Entry Seventy Three: Workhorse

June 08, 2026

Entry Seventy Three: Workhorse

Hey if it isn’t my favorite people ever! How have you been? If I had to sum up this week in one word it would be grind. But this has been one of the most enriching weeks personally, and I’m excited to share it with you all (because I love you all)!

So, aside from the normal missionary grind (and believe me, finding people to teach is a constant grind), we’ve had many service opportunities! I have been an absolute workhorse, both mentally and physically. It’s been awesome!

The Kynastons, who feed us once a week, asked if we could help cover up a trench they dug for a pipe, and so we literally got to move part of the mountain behind their house. Let’s just say it felt great to get out my pent up frustrations by using a hoe or a pickaxe to dig out the side of the hill. I also must say I absolutely slayed it away with using the rake to level everything out. Best of all, we got fed some very delicious orzo carbonanza (shoutout my Mom for that recipe) afterwards.

Then, we familiarized ourselves with a local service effort called Central Services. We will most likely be coming by every Tuesday now when we can, because it was a lot of fun! I absolutely love organized service projects; it reminds me a lot of FAM essentials in Lebanon.

Later that week though, we were back at Central Services because of the America 250 food trucks! So long story short, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the best church on earth) has been providing 250 semi trucks worth of food nationwide, and Morristown, TN happened to get one! We helped a lot with the unpacking of a lot of the supplies. Let’s just say I got very familiar with peanut butter 😂

It was a lot of fun though! I do love serving others, and it sincerely brings me great joy.

How great and wise of our God to designate the baptismal covenant to include serving one another! It’s so cool to think that when we turn ourselves outward where others would turn inward, we find lasting joy and happiness compared with the fleeting pleasure the other option brings. In essence, serving our fellow man brings us closer with our Heavenly Father, fulfilling His purposes for us, and meaning we are serving Him as well.

There are so many different ways to uphold this sacred promise we make at baptism! The prophet Alma teaches us a few at that fabled day at the waters of Mormon:

“...are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort…” (Mosiah 18:8-9)

I hold it as my personal belief that these very decisions we must make everyday turn us to the character of Christ. Doing these things will fill us with charity, the pure love of Christ! And as Mormon promises us, that when he appears we will be like him (Moroni 7:48). That is the transformative aspect of the gospel.

So, my call to you today is to serve! Find a way to lift another precious child of God! If you feel like life is mounting too high for you to handle, the answer is still to serve! I testify that the greatest server of all is aware of you. He love you and is ready to support you. He lives, and so we must do everything to serve Him, as our Master. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Wake up and do something more than dream of your mansions above! Doing good is a pleasure, a joy beyond measure, a blessing of duty and love.

I love you all. May this week bring lots of blessings and opportunities to serve!

-Elder Clayton

Peectures