Mexico City #65

Mexico City #65

Mom and Dad,

This week has been one of the most difficult of my mission.  I don’t want you guys to freak out at all.  This has been really hard.  I am not going to let this turn into a complaint letter so I am going to talk about the amazing things I am learning from this experience;

 1) The Atonement is a real thing that happened.

    My testimony has grown this week about the atonement.  Christ knows exactly what I am going through.  He knows why I am going through it, and He knows how I can overcome it.  I know that he knows this because I can testify that he bled for me in the Garden of Gethsemane.  There was a moment when He paid for me; my pains, temptations, and sins.  He paid for every sadness.  I share my testimony that I know that as divine blood fell on olive leaves.  Christ felt what I am feeling now so that I can endure to the end.

2) Communication is so important.

    Throughout this week I have seen that talking with your companion or your wife or husband is needed.  When one is too angry to talk we must search for ways to calmly resolve the problem.  The lord gave us one mouth and two ears.  We must listen twice as much as we talk.  This goes along with communication with the lord.  We must always be willing to pray.  Always.  The lord does not need our prayers, but we need them.  We need to be in constant communication with Deity so that we may endure to the end.

3) Humility is a key of success in this life.

     This week I have seen the need to grow my own humility.  When we worry about who’s right over what’s right we lose our humility, and that happened to me this week.  The ability to take a step back and eliminate my own agenda, escaped me so much this week.  I know that it is an attribute that I must develop.  I bear my testimony that humility helps us in every step of this life’s journey.  

Honestly mom and dad, I have felt so alone this week, and I am so grateful for the KNOWLEDGE that you are praying for me.  I know that I am remembered in your prayers.  I know that the lord has not left me alone, but has allowed me to be tried and tested by the adversary so that I may become different.  Thank you so much for your love.

Again as I said, do not worry and stress.  I know that the Lord wants me to learn a lot with my companion, that’s why it’s so hard.  I know that I can be obedient throughout this whole experience, and that is the most important.  

Honestly the only problem is that it is just hard to adapt to live with someone else, and to be in close quarters with someone of a different culture altogether.  I know that the Lord will help me, and that he will guide me.  

President Uchdorf has said that we must not just serve in our priesthood callings, but we must also seek the beautiful moments while we serve.  Those moments have appeared out of my reach these weeks, but It is something I must find.  It is my privilege to feel the love of God as I serve.  I know this, and I share it in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Elder Clayton Rodney England

P.S. I will have p day Wednesday next week just so you know.  I will write Wednesday.  More days to write me!!! Yeah!

Mexico City #66B

I think I am still learning how to write you guys well.  haha I hope I dont´ sound super depressed all the time, man that´s annoying! Ha,ha!

Ok some fun things that have happened this week.

Well I am in a ward with sisters now, and we eat together with the members.  I see now that my social skills with the opposite sex have crashed and burned.  I now do not know how to talk to girls.  Also my "Mission Goggles" are going super strong.  If a girl isn´t super, super big fat, (but I don't like to say that) and if she has make up I, think she´s pretty....That will be wierd to get home and see local pretty girls…

Every once in a while I think I speak spanish well and then someone comments something like :Well, I don´t really understand you, but I feel good:¨  Hahaha!   I love when that happens.

I bought protien today.  i´m gonna get strong again before I get home.  

Moving is rough as a missionary...I don´t think I have ever seen a more stuffed suit case in my life.  Surprised that nothing broke in the move.

It is super cold here.  haha who would have thought that mexico would be cold, but it is freezing!  I think I will die back in utah!  

I am really happy right now.  I think the Lord really helps us to always remain humble, but also to remain happy.  

love you guys!  

We did a service project and brought toys to kids who needed a christmas.  They were so happy and I think we arrived right as their parents were yelling at them.  Great timing!!!

Elder Clayton Rodney England

Mexico City #66A

Mexico City #66 A

01/0 6,/2015

Dear Mom and Dad,

This week has gone by sooo slow you have no idea.  It did not go by slow because it was hard.  It went by slow for something that happened Thursday.  After Monday, my companion and me got everything patched up.  We were working well, and then Thursday I got a call from one of our assistants to the mission president.  He told me I had changes, and that I was going to be a Zone Leader.  That’s why the week went by so slow.  I already knew that I was going, and I just had to put forth my best effort until Tuesday when we actually got changed.  So that’s what happened.   Monday they told my companion that he had changes too.  We both left our area.  It was super weird because that hardly happens.  

So that’s what’s going on.  I am now in the barrio(ward) in the estaca(stake) Ecatepec.  My area is a giant hill.  Honestly the streets are super steep.  I am going to have thunder thighs, or I am going to be even skinnier.  We’ll see.  

My companion is Elder Jimenez.  I’m with another Dominican, but Elder Polanco and Elder Jimenez are super different.  My companion right now is super calm, and a super great missionary.  He is super smart, and super stoked on working.  I am really happy to be working with him.  Our ward is pretty big,.  I don’t know many people, but it is a lot more organized than Rios.  

I am really grateful for this chance to serve.  I honestly love being here on the mission.  We receive so many blessings.  I love being able to talk about the ¨good news¨ of the gospel so much.   We are teaching the Montes Family.  We taught them yesterday.  They invited us to eat ¨la rosca de reyes¨.  It’s a cake here that the eat on ¨dia de los reyes.¨  It’s where they celebrate when the 3 Wiseman got to Jesus and gave him presents.  Hidden in the cake are 4-6 little plastic dolls of the baby Jesus.  If you cut the cake and get one you have good luck, and you have to buy tamales for the family.  The last part is just like a joke, but it was fun to do that with them.  

We started talking about eternal marriage with them last night, and they all got super surprised.  They loved it; I think we will have so great blessings with them soon.  It’s a family of like 6 or 7 people.  

I love you guys so much.  Keep praying for me, and keep working hard.  Remember the Lord’s work, and participate as much as you can. 

I love you two.  

So I don’t forget, the Christmas packages haven’t gotten here.  I don’t know if united postal service works too well here.  But I’ll see tomorrow because I have to go to the mission offices.  

This is my new comp and I.

-- Elder Clayton Rodney England