Another Good Week in Cocha...

Another good week workin with el hijo, (the son) we had a really good week,   Found a ton of people which is always good and we are working a ton with the members on the familia Alaniz they came to church again which was way awesome! The two kids have a baptismal date but the mom is just not really feeling it yet, kinda hard her kids really want to be baptized but she does not have a testimony yet so we are working really hard with that.  Her name is Rosemary, and her kids Fabricio y adriana. keep them in your prayers and pray that everything goes well with them!

On Wednesday I had one of the coolest days ever with E. Fisher we went on splits together in my old area Sipe Sipe! We had a really good time we just talked about the good old Orchard Stake and all  the friends that we had in WX,  and to end the day we stopped by the pension where we ate some fruit salad and just hung out all four of us together, super nuts! To go back to a place that you have been for, for so long, luckily nothing much changed and it was all the same but I mean I was there only four weeks ago. We visited a few people up in the pueblo of Parotani, Ilove that place.
I told you all a few times that we are teaching the familia Valdivia; a mom, and dad with two kids they are really cool and really love the gospel.  The dad is a member but hasn't been to church in like 30 years.... but the wife is not and we are teaching them both but she really wants to be baptized but wants to wait until February. Which is cool and we are going to prepare them for the date that she wants and make her a fiel miembro (faithful member). And now we have almost 4 months to prepare her! I might not be here but I'll  help her onto the path!!
Saturday we had one of the stake activities again and this time all the wards had to choose a country and then they did dances from that country, it was really cool and we had a good time with the zone.  We didn't dance ha-ha but we handed out cookies which was fun.  I took some pics too!
oh fetch, when we were at the dance the whole stake was there and the old bishop from Sipe Sipe walks up to me ( I'm not a big fan of him) and he tells me he needs my shoe laces... So they are in the dance and he has to tie something around his waist so what do I do.. give them to him little did I know it would be the hardest thing possible to find him again after his dance! I was walking around the whole night with out any shoe  laces!! After maybe 2 hours I finally found him he was sitting down watching the show and he goes oh here you go Elder Caldwell, (Elder from my group that served in Sipe Sipe a long time before me) it's ok I'm just happy I got my shoe laces back!! ha-ha
Well that's it for this week, I added some more pics to my drive so go check those out! But all is well here.  Love you guys!
--
- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba 

 

Many times I am able to be on with him because it's my lunch time and this week was one of those times, Here's what our conversation was, I thought it was worth sharing as it's amazing how He knows Him so well and aware of His children and especially His missionaries.  Enjoy...

 

Elder Clayton:  hi mom, sounds like you had a good week that's really good, hope life is good Bishop Savage wrote me which is really cool , I love that man and thank him for all he has done in my life from a little kid to now! AND I thank you guys too every day! love you mom sorry my letters aren't great.  i just have like no have time. But know that i love ya and the Clayton fam! Have a good one!

 

MOM:  I love your letters. They are exactly what I need. I just want to know that you're having success, you're well and that you're happy!  I love you pal!  MOM

 

Elder Clayton: When i got my call i thought i would be baptizing like Alma.. but that's not why I'm here, it's to work hard and invite people to come unto Christ, I'm happy with that and happy to be here! Love ya mom!
MOM:  This was the scripture of the day. I swear it is for you today!  So appropriate for what you just wrote. It’s exactly why you’re there. Love you so much. 

15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!

16And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!  You know that one soul, can be YOU!

Doctrine and Covenants 18:15–16

 [M]issionaries humbly serve where called. They do not attempt to serve based on worldly standards of status or preparation for future careers. They serve with all their heart, might, mind, and strength wherever they are assigned. They do not choose their missionary companions, and they seek diligently to develop Christlike attributes, which are at the heart of the culture of Jesus Christ.

—Quentin L. Cook, “Prepare to Meet God,” General Conference, April 2018

Sure love you pal. Have a great week.

 

The Bible and the Book of Mormon we need Both!

Well lets see here, another busy week has gone by E. Peñaloza and I are workin like animals to try and find everyone and anyone to teach jaja, working a lot with members contacting or going through old teaching papers to find someone.  Life is good here jaja, we are teaching a really cool family, familia Alaniz it's a mom and her two kids. The kids have come to church a few times but her no!  And we are working hard with her to show her how important it is to go.  Still has not made it, but we will get her there, she rad! 

On Friday we had a stake activity where we painted a whole bunch of trees we painted them with some white stuff so bugs don't get it, but it was with the whole stake, so I saw a lot of people from SIPE SIPE there which was really rad I miss that place, but I love Vinto too.  I like it all jaja, but the service was good. Super funny so we painted a plaza and there are always testigos (Jehova Witnesses) there, always (except for when it's raining) but anyways we started painting the plaza maybe 100 people in those white and yellow helping hands shirts and they were out of there so fast jaja it was really funny no cae bien con los JW. I guess they don't wanna stay around when we are doing service, pretty funny. 

Also I went to the temple that was fun. 

As you know I am sharing a ward with my good bud E. Dalton and we live maybe 3 o 4 blocks from each other and there is a basketball/futbol court that we play every morning the four of us, it's way dope and we are having a really good time just shootin hoops or kickin the ball around jaja. hey that's what we do for our ejercicios every day 

Well mas than that these are my days jaja spiritual thought, mas o menos, (more or less) I'm reading the New Testament for almost 4 months now and studying a little of the Book of Mormon but I'm almost done with the New Testament I'm in the last book Revelations o Apocolipsis I dont know what its called in English, but I just wanna say reading that has really strengthen my testimony of the Book of Mormon, if we only had the Bible we would have nothing, we can teach all our beliefs from the Bible but that book is not good alone. I love the Bible and I love the book of Mormon, there is a reason for everything that God does for us, just like to give more light with the book of Mormon! 

Love you guys and hope you have a good week! I got some pics on the drive!! all is well!! siempre!! (forever)

-- 

- Elder Clayton 

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Trabajando - Working Hard

Well another week gone! What’s up fam, everything is good here we are working super hard here in Vinto. There are like a ton of members here that all want to help us.  We are visiting a lot with them and they are showing us new people and wanting to do N.D.H with us too its way rad.  It’s been a fat minute sense  I’ve been in a ward that actually helps the missionaries jaja cause its a big ward more options! 

This week  I went on another split with a E. Balta from Peru, he’s way rad super cool missionary we  had a lesson together with a really cool family it’s a mom maybe 30-40 and her two kids!  We were sharing the first vision, spirit was there super strong, when the kids 12 years old stops us! Stops everything and says there’s a bug on my tie!! And started freaking out! I just flicked it off and everyone went silent jaja and then his mom says, hey why did you say that they were sharing this message about this young man and his prayer! She was mad, but it was really cool cause she totally felt something when we were talking or she would not have said that it was really cool, we gave them a book of Mormon and invited them to church.. and they all came!   Way Rad… (I’m thinking rad is a new word for him, ha-ha)

ON  Sunday we had a family night with our pension and they shared a message and then we played a game and the punishment was someone had to drop a paper from a wall and the person who lost had to catch it.... with their forehead!  People slammed their head on the door! I was laughing so hard, than after all the kids did it our maybe 65 year old pension does it! And she hit her head on the door and all of us were dying! And she was laughing so hard that she was like not even making a sound but her face was so funny!  It was hilarious!  We will play when I get home! 

Yeah sorry nothing really big this week sorry gang but it was a good time here with my boy E. Peñaloza he is way cool and we are working really good together!  Love y’all! 

-- 

- Elder Clayton 

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Visitors from Home and with a Package!

Hey Fam! well first things first I just got the package! jaja like maybe 2 hours ago i got it from peter, dads bud, hes a good guy i met him in my farewell jaja I remembered him, really funny he knows a little of Quechua jaja so he still speaks it somehow which is awesome! but I got all the Reese's and cookies!! and they smell just like home, gotta love that! Thanks Fam! and thanks Wirthlin Fam!

Well this week was cool on Tuesday we did some service with some Elders in Bellavista it was way rad we had to take out a wall I put some pics in my drive with us all and we had to take out some cement pillar that were maybe 4 feet into the ground it took like 6 people to get them out I love service ja ja just changes things up, and after we mate'd (drink they make) ja ja I also love mate. But it was some hard work taking that wall out we just had a few hammers and a pickax, that's it and we got it out somehow. 

Also had a split with our ZLs they are really cool guys one is from Ecuador and the other Argentina.  He has a thick Argentine accent but he also speaks perfect English.  We had a good time and taught four lessons that day.  He was really impressed that just opening the area a week ago we had actual lessons jajaja. but it was a good time with him and we had some good laughs, I also played him in chess and whooped him 3-0. I'm teaching my kid to play chess to, let's just say there is room for improvement, but he's still cool. 

