Another week passed and gone February 10, 2014

Hi family! (:

Happy Valentine's Day! Well, in a couple of days. Just thought I'd wish it while I remembered it! I sure do love you all and will be thinking about you lots! (:

This week was an exciting week! It all started with Sister White's colored pencil. She had been using it, and when she would try sharpening it, it would get all messed up and hacked and choppy. We were desperate to fix it! So we problem solved with this solution: lets cut the sharpened end off and start over. Cause maybe if we cut passed the hacked part and start over, it will go smoother. Well. We started with scissors. That's not going to work. So we got out a serrated knife and started to saw at it. I would hold the two ends of the pencil and S. White would go back and forth, sawing at it. Well we made some progress, but it just wasn't getting deep enough to cut it off. So I stepped it up and went and got our cutting board and our big butcher knife, and I just put all my weight into it. It finally was making some progress, and we sawed at it a little more, and it snapped! We finally got it! It took us about 20 minutes, 3 different knives, 2 people, and all our effort, but we finally cut off the pointy end! She then begins to sharpen it and says, "I could have just sharpened the other end of the pencil..." AH! We just about died laughing! We felt super dumb after that. We worked so hard to get one end of the pencil looking all good and ready, while the other end was already that way! I'm sure I could use this as some sort of analogy, I just haven't thought of one yet. But it was SO funny, we died laughing! Silly us (: We were just determined.

We had a meeting on Wednesday. And on Thursday. And on Friday. And on Saturday we had exchanges. It was a busy and full week! Always doing something! It was crazy. But way good. My brain is full yet again, and I have so much I need to work on. So much I can improve on to be a better missionary (: It was about 12 hours of meetings throughout this week! Crazy! There was obviously something we all needed to learn this week!

It snowed. Again. Yuck. I'm tired of the snow. But this time, it actually just iced. We got about... (I'm bad at guessing measurements) 5 inches of ice snow. It was way tall, and you could walk on top of it. It was super weird. Well there was about 2 inches of solid ice on our car. We literally had to chisel it out. There was no way to scrape it, we had to take the corner of our ice scraper and just hit it against the ice to break off pieces. It was hilarious. We were having fun with it. In the evening, we still had some on the roof of our car, so we pried some off and decided it was a good idea to through giant chunks of ice in the air and watch them shatter in the street... (: It was so much fun! They exploded and make cool sounds. So that was exciting.

One evening I was writing in my journal, and not much happened that day, so I asked S. White if she could remember anything that happened and she responded with, "I took a nap and when I came out you were laying face down on the ground. That was different." Hahaha! I had finished studying Portuguese and my brain hurt so I decided to lay down and I happened to lay face down and she came out to see me that way. It was funny. To us. You guys probably aren't laughing.. But it was funny! Okay?!

GUESS WHAT?! Oh my gosh! Biggest announcement EVER! (It's not about my visa, don't get your hopes up, it's not that big). We can go to the temple! YAY! Our mission has 3 temples around us, but none in our mission. But they got special permission to allow missionaries the chance to go, because it's such an important thing to be doing! I am SO excited! When President told us I just about started crying. I cannot wait to go! It's going to be so great and so happy and just what I need! (: They're making a schedule now, and so I'm hoping we'll find out soon when we get to go. Big moment right here. Happy.

Now to visas. There were 11 visa waiters in this mission. 3 got their visas last transfer. 2 got theirs this transfer (they leave on the 17). So there are 6 of us left. The numbers are becoming fewer! There were only 3 on us sisters waiting, and Sister Jackson (she was my travel companion to get to the field from the MTC) got hers and is leaving in a week! So there are only 2 of us left, against 4 boys (; But visas are moving along. Hopefully we'll be getting them soon. I didn't get mine this transfer. By next transfer I'll be at 8 1/2 months.. That's almost half my mission.. So we'll see! But they're moving.

