Week 84 - Ocozocoaulta, Ocozocoaulta

Dearest family,

:) Life is good.  Sorry for the short email last week, this week I´ve got more time.  This week was a bit tough - but I´m tough too, so that's ok.  We had a baptism fall through and most of our appointments went through as well.  We probably walked about 8 miles both Saturday and Sunday.  But no worries - I'm still all smiles ha.  This week two sister missionaries are coming to our area.  So we had to split it.  As it turns out our half is fairly devoid of investigators, so we´ll be working on that a bit this week. 

Thanks for your emails.

Mom -  I'm glad you and dad are together in PVB.  It seems like these last few months you have spent alot of time apart.  I´ll be staying here in Ocozocoautla another transfer - hopefully 3 more transfers.  I really like it here, the members are awesome! :)  Thanks for working out the housing situation for me.  I really had no idea about any of it.   ha. I love the parable of the prodigal son - I never get tired of reading it.  I´ll do my best to spread the love haha.  I´m always trying to be the type of missionary that you hope I am.  Love you Mom!

Dad - About 85% of your emails mention your ´´support´´ that you give me by eating Mexican food.  haha.  You crack me up.  Next time you go to a mexi restaurant ask the guys there where they are from. There are a ton of Chiapanecos in the United States (most of the Mexican's there come from southern Mexico given that it is poorer than northern Mexico.) To be honest the food here isn´t anything like the food in Mexican restaurants - it's better there :). 

1.  What is the status of your camera?  Have you taken many photos?
     I really don´t take many pictures at all.  Sorry.  But I have the goal of sending you at least one picture each week from now on. 

World's Best District

World's Best Companion

 I seriously love Elder Shelley so much! 

Being with him was like having Roy as my mission companion - 

a constant party both spiritually and otherwise. 

2.  How long since your last dose of de-wormer?  What is the status of your gullet?
      Too long...Murphy doesn´t have anything on me in the gas department.  I really am looking forward to the next de-worming pill they send us.

3.  Do you use videos much in your teaching?
     No - lots of people don't have DVD players. And of those that do, about 98% of them don't have the control so you can't change the language.  It's really frustrating.

4.  I understand an investigator should attend 5 times to show a pattern for baptism. What percent of your investigators attend at least once, but do not attend five times?
     Most investigators that go once keep going. The trick is the first time. 

5.  What is the air quality like in Ocozoco?
      Better than Tuxtla. There is lots of dust and there are no emissions standards so it's a bit not ideal ha. It could be worse though, I could be in Mexico City. 

That's so awesome that Roy sunk the putt.  I was wondering when Steven went home and when Michael left.  That's so awesome!  Congrats to both of them!  The next package you send me will probably be the last considering that they sometimes take 2 or 3 months to get here.  My only request is instant grits.   haha. And any other food you can manage to get me that doesn't exist here.  I shop in a convenience store so the selection is super limited.  Love you Dad!

AD - Have a great time in Palo Alto!  haha Eayden is hilarious.  And Roy is such a delk.   ha. Remember how Roy destroyed my laptop... haha.  Hopefully he´ll protect this one a bit better.  Love ya AD!

Steph - Ty and Ry look like twins.   ha. You are a great mom for taking them to the temple. I cherish my memories of youth temple trips more than almost anything else.  Keep on taking them!  Have a great week.  Love ya!

Till next Monday,

Elder Clark Roth

Week 83 - Hi

Hi guys,

Sorry I don't have much time today. Next week sister missionaries are coming to Ocozocoautla so we have to find a house for them today. I´ve also got lots of other stuff to do. 

This week has been good. We have been going nuts on contacts and baptismal invitations and we have seen lots of miracles.

Thanks for your emails. I really appreciate them. Sorry that I don't have time to respond to them today. But to make up for it I sent you some pictures. 

Most of them are from a pueblo outside of Coita called Lucio Cabañas.

 the panoramic is Coita, 

and the dude with the oxen is Coita as well.

It's a strange strange place haha.

I love you guys. I´m doing really well but I am super tired ha. 

Week 82 - My Week Alone

Hola,

It's been a crazy week. But a good crazy. Here´s the 6 sentence run down. On Tuesday Elder Shelley headed of to Pijijiapan - after he left they told me that my companion wasn´t here yet so I spent the rest of my day with the zone leaders. On Wednesday I worked with a returned missionary from the branch and we had an awesome day, at 7 I had to start back to Tuxtla so I could sleep in the ZL´s house. Thursday - Work with another RM, elders from Cintalapa come to take me back to their area. Friday - Work in Cintalapa, do a couple of baptismal interviews for them, sleep in Cintalapa. Saturday - come back to Ocozolandia, work with a youth from the ward, he leaves me, find another person to work with me, sleep in my house with another Young man from the ward. Sunday - Wake up at 5:15, go to Tuxtla, pick up my new companion, miss church (oops), go to a different ward´s meetings, come back to Coita. 

