Hello Family! 

This week has flown by. The days are long, but it's weird to think that I'm almost half way through my MTC experience. 

Fun news...I'm sister training leader now. That's pretty much the same as district leader. I'm not called that because we're sisters. So yeah. Basically I lead our meetings and start class. Pretty exciting.

We've taught a few lessons this past week. Some have been super great and some not so great. Jose (one of my teachers) is so awesome. He has the biggest desire to change and become a better man. I really love teaching him because he is so receptive. Jack is really hard to read. He's a less active. He feels like he's in a spiritual decline, but does everything he's supposed to. He just has no desire and doesn't feel anything. We also started teaching a new investigator. It's called TRC. I forget what it stands for. I LOVE TRC! I'm not sure why it's so different from teaching my teachers, but I just feel so much love for them! The first night we taught members and that was cool. We taught an old man first and he pretty much taught us. It was funny. We're now teaching a woman named Leticia (I don't know how to do accents on this computer). She is the sweetest. I just love her. She is Catholic and doesn't have a relationship with God. She really wants to though. She loves her family and wants the best for them. She is just really great (even if she's a paid actress). Hermana Horne and I are trying to focus more on the investigator and their relationship with God. We have been spending too much time focusing on our relationship with them. That is not our purpose. It's kind of hard to explain. It's a challenge for me to figure out what they need. But I'm working on it!

I've had a lot of great studies this past week. I'm just amazed at the love that Jesus Christ has for all of us. It's incredible! I love studying about Him. I feel like I don't have enough time in the day to study. One hour is not enough! But, He has opened my ear and now I must preach it "upon the house tops" (Matt. 10:27)

We've also had great devotionals. They are putting a really big focus on working with members. It is SO important! I love it when we have a "member" in our lesson. They add a "newness" and they're able to relate with the investigator. Some thoughts from devotional...Richard I. Heaton: my purpose is not just to get people to the waters of baptism. It's also to help them endure to the end. My calling as a missionary does not stop when I go home. Desire is key and it needs to be rooted in God and Jesus Christ. Phyllis Snow: I need to be a ward/branch builder while on my mission. I can do this by my missionary purpose, edifying members, and working with less actives (Alma 31:34-35). Less actives chose to leave and they can choose to come back. That's a simple summary of what we've learned.

The Lord's hand is really in my life and I know He is in everyone else's. He loves all of us. He wants to have a communication with us! Prayer is so important. I know we can have a relationship with Him.

I thought I'd share some cool scriptures that we went over in a lesson my teacher taught. Missionary work is really God's work. He is the one doing the gathering. Read 1 Nephi 22:12, 25, 2 Nephi 29:1, 3 Nephi 5:24, 20:18, 29, 22:7 for just a few examples of this.

Dad, your whoopie cushion came in handy. Hermana McMurray used it to pull a prank on the elders in the district down the hall from us. It was hilarious. I pretty much almost peed my pants. I got a video. I'll show you it sometime in 18 months. 

The MTC makes you really weird. We laugh at the most ridiculous stuff. I feel like such a weirdo. But, at least I'm having fun and working hard, right?

To answer your questions...

Dad: YES! Send all the people you can my way. I definitely can teach in English. That would be awesome. Those experiences you shared with me about Mexico are super cool. Thanks so much! You are such a great example to me of being a good missionary. Hopefully one day I can be a little bit like you!

Mom: Keep talking to the neighbors! I know, I'm kind of preaching, but hey, I'm a missionary. I wonder how Michelle knows so much, too. That would be interesting to find out. Thanks for sending me the updates. It's nice to know what's going on. About the Hermanas in my district...

Hermana Horne: She is from Orem. She wants to go into nursing. She is super sweet and very caring. She is a very deep thinker and has helped me with that.

Hermana Day: From Draper. She is so fun. We get along really well. So much that we're thinking of rooming together when we get back from our missions. She's into international relations (I think?). She wants to study in the mid east.

Hermana Concidine: From Cali. She is very sweet and a hard worker. She wants to go into psychology.

Hermana Weeks: One of the most pure hearted person I've ever met. If that makes any sense. She has such a strong testimony and is so fun to be around. From Cali.

Hermana McMurray: Hilarious. Loves to sing. Very theatrical. From Nevada. She keeps us laughing.

I know that wasn't much. Sorry. Anyways, I love you all! Thank for all that you do for me! Mom, I'm going to send you an email later today to ask some favors and tell you the skirt length. 

Love you!!

Hermana Clay