes, I saw Jarod! Claro que si! (Of course, yes!) He is doing great, we took some pictures with all the Spokane missionaries down here and Jorgen ha so I will send the SD card in a bit. We found out that Jarod's home teaching companion from this past year (at UVU), is a teacher in my zone. He served in Salt Lake City and would tell Jarod all these cool stories--and I heard them through Jarod. We just put it all together--small world! Before I forget, thank you very much for the new shoes. I leave the MTC two weeks from today whooo!!!! John Frye (Clark's good friend from BYU, who is already serving) sent me a letter that got me super excited to get out there. All is well with him and he had a baptism in 5 days--he's the man!
Dad, loved your letter, but made me really homesick missing out on those fresh blueberries! Im sure our yard is looking spiffy, Beans and T-babes you better keep our lawn mowed ha! Trey have you learned any new tricks on the tramp? Chase how's the license coming? Is Taft taking art classes? and Addie still watching the same movie 3 times a day? Miss you all. This week felt very blessed to have you all. I love how every family reunion is themed--the Olympic ames ha or we sneak it in there some how. Sounds like mom's video was the best part of the whole reunion! :) Dad, your idea for your lesson sounds awesome. Did you watch that Brad Wilcox talk, His Grace is Sufficent ? If it's appropriate you could show clips from that in your lesson--it seems like it follows the same theme. Also I had no idea there were that many missionaries headed to my mission in August--thats great! There are definately tons of native Spanish speakers going to Utah, nearly every one I talk to is going there. This week for the 24th of July we had a really cool fireside on the song Come Come Ye Saints, it was very powerful. The speaker disected the lyrics and then played the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing it, crazy cool. Also Jenny Baker Oaks, Elder Oaks' daughter came to the MTC. She is an accomplished violinist and played for us. It was amazing. I have really developed a testimony of the power of music, how it can affect our spirits both positively and negatively. My video for this week is one of the new Bible Videos. It is the Good Samaritan one. You will know which one I am talking about when you watch it. Everything is good here, still working crazy hard to learn Spanish, feels pretty awkward right now typing in English, so I'm sure that's a good thing!
Love all of you! have a FAnnnnnnntassssticcccccccc WEEK.
p.s. Oh and there is a new Elder in my zone named Colby Hansen from Clarkston WA, we are pretty sure we played soccer with each other, so if you can find a picture of us when we were little and send it in the next two weeks that would be chistoso! (funny)
Colby and Clark did play soccer together. Check out this scrapbook page. Clark and Colby are pictured together in the photo top right -- ha!
ADIOS.
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Hey!
Hope everyone had a great time in Utah-- I mean, this is the place, right? ha --especially for missionary work I hear. I'm really sad to hear about Amy's divorce. I didnt know all that was going on, but I hope our cousins are doing okay? And tell Grandpa Julian to send me a Dear Elder with his address, I would love to write him. Dad, thank you very much for the encouraging words, I hope I can develop that teaching skill that all the Halls seem to have, luckily you married mom and so that has rubbed off on to you. This week I have been particularly thankful for both of you, and everyone who has taught me.
I thank you for all the times you loved me enough to correct me. I recieved a great update for Whitney Gummersall as well, very happy to hear everyone is enjoying the summer and things are great in Spokane, cant wait to see you all again. Mom I'm sure your movie was great. Wish I could watch it ha.
This week was really great, Elder Taylor and I our teaching great and getting along well. We have 6 "investigators" now which are really our teachers playing as people they taught out in the field. It just gets me super excited to go. In the beginning of the week I felt like my Spanish was actually getting worse, I felt like I was speaking slower and I was getting pretty frustrated. I think it's just that we have offically learned all of the grammer principles for Spanish and I am now realizing all of the mistakes I was making before idk? But I have been speaking it as much as I can. Elder Taylor hasn't beat me up yet--when he speaks English I'll say "no entiendo ingles.." ha and he does the same for me so it's all good. I really hope I get a native speaking trainer (Clark's first companion in the field will be his trainer!) It is really crazy nearly every hispanic missionary I talk to here is going to the Salt Lake North mission. I started reading this book Cougar gave me called The Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage. I love it. I read it everyday--it is pretty deep but for some reason ever since I have been set apart as a missionary (missionaries receive a special priesthood blessing before they leave) I have such a strong desire to read the scriptures and I understand many things I did not before. I dont have a lot of time but I watched this talk on Sunday called His Grace is Sufficient by Brad Wilcox, please go watch it this week. I'm sure it is on YouYube. It is the same talk I heard in person at BYU over the summer and it completely changed the way I understand Christ's atonement. Ahh so good. Really rings true. gaa out of time but I love you all, I know there is a reason we are on this earth, and that there is a life after, I know that everyone can recieve answers to their prayers if they ask with a sincere heart. When you want to talk to God you pray, when you want God to talk to you, read the scriptures.
Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured. -Gordon B. Hinckley-
Have a great WEEK!
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Hola!
How is everybody? Dayne (our cousin) is still hangin' around that's super fun, glad to hear the Fourth was so good! And that Theron's family was able to finally visit Spokane. And this week is the Julian Family reunion? In Utah? Save me one of the shirts ha and yep, wave to me as you drive by. I will be excited to hear what is new with Grandpa and Amy's family. I loved the story from Kyle's talk (Kyle Brown, who just returned from his mission to France) I have heard him talk about that pole vaulter before (Sergei something) ha and have no doubt he was lead there to teach that guy. I'm sure Jarod gave a killer talk as well and happy to hear so many people were there. He comes out a week from today.
I just cant wait to get out in the field, last month South SLC had 199 baptisms--sounds like it's going great. I think I told you about my friends from Mexico? I bore my testimony to them last week and now we are good friends--one hardly speaks English and is coming to serve in Spokane, we will take a picture so you guys can look out for him, I told him my dad was a bishop up there. And the other 4 are going to SLC! I go down to their classroom durring free time and just talk with them, it's been really helping me. I love Spanish. Elder Taylor and I will start speaking no English on monday, for our companionship goal.
I got the halfway package--opened it up and said "My darn brothers ate half my Oreo's!" I didnt realize everything was "half" on purpose haha, everyone got a kick out of the cut-in-half Tic Tacs haha you're awesome! And YOSO--you only serve once haha nice. We wrote it on our district white board! And your picture in the MTC (I sent Clark a photo of me when I was in the MTC) ha Elder Allen said I should take an identical picutre in the same pose--we still have those same dressers 26 years later! Looks like Addie had a great birthday! I miss her alot, and Taft's drawing was prime, at least we got one artist in the fam. Dad, don't give in, if I had to drive the CRV with no air conditioning, so does everyone else! And the fake owl sounds like a great idea (picture a big plastic owl sitting potentially sitting in our cherry tree) and definently came from Grandpa Hall. I got a nice letter from Grandma and I'll write her back today, I can only read about 75% of the words ha--should have paid more attention to cursive in the 2nd grade. Dad, I found so many good Mormon Messages this past Sunday, I wish I would have known them for your bishop's youth discussion (BYD is when all the teenagers in our ward come to our home every other month for a discussion with the bishop--Geoff) . you should have another one of those movie nights soon and show them, they are very powerful.
I love you all and hope you have another great week. I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon, through the power of God, and that it is the word of God, along with the Bible. I know that if one reads the Book of Mormon and asks with a sincere heart and real intent they will recieve an answer. I am so thankful for all the people and blessings in my life, and know they have all come from God.
You rock!
p.s. Mom I need new shoes ha! Mine ripped in soccer, so I taped them but they are not lasting, there might be some in the garage? Love you guys.
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Y'all are in Carnation, you lucky ducks!
Hope its fun, going to the parade and hanging with the cousins. Way to scare me mom, I opened the your letter and thought I had been switched to the Salt Lake Central mission ha but I guess that was just a portion of the letter from the mission president or something. Note: I copied a paragraph from the SLC South mission blog, explaining how 2 new missions are affecting the existing SLC missions.
