Alright I take back what I said
about time going slow haha. This week flew by! Like ridiculous! It’s crazy to
think that two weeks from today I will be in Chile or on my way to Chile. This
week was really good! I do miss all of you but things are getting a lot better
here! We have been talking a lot about our actual purpose of us being here on
our mission and I think I’m beginning to actually understand the purpose of me
being here and its helping a lot! My Spanish is getting pretty good and growing
more and more every day. When people in my class have questions about the
language and difficulties they actually come to me! Who would have thought?! In
Technology Assisted Language Learning my district leader asked me to help
people during it because I am so far ahead, haha I still am learning but I know
that I am strengthened so much in the Lord. I am so excited to get out into
Chile and actually begin to start teaching. I still am a little scared because
I have heard that Chileans talk so fast and leave off the ends of some words,
but my teacher told me that I will probably will be fluent in 4 to 6 months! I
am so excited for that! It’s so crazy that I’m going to be in Chile in 2 weeks
but really I am so excited.
The MTC has been good though! I love
my district so much, we are so unified it’s crazy. I get to know my companion
more and more every day haha. He’s an interesting kid but I love him! He talks
about wrestling 24/7 and how he could take on anyone and how he can squat 250 times
and take down 6’4” 250 pound kids and he’s 5’6” 130 lbs. hahaha. He has a story for
everything! I’m pretty sure him, his dad, or his family has done everything
there is to do on the planet! He’s from Florida and is proud of it! I’ll never
forget him haha.
Three things I wish I would have
brought more of, my OWN clothes, more ties, and pictures of all of you! Future
missionaries, those 3 things are essential!. Gym time in the morning has been
getting more and more fun, we started playing handball which is ultimate Frisbee
but with a volleyball. I incorporate
lacrosse into it as much as possible, I got those around the backs down lol. I
miss lacrosse so much haha. I think about it so much, I want to play it more
and more every day. There are so many things I miss and I remember another
thing every day, but it's good! We play sports as a district against other
districts, we’re surprisingly pretty good. I didn’t think any of the kids would be good
at sports but we got some ballers in our district. Elder Washburn, the elder I talk to about
country music and video games, is so good at basketball it was surprising. Oh
hahaha my companion when we play! He’s one of those kids who tries way hard in
anything we do and thinks he’s amazing at everything haha it’s so funny to
watch him fly around and practically tackling kids when were not even supposed
to touch others haha. He’s got those wrestling moves down... He does them while
we walk to class...
The 16 hour days are hard labor but
I know it’s only making me better. Three things my district fights about:
Taylor Swift or Queen being better, the whole dinosaur topic, and would you
rather be an avatar or be able to have a Pokémon. HOW COULD ANYONE NOT CHOOSE POKEMON. I have
met so many new friends it’s crazy, I met this girl who looks like Jennifer
Lawrence but with kind of blonder hair and her eyes are SO green, like it’s
insane. I thought she was wearing green contacts for sure but it’s her natural
color and she helped me find my pen I lost that means a lot to me so she’s
pretty chill. She graduated from Davis
last year, Maddy Strahm I can’t remember her name, I am terrible with names
haha, but she graduated with you! Teaching our investigators is getting better
and better and I learn to love them more and more every time. I missed the 24th
of July. That night was pretty sad. I thought a lot about missing fireworks
but we had a really good TRC that day so it made up for it. It continues to
rain every day, I have grown to love it.
Elder Haynes and I had an amazing
lesson with our investigator, who brought his girlfriend this time, one of the
days. We taught extremely well and by the spirit, by the end both of them were crying
and after they came up to us and told us how well we did. It helped and
comforted me a lot, as well as encouraged. I love using experiences from my
life to help teach and testify. That is how you connect with investigators.
Haha its funny now that sometimes when I write and email in English I sometimes
use Spanish words and I have to correct myself. This week we have talked a lot about
the Atonement. Whenever I think I am having a difficult time or having a
problem with something, I think about EVERYTHING He went through. We need to
realize how much He suffered for us and HOW MUCH He has given us and will give
us if all we do is have faith in Him and keep the commandments.. All of you
back home. I wish you could be experiencing everything I am. the Lord has given
us SO much and has asked for so little in return, we are in so much debt to
him. Please do everything in your power to
show that you recognize His total work in our lives. There is a lot of things I
have watched, heard, and read about in the last week to help us endure to the
end. Enduring to the end is the hardest part about this Church. We talk about
it a lot. I testify that if you truly try to keep faith in His name,
He will make up for the rest. I
invite all of you to try and be missionaries back home with your families and friends.
Serve them. Have charity. It will bless you. I’m going to ask all of you for
one more thing. Build a sure foundation, there are seven steps. I pray you all
follow them. I know it will bless you. 1. Seek the companionship of the Holy
Ghost. 2. Partake of the Sacrament. 3. Pray and fast. 4. Keep the commandments.
5. Study the scriptures. 6. Follow the living prophet. 7. LOVE AND SERVE THE
LORD. I will be doing these things along with you. If you ever need anything
let me know and I will do my best to help you from about 5000 miles away haha.
I love all of you and want you all to receive all the blessings that I know you
can. I want to end with some scriptures, Alma 34, especially verse 38,
Ephesians 4, and if you’re really feeling up to the challenge Luke 22 and
D&C 84. Those all are my reading assignments for you guys haha. I love and
miss you all. You all are in my prayers. The Lord can strengthen us in
everything. Stay strong everybody
Elder Clay
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