VISA !!!!!

Well, the time has come ...MY VISA IS HERE!!! :D

 

I just received the call last night. I was so extremely happy and excited.

I don't really know anything that is happening though, all I know is that this Monday I have to be up at the mission office by 8:30 am.

I have mixed feelings of course. I was just saying yesterday how much I have grown to love the people here, and how I didn't want to leave. :p But that was probably God's plan all along. I'm sad to leave, but still thrilled to go. :)

It's a whole new mission, culture, language, and adventure down there! :) I'm totally excited! :D

I'm an Argentine ;)

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

Editor's note (Monday):

Travis called us this afternoon around 4:30.  Turns out he was already in Atlanta on a layover on his way to Buenos Aires by 7:00am, then Resistencia thereafter.

We asked him if he was travelling with other missionaries, and he said there were about 30 or so of them travelling together!! ...including all of his MTC district.

By the way, we also learned that Travis was referring to a "tourist" visa.  Looks like the entire group of missionaries is in that same boat ...hoping to get their permanent visas within the next 90 days.

One last point, Travis didn't get his letters or packages as he normally does on Saturdays (2 days ago) because it appears the "zone leaders car was running low on miles."  And now that he's left his California mission, looks like he may never get those.  Just FYI...

It just feels like everything good that could've happened, didn't ...and everything bad, did

Hello Everyone!

 

So this was my first trial week in the mission. I'm sure every missionary has multiple weeks like this, and probably for their benefit ;-)

 

We had so much potential success this week, but at every single opportunity, we met failure. We set very high goals, goals that our area hasn't seen for a long time. We set tons of appointments and had members scheduled to attend with us to every one.  Everything was set, and we were well prepared for success.

 

But when we showed up to our appointments -- with our members -- not a single person was home. In fact, we ended up with the lowest number of lessons the entire time I've been here. That was super frustrating -- hour after hour after hour -- day after day -- taking time away from members just to have them face failure along with us. It really was extremely disappointing. 

 

Even our contacting was low. We had high expectations, but missed severely. It feels like everyone had a disrespectful vibe towards us this week. We couldn't invite just about anybody to do anything.

We also had no investigators come to Church this week. Even Gabriel didn't come to church, and he wasn't present for the two lessons we had prepared for him. :(

 

It just feels like everything good that could've happened, didn't, and everything bad, did.

 

 

But I know that every missionary has these kinds of weeks. Satan will always try to halt the work of the Lord and bring down the hearts of His missionaries. I know that things often get worse before they get better. And the sun ultimately always rises again. I believe that this week was a test from God to see if we would accept failure or stand up and try again. Well I can promise you that I will not accept mediocrity. I will always strive to stretch myself and work to the end of everyday. I understand that God will only bless those who show Him that they want success. We will continue to set high expectations, and despite setbacks, we'll strive to achieve them. We will show God that we want success, by going out in search of it, by planning for it, by expecting it, by reaching for it.

 

But despite even the darkest hour, light will always pierce the night. We were still blessed with success. We picked up a former investigator. Her name is Fernanda. She studied with the missionaries about 6 months ago, and even had a baptismal interview and passed it. The problem then was her step-dad. Her mom loves us to death, loves us, loves us, loves us. She even said that she knows she will one day be a Mormon. The problem is the step-dad. He is understandably worried about his family. He did allow Fernanda's brother, Alexis, to be baptized into the church, but once Fernanda was about to get baptized, decided he didn't want a split-religion family, stopped her baptism, and wouldn't let Alexis attend Church anymore. 

 

Understandably, the father didn't want conflicts to arise because of religion, but as time passed after Alexis' baptism, he went "down hill" really fast. After he stopped affiliating with the church, he made some bad decisions. Elder Jensen and I have persistently returned to their house the entire time I've been here; we've never gotten in, but we have had opportunities to talk. And now, Alexis is coming back to church, and making some better decisions again. And his family has noticed ...and we've been allowed to teach them once again. The wife even invited us to her son's Catholic baptism ...which was actually a little weird, or different I should say. SUPER loud music and dancing. But it was cool to see. The wife even asked us to bless her baby. It felt a little out of place; but we took the baby and step-dad outside and said a sweet little prayer. We were then allowed to return the next day to teach Fernanda. :)  So I think with more time, we might even be privileged to teach the father.

