I'm getting pumped again just writing about it

Hey!

So much happens in a week that it's nearly impossible to remember all the things that I wanted to write about! But I'll give it my best shot :-)

So we contacted this Catholic lady on our street. She bashed us saying that our church is wrong because we allow priests to marry. She also ragged on us because we only serve for 2 years, not our whole lives. She also wasn't willing to listen to us about what we do after our full-time missions.

My typical breakfast :-)

Anyways, she went on saying how Christ is more important that all, and if you love Christ, then you have no room to love anyone else, even your family: "All my heart is for Jesus.  I don't have room for my husband or my family ...because all I love is Jesus." The worst part was that her daughter was right there! We could tell that she was hurt by her mother's dedication to Christ. Anyways, she continued with her reasons: we're not the true church because our Bible is wrong.  Apparently, our Bible is missing 7 books ...meaning the Apocrypha (or however you spell it).  How they chose those 7 books idk, but it's in their Bible. Anyways, she gave Elder Jensen a Bible with the Apocrypha in it. And he started reading it the next morning ("We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly"). So he starts telling me about the prophet after Moses, and how he lead the Israelites into Canaan and Jericho and such. I was like "are you talking about Joshua?" And he said  "Have you read this before?" Bahaha, he didn't know that Joshua was also in our Bible! Super funny!

My wonderful Kneader's French Toast breakfast

So on a different topic, looks like we have 8 baptismal dates!!! :D  and possibly soon to be 10 ;)  They are Jorge and Daniela, Mama y Papa Barba, Florencio, Ofelia, Gabriel (and maybe also his two children), and Jasmine (Gabriel's niece). Wow, wonderful!  But sadly, it looks like we might have to drop Florencio y Ofelia. They aren't progressing very well, so much so that we've already told Ofelia we'll need to start visiting other people, and we may have the same chat / lesson with Florencio.

And even more sad is we may have to push back Jorge y Daniela's date. :(  Jorge's addiction is just too strong, or perhaps it's his pride. He will not admit that he has a problem and that his addiction is destroying his family's relationships. He just won't, or maybe he can't. He always says that he can do anything, that nothing can stop him. I guess it's good to have that level of confidence, but not so much that you can't admit that something is wrong and you need some higher help. We had a lesson with them after church (Jorge had bailed on Church again for drinking), but it was all over the place. We started talking about their baptismal dates, and how we still have a lot to teach them. But Jorge works from 5am - 6pm every day, and then goes drinking afterwards unless we catch him right at 6.  Daniela works 2 jobs from 5-11am y 5-11pm. So it's nearly impossible to meet with them at the same time. Daniela has also started talking to us about her doubts of the church.  Growing up Catholic, she told us how she had great faith in the Virgin Mary (Mexicans believe that Mary is their protector and is equal with Christ).  She told us that when she was little and very sick she prayed to be healed and looked up in the sky and the clouds formed into the figure of Mary, and she was healed that same day. So I suspect this is going to be a big hurdle. But I still hope she will be baptized. But she's also stopped reading the BoM this week because Jorge was hiding the Tareas (tasks) we left, and that's when her doubts have crept in. So we talked about how the Church uses the Book of Mormon as the "keystone of our religion". If the book is true, then the church is also. If not, then we are just another church. So we commited her to read daily on her own. And ask her Heavenly Father if it's true.

We bought Jorge an addiction recovery book written by the Church. But we forgot it, so we told Jorge y Daniela that we would run home real quick and grab it. When we returned Jorge had left to go drink ...right after he had promised he to go a week without it. While sad, this was a perfect opportunity to talk with Daniela. We found a nice picnic table outside. And wow, so much stuff is going on. Jorge's problem is FAR bigger than we thought. It's essentially destroyed everything in his life. He hasn't talked to his parents or bothers and sisters for months. And shockingly, both her and his families are pressuring Daniela y her son to leave Jorge. :(  But she feels it would be devastating for him, so she's staying. So much pressure is own this women. :(  2 jobs and an addicted husband. We had a great lesson about families and Christ's atonement. We read D&C 122 about Jospeh Smith's prayer in Liberty jail, and Alma's people in Helem, and how Christ lightened their burdens so they were able to bear them. It went extremely well! She really absorbed it. She really just needed some comfort, and it looks like God sent us to bring it. We left her with our testimonies, read Alma 7:11-13, and taught her that she was a literal daughter of God, and that He would do everything to help her. It was powerful. She really needed this message, and I'm happy that Elder Jensen and I were worthy to bear it.

A tie I bought at a local thrift store ..hey it was only 25 cents!

So super awesome story!
In scanning through out "area book", we found a women named Mariam who 2 years back had gotten baptized.  Looks like her kids also wanted to get baptized, but never were! We found her house, knocked on the door, and Jasmine opened it. We explained who we were, and she got super excited.  Told us all about the last missionaries. Anyways, turns out Gabriel (another one of our investigators) is her uncle.  So we invited her over to his house for a lesson that we were going to have. She accepted. :)  We showed up at 8 and sat down at the table with Gabriel, his father-in-law Pedro, and Jasmine. Pedro started asking random questions! He was clear he was very confused about religion, especially who Jehovah is (but that's why we're here, right). He was getting frustrated ...which is obviously not good for our lesson with Gabriel and Jasmine. So luckily, we were in a position to teach separately. I took Jasmine and Gabriel into the living room, and Elder Jensen stayed in the Kitchen. It was really scary for me, but so cool! I had to teach the whole first lesson by myself with only 5 weeks of Spanish.  But I set 2 baptismal dates! God certainly can work miracles through a simple missionary. I have never felt so much power flowing through me. Super amazingly, my Spanish was nearly perfect! We talked about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, and I testified that I knew that the church was true. I asked them how they felt. And they both responded that they felt at peace, and that the Book of Mormon was true. Gabriel told me that he'd been reading it, and that he knew it was true. I asked them both to be baptized, and both accepted dates for the 26th of October. :)  It was clear that the Spirit was testifying to them through me. I couldn't have done that on my own.

 We've had transfers. My new district: Elders Herrera, Lewis, & Jensen Sisters: Escalante & Bennet

 

 

 

So after my lesson with Gabriel and Jasmine -- and Elder Jensen's with Pedro -- we reunited and said our goodbyes and left. We then both exploded with little "woots" and told each other what had happened. Apparently Elder Jensen was able to clear up some 60 years of confusion with Pedro. He told me how he just kept having scriptures come to his mind from the Bible. Scriptures that teach clearly that Jehovah is the redeemer, and that Christ is the redeemer; that Jehovah is judge and that Christ is judge; that Jehovah is the creator, and that Christ is the creator, etc. Pedro was literally dumb founded, and confused about what he had been taught. Elder Jensen was then able to introduce the Book of Mormon scriptures on the same topic: God knew that there would be confusion, that people would interpret the Bible in many different ways. That's why He has revealed more scripture, to help clarify His Gospel. We were so happy! Neither one of us had ever had an experience like that. I'm getting pumped again just writing about it.  To top things off, they all came to Church! :) ...and brought 2 others with them :) You never know, we may yet get more investigators from this week's happenings :D

Well I love it here. I learn so much daily. :) My testimony is growing stronger and stronger by the moment. I'm loving the Lord's work, and am partaking of his joy. :)

I would just like to testify of the Church. This is the true Church of Christ. With a true prophet, 12 real apostles, and modern-day ongoing revelation. God has given us everything to be happy, we just have to show a bit of effort to seek it. The Book of Mormon is true; one just has to open it to taste of its goodness. :)  My testimony will never fail for it is built on Christ.

I know personal revelation exists ...and that's the beauty of the Church:  we don't ask people to join the Church blindly, we simply asked them to find out for themselves if it's true ...through prayer and scripture study.  We know that as they do this, our Father in Heaven who loves them, will answer their sincere prayers ...and they will want to be baptized and join His kingdom. :)

The church is true, and I'm happy to be a member of Christ's Church. :)

-Elder Clemons


P.S. Still no word on my visa :(

One day we contacted 103 people!!!

