Dear Family,
Hi! I apologize for not writing yesterday and forgetting to tell you last week that I would be writing a day late. This week we're having a mission tour by Elder Pieper of the Seventy. We'll have our half-mission zone conference tomorrow but we had a zone leader council with Elder Pieper all day yesterday. It was fantastic! After our instruction, he asked President Jones if he could interview a few of us, so I got to talk with Elder Pieper one-on-one for a few minutes. It was interesting. He asked me a few questions about my family, my plans for the future, where I had been able to serve as a missionary, and what the most important changes I'd seen in my life since becoming a missionary. And at the end I got a hug from him; hence, the subject of the email.
This week went fairly well. Elder Morales was sick for most of the week. I have never had a harder time trying to get a companion to rest when he needed it than I have had this week. I had to trick him into taking a nap, calling Sister Jones, and taking his medicine. We have, though, another investigator, Sarah Webster, who has a baptismal date - November 20th, plus 2 more we've challenged to pray about that date (they didn't seem super sure of themselves when we first invited them). New investigator-wise, the whole mission slipped quite a bit this week. Although we only had 11 new investigators in the zone (less than half of what we had last week), we're still on track to reach our goal for 90 by the 9th if we step up our game just a little bit these last two weeks. Elder Pieper taught us a lot about the "eye of faith" yesterday that we learn about in Ether 12. We're going to reach our goal!
I love you all and I'm glad you're doing well. I hope none of you catch the flu. It's been pretty crazy here with lots of schools closed for the flu. The Kalamazoo Stake actually canceled all of their meetings for the week. But everyone knows they're wussies. They cancel church in winter way more than the UPers ever do.
Have a great week! I'm sure I'll tell you all about our amazing zone conference when I email next week.
Love,
Elder Cloward
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Good Stuff
Hello family!
We had a fantastic week here in Bay City and in the Midland zone! Seeing the work that took place among the incredible elders and sisters of our zone this week reminds me of a phrase that came to mind as I listened to President Monson's first welcoming talk in this last General Conference. As he spoke of the tremendous growth the church is enjoying worldwide, I jotted down "Hasten the work!" in my study binder. I'm not really sure where that phrase comes from but it feels appropriate this week.
Our zone doubled the number of new investigators we found this week, getting more than this zone has had in one week in a long, long time. The only sad part is that this great feat was accomplished by about 2/3 of the missionaries in the zone, while the others did not contribute. If we can get everyone working and exercising their faith, I do not think there will be a limit to the success the Lord will grant us in the wards and branches of the Midland Stake.
As for Elder Morales and I, we had a great week. Some highlights:
- We had splits with the Priests on Wednesday. I went out with Donald and checked on a former investigator named Bryan. He invited us in and we talked with him for about 20 minutes about the things he remembers from what the missionaries taught and how he felt about it. He told us it was so crazy that we had come by because he'd been thinking about us lately. He actually stopped being taught because he moved to Saginaw for a job, which he had since lost. He only recently returned to Bay City and has had a lot of time on his hands to spend time thinking and praying at home. He's had a pretty crazy and sometimes criminal past but he knows he's not happy and wants to change for himself and for his kids. He said he has been praying every day for God to show him what he wants him to do in his life. Anyway, he had just found an old pass-along card in a drawer that had the missionaries' number on it and had showed it to his girlfriend, who told him he'd better get back to church. And then we show up, seemingly randomly. "By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass".
We got to spend a little time on the campus of Central Michigan University Thursday with a six-foot-tall Book of Mormon. We drove the prop over to the sisters who work campus and they let us stay for a bit. It was a lot of fun to talk to students my age, who were generally as open and receptive as anyone I've ever talked to. I did almost freeze to death though because it was in the 30s and I wasn't wearing a coat.
Saturday, we taught three more new investigators. One of these was in an incredible lesson with the Rodriguez'. Sis. Rodriguez was once married to a less-active church member, so she had a lot of questions for us starting out. The Spirit that was there as we talked about Joseph Smith's First Vision and the Book of Mormon was incredible. They were so prepared to receive our message!
To top it all off we had six investigators at church on Sunday. And we're hoping for more next week. Elder Morales' previous record is 10 (WAY more than I've ever had there) so I'm hoping we can beat that. So many people in Bay City are openly seeking greater truth and light in their lives and they're welcoming us into their lives and their homes. The gospel is true!