Pretty crazy right? I´m pretty tired now - I´ve traveled a lot, slept on the floor 4 nights in a row, but now all is well. My new companion is Elder Stephens, from Las Vegas. He´s cool - we are excited to work together and should have lots of success. He already speaks Spanish fairly well, but he has a hard time understanding people. He´ll pick it up quick though. We are going to trabajar como negros. haha. (thats not racist in Spanish...) :)

Thanks for the emails. 

Dad - Bummer about the car. One question: does the gas pedal click when you floor it? haha. I would have done the same thing - you ruin the wheels, you ruin the car. I hope all goes well in Atlanta today. That sounds like a really good topic for a talk. I remember you telling me that you never really learned how to pray until you were a Bishop. I know exactly what you mean now - I've truly learned to pray as a missionary. I´ve also learned a billion other things - the mission has been good to me. The transfers were indeed unexpected - but I guess that's the way it goes. 

1.  What chapter of PMG did you spend the most time with this week and what did you learn from it?

    Umm - I spent time in a few - We did our district meeting about chapter 1 and chapter 7 (Our Missionary Purpose and How to Learn the Language - which I had never taught nor heard in any prior meeting.) But we have some new missionaries in the district that need help with the language so I taught it. I also spent some time in chapters 3, 4 and 6.

2.  Tell us of something good you were able to do on Sunday.

      Pick up my companion. Let me tell you, its tough without a compy. New missionaries may feel somewhat useless but they really help more than they imagine. We also got to teach some lessons and talk with our Branch Pres. It was a good Sunday.

3.  When do you get your new companion?  Already have him? If yes, tell us about him.

     See above :)

4.  How is your language study?  How much are you progressing?  How much staying the same?  How is the accent?

      Language study can get a bit tedious sometimes, but now with a new companion it's a bit more exciting - more than anything I´m just helping him out. I´m progressing a bit still, but not very quickly anymore. My accent is pretty good. 

5.  What can we do do help you in your efforts to Preach The Gospel?

     I love what President Uchtdorf taught. Lift where you stand. The best thing you can do to help me is help the missionaries in the ward - give them referrals, go teach with them, befriend their investigators, etc. The members here are helping me tons.

Yeah, we had carnival.  It was awful. Nobody actually likes it - its just more trash, more drunk people, and more danger than usual. 

Love you Dad. Have an A Number 1 Super Winner week.

Carly - What a joy it is to hear from you. I´m glad you enjoy the emails and I really am so happy. Wow that was fast! I hope you can stay in Florida - it is after all the best state ... well maybe. Thanks for your prayers and your missionary efforts. Love ya.

Mom - Wow, I love the insight in the feeding of the 5000. I had never seen it like that before. But it's the truth. I am so so glad to hear that you have been talking with Isaac. I pray for him often. One little adage I´ve made myself in the mission is: ´´I believe in the prodigal son.´´ I have seen so many people, who have ruined their life with riotous living, ´´come to themselves.´´ People are good - we are children of God and the sparks of divinity are within us. I believe that most people do come to themselves and I love it when they do. There is a video with Elder Holland called, ´´The Other Prodigal Son´´ - it's awesome. Anyway. I love you mom! You are the best mother I have ever had! haha :)

Andee - You´ve married a lunatic. And tell that bum to write me! haha. I´m glad you enjoyed your week and were able to laugh at Roy. You say that I have more important people to write...do you realize that normally only you, Mom and Dad email me? haha. You´re hilarious. 

Well, time is up. Love you all ! 

Elder Roth

Week 81 - Life is Wonderful

That is the prettiest car I have ever seen. Congratulations Dad. :) Well, I´ve got good news and baddish/good news. The good news is that this week was awesome! Our members are helping us out so much and yesterday was just an awesome Sunday. The baddish news is that Elder Shelley just got transferred. He is going to Pijijiapan, where he will sweat more than he ever has. I´m going to train a new missionary but I don´t know who it is yet. I´m really excited about that, it will be great. 

Thanks for your emails. I always look forward to them. 

