December 28, 2015 Letter...

Concerning the suit, I already have one :) It´s dopppeeee. (I´m saving it for when I get home tho) And it was less than that, too. It´s brand spanking new and my comp gave it to me. I got it fitted to me and everything. superrrrr sick:) I want to get one more though! I love suits.

Love you though mom :) my health is feeling a bit better. My only worry right now is that I have dropped down a lot of pounds and I gotta get that back up. I´m going to buy some maltodextrin here but it costs 30 bucks, don´t worry about it right now just try to get me that WHEN YOU CAN.

It was so good to see you guys on Christmas. The fam damily is doing GREATTTTT. Everyone looks really good. Mom you look younger than ever. Dad also is looking like Cool STUFF. The brothers are getting huge. Brigham sounds like a man and Cameron is still the cutest little boy. Zack is tall as john. Bear needs to lose weight, he is a fatty. Kula´s training is paying off. That was fun to see. I´m glad everyone had a really good Christmas and just know that for the next one, we´ll be together! Wooohoo.

Not much has happened this week. Like I told you guys, I had been sick for 3 days, in bed wanting to die, but I´m feeling a bit better now. We had a lot of activities this week going out and contacting people, which is always a good time. We also had our mission activity this week. It was a good time cuz we got to get together with everyone and have some activities and watch some videos and then eat burritos, which I love. BTW I miss Mexican food more than anything. There is Mexican food here, but few and far between (I don't know if I said that phrase right LOLZ) We are a Mexican food family and I´ll cherish that forever. Two things I want when I get home, Pat´s BBQ and solid Mexican food. Anyways the mission activity was FUNNN even though I was sick. (the burrito helped) And allllll this candy is great :) I love the package mom! And also the songs you sent me! I´m living the rich kid life! Gooooo Knights! Alpine kids!

Nothing much is happening right now, we are just working and killing it and we should have a baptism this WEEK. Keep Ingrid in your prayers, that this week she can be baptized! Okay? It´s going to be GOOOODDD.

Funny story this week, so as usual, at about 8:45 I was buying my nightly slab of chicken with rice and potato (that´s all we eat here) and as I get to the small chicken grill stand, I see these 4 women sat down also buying chicken. Out of no where they started hitting on us, and I was like "What, stop.. don´t do that, I´m a missionary. Women terrify me." And then I realized that every one of these women were actually dudes! WORST! From there I felt even weirder. I offically got hit on by transformers and I will never be the same. We left from there and then I ate my chicken in the house and it tasted funny. Peru never stops suprising me.

Anyways,, keep it real,

Elder Cluff

December 21, 2015 Letter...

Good to hear everyone is well!

This week has been a little bit here and there, but the good thing; we have seen a lot of miracles! We have a large amount of investigators that are finally progressing towards baptism! My comp and I have increased our faith, and the Lord has blessed us for doing so. What I have come to understand in my mission is that increased faith comes as a by-product of a righteous and worthy life. In the mission, we are expected to live the commandments, but in addition, we have many other rules we need obey. As I have lived the rules of the mission and worked with diligence, I have been blessed with increased faith, and as a result of increased faith I have seen that, as the Prophet Joseph taught, faith isn´t only a principle of action, but also power. That very power works miracles; it helps me to complete with my purpose as a missionary by reminding me to put my trust in the Lord and not in the arm of flesh, and it gives me the spiritual confirmation that the Lord will complete with every promise he has made me, if I continue exercising faith with an eye single to His glory.

The bad thing; I am sick as a dog. I ate something on Saturday that literally gave me the black plague. I was slowly dying yesterday with huge chest pains, diarrhea, vomiting, fever of 102, and body pains like I have never felt before. I´m recovering right now and feel a bit better, but still got that classic shotgun diarrhea going.

On Tuesday, I could have sworn I was going to have a transfer, given that I have been here for almost 5 months and that I was basically already here in this same spot for 6 months before, but on Monday when they called us they called us to tell us the transfers.. I didn´t have one. Crap. That would mean, half of my mission here in Rimac in basically the same spot,and  my only two Christmases in the mission, here in Rimac, and 3 transfers with the same comp. I´ll be honest, at first I was pretty ticked, but later I recieved a confimation that this is the Lord´s will. It´s hard sometimes to be humble and say that he is right and that he knows what´s best, but truth be told, He DOES know what´s best, and it´s not just sometimes, but it´s ALWAYS. I know I was kept here for one more transfer with a wise purpose that only He knows. There is work to be done here, and there are people to help. I feel like I have to be the one to carry that work out. I´m pumped and I accept the Lord´s challenge and this transfer I will continue giving it my all.

