Training!

Parents train their kids to do a lot of things. In fact, most of parenting is training. I've had my fair share of training wins and losses. Potty training my kids was one of the tougher training moments in my mothering days. My kids were all on the, "I'll do it when I'm ready" plan. Aubrey was probably the easiest. Autumn and Hayden were not easy. I tried so hard to potty train Autumn before we moved from Wisconsin. That girl would go just enough times to earn the Polly Pockets I had stashed away for her and then...she was done. Hayden too, except his motivation came in the form of Matchbox cars, not Polly Pockets. (Mike was grateful for that.) I just gave up and figured they'd go when they were ready.
The day Autumn finally decided she was ready was MOVING DAY! Yes, she potty trained on moving day. If you know Autumn, that comes as no surprise. In all fairness to her, after about three days of training during chaos, she had it down. Hayden took a little more convincing. I remember standing in Wal-Mart, looking at the Pull-Ups and trying to have an adult-like conversation. I appealed to his logical and reasoning side. (And yes, he was old enough to have that conversation...) Needless to say, it was the last package of Pull-Ups I purchased, so something must have clicked in his brain. Aubrey has loved playing with the hand-me-down Polly Pockets and the Matchbox cars have had their fair share of love too.

Now Hayden gets to try his hand at training! He is officially a trainer and received his "greenie" this week. I pray things go well for this new companionship! I hope they work hard and find new people to teach. That's a far better reward than a Matchbox car anyway!

His time was short this week. He sent the first one on his normal P-day.

"Hey Guys! My writing time is tomorrow. I am training! Haha it´s gonna be flipping crazy. Right now I am with the grandson of Elder Ballard and I get my "greenie" tomorrow! So if people freak out at home.. Just tell them I am alive and s´cute.

Love ya guys,

Elder Clegg

Hey guys!

I have like no time to write... Again! Haha these past couple weeks have been absolutely crazy and I have so much to write about, but no time! Haha

Looks like I am training this change! So that means that I will be able to go get my "greenie" and do a temple session today. Right now I am in the really rich part of Santiago and it`s like a different world.

The only thing I have to say about training is this poor "greenie" is headed straight to (in scriptural terms).. The wilderness of afflictions. Our area is tough!

I`ll get my full email time next week! Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Have a great week!

Elder Clegg"


Also a huge shout-out to Elder Cole Bangerter who got home this week from Hayden's mission. He and Hayden met at Sky View in a Spanish class (ironic, huh?). Elder Bangerter was A.P. when Hayden got into the field. He helped Hayden so much and we will forever be grateful to him!! I can't wait to meet him and hear his stories...

Hayden in the "wilderness of affliction". He actually LOVES his area and feels badly that the people have to live in such conditions.

6,940 Days...

This Saturday, I will have known Hayden for 6,940 days. That is the day he turns 19. Almost 7,000 days ago, that little baby boy made me a Mom. And since then, it has been my privilege to get to know him. He is easy going, tender-hearted and oh, so witty! I know he will pass his birthday doing what he loves...teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that he will feel our love across the miles, mountains and millions of people. I pray he will have a tender mercy left in his path so he can know just how much we love and miss him. I pray he makes his 19th year a good one as he continues in his service. There is an awfully good chance I won't see my son for his 19th year (if all goes according to the plan). That is tough on our hearts, but we wouldn't want it any other way. Neither would he. Happy Birthday my beautiful boy...I've never been more proud to call you son.


"Hey, I'll be 19.. Would ya look at that?

Haha I honestly have no idea how I am emailing again! The time is passing so fast I can´t even believe it.

Thanks for all the Birthday messages and such!

This week not all that much ghetto stuff happened. So that is kind of sad! However, I had the funniest experience of my life. We were walking in the street and this drunk dude on a bike wearing a Red-Bull shirt comes swerving up to us.. Then he just starts to go on and on about life.. The normal drunk guy deal.. Haha then he busts out the funniest line I have ever heard.. Haha "Ya know.. I believe in God. Like every time I see a pregnant woman I just think to myself.. There´s a %*$#&%* human inside of that person." Haha I laughed so hard I started crying. Like I couldn't even come close to containing myself.

I have basically no time to send pictures or anything this week.. So that stinks! Haha I´ve got some winners!

This week was super good as far as teaching goes.. We had a couple confirmations.. but my comp and I taught almost 50 lessons this week. Haha we had 14 lessons in one day...which is a flipping crazy number! The work is so good here in Ochagavía.. If you can find people that are married and don´t do drugs.. They get baptized.

