President's Interviews 3-2017

How do you have the best Mission in the world?  Fill it up with the best Missionaries in the world.  Every six weeks Sister Clark and I love the time we spend with all the Missionaries in personal interviews (President Clark) and training (Sister Clark).  It never gets old being with these wonderful Elders and Sisters!

Fresno Zone

Districts: F-1, F-2

Front to Back, Left to Right:  Sister Tatakamotonga, Elder Lopez,

Elder Edwards, Sister Padilla, Sister Eastman, Sister Tompkins, Elder Bingham

Elder Rushton, Elder Medero, Elder Noyes, Elder Park

Elder Nesom, Elder Wilson, Elder Schaff

Missing:  Elder Perkins, Elder Carnahan

Fresno North Zone

Districts:  FN-1, FN-2

Front to Back, Left to Right:  Sister Larsen, Sister Sheffield
Sister Baldwin, Sister Murray, Elder Sparks, Elder Ellestad, Elder Yskes, Elder Poulsen
Elder King, Elder Cummings, Elder Biggs, Elder Bagley, Elder White
Elder Stegelmeier, Elder Garner
Missing: Elder Davis

Visalia Zone

District: V-2

Front to Back, Left to Right:  Sister Dixon, Sister Miller
Elder Watts, Elder Mountford, Elder Millburn, Elder Rust
Elder Pettit, Elder Wright, Elder Talbot
Elder Jensen, Elder Paukovic, Elder Stojka

 District: V-1

Front to Back, Left to Right:  Elder Burke, Elder Perez
Elder James, Elder Arebalo, Elder Gollner
Elder Gibson, Elder Facer, Elder White, Elder Blume, Elder Vawdrey

Hanford Zone

Districts: H-1 & H-3

Front to Back, Left to Right:  Elder L. Lopez, Elder Richardson, Sister Wadham, Sister Malpica,
Elder Fernández, Elder J. Lopez, Elder Witt, Elder Nelson
Elder Frei, Elder Allen

 District: H-2

Front to Back, Left to Right: Elder Del Carmen, Sister White, Sister Vogel, Elder Stakebake, Elder & Sister Hammond,
Elder Aguilar, Elder Kennick, Elder Jones,
Elder Fischer, Elder Ennis, Elder Quinn

Merced Zone

District: MC-2

Front to Back, Left to Right: Elder Wilmoth, Sister Whitney, Sister Jeppesen, Elder Estrada,
Elder Flores, Elder Almeida, Elder Wright, Elder Strommen
Elder & Sister van Uitert, Elder & Sister Richards

 District: MC-1

Front to Back, Left to Right: Sister Balls, Sister Sprouse, Sister Willmore
Sister Jordan, Elder Taylor, Elder Gray, Elder Rogers, Elder Woodmansee

Fresno East Zone

District:  FE-2

Front to Back, Left to Right: Sister Kokol, Sister Gough
Elder Tapia, Elder Flores, Elder Morales, Elder McGraw, Elder Kloepfer
Elder Rose, Elder Tongish, Elder Smith

 District: FE-1

Front to Back, Left to Right: Sister Kelly, Sister Frazier, Sister Rendon
Elder Larson, Elder Davis, Elder Smith
Elder LaMay, Elder Ikimau, Elder Lillywhite

 Porterville Zone

  District: P-2

Front to Back, Left to Right: Sister Troseth, Sister Jeffrey
Elder Halliday, Elder Sullivan, Elder Baconawa, Elder Mussin
Elder Rearte, Elder Muir

District: P-1

Front to Back, Left to Right: Sister PachnerSister 
Dowdle, Sister Plummer, Sister Jones
Elder Derbidge, Elder Maas, Elder Matienzo
Elder Thornton, Elder Keeley, Elder Mendez

There they are!  The Best District Leaders in the Land!!!  It is such a privilege and blessing to gather with the District Leaders every six weeks in District Leader Counsel and counsel with and learn from one another.  Great Leaders and great looking Elders, eh?

District Leaders Training

Back Row, Left to Right: Elders Carnahan, Ikimau, Nelson, Tongish, Sullivan, Nelson, White, Millburn, King, Ekpo, Keeley, Burke, Perkins
Front Row, Left to Right: Elders Frei, Richardson, Taylor, President & Sister Clark,
Elders Del Carmen, Medero, Wright

Trainer/Trainee "Training" - Small in numbers but great in talent and ability.  It was our lowest count of incoming Missionaries but they come so well prepared and their trainers are wonderful suited to bless them as they begin their wonderful service here in the Great CFM!

