More Investigators, & Another New Companion Coming Soon

 This week has seen lots of people doing the ALS ice bucket challenge so we sent my video to Stetson, that is why he starts his email with it him saying it looks very cold and welcoming.  Can't wait to hear who his new comp will be.  However, we sent him a just because package and I am grateful he will be staying a bit longer as it is filled with things for these people he has grown to love.  So, now with him most likely staying here a bit longer, it will get to them.  He also sent the most fun picture of all.  The Google car went by and captured them on the street.  It is amazing to see them in action.  I said it's like that famous line in Monster's Inc, I'm Watching, always Watching.  

Isn't this amazing?  It's like we can almost "see" him!

Wow the ice challenge looks pretty cold! I would love that here where it is super hot and we are sweating all day. This week was an awesome week and Elder Clements and I had 8 investigatores in the church! We had 5 new people, I am working on photos right now, elder clements is sending me them from his camera because I forgot my usb. Oh and we just got news that Elder Clements will be leaving for the offices to be Secretario de Finanzas!! So I will be in this area just a little bit longer, but its good here. I know just about everyone, so it feels like home. It will be hard to leave here, but Elder Clements has been a good companion, and he will do good in the offices. I love him, and I will miss him. So I asked Presidente Swapp who would be my new comp, and he still doesnt know! So next week I will have that news. Oh so this week is going to be super sweet, Elder Valenzuela, a 70 will be coming, and on saturday we are going to the temple with Jose Manuel and his family because his mom will be going through the temple. So yesterday, Carmen and Jose Guadalupe came to church. She has cancer, and wants to be closer to God. She is a very sincere investigator, and she loves when we visits. Get this, she used to be the equivalent to a seminary teacher but in the catholic church, but she accepts everything we tell her and we are working on a fecha with her. Right now we have many invesigatores and life is good. I am a little nervous to who President sends, but it will be good. Hasta luego!

love you all.

Elder Clayton

 

  Jose Guadalupe and Carmen

  Aisa y Mauricio

They Work Hard, and Yet They do What We ask Them to Do

This week they are seeing that when they ask, these sweet people will do all that is requested.  He loves them so much and they are changing their lives.  I am sending him a package this week just because.  I am so hoping it gets to him before he changes and transfers this area.  With faith it will. Enjoy, and there are lots of pictures to see that are as always, amazing...

Hello Family! Well this week was super hot, but Elder Clements and I have mucho mucho trabajo, which is sweet. I am not kidding but last week we had contacted a ton of people, and this week was a week to pass back at all these people we had contacted, we passed by and we had a very unusual thing happen with about 6 invesitgatores. they had read what we had left with them!! Well, let me tell you something, here in Monterrey everyone freaking works. We talk to people that work everyday, 8 or 10 hour days and they dont rest. they are an industrious people. so people ususaly never read!! but it has been sweet, because we have been finding these escogidos. Chosen ones, that read and take it in. Its easy to teach them, and it makes our life easier and I love it. We are teaching a person who read 3 Nephi 11, and loved it. He was so taken in with The Book of Mormon and he had so many questions, it was pretty cool. We had someone similar who came to church named Julio, who lived Reynosa, its another city in Tamalipus and its super scary. He had gotten attacked and now lives here. He is reading everything we give him and loves it,  he has a fecha for Baptism, and we are pumped! Well, thats sweet that Caleb is saving up for his adventure and I hope he gets to the goal of whatever it is. I love you all!! 

-- 

Elder Clayton

16 Investigators, and the kids love him so much...

This week, I was unable to chat with him at all which is always a little sad, and yet years earlier no one every got to do this.  He is doing so well as you will see.  And the pictures, how in the world will he ever leave these people.  They will definitely take a piece of his heart when he does actually leave.  Sometimes I really just want to pick up the phone and call him, this week it was hard not, too.  But, I do know the rules...darn it all anyway.  Enjoy, always short, but quality not quantity.  Oh, and one thing more, listen to his Spanish, he looks like them and is sounds like them more and more every email.  I sure hope him comes home, and stays! no...

 Hey everyone, well this week was a finding week, it is the new change, and we were set on finding new people, in this week alone we found 16 new investigatores! So we will be working with them and get them progressing, we are working with an amazing new sister that has cancer, we just started talking to her, and she wants to get closer to God, and has been catholic her whole life, but loves the message of the restauracion, so much, that we taught her husband and her husband stopped and asked her if us, the missionaries were confusing the hermana, and she said no, and loves hearing from us, we gave her a Book of Mormon, and she is going to read it and she watched the Restaracion, the video and loved it. We are just happy to help her, I love the people here and finding new people to teach and to find. thats the work, and I love it. Some days I have wanted them to end, but everyday is a new day to find someone new like these people. As for my converts here in this area, everyone is doing well, Jose Manuel had a dream and in his dream, his dad spoke to him and said to him that he wants to be on the same camino or path as he is. So he went to Zacatecas, another state here in Mexico to look for his records of birth!! How cool no? So we are going to plan another temple activity and it will be very rewarding. Love you all and tell caleb to drive safe!! adios!

--

Elder Clayton

 Are they not the cutest kids on the planet...I just want to meet them so badly.

He's Staying Put for Now...

This is a short, but awesome email.  Looks like he is staying.  Unheard of by the sounds of it. I chatted back and forth with him because it was my lunch hour and he was so excited to be able to stay in this area.  He loves these people so much and the feeling is very obvious that it is mutual.  I also received a letter from Sister Swapp that I will include.  I had thanked her for a letter we had received from the mission secretary letting us know that Stetson had been made a District Leader, it is worth putting in his book.  Enjoy...

Well this letter will be a little short, but it was an excellent week, we had the baptism of Norma, Juan Antonio and Lesly. They were a reference from a menos activo...sweet but yeah. So, we started teaching them back in April, with my other comp, and Norma, had always asked we does our church have so much opposition, or why do people always talk bad about our church, she told us straight up that she was looking for the true church, she had been to many churches, and had heard from many others, including the infamous Testigos de Jehovah..oh man, don't get me started. but yeah, so their conversion story is a good one, they faced some difficulty from neighbors, including cursing their house with the Santa Muerte!! but don't worry we blessed the house. but the baptism went very well, I think the coolest part is that we had Samuel, our recent convert baptize with us! Sweet no? They were confirmed yesterday and Lesly, the little girl, gave her testimony in front of everyone!! It was a cool experience and I am thankful for this opportunity to have taught them. They are a wonderful family and very humble. There are changes tonight! but I just found out we are both staying. I honestly have never heard of this long with a comp in this mission, but I am happy. We have two changes together, and will have one more. I am grateful! Well, it turns out this letter is a little long, but whatever. I love you all, and am glad to see that the camp out went well!! les amo muchismo!

--

Elder Clayton

Baptism of 3! We baptized three, and our new convert, Samuel baptized!! :) I baptized Norma, in the middle, Clements baptized Juan Antonio and Samuel baptized Lesly the little girl. 

 con jose manuel!

On Sun, Jul 27, 2014 at 6:00 PM, <claytonmom@comcast.net> wrote:

My husband and I, parents of Elder Stetson Clayton received an email a couple of days ago from the mission secretary of Elder Clayton's new assignment of now serving as a District Leader.  I just want to tell you thank you for having that elder send such a wonderful and thoughtful letter.  Our son had told us of his new calling, and yet in his humble way did not give much other than he has a few other assignments.  As we have had another missionary out, as well as my husband serve, they informed me of the duties as they have had that responsibility given to them as well.

I just wanted to thank you for all you do for our missionaries as they are serving.  I look so forward each week as he writes home and tells of his journey/adventure and watch as his love grows even deeper and more for these people.  He loves them so much and he continues to tell me how quickly his time is going.  I have to disagree a bit.  However I know that a big piece of his heart will remain there and I don't want to wish it away for him.  By the pictures he sends, he does not need to write much to let me know that he is doing exactly what he was sent there to do.  We are so proud of him and will continue to pray for him, as well as all the missionaries in what we feel is the #1 mission in the church:  The Mexico Monterrey West Mission.

As a mom, I could not ask for better people to be watching out for our  son.

Sincerely, your faithful sister,

Tammy Clayton Ü

Thanks so much for your kind words.  We do work hard  after all we owe it to these young men and women that work so hard every day.  Your son´s smile brightens my day when ever I see him.  We do love him.  One more thing.  Elder Clayton says he is related to Kathy Burningham.  When we were first married we lived in the Bountiful 14 ward.  Kathy was the Primary President and I was called as a counselor.  She was older and wiser and always smiling even though I knew that life wasn´t that easy for her.  I had many changes in my life at that time and it wasn´t easy for me either so she was my shining bright hope in what seemed to be so very  hard.

I dearly loved her not sure she knew the importance she was in my life at that time.  If you see her will you tell her for me.

Thanks so much.

Love Jayne Swapp 

10 an Awesome Number, and Loving Life

It was a quick turn around from hearing from him on Wednesday but I was so excited to get another email on Monday. Sorry about the delay in getting to you. We went camping and I neglected to get it out. I did receive a letter from Sister Swapp from a reply that I sent a thank you to her. She said she loves Elder Clayton and his smile makes her day every time. It was such a welcome reward and not surprising as he loves President and Sister Swapp, too. Enjoy, I'm sure tomorrow another will come. It's awesome to think he has so many investigators. He truly is exactly where he should be. 

Thank you so much for following his journey. 

 Well not much has happened since last Wednesday, we had a lot of success Sunday and have been working hard. Yesterday we had 10 investigatores, and if all goes according to plan, we will have the baptism of Norma, Juan Antonio and Leslie on Saturday. The ward loves us and I love the ward, they help us out with rides and its always a good time here. On Saturday we went to the temple with Samuel and Cinthia and that was very special, Samuel participated in baptisms and his wife did as well. In one year they will be back but to be sealed forever. It was fun going on a Saturday, there was a lot of people from all over the place and it was sweet to talk to different people. Also, the past week we went with Jose Manuel and he took us for some Barbacoa, oh wow it was excellent. They have some of the best food here, I cant wait for you all to try some of my favorite foods from here. pues, I love you all and miss you, glad to see that you all had a sweet week and are doing well. Love you

--

Elder Clayton