Hi everyone!
I would like to first wish everyone a happy 4th of July! I am so grateful to be living here in this free nation in the promised land :). What a blessing it is to be here!! This has been a super good week. We have stayed busy and gotten to do some super good work. We officially have a new mission President, so that is kind of weird and crazy; but we had a mission zoom call with him on Friday, and he and his wife seem like super awesome people! 🙂
Last Monday, we spent the whole p-day at the car shop. That was an interesting experience to say the least. It was pretty uneventful, but we did get to have a lesson with one of our friends! They said that they are taking a vacation for the next two weeks though, so we will probably not be able to teach them for a couple weeks till they get back. We are going to use the time to find more people to teach though!
Tuesday, we had district council. Special shoutout to the Starks for picking us up and giving us a ride because we did not have a car! We had a priest from the priest quorum come to shadow us that day, so he joined us at district council, so it was fun to have a special guest there.
Wednesday, we went back to a house we have knocked on in the past, and we ended up having an impromptu lesson with this person and got a follow up appointment! (The follow up didn’t end up going through, but we still found them nonetheless!!). We had a good lesson with Sister Carillo about Patriarchal Blessings, and I’d say that it was a super awesome video. We had dinner with the Meehlings and that was super awesome!
Thursday, we had weekly planning. We set good goals and planned out the week. That was pretty much all we did on Thursday, so I guess that is that Haha! We went to the Knickerbocker’s house and had some good noodles and rolls that were super tasty!
Friday was a busy day! In the morning, we had a farewell devotional with President Needs where the whole mission presidency gave some super awesome uplifting testimonies. The spirit was super strong, and it was definitely a sad meeting, but super uplifting. We had lunch with Brother Farrar and Ralph, who were kind enough to pick us up because we still did not have a car. On the way home, we actually got a text saying the car is ready, so they took us to the car shop, and we got to pick up the car!! We had dinner at the Ross’s house, and they are still a super awesome family! As I mentioned before, we had a mission devotional where we got to meet the new mission president, President Farias. He seems like such a nice guy! He is from Brazil, and one of the first things he said is, “I can’t wait until I can give everyone a big brazilian hug.” We see him in person this Thursday, and that is going to be awesome. Him and his wife are learning English while they are here, so that is such a cool thing to me because they are willing to learn a new language because the Lord called them to serve here!
Saturday, we did a bunch of contacts and tried to get a lot of facebook work done. We were supposed to have a lesson, but they ended up cancelling, but we still were able to do some super good finding activities. We had a good lesson with the Makin’s, and had some super yummy philly cheesesteak sliders; super yummy!
Sunday was a super good day too! It was a fast and testimony meeting and it was actually a super spiritual experience. All of the youth this last month had the opportunity to go to FSY, which I guess is the new EFY? But they all had a super spiritual experience and it was really cool to see how much the testimonies of the youth in the ward have been strengthened. One of the people we are teaching actually got to go to FSY too! We haven’t been able to contact them since then, but we are hoping that they had a fantastic experience!!
This morning, we had a 1st amendment 5k run which was run by a local baptist church and our church. It started at this baptist church and then went to ours. It was a super good turnout, and it was fun. Elder Fausett and I went probably about half way? We were trying to film a video for Facebook, but I’m not sure how that will turn out; hopefully it will turn out okay! Now, we are at the Stake Center and are being with the district at the church and we are having somewhat of a party for the 4th of July!! 🙂
For a spiritual thought today, I feel like Ether 2:8-12 is perfect for this time of year!! These verses are the first promises that we have recorded of the Lord blessing the Promised land. I love how in verse 10 it explains how this is a choice above all other lands, wherefore we shall serve God or be swept off. The whole story of the Revolutionary war is inspiring, how our early leaders of America were all God fearing people, and they remembered Him, and they were delivered out of the hands of the British. These Christian routes is what has made it possible for the Restoration of the church and to form one Nation, Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
It is so scary to see so many people turn away from the Lord and try to go their own path. I’m not sure if it is because I am in a spiritual bubble as a missionary, but I can see so plainly the path that the world is trying to go. It is scary how many temptations and distractions that there are all around us, but it is also amazing to see the Light of Christ become brighter and brighter, just as the prophets have foretold. It is so important to continue to do the little things that keep us safe from the Big things that take us away from Christ. Praying, reading the Scriptures, going to church, going to the temple, and continuing to endure to the end is so important!!!!
So with that said, my invitation today is to continue to be grateful for the nation we live in. Be grateful for the gospel that has been restored to the Earth. Be grateful for the #tendermercies and the hand in the Lord in your life every day. Be grateful for the big and the small things. As you do all of these things and endure to the end with patience and long suffering your relationship with Jesus Christ will grow and you will be able to see Him more in your life every day! The Church is True, I am grateful to be here in Georgia to teach these wonderful people about the great news of the Gospel! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Hope y’all have a great 4th, and I will talk to you guys next week!
-Elder Claussen