Back Row, Left to Right: Elder Carnahan, President & Sister Clark,
Elders Park,  Noyes, Perkins
Front Row, Left to Right: Sisters Tompkins, Eastman, Feldman, Anderson, Peterson, Rhodus

President's Weekly - Your Road to Damascus

Your Road to Damascus

Dear Elders and Sisters,

Each six weeks, more so than each day in this mission, Sister Clark and I are blessed to witness, in its finality as far as their mission experience is concerned, the mighty change of hearts in our departing missionaries. They leave us triumphantly and the testimonies they bear, although brief, are powerful and indicative of their level of conversion, service, and dedication over the past 18 or 24 months. To me it is very clear those who have allowed their missions to go through them - to work through them and change their lives forever. Their "lamps" are full with the oil of conversion as they leave new members and companions behind, strengthened in the gospel and possessing greater testimonies of and love for the Savior. They truly know the Master Jesus Christ whom they have served. And while this is a culminating event to their missions, their changed hearts and strong testimonies are something they earned each and every day of their mission and will be a blessing to them and others for a lifetime.

Having just passed through this experience again I was drawn back to a testimony Elder Holland offered to us as we departed the MTC. I think it is so descriptive of what we seek, what they (the Twelve) seek for us, and most importantly what our loving Heavenly Father desires of us as we serve Him. I share a few excerpts for your edification:

"I ask you not to worry as much about finding your [companions] or your [apartment] or your priesthood leaders and members as much as I ask you to find the Lord Jesus Christ."

"Somewhere out there is a moment on this road [referring to Saul and the Road to Damascus] in which you are to be knocked on your back. For some, it could come dramatically and in an instant. For many and perhaps most, it will be more gradual; it will be over time. In any case, it should have an impact for [18 or 24] months and more. It should have an impact forever; it is an essential encounter. In all your finding, we ask you to find the Savior and Redeemer of the world."

"Consider this verse culminating what Elder Maxwell once called the second greatest sermon ever put in print: “For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?”1— King Benjamin’s final question after a wonderful, instructive sermon. It is my final question to you in this seminar. How can we know a master whom we have not served, who is a stranger to us and far from the thoughts and intents of our hearts?"

"The answer to those questions will be the measure of your mission. We have a lot of key indicators, but the greatest of all key indicators will be the answer to those questions. It is not reportable. It is not publishable. It cannot be shared or compared. It is as private and personal as that sacred grove of which these young, beautiful missionaries just sang."

"Somewhere out there for each of you is that road to Damascus, that road to Palmyra, that road to Gethsemane, and that road to Calvary; ultimately the road to glory. God bless you to find it and ask the two questions Paul (Saul) asked when that moment came to him. He asked only two questions, “Who art thou, Lord?” and “What wilt thou have me to do?” (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, 2014 Mission Presidents Seminar)

As we have been interviewing, I have been witnessing so many of you with this "Who art thou, Lord?" and "What wilt thou have me do?" attitude.  It seems to have been "built in" to your Mission Vision or your "Road to Damascus" and you are living it - the life of a consecrated servant.  You have discovered your Missionary Purpose and your mission has been going through you rather than you simply trying to go or get through it.  You seem to be building upon your foundation of faith, diligence, and exact obedience to include an attitude and willingness to sacrifice all that is required to "bring, save it be one soul unto [Him]". I suppose a slight re-write to Saul/Paul's expression would be: "What wilt thou have me [sacrifice]?".   May I suggest you include in your studies this week the account of Saul/Paul and if you have time include the Book of Mormon equivalent, the account of Alma the Younger.  I will pray that you will discover or have confirmed your "Road to Damascus". 

With all my love, prayers, encouragement, and support, President Clark

President's Weekly - Things One, Two, and Three!

Things One, Two, and Three!

Dear Elders and Sisters:

Thing One: Faith is NIs hoped for, not yet found! (Ether 12:6) I want to start by congratulating the many companionships who found 6, 7, and 8 New Investigators two weeks ago. We even had a companionship who found 11 New Investigators.  This kind of finding requires great faith, diligence and obedience coupled with sacrifice.  I also noted several areas which had struggled to find, were successful at reaching the CFM's Standard of Excellence - four New Investigators!  This kind of finding has everything to do with the ingredients - faith, diligence, obedience, and sacrifice!  It will always be so that when faith is first planted and exercised, it will lead to an increase in one's ability to "do" things which ultimately leads to one's ability and success to "accomplish the thing the Lord has commanded"! Thank you for your examples of being Missionaries with "Fire in their Bones!"

