Exciting Events Coming Soon

Our sister missionary trio has been going great.  We all have fun together, and I feel like we work well together too.  It has been a good week but nothing is really standing out to me to write about so I will share the things that are on my mind.

There are a couple of exciting events coming up this week.  An apostle is coming!  It is Elder Anderson and he is coming on Saturday.  We are excited.  There is also a member of the Quorum of the 70 [group of church leaders] coming, Elder Snow.   There are going to be two different meetings and it is going to be great!

Oh, and next week's P-day [preparation day] is going to be different.  P-day is going to be on Tuesday instead of Monday.  We are going to the temple next Tuesday and so our P-day gets switched to that day too.  I am soooo excited!  I haven't been to the temple since my MTC [Missionary Training Center] days.  This experience has taught me how special the temple is and how much I want it to always be a part of my life.  It will have been 11 months since I last attended the temple.  And, I never want to let 11 months pass before going to the temple ever again in my life.  It is a special way to remember the covenants that we have made with God.

Well, I am about out of time to write.  I love you all.  Thank you for all the good you do in the world, and keep going!  Love, Sister Cluff.

Service in Skirts

On Saturday we were driving back to our apartment for lunch and in our apartment complex we saw a moving van being unloaded.  Sister W and I decided we needed to offer our help, even though we had just been tracting for an hour and a half in the hot weather.  It was about 105 degrees that day.  We were expecting to hear "No thanks.  We got it covered.  Thanks for the offer."  This is the answer we normally get when we are wearing our skirts and looking all missionary-y.  But luckily that is not the answer we got.  They said that they would love our help.  It was a young dad, his father-in-law, and I believe a sister-in-law (young teen) who were doing all of the moving.  He told us that it was a crazy coincidence that we showed up because he had been praying a lot more in the past week.  God answers prayers.  I don't know what he prayed, but I am grateful we were there to help with the last half of the moving truck.  And I felt like I could sympathize with moving, since our family has moved many times.  The last part of the move is always the hardest and a great time to have fresh help.  I was so grateful that Heavenly Father gave us the prompting to ask even though it didn't seem likely that we would get to help.  It is always good to help someone in need.

And in case you wanted to know I am still in the same area with Sister W but we have an exciting new addition.... We are going to be in a trio!  Sister R is coming down from Roseburg.  It will be fun to hear how my old area is doing.  Transfer day is always crazy and Sister R is going to be coming in soon so my email is going to be a little short.

I love you all so much!  Thank you for all you do!  I’ll write again to you next week.  Love, Sister Cluff.

Teaching, Sisterhood, and Make-up

This week had an amazing miracle.  On Monday we were going to teach these 3 little kids (well 2 little kids, one is way too little to listen).  Their mom is a member, not currently active, but their dad is not a member and he didn't really have any interest in learning for himself.  When we talked to the parents, they said the kids wanted to learn about Jesus.  On Monday when we went over to teach the kids, the dad had a bunch of questions.  He said he had been doing research and wanted to know what he needed to do to join the church.  He loved how family centered the church is.

This taught me once again that God knows what he is doing.  He teaches and prepares people to hear the gospel.  Some of those people are around us.  It is up to us to keep our eyes open so we can recognize and help those people who have been prepared.  I wish I had shared the gospel more before my mission.  I didn't realize how important it is to share.  I would rationalize to myself that it is just another church.  But it's not.  It is the way to return to Heavenly Father.  The gospel explains where we were before, what our purpose is here on earth, and where we are going.

This past weekend there was a Relief Society [church organization for women ages 18 and up] sister's retreat.  Sister W, my companion, and I got to be there because there were 4 sisters we were working with who were either less-active or recent converts.  On Friday night there was dinner, a fireside, and swimming --but we didn't do the swimming part.  Then on Saturday, there were a few classes and one of them was a class about make-up. 

We went to the make-up class.  So, I am kinda stubborn.  I am pretty sure Sister W didn't believe me when I told that to her before.  I knew what I wanted and what I didn't want for make-up that day.  There were these cards that had how to do a certain make-up look.   The card that I picked out (or people picked out for me because it was purple and would look good with my eyes) was an “evening out/elegant look.” I didn't like it when I tried it so I took it off. Sister W decided she was going to do it for me.  I wasn't having any of that that day.  I had decided it wasn't happening and that was that!  It was partially because of the dramatic make-up look and since I was just going to be going tracting, I didn't think it was appropriate in that situation.  She tried a few times to help me and I blocked her-- one of the talents I learned from having an older brother.  Did I mention that I won?  Haha.  It was funny.  Some things just don't change.  And yes, I do wear make-up every once in a while. 

 By the way, our recent convert did great!  It was great to see the sisterhood being developed.  It was also good being there to encourage the other people that we meet with.

I’ve shared a little of my week’s experiences with you.  You got to read about some seriousness, a funny story, and a spiritual experience.  I hope life is going well for all of you.  I love you!  Keep up the great work!  Love, Sister Cluff.

Here a Cluff, There a Cluff...

I am so glad I have a family to write to.  Thank you for all of the support you give me. 

