(if you click on each picture you can view the poem and pictures better)
# 29 - Singapore Mission Seniors Newsletter - April/May
2012
As President Clark and I leave the Singa-pore Mission, we feel so many competing emotions.
We are so grateful for being blessed with wonderful children at home who have cared for our complicated home affairs in addition to their own busy young family responsibili-ties. Three years is a long time for grandchil-dren to be loved from afar. Our family has been 100% supportive in our efforts to serve, but now they are eager to have us back again. Our 7 year old granddaughter is excited for the trip from Utah to Oregon, so that she can be at the airport to greet us when we get off of the plane. She told her mom, “We’re going to go to the airport and get grandma (and grandpa too) and BRING HER HOME!!!!”
As our heart is drawn toward our patiently waiting family at home, it also is beginning to ache for the “mission family” that we are leaving behind. From the day we stepped off of the plane in Singapore, and met our first Assistants at the airport, there was an instant love that filled our hearts for our mis-sionaries. We left 3 children, 3 children-in-law and three grandchildren at home, but we gained a huge family of missionary sons and daughters and “best friend” senior missionaries. So many of the local members have filled the role of the “angels round about us to bear us up”. We look out over congrega-tions and see faces that will forever be etched in our hearts, as we remember experiences shared and challenges faced together as we have strived to “build the Kingdom of God” in this part of the Lord’s vineyard
President Terrence and Sister Laraine Clark
We Will Truly Miss You
This is a picture of a special plaque cre-ated and given to us by Elder Moody’s parents. Building the Kingdom, it’s what we do. We invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the re-stored Gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repent-ance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. When all is said and done, if we have been able to assist our investiga-tors and new members along the path of conversion to the Gospel instead of simply conversion to the Church, then we have fulfilled that missionary purpose. When one is truly converted to the Gospel, inactivity is nearly impossible to occur.
True conversion to the Gospel begins with Primary children who learn the beginnings of leadership as they participate in leading music, prayers, giving talks and bearing testimonies during Primary time. They learn that the Gospel is happiness, joy and fun. We visit that child and family if they miss a week at church, so that they know they are loved and missed. As children advance into Young Wom-en and Young Men, then they continue to develop their leadership and testimonies. They may partici-pate in lessons, teach lessons, and hold presidency callings in their classes and quorums. They par-ticipate in family history and firmly establish that pathway to the Temple, which they started in Prima-ry. Taking a leading role in the Youth Family History Initiative, they gain a stronger sense of self worth and leadership empowerment, as they gain and expand upon technology skills beyond what most of the adult branch members possess. By the time they enter Young Adulthood, they are prepared to take on the leadership roles in their congregations. They won’t run away into inactivity when given a calling – they have been serving in this aspect of the Gospel culture nearly all of their life. When they are released to serve in another calling, they will understand that they are NOT being “fired” and will continue to serve in whatever area to which they are called.
It is common to be “converted to the church” at first. That is what is so special about our senior cou-ples, you are the experts that the Lord has brought in to help our First Generation adult members get onto the pathway of lifelong “conversion to the Gospel”. You spend hours and hours in teaching and in Member and Leader Support. You don’t walk in front of them (“do it all for them”) or behind them, (refuse to get involved, let them carry it out alone). But we have seen wonderful examples of those of you who have worked right alongside of them, encouraging them to carry out their responsibilities, yet being there to offer a hand when needed.
We will be holding reunion get-togethers in the Salt Lake area around most General Conference times for the next few years. We hope that you will join with us in celebrating the joys and memories that we have shared together these past three years. If you pass near to Portland, Oregon during your jour-neys and wanderings, please stop by to see us.
May the Lord continue to bless you and protect you and pour out His Spirit upon you and the precious people in this part of his Kingdom on Earth.
All of our love and deepest gratitude,
Please keep in touch – our home contact information:
Terry and Laraine Clark
31460 S.W. Isle Way Lane
West Linn, Oregon 97068
503-656-0661
Terry – clarkdmd@msn.com
Laraine – clarkRNC@gmail.com
PS I am also attaching my special “mother’s day flowers” that the kids sent me this year. The white flowers were ar-ranged such that they resembled our pre-cious young dog who died of cancer just before the halfway mark in our mis-sion. You can see by the card that they were starting to get ready and anxious for our return home.
The last newsletter spotlighted Elder and Sister Garrett. Here are the pictures and words a little easier to see:
The Garrett's! Holding down the fort!
"I love the response Elder Garrett always gives when you ask how he is... "Excellent, but I'll get better."
"Elder Garrett is the Manliest man alive, have you ever heard the story about how he met Sister Garrett?!!!!!!"
"Sister Garrett is very kind and loves to put up with our shenanigans."
"She is so kind and so sweet and positive, just nice to be with"
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Writing a poem about them, the Garretts,
Shouldn't be hard or take too much time.
The difficult part of writing the stanzas,
Is finding the words with their last name to rhyme.
They've been in the office, where all have addressed them
With problems and questions, they hardly could bear it.
When challenges rose or a question unanswered,
We know the procedure, just call up a Garrett.
Apartments and bills and a thousand things running,
Who can explain what to do and declare it,
We love J.P. Morgan when money is in it,
And who puts it there, of course, Elder Garrett.
Who runs her own airline, at least it would seem?
My plane schedule's wrong, oh, who could repair it?
Air Asia, Malaysia, Singapore, Silk Air,
She's magic with changes, our own Sister Garrett.
The Pasir House welcomes, the food is so great,
The recipes sterling, the cake, I love carrot,
The company's wonderful, we'll always cherish
The evenings with Elder and Sister Garrett.
And then there's the van, to the airport and back,
A new couple soon will inherit.
They picked us up green and helped us get settled,
Now the van will deliver the Garretts.
The best part of them, our dear office couple,
Are testimonies strong and we've heard them share it.
Our lives are enriched, we'll always remember
the humble companions Elder & Sister Garrett.
We love you!!!!
