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 

Saying Good-bye to Elder Baros and Teaching the Plan of Salvation

Well just like that its pday again, nothing too big this week .  We are working super hard and finding everybody we can.  Something super funny is our area is split with missionaries in Vinto 2 and it's split by the road blanco galindo, or the north and south and the north side where we live is FULL of Adventistas (Adventists) like I'm not kidding a ton, and the North side almost never has people to teach and the last time there was a babtism was almost a year ago.. but we are finding a ton of people, the thing is we have to go places super far and look for los escogidos,  (the chosen one) but we are finding them! It's awesome we are walking a ton but its good for you jaja,

This Saturday we have a babtism for Fabricio and his sister Adriana they are way rad and love the church, we have them on date to be baptized this Saturday! I think everything will go good and I'm way excited for them.  Their mom does not have much interest in us but she wants her kids to go to church and wants them to be baptized, so she gave permission, so that will be awesome.  We will keep trying to teach her, and we will work with Fabricio and Adriana for some time and she will see the change in them and maybe this will help her to como unto Christ. 

We were teaching them the plan of salvacion and they happened to have a white board and I had some markers so we taught the whole plan of salvacion with them and it was really fun jaja we had them drawing like the earth, the moon stars the sun and they really got into it super fun lesson with them, and they understood everything.

All is good here my fam! love you all and hope you have a good week pray for Fabricio and Adriana! They are way awesome and I'm way stoked for them! love y'all!

--

- Elder Clayton

Bolivia Cochabamba 

Elder Baros, last day 

This is us getting in the back of a truck with a member and his 3 kids it was so dark and you could not see the hand in front of your face and he was driving like some crazy dude!

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