 

Another blessing we had this week was with Pedro, Gabriel's father-in-law. He loves us so much. His beliefs have completely changed since we've been teaching. He absolutely knows that the church is true, and has gone from hard-core Catholic to dedicated Mormon. :)  And as an emblem of his care for us ...he bought us real leather jackets!!! :D  Brand new, sweet Italian jackets!!   Well over $100 each! He also bought us some ties!! How cool is that! It was so exciting. When we came to teach him and Gabriel this last week, he gave us these presents.  We then taught our lesson, went home, and opened them up! We were awe struck. So kind and loving.  I will forever LOVE this jacket! I feel so cool! I just need to buy some matching pants ;) THRIFT SHOP! :D

 

This week was tough, I'm not going to lie. I hope I don't come across another week like this one in a long, long time. But I know there are lessons to be learned even from really tough weeks.

 

Patience and Hope. :)

 

I will never stop trying. As long as I give my full effort, I can never regret my work. :) I worked hard, and so I'm proud of last week ...but hopeful for the coming week. :)

 

I love you all and miss you tons!

 

Love Elder Clemons

 

 

 

Last Wednesday we had "Middle Part Miericoles!"  So fun and funny. We all had to wear our hair parted in the middle to our district meeting. And we all got prizes at the end for our parts! It was so funny! Enjoy! :D

 

 

Ya, I knew members were important, but I didn't realize how much...

 

Howdy! :D

 

So I forgot to tell you, but since yesterday was a holiday, our P-day is today. So just in case I forget to write in the future, it's probably because it's a holiday. ;)

 

So mom, you're not going to like this, but since my visa application has been out so long, it has "expired" and Argentina has asked for a new, updated one. I'm not going to lie, I was a bit unhappy about that seeing we were as on top of that as you can be, but I got it taken care of and have already sent everything off to the Church. But here's some good news! ...my MTC companion has apparently already received his about 2 weeks ago.   So, it appears, good things happen to those who procrastinate ;-)   But for unknown reasons the president here is holding his visa. But at least the visa's are coming now ;)

 

I just barely got back from the Temple! :D  Oh wow, it was so beautiful and peaceful! :)  I love being around the temple; no one can deny the spiritual power that is found there. Without a doubt, I know that it is God's house here on earth. You just feel pure, uplifted, guided, happy, and as cheesy as it sounds -- heavenly. But that's just it. The feelings and presence felt at the temple are directly from God, it's a feeling that one cannot express, just experience. It's incredible and unique, found only at the House of God. (Oh, and the new film was absolutely spectacular! Loved it! So much more emotion. And I loved the awesome "Satan rules this kingdom" scene. I felt like I was in a legit movie.)

 

So what's up with our government? We've heard that it has shut down? Just some useful information and updates on that please. :)  (editor's note:  done!)

 

We met this cool black karate dude. We were knocking doors, and he was moving out.  We offered our help, and to our surprise (since everyone says no) he said yes. So we helped him move, and we learned that he was quite a character ...very friendly and talkative. He loved to show us his "karate" moves such as random kicks and backhand slaps. A very different style of karate, but useful....I guess.

 

We also met a self-proclaimed reincarnated Jesus ...which was quite interesting. While we were in the middle of a fairly basic conversation, he stopped us and said, "Sorry, but I have some more suffering I need to endure" and then rode off on his bike :-)

 

I have come to learn that when people commit to being baptized, it doesn't mean they actually mean it. I've seen a lot of our "commitments" fall away. It's so sad to see the spirit testify to people and for them to accept baptism, but then not do anything to nurture the beginning of that testimony. We are only going to baptize those people who desire it, and prove to God that they desire it through their efforts. I guess to a certain degree baptism is earned, not given.