I have seen the boundaries of the new missions and the new central mission is only about 4 miles wide. crazy! It is pretty much Taylorsville (one city) and thats it-- just took a chunk out of the middle of my mission, and the new west mission was taken from the Salt Lake North mission, so my boundaries really didnt change. I'm so pumped to get out in the field, the MTC is great and spiritual but I wanna be a missionary already! Dad, thanks for your letter, it was really cool to hear about the youth conference and Russ (recently returned missionary that Clark knows). I know Drew Keeve, super great kid and awesome to hear he will be baptized. That's funny you ran into Mrs. Fotland ha I have already been told by mulitple people my grammer is becoming worse and worse, but I could care less as long as my Spanish is improving, and it really is. There is a resouce teacher here, Hermano Hollenbaugh who has been helping Elder Taylor and me--turns out he is from Spokane and is the brother of Lauren Hollenbaugh who graduated with me. He is the man, makes me want to work at the MTC after my mission. Our district made a goal this week that we would share our testimonies in spanish once a day with a random companionship. One day after lunch as we were getting mail, there were these two native spanish-speaking elders, and I told Elder Taylor, let's go see if they can even understand us ha turns out they are both from Mexico, one is going to Salt Lake and the other is headed to Spokane! We all became good friends.
I love the Book of Mormon. I have never read it the way I read it now. I can understand everything I read a little differently then I did in the past. My favorite verse this week is in 2 Nephi, (here's the scripture, it is actually in Mosiah) I dont have my scriptures right now so can't remember where it is, but it says, all flesh is of the dust of the earth, multiple times it says we are nothing but dust, except we have charity. I love how the Book of Mormon talks so much about humilty. This is so different from the worlds view. You can truly see the pride of men. If you wanna make a ton of money all you gotta do is make a rap. In the rap, praise yourself, "I'm the best!" treat women like objects, talk about all the money you get, then say you're the best a couple more times. haha. Pretty awesome to think, actually your more like dust!
I hope everyone has a good week. I love you all so much!! And miss ya like crazy!
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HOLA Familia!
How are yall doin!? Thanks for the letters this week, I'll be writing back today! I'm so glad to hear everyone is doing so well. I hope Trey had fun at Camp Reed sounds way fun--and everyone else is enjoying summer? I still havent gotten a letter from Taft.... get on that T money. Keep updating me. Heat won. Lebron finally has a ring ha. Good stuff. It was another good week, but the MTC is already getting old, my halfway point is next week but I am already sick of the food and want to get out in the field already. I'm no where near ready my espanol es malo pero tengo desear fuerte a servo la gente de salt lake sur (my Spanish is bad, but I have a strong wish to serve the people of Salt Lake City). Mom to answer your questions, 1. Who are the Elders in your district? The elders in my district are: Elder Johnston, Elder McDaniel, Elder Allen, Elder Smith, Elder Janzen, Elder Hughes, and my comp Elder Taylor. Hughes and Jazen are going to the same mission as Jarod, Phoenix (spanish speaking). And if I havent already told you I think Jarod might be in our zone! Note: Jarod arrives at the MTC on July 19th We have a district that leaves the day before he arrives, so pray that he will be with us! ha. 2. When do you exercise and what are you doing for exercise? We exercise everyday, I go play soccer or basketball. one of my friends in our zone plays on the BYU basketball team, he was a red shirt this past year, elder Austin Nelson. Destroys me in bball, but then he also comes to play soccer every once in a while ha! 3. How many missionaries are in the MTC right now? There are tons of missionaries, it is the busiest time at the MTC right now, everyone comes in the summer and there are 400 more coming in today. 4. Have you run into missionaries you know? Jorgen? What about Elder Smedley or the Elder, who's mom reads my blog? I see Jorgen and elders from my BYU ward all the time, and told Elder McComie that you talked to his mom ha. 5. Do you sing Called To Serve at every devotional, we used to!? We usually don't sing Called To Serve at every devotional, but we did last night. Elder Perry spoke, and nine others apostles were seated on the stand. It was amazing. I felt the spirit as they walked in. Elder Perry's talk was almost like a business seminar, he had a powerpoint and showed satistics about how following the commandments blesses our physical bodies. The whole time I kept thinking, what is his message? Why would he be telling the missionaries in the MTC this information, this is pretty much common sense. It is because it's not common sense to many people. This church is inspired of God. The welfare program creates a safety net for the members, that the government will never be able to create. It strives to break the cycle of poverty, it helps individuals to get on their feet and be self-sustaining. The Church Education System, Perpetual Education Fund, Hummanitarian Aid, ranked among the highest in the world--members are at every natural disaster, Idk -- it was pretty eye opening. Still it wasn't one of my favorites because my testimony is not based on the organization of this church, but upon its message. That Jesus Christ lives. That he came to earth lived and suffered to atone for our sins. He loves everyone and merely desires them to come unto him and exercise faith, repent, be baptized and endure to the end. Earlier on in the week I got to see the re-run of a talk given to the MTC last Christmas, called the Character of Christ. Note: I found a version of this talk, not sure it is the exact talk that Clark is referring to? If you can find it, please go watch it, whoever is reading this email, take time out of your day to go watch it, it is my favorite talk I have ever heard. I enjoy being a missionary but I can't wait to be a real one, out in the field. The boundaries for the new Salt Lake City missions came out, it looks like North Salt Lake stayed the same and they split South Salt Lake into 3 different missions. Glad to hear the work is progressing so well there, I pray that my spanish will be good enough to serve in the area where the Lord needs me.
