Christmas Zone Conference 2015

We had a wonderful time with all of our missionaries this Christmas season.  Our zone conferences fell on the 23th and 24th of December, a perfect time to celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We started each zone conference off an "insta Choir", which I must say turned out very well!  We have a lot of talented singers in the CFM.  The Choir was followed with trainings by the President, Sister Clark, and the assistants.  A special musical number separated the training portion and the Christmas Devotional where the President and Sister Clark spoke on the Gifts and Birth of our Savior.  After a fabulous lunch put on by our very own senior couple, The Amsbary's we had a little Christmas Cheer.  We played Christmas Bingo, the winners of each bingo game had to compete in a "Minute to Win it" game - for the prize.  We shared a lot of laughs and holiday cheer.  Spending Christmas in the Mission Field is the BEST!

PRESIDENT'S WEEKLY - A Time for our Best!

A Time for our Best!

Dear Elders and Sisters:

Sister Clark and I certainly hope your Christmas was wonderful and your conversations with parents and loved ones was a blessing to you and to them.  We trust you taught them a spiritual message and blessed their lives as a result of your great service.  Thank you for doing so.  And in your letter home today, please thank them for us again for their great sacrifice and investment of many things so that you can serve.

Here we are at the end of 2015 and what a glorious year it has been!  As we approach 2016 I believe it is important to count our blessings and inventory our insights. 

Blessings:

1. To be here in the great CFM, now, under the hastening of the work!

2. To be serving where we are, with whom we are serving with as companions!

3. To be blessed by such wonderful Members!

4. To have the support of such incredible families from home!

5. To have so many tools and such great support from the Brethren to be able to serve.

Insights:

1. The Doctrine of Christ!

2. Our Missionary Purpose!

3. Our Mission Culture!

4. To know that Exact Obedience brings Miracles!

5. To know the value of being Master Planner, Finders, and Teachers!

6. To know the blessings of Talking with Ten, Opening Our Mouths, and having our Lines in the Water!

7. To understand the blessing of the Power of One!

8. To know the power and blessing of being Complete Missionaries!

9. To have the Lord's Vision to guide the work in this Mission!

10. To have Standards of Excellence to guide our diligence!

11. To know we can do all things if we will rely on the Lord and lean not to our own understanding!

I believe regularly counting our blessings and inventorying our insights reminds us of just how prepared we are to do the Lord's work, to participate in His hastening.  It is a way for us to be mindful of how prepared and powerful we are.  As I consider our insights, I see you as powerful Missionaries who are very prepared to give your very best to the Lord this upcoming year!  We just have so much to offer and are so well prepared to participate at a higher level in the hastening of the work.  It is truly a time for us to give our best!

Christmas is such a great reminder of His love for us and in a Mission where we serve because we love Him, what an appropriate time to re-focus on the reason for our service.

We love you and desire more than you can know that your conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes deeply rooted in who you are.  We know as you live your Missionary Purpose it will be so!

Love,

President Clark

PRESIDENT'S WEEKLY - COME AND SEE

Come and See!

Dear Elders and Sisters:

Isn't it amazing that in the first ten days of the "A Savior Is Born" initiative there were over 16 million hits to the website and the Church continues to be quite amazed at the number of self-referrals that are being generated as a result.  I believe it is a wonderful example of doing things differently than have been done in the past in order to better participate in and keep pace with the Lord as He hastens His work! 

The world needs a Savior and many people are searching for truth.  When they hear it or see it, they recognize it.  It may not be so obvious to them that is what is happening but they are following something - a feeling, a prompting, a longing that is divine.  And to me, I believe it is no small coincidence that as a Mission we are currently so focused on Finding.  I believe that is exactly what the Lord desires us to do when so many of His children are being touched by the Season that reminds them of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Consequently I would ask that in the coming days and weeks you give more, give extra, give it all to Find those who seek Him.  The Lord has provided you a perfect finding tool - "A Savior Is Born" and like Angels who appeared in times of old, we must simply invite them to come.  Come and see!  Come and see Him whom it is, born in a stable, placed in a manger, taught us the way, and gave himself as a ransom that we might live again. The world needs to Come and See Him, the Son of God who is their Savior and Redeemer!  You have a very important part in helping them to do so.  So Go and Do that they may Come and See!

