Nov. 6, 2019

We get to talk to Luke every week and as I've updated the blog, I realized he hasn't emailed for a few weeks.  He's doing great and is happy!  Here are a few pictures. - Jen

Zone Conference Oct. 11, 2019

E-mail October 1, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was pretty crazy.  We had transfers and Elder Woodworth got transferred down to Fayetteville, Arkansas, and I get to stay here. My new companion is Elder Moea'i (MOY-AH-EE). He from the Hawaiian island Maui so he's got tons of cool experiences and stories and we get along super well. He's been out a transfer less then me so we've both been here about the same amount of time.

At service on Friday, we were able to talk with some super cool, super old guys from a Methodist Church.  They were awesome, and made service super fun!

We also finished our project this week.  For the past three weeks we've been collecting Taco Bell sauces until we had a sufficient amount of 1500 packets. Why would we need that many sauces? Elder Hansen had a dream of creating a portrait of Shrek out of Taco Bell sauces.

General conference is coming up soon and I encourage everyone to watch/listen to it. A prophet of God is going to be teaching us how to become better disciples of Christ, as well as how to better our lives and find more joy!

Here's a few pictures from Thursday at transfers.

E-mail September 25, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was a blur. We were finally able to visit a referral on Friday.  They wanted a Bible and wanted to talk about Christ, we set up an appointment for next week so hopefully we'll be able to get him a Book of Mormon then.

I also went on exchanges with Elder Christensen.  We had such a good time and we were able to help a less active with some furniture she needed moved, and then she bought us ice cream at Andy's! Andy's makes everything worth it! And then on Saturday we were able to go do service for some old people in our ward with the Elders Quorum. I was put in charge of trimming the hedges and let me tell you, those hedges didn't stand a chance.

I was reading in 2 Nephi chapters 32-33 and it really just helped me feel loved as a Child of God, I highly recommend that scripture to anyone who is either having a rough day, or just wants to feel the Spirit.

Until next week, love y'all!

E-mail September 16, 2019 from Springfield, MO

These last few weeks have been super fast and super long at the same time. It's weird, missions go by super fast but they also go by incredibly slow.

This week I learned the importance of church, not only the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but even other churches. Yes, this church does have the fullness of Christ's church. We were able to go to a Baptist church, and even though it was different, they still go there for most of the same reasons I go to my church. To feel the spirit, and to praise God, and teach of Christ. While I was at this Baptist church, I had an overwhelming amount of love for everyone there, and thought it was amazing that those people had somewhere they could go to praise God. There is truth in all churches, and I believe that to truly understand the love of God, we need to be loving and accepting of other churches as well as ours. And I'm not saying to change religions, but we do need to understand that at the end of the day, church is a place we're we can go to praise God in reverence and prayer, and wither you do that in the Latter Day Saint's church or somewhere else, it is still praising God.

I love y'all and hope y'all have an amazing week! 

E-mail September 9, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was awesome! Starting with P-day. We got to go to Silver Dollar City for the day.  If you don't know what it is, it's a huge pioneer styled amusement park.

It was so much fun! We got to go because my stake of missionaries won a fitness challenge.

Then later in the week we were able to visit Peewee! It was so good seeing him again, he said he'd come to church! We're super exited for him.

Sorry this week's email is kinda short.

E-mail August 28, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was pretty good.  We had zone conference and Elder McKay of the Seventy was able to come speak with us.  His words really helped strengthen my testimony about why I'm out here. I would like to leave y'all with my testimony this week.

I know that the church I represent, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is the exact same church that Jesus Christ established while He was on the earth. The same Jesus Christ that healed the sick, caused the blind to see, and raised the dead. The same Savior that suffered and bled, atoning for my sins, and the sins of all mankind. The very same Jesus that was crucified on a cross so that I can live again. That is the Savior that I not only worship, but also strive to pattern my life after.

Through the power of the Holy Ghost, I have gained a witness that the Book of Mormon is the keystone to eternal life. It is the rock witch we need to build our foundation.

Anyone who has prayed about the Book of Mormon and said that they did not get an answer to whether it was true or not, did not want to know. That is a garbage excuse.  Anyone who has left the church because of anti literature, did not ever have a testimony of the gospel.

Moroni 10 3-5

      "3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."

This goes out to everyone, whether you already have a testimony and want to strengthen it, or if you decided the church wasn't true. 

If you will read the Book of Mormon with a sincere heart and real intent, God will manifest the truthfulness of it through the power of the Holy Ghost. That is a promise from me. And even more importantly, it is a promise from God.

