Behold, the Power of God!

 August 17, 2015

Gonna keep it short this week.  I have too many other things to do on the computer in 1 hour.

This week was a sick week!   SOO sick!  Not as in cool... as in sick!  My comp suffers from real bad migraines and was out of order for 3 days this week.  It’s real hard to build up an area when you don’t work in it!   But it’s all right.   I got some good studying done and rest which was greatly needed!   Also Elder Galindo had a fun field trip for 4 days to the hospital so I got to worry myself sick with that situation.  Visiting him one day was very very fun and the restaurant there was delicious!!!

Other than that... nothing much happened!

Oh wait!  I had a wonderful wonderful phone call the other night from my son (the elder who Riley trained) who is still in Jardines Iztapalapa!  He called me letting me know how everything is good there and that he baptized a family of FOUR that he and I found and taught before I took off for Ajusco!  BEHOLD THE POWER OF GOD!   What absolutely WONDERFUL news that was to receive.  As I laid in my bed that night thinking I realized my Joy was truly full--just like the scripture in Alma 29: versus 14-16! [See scripture below.]  Wow!   It was an experience I will never forget and I am so incredibly happy for my son, Elder Walker, and the success he is having! 

Cambios (transfers) tomorrow!  A new comp is coming!  Please keep me in your prayers!

Love Elder McClure

Alma 29:14-16

14 But I do not joy in my own success alone, but my joy is more full because of the success of my brethren, who have been up to the land of Nephi.

 15 Behold, they have labored exceedingly, and have brought forth much fruit; and how great shall be their reward!

 16 Now, when I think of the success of these my brethren my soul is carried away, even to the separation of it from the body, as it were, so great is my joy.

 

Smiling and Singing as I Go!!

Eating Rabbit

My New Mexican Pants

Roofin'

August 10, 2015

We totally have a ton of new investigators this week--like a lot and they all seem genuinely interested which is a first ... let me tell you.

We worked our bum-bums off all week walking like crazy and in the process set 4 fecha bautismales (people with baptismal dates).

4 siblings came to church yesterday!!!!  I’ve waited and prayed for a month to have an investigator come to church and it finally finally happened!!!!!!

My comp and I gave a 40 (minute) teaching time thing in front of our zone, assistants and mission prez and it went.... well.

We are finding, teaching, and loving as we work work work every day.

So tha’ts the awesomeness for this week all summed up real nicely so even the young’uns can enjoy what went down this week.

Now, for the awesomest of awesomeness that went down ... dun dun dun dunnnnnn -- today we went to a super, super, super, super nice restaurant with a member and 3 other sets of missionaries and I ate RABBIT!!!!!!!!   Wow it was so hard to do. Every bite I took was just another memory of lit’l Muffins (Riley’s pet rabbit); but hey I did it and I’m so proud!  I even kissed the dead thing.   Right on the smackers.  It was good tastingish ... mostly like chicken but much more tough and hard to get off the bone.  I think I’ll never eat it again, but hey I’m so proud of what I have done and accomplished as a missionary--all the way!

The work is finally picking up.  I’m smiling and singing as I go ... and changes (transfers) are next week! dun dun dun!  We think my comp is a movin’ out but we´ll see.

Other things that happened this week:

I bought Mexican pants

I rode a part of a train 

I hit a piñata

I juggled hail balls

And I also got lost with my district for many hours on our way home from a zone conference that took place down the mountain.

Elder McClure. Ya

Cowboys and Indians!

Oh, Thank the Heavens!

August 3, 2015

Well this week has been a real sweet week and I have so many stories and cool things to share and, oh man, it was a super good week. 

We finally have started finding new investigators!  We have 4 new investigators and 2 with fecha bautismales! (baptismal dates!)  So super sweet!  We worked super, super hard and with that had some success! (FINALLY)   Oh, thank the heavens.   Also we found lots of cool walls and cliff things to jump off this week and so I took a lot of pics and videos and almost broke my leg today and really it was all super awesome!

This week I’ve been praying really, really hard for a family of 6 that we can teach and baptize.  Also this week we contacted 2 families of 6.   Bam--prayer answered like that!  I’m not sure what’s going to actually happen with these families, but what a blessing it has been for me to see this response and heavenly help sent our way.   One of these families owns a ranch that is HUGE and I’m really looking forward to teaching them.  They seem super awesome and have ponies so what more could I ask for?   We will be teaching them this Sunday and maybe even eating with them ... please, please, please!!!!

I didn’t know snakes were a thing here in Mexico but ... yeah they are.   We came across 2 this week and one was a rattler, so we got some cool photos and went on our way.

