Entry Five: Welcome to the Work!

February 14, 2025

Entry Five: Welcome to the Work!

2/14/25

The time is finally here! It is so surreal to have the tag on, but this is the reality. After so many months we made it. Let’s get into the good stuff!

To begin, thank you all who came to my farewell to support me! I love you all and am so happy you wanted to hear me speak! Not too long after the luncheon ended, we went over to the stake center where I was set apart at the same time as Elder Folsom (who was my trek brother a few years back, plus I’ve had a couple classes with him (he’s very cool)). Funnily enough, immediately after we got back the superbowl started. My stake president said this will definitely be a superbowl to remember.

I believe it is safe to say that I am very much enjoying Home MTC so far. Logging onto my first workshop, I could just feel the joyful and welcoming atmosphere of the MTC; and that was over the internet! We have been counseled to be anxiously engaged in the work, and as someone who has been anxious to join the work for so long, I know that you get the most out of the experience by fully committing.

Now, a funny thing about these workshops. They consist of missionaries from all around the globe, and so they are massive (around 350+ participants each time). There is also the zoom chat feature. Pair these two together and you essentially get a missionary live chat. Most of the time it is actually really incredible, but there’s also a bit of tomfoolery that goes on. One of my favorite comments was when we were talking about how Satan wants to silence missionaries because he knows the power they have over him, and somebody said, “adversary ahh strat.” 😂

I got to meet my companion! His name is Elder Mickelson, and he is amazing. I noticed we are very similar in our personalities, and it works well together. I’m growing a lot from our companion studies. He is also going to the Tennessee Knoxville mission by the way.

On a similar note, my district is just the best. I can testify that we were all made to compliment each other, even though it’s a small moment compared to the length of all of our lives. I just love the thought that went into each of us in the creation process, and how God thought of every interaction we’ll have with everyone else. It brings me much joy to know that I am exactly where I need to be too.

I know I’ve spoken very highly of my experience so far, and I don’t want to give a false sense of “Oh look at that Elder Clayton, his life is perfect.” There have been some rough moments this week, particularly each morning since it turns out my body does not like being up at 6:30. However, I want to just say to each of you that there are blessings all around us. It can be really easy to fixate on the bad, but that just makes us miserable. I know what that’s like. Life can frankly suck at times, and that’s ok. The goal is to “press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope.” (2 Nephi 31:20) Look for the blessings in your life. It can be as simple as the sun granted light today. If you’re in the depths, the way to get out is to look upward. I invite each of you to write down one good thing each day. Doing so will compile a list you can look back on at any time. The Lord has granted you his tender mercies.

That is all for this first week! Happy Valentine's Day to you all! I actually love that my first p-day is a day all about love. I love you. The Lord loves you. Our Father in Heaven loves you. Bonus invitation to spread some love today!

“The noblest art is that of making others happy”. -P.T. Barnum

Wishing you all a wonderful week!

Elder Clayton

Photos from this week: