FALL is in the air in Falcon, CO

¡ Hola amigos! Espero que todo el mundo está teniendo una temporada de fútbol americano maravilloso! 

It is starting to get cold up here in Colorado!! It is nice right when we lay down to sleep, but it gets bitterly cold in the mornings!! I currently have 6 blankets and a sheet on my bed... Desperate times call for desperate measures.

We have done a lot of odd jobs this week. We finished building a shed and also did some "zeroscaping" where you landscape with rocks! That was pretty cool. Earlier this week we met a couple named Joe and Pat Jenkins. They are an older couple but Joe (77) still ropes cattle. He owns 2,000 heads of cattle. Recently he fell off of his barn and was badly injured. His Daughter is a member of the church and lives in Arizona but gave us a call to go over and give him a blessing. We did and he really enjoyed it. He is a big, quiet God-fearing man who tells us he has never told a lie. A great man indeed. He needs some help around the ranch so we will be going back there soon. 

We also had our movie night this week! A member in our ward does audio/ visual for a career so he was able to hook us up. We watched "Meet the Mormons" and it was really great. We had popcorn and drinks to go along with our outdoor theater. The night was chilly but everyone walked away with a warm heart.  

Here is the theme song/video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GytW_rgr0RM&feature=youtu.be

Here is the movie trailer: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=meet+the+mormon&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#kpevlbx=1

(IF ANYONE WANTS TO SEE THIS MOVIE - WE HAVE IT ON DVD - It's one of my all time fav movies. IT'S ALSO ON NETFLIX --Lisa)

Preparing for movie night

Transfers were this week and no one in our entire zone except for one person got transferred. 23 new missionaries come in tomorrow so I won't be the newest one. (hooray). 

Not a lot really happened this week but we are going on a hike today into the Red Rock open space. It should be fun. We also play a lot of Monopoly on P-days. Earlier this week we stumbled upon the Colorado Chairman of the John Birch Society. I have heard a lot of crazy stuff about the JBS but I honestly don't know too much about it. The man definitely had some opinions about him but he truly believes in what he says. I respect that. I am pretty far off of Bernie Sanders, but I do respect him because he is a genuine guy and believes what he preaches. 

"Every man's island,

Jean Louise,

Every man's watchman,

is his conscience." 

Love to all

Elder Clancy always photogenic 

A perfect shot of my messed up eyebrow 👍

After our district paint war

Elder Clancy

Goodmorning!

The beginning of this week was not going great. Sometimes on a mission you get stuck and it feels like the space time continuum is locked up in Colorado (or wherever you're serving). That happened to me this week! If any of you know me well, you would know I HATE to waste time or sit around during the day. Most days I have more energy than a squirrel who just drank a red bull. For whatever reason this week was just super slow. No one answered their door or gave us the time of day when we would try to make conversation with them. For me not being able to talk to people all day is like a fish out of water. Needless to say I was very frustrated. On Wednesday the heavenly messenger UPS man delivered a package to me from my grandma, containing one of the greatest books of all time. Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. I read it in one day. I simply could not put it down. It's soothing blend of familiar Southern culture mixed with the venomous and potent civil rights struggle made it impossible to set aside. It is several years after "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Jean Louise is visiting home from her flat in New York City. She comes to realize that the façade of "anytown USA" is more swift than slow, melting away. I don't want to give anything away but I will say it is a story of forgiveness and acceptance - TRUE acceptance. Jean Louise's anachronistic language strikes deep in the heart and it is "cringe-worthy" when I heard my beloved Atticus Finch say things I never thought he would. More than anything it tells the story of a family. Families aren't perfect and the Finches are no different. More than a good story however it helped me refocus on my mission. The importance of finding one's moral compass cannot be overlooked. 

That night I was doing a lot of soul searching. I really wanted to know why I am out here and if I really need to be here with all of the stuff going on at home. So I did something that I have been taught all my life but so often take for granted. I got on my knees. I shut my eyes and opened my heart. A lot of times we think of prayer as something routine or methodical- blessing food etc... but REAL prayer is something so much more. It is allowing Heavenly Father to take absolute control of your heart and pour out your aching soul to him. Like when Jean Valjean in Les Miserables prays for Marius's life in the sewers of France ("Bring Him Home"). He has nothing mortal left to give, he gives his heart up to God in prayer. 

As I arose from my knees I felt as though a weight was lifted off of my shoulders. It wasn't an overwhelming feeling or a torrent of emotions. It was a peace unlike any other. It was my Heavenly Father telling me "It'll all be ok". 

Saturday morning we worked out in the Styx building a shed for a member of our ward. The satisfaction of a job well done overpowered the itchiness from the insulation that was all over us. 

Saturday night I got to see My Dad, Mom, Connor , and my Grandmother. They were in town for my Dad's Doctor's appointment with specialist Dr. Eric Liu. It was nice to see them and we had a nice dinner in Colorado Springs. We were able to show them where we lived and worked and that was nice. We had some great conversations and I must say Tucanos Brazilian Grill was amazing but nothing was as amazing as the sight of my family. 

Sunday was equally enjoyable. We taught Sunday school about guess what?- Missionary work!! haha. I was reminded about an economic principle as I was preparing for our lesson. The principle is known as the "Paradox of Value". The essential question is - why do people value diamonds more than water? (This has nothing to do with supply its about value). Water is THE most essential substance that a man could use. But yet a 10 ounce cup of water at a restaurant is free.. It's all about perception! A man in a developed country doesn't think of water as the life force of his being but he sees it as something he waters his flowers with, washes his hands with, and cleans dishes with. So the parallel question to that would be - Why would someone care more about his Netflix signal strength than church? The answer is simple. If people see "Church" as a place you go on Sunday than the stigma will remain. However if you treat "church" or religion as something you carry with you every step you take in your life, and in your thoughts and deeds than you will realize just how important Jesus Christ is.

Before I finish- most people who read this know I am a hardcore political junkie. The reason I am such a zealot about politics is that I see it not as a side gig on the news but a moral and pressing matter on my heart. I would like to share two excerpts with you about Justice and Mercy...These are hortative calls to each and every one of us to seek out the wrongs in our society and struggle to make them right. 

The first- is the introduction to Les Misrables. Written by Victor Hugo in April 1862. 

"So long as there shall exist, by virtue of law and custom, decrees of damnation pronounced by society, artificially creating hells amid the civilization of earth, and adding the element of human fate to divine destiny; so long as the three great problems of the century—the degradation of man through pauperism, the corruption of woman through hunger, the crippling of children through lack of light—are unsolved; so long as social asphyxia is possible in any part of the world;—Books like the one you are about to read are, perhaps, not entirely useless."

The 2nd is an excerpt from Martin Luther King Jr's Address at Riverside church in NYC (1967)

"A true revolution of values will soon cause us to question the fairness and justice of many of our past and present policies. On the one hand we are called to play the Good Samaritan on life's roadside, but that will be only an initial act. One day we must come to see that the whole Jericho Road must be transformed so that men and women will not be constantly beaten and robbed as they make their journey on life's highway. True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring"

2016 is just as turbulent as 1967. My friends it's time we stop complaining and whining about the plethora of injustices life has in store on a  daily basis- and truly do something! Let me reiterate what Dr. King said so passionately 48 years ago - True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. 

Love and prayers to all

- Tyler 

Doing service at the local library

Colorado Springs sunset

LABOR DAY POST 2015 and SEPT 11TH TRIBUTE

Hi All,

Sometimes the only way I can describe Colorado is by referencing the book "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us...." That really is the story of Colorado- You can't explain it because there is literally two worlds. 

On Wednsday (the 2nd) I experienced a perfect micro-chasm of what CO Springs really is. In the morning after we did our weekly planning we did service at a house that by all standards could be considered a "dream home". We pulled weeds in the yard and some other quick yard work. Their house was nuts! It had like a 2 acre backyard and 3 stories (plus a basement) and I didn't recognize the brand of car in the garage because I don't speak Italian.. Haha. It was pretty awesome. 

Then we went to another member's house to pick up two beds for another lady she knew about 10 minutes away. I have to be honest here. I was a little dissatisfied because sometimes I feel as though we do more house moving than teaching.. This time I got a wake up call. As we moved in the last bed to the house, one of the two girls (Age - 5) jumped into bed and said so innocently - "wow this is so much softer than the floor!!" At that moment it kind of clicked with me.. these girls had been sleeping on the floor for God knows how long. They didn't even have a bed to sleep on before we got there. The mom was pretty embarrassed and said she had some surgeries about a year ago and couldn't afford to buy much less move in two beds for her girls. (Do you know how cold it is at night here?). 

As we began to leave she asked us if there was anything we needed or if we wanted some food. I can't describe the feelings that were in my heart at that moment but the closest thing to it would be "humbled". Choking on my tie and on my tears as we ambled down the stairs that day I made a promise to myself never to grumble or bemoan my situation because someone ALWAYS has it worse - and regardless of that, they continue to serve. WOW. 

Friday of this week is a very important anniversary in US History. September 11th 2001 will live on throughout history as a day of infamy. However, there is always light in the dark. 14 years ago, Friday- A man named Todd Beamer woke up and kissed his family goodbye. It was really early in the morning so his two kids and pregnant wife were barely awake but he told them he loved them and gave them that "trademark Todd smile" as his close friends would call it. And he walked out the door. As he boarded flight 93 he probably was thinking about the sales pitch he was going to employ later that evening but soon those thoughts would change drastically. At 9:28 AM 4 men led by Lebaneese Ziad Samir Jarrah hijjaked flight 93. Some say they were headed for the White House. Some say that they could have been going for the Capitol Building. Either way the hijacked plane was headed straight for one the most densely populated cities in the United States. 

Todd and the other passengers of flight 93 had a very important decision to make. They could let the actions of others control them, or they could do something about their situation. Todd called his wife but was rerouted to a GTE airphone call supervisor - Lisa Jefferson. According to the 9/11 commission Beamer told Jefferson that the group was planning to "jump on" the hijackers and fly the plane into the ground before the hijackers' plan could be followed through. This confirms my assertion that Todd and these other men were NOT fighting for their lives. That is false. They were fighting for the lives of SO many others that they did not even know. They were led to this final action by a law higher than one on this earth. They did this because they wanted OTHER people to have another hug, because they wanted OTHER families to share a goodbye hug, they wanted other families to be able to stay with each other for at least one more day. Beamer then recited the Lord's Prayer and the 23rd Psalm with Jefferson, prompting others to join in. Beamer requested of Jefferson, "If I don't make it, please call my family and let them know how much I love them." After this, Jefferson heard muffled voices and Beamer clearly answering, "Are you ready? Okay. Let's roll." These were Beamer's last words to Jefferson. 

I cannot express my heart's passion as I ponder this story. We all know what happened that day - Flight 93 crashed upside down into an open farm field near Shanksville, PA. The selfless actions of Todd and the other passengers of Flight 93 saved countless lives. They also saved the faith of other's both in their country and in their God. 

I have such an admiration for Todd Beamer but there was another who walked this earth who made a sacrifice much larger than that. His name was Jesus Christ. Late one night in the Garden of Gethsemane, our Savior suffered for each and every one of our sins, trials, and infirmities. He, who lived a perfect life agonized over all and paid the price which we could not have paid. He was then Crucified and physically died so that we might live again. When he rose from the tomb he sealed the undying atonement on to each and every one of us, whether we accept him or not. Jesus Christ truly loves us all- and because of that he acted forthwith. I challenge all who read this letter today to constantly keep the sacrifice of so many others that came before us...most importantly our Savior Jesus Christ, The Son of God.

Love and Prayers to all,

Elder Clancy

P.S. That is really cool about Corbin Smith. My bishop would like to see that. We might go to an Air Force Wrestling match someday. 

OUR FRIENDS, THE SMITHS, HAVE AN AMAZING FAMILY - WITH SOME INCREDIBLE SONS WHO HAVE BEEN STATE WRESTLERS REPRESENTING UTAH FOR YEARS!!! THEIR YOUNGEST SON CORBIN HAS RECENTLY BEEN NAMED ONE OF UTAH'S TOP 25 WRESTLERS. HERE IS THE NOTE I SENT TO TYLER ABOUT CORBIN'S SUCCESS:

TOP 25 UTAH STATE WRESTLERS:

Here we are with another season about to begin so let's take a look at the top 25 wrestlers going into the 2015-2016 season. Rankings will change many times as I'm sure wrestlers will fight there way into the top 25 but for now these 25 wrestlers reign supreme in the great state of Utah!

#25 Corbin Smith: Wasatch High School

Junior, 138lbs - Last Ranking #NR

College: Undecided

Utah State Runner-up

In the 4a these middle weights are going to be fun to watch and Corbin will be right in the thick of things.

P.P.S. We already did some shopping and later today around 4 we are barbequing with our members. We are having the district over.

P.P.P.S That is crazy about Adam Nickerel. WOW so jealous. 

TYLER IS REFERRING TO A MESSAGE/PHOTO I SENT TO HIM ABOUT HIS FRIEND ADAM NICKERL WHO IS PRESENTLY SERVING A MISSION IN SPAIN:

Tyler's Friend, Adam Nickerl (in the center) is serving a mission in Spain.
He and his companion (on the left) have been translating Spanish to English for
Tyler Haws

FROM ADAM'S MOM: For the past few weeks, Elder Adam Nickerl has had the opportunity to translate for Tyler Haws and his wife, Summer at their church meetings in Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He also enjoyed an American meal in their home this past week. He's really enjoyed their company!

I TOLD TYLER CLANCY I had to lookup and see where Tyler HAWS was playing these days. Obviously Spain, but here’s a tad more info: 

After spending a few months playing on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ summer league team, former BYU guard Tyler Haws is heading to Spain. The Spanish team, Obradoiro Clube de Amigos do Baloncesto, made the announcement on its website.

The team in Galicia, in the northwest region of Spain, had extended an offer to him earlier this summer. In his senior season, BYU’s all-time leading scorer averaged 22 points, four rebounds and two assists per game.

FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO SEE AN AWESOME VIDEO OF TYLER HAWS IN ACTION, CHECK THIS OUT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEIhhTQ1w10

Sunset last night

Contemplating Taylor Swift and life out in the CCSM

Playing Disc golf (glorified frizbee) in the pouring rain with ELDER STARK.
HE is the one playing volleyball at BYU and we are going to room together!

This week was very interesting and fun. 

On Wednesday we did some landscaping and housework for a woman who lives in Peyton. She is not a member of the Church but she knows quite a few members. She is very depressed and has a big house that she occupies herself. We were able to pray with her and offer her comfort and peace. We gave her a blessing of comfort.

We also visited a man named Brother Leonard Priest! He is super cool and has a lot of stories to tell. He has two horses named Roxy and Woody who love to eat oats and run so fast it makes the ground beneath you shake. Leonard has raced Pigeons for the last 46 years and he has made quite a name for himself in the pigeon racing community over the years. He struggles with his health and he PROMISED us (quite forcefully) that he would be at church on Sunday to hear us talk! Sure enough, regardless of the fall he took Saturday- he was there to support us Sunday morning. 

The other night Sister Connie Hamblin and her husband took us out to eat. They are super nice and have a lot of stories to tell. They have pioneer heritage that they can trace back to pre-1800s. She loves family history. 

Thursday Elder Fox headed up to the Denver temple for his 1 year mark with President Rehm and some other missionaries. I went with the Zone Leader Elder Reimer for the day through Downtown CO Springs. Although it is relatively small compared to NYC or Atlanta it has the same urban feel. We went tracting in a lot of apartment complexes right next to mansion-like homes. It always is amazing to me to see the gap in urban areas. One street you can see families of seven crammed into one small loft (undoubtedly being exploited by a shyster landlord) and the next street you can see what has to be a Fortune 500 executive's house. 

What is not so surprising is that the ones who are impoverished 9 times out of 10 will make time to talk to you. Most of the mansion-type homes wouldn't even give us the time of day. It has a lot less to do with the condition of their bank accounts and a lot more to do with the condition of their hearts. 

On Saturday we had these people call us and set up an appointment with us at the public library.  Then they proceeded to personally attack us and our religion calling us heathens and such haha. They said they "loved us and wanted to save us" but by the invective they used toward us, I knew that the intents of their hearts weren't sincere. I must say I may have used some secular debating skills and basically chastised them for the way they were treating two 18-year-old boys who voluntarily gave up two years of our lives to teach about Jesus Christ. They were spouting off internet rhetoric about how corrupt the Book of Mormon was and such and I told them "Show me one chapter, no even one verse that talks about anything but the pure gospel of Christ." They couldn't do it. Instead of wasting our time arguing over things that were obviously not going to be resolved - I bore my testimony to them and let them know that even though we might share some doctrinal differences, we both believe in Jesus Christ as our Almighty Savior and that we should be working together to spread that message instead of tearing us down. And so we left. 

I may have gotten a little heated - especially when they told me my family was being led astray by "false gods" and that we would "eternally perish". I thought to myself, "How could you say that about someone you know nothing about? My dad who has life-threatening cancer STILL to this day has unwavering faith in Jesus Christ." I kept my cool and didn't say anything out-of-line. I maintained my composure.

Anyway Sunday was much better haha. Elder Fox and I spoke in sacrament meeting and it went really well. Before we passed around our meal calendar I wrote up a little satirical pitch to help us out. 

It landed us quite a few laughs and meals.
The ward is two miles away and no we didn't have to bike we put the spare on.

Last night we ate at the Mumford's house, who ironically enough- are both Marines! Sister Mumford did boot camp at Parris Island. That makes 4 known Marines in our little ward . Brother Broker, The Mumfords, and Brother Hurry who played for the President's Own at the 8th & I parade for a # of years. 

Being on a mission can be difficult for an array of reasons at times. But that is no different than life. Only when you bear down and focus on your purpose will you be able to trudge through seemingly endless, laborious days. What I've been learning however is that isn't just a mission lesson, it's a life lesson!!! To close it off for today I want to quote a passage from my favorite artist...Taylor Swift (laugh all you want she is amazing) 

"The debate over whether or not people can change is an interesting one for me to observe because it seems like all I ever do is change. All I ever do is learn from my mistakes so I don't ever make the same ones again. Then - I make new ones. I know people can change because it happens to me little by little each and every day. Every day I wake up to someone slightly new and improved. Isn't it wild and intriguing and beautiful to think that every day we are new?"

Taylor Swift hit it right on the head - Life isn't about finding yourself, It's about creating yourself! 

Love,

Elder Clancy

IN OTHER NEWS and VARIOUS EMAILS CAME THIS ADDITIONAL INFO:

1.) (For those who don't know about Cafe Rio it's an EXTREMELY POPULAR restaurant in Utah and other Western States. They serve a wonderfully tasting shredded Pork that people put on salads or sandwiches. Tyler loves that place and obviously so does the family who served him dinner. They MADE the pork and he totally love it!!!)

We went over to a members house and they made this recipe for us...IT WAS AMAZING. The dressing was awesome too and she let us take home the extra and it went great on a legit salad as well. 

 Cafe Rio Pork recipe.

2-3lb. Pork roast
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 garlic cloves
Mix all ingredients. Cook in crockpot on low for 6-7 hours. Remove meat from broth and shred.

Cilantro Ranch Dressing
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch powder
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup mayo
2 garlic cloves
2 tsp. lime juice
1/2-1 bunch of Cilantro
Chop cilantro. Blend all ingredients. (I usually add all of the cilantro and some extra lime) Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes (or longer) before using.

Serve with rice in a tortilla or on a salad.


2.) I'm in the Falcon Ward. Our Building is used for 3 wards.  The BIshop is cool. He is new and is a physicians assistant. He went to ASU. He loves wrestling. (college)

Elder Fox's 1 year anniversary -
tradition holds that you burn your shirt

OOPS = Perhaps we need to bike to Church...

Naaa  - DONUT to the rescue!!

Naaa - donut to the r 

The Wilkes

Sunset 

Sunrise

Transfer meeting i

            In front of a hailstorm at the paint mine last PDay

With our President at zone conference. It is the entire "east zone" of our mission The guy on my left in the gray suit towards the middle is Elder Martinson (Indiana) He's my good friend from the MTC. (Pretty sure Tyler told his Dad that Elder Martinson would be playing volleyball at BYU upon his return!)

The Bike House in Peyton. A family that has a
bunch of random bikes in their yard.
There are more than you can see in the picture.