I love you all,
Elder Cloward
We had a fantastic week here in Bay City and in the Midland zone! Seeing the work that took place among the incredible elders and sisters of our zone this week reminds me of a phrase that came to mind as I listened to President Monson's first welcoming talk in this last General Conference. As he spoke of the tremendous growth the church is enjoying worldwide, I jotted down "Hasten the work!" in my study binder. I'm not really sure where that phrase comes from but it feels appropriate this week.
Our zone doubled the number of new investigators we found this week, getting more than this zone has had in one week in a long, long time. The only sad part is that this great feat was accomplished by about 2/3 of the missionaries in the zone, while the others did not contribute. If we can get everyone working and exercising their faith, I do not think there will be a limit to the success the Lord will grant us in the wards and branches of the Midland Stake.
As for Elder Morales and I, we had a great week. Some highlights:
- We had splits with the Priests on Wednesday. I went out with Donald and checked on a former investigator named Bryan. He invited us in and we talked with him for about 20 minutes about the things he remembers from what the missionaries taught and how he felt about it. He told us it was so crazy that we had come by because he'd been thinking about us lately. He actually stopped being taught because he moved to Saginaw for a job, which he had since lost. He only recently returned to Bay City and has had a lot of time on his hands to spend time thinking and praying at home. He's had a pretty crazy and sometimes criminal past but he knows he's not happy and wants to change for himself and for his kids. He said he has been praying every day for God to show him what he wants him to do in his life. Anyway, he had just found an old pass-along card in a drawer that had the missionaries' number on it and had showed it to his girlfriend, who told him he'd better get back to church. And then we show up, seemingly randomly. "By small and simple things, great things are brought to pass".
We got to spend a little time on the campus of Central Michigan University Thursday with a six-foot-tall Book of Mormon. We drove the prop over to the sisters who work campus and they let us stay for a bit. It was a lot of fun to talk to students my age, who were generally as open and receptive as anyone I've ever talked to. I did almost freeze to death though because it was in the 30s and I wasn't wearing a coat.
Saturday, we taught three more new investigators. One of these was in an incredible lesson with the Rodriguez'. Sis. Rodriguez was once married to a less-active church member, so she had a lot of questions for us starting out. The Spirit that was there as we talked about Joseph Smith's First Vision and the Book of Mormon was incredible. They were so prepared to receive our message!
To top it all off we had six investigators at church on Sunday. And we're hoping for more next week. Elder Morales' previous record is 10 (WAY more than I've ever had there) so I'm hoping we can beat that. So many people in Bay City are openly seeking greater truth and light in their lives and they're welcoming us into their lives and their homes. The gospel is true!
I love you all,
Elder Cloward
Monday, October 12, 2009
So You Think You Can Find...
Hello family!
The subject of this letter will be finding because the subject of my life at this moment is finding. Finding, finding, finding. (We'll try not to forget about teaching and baptizing, the other two members of the tripartite pact, but for now we're finding). Did I mention finding?
I'm sure I've mentioned before, but in effectivity analyses of our mission, Salt lake has continually told us that our greatest weakness is in finding new investigators (people to teach). According to our statistics we're very effective teachers, we just need more people to teach. So, President Jones has been continually asking us to focus our efforts on consistently finding new investigators, specifically the standard of three new investigators per companionship per week.
Elder Morales and I have hit the ground running, really wanting to help the missionaries in our zone begin working toward that goal. After some prayer and a lot of thought and discussion, we came up with a goal for our zone of "90 by the 9th". 90 new investigators, total, for the zone within the first 5 weeks of the transfer, or by the 9th of November. It's only halfway to the standard, requiring just 1.5 new investigators per companionship per week, but it requires more per week than the zone has previously done. We feel really good about it, President Jones felt really good about it, and we're excited to help the missionaries acheive it. Prayers for us would be great.
President Jones has talked lately about the importance of miracles in this work. In Moroni 7:37, Mormon teaches us "it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain." We've been striving to have the faith required for miracles to happen. Well, Elder Morales and I have been working hard each day to find a new investigator, doing everything we know how to do. Saturday night we were exhausted and disappointed to be ending the week without finding a single new person to teach. And the Lord blessed us with a miracle! A less-active family came to church and brought a friend who really wanted to learn more about the church! And we taught her! And she was really receptive! Later, another less-active member invited a friend to join our lesson! And we taught her! And she was really receptive! We trust that by our faith the Lord will continue to provide these and greater miracles.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is miraculous and has power to change our hearts and our lives! Jesus Christ lives! He has restored His church and kingdom to the earth in preparation for His Second Coming!