I only have a half hour today to write because we´ll be talking on the 25th! Christmas!! It does not feel like Christmas here, super weird. But hey, remember Bishop Garcia? From Leoncio Prado? My first ward? Anyways, I´m going to be spending Christmas with him and his family AGAIN. Hahaha. I might as well consider them my new family :) So yeah the call on Christmas.. how about we do it at 2:00, I don´t know if we are on the same time or how many hours we are apart, but let´s say at 2:00 PM Peru time.

Love you guys, see you soon!

Elder Cluff

P.S. I´m gonna use Skype, so please try and coordinate with Sky and Ash so they can be in on it, too! Also any young hot single adult lady is welcome to the Skype sesh. LOL. I´m still hilarious.

December 14, 2015 Letter...

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!! <3 

Elder Pedrera was an answer to many of my prayers. I love that Elder so much. I credit him as the person who taught me the majority of what I know. What a boss. Super, super good guy. I´m glad you have been able to talk to him :)

And it sounds like everyone is having fun and everyone is doinggggg well! Good to hear that. I love you guys a lot :) also pumped for the packages... sorry I suck and don't send anything home.. I literally have 0 time...

Okay, we have to plan at what time we are going to Skype on Christmas day.. what time you guys thinking ... like 8? or like 10? or something like that. Just let me know so I can get it arranged here.

The work of salvation this week took a leap! We are seeing MIRACLESSSSS!!! We made the goal to increase our faith this week... and we did it... and now we are seeing many blessings because of it. Something that has really helped me this week has been changing my attitude from doubting and thinking... "well.. that's gonna be hard to do... I don't know how we´re gonna to meet that goal...the Lord´s not going to do that for us" to a positive attitude based on a firm foundation of faith and trusting more in the Lord´s merits than in my own. I have seen the most success in my mission when I have most trusted in the Lord and left the work in His hands. On the contrary, I´ve had the hardest times when I have thought that my ways are better and doubted in the Lord and the miracles that He can perform.

I don't know why we tend to forget about the witnesses and confirmations or the blessings we have received for having put into action a gospel principle. I guess it's all part of what King Benjamin talked about... "putting off the natural man and become a saint through the Atonement." The natural man wanders and wearies, and tends to forget, but an essential part of this life is remembering what the Lord has done for us, and continuing to apply that every day and having the new-found knowledge that the Lord has given us. We tend to forget sometimes, but we need always remember. 

Anyways, we have solid investigators that are finally progressing towards baptism. I'm so grateful. We taught a lot of solid lessons this week and the spirit has been strong. I'm learning patience and humility. That's something I have always lacked. But I feel like I'm getting better everyday.

The sacrament yesterday was also a wonderful experience. I'm so grateful for the emblems of the sacrament, in which we have the amazing opportunity to remember the Savior and his everlasting sacrifice. There is not a better moment to feel the spirit and communicate with the Lord than in that moment. The sacrament is essential and it's become something sacred for me here on the mission.

We are also teaching a man with generalized cancer (terminal) named Julio. It hurts seeing him on the verge of death, but it gives me great peace to be able to enter his home, and teach him about the gospel and the plan of salvation. What brings me peace is that, thanks to Christ, death no longer has victory. He loosened the bands of death and he did it because he loves us and wants us to go back to him. I know that Hermano Julio might not have much longer, but I hope and pray that before he goes he can make the decision to accept the gospel in it's fullness.

Anyways, love you guys so much.

Elder Cluff

p.s. funny story...

The other day we had a lesson and we brought this member with us because we needed a dude or we couldn't enter into the house alone... and we get there and sit down ready to teach a lesson about obedience to the commandments, the sabbath day in especial.. and out of nowhere, the member we brought starts talking about how he drinks his own pee every day to stay healthy and tells that to our investigator and I was like, DUDE WUT.... STOP. And then yeah, I wanted to punch something, but turns out our investigator happened to drink her own pee, also, so it ended up not being that bad....... weirdest day of my life. Hahahahaha. Goooo Peru.

December 7, 2015 Letter...

Love you mom! It's good to hear from you guys. I hope everyone at home is doing well. This week has been a real butt kicker, to say the least. I don´t know what it is with Rimac, I don´t know what it has against me, but it is kicking my bootie. We are fighting and fighting and fighting to help the people receive and accept the only true and enduring help for their problems, but in spite of all the people that we are finding, which are a lot, they aren´t wanting to progress nor change their way of life.

