A letter from Caleb 12-24-12

Hey mom,

I will be skyping tomorrow at 12:00 Pacific Time. We think. Really though, because of some unfortunate situations that I will explain tomorrow, we don't have a set time yet, but we are aiming for 12. 

I have loved the twelve days of Christmas! I opened the ties today and the toilet paper yesterday. Good timing too, because I was about to have to ask my companion to "spare a square." I have 10 dollars left this month because I had to buy a jacket at target. Its a great jacket, but it was 37.50. It's been raining a lot though, which is miserable because its this cold wet mist, not even real rain. I'm glad I got a jacket. I go through 2 gallons of milk a week.  OH! Can you send me recipes for breakfast items? Like french toast? I have enough chili to last me a few weeks, and enough ramen to last me for a few months. I haven't eaten lunch because I haven't been feeling good these past two weeks around lunch time. 

I have an irrational fear of ants, and of course I went into my shower tub to find hundreds of them all over the place. I played "last airbender" and schooled them into the drain. They keep coming back though. Each time I stop them in one place, they come out somewhere else. They were all over my clothes in my closet, then all over the kitchen, then back in my bathroom. THEY WONT LEAVE ME ALONE. I have had it. I went nuts, Raiding all the baseboards, spraying Raid into all the holes I can find, and vacuuming every single night. Ants suck. 

We have been freaking busy. Remember the week we taught 22 lessons? That was 4 weeks ago, and we thought President was going to loose his mind. The week after Elder Healey was sick and we taught only about 13 (or 17, I don't have my planner) but last week we taught 21, and this week we taught 23. President doesn't know what to do with us haha. We have taught so many more lessons than this area used to average in a transfer, but in a week. Everyone says I will never teach this many lessons ever again on my mission, but I am determined to not let that be the case. 

We have a baptism this week! Nico is getting baptized by his father Sam who we reactivated! His entire family (its huge) that is only half Mormon is coming and they are also coming to church the next day, which just happens to fall on missionary Sunday where not only will Elder Healey and I be speaking, but also mothers and fathers of those who have sons and daughters serving right now. We are so excited, and I am glad that things have worked out the way they have. Nico's mom has even been asking us questions about the book of Mormon, which she has been reading! Like, what?!! I was told to expect miracles, and I have been, but I didn't realize they would happen so quickly. 

I am excited to carol for Christmas tonight and tomorrow. We are going to carol at the Orange Circle, which is this historical and cool district here in Orange that many go to to shop and eat and things like that. It is right near Chapman University (remember the movie "Accepted?" with South Harmon Institute of Technology? That's where it was shot!) and there are tons of people around all the time. The movie "The things you do" (or something like that?) was shot at a drugstore/eatery on the Orange Circle.

Do you know who Rebecca Black is? Sister Hess taught her voice lessons, right next to a big picture of Jesus and a picture of Moroni on the Hill Cumorah. Rebecca is actually a decent singer, just not the best song writer (yet?).

I'm excited to skype tomorrow! I have many other things to share. Have a list of questions and I will answer them for you!

Love, Elder Clark

Caleb made guesses

I decided to do the 12 days of Christmas for my son Caleb "Elder Clark" who is serving his church mission in Anaheim, CA, here was the original post if you want to read what I did:  The original post

Anyway, here are Caleb's Guesses written in RED and in GREEN writing is what I actually sent for him for that Day of Christmas.

1st Day

December 13th:  

Proverbs 4:18 Light?

Psalms 119:105 Light.

Matthew 5:16 Light! Flashlight? Lighter? I'm in Cali, but I'm not a pothead...

Set of Christmas lights for his apartment window.

2nd Day

December 14th:

Ecclesiastes 9:8 first 6 words Garments? White.

Daniel 7:9  words 17-21 Garments.

Helaman 6:13 word 14-26 Clothing?

Mosiah 10:5 Clothing? Shirts? White Shirts?

Two White Shirts

3rd Day

December 15th:

Doctrine and Covenants 89 versus 14-16 Word of wisdom chapter? ok... Grain? Did you send me flower? the box is pretty big

3 boxes of WHOLE GRAIN Life Cereal

4th Day

December 16th:

Hebrews 2:8 Feet. Shoes? more socks?

4 Black Socks

5th day

December 17th:

Proverbs 26:6 first 8 words Message by hand. Stamps or envelopes

5 Books of Stamps

6th Day

December 18th:

Alma Chapter 58 versus 7 and 8 Food.

6 Cans of Chili  (he loves canned chili by the way)

7th Day

December 19th:

Alma 32:42 Last 4 words Something to drink? or a waterbottle?

7 packages of 2 quart drink mix with a pitcher to mix it in.

8th Day

December 20th:

Malachi 3:2 Last word Soap. Lots of room to figure that one out.

8 Bars of Soap

9th Day

December 21st:

Revelation 3:7

Word 29 to the End What. Open/shut things? I am clueless about this one.

9 Twixit Clips (Pampered Chef bag close clip things) with 9 bags of chips attatched.  Caleb actually requested chip clips from Pampered Chef.  He grew up using them and likes them a lot and said he needed a bunch of twixit clips.

10th Day

December 22nd:

1st Corinthians 11:14 Long hair. Ooh, I'm gonna samson it! Shampoo? or a razor?

