Mexico City #8 PROGRESS

Elder Blotter and Elder England

Well family:

I have a new scripture message this week; Jacob 4:7.  I have never noticed this scripture, but reading it in Spanish really opened my eyes to it.  "Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness.." It's like in Ether 12:27, Our Heavenly Father shows us our weaknesses, this seems like a curse and not a blessing, but what's the purpose of this life?  PROGRESS!  We can't progress without weakness, that means it is such great love of God to show us what we need to change.  "...that we may know that it is by his grace..." (enabling power) "...and his great condescencions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things."  Through the enabling power of the atonement, we can become more than we are right now.  In this very instant.  It doesn't matter what we are now.  Now is the time to change, and it's through his blessings that we can do those things asked of us.  To everyone reading this, I know that we all have the power to become more.  I absolutley know that.  We can all achieve those things asked of us-by callings, or by circumstances of life.  We all have that power.  We are all made in the image of God right?  That means that we all have the same capacity as Him. The capacities of Love, Power, Action, everything.  I absolutlely know that that is true.  No matter what YOUR circumstance, YOU can become more.  It's in our nature.  It's part of who we are.  

I love you all.  Please include me in your prayers,.  I need your prayers.  This area needs your prayers.  The world needs your prayers.

If you're with courtney right now, tell her I love her and hug that new baby for me!  I probably should go soon, but know that I love you and so grateful for you.

I love you ,

Elder Clayton Rodney England

Elder Gomez and Elder England

What? Elder Gagon and Elder England

"Mexican Fury!"

Mexico #7

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Clayton England

11/11/13

To: TODD D ENGLAND

• 

Dear mom/Family,

Hahaha! mom that´s so funny that you sent me 5 of the same packages!   Because in reality, those packages never go into the hands of the mexican postal service!  Hahaha!  It goes through the Church.   The address sends it first to Salt Lake, then to Mexico using whatever the church uses to get supplies to chapels and stuff like that.   I guess I´m just going to pig out!!  How awesome!!!  

Dad, that´s a bummer that you tore your menuscus!  You can believe me when I say I know exactly how that feels.  It´s a good thing that racing cars isn´t too hard on knees.  Hahaha!   I remember when you got surgery on your arm and me and mason came to bring you meds and you were asking mom if you could come play tennis with us!   Hahaha!  That was so funny!

Ok about those questions´, Yes we have a mission card, but we use once a month to get money from the atm.  There really is no where to use it.  The tiendas(stores) dont have a reader thingy and we never go to a supermarket, so we really never use it.  But now we have a ton of food.  I love nutella!!!  Nutella is so expensive here though...like 45 pesos. thats ridiculous!!!  its like 3 dollars and it really is so expensive!

Mom, that truly is a very good tactic at getting kids to church!  In the scriptures, we´re told to do missionary service with pursuasion.  That totally falls under that category.  Usually i think that means just outsmarting someone and making them WANT to accept the gospel.  Genius mom!

I had a feeling that something was going wrong with Cole.  I included him in my Fast last Sunday and truly pray for a miracle in his life.  His life is so hard, but one of my new favorite scripures is 

D.&C. 58:2-4 .  It says that now we don´t understand our situations, and our tribulations, but in the next life everything is going to make sense as being for our good.  I love it!  I know Cole was a valiant spirit in the pre life.  I know it.  He must have done such amazing things to be trusted with the life that he has now.  He is strong.

That´s so awesome that you guys are going to be traveling alot!  Cassidy wrote me and i´m going to read it after this letter!  That is sooo awesome that amanda and courtney are due soon!  I really am going to miss those two new babies alot!  Also how is chelsey doing?

Ok this week...

Well Monday we had a zone activity and we played basketball in the ward house in Mixuaca.  That place is a lot more ghetto than my area, which is super nice...well for mexico.  After we played basketball were planched...chewed out...by our zone leaders because of our poor numbers this week.  In all honesty me and my companion and the sisters in our district are the only companionships that doesn´t have at least one frito(lazy) comp.  

Well tuesday, i don´t remember because it was probably uneventful, full of work, but nothing too crazy.

Wednesday was when all the fun started.  I went on splits with Elder Blotter again, and I can say he's my best friend here.  I look up to him alot, and he is helping me so much.  Well that day, I talked with my mission president.   I don´t know why, but I felt I just needed to talk with him.  Well he helped me alot, and I returned to work with Elder Blotter who stayed another night because we couldn´t change in time before curfew.

Well thursday, i was with my companion again, and it was a bad/good day.  During my time with Elder Blotter, I learned more of my companion, and shared more.  We decided that my companion needed some help from Elder Blotter so we went on another split the following day.  After that day I had about an hour and a half talk with my companion.  ) We patched every single thing up.  He really showed me how much he loved me.  I truly am so indebted to him.   I love him.  He´s my padre.  Now we are best friends.

Oh yeah!!!!!!   Our baptism was yesterday, and i forgot my camera...i know I'm dumb.  It was funny because I performed the ordinance, and I hit josé´s head on the wall!!!!!!!! But he didn´t notice!!!!!!!  Another soul joined us yesterday, what a beautiful day!

I'm tring to change, to come unto Christ. any suggestions?  Please help me figure this out.   This morning I had the chance to read cousin Riley´s story again, and I want so badly to apply the atonement in my life like that.  

Also my investigator jesus had surgery, please remember him in your prayers.  

Les Amo

Elder Clayton England

Mexico City#6 Testimony

From: Clayton England <clayton.england@myldsmail.net>
Date: October 14, 2013 at 4:58:39 PM MDT
To: Todd England <Todd.England@crengland.com>
Subject: Re: Hi from home

¡Hola Papá!

  

This week has just flown by!  When you're really working time is super wierd!

I was really happy to see those pictures  it was really nice to see you guys!!!  Mom sent me a picture of cody with his gnarly moustache.  haha!  That thing is super gross!  He really looks like a nazi of some sort...It's good to hear that chelsey's baby is doing well, that really calms me down.   I've been praying for connor to find a girl so maybe this is the one.   I also super glad that chase and amanda and the boys are doing well!  I know cassidy LOVES to travel so she is loving that.  Who's the girl she's with in the picture on the left?  Tell cassidy to tell her to wait for me?!    I'm not surprised at all about Alex and his talk, honestly he's a people person.   I've always looked up to him.  

Also its nice to hear that the Utes are doing good!  I don't know if i told you, but when they played BYU, we could hear the game from the corner of the MTC.  It was so awesome to hear the Utah fight song and know that we were winning!!!   One of my branch presidency members is a huge BYU fan so it was nice to rub the game in his face.  (he's cool, so no worries)  

 

I'm sorry to hear about cole and his seizures.  I think about him a lot, and how having him as a brother has helped me so much in life.  I know i could have been a better brother to him, i regret that, but I really admire him, he's a really strong guy.

  This Friday and Saturday was really hard with remembering Max's passing.  It doesn't feel like it was a year ago.  It feels like yesterday.  I completely agree with Courtney and Gordon not wanting to go to church.  I know i couldn't do it.  I'm pretty sure that Max is with me a lot of the time here.  I can never really be positive, but I like to think that all of our family members on the other side of the veil are helping all of us.  I ask Heavenly Father a lot for help from Grandma Stander and Grandma England, and Max, Uncle Rodney, and cousin Riley England.  Thinking about it right now, I really believe that they are helping me everyday.  I am really praying for Courtney, Gordon and Jax right now.  They really are so strong, and like Grandpa said,  "We don't know why things happen but they happen for a reason.  It's all part of one master plan."  That to me, sometimes makes no sense.  but I know heavenly father knows us and he knows what we need.  

Well this week was a lot better.  me and my compandion are becoming good friends, and spanish is coming... slowly, but coming....Dios es nuestro Padre Celestial, bajo le direccion jesucristo creó la tierra para nosotros.  Somos aquí a aprender y crecer.  Dios quiere nos enseñe por medio de experiencias y truebas.  yo sé que este vida es duro pero yo sé que con padre celestial y el poder de la expiación que podemos hacer todas cosas.  

 I'm not really sure that was right, but chase and rhett will hopefully be able to read it.  ok something funny.  

Well yesterday in church me and my companion taught sunday school to the new converts and investigators, which we have 6 or 7.  I didn't know we were teaching until that morning and had exactly 0 minutes to prepare.   It was on the principles of the gospel.  When my turn to teach came again, I had nooooo idea what the paragraph said in the book.  I know all the people in the room well enough to say in spanish,  "I really don't know what this says so i'm just gonna read it".   After I read it,  I bore a very simple testimony saying "I don't know what this says but I know that it's true"!  I just looked at them and smiled and then they laughed.  That was really really REALLY humbling!!! 

 Something interesting...ok Well we have an investigator Jose, his girlfriend is a member and he has already read 1 Nephi before we started teaching him. He came with us to church for the first time and it was testimony meeting.  I wanted to share my testimony and introduce myself to my new ward, so I went up.   A few minutes later, Jose came up too.  I waited for him to go first, and he stood and said.  "This is my first time in church, but I know that this church is true.  I know that the Book of Mormon is true and I want to become a member of this Church."  This is what i understood at least!   Isn't that soooo cool!!!  His baptism is november 10?    Muy chido!