We have people who are progressing and who are going to be baptized, like Ingrid for example. She is a solid girl we met a while back who was receiving visits from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Currently we are helping her now gain her testimony by personal revelation, and she is coming along beautifully. Another one is Tito, this boss who wants to be baptized after so many years of hearing about the church, but never taking the firm decision.

Even though we have these people, sometimes I feel like it´s not enough. I feel like the work here in this ward, Rimac 2, should be advancing a lot more quickly that it is in reality. It seems sometimes as if everyone is content with living in their sins. It´s something I don't understand. To be honest, it´s heartbreaking. The truth is that people aren´t understanding the doctrine. Even though the doctrine is presented in its most basic form, by the holy ghost, if the person doesn´t want the holy ghost to enter in, then it won't. It´s like what Nefi said.... ¨When a man speaks by the power of the Holy Ghost, it carrieth it unto the heart of the children of men.¨ Although that is true, it doesn't mean the holy ghost necessarily carries the message INTO the person´s heart. For that to happen; for the message that carries the holy ghost to enter INTO the heart of the person, the person receiving the message needs to permit it. He needs to act as an agent. We are really searching and praying to the Lord right now in the midst of the difficulties that we are having, that the people can act as agents, and allow the holy ghost to penetrate their hearts, so they can feel it and know. That´s the only way I have seen that my converts and the people I teach can understand the doctrine, if it's not like that, it goes right over their heads.

But that is the mission in a nutshell, and I am so grateful for the opportunity that the Lord has given me to serve and preach His holy gospel. I can say I have never worked so hard for something in my life, and I can also say I have never felt better doing anything else in my life. It feels good to serve the Lord. Even though sometimes when we don´t see the things go the way we want them to, and every once in a while the Lord has a different plan for us than we had originally thought, it´s all part of his great plan, to shape us and mold us and help us reach our divine potential as his true disciples that bear his holy name. I can honestly say that every day I am becoming more like him, and in the trials that he gives me, I am able to learn and prepare myself for what comes next.

The Christmas devotional last night was the greatest thing of my entire life. I am not kidding. I loved it. Every talk given, had something super special for me that the holy ghost was able to teach me. Amazing. I don't have a favorite because I loved them all. Okay, maybe Elder Bednar´s was my favorite. As you know I have a sacred crush on that man. (wuttt) And motab last night was on point.. even better, I listened in English and yeah, good stuff.

Keep it real peeps,

Elder Cluff

November 30, 2015 Letter...

WUT UP! I don't wanna take a lot of time, because a lot of fools emailed me this week and I have to administer to those sheep who aren't of this fold alsoo... WOOW. JK love you guys most. I give you all my heart.

Fredonia and St. George.. I miss those two places. I'm glad you guys had some amazing holidays. I miss the holidays back home, but at the same time it's like... wut. Last year's holidays were hard for me, but this year... notttt at all. Which is good.

The package is going to be awesome.. something cool is that Pres. and Sister Larson`s ward in Idaho are doing this activity in which they are putting packages together for all the elders in this mission who aren't going to receive anything... how touching. I love that. It's gonna be a good Christmas here :)

MY RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN MOVED TO AUGUST 30TH. But yeah, I'm fine with it.

Just kidding, my date WILL NOT BE AFFECTED. None of the dates in our mission will be. July 13th is my date. Prepare the way before me.

I'm going to try to send pictures this weeeekkkk. okay? Imma do a mass picture send. I'll try to do that right now. yaaaa.

This week was a good week. We honestly worked our BOOTIES off. And I feel so pleased with the work that got done. I know the Lord is, too. We found a lot of new people, taught a lot of people, and had a good number of people at church on Sunday :) We met a girl this week named Ingrid who is sooo prepared. We met her Saturday and taught her a little bit of the Plan of Salvation. She had so many amazing questions that we only had time to explain the pre-earth life, and then she went to the 3 hours of church on Sunday. COOOOOLL. Conversion. Woooeehoo.

Tuesday we had a multi-zone meeting that lasted like 10 hours or something like that and Pres. Larson talked for the majority of it. LOVED IT. Pres. Larson and Sis. Larson are super special and I think so highly of them. We are blessed to have them in this mission.

Changes are coming up.. I'll be honest.. I'm praying for a change so that I don't have to be in Rimac... or better said the same neighborhood for my only two Christmas`s in the mission. I`m ready for a new zone.. I do believe that I'll be changed.. but we gonna see.

