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

Mexico City #3 Getting used to the WORK

Dear Elder Clayton:

Message from Sunday Night Dinner 

Hi Clayton  I miss but I am very proud of you what you doing.   I am at your house  

for family home meeting.  Cole just gave great lesson.  May the Lord bless you.

    Grandpa    Stander

Love ya grandpa!! so not much time!! but i love you!

elder england

Sent: Monday, October 21, 2013 4:17 PM
To: Todd England
Subject: Re: Dear Elder England

Dear dad,

This week has been one of the hardest of my life.  monday, like you were asking, I got sick.  Not super super sick, but pretty sick.  I ate with a member last p/day and we had enchiladas....those enchiladas absolutely destroyed me!  It was so terrible haha i got "the runs" (school of rock) and then because the enchiladas were spicy, my bottom was completely destroyed from about tuesday to thursday...sooooo fun..but I'm all better now.  I really do like the food.  It's not American, which I miss alot, but it is really filling.  I'm really afraid of getting fat.  I REALLY do not want to get fat.  but everything here is made to do that to you....deep fried everything...meat...cheese...soda...and pan(deserts)  This is essentially what I eat everyday...oh and cereal and bread for breakfast. haha but I am starting to like it here right now.

I´m glad everyone is doing well!  I worry about you guys sometimes.  I don´t know what it is, but I´m glad to hear that you are all doing fine! 

ok funny story, there is a rally car garage near my house, and this week I went and talked to the owner of the rally car out front.  haha I was trying to describe heel toe to him and it just became a mess and I just ended up saying...gracias...nos vemos...

 As I said this was the hardest week, well my brain started to shut off because of all the spanish.  I literally could not understand a single person which was really bad because my comp had the bright idea to go on splits haha.   Its a good thing I love him, but I went with a young man in my barrio (ward) and we went to a party in the chapel and talked to one of our investigators.  Well as I said I couldnt understand anyone, and so I kind of had a break down and had this 16 year old kid take care of me...I did not feel like a missionary at all.  I felt like a dumb guerro(white boy) in the wrong country.  This non understanding has gone on until now, but my zone leader,  Elder Blotter has told me that it happens to everyone, and not to freak out.  So today on p day I just stopped with the spanish.  I needed to calm my brain down so today I read the story of Riley England.  Wow it touched my heart so much.  I need the Savior more in my life.  I really do.  I have taken for granted my relationship with Him, and I need to build it.  I need to do it because I  need to change.  I know this is the time that I prepare for the rest of my life. I need to become converted.  I want it so badly, and i can feel the spirit working with me.  

                                  Well dad, I love you. I need to write mom now, so nos vemos

                                                        Elder Clayton Rodney England

 

Dear mom,

I'm addressing this to both you and dad because i know your email is cluttered a lot.

mom, I totally took for granted how much you do for me.  I love you and I'm so grateful.  I'm so grateful for all the lessons you've taught me.  You've taught me that it's not a choice to serve the Lord.  It's just what you do.  I don't know where I'd be without that lesson.  You've shown me true love, and hard work for others.  You work sooooo hard for others.  It's so amazing.  I'm so blessed to have a mother like you.  I'm here because of you, for you, and so I can marry someone as great as you someday.  Thank you for teaching me so much.

Well this week was really rough.  I got really sick, details are in dad's letters, and I didn't really feel the spirit that much.  I think that was because my head was so cluttered with the spanish.  It's impossible to feel the spirit when your body isn't health?   Speaking of which how are you?  | remember you saying something about being sick a few weeks ago about being sick, so please fill me in.

Well I am really sorry for not writing you.  I really am.  I know that it must have been really frustrating.  

Right now I'm really trying to grow closer to Christ.  I need to change from him.  I need his comfort while out here on the mission.  

Another thing, thank you for teaching me to give my all to the lord. I haven't always lived that way, but I want to give everything.  I want to be able to get home and tell you that I worked the day before I came just like my very first day.  I want to say that I studied spanish until the last day.  I want to be able to say I did all I could for the lord.  Just like Riley.  I want to give everthing, and become converted.  Thank you for the things like the story of Riley.

mom I love you, I miss you. and I'm here because of you.

I know this Church is true.  I love it so much, and I love sharing it with others. 

te amo mam'a

Elder Clayton Rodney England

Mexico City #2 address for Clayton

Elder Clayton England's experiences as a missionary in the Mexico City East Mission!

