My new companions name is elder Thevenin! He is from the República Dominican. He pretty funny dude! He always has a joke to tell and about half the time he talks i'm about crying laughing on the floor as well as investigators. He is a big dude as you can see! He weighs 280 pounds and loves sports so that is a plus. I was worried at first that he wouldn't want to do much but that's not the case. One thing i love about elder thevenin is he is helping me out so much with my spanish. To this point i haven't had a companion who just helps me with ever mistake that i make in spanish but he is. Its helping me a ton. When i am talking if i say one word bad or something doesn't make sense he just stops me and corrects me. Its pretty awesome cause that's how i'm going to learn faster. His personality is super direct and very loud. The only way i can explain how he talks is the same as when parents yell at there children. He's not mad that just how he talks. don't have a ton of time today but i will talk to you guys more next week. Although it was hard to say goodbye to my other companion i'm excited for the change. With every companion there is something to learn and wow the mission life is awesome! Don't have much time but i'll talk more next week.

Love Elder Cleverley

Hey everyone today we found out who our new companions are and also our new areas. I am going to end up staying here in Talanga for another exchange. We thought for sure I would be leaving the area but looks like that's not the case. Super excited to stay here in Talanga more time just because its a small city kind of like the country. A lot more peaceful here then in Teguce where its the city. And also I have a ton of good relations here in Talanga. I found out who my companion is but I cant remember the name of him. But what I know is we left the mtc together but that was when I couldn't speak Spanish so I couldn't really talk with him. I will continue being district leader here and am so excited to do so. I didn't realize how hard it would to say goodbye to elder Zapata. In the morning we get our new companions. 

 Like I said we had a baptism this week. We baptized the 2 kids just because the parents are members. They where less active but like I said are assisting now and so where pumped. The baptism was awesome. Like I said we had an the baptism before we did the activity. We ended up telling everyone to come at 6 00 pm and didn't mention that there was a baptism. when people arrived we put them in the room of baptism and had the baptism. Let me tell the whole room was filled with people. There wasn't enough room for everyone to sit. After we had the little movie night and popcorn for everyone. It was awesome and judybeth and alexandar will never forget their baptism. all the people that you will see watching the movie where present at the baptism. Also We ended up finding 2 families and 2 other people that want us to visit them now. We will see what happens but it was awesome. Thanks for all your love and support! Love you all!

 

Elder Cleverley

 

 

I will never complain about food that you guys make. The kids here would die to have the food that you Americans eat. Just this week a family was just eating corn tortillas because they didn't have anything else to eat. My companion and I ended up helping them out a little with beans. The kid started crying because he wanted more food but they have to live with limits so this kid was only eating tortillas and couldn't eat more because his limit was up. There are kids here that are hungry and beans and eggs are like meat is to us just because that's what they have grown up eating and that's what's the bomb diggity.  I'm still eating eggs and beans and tortillas but I'm loving it. Food is food now for me and I can promise you I will eat everything that is dished to me in the states including shepherds pie - no problem. I would love to have shepherds pie right now honestly. We take for granted simple things like food and I wish everyone could see that we have it so easy compared to people in a 3rd world country.

Also we saw this guy here that had a gash on his head because people bashed his head with a gun.  He needed stitches and we could see his skull. I didn't know what to do just because he needed to go the hospital and I didn't want to just leave him there suffering but I called to see if we could help and they told us to leave him. I was sick to my stomach and had a tear come to my eye just because we couldn't help and if we did help the people that hurt him might do something to us. It was so hard to leave him there when he needed medical attention. But he doesn't have money or anything.

But its awesome and I love it! I have the best mission ever! Don't worry the people have so much respect here for us nothing will happen to us just because they know who we are with white shirts and name tags. Just crazy because there are people here that just suffer like crazy and we just want to help everyone but there thing that are out of our control and i just wish i had control to help them with food and other things. 

Have a good week! I love you all!

This week was fantastic just like all of them. Super excited and have been preparing a activity for this weeks baptism. We want this baptism to be super special so we are first going to have a baptism and after we will watch a movie and have popcorn and drinks. We are inviting everybody and hope all the members as well as tons of investigators. We hope to find more people that want to hear our message by having an activity. this week as well  i haven't been feeling too good with my health but i'm taking medicine right now. I just have the same old thing that i always get - sore throat. But it's not stopping me.  We just keep on keeping on. Its very likely that this next transfer i will be leaving this area which i am a little sad about just because we have awesome investigators and i love the members. I have tons of good friends here and it will be hard to say goodbye to all of them.

Hey everybody just wanted to give you a little update! Right now we are preparing a small family to be baptized the 18 of march! This familia we found in december and the parents are members of the church but when we found them they where less active members. This family is a very especial family for my companion and I. The family doesn't have a ton of things. We teach them sitting on the floor because they don't have enough money to buy seats for the house. Although they don't have a lot and honestly have had a rough go at life they are so willing to show their love for our heavenly father. They just needed a little help to get them started again. This family has gone to church with us now for over 6  weeks now and there baptism of the kids will be in 2 weeks. The mother of the family bore her testimony this week in sacrament meeting and it was so awesome to her testimony. We have truly seen a change in the hearts of the family martinez.  Speaking of change of heart that is our theme for the year as missionaries. Cambio en la Corazón ( change of heart). Really i know that i am a missionary during this time for a reason. I am so grateful for my life and everything that i have passed through and know that really every challenge i have been through has been a blessing. Really looking back on life it has been  a blessing and i am continually seeing the blessing of my father in heaven daily. Like i said this topic has hit me super hard. This topic is for us missionaries but also our investigators and really everyone. Seeing the gospel of jesus christ change the hearts of the people has honestly help my heart change as well.  (Helaman 15 7-8). Also another scripture that i want to share with you guys is in alma 26: 22. This scriptures has helped me realize that if i want know the mysteries of god i also need to always do the things required. I need to continually repent, exercise faith, and also pray to know and have a change in heart. And as i do these things continually and really do the things that i am teaching everybody else to do i can have a change in heart and also help my investigators have a change in heart as well. Family and friends i know that as all of us do the simple things continually we all can have a change in heart and god will bless us with the things that sometimes maybe we have some doubts about. I love all of you and thank you all for your support and prayers. Have an amazing week! 

Love,

Elder Cleverley