Dad - You made a good choice on that car. It's awesome that Dunn Avenue has so many missionaries- I seem to recall the Jax Beach ward having 10 missionaries at one point, but 12 is unheard of. We are so far behind on the technology. But I won´t complain - we are doing some good work here. I hope the Xpedex project goes well and doesn´t require the self denial you put yourself though in January and February. 

1.  What are some of your recent favored scriptures?

     -that's tough. One of my favorites is Alma 26:22. We have been using that one with the members to help them realize their potential to bring souls to Christ - all they have to do is have faith, pray, repent, and do good works; and they can bring thousands of souls to salvation. Not bad.

 
2.  How is Mexico different than you anticipated while in the MTC?

     - haha in every way. It's tough to answer that because I really don´t remember what I was expecting in the MTC. But it's poorer, hotter, and better haha :)

3.  Tell us about an investigator you are currently working with?

     - We found a guy named Jeremias this week. He is really really humble and just wants to learn. We invited him to get baptized in the first lesson and he accepted without a second thought. He is really cool.

4.  What sights and sounds are around you today?

    - Same as always. Street vendors, Vespas without mufflers, horns, etc.

5.  Are you still using your Unisource bucket, or any bucket?

    - ha! The Unisource bucket isn´t mine. But yes I´m using buckets often - I still use them for laundry sometimes, they are my mop buckets, trashcan, etc.

Have a great week Dad. I love you!

Mom - That sounds like an awesome baptism. There are so many good people in the world just waiting to hear us open our mouths. Sorry I don´t have much time to respond today. But I love you! Tell Sheila that I got her package this week and send her a ´´thank you´´ for me. :)

Roy - Congrats again. I got your Christmas card - you and AD are the best. I hope that what I have said plays absolutly no role in your decision process. haha. Have a good week. Love you bro.

AD - Thanks for reminding Roy to write me this week. You're making my mouth watering just by mentioning Cafe Rio´s salads. They are so good. I have no idea where I want to live or anything like that. Perhaps next week I´ll know... Root for my cougars! Love ya AD.

Well, time's up. 

I love you guys!

Week 80 - Roy, you are such a bum :)

Hi.

First of all, congrats to Roy. He must be so deep in celebration that he didn´t find time to write me. I´m interested in hearing what his decision is. Thanks for your emails. I love them tons. This is coming in a bit late because we had a 3 zone activity today. We went to the Cañon de Sumidero again and played some sports. It was lots of fun. 

We had a great week. 96 year old Marciano got baptized and confirmed- he is awesome. We are just loving the work.

Andee-Dawn - tell your husband to repent. He didn´t even tell me that he got accepted to Stanford. Have a great time at Soldier Hollow! Last time was awesome! Does Roy still have the same morning routine? you know...you have to wake him up about 5 times, he asks you to make him some toast, etc. haha. That kid is hilarious. Love ya AD!

Steph - Its good to know that Ty and Ry don´t forget about me. One of the assistants when I got here was named Elder Barrow and he was from Houston, Texas. Your Stake Pres wouldn't happen to have a son that served in Tuxtla, would he? We do not have iPads...not even close. You know in An Idiot Abroad when Carl is talking about all the things China needs before it needs an iPhone? - same story here haha. Love ya Steph!

Dad - my tech savvy parents ha. The world of sports seems interesting. I´m really glad that you are back at home. Hopefully you can get back in the tradition of your early morning bike rides. Don´t forget to count the steps to the water :)

1.  Why does it look to me like many of the homes are under construction, or otherwise not finished?
     haha, that's a good question. If you are referring to the the fact that the sides aren't painted - that's just  normal. Paint is expensive... if you refer to the the fact that there is a ton of sand and gravel in the street so that the people can mix cement, that is just normal too. People are always making something out of cement.

2.  Have you received your iPads yet?  The missionaries here in the Florida, Jacksonville mission have.
     No.

3.  Tell us about an investigator that you are currently working with.
     There are a bunch, but one of my favorites is Eduardo. His wife and daughter recently got baptized but he had to work Sundays so he couldn't go to church. He was finally able to get Sundays off though - so he´ll be baptized once he has his 5 attendances. (is that proper English?) He is awesome. This Sunday he was asking us when he can get a calling, because he wants to help out more in the branch. He is super solid. 

4.  What have you learned about prayer recently?
     Lots. There is a section in Preach My Gospel called Accountability. It talks about how we ought to discuss our efforts and our results with the Lord. I have been doing that recently and I have founds lots of ways to improve. Too often we talk at the Lord - we need to talk with him. He listens. I don´t ask for many blessings anymore. More so, I just thank him for all that he has given me and talk with him about the things I need to improve.
Love you dad!

