Iluminaelmundo - Light up the World

This week we had quiet a few service projects, we were kept really busy in our basketball shorts from painting, moving houses, and cutting trees with machetes and cleaning streets up. Also Feliz Navidad!

Wednesday I went on splits with an E. Gudiño, He is from Argentina and has been in the same zone since my first day on the mission, we are always together jaja, so we went on splits today which was really fun we did some service where we had to sand paper a room cause it was just black, with marks and stains, from the wall to the ceiling everything, and than paint the ceiling jaja, These members call the missionaries do to the weirdest things, but we did it and got super dirty, ended the day with a NDH where we watched the new light the world video, it's way awesome, and really got me pumped for Christmas. Here in the mission doesn't really feel like Christmas, and I think its cause it's so hot here, but that video got me excited for Christmas and helped me see the importance of Christmas. 

Thursday we had our Christmas  conference and it was a ton of fun.  We sang some songs as a zone and the other zones had songs and little acts, it was fun cause its just a chill time to go and hang out with the missionaries here in Cocha. 

Friday was awesome! I went on another split with E. Fisher, from NSL!  We had another one this cambio it was way rad we taught some awesome lessons and I gave two baptism interviews while I was there, which was really awesome because the two people I interviewed I found! We taught them a few lessons and even went to the temple but they had plans to leave and went to Tupiza, for almost 4 months, but than they came back! And Fisher ended up teaching them and there baptism was this week, it was awesome to see them accept the invitation to be baptized, we had a really good time together and it was fun to go back to SIPE SIPE with E. Fisher.

Saturday was more service where we helped our pension with a plan to clean the street where she lived, we invited all her neighbors to come and help with us... no body came jaja but we cleanedthem streets up good and than ate some scones jaja that was worth it! 

Sunday only one hour church, and than service where we helped a family move and than cut all there grass, like grass maybe 2 feet high! and some trees, I need to buy me a machete cause those things can do everything, they are by far the best tool, for.. for.. everything!

Well that was my week, so far also we have been teaching a 18 year old kid who is called Douglas he is really awesome and loves the church and has a date to be baptized next week! So pray that everything goes will with him! love ya fam hope all is well in your life and all is good have a good week! I'm excited to talk to you.. MAÑANA!

-- 

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Surprise Baptism!

This week was way fast!  I feel like weeks are just going by like crazy, and I don't know how but we had another good week and a surprising baptism, too.  But, I'll  talk about it later in the letter. 

Tuesday I had a split with an Elder from Washington this week who will be ending the mission soon, it was kinda sad because this Elder was just so done with the mission and so ready to go home, but he still has four weeks left! You gotta work, what about enduring to the end!  I got there and we were contacting like crazy and I was just trying to help them get citas and get a change of heart in these last four weeks that he has, I think I helped him out a little, but it actually motivated me that I cant waste a second of the mission these 2 years are not mine but to the Lord.  I'm on the Lord's time. 

Thursday we had a lesson with a investigator we have been teaching for about three weeks now, she really likes the book of Mormon and the pamphlets we leave but she just won't come to church.  We had a lesson with her today but it was cut short cause our 1st councilor said he needed my baptism clothes, in that second (could not have called before, maybe last night, or a week or something) so we had to leave and set a return date, and run to the house get my ropa (clothing) and than go to the church to give him my clothes and he baptized his 8 year old son.  (I'm still waiting on my clothes and tie... )

Friday weirdest day ever jaja so we started the morning out normal got all our studies in and than ate lunch but at 4:00 we had a n invite to go to our pensions anniversary, that was fun and we ate some really good chicken from the oven.  After that 6:00 another party from our ward mission leader and it was a small Christmas party we than ate some steak and potatoes, and to end the night sad thing a member of the ward passed away Friday morning.  He was really sick and has been sick for more than a year passed away in the morning so at around 7:30 we went to there house to sit with the family and ask if they needed anything, which they did a white tie! which I totally had and wanted to give it to them but the councilor had it! So Elder Dalton gave his, it was a really weird Friday we ate 3 and a half plates of food in one afternoon, I felt like I was in the states...

Saturday ok so here is the baptism! So I didn't talk about it last week cause he didn't come to church and I thought it would be best to wait a week, however we talked with him on Wednesday and he wanted to be baptized this Saturday si o si, so we started talking to our leaders and they said it was ok so we did the interview and the baptism the same day! Super nuts!  Really busy day but he than got confirmed yesterday a really surprise baptism.  I knew he would get baptized but I thought this week... but it's all good his name is Luis and was a reference from Sacaba, that was fun and my Hijo got to baptize him!

Well that was about it this week I got some more fotos on my drive, so go check those out and I'll throw some on here too! love ya guys I'm stoked for the 25!!  Love y'all oh esta todo bien! (everything is alright)

  BAPTISM OF LUIS

 The green and yellow water for the baptizm,  yes it was cold too

We ate some chicken hearts, well actually we ate 6 pounds of chicken hearts.. they were really good, I felt just like home cutting them up!

-- 

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Todo esta todo bien (everything is all right)

Well just like that the week has gone, again jaja weeks go by so fast here in the mission the days are like weeks and the weeks like days. We started the week off with talking a trufi that goes to a town called Thiomoko, probs quechua jaja but we got out there and took maybe a 30 minute trufi when we got to the end just started contacting and looking for people, it was really cool we were in an area that I don't think anyone has been before, cause we asked them jaja, they said they have never heard or seen us and were super interested to talk to us, it was fun and we took some cool field pics, I love Campo.

