Whitewashing Verdemont

Friends and Family! This week has been something else! I'll be honest, whitewashing has been even harder than I expected, I mean, we're really starting from scratch here! No one to teach, no map to be found, our beds don't even have sheets....

My new companion is Elder Thompson, He's from Utah and is a Big Friendly Giant (He's 6'6"!) It’s nice to finally have a companion I can "Look up to" ;) We arrived here together on Thursday and have just been doing lots of finding and trying to get to know the place. My first impressions are... Nigerians. They are everywhere and it’s amazing! I mean, nearly half of sacrament was filled with people from Africa! I'm looking forward to getting to know all the different foreigners and to start working with them. I needed a change from the Irish!  

My favorite part of this week was a lesson we had with a Slovenian couple, they joined the church about a year ago and have been having a lot of questions and are struggling with some doctrine. They invited us over on Sunday and we were able to have a very spiritual conversation with them while we discussed some of their questions. They were so open and honest with us, it was amazing! They have a genuine desire to find the truth and for that reason, I know they will! 

             

My last few days in Mullingar were fantastic! I'm really going to miss that branch, I was able to spend some quality time with most of the members this week and for that I feel very blessed. I know I wouldn't have been transferred for my last 6 weeks unless it was part of Heavenly Fathers plan for me. The members are amazing here as well and I can’t wait for the friendships I have ahead of me! This week is going to be full of long finding days. Please pray for Elder Thompson and me. Please pray that we will be able to find those our Heavenly Father has prepared for us. We need to fill our teaching pool! 

Today, while the sun shines, work with a will;

Today all your duties with patience fulfill.

Today, while the birds sing, harbour no care;

Call life a good gift; call the world fair.

  

Today seek the treasure better than gold,

The peace and the joy that are found in the fold.

Today seek the gems that shine in the heart;

While here we labour, choose the better part.

Today seek for goodness, virtue, and truth,

As crown of your life and the grace of your youth.

Today, while the heart beats, live to be true,

Constant and faithful all the way through.

Today, today, work with a will;

Today, today, your duties fulfil.

Today, today, work while you may;

Prepare for tomorrow by working today.

I am so grateful for each of you, and I always keep you in my prayers. You are amazing and have divine potential from God! 

 Love, Elder Brycen Cluster

Easter Week and a Moves Call Surprise!

Easter week has been a great! I totally forgot how “Catholic” the Republic of Ireland was until this week! 

First things first, P-day on Monday was a blast! We went on this beautiful hike with most of the Zone to this place in Bray called Glendalough. The trail lead us up to this amazing lake where we played some hard core ultimate Frisbee! We stayed the night in Dublin so that on Tuesday we could have District meeting around all the other missionaries, it was a blast to just be around some good old friends again! After DM we traveled back to Mullingar with the Sligo Elders and I went on Exchanges with Elder Blettenberg. It was his very last exchange before he left for home. (In fact, he'll be on a plane right now!) Elder Blettenberg is actually in my group but his visa expired so he had to go home a transfer early. He was the first missionary I met. I remember feeling sad as I was going up the escalator after just saying goodbye to my family, but I felt so relieved when I got to the top and saw Elder Blettenberg and Elder Tullis waiting to catch the same plane.  It was sad to watch him go.

Later through the week I got really sick and had to slow down a little, which was really frustrating! Then on Friday (Good Friday) we had lots of good conversations with Catholics about Easter, they honor the whole week for Easter, not just the Sunday. It’s  great! 

Saturday we found ourselves back in Dublin on exchanges with the Zone Leaders. I was with Elder Woodfield, We had a lot of fun and did lots of solid work! I taught a Mexican!!! That was exciting for me considering I’ve only met two on my mission. I miss Mexicans and their food. 

We also got to attend a baptism; you’ll never find a trunky missionary at a baptism! And to finish off our night we got moves call. To my great surprise the call came from the mission home... (This means that someone is getting transferred.) And as even more of a surprise the call came that I was the one getting moved! To whitewash an area in Dublin nonetheless!  Elder Summersgill will be holding down the fort here in Mullingar. I'll be honest, I’m way sad that I won't get to finish training Elder Summersgill and I’m really going to miss the members here. They are complete legends and I hated saying goodbye to them on Sunday, but this moves call was also an answer to my prayers in some ways. I've been praying to be able to give my everything for my last transfer and to work as hard as possible, and by whitewashing an area and starting from scratch there will be plenty of hard tiring days with long finding hours ahead of me! 

Easter Sunday was wonderful, apart from all the sad goodbyes and the Easter Bunny forgetting my basket again... I loved reflecting on the Savior on this special day. He truly made a great and everlasting sacrifice for each of us, that we may find eternal peace and return to the presence of our loving heavenly father.  

