Elder Bubba's airport call

It was so great to hear from Elder Bubba yesterday.
He sounded really happy and glad to be headed to Switzerland at last.
He said talking on the phone was strange after 2 months without doing that.
Which is funny from a guy who was always using his phone before;)
There were 9 of them headed over to the same mission;
Five Elders and four Sisters.
After 2 months of cafeteria food he seemed anxious to find some
enjoyable food before his plane departed.
He is happy doing what he wants to do at this stage in his life
and that is a really awesome thing.
He said to tell you all he sends his love.
It's Bonjour Switzerland for Elder Bubba!

Ready To Go!

Everything is awesome around here.  I love the spirit I feel but I just can't wait to
get to  Geneva on Tuesday to actually bring others unto Christ.  It is crazy to
think that I have already been here for 2 months.

I am getting enough time to relax.  I had my last gym yesterday so now its 
just getting ready to go for Monday.  I am getting so excited, I am just trying 
to stay patient.  I am scared a little bit, but I am going to try to relax for 
the first couple of months, learn as much as I can, and just have an awesome 
time.

I am not quite a master of the French language, haha, but hopefully 
over the next two years I can become one.  My conversational skills are pretty 
limited to the gospel so hopefully I can pick  up the other stuff quickly.  I 
mean, we do do some other French things like shopping, and stuff, but very 
minuscule in comparison to the gospel, which isn't a bad thing because I love the 
gospel and that is what I want to be able to talk about.

We see a movie every Sunday night, every other week is Joseph Smith:
prophet of the restoration, and then every other week they alternate
The Legacy, and the Testaments.  The Legacy and the Restoration both have
them building the Nauvoo temple so that reminding me of you guys.  


Thanks for your thoughts and prayers and I can't wait to talk to you on 
Monday!  I love you so much and thank you for everything you do.
Love,

Elder Clayton Henderson Welch

The Travel Plans Are In!

I got my flight plans yesterday! 
So now I know when I am leaving and where
 I am headed.  I am leaving April 28th, next Monday.  We leave the Salt Lake
 airport at 235 and so I will probably call you around 1mountain time if all works
 out right.  We are flying to Chicago on United Airlines.  And then, we are
 flying on British Airways from Chicago at 825 pm, to the London Heathrow
 airport.  We will arrive there at 10am and will have 4 hours in London.  Then, at
 2pm we are flying on British Airways again to Geneva, Switzerland!  I have no
 idea what is in store for me after that, but I will let you know if I find out
 anything.  But I am excited to talk to you.

  yes, only 10 more daysish and I will be in Europe!  Pray for me, I need the
 comfort as I am sure the first few weeks will be scary.   But I am excited and I
 know the Lord will help me accomplish the thing which he has asked me to do.  I
 am a little scared, but soo Excited!




Be sure to tell everyone I say salut!  (hey!)

Photos From the MTC

Elder Bubba and the Elders in his District
His first Sunday at the MTC.

Elder Garcia, Elder Bubba's companion
A picture can say a thousand words ;)

The Sisters in Elder Bubba's District
Seur (Sister) Noyce, Compos and WELCH (l to r)

Elder Georges from Lyon France-heading to the New York mission
Since he is from Lyon, they talk a lot.

Elder Strotzky form Germany-the nicest man in the world

Elder Bubba's District

Part of Elder Bubba's zone

He's so grown up!

So the lady I visit teach is the choir director at the MTC and does the conducting for their Sunday night firesides. I mentioned that my brother was there so she said I should have him come and say hello. I shot Bubba a quick email telling him about it and he said he was go and say hello. Anyway, I found out at church today that he went up to the front and introduced himself and talked to her! My visiting teaching companion told me that she said he was so cute! I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her because her husband is the bishop of the singles ward, but I hope to hear more details from her soon! Its crazy how much that shy little brother has grown up in the past couple years! He continues to impress me every day!

More MTC Elder Bubba News

It is so great to sit here and suddenly receive
an email from Elder Bubba early today. His
spirit and enthusiasm have to make you smile:)
I will post the highlights and info he shared with us:

So, both of you had mentioned me getting my travel plans this week,
but I don't get them till next Friday, so I should be able to let
you know within my next email.  I am guessing I will be leaving on
April 28th though, but that is just a guess.  But I will be sure to
let you  know when I will be receiving them.   
I am so excited to talk to both of you!  But don't expect to good
of French! Its crazy to think how quickly time has been flying by. 
I can't believe I have been here for 6 weeks.  It is a great place
to be, but I am just excited to get out into Europe to teach the
gospel to those who are ready to  hear it!  I know
this is pretty impractical, but I just got an email from my buddy,
he was my first zone leader, there is a picture of him that
I sent with me, but he has been in the Paris mission for 3 weeks
and currently he is living in the peasant quarters of a Castle
in Normandy!  That would be so awesome.  I hope I have an
experience like that.  Hopefully I will just be able to
communicate a little bit by then in French.