For anyone who is struggling with their faith, please read the scriptures. God has told us what we need to do to gain a witness of Him. We cannot just sit back and wait for a miracle before we believe. Far to many people are holding back from reading the scriptures because they know that if they do, they might actually feel something. And that means they have to change their lives. Change isn't easy. God never promised us it would be easy. But He did promise us it would be worth it.

This is my rock, the foundation of how I will live my life. And I testify of these things in Jesus Christ's name, Amen.

Until next week,
Elder Cloward

E-mail August 19, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was super weird. It was transfer week so there was a lot of helping people pack as well as cleaning apartments. Thankfully because I'm staying, I don't have to pack anything!

As far as missionary work goes, this week we didn't find any new people. But we were able to visit a lot of less actives and invite them to church.  I love less actives because they already like missionaries and they are super open with us.

One of the highlights of my week was, I got too see Elder Plummer at the transfer point! It was so good to see him, he's doing very well. For district council, me and Elder Manning got to dress up like thugs and explain how not to do missionary work, so here's a picture for that.

E-mail August 12, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was actually kind of a blur.  It went by super fast and we didn't have a lot of luck with finding people. But we were able to do a lot of service.  We do service at a small thrift store sometimes and while we were sorting books there we found two Books of Mormon there. This was a surprise because typically people from Missouri don't like that particular book. It was a pleasant surprise to find it though.

And then, on Thursday we were able to go to a Cardinals game! Sadly they were just the collage team, but it was still super awesome! We got to talk to a lot of people and there were some people being taught that went with us. Even though they lost the game, it was still super fun!

We also had our transfer calls last night, thankfully I am staying in Hillcrest along with my companion, Elder Woodworth.

Also, I've taken up a new hobby, turtle catching is my new favorite pass time on prep days.

Until next week!

E-mail August 5, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was super fun! We got to do service at the mansion again, and I also had the opportunity to run a 5k for a diaper charity. I was also able to hangout with a snake while helping someone move.

Lately we have been meeting more and more with the Swahili family that we are working with, they have come to church and are very interested in the gospel. The language barrier has been a bit of a challenge but I've been able to see how God has blessed us with resources for teaching them. This week I had the opportunity to listen to someone bash on the church, and although it kinda hurt, it made my testimony more strong. I'm so thankful to be on a mission, and bring the gospel to those who are prepared.

Me and Sis. Thomas and our snake friend

E-mail July 31, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was really crazy. We ended up doing a ton of service. One of the service opportunities we had was that we got to go help with construction clean up at a guy's mansion. Holy cow, I've never seen a house as big as that one. We got to clean up tarps and cinder blocks from off the drive way, and we had so much fun.

We were also able too visit the Swahili family that we are working with, and then they came to church on Sunday and brought their friends! It was so cool to see them at church, even though they couldn't understand half of it. Covering two areas has been a change but I've seen the blessings that came from it.

It finally cooled down a bit! ...well for a few days it did!

I'm so thankful to be out here, and I know it's gonna bless my life as I learn to become a better servant of the Lord.

E-mail July 24, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week was pretty slow as far as missionary work goes, but super crazy as far as everything else goes.

There was an elder that unexpectedly went home in an area next to us, so they put his companion (Elder Manning) with us in our area. So now we cover the Hillcrest area, and the Ingram mill area.

And then we also had zone conference this week, it was long as usual but oh, so uplifting. President spoke about the importance of the gospel and the impact that just talking to everyone has.

Oh so something cool, this week our mission president surprised us by letting us go see "The Other Side of Heaven 2".  That movie was amazing.  I don't know if I'm saying that because I haven't seen a movie in a few months, but I really enjoyed that.

Something that hit me this week was the importance of patience.  We need to be patient with not only our fellow men, but also ourselves, and our Heavenly Father. I encourage y'all to think about that this week.

The only picture I have for this week is of how insanely hot is was this week. This picture was taken at 7 in the evening.

This is from the mission FB page.  Luke is right in the middle. 
(You can click on the picture to make it bigger.)

E-mail July 15, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This week went by so fast! I cant believe I've been out for almost four months. Last week I had an experience where I was able to see how God rewards us when we are obedient. Me and Elder Woodworth were trying to find a referral in a trailer park, and ended up getting yelled at by Baptist who accused us of "selling lies". Well, as missionaries we are taught not to engage in arguments about religion, so I just said "okay" to him, then we drove away. That kind of put a rough spin on my day, and I lost my motivation to find people. Then later we had the opportunity to go tracting and we were able to find some new people! Then this week was pretty good, we found more people, and we were able to find more people. The church is so true, and y'all should listen to Elder Holland's talk "Be Ye Therefore Perfect Eventually".  (Link here.) That talk really helps me stay motivated and remember what I came out here for.

