Week 14

"I'll start off by answering you questions:  First, my spanish is getting better each day and I can understand a lot more each day so thats good.  For my english class its pretty simple, we first informed the members about it and told them to tell their friends, we have also been telling our investigators about it and so on.  It's only once a week for an hour and right now Im teaching how to read and pronounce words.  The weather here is the best!  It gets chilly at night but not to the point where I need a jacket,  it's not to weird not having snow, in a weird way its kinda nice!  And about my Journal, I do have one and I write in it every night. I even put pictures in it so don't worry haha!"

"It's awesome to hear that the family is doing well!  Some information about skyping, so we can pick a day between the 24 and the 31 to skype, I think we are still planning on doing it on Christmas, its on for 40-45 min, and I can't call by phone after skype.  It sucks but it's the rules..  I asked Jared to set up a Camera on the TV in the family room so everyone can see, because I don't have time to do individual chats besides with you and dad. Oh one other thing it'll only be a video chat if we can find a Cyber café with web cams.."

"Okay moving on, a little more about Mexico, so the other night we were sitting in our apartment doing our daily planning when we heard the power spike on and all the lights popped, it was super funny except we had to buy all new light bulbs."

"Something really sweet!  So do you remember the old Trix cereal that was shaped like fruits and sucked?  haha ya, well that's the only Trix they have here!  Its like I am reliving my entire childhood through a bowl of Trix a day!! haha"

"So last week I told you about the gangsters harassing us, it never ends, it finally clicked, think about it, one white guy one black guy riding around in a brown world?! haha slightly racist but so true!"

"Thats about it for this week, one last favor, so I have been really craving egg salad sandwiches for like two weeks now and I don't know how to make them, could you tell me what to put in it haha?!"

Oh how that kid loves his egg salad sandwiches I'm sure he is going crazy without them. We are all super excited to talk to him on Christmas he is definitely missed in this house. It feels a little empty without him, (you wouldn't think that would be possible considering 12 people live here). This Christmas is going to be so weird without him. Hopefully he has gotten or will get the packages we sent him during this joyous season. So many things to ponder and be thankful for and his service is something my family is extremely thankful for and we know that through him we are being blessed. Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Until next time. May God be with you.


Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

Mexico Leon Mission
Calle Torre Vieja #128
Col. Arbide
37360 Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again...

Weeks 12 & 13

Okay so it's totally my fault that these two posts will be combined I have had a busy couple of weeks with finals just around the corner and trying to get ready to leave one job and go full time at the other. Elder Clayton is loving Mexico, he is such a great kid and I'm so proud of all he has done. He truly is a great example to my younger nephews and nieces who are preparing to serve missions of their own. So the snippets from both emails will be on here week 12 will be first and then 13, it only makes sense to go in numerical order. Haha have a great time and enjoy what he has to say.

Week 12: 

"So, everything is going good.  So we did nothing for thanksgiving just worked.  Im super excited for christmas thou!  Im excited for you package too!  Lets see had my best meal so far, shrimp tacos, super good!"

"The work is super hard but so worth it!  So there are nuns walking around everywhere so we are going to try and contact them one of these days! haha"

"So, I burnt myself trying to light the stove the other day, that hurt like crazy! haha"

"So, we are teaching a few people are biggest investigator is Isabel she is super excited about the church and she even excepted to be baptized!  Our other big one is Adrian, but he likes to do drugs so we are helping him with that. haha"

"So, this week I am starting a free english class at the church, that will be interesting do to that fact I still can't understand spanish. haha"

Week 13:

"So, it´s getting to the point where im running out of things to email about..  We had a great week, we got 5 of our investigators to church on sunday!  Now two of them have confirmed baptism dates!  Super exciting!"

"So the "gangsters" are starting to get on my nerves, the only English word they know is the F word and they sure love to shout that and "gringo" at me all the time!  It´s funny at times though!"

"Not much more to say nothing super interesting, the whether is super nice still thats about it."

