We've had kind of a weird week. Our numbers were REALLY bad this week, but
we tried, and the Lord has really blessed us for that. There were just a lot of
days when next to no-one was home.
However, we saw
some really cool stuff go down, and in the next few months, Taft could
easily receive many new members.
First off, we haven't been able to meet with Mike again, things have been
crazy with the new baby. But, he still wants to learn and progress so that's all
as well. Then, we're also still working with CJ, who's been doing really well.
She's recovering from being sick last time, so hopefully she can hang on to her
health for the next while and really progress in the gospel. But the coolest
news of the week came from a shocking source.
A referral! We actually got a referral! So we were sitting in Dominoes
last P-day, waiting for our Pizza, when the door flies open and this really
sketchy looking guy with shades, a baseball cap and stuff 
sticks his head
in the door and says "Hey Elders! 212 Taylor street! Go there." and takes off
again, leaving us sitting there with our mouths open. It was SO cool! We
were ridiculously pumped about this, thinking stuff like "Hey, if this leads to
a golden family, that was totally John!!!" So we go. We arrive at 212 Taylor
street... which was an empty lot. 
So, just in
case, we went out and stood in the middle of it, waiting for someone to pop out
of the gravel and beg to be baptized. Nada. So, we book it on down to 212
Tyler street, and there faced the most rude rejection of my mission. (Which
isn't saying much, people are just insanely nice in Taft.) Everything we tried
led to naught there, so we eventually left, figuring that at the very least, we
demonstrated to Heavenly Father that we were willing to follow such a miracle.
Which I think worked because then... We got ANOTHER referral!
Wednesday, Elder Belchior (Mi Abuelita en la mision) and Elder Bertrand (Mi
Tio) gave us a referral they received from someone in Provo Utah. So, we go on
down to their house, and run into Anna and Family. A BIG family! There's Anna
the mom, Thomas her husband, and Nathan (19) Anna (13) Noelia (11) and Gabriella
(5), and they are AWESOME! Apparently, Anna's daughter in law (Who lives with
her other son) is a member, and when they all lived in Provo, she kept sending
the missionaries their way. Eventually, they began meeting with them, but after
only a couple visits they wound up moving on down here to Taft. So, we got the
notice, and taught them the restoration. They REALLY loved it. Nathan is
totally on the ball with the whole "So then, now WE'VE got to ask Heavenly
Father just like Joseph Smith did" and even asked us what the correct way to
pray is. We also taught them the Restoration and it went really well. So,
they're definitely going to be baptized by the end of this month / beginning of
the next. I hope I can stay in Taft again to see it through!!!
Another great highlight of the week is our workings with Jose. He's been
struggling with the idea of going on a mission, so we sat down and talked about
a lot of things. I related my story again, and also talked about Paul's
decision to go on a mission. As the meeting drew to an end, the spirit was very
strong, and he came to a point of indecision. One half of him really wanted to
go, and the other didn't. So, later on in the week, as we texted him to set up
another meeting, I felt to ask him to read Doctrine and Covenants section 31.
Not ten minutes later, he texted us back saying, "You guys are really something
else; that was EXACTLY what I needed to read just now." (I highly recommend you
guys to go read it too; it's great!) So, the last I heard from him was last
Sunday. There in church, he tells us "so, I woke up this morning feeling like I
didn't want to not go on a mission!" He's also been working with and teaching
the lessons to a friend of his, who asked him what has changed about him. He's
such a BOSS!!!
So all in all, things have been marvelous here in Taft, as usual. It's
been a week of many, powerful miracles, and we're planning on keeping and
increasing the trend. It's so great to be out here. In the meantime, thanks so
much for supporting me in this. Remember, the best way you can support us
missionaries, is by living the gospel too! Every day you wake up, think "It's
go time!" and do your best! I love you all, stay healthy, and most of all, stay
happy!
Love,
Elder Matthew David Clough