What week am I even on?

 

Anyways, Hello Brothers and Hermanas!

 

Escondido is super sweet! It's "dope" as Elder Jensen always says.  It's very fun to be working for the Lord. I'm learning a lot out here.

 

Just a fun thing that happened this week: my American pride was boosted this week because of the USA v. MEXICO game. USA was 2-0. So it was really hard to teach anyone on game day because all the Mexicans were so sad. None of them could really pay attention to the lessons; it's really quite funny how seriously engrained soccer is in their culture. But WOOT! -- Go AMERICA!

 

I was privilege to go on an exchange with an AP: Elder Peterson who also lives in Highland ;) He is so awesome. He has a loving, kind, humorous, hardworking personality. I really learned a lot from him ...how to pray more earnestly, study, contact, act, teach, just everything. He really taught me how to apply the scriptures during our lessons to investigators. He could literally make something up on the spot, and the investigator would respond really well to it! So cool; I can't wait until I become that personable with people. He was the living embodiment of a missionary. I loved my time with him. I hope I can grow to become as hard working and energetic and capable as he is.

 

Elder Jensen and I went crazy on our contacting this week.  Contacting is where you meet someone, share a message, and invite them to do something. Just walking up to somebody doesn't count. We contacted nearly every soul we met, regardless of where they were. We talked to people who were on 3rd story balconies, people that were across the street (bahaha, we would literally run and chase after them....hey....the gotta know that church is restored, right!?), in their cars at stoplights, just everywhere. One day we contacted 103 people!!! That's super high! Usually it's like between 20-30. Our weekly goal was 94 ...but we finished with 227! :D Woot! We ended up getting about 3 new investigators -- and we still have 5 more lessons to teach that came from those contacts -- so we could still get like 6 more as the week goes on.

 

So you're probably wondering about our investigators. As of now, we have 12. Jorge y Daniela, Ofelia, Florencio, Gabrial y Brian (su hijo - son), Florena, Lois, Belen Cervantez, and the Barba couple.

 

So Jorge y Daniela are really progressing. Daniela is still a boss and does everything. But she (rightly so) is waiting to be baptized as a family, meaning Jorge is our real challenge. But he is really, really, really fighting hard. He doesn't drink on the weekdays now! :D That's incredible! And on the weekends, it's only about 4-6 beers. That's sooo much better than where it was at a month ago. He is also seeing the improvement for himself. He just got a new, better, and higher paying job ...so much so that Daniela no longer needs to work her 2 jobs! :) So incredible! This is just proof that as you strive to live the commandments, God will bless you and your family. :) Also, since we bought him a Grande Libro de Mormon 10 days ago or so ('cause he can't read small print), he's read all the way up to Mosiah 5!! Woot! So astonishing! It really is increidible to witness the changes that take place in a person's life as they seek God. Our only goal now is to get him to knock off those last couple of beers ...which is going to be super hard, so pray for him. :)

 

We actually had a cool experience with this family. We had an appointment with them, but couldn't get in because they live in a gated community, and they weren't ansering their phones ...when randomly, one of the parking gates started to open up. We decided to wait until the car that opened it entered or left......but no car came. We were like "Oh! that's for us!" and we slipped in. No car ever came! How cool is that! :D The gate just opened! And then we went and taught our lesson. :)

 

Ofelia expresses tons of faith, and has accepted a baptismal date. But we're afraid she is more concerned about bragging about how spiritual she is than actually being spiritual. She hasn't hardly kept any of her commitments. We've met with her multiple times, but nothing is changing.  Sadly, I think we may be forced to drop her :(  But hopefully she'll come through before it's time for us to move on to other investigators.

 

Florencio also has a baptismal date. Sadly, like Ofelia, he's also not keeping his commitments. :( He knows Jesus is good and all (says that a lot), but doesn't understand that Jesus also expects us to do things. We are thinking of dropping him, but are going to have one final power lesson with him in hopes of motivating him to really find out what he wants for himself.

 

Gabriel was a man we contacted about 2 weeks ago. He was very open, and invited us over. We tried to teach him and his son Brian the 1st lesson, but his suego (father-in-law, named Pedro) is a huge lesson highjacker. But Pedro is super tight (actually, he's a member with the priesthood, just inactive).  Pedro was a professional soccer player for the US team and is loaded. He is probably the coolest guy I've ever met.  We just have a hard time teaching Gabriel with Pedro there ;) Anyway, we were able to teach only about half the lesson -- just shy of the Restoration part -- but it was still powerful. We left them with a Book of Mormon, and I think they both loved it. Gabriel is kinda lazy, and doesn't read often; but I believe both he and his son will be baptized. I say that a bit optimistically since we actually haven't had but one lesson with him. Then last week we did service for him (painted his house).  And this week he's been sick. So tonight we have an appointment to guage where he and his son are at. Man.... their father-in-law, Pedro, is so cool. I'm just saying. This guy is awesome.

 

Florena was a referral from the White Elders (we call them white because they are Ingles/English speakers). Her son unfortunately does drugs; so she was curious how our message could help their lives. We taught her last Friday, and the Spirit was really strong. We really focused on how the Gospel changes and uplifts lives. She was crying after the first vision. :D She really felt God's love for her at that moment. We invited her to be baptized, but she replied that she was already "baptized Catholic" ...but this is a small minor problem. She'll be baptized. :) We just have to still explain Authority to her. Remarkably, she has actually already read the BoM, and she knows it's true.  And if it's true, then the restored Gospel is true, and so this will be easy. :) She really knows it's true. :)

 

Lois was also a "white Elders" referral. He's a really open-minded guy. We taught him on Friday. He has 2 adorable kids, so we really focused on how the Gospel/Restoration blesses families. He didn't cry or anything, but you could tell he was absorbing all of it! He committed to read and pray, so we'll check up next Friday. Actually, just yesterday he drove by us and yelled and waved his hand out of the window. :) That really made us excited and happy since it shows he likes us :)

 

Belen Cervantez is the wife of Juan Cervantez. They actually live in the same complex as us. The household includes Juan y Belen with their kids, and Juan's sister.  Turns out Juan and his sister are actually members, they've just been inactive for the last 10 years. We had a really powerful lesson with all of them. But the Spirit changed our lesson twice! We initially planned to teach the restoration, but then were prompted to talk about families ...so we talked about our families and how we have seen the Gospel bless our families' lives. It was touching. Then we were prompted to testify of the truthfulness of the church. It was so powerful. The most powerful lesson I've ever taught. Elder Jensen told his story of how he came back to the church after his experience in the Sacred Grove. His dad took him there and he was just overwhelmed with emotions ...so much so that he couldn't talk. The only thing he was able to say was "I want to go on a mission." His Dad already had the papers filled out. All Elder Jensen needed to do was sign them, and he did. How incredible was that! The family was so touched by that; it really connected with them because they too were re-investigating the church. And hearing a testimony about returning to church really touched them. 

 

I then shared my experience with the BoM and the temple. I told them about the day I was going to become a missionary; that morning I had only one chapter left to read in the BoM. And so I decided to read it in the temple. I was alone (in the Celestial room, but I didn't say that) as I read that last chapter. I then closed the book, bowed my head, and sincerely prayed to Heavenly Father if the book was true. I was so overwhelmed with emotion and love. I was told that I was in His house, with His book, and was a member of His Church. As I told them my story, they were touched. Every one was teary eyed. Everyone felt the power and truth that had filled the room.

 

And then something miraculous happened. Just after our lesson, literally everyone got calls or texts that said that they didn't have to work the following Sunday morning. Huh!??! ...now they could go to Church! :D Woot!  I'm confident that was not just a coinencidence! God wanted them back and wanted Belen to feel the power of His presence at church. All came the next morning except Juan ('cause he's a little lazy). But Belen did! And she said she loved it! We have 2 more appointments with them this week, so we'll talk to Juan about coming and invite Belen to be baptized.