I definitely think our trip to Europe has better
prepared me and that it wont be as shocking to me.  I can still
remember that trip and I am so grateful we got to take it!
It was so much fun and I will cherish those memories forever.
I can't believe that was a  year ago!  In no
time I will be back there and we can take another trip, but this time
to Switzerland!

I am doing well.  I haven't had any problems with my allergies, thank
goodness, and I haven't gotten sick or anything.  So things are great.
And I hardly ever get heartburn, which is really nice because it was
starting to drive me crazy.  And yeah Mom, haha, now I can call
myself a true hippie because I am starting to actually eat like one.
But Im not going to lie, I would drink a huge coke right now if I could!

Being the zone leader is good.  Its just a little more work.  We have more
meetings, like one on Wednesday evening with all the teachers in our zone,
like 10 teachers, a building meeting Thursday, and more meetings on Sunday,
and we have to teach part of the lesson in priesthood each week.
But its really great!
I love being able to serve my fellow man and I am grateful for the opportunity.
I am just grateful for the leadership qualities the Lord has blessed me with.

I am glad everyone is glad to hear from me, I am sorry they don't hear from me
more.  I am sorry I am not very good about getting back to people, I am just
honestly always SO busy!  But tell them all I love them and they are all in my
constant thoughts and prayers!

But conference was so good!  I learned that Thomas S. Monson can wiggle his
ears!   But seriously, I have never paid so much attention and I am so glad.  I
can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that when I had the opportunity to
sustain Thomas S. Monson as a prophet of God, I bore witness that He IS the
Only true and living prophet on the earth.  I am so grateful for that knowledge.

3 Weeks

It is three weeks until Elder Bubbas planned departure date.
April 30 was around the time they were to head Europe bound.
He should be receiving travel plans as I speak, so
I'll let everyone know as soon as we hear.
It will be great to have him
call from the airport and speak some French for us!

Mon fils-my son in French

I just received an email from Elder Bubba (Mon fils-my son in French),
It was great because he shared more info and I thought 
I would quickly pass it on to all of you.


Hey Mom!
Thank you so much for the letters and the email, they are so nice to get and it 
is always really nice to hear from you.  I did get that package so thank you so 
much.  It had tons of stuff!  Cinnamon Rolls, cookies, jerky, candy, chips and 
dip, etc.  It was great, thank you so much for thinking of me.  The food here 
has gotten a lot better and I am eating more fruit.  It wasn't really my stomach 
that hurt but it was just really bad heart burn.  Its just from all the fried 
foods that they have, like fries at every lunch and dinner.  But it is not 
nearly as bad now.
I am glad to hear everything is going well in Marshall.  It really is a great 
place, and I am glad you are finding happiness there.   
Dad dearEldered me about Schwans, that is terrible, but hopefully it is just 
what they need to get the company back on track  because I do have a lot of 
friends who's families rely on it so it would be nice to see it prosper once 
again.  Have they named a new CFO yet?  Any other big news in Marshall?
The French is going better actually.  And they are called lessons now, not 
discussions, which is so much better.  There are 4 of them, and you can teach 
them however you want!  They are awesome.  They are in chapter 4 of Preach My 
Gospel, check them out if you get a chance, they really are a testimony builder 
and allow you to teach entirely by the spirit.  But the first lesson in French 
went well.  My companion and I taught for 35 minutes in French and hadn't even 
gotten through all of the lesson so it was good, and I know through being humble 
and trusting the Lord it will come.
I was also going to tell you I am not the District Leader anymore, I am now the 
Zone Leader, well my companion and I are, since zl's are always a companionship.  
We are in charge of all the districts in our branch, 4 of them.  So its more 
work, but I know the lord will help me.
But yeah, I am typing fast so that is how I get it done.  I am doing 6 emails in 
all but 20 minutes of it is for you and Dad, because you are the most important.  
I will write you a letter soon though because all we are doing for tomorrow and 
Sunday is watching conference in the big auditorium where we  have devotionals 
every Sunday and Tuesday nights.  All we are doing is watching conference, and 
have time for personal study and writing letters in between, so I will try to 
write you one.
But just remember how much I love you and how amazing of a women you are.  I 
love you mom and I hope to hear from you soon!
Love,
Your son,
Elder Clayton H. Welch