January 30, 2017~"When Life puts You in Tough Situations, Don't Say Why Me Just Say Try Me"

1.  How was your birthday?
 My birthday was awesome!  We had a lot of cake and celebrated it like they do it here.... by smashing your face in the cake.

2.  Did you get the birthday package I sent?
Yeah I received the package.  I was super excited because I got it before my birthday and thanks for the magazines ...I love them haha

3.  How many usually come to your English Class?  English wasn't your thing so it makes me laugh knowing you are teaching English haha.  
We have a family of 8 come thats it

4.  How is the teaching coming along for the Sanchez Family?  How many kids do they have?
Its good but we haven't had much progress because he hasn't come to church.  They have one and another on the way

5. When do you get to go to the temple again?
I won't get to go to the temple for a while because its every 6 months from when we went last.

Ramses is awesome and I'm glad for the progress and Maria Gonzalez is our mom haha... so she always shares stories.
Thats good about Kae.  I'm glad she is doing good and moving up in the sports world. 

This week was a great one because we played soccer which is super fun and talked with Papa Horta.  I bought his book which is really good he was a General Authority of the 70 and so he knows a lot.  I have a picture with him.   Wednesday we had the interview with Patricia for her baptism and she passed and so we were super pumped then on Thursday we have a multizona with President and it was super good.  We had some tacos to eat which were good. After that I got to talk to President because we had interviews and  it was good.   On Friday we had divisions with the zone leaders and well it was fun.  Iwent with Elder Osorio... he is in the pic with the jacket on in the back by me and he and I had a good time together and got to know each other really well.   We had some problems with the people because they were always saying things about Trump and well we are getting a lot of that.... after we had some good quesadillas which were huge and after we played Uno until two o'clock.  It was so fun haha.    Saturday we had the baptism and it was amazing .  She started crying.  She really is a great person honestly and she will be a great member.  On this same day we practiced our song that we were going to sing for the baptism and well they suprised me and my comp with a party and thats where I got my face smashed in the cake haha...They got permission from President and I was like Pres. knew about this?  He was in on it?  I had so much on my face, but it was great.   I recieved the packages as well and we got to open those which was super fun.   After the baptism we stayed up and listened to some music that my comp has and celebrated that night.   Sunday, my birthday,  I received a gift from the hermanas and then Patricia got confirmed and so it was an awesome day.  We went and celebrated with fam. Campa and it was a blast with them.  We had tacos and smashed my head in the cake one more time just because thats what they do here and then we went to bed.  Today I bought a soccer jersey that I like and we are going to play soccer again haha.   Thats how my week went.  I recieved a lot of love on my birthday and it was super awesome to see the love they have here for me... so I was taken care of very well.   I have a lot of pics so you should be happy. Well that was my week so just know that I love ya and I will talk to you next week!!!!

Elder Cleverly

Happy Birthday Elder Cleverly and Elder Johnson (a few days earlier)

19 years old!

Mexico Birthday Tradition...Cake in the Face

Birthday Love

Patricia's Baptism

Patricia's Baptism

Handsome Elder Cleverly

Soccer Field

More Birthday Celebrations

Add caption

Papa Horta

American Missionary Pride

Blowing their party blowers I sent for the Birthday

January 23, 2017~"True Christlike Service is Selfless and Focuses on Others"

1.  Robbed?? How many were there..just one?   So he had a gun...did he threaten you with it?  Thats too bad that they took the phones but glad that is all they got and that no one got hurt.  
There were 6 people but it was chill...they just got crappy five dollar phones

2.  Is the metro a subway system?
Yeah its a subway station.  Its super packed sometimes.  We don't use it often but we do use it

3.  Any Baptisms this past week?
Yeah we had one.  His name is Ramses.  He is super cool and had a long road to get to where he is but he made it and was baptized!!!
4.  Do they have Ward Activities that you get to participate in to get investigators to come?
Not really... its just soccer for the young men so we don't have a ton for investigators but the class in English 

The area we are in is safe but we were in the Hermanas area haha.  Its like an hour to do our laundry and then we come back and its dry.  Its pretty easy actually.  The pee thing...yeah I don't know what the kid was thinking.  Honestly every missionary in the area does not give talks but me...I don't know why but it was good.  I will get the package this week.   It is very very strange to have a birthday.  Thats awesome about Charlie... how is he?  I haven't seen him forever.  I didn't know Taylor was going to play for USC.