Mom - haha, you are hilarious. You gotta love fast and testimony meetings :) I talked with the President today - he said he´ll send in the endorsement, hopefully this week he´ll do that. I have absolutely no idea what I want to study when I get home. I'll talk with you guys about that when I get home. For right now I´m not going to worry about it too much. 

Well, that's pretty much a week in the life of a Mexican missionary. Life is rocking. I am smiling and sweating (and smell so bad right now haha). Love y'all :)

Elder Roth

Week 79 - :)

Today is a good day to be a missionary. Why? Because I had a record number of emails, and received a ton of good news (and not so good news - sorry about the kneecap Roy). I love you guys and I´m so grateful for your support. 

This week we are going to have a baptism! We are baptizing Marciano - a 96 year old man who had been Catholic all his life. He doesn´t hear too well so we have to shout in his ear but he´s really smart and he´s making a good choice. I´m pretty excited. 

Dad- Bummer about the US hockey team. They´ll do better in 4 years when I´m there yelling at the TV. lots of questions today :)

1.  What is the Spanish word for where you live?  Apartment, Flat, or whatever you call it there...
     Casa (house). There aren´t that many apartment complexes here - I lived in one in central, but other than that I´ve lived in houses.

2.  Tell us of an amazing spiritual experience this week.
    There are lots. But one that sticks out is from our District meeting. We have 2 new missionaries in the district (they´re both gringos - Elder Merrell and Hermana Westbrook). So we just talked about what every new missionary needs to know. About our spiritual experiences and how they can be happy despite the difficulties they will face. It was great as those of us with more experience told them of our love for the mission and the blessings we have seen. We also watched a video of Elder Holland in the MTC going nuts haha. It was similar to his talk in GC about Peter on the shore of Galilee from John 21. But it was a bit more intense. Peter, lovest thou me?

3.  Tell us of the most amazing food experience this week.
     Easy - Tlayudas. They are from Oaxaca. It's pretty much just a super giant quesadilla. One of them was filled with crickets - not bad. It won´t be replacing chicken, beef and pork any time soon, but it's good.

4.  Tell us of the most questionable food experience this week.
     Well...crickets. and a hamburger - those are always dangerous in Mexico. They really aren´t any good and generally lead to typhoid ha.

5.  Tell us if there is any place in your area that the Missionaries go to on P-Day for a cultural or sight seeing experience.
     Yeah! We´ve got the aguacero. 

and la sima de la cotorras. Check it out!

6.  Does the Ward building have Wi-Fi?
     Umm, I don´t think so. 

7.  Do you go to Ward Council?
     If we had it I would go haha.

8.  What is your shoe situation?
     Sad. The Eccos are spent but I know they can go the distance haha.

9.  Have you used all the clothes you brought, or are you still saving some for later?
     I´ve used and abused them all, with exception of the sweater.

10.  How long has your companion been out?
     He completed his first year a couple of weeks ago.

11.  What are your companion discussions like, i.e. How do the two gringos speak to each other in Spanish?
     Umm, I guess the same way two gringos speak to each other in English. haha. It's nothing too fancy. 

12.  I assume in learning the language, speed is key, in other words, keeping up.  How are you at that?  Are you able to have a speedy conversation, without thinking about it?
     I can keep up just fine. I speak Spanish with a bit of an accent and a less extensive vocabulary but it's really no harder for me than speaking English. 

13.  Speaking of language learning, I assume there is a time you switch from translating in your head, to just understanding the language. Is that true?  How long did that take?
      It's a bit of a gradual transition. As you learn to conjugate the verbs and extend your vocab you do less and less translating. I think I was speaking with translations after about 2 or 3 months here.

14.  What percent of the time do you think in Spanish vs. English.
If I read or hear English I think in English. If it's Spanish I think in Spanish. It's really amazing how well the brain can separate the two. Also sometimes I´ll read scriptures in one language and it will remind me of another scripture in the other language. It's cool. I look forward to talking to you in Spanish :)

Thanks for the email and I hope you have a great week! Love you.

Mom - I think I got her package (Sheila's) - I got a total of 3 but I can´t see the names on them. About my apartment I really have no idea. I´m good with Glenhood our anywhere that RAD suggests. I love you mom!

Roy and Andee - Well I´m pretty much out of time...I guess I´ll just make myself some shells and cheese haha. :) Congrats on the grad school offers. Hopefully Harvard and Stanford reply soon with good news. :) I love you guys!

Steph - Hey! thanks for the update. I promise I´ll write you next week, I´m super short on time. 

Ok. love y´all ha. 