I never realized how much he says "So" he seems to start off almost every paragraph with it. Hmmm... Oh well, so I promise I will be better at posting his emails faster. Also please write him and give him ideas to write home about or these posts are going to become very anticlimactic. Have a great week y'all and as always thank you for the continued prayers.

Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

Mexico Leon Mission
Calle Torre Vieja #128
Col. Arbide
37360 Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 11: Sorry It's Late Been A Busy Week

Elder Clayton being gone is weird. Normally he is the one who puts up the Christmas Tree and decorates the house, but this year he is gone and I was worried that we wouldn't have a tree up this year but low and behold there is a beautiful Christmas tree sitting in the corner of our Family Room. Keep in mind this is the only trace of Christmas you will see in my house seeing as Elder Clayton is responsible for decorating and no one else has the time to do it. Mexico on the other hand is being decorated with his presence which is fantastic he is exactly where he needs to be doing exactly what he wants to be doing. Here are parts of his letter. Enjoy y'all hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

"Haha I just read your email, I'm sad to say that you (mom) and Jason Alba are the only ones who wrote me this week.  But it's okay."

"I want to start off my telling you a funny story!  So this story started on Saturday, my companion and some members kept telling me to be ready to share my testimony some time in church, I thought it was going to be in priesthood or something.  Its wasn't a super big deal.  Well, Sunday morning came around and my comp and I were having our personal study and he kept say these three things: "Discurso, 7 minutos, Obra misional"  I didn't fully understand what he was saying so I looked them up in the dictionary, they mean: "Speech, 7 minutes, Missionary Work."  Well I wasn't making the connection between them.  So we were walking to church an hour before it starts, and he kept asking me if I was ready.. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, I had to give a Speech (talk) that was 7 minutes on missionary work in sacrament. haha I started to freak out, there was know way I could give a 7 min talk in spanish.  Anyway it all turned out good, in the MTC each week we had to prepare a 3 min talk for sacrament so I combined two of those talks and gave a somewhat good talk on Faith and Christ and Repentance nothing to really do with missionary work but I didn't care!"

"Haha well onto answering questions you ask in last weeks email, My mission president is super nice, he speaks some English but not a whole lot, so my interview with him was really short haha.  I stayed in the mission home just for one night when I got here.  I have adjusted to the food just fine it's actually really good!  I'm always carrying water in my backpack so that hasn't been a problem yet.  Our area is good and bad, the members are amazing and they are so willing to help the problem is the people, it is very Catholic here and everyone is super strong in it..  The Spanish is okay sometimes, I can understand about 30% of everything people are saying.  And the last question is the only people who write me are you and Robynn from the family."

"So we never really have to make food, in all the missions in Mexico there is a sister in the ward whose calling is to cook for the missionaries so we get food from her everyday.  We have to make are own breakfast though so I just bought a few boxes of trix and eat those everyday.  Something kinda funny there is only one really bread make here and that would be Bimbo Bakery, haha their bread is really good! haha"

"Oh so I can Skype on christmas, but only for 45 min so thats going to suck..  thats about it for this week.."

I unfortunately didn't get to email Elder Clayton I thought about it a lot I just never quite found the time to do it. It sounds like his first experience speaking in church for the first time all in Spanish was a success, there is only one way to go from here and that is up! Haha he will be preparing talks and speaking in church all the time with ease. I'm glad he is liking the food and I'm excited her is out there. I have missed him a ton this week but I'm so proud of him that missing him is getting easier. It'll be really tough once my wedding rolls around then I will really start missing him.... Oh well I need to go write him while I have the time. Have a great Sabbath hopefully next week I will blog before Sunday rolls around.

 Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

Mexico Leon Mission
Calle Torre Vieja #128
Col. Arbide
37360 Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 10: Week 9 Got Lost In The Transition

He made it to Mexico safe and sound which is a very good thing!! Elder Clayton was able to call on Monday before he flew off to this hot country with awesome food. I was able to talk to him for a minute and before he left I used to tease him with my impressive Spanish speaking skills (basically what I've learned at the bank haha) and when he called he out spoke me on so many levels. I was very impressed and also realized I seriously need to buckle down on learning so when he gets home we can have secret conversations. Just kidding but I do want to improve and continue learning. He sounds so much older which made me miss him but I'm far more proud so it's all for the best. Anyway, that is where week 9's post went he didn't email he called, but he is excited to be there and here is what he has to say about his first week there:

"There's a lot to tell you!  So Mexico is super different!  Its like West Valley times 100.  We get $1,700 pesos each month which is about a $140 USD.  We don't tract or contact in our mission anymore.  We work solely with the members.  Which is super nice.  The people here are amazing!  The food is super good too.  I have learned not to ask what is in the food and to just eat it.  haha"

"My companion is Elder Gonzelas and he is from the Dominic Republic.  Our area is called Silao, and it is a biking area, which is super sweet!  Half the time we are mountain biking on dirt trails and the other half is like biking in New York."

"A few things, Dear Elders still work out here so if you want to send me one go ahead, it takes about a week to 2 to get to me.  Also if you are going to send me a Christmas package send it now!  It takes about a month in a half to get here.  Also with emails to make it so I have more time Im not going to read the emails you send me before I email.  Im going to print them out and read them at my apartment and reply to them next week!"

"The weather he is super nice, it gets to about 90 during the day and about 60 at night.  haha have fun with that Utah weather, its short sleeve for me every day!!"

"So church was interesting on Sunday, we have a branch of about 50 members. And we meet in this teeny house thing..  We also had the Primary program on Sunday, the whole 10 kids did an awesome job! haha"

"So there's everything here you would find back in the states, including Walmart, Costco, Dominos, Blockbuster, McDonalds, ect.  I really could use a Castco card.  haha."

"My president wanted me to inform you about this popular thing called virtual kidnap.  Basically the steel missionaries information call their family and demand a ransom.  If that ever happens (which has never happened in our mission) call the mission home immediately!"

"Anyway, I'm doing super well, and Im lovin' every minute of being out here!"

Ryan and Companion Elder Gonzelas

Church Building

Statue of Christ Like in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

It would appear that he is having a great time on this new adventure. I'm so excited for him and I will have you know that, that purple shirt he is wearing in the bottom picture is the one I picked out that my Mom said he wouldn't like so there you go Mom he wears it, whether or not it's by choice or a lack of clothes I'll never know but I still win. ;) He is doing so well and I'm so happy for him I can't wait to Skype him on Christmas which is only 41 days away! Holy cow it's so close. Keep him in your prayers and thank you for your support. Have a great night guys and please shoot him and email if you get a chance he would love it.

 Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

Mexico Leon Mission
Calle Torre Vieja #128
Col. Arbide
37360 Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 8: Last Week In The MTC!!

It's Elder Clayton's last week in the MTC!!! Come Monday he will be on his way to Mexico to embark on the rest of his mission experience in the sunny warm taco eating country. We are all so excited!! I think the best part is he gets to call on Monday while he is at the airport, I can't wait to talk to him!!

Time for the best part! Enjoy his letter...

"So today we went to the temple at 7 because we wanted to go with Harmana Olsen (one of our teachers).  It was amazing like always, sad though it will be my last time for two years.  Not much else has happened in the last week.  Just getting packed up to leave on Monday."

"A few things, One: As far as I have been hearing we only get a half hour to call home on Monday, I'm going to check with my branch president tonight to find out.  I want everyone to know that I love you all and I will try to call you all but Mom is #1 on my list to call.  Second: Thank you for the bags you sent it's made so much more room in my bags.  Third: Here is the mission home address:

Elder Ryan James Clayton
Mexico Leon Mission
Calle Torre Vieja #128
Col. Arbide
37360 Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico"

"Send any letter or packages you want to that address until I get my residency address.  As far as I heard letters get down there just fine, few things though: don't put any kind of money in letters (they'll cut the corners and sniff and they'll know if there is money in it), people say it takes about a week in a half for a letter to get there and that a regular US postal stamp will work (check with the postal office for more info).  For packages it's a bit different, they are ify if they will get to me.  If you want to send a package you will need to put this phone number bellow the above address, 52 477-715-2595 (this is also the mission home phone number)."