This week was a good week, so first we played our soccer game against adults and almost won haha.  The thing I got over them is I'm willing to go all out... they aren't haha.   After we had a junta de districto (District Meeting) on Tuesday which was super fun as well.   After we found a bunch of people to teach but they told us that they didn't want much.  Wednesday we set a date for baptism with Patricia.  She is super awesome and she told us she wants to get baptized on my birthday!!!! She told us her testimony about how she felt an impression to go to church and so she did and then the first week I was here she told us that she didn't feel ready for baptism and that I helped her get to this point... to know the importance of baptism. Since I'm District Leader I was able to do the entrevista (Interview) for Ramses which was super spiritual and he got to the point where we could baptize him.  It was super cool and I have a connection with him.  Its crazy because we have only know each other for a little while but I gave him a tie and shirt for his baptism and I got to baptize him as well.  He is super awesome. Thursday and Friday were duds... we knocked on tons of doors and talked with a lot but didn't find anybody.   Saturday we had our English class and also we had a great lesson with a family that we are teaching...the fam. Sanchez.  The wife is a member but he isn't... so we are trying to work with him.   After we talked with a missionary that served in our mission who returned and lives here in the area that he served in and he told us that it is a hard area... it is true, but I read this card I have that says that God has called us in the areas we are in and what we are doing here is for a reason and that he won't let us fail and we will learn things about ourselves that we never knew and it was good and it made us feel better about the area we are in.   Sunday was the baptism and we had 148 people to church.  The Zone Leader was amazed because he has never seen it that big before.... so it was a good feeling for us. We then went with our mom Maria Gonzalez and she shared her experience when her child died and how she wanted to touch her baby.  She had a dream about her child...that she could walk and talk and had a book and was holding hands with Jesus and the thing is that she wasn't a member and didn't know anything about the church and the next day the missionaries knocked on her door and showed her the book and she knew that book was true and this is the Word of God... it was super awesome!!!!   So that was my week.  I hope you have a good week too.... love you!!!!!!!!

Elder Cleverly

 

Ramses Baptism

Elder Cleverly's Place

Elder Cleverly's Place and Comp Elder Johnson

Elder Cleverly's Agenda Book he made himself

Elder Cleverly's Agenda Book...other side

January 16, 2017~ ""It's in the Doing, not just the Thinking, that we Accomplish our Goals"~Thomas S. Monson

1.  What do you like the most about this new area?
I like the members and the capilla (chapel) and the food!!!!!!

2.  How many people come to church in this area? I am assuming it is Ward.
Yeah there are four wards and two sacrament rooms and we have like a hundred or so attend

3.   Do you have someone that does your laundry in this area?
actually I'm going to send pics of me doing my laundry haha... we do it by hand lol

4.  Do you have members that feed you?
We usually eat with members


I know the area really well now and we are working hard to find people to teach.  We teach but we only have like 5 of our investigators attend church so the only challenge is the church thing.  This week was a really interesting one for sure.... so first we played soccer on Monday with the Elders and a soccer team.  It was super fun and we are going to be doing that again today.   After we talked with a guy named Papa Horta...I think thats how you spell it and he was a General Authority and he lives here and has a book on why the church is true and he just destroys everyone and other religion in this book ..he is famous in the mission.   We had a junta (meeting) on Tuesday and that was fun.  We helped the Hermanas with a teenager that needs help.  He wants to be baptized but has things so we are talking with him and well on Wednesday he was with us all day and went to other lessons with us.  It was super fun.  After we went to drop him off and well the Hermanas had my agenda so we met them in the metro and we kind of got robbed hahah.   I don't carry my camera and a lot of money so all they took from me was the phone for the mission as well as the Hermanas and my Comp lost 150 pesos and they took the kid's phone and a member's iphone as well.  It was scary.  Its just we lost all the information in the cell phone but its all good... he had a gun but nothing happened because we didn't freak out.  I was fine as well as my comp but the Hermanas were a little shaken up haha.   After, on Thursday,  we couldn't communicate with anyone and same as on Friday...   A funny story was on Friday a kid, I don't know what he was thinking but he peed on my shoe.... he had to go so he went and I was in front of him and so that happened....I wasn't really happy but everything was ok haha.   After Saturday we received our new phone from the Assistants and we found a couple of new people to teach.   Sunday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting.... haha I arrive and I already have a talk haha.   We had a party for a girl that it was her birthday... she turned 16 and her family is awesome.... always helping us and so I was happy about that.  They are named familia Campa.   We had pizza hut and like a cake but it was jello with cream it was good.... just different haha.   That has been my week.... a very interesting week lol.

Thats good about the missionaries haha.... we get those questions all the time.  Oh my... of course you bought that.... you and your machines haha.  That is an awesome story about the picture thing and a crazy story about how he found out....I like that.  Its awesome that Daniel Coates with be helping out.  I wish I got to have him as a coach.   We will see how this week goes.  I hope it isn't as interesting as this last one but I believe it will be good.  Thanks for the letter and I will talk to you next week.  I love you!!!!!

Elder Cleverly 

Washing his clothes by hand

 

January 9, 2017~""Trust God and Believe in Good Things to Come"

1.  How close are you now to the Mission Home?
I'm pretty close now.  The area of the APs are in our Zone

2.  How is this area different than your last area?
Well its in the city so its a lot bigger and has a lot more stuff that are more modern and the capilla (Chapel) here is huge!!!!

3.  What is your house like?
The house is tiny.  I will take a picture of it next week

4.  Have you settled in your new area?
Yeah its normal now and the members are great here!!!

5.  How are things with your "child"?
haha well his last companion wasn't the best so I have to start from scratch but we are working.  He likes to work and he is learning the Spanish.

I am busy but I like it though and the Zone Leaders tell me that I am doing a great job and know a lot of what to do so I feel better about all the responsibility.  Everyone in my generation is training because President trusts my generation and he trusts me because past companion of my child didn't do a very good job so he trusts that I will get him ready for what he needs.   Its a lot of work but it says in my blessing that if I'm organized, I will be able to do everything I need to... even with all the responsibility I have.

Of course Stockton got in a wreck ...I was the only one that never got into a wreck and ruined the car haha.  Coop is leaving wow thats crazy.

This week was super good.  I arrived and cut my hair and passed by with some members who are super cool.  Elder Lipscomb was here so its kinda cool to know that....after we worked hard and set two dates for baptism with a girl named Patricia and Maria.   I had my first junta de districto (District Meeting) and we had the Zone Leaders and the APs there so it was a little nerve racking but thats alright because it was super good.   I had my first entrevistas (interviews) as well which was super scary but everything was good with that too.   I have hermanas in my area so I have to call them every night to make sure everything is going well in their area.   Hermana Martinez is in my zone so I see her a lot and Elder Bradley as well... so I see them a lot.   Its a good area.... just have to work hard because my child is still learning and his companion wasn't the best so I have to change a lot of things but its chill because I like it.   I don't know the area very well but its big and we walk everywhere but its not hills so it isn't so bad and the members here are awesome.   We went to the church and it is huge.... bigger here than in Utah and the members are super strong so its fun with them.   That is really it.... just getting to know the area, the members and investigadores in our area as well as helping the District.   I don't have pics but I will take pics later and send them to you.   We did get to talk with President because he was in our area so we got to talk with him.   Oh and we baptized a family for the hermanas yesterday as well.  Just know that I'm working hard and having a blast here.... love ya and   I will talk to you next week!!!

Elder Cleverly 

 

January 2, 2017~"Happy New Year"

1.  Did they do anything interesting for New Year's there?
Just fireworks haha

2.  So do you know if you will be staying or leaving this transfer?
So I left the area.  I'm in Camarones Granjas with a "child" (they call people they are training "child") and I am District Leader 

3.  Did you get baptisms?
We had one baptism this past week se llama Hermilo


Its crazy how much time flies haha.... but now we are in January. We had to go to the house early for New Years... so we didn't do anything but watch fireworks on the roof.   Thats crazy about Becca haha but thats the life after the mission... people get married. 

So this week... well we had a baptism of Hermilo and we couldn't find time to Baptize the others so they will be baptized this next week but I won't be there and my companion either because we both left the area!!!!!!   It was super crazy that we left but I am in a super cool area with a companion se llama Elder Johnson.   He is cool.  Its his second change so he is a child and I'm a mom haha (Elder Cleverly is training in addition to District Leader).   It was super fun in Ixtapan.  We just visited a lot of members and then we left.  It wasn't the funnest thing because people were crying but thats ok.   I want to go back there again.  I liked that area alot. That's pretty much it... not a lot of things happened this week... just got ready to leave.   We did have a activity with the APs and it was super fun.  It was the last thing we did as a Zone!!!! Thats pretty much it.  My new comp is from Las Vegas and he played baseball for UNLV.  I will get to know him more over the weeks. I love ya Mom and  I hope you guys have a good week!!!!

Elder Cleverly

Baptism of Hermilo

 Hermilo's Baptism