Last night, when we pulled in for the evening, I got out of the car and heard a cat meowing! So me being me, I of coursed meowed back. And so we were talking to each other, and she sounded stressed, like something was wrong. So I made S. White listen and we decided she sounded like she needed help. So we followed her voice and after a bit we finally found her. She was stuck in a tree! What?! Cartoon status right there! You hardly ever see that! She was just stuck. We didn't know what to do.. I almost started climbing the tree to get her! But we just talked to her and encouraged her, and she slowly made her way down each branch and then scurry clawed down the trunk and just bolted away! It was so sad and funny! But we felt good that she had gotten down and we walked to the main door of our apartment and then got to our apartment door, and we looked back, and there was the kitty at the main door just looking and meowing at us. And it kind of looked like she wanted us to follow her.. So we decided an adventure might be fun (; So we went and followed her, and she took us to the back of our apartment and then she just hid under a van.. We finally coaxed her out to us and she was so desperate for some lovins! So we pet her and loved her and she was so cute! And then finally we decided we should feed her. Ha! We had her follow us back to our main door, and she waited outside while we got her some salami and string cheese (I knew that's what Peener likes, so I figured this kitty would like it too), well she loved it! She just gobbled it all up! She was cute. We finally had to go, and it was sad. She didn't want us to leave her. But we finally went back to our apartment. S. White peeked out our door about 10 minutes later, and she was still just sitting at the main door. But we aren't allowed pets (it says so in the white handbook), so we had to just leave her. About another 10 minutes later we just hear this loud meow... And it's too loud to be coming from the main door, and we have this little balcony thing. We are on the first floor, and so half our apartment is underground, so our balcony is set in the ground about eye level. Well we look out our blinds and there's kitty! She is down in our balcony at our sliding door! SHE FOUND US! How did she do that?! It actually freaked us out! She must have recognized our voice or something, but it was creepy. So she was doing that sad "let me in" meow, and being like Peener by putting her paws on the sliding door. It was adorable! Hahah. She was super cute and cunning and smart. We didn't know what to do. So we called our Relief Society President, Sister Macy, who loves animals, and she said to just leave her, and she'll go away eventually. Well we shut the blinds and she just kept meowing at us for awhile. But she wasn't there this morning. She went back home.

So that's my exciting story for the week (: Hahah! I just love cats. It was fun.

But besides that, I do want you all to know that I am working hard, I am helping others come closer to their Savior, Jesus Christ. And I know that Christ atoned for us, that He went through all He did so that we could receive forgiveness for our mistakes and become more like Him. I also know that we are never alone. That is something I've truly learned while on my mission. He always knows exactly how we feel. Even when we think that no one understands, He does. He went through what I did, what you did, personally. He can relate. And He did that for us. For each one of us personally. Can you imagine the love He has for us? It's perfect. He loves us perfectly. I read an article in the Ensign that was talking about the true power of the Atonement, and that we need to pray to have strength to change our circumstances, not pray to have our circumstances changed. Heavenly Father will always match us to the task ahead, and we don't have to walk it alone because Christ is right beside us, holding our hand, guiding us. And that is how we go through life. We grow. We learn. We come closer to Heavenly Father and Christ. We endure to the end. It's hard. And frustrating. And sad. But this mortal life is only a dot compared to the eternities. So we need to take our time and use it effectively. Christ never was lazy, or tired, or decided to do something He would rather do than help others. We need to do the same. We need to understand why we are here and where we are going. I want to become so much better, so much more like my Savior, and I know I can through His help and through His Atonement. This church really is the true church here on the Earth. Christ established it, He brought it back, He runs it. Joseph Smith was a prophet to help bring it back to us. We have the Book of Mormon for us, today, to help us through these terribly wicked and difficult times. I'm grateful to be serving the Lord every day. It's hard. I've never had to do a harder thing.

As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary. If He could come forward in the night, kneel down, fall on His face, bleed from every pore, and cry, “Abba, Father (Papa), if this cup can pass, let it pass,” then little wonder that salvation is not a whimsical or easy thing for us. If you wonder if there isn’t an easier way, you should remember you are not the first one to ask that. Someone a lot greater and a lot grander asked a long time ago if there wasn’t an easier way. The Atonement will carry the missionaries perhaps even more importantly than it will carry the investigators. When you struggle, when you are rejected, when you are spit upon and cast out and made a hiss and a byword, you are standing with the best life this world has ever known, the only pure and perfect life ever lived. You have reason to stand tall and be grateful that the Living Son of the Living God knows all about your sorrows and afflictions. The only way to salvation is through Gethsemane and on to Calvary. The only way to eternity is through Him—the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

I believe that to be true, for missionaries and for every one out there. I am so very grateful for the Atonement and for the love I am shown every day through the strength that I receive. I could not do this without Him. I know this church is true. I know Christ lives and loves me. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

I love you all so very much! You truly are the best family in the world and I am so very grateful for you!

All my love!

Sister Clara Kay Dunn.

1.Hacking at ice early in the morning!

2.Seriously. It was SO thick!

3.I tried to get an angle where you could see how much taller it was on our window. It was CRAZY!

4.This window had a super thin layer that just shattered.

5.It was insane. Ice everywhere!

6. My battle wounds! Me vs. The Ice. I won! But I came out with cuts. They look clean now, but they were bad. Hah! They're healing now (:.

7. Sister White with a GIANT chunk of ice that fell off the hood of our car!

8. Me standing on a 3 foot pile of ice chunks!

9. Poses!

10.Chucking my chunk of ice!

11.The result.

12. Sister White's turn! I like her pose (;

13. Cincinnati East Zone! Represent!

14. Best goofy picture ever (: Oh missionaries.

15. The sisters!

16.The sunset was super pretty, and we were by railroad tracks, and I made S. White stop and pull over on a road that had no shoulder, so we were still just in the street, and I climbed up a 4 foot steep hill to get this picture! Hahah (: I wish I had my Cannon, but it turned out pretty good.

17. Selfie!

18. Sister Visa Waiters! Sister Beeson, me, and Sister Jackson. All going to the same mission in Brasil!

19. Kitty!

20. We were being so nice to her (:

21. Feeding her string cheese!

22.Look at how adorable!

23. Sometimes when we grocery shop and see pretty apples we want to reenact the cover of Twilight. We thought it came out pretty well (:

Haha!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Love you all SO much!

Elders, blessings, Brasil and updates (: February 3, 2014

So the week before last P-day was wretched! And this last week was a little less wretched. PROGRESS! Hahah. Things were digressing and getting really hard and I didn't know what to do. And as I was laying on the floor crying and talking to Heavenly Father and saying "wo is me," I thought, "If I could have anything, what would I want, what would help me?" I then began to think about it.. And as I came up with my answer, I just started crying harder. I realized what I wanted. I wanted my dad. For the first time in my life, I wanted dad to ask me to go for a walk so we could have a PPI (; I wanted to just vent, and then to have him give me his awesome and wise fatherly advice, and then, ultimately, I wanted him to give me a Priesthood Blessing. But unfortunately, he's an ocean away! So I said a prayer, and sent my love to my parents (I hope you felt it!) and did the next best thing that was available to me. I asked my Zone Leaders for a blessing. I love the Priesthood! I am so grateful that I was able to recieve a blessing and was told the things that Heavenly Father wants me to know. And I'm glad that I had willing and worthy elders (who like sister missionaries, ha!) to give me a blessing. But let me tell you: I cannot wait to receive a Priesthood Blessing from my dad and to be able to talk things out.

You wanna know something else? I'm a wimp! But not anymore! I decided to be happy! And it worked! And I was so "wo is me" and miserable. But rather, happy! We just have to find the positive in life and choose to be happy. So even though an elder told me I was fat, I moved on! He obviously does not know WHAT is he talking about! Because he had nothing to base it off of! Bah! Take that elder! It was funny. And offensive. But I just brushed it off.

Work equals happiness. Therefore, I will work and then I'm happy! (:

This week was very Brasilian! YAY! I had dinner at the Garcia's, and they told me again that they are still praying for me to get my visa (: They are so kind. Brother Garcia served in Brasil, and he called me his Brasilian Homie. Ha! Sweet! They made Brasilian deserts and these cheese roll things. It was good. And guess what else?! I had Guaraná! Hotdog! It was delicious! I was SO excited! I had it before I even got to Brasil! Hahah. Then on Sunday, I got to talk to a lady who is from Brasil and is from Paraná, the state that I'll be in! She was speaking Portuguese and I understood her! I was so proud of myself! She was super impressed that I was only in the MTC for 6 weeks and have been out for 6 months and knew Portuguese so well. Gift of tongues (: It made me SO happy! I forgot how much I love the language! I cannot wait to be able to just speak it and be around it. When we were talking it was amazing how much came back and how much I remembered. I still have a lot to work on, but it was fun. She's in a neighboring area, so I'm gonna ask President if I can leave my area to go have dinner at her place to practice my Portuguese (:

Sister White and I have been having fun. Which is important.

Can you believe it's already February? Like what the? Quick! Time is just moving along.

Okay. I just want you all to know, that the beginning of the week did suck, but I am so much better now. The blessing helped, the positive attitude helped and working hard helped. And now I am happy (: I just gotta keep it going. It is very hard that I still don't have my visa. I turned in my paper work 9 months ago, and am still waiting. I know the Lord knows what is best for me, I'm just hoping getting my visa this next transfer is best (;

Props to mom who wrote me, not only a paper letter, but like a 5 page hand written paper letter! Best mom ever! It was the happiest thing! We haven't gotten mail in weeks, and it was a happy day to see a letter in our mailbox! Thank you! I just love you so much. And thank you SO much for answering my questions! Ah! Finally! Happiest thing! Love you.

You asked if there were other questions, here are some:
What happens when dad's one year contract is up? Back to Medford?
How much longer will we be there after I get home?
Am I related to Paul Dunn, an authority? So many people ask me, and I don't know..
Were you able to see my pictures from the #socialmediasplit day?! There's a video of me singing! Ha.
And that's it (:

Oh! And I'm excited to get pictures to put into my beautiful photo album. Could you include some from the airport when I said bye? I haven't seen those..