10 Gift Cards to get haircuts at a place near him in Anaheim.

11th Day

December 23rd:

Isaiah 54:16 Last 7 words Waster to destroy? like a paper shredder? What? I have no idea what this could possibly be.

11 rolls of Toliet Paper

12th Day

December 24th:

Deuteronomy 28:48 Word 29 through word 38 yoke of iron? Are you trying to tell me you want me dead? Are you trying to choke me? or give me dogtags? Not a Cross, because we celebrate the fact that He lives, not that he died.

12 Ties

Letter from Caleb 12-10-12

I received this letter from Caleb yesterday by e-mail.  If you are an outsider reading this, let me explain:  Caleb is my son who is serving a two year mission in Anaheim, California, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  His letters have been so awesome and I want to share them with the family and whoever else finds time to read them.

Here you go:

Mom, I love getting packages. Seriously, its amazing to feel like your parents still love you, but 

I know that there's no way what is in those boxes is worth the money you are spending in 

postage. I would like to offer a solution: don't spend so much on postage! If you must spend 

money on me (Which I honestly don't mind) it would be more helpful if you put it on my debit 

card and emailed me or mailed me what you want me to buy with it and I swear on my 

missionary honor that I'll get whatever you want me to get. except medicine, if you want to 

send me that please feel free. that's really really expensive.

Speaking of medicine, if you could send me allergy pills and an albuterol inhaler that would be 

wonderful. The one I brought is empty, and my pills go fast. The air out here is so disgusting 

some days. You can see peoples headlight beams at night, just like they are driving through 

mist because of how much smog there is. I have a lot of trouble getting to sleep at night. Any 

suggestions? My bed isn't very comfortable.

I'm loving the 12 days of Christmas. The office sisters and elders get really jealous. They say

the only reason I still get mail is because my parents still love me, but that it will change in a

few months. Sad. I love getting mail, and I can't wait to open things. I got the bike light and it is

awesome. I feel much safer at night, and I think other drivers appreciate it much more.

Hi Scott! What do I do all day? Well I wake up at 6:30 every day, work out for half an hour, 

shower/prep for half an hour, and eat breakfast for half an hour. At 8:00 I study for an hour, 

then at 9:00 my companion and I do lessons for an hour (since I'm training) and then study for 

an hour for our investigators. We usually take our lunch at 11, then leave the apartment at 12. 

We bike to the places we need to go, and teach lessons and knock on doors until about 5 or 6. 

We usually have our dinner at a members home, except this week the members are slacking. 

An hour later we go and teach lessons (we try not to knock after it gets dark, because people 

are paranoid here about burglars and people dressed like UPS delivery men who come into 

your house and kill your dogs and steal things) until 9:15, at which point we bike back to the 

apartment. Our area is 6x10 miles (not 2x3 like my companion who can't read maps thought) 

so it takes us a decent amount of time to bike anywhere. We live at (a place I'm not writing 

here for privacy)   I can't be more specific because people have a bad habit of breaking into 

missionaries homes here. At 9:30 we plan for tomorrow and then I usually write in my journal 

if I have something cool that happened that day, or write to people.

On certain days we do different things. On Monday I have a preparation day, so from 10:00 till 

6:00 I can do whatever I want, after our apartment and clothes are cleaned. We have to write to 

our parents once a week. On Fridays we have weekly planning, where we set goals for the next 

week and work on ways to find people, and to teach more effective lessons. We pray about 

each of our investigators and ward members who need help and ask for ways to be more 

effective teachers through the spirit. Some amazing things happen during weekly planning. On 

Saturdays sometimes we attend Baptisms of investigators other missionaries have taught. We 

have 2 baptisms coming up within 3 weeks of our own, and another one shortly after that we 

hope! One of them is a 10 year old girl named (name changed for privacy Sara) who's dad is 

inactive and who's mom isn't a member. We have worked to activate her dad so he can 

perform the baptism. We have another one, a 17 year old boy with an inactive dad and a sister 

and mom who aren't members. His mom is one of the main people at LA Fitness and she 

travels all over the US each week. (Name changed for privacy  Mark's) inactive dad has been 

coming to church and has been reactivated! He will baptize Mark in two weeks, and their 

entire family is coming!

Each day is fun, and riding my bike is awesome. The weather is perfect for riding in, and 

everything feels great here. On Mondays we play basketball and dodge ball and basically have 

fun until the sisters want to play and we have to throw with our non dominant hand. We have 

33 missionaries coming out in March! 75% of them are sisters.

Mom/Dad,

We have kept really busy except for last week, when Elder Healey was really sick. I really enjoy

keeping busy, as it makes the time go really fast. I can't believe its the last week of this transfer

already! We already have new elders and sisters coming out a week from tomorrow. It's crazy

how fast this has gone. Its also weird to think that when I get back I will be 21, and that I could

get married any time I wanted. I don't think I want to though, so don't worry!

 I freaking love my bike.  Thanks for sending money to get it.   I'm so proud of what I got it for too. In my letter to dad I explained how it was worth 700 but was on sale for 600 and I got it down to 370. I was exceedingly proud, and did wax strong in my knowledge of salesmen.

Love ya!

Elder Clark

Letter from Caleb 11-19-12

I found it, the letter I got a few weeks back from Caleb, my oldest son who is on a mission in Anaheim, California, that I wanted to type up right away, misplaced and just found over by the computer.  Good place for it. So here it is:



Dear Mom and Dad,

Hi!  So a few things.  I'm on a bike!  Super exciting!  this means a few things.   I need a bike.

Ok, so actually that's pretty simple.  I'm borrowing right now, but that's not sustainable for any length of time.  The bikes a piece and I've already had to drop $20 bucks of very precious funds to replace inner tubes and it needs about $80 in repairs just to work well.  The brakes are rubbing hard (they are disc brakes) and the cable is too short to loosen.  I tuned it up a little but the rims are out of alignment.  Any who, the mission president said I could either buy a bike or have one shipped.  Regardless I must have a U-style Steel lock, a helmet, a light, and a repair kit.

I realized today buying those things here is incredibly foolish.  Everything here is foolishly expensive.  Seriously, I'm going to have to be really careful with food.  The church gives me $150 a month for food, laundry, haircuts, and personal hygiene stuff (ie., toilet paper).

So let's figure out bikes.  I would really like to have one by the end of this transfer (5 weeks) because the one I'm on leaves my butt hurt.  Like seriously.  It's like riding a bike sitting on a metal railing.  Do you want grand kids someday?  Yeah.

So if you could write me ASAP (email or write a letter) and let me know what you plan.  AP's say bikes haven't been stolen in a while, so I guess that's good?

Someone shot the mission office window 4 times.  I think it was a pellet gun, but that's seriously uncool.

We had dinner at the Cannon's yesterday.  They are so nice!  Sister Cannon made Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and dyed everything green, because I'm a "greenie"  "new to the mission".  She dyed everything green, like EVERYTHING.  The dedication to the bit was impressive.

They have 5 kids, Elder Cannon (her first, serving in Hondorus on his mission and his companion was shot), her son (name changed for privacy Brandon) who is 18 and less active in the church, Their 16 year old daughter (name changed for privacy Andrea), and two other daughters.  They are a lot like our family, except everyone is super tall and they have lots of money.

Everyone here is either super rich or super poor.  There is no middle.  The motorcycles are scary.  They are legally allowed to rush between you o the interstate.  The drivers are really fast.  The cops can't radar you, so they have to chase you down.

I went shopping.  Got Quaker Oatmeal (the BIG one) a bag of cereal, bread PB and J, and milk.  $36  I'm going to struggle.  I made a budget.  It's sad.

I love biking though.  California is super flat here.  I can probably go really fast on a decent bike.  My butt region hurts so much.  I am writing this on the wall standing because I can't sit.

We all got Earth quake kits.  Earthquakes are a really big problem here.  my companion has felt/been through 3 in five months.  Sometimes the ground rolls, and sometimes the buildings just get slapped.  We were told to watch out for fires and mudslides.

Tonight we taught (name changed for privacy) James.  He's very interesting, but it was  a great lesson, and the spirit was incredibly strong.  I feel like I can speak any language, our mission has 8 languages and more people than the entire state of Iowa or Utah.  3 million in the smallest mission in the world.  My area is Palmyra, and it's only 3 by 4 miles.  Over 400,000 people.

This is an exciting time to be a missionary.  Heavenly Father is ready for his work to move quickly.  I love what I'm doing.  I love inviting others to Come Unto Christ.  You can tell when the Lord has been preparing someone.  I bear my testimony that Heavenly Father Lives and cares about each one of us personally.  I have seen miracles happen, and as a missionary I have taught to expect them.  I know this church is true and that by ready the Book of Mormon we can develop a connection with Christ.  I know this is where I belong.

Love,

Elder J. Caleb Clark

Letter from Caleb 12-3-12

This next letter is different from normal.  I asked him LOTS of questions and told him he could just answer back right after the question to make it easier on him.

This is what he wrote and also what I wrote him:

Sheesh... Mom---->

On Sat, Dec 1, 2012 at 3:27 PM, Michelle Clark  wrote:

Hi Caleb,

So I have lots of questions so I hope you have a minute to answer them:

Did you get the small HEAVY package with the chili?  

I did, and I am really thankful. I don't think Ill need to buy ramen for a while.

Did you get the package with the homemade caramels?  I made those by the way.

The caramels are a hit here.

Did you like everything in the big package?
Duh. I love life cereal and its 6 bucks here.

What has been your favorite item so far that I have sent and what else do you need?

I just like opening packages. You could send me empty boxes filled with bubble wrap and I'd have a good time.

I know you still need a bike light and Dad did buy that, but then he forgot to put it in the big package.  I thought it was in there until I found out today that it wasn't.  So that will be sent on Monday and you should have it by Friday, I hope.

Please restate in question form.

What else would you like me to send besides a watch and an alarm clock?  I know you need those things and I'm working on it, just waiting on the next paycheck.

You're doing wonderfully. I need those things by February 3, which is the end of my training and when I get a new companion probably. Whenever works best for you works best for me.

What do you want for Christmas?

No more Ramen, please. Ha Ha.

Did you get all the clothing you needed from Missionary Mall?  Or are there still things you need?

I think so. Ill always take more (3) short sleeve white shirts and  (1) socks, but everything came that I expected.