 

So we have two new investigators that we have been working with. I don't recall if I mentioned them last week, but they are Jose y Javier. We had an incredible lesson with both of these men. Javier is really familiar with the Bible and is firm in his own personal beliefs.  Sometimes I feel that he invites us over just to bash and criticize, but his beliefs essentially match our message, so we stick with him. Last Tuesday we had a lesson with him and brought a recent convert -- Hermano Adolfo -- with us. He has such a strong testimony. Our lesson centered on the importance of the Book of Mormon and how to receive revelation. Hermano Adolfo's testimony was perfect. He talked about his own experiences and how his answer came as he was reading. I believe Javier was touched and promised he would read and pray ...we'll find out tonight. ;)

 

From this and other experiences, I have really learned the importance of members.  Ya, I knew they were important, but I didn't realize how much we needed their help until this lesson. Javier and Adolfo really clicked, and Adolfo's testimony was perfectly geared to Javier's needs.

 

Our Lesson with Jose was about the differences of our Church. We focused on Authority, Prophets, and the Book of Mormon. It was going great, things were flowing well. But then Jose asked the perfect off-topic question: "What happens after this life?" Well obviously we had the answer: Spirit World, Resurrection, Judgment, and the 3 kingdoms. We were able to testify of it using the Bible, and then finished up with some BoM references. It was very strong, and he was essentially blown away. We then bore testimony of the Plan of Salvation, and how in this plan God has given us "guides" to help us return (meaning prophets, Book of Mormon, Light of Christ, personal revelation, etc). We then asked him if he could see any importance in reading the Book of Mormon. And he answered perfectly, "Because I need to gain a personal witness of the truthfulness of this book, and if I do, then everything you have taught me is true." I was ecstatic to hear that answer. It feels so good to feel the spirit testifying through you.  And then when the investigator understands it, the spirit just grows. :)

 

We had another incredible lesson last night with Gabriel and Pedro. They both had questions about Joseph Smith's life, and so we decided to watch the history of Joseph Smith. I have seen this movie many times, but this night was different ...much more powerful. Being out in the mission and  testifying daily of Joseph Smith, makes this movie so much more personal. I could feel the spirit being poured on me during the first vision.  I felt angry (but also proud) at the tarring and feathering of Joseph Smith.  And I felt power as Joseph Smith, in jail and shackles, commanded those "fiends of the infernal pit" to be silent. This story, and Christ's church that he helped restore, have become so much more a part of me while I've been on my mission these few short months. I literally felt my testimony growing as a watch the movie, and I can declare to the world that Joseph Smith is a true prophet called of God as was Moses. His dieing testimony stands as a witness to the world of the truthfulness of the Restoration.

 

Anyways, the movie also really touched Gabriel and Pedro. Gabriel was silent, and Pedro bore testimony to us. He told us, "When you first started coming here, I didn't believe at all in Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon.  But now, seeing the living prophet last week and seeing this movie, now I know. I know modern day prophets and revelation exists." It was really powerful and touching. He then went on to explain that the trials and death of Joseph Smith prove the restoration true ...just as the apostles of old died for truth, so did this prophet Joseph Smith.  Gabriel then agreed with Pedro and said that he was ready for baptism. I think, in reality, he may be.  We just need to invite him to stay for all of church and finish up the lessons. So we will have to push his date back, but I do believe he will be baptized. He reads and prays daily about the BoM, and he knows it's true. The only thing left is to go to church all 3 hours and wait. :)

 

Well that's about all I have to say today. I'm growing daily in my testimony. I read this cool talk called the "17 Points of the True Church" which identifies the traits of the true church as identified in the Bible. It's a story of a convert who found his way to the church. Very touching and interesting. 

 

I know the Church and the Gospel it teaches are true.  I am a servant of our Lord, and I know I am on His errand. I will never deny the truth that this is the Lord's church, for as truth will always remain, so will my testimony. I know Christ is our Lord and Savior. I know it.

 

With Love,

Elder Clemons

 

 

P.S.  Thank you so much for the package! It is greatly appreciated! The only thing I can think of that would still be helpful would be to get a copy of my "line of authority" card. That would be cool to have. :)

 

Love you and miss you tons!

 

 

Wow, I feel like the investigator at this point...

So hello everyone!

 

No visa news yet, but it's not my time, it's God's ;)

 

So I would like to tell about my week before I get to the glorious conference!