I love you all!
Elder Cloward
P.S. A couple of pictures of me and Elder Morales.
The subject of this letter will be finding because the subject of my life at this moment is finding. Finding, finding, finding. (We'll try not to forget about teaching and baptizing, the other two members of the tripartite pact, but for now we're finding). Did I mention finding?
I'm sure I've mentioned before, but in effectivity analyses of our mission, Salt lake has continually told us that our greatest weakness is in finding new investigators (people to teach). According to our statistics we're very effective teachers, we just need more people to teach. So, President Jones has been continually asking us to focus our efforts on consistently finding new investigators, specifically the standard of three new investigators per companionship per week.
Elder Morales and I have hit the ground running, really wanting to help the missionaries in our zone begin working toward that goal. After some prayer and a lot of thought and discussion, we came up with a goal for our zone of "90 by the 9th". 90 new investigators, total, for the zone within the first 5 weeks of the transfer, or by the 9th of November. It's only halfway to the standard, requiring just 1.5 new investigators per companionship per week, but it requires more per week than the zone has previously done. We feel really good about it, President Jones felt really good about it, and we're excited to help the missionaries acheive it. Prayers for us would be great.
President Jones has talked lately about the importance of miracles in this work. In Moroni 7:37, Mormon teaches us "it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain." We've been striving to have the faith required for miracles to happen. Well, Elder Morales and I have been working hard each day to find a new investigator, doing everything we know how to do. Saturday night we were exhausted and disappointed to be ending the week without finding a single new person to teach. And the Lord blessed us with a miracle! A less-active family came to church and brought a friend who really wanted to learn more about the church! And we taught her! And she was really receptive! Later, another less-active member invited a friend to join our lesson! And we taught her! And she was really receptive! We trust that by our faith the Lord will continue to provide these and greater miracles.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is miraculous and has power to change our hearts and our lives! Jesus Christ lives! He has restored His church and kingdom to the earth in preparation for His Second Coming!
I love you all!
Elder Cloward
P.S. A couple of pictures of me and Elder Morales.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Conference and Transfers
Hello all!
Wasn't General Conference great? I love the reassurance I receive through the Holy Ghost every six months that God has called prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that if we follow their counsel we will be blessed with a closer relationship to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I can't believe I only have one more General Conference left on my mission.
I was excited to have Angela (the one who lived in Sierra Vista) at conference Sunday morning. (Well, for us it was Sunday afternoon, but it was the Sunday morning session). She really enjoyed it; she obviously felt the Spirit very strongly and told some church members they'd be seeing a lot more of her because it feels like she has "come home". I haven't been able to hear statements like that too many times on my mission and they are priceless.
We got our transfer call this last Friday. I'll be staying here in Bay City with Elder Morales. I don't know him very much at all. He's from El Salvador by way of California and has been on a mission six weeks longer than I have. This will be his first transfer as a zone leader, so I get to train him in the things I still don't know how to do. I'll be picking him up in mt. Pleasant on Tuesday morning. Elder Smith is going down to Allegan, near Kalamazoo. I'll really miss him; he's been great to serve with.
I got to spend a day back in Oscoda on exchanges this last Wednesday. It was a lot of fun, but not everything I'd hoped. We had to cancel a few plans (including plans to see Staci Saurer, who was baptized when I was there) because Elder Meldrum, with whom I spent the day, managed to step on a few rusty nails while we were helping Bro. Dykes tear an old polebarn on his property (which was very fun). So, we spent a few hours at the medical clinic while Elder Meldrum had his feet workedon and got tetanus shots. It was kind of funny remembering a very similar experience I had last year. I wasn't smart enough to go to the doctor, though. Good thing I'd had my tetanus booster, I guess.
I can't really think of anything else to report. I hope you all have a fantastic week.
Love you,
Elder Cloward
Wasn't General Conference great? I love the reassurance I receive through the Holy Ghost every six months that God has called prophets and apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that if we follow their counsel we will be blessed with a closer relationship to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I can't believe I only have one more General Conference left on my mission.
I was excited to have Angela (the one who lived in Sierra Vista) at conference Sunday morning. (Well, for us it was Sunday afternoon, but it was the Sunday morning session). She really enjoyed it; she obviously felt the Spirit very strongly and told some church members they'd be seeing a lot more of her because it feels like she has "come home". I haven't been able to hear statements like that too many times on my mission and they are priceless.
