Testimony of Obedience

I am as well!  Everything here is going great and I love 
being a missionary so much!  This week was good.
A lot less traveling, but a nice relaxing week of focusing
on missionary work.  It was great.

That's great that you had daylight savings. 
I was surprised to find out that they 
do have it here, but it was a couple of weeks ago. 
Good old Benjamin Franklin 
and America influencing the rest of the world.


Oh man, it was so great to hear
that Obama won the election.
I was so stoked!  Everyone in Europe was so stoked and
that is all you see in papers and magazine 
covers.  I wish you could see how happy everyone
in the world is to see the progression we our finally
making in the world of acceptance.  I was actually at 
a less active members house the night of the
elections for her birthday.  She is African, as well as her
2 sisters and her brother in law who were there. They 
were so stoked to see that I was for Obama and
laughed for like 10 minutes when I pulled out the
Obama pin.  People just love him here.
I just hope he can help us out!

But as I alluded to, this week was pretty chill. 
We added a family from Iraq actually to our
teaching pool, so its great to finally be teaching
a full family.  The language barrier is hard though
because the parents speak Arab and 
little to no English and French, but the children,
there are 5, speak French.  It is fun none the less.
Last night we actually had a really great experience;
a real testimony builder for my companion and
I know it is helping him better understand the need for 
exact obedience.
We were knocking on peoples' doors at about 7,
and were in the area of a family of which are members,
though, the father is a less active.  We passed by and 
shared with them this great film, "Finding Happiness,"
its my favorite church film, its only 6 minutes and is
made just for Europe and is brand new.  We 
watched it and I bore testimony of the great "light"
God gives to us through prayer, scripture study, and
families and then invited them to share this video 
with a friend.  They said they would and when I asked
what we could do for their family, the wife said that
her husband, who was sitting right next to her was 
struggling.  I asked if he was sick and how we could help. 
She said, no, not sick, but struggling with the church. 
I offered to give him a blessing and then 
began to teach about my testimony in the church. 
As we talked I realized he had a problem with leaders
in the church and we began to talk about that.  As we the 
man struggled to express how he didn't feel the branch
president was called of God because of his disagreement
on certain topics, my companion did something I 
couldn't believe:  He began to talk about how when
he entered the mission field he thought that the rule
on music was ridiculous and that he could listen to 
whatever he wanted.  And on top of that, he said
that our Mission President had imposed further restrictions,
as to say that we can only listen to The Mormon 
Tabernacle Choir, and songs written over 100 years ago. 
He talked about how he didn't agree with that and for the
first 5 months of his mission he didn't follow 
this rule.  But then he said, "the last month, I have lived
this commandment, this commandment given to us by
a man inspired and called of by God, holding the 
keys to our mission and us as missionaries, and
I have felt the Spirit stronger more than I have ever felt
in my life.  I know that this man of called of God, 
just as I know that our branch president is called of God." 
It was so powerful.  He is gaining a testimony of obedience. 
It is so great to see.  I love being able to help him realize this.
This church is true.  I know it with all of heart, might,
mind, and strength.  Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God;
 the man on the earth, holding ALL the keys 
of the Kingdom of God.  I know this, and this knowledge is
something I am here to teach to all the world. 
This church is true.  The Book of Mormon is the word 
of God.  I love being a missionary and
I learn and grow so much everyday. 

Elder Clayton W.