Thing Two: "Oh Wretched Man that I Am! My God hath been my support." (2 Nephi 4:17, 20) I have been greatly blessed as you have shared with me the impressions taught you by the spirit as you read and studied "Beware of Pride", by President Ezra Taft Benson.  Thank you for teaching me and thank you for your commitments to work to eliminate pride in all its many forms from your lives.  One special and instructive observation for me was brought to my attention as I watched the General Conference session of this talk in April, 1989.  While it was President Ezra Taft Benson's talk, his health was such he asked his counselor, President Gordon B. Hinckley to give the talk!  What a marvelous display of humility!  This is one of the all-time great inspired and prophetic teachings from the pulpit and his humility was such that the talk simply needed to be delivered, not necessarily by him, but that the word of the Lord would be made known on this subject.

I am grateful for your humility that allows you to recognize things that need to be eliminated and changes that need to be made to better give your will to God!  Thank you for seeking to do so.  Can I point out that it is not an event but rather a life-long pursuit.  It is part of the journey to the Celestial and, as Elder Neal A. Maxwell has pointed out, that journey is a strait and narrow path full of a lot of chuck holes and loose gravel.  Just "Be Aware of Pride"!

Thing Three: "Agents Unto Themselves" (D&C 58:26-28) One of the clear objectives in the new schedule is the Brethren's desire to help you become better agents unto yourselves!  You are doing so well at this and I congratulate you.  You all know this concept of being agents unto yourselves, act rather than being acted upon, is thematic to my life and my desires for you.  For some time, it has been pressing upon me that we need to make some changes to our accountability which will bring us more in line with these concepts.  After discussion with our MLC, we have decided to do this as manifest by the following change.  Going forward, we would like you to keep track of the times during a week you are late to studies, out of an appointment, a dinner, our out of the house.  If no one of these "infractions" are greater than 10 minutes, please account to your District Leader on Friday, as part of your weekly planning, and inform him what you are and will be doing to resolve the challenge.  If any one of these displays of a lack of exact obedience is greater than 10 minutes, then please account immediately to your District Leader.  We are asking you to be agents unto yourselves and if being late is a problem, solve it, fix it, overcome it, and Press Forward!  Make sense? 

I know the Lord would have you be exactly obedient in all things.  I know this is His desire for all of us.  I also know that working to overcome and repenting is a big part of becoming more Christ-like, more worthy and so we ask you to engage in this worthy endeavor of repenting/changing and if you have just a little work, particularly in the area of tardiness/lack of timeliness, then resolve it.  If it builds through the week to be a trend, then that is a big problem and you need to account.  If it any one incident is big (greater than 10 minutes) then account.  I know He will bless those who Rise Up and Act, rather than have to be Acted Upon.  I think as you sacrifice your enmity, your pride, you will find that being exactly obedient in all things, even in timeliness, matters and you will desire to repent for even the smallest of mistakes, errors, and sins to truly give your will to Him.

We love you so much.  We  are so "well pleased" with the many, many wonderful things you do well as you strive to live your Missionary Purpose!  We know there is always room for improvement and simply appreciate the "Road to Damascus" you are all on where you are asking: "Lord, who art thou and what would thou have me do?" 

With much love, many prayers, and much rejoicing in your greatness!

President Clark

Senior Dinner 3-2017

We always love to have the Senior couples come to the mission home for dinner every six weeks on the Friday of transfers.  

Left to Right: Elder & Sister Marcom, Elder & Sister Williams, Elder & Sister Beutler,
Sister & Elder Gunderson

Left to Right: Elder & Sister Hammond, President Olzack, Sister & Elder Gressel, Sister Olzack, Sister & Elder Amsbary

Left to Right: Elder & Sister van Uitert, Sister Clark, Elder & Sister Richards

New Missionaries 3-2017

Transfers are so refreshing!  It is always so difficult to send your finest away and so heartwarming to receive such fine, fully prepared and worthy new Missionaries in exchange.  One of the great blessings to the mission is the "renewal" of the mission every six weeks with new missionaries.  It helps Trainers step up their Purpose as they train. It helps leaders be mindful of their duties to lift and bless!  It helps Sister Clark and I remember the fire Missionaries bring to the field and continually motivates us to keep the flame burning brightly! 

(Check out their "video" on Facebook)

Trainers & Trainees . . .

Back Row:  Elder Carnahan, Elder Noyes, Elder Park, Sister Feldman, Sister Anderson,
Elder Perkins
Front Row:  Sister Eastman, Sister Tompkins, President and Sister Clark, Sister Rhodus,
Sister Peterson

Fresno Yosemite Airport . . .

Companionships

 Top to Bottom:  Sister Eastman with Sister Tompkins. Sister Feldman with Sister Anderson, 

Sister Rhodus with Sister Peterson, & Elder Noyes with Elder Park