Email received Jun 28, 2010

Couple of cool connections this week: The building our wards meet in is the Stake Center for another stake who was having it's Stake Conference on Sunday, so our wards were all switched around. Our first ward met in one of the buildings that was temporarily deserted for the conference, and as usual Sis Knuteson and I stood at the doors to the chapel passing out programs and greeting people. When I saw people I didn't recognize I naturally chalked it up to summer visitors or confused members, but there was one family that was different. As they walked in the father said "Sis. Cloward, where are you from?" Now this is not an unfrequent question for a missionary, but the quick succession perked my attention. I noticed the man had a polynesian look about him and guessed where it was going. Sure enough, his name is Darryn Wong and he knows the Clowards in Hawaii; Cary Cloward was his sunday school teacher when he was a boy and currently lives in their stake. (Editor's note: Dad's uncle raised his family in Hawaii.) It's so cool to meet people who actually know people I know rather than "the Clowards in Nebraska?" "Nope, but we're related!" or "so-and-so Cloward was my great-great-grandmother." That's great, I only know a few names from that far back...but we're related.

I've also had a vain hope of seeing a teaching record with the name Conrad or Knieser (Editor's note: Boys in our ward in Connecticut who served in Nevada.) or possibly even Cloward on it (Editor's note: David served in Nevada while waiting for his visa to come through for Hungary.), but since the whole program has changed since then, our records don't go back that far. Plus, only Mark (Knieser) was in this mission, and it's a big mission, so he could have been anywhere. But on Sat we had a lesson with a recent convert in the single's ward. He lives with his grandmother who joined the church several years ago, but it took him until just this January to come around for himself. I asked him how they first got introduced to the church and he said: "Oh, way back when I was about 14 or 15 we were just doing whatever when the missionaries came to our neighborhood and Elder Knieser knocked on our door - " at which point I said "Elder Knieser?!?!?! Was he from CT? Was this about 2002-2003??" They replied in the affirmative and I continued to gush that "I know him!!!" We chatted about him for a few minutes and I told them what I knew post-mission (which isn't much, I don't know how may kids they have now); apparently the grandmother didn't get baptized until 2004 or 2005 so I don't know if Mark even knows about that, let alone the grandson. I just think it's so awesome that not only do I get to see a bit of what he did a-way back when, I also get to help teach one of the same families. You have to admit that's pretty cool.

I don't think I mentioned last week, but Sis Knuteson and I got to go to Girls Camp for an afternoon. We counted it as service because the craft lady is in our ward and said she needed our help, how could we refuse? We helped the girls make bead rings for an hour or so (they're very pretty) and then had some free time to go exploring. Now I have more photo evidence of just what sister missionaries can do in skirts and illustrations for Jeremiah 16:16.

 

It was funny to see the girls (and leaders) all bundled up because "it's so cold on Mt. Charleston!" I will admit, if you sit still in the shade it's rather cool and after the sun goes down it started getting quite chilly (maybe even in the 50s) I would definitley want an extra blanket at night, but if you're sitting in the sun or running through the hills, it's actually quite pleasant to a little warm. People were so concerned that our legs were going to freeze because we had come up in skirts, but we were happy as clams. Much nicer than the 100+ in Vegas!

I believe I've mentioned the Lords family before, we were having lessons at their home every Mon night; they are awesome and we love them so much!!! Well, their oldest son just came home from his mission on the 18th and Sis Lords asked if I would sing this song (Homeward Bound, Track #3) the next Sunday as it had become one of his favorites on his mission. Somehow I got roped into singing it in the Singles Ward this past Sunday as well, I don't know if I did as well, but it's all in the Lord's hands anyhow. Enjoy, but don't get any ideas, I've still got another 7 months before I'm on my way.

-Sis Cloward

P.S. We finally put our spider in the freezer and he died. Now we have two dead spiders sitting in a tupperware container on our counter, I'm not really sure why.


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Jeremiah 16:16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

Yet another email received Apr 28, 2010

(written 4/19/10)(Yeah I know, confusing.)

We got to go to part of Youth Conference last last week, it took place over several days. On Fri (the 9th?) they had a musical/spiritual speaker thing (a capella group - check out the final song AWESOME!!!!!) (Editor's note: It's at the bottom of this post.) then a carnival in the church parking lot; Sat morning was the service project; Sat night was an awesome multi-stake formal for Priests and Laurels; Sun morning was a sepcial testimony meeting.

Carnival pics

This last Fri/Sat (16/17) was the stake play; in previous years they've done Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and The Ark, this year they did kind of a Broadway review loosely tied together with a spiritual message...loosely. But it was Amazing!!! We were so glad we had several people to invite so we just had to go both nights, oh the sacrifice - really it was, I've been humming the tunes all weekend...some of them have spiritual messages.