E-mail July 1, 2019 from Springfield, MO

Wow, these past two weeks have been insane.

Last week we were able to go to Crosslines for a bit, then we had transfer calls. Elder Plummer got called out to the West Plains area, and I get to stay here in cozy Hillcrest Ward. My time here in training with Elder Plummer has been awesome! I've learned so much about the mission and about how to best help people I meet.

The few days before transfers were long, mainly because there was a lot of packing that had to be done and rearranging the apartment. Then on Thursday we had transfers! I got Elder Woodwoth.  He's been out here for 9 months and he is super cool. We have been able to do a lot of service and he has loved it.

Today we had a stake activity, and were able to go to Bass Pro Shop, and do a scavenger hunt. I was on a team with Elder Christenson and Elder Hirtle.  It was the funniest thing ever!

These are some pictures from this last week, the first one is of me and Elder Plummer and the other elders that do service with us. Then the rest are from service, and from the scavenger hunt today.

Note from mom (Jen):

This week we got to meet a family from the ward Luke is serving in, the Hillcrest Ward in Springfield, MO.  The Jones family is in Utah for EFY and vacation and met up with us for breakfast!  We loved meeting them and hearing and sharing stories about Elder Cloward!

E-mail June 17, 2019 from Springfield, MO

Wow, these past two weeks have been awesome and crazy. We had Zone Conference last week, and it was super long. Then we switched the car over to the other area so we've been on bikes for a little bit. This past week has been awesome. I was able to go on exchanges with the Elders down in the YSA branch, and we got to talk to people on the MSU (Missouri State University) campus. It was such a fun experience talking to collage kids. I also ran into a preacher while tracting with a YSA elder. Usually preachers aren't too happy to see us, but this guy knew who we were and knew what we did and was very appreciative of what we do.

Then yesterday I we had the traveling elders come to our area, we split up and I was with Elder Cepeda, he is such an awesome missionary. We were able to visit some less actives, and we shared an awesome video with them. It was the "What would you do if you knew you had one day to live" video. I encourage everyone to watch it and think about it. We're only given so much time here on Earth, and we have no idea when our time to go is. So really take some time to think about how you're living your life. If we're doing what we should be, then we don't have to worry about when our last day is. Spend time with your loved ones, families are essential for our happiness.

E-mail June 3, 2019 from Springfield, MO

Wow this week was awesome! And it was awesome for three main reasons:

1- it went by super fast
2- we finally get to ride bikes and look like actual missionaries!
3- serving the Lord is just the best thing ever

Well, this week started amazingly with some good ol' service at Crosslines. I don't know if I already told y'all what Crosslines is. Crosslines is a big food pantry type thing that's run by the big Christian churches in Springfield, and we get to go every week to work in the warehouse.

I love Crosslines. I always feel super satisfied after we're finished. It's a good way to start off the week!

Then Wednesday we had our district council, and it was pretty great! We have one brand new missionary in our district, so now I'm not the baby.

On Thursday we were able to go walk dogs for service. I love dogs, for those of you who don't know. But as you all know, sometimes they don't like me back.
Which brings us to Friday. We were able to go back and do service for the lady with the blood thirsty dog. And as soon as I saw the dog, I walked up to it and showed him the wound. I think he felt pretty bad about it and we were able to make up so were chill now.

On Saturday we were on bikes all day and we were able to go visit a few referrals. One family we visited, had only been in America for a few years. They are originally from South Africa and English is not their main language, but we are still able to teach them alright. They are super exited about the Book of Mormon and said they are going to come to church!

The gospel is true. One thing I've learned out here is that, God does prepare people. He does have a purpose for each and everyone of His children. So if any of you are considering a mission, just go for it. Live your life in a way that allows the spirit to dwell in your heart.

 I've got one picture for this week, and it's me and the dog that loved me to much.

E-mail May 27, 2019 from Springfield, MO

This weeks email will probably be a little shorter because not a lot happened.

This week was transfer week, with means we have to say goodbye to the awesome elders that are moving on. For me, that was saying goodbye to Elder Bateman.  He's been such a great friend since I've been out here, I'll definitely miss him.

Also, fun story of the week. We were doing service for a lady who had her house hit by a tornado; she had us move bins and anything salvageable.

This lady had a super cool dog, and some idiot missionary (me) accidentally let the dog out of the garage. We weren't to worried about it because the dog stayed on the property. So we finish our work and right before we head out, the lady asks us if we can help get her dog back inside. So this dog must have been in a mood cuz she did not want to get caught at all. Well, I decided that we'd chased her around long enough. So being the amazingly smart, heroic man that I am, I used my agile-ness and stealth to sneak up behind the dog, and then when I got close enough to the collar, I reached out and grabbed it.

...well, apparently dogs bite when they are startled, so after getting the dog on a leash, I looked down at where the dog had bit me, and there they were, two big ol holes in my arm.

So the moral of the story is, if your gonna sneak up on a dog. Don't.

I sure do love the gospel, and everyday I'm coming to realize the effects of Christ's atonement in my life. I encourage y'all to continue to pray, and invite your friends and family to pray.

I love y'all!

Oh, also during service this week we were able to put eggs into cartons, and we made a tower with all the carton sheets that we used.

Note from mom (Jen): He got his dog bite cleaned and bandaged by a nurse in his ward.  She also put him on an antibiotic.  He's as good new now!

 Elder Bateman

 tower of egg crates

E-mail May 20, 2019 from Springfield, MO

Wow, another week has come and gone. The more I learn about missionary work, the more I love it. I am having the time of my life out here, and I encourage anyone who is thinking about serving a mission to just go for it. My mission has blessed my life in ways that I never thought it would. This week was great for the work! We were able to get one family we are working with on date for baptism, and I couldn't be happier! They have been working towards this for a while and they are just amazing! We were able to start meeting with another family this week who we have been trying to meet with for the past six weeks, and they want to get baptized as well! The work is hastening!

Oh also, this week we visited some less actives, and somehow ended up creating characters for Dungeons and Dragons. Were gonna start visiting them and playing with them in hopes that we can get them to start coming back to church.  They have a non-member who plays with us so hopefully he will become interested in the gospel.

This week I was able to learn about the power of prayer. I was on an exchange in another area, and I got to be with Elder Larson.  We ended up tracting for a few hours and before we started our trek, we said a prayer and asked specifically for people hearts to be opened to us, and holy cow! We talked to so many people and got a ton of new people!

The power of prayer works, never underestimate it.

My challenge to ya'll this week is to try to pray for specific things and see how that goes.

I'll send pictures next week!

E-mail May 13, 2019 FROM Springfield, MO

As far as exiting things that happened this week, it was pretty relaxed. We had an amazing lesson with the Burgiss family this week, we taught the gospel of Jesus Christ and they want to get baptized in July! So we're super exited! And we also met some people while tracting and this one guy, Steven, is super interested in our beliefs and wants to read the Book of Mormon so, we'll have to see where it goes. Other then that, this week was very chill. We got to go to a party for the 50th anniversary for the place we do service, and it was pretty cool. I won a bag of tools and got to see Elvis perform. So overall, a sweet party. We also started doing service at the Humane Society, it's super fun cuz we get to walk dogs and hangout with animals, so it's really cool. This weeks email is gonna be kinda short but I sure do love being a missionary. The longer I'm out here the more I love it. I'm learning so much about the gospel and about myself and I wouldn't trade my time out here for anything. I love y'all and wish y'all the very best!

E-mail May 6, 2016 from Springfield, Missouri

Wow another week down and another fun story! So on Tuesday this week we got to go to a member's home for dinner.  We get there and its sprinkling and we go inside. We had a wonderful dinner and we shared a message. Then when we were getting ready to leave, the wife in the house stops us and says that first she's going to take a look at the weather to make sure it's okay. Well, turns out there was a tornado a few miles away, then the sirens started going off. So we all got to go to a tornado shelter close by and wait it out. I think they reported 8 tornadoes that touched down near us. So that was this weeks highlight.

Then on Friday I had my first exchange.  I got to go be with Elder Fogg in the YSA ward on the collage campus. It was way cool! We talked to students and just got to hangout with people our age. Then we had service at a nearby food pantry, and the guy that runs it is one of the nicest people I've ever met! He was so kind to all the people we served. Then we got to go feed homeless people at a Baptist church and then listen to their service after. If I've learned anything while I've been out here, it's that there is truth in all churches, but the priesthood is a key thing. I'm so grateful for Joseph Smith and the Restoration of Christ's church.

Oh oh, we also got our apartment back to ourselves! Yay! We did have the other elders living with us but President gave them there own little apartment, so now me and my comp have tons of space. We even gave our stuffed tiger, named Ryan, his own bedroom because we have soooooo much space.

Well, I sure do love y'all and am so grateful for the relationships I've made and the friends and family that I have supporting me. I love y'all and wish you the very best!

Yours truly,
Elder Cloward

Energizing up for their big cleaning day after 

the other elders moved out.

Ryan in his own bed

Ryan the tiger