Today we had the opportunity to climb a volcano and relax inside the bowl.  It was sooo cool.  By that time in the hike my camera died, but my fellow missionaries have some cool panorama photos of us that they will send me next week of us inside the volcano.  Also we found an abandoned house at the top and it was super sketchy and didn’t have any stairs so we climbed around and took pictures and had a real great time.

The work is finally picking up.  We are having fun WHILE working and I’m learning a lot, lot, lot ... not with the language, but just with other missionary things-- like how to live Mexican style and how to eat super fatty foods and still have energy to work and how to use my whiteness to contact (we’ve contacted like 20 people this week just because I’m white).   It’s awesome. 

Walking and Singing . . .

It rains a lot!!

July 27, 2015

What a week!   We totally put in a full week of work and got in return 5 lessons in total.   5. Woooooooo!!!!   Yaaa!!!!!    We are awesome!!!   Man the work here is hard and slow!!!!   5 lessons and 4 were with actives (active Church members).   The other menos activo creo (less active members).   We don’t really have any investigators right now, so that’s rough, but hey we are working hard and we will be blessed for it, right? 

So pretty much we walked ... alllllll week, which was awesome.   It gave me some time to sing.   I especially thought of the song about pioneer children walking and walking and walking.   Ya that was one that ran though my head a lot.   And I sang the song by the big guy about how “Everything little thing ... is gonna be alright” as I got growled at by a herd of trash-eating dogs.   Music this week is what seriously kept me going. 

Besides all the walking and singing I really can’t think of anything else that happened this week.   Hmmm.

Yep, that’s really about it!   I’m in chapter of 8 of Moroni in the Book of Mormon ... SO close to finishing.  It’s so awesomely crazy, I’ve been like trying not to read very much because I don’t want it to end;  but ya, 2 chapters left and nada mas (nothing but)!   I’m also halfway through reading the Doctrine & Covenants and half way through reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish.   What should I do next?   The Bible?  Oh yikes!  (It's SOOOOO big!!)

I’ve really been able to focus on my Patriarchal Blessing esta semana (this week) and it’s so incredible the blessings that have already come forth and have happened in my life.   What a blessing to have this guidance to help me find my way!

The work is hard, but it’s awesome.   The walking is good.   I’ve got good views, good smelling cows, great tasting eggs and hotdogs, and a smile on my face.   Life’s good!

Elder McClure 

My bros . . .

My Joy is Full!!

My District!  My companion on the left.

July 20^th, 2015

2nd week in Ajusco and I do believe I’m acclimating real well!  So much has happened and soo much hasn’t happened this week that I think I might just be good to call it a post right now.

Nah . . . so first a little bit more info--my comp, Elder Sierra, is from Colombia . . . not Columbia. (Supposedly there is a difference.)   He has 17 months in the mission and is probably the skinniest kid I have ever met.  He’s buying special protein to help him gain weight ... I wish I had that problem!

Ajusco is high in altitude (9600 feet) and absolutely beautiful.  There are ponies and moomoos and sheep and grass and fields and even a little bike trail (if only we had bikes) and volcanos and hills (lots of hills) and really it is just the cutest little giant pueblo you ever did see!  My calves have never hurt so bad in my life and the bus ride down the mountain to get to the city is about as life-threatening as rafting class 1billion rapids!   I LOVE AJUSCO!

 This week we worked hard trying to build up our area.  The truth is that when I got here this area was dead.  Now we have a few investigatores and a few future-investigatores and this week looks promising!  I’m really learning how to talk to everyone and how to understand a Colombian accent.  In all my emails I got this week people said how my Spanish must be getting so much better with an all-Hispanic district.  Oh, how I wish you all were right!  HAH!   I haven’t learned one new thing of Spanish.  Sadly my whole district says I’m already good with Spanish and so they won’t help me.  Elder Galindo from Honduras is fluent in English and he won’t help me!  I asked him to correct me when needed and he was all "ehhh, you’re fine".   So yeah, my Spanish might go a little downhill but at least I have Elder Galindo to talk to in English every now and then, so I don’t forget the basics of English. 

Oh yeah, also this week I went with Elder Galindo in his area for intercambios and it was real fun because he knows a ton about American movies and he kept me entertained for a whole 24 hours with lines from movies and just funny American stuff that I’ve missed a lot.  Also this week both my comp and I were down with a cold which was a little rough, but now we are doing much better and ready to work. 

Hmmmm . . . what else?  I had my first interview with my new Prez this week and my whole idea of missionary work was changed!   That man is truly inspired!  I love him!  He taught me how to love the people and after loving them the rest falls into place.  It’s something I might possibly be lacking so I’m super grateful for this insight and help from Prez.  It was such a powerful interview, we were both crying and wow the Spirit was so strong.  This past week was a bit slow, but things are picking up here in Ajusco and I’m ready to give it all I’ve got.   Missionary work is so rewarding--so hard and stressful and painful at times, ya ya ya; but so so so rewarding.  Oh how I love it all . . .even when it’s hard.   When it’s hard I learn even more so really, always it’s a winning situation.  I’m grateful to be here in Ajusco serving and giving it all I got.

My joy is full!

Elder McClure

My Branch President's daughter and her friend.

Ajusco! Lovin' it!

My new area is behind me.

My new district.

July 13, 2015

Wow, my world has been flipped upside down--let me tell ya. So I thought having a call to Mexico City would mean 2 years of straight up ghetto desert city and nothing else ... I WAS WRONG! Transfers came and I am now in a small town called Ajusco.  It’s high in the mountains and extremely cold--like super cold--like so cold I can’t explain how cold!  There are farms and animals and cold and wow it’s so different.  I heard it’s where disobedient kids get sent to suffer and shape up, but I’ve been obedient, so who knows why I’m here.

My district is made up of 4 elders again. My comp, Elder Sierra is from Colombia. He doesn’t know English. Elder Nava is from Veracruz and Elder Galindo is from Honduras. Yes. I’m the only white boy. It’s rough. I ended my last transfer with confidence in my Spanish. Now I just realize how dumb I really am! It’s awesome. I love all the guys here though; they are great and good workers. My house is much bigger than last week, but super cold and damp and my towel doesn’t even dry with a day of being hung. Our house was so gross when I got there I wanted to throw up, but we’ve done some cleaning since then.  But it still needs help. There isn’t a ward here, just a branch of 30 active members and we meet in A House of Prayer. It’s a pretty sweet house though, so I’m pretty excited!  I gave a talk yesterday!  A great way to welcome a poor dumb white kid into the branch, huh! I spoke 15 minutes on testimony and missionary work.

I also had intercambios (exchanges) with the zone leaders this week and learned a ton from them.   They have a sweet area with baptisms almost every week. Also this whole past week my comp had to go to the hospital for tests because he has migraines, so I literally haven’t even worked in my new area yet.  Anywho, lots went on this week and lots of stress and not feeling super, super happy, but still kinda happy! I’m happy and healthy and starving and my calves are destroyed because every road is so steep it’s hard to walk. But I’m good.

 AJUSCO!  Lovin’ it

L to R: My son on the left, then me, my dad, my grandpa, and my great-grandpa. Terms used for who trained who.

Bye, bye!  Iztapalapa!!

Good-bye Iztapalapa!

Hurray for Pizza!!

Super weird fruta called leeches that taste ... kinda like grapes. 

July 6, 2015

Hey Y’all,

So um, first off ... saw that picture of my boy Jacob Clark and all, and HOLY COW, he’s already home!  Can’t believe my eye balls!  Congrats to him and boy do I miss him.

OK, now to the other, not so important stuff:

Well we have a new president and I got to meet him last Wednesday and WOW he’s AMAZING!  Talk about a man of God!  And his wife ... she and I are gonna get along just great. She’s so so so so so so so so funny!!!!!!  Anywho, we had a zone conference to get to know him and his main message was "be 100% obedient" ... pretty interesting huh!  I love it!  That’s what it’s all about!  Success and happiness are what come from this whole obedience thing.  I love it!

Anywho, it was my turn to stand up and introduce myself in this conference and I mentioned that I was from Fort Collins and they both in one voice were all "our daughter lives there!!!!" and I was all like "Score"-- new favorite right here!  No not true, but anywho, ya their daughter is in Fort Collins so that’s pretty sweet.  I think I got an “in” with them for sure!! Hahaha--no.  Anywho, they are amazing and I’m so excited to get to know them better and work with them in this sacred work. 

This week was a good one, but very slow, might I say.  Not many lessons and the heat has kicked in -- and rain. los dos (both).   The reward at the end of the week was having 7 investigadores in the chapel on Sunday!  How amazing right???!?!!  We were so happy and 4 are a family--parents and 2 daughters.  They are the ones with the bunny and I’m so excited for them.  We don’t have many investigators, but the ones we have are really good and progressing, so it’s so wonderful.  I’m so happy!

Ok, now the scary news!  I’m getting transferred!  I know not where and with whom ... but tomorrow I’ll be off to a new land with a new comp and boy my adrenalin just can’t stop pumping!  Iztapalapa has been my home for all my mission and here I have made new friends, found much success, seen miracles, felt true happiness and grown spiritually in a way my little brain can’t even comprehend.  Leaving is going to be so hard, but I’m so excited for what lies ahead! 

I feel so, so blessed right now in my life and I’m so, so happy I just can’t put it into words. Serving the Lord really is the best thing any 19 year-old-boy could do. 

Next week get ready for the big news on where I am and who my comp is.

Elder McClure

My Mexican grandmas!