 

Although the work can be hard, it is worth it. Although times are tough, I just need to remember what Christ did for me. We share his message, and that is something I will never be ashamed of.

 

God loves us, sent His Son to die for us, and only wants us to return to Him. It is a happy message. It's a true message. It's God's message. I am so happy to be out here to enjoy the labor. It's enjoyable because it's the work of our Lord. His work, his Church, it's true. Christ died for his Church, and Joseph Smith died to restore it.

 

I'll endlessly strive to honor their deaths and bear Christ's name in my chest and on my heart. The Church is True, I believe it more and more each day. I love it out here.

 

Love Elder Clemons

 

"Hora de Poder"

That was just a joke ...I actually have several things to write about ;) bahaha :)


So I'm really becoming addicted to Mexican food. It's all I crave now. I usually make it for myself for lunch. Just cook up some beans and tortillas and BAM, glory. :) You just tear parts of the tortilla and use that to pick up some beans, all with your hands, so incredible. :) The Mexicans know what food is.

I'm a Pro

I actually had another type of hot pepper yesterday. I don't know what it was called, but it was super hot! It was just this little thing, but it packed a punch ...immediately after I ate it my mouth, throat, and tummy started to burn. It even went up to my ears! Literally, my ear was hurting....burning! It was incredible! On the bright side, peppers really clean your sinuses...like legit. Everything was running: ears, eyes, nose. I could breath really well once the pain stopped. ;)
We just had our P-day activity: we went ice skating! It was super fun, and after we got pizza at Tasty's Pizza! It was super good! It's only $4 a pizza for a large, and it's the best I've ever had! Bigger, better, and cheaper than Little Caesars. So I have a new love for pizza.....and Tasty's is in my area, so we can go fairly often! :)

I got the privilege to go on an exchange with Elder Herrera, a NATIVE from Columbia! We spoke only Spanish and it was super helpful. He is sooo funny and such a humble and loving guy. I hope by some miracle we get to be companions. South Americans speak much clearer than Mexicans, it was way easier to understand Elder Herrera than it was Elder Gonzalez! On this split, we worked in his area, and I've never seen so much success, his area was so incredible! We even used "family history" to set up an appointment. Somebody asked us about our family history databases.  Who would've thought! shocking I know. We also made 4 other return appointments and contacted 19 people. A super successful couple of hours. Oh and we also got to eat Mexican food at a member's house! Have I already told you:  I LOVE Mexican food! And to keep it comin', I'm very very grateful and polite :-)  Hmmm, all I really say is "thank you" because that's all I really CAN say (not really, but I do struggle still to understand what the subject is). But the members really like me because of my "thankful" appetite.

Elder Herrera is a native from Columbia!

Speaking of food.... as you can probably tell, I have never eaten so much in my life. Never. But I'm never full. I'm an empty pit that never fills ...probably because we work so hard. It's incredible. Quite astonishing to members too 'cause they see is this skinny guerro down all this spicy Mexican food ...without stopping. And....I'm losing weight. bahahaha!

So Mexicans talk a lot. Like ...a lot. Almost to the point where we are advised not to ask too many questions because they will talk about random nothingness for hours. We've had only one lesson that was under 45 min. It's just their culture, they talk. It's super nice during dinners or for chit chat, but during lessons it's such a pain. So Elder Jensen and I have become really good at explaining our purpose, that we are here to teach and convert, and that we have lots of other people we also need to teach. Once they understand our purpose, they realize that we need to teach, not just platicar, or chat. This makes our lessons so much more powerful ...because instead of having 5 random tangents, we can have a smooth lesson where the Spirit can testify to them of the point of the lesson. It's so much more powerful this way. God's house is a house of order, so I guess our lessons should be too ;)

So as a district we had an activity called "Hora de Poder" or Power Hour. We each called a member and asked to cenar (dine) with them. During dinner, we explained our purpose: bringing others to Christ. It was really powerful. Afterwords, we requested the father (in my case, Hermano Gonzalez) to accompany us for the rest of the night. We told the family that we would see miracles. We knelt with each family and asked the father to offer the prayer.  In many cases, the prayer was a miracle in itself. The Spirit was poured over us and you couldn't deny that the Lord was with us. It was so touching. Sadly, Hermano Gonzales couldn't attend our efforts that night due to work conflicts. But we were hopeful we would still see miracles. So we went out and worked.

Every single appointment we had cancelled. Every one. WHAT!? We assumed there was a reason for this, and we acted with faith. We went to every other investigator we had, but no one was home. Grrrrrrr. But we still didn't doubt. Surely someone needed our message that night. We contacted everyone we crossed paths with, no one was interested. Humf. What's going on? But finally, at 8:30 we decided to try Jorge's again ...for the 3rd time. Success! He was there! And he had an unopened 24oz Budweiser that he was about the drink! He told us he had gone the whole weekend without drinking and was about to drink just that one can. NAH UH! We got him to stop. And this was the first time we'd ever actually caught him sober.  We took full advantage of the opportunity to testify with the Spirit to his clear heart and mind. And boy was it powerful! We taught La Palabra de Sabiduria (D&C 89 / Word of Wisdom). It was so strong, The Spirit was taking advantage of Jorge's soberness to testify to him of the need to change. It was just pouring out of us. We also used lots of scriptures, but the most powerful one was in 1 Corinthians 10:13

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

God never permits a temptation beyond our ability. This really impacted him and gave him HOPE! And hope is power ...the power to act. Jorge has a REAL desire to change. And he is such a good man; but he also has such a strong addiction. I know the Spirit touched him and he can't deny it. It's entirely possible he might actually make his date :-)

And another milagro (miracle), we received a reference for a woman who had ALREADY read the Libro de Mormon and wanted to know more! :D  Cool huh!? :) We contacted her that same night before Jorge. As the night wound down, we reported back to the Gonzalez family -- over some milk and donates :) -- that we had in fact witnessed miracles that night.  It was really touching, and they appreciated that our prayers had been answered. :) We testified to them that sometimes God has to break things down before he can build them up. We were down and discouraged that all of our appointments canceled.  But God has His own plan, and it involved us demonstrating our faith throughout the whole night -- and with much disappointment -- before the miracle was shown unto us.

But the miracles didn't end there ...we just had to wait one more day. ;) We were kinda' worried about Jorge's wife Daniela. Their family is suffering because of Jorge's addiction. We hadn't seen her in 1 1/2 weeks since she works so much. She also hadn't been answering our texts. We wanted to make sure she was ok, so we decided to drop by again....and woot! she was there! finally!! Everything was fine. She was still firm in the gospel and was continually reading -- she's now in Jacob :)  And guess what! ...Jorge was helping her clean the house! This is unheard of in Mexican culture! He did the dishes, took out the trash, and did the laundry!!! No way!  ...the Gospel surely changes people!! She was so happy :) This is undoubtedly just their first step into becoming a stronger family. :) The gospel does change people. :)

We taught her the 1st lesson since she had not yet had it. She literally knew everything! We had nothing to fear! She had already read Jorge's Restoration pamphlet! We finished our lesson and then watch the Restoration movie. She was so touched. She told us that she couldn't explain what she felt, she couldn't put it into words, she just said that it felt true. She is the driving force behind their conversion. She's been trying to come to church for the past 3 weeks, but hasn't made it because Jorge leaves the house and she won't go unless he does. We testified to the two of them of the importance of attending Church, and she was super pumped! Then Jorge said he couldn't go because he didn't have proper "church attire", but then - bam - Daniela pulls a brand new outfit out of nowhere! BAHAHA, she had literally bought him an outfit so he had no excuse! :D It was super hilarious....but also touching to see Daniela so determined. They committed to coming to Church. :)

And they did. We sat next to them both. :) And Jorge was again sober ;) After Church we briefly visited with them just to discuss the experience. They loved it.  ...And guess what, they asked for Tarea!! or homework! :D Who does that!? So tight! Elder Jensen and I were pretty surprised and didn't quite know how to react. But we assigned them Alma 42 to help them prepare for our next lesson on the Plan of Salvation. :)

Everyday I'm growing in knowledge and in happiness. I have no doubt it's the Spirit of the Lord working within me. This is the Lord's work. I don't care how many people cuss at me, slam doors in my face, spit, or laugh. Just as Joseph Smith said,

...I know it, and I know that God knows it, and I cannot deny it.