Anyway keep the dear elders (letters) coming and have a good week!
p.s. MOM there is an Elder in my district, Elder McDaniel who has recieve like two letters the whole time, please get on dear elder and send an anyomous care package or something, the adress is same as mine (box 309) but Elder McDaniel. Thank you and have a great week. Note: Elder McDaniel received a letter and an apple pie on July 2nd!
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HEY Family!!!!!!
I cant believe I have been here for two weeks, it seems longer than that, but I'm not counting the days, makin' um count (haha) like Bro Stewart said. They go by extremely fast. I love recieveing all the dear elders, (letters from home) keep um coming! write to me and tell me how your doing or what you have been up to whenever you want, they come every night.
Happy Fathers day pops I'm glad you got the letter. Im loving the NBA updates, hopefully Dwade can get it done. I can't picture a Brother Lowry, but that sounds awesome, now you're extra extra safe with an avid hunter and a secret service man as counselers ha. Mom I love and miss you so much, thank you for sharing the story on President Hinckley, and wooow you guys are still eating healthy, I dont know if dad really wanted brussel sprouts cooked in coconut oil for his fathers day breakfast haha. Summer for everyone else! Rachel said she came over and everything was normal: Chase was watching a movie, Addie was wandering around smiling and Trey was filming a movie of Taft with a sniper rifle--haha so rad. Are you guys getting splash down season passess again? Or some summer fun activity? I also heard Rachel is working at dad's office, that is great!! Just feel really blessed that everything is going great at home. ora por mi familia todos los dias (pray for my family every day). This week was great, went by super fast.
Mom, they have a program at the MTC now where our teachers act as investigators, and you basically teach them. They are in spanish, so they are really simple, but it is cool to see how the spirit can still be very strong when you are testifying of Christ, or what you know to be true, even when it's to your teacher, acting as an investigator. The mission president story was pretty silly ha but, I was still struggling with the fact that I'm serving in Salt Lake City, idk why its so hard for me, but on the first day as the mission presidents wife was introducing herslef she talked about how some of us missionaries opened our mission calls and said wow, where's a map, and are going somewhere amazing, and others opened their mission calls and said ooooo. She then testified that where you were called is where the Lord needs you to be and there is a specific reason why you are going there, I was sitting on the front row with a couple hundred arriving missionaries, and when she said that I looked over to see the mission president of the MTC looking directly at me, and then he winked. ha I just felt like it was a little tender mercy and I was very thankful for it. The spanish is coming more and more everyday, speaking in spanish is so fun, Elder Taylor and I speak in spanish as much as we can. This past sunday we heard from Sherry Dew, it was a great talk, but I cant remember what she even talked about. The whole time, I was writing down something totally different. ha Oh and thanks for the american flag towel ha I dig. And I actually really like being back in Provo, I forget how freakin majestic the mountains are! I wanna go on a hike really bad, super nice weather, and we just sit in class all day, and then when we go outside, we are in suit clothes ha pero esta bien (but it is well), at least Im not going to Mexico. One of my friends in the zone, Elder Ash is leaving next week, I'm super bummed, but he says it is 125 degrees where he is going ha crazy. And I'm pumped for Tylers mission call! My teacher at the MTC served in Peru and loved it, and the other teacher next door served in south Salt Lake spanish speaking ha-- might be us in a couple years, and I think Jarod might be in my zone when he comes, there are some elders in my district going to Phoenix spanish speaking like him and that district is leaving the day before he gets here so we will see, and Jorgen arrives today!!!!! Cant wait to see him. I miss you guys so much and love you so much, enjoy your summer! This gospel just makes so much sense, and its true.