 On a mission you do a lot of soul searching.  I really want to change over these next two years.  I want to change so I can be a better son, brother, father, husband, friend...all these things.  I don't want to come home and still be me.  I want to be Clayton, the Clayton that is alls  ya'll favorite!

 But I really want to be better for others.  Does this make sense?  I really want to become who Heavenly Father wants me to be.  This reminds me of something that I learned in the MTC.   Becoming converted and having a testimony are two completely different things.  Becoming converted is doing all those things that build your testimony until those things become part of who you are.  They become part of your nature and you want to do those things because it's who you are and what God wants of you.  The main goal of this is becoming like Christ.   What Christ is, is completely selfless.  He turns out to others when the natural man would turn in, to himself.  I want to not even worry about my self for the rest of my life.  I want to help others.  I want to help you guys, my family.  Thank you, all of you for helping me prepare for my mission.  I really am so indebted.  This week I read in Alma 45 - Helaman 5.  A scripture that spoke to me is the  one about the strippling warriors and their mothers.  "Mom, Dad you too, thank you so much for raising me like you did.  My Patriarchal Blessing says I should look to you two to know how to raise my family right.  Thank you.

I love you all, and Im praying for you all!!!

-Elder Clayton Rodney England

My address for mail is:

Mision Mexico Este

Av: 510 #90 col. San Juan de Aragon

Delegacion: Gustavo A. Madero

Mexico Df

CP 07950

Para:Elder Clayton Rodney England

Moctezuma Barrio Aeropuerto

Mexico City#5

Clayton England

11/11/13

To: TODD D ENGLAND

• 

I forgot to add a spiritual part.

 What I´ve learned this week is how hard Satan tries against us.  Really if you think of it, we have one third of all beings trying to make us fail.  Right now that´s like 5 per person--or something.  haha! I'm not going to pretend to know.  But Satan is trying hard.  He only has as much power as we give him.  If we mess up, we need to immedately get back on the right course!!!   Because then we can stay out of his power.  God is our Father in Heaven.  He loves us and he gave us his Son because He doesn´t want us to fall in the wrong hands.  I love this work.  Keep the faith.

love,

Elder Clayton Rodney England

Mexico City#4 Baptism!

Family!!!

1)   Please, please, please send snickers or twix or something like that, and please send something i can give to my companion.  If you could, a Little model england truck, or a car.  something cool like that.  some medicine.  Like fiber ohhhh and health snacks!!!!  I''m getting fat!!  ok and and q tips, baby wipes and i uess any thing else you want to send me!

2)   I love the photos.  From the pictures I sent last week,  I have  our family photo in my scriptures for when I have a bad moment.

3)My spanish is doing alright right now, so mom you don't need to fast anymore.  I appreciate it, and it really has helped.  I've been very blessed.

Ok so family:

I think I'm going to write a big letter to the family and the others that right me so I can keep thngs straight.

Wow this week has been a long one!  This has been a week full of ups and downs.  Really nice experiences and reallyhard days. 

Well tuesday last week, I had a really tough morning. I was feeling like I really didn't know if the Savior even wanted me here.  It was really hard until companionship study.  Right before, I felt the impression to pray.  During the prayer I felt impressed to get a blessing from my companion.  My copanion gave me one of the most beautiful blessings.  The gift of toungues was present because I could understand everything.  Immediately I felt a flood of peace fill my soul.  I felt the love of Christ in my heart.   I know that i'm wanted here.

Like I said this week was hard.  My compaionion, Elder lopez, is by all means a very good Elder in comparision to the ""fritos" in the missión.  Before this misision, as you guys know, I wasn't always one to stick to something.  Before my missión I prayed so much to be blessed with a hard working companion.  The Lord Heard me!  My companion WORKS really hard.   He's from a little pueblo more north where the people really aren't that nice.  He Works!  I really need to be grateful for that and have more patience with him.  I''ve made a new goal to never ever raise my voice at my companion, because when I'm married, I will not be a man who yells at his wife.  I need to learn now for skills for the future.

Ok, so like I said earlier, the airport is right next to my missión.   It rain's about once a week, but the city is really dirty.  The subway...well a man rolled in glass today to get money from people...that was interesting...  haha I honestly love this place!

Right now 'm trying to change so I'm giving EVERYTHING to the misión.  I never ever want to relax and become lazy.  Please help me never do that!

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Well, I'm baptizing our investigator this sunday!!!!!   I will send you pictures next week.

I love you all.  

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yo sé que ese iglesia es verdadero.  Yo sé que Jesucristo es nuestro salvador y todos nosotros tenemos el poder a cambiar nuestros mismos.  Estoy muy agradacido por ustedes.  Les amo con todo me corazón

con amor

Elder Clayton Rodney England