Clean up…District Leader….Moving to Cushing….and training a New Elder

Hello family

so dad you shouldn't feel that bad. because like one second after you text-ed president Taylor called and said every one text your family and let them know that your alright. so you just beat me to the punch. im glad you love me. enough to break the rules. 

but this week has been crazy! lots of tornado clean up. between me and elder rumsey we did 48 hours of tornado clean up, and were going back at least twice a week for the next couple of months. the devastation there is super crazy. like the news doesn't show the half of it. just one big mess. most of the time we spent just sorting through stuff. like one pile of stuff to burn, stuff to keep, junk, and metal. there was this big group of tree's and like half of the house was entangled in the tree's and most of another house was sunk into the tree's. so we just sawed down fifteen tree's and got the house out of there. i don't know words cant describe how terrible it looked. there was about 1000 volunteers that we worked with. and if we didnt have that many the stuff we got done would have taken a whole week. it just looked like an impossible task but when we worked together we got alot done. and people came in form all over the country there were people there form new york and from California. we had the Mormon helping hands shirts on. and alot of people were asking what group we were from. so many people were so thankful for our help. we were not suppose to be missionary's there. like we could talk to people about the church but we weren't suppose to give away book of Mormons or anything.  

we helped this family take down part of there house and put it in a big trash pile. it was super sad because they had just got through building this house and it was just destroyed. there were still tv's in packages that were busted and couches that had wraping paper on it that were tour apart. and because they hadn't finished the house the insurance wont cover anything. so it's a total loss. but those people weren't sad. in all reality they looked happy. the material positions didn't matter to them it was there family. there were so great full that none of them got hurt. they said money, and houses can be replaced family can not. it was so inspiring. 

but any ways. im glad that i could help. and im so grateful that you guys are safe back home. and that this didn't happen to us. 

so yes im still getting transferred to cushing. yes were going to be cleaning up for the rest of the mission but im still going to the new area with the new missionary. i also found out that im going to be district leader. that is super crazy and alot of responsibility for the next month and a half. i guess i need it or something. this will definitely keep me in line for the last little bit. there will be no room to slip up at all. (not that i slip up before or anything) so i will let you know how it goes this first week. 

transfers are today in about five hours so i don't have alot of time. if i have the opportunity i will write you a big letter. ok. and let you know how every thing is. 

but on the missionary side of things. we had a great week. we are teaching this lady, and she came to church this week. and loved it. she got alot of fellowship from the sisters in the ward. so hopefully elder rumsy will be able to baptize her in the next transfer. along with  all our other investigators that we have. man im going to miss this place. yea it is small and not alot of missionary work here. but it was still a good area. and definitely the longest ive spent in one area. saying goodbye to people as a missionary is really awkward as well. because you cant hug them you cant say i love you. or anything. so its just a hand shake and a wave good bye. but i wish i could hug some of these people. there so nice to me and the missionary's. as a going away present the vermillian family bought me a lasso. (there like $50) that's just too nice. i feel so blessed to be serving in this area. and be serving in this mission.  and for helping all of the people in Moore. 

well i guess that is it for this week i love you all so much and i care about you form the bottom of my heart (and also the top) you are the greatest family ever. and i miss you like crazy but not enough to get trunky. 

LOVE ELDER PAYTON CLEMENTS 

thanks for writing me the letters.