Feliz Navidad & the Phone Call

This week was more of just conversation back and forth, and arranging our phone call.  So excited to talk with him.

Mom:  Your packages??? I'm so hoping you had gifts at the party. Spoke with Elder Brown's mom yesterday and that guy is not going to Mexico for a little bit. Says the borders are closed. So his Christmas is still here with them. I told her I sent enough for the both of you...that is if you got it!!!ok thanks!

Elder Clayton:  It still isnt here, we are going to the offices friday, I bet they will be there then! its all good thouhg! thats cool you talked with his mom

Mom:  So nothing??? I sent two and the ward sent one, too. On my heart is so sad!!! I'm so sorry pal. I sent them in plenty of time and I tracked them. Cleared customs December 15 was the 2nd one. Bummer!

Elder Clayton:  Its all good! So I have three coming! that is crazy! I am sure they will get here, it is always slowed down right now at this time of year. how is Caleb and Bridger? what are they getting for Christmas??

Mom:  A year membership to planet fitness. Don't tell them. Ha ha. The usual after that a new hoodie underarmour one so you can have yours back. I am going to tell you there are thermal garments in both boxes. Some for you and two pair for Elder Gomez. Just so you know. Is it still cold? So you can use them.

Elder Clayton:   It isnt cold right now, but it will get cold in january, its not cold to you guys, but to me it is! it gets pretty cold here though, when it rains as well.

 Having a carne asada behind the house with our ghetto grill! 

This is our investigator Omar and --

We went to a birthday party and this guy was here, I guess he is famous here in Mexico! every mexican we have asked, knows him! haha he sang with a group at a birthday party of a member

 These are the 6 elders in huasteca, we all ate together this day and the hermana,
who is a convert gave us stockings!

Oh and Elder Biggs goes home in 6 days!

This was truly my favorite gift of Christmas.  This totally captures his laugh and smile and what I miss the most.  He sounded so great and it was awesome to hear him and Bridger talk in Spanish for quite awhile.  He was so happy and although his packages did not get to him he said it was all good.  He was thinking they would all be there on Friday.  I guess he can have Happy New Year gifts!

A Purchased Book of Mormon brings Happiness & Organization is Key

Was going to fix the spelling errors and then decided to not do it. He is our best speller and I can see that his Spanish has taken over. But this is a really good one..

He's in the middle. If you enlarge it you'll see him. He didn't have his camera today. This is all we got. 

Feliz Navidad Familia Clayton! Well this week was kind of hard, I dont know why but some times that happens! but its all good. We just had one investigator come to church yesterday out of our teaching pool, but esta bien. Omar came yesterday and it was the coolest story how we met him. So two weeks ago after writing, we wanted to go to Carls Junior to eat, so we walked to the avenue to get a taxi, got a taxi and started talking to the taxista, we presented ourselves and he was like ¨you know what, I am actually reading a book by your church, the Book of Mormon, I bought it in a market, like a flea market for 10 pesos and I am about half way through¨ and we were astonished! That doesnt happen everyday, so it was kind of funny how this guy had just found a book of mormon and BOUGHT IT! haha its free! and started reading it, we cant pay some of these people 10 pesos to even read it, but he lived out of our area, but he told us that he grew up in the area that we work, so we asked for the address in our area where he had grown up and we went two days later and we met Omar! Omar is 42, an engineer and super smart, he is really difernet but he loves to learn, oh and he has already read the Book of Mormon, and he really liked it. we are helping him to quit smoking and he is super happy about the church. Its honestly amazing how we find some of the people that we teach. Its just super clear that we are sent. We were meant to be in that taxi and to met that man, who was the brother of omar. Oh!! and we are teaching a familiy who are part of a different church called Luz del Mundo. They beleive that they have one apostle and that he takes the place of Jesus Christ, which is apostasy. but you arent going to believe it, we were going to this house to teach them and Elder Brown and I were talking about this church, and if this guy passes away, what happens to the church?? and I am not kidding, it was a wednesday and we talked to the family and they were all sad and we asked what was up and their leader had passed away monday!! so crazy, so..they are lost right now. They dont know the process when one passes away, they thought he was inmortal. In all honesty, its sad because they are lost and we felt bad.So it was kind of crazy, I am thankful for the organiation of our church, we knows what happens if our Profet passes away, we are a church of order and I am thankful for that. I love you all!! Feliz Navidad! I dont have my camera, but will send pics next week!! Adios!!

