Letter #17: Happy November!

Hola Everyone! Another week has come and gone and somehow it's November...I can't even believe it! It feels like just yesterday that I was getting ready to leave for Ecuador, and now it's been a year?! It kind of scares me sometimes, to think that the time is just slipping through my fingers. It's a little overwhelming. Sometimes as I'm riding my bike down a big hill and I can see all of our area, all of the houses and all of the cars, full of hundreds and thousands of people, and it's overwhelming because as a missionary you just want to help every one of them. You can tell that each one is your brother or your sister and you just want to help every single one. And even though it's not really possible to help all of them in one day, we find who we can, we rescue who we can. It's easy to feel discouraged and it's easy to feel like we don't make a difference, but sometimes it hits like a hammer on my head that God is not a pessimist, and that if I start where I am, use what I have, and do what I can it will be enough. I love you all and cherish your support and your love. Make a special effort this week to stay optimistic and positive about things and believe in the influence you can have as a child of God!- "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."

con mucho amor,

Hermana Clawson

Letter #16

Hola querido amigos!
Estoy agradacida que tengo la oportunidad escribirles cada semana, que tengo la oportunidad ser misionera, que tengo la oportunidad ver milagros y ser un parte del gran plan que Dios tiene por sus hijos. Siento mucho gracias en mi corazon hoy, especialmente que tengo la oportunidad aprender espanol. Me encanta este idioma y se que tengo mucho mas aprender pero I'm grateful for this opportunity because it's helped me to understand and trust that the Spirit of God speaks in every language and can speak to every heart, even through broken spanish. :) We just got news about transfers and it looks like I am here in San Ysidro for at least another 6 weeks! phew! I can't bear the thought of leaving! I love this place. Hermana Larsen has been in this area for 7 months now and will have to leave tomorrow :( She is amazing and will do great things wherever she goes! It's crazy how fast 4 months have gone, like in 2 months I'll be 1/3 the way done? what?
Vicky got baptised last week with her daughter!!!!!!! We met her my 6th day here! It is crazy to see the change that has taken place in her life. Those first lessons with her, she wasn't even interested at all, kind, but not interested. I understood nothing. nothing! I remember one of the lessons we had, I just sat there for 45 minutes without saying or understanding a word but at the end all I could do was testify with tears in my eyes that I knew the Book of Mormon was the word of God. Little by little, through short visits and prayer, her heart was opened and changed and baptism became the most important thing in her life! Her husband is now being taught and they want to be sealed in the temple as soon as possible!!!! Milagros!!
We had an interesting experience with one of our new investigators, Raul this week. He is so kind. He is from Panama and just moved here and lives alone and has a little braid haha. Anyways, he is very open and also wants to be baptized! At our first lesson with him we were sitting outside his house and asked him if he would like to say the closing prayer. He said of course, got up, and walked into his house. We were pretty confused and slightly nervous because we didn't know what was going to happen next. And now I tell you this was probably the most unexpected thing that happened next! He came out with this huge accordian! hahaha I had to try pretty hard not to lose it. But he explained that music is how he feels close to God and how he prays. So he played Amazing Grace and it was beautiful. Then we sang Nearer My God To Thee and he loved it! It was a verrrry interesting experience haha.

Well thanks again for all of your support and prayers! I'm grateful for every day I have here and learning what it actually means to give 100%, that there isn't really much of a difference between 1 and 99, that it only matters if we give our whole soul to Him.
Love you all!
Hermana Clawson

Letter #15

Hola everyone! It's been a great week! I'm out of email time so this will be super short bu t I just want to say that I love all the things I am learning out here! I love seeing other people learn! It is a miracle that these people listen to me, and that I can say anything that could help them. It is a miracle that I can open my mouth and speak spanish and they can (for the most part haha) understand me! Nothing of my doing, that's for sure! One of our investigators, Pablo is going to be baptized either this weekend or the next! So excited for him! I'm happy to be serving the Lord and to be apart of miracles in people's lives. You are all amazing! And thank you to every one of you for your support, it means so much to me!
Love you all!
Hermana Clawson

Letter #14: What moves you?

