September 9, 2013

Hello everyone,

Sorry this email might not be super long. We have had a slower week. We had a lot of contacting time which was nice. It was good because we found some new people to listen to our message. We currently have six people that we are working with! That is the most I have ever had! It is really awesome to know that i am helping people learn about there savior Jesus Christ and help them accept his restored gospel! What a special privilege!  I love it! I don't have anything really to say about them because we haven't had lessons with them all yet, but we do have them that we are looking after and helping. Here are some questions I answered.

Questions from Morgan: So how's training a greenie being a greenie :) Hard? Fun? Is your companion nice?

   answer: Training a greenie being a greenie. I haven't actually thought of it that way. For the most part I don't feel like I am training. She is awesome! Her language is great and she is a great teacher! Sometimes it is hard because we both don't always understand everything that is said. So that is rough, but we get a long and we have great members in our area who help us alot, but more importantly than that. This is the Lord's work and we see his help in every aspect of it!

 Do you like the language or does it still taste funny in your mouth?

    answer: sometimes I speak this language and I can't even believe I am actually doing it. It is crazy that I can actually learn this hard language. I wonder how it can be possible! But I know it iws a gift of the spirit combined with my own efforts to learn it. When I am not feeling the spirit though it for sure is harder to speak. That I can testify of.  But yes, the language, "still tastes funny in my mouth" sometimes. :)

Questions from Dad: Food? Unique customs?

Answer: there is a lot and I don't have time to write about them all! I wish I did! They love dill here! Also, there food in general is super fresh and healthy. unique custom: Latvians go to the grocery store everyday and buy the food they need for that day because that is the best way for it to be fresh the longest. :) I can't think of any others. Ask more specific quesitons. :)

Other than that, I want to testify that I know that this work is true! We truly have Heavenly Father who loves us! He is looking out for us and wants what is best for our welfare. If we ever feel alone or like we don't have any friends, I can tell you that there is always a place to feel loved and feel like you have a friend. That is through our Savior Jesus Christ. He loves us and through prayer we can feel His love as well as our Heavenly Father's love for us. You can access that love through prayer, scripture study, and also through going to church. Combine these three and if you really seek it. You can feel that love manifested through the Holy Ghost. Please try to find that love! You can feel it because I have felt it for me, as well as I have felt it for you. That love that you feel can help you get through any trial you are facing. It can help you become better. I love the scripture Ether 12:27 because I know we can really become better. Seek his help and his quidance and you will receive it. :) I love you all so much and I hope you know that. Thank you for the support and I hope you have a great week!

Love,

Sister Cloward

Sept. 2, 2013

Hey everyone! 

This last week was great! Thank you grandma sharon and Melissa for the birthday packages that arrived this last week!! I loved them! You both are awesome! 

This last week was really fun! Sister B and I are best friends! We laugh a lot and really enjoy our time together! She is doing really well. I can tell she stills gets overwhelmed sometimes and the language frustrates her at some points, but she is doing so great!! Her Latvian is already so good and she understands quite a bit of what people say to her! I swear she came pretrained from the MTC. There is nothing I need to teach her and she teaches me WAY more than I teach her! I love it and I love working with her!

This last Saturday, there were two baptisms that we got to attend. One was a Russian baptism that we attended with our investigator Harijs. He seemed to really like it, and I hope he felt the spirit. We are still working with him and helping him build his testimony. He enjoys meeting with us and still reads the book of mormon everyday, so hopefully we can help him soon see the need for baptism.

The other baptism was a little 8 year old girl from the Latvian branch here. She was super cute! 8 year old baptisms don't happen a ton here, but it was super cute! The spirit was so strong and really testisfied of the truth of the ordinance she was partaking in! I loved it and it was really fun to see. :)

Also, we got a new investigator this week. Here is what I told President Boswell about him: "As for this week, last night we got a new investigator, from England. His name is Jamie. I met him on the street several weeks ago and we had a nice conversation, but at the time he made it very clear that he was not interested. He said that he had seen and talked to missionaries before and he wasn't really interested in finding anymore about our church. Well, then this last week Sister B and I ran into him again and had a really nice conversation about our church and he said at one point. "I have ran into you twice now Sister Cloward, I think that we need to meet and talk about your church." So, sure enough that is what we did. We had a lesson with him last night, in English!, and taught him a full first lesson and he loved it! He is really excited to start reading the book of Mormon and said several times. "I want to really find out about all of this. I'll write down all me questions as I read and you can answer them for me." He has a huge belief in God. He lives in Latvia and once a week travels back to England, but is hear every weekend mostly and then for a week at a time after that. He is married to a Latvian and speaks a little Latvian. He is awesome and very excited to find out about these things." That experience testifies to me that there are people prepared for me and he is one of those that Sister B and I needed to find and teach.
Questions from Shayla: So I'm wondering what people in Latvia look like generally? Dark hair or light hair? Light or dark skin? Any special traits like squinty eyes or big noses? 

ANSWER: Latvian people are really pretty. They have really high cheek bones in general. They are mostly tanner skinned people. But they are white people in general. It is weird for Latvians to see black people or even more olive skinned people because they are very white. As for hair color, i'm not sure because a lot of latvians, if not all, die their hair. :)

(Morgan and dad, i'll answer your questions next week)

So that is about it for today! I just wanted to end with my testimony. Yesterday we had a lesson with two members in our area who are both about to go on missions. They both leave in a month. One is going to Czech Republic and one is going to Temple Square in Salt Lake. We talked about how we need to receive a confirmation that our call came from a prophet who received revelation from God. So, we talked to them about finding out if their mission calls really came from God and challenged them to receive a confirmation of the divinity of their call. As we were teaching I recieved a confirmation again that my call came from God. I was supposed to come to Latvia and speak Latvian, because that is where God knew I would grow the most and I could help the best with this work. God loves us and he is our Heavenly Father. That much I know! I love you all! Thanks for everything!!

Love, 

Sister Cloward

Just a few more pics

Chinese food in Latvia. Sarah says you pick out what you want to include and they stir fry it all together.

View from the study window in Imanta. Huge raindrops!

Last day as companions with Sister N

Capturing a rainbow!

Happy 20th Birthday, Sarah! They bought a cake to celebrate.

Sarah and her new companion, Sister B

Just a few pics

This is a gift of food from Harijs. Rye cheese, bread and honeycomb.

I had to send Sarah a new debit card. It took six weeks, but finally made it after going to Malaysia first!

This is a sister missionary tan line. Tracting in the sun all day with flats gives you a great tan line. (Funny thing is that 25 years ago in Brazil, I had the same tan line!)

Love the view from Sarah's bedroom window in Imanta. Oh yeah, just over look the ugly spider right in the middle!