Entry Eighty Seven: Actively Eldering

October 05, 2026

Entry Eighty Seven: Actively Eldering

Hey! It is so good to see you again! Is that a new shirt I see? It looks so good. (I bet)

But, in all honesty I am glad I get the chance to write again. Even though it feels there’s not much to write about, it’s so nice to just take a moment and reflect; and also to blast the TABCATS in my ear lol.

This week we did a lot of teamups with our boy Elder Gale. He’s starting home MTC this Wednesday, so we’re giving him as much practice as we can before he goes in. The dude’s an absolute stud and he’s gonna hard carry his mission when he gets there in like 6 weeks (he’s going to the Brazil Manaus North mission btw).

We also had another exchange with the Whitley City Elders. This time I got my homeboy Elder Nebeker, who’s got to be one of my closest friends in the mission. It was so awesome and also very productive!

This Sunday, we held the baptism for our friend, Veronica! She is the sweetest 9 year old I think I have ever met, and she’s just darling. So proud of her :)

The only other big thing was General Conference of course. It was so good this time around! Although it just felt so off this weekend having all these meetings on Saturday. Also I didn’t get to planning district council until last night so I fear it’ll turn out half baked. But, luckily we have all these new and wonderful talks to base trainings off of, so we’re chilling.

One of the main messages from this conference was that of hope. Now I’ve always kind of struggled with hope. A lot. Not to BCD (blame, complain, defend) but it has felt like I’ve seen an unusually large amount of let downs throughout my life, especially from myself.

And to top that, it seems whenever I find myself in a bout of hopelessness, the answer is always, “find hope through Jesus Christ!” Which is a good answer, but it can and has left me a bit confused. What does that even mean? What does finding hope look like? And how can I know that it is even possible?

This conference gave me hope, because the spirit testified to me of some very precious truths. Hope is literally based in truth. If you can’t understand or remember a truth that is reliable, then you cannot have hope! And as Moroni testifies, “if ye have no hope ye must needs be in despair;” (Moroni 10:22)

There’s still a bit of a disconnect there, and I recognize that. But that’s because it’s the Holy Ghost’s job to fix that gap. To find hope in the Savior requires that we invite the Holy Ghost in our lives. Simply put, we repent of any sins and we study the words of the prophets both ancient and modern.

From here a miraculous phenomenon happens. When we invite a truth into our mind we can begin to believe that particular truth and it feels amazing! Through Jesus Christ this hope comes. The reason Jesus Christ is called the ultimate source of our hope is because he is the arbiter of all truth!

So, back to conference. It was a simple reminder to me of some valuable truths that maybe I have forgotten or forsaken in favor of a comforting yet not true thought process. Because I listened intently to the words spoken, I now have a basis of hope to act on, which will turn into faith. And from there anything is possible.

I want to testify to you all that prophets and apostles are inspired of God. We are so fortunate to have them in this age! Above all hope is not dead. We can find it through Jesus Christ, and it is pure magic when we do. The Lord lives, and he loves you more than you will know. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love you all too, I’ll see ya around.

-Elder Clayton

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