Well hola again everyone!
This has been a good past week. Our area is bigger now so my legs are a little more sore but I can conquer those hills! I love biking. Yesterday I actually crashed haha, but somehow miraculously I landed on my feet! (that really is a miracle because I am an extremely clumsy person haha). Yesterday was just a clumsy day. I even accidentally got smoothie all over me because it exploded out of my blender in the morning, so my right eye was full of berry goop haha, should've taken a picture.
I had a really cool experience this week with a new investigator that we just started teaching. She is 15 and has been learning about the Gospel since March from other missionaries, and now we are in her area. We were talking about faith and how we can trust in God and she brought up a humble question that I think almost everyone has- "Would God ever give me something I can't handle, because I don't feel like I can handle this." It made me think of specific challenges I've had in my life, where I've felt weak and like I couldn't do it. There was one specific trial I had last year, that led me to ask for many priesthood blessings. I remember that one of the blessings from my dad told me that the experience, even though it was difficult would be for good, and that it would help me understand specifically people I would meet on my mission. Well that prophecy was fulfilled last week! It turned out that 15 year old Samantha had had a similar trial, and I was able to empathize and understand and help. I know that the Lord guides our path and leads us to the people that we need to talk with. That is something I am learning here, well, re-learning- nothing is ever coincidence!
We have been teaching a lot about the Plan of Happiness to people, and really helping people understand that we each have choices to make in this life- we each have the freedom to choose, the freedom to act, the freedom to move, to shake the dust. I have been pondering about this topic in my personal study and I came across a scripture that helped open my eyes to more understanding. I had been reading in the New Testament and noticed how many times when talking about the Savior it said that "he was moved with compassion". I let myself sit and ponder for a second and thought about all the things we do in a day. Everybody is busy. We all have a never ending list of "things to do". As missionaries, we're always busy. There is never an hour to sit and rest, not until you're in your bed. But I thought for a second and just let the question sink in- "What moves you?" Is it stress, a desire to be the best, to get things done? There are plenty of reasons for the things we do, but I think if there is something I've learned this week is that we need to be more like Jesus-moved by compassion. I have to learn daily when the alarm goes off that love is never ever lazy. What moves us? Let is be compassion-whatever we do, wherever our choices lead us, let them be led by compassion-I know that this will bring us closer to Jesus Christ! I read a beautiful talk by Elder Bednar a recently and he said something I really liked- that the Savior didn't just diefor us, but that He desires to live in us. I know that if we try to be more compassionate, we will have more room for the Savior to live in our hearts!
Well, I am happy and I am doing good. Every day I get to ride my bike down the hill before we head home and I get to see all of the city lights from Tijuana, and I know that the mountains are to my left and the Pacific to my right and I'm just happy. Keep being awesome! Share the Gospel with people!
Con amor,
Hermana Clawson!


*spanish mistake worth sharing* I was talking with some members yesterday and tried to say that something happened "often", which I think is "a menudo?" but I've just been saying "menudo" to people, which they all laughed and told me was like cow skin or intestines or something, apparently a popular food haha. slowly but surely I will learn this language!!

Letter #13: Child of God, Disciple of Christ

This past week has been pretty hectic with the ward splitting and all. It's changing our areas as missionaries and has been crazy but awesome to be apart of! I've been focusing a lot on our identity this past week, and a lot on faith, which are two things that I've realized I need to be focusing on all the time. When we teach people- the first principle we teach- the first concept we try to hammer into their heart before anything else-- is remind them that they are a child of God, that God is our loving Heavenly Father and wants the best for us. It sounds so simple, but I've come to learn and realize that this is one of, if not the most valuable truth we teach. There is a reason that we teach it first. I have been learning that when we show people that they are a child of God- that their identity is permanent and unshakable and rooted in divinity- they are more receptive to our message. I like this role I have of helping people re-discover who they are. As missionaries, we teach all kinds of different people, all who have made mistakes. It's a privilege to show people that there is a part of divinity that lives in them- regardless of their standpoint on the social spectrum, or regardless of the choices they've made, good or bad, or regardless of their opinions of themselves- to show them that self esteem might have the power to fluctuate but that self-worth does not have that capacity- they have one identity that is guaranteed, one identity that will never ever ever fall away, no matter what they do- they are children of God! Part of the Father lives in everyone we meet, because we. are. his. children. We teach this Gospel that is all about faith-about belief-action-change-endure-it's all about hope and patience, the two of which, add up to faith! When we help people see the glimpse of eternity within themselves- when we help them connect to heaven-not as some distant far away metaphorical idea-but as a piece of themselves, something that has been and will always be apart of them- they are more receptive to eternal truth. When we know we are eternal beings we are receptive to eternal truth. I'm sorry for going on a tangent but it's just something that has been hammered into my head and heart lately.
It's a privilege to be apart of this work! I don't feel like I deserve it most of the time. I feel like these people need someone better, but I will do my very best! I know that I am a child of God and that with that knowledge comes faith and the absence of fear-if we truly know who we are we will never fear! When we recognize this inherit identity that we have, we will be able to make choices that will bring a second identity upon ourselves- we will make the choice to be disciples of Jesus Christ- we will follow him in every choice and strive to testify of Him with our thoughts, words, and choices. We will become like the prophets of old! "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have everlasting life."-3 Nephi 5:13
I love you all!
Con amor,
Hermana Clawson

Letter #12

Hola mi amigos!! 

     I am almost halfway through my second transfer, isn't that crazy?! It's insane to think about how has happened in this short amount of time, and how much more I will experience in the next 15 months. It's hard to put it all into one compartment in my brain, but if anything, I've found 2 words in spanish that seem to sum it up.

estoy aprendiendo. 

It means "I am learning." 

yep. from spanish, to kindness, to the gospel, I am learning. I'm learning how to see the light in others and help them see it too, I'm learning how to follow God's plan even when I think I have my own, I'm learning how to talk to people I don't know, I'm learning that every day is a new opportunity to be better than I was before, I'm learning things I thought I already knew but still need to learn again. and again. and again. I am learning that it's not about me, ever. I am learning that it's God's will, Christ's grace, and my faith. I am learning that there is almost nothing as valuable as perspective. I am learning to find home everywhere. I am learning that even after 8 weeks it is still difficult to ride a bike in a skirt. haha. overall, I am learning!!! One thing I am learning is that Heavenly Father is in every single tiny detail, and provides specific plans to bring about specific purposes. This past Friday we had planned to see an investigator who we've only had one short lesson with. His name is Juan and he's about 17 I think (mom this is a different Juan than the other 16 year old, lol- the other juan haha). We had planned on seeing him at a certain time that day but earlier plan fell through, changing the plans for the rest of the day, so we didn't get to see him when we planned and we didn't have his number or anything. Anyways, we didn't have much time left because we had an activity to get to that night so we were trying to figure our how to spend our last minutes. We decided we could still try to see Juan, even though there was no guarantee that he would be there or have time. We rode to his apartments and the second we turned the corner we saw that he had turned the corner to walk down the same sidewalks! It was the perfect timing! We got to have a short lesson with him and follow up on his prayers, which we had taught 

him about the week before. His brother walked by in the middle and decided to join us and then he taught his brother how to pray! It was really cool to see how the Lord will put the right people in your path if you're just willing to go. 

     Sister Schmitt, the mission president's wife, put a really good quote in our newsletter for this month, that I wanted to share: "The Lord words from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ would take the slums out of people, and they they would take themselves our of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature...Christ changes men, and changed men can change the world. Men changed for Christ will be captained in Christ. Men captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. Their will is swallowed up in His will. They do always those things that please the Lord. Not only would they die for the Lord,but more important they want to live for Him." -Ezra Taft Benson I know that this is true! That this is a gospel about change and second chances! of trying again and of trying harder! Every single human being has the potential to change the world! All we have to do is change ourselves first! And we have the most reliable guide. Thank you for your love and all of your support. I'm happy to be a misionera :)

Con amor

Hermana Clawson

Letter #11

Hola everyone!

      Can you believe I've been here for a full transfer?! Crazy, feels like I got here yesterday! I figured out this morning that I will be staying in San Ysidro for the next 6 weeks so I am ecstatic about that! There are so many people that I just can't leave. 

     We have been seeing many miracles this past week and I feel so privileged and blessed to be teaching such amazing people with such strong faith. We had a lesson with Vicky and her daughter this past week on the restoration of the gospel and her daughter gave the closing prayer at the end. It was extremely short, and I couldn't understand much (spanish) but I heard her say "Jose Smith" and then we looked up and her mom was crying and said she didn't know why. Well, we know why! Because the Gospel is true! And Joseph Smith was a prophet of God! And everyone can know that through the power of the Holy Ghost and the Book of Mormon! Their family is getting baptized next month. 

     It's really miraculous to see the role that the Book of Mormon plays in all of this. We've been teaching a guy named Jovani and his brother for about a week and a half now and last week he stopped me in the middle of my sentence and just said- "Tell me what I need to do to find out this is true. What do I need to do?" We told him the three simple things- pray every day, read the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart, come to church, and just ask God. He is the source of all truth! Why would you ask anyone else? He said he would do it all and has lived true to his commitments. He read 25 pages of the Book of Mormon in just 3 days, prays every single night, and wants to be baptized this November. !!!!!!!!!!!!! 

      Those are just some of my favorite experiences from this past week. We work hard and long here. I'm usually sweaty the whole day because of the whole bike riding deal and sometimes our feet get blistered from all the walking we do as well- but we know that none of our effort is in vain and that the Lord is preparing his people! It is a blessing to be apart of this work! I love you all sooooo much and appreciate any prayers said on my behalf. Thank you all for everything you do

hasta proxima semana!

Con amor,

Hermana Clawson