Week Seventy Three

Well. This week was quite the week.  One of the first things I did this week was finally give into my dad's advice, and take my beloved brown eccos to the shoe cobbler. So I had to let go of those babies for a few days. I'm surprised they were still alive. Buuuuut after a long few days, I got them back. And this Honduran cobbler replaced the heels of my shoes. So now they definitely got enough life in them till I head home.

Anyways this week was really random. I was on TV this past week, because someone interviewed the Sisters about what they were doing, and we got to sing with them after. I don't even sing either😂 The Sisters had us come by the place where it was happening, and this panicked guy grabbed us and said we needed to help him. He took us back into some control room. Long story short Elder Solo and I helped film the show. Elder Solo was the sound guy, and I was the camera guy😂😂 They liked us so much in that studio that they invited us back to be interviewed this next Thursday night.

Also this winter so far has been like 30 degrees warmer than last years. So I feel blessed. We haven't gotten really any snow yet, and it's been raining a lot. We did a hot chocolate booth out in Revere in the rain last night that went a lot better than it should have. We brought the Spanish Elders and Sisters with us, and we had a party. We may or may not have accidentally posted up in front of a liquor store. Some may say that is garbage placement. I say it's prime.

Anyways hope y'all are enjoying this Christmas season. Just like the rhyme for my favorite city of Lynn. We can be cleansed of all those sins that burden us. Since being on my mission I've definitely learned much more about the atonement of Jesus Christ and I am very thankful for the sacrifice He made for us. 

Stay warm, and stay safe. I won't have a pday until after Christmas, so, Merry Christmas as well!

Haircuts at the Dominican barber shop.

Baby Timothy

Week Seventy Two

Yo what's good everyone! This week was a good one! It was a classic week for missionary work!

We did a lot of finding like always, but definitely more teaching this week! We got to go on some exchanges with the Assistants, and had a blast! We ended the exchange at Smashburger, and sent them off with a bang. Anyways Elder Solo had a doctor appointment up in Freeport Maine this week. It was such a fun road trip up. So Freeport Maine is where LL Bean comes from. So we got to go to the LL Bean stores! Good times. They do Christmas right up there!

Not too much happened this week though. Y'all have a good week though! 

Temple with Abela!

Week Seventy One

This week was a busy one!

We had our district meeting on a Wednesday this week. And our MLC on Friday! Elder Haney of the Seventy came to that meeting. I'm not sure why, but I guess he felt the need to come. Anyways we had some fun activities in the district this week too. We went Christmas Caroling on Saturday in Salem! They have a big weekend there called Christmas in Salem! We didn't sound too good, but it was fun!

Saturday was pretty crazy! It was the worldwide day of service, so we started it out with an activity with our ward, and then after that we had interviews with our Mission President! Our Mission President tries to interview us once a transfer! So he's always running around area to area doing interviews! Straight from interviews we drove all the way to Salem for the caroling! After caroling for like 2 hours we took the district leaders and sister training leaders, and had a meeting with them to create some goals for the zone, and their districts. From that meeting we began an exchange with the Methuen Elders, and since they crashed their car a few weeks back we only had one car. So Elder Burger and I got dropped off in Lynn, and hit the streets. We had an awesome miracle lesson. We passed the house of a former. All the lights were off, and I told Elder Burger "something awesome is about to happen". Elder Burger had no idea that I knew the people who lived in this house. These people lived on the 3rd floor, around the back. So I told the Elder to follow me, and to be quiet. So we walked around the back of the house and I slowly opened the door, and the stairwell was pitch black. As I quietly walked up the stairs, I turned around to see a terrified Elder Burger. I felt bad so I broke the news to him that I knew this house, and the people in it. Buuuuut when we knocked on the door, a lady named Cindy answered. She had wanted to listen to our lessons before, but was busy with her newborn baby. She invited us in, and we taught a 👌👌 restoration.

Besides that we had Stake Conference on Saturday, and we had Abela and her fam sit by us.
Good week. The mission is still a good time, and I'm glad to be out here. Y'all have a good week!

Christmas Caroling for Salem Days of Christmas

Malden tree lighting 

Abela fed me this fish head 

A turkey we saw on Thanksgiving

Me and my African girls 

The t underground 

Sister Foot's mom makes stickers. So I drew up a rough draft of this design, and she touched it up, and literally made some stickers for us.

Some of my MO Bettahs!

(for his birthday he was send a jar of teriyaki sauce from his favorite restaurant, Mo Bettah's, a rice cooker and some calrose rice to make sticky rice and some money to buy steak so he could recreate his favorite meal!!)

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!