New Area: General Las Heras

Dear Family,

I only have about ten minutes to write because the cyber I'm at didn´t have two monitors side by side, so I´m sharing with my companion and we only have a half hour-ish each.

The big news: I´m doing a whitewash with my new companion, the fabulous Hna. Duarte from Paraguay. That means that we are both new to the area. Our area is General Las Heras B. It´s the same area where I fell down the stairs, but Pres. Benton just split it into two areas. We have half of the pueblito of General Las Heras and another pueblito called Villars. We´ll be sharing the pension and the capilla with Hna. Daniels, who has served in the area for one transfer, and her new companion, who is arriving fresh from the MTC tomorrow. The branch here is pretty small, about 50 people. The capilla is actually a few rooms at the end of a long hallway, like a house that´s part of a larger building. I´m in the real campo now-- there aren´t any buses and it looks like a ghost town during the siesta. I thought I would be more nervous about changing areas, but I´m just thrilled. It´s going to be an exciting challenge. I'm excited to have my first latina companion and to do a whitewash. We are going to work a full as we say here and help this ramita (little branch) grow. Thanks to the work of Hna. Daniels and her old companion Hna. Claros, we already have two investigators who will be baptized on Saturday. This is going to be an amazing transfer!

Other news: for my last Sunday in Lujan, president Benton came to speak. It was a Sunday of miracles. We had twelve investigators in sacrament meeting, 6 of whom were a family who showed up at the last minute with a visiting aunt, uncle, and nephew. Twelve investigators was the new record for me and Hna. Lewis too. AND there were 110 people total in sacrament meeting, which was the record in the branch and the goal Pte. Peralta had set-- to reach in March. When he announced over the pulpit that there were 110 people in the meeting, I almost cried I was so happy. Another miracle was that Hna Maidana'´s non-member husband came to church for the first time. But I think my favorite miracle may have been that Judy came to church. She is the American sister we went to the zoo with. Ive visited her nearly every week for three months, and she finally came back to church. I told her on Saturday that I was praying to have 100 people in sacrament meeting and that if 99 people showed up and she wasn't there, then I would be sad. And then she came and because she was there the branch met its attendance goal! There was a special spirit in the chapel that Sunday, the joy of fellow saints enjoying and being strengthened by each other´s company and the excitement of people beginning to learn the gospel. It was the perfect ending to an amazing 4 months in Luján.

The hardest people to leave were of course Celeste and Mario. As soon as Mario renews his ID he and Celeste can set a date for the marriage and their baptism. Hna. Lewis has promised to take care of them and keep me posted, and president says I can visit when they get baptized. For now all I can do for them is pray and write letters, but I have faith that they will get baptized soon.

Well I'm way out of time, so chau! I love you all and think of you often. I miss you and I love reading your letters and emails. Keep your feet dry in that wet Moscow weather!
Love, your very excited Hna. Clark