Elder Clayton

See if you can find me in here, I am right in the middle but in the back, behind the Elder next to the sister

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Elder Clayton

Staying "Home" for the Holidays, and their Zone is #1

Looks like he's staying "home" for Christmas. Didn't get any pictures this week, however last week got 14.  So, I can't complain.  He loves his area, district, zone and most importantly the people. So he is so excited to be here for the holidays. Just 9 days and we get to talk to him. To say I'm excited is definitely an understatement. Enjoy...

Hola Familia Clayton! Well the change has ended here in the mission! Presidente has changed how the transfers work, in the past we found out Monday night and changes are Tuesday morning, but now we found out Sunday and changes are today! So we found out that Elder Brown and I are staying and we are super happy to spend Christmas time here in Huasteca. I would honestly say its one of the best places to be for Christmas! So we are happy, also Huasteca, our zone came out to be number one in the mission! We were very happy and proud of the zone and the work they did this last change. We have 8 new Elders coming into the zone, who have some time in the mission so we are excited to have experience in the zone. Yesterday we went to the Devotional de Navidad, I liked it a lot, and this next week there will be a program at the temple, we are all excited for. We had two new investigators that came to church yesterday, and they loved it. They are named Berenice and Karla, its funny how we found them. We went to a house and weren't there, and right next door, there was someone screaming at what we thought were kids, but just screaming and yelling, and I told my comp, we gotta contact this person! haha I like talking to everyone and getting to know them, and my comp jokingly said, I am scared to contact this person because they were yelling so loud, so we contacted the house and the nicest lady came out! Turns out she was yelling at her dog! We are quick to judge, and turns out she has a friend that was a missionary in of all places Honduras, but in Tegucigalpa. She is super nice, and recognizes the spirit and loved the church yesterday. Our first lesson we asked her what she was looking for in life and she said peace, and she told us that she has found a lot of peace from our visits and by praying and reading, for sure an escogida. I love the work, and finding the people that are ready. This week that comes up is semana 1!! We will be working hard and sharing with everyone la Dadiva. love you all!! Feliz Navidad.

Stake Conference, Thanksgiving & Seeing Old Friends

Oh how I love when we get great emails and LOTS of pictures.  This was a bonus week.  I was able to be on with him and he chatted about Thanksgiving and how time is going too quickly for him.  He is so happy and they are seeing so many miracles and lives changing.  I love reading how he recognizes the Lord's hand in their lives and his own.  I remember thinking on Thanksgiving and saying a small prayer in my heart hoping he might have something good to eat.  With so many Americans where he was I was very hopeful that it would happen.  It sure did.  They were well feed.  We talked to Bridger about his Thanksgivings in Honduras, rice and beans for sure.  This Elder has been well taken care of...in so many ways.  Enjoy...

Hello Clayton fam! This week was so sick! First off, let me tell you that yesterday was stake conference and it was awesome. President Swapp and Hermana Swapp came and talked about the Christmas campaign the church is doing, its going to be really big and everyone is really excited! After Stake conference, I went to go see the Familia Briones, the dad and teenager, Joel and Joel were all there and so was Elder Gomez, he had a surprise for us and he told us that he had been preparing to receive the Melquesidec priesthood!! I was so pumped. Elder Gomez confirmed him an Elder and the whole family was way happy. Elder Gomez and I felt very thankful to the Lord and the opportunity we had to baptize Joel and Joel and 8 months from the baptism date give him the mayor sacerdocio. Super cool. Also, I saw the Hermana Catalina!! She was very excited to see me, she is doing well and she thanked me for being there in a time of need in her life. When I think of it all, it was just a miracle how we found Jose Manuel and helped him and his family. It gives me the testimony that God really does have a way of things, and he uses very small mediums to effect much larger things. Just like it says in the Book of Mormon in Alma 37. Its all true, it has been more than a blessing to be an instrument in his hands to help his children here in Monterrey. Also this week, we had a baptism of Armando, and we have his son, Gilberto scheduled this next week! We are hoping that he decides to baptism, he just has some small doubts but we are willing to help him. Oh and thanksgiving we ate Turkey dinner with the convert of Elder Brown who is helping us divorce a guy so that he can get married, here in Mexico there is a way for everything haha. Oh and those burritos..nombre yo andaba bien full. It was a fun week and this week that comes up is going to be great as well! love you all!!

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Elder Clayton