We love Him and we love you and serve because of our love for Him and you!

With much love,

President Clark

Transfers - New Missionaries 12-2015

It was such a great feeling as we watched the new missionaries arrive  - walking down the terminal it was  like the Armies of Helaman marching down the road!  It's a beautiful sight.

Check out the video of their arrival and activities on Facebook: bonniecampbellclark

Our new missionaries with their "new" companion who also acts as their trainer for the "12 Week Program"

Departing Missionary Temple Day 12-2015

What a great and busy day today!  It started with our very first "Transfer Meeting" at 8:30 a.m.  The departing missionaries attended that meeting, helped all the missionaries "transfer" their luggage and get them on their way to their new areas.  We then all headed off to the Temple for our "Departing Missionary Temple Day".  It is always a wonderful experience sharing that time with all of those seasoned missionaries who's hearts are full of gratitude for their service in the mission.  After the session the missionaries went back to the office to pack up their bikes, meeting back at the mission home for dinner.  The "Departing Missionary Testimony Meeting" was the icing on the cake, then back to the mission home for a little advice from President and Sister Clark.  We were all very tired by the end of the night, however, I don't think the departing missionaries really got any sleep - to many feelings swirling around in their heads and hearts about going home in the morning.  We love our missionaries!

1st Row:  Sisters Warnick, Horning, Monson, Ramos, Jimenez, Contreras, West, Reese

2nd Row: Elder Salomon, Elder & Sister Gale, President & Sister Clark,

 Elders Guereca, Quintana, Wither

Can you believe, we are loosing 8 wonderful sisters this transfer, they have been absolutely the best missionaries ever!  We are certainly going to miss them!

We are also loosing some great Elders - to bad we didn't get a picture of them with the President.

We are certainly going to miss Elder & Sister Gale!  Elder Gale is our Vehicle Coordinator and Sister Gale is the Mission Secretary.  They will be good friends to all of us forever.

Two of our "guapo" missionaries

The CFM's First Transfer Meeting 12-2015

A New Transfer Day dawns in the Great CFM and what a great day it was.  We chose to do transfers differently being concerned that too often we had one member driving a Missionary from Merced to Visalia passing another member driving a Missionary from Porterville to Merced.  So, we had each compansionship affected by the transfer come to the Mission Office, one with bags packed and bike attached at 8:30 on Tuesday morning.  At this point they only know they are being transferred but do not know where they are going or who will be their new companion.  

We held a transfer meeting and put the new companinoships together which created a lot of fun and enthusiasm and then sent them on their way.  The transferring companion walked out to the parking lot with his/her new companion, got their bags, bike, and bedding from their old companion’s car and put it in/on their new companion’s car and off they went to their new areas.  This kind of transfer meeting was really a lot of fun and the President and his Assistants only think it can be enhanced by a fog machine and strobe lights (stay tuned for the next one).

PRESIDENT'S WEEKLY - YOU CAN DO THIS!

You Can Do This!

Dear Elders and Sisters:

I love you!  I love this Mission!  And I love what is happening in this Mission.  Everywhere through this Mission Missionaries and Companionships are discovering anew that Exact Obedience brings miracles.  And we need some miracles now!  If you will work in all diligence, and I mean in ALL Diligence, being more productive, spending less time wasting time, more time finding, and more time teaching, be more effective in your planning and more focused and do all this in Exact Obedience, we will receive the miracles we seek.  The formula is fixed by the Lord - "I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say and when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise!" And, "There is a law irrevocably decreed in Heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated - And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."

You know what to do.  You understand the principles involved.  Now go and Act!  Step it up, move it forward, go and do!  Just as Lehi knew Nephi would obtain the records, I too know you can do this!

We love you dearly,

President Clark