la ultima semana ~ The Last Week

As this is his last email, I just want to thank you all who are still following his journey and have been this entire two year experience.  Your faith, support and prayers in his behalf have been felt and appreciated.  He will arrive home on Tuesday, American Airlines Flight 3099 at 10:50 p.m. I can't wait to see him and hug that boy in real life and have him home! But, as any who have sent a son or daughter out into the mission field, the blessings of their service and sacrifice far outweigh what we give up while they are away.  We have been so blessed for his service.  We love all of you, and I know he does, too.  Thank you again for your love and support in our and mostly Elder Clayton's behalf.  Enjoy one last time...

Well I think my old man said it best, "I would rather leave home and go on the mission than leave the mission and go home" I don't know how to summarize the last 24 months of my life in a weekly email in a internet in Sucre Bolivia, but it has been an unforgettable journey. The things I have learned, mistakes I have made. I would not change these last two years for anything.  

Today I was able to go back to my second area in the mission el pueblito Betanzos, This area is currently closed because of lack of missionaries, so today we went down to go and visit my old Pension Hermana Georgette, It was awesome, Betanzos has not changed at all since I was there still all dirt roads, and dirt houses. We ate some Pique Macho with the Pension and had some good laughs talking about old times, I will really miss that place I learned a lot there. I found out that the ward has been growing a lot, now the normal Sunday has about 60 people in the ward, when I was there it was maybe 15. They are activating all the members, even though  I didn't have any success in my time there, you can see the fruits of my work almost one year later, of finding all those less actives, or partial member families.

Wednesday we had zone conference, my last zone conference. I was able to give my testimony and listen to my last class with Presidente Montoya. What a stud, I'll miss him a lot and a ton of pals here in the mission. and friends that I will be leaving, for a brief moment.  But I will see them later.  After the Conference we headed back to Sucre, got home around 1 in the morning, conferences are like a party with all your buds from the mission. 

Friday went on splits with E. Maco from Peru, this time in my area the coolest part of the day was we had a cita with a hermano, Juan Carlos that we have been teaching for almost three weeks now and loves the Book of Mormon! He's in the middle of 2 nefi! and keeps reading, he even started marking his scriptures! 

We taught him the plan of Salvacion this week which was really rad, he had some good questions about the reinos de gloria, when we finishing the lesson he told us some sad news tho, he' a lawyer and just got a new case and will be busy until the middle of Agosto! So I won't be able to teach him again.. however he's awesome and I can see him being baptized in a few months!

And I guess this is where my last letter ends. Thursday I'll be flying into Cochabamba, for my last days, and Tuesday I will be flying home to you guys! love y'all!  Have a good week!  Hope all is well!! 

I wanted to also include this paragraph he sent to me; I happened to make the mistake of opening this at the end of the day while I was at work.  I know that I want him home so badly, but yet I know that a big piece of  his heart will be left in Bolivia when he boards that plane and returns home.  He has given it his all, and in the pictures you can see the emotion in his face. I think these are the only pictures through his who mission that he is not smiling...and it is totally understandable.

From Elder Clayton to me, his mom:  Whats up mama! sorry to write you a little late, today we went to Betanzos! my old area, we took a 2 hour bus ride to get there and 2 hours back, worth it, I said good bye to some amazing people that I probably will not see again until the spirit world.  Life is good.  I'm getting ready to come home. I think two years is perfect if you ask me.  I'm really tired and ready to start moving on with life. Excited to see y'all in the airport Tuesday!  Also there will be 8 other missionaries there, so it will be PACKEEED! Should be fun! Love ya mom!

My Final Email to Elder Clayton

I thought I might as well include my final email to Elder Clayton.  I am so proud of this missionary, he has served so well.  I don't think he will have time to email next week as he will be leaving Cochabamba, so I am writing my feelings to him tonight.  I love this boy/man with all my heart.  Oh I can't wait to hug him!

Hello Pal...

I'm thinking this might be the last email as next week you will most likely not be able to check your email and will be ready to come HOME!  So, I will do my best to email how proud I am of you and all you have accomplished in the two years you have served so faithfully in Bolivia.  As I type this my eyes are filling with tears and I am having a hard time typing because as your mom, I know that you are most likely ready to move on and close this chapter, however; I know that a big piece of your heart will remain with these people that you have grown to love.  You have such a light about you and these people have seen it and have been drawn to you.  Even though some have not accepted the gospel...yet, you have planted a seed in them that they know to be different and that when they are ready they will remember the things you taught them and the way you made them feel.  

Your smile is and always has been contagious.  I have loved posting about Missionary Mondays.  It is always my favorite day of the week.  To see your smile and read about how your week has been has filled my cup to know that you are "ok" and that once again you have been obedient and that our Father in Heaven has watched over you and protected you as you have served with all your heart, might mind and strength.  

Today as I was waiting for the sacrament to be passed I was reading in Mosiah.  I have found that I love reading about King Benjamin; most likely because you were him during Quest.  But, today I read Mosiah 2:41 and I think this just might be my new favorite scripture.  This year's YM/YW theme is so simple:  If ye love me keep my commandments.  It is so simple and yet so powerful.  We have said, it is easy, you don't pick and choose which commandments you follow, you follow all of them.  And just this week someone asked me why I do all that I do with serving in my callings, (we did the parade, again) I'll send pictures, and I wished I could have remembered this scripture because it basically sums it all up:  And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandment of God.  For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness.   O rememember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.  I LOVE THAT!!!

