Importance of Families - July 22, 2013

 

It was so good to hear from you and to see all your pictures and just to hear from you. It means a lot to me just to receive a letter when I can only imagine just how busy you are. This last week flew by and the days continue to be full of miracles that are just too much to number in any email that will be of sensible length and not a recreation of my daily journal, however, the Lord did teach me some very important lessons this week: the Importance of families. 

We were able to have a lessons with a new investigator named Vladimir as we are trying to start up this new area and find those who are ready to be baptized, and really enjoyed this man. He was just wonderful in so many ways...but he was focused on the false doctrine that we must focus on ourselves before we can help others, thus needed to fulfill our own desires before we can fulfill others'. His family consists of his wife and 10 year old daughter but in his mind, family is just another way to fulfill his needs...but when he's been home for more than 2-3 weeks at a time, he gets tired of them and luckily can go work in a different city...we lovingly but sternly told him what the Lord expected of him as a father and he took it quite well. We were able to use our experiences in our lives to show just how much role parents play. While Elder Butterworth was talking about his dad's busy schedule and the precious time that was spent with him, I was reminded of dad and just how amazing it was that for how much he does travel, I would never say that neglect was one of his characteristics. Dad is the best dad in the world in my eyes...there is something to say when we can use our fathers as a method to teach a man who really doesn't understand God the relationship that we have with our Heavenly Father. Thank you dad for being the incredible father that you are. Truly the Gospel blesses families. The Gospel was made for families.

So we concluded the meeting with the man realizing just how much his 10 year old daughter needed him, and we committed him to call his daughter that night to just share his love and appreciation for her. Even though it is not text-book Preach My Gospel commitments, we invited him to strengthen his family ties. Parents have a crucial role in teaching their children the Gospel, inviting, and helping them to live it. I saw this in even a bigger scale that a man and his daughter the next day.

We were at a sports night with the zone leaders in Donetsk and were having an okay time playing basketball, but not being very effective in proselytizing. After a while I began to watch the youth that daily gather around our church building to hang out because of the nice grounds our church building has in comparison to the area. I watched their gestures, heard their language, saw their actions, and really it was quite dark. They were doing things that made  you just sick inside and even witnessing it made me feel a withdrawal of the Spirit. I got out of there as soon as we could thinking that I was never going to participate in such activities again because I couldn't handle the direct violations of divine nature and law is such large quantities. But then the thought came...and it's a thought that has come up many times before but not ever with such power: 

"It is an imperative duty that we owe to God, to angels, with whom we shall be brought to stand, and also to ourselves, to our wives and children, who have been made to bow down with grief, sorrow, and care, under the most damning hand of murder, tyranny, and oppression, supported and urged on and upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole dearth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell...Which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder, and to stand aghast and pale, and the hands of the very devil to tremble and palsy. 

"And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart— 

"For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" (D&C 123:6-8,10-12).

As a youth who knows the path, the power, and the plan, it is my imperative duty to help. They need the kind of role models that we as members of the church can give. They need the activities and opportunities to grow and learn as we do. 

So I was talking with my companion about my thoughts and just realizing that of all the people I can usually talk with and preach to, the skill to talk with people my age or younger doesn't exist. And of course in His wisdom, upon talking about this with my companion and expressing the desire to develop the skill to talk with youth, three youth stop us, a little aggressively engage us, but miraculously the Spirit filled my heart with calming thoughts and exactly what I needed to say. Although they walked away still a little sarcastic and unchanged, I realized that the principles for teaching them are the same as for teaching all: By the Spirit. We have different ways to reach them...but it is our imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation. And what power parents have in helping the rising generation become who they proved themselves foreordained to be before this life.  I really like the next few verse of the section 123: 

"Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; ...These should then be attended to with great earnestness. Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints [and youth], which depends upon these things."

 Families are the best place to teach, learn, invite to live, and help each other live the Gospel. And on the other hand, no amount of effort can compensate for failure in the home. Thank you so much for being the best family in the world and for living the Gospel of Jesus Christ...its what makes our family a Family with a capital F...one that is a Forever Family. Doesn't your heart just swell with gratitude to God for blessings of the Restoration?! I love you

"The Lord does not ask about our ability or inability, but only about our availability" July 15, 2013

Mom and Dad and the family: 

When I told the other elders here with me that you had taken the time to suggest the missionaries go over to see some friends, they all with unison said: "YEAH!" I'm beaming to think that my family is doing the work of the Lord just as much as I am trying to do. The work is just incredible isn't it? We had an opportunity to meet with a wonderful girl named Irina and her son Gleb that is 11 years old. She's been through a lot. Because of transfers this week and a whole lot of running around (including 6 new sister missionaries!), we were quite busy, but not too busy to take the time to stop and follow the promptings of the Spirit. We were trying to go through our area book and look at former investigators since we now have our own area and are not just traveling missionaries! It means double the work, but double the blessings! We found Irina's record and thought to call her even though the note said that she always just hung up on the missionaries. She answered, and we were able to meet with her! What a miracle. She's seen a lot of horrible things in her life where Satan has succeeded in ripping herself and her family apart. But that's where we come in. How many people in this life just silently scream for the blessings of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, but kept from the truth only because they know not where to find it? (see D&C 123:12) And we have the privilege to say: "There really is a way to be clean. Completely." Isn't that a beautiful message? Of course it is! It's the most beautiful message in the world! And for all those who may read this who have not yet heard the message I carry with me everyday, I urge you to follow the gut-feeling you've had for ages now and find the missionaries and take part in the miracles God is offering all of us! 

I think my zeal for this work and love for the Lord and my brothers and sisters increases every day and without a doubt, so does my happiness. We had the opportunity to be over at a member's house yesterday and just to get acquainted and see just what miracles that we could work with them. As we spoke together they talked about how when meeting the missionaries, they would have never thought that their children would serve missions, that they could go to the temple, that Brother Trunov would be a branch president, or that their children would be married in the temple and one would be studying at  BYU I. However they taught an important lesson that their missionaries told them when the doubts came: "All you need to be is worthy." They are so worthy and the Lord has made the way. They were on the verge of tears as we expressed gratitude for all that they did for the missionaries and for their desires to serve the Gospel. Sister Trunov was practically on the brink of tears because she wanted to do missionary work so badly and help her family and her friends, but just didn't know how to do it. I want to have that kind of desire to serve the Lord. If we have desires, we are called to the work (D&C 4:3). And like Elder Maxwell beautifully put: "The Lord does not ask about our ability or inability, but only about our availability. And if we prove our dependability, the Lord will take care of our capability." Its just so fun to give it all to the Lord and see what he will make of you and those around you through you!

I love you all so much!

Elder Claypool 

"New President but same truths" - July 1, 2013

Thank you for your letters.  The last few days have been absolutely amazing! President Lochhead and his wife are... just terrific! Heavenly Father loves me. I feel so incredibly privileged to be around President and Sister Lochhead and to have been around President and Sister Campero. I love him dearly and from the very first moment started to leave irreplaceable impressions of love and teaching in my heart. 

My personal prayers do need to improve to the point where telling Heavenly Father how I feel is common. 

I love you. 

Elder Claypool   

"Be Teachable" - July 8, 2013

Thank you for your letter and always bringing a good smile to my heart. You have an incredible ability to lift my day with every email and help me see the miracles that I often don't see. I think the Lord makes it all amazing and influential to others, mainly because I am definitely unable to do that myself. He blesses me so much. Especially on the mission!

This last week I had the incredible opportunity to just breathe revelatory experiences being able to be at multiple meetings, conferences, and in a car with a general authority from the Europe East Area Presidency. It was quite amazing. It was quite a week too to be honest.

Our new mission president and his wife are just incredible! They are first and foremost examples of consecrated missionaries! They have incredible unity and President involves Sister Lochhead in everything: transfers, planning, interviews, etc. He respects the ecclesiastical keys, but also he counsels with his wife at every opportunity.

We were able to be with President Per G Malm of the seventy and what a privilege that was. He is just so bold and helped me really be more bold. "Speak Up" he taught.  This is really part of our calling as missionaries and members of the church: We need to not be afraid of our own ideas and opinions, but we do need to be humble enough to accept the will of the Lord as it is revealed to us unobscured by our pride. Pride's been a pretty rough thing for me this week.

My companion is a very competent man that is quite experienced and blessed with a lot of gifts that I don't have.... Whereas he has wonderful ideas, seems to be two steps ahead of it all, and very professional in all that he does. I find myself comparing my weaknesses with his strengths and just feeling horrible. It has a lot of side effects that weren't the best: lack of unity, lack of hope for own self development, and lack of happiness.  I will improve.

It's quite funny how the Lord taught me that I need to be more teachable. In my patriarchal blessing it says just that, that I need to be humble and teachable on my mission especially...what an amazing thing that it did to me to realize that I could just learn from him and not need to compare myself to him. The truth began to free me as I realized that I am me and he is he. We have the same goal and are able to benefit and learn from each other, but I should not take part in the priestcraft of placing any person, myself or another, in the place of perfection that only belongs to Christ the Lord. He's who we strive to be like, not like others. Of course we can learn from everyone - especially when it is a checkpoint on our path to Christ - but the assimilation of behaviors and characteristics of others should never take the place of the assimilation of behaviors and characteristics of Christ that are our true goal.

We will create a new area (the assistants to president haven't had an area in a long time and finally we will have a proselyting area too), so we'll have to start that on Thursday; the necessity of being the best missionaries and best area in the mission; and fulfilling our administrative and counseling duties to our new president. It's a lot of stress...but it gives me an opportunity to learn: We can learn something from everyone...it's just a mind-set.

I love you!
Your Son, Elder Claypool

"In doing this work, we must act in love!" - June 30, 2013

This last week I had the opportunity to be in the beautiful old city of Kharkov, Ukraine.  It was my first time and quite amazing to see the difference in Donetsk and this city. Here there are cobbled streets in the main square, a subway system that made me think of Disneyland, and plenty of incredible members, missionaries, and our brothers and sisters who haven't yet accepted the Gospel. I was able to be on exchanges with tons of missionaries here and most of all I was able to be submersed in this people. They are so kind and mean so much to me. One of the most amazing things this week was being able to see Andrei Lukashuk and Ina his new wife at their reception that just happened to be the night we got in town. What a blessing it was to see him and her so happy-the product of righteous Gospel living. They will be sealed in the temple at the end of the year. It was my first time really on a "Ukraine-train", in a different city, and with a lot of growth that happened. The Lord is blessing me more than I deserve especially since I am so imperfect. The role of the Assistant will change hugely when President Lochhead comes, and I would pray that I can be all that you wrote in your email.

The greatest thing that I was able to do this last week was to become more dedicated to the work. I was just fighting with myself...well I guess I was fighting more the Spirit. The Lord wasn't giving up on me, but instead he was continuing to fight with my natural man and pull me out. What helped me? Well honestly it was a good solid sit-down scripture study about obedience, a lot of personal choice, and an exchange with an incredibly Christ-like elder named Elder Harrison. There were so many miracles that we saw talking to people who had prayed us to them, fasting with investigators that I had only met, being in a different area every night, and yet having every experience clearly mapped out for my personal growth. One thing that I have not been able to say up until this point in my mission is that I love my mission, this country, or all the people. Yes, I loved those who loved me...but as Christ said even the pharisees loved those who loved them. So, I've set out on a quest of love. A quest to gain an abiding testimony that my Heavenly Father loves me, that I love myself, and that I love my neighbor. This country is incredible, the people themselves are the epitome of enduring to the end. I love them.

One experience from this week shows their endurance:

We were in an area called "Novie Doma" inviting people to an open house. There were some very nice people, some not too nice people, and people who just weren't ready. We followed the Spirit, opened our mouths as we covenanted to do so, and had many miracles. An old lady was sitting on a bench when we received the prompting to go and talk to her after receiving the prompting earlier to walk her way. We sat down instantly when she upon seeing us exclaimed: "The Lord answered my prayer! I saw you earlier, prayed that you'd come, and here you are!" She had just had a run in with missionaries of another religion and was flipping through their materials when we found her. We were able to talk to her, teach her about the restoration, and invite her to church. She told us about her past, the difficulties and the hardships that came because of the old soviet union where they taught even in schools that God did not exist. But this old lady along with hundreds of old ladies who believed dearly in God were the real pioneers in this country. Not because they faced the trials of the Latter-day Saints now, but because when it was by law forbidden to believe in God, they still in secret faithfulness kept Satan from completely controlling this country. Because of her, her family knows who Jesus Christ is, what the importance of Him in our lives are, and loves God, as she expressed with tearful eyes. Upon the backs of faithful children of God this country has hope.

These are my people. I love them with all my heart...to love a person it helps to understand them. With understanding comes forgiveness, and with forgiveness even greater love. I could spend the rest of my life among these people serving them and helping the church to grow here...of course a wife and family would be a bonus...okay necessity ;) But if the Lord calls, I would with all my heart do all that I can; - and I do not forget that the Lord has already called. There's not only planning for future service in my heart, but day to day Christ-like kindness that drives me to open my mouth and declare our message of the Restoration. What an incredible work we are all called to as we beautifully saw from the broadcast. Who can we work with in our family?

I love you with all my heart! Like Elder Nelson said at least 10 times during the broadcast: In doing this work, we must act in love. So let's show a little more love to the world that needs it far more than anything else. Thanks for being an evidence to me that my Father in Heaven loves me.

In general it was an incredible week that I really dont have words nor time to explain it all...but that is why I pray every night before writing in my daily journal: so that I can express my thoughts and feelings to all that will have a chance to read it on a day to day basis. I love you mom so much and am more than pleased that the Gospel is even more become the center of our home. Thank you for doing the work of the Lord. Its the only thing that matters in this life. 

Elder Claypool

PS - our new mission President Lochhead and his wife come in this Saturday and then time really starts to fly!

"Slowly etched into my soul" June 23,2013

Hello mom! 

I'm glad to see that you are keeping busy in the service too! One motto that I'm trying to adopt is that I am always busy, but never too busy. It's pretty easy to have so much to do that the Spirit can't guide us or our schedules don't allow us to do small acts of service that change eternities. People are important, I'm learning. 

This last week was pretty quick with lots to do, but at the same time, feeling like we didn't do anything. Specifically I am grateful for the Spirit's ruthless patience with me these last few weeks and the quiet, recurring promptings I received that prepared me for some major moments of my life this week. First was in a zone meeting in Donetsk. They had us all hold our breaths for 1 min and 10 seconds. It was pretty difficult but I managed to do it...timed seemed to go by so slow. Then they had two elders from 1 min and 10 seconds fix a Rubik cube. Those 1 min and 10 seconds flew by incredibly fast. The moral: Are we in our lives surviving or thriving? They took a string and wrapped it around all of us in the audience representing our life span. It was a really long rope. And then they showed us what our mission looked like. Then they took out time for sleep and food...the rope was incredibly short...and then they gave us each a small clipping of thread that represented this current transfer. With that small amount of time, we could influence millions of eternities if we simply did what the Lord would ask and thrive, not merely survive. I am so grateful that for the first time in my life I feel like I can honestly say that I love my mission. I love this work and really I am starting to become converted to it. A quiet fortitude is coming into my life that has been slowly etched into my soul over the course of times and experiences with the sharp but tender tool of the Spirit. I am beginning to thrive in doing the work of the Lord and becoming more dedicated to doing the Lord's will and not being one who says "Lord, lord," but doing nothing close to fulfilling his will. 

The second thing I feel was a huge turning point in my mission and existence was this weeks mission conference. I was able to see so many members of the church that I have so dearly grown to love. I was able to simply love them. How inexplicably  wonderful is the feeling to purely love a person without any subliminal or self-seeking motives of your own. I felt a little more like the Savior those days. At the conference we were treated to have President and Sister Bennett from the East European Area Presidency there as well as President Ulysses Soares and his wife, one of the Presidents of the Seventy. It was incredible to hear just how they loved this people and the country. For anyone out there who may think that Russia, Ukraine or any of the post-soviet countries and their peoples are anything less than the beautiful children and creations of God that they are, I invite you to repent as I had to invite myself to do. These people are so incredibly incredible that have gone through so much with millions that died because of Satan's cruel, murderous hand to wipe the children of Israel off the face of the earth. Their country is flowering and blooming with so many trees and flowers that anything dirty, old, or dilapidated does not compare with beauty of what they really are. I love this people and I love this land. I could honestly spend the rest of my life here helping the Church and gathering Israel....to this was I called. 

The General Authorities put into words all that the Spirit had been etching into my heart with clarity and resolve that comes from being sent from God Himself. I have realized this weekend just what it means to be a covenant keeping person. I learned what joy comes from fulfilling your covenants; not just doing them, but fulfilling them. It is interesting that when we fill our lives with covenants, we inturn are fulfilled, or full-filled, in our goals and purposes of existing. To be driven by a divine knowledge that you have made covenants with God Almighty is to be a disciple of Christ...one that he can trust. However, I learned that this is, like all things a choice. 

God gave us free agency to act. It is that simple. We catch a vision, set some goals, get on our knees with requests to receive, and then we go to work, evaluating our steps as we go. Agency is a remarkable gift. Its so amazing to me to think that when I signed the paper to serve the Lord and sent it to his prophet, I covenanted to fulfill His purpose, Work, and Glory. I didnt realize that until now...or rather it just hasn't clicked. 

So I need to shape up, continue to be myself, and realize that I have so much more to give. I am a representative of Jesus the Christ...and like Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve apostles stated in response to the question "how can we come to know the Savior like you do?" said: "In order to know the Lord, we have to serve Him, - and in order to know Him better, we have to serve Him better." 

It's pretty cool what a few hours of the Spirit and years of experience can do to you. That's why I am so grateful for the Spirit in my life...by Him everything just clicks at some time or another. And when it does...well, that's what we call a mighty change of heart. I hope you can feel a sense of just how much I am coming to love the Lord with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. Im coming to love the people the same. Im not quite there with loving myself to be honest, but I'll get their too. 

I love you Mom! and all of course who may read this.

Till next week!

Elder Claypool