"We are allowed to check our email this last Sunday so if you feel the need to write me go ahead."

"So I have been doing a lot of family history (it's a class we have), and I just have to say, having Clayton on my name bag if a huge honor!"

There you have it folks his last email from the MTC that will be posted on here. I will probably post again on Monday after he calls depending on what he says. I'm quite excited to talk to him even though my mom is number one on his list as she should be.. I thank you guys for following Elder Clayton on this blog the support is incredible and much appreciated. Prayers go a long way and I know that the prayers being sent his way will keep him safe and he will find much success in Mexico. He will create friendships and relationships to last through the eternities. I'm excited to hear about the lives he will touch and change for the better. Have a great week y'all thanks again! 

 Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

Mexico Leon Mission
Calle Torre Vieja #128
Col. Arbide
37360 Leon, Guanajuato
Mexico

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 7: Picture Time!

We got a picture this week!! This needs to go down in the history books people, an act like this from Ryan as been so unheard of these past few weeks. See it's only one picture so you must cherish this moment, not only that, he also sent a caption! That is really unheard of. I'm training this boy to do exactly what I want as far as sending me letters and what I would like them to entail. Haha I am actually missing Elder Clayton a lot this week, he is my go to guy, but I am proud of the service he has so selflessly devoted his life too. I won't waste anymore time this letter was full and exciting!

"Everything is going pretty well, my companion and I were called to be the Zone Leaders on Sunday so that's been pretty fun.  Our job is basically to look over the zone when the Branch presidency isn't here and make sure everyone is being nice.  We also get to teach all the new missionaries that come into our zone all about the MTC and what not to do here.  We didn't get any new missionaries in this week to our zone so well see if we get any next week."

"Yesterday my district got to host for the first time.  It was way fun, I met a lot of awesome families and saw a lot of moms crying.  It's funny how much enthusiasm they have coming in and how fast they lose that.  It's kinda sad but a mission is hard work and you grow so much through it."

"So, Anothony Bivens (who lived in our home teachers house) just came in yesterday.  Got to talk to him for a bit.  It nice to see someone that I know!"

"It's been super cold here, we see snow in the mountains, but no snow has fallen to us yet.  That super awesome how much you love the temple, I love going every Thursday it always brightens up my week!"

"So, cool fact of the week, the church is going to start giving missionary iPads so they can do all their paper work on that and send it to the Prez.  I hope to get one! haha"

"Well, that's just about it for me, not much else going on, I'm really tired of doing role plays 20 times a day.  I just want to go talk to really people!"

"Travel Plans:

November 5,

Flight #2012 LV: Salt Lake City, UT

                     AR: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX

Flight #3211 LV: Dallas/Ft Worth, TX

                     AR: Leon/Guanajuato, Mexico"

Elder Medina and Elder Clayton, hosting yesterday.
That's totally the tie I bought him in London! :)

We were all jumping for joy at the Clayton household when we found out he will go straight to Mexico and he has his travel plans. You best believe my cell phone will be on at all times on the  5th of November, he promised me a roll of quarters, we will talk and it will be much needed! So excited!! :) Not to mention if y'all know Elder Clayton at all you know how much he loved and valued his computers, iPad, and iPhone, which are currently in my closet (he must not realize by the time he gets home all of them will be super outdated), if he gets an iPad on this mission of his he will be very euphoric. Haha Well that's all for this week folks only a week and a half left before he will be in sunny Mexico! Thanks again for the prayers and thoughts. Have a great week! :)


Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

MTC Mailbox # 302

MEX-LEON 1105

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 6: These Titles Are Not Getting Any Better

This weeks email was short and sweet, but still exciting! I'll just get right to it with his email. Enjoy the profound words from the exploring Elder on a journey he will never regret...

"Not much to say, went to Boise last week and that was super fun.  There were 10 of us.  Didn't get Taco Bell but I did get some Panda which was even better.  Talked to a bunch of people throughout the trip.  Everyone was coming up and talking to us, even Shawn Bradley (from the NBA), asking questions and stuff.  Got my Visa after sitting in a Consulate for 2 hours.  I also saw Uncle David at the Airport, didn't have much time to talk to him."