Nothing will bring me down because God is constantly raising me higher. :) The Church is true, and anyone that has a sincere desire to know can find that out for themselves. Our invitation is so simple: pray to know, and God will answer. Our invitation isn't to join our church, it's to come closer to Christ.  And as people read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, they will come closer to Christ and join HIS Church. This Church. The Book of Mormon is True.  It was translated by a prophet of God: Joseph Smith.  Christ restored His true church again to the earth through Joseph Smith: The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints is the true church. I know it, I shall never deny it.

I love you all so much! Miss you tons!

- Elder Clemons

Nothing much to report...

Hello Everyone! :D

Things are going great here! Nothing much to report

 

-Elder Clemons

"Mis Salvadores"

Pres wants us all to part our hair on the side ...yuck!!

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the delay in the email.  Yesterday was Labor Day ...a prime day to work. :) So P-day was left for today.

Everyone is blind :-)  We need to buy 4 large-print Books of Mormon in Spanish for our investigators! And that's the only edition the church won't pay for :p  ;(

You will not believe how badly I want Kneaders French toast bread and a Café Rio burrito. So if you could send those, that'd be awesome. ;) bahahaha. Not likely I know, but I really want some Kneaders bread.

So biggest change, on Saturday, Gonzalez was emergency transferred to another area ...and English speaking!! What!?! He doesn't speak English at all -- except some swear words ;-) -- so this will be a challenge for him. He just left this morning; seems he was transferred into a rich white area. Phew, that'll be fun.

Good-bye Elder Gonzalez. I'm wearing a tie he gave me :-)

So remember our 2 fechas for baptism? Well now it's 5 ;)  Jorge, Daniela, Florencio, Dimetrio, and a new investigator Ovelia. The progress feels awesome, but I know that the hard part is keeping them dedicated and determined ...so we'll see how many stay determined. ;)

Ovelia is in her 40's, and she's already a grandmother ...babysits constantly. She knows a lot about Christ, and has a ton of faith. She even told us that she fasted -- no food or water -- for 14 days. The first lesson was really powerful, and she did accept a date to leer y orar (editor's note: read and pray). But we had another appointment yesterday which fell through. We found her later that day, and she was too busy to read and pray with us them :p  ...so we'll need to work on that.

Dimetrio is a jefe (note: manager). He's about 40 with 3 kids. He REALLY wants to learn about the BoM. He initially expected the book would be totally new doctrines, but he loves that it's the pure doctrines of Christ. So it really interests him. He says he wants to understand EVERYTHING before baptism ...but he did accept a date.

Florencio is older, like 60's. He plays guitar, loves talking with us, and isn't afraid to ask honest questions. Unfortunately, he can't read, the print is too small.  So he will also need a "grande" Libro de Mormon. He says he's been baptized 2 times already, and he struggles to understand that you need to have the proper authority to baptize. But he does have a fecha (note: date) set. :)

Daniela is boss ...within 3 days, she'd already read up to 2 Nephi 3!!!! And that was over a week ago! Who knows where she is at now. She definitely wants to be baptized! She just loves everything about the church. She feels peace there. She even walked around the temple by herself ...and was convinced yet again of the church. It's just hard to meet with her because she always works. She also doesn't want to be baptized without Jorge, which is our problem. :p

Jorge is 45, but he acts younger. He has such a loving heart, but doesn't himself feel loved. Unfortunately, Jorge has been an alcoholic for a whopping 23 years. :p  We're fairly certain he hasn't been sober since he started. He even drinks DURING our lessons!!! :p  What?!? He had a heart attack 2 years ago supposedly because of his addiction...and he hasn't told his family!!!! WHAT!!! He faints weekly at work! WHAT!!!!! :(  It's so sad. Obviously, it's hard to work with a constantly drunk man, it goes solidly against the will of the Spirit. It's weird though, we can have these super spiritual experiences, yet he is drunk, so its weird. :p  But I love him, you can't help but love him.

So here's a story to help understand Jorge. We had a baptism recently in the ward, so we invited him to join us. Three hours later we knocked his door to confirm the invitation, and he was completely wasted. But he was used to being drunk and decided to come. He tried to get us into his car, but we decided to walk, and he somehow managed to walk with us about 1.5 miles to the church. We watched the baptism together, and he said he loved it. He hung around afterwards and talked with members and ate and introduced himself to lots of people. He functioned surprisingly well ...even though he was tomando (drunk).

Anyway, we returned to his house and taught a lesson. At this point, many hours had passed, so he was normal again. We decided to read the story of Ammon cutting the arms off of the Lamanites. You know, just to get him interested in the book. He loved it. In our previous visits he couldn't read because of his poor eyesight; so we got him a big print edition too.  We testified how he could be like Ammon -- and "cut" his addiction down one can at a time. It was great. The Spirit was super strong. He was crying ...and had a sincere desire to change. He wants to so bad. We were all so pumped and filled with the Spirit. We said a prayer, and he accompanied us out the door.

Now (as we all know) Satan is just as real as God, and I learned quickly of his power on my mission. Jorge wanted to give us a ride back to our apartment, but we refused since we were already close to home, only about a 10 minute walk. He then got super offended, and eventually convinced us to ride with him.  Everything was fine until we got to our apartment complex. Then, instead of turning into our complex, he drove past it and said he needed to go to the store. We were a bit concerned because the time was approaching 9:30, when rules state we should get back to our apartment. He got mad again and said if we were his friends we would wait, "shouldn't take more than 5 minutes." As he came out of the store, he had a beer in his hand, cursed Jesus for not helping him, got in the car, and started to drink!!!

We reminded him about his commitment to change. He started to put it down...paused...then said..."Who are you to tell me what to do." and then finished it. WHAT THE HECK JORGE!!!! We were all shocked and depressed.  We went from a super spiritual experience to sin within a mere 5 minutes. Satan's power to tempt is real. Jorge went from praising God, to cursing Jesus. It was sad.

But where Satan has power, Christ has more. We were inspired to walk over to Jorge's house late last night, around 8:30. He was pulling out of his driveway with a friend just as we showed up. He jumped out of the passenger seat, hugged us all, and called us his saviors. :) He was on his way to go drinking with a buddy, but instead went inside with us ...and we had an opportunity for another lesson. It was super spiritual. During the lesson he pulled out a beer to drink, but we got him to switch it with water :)

It's very inspiring to see the Lord would send His young emissaries at just the right place and time to help a man in need. :) It was very touching to hear the words "Mis Salvadores" and know and feel that we were servants of God. God does help his children, He never lets us go.

On a different topic, we had one of those "sweet tender mercies" happen to us the other day! We had just gotten Subway sandwiches and were walking back to our apartment. We really wanted some ice-cream since is was 98 degrees!!!!, but didn't have the funds for it. On our "hot" and long way home, a random lady pulled up along side us and gave us 3 Frosty's from Wendy's!!! Now this was most assuredly a tender mercy since missionaries are usually in 2's! So cool!! :D

Well, that's all I really have to say. The work is picking up. :)

I'm constantly hot. Constantly sweaty. Constantly tired. And Constantly happy.

The gospel is true, and it was restored through Joseph Smith --an important fact the world all-too-easily overlooks. The Lord has always sent out His disciples (young missionaries) to change lives, and we're have fun doing it! ;) I'm super happy! Love the work! :D

I love you! :D

Elder Travis Clemons

First thing I saw in my new apartment.  Missionaries are not particularly clean :-(

God works in mysterious ways...