Well that's about it. I've got to get going. We have lots to do today!
Thank you for everything you do and the sacrifices you've made for me to serve a mission. I love you all so very much!
Sister Clara Kay Dunn.

1. Selfie! Ha (: I bought that shirt, and it was only $7. Yay Christmas money!
2. Missionary snow art. Heart shape with my footprints.
3. Dramatic. I like to think I was holding the Title of Liberty.
4.Nerd.
5. AH! Sometimes I want to be Sydney and so I buy a shirt that she has!
6. Check it! Second hand store, it was $7 too! And now we can be twinners! YAY! I was SUPER excited (:
7. My first letter from Hawaii! COOL! (: Post marked from Honolulu!
8. Guaraná! Yippee!

Well I love you family! (:
Até próxima semana!

Baby email January 27. 2014

We have the best family. I hope we all know that. Go team Dunn! (:

I don't have a lot of time. So this will be short, but I'll include lots of pictures! Yay!

MOM! Thank you SO much for the package! That was so happy! You don't even know! To have my OWN straightener! I don't know how I did it for 6 months! It's SO nice and works perfectly. And I really liked my calendar! AH! I love it (: I hung it up and it's happy! And thank you for the other gifts! I liked that it was in a Brooks Brothers box (: And I needed more socks! I really liked the used notebook (; But really. I really needed one. Ha. And the bracelets are super cool! Real different. I like them. Thank you!

It's been reallyy cold here! The lows are in the negatives. I wear 3 pairs of socks and 2 pairs of tights. And I'm tired of snow and cold. Ah! But if I go through this winter, then go to Brasil, it'll be winter there, and then I'll get back in January, which is winter. Yay for a year long winter! Hahah.

We had a zone conference that lasted 10 hours. My brain hurt afterwards. SO much to take in! But it was great. And fun. Lots of role playing... My favorite... It's not.

I hit my 6 month mark! Yay!

I curled my hair with MY straightener. It was perfect and made me happy (:

On Sunday, a family, who's husband served in Brasil, told me that they pray for me. That I'll be able to get my visa and go down there. It was SO sweet to hear. I love members. Then he said that he had Guarana and thought he saw me and my companion walking down his street, and he grabbed two cans and ran out in the cold snowy weather, chased "us" down to give us the soda. Come to find out it was the singles ward sisters. Hahah! He didn't give them the soda. Ha! But we're having dinner with them this week, and they said they'll have Guarana and Brasilian food! Yay! (:


Well that's about it. Nothing exciting. Just living the life of a missionary. Oh! Did you guys find the pictures and video of me singing online? <---- That's another question I would like answered. HA!

I love you all! Thanks for the prayers. I really need them.

Love,
Sister Dunn.


1-4.So I think I'm now a real missionary because I cut another missionaries hair! I feel I always hear stories about missionaries cutting other missionaries hair (: Well I did, and it looks good! Sister Sofele and I have known each other since we got out to the field, we've been in the same zone! We even moved together this transfer (: So she's been needing a hair cut, and I jokingly said I'd do it, then it became a joke, then after a Zone Meeting, she came up to me and said I was going to cut her hair. We went to the library in the church, got scissors, went to the bathroom and I cut about 5 inches of her hair. Her beautiful Tongan long hair! Haha. It was exciting (: And it looks good. Best friends.

5. Yay, we still love each other after I chopped her hair (;

6. Happy Harry & David package from Lucy! I was SO excited.

7. Fingerprinting! Ah!

8.I'm in the system!..

9.Sister White and I getting ready to go!

10. January 18 was a big day! My planner was pack full of social media split info, Sydney's birthday, the weekend of Hawaii and Disneyland! Yay (:

11. We decorate our planners to make them fun. So in honor of January being Sydney's birthday, I put a picture of us on it.

12.My socks didn't dry fully... Ha!

13. Sometimes I do pushups before we leave, and my homemade hat from momma falls over my eyes. No biggie!

14. And then I stretch. Ha!

15. Hipster.

16. Sister White and I being goofs!

17.Zone Conference! Our tables were littered with papers and scriptures and learning materials!

18. My companion, Sister White and I!

19. Friends! Sisters Erickson, White, Dunn (me), and Sofele. By the way, Sofele's name is pronounced like so-fell-ai.

20. And with our Zone Leader, Elder Foster, behind us with his Golden Bears. Haha!

21. Sister White won a scripture chase contest and the reward was the classic Cincinnati Golden Bear lemondade drink. And I asked if her companion got one too, and they said yes. Yippee! So us and our winnings (:

22. Saw this while backing out the car. I made her stop backing so I could take a picture! It was PERFECT! Dunn. And I'm in Ohio and from Oregon! And yes. There's a town called Oregon IN Ohio. Ridiculous. Ha! But it was so perfect I was freaking out.

23. I've started to sketch. I'm slowly getting better. But here's what I drew yesterday. God is helping with my talents. Yay! (:

"One Minute Manage" and #socialmediasplit January 21, 2014

Guys. I hate hashtags. But I did it. I just put one in the subject! AH! I'll explain why later (:

Okay. Not a lot of time to write. Dangit. I feel this was an exciting week, but what was making it so exciting was that Mom and Lucy were running a 10k in Disneyland and then Mom and Dad were moving to Hawaii. So it was exciting for reasons outside of Ohio. Haha!

So I got that visa paper crap done. Excuse my language (; But it was SO annoying! I got the paper work. Cool. Looked over it. Confusing. Filled out the application. Done! Filled in the cover letter with needed information that I knew. Made a phone call to the Mission Office to know other information. Also got permission to go to the library to email my parents to get my new Hawaii address (yay, cool!). No response. Went back the next day and got the address and some much needed advice! Thanks parents! Went to BMV (uhh... ya. Here it's called a BMV and not a DMV. Lucy said it sounds more luxurious cause it sounds like BMW. HA!) to get my fingerprints done. They needed a stupid code for a reason that was not listed on their long list. And they were going to charge me $40. Heck no! Was referred to the Milford Police Department. Went there and they said that they could do it but due to where I live I was redirected to the Miami Township Police Department. Okay. Went there, and they said they don't do fingerprints. Was then referred to the Jail. Uhh.. We drove out in the boondocks looking for a jail that didn't exist. So we decided to go back to the Milford Police Station. Went there and explained all of this and then I just let them know that I just desperately wanted someone to blotch ink on my little fingertips and roll it onto a paper! That's all! So finally a really nice cop said he could do it. Hazzah! He took me back and inked my fingerprints and rolled them on a paper. Left the Police Department and went to the Post Office. Mailed that stupid paper work away so I didn't ever have to look at it again! Then because I was SO frustrated at all this, I treated myself to some Harry Potter stamps! (: Hahah.

So ya. That was over the course of about 3 days cause it took so long to drive from one place to the next, and then we'd find out that they're closed and had to wait a day. It was annoying. I'm glad to say though, that I got it all done! I "one minute managed" it! Seriously. I just went and got it done. I live by that motto on my mission. Seriously. Dad. Best motto ever! It makes things so much easier to just do it. Just get it done. "Don't touch it twice." So I got that done and maybe I'll get my visa some day (: Ha. They say it takes 6 to 8 weeks to process... But I've heard lots of things, so we'll just wait and see. Oh the suspense! (;

Okay.
#socialmediasplit
#mormon
#milfordtwo

Go look at them! On Saturday (Sydney's Birthday!) we did a "Social Media Split." The Book of Mormon Musical is here in Cincinnati, and what President wanted to do was to overload the media with real missionaries so that when people looked up the musical they got real missionaries. Cool! So we flooded the media with pictures in the life of every day missionaries! We had a total of 9 women follow us for about 2 hour chunks and take pictures of us and post them to Facebook. And if they so chose, any other social media, Instagram, Vine, Twitter. Whatever! And so whenever they posted a picture, they would put those hashtags so that they'd all link together. So #socialmediasplit is what the day was called. And #mormon, well that's us. So those two will have lots and lots of pictures. The whole mission was doing this, so it exploded with missionaries. But the #mildfordtwo is the name of our area, so those should have just our pictures. I thought it'd be smart to have a hashtag where you could easily access just our pictures. But whether or not the ladies put that on each picture, I do not know. But they were supposed to! Ha (: They got pictures of us doing all kinds of crazy and normal missionary things. I think there's even a video of me singing in Portuguese for my language study. Hahah! If you can't find them, let me know, and I'll get the names of the ladies who took pictures so that you can look them up and find them. It was an exciting and exhausting day. It was funny to see member's reactions with what we do. Like personal study. They didn't know what to do. Cause we just study to ourselves quietly, and they didn't know what to do with themselves. Or for my langauge study, when I awkwardly just read things in Portuguese. Ha! But the woman were SO fun! And so kind to come and join us (: It was a lot of fun. So look those up! And tag me in the photos so that I have them forever! (:

Well that's about it. I don't have a lot of time, since it's Tuesday evening. Ha! But I'm glad I got to text you. Wow, what?! Ha. I just typed that out. I mean email. Haha! I'm glad I got to email you. I miss you lots. I hope your exciting week was great!

Also. Will someone PLEASE let me know if you got my Christmas package that I sent a month ago! Haha (:

AND! My 6 month mark is this Friday! Can you believe it?! I'm 1/3 of the way done with my mission. SYDNEY! ONE THIRD! I made it. Hahah (; Next you'll have to calculate what 1/2 is (; Love you. So I thought for funsies, I'd write down some things that I have not done in 6 months.