Thanksgiving Day was a Thanksgiving that I'm never going to forget! It just so happened that this day, my zone and only my zone, went to the temple! We hit a 7:30 sesh.. so early to be in the temple, but it was great. Every time I go I learn so much and I'm able to receive so much personal revelation. My favorite place on earth (it's in a constant fight for first place with Disneyland)! Afterwards, we ate a Thanksgiving meal at Subway. ROAST BEEF TOASTED. (I don't know why  didn't get Turkey, but I didn't, so don't bug me I forgot). SUBWAY IS COOL. There was this longgggg hair in my sandwich that I saw as the chick was making the sub, but I was so hungry and so proud to be in a little piece of America that I just said.. "There is a hair in there Miss Subway... but don't worry about it. I'll eat it anyways." I ate it. It felt great.

Love you all...

Elder Cluff

P.S. A little something that happened yesterday. There was a huge riot... or like a giant fight between fanatics of two soccer teams in Lima.. we were walking out of a members house with our lunch (because we cant eat with the sister missionaries in the member`s house, so we have to carry it home and eat it... lol) and out of no where we hear screams and yelling and we look and there is the mob of shirtless Peruvians throwing giant rocks and trying to kill each other. I was pumped. Then I was like "hey we should probably go"... then we started to go and then the mob who was fighting started coming our way and I almost got pegged with a HUGE rock. WAY TO KEEP THE SABBATH DAY HOLY. We started to run so we didn't die... then they started shooting each other and the cops came and started shooting them... insane. but we are okay.

Me at the Beach

Enjoy the view!

 My Zone

Elder Coayla and me

Elder Cluff, Elder Benites and Elder Coayla

New and improved Cluff Gym :)

November 23, 2015 Letter...

Ah... Milk. There is powdered milk here and all the jib jab but it's terrible...ahh I miss the real milk.. if you feel me. The milk here is fake and full of chemicals and makes me sick. Sooo I'm gonna rough it out 8 more months and when I get home I'll enjoy real milk.

And ouch that makes me hurt. Poor LP. That sucks. Anyways, there is always next year! HA.

Thanksgiving this week... if you wouldn't have told me it would have past right by me without me even realizing it. I don't imagine Pres. or Sister Larson doing anything for Thanksgiving, haha. But yeah, last Thanksgiving and I'll be home for the next one. The dogs are the best. Does kula have free reign of the house now? Or still gets kenneled?

Anywaysssssss ... cool. :) Good to hear all is well. And grandma told me a few weeks ago that Trev and his wife are moving to Fredonia to work there? And that B and Bob are moving to St. George? Is this for real? How come you didn't tell me, hahaha? Insane. I thought they would die there in Turlock... sad though because now we have no one to visit...lolllllzz.

This week was good. We are honestly working our trashes off, but most of our investigators are having trouble with the commandments. So we are going to be focusing this week a lot on them and in what way we can help them to better keep the commandments. Last week we focused a lot on teaching the blessings we receive when we keep the commandments, but that didn't work, so this week we plan to use a little more fire and teach what happens when we don't keep the commandments, so it can get past their heads :)

This week we met a dude named Tito and he is a boss. He has gone to church for like the past 3 weeks, and we talked to him the first week and got to know him and he told us that he was from Trujillo and that he was only visiting... so we were like ahhh crap. Well then, we´ll leave it at that because he´s going to be going back to the motherland soon... anyways.. the weeks passed by and passed by, and he kept showing up at church and we were like dude wtfetch? You told us you were going home soon, and he was like, yeah, well my time extended here and I want you guys to teach me. So we took out an appointment with him and visited him the other day in the church and wow.... PREPARED. It just so happens that he lives in Trujillo alone, and that all of his family are the leaders of our ward here. All of his family. He is the only one who isn't a member, but all of his brothers and sister have served missions and all that, so he knows what's going on and knows about the gospel. The only reason as to why he isn't a member, is because he says that before he didn't consider it too important and that because of his job he didn't have time. Anyways, things have changed and he wants to change and finally learn more. He is insanely ready and willing to learn and be baptized, and he wants to do it here so all of his family can be there. So we are are going to be working with him this week getting him ready to be baptized in beginning of December :) the Lord continues blessing us here and it's another addition to my testimony that miracles exist and that faith always precedes the miracle. Letsssssss getttttt it baby. December is going to be a month of miracles.. it always is. :)

We have a multi-zone conference tomorrow and that's gonna be cooool!

The catholic church members (or better said the people who live by me who had catholic parents and read the bible once so now they´re catholic) last night had a worshiping a false idol saint thing party (it's a common occurrence here, lol) and it was funny cuz they were all out there drinking and dancing (hilariously) and it reminded me of the Lamanite daughters who went and chilled in Shemlon dancing and singing and probably swiggin' back on papa Lamanite´s cough syrup... then they got kidnapped. I don't know if the people last night got kidnapped, but I imagine so. Apostasy isn't cool.

There is this music called regatone here and it is horrible.

Did I ever tell you the story of the guy who died from the cold soda? A good story for next week.

I put my Chums back on my glasses and everyone makes fun of me, but it's toooooo sick. Anyways, I'm eating 5 cups of oats everyday and I don't know if that's dangerous, but I feel good.

Love you guys a lot... :)

Elder Cluff

November 16, 2015 Letter...

Hahahaha freaking Carrie and Packer that was hilarious ... I could not believe my eyes. That's too funny. I'm glad they got to see each other though.. Carrie is such a mother coon. She will forever be so. Also, it's good hearing about Kula... gotta get him socialized around other dogs. I'm pumped to see the dogs again. How is Bear doing? Just chilling around still? Is he healthy? Good to hear about the family and that all is well in Zion...I love you very much.

This week was interesting. We had some super spiritual experiences and also some super not so great experiences. To start the week off, on Monday we were doing business all day searching for a house for the sister missionaries... we found one finally right next to the house of the relief society pres and we had to help them move and that was hard, but it was fun at the same time cuz service is fun and when we do service we feel good :). Haa. What else happened... so my comp had an interview with pres this week.. everything is good now, which makes me happy. I don't like it when people aren't obedient.. it hinders the spirit and when the spirit is hindered, the work doesn't move along, and when the work doesn't move along, the church doesn't grow and we waste our time.. But yeah, right now we are going chill and teaching with the spirit and we are happpy and that's what the mission and life is all about. It's been a struggle lately getting people to go to church, because the Sabbath day here is not respected at all. Literally, no one cares. The Sabbath day literally doesn't exist here, even the majority of the members don't respect it and it drives me INSANE. So this week the mission had a training that had to do with the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy, and we watched the training that the 12 Apostles gave in April before General Conference where they talked about that day. WOWWWW. It was amazing. First off, the Sabbath day has become one of my favorite days. I must say I have recently come to know how important this day is and how sacred it is to the Lord and how sacred it should be to us. Before the mission I guess I just didn't really understand the doctrine (understanding the doctrine is always the answer) of why the Sabbath day is so important, but I can say that now I do and I'm doing all I can to make the Sabbath a delight for me so it can, in turn, be a delight for my investigators. ALWAYS STRIVE TO KEEP THE SABBATH DAY HOLY IN THE FAM:) ...

Anyways, we are working with some real cool investigators right now.. and we are going to get them baptized, because they are cool and need those blessings. We have a family right now that is Juan, Melissa, and their daughter Silvana. They have to get married so they can get baptized, as always, but this family is super promising. Melissa's side of the family are all recent converts that we baptized; so now they are just waiting for her to get baptized. Anyways, they have a goal to get married this December and be baptized the same day. Letsssss get it. The good thing is that there aren't any problems with their papers or anything; so that makes it easier. Oh yeah, we had a super spiritual experience with Melissa the other day, we were giving the closing prayer and we gave it kneeled, and at the end of the prayer I felt such a strong witness from the spirit that every thing that we taught was true, and I know that everyone else felt it, too. As I looked over at Melissa there were tears in her eyes, and I didn't ask anything, I just simply told her, "Melissa, what you feel is the spirit. The spirit will continue testifying like that, as you continue reading the Book of Mormon and praying and asking if it is true." And I said nothing more and let her meditate on that. Wooooowwwww...amazing. The Lord is watching out for us and he is blessing us. It feels good. Our other investigators are good too, we just gotta get them to church and they´ll be baptizeddddddddd. Woooohooooo.

We taught a good amount this week and contacted over a hundred new people to visit for next week. The work is progressing and it feels so good. I gotta say that this ward is one of the hardest yet, because we don't have a lot of help, but we are pushing through. All of my converts here are doing well, too. Two of them received the priesthood yesterday and are going to help prepare and bless the sacrament next week :)

Sister Larson (pres wife) baked cookies this week and when we went to my comps interview she gave me one. I love her. She makes good cookies. A little piece of the UNITED STATES. In Peru cookies don't exist. Neither does milk.. anyways what else.. she always talks to me about church politics. I love it because that news doesn't arrive here to Peru. It usually stays in the US. But she is my source of what's going on in the church. Pres. Larson and Sis. Larson are really my heroes.

Anything else? Nope. Love ya fam :)

Elder Cluff