 

De hecho (editor: "in fact"), nothing really super happened, but we did make great strides with Gabriel and some new investigators.  Essentially, Gabriel was already prepared for us prior to us contacting him. He is essentially doing everything on his own, he is building his own faith, he doesn't need us as a guide. He is nearly done with the Book of Mormon, he told me that he constantly prays for understanding and a testimony over it. It's incredible to see a man have faith, and show it. I prepared a really scripture heavy lesson on the Plan of Salvation (it went great!) and he already understood most of it with but a few questions. I really learned from this lesson the importance of using scriptures, because if you can backup the doctrines that you teach with the scriptures, people are more likely to believe it :) Without the scriptures, we're just a bunch of teenagers sharing our opinions. When we share scriptures with the Spirit, it reinforces the doctrines.

 

As in weeks past, Elder Jensen was in the other room teaching Pedro so me and Gabriel had some time to chat. It was really spiritual. This man was so prepared for the gospel. He was asking me about the temple, and why only members are allowed in. I explained to him how it's a sacred place of the Lord, His literal house. He completely understood the difference between secrecy and sacredness. This lead us into a conversation about worthiness, and he shared with me how he used to be an alcoholic, and his battle to overcome it. It was really touching to see a man just express his heart to me ...I'm just a kid. He told me that when he drank, he would feel depressed, unworthy, guilty; but when he would read the Bible, he would be filled with power, enough power to overcome his addiction. He then explained that when he reads the BoM, he is filled with even more power and desire. He told me that prayer and reading are God's way of protecting us. :) Amen brother! Wow, I feel like the investigator at this point. He then started asking questions about Joseph Smith, his story. He was shocked to hear that such a great man, and prophet of God, was martyred for his testimony. I then took this opportunity to bear my testimony about Joseph Smith, and how I KNOW that he was a true prophet, and that he brought forth the BoM, another Testament of Jesus Christ. And that Joseph Smith would not likely die for a false book, but that it was true, and that he with his last words died praising God. This really touched Gabriel; he agreed that no man would die for such a book unless it was true. I then invited him to come and view the living prophet. I encouraged him to write down some of the questions of his soul, pray about them, and the prophets and apostles would answer them. And guess what, Gabriel came and said his questions were answered. :) These prophets are of God, and speak nothing but His words for our benefit and guidance.

 

So as I said in my last email we have been praying and hoping for some new people to teach ...we'll we found 6 :) And this coming week we should be expecting about 8 more. :) It really is touching to see how the Lord blesses you when you simply ask, and act. I have been pondering the idea that "God isn't going to answer your prayers unless you show Him that you want them answered." So we prayed to find some new people, and we went searching, and look how the Lord blessed us. :)

 

CONFERENCE WAS AMAZING!!! :D

It is so much more fun and enlightening when you are a missionary. One, because all the missionaries get into it and are gasping and oohing and taking notes like crazy. Two, because not only do you go into conference with questions of your own, but you are listening to every bit of helpful information you can use to help your investigators. The spiritual power of conference really increases when you go in thinking about others.

 

So of course I loved all the speakers. I also noticed some themes: missionary work, family and marriage values, enduring hardships, standing up for standards, "God's law is higher than Man's." I will just share a few that I really loved and can remember (I left my notes at home :p).  Editors note: Holy cats ...what would this email have been like if he had remembered to bring his notes!! :)

 

I loved Uchtdorf's Saturday morning talk, it's perfect for one of our new investigators. About how many things are church does, and why we as members participate so much. I loved how he testified that the authority of God is found in the church.  This talk is perfect for investigators, because Uchtdorf was explaining it from the eyes from someone looking from the outside in.

 

Elder Bednar! I love how articulate and intellectual he speaks. Siempre he disfrutado sus palabras (editor's note: "I always love his words"). He was an answer to my "unwritten question" although it wasn't a question that I felt I needed answering; but of course, God knows me better than I know myself. I have really been worrying about teaching the law of tithing to investigators, and this talk really calmed me down and made me confident of the privilege it is to pay tithing and the many resulting blessings. God is so mercifully that He answered a question I didn't even know to ask. 

 

Elder Dube's got an awesome accent, and gave an even awesomer talk! I loved how the theme was to be grateful for what you have accomplished in life, but to focus on what life you have left. I loved the quote he used (from Elder Holland) "The past is to be learned from, not lived in." Powerful statement huh? So true though. If we are constantly reminiscing of our past, we won't have all of our power to make a better future. There will always be work for us to do in the Kingdom of God, and when one finds himself in the work of the Lord, it doesn't feel like work, but a joyous privilege.