Thanks for all the love and support! I won´t be so lame next week!

Elder Clegg"

Help somebody realize it!

Elder Clegg is doing well this week! He is progressing and working hard. It reminded me of the quote I sent him in my last email. It is from the talk, "Sacrifice in the Service", by Harold G. Hillam.

"Let me tell you of four who served their missions long ago. They were Ammon, Aaron, Omner, and Himni, sons of Mosiah, the king. They had become so powerfully converted they wanted everyone to hear the gospel message.

The four missionary sons of Mosiah did not choose the easy course. Their choice was neither convenient, nor popular: They gave up the kingship. 'Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon' (Mosiah 28:10)—they were all on missions. Serving a mission wasn’t necessarily accepted. They were ridiculed even by other members of the Church.

Why have these great missionaries and others like them been willing to sacrifice the comforts of home, family, and loved ones to answer the call to serve? It’s because they have a testimony of Jesus Christ. And when they know Him, there is no bed too short or too hard, no climate too hot or too cold, no food too different or language so strange that they are unwilling to serve Him. No sacrifice is too great to serve the Master, who sacrificed His all to provide the way for His brothers and sisters to return home to their Heavenly Father. And because they are faithful to their callings, thousands will revere their names throughout the eternities."

All I can say to that is, "Amen!"


"Hey,

I guess when somebody yells LA PLANCHA.. (The Iron) Everybody runs into their house and hides because that means the cops are coming! Haha ya just learn something new every day!

This week went by REALLY fast. It is true that after your six month mark.. The time flies. I felt like I blinked and here I am writing again!

It was a flipping good week! We saw double the amount of people in the church this week.. We had another baptism.. I can´t complain! The mission is pretty dang cool!

Manuel was baptized by a less active member that we reactivated. It was a really neat experience!

My email is gonna be pretty normal this week.. because.. It was a pretty normal week.

Out of time!

The Church is true! Help somebody realize that.

Elder Clegg

Filling the font.. My favorite activity!

Baptism

Pics of my sector.. Pretty much we have straight up apartment buildings and humble little houses..lots of dust.. lots of drugs.. and I get to knock all sorts of doors and talk in a foreign language to whomever comes out!"

Lord of the Rings

Growing up, Hayden's all time favorite movie series would have to be Star Wars. Second to that is Lord of the Rings. He and Mike watched them together multiple times. (I tried to watch them. I really did, but Gollum scared the living daylights out of me! To this day, if I think about that crazy little fellar, I get the shivers...) So it's no surprise to me that Hayden compared an experience he had this week to a scene from the movie. And just in case you are a super fan, here are a few of the best quotes! P.S. Hallmark channel should really consider doing a remake for wimps like me.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." – Gandalf the Grey
"If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." – Thorin Oakenshield
"Not all those who wander are lost." – J.R.R. Tolkien
"It is not the strength of the body, but the strength of the spirit." – J.R.R. Tolkien

"Hey guys..

I like starting out with my crazy experiences..

Crazy experience #1234098...I cooked for myself for the first time in the mission. That was a ghetto experience. 3 meals by Hayden Clegg are really good to clear out the system.

Crazy experience #120918751...Well, Lord of the Rings.. Like I turned a corner this week just to find a street in chaos.. It looked like a battle out of the movie. Haha everybody was just going to town with these sticks.. using them like swords! It was the weirdest thing I have ever seen. Like Women.. Children.. Probably 20 people fighting with sticks. Ghetto brawls...they´re just the cutest little things. This one dude pretended to run away but then came back for a cheap shot to the back of the head with his stick and then ran away again. I about died laughing.

I just wanna tell about all the crazy things that happen, but look at me! I am showing restraint this week.

Well, the teaching is still going great! I went on divisions with Elder Moore this week in my sector. We found a family of 22 that said we could come back and teach them the next week! Haha oh "I´m Dreaming of a whiteeee birthdayyyy.." Haha 22 baptisms on my birthday would be just about the coolest thing ever. Haha but Manuel, one of our investigators, is doing super well. He bore his testimony in Sacrament Meeting this week. He will be baptized this next week.

I am learning so much patience with my comp, but it´s alright. Haha I went on another group of divisions with 2 latinos! They are pretty dang funny!

I love this sector so very much. It is so humble, but it is so very definitely where I need to be. Everything just feels right here! I am dang happy. Read the Book of Mormon. I love that thing!

Elder Clegg

Pics..

Baptism Selfie
Latinos in their prime
Elder Bertagna and me (He was serving with his wife and they finished their mission this week.)"