What a wonderful promise!  the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments, it's as simple as that.  I'm planning on doing just that, keeping the commandments, it's not really that difficult.

So, thank you so much for going and doing something that is not easy; and teaching those people who knew nothing about any of this before.  That's the difficult part.  I was raised knowing it all along, and so were you.  Our job is to remain faithful, which seems easy and yet so many are choosing differently.

Stay strong and faithful all the way to the end. Know that I am so dang proud of you.  I love you so much my son.  I can't wait to get that long awaited hug!!!  See you soon.  Please send an email if you get a chance.  

I LOVE YOU!!!  Well done thou good and faithful servant.

Mom

Small and Simple Things

Whats up my fiel fam, This week was pretty good, sorry I didnt talk last week we had interviews with Presidente so today is Pday! It's actually kinda cool cause here in Sucre everything is closed on Mondays so we went to a ton of places today that are normally closed it was really cool.  I took some good pics, first we went to a castle where a prince lived. Pretty rad and with the Asst. they flew in yesterday, than after that we hit up a dinosaur park, dinosaurs in Bolivia who knew! Ended the day eating patacones, riiiicccooo

Last week on Monday we flew out to Cocha again to have the consejo de Lideres, that was pretty rad, our president gives really good classes and is just a great guy, it's really awesome to go there for a day cause this time we went and visited my old area Lindo, really rad seeing my old pension

I really liked that area and I learned a lot. 

Kinda a crazy story, on Tuesday after consejo we headed back to Sucre and at around 9 we had to pick up an elder in the bus stop cause he had to go to Cocha the next day he was supposed to get there at 9, we were in the bus station until 1030... nothing... and have in mind this elder has 4 weeks in the mission, white dude from Utah. has no phone. doesn't know Bolivia. doesnt know Spanish... and is alone..

  starting to freak out we receive a phone call at 10:45 from a person we don't know telling us where this elder is and a direction.  They dropped him off at a place almost 30 minutes away in another direction! super nuts, we went and found him he was really chill tho only alone for like 40 minutes in the middle of nowhere. But we got him on his flight the next day all good. 

We are teaching a really cool new inv. that we found a few weeks ago, every time we go to her house she has a ton of questions! it's awesome!  We started the lesson with her saying the Book of Mormon is from el Diablo, and ending it with her wanting one and eager to read it! poder del espiritu Santo. Super rad cita and real change in a person, willing to learn and really wanting to know who is Jesus Christ. 

Something really cool this last week we got a ward mission leader! super rad! Small and simple things.. 

Yeah all is well here  love  y'all!!  Have a good weeeek

gr gr gr grindin...

As you can tell I'm really running out of titles for my emails, sorry I'm all out of ideas, but we out here grindin, this weeek was actually super cool we found a lot of new investigators this week and had some really good contacts, that i'm excited to teach next week.  This morning we flew to Cochabamba for leadership council which is always a good time.  It's like a free day in Cochabamba, a class from Presidente and a free lunch. It's a good time. Today my comp and I visited one of my old áreas, my first área, LINDO, que lindo, went and saw my first pension, super dope great to see her after maybe a year, love that area and the great people there. 

Well let's see here this week we had one of the coolest lessons in a long time, we are teaching this older fellow named Juan Carlos, stud. Anyways we gave him a Book of Mormon last week for him to read and when we visited him on Tuesday he read the first 17 chapters! Awesome, he loves it, and had a ton of questions, he loves how Nefi has so much faith to build a boat and follow his dad el profeta, dudes a baller, we just had a good hour and a  half lesson about faith and obediencia, it was rad. 

Happy Fourth of July BTW, hope y'all had a good one, feliz cumpleaños america This day I was on an intercambio with one of the district leaders, E. Burris. We had a good time for dinner we made sloppy joes, pretty good, pretty American. extraño Los estados But we had a good day we visited a few members and a really cool family where there parents are members of the church but their three kids, nope! So we gotta talk about baptism and get them to go to church.  Teaching families is the best.

Yeah that was the week I got some fotos in the good old drive. (didn't actually add them, or at least I wasn't able to find them; maybe next week) Some are with my old pension, my comp and I asleep. and some others. love y'all!  Have a good week and recuerda que todo esta bien (remember that everything is fine)

Elder Caleb Clayton

Cochabamba Bolivia

Uyuni - His Birthday

HOLA mis queridos,

 This was a pretty chill week, sorry I didn't write to you guys yesterday we had our zone activity and went to Uyuni with everyone.  We left from Sucre to Uyuni Sunday night at 7:30 we got there at about 3.30 in the morning, it was so cold that when we were in the house of the elders sleeping on the ground you could see your own breath, that's cold. Our tour was at 10.30 and it was real fun, this was my second time now visiting and it was really fun.  I took a few photos so you can all have a look. This was my coldest birthday ever, cause my birthday is in July jaja.

Miercoles, was intercambios, I went with a elder who is training named E. Maco from Peru we had a cool day, we visited a lot of people and took a wayy long bus ride, we started the bus standing like sardines in a bus with more than 50 people, than by the end it got so empty we sat down and he fell asleep, pic in the drive! But we had a good day together workin hard. 

Yeah, that was the week sorry I didn't write much, but I love y'all it was a good week here, and life is good love y'all.

Elder Caleb Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba

Twenty - One!