Hey Everyone! 

 

So I forgot to bring my paper that has a list of what to write about, so hopefully I'll remember.  :p

 

OK, so this week has been incredible ...me and my companions have placed 7 Books of Mormon this week.  I know that's nothing compared to other missionaries, but to me it's a blessing each time. :) We are essentially giving someone the key to knowledge. Through this book and prayer, we are able to gain a testimony of God and his TRUE church.  It just makes me overjoyed when someone is willing to take one and read it. Now, we probably won't teach them most of the time, but I believe we are starting them on a journey that some other member or missionary is going to finish. :)  We are just the first domino in a path of hundreds. :)

 

So this Saturday we had an appointment at 8, but it fell through; and our backup plan didn't work out either :p  But everyone has a choice and everything has a reason to it, so yes I was bummed, but I was hopeful to find what we needed to do next. So we decided to walk back to our apartment -- which was like 4'ish miles away -- and contact people on the way. When randomly around 8:30, Jorge drives up at a light we were waiting to cross. Jorge is in his 40's, and used to be a race car driver. He is really depressed in life and wants to feel God's love for him, but he can't very often because he is a heavy drinker! Anyways, he yells, "Pasense" meaning "jump in." And we were like, "Well duh, we ain't going to walk home," so we jump in.

 

Big mistake.

 

He was SOOOOO drunk. And as a race car driver, he already drove a little crazy anyway.  But now drunk, phew....never been so scared in a car in my life. 

 

But luckily, we just went to his house which was just a 5-minute drive away.  During this time of terror, I couldn't help but wonder why Heavily Father would send us a drunk investigator ...obviously there was something we needed to do.  Anyways, as we entered his home his wife was there! She is a firm Catholic, and never listens to our lessons.  Actually, I had never seen her before this point. So Jorge sits down and drunkenly forces his wife to sit with us. Awkward. Jorge was acting completely disrespectful, and we really didn't know what to do. 

 

We could see she was really distraught. I have never seen so much emotional pain in a woman before. She was so hurt by her husband's addiction to drinking :( and constant drunkenness :(  This was really hard for me to see :(  I hate seeing a woman cry.  I really have been raised to cherish, treasure, and respect God's daughters. And to see that this man was the cause of so much sorrow in his wife really made me sad ...to the point of tears :(

 

So our lesson for "Jorge" turned out to be a lesson for Daniela (his wife). We testified to her how God is always with us and knows our pains. We shared Alma 32:21 which talks about how if all you have is but a little desire to know, or in her case hope for change, it will grow with time and faith. We then shared Helaman 5:47 about how God whispers peace to our souls as we show faith in Him. We testified that as we exercise our faith, it will bring us peace. :) We also shared D&C 122 about Joseph Smith's pleading prayer in Carthage jail. And God's response about how his afflictions would be but a small moment, and that God will always be there for us.

 

The lesson was so powerful. The spirit was so strong ...even though Jorge was a drunken, shirtless, disrespectful mess. I honestly believe when we show a desire for guidance, the spirit will be there to guide us. And the spirit was there testifying to her through us. She needed to hear the message of peace from young men who were ordained of God to teach. I suspect that's why God sent us a drunken investigator ...to bring us to this woman deep in sorrow so that we could help.

 

I know that God works in mysterious ways.  So even though we may not understand how He works, as long as I'm being a good boy, doing good things, I suppose I don't have to question if it's the spirit guiding me.  I just need to do it.  Through a drunk man, we brought hope and peace to a woman who desperately needed it.

 

Well, during our lesson we invited both of them to church for last Sunday. Surprisingly, she was really adamant about wanting to go ....he was drunk as a skunk. Anyways, Sunday morning came and he split.  Which left her alone, and she didn't want to come alone. So we were all so bummed about it. But again surprisingly later that day, after our plans had fallen through, Jorge pulled up to us (only kinda' drunk) and again took us to his house. We then had the idea to give them a church tour! :) Right as we entered the chapel Dairia said "Siento mucho Paz aqui" or "I feel so much peace here." BAM!!! We then sang "Soy uno Hijo de Dios" ("I am a child of God.") She loved it! :D She said the feeling just felt right, and she loved the words. :) We then asked her to say a prayer right in the chapel. And she said the most heart-felt prayer, thanking the Lord for His guidance, and for this "sentimiento de paz" :)  The spirit was really strong :)  I've been a member of the church my whole life, and have been in a chapel hundreds of times, but I've never felt the spirit so strongly before. It was just indescribable.

 

After this, we showed them the baptismal font! :D :D :D   She loved it.  Jorge was acting like a 12 year old, but he did have some interest. :) She absolutely loved the white clothing that you wear. :) She asked me why we wear white, and I testified to her that it is symbolic of a new life, a new clean start, and how all things of God are pure ...just as she can be. :)  The spirit was so strong during all of this.

 

In the font room was a picture of Christ's baptism. We sat there talking about it for quite some time. At one point, I was prompted to quote 2 Nephi 31:5

And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!

I then testified to her and Jorge that our purpose in life was to learn of Christ and His example, and that through Him, we can become cleansed, and receive eternal life. :)  I was rather happy I had memorized this verse! :D We waited for a long moment to let it sink in, and every moment the spirit just kept growing in power. :) As time went on, Elder Jensen asked the question, "Will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the authority of God?" 

 

They said yes!!!! DOS FECHAS!!!! :D :D  In less than a 24-hour period, we went from one person who wanted nothing to do with the church, and another who was slowly progressing, to both wanting to be baptized! :D  Daniela is super intent on being baptized, while Jorge is only so-so, but if she decides to get baptized, then he probably will too. She on the other hand will only do it if he does. :) But we all have a comforting feeling that they'll both decide to follow Christ. :) There is no possible way to deny the spirit that was there. We've tentatively scheduled their baptismal date for September 28 :) That should give us plenty of time to go through all the lessons and help Jorge tackle his drinking problem.  I am confident God will be there to help us out. :)

 

I'm so happy to be a missionary. I feel the Spirit daily, and I have witnessed it change lives. :)  I know

On a P-Day Hike above the Carlsbad hills

the Spirit was given to us in this case to guide us to help these souls. We have the spirit to testify of truth. And through the Spirit, all of God's children can know the truth of all things. That's what's beautiful about our Church ...we don't ask people to join and force baptism on them, we simply ask them to find out for themselves.  And when then do it, EVERY TIME they can know that it is true through the spirit. :)

 

I KNOW I am a representative of the Lord's true Church. It is a testimony that I will never deny. The Book of Mormon is true; Joseph Smith was a true prophet called of God! I know it, for the Lord has revealed it to me through His spirit. :) I'm happy :)

 

Love,

Elder Clemons

 

 

 

Some pictures of our apartment :

Our Kitchen

I sit at the near end of the desk (no desk space) because I'm a visa-waiter :-(

First week in Carlsbad!!

OK, so real quick ...I want to sum up my last week at the MTC!

On my last P-day, I got SOOO much done! I washed and ironed all my shirts, shined my shoes, wrote all my letters, packed, and sewed my very first shirt! I was so productive that day!

So if you're wondering if the Seychelle water bottle filter works ....it does. Bahahahaha, one of my district comps tried it. Elder Hammer was dumb enough to pee into his ...and then drink it!!! Bahahahaha! And guess what!!! It filtered it!!!! :D  He said it was super salty, but we all watched as he drink -- and gurgled -- his own pee!  Bahahaha. So, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine!

So I have actually grown quite close to Grandpa Paul over the last few weeks. One of my teachers said that we have angels helping us through life and the work we need to do. I can't help but think of Grandpa Paul as mine. He was always there before, and regardless of his death, he is helping me now. I've felt him, and I know he's encouraging me and guiding me. I can feel his love for me.

Brady Garvin came to say good-bye

So Brady Garvin was kind enough to find my room the night before I left. So nice, but also quite sad. :(  ...I'm going to miss seeing Brady around campus. But we got to say our goodbyes, so that was good.

So I like to relate the MTC to a father teaching his son how to ride a bike. The MTC is the training wheels, but with time you don't need them. I'm now out of training, and I'm actually out in the field. But what does a father normally do? He's always is there, holding the back of the seat, making sure his kid doesn't fall. This is the exact same thing with Christ. Even thought I'm out on my own, Christ is here, helping and guiding me, never letting me go. Just as a father is to his Son, Christ is to everyone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, Carlsbad Mission

I'm going to start by answering some of my parents' questions. 

Tell us about your companion.  His name; where he's from; what he's like.

Me with Elder Jensen (trainer) and Elder Gonzalez

I'm in a 3-some right now since I'm waiting for my visa. Elder Jensen has been out for 1 year; he's my trainer. He's 19 years old and is from New Hampshire. He's sooo awesome! I love him so much! He's fun and personable. He has kinda' had a rough past of rebellion, but he's come back and is SOOO strong in the faith. He has had experiences that he cannot deny. His faith is incredible. I love him. Elder Gonzalez has been out for 6 months. He is actually 26!!! Crazy huh! He's from Wahaka, Mexico (or however you spell it). He has been a convert for only a year. He had some very spiritual experiences that caused him to join. :) He's so funny! He's constantly playing pranks or jokes. It's very rare that he is serious, of course mainly during lessons. But he is so fun to be around. I love him! Gah! I love my companions so much! We are working hard, and we get along great! The days go by so fast when its just us! I love my companions and am thrilled to be with them! It was meant to be ;) 

Tell us about your first door approach.
I've actually only had one real one. We usually have appointments (which fall through), but I was prompted by what I thought was the spirit to knock on a particular door. No one answered. Bahahaha ...but I acted on my impressions, and that's what's good. 

Your first lesson
My first lesson was the day I arrived (last Tuesday) with the Ocampo family. they're members. They have 2 adorable little girls who are so full of energy. They are 4 and 2 years old. :) So cute! It was fun. We taught about the restoration, with emphasize on building our faith on the Book of Mormon. It went really well. I even got to teach and shared some scriptures. 

Had any successes yet?

We are essentially whitewashing. The Elders before us were horribly unorganized and never updated the area book. So we just had a bunch of names, but no contact information to go with the names. So we've unfortunately had to start new, and have already found 5 investigators. Barbara (gold), Joel (Silver), Jorge (silver), Dimetrio (Silver), and Alma (eh...)

How's your mission president?

I've only meet him twice: my first day and at my first baptism ;)  (Whaaaat?!  ...more below)

He's only been in 3 months.

President and Sister Hal C Kendrick

Learn anything yet about your visa?

Nope. But I did meet a Hermana Jones who is also going to the Argentina Resistencia mission ....she's been here for 27 weeks!!   BUT, her visa just came two days ago. She leaves the 23rd.

How was traveling with your suitcases?  Like your "side" bag now?

Traveling was fine! I barely made it with each suitcase weighing 49lbs! The side bag was really helpful. But...haha, I actually don't use it here in the mission field. We only carry scriptures by hand. But I think I'll use it more often as time goes on.

I still want to know if you've listened to your new "speaker" mp3 player?  And if you like it.

I love it, I just need to figure out how to delete some songs....especially the fan sound...that's horrible sounding ...bahahaha.

Anything we can get for you?

Just if at all possible send the other missionaries' letters in the mail....I have very little time on the computer to read them, and I have like 8 emails I haven't even bothered to open yet. 

How's the food? (I inserted this)
It's really good! All I eat is Mexican food! It usually consists of tortillas, beans, and some form of meat. You eat only with your hands. You tear a part of the tortilla and use that to grab some of the beans and meat. It's very good. :D  I actually just ate my first Jalapeño pepper. Man did that burn. And I ate it straight. Phew, that burned everything in me. I can still feel it boiling in my tummy.

So some random things about the Carlsbad Mission:

- It includes the highest tithe paying stake in the church (pretty nice area)

- We are only allowed to run for exercise. We have to get up at 6 and run 'til 6:30.

- There is no rule on music here, it's just "what you feel is OK".

- Email time is 90 minutes

So my Spanish is coming along absolutely great! Especially since I'm paired with a native from Mexico ;-) I was the only verde (greenie) paired with a native. Bahaha! This reminds me, Elder Gonzales is trying to learn English, and he was trying to pronounce "should", but he couldn't do it, and it was hilarious!! He swore! Bahahahaha ...oh goodness, I wonder if I've sworn in Spanish yet!??! I can usually understand about 80% of what Elder Jensen says, 60% of what Elder Gonzalez says, and it varies between 40-50% of what others say (meaning members and investigators, etc). I can always get my point across and don't struggle too much with talking.  It's only understanding that is partially hard right now. But the Spanish isn't really a problem right now. :)

So when I arrived in Carlsbad, the mission president was there to pick us up. There were about 30 missionaries arriving, and 8 of us were Spanish speaking. We went to the mission home where they fed us these California burritos from Los Cabos! They were so good!! They had french fries in them! Anyways, after the random "here's what the mission is like," we had interviews with the president ...no joke, mine was about 45 seconds. Bahahaha.

I'm currently in Escondido

We then went to a meeting where we were assigned companions and areas. My area is Escondido. Right when they announced my area, everyone was like "GASP!!" "WOW" "Tierra de Milagros" (land of miracles). So my area is pretty sweet. I'm totally pumped to serve here. It's all Mexicans really, so I'm constantly speaking in Spanish. :) It's actually quite hot, about 95 degrees, and very, very poor. Its nickname is "The dirty Dito" because of the filth. But I love it. :)

Mine is the top bunk :-)

So I arrived at my apartment around 8pm, which also holds a pair of white elders (that's what we call the Ingles-speaking elders, even if we're white ourselves). And we then went to the Ocampo family ...who have quickly become my fav family here. They are awesome and Hermano Ocampo is a jefe (note from Travis' father:  manager).

So I have really acclimated to the mission life. I'm not afraid to talk to people. The mission president likes us to keep track of our contacts for the day. So we set a number-of-contacts goal and try to get it. I talk with everyone I can. It's so easy, I just walk up and start talking.  The people are usually polite enough to listen. :) Except if they're white....they're mean. But I'm working hard. I participate in every lesson, regardless if I can't understand everything, but I usually understand enough to get the idea of it. :) We've found a lot of potential investigators now. And it's fun. :)

So I think the ward likes me, but it's hard to tell after just one week. I know Hermana Ocampo likes me! Bahahaha! She said that since I'm so skinny and handsome, that I should just stay here and not go to Argentina. ;)  I'm making an effort to shake hands with everyone and remember names....but it's a lot harder in Spanish.

So we actually had a baptism my first week. 2 actually. :) The previous missionaries were teaching 2 little boys, Junior 9 and Jacob 8. They had set a baptismal date....but forgot to tells us about it. So we found out the day before the baptism and literally scrambled to organize something and meet the boys. The baptism was unfortunately very unorganized, and the boys' mom didn't help matters and decided to change everything last minute :p grrrr. AND! then the president had to show up!!! Of all the baptisms ...he chooses to show up to ours...the unknown and unplanned one. :p I was sooo embarrassed. But I'm still a verde with only 4 days under my belt. I can only imagine what Elders Jenson and Gonzalez felt. But it wasn't our fault, we just weren't told.

So I was actually asked to confirm Jacob a member. Huh, my first week and I had to confirm a new member. :)  Cool, huh! I definitely had to rely on the Spirit to guide me, since I only had met the kid 3 times before his baptism. It was cool.

I got a lot of firsts in my first week. :)

Oh, and on my 2nd day here, I got to bless a house, that was fun and interesting!