HAVE a good week!
Send dear elders ha ya'll rock!
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Hi. This is Stacy, "The Mom" and I'm building this blog and will be using it to keep our extended family and Clark's friends in the loop as he serves his mission in Salt Lake City, Utah (Spanish) Elder Julian has a preparation day (P-day) on Wednesdays, while he is staying in the Missionary Training Center (MTC) for eight weeks, so you can expect updates on Wednesdays. I'll pretty much post his letters & emails as they are written, but I may add an orange note here and there, and I'll translate spanish phrases in purple.
Enjoy!
p.s. I'm finding I have to add some punctuation and capitalization too, or these letters would not be readable. I'm giving Clark a pass because he has only 30 minutes on the computer to email--clearly not enough time to review or edit!
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Familia!!!!!!!
Before I forget, I need a towel ;) totally forgot!
I miss you guys so bad!!!!
I'm so sorry mom I totally lost the letter where you asked me all the questions, but ill do my best to answer them all. It was so great to have the Dowdles take me to the MTC, I loved getting to see their family and cant wait to see how big they all are in two years. Jorgen was not lying. I was in a language study class with in the first 45 mins where I met my Maestra Hermana Contaras. She is a native speaker from Mexico and will be my teacher throughout the 8 weeks. I was the first one to the classroom and she started speaking spanish right off the bat. We didnt even know she spoke English until the third day. I had no clue what was going on, but it was fun. ha. Since then everything has been great, I work hard everyday and am so exhausted by the end. My companion is one of the best singers I have ever heard. He attended berkley college of music and art in boston this past year, same school as John Mayer ha. Make sure you tell Derek ha. We get along really well and both have very similar testimonies. This helps us teach lessons and seek to be in tune with the spirit at all time. I pray more than I ever have in my whole life. I know that Heavenly Father is helping me with everything, and as long as I continue to work hard and smart I will become the missionary he wants me to be. I had no idea I was going to be this happy at the MTC. It blows my mind, but already my testimony has grown so much. I miss you guys soooo much and think about home a lot at night. I miss Chase's tender heart, beating up Trey, Taft's dry humor, and Addie's smile. Its only been a week but it seems like its been longer. Please tell Rachel, Tyler, Kelby, Jarod, Derek, everyone about Dear Elder. I love hearing about how everyone is doing and that seems like a quick and easy way. Dad I learned more Spanish in one day here, than I did in two years of high school haha but its definetly not cause I'm smart. I can feel the spirit helping me, it is truly amazing. Oh and tell Tyler to send me updates on ABDC and the NBA finals! ha heard the heat and OKC. go d wade. sorry this is so scattered we only have 30 mins to email. There are many ridiculous letter of the law rules. but i have been following them, knowing that dad blessed me that I would recieve extra blessings through exact obedience. I have been called as the district leader. This has been extremely humbling. I love my district so much we have some of the greatest elders, and the zone leader, Elder Bell has helped me a ton! Already there have been so many tender mercies and I have felt the spirit so strong. One time we were teaching a lesson to an Italian man, I really cant even remeber what I said in there but my heart was literally beating out of my chest. I have never felt the spirit so strong, like I looked down and my whole body was pulsating and yea it was crazy. I hope I told you about the story with the mission president--I think i did in the first letter. (Nope!) But I heard a story of Bruce R McConkie's final testimony in general conference. I want everyone who reads this email to take ten minutes out of their day and go watch that video. It was amazing, ahhh there is so much I want to say! We heard from Per G Malm in the devotional last night. And he talked about "do not ask the question, what is in it for me?" and I came to the realization that that is what is wrong with the world. Too many people are concerned about what they can gain. Read the scripture 2 nephi 26:29. Christ wants us to always be looking to help others because when every one is looking out for other people no one is ever left out. the lord wants to guide us. I know that Jesus Christ lived and died for us, I have felt his love for me and everyone this past week. He loves you. I know that the Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Christ. I am already so thankful to have this opportunity to be a representative of Jesus Christ for the next two years. I miss you all, I cant even explain. but I am doing great! Trey I loved reading your letter, you are my best friend too! I miss you and all my brothers so much. I know this church is true, its not always easy to live, it requires sacrifice, but it is worth it. Love you all I will try and type faster next time, have a great week.
Go team Julian!
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