"Other than that, the MTC is the same.  My Spanish is doing really well.  Only 2 1/2 weeks left!"

"It's good to hear the family is doing well!  Keep me informed I like to know what's going on.  Sorry I can't send pictures, the computers are stupid here.  Anyway, thats all I really got to say, sorry it's so short, there's not much to talk about.."

Until next week, Con Amor

Elder Clayton

At least now we know why Elder Clayton hasn't sent any pictures. I'm so glad he got Panda Express if you know Elder Clayton you know how much he loves the Panda. I can't wait for the two and a half weeks to be over. After the boy gets out of the MTC and down to Mexico these blog posts are going to get very interesting. There will probably be times they aren't so interesting and some possibly filled with a discouraged Elder. Who knows what will happen in the next two years, they say a mission is the hardest thing a person will every experience. And through Elder Clayton we can all live vicariously. It'll be interesting to see how things go for him and what he learns. Thanks for the continued thoughts and prayers they really do make a difference. Until next week have a great night y'all. :)

 Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

MTC Mailbox # 302

MEX-LEON 1105

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 5: I Need To Come Up With Better Titles

Yay for exciting weeks! This weeks email was so interesting and so much better than his last two. Still no pictures, but Elder Clayton has had quite the week! I'm excited to share his email with you guys because your minds will be blown! Haha not really but I do think y'all will find it very intriguing.

I'll stop talking so you can start reading. Enjoy!

"Last Friday I started to lose hearing in my right ear, it kept happening.  So I went and had the doctor take a look at it and he thinks it is swelling from the sore throat I had.  So my companion and I had to walk down to the BYU medical center to pick up some drugs.  It was so nice to get out of this place for a half hour!  I'm doing better now."

"Then Conference, that announcement was crazy, we all watched it in the gym and when President Monson said 19 for girls, all 2,000 missionaries started to go crazy.  It was the hot topic for the rest of that day, so many sisters are kinda mad, the sisters in our zone wish they made the announcement two years ago.  Anyway, the rest of conference was amazing.  I don't think I have ever had a conference like that in my life!  That night we had a fireside and Chad Lewis from the NFL came and talked to us about his life which was way sweet!"

"So on Tuesday Elder David A. Bednar came and talked to us at our devotional, and told us this is why the decision was made now and not two years ago, he shared with us this line, "The lord can do his work, and he can hasten his work at his time."  For the rest of his talk he talked about how to study conference talks which was super awesome."

"Then on Wednesday we found out a lot more about changes happening, first they expect that missionary count will double within the next two years, so it will go from 53,000 missionary's to over a 100,000 missionary's.  We keep hearing that they are going to be opening the China mission soon.  They expect the sister missionary count to triple.  They don't know how to handle it, the MTC is already packed as it is.  Also MTC stay times have been cut by 1/3, so if you are here for 12 weeks you are now here for 9, if you are here for 9 weeks you are now here for 6, and if you are here for 3 weeks you are now here for 2.  Crazy!"

"Wednesday night was bad, so we were at gym playing frisbee and we had about 5 or so frisbees flying around.  Well, one of my roommates, Elder Barr, got smacked it the mouth with one and lost his two front teeth.  So him and his companion are at the hospital all of today.  No good…"

"Anyway, for my exciting announcement, I am going to Boise Idaho!! YAY haha I have to make a one day flight up there to pick up my visa from the Mexican Consulate.  I leave the MTC at 4:30 tomorrow morning.  The best part is that I'm going to be able to get some real food!! Taco Bell here I come!"

Con amor, Elder Clayton

His e-mail was sent yesterday so as of today I'm wondering the following which I will ask him in my next letter. First thing, did he ever get the Taco Bell he really wanted? I hope his ear is feeling better and if everything is back to normal with his medical issues he's been seeming to have since he entered the MTC over a month ago. Was he actually able to speak to Chad Lewis? That would be really cool and if he did I hope he got a picture so I can put that on his blog that would be cool to see. I need to ask him to send some more pictures. 