On Saturday there was a conference with Profecta Nelson where he talked to all the missionaries in  Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia it was way cool he said his favorite book is 3 Nefi and chapter 27 favorite chapter, it was so cool to hear him also Elder Anderson was there and got to  here them speak to us it was in English and than translated to Spanish pretty cool, and than Sunday was when he was in La Paz Bolivia, where he gave a talk to all the Bolivians here too and he spoke in Spanish!!! That man is 94 years old but speaks better Spanish de me, that was really cool and I think a lot of people were surprised he could speak Spanish, it was really cool.  it was like a 7 and 8 general conference that was chala.

Also we are teaching a really cool family!! yes family! its with a mom dad and a little daughter they have, fabian y lizet they are really cool and a reference from our mision leader they are really cool and really love the gospel we have been teaching them for 2 weeks now and are really interested Fabian is a member but super inactive for maybe 40 years, baptized when he was like 9 and never came back to church and his wife is not, so were are helping activate him and teaching his wife too! hope all is good!  Pray for them! 

OH yeah last week I was playing basketball and going up for the rebound I slammed into my bud E. Daltons shoulder and he gave me a black eye!! so I've had that all week too but I'm all good, I got the rebound if you were wondering jaja. 

But all is good here. Love you guys, hope you have a good week and know that God loves you and que somos hijos e hijas de dios y el ama cada uno de nosotros, todo esta bien! tambien fuimos a cristo hoy,  Translation:  That we are sons and daughters of God and he loves each one of us, everything is fine! We also went to the Christus today,

-- 

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Here's what I wrote for my journaling and Chatbooks with what happened with the package:  I have always known that my Heavenly Father is well aware of His children, but I tell you what, I know without a doubt that He knows me, and our son in Cochabamba Bolivia! We have friends that left on Saturday to go there for a missionary reunion. I sent them with a package of things (very trivial things)for him like a new p-day shirt and cookies I made Friday morning. I prayed so hard that they might be able to find him today, and guess what? Somehow, they did! Those cookies are still fresh! I couldn't be more happy than I am right now and I am so grateful for prayer and for a loving Father who loves me and my boy in Bolivia. When I left the package I said, I just want something in there to smell like home. In his email today, his exact words were, “it smells like home!” This is truly a blessing today. There are no coincidences as we all know, these are tender mercies of the best kind. They reported he is so happy and from these pictures you can sure see it!!! I’m excited to be able to stay with their kids for a few days this weekend. It’s the least I can do for the gift they gave me today. Today was one of the best #missionarymondays❤️ to date for sure. Oh, the black eye in the last picture is from a good game of basketball 🏀. He says, no worries...I got the rebound. Ha ha.

Vinto, Hijo, no Mas - New Area Vinto - New Comp, and Ice Cream will make it Better

Hey gang pretty wild week so we were supposed to get our comps on Wednesday but there were road blocks again and we could leave the house but not with our name tags ja ja but in shirt and tie.  That was cool, pretty funny but we had to wait another day to get them, I was chill I had two days with my good bud Elder Dalton. But on Thursday was the big day and my new comp is Elder Peñaloza from La Paz, he's way cool super gnarly so we went to the MTC in August 1 of 2017... Before I did!! He was in Mexico and had a call in Mexico, but he had some problems in his family and had to go back home for a year, when he got the call again to come to Cochabamba!  He left Monday and started the mission again.. super nuts he didn't go back to the MTC just straight here. Super nuts but all is good. The area is kinda tough not gonna lie there is a Adventist University here and if you go to the church you get a scholarship mas o menos so everyone is students here and Adventists. But we will find those that are ready to here the resorted gospel!

Funny story and kinda sad so we were contacting and we contacted this like 40 year old dude we say hi tell him we are missionaries and he says, oh hi  you are from the Church of Jesus Christ.
I know all about your false doctrine, and just 2 minutes of waska. He told us to repent or we are going to hell.. I was just smiling and laughing in my head, after that ended I told him
God loves us and he loves you have a good day, and shook his hand jajajajaja! as we were walking off not thinking at all at what just happened just a weird dude I was not even thinking of my comp who has like 3 days in the mission!! I felt way bad and told him that has never happened to me in my whole mission and I bought him an ice cream.

Sunday was kinda weird we just walked in and everyone was like wow new Elders! But nope three more ja ja, E. Dalton is training too! So it was fun! All the members want to get to know us. It's really cool the ward is like 140 people! I haven't had a ward that big since my first area! Super cool lots of work here and people are willing to work too!

Yeah life is chill also there was an emergency transfer and now E. Fisher (Cameron is from WX and from our home stake) is in my district I  have not seen him in like 8 months! and now he's in my district that will be fun! Love you guys nothing really big in this email but all is good, love you guys have a good week, all is well here!