 Please send all mail and packages to the mission home.
 Mission Home Address:

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 #1 Clayton gets to Mexico City!

                                                          Clayton Gets to Mexico City!

Oct. 7, 2013 Hola! Well first week in the field…I may say that this has been the longest week in my entire life! In the MTC I had so little to write about and now I have too much! Hope you like the photo from my Mission President. I love that guy! He is super cool.







 Do you like our washing machine? It's now from GE. our laundry room…outside!













 Here's an update on my first week: On Monday we land and went right to Temple Square, spent the night at the Mission Home and with the Mission President. The house was super cool. The next day we left and had a 10 hour training followed up with meeting our companions.

 My companion is Elder Lopez and I'll talk about him later. On Tuesday night we went to a recently baptized member's home. It honestly moved so fast. It felt insane! My area is Aero Puerto, which is one of the safest areas here, I'm told. You wouldn't know from looking at it though. I wake up to police sirens. On Friday I had one of the funniest days of my life. After study time, me and my companion left to go have my companion buy new garments. But when we got to the metro station, there were other Elders. All of a sudden, I was on the other side of the railing with a different missionary and my companion was asking away. We had gone on splits and I had not had any idea. It was super funny. Part of the reason I didn't understand what my companion was telling me was…he didn't! He's from this Mexican state that is mainly rural. His spanish is not what I learned from the MTC, or what I'm hearing it. From what I can tell is that he speaks some sort of hick spanish because I can kinda understand others.

 But whatever, back to the splits. Well, me and Elder Alva, (he's dope!) went back to his apartment where there were two other American missionaries I knew from Utah. We studied for a couple of hours and then went out to do some service.




Our service project was to walk a member and her son to a school so they could pick up her daughter. She needed help because last time she had been beaten up by thugs in the middle of the day while doing this simple thing….not America here! While we were walking with them to school, I was talking to her son. He was about 4 years old. He spoke much better spanish than me. I had to say "Como? (what) sooooo many times. I was laughing so hard at myself. So we walked these two to the school that turned out to be an All Girls Middle School. The funniest thing happened when when all the girls came out of the school. They started gathering around us. It was so funny. They would talk to me and quickly realize that I spoke the same amount of spanish as a rock. But they kept saying :Sus Ojos! Their eyes! That was super funny to me because they are super excited to see someone with any color in their eyes.

 Well, my companion is Elder Lopez. We missed the first session of General Conference on Saturday. I have no idea why…so weird. In General Conference I heard the quote from The Great Gatsby, something about beating on against the current, keep on rowing, something like that. So Family, I want to tell you to keep rowing. Keep on pushing. Keep on pushing against the current. We are born to succeed. It's the only reason we are here. Heavenly Father wants all of us to succeed! I'm reading Alma 40-55 this week. Please study with me.


 I love you guys,
Elder Clayton Rodney England

MTC #7 24/7 Spiritual

 Mom:
Ok, I will try to get a go phone in the airport, I'm not sure if they have them in Salt Lake, so if not I will call you both there, and in Houston at around 10-12. I will call you earlier in Salt Lake at around 6 in the morning. That way we can coordinate better. 

 Thank you so much for the letter mom, it was really nice to read. haha i do not judge you at all for the letters, haha don't stress it. 

 Well this is the last email i will have in the United States, I'm really excited, and really nervous!! I'm scared I won't have the drive, but I know Heavenly Father will help me out with this! 

Well, I could hear the BYU Utah game, and I got a pretty good sense that Utah was winning most of the time because I could hear the Utah song playing a lot of the time! That was pretty awesome!! 

Something I'm studying: right now: I am using pmg to develop Christlike attributes, and I'm studyin hope. It was really interesting to me that hope and faith were in different catagories. What I've been learning is that hope really is a strong firm belief in the blessings of Heavenly Father. Hope is knowing that God will keep His word, especially when you don't have a sure knowledge. Hope is always the most powerful when it's hard to have. If you push on when it's hard, you come out at least 3 times stronger! haha...that's a joke! 

Something spiritual; this one's hard because 24/7 is spiritual hear, so it's hard to have specific times. I think this week was in the temple, and I couldn't really tell what Heavenly Father was telling me. It was really frustrating...I think this is an important spiritual lesson, because we often know what we need to do, but we feel like we always need spiritual confirmation. Sometimes we need to just take a leap and go and do! I know what I need to do; I need to serve Heavenly Father well and give it my all. 