We got our transfer call this last Friday. I'll be staying here in Bay City with Elder Morales. I don't know him very much at all. He's from El Salvador by way of California and has been on a mission six weeks longer than I have. This will be his first transfer as a zone leader, so I get to train him in the things I still don't know how to do. I'll be picking him up in mt. Pleasant on Tuesday morning. Elder Smith is going down to Allegan, near Kalamazoo. I'll really miss him; he's been great to serve with.
I got to spend a day back in Oscoda on exchanges this last Wednesday. It was a lot of fun, but not everything I'd hoped. We had to cancel a few plans (including plans to see Staci Saurer, who was baptized when I was there) because Elder Meldrum, with whom I spent the day, managed to step on a few rusty nails while we were helping Bro. Dykes tear an old polebarn on his property (which was very fun). So, we spent a few hours at the medical clinic while Elder Meldrum had his feet workedon and got tetanus shots. It was kind of funny remembering a very similar experience I had last year. I wasn't smart enough to go to the doctor, though. Good thing I'd had my tetanus booster, I guess.
I can't really think of anything else to report. I hope you all have a fantastic week.
Love you,
Elder Cloward
Monday, September 28, 2009
Servers Down
Hi family,
I'm just sending a quick note to tell you I'm alive and well. I think the church's server must have gone down or something because as soon as I got done reading your emails this morning, the computers in the library couldn't connect to any church websites anymore (although they connected to others just fine). I guess I'll tell you all about my week next week.
Love you!
Elder Cloward
I'm just sending a quick note to tell you I'm alive and well. I think the church's server must have gone down or something because as soon as I got done reading your emails this morning, the computers in the library couldn't connect to any church websites anymore (although they connected to others just fine). I guess I'll tell you all about my week next week.
Love you!
Elder Cloward
Monday, September 21, 2009
Won't You Tell Me How to Get, How to Get to...
Hello Family,
This weekly email is brought to you by the letter 'T'. T is a great letter because you use it to say things like "truck", "tentacle", and "take that tortoise to the top of Timpanogos". For me this week, T means ...
Trade-offs. I guess I'd better be getting used to a lot of these. I spent Wednesday over in Caro (my first time venturing into the thumb of the mitt). I spent the day with Elder Thomson of Layton, Utah, who is getting ready to go home in a couple of weeks. The highlight of that trade-off was definitely teaching a new investigator named Victor; he's a well-studied Christian, so it was a lot of fun to teach from the scriptures and have him showing us cross-references. The next day I brought Elder Hoffman back to Bay City (he's currently being trained in Bad Axe, also in the thumb) and showed him a grand old time. I really like being around the brand-new missionaries; they're almost always excited and positive, which are pretty much basically the best attributes ever. :)
Thermometer. That is, the thermometer to the water heater on the baptismal font. We filled it Saturday morning for Adam Samyn's baptism. Everything went really well and he received the Gift of the Holy Ghost in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I love their family.
Towels. It's raining today. So a towel is an allusion to the wetness ...
Toast. What my use of alliteration seems to be making this email. I can't think of other things that start with T.
Testimony. I've got one. I know Jesus is the Christ and this is His work.
Ta-ta. What I'm saying to you all until next week. I love you all and hope things continue to go well.
Elder Cloward
This weekly email is brought to you by the letter 'T'. T is a great letter because you use it to say things like "truck", "tentacle", and "take that tortoise to the top of Timpanogos". For me this week, T means ...
Trade-offs. I guess I'd better be getting used to a lot of these. I spent Wednesday over in Caro (my first time venturing into the thumb of the mitt). I spent the day with Elder Thomson of Layton, Utah, who is getting ready to go home in a couple of weeks. The highlight of that trade-off was definitely teaching a new investigator named Victor; he's a well-studied Christian, so it was a lot of fun to teach from the scriptures and have him showing us cross-references. The next day I brought Elder Hoffman back to Bay City (he's currently being trained in Bad Axe, also in the thumb) and showed him a grand old time. I really like being around the brand-new missionaries; they're almost always excited and positive, which are pretty much basically the best attributes ever. :)
Thermometer. That is, the thermometer to the water heater on the baptismal font. We filled it Saturday morning for Adam Samyn's baptism. Everything went really well and he received the Gift of the Holy Ghost in Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I love their family.
Towels. It's raining today. So a towel is an allusion to the wetness ...
Toast. What my use of alliteration seems to be making this email. I can't think of other things that start with T.
Testimony. I've got one. I know Jesus is the Christ and this is His work.
Ta-ta. What I'm saying to you all until next week. I love you all and hope things continue to go well.
Elder Cloward
Monday, September 14, 2009
Zone Conference et ectera
Hi family!
This week was pretty good. Elder Smith spent the first few days of it pretty sick, which was boring (such a selfish perspective, I know), but he's feeling dapper now and the work goes on.
The highlight of our week was probably Friday's zone conference - certainly the most stressful I've had so far, largely because I was responsible for a little more of it. Our zone meeting (before the conference, which actually includes both the Traverse City and Midland zones) went pretty well. We focused on having the faith to reach the "standard of excellence" President Jones has set for the mission and discussed how each of Elder Pearson's "Destructive D's" given in last April's General Conference influence us as missionaries.
This was also a musical week for me. I threw together a musical number for zone conference - I accompanied three elders who sang "If You Could Hie to Kolob" quite nicely. Also, it just so happens that Sister Julie Schindler of the Bay City Ward is from Salt Lake City and knows Miss Tate's sister very well. Anyway, they did some chatting and Sister Schindler's husband, the ward choir director, decided it would be a good idea for me to sing a solo for Sacrament meeting. So I sang a verse of "Home Can Be a Heav'n on Earth" when the choir performed it yesterday. It went pretty well, but I'm hoping not so well that they ask for any repeats.
We're looking forward to a baptism this Saturday, which should go really well. Hopefully we'll be able to get a few of the people we're teaching there. We've still been focusing on finding new people to teach and teaching 20 lessons a week. We talked with Bro. Savage, the high councilor assigned to the Bay City Ward, about his involvement in reaching those goals and I'm excited for the work he'll help us and the ward mission leader to do. We've been teaching lessons to a lot more active and less-active member families in order to follow Elder Perry's counsel. I feel, as President Jones has expressed, that Elder Perry's program will revolutionize the work done in the Michigan Lansing Mission.
All in all, things are going well.
I can't believe Jeff is home. I can't believe I've been out this long. I can't belive how little time I have left and how much I'd like to accomplish in that time. I thank God it's not on my shoulders alone. Philippians 4:13 all the way :). (I purposefully didn't type it out so you'll have to look it up if you don't know it. It'll be good for you.)
Love you all,
Elder Cloward
This week was pretty good. Elder Smith spent the first few days of it pretty sick, which was boring (such a selfish perspective, I know), but he's feeling dapper now and the work goes on.
The highlight of our week was probably Friday's zone conference - certainly the most stressful I've had so far, largely because I was responsible for a little more of it. Our zone meeting (before the conference, which actually includes both the Traverse City and Midland zones) went pretty well. We focused on having the faith to reach the "standard of excellence" President Jones has set for the mission and discussed how each of Elder Pearson's "Destructive D's" given in last April's General Conference influence us as missionaries.
This was also a musical week for me. I threw together a musical number for zone conference - I accompanied three elders who sang "If You Could Hie to Kolob" quite nicely. Also, it just so happens that Sister Julie Schindler of the Bay City Ward is from Salt Lake City and knows Miss Tate's sister very well. Anyway, they did some chatting and Sister Schindler's husband, the ward choir director, decided it would be a good idea for me to sing a solo for Sacrament meeting. So I sang a verse of "Home Can Be a Heav'n on Earth" when the choir performed it yesterday. It went pretty well, but I'm hoping not so well that they ask for any repeats.
We're looking forward to a baptism this Saturday, which should go really well. Hopefully we'll be able to get a few of the people we're teaching there. We've still been focusing on finding new people to teach and teaching 20 lessons a week. We talked with Bro. Savage, the high councilor assigned to the Bay City Ward, about his involvement in reaching those goals and I'm excited for the work he'll help us and the ward mission leader to do. We've been teaching lessons to a lot more active and less-active member families in order to follow Elder Perry's counsel. I feel, as President Jones has expressed, that Elder Perry's program will revolutionize the work done in the Michigan Lansing Mission.
All in all, things are going well.
I can't believe Jeff is home. I can't believe I've been out this long. I can't belive how little time I have left and how much I'd like to accomplish in that time. I thank God it's not on my shoulders alone. Philippians 4:13 all the way :). (I purposefully didn't type it out so you'll have to look it up if you don't know it. It'll be good for you.)
Love you all,
Elder Cloward
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