Monkeying Around

Hey gang sorry I got on super late today we had a Zone activity to go to this place called Villa Tunari where you go on a hike and see monkeys! super fun activity, monkeys are way cool animals I got some cool photos on my drive go check them out! 

So we don't have much time to Internet today cause we had to leave to that place at like 4 this morning to go and get back on time, sorry but it was worth it ja ja. 

This week was pretty normal nothing new going on, Sorry love you guys hope you have a good week! 

All is Well! 

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Love you pal. Can’t wait to see the pics!! We are here at your fav place! We were able to get his email when we were in Costco.  So we took a picture and sent it to him and said hello.  It was so funny, because he was like, what's on my dad's face.  He had not seen his dad with glasses yet...ha-ha.  Funny, how you forget how awesome technology is, it's like you're right there and can chat right with him.  Love it so much.

Here's his reply:  What the heck are on my dads face! 

those are new! what a looker! eat a hot dog for me and a Mountain Dew... or pepsi if you chooose haha Those monkeys were way cool! It was a way fun zone activity super  far tho! 

But we saw monkeys like 20! they would climb on you and hang from your arms super fun, I have a pic with it on my shoulders, ill find it ha ha 

love ya mom! Thanks for everything! love ya dad! and mom! 

Sure love this missionary of ours!

Everything will Work Out

Que tal fam! Everything is good here this week in Sipe Sipe, I wanna start out by talking about Carlos our investigador that we are teaching right now he has come to church now three times and every activity that we have during the week and even accompanied us on Sundays to visit people, super awesome! But something really sad that happened was he was talking to his dad who lives in Sacaba.. Like 2 hours away and is a pastor in another church, and he was talking about the church and how much he loves it and all the members and his dad told him to not get into the church so soon that he needs to enjoy life first and think about God when he is older.. HE'S A PASTOR!! But it really hit Carlos cause it's his dad. And now he is not really wanting to be baptized but wants to keep coming to church and the activities he is way awesome and super prepared just needs a little of time, we taught him about prayer and how he can know from God, and not just from us or his dad and he is really just working on that so I'll keep you updated. I don't know if I'll be the one to help him into the font or when but I know he will be baptized in the future and be a great leader in the church, one day!

Brider and Tori! Something awesome, I got your postcard! When you guys went to Mexico! I think like three months later, but I got it! Thanks for thinking about me really made my week, and now it sits on my desk looking at the ocean in Riviera Mexico!

Well other than that this week was pretty chill on Friday was Dia de Cochabamba! and Sipe Sipe is notorious for parties and yup there was a party this time a parade our presidente told us that we won't be doing much this day cause its a holiday and here in Bolivia people are not in home but out in the streets or in Sipe Sipe with the parade so our pension invited us to come and we watched the parade with her and the family for a few hours it was really weird I felt like it was the 4th of July or 24th pioneer day ja-ja but the parade was cool i took some photos too they were some weird stuff.. and have a ton of weird Catholic Tradiciones.

Something way nuts is that after almost two months of not talking with Fredy and Guillermina (the couple we found almost 2 months ago and went to church in a car) you know that feeling when there is an elephant in the room when you are in a conversation, well that is what it was like ja-ja the thing is that when she talked with us, almost 4 days later she got a visit from the JW and an Evenjlica church! and got them super confused! We started talking to her and she had so so so many doubts about the church and questions and it was cause they got her all confused I felt really bad and again we talked about the prayer and the Book of Mormon and how she can really know the truth, it was hard to talk with him, but we have another lesson planned with them tonight so we will see what happens..

Yeah that's about it for this week, it was really sad, and really fun.  Love you guys.  All is well here.

Love ya guys!

--
- Elder Clayton
Bolivia Cochabamba

Muchos son llamados pero pocos son Escogidos - Many are Called - But, few are Chosen

What is up my Fam! We had a chill week with everybody we  are having a ton of luck with finding new people to teach its way awesome, its really crazy to think of how many people are in this world and how many few missionaries are here we need so many more people to preach this gospel and give people the chance to receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ! There are so many people who are waiting to hear it and want to but they dont know where to look.

New things this week was one that was super funny we helped a member in our ward to clean his porch and his yard out we were moving a ton of bricks around and getting rid of a ton of trash what we did was put it all in his Trufi and as we were getting ready to leave I asked if there was a place to put this trash and he said yes we than got in his car to go to the ¨dump¨ little did I know the dump he was talking about was going about 30 minutes up the mountains and throwing it into a river! hahaha it was like taking everything from the ward cleanup, taking it up to the B and just throwing it off ha-ha super Bolivian, as we were heading back all I know what happened was bad we passed a sign that said ¨do not throw trash here fined 1000 Bolivianos¨!  Super funny I saw that sign looked at the member and he just looked away, I started busting up laughing Funnest service projects I've done.