Elder Roth

Wendy to Clark: I  "walked" all over Ocozoco looking for a basketball court. 

 This green house is right up the street...Is this where you live? 

 Clark replied: nailed it :)

Week 78 - 2005

Hey family,

My address is 6 poniente y 6 Sur...I think. Honestly, no one in this state knows their address, and the streets aren´t marked. Some houses have numbers but most don´t - if they do have them they aren´t sequential. But anyway, it's a green house by a basketball court.

So I´ve got some news today. 

First: transfers. My compy and I are staying!!! yes! Best companionship ever. We are just tearing it up here and loving every minute of it.

Second: Release day. Well hopefully you will take this as happy news. My mission president talked with the mission department and they asked him to stop extending our missions. So... I´ll be going home on August 5th. I´m a bit disappointed, but mostly happy. It will be good to get back to school and such. 

Third: If you´ve noticed the title of the email is 2005. Why?, you ask. I will tell you. Yesterday morning I was reading a conference talk from President Monson given in 2006 called How Firm a Foundation (if you haven´t picked up on this yet, I am addicted to conference editions of the Ensign. I have one from 1981, one from 1992, 2001, 2003, and two for every year since 2006 :)) Anyway, he mentioned President Hinckley´s 2005 challenge to all the members of the church to read the Book of Mormon before years end. Then I realized that I accepted that challenge! On December 31, 2005 I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time. I prayed and asked God if it was true, and I got my response. That day has affected everyday of my life since then. 2005 was the year I gained a testimony of the Book of Mormon, of the Prophet Joseph Smith (that was the year we did the musical as well), and of the church. I have been so blessed for following the prophet. 7 years later the prophet sent me a mission call - the blessings have been beyond my imagination. Follow the prophet, he knows the way. I am grateful for living prophets. 

Mom - Haha I would kill a man for some legit Lumber City BBQ. I´ve had enough tortillas - they´ve lost their allure. Dad said you slayed your talk (I imagine thim saying it in this Randy Jackson voice.) It's definitely important to be patient with yourself and others. Discipleship is indeed difficult. Sorry for the short email. I´m short on time today.

Dad - How´s PVB? I miss mowing the lawn and eating cheeseburgers. ha. Any exciting news from the Olympics? Hoping the curling team is doing well :) 

How cool is that?  A Unisource bucket!

1.  What is one thing you like about transfers?

      Leaving Tapachula haha. jk. umm, It's always an exciting time. You get to know new missionaries and meet up with old friends. 

My Generation from the MTC

2.  Describe the smells where you are right now.

     Right now there is nothing too notable. You smell a good amount of burning plastic as you walk down the streets though, and exhaust too.

3.  What is your address?

       (See above)

4.  Did you  know that G&G Powell got a Vette?  It is always good to have a new Vette in the family.

     No, thats awesome. Send me some pictures!

5.  Tell us a true story about something good that happened yesterday.

    haha, true stories aren´t nearly as exciting. Just kidding yestday was fantastic. We had 3 confirmations in sacrament meeting. (In the baptismal service my comp and I sang Come Thou Fount. It was awesome!) Other than that things were pretty normal. I talked to some drunk guys on the street, taught some lessons, walked and walked and walked and walked, etc. 

Ceci and Daniela

Darwin

6.  Now that it is the middle of winter, what is the cold season like in your area?

     It's starting to get hot again. In January it would get down to about 45 at night. I was loving it. But things have returned to usual. I´m sweating right now...

7.  What aspect of the Mexican Culture do you appreciate?

      They are truly friendly people. With a few exceptions people respect us and listen to us - even if they aren´t interested. They will give you all the food you can eat, even if that means that they don´t eat. They are good people.

My Favorite Possession

8.  I think I asked this before, but it has been a while ago, and maybe you have additional perspectives:  Was Karl Pilkington correct when he observed that the people in Mexico just do whatever they want to do?  Remember, that was one of the things he liked about Mexico.

     That is so true. Wanna eat pure sugar - do it. Wanna burn a tire in the street - go for it. wanna take a nap on the sidewalk - you got it. haha. 

9.  Tell us what happened at the last Missionary Meeting you attended (defined as more than 3 missionaries in one place)? 

    We had 2 this week. One with the mission pres, and a zone conference. We talked about obedience, goals, and 3rd Nephi 12:48 - Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect. President wants us to stop making excuses and start living up to the Lord's expectations. It was really good.

10.  What did you learn this week?

     So much. The most impressive thing was what I explained earlier about following the prophets. Just do it. 

Thanks for you emails I love you. 

Elder Roth