 Thank you mom for preparing me for this. 
-I love you ma 
-Elder Clayton Rodney England

MTC #6 Last Week in MTC

Dear Dad/Family,

So another week in the MTC. I guess the very last one!!! It feels so insane! The time here just moves so differently!!! It feels like just last week I got here. All the days are the same so they just blend together!!!

 Ok this week...? Kind of a weird week, doing everything here for the last time. I'm gonna miss my district really bad! It's so fun, in class during our 5 minute breaks, we play 7 on the line in the classroom with a little mini basketball hoop! Haha it's become a pastime here in district 62c! Our teachers, Hermano (brother) Launsbury, and Toledo get really into it too. It gets really competitive sometimes, but its good, it helps us keep our sanity!!

 In this place it's sometimes easy to forget that there is an outside world..Thats why I'm so excited to get out and help people!!! It actually gives me something to do, something to actually push for!! Umm ok I'm really trying to think of things that happened this week...everything feels like the same day. Last night, we had our Tuesday night devotional by one of the Seventy. I don't remember his name, but he was really good! His whole talk was just perfect for a missionary just about to leave the MTC. He really stressed that it's our decision as LatterDay Saints, to be happy, make our lives better, and to love the Lord. It was really cool. He also said alot about including your family in the work! I know my e-mails haven't been exactly impressive for the last little while. I'm gonna start stepping up my game. So this week, I'm gong to be studying Alma Chapters 7-25. Will you read them and share with me your thoughts and impressions? So I can get the most of them?? It'll be just like family scripture reading!!!

Ok,I got my flight plans on friday!!! Yes I am leaving the 30!! My flight from here to Dallas is at 6:25. Do you want me to call you then or during my layover in Dallas for two hours? I can e-mail again on Saturday, so I will be able to see your answers. I am going to buy a pre-paid card, I think, I'm not sure though. Your thoughts??

Ok courtney gordon and Jax! Thats so awesome you are in Mexico! How is it?! Are you doing well? How's the baby? Jax bones...snail! I do that to a lot of people here...it's still apart of me. Gordon, how's your insides? Are you still super healthy? or no? I am praying for you guys! Keep me posted!

Chase and Amanda. I think I have your address now, so I am going to send you guys a letter today, I think with some stuff for the boys, but I'm not sure! I miss them.

 Oh yeah, Chase, Gordon, Rhett, Connor, Dad, any insights from your mission you feel like you want to share with me? This mission thing is tough. I know I can do it, but it really is so hard!! How do you know if you're really ready?

Connor, how are you man? I was talking to another Elder in my district andIi was telling him about you. haha sometimes you just crack me up!! There are a lot of missionaries here going to Brazil, so I'm reminded of you daily. Cody, I heard mom and dad went to dinner with you and Marina. How is that? Do you really like her alot? That's dope if you do! If not...still chill. haha Chelsey and Rhett. I hope the move is going well!! Does the place look nice?! Rhett, thank you SO much for the ipod!! it is so choice! The pictures are perfect!!! I was really missing you guys!!! The music is so cool! there is a lot of exploring i will have to do, but I am so grateful!!!

Cassidy, how are you? I miss you, you're my best friend! Hows Italy? a lot of really nice cars? That's what I would hope for.

Cole, hey brosky!!!! I miss you man!!! you have taught me so much about how to be a good friend!! Thank you! I love you all, and I'm really glad to know you are all being blessed!! I'll keep praying for you all!

 This mission is a family affair! I'm so grateful for the work. I'm so grateful for our Lord Jesus Christ. I am trying to grow to know Him better. I know this is the Lord's work. I know that we all have the choice to either hinder or help this work. There was something my teacher hermano toledo told us; whenever you feel like you shouldn't do something related to the gospel, that means you need to do it, and you need to do it harder!! That is so true! This week I have really come to understand how much of a real war this is...The adversary hates us and we need to be soldiers. We need to fight for zion.  It's really empowering to know how much of a difference every single person can make in the world. I love you guys! I'm going to probably write some letters to you today. but I will be writing you on Saturday! have a good week!!!

nos vemos! les amo!!
-Elder Clayton Rodney England