Something that is just.... great about the campo (countryside) that I have here in my area is we get to meet with members and see what the normal food is here we shared a message with some members here and after they invited us to eat with them we ate some onions potatoes and meat but the meat was so greasy and fatty it was so hard to eat I was dying with every bite.  But that's not even the worst part they live in a house that is also there mechanic shop! so there was tools everywhere for their work, in their kitchen!  So just tons of oil from a car from mechanics working, and while we were eating there was maybe 2000 flies!!!  I'm not even kidding I don't know what was harder fighting the flies on my face or my food! jajaja

Ok after two funny stories I should share an update on Carlos, the young adult that we are teaching he is way cool we have only shared the first lesson with him but he is way prepared he came to all the activities in the church this week and on Sunday he came to church again with a white shirt and tie!!! Super awesome, that never happens and after church he asked if he could come with us and visit people! So we did that with him and visited some member,  He wanted to see how the life was as a missionary and it was really fun to visit with him he has a ton of excitement for the church and it way fun to teach with him jaja I've never gone to lessons with an investigador that was fun!

yeah that's just about it for this week the Sipe Sipe is still way awesome and I love every minute of the mission life.  Love you guys too.   Have a good one.   All is well here.

Also I  put more photos in my drive and the folder with E. Pusarico, too!

This is peanut soup, it's way goood! 

Me chillin with a mandarina

- Elder Clayton
Bolivia Cochabamba

Día de Peatón - Pedestrian Day

What's up fam? We had ourselves a really good week! Something that was way funny this week was yesterday in church it was Dia de Peaton where there are no cars, no motos! Nothing you walk ha-ha and it was the same day as Sunday, where people gotta go to church cause they live really far away but lots of them couldn't so my ward of 40 went to a ward of 20 ha-ha but the best part was 9 o'clock is when we have church but at 8:50 we had no bishop, none of his councilors, and a locked sacrament room ha-ha. so we opened the church and had everyone just sitting there waiting.. for our bishop! When at 9:40 he comes walking in and he lives far but I mean come on Obispo, ha-ha we had a sacrament meeting of 30 minutes and then a Sunday school class of 40 mins after that we went home ha-ha only 2 hours cause nobody was there, really a bummer but we had an investigador in the church who is way cool and really liked church. While we were waiting for the bishop we were talking to some members and turns out he knows a few people and it was way fun for him to get talking with everybody his name is Carlos! and is way dope I'll keep you updated on him.

After that this week was really cool we had a ton of success finding new people and getting to work with the members that we have here too something that is fun that I like to do is go to this small town called Parotani where we work  a ton with the members and help with there crops

I'm gonna send a photo of me with a sheep it's dope.

And lastly this is a photo of me with the city virgin Urkupiña, shes a real looker.

Yeah sorry nothing really that cool Sunday was definitely the highlight ha-ha but it was all good I felt bad for our Bishop but it's all good love you guys!
--
- Elder Clayton
Bolivia Cochabamba

una mas y Líder de Distrito - One More and District Leader

Whats up fam? I'm out of the Trio after 3.5 weeks I'm back to preaching 2 in 2 ha-ha which is really nice, it was hard to see E. Miller leave he is way awesome and it was a fun four weeks with him in the trio, but now that we have cambios (change) I'll be with E. Briceño for one more cambio and I'm fine with it he has had tons of problems with comps so I think he is happy to be staying with me again which is cool with me, but this cambio I'm the district leader which will be dope cause in my district now is E. Dalton from the MTC with me! I'm way excited to be with him and we can go on splits together which will be awesome! 

A cool story so I went on a like 5 hour split with my zone leader this week and he was in Sipe Sipe before so he was showing me a lot of people he used to teach.  When we knocked on the door and a 20 year old kid answered it and he has never met him before so we start talking and he asks us to come in!   So of course we do!  And we start talking and he is one of the nicest and politest kids I  have ever met and he starts talking about all the hate in the world and how hard life is.  So we share a message on how God loves us and has a plan for us and he was touched and shared his testimony on all the things God has given him in his life and how happy he is to be here.  It was awesome!! We closed with a prayer and he offered one of the coolest prayers I've ever heard from a kid of only 20 and just testified of how much God loves him and us! It was way awesome his name is Carlos and was way cool to talk with him.  He even asked us to come back another day!

Service! I love it! We did some service for a gal in the ward to help her dig out a ditch and put some pipes in for water, We dug a 20 foot long ditch and about 4 feet deep.  It  was tough work and in the sun.  But I love service!  It really makes me happy to help others and go to areas like this and just get to work! I took some pics.  It  was a good morning! 

Sunday we had stake conference! Really awesome.  The saints here in Bolivia are working so hard and trying all they can do to get people to come unto Christ.  So we had our Presidente share a message with everyone along with the Presidente of the Temple.  It  was by far one of the best meetings I've been in and really could feel the spirit in these few hours.  The stake conferences here are big but compared to Utah it's like a branch! ha ha   Their stake conference building here is maybe half of the sacrament meeting and to the basketball court. That's it kinda nuts. But it was completely full so that was awesome.-

Yeah that's about it for today.  Happy to be here, happy to be serving my Lord and Savior in the great city of Cochabamba! Love you guys .  All  is well here.

-- 

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba