4/29 Esta Bien! Soy lovin' it!

Hola Familia Y Amigos,
Life is GOOD! I've grown so much! I was getting SUPER down on
myself last week and every day I'd just feel like I couldn't do
anything.. not a happy attitude! but this week something happened..
well not something but LOTS of things! I've learned so much about
relying on the Lord and not myself. I've learned to completely trust
in God and let his miracles work and I feel like I can understand WAY
more Spanish! (Still lacking in the hablar category) I feel the spirit
so strongly and honestly don't think about home anymore. I am excited
for each new day and the learning I get to do! I feel so great!!!! :D
Tomorrow is P-day and we get to go on a field trip to Central Park
and Wal-mart.. maybe to Wendy’s if we luck out.. But I'm also super
excited to go to the temple in the evening! I found out the temple
isn't in my mission so I probably won't ever go after the CCM unless
something Big happens like an investigator goes through. I'm just
really excited! (I heard they have Taco Bell here in Guatemala City!)
I've heard so many awesome conversion stories and I have magically

learned the art of scripture study! I couldn't study effectively at all

before my mission.. I just read. Now I magically know how to mark

scriptures, receive freaking answers to ANY question I've had and

learn like I've never learned in my life!! I KNOW that the Lord had a
part in that because I have NEVER gotten as much out of the scriptures
in my whole life as I have in this past week alone! I really REALLY
love my mission already!
I've been trying to look for anyone I might be able to help while

I'm here at the CCM.. anyone who might be discouraged and maybe

considering giving up.. I pray to find them almost every day! I don't

know If I've been a big influence in anyone's life yet but I have tried

to just be a little extra nice to a few people.. get them to say
things in Spanish, positive uplifting things, so as to both get them
speaking and give them a happy thought in their head. It's awesome! I

feel like even though I've been trying to help others, President
Crockett's blessing was more for me.. The first two days I got here I

felt so out of place.. so alone (especially with the whole

companion/district switching all the time). I felt like no one wanted

me.. it was hard and I'll admit I thought of how easy It'd be to give
up.. but then I thought of how I was meant to be here to help someone..
or many people be able to push through their hard spots and I knew
then that I couldn't give up.. not for me but for them! since I felt
that I have never once had even the remote desire to come home. I can
make it through any trial now.. I have that testimony that God's got
my back!

I'm trying to think of all the things I should say.. not that
there's anything I don't want to say I just can't think of the things
I WANTED to say.. there’s so much! I've only heard 2 more gunshots
since last week so it's still safe to assume I'm safe.

The temple here is a beauty but its still safe to say Oakland still
has my heart and forever will! it was cool finally going into a
different temple! It's my second temple I've been in for endowments.
its cool cause it's a long temple so like everything goes down this
long hallway. It's beautiful!

Like I said earlier.. I'm doing awesome and I'm still on a
constant spiritual high! I'm so proud of myself and my ability to
study and learn that the Lord gave me! I've never been more excited to
learn more, about anything, in my life!
Oh wait!!! I forgot! I found a food that I absolutely HATED here!!!
Guess what it is? It's something I didn't like before and so far its
the ONLY thing I still can't handle.
...
...
...
It's Hamburgers.
Seriously! I liked my fish and lasagna dinner more than my
hamburger and French fry lunch. I NEVER thought I would admit to
liking fish and lasagna to hamburger and French fries but honestly I
can't stand hamburgers anymore! It's worse than before. ...The French
fries were AMAZING though!
I've had potatoes in one form or another I think almost every day

since I've been here.. sometimes boiled potatoes.. sometimes
hash browns.. sometimes a baked potato. It's awesome and I hope the rest of Guatemala likes potatoes.
It's still not rainy season.. I want it to rain SO bad! Every cloud
that passes by gets my hopes up! But the rainy season is May-Oct so
Maybe in a few weeks.. then I'll probably be tired of it.
I can buy stamps here in the CCM for the same price as in the
states so I might write a bit.. I was able to pull out 3 letters last
week so MAYBE I'll write you back. It costs about $1 to send one
through the national mail though.. so that’s only reserved for
missionaries in other countries.. everything else you have to wait
till I have access to the pouch.
What happened with the whole BSA Gay policy? I heard it was
announced but I’m not sure the details. let me know.
I need to practice typing so I can write faster! :P
Hope you all are doing fine! The only things I wish I had was
something to store my photos in and more photos from home.. I'm going
to check Wal-mart to see if they have a photo album when I go
tomorrow.
Keep up the faith and learn something from my letters.. don't be
afraid to let me know what you learned either! Love you all!
--
Yours fortunately,

---Elder Hyrum Clark