As always thank you for the prayers and the thoughts. Please feel free to write Elder Clayton I know he would love to hear from you! Until next week, have a great evening!


 Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

MTC Mailbox # 302

MEX-LEON 1105

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 4-Month 1

Elder Clayton has now been out for one month! Crazy how time flies when you're having fun. His letter this week was rather short and there were no pictures included. I asked a variety of questions so hopefully his next email will be intriguing and interesting to read. Not that they aren't interesting now they are just starting to lack luster in a small sense, no worries though people he's doing great and at the beginning of November he will be off to somewhere else. Where he will go nobody knows, but we are all hoping it's to Mexico. 

The following message contains contents from his email read at your own discretion. Caution some parts may bring confusion and laughter that you just can't control. Proceed at your own risk. Haha Jk just trying to keep things interesting. Here you have it peeps, words from the mouth of Elder Clayton....


"My MTC experience is now officially half over! YAY haha There's not much to report everything is the same thing day after day.  Had Fast Sunday, and I have to say that it gives me a whole new prospective on fasting!  It was so amazing to really do a faithful fast."

"I was sick last Friday, so i skipped one of my classes and I slept (didn't get any sleep the night before).  Had my district give me a blessing Friday night.  It was my companion's first time ever giving a blessing.  There is something really bad spreading here, every week there are elders sick to the stomachs."

"Not much else to tell, my Spanish is coming along really well, yesterday we starting to only speak Spanish, we are now not allowed to speak English for the next two years. It's really hard but I am always surprised how much I can say in Spanish."

"Thanks for the songs last week, totally made my week.  We have been singing them ever since. haha We haven't yet attempt the Spanish ones yet, but we are going to try them soon.  I could use another song, 'Be Are Guest' from Beauty and the Beast. :)"

"Haha so we have two teachers, our morning teacher (Brother Angel) and our afternoon teacher (Sister Olsen).  Well Brother Angel has been home from his mission for about a year now and he has a special lady friend who he has been dating for about a month.  Well during the past few classes we have been helping him come up with ideas to propose to her, he promised to propose to her before we leave. haha"

Con Amor,
Elder Clayton

There you have it folks the great insight from the mouth of a missionary. They are people just like you and me, why people treat them differently I will never know. Enjoy your week keep Elder Clayton in your prayers.  They don't go unnoticed and they truly help, he appreciates and understands people are thinking of him. Until next time.... God be with you 'til we meet again.

Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

MTC Mailbox # 302

MEX-LEON 1105

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

Week 3: Things Are Looking Up!

Week three has been much better. Elder Clayton really seems to be loving what he is doing. He no longer feels sick and his stress levels have decreased, which is the best news we can receive. I will tell you there is some concern I feel for various things he has written about this past week. Unlike some of my fellow family members I'm lost on how this should be processed. I have one thought, 19 year old boys have a strange thought process. He's happy and that's all that matters. Reading his emails are so great, we are all excited for when he goes to Mexico those stories will be very interesting. 

Like always here are parts of his email, he's an odd duck but we love him. :) 

"So this past week has well been the exact same as the other two weeks, due to the fact the schedule never changes.  I got to see the Temple Dedication at the 3'o session, it was awesome.  Can't wait to go to the temple later today!  So it's going to be my first mission fast Sunday this week, I think it will be a really neat experience.  We don't get to eat dinner until 4:30pm. And thats along time when you get up at 6:30am.  I hope they're serving egg salad sandwiches. JK the eggs here will make you sick. :/"

"Oh one more thing, so we have a Disney song sing off in the showers and I could really us some lyrics to some songs, send me whatever and how many Disney songs you can think of, a few that I really want are 'I'll Make A Man Out Of You' from Mulan and 'I Can Go The Distance' from Hercules!  Thanks :)"

"My spanish is doing pretty well, it's still coming slow but at the same time it's coming faster than it would if I were taking a spanish class at school.  What I've really been focusing on is the gospel, there is so much to the gospel that I never knew.  So we get and hour everyday for personal time where we are to study the gospel only, in our Native language.  I don't think I go a day without learning something new.  The best is when we have our firesides, because you can learn so much that isn't in Preach My Gospel!"