 

Elder Richard G Scott's talk was uplifting and powerful. We can draw personal power from the atonement. And from that sacrifice, Christ knows PERFECTLY how to comfort us. And knows PERFECTLY where to fortify us.

 

I loved President Monson's talk on Sunday morning. So touching. His feelings about his wife were so pure. I kinda' got teary eyed. He was expressing true pain to us, but followed up with a powerful testimony of the enduring power we are capable of if we focus on Christ. This man, this prophet, was expressing one of the most painful spiritual experiences I'm sure he has ever had to endure, and he turned his pain into a beautiful and touching testimony of the mercy and power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We can endure any hardship, if we endure it through Christ.

 

I am fortified each and every day out here in the mission. And witnessing these words of real modern-day prophets just again testified to me of the validity of the Lord's true gospel and the authority that this church posses. I know that these prophets are just men, but God has chose them to be His powerful servants and our leaders at this time. These men hold all the keys and authority of His church. I am proud to have sustained such noble men of God. I know they are true prophets of the Lord. I cannot deny the witness I received during Conference. My faith will never falter.

 

I love it out here, and love you all! :D

 

-Elder Clemons

 

 

I have never seen so much faith and love in a family before

Hello everyone!

 

So this week was a great one! ...as is every week in the mission ;)

 

So I'll start off with the more comical things this week:  The Covenant Hole.

When we accidently killed the bat a few weeks back, we buried it outside of our apartment. But due to the curiosity of male minds, Elder Lloyd (an apartment roommate) decided to dig it up like 2 days after it died. (So this happened a while ago) Anyways....it was gone! Completely gone! We couldn't find it or any part of it! So we were all a little creeped out at that! But anyways, we soon learned that anything you put into this "hole" disappears. Like legit. It is totally weird. But it's kinda' fun as well. We started writing notes with our weekly goals on them, buried them in the hole, and the next morning, GONE! BOOM! So we've now call it the Covenant Hole. It's just something fun, I'm sure it's just some neighbor kid or dog that is digging it up. ;)  But its still hilarious.

 

So I have a lot of people convinced that Lori is married to Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye). Brent just looks so much like him! Bahahah. Every missionary and investigator asks me what it's like to be related to a movie star. It's sooo funny! I just show them the family picture and they just stand in shock. It is golden. Bahahaha. Brent is one good looking man, and very blessed to be married to my wonderful, perfect, caring sister Lori. :)  Treat her right Jeremy. ;)

 

Ok, so some quick updates on our investigators.

So, unfortunately, we have officially dropped Florencio and Ofelia. So sad they are out. :( We really cared about them too. And we haven't found any new investigators to teach. :( So that is a bummer, but I'm hopeful this week we can find some more.

Mama y Papa Barba are progressing, but Papa is still afraid to pray. He said last time that he would pray next time, which is tonight. So I'm not leaving without a prayer out of him. We also bought these two a grande Libro de Mormon, so now they can start reading. :) Also the hard part is getting them to church. She won't come without him, and he always works Sunday mornings. So our invitation tonight is going to be for him to request work off for the 13th so he can come! :)

Joel is actually now progressing! He really surprised us. He never keeps commitments, and we've learned that when he says, "I'll attend church" it actually means "I'm too scared to tell you no." But he actually came! What!??! :D  We spotted him in the parking lot, and so I sprinted towards him and showed him in. Woot! :) He really enjoyed it and even stayed for the clases after sacrament. :) Sweet! But we still need to get him reading, so we will have a BOLD lesson on that this jueves (editor: Thursday).