Oh, also the 2nd day I was here, we were shopping at WalMart to buy some supplies for me. There was this guy that was just screaming and hollering at us! It was sad, but quite amusing. He was saying that us Mormons were a cult, and that we were trying to take over the government. He said that people should just kill us now. Bahahah. He even pulled out his passport and was like "I'm an American, and you ain't gonna' take over my country." It was quite amusing ...and sad. Everyone came up to us and was apologizing for him. So that was comforting.

So yesterday I was feeling kinda' useless. The previous Elders left us with nothing to work with, so we literally have been taking referrals and tracting the entire time. We've only taught 5 lessons this whole week! and 3 of those to members! But we've slowly, through hard work, developed a solid bunch of investigators to work with. :) Yesterday, we really hit the jackpot! We contacted everyone we met! And many people actually gave us their numbers and addresses. I believe we have a least 3 more investigators that will come from this. We also performed 2 acts of service. We would see people that needed help and would literally ran to help them. Ha, it must've been a sight to see. But we did get 1 potential investigator out of it :)  and we placed a Book of Mormon!! This guy seemed super interested and took one :) But sadly, he lives outside of our area, so we won't be the ones teaching him :(  But yesterday was a day full of success. :)

So I'm learning a lot, and I'm super excited to be here! I love it here, and I can feel the Spirit guiding us and encouraging us. I can definitely testify of prayer and fasting. Me and my companions really wanted to find people to teach. So we set goals, prayed God would help us achieve them, fasted, and went out and worked. Throughout the week we slowly made progress, and yesterday it exploded. :) I know the Lord was involved in our efforts. He put people in our way for us to teach. :)

I know this is the Lord's work and He has provided a way for us to spread it. :) The church is true. :) I know it. I'll never deny it. It brings nothing but felicidad.

I love you all so much! :D

-Elder Clemons

First Letter Home ...from Carlsbad :-)

 

...when he says, "it's on the front"

he meant the return address on the envelope!!

Hahahahahahaha!!!

I've been reassigned!! ...to Carlsbad, California

Hey!! Sorry it's so late in the day! I had a training meeting from 8 until just now!  Welp! I got my reassignment! ............it's Carlsbad Cali!!!

I'm leaving the MTC this coming Tuesday morning at 3:45 AM :p My flight is at 8:42 and it goes directly to San Diego; expected arrival time is 9:34 am. So I'll be calling you somewhere in between there ...most likely around 5:AM'ish.....bahaha So if you wanna hear my voice, you better sleep with the phone next to you

I'm really happy with my call. It seems super awesome! Still, I wish I was going to Argentina ...but clearly, it's not where I serve, but how I serve that matters.

So I'm absolutely ecstatic about my reassignment. :)  But I'm not going to lie, my heart has been in Argentina for months now, so having to wait a couple more months is kinda' saddening.

I really would just like to go to Resistencia ...and die of the heat, and get bloody blisters on my feet from walking 60 miles, and eat different foods, and love the people. I love Resistencia without having ever gone there. I want to go. But, I know that God needs me in Carlsbad for a little bit. I'll do His work and I'll find those souls. My work ethic will not change no matter what mission I am in. My work is for the Lord, and it doesn't matter which mission that work is in, for the work is always the same. I'll serve with everything I have in Carlsbad, just as I would in Resistencia. :)

P.S. I don't know what language I'll be speaking, I'll speak what they need me to. I hope it's Spanish, but I'll do what is asked. :)

P.P.S. My Spanish is coming along really well. I no longer have to listen and then translate. I'm able to listen and understand solely in Spanish now. I just have to translate my answers from English to Spanish, but often I say it before I'm done translating in my head. It just comes out, it's very cool. :D

Love you all,

Elder Clemons

Some Pictures...

I bought some scripture cases in the MTC.  They're made in Guatemala!

My first sewing job! Bahahha.  It's massive, but I needed to fix it! :p
I'm super proud of my work though. This will NOT rip!

I'm just a happy, bubbly missionary...

Hi everyone! Travis here! Lots of stuff happened again this week!

Fun stuff

So one of the Hermana's in our district is super duper gullible. Like really!  bahaha. We convinced her that the 2nd word in every verse in D&C 88 would write out the preamble to Declaration 1 ...and then she went and tried it! Bahahahahaha, soooo funny! It took her like 10 verses to realize it had nothing to do with it! Bahaha! And then the next day we convinced her that if you read D&C 26 backwards, it was the Proclamation on the Family :) Oh goodness. Haha, she's a funny one.

Every Sunday and Tuesday nights we have a devotional at the Marriott Center. It's super fun. Everyone lines up like 15 minutes early at the MTC gates.  As soon as they open, it's a fast walk race. It's hilarious; everyone is booking it ...but the rule is you have to have both feet on the ground at once. Es muy comico. The sad thing is we've NEVER yet had a General Authority come to talk to us; it's just been random people.  I only have one devotional left this Sunday night. I just want one general authority!! :p  But nonetheless, the talks have been amazing!

Thanks for the photos ...as a result, Kimi is really popular in my district. So I tried hooking Kimi up with my teachers. They are both incredible guys, but sadly, they already have girlfriends. But they did admit she was quite attractive ...we'll see how this goes.

Our service day is on Thursdays at 6:15. So last Thursday, they let us set up the flags around the MTC!!  Woot! We got to set up a total of 32 of them. Everyone in my district went running for Argentina, but I went for Germany and France for dad:) I also grabbed Spain for Brent and some other random flags that had cool designs on them. It was very cool and fun to set them up all over campus ...not even fair to call this service! Bahahaha! Tomorrow is our last service day; it'll be fun to see what they'll have us do.

Oh, so I guess I may have spoken too soon ...remember how I said I didn't get sick, well I did. I got it last Thursday, and I'm just barely getting better today. It didn't stop me from studying or anything, just had a sore throat and the absolutely worst stuffy nose ever. I didn't get very much sleep this week :(  But tonight I hope to sleep ok since I'm starting to feel better.

In last Sunday's devotional, a recent convert from Korea bore her testimony....in her native tongue. Boy....I'm glad I'm learning Spanish. Those sounds all sound the same. It's freaking ridiculous. Thumbs up I get to learn the 2nd most useful language in the world!  Go Spanish!

Spiritual stuff

Usually when I used to do my scripture studying, I just read the Book of Mormon chronologically, front to back. I've very much enjoyed this, and it's helped me to know where most of the stories are. But now, I've changed my studying to read by themes based on the needs of my investigators. It's so amazing to prepare this way. Soooo many times during lessons the investigator asks a particular question for which I've prepared, and BAM, I remember a scripture that's perfect for the need! It's kinda' cool and has happened at least once in every lesson. Obviously, they have us memorize lots of scripture references.  But often these aren't the ones that we've memorized, just the one's I recalled reading during my studies. Scriptures like

D&C 93:1

Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am;

 

 or Ether 12:4
Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

 

really, just kinda' random ones that the Spirit brings to my memory to help my investigators. :)  It's really cool to see the power preparation brings to your lessons. :)

At the devotional yesterday, Brother Jay Jensen (the speaker) said, "The power to convert is directly linked to the scriptures." It's so true. Both the Bible and Book of Mormon testify of Christ and truth, and that power is what converts people.

2 Nephi 31

He added, "There is a height, depth, and breadth to every scripture that we have not yet discovered." Every scripture contains more truth, and each is more important than we take it granted for. I suppose it's fair to say, "Each scripture means something to someone." The scriptures contain so much truth, combined with the Spirit, they can convert people. And to study them thoroughly probably takes more than a lifetime because we have to dig for it. :)

Brother Jensen also taught that we, the missionaries, are "living wells". He only said it once and continued with his talk; but it really got me pondering. Christ, in His own words, said that He was the Living Water,

John 4:14
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

 

...and where is water found? In a well! Humbly... I'm the well in which others can partake of the goodness and blessings of Christ. It is through me that many people will "drink" of Christ. :)  Of course, that is why I'm out here, to bring others to Christ, and I'm the well in which they get the water. :)  Cool, huh!