"So we lost a district in our zone on tuesday, three of them are going to Tyler's mission Spanish, I told them to keep an eye out for him!  We also lost 5 Elders from our district who went down to the Peru MTC, so now we are down just to the six Mexicans.  But our zone doesn't stay small for long, we got and new district yesterday (6 Elders, 3 Harmanas) so my district is no longer the newbies! haha"

"I've lost 5lb while being here, you get a lot of time for gym.  I run about a mile in a half everyday and play soccer or four square.  Staying active is so amazing, it gives you so much natural energy throughout the day.  Almost got nailed in the face with the soccer ball again, barely missed my head. haha It's all fun though! :)"

"And Mom, I just want to let you know that you are by far the best mother in the world!  And that I love you so much!  Thanks for raising me right, you've done great! :)  And let dad know that he's great too and let him know that I thank him for being so hard on us."

Con amor,

Elder Clayton

PS. No new pictures this week.

Sorry there are no pictures this week. Hopefully there will be some next week, I will post them as they come. A couple side notes, he talked about egg salad sandwiches, my family has a tradition we have had for as long as I can remember and that is, my mom makes egg salad sandwiches on Fast Sunday for dinner. They are probably Ryan's favorite thing and he knows while he is gone he won't have them. He seems to be progressing much faster now that he feels comfortable with his surroundings, we know it's from all the prayers that are being said for him. There is much thanks to all who have kept him in your thoughts and prayers. He only has about six weeks left in the MTC before leaving to either Mexico or somewhere else in the US, (depending on his Visa status) I bet he is so excited to be done. Once he gets to Mexico he will learn much more about their culture and their language than he could ever learn in the MTC.

Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 

MTC Mailbox # 302

MEX-LEON 1105

2005 N 900 E

Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again... 

Week 2 Has Been Better

Elder Clayton had a much better week this week. Thank you to all those who have expressed love and support it really makes a difference. Many questions were asked when we replied to his not so pleasant and somewhat depressing e-mail last week. Yes, he finally told me about his companion and the food! I'm excited to share his thoughts on the subject.

The following is parts from Elder Clayton's e-mail, most of which answer questions that have been asked. Enjoy!


"First, How does Church work here? and How are Sundays?  Well Sundays are probably the best day of the week here.  It's all English all day which makes it so nice.  First thing in the morning after breakfast we go to Priesthood for an hour (Sisters go to Relief Society).  Then we have Study time until lunch. After lunch we have Sacrament. and after that it's basically Study time all the way to the Sunday Night Fireside."

"Hows the food?  The food is actually really good, only thing is it sometimes won't sit very well in your stomach.  But for the most part I've eaten everything they have served me."

"I wanted to thank you guys for you package, the seat cushion by far was the best thing.  It feels so nice!  Also thank you for all the letters throughout the week, it makes time go by a lot faster here.  Also thanks for the emails! :)"

"My companion's name is Elder Manglinong, he is half Filipino.  But he has never been to the Philippines, he's actually from West Jordan.  Funny thing is that his girlfriend was an SBO at West Jordan High, and I know her.  He is a really awesome guy, we got lucky too, out of all the companionships in our district we get along the best.  We are both serving the same Mission."

"On Sundays we get to go and walk around the Temple, which is super awesome.  There are so many Missionary's over there all at once its awesome to find people I know and talk to them.  It can also be weird cause a lot of families also go and walk around, and it's like the only outside people we ever see.  We go at around 3:30 and after I go to Choir.  Oh yes I joined the choir, we sing every Tuesday during the Tuesday devotional."

"The by far worst thing about this place are the nights and getting up in the morning.  So in our room the vent only blows cold air ALL NIGHT!  So we wake up in the morning and it is freezing and nobody wants to get out off bed.  There is no way of turning off the cold air.. :("

"My teachers here are awesome. I have two, one teaches in the morning and one in the afternoon or night.  Our morning teacher is Hermano Angel, he served in Ecuador.  He's been home for about a year and he's really a fun guy.  Our night teacher is Hermana Olsen, she served in Johns mission.  She is super nice too."

It's time for pictures from Elder Clayton! He actually managed to send me a sentence on what each of them are so now we don't have to be confused we can have a bit of clarity.

His district all going to Leon

Ryan and his companion

Ryan showing us Leon on the map

As you can see this week has been much better for Elder Clayton. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. I'm going to clarify something from his e-mail that you might be confused about unless you know him personally. John is our older brother who served in the Kennewick, WA mission, from October 2002-2004.  If you ever have a question for him or you just want to drop a line and say hi please feel free. I know he would love it and I know he will do his best to respond.


Address and E-mail

Elder Ryan James Clayton 
MTC Mailbox # 302
MEX-LEON 1105
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again...

Week 1...

Elder Clayton has been out for a  week and a day. We finally got an email from him after much wondering of when his Preparation Day (P-Day) would be. Ryan is learning Spanish so he will be in the Provo MTC for nine weeks, however, we have just passed week number one and he already wants to be in the field working hard and serving the Lord. I have a feeling the next eight weeks for him are going to be long, but what doesn't kill him will only make him stronger. I don't know if I can say the same about the food. He hasn't said whether or not he likes it but I asked so hopefully next week I will have a response to that answer. There are 11 other elders in his district including his companion, and he says they all get along really well. His companion is Elder Manglinong, he didn't say much about him but again I asked so we will see what he has to say. I'm beginning to see a pattern here about him not really saying much about the MTC itself. He did ask us to send him a seat cushion for the chair he sits in for around ten hours a day. 

The following are little snippets from his email home. No better way to tell you what's up than through his own words right?

"There's a saying here that I learned pretty fast it goes: The days feel like weeks and the weeks feel like days.  It is so true, we have 14 hour days constantly studying and learning. Still feeling stressed but learning to be patient."

"Sundays are the best here we get to have personal study most of the day which is awesome and there's a fireside every Sunday and Tuesday night. Elder Bednar is supposed to come soon and speak. We get to watch the Brigham City temple dedication here which will be awesome."

"I think the worst part of my days are our daily investigator visits, we have to try and convert a mock investigator all in Spanish, it is so hard. It's amazing though of how much Spanish you learn in one week, I can already say a pray and bare my testimony all in Spanish! It's also amazing how much you mature in such a short amount of time!"

"We get to have an hour of gym every day which is the best! I've been playing four square and futbol (soccer) almost every gym and they're the best!"

"I went to the temple this morning and it was awesome, we saw a couple getting married which was pretty cool! It's amazing how much you can feel the spirit when you attend the temple, it's probably the best thing here!"

Here are some pictures of his first week! again he didn't say much about them so I am going to do my best at guessing so good luck!

Ryan and Robynn. 9/5/12

Mom and Ryan. 9/5/12

Dad and Ryan. 9/5/12

Elder Clayton. 9/5/12

This picture is so something Elder Clayton would do.

My guess is this is his companion

Elder Clayton has had a rough start this past week but here's to knowing things will get better. He is on the more discouraged side of things, which is understandable, learning a language in nine weeks could be considered impossible if it wasn't for the gift of tongues. Tonight my family put together a care package for our missionary fully equipped with Oreo's, soda, Crackers, chips, the seat cushion he asked for, letters, and candy. That should hold him and his companion over for about a week. Please send letters to Ryan showing him your love and support. He could really use the words of encouragement to push him through to the next week and the next two years. Ryan is a strong kid and I have no doubt he will be a fine and faithful missionary. He is a 19 year old kid leaving home for the first time going to a foreign country talking to strangers, building a love and friendships that will last throughout the eternities.

Address and E-Mail:

Elder Ryan James Clayton 
MTC Mailbox # 302
MEX-LEON 1105
2005 N 900 E
Provo, UT 84604-1793

ryan.clayton@myldsmail.net

God Be With You Till We Meet Again...