 “He was the world’s greatest conqueror, yet He ruled no nations, led no armies, never raised a sword. Took no spoils. His only crown was made of thorns. He won victories, no one else could. He defeated death. He conquered sin and offers peace to all who follow Him. He can calm troubled seas and troubled souls. He can heal broken lives and broken bonds. He can turn water into wine and heartache into hope. He lived, died and lived again, so we will all live again. His resurrection brings us peace, now and forever. He is Jesus Christ, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace”

I am so very grateful for each of you, thank you for your friendship and your love, your encouragement and your prayers.

Love, Elder Brycen Cluster

P-day in Caves and Sunshine in Mullingar

The Lord must be smiling down on Mullingar, because I'm pretty sure we've gotten more sun this week than I have the rest of my mission put together! That being said we still got our fair share of rain too!

This week was full of fun and jam packed with learning experiences. On Monday we had a great P-day spelunking the caves of Keash down in Sligo. Apart from some of the massive spiders we ran into, the place was absolutely beautiful! One of my favorite parts was looking at the green rolling hills and seeing all of the baby sheep leaping around and playing with each other. At first I thought it was the sun making my heart melt, but nope, it was the cute little sheepy's! 

Monday night and all of Tuesday was spent in Sligo for exchanges. We did finding all day Tuesday but it was actually a lot of fun! Sligo is full of foreigners, Mostly Africans, Ukrainians, and Germans. Good chunks of the people in Sligo are refugees, it was nice to get away from all the grumpy Irish in Mullingar and talk to someone a little more humble.

The rest of the week in went quite well, the work is coming slowly but surely. President Monson said; "Persistence is the only thing that pays" So I'm going to hold him to that and I know we will be blessed! One of my favorite parts of the week was when we finally got to watch the Sunday night session of General Conference. That had to be my favorite session; I think it even beat out the Priesthood session this year! My favorite talk was by Elder Palmer of the 70's. He focus on Matthew chapter 10 "And Jesus beholding him, LOVED HIM" God asks us to do a lot of hard things, and we don't always understand why He would allow us to have the trials we face, or even ask us to keep all of His commandments. But one thing I know with a surety is that everything God asks us to do, He does out of love and because He wants to bless our lives. He loves us, so He cares what we become.  

I hope each of you have an amazing week and continue to Remember the Savior during this special Easter season!       

  Love, Elder Brycen Cluster                                                                                             

 If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you. If it is true—and I solemnly testify that it is—then Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

"Stand up inside & be all in"

Uncle Elder Brycen Cluster & General Conference

This week was a roller-coaster, full of many up and downs. I'll start by talking a little about the downs, so we can get that out of the way and focus on all the amazing ups! The trials of this week mainly consisted of getting dropped by the majority of our investigators. I understand that everyone has their agency, but after sacrificing to bring truths that you know will bring lasting joy and peace to their lives (God's loved children) and then watching them make the decision to walk away from His open arms, can be a difficult thing to see. However we will press forward with faith, not forgetting those who have walked away, but continuing to search for those who are prepared to stay, and enjoy the blessings of the everlasting gospel. 

 On a brighter note, my brother Braden and his wife Kaitlin had their baby. I'M AN UNCLE!!! Wee Graysen is His name... He looks like such a little sweetheart, and I just can't wait to scoop him up in my arms in two months! What a major miracle and blessing to our family! 

Another massive "Up" this week was General Conference! General Conference is like Christmas for missionaries! So far I’ve been able to watch them all  besides the Sunday night session, because that doesn't start till 9pm over here and that's past my bed time... My favorite session would have to be the Priesthood session. I wouldn't be able to choose just one favorite talk, but a couple of my favorites were Yoon Whan Coi, I loved when he talked about looking up and not around when times get tough. In another talk we were reminded to follow the Creator, not the crowed. He even talked about missionaries proselyting out in the rain, I felt like that was something I could really relate too! In the Priesthood Session Henry B. Eyring spoke about how this is the Lord's work, and the only way we can succeed in His work is to rely on Him. And of course we had our beloved Prophet Thomas S Monson. 

Thomas S Monson, spoke about the power of the Book of Mormon.

“We live in a time of great trouble and wickedness. What will protect us from the sin and evil so prevalent in the world today? I maintain that a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and of His gospel will help see us through to safety. If you are not reading the Book of Mormon each day, please do so. If you will read it prayerfully and with a sincere desire to know the truth, the Holy Ghost will manifest its truth to you. If it is true—and I solemnly testify that it is—then Joseph Smith was a prophet who saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Because the Book of Mormon is true, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s Church on the earth, and the holy priesthood of God has been restored for the benefit and blessing of His children. If you do not have a firm testimony of these things, do that which is necessary to obtain one. It is essential for you to have your own testimony in these difficult times, for the testimonies of others will carry you only so far. …My dear associates in the work of the Lord; I implore each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day. As we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.”

I know that as we follow the words of our heavenly servants in General Conference our lives will be blessed and we will be brought closer to the Savoir, aligning His plans, with ours. 

 Love, Elder Uncle Brycen Cluster