I have not:
Hugged a boy.
Painted my nails.
Slept in passed 6:30.
Owned a straightener.
Seen a movie (that is not church related).
Driven a car.
Taken a nap longer than 45 minutes.
Worn jeans.
Or heels.
Had to clean up after dinner (cause when members feed us, they're so nice, and we don't have to clean up. Ha).
Been called by my first name.
Done laundry on any other day than Monday.

That's all I could think of for now (:

Now, I have not done those, but I have:
Read from the Book of Mormon every day.
Written in my journal every night.
Learned to talk to every one.
Figured out who I am.
Grown closer to my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ.
Worn Christ's name every day above my heart (my nametag).
Witnessed many miracles.
Learned Portuguese.
Taught people of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
Witnessed people change and come closer to their Savior and Redeemer.
Been a part of 2 beautiful girl's conversion and helped them enter the waters of baptism.

A mission is hard. And I may not be able to do a lot of things, but the things that I am able to do, and the things that I have witnessed or been a part of, far outweigh the others. This mission has been hard, harder than anything I've ever had to do. But it's also been amazing. I have learned a lot. And I am grateful for this opportunity. And I'm grateful for the support that I have from my family. You mean the world to me. You help me get through each day. Thank you. And also the support of my friends. I couldn't do this without all of you.

Well I've got to go. I love you all SO much! I hope Hawaii and Oregon and Idaho are GREAT! (:
I think about you lots and pray for you daily.
I read a quote today that helped me, it's by Elder Robert D. Hales, he said, "Have faith; the Lord knows where you are needed."

I love you,
Sister Clara Kay Dunn.

I'm determined to remember a subject! Yay! I did it! (; January 13, 2013

Alright family. Holy smokes, my life! So I'm in the library, and am being times, so I've gotta type like the wind! So excuse all the typos and sentences that make no sense!

This week was CRAZY! Gosh. So here's some big things that happened.

I got a voicemail from the mission office, and the lady said this, "I'm calling for Sister Dunn. I have some news on her.... uh.... um..... oh what's it called... I'm blanking on it...... oh! her visa." Okay, cool! Way to draw it out suuuuuper long and give me a heart attack! Ah! I start FREAKING out! I know that it's either I've gotten my visa, or they need more paperwork. My heart is pounding! I'm so scared. I could be going to Brazil in a couple days! I can't believe. I call the lady back in the mission office, and guess what?! I have more paperwork to do.. Mom, you were supposed to get a call to let you know this as well. The FBI is requiring finger prints and other things. So I have to get that figured out. Let me tell you, that night, I have not cried so hard for the longest time. I held it in all day, and I went and just got to my knees and prayed to Heavenly Father. Why? Why am I still here? How much longer will I be here? What am I doing wrong? What do I need to learn? Am I ever going to Brazil? I don't understand. I just don't get it. I couldn't stop the sobs from coming. They just came. And it was one of those hard cries that your face is all squanshed up and your eyeballs are puffy and red and your just crying and tears are coming down your face and it's almost painful. Ya. I couldn't believe it. I have been in Ohio for almost 6 months. Let me repeat that for you. SIX MONTHS! I am almost 1/3 of the way done with my mission and I'm not even in my assigned area. I just didn't get it. And I hated that.

Well, the next day, I find out that I'm being transferred. I starting freaking out AGAIN! I did not expect that at all! I was only in that area for a transfer, 6 weeks, and I was leaving. I was sad to leave the people and the town, but along with the news that I was leaving came comfort. Surprisingly I felt peace with knowing I was leaving. I was scared and nervous and sad, but I understood.

So I went to transfers. I was so nervous. We all sit in the chapel, and they just read the name of the area and the two missionaries that are assigned there. The two missionaries then stand up, look at each other, hug, sit together, and then that's it. You're with your new companion. So they called out the area Milford, Ohio, and they said, "Senior companion, Sister Dunn will receive a junior companion of Sister White." Oh gosh! They said my name! I'm trying to remember that I need to stand up, and then remember what area they just said, while looking around at who my new companion is. Well I see her, we go up, and let me tell you, it was the best companion hug I've yet thus far on my mission. And when I saw her, and we hugged, I just knew it was right. That peaceful feeling came back. We sat down with each other and that was it. I am now companions with Sister White serving in Milford, Ohio! And it's right. It is absolutely meant to be, and I still feel that. It's only been a couple of days, but we have had so much fun and done so much work! It's incredible!