We  have al ot of investigators that we are working with right now but it's just so hard for them to progress, like to go to church or read the Book of Mormon, we have a lesson with them, it's all good we tell them to read, they say they will read. we visit them again and THEY DON'T READ, this is not faith, it's good to listen to us and read with us but the spirit needs to testify to you and to you alone to know if these things are true! But we are working with that.. a lot. and are looking for progress!

We are teaching this young man Douglas right now who is 18 years old and really enjoys the gospel and church we teach him a few times a week and is really interested, loves the church and even says that its true, he just needs to have a testimony that it's true, and have it said in his heart. Great guy we gonna baptize him before the new year!! not sure when but that's the plan.

This week I went on splits with my Zone Leaders.. you might remember one his name is Elder Azolas! my trainer!! It was way awesome! we had a good time together and he said my Spanish is a ton better jaja, I hope it is, sense my first weeks in the mission..... Way fun time we just talked about all the good times in Lindo and passing time together, he's a good guy and I'm way stoked for him to be here, we will die almost the same time so that's cool he is still here for awhile.

On Saturday we had a fun service project, we were actually teaching a lesson and as we were ending a member called us and said she needed help some service, cutting some grass, right now! So we went to help out and ended up cutting weeds and trees with machetes again jaja with the white shirt and tie, that's always fun, the Sister was so happy with us 4, we than ate some pizzza... mmmmm

Yeah that was our week, we are working with like a ton of people but not that many wanna read what we have for them or don't wanna go to church.. but it's all good, the road to salvacion is hard, love y'alll nos vemos, todo esta todo bien (see you, everything is all right)


--
- Elder Clayton
Bolivia Cochabamba

Ups and Downs ~ and no pics this week...Darn it.

His attitude is awesome, although as you read his email, he seems to take it all in stride and even though there are rough times, he ends with it is all good and he is still livin' the dream.  Oh, how we love this missionary.
Enjoy...

Well lets see here, this week was really chala, and also super chapi. jaja

First thing the baptism of the two kids that want to be baptized was canceled again.  We had a lesson with them this week and it was just talking with their mom, and last week she wanted them to get baptized and to always go to church but now, she has changed her mind and does not want them to get baptized. That was rough, she said we can still stop by and talk to them and read scriptures with them, but she wants her kids  to read the scriptures really well before she gets baptized and she won't change her mind on that at all.. Kinda rough but the kids still came to church and still really love it, so we will see what happens with them.  We will always be praying for them and helping them, but we will see.

Maybe a week or two ago we got a reference from some Elders in Sacaba, and it's a man named Luis who is dating a member Sara, and he wants to be baptized! jaja we are the perfect people for that! they live here and in Sacaba, but we talked to them but a date for there wedding and for his baptism! They are way cool and super ready, we have them on date for the 15 and the 29! of this month! super stoked, we were teaching them the gospel of Christ and after we finished asked if he ever needed help with his fields, he has a ton of corn and a small garden, he told us yes! and gave us some tools, to start working, with the white shirts and ties jaja super funny we helped him for only a hour, but than he had to leave but it was awesome, and he loved us and was really grateful.

Also something cool too was on pday we played some basketball with some ward members here with some other missionaries and we played them for free donuts! we won.. that is all, I like free donuts.

But other than that jaja this was the week for us, we had some good times and some bad times, but its all good here! just livin the dream here in Bolivia,

--

Nueva... fecha, casa, and investigador: New Date, house and Investigators

Well this week was super busy, like way busy we first off, on Tuesday we had a meeting about some new English class called English connect that will help people to learn English, sounds really cool but we had a 3 hour class about it in the city with all the leaders and after that they told us that it will come to Bolivia in three months and only in one zone! Kinda lame cause Cochabamba is huge and very few people will have this chance to learn it. But it will get here, maybe in like 3 years it will get to all the stakes ja-ja. 

Well sadly the baptism did not go through with Fabricio and Adriana.. but its ok, this week! jaja they had a activity in their school and it was the last week of classes so they had to go, their mom was sad and them too, but it's all good, we are going to have the baptism this week on Saturday, I feel good about it just had to change the date. 

Well something super funny that I don't think I've ever mentioned is our house, it's a really cool house but we live with a ton of students like estudiantes solteras (single students). so that's not good for missionaries to be living there, and we also have like bad spirits living there jajaja, but that story is for another day, so we have been looking for a new house, and we finally found one!  It's way awesome! Has a huge like living room with sofas! yes sofas, it's way cool, two bathrooms and a way awesome kitchen, I'll send some fotos cause its way rad this is the first time in my whole mission where 1. we have a kitchen 2. its connected to the house, jaja way awesome.  Only thing that is a bummer is that it's on the fourth floor... have you ever had to take up a desk, a fridge, a dresser up three floors!! putcha che!

Maybe three weeks ago I was in a trufi with E. Dalton and we contacted this lady well she like contacted us, and she said she wants her whole family to go to church so we started teaching them and there one son Douglas.  He is way awesome!  He is way prepared and we have taught him almost all the lessons in a week, and he has come to church twice, and the second time in a white shirt and tie! Super rad!  He has a baptism date for the 15 o 29 of diciembre, he doesn't know which date jaja but he wants to be baptized cause he knows its true!  We were inviting him to be baptized and he said ok but I don't know when.  I'm scared and we asked why and we started to talk about the atonement of Christ and how we don't have to be perfect, we should try, but that's not part of the plan.   We are gonna fail, and he said that makes sense and that he knows the church is true but he doesn't know when to get baptized, super cool and I'm excited for him. 

Well that is about it from your local Boliviano Elder Clayton! Love you guys and all is well here! 

Papa waycu

La casa

la pensión 

-- 

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba