Thank heavens I'm an Anime Fan: Being able to tie it to the Gospel comes in handy at times!

This week was crazy busy!  It's been one of the best weeks of my mission all around, but at the same time there's been a couple challenges.  But there's some amazing things happening in the Ventura Spanish Zone!

First off, we had to complete the Zone evaluation; when we write to President Felix about all the strengths of each member of the Zone, if we have any concerns for any of them, and what kind of transfer they would benefit from most.  It was an absolute pleasure to evaluate the zone this time around, because more so than ever, we have no concerns, and we had so much to say about each person!  Those that were struggling before have all grown so much, and those that were already doing fine have really kept up the good work.  I'm so proud of all of them!

Then, this week we had 19 appointments!  The work is absolutely bustling out here in Ventura, and although many people weren't there for their appointments we taught a LOT of lessons; almost as many as when Elder Lee and I were serving together! 

Speaking of which, I went on an exchange with Elder Lee this week, and it was a very interesting experience.  I LOVE exchanges, and I was sad to realize that it was the last exchange I'd be going on in my mission.  But, I was super happy and privileged to be able to share it with Elder Lee.  He's grown so much serving as an Assistant, and we saw crazy miracles all day.  We met about four people in a row who were super prepared to meet us, just at the right moment. The spirit was super strong all day long, and we enjoyed being certain that we were where the Lord wanted us to be.

Then, this week we saw an amazing miracle happen with our investigator David.  He's been kinda off and on, sometimes he progresses and sometimes he gets a bit lazy.  But last week we watched the Full length Joseph Smith movie with him, and it left him super thoughtful.  Then, this week we came by on Tuesday, and he told us that even though he has Dyslexia, he's been reading in the Book of Mormon for an hour every day!  He also asked us to start coming by each evening.  He's really connecting with and understanding the Gospel, and two members that came to visit with us shared testimonies that really opened his eyes up.  Finally, the time came for a test of how sincere he really is.  He went to a family party with his wife, and as usual, EVERYONE was drinking a lot.  But this time, he decided before he left that he wasn't going to drink, and even though people were tempting him the whole time, he didn't drink one!  He said he did everything he would usually do at a party, but he just didn't drink, and just like we promised, he had more fun than he had at other parties.  He said when he got home he felt an immense amount of joy, more than he'd ever felt in his life, and that he was super proud of himself.  We were amazed!  We promised him that the joy he felt was the Spirit testifying to him that he did what was right, and that as proud as he was of himself, Heavenly Father is even more happy and proud of the change he's making.  He's starting another job this week so it will be difficult to find him, but he's determined to get Sundays off and join the restored church of Jesus Christ.

I'm excited for what this next week brings.  We're going to see a bunch of crazy awesome miracles, and do everything we can to help people follow this message.  Thank you so much for your prayers and support.  I love this work, and I know it's the most important thing we can do.  If you're in a ward full of less actives now: that's a fantastic opportunity to make a difference!  Be their friend, and a great example, and help them realize how much they've wanted to come back.

Keep up the great work. I love you all.  Ask the Peruvian neighbors if they know where to get some Inca-cola (Try it sometime; it's delicious!!!)  I've had that a lot at Peruvian houses, as well as a really good purple corn drink that I don't remember what it's called.

Love,

Elder Matthew David Clough