I also received an answer to my prayers about my visa. I now know why I'm here. Why I'm still in the United States, and it's so that I can be with Sister White. She has Epilepsy, and it's under control now, but she has to take medication for it. Well it makes her sleepy, so she requires to come in and take naps. Well President came up to us and said he wanted to talk to us, and he informed us that she will need that sleep, and I will need my language study. And it works out perfect. She sleeps while I study. And apparently this is something that Sister White has been struggling with, she needs the sleep, but her companions don't always understand, and then while she's sleeping they don't know what to do. Which is exactly how I feel with my language study. President and Sister Porter were searching on how best to accomodate Sister White's needs and they came up with the perfect plan, and that is why we are together. I am here still so that I can be with her. She is here so that she can be with me. It's perfect. And an answer to my prayers. We're meant to be together. And I love her. I know that I could maybe resent that, or her, or look at this a different way, but I have never loved a companion more quickly than I have with Sister White. I really do love her. And know we are meant to be together. And I'm excited to get started here in Milford! Which almost sounds like Medford! (;

Also, I gave a talk on Sunday. Yep. They asked me Saturday, and I had 45 minutes to prepare, and it was our first Sunday in the ward and I gave a talk. On Missionary Work. Surprise! Worst topic ever for a missionary! It's so hard to talk about. Ha! But I think I did a real good job actually. I was proud of it. And I got the ward to laugh, and also to cry (: And I cried. I started crying when I started talking about my family. Ha! Of course. But it was really good. So now the ward knows who I am. It was exciting!

I don't have much time. Sorry! But a member took us out to lunch on our first day, and I got eggs benedict! YAY! I satisfied my Christmas tradition craving (: Hazzah!

And SYDNEY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Oh my goodness gracious, you are turning 19 and I can't believe it! Do you know what age that is? Sister Missionary age requirements! yay! (; Just putting it out there. Hahah! Syd, just know that I am thinking about you lots! I hope that your day is super happy and special! I'll be sending all my love to you, so be looking to feel it! I love you lots!

Family! I love you! I'll send pictures next week. I did cut my hair. Exciting! I've only got like 8 minutes left and have to read the like 6 emails Sydney sent and the couple form Lucy. Haha! (:

Love you all! Keep me in your prayers. Thank you for all you do for me!

Sister Clara Kay Dunn

Here's my new address!

1202 Queens Dr.
Milford, OH 45150

LOVE YOU!


1.So the Oakes family in my last area have a missionary wall. And every missionary gets to burn their name into the wall. Uh, COOL! So here's what I did!
And can I tell you something?! It's so confusing to tell people that I'm from Medford, but will be going home to Hawaii. Oh, I'm from Medford, but now I'm going to be from Hawaii.. Ha! (: It's exciting!

2.Studying Portuguese! Yay for my English and Portuguese scriptures! (:

3. Okay. This is a terrible picture, it's super yucky. But I took it so you could see how long my hair was. It was long.

4. And here's an after! I cut it! It goes just below my shoulders. It's fun (:

5. And here is a pretty sunset in my last area, out in Oregonia. Beautiful! Ah.

Well I love you family! Good luck this week! It's a big one! (:

FAMILY! January 6, 2013

FAMILY!

Well. Another week has passed. I can't believe it. Time is slowly picking up. Well, it feels like it is. In the MTC, oh gosh, I swear I was there for a year and a half. And then when I was being trained, that felt like forever. And now! The time is just moving along. I honestly think it's because I'm used to the schedule now, I understand why I'm here and the work I'm supposed to be doing, and I'm focused. That makes a difference. When I put my mind to the work and focus and love what I'm doing, there's not enough time in the day! But I have to admit, sometimes I just want days to end! But they always do. And before I know it I'm in bed fast asleep (: Then the alarm goes off at 6:20 and it starts all over! I like being a missionary. I also like following rules and keeping good standards. I just like this gospel (:

This week! Well, mom and dad, I just want to thank you for teaching me how to properly clean. And how to keep things clean as the week goes on. And how to take care of my things and myself. It's been a great help in my life. Especially as I see others who don't care of their things. So thank you! (:

Last Monday, for our District Activity (that's just where our district gets together and has fun on p-day), we played ultimate Frisbee! Um, fun! I haven't played since like middle school, and it was so much fun! Then we played knock out and that was fun too. And you guys. I didn't know this, but I'm kind of good at sports. Cool! (: I was making 3 pointers and getting elders out like no bodies business! Haha. It was a lot of fun. Ultimate is a lot of fun, I don't know why I haven't played it in so long! So that was good (: I was proud of myself for going out there and trying and realizing I was better than I thought. Secret talents!

On New Years Eve, we had to be in our apartment at 7pm and read a 23 page talk. I actually enjoyed myself. Ha! I did miss going and watching Cody Stover's Christmas tree burn, but I guess a 23 page article to read will suffice (; Hahah. And yep, I went to bed at 9:45pm. PARTY! That's how a missionary does it! I celebrated by going to sleep early and waking up at6:30am saying, "Happy New Year!" Hahah. I will be out on my mission for the entire year of 2014. Crazy! That's an odd thought. This whole year I'll be serving the Lord. Then when the year is up, I'll be headed home to Hawaii! (: Hip hip hooray! That'll be an adventure!

So it dumped snow here on Thursday. Like.. a lot of inches! I am terrible at estimating measurements! I would guess between 4 and 6 inches. But I don't have a clue! Anyways, we decided that we would do service that day and go shovel people's driveway! Um ya, I've never done that before. And it is crazy difficult! I don't ever want to live somewhere where I have to shovel my driveway. It's wayy too much work! And I was sore the next day. But it was SO much fun! (: We just went and shoveled less active member's driveways, and they were so appreciative. It was great! We got into people's homes that we wouldn't let us in before, and we got free hot chocolate! Happy (: It was great! And freezing. I had on SO many layers! Thank you mom for teaching me about layers!

One day, we knocked on a door and talked to a boy who is a senior in high school, Jake, and he wasn't going to a church and was willing to let us come back. Well went back another day to set up an actual appointment, and come to find out he worked with someone in our ward and also know that guy's mom, perfect! So we brought them to the lesson we had with him. We had left Jake with a pamphlet about the Restoration and when we had our lesson, he had read through it all. And he like it! Ah! We taught him and answered all his questions and we talked about Priesthood and being baptized by someone holding that proper authority, and the Spirit was so strong, I extended baptism and he said yes! We then went on the talk about the Book of Mormon and that he needs to read the book and pray to know its true. At the end, when I asked him how he felt, he said, "I feel really good. I want to be baptized. I'm going to read this book and pray about it. And I want to go to church." AHHH! He just flat out told us that he wants to be baptized. He was SO prepared. And the members that came with us were SUCH a help! Seriously, that's how missionary work moves along, the members. With referrals. When members know the investigator, things progress so much smoother. It was great! We meet with Jake again this week. We're excited. We hope he kept the Spirit and those feelings with him so that he is able to progress more in the gospel. People are ready for this church. And we don't know who they are, we just have to open our mouth and invite.

Um! I almost lost my scriptures! I almost started crying! I had left them on the back of the car, and we drove off, and got to our next destination, and I realize I didn't have my scriptures and that they were no longer on the car! We back tracked where we had gone and they were no where to be found. Those are my everything. I've had them for 12 years and they have my notes and my thoughts in them. I was about to start crying. I just prayed asking for help, and seriously, right when I finished my prayer our phone rang. They asked for Clara Dunn and said they had found my bag on the side of the road. AH! Miracle! The lady was SO kind to have found them. And I was so grateful that my phone number was in my planner in my bag. She was so sweet. So I got them. And I hugged them like crazy. I am going to try to be less of a clutz and remember where I set things (: HA!

A storm blew in last night. It's freezing! It's in the negative degrees and when I walk outside my nose hairs freeze! It reminds me of the good ol' Rexburg (: Everything is iced over. Our parking lot was nothing but ice, and I may have accidentally played around on it for like 2 seconds (; It was fun. But scary. It's real cold out there. It was cute, the elders in our ward just called and asked if we'd been outside yet because they wanted to ward us about how cold it was. They said they were worried for us in our skirts (: It was so nice of them to warn us! And it is freezing out there, that's why we were like 4 leggings and all our sweaters. Haha. Thermal garments would be nice, if you get a chance to order some.

It was a pretty exciting week! (: I love you lots family! And I miss you too! Thanks for everything! Thank you for the prayers, they have been much needed and greatly appreciated. I love you all so much. Really.

With all my love,
Sister Clara Kay Dunn.

P.S. I'm thinking of chopping my hair off.. Ah! Well the ends are reeeaaaaal dead, so I need a major trim, and to get all the dead off it may be a chop. Ha! We'll see if I have the guts to do it today! I'll let you know next week.


1. District photo! Transfers are this Thursday, so we had to get a picture together (: My guess is I'm staying, I'll find out on Wednesday. Our district is wayy big. Ha. We have us, the District Leader and his companion, the Zone Leaders and their junior companion (they're a tri), the Sister Training Leaders, and another set of sisters. And we only cover 2 wards. Ha! Our ward has 4 missionaries (2 sets) and the other ward has 7 missionaries (3 sets). Crazy!

2. Shoveling snow! I bundled (: I think I may have scared some people. Haha! Basically I'm tough.


3.It was cold! And we did work. It was great!

4. This is peanut butter that I found at the store and I just had to have it! Who knew Peter Pan made peanut butter! Yum! And Fun! (: