Week Seventy

This week was really good. Thanksgiving is a blessed time. Here in the Boston area, it was literally the coldest Thanksgiving on record! It was cold. Back at home I called it swear inducing cold. We pressed forward that day, and we're able to find some really cool people to teach. I've definitely learned how the lord blesses us for being diligent.

This past Saturday was my birthday, and I'm officially an old guy. That day was really fun though. We were in a Christmas parade, where we basically held a Light the World banner, walked around and threw candy at children. Then afterward we went to a tree lighting ceremony, and had a booth there. Also we watched Santa get wrecked while they were putting him on the fire truck ladder. Let's just say that those firefighters just about ruined Christmas. An emt and prayers from all the children fixed him though.

We got to do even more apartment hunting this week, and I'm pretty sure we offended a lot of people. One of the situations the first counselor in our mission Presidency sent us to go check one out, and this proper lady welcomed us to the apartments. When she opened up the apartment we literally both started cracking up. It was wayyyyyy too nice for missionaries, and we both knew the counselor must not know the price range. Afterward we were talking with the lady and we said yeah it's a little too nice, and too large. She was dumbfounded by our comments. It's funny because to regular people it'd be a great place to live, but for missionaries all you need is a place to sleep, cook, and study. She didn't quite understand. It's all good though, because we think we found the one we are looking for. Stay tuned for next week's season finale to see if we settle on one of the apartments we looked at.

Anyways I'm glad I've had this 20 years of life. It's been awesome so far, and I cannot wait for what is in store. I've learned so much since being out here on a mission, and I can't believe it's going by so fast. Hope y'all have a good week!

 

Random Text Received by Momma C. Tonight

Today is Elder Clifford's birthday and I received this text tonight just as we were singing Happy Birthday to him and blowing out the candles on his birthday brownies, a family tradition that we still do when our missionaries are many many miles away from us. The timing is such a tender mercy to me, because obviously we were thinking about him all day but especially right then as we were singing happy birthday.  I was trying not to get emotional as we sang but I couldn't help but hope he was having a great birthday and wonder how his day had been.  Then, right then, my phone buzzed.

"Elder Clifford had a a great birthday!  We just love yah son, he spent the day 'lighting the world' in a city Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony!  Be proud mom, he's a wonderful missionary!  Be sure mom, we'll take good care of him, of them all!!  Happy birthday to him, I told him I wanted to text you, because I was so proud of them all.  He said it would be the best birthday gift for you!!!"

I replied:

"Oh my GOSH!  I'm crying!!!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!  The exact second your text came through we were singing happy birthday to him!!!"

She replied:

"Ok, now I'm crying too.  He's a lucky young man, so loved.  Rest assured, we are enjoying yah son.  We love him too!!  His testimony lights our hearts!  You have done the best job ever teaching him to love our Lord."

I replied:

"It is so funny you are describing him that way because when I talk about him I always say he is a light in our family.  He just shines.  Thank you so much for being there on his birthday and helping to make it a special day."

She replied:

"I didn't make it special, HE made it special.  Watching them in action today, really lit MY heart.  HE is the gift!  Rest assured, I saw a whole day of smiles on his face.  Great young man!  He has that smile to light up anyones heart.  They're all very special!!  Their efforts far surpass any I've seen.  Your son is perfect at touching the hearts of others!  As long as he is out here, we'll be watching over him."

Fall in Lynn MA by Elder Cliffy

Week Sixty Nine

Not too much happened this week. We got the other set of Elders in our apartment now, so that has been fun. We came in last night from working, and they told us that they are getting another Elder too! So now there are going to be 5 people crammed into this apartment😂 it should be a good time though.

We've still been apartment hunting this week, and that's been a good experience. This week has been a sad one too though. We helped the Escobars, an amazing family, move out! They were baptized like a month before I got here, but we've worked with them through all of the hard things that come after baptism. We got to go to the temple with them for the first time too. They are going to be sealed in April, and they told Elder Solo and I that we better be there. So I'm praying I'm serving somewhere close so I can see it happen!

Besides that we've just been finding, teaching, and rebuilding our teaching pool all while helping the 4 new sets of missionaries in the zone! I'm so glad that I had the chance to be a pioneer for this zone, and that we've seen so many miracles since opening these areas back up.

We have some awesome plans for Thanksgiving and are eating with the ward grandma and grandparents, and we get to see Omar again! He's coming back from Norwich so we are definitely going to play football with him. It turns out he's been able to go to church on campus because they have a little group for students there! 

I'm thankful for the opportunity to serve a mission. I've seen miracles from the hand of God, and have been blessed to see lives change. I'm thankful for Jesus Christ, and His infinite atoning sacrifice. I'm thankful for my family too. They the homies. Also I'm thankful for my homies too, wherever you are around the world. You all keep working hard, and enjoy this next week! 

Week Sixty Eight

Well... all good things have to come to end. It's been real serving out here in Boston, and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people out here. Buuuuut The good things haven't come to an end out here yet, and that's why I'm excited to STAY HERE ANOTHER TRANSFER WITH ELDER SOLOMON! #4TRANSFERSBOI!

So this week has been craaaaaazy. We got cleared last week to get one of the most amazing people baptized. Abela and her daughter Marthene! About a year ago, 2 African men from her country Tanzania heard about how kind she was, and they showed up at her house, and have been freeloading ever since. They sleep on her couches in the living room. She has too big of a heart to kick them out though. Well one of them brought his family with him, and she started taking care of them too. So at one point she had 10 people she was taking care of along with children of her own, all while working 2 jobs as a single mother to support them. She is so amazing. After her baptism we called her later that night to remind her to be extra on time for confirmations (she only has 1 bathroom in her house, so it takes them a loooooong time to get ready Sunday morning) she told us she was so grateful. In her Swahilan accent she told us "I was lost in the American way, and you came and saved me." Then after she was confirmed on Sunday she just sat in her chair, and tears began to glow as she told us she really could feel the spirit, and that she had not felt it since she left her home in Tanzania over 30 years ago. So that was one of the coolest experiences on my mission, and a big testimony builder about the Holy Ghost for me. 

Also random thing of the week. On Saturday BYU played U Mass. So this Sunday we were getting the church ready when like 20 BYU cheerleaders walked in for church. If you took a screenshot of our faces, you would have thought we had just witnessed a car accident. It's been awhile😂 Also, we met Cosmo. Anyways, Sunday was hectic!

We also found out we are receiving 3 new sets of missionaries in the zone! So President Blair gave us the opportunity to be apartment hunting. All the times I've watched House Hunters has payed off! It has been so much fun being a part of the whole process. One of the sets of new Elders will stay with us while that gets situated!

This week was one of the most hectic weeks I've had on my mission. We also had zone conference, and interviews with President!  It's been a good week and I'm really excited to spend Thanksgiving, and Christmas in this area! Have a good week yo. 

Random Text Received by Momma C Tonight

Hi!  My name is Coralee Zabriskie.  Your son and his companion visited our family this evening.  They brought the Spirit into our home.  So grateful you let him serve a mission.  What a blessing they are to everyone out here!

Week Sixty Seven

Well the highlight of my week by far was that Abela and Martin got approval from the Mission President and the Bishop to be baptized. So stay tuned, we may have ourselves a Tanzanian baptism party on the way! Elder solo and I prayed for a miracle for so long that they may be baptized, and I'm super happy that we are both going to get to see that day!

We had MLC this week too. We talked a lot about how God's goal is also our goal. And that is to help to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, and if we can realize that it will help everyone gather scattered Israel. We also were test running a new way to do real plays, and it involves being put on the spot. So President on the spot chose a companionship to teach two points in the Restoration with multiple teaching tools to some members of the Mission Presidency. He scanned the room looking for a companionship to choose, and he passed Elder Solo and I, but then he turned back and was like "You!" so we got to teach in front of everyone. It was fun though! 

Also it gets dark at 4 now so #rip.

We spent Halloween in the one and only Salem Massachusetts. We set up shop next to an old cemetery! It was really cool, I got a picture of some of the people who were buried there. Some other Elders found a house where Joseph Smith stayed too! Salem was full of wayyyyyy fancy Halloween costumes! I tried inviting so many people in costume to learn about the gospel. We met a lot of members from around the county too! Walking around Salem on Halloween may have not been the best idea though. We got the word out to a lot of people, but also a lot of people thought we were dressed up, and we got complemented on our costumes a few times😂  It was a great conversation starter though! I'll definitely never forget hitting the streets of Salem with Elder Spice on Halloween though! 

MLC

Cool hike in Lynn Woods.

We had the idea to set up a booth in Salem on Halloween.