 New Companion Elder Peñaloza from LaPaz Bolivia

--
- Elder Clayton
Bolivia Cochabamba

New Area, Training, and Ready to Work!

Whats up my fam! Well the transfers are in and its pretty dope I gotta explain it a little so maybe 3 weeks in my interview with Presidente and I asked him if I could open an area that has been closed for a few months and the mission is still paying for the house, so I asked if I could open it last night got the transfers and I will be!!

Opening area Vinto, training and still District Leader. It's kinda a ton.  Really nervous.  Actually I thought I would open it with somebody else but it's all good and best part I will be sharing the ward with one of my best buds Elder Dalton! my amigo from the MTC my old companion and he is training too! It's gonna be way awesome! I'm super excited for these next two cambios (transfers)!

Yeah that's like the biggest news that has happened this week ja ja, nothing really that big.  Conferencia was way cool!!  We were late to almost every session cause we wanted to get investigadors or had proplems with the taxi but it was good I got to watch it in English again so that was nice. Super funny story we were watching it in the stake center when the power box blew a fuse and all the power went out for like the whole block; right in the Sunday morning session. So all the members jumped in taxis and cars to head to another church.  What we  (the missionaries) did was a member passed by in his truck with the open back and we went in that! Super dope my comp I and our ZLs ja ja way funny had to drive like 10 minutes in the back. 

We had a really cool family night with a family that is a little inactive, their dad is almost always gone and y toma mucho(and it takes a lot)  but the family is way cool and love the Elders! So we made some food with them and shared the movie of the Resturacion with them and we took some pics with a machete. ja ja they then had some trees they wanted to cut down but were always too lazy to get a ladder out so I cut them down while standing ja ja! I love Bolivia! 

Yeah that is all that is new Sipe Sipe has been good to me and I've learned a ton here with the comps and with the members. and now going to Vinto I will still be able to visit which will be nice! Love you guys and all is well here I'll tell you what is up with mi hijo (my son) next week! 

Ride in the truck 

how to look like a punk with a machete 1o1 ja ja 

-- 

- Elder Clayton 

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Long Week - ja ja

Well it was kinda a long week this week, Tuesday started out with my last class with the district it was really chill the assistants came too ja ja they just show up sometimes to the classes - not a big fan of that ja ja, but they were cool.   Did not help me out at all I called on them to comment and they would only say like 3 words, but all good. District Leader this cambio (change) was cool but I'm not a big fan of it, But this week was really cool.

On Tuesday we had a service project our Bishop called us to help him with some work at his house.. so we showed up at like 9´30 guess what we were doing.. making cement! This has now been my 4th time making cement in Sipe Sipe,  But this time we didn't have the mixer so we did it by hand! Just throw like a mountain of rocks, dirt and water together with a little bag of cement and it makes some cement.. not really sure how but yeah that's what we did all day from 9:30 to 7! Not even kidding it was so long ja ja.  Best part the bishop.. was not even there! We worked the whole time with just his kids.  He showed up when we were done.. and eating! I'm really ready for a new bishop here, and they really need one but the ward is small and there are not enough people to choose a new guy so that's really hard.

On Friday I went on a split with a E. Balta from Peru he is a way cool dude, we had a really good time contacting.  They had like 5 citas (lessons) planned and they all fell threw so we contacted a ton and it was really fun.   Most of the time when we knock doors people just say they are Catholic and shut the door but we started where when they open the door we hurry and say a point of the gospel, like ¨hi did you know that God loves us!¨or hi we are missionary's of the Church of Jesus Christ and we are here to share a message about Him and how He will come back one day¨and it worked really well we got a ton of return citas so I hope that helped them out.

For my first time in maybe my whole time here in Sipe we got some references, that was way dope we got one of a really cool gal named Maribel shes maybe 18 and way interested in the gospel and she has a friend in the church who is helping us teach her! Which is awesome and also another guy or LIder misional gave us a reference of his cousin who is also way cool and they both came to church! (also if I didn't not mention I have a mission leader now, after maybe four months of asking for one ja ja)

Yeah it was a good week though so two references game to church which is awesome! The work is tough here in Sipe Sipe but I think in maybe 30 years it will be awesome cause its got a ton of young people here! Love ya guys all is well here, next week cambios,(change) I'll keep you updatedª!! (I can tell he is ready for this)

Me and a really weird Christ statue it's out of wood

PF flyers are still holding up good after a year ja ja

--
- Elder Clayton
Bolivia Cochabamba