How did tracting go this week?

Tracting went well. We only did an hour this week because we were so busy! We taught 22 Lessons this week, 14 of which being on Tuesday and Wednesday. We would have taught more, but on Thursday my bikes derailler snapped, and on Friday Elder Healey was vommiting, and on Saturday Elder Healey's bike tire burst. Like not just the tube, but the rubber tire came apart. It was spectacular. We spent a lot of time walking this week after Wednesday and it was unfortunate because we had lots of lessons planned!

Do you have any new investigators?

We got two new (old from the Area Book) investigators last week and we got one brand new investigator this week. She is almost ten and has a very inactive dad but active grandfather. She wants to be baptized so we are teaching her the lessons. She has a friend who wants to be baptized as well, and we hope to teach her friend and her mom beginning this week.

Any cool experiences this week?

We were teaching (name changed for privacy) Andrew for the first time in almost two weeks since (name changed for privacy) Tom died. He had just shared a story about how anytime he was sick or hurt, Tom always made the ASL sign for prayer and said a silent prayer for him right there, on the spot, no matter where they were. I felt prompted to sing "A Child's Prayer" for him, but really didn't want to. I didn't know all the words, I didn't want to sing in front of anyone, and if I messed up I'd feel really stupid. A few moments later I felt the same prompting. "Sing" it said. No, I wasn't going to. I would mess up the words and the spirit would leave I told myself. "If I tell you to do something, even if you mess up, I will not leave," came clear as day into my mind, and I knew I needed to sing. I said a quick prayer and asked Andrew if he wouldn't mind me singing a short verse out of a song from the childrens hymnbook. He looked at me with a quizicle expression, but said sure. I began singing it, and about a third into the first verse Andrew broke down into tears. I continued until the end of the verse, and Elder Healey asked Andrew what was wrong. Andrew said something Ill never forget. "As you sang those beautiful words, I realized that every prayer Tom ever said, was heard and answered. Every single one! How easy would it be to simply pray and ask God for help getting through this difficult time, when I know he will hear it and answer it?"

Wow. The spirit was so strong for the rest of the lesson, as Elder Healey and I testified of the truthfullness of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. That night I prayed for forgiveness in almost ignoring the spirit and resolved to Heavenly Father that I would be open to any suggestion or prompting the spirit gave from then on. My life was blessed because I listened to the promptings of the spirit, and I know Andrew came closer to Christ.

Where do you actually live so I can google map it?

I don't know the exact address, but it's at the end of a street called Oak in Orange, California. It branches off of "palm" which connects to "Tustin" Casa de Sol apartments

How close are you to Disneyland?

I don't live in Anaheim. We can't go to disneyland either :/

Can you see Disneyland?

No, but some nights I hear some pretty spectacular fireworks. Gunshots too.

Is your mission in the LA area?

LA is it's own mission. My mission only covers 2/3 of Orange County, and 3 million people.

How close to a temple are you?

About 10 Minutes, but 40 with traffic.

Do you get to go to a temple ever?

Once a quarter we go to the Newport Beach Temple. I have not been yet.

Has it rained on you this week?  I check the weather out and it keeps saying 20% chance, so I wonder if you get rain.

I wouldn't call it rain, I would call it God's fury. It's mist, except really thick and the roads get super slick since it never rains and everyone hits each other and its really cool. And it sucks to bike in because its super cold mist and you become completely soaked once you move in it. It has rained for 4 days.

How is your ward?  Do you like it?

Ward is good. I guess?

Do you get fed often from members?

yeah, but I feel bad because only a few actually sign up and they end up signing up every two weeks sometimes.

How often do you have to make your own meals?

Often enough that I have gotten really good at making Pancakes and Eggs.

Did you get a bike helmet?

Yup.

How are your shoes and socks?

My socks are amazing. God's gift to feet. Get some. I bought 8 pair at missionary mall when I was in salt lake out of my money.

Did you like the socks I sent?

I don't know yet, haven't gotten to them in my cycle, but they look nice. They might be my Sunday socks.

I'll write more in another e-mail and if it's easier, then just answer back the questions I wrote in a different color right next to the questions.

Love,

Mom

Night of Excellence

Alyssa recently had a Night of Excellence at church for her Young Women's group.

Here are a bunch of pictures from the night.

PICTURES

Click on slideshow to see all of them. 

Enjoy.

12 Days of Christmas for Caleb

This year I thought it would be fun to do the Twelve Days of Christmas for Caleb.  At first I just thought of random things to send him in multiples.  Then since I spend most of my time in bed, because of my injury and having to keep my foot up all the time, I then started stamping signs to go with each day in all cute designs and colors, then I had this thought that putting scriptures with each day that would be sent to him first and explaining that he would have to read the scripture and figure out the gift.  This project ended up taking me over 20 hours.  I thought it would be a quick 5 or less hours.  I knew I had to shop for everything, wrap it, pack it and ship it, but never had any idea it would take such a long time to get finished.

Here is what I did, however I'm not posting what the gifts were JUST IN CASE Caleb is able to read the Family blog.

So let's see if you can all figure out what the gifts are from the scriptures I sent to him, if you have guesses, please either e-mail me your guesses or make comments in the comment section below and I'll make another post on Christmas day with the answers of the gifts that go with each day.

1st day of Christmas: Matthew 5:16, Psalms 119:105, Proverbs 4:18. 

2nd Day is Ecclesiastes 9:8 first 6 words, Daniel 7:9 words 17-21, Helaman 6:13 words 14-26 and Mosiah 10:5. 

3rd day Doctrine and covenants 89 14-16. 

4th day. Hebrews 2:8, doctrine 

5th day. Proverbs 26:6 first 8 words. 

6th day of Christmas. Alma 58 versus 7-8. 

7th day. Alma 32:42 last 4 words. 

8th day. Malaci 3:2 last word or 3Nephi 24:2 last word, or Doctrine and Covenants 128:24. 

9th day Revelation 3:7. Word 29 until the end. 

Day 10. 1st Corinthians 11:14. 

Day 11 Isiah 54:16. Last 7 words. 

Day 12 is Deuteromeny 28:48 words 29-38. 

Letter from Caleb 11-12-12

Here is a letter I received handwritten in the mail, not by e-mail so it's taken me a little while to type it up.  I have changed the names for privacy of the individuals he is teaching.  So the person #1 will be Andrew and person #2 in the letter will be Tom.  P-Day is preperation day, the day you get everything done you don't normally do on a mission like wash your clothing, write letters home, check your e-mail (on your missionary e-mail account), shop at the store, etc.

Hola Famigla,

So Today was really tough.  It was P-Day, and after we went to In-N-Out and had Burgers.  Super good.  we went to the family history library to check our e-mail and print off stuff on the "other churches" for an understanding on what other churches believe.  Family history library is closed.  So we go to the commons and print it off.

Then we got a text from (a person we are teaching right now, real name hidden for privacy reasons,) Andrew.  This man takes care of a middle aged Deaf and Autistic man named (real name hidden for privacy)Tom.

Andrew is always nice when we go over to teach him.  And such a kind soul to take care of Tom.  Taking care of Tom is Andrew's income.

Tom died tonight at 6:30 p.m.  Andrew loved Tom.  I loved Tom.  And now he's just gone.  He had a heart attack and Andrew called 911, Did CPR and tried to bring him back.  Heavenly Father had other plans for Tom although.   Andrew is broken.  I've never seen a man just loose it, but now Andrew has nothing.  No family, no home now, no income, and no close friends.  He literally collapsed and lost it.  I feel such an overwhelming sense of loss for Andrew and for loosing Tom.

The only other time I've felt like this is when you told me that Laila was gone.  I hid it well, but every night for a week, I cried.  I kept asking God why he would take such a perfect thing, such a pure soul, from parents and a family who cared for her so much.  Being told she was in a better place didn't help much, even though it was true.  I didn't even know her.  The thought she was gone hurt, but it didn't even begin to compare to how I felt every time I thought of her Mom.  How difficult it must be for her to feel what she feels.  Knowing it's not her fault, but still wondering why she had to face such a significant trial.

Sometimes, when you are in the celestial room of the temple, if you close your eyes and listen, you can hear the whisperings of the spirit.  Sometimes, you can almost hear others, not physically in the room but present none the less.

When I was in the Provo Temple, I asked Heavenly Father for comfort and to know Laila was ok.  The spirit was so strong, I felt like when I opened my eyes I would see Jesus.  When I opened them, I didn't see him, but I felt the strongest feeling, and I realized that this was a House of the Lord.  Just because I haven't seen the Lord or Angels, doesn't mean they weren't there.  I know Tom is in a better place.  I am sorrowful not because he is gone, but because Andrew does not yet know what I know:  THAT HE LIVES! I wish I could grab Andrew by the shoulders and help him to understand that because of the magnificent love the Savior showed to us by completing the Atonement, we can be saved, and live again with our Father in Heaven, whose love for us is far beyond comprehension.  I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my God knows me personally, and listens to my prayers.  I have had experiences, inside and out of the temple that are too sacred to share, but if I can do nothing else, I wish to share my testimony to all who will hear it.

Heavenly Father knows who you are.  He has always and will forever.  He knows what you struggle with, what your fears are, even what your deepest secrets are.  He loves you and wants you to return to be with Him.  Never forget that, for he never forgets you.  Never fall short.  Never settle for anything less than you can be.

Mom and Dad, stop doing things to hurt yourself!  If you die before I'm done, too bad, I'm staying here on my mission until my purpose has been fulfilled   So stop tearing things, spraining things, and otherwise hurting yourself.

Love,

Elder Clark

Lucky to be alive

It's crazy how sometimes you just know when something is wrong.  I'm glad that I had a massive prompting this morning to go to the emergency room.

I woke up at 4a.m. and my leg felt as if it was being cut off.  At least I'm imagining that my pain is what that would feel like anyway.  It hurt so bad that I knew I needed medical attention and quickly.

I woke up Jason and told him I was done taking pain medications to mask the pain and I needed to get to a doctor quickly.

After a very long almost 9 hour day in the ER, I found out that I have a blood clot in my left calf.  Thank goodness the blood clot is still attached and is below the knee. 

I now have to take an injection of Lovenox 100mg/ml for 5 days.  Today was my first injection in my stomach (because that is where they found the fattiest tissue) and it hurt so bad.  Then I also have to take Coumadin 5mg by mouth daily for 2-3 months.

This will be a very hard trial for me.  One reason is because I have enjoyed donating plasma for 9 years, twice a week and now I won't be able to do that for a long time and maybe never again.  It was important for me to do this for others since I WAS so healthy and had great plasma to give and also because of the extra income it provided to our family to do fun things once in a while like take them on vacations, go to movies, register for races, and get pizza.  Now that plasma of mine is tainted with a blood thinning medication that I need to have to get rid of my blood clot.

I have much to be grateful for and I need to remember that, especially now when I feel like I've had one of the worst days ever.

I love my family very much and I'm glad I'm still here to be with them.

a letter from Caleb 11-26-12

Dear Mom and Dad,


Got the two padded envelopes, and the letters from alyssa and scott! Havent gotten a box yet, but its probably at the mission office, waiting for someone to come pick it up.

How did dad ship my bike? Was it expensive? I hope not!

I finished the book of mormon again! Its amazing how you can truly get something different out of it everytime you read it.

It is quite warm here. Like 70-85 degrees warm. Its amazing, but it feels a little undeserved. I feel like you have to go through a harsh winter to deserve weather this amazing, but whatever. Every morning it has been foggy. Like foggy enough for you to loose sight of your hand if you put it too far in front of your face. Its the coolest thing ever, but California drivers are terrible in anything except bright sun. If it mists or rains, everyone slows down to waaaaay below the speed they could safely go, which is really funny. I saw some car speeding the other day and cutting in and out of traffic, and it almost hit Elder Healey when we were crossing a driveway as it turned in. Guess what? Utah driver. I feel there needs to be a general confrence address on driving safely.

We were knocking the other day and some guy saw us through his window and wouldnt come out. As we turned away he turned his sprinklers on and they got us really good, but Elder Healey and I turned back to the house and stood there on his poarch smilling at him until he turned them off. Elder Healey had a bottle thrown at him out of a car, with some muttered praise about mormons. It deflected off the air. Apparently some guy threw a big and full gas station cup at some missionaries a few months ago and the Elder caught it and threw it back in his car! I don't know if I believe it, but I want to because its funny. I've decided if something like that ever happens to me Ill yell back "Thanks, I was just praying for a nice drink, its hot!" or something like that. There are a lot of really rude Athiests here. They try to tell you God doesn't exist and that we are delusional and need mental help. I always just bear my testimony, tell them God loves them, and smile at them. Its really funny to see their veins pop.

Please don't publish this part if you do because it's private:

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You can publish the rest if you like:

I opened my bible randomly and came upon the story of the Prodigal Son. I saw it a little differently this time. I've always seen it as a father welcoming his son back even after all the sins and misdeeds he has committed. This time I got a much different look. The Father is so happy that his son has come back, but his older brother is not. His older brother basically says "I have lived the commandments and laws my entire life, and yet when my younger brother really messes up, you let him back in an instant and bless his life majorly. You've never blessed my life in the way that I wanted." I thought that this story was interesting, because it shows that you can commit sin as the younger brother did, but you can also commit sin by thinking that by following the commandments and being a perfect example you deserve to be blessed in the way you want. Thats like saying "Heavenly Father, I've lived a righteous life, now bless me with a great home and a healthy life." We can't bend God to our will, no matter how hard we try. We are of course blessed when we follow the commandments, but how we are blessed is not up to us. Sometimes we are even blessed with hardships, designed to show us our weakness and make us stronger.

I have a firm testimony that Heavenly Father has a plan for us, but that its up to us to decide to listen our not. I know that regardless of the mistakes that we make, He is always standing with his arms wide open waiting for us to come back to him. I have seen this so strongly down here as I have seen people whos lives were wrecked because of decisions they made in their youth. Just as Elder Uchtdorf spoke about a matter of two degrees, or how another prophet taught about one small train switch completely changing the direction of a train all the way across the country, decisions we make now have a lasting impact on the rest of our lives. I have seen many come back to the Lord, who has always stood waiting for them, who have expressed deep sorrow for the blessings they missed out on by not following Him earlier in their life. Especially with those who are inactive, you can immediately tell there is a hole in their life. I hope to never go inactive, because they are some of the saddest people you will ever meet. Someone who once knew the truths that open the mysteries of heaven, who fell away because of work, or friends, or because they merely clung unto the word of God instead of continually holding fast.

The prodigal son was of course welcomed back, but imagine how many blessings he lost in his life during the time he was sinning.

Mom, I am sorry to hear about the pain you are feeling. Dad, the same to you. (Stop breaking and tearing yourselves apart!) I will certainly pray for you. Even though it may be hard, I urge you to pray and only express gratitude. One of Elder Bednars devotionals at the MTC talks about how in times of need we should pray and be thankful for the things we have. Not only will it lift you into a positive state of mind and cause serious reflection on the blessings you have in your life, but it will strengthen your testimony. I know this to be true, and I am so thankful for Elder Bednars talk in my own life. I know there is a reason I have been called to this paticular mission, and I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for trusting me enough to let me have this sacred experience. There truly is no more important work than inviting others to come unto Christ.

With much love,

Elder Clark

a letter from Caleb 11-19-12

Hi Mom and Dad,

We have taught quite a few lessons recently! It's been a busy week, especially being on bike.


Please don't publish any of the following, as it is private and not for the eyes outside of you and dad.

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California has amazing weather. I did laundry outside today in shorts and a t-shirt, and was warm. I love this. I love palm trees. I don't love the huge gap between those who are rich and those who are poor here. It's really disheartening to see so many people struggle. We are only 40 miles from Mexico, which explains all the taco places. We saw a mexican jump into someones car yesterday. Like the car didn't even stop, the guy just ran out into the road, and jumped in the back seat of a moving car. The balls.

USC and UCLA was Saturday. It got to be a mess here.

Traffic is scary. Everyone moves very fast. When it rains, everyone hits each other, because they don't know what to do. I wonder how many would die on the road if it ever snowed. We got invited snow boarding. Snow boarding here is strange, because you just go up the mountains a little bit and theres snow. And its warm. People snow board with their shirts off because its like 60 degrees out but theres still snow on the ground. I told you this place was weird.

People keep telling me I have pretty eyes. So good work. but it's really creepy. There are only brown and blue eyes here.

Thats pretty much all I have right now. I have read the book of mormon though again, and now I'm starting over. The book of mormon is incredible. I have watched it change peoples lives, and I haven't even been here a week!


Love, Elder Clark


Bike progress?

Dealing with it I guess.

It's been a rough week.  I am in a boot and crutches and was told to not bear any weight on the hurt leg/ankle/foot at all.  Usually I mind that instruction except when getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom.  I'm not going to dig out the crutches just to go 10 feet, pee, then go back to bed.  So at that time I walk on the hurt ankle/bottom of leg/foot.

My attitude has been somewhat sour.  For the most part I smile and pretend like it doesn't bother me and I crutch around like no body's business.  However the pain has been intense and more than I feel I can handle at times.  It's amazing how many people ignore me, especially when I need help at home, work and at stores.  So many doors don't have handicap buttons on them. Now how am I to open doors when my hands are full with crutches?  Whatever, I manage, but in the meantime usually put weight on the hurt leg because I have to get the door open to get through it.

I can't do any weight bearing exercise at all like Zumba or running, and was told no swimming, biking or elliptical until the pain is gone so those are out too. So what's left?  Basically Body Sculpting (crunches, planks, pushups, weight lifting (sitting in a chair or standing on one foot).  I'm tired of this and want to run a really long ways away, but know that when I'm finally not injured in 6-8 weeks that I'll have to re-learn to run so running longer than 2-3 miles won't be for a while.

Thanksgiving was super hard for me as I obviously couldn't do much and depended on others to help me cook.

I managed to prop my body up on a bench in the kitchen so I could sit on my butt, then prop my leg up on another bench so it wouldn't be hanging (the boot weighs a ton) and then prepare as much as I could.  I'm sure Jason would have done everything, but I didn't want him to have to do it all.

I managed to make my pretzel/jello salad, brocolli salad, peel all the eggs and make the filling for deviled eggs, peel the squash, cut up all the lemon and banana bread, make a cherry pie and clean out the fridge and rearrange it so we could get more in there.

Jason was awesome and did a ton of things to get ready for our day.  He cooked the turkey, stuffing, potatoes, squash, filled the deviled eggs and did all the running for me.  I was asking him constantly, "can you get this out, or that out, or can you put this away, can you get me a clean dish towel, can you do this, can you put this in the oven, etc."  I'm sure everyone (especially my teens that I picked on way more than usual yesterday) couldn't stand me by days end.

No shopping for me this year, although only once I can ever remember going Black Friday shopping.  I'm a huge fan for shopping local and supporting small businesses so I don't like going to those stores that
1.  Are open on Thanksgiving (we should get to spend time with our families and so should the people who work at those stores).
2.  Have people camped out for days just to save $100 on a TV or other electronic they really don't need.
3.  Have people pushing and shoving because they are so dang rude.
4.  Or big name stores that open between midnight and 3a.m. just to beat the next store out of their deals.
It's such a rude day and I really can't stand it.

I have to work at my job today.  WHY?  Because I've only worked at this job a whole year and others have been here for 5-10 or longer years.   I have to work today which totally bites, so while my children are home from school I'm here.  I don't feel this place should even be open today because nothing is going on, none of our reports are even coming through, no e-mails are coming in my inbox and everyone who is here seems grumpy or is talking about how they would rather not be here.  

It's frustrating for me to even be here.  At least I only have 6 days left of full time work.  Today and all next week since the company declared that my last day will be November 30th, even though I put in for my last day as December 21st.  They hired someone early and she is staying so I got a two week notice and I'm out the end of November.  I guess I shouldn't be upset for this is what I wanted (to work less and be with my family more), but then again it's a bummer because I did expect to finish off the year working full time and to be out of work 3 weeks before Christmas will be tough on our family.  Guess I shouldn't have been so dang nice and given my work a 7 week notice to leave.  Should have waited and stuck them with a lousy 2 week notice.  Thing is, this job is sooooooooooooooo stressful and takes 1-2 months to learn it, so I thought I'd be nice by not only giving extra notice, but offering to train the new person so it wouldn't put strain on everyone else around here.

I hope I find a part time job soon.  I hadn't started looking since I THOUGHT I was working until Dec. 21st and now I'm not so I better find another job soon.

On a good note, I ordered pies from Perkins for our Thanksgiving dinner this year.  A lemon meringue for Jason and whoever else wanted it and a Chocolate Peanut butter pie for me and who ever else wanted it.  My pie was amazing and I was in heaven for the whole 10 minutes that I ate it.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to spend some of it with people they loved.

MRI results.

The medical write up was quite confusing, however the doctor called me and explained the test results in English and it translates to this: 

I have an interior and anterior sprain.

Bad Bone bruise. 

Tendinitis on the outside of the ankle. 

Bone Marrow Edema. 

Osteochondroma Defect which is a benign tumor that contains both bone and cartilage and usually occurs near the end of a long bone. This tumor, one of the most common benign bone tumors, takes the form of a cartilage-capped bony spur or outgrowth on the surface of the bone. It is sometimes referred to as osteocartilaginous exostosis. 

There is a lot of swelling in the bottom part of the ankle. 

He also found the start of arthritis (lucky me). 

So I'm in a boot and crutches for 6-8 weeks.

I'm not allowed to use the elliptical until the Bone bruise feels better.

The doctor said he wasn't sure how I managed to run 18 miles on this foot after injuring it, he said a Bone bruise is one of the most painful things to have. 

On a scale from 1-10, 10 being the worst pain ever.  I'm probably at a 7-8.  I need some serious drugs and all I have in the house is ibuprofen or Alleve.

I hope I heal quickly so I can run within 8 weeks.

Frustrated with my injury

So I'm sitting here WAITING on a call from the clinic to see if my insurance has finally approved another MRI.  Seriously this waiting is killing me.

Here's the story if you want to read on:
The last Friday of October, on October 26th, I did this AWESOME Halloween race called Screaming Pumpkin.  You could choose between a marathon, marathon relay or quarter marathon (6.55 miles).  My friend and I did the quarter marathon.   While in the race I had to get a picture and it was off the running trail.  So at 1.3 miles into the race, I went off the path and stepped into a ditch that I didn’t see was a ditch because it was filled with leaves so I fell over a foot, rolled the ankle and it hurt bad.  Then I sat screaming out loud.  Guess I should have been dressed as a pumpkin and not a bee.   However there was still 5 miles in the race so I continued on for the last 5 miles and just ran through the
pain. (Mistake #1)


I was fine, or so I thought because the more I ran the better it felt, it was just getting numb I guess.  That night when I got home I iced it and went to bed,  and as expected the ankle swelled up huge for the next two days. I had it x-rayed 2 days after the incident and they saw nothing. The swelling went down and a week and 1 day later I ran a half marathon on it. (Mistake #2).  However disclaimer here:  I only ran that race because the doctor that reviewed my x-rays said this, "Michelle I don't see a break, so if all the swelling goes down and you feel fine in a week then go ahead and try the race.  You may be just fine with a little soreness."    That afternoon after the race it hurt, but not badly and it swelled up again, but within a day this time the swelling was gone, it was sore, but okay. I decided to stay off it for a while and not run which is what I should have continued doing to begin with.

2 days after this half marathon race which was now 1 week and 4 days from the original injury it was hurting so bad that I went into the Sports Medicine clinic. It was examined and determined that it was just a bad sprain, but just to rest and within 4 weeks it should feel better. I was then sent over to PT (Mistake #3 as you will read) which is where I think the worst things happened.

The physical therapist lady moved the foot around and made me do all kinds of crazy exercises to “strengthen” the ankle.  My ankle hurt so bad during some of her movements and I told her, but she said well that's normal to be sore after a sprain.   That night it was throbbing bad.  I had to ice it that night and stay off it completely.   After last Monday, November 5th my ankle throbbed and has hurt every single day progressively worse to the point that when I walk up and down stairs it feels like the ankle is separating from the foot.  I have not done any impact cardio since that Half Marathon, no Zumba, no running, nothing of impact.

By this Monday, November 12th it hurt so bad that I pleaded with the Sport's Medicine clinic to get me in asap.  I got in for a late Monday afternoon appointment, So then 2 weeks and 4 days after the original injury I went back in again to see the doctor and told him of the severe pain and how I felt that PT only made it worse. He felt around on it, did some tests on my foot and an x-ray and said that he is 90% sure that I have either a stress fracture or a Syndesmotic Sprain (in English means a high ankle sprain which can only be fixed by a cast, boot, or surgery with pins). He said he would have to get an MRI to see for sure what the heck is going on in there and from there I will hopefully be fixed.
I would have had the MRI on Monday night and then I’d know by now, but my insurance is dragging their feet since I just had an MRI on the left knee and they are trying to make sure it’s not a repeat MRI on the same spot. Anyway, so I’m just waiting for the clearance of the Insurance to authorize the MRI and then the clinic will find me a spot to squeeze into and get this picture so I can move on and heal.  Meanwhile it hurts and I just wait.  I'm sure I probably need something like a boot, or something and I have it wrapped, but wrapping it makes it throb from time to time.

Please pray it’s not super serious and that I get a call soon with that appointmentt to come in and get my MRI.  I need to get on with healing and get the ankle set right if it's broken so I can hurry and get my 6-8 weeks over with and back to running.