He sounds so good and happy in this email, which helps my heart to know he's safe and doing well. I have to give a talk in church on Sunday and so he also sent me something to share in Sacrament Meeting. I did well, hardly any tears. I will include the talk at the end of this post. All missionaries were represented by one parent to update and give a progress report. It was an awesome meeting. We live in a wonderful ward. And it is evident on days like today. Enjoy.
Haha well this week was sweet had a good one we have a date for the Baptism
of the Familia Beltran this Saturday so that will be awesome!!! Elizabeth is so
cool she want to be baptized and everything the only thing is shes nervous about
the wedding and everything being ready before Saturday so we just have to
reassure her about everything but it will be good the ward will hopefully help
us out and it should be great. What a great family speaking of awesome families
remenber the Familia Villanueva from LA LOPEZ i saw them the other day with
their baby they are doing awesome and have their 5 month old baby and are going
to be going to the Temple in December!!!! So cool it was amazing to see them and
see that they are doing so awesome. Also a concern you guys had was Elder
Johnsons Number well i sent them your guys so hopefully he will call you hes
sweet take him to dinner cause he is an awesome guy. One of my best changes with
that guy. And Anderson too have you talked to Him man im hoping to see these
guys again one day i love em. So this week was Good Elder Castellon is awesome
and we really worked good this week including had one Wild Ride so friday we had
to go all over the place to run some errands for the mission and also do
interviews for missionariews for baptism so friday night we took like 7
rapiditos which i llove they just get funner and funner with time but this one
was insane so we get in and its pretty full already and we get going along and
theyre throwing people on but noone is getting off so its just so fuul i feel
like im in a mosh pit seriously with the spanish Reggatone blasting in my ears
too we make another stop when a pregnant lady goes to get on and so i get up to
offer my seat cause theres no more and i mean come on shes pregnant so me with
the assistant of the rapidito and one other guy are on the ledge of the rapidito
holding on for dear life while we go through this colonial named Gracias a Dios
it was so fun just an adreniline rush like it always is right hahah but i loved
it. Also yA THere was a new family that went to church yesterday so we will
start working with them they are so cool so ya anyways my week was good i dont
know what else to write sorry i feel like my emails kinda suck but ya.....
Here's a couple of pics he sent this week. One of the smaller size of spiders he shares his apartment with, and he titled the other one "thumbs up" San Pedro Sula.
I also included my talk I gave today. Feel free to exit at this point, but for his journal sake, I put it in.
Hey pal. Thought you might enjoy reading the talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting today. You would have been so proud of me, not too many tears. Of course, when I read it to dad the first time, I sobbed and after 8-9 times through this morning and a short prayer before I left. I had help to get me through. I love being able to tell of your progress. Hope I did you proud. I love you so much son. Enjoy...
Good morning Brothers & Sisters. The last time I was asked to speak and give an update on our son, Elder Bridger Clayton serving in the Honduras San Pedro Sula Mission, he had been out for exactly 100 days. Today, according to one of the three apps I have on my phone he has 188 days left, I also look at other countdowns as well, only one General Conference and as Lynette Berven suggested I count, 6 Fast Sundays. Not that I’m really counting…
I am excited today to give you a Reader’s Digest version of some of the highlights and testimony building experiences he has written home and also a few things I have learned as a mom of a missionary. Anyone who knows him knows he has quite a sense of humor and can tell a good story, his emails do not disappoint. As I read them, I can hear his voice as if he is sitting in the kitchen or living room and telling them to me. I have gone back to a few of my favorites and will let you hear of the adventures he is having as he serves.
One particular week he writes: Just this week we had a super hard time finding people, super hard. I don’t know what the problem was but man hard week. We have three families we are working with so that is good. The Familia Beltran and Mendoza so cool, love them. They have a daughter named Dana who is scared of gringos. Everytime we go she starts to cry and man it’s bad, but oh well right after talking for like 5 minutes she’s good, but man she is scared of us sometimes. So this week we were with the familia Beltran and they asked us if we wanted to go get a tamale. We said ok and went with them to “swap meet San Pedro. Man did I stick out like a marshmellow in a cup of hot chocolate. It was fun and they had great food, but man I was definitely the only gringo there for miles.
Another family he is teaching is a returned missionary that served in the area. The wife is not a member and they have two children ages 9 and 7. They had never talked to the missionaries before, but he wants so badly to change his life for the better. What a great family. We got there and he said something that really stuck out to me. And I quote, ask them whatever you want, they are here to help you and help us!!! Awesome he said it was time to get things back into order and so that was bomb. They went to church and everything.
This past Monday’s email tells of another fun experience: So this week was good. Elder Castellon is awesome and we really worked hard this week including had one Wild Ride. So Friday we had to go all over the place to run some errands for the mission and also do interviews for missionaries for baptism so Friday night we took like 7 rapiditos which i love they just get funner and funner with time. but this one was insane. So we get in and its pretty full already and we get going along and they’re throwing people on but no one is getting off so it’s just so full i feel like im in a mosh pit seriously with the Spanish Reggatone blasting in my ears too we make another stop when a pregnant lady goes to get on and so I get up to offer my seat cause there’s no more and i mean come on she’s pregnant so me with the assistant of the rapidito and one other guy are on the ledge of the rapidito holding on for dear life while we go through this colonial named Gracias a Dios it was so fun just an adrenaline rush like it always is right hahah but i loved it. Also there was a new family that went to church yesterday so we will start working with them they are so cool so ya anyways my week was good.
He does write of many testimony and faith promoting experiences. One of my favorite experiences is when he was serving in an area called La Lopez. We had a
crazy experience that honestly strengthened my testimony a ton.
We were out getting to know the area when we passed by a house and
they greeted us and we passed it and something said go back ok so we
turned around and started to talk to her. Nice lady and she was a
member right, just inactive is what she says ok so as were talking
there is screaming and she goes to see what’s going on and her daughter
had fallen down and split her head open with blood GUSHING from her
head it honestly was one of the things that has actually scared me
here because i thoiught she was gonna die because of all the blood. In
like 2 seconds i pulled some oil from my backpack and told my comp to
do the annointing and fast as the mom was holding her daughter both of
them are screaming he does it blood still gushing then my turn I
sealed the annointing and gave a blessing in this blessing I said that
the blood will stop NOW that you will return to normal tomorrow! I
said in the Name of Jesucristo Amen we took our hands from her head
and....It had stopped bleeding as I am writing this there are like
tears in my eyes because it was a miracle miracle thats the only way
to describe it miracle. She then went and layed down we then said
another prayer and left. I was thinking HOW ,WHAT JUST HAPPENED
I have never seen anything like it.so the night ended and the next day
we were working close so we went by and she was playing outside with
her friends with NO MARK at all!!! Amazing Amazing thats all i have to
say i really am liking this area i love being a missionary i witnessed a miracle this week
I have grown to love Mondays. I look forward to reading what his week has been like, but mostly it is like filling my cup back to full to see that he is safe, well and happy. I knew that I was going to give this talk and so for a couple of weeks I asked him what he would like me to say to the members of our ward family about his mission. I was getting quite concerned as for the first couple of weeks, he didn’t answer my request. So, last week when I wrote him and asked again, the email that came and the subject was, “Sunday Talk” excellent, he wrote most of my talk for me. So in his own words I will read what he sent.
Well there are so many things to tell really in the mission I have had some amazing experiences where I really have been able to see the hand of the Lord in many things with many people and many blessings. Right Now I am in the Heart of San Pedro Sula and as I’m sure you know mom Honduras is the most dangerous & violent country in the world at this moment. But don’t worry I’m ok I’m fine I love it here. This is one of my favorite areas of my favorite area. They have both been right in the city where all the action is right. haha anyways something that I really have learned is no matter where you are who you are you can find peace and Hope in the Church and in the arms of our Savior, Jesus Christ who is there for us always. This area I have had the amazing experience to teach a man named Omar who is an engineer. We are talking top of the line here and he has always had work just insane and now with the country the way it is he was a man just looking for peace, went to church with us and found it. I have thought a lot about that because so many people out there look for this peace. Members of the church look for it when they are in something wrong or have done something wrong you can repent and find peace I like the Talk by Jeffery R Holland called “We are all Enlisted!!! Awesome Talk great for priesthood boys and everyone. The part that I like is when he says whoever you are....and whatever you’ve done, you can be forgiven it’s the miracle of forgiveness. It is the miracle of the of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. But you cannot do it without an active commitment to the gospel, and you cannot do it without repentance where it is needed. Forgivness and the comfort one can feel from this. I mean lifes hard and reallywe think we can do it alone but we can’t really what we have to do is DO OUR BEST AND LEAVE THE REST TO THE LORD. Come What may and love it it’s been the theme of my mission and it is and now will be the theme of my life. Learn and Keep Going I can’t be dribbling out of bounds just when the Lord needs me to get in and play my heart out. EVERYONE can have more peace in their life and more hope and they can find it in the gospel.
That is what he has been doing out there, teaching people about the peace and comfort of the gospel and the power of the Atonement. I have watched this boy that we sent out into the mission field become a man. Nothing we could have taught him at home compares to what he has learned while serving a mission.
He continues to say with each email how fast the time is going, and they say that the 2nd year goes faster. I’m not sure who “they” are, but for this Elder it seems to be flying by. We have truly been blessed as he is serving our Father in Heaven. I have witnessed many tender mercies of a loving Father in Heaven that assures me that he is in His Hands, and He is watching over and protecting him, and it is whispered to my heart that he’s ok.
Yes, I still miss him…everyday. I still tear up at many hymns and most sacrament meetings I shed a tear or two, but I would not trade this experience by having him home. He has learned so many things and lessons that will benefit him for the rest of his life. Just a couple of weeks ago we attended a welcome home of another Elder that served in his same district. As he told of his experiences, some even a bit scary, I witnessed the sadness of his heart that he wished he could go back. He loved the people of Honduras and learned to truly serve as I know Bridger is doing today.
Thank you again for your kindness, for praying for him and asking us how he is doing. It means so much to us. Through the amazing technology of blogging and facebook many of you are followers of his mission and for that we are grateful. We live in such an amazing ward and so many of you helped to get him to where he is today.
I know the gospel is true. I have never doubted. I knew that even stronger when I watched that young boy go into the MTC to begin his journey. He loves being a missionary. I witness it each email as he shares his love of the gospel, the love of the people in Honduras and his testimony of the promise of the Atonement and of a loving Heavenly Father who knows each and every one of us here on the earth. I know that whether it is in North Salt Lake UT, San Pedro Sula Honduras, or anywhere in the world, I know He hears and answers our prayers. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