One of the most exciting things for me is that we got our own car this week.  Sister R and her companion just came in last transfer (about a month ago) to a ward that is adjacent to ours.  Some elders wrecked a car, so therefore we have been sharing the car.  We got to use a car for half of the week.  It really makes you appreciate the members when they give you rides and share their air-conditioning.   I am glad it is not too hot here.  On Friday, we got a 2011 Toyota Corolla.  It was almost like Christmas!  I have driven more different cars on my mission than drove in my pre-mission life.  It is crazy.  I am starting to get an opinion of what I like in a car and what I don't.  I don't know if that is very good.  Oh, well.  It is fun driving a Toyota again.  It reminds me of our little Camry.  I was driving a Subaru before.

So, funny story.  Ever since I got here I have heard that there are Cluffs in another town about 25 minutes away.    (No, I haven't met them yet.)  But since I have been in here, I hear about them at least 3 times a week.  My standard answer is that we are probably related… but only if they are good, otherwise, we are not related.   I guess we are related because they sound like good ones.  There are also some more Cluffs somewhere in a different direction.  They have twin boys on missions in Brazil.  They are in our stake and I saw their missionary pictures on a ward mission bulletin board.  I met a sister yesterday whose maiden name is also Cluff and she said she was pretty sure they were related back to Benjamin Cluff.  A guy we met while tracting said I looked like the Cluffs in the other town and that I must be related.  I wish he was interested in learning more about the Church.  I liked him.  I love our family!  Maybe one day I will serve around the locally famous Cluffs.  I wonder if they like to play Uno too.

Mom requested a story about the funniest or most awkward mistake I have made so far on my mission.  Here it is:  I have asked probably about 10 people (non-members we tracted into) if they were members.  It is kind of awkward.  Sometimes they just seem like they would be members.  Sometimes it is how they respond, like the missionaries are their friends already.  In most of my areas it could very well be that they are a member and I don't know them yet.  I did this here in this area and Sister W, my companion, was really embarrassed and said, "I will let you know if they are a member."  (She actually knows all of the members in the ward.)  I sometimes have a hard time with names and faces.  One time an investigator who made it to church.  I thought she was just a regular ward member because my brain recognized her as someone I knew... but I didn't connect the dots.  Missions are definitely an adventure.  I have a lot of stories, sometimes they just require a trigger, so thanks for the question, mom.

I love you all, and I might try to reply to some of the other questions next week.  Thank you for your support and prayers!  Love you! 

Love, Sister Cluff

Meeting People

Today we finished up painting birdhouses.  It was great!   That is why the email is coming a bit later than normal.  We will usually be emailing after noon, more like 1-3pm because the library doesn't open until noon on Mondays.

This week we have had a lot of success.  We have been out finding people a lot this week.  When you are on your mission you are continually finding new people to teach and work with.  We are building up our investigator/teaching pool currently.  It is hard work but really exciting when you do find people who are ready.  I have such high hopes for these people.  

Everyone's story is so interesting.  I think one of the things I love about being on a mission is meeting people and learning their stories.  You all know how much I love stories. 

Well, family and friends... I keep running out of things to say.  My life just seems so routine.  There are highlights though; one of them is an investigator who is going to be getting baptized.  It is always so good to see them determined to do what they know is right.  I love you, my friends and family.  Keep up the great work!

Love, Sister Cluff

Missionaries on Parade

Happy 4th of July!  We had most of our p-day on Wednesday afternoon/evening.  We had to be in by 8pm and didn't get to participate in any fireworks things.  But next July I can watch them.  In the morning we got to be in a parade with 6 other missionaries in Eagle Point.  It was fun, we were passing out mormon.org cards and we had a float that said check us out on mormon.org. And we had a "dancing Book of Mormon". It was great.

We have had a busy week of finding people, parades, lessons, etc.  We also got to paint bird houses today with a member.  They are super fancy and I will have to send a picture of the finished product next week. 

I love you all!  Love, Sister Cluff

Acclimating in Oregon

I am trying to get used to the heat down here.  It is weird. 

My new companion is 5'2" and has blonde, straight hair.  I should have taken a picture.  Oh, well.  She is from Grantsville, UT and has 4 older half siblings in their 40's.  Her favorite flowers are Snapdragons also.  She is fun and a super fast talker and she loves to laugh and do missionary work.  She is always at it.  She is a really hard worker.

My area, like I said before is kind of hot.  It is more rural than the last two areas; it kind of reminds me of the Central, Safford, and Thatcher area in Arizona.  It is green, but has fewer trees and the grass is not super green.  But, it is beautiful and there are really good people here.  At church on Sunday it was so weird being in a family ward.  It was soooo noisy.  You can still feel the spirit in noisy chapels, if you are listening for it. 

President Young has asked all of the missionaries to be the first ones to bear their testimony on Sundays during Fast and Testimony meetings.  It is kind of nice not having an option because you can't talk yourself out of bearing your testimony then.  I bore my testimony about the Spirit working through other people to help bless your life.  I truly testify of that.  I have been on the receiving end and on the giving end.  I will never forget the time I was prompted to give flowers to a visiting teacher; it took a couple of weeks before I actually remembered while I was at the store.  I won't ever forget actually giving them to her.  She started crying and said she had been having the worst day ever and thanked me so much.  Since I have been on my mission I got a wedding announcement from that sister and she wrote a little note in there that said she would never forget the flowers that I gave her.  I am so grateful I was there and listening to the spirit.

Well, I don't have too much time.  We are busy building the kingdom of God.  We only have an hour to email today and then the rest of our p-day is Wednesday afternoon/evening.  I love you all!!!  Thank you for your letters and prayers!  

Love, Sister Cluff