 

All in all, Gabriel is a boss ...like really. We have only been working with him for a little less than a month... and he has read up to Ether 7!!! And that was just last Thursday, so who knows where he is at now! Goodness! He knows our lessons already! Bah! We were teaching the first half of the Plan of Salvation, and he understood it all because of what Nephi and Alma had said! Awesome. Like really awesome. He is such an understanding open man. We invited him to come watch a baptism and church. And he came to both!! Both I say!! :D He really enjoyed it and really likes our doctrine on baptism. Just wow. I can't wait to baptize this man. WOOT! :D

 

Oh, and Pedro is his Suegro (Father in Law). Remember how I said that he was a lesson highjacker, but that Elder Jensen cleared that up? Well he is still confused, so sadly we have to split teach again so we can both correct Pedro's understanding of Christ's Gospel, and still have meaningful opportunity to teach Gabriel. That lesson is tonight, but I'm totally pumped for it. Elder Jensen has been preparing to help Pedro, and I'm prepared to teach Gabriel :)

But Pedro is serisouly one of the coolest guys I know.  He has just had a lot of other Churches and differing doctrines confuse him. He comes to church every week and is pressuring his grandchildren to come as well, so our success is because of him. :) And he is super funny! Like seriously the funniest guy I know. Love him! He is just a little confused about the doctrine ;) Jehovah is the God of the Old Testament; and Christ is that Jehovah, and was born as the Messiah of the New Testament.  Our Heavenly Father is Christ's (and our) Father in Heaven.  We pray to our Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ since Christ is our intermediary with the Father.

 

So we just found out the Juan and Belen aren't married....awkward. And for some reason they can't get married until after she becomes a citizen because if they got married now, she would have to restart her waiting time for her to become a citizen. I don't really understand it, but we still teach them as we wait, and still have their kids that may wish to be baptized. :) We have a great power lesson planned for tonight as well.   ...hmmm, all of our lessons are tonight.  Haha, guess you'll have to wait for a week to hear about them!

 

Jorge y Daniella. :( So we never got to visit with Daniella this week, she works too much, and returns home after 10pm each night.  So we didn't get to check up on her. And I feel like Jorge is not progressing very well. We met with him 3 times last week, and each time he has been out (drunk out). It's really quite frustrating, so we don't know what to do with him. But he loves us so much, we are his family he always says. He says his work friends are bad influences (which they are).  And he's sad that he never see's his family because they all work different hours. That leaves us. :( It's so sad to see a man so lonely, and so deep in his addiction. :(
 

So I would like to talk about a family that I really admire: the Gonzalez family. I think I mentioned them in a previous letter.  They are the members that feed us every Friday. I have never seen so much faith and love in a family before. It's shocking. I have really come to love this family. Last Thursday we were called by Hermano Gonzalez to give his wife a blessing. He holds the priesthood, but prefers the missionaries bless his family (guess he thinks we're somehow better ...which we're not!). Her mother is in the hospital in Mexico on her death bed. :( They're both really worried about her. Hermana Gonzalez was going to leave that night to Mexico -- illegally, for she doesn't have her papers yet. Elder Jensen and I gave her a blessing of comfort, and wow, that room was hit hard with the spirit. It is always touching that I get to hold the power of God and use it to bless others. The blessing was very personal and tender hearted.
 

But when the time came to make the final decision, Hermana Gonzalez decided to stay at home. She just had a prompting that she needed to stay with her family. And guess what happened. The very next morning, her sister called and told her that her mother had made a miraculous recovery and was leaving the hospital completely healed! :D  How incredible is that! Hermana Gonzalez was about to go to Mexico, but had enough faith to follow her promptings. She was blessed even more that same day as she got a call from the government who cleared her for papers! :D She is going to become a US citizen, and she doesn't have to pay a thing!!! :D Blessings! This is proof that when you rely on the Lord for answers and guidance, He'll always bless you for your obedience. She said she put my name and Elder Jensen's name in her journal because we have now become her favorite missionaries ;)  Thank God for His tender mercies.

 

So that's about all I have. The longer I stay out here, the more often I feel God's hand in my life, and witness it in others. It is incredible. I never noticed how obvious God's hand was. While I have always believed that He played a role in my daily life, I had noticed it only a couple of times. But now I notice it every day! We are constantly being blessed by His love and guidance. I can testify that God is here. He isn't a being that rules only from on high, but one that guides us by the hand. He is a personal God, who cares for billions of His children, but also pays attention and cares for each and every individual child. I know God loves us, and we can return to Him by following the teachings of His son Jesus Christ. It is only through Him, that true love, happiness, and eternal life are found.

I know this is the true church, and I'm privileged to serve in it. :)
 

Love Elder Clemons

 

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 :-(