1. Hairspray

2. Annie

3. Just one song from Footloose, but it was so high energy and fun, it just stole the show the first night (the main singer is in one of our wards)

4. Wicked (the two girls are sisters, how cool would that be!)

5. Les Miserables (                 no words, absolutely no words)

6. Mary Poppins (they had so much fun with the last song I just had to capture a little bit of the coreography) (Editor's note: The embedded video has the sides cut off, to see the whole image, including what the guy on the right is doing, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg_1D9GFooc. Also, they're spelling supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. It took me a while to figure that out.)

7. Almost Dr. Dexter - the vehicle (or excuse) for presenting such a variety of musicals.

This has been such a weird two weeks with transfers and the temple so I've been bad at writing everything down that I want to remember to tell you, I can either go in depth on a few things or just briefy mention a dozen. And now I'm running out of time. To continue our Broadway theme a young girl we're teaching in one ward was in Guys and Dolls at her Catholic Junior High and we got to go to support her (we stood in line behind probably the only other LDS people here, it was great). It was very well done, and again we still find ourselves humming the tunes (she's the one in the blue dress on the right end of the middle row.)

We are without a car for an unknown amount of time due to very good reasons on our part - one of the new elders in our district had his appendix out his first day in the MTC and his second day in the mission field he passed out, fell off his bike, and landed in the hospital for two days; needless to say, his mother wasn't very happy so we gave up our car to him and his companion until further notice; better to do it now when we can still walk around outside than in July when we're all puddles. Did a Sis Powell ever call to get Aunt Kathy's info? I just happened to sit next to her the first night of the stake play and she recognized my name - only the second person I've met who actually knows someone I know (and it's always Uncle Bob's family.)

Hmmm, what else, oh at Zone Meeting yesterday Sis Johnson and I got asked to volunteer for an object lesson: she was the missionary who had to teach and guide me (the investigator) to make a pancake that looked like the example pancake. I was blindfolded the entire time (mixing, baking, and decorating). The topic was that our investigators can't see the end result and we have to be able to guide them through the whole process. I think our pancake looked pretty good, and I didn't even get my jacket dirty (mine's on the left, the original is on the right).

I'm enjoying being in a trio again, though it's a bit of a squish in the apartment - it was just perfect for two, now Sis Knuteson has a fold-out bed that only fits in front of the door. But it'll be great for stories when we get home!! Gotta go - Don't forget to read your scriptures every day and try to spend at least 15 minutes outside, it really will make a difference!!

-Sis Cloward


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"A cappella song"

Second email received Feb 15, 2010

Did you get my email with all the attachments? It said it sent it so I figured it wasn't too big.

Item #1: I received a Christmas package a few weeks ago that had been sent to the MTC address, just wondering if that has been updated or if they were just using old info.

#2: Can you get an address for Pres. and Sis. Allen? Thanks.

#3: Did you take my scripture study challenge? How's it going? I just finished the Isaiah chapters today, they're GREAT!!!

#4: I've fully converted my companions to the magnificence of the Inst. study manuals, our study table is getting a little crowded though.

#5: On 2/6 I found out that I have eaten dinner three times with the Zeller's cousins. One of the daughters husbands served his mission in Australia and I mentioned I knew someone who had also served there by the last name of Zeller; the other daughter said "Kent Zeller?" I said "Yeah..." "He's my cousin!!!" Turns out the mother (Carolyn Bake) is Gene's cousin so the kids are second cousins, but the daughters met Kent up at BYU-I, so they started texting him that I was sitting at their table that very moment. He concurred with me that Jason would know me better, but it was still pretty cool!!!

#6: LOVED the Valentines!!! At our first Zone Meeting of the transfer we always introduce ourselves with the usual info and then answer some random question; I had just told everyone that I had no valentine, I almost claimed my sisters but little did I know I could also have claimed the house. (Editor's note: We tried to send one everyday from Feb 1 through 14. We did pretty good; occasionally forgot a day and had to double up the next day.)

#7: This week has been exciting again - from leaky water heaters to being tracted by the JWs (I actually had the presence of mind to offer an exchange - fun!) to more absolutely astounding spiritual moments that cannot be adequately expounded in writing (don't worry, I'll journal what I can and share when I get home.) I love my mission, I love my companions, I love the people, and I love all of you!

#8: Did you see that article in the Church News about the sister we met at Bob & Kathy's house (totally just blanked on the name) someone showed it to us and I realized Hey! I've met her!! It was cool.

We're at the family history center (we've got connections) so I had a bit more time to do other stuff on the comp, but I still don't feel like there's enough time for everything. We'll come again next week so I can do some more.

-Sister M'Friend

P.S. I like watching Celestia's videos, I miss all you people. And no we don't have a dvd player, I'd have to take it to the library and use the same amount of time or make everyone else watch it with me at someone else's house, so I'll just watch a few here and there. I would love more videos of all y'all, I couldn't get that youtube one to work, but it may have been the comp I was using so I'll try again.