So in my personal studies, I was reading my favorite chapter -- Helaman 5 -- and totally caught something I hadn't ever before. Referring to earlier: "There is a height, depth, and breadth to every scripture that we have not yet discovered."  Verse 5, where Helaman is talking about why he named his sons Nephi and Lehi.

Helaman 5:6

...Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

 

Similarly, we also bare Christ's name. At baptism and every week at the sacrament table, we take upon ourselves Christ's name, and are asked to remember Christ's works, all of which are good, and are counseled to strive to be like Him, for we are His people and bare His name. :)

Out in the real world ...kinda :)

And finally ...I'm happy. :) Regardless of what goes on here, and the difficulties and challenges I deal with, I'm happy. I loved this week, even if currently I'm trapped in the CCM. I'm just happy and know I'm being blessed because of the work I'm doing. Studying makes me happy, learning makes me happy, anything that deals with God makes me happy. :)

I know this work is true, and true happiness is found in the service of others. I'm just a happy, bubbly little missionary happy to be doing the work. I can't wait to share my feelings with others. God is happiness, therefore, I'm happy as I come closer to God.

The Church is true, and my testimony will never falter. :)
 

Elder Clemons


 

"It's a Competition" :-)

Regarding my Visa, sorry but it hasn't come; nor has it come for any of the other districts that have recently left. It's a bummer, but I already know I'll be reassigned. Apparently the Church submits Visas based on a missionary's MTC entrance date.  They try to keep things organized that way.  So even though I got my call way back in February -- and Mom submitted my visa paperwork 1 month early -- it just sat there until all the other visas also arrived. So that's kinda' a bummer. Oh well.  The actual document saying my visa isn't here yet should come this Friday; then my reassignment will likely come the following week.  So I won't be able to tell you the new mission until then :)  I'm kinda' hoping New Mexico with Jarom ;)

So as of July 25th, there are 73,522 missionaries world wide!  Dear Goodness!  That's a lot!!  Kinda' cool, huh!

We had a new batch of missionaries come in last week (and new, new ones later today) ...they are all huge -- like really huge! -- like their arms are bigger than my head. So now I suddenly feel small...

Before the other districts left for their missions last week (they went to Spokane Washington, Portland, Detroit, Orlando, and New Hampshire), we decided to do a cereal challenge. At the CCM, they have these huge tubs of cereal that last for weeks. Our goal: to empty one during lunch :) So like 40 of us ate like 3 bowls each -- hahaha!  We got sooooo close!  But the MTC "President of Dinner" came and got all ticked at us. He said, "It's a competition that will incite the other Zones, you can't eat cereal."  It was so dumb. We just wanted some cereal. But in the end, this created a new joke for us: "It's a competition".  For literally everything now, we say, "we can't because it will incite a competition." Wanna' go to dinner together? ..."We can't, it could incite a competition." When a teacher asks a question, no one answers ...while someone politely says, "We can't participate because if we answer, it might incite the other missionaries, and we can't have a competition." bahahaha  Muy comico. It's all in good fun.

Bahahahahah! Ok, this next one's kinda' gross for Grandma, but hilarious for everyone else...I think Leslie and a few others will like it.  So one of our teachers was doing a demonstration on the 2nd lesson. The spirit was so strong, and we were all glued and taking notes. Then randomly, pffffftt! or whatever sound you make when passing gas. Bahahahahaha! It came from this one of the Elders. His face just went white. Everyone held back the laughs. But you could hear everyone had stopped breathing. I was holding it back fairly well (with tears in my eyes) because I figure it's immature to laugh at something like that. But then I look over at the Hermanas, and then they just died in laughter. Like really, crying laughter. Bahahaha  Then everyone else lost it, and then we just laughed for like 10 minutes. Bahahah, I find it ironic that the girls, who are supposed to be older and more mature, are the ones that laughed first. Bahahaha. Good times.

So the protestors are still at the temple on Sundays. There's more of them now than last time. One of them brought a guitar, so that was nice. All their signs are written on the back of old Obama posters; so at least we know they recycle. Hah! :)  They always yell, "If you're having trouble with your companion, pray to Jesus!"  hahaha It's funny. :)  I wonder what they're thinking?  I know the church is true, so it's obviously not going to work.  But they've been doing this for decades at the Provo temple.

So it looks like I'm a professional lock picker...or what ever you call them. All the keys to our residences are fairly similar.  I found that -- with considerable skill and finesse -- I was able to "hit" all the pins to open just about every door.  Bahaha, so I can get in most rooms. Obviously I don't do anything, but it's just fun to know I'm able. 

My Spanish is coming along great.  I've memorized the entire 1st vision, a couple of scriptures, and some key phrases. I essentially know most of the Biblical Spanish that I'll need. I also know all the vocabulary for lessons 1 and 2. And I've taught myself the subjunctive tense (not in the MTC curriculum), so I'm trying to use it constantly now.

Spiritual stuff:

Last Sunday John Lant spoke. He said, "You're not 'going on a mission,' you're 'becoming a missionary.'" Wow, that's exactly right! My service doesn't end after 2 years, nor 5, nor 56. In fact, it never ends. Service to God is an eternal process, and a happy one. To become an excellent missionary, I must be obedient in all things. If I'm only 99% obedient, that may leave a small "chink in my armor" for Satan to attack and wear me down. Obviously, we have commandments for protection. That's why I need to heed them.  As I do, hopefully my armor will be unbreakable.

I've also learned a whole lot about the Spirit and specifically when I feel it. Elder Bednar said that "it is often a part of your thoughts." I really took this to heart and committed to myself to try and act on every thought I had. I also learned that the Spirit manifests itself while I'm moving ...while I'm doing the work. It's an act of faith, I pray, then I go and act and see where that takes me. So with these in mind, I prayed and began studying for those investigators I will encounter on my mission. I really understand the importance of likening lessons to their needs, so I do all of my studying for them. And while I was studying last week, I had the thought to study about families for Manuel (one of our investigators at the MTC).  I studied a lot of scriptures about family and read "The Family: A Proclamation to the World", and even got my hands on a Spanish version! So that next lesson came, and I asked Manuel about his family. "They're good." I asked again and again (in different ways), and found out he has a bad relationship with them; but he really loves them. It's good to be prepared :)  I was able to apply the Plan of Salvation to his needs, and my companion and I testified of families. We read a few scriptures about families and prayed together. Then we went over the Proclamation. Woot! It felt so good!! We committed him to read the BoM, pray, and come to church (he said he'll also bring his family). It's soooo cool! I know that Manuel is just my teacher's "character", but it still brings me so much joy to teach and testify and see people come closer to Christ. I can just feel the happiness! :D It feels so good!

I came across this quote from Winston Churchill:

To every man there comes … that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour.

I am glad I was prepared for this particular moment, and hope I will be prepared for the many more to come.

Ok, so during last Tuesday's devotional, we watched a video of Elder Holland which really touched me. He said, "Missionary work is hard because the price of salvation is not cheap." Christ paid the demands of Justice and atoned for ALL of our sins and felt each of our pains. We (I) are forever indebted to Him; the SMALL efforts we make to be missionaries are relatively nothing compared to His suffering. That's why I love Romans 18:16-17:

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

It not only testifies that we are children of God, but also that we are to become heirs.  If we suffer with Christ, and endure a small degree of what He did, that's what being a disciple (and in my case, missionary) is. "When I'm being yelled at, scorned, rejected, or spit on, I am literally taking the place of the Savior. I am experiencing a SMALL portion of what Christ experienced. Salvation is found in suffering WITH Christ!

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

To take up your cross means to endure whatever the Lord has in store for you, for Christ's sake. To be willing to suffer as He did. I am willing to take up my cross ...whatever He has in store for me. I will endure every hardship to serve my Lord; it is my duty and privilege. :)  I love His church and gospel; no truer happiness can be found.

With Love !!

Elder Travis Clemons