Monday June 16th 2014.... last letter home:):(

This is called Paksiw. It is like a sour fish soup with rice and vegetables. Delicious!

Raul... Chantz's last investigator.  Should be baptized in July.

Howdy Howdy one last time!  

     MOM! We just had a missionary who got sick and President needs a temporary missionary for about 3 weeks! I told him that I was willing and would LOVE to do it! So I will still be home in time for school but they just changed my flight plans, is that okay? I told them that it was and that they didn't even need to inform you! Okay okay okay, that's not true- it is all a lie. I have come on a mission to share absolute truth, not to lie. What a waste of time this would have been if it wasn't true. So just kiddin' I'll be home on Thursday! 

     To tell you some more truth- I have no idea what to write right now. Truly it is like tons of things running around the head and not a think the say haha. 

     MOSTLY- I want to say Happy Father's Day! Thank you for everything Dad. I can't really put it to words. But I have been blessed with a great father. I am so excited to work with you again. That was my favorite growing up, all the projects we did growing up and seeing your great example of being a man of integrity. I remember, as I am sure Race does, "listening with sleepy ears to bedtime stories from 2 special years." That is a line from a unfinished poem I will give to you if I can ever finish it. Thank you for everything Dad. I have always been proud to say that I have never heard my father raise his voice... referees not included. No ones testimony touches me the way my father's does. As the little kids say "my dad could beat up your dad" but my dad is too kind to do anything like that.

     Gramps says, "The best way to kill time is to work it to death!" Well the time has FLOWN by! I feel like I just got transferred from my first area in Pasacao! I would like my family to know that I have "E.R.E.D'ed" I have been diligent and obedient without exception my whole mission. Not perfect but NEVER lazy and NEVER disobedient. I love my mission so much. It means more  to me than I never knew it could. 

     Really I have nothing much to say. I am going to try REALLY HARD not to be a weird RM when I get home but I will probably be a little weird but I am committed to hit the ground running when I get home. I love my mission so much but I won't be a RM who can't see that HE HAS RECEIVED ANOTHER ASSIGNMENT in a different area and for a very long period of time and even great blessings and people to meet and what not. I am also not going to be a RM who just wants "back to the world" no spank you! So, basically I will see you all THURSDAY! That is the happy news. Now I just have to figure out a way to say goodbye to these people... that is going to be very very hard! But we "smile because it happened and don't cry (too much) because it is over."

    I love you all a bushel. I am thankful for your prayers on my behalf. I pray for you and can't wait to see you and hug you. I have thought about that day my whole mission and when I would think about it I would remember the last words of wisdom gramps gave to me before I left, "Earn It!" He had a way of "SAYING A LOT without speaking much." And he wanted you to do the same. Or he just might tell you, "You sure do speak a lot without saying much. ANYWAY- see ya Thursday! As Gramps as my witness I have "Earned It." 

Elder Davis

   

    

Monday June 9th, 2014

This little piggy....

Top view of balut:)

Loves the balut!

Last ride:)

Elder Davis and Branch president.

Coolest branch president EVER!

Sucking out the egg "juice"

District P day hike!

Howdy!

    Well, they say pictures are worth 1000 words so if that is the case this will be a long email because their are tons of pictures, but really I think this will be pretty short! Some of you who may read this or see these pictures will think that I am so sad to go home because of the beauty and pure awesomeness of the Philippines. That has some truth, but of all the things I will miss that is pretty far down on the list. I will miss the people, Being a missionary and teaching them. OH AND I WILL MISS BALUT(the egg thing)! Because that is just delicious, it really is! 

    I spoke this last week in Baao since we have District Conference this week in Iriga and it was pretty hard for me to speak and sorta say my goodbyes to all of them. It is weird, it feels like I was at my home ward about to leave for a mission in a foreign land in Eagar Arizona haha. I feel like I am  from Baao now haha BUT I am excited to come home! I miss you all! I just can't believe it is over.... but really it won't ever be over. I didn't just serve a mission.. I became a missionary and there is a big difference! 

     So I have officially passed my two year mark... WORKING OVERTIME AND LOVING IT! It feels like there is double the pay haha. This last part of my mission has been great. An awesome companion to "kill me" in THE BEST area and with the best members and missionaries ever! 

      So I hope you enjoyed the pictures. We had a great District Activity this morning and I forgot all the other pictures but I hope you enjoy them because I don't have too much to write or rather, I don't have too much time to write! Man time flies! I swear I am 19 years old and in Pasacao with Elder Vogelsberg still! CRAZY! But I am so thankful for this mission. They say that "you have 2 years to serve and then your whole life to think about it" I will be having good thoughts, in that case, for the rest of my life!  Truly words can't express how grateful I am that I served a full time mission. I hope I don't just cry the whole time I speak at church... it is possible. I get that from Dad I guess! 

     This past week we had the opportunity to give a Priesthood blessing to a very sick member of our Branch. I could talk quite a bit about the experience, about charity, about Priesthood, about leaderships, jsut great things and lessons that I learned from the experience but for times sake I will just touch on this one lesson that I seem to have learned OVER AND OVER AGAIN on my mission. The lesson is that we are to be THANKFUL! We are to be thankful for all our physical and spiritual blessings that the Lord has given to us! I have had the blessing of living in a place that has encouraged me DAILY to be thankful for the things we don't even notice on a daily basis. It is a heavy thing to have the person you are teaching say that they don't know where the food for their children will come from for TONIGHT'S Dinner! Oh we are to be thankful. Or to hear someone say, "Our father needs to go to the hospital but there is NO WAY we can afford it... so we will just pray and ask for a priesthood blessing and know that that is better than any doctor on earth. That is FAITH! Or to see people go to church so far away and so expensive but they do it EVERY WEEK! We are to be thankful for our physical and spiritual blessing without exception. I love you all. I will see you next week. That is the weirdest thing to type ever, I will see you next week. But I can honestly say that IF I was asked to serve another two years, I would. It would be hard, for I do want to go home, BUT I am thankful for the physical and spiritual blessings enough in my life that IF I were called to serve another 2 years I would do it. 

      I am so excited, and a bit nervous, for the future. But we just have faith and go for it knowing that we will always prosper if we are obedient. I miss you all. I am SOOOO  THANKFUL for your prayers on my behalf over these two years they have helped in truly miraculous ways. My mission has been anything but easy- I am grateful for that. It is the uphills that allow are destination to be much higher and the view much grander than if we were on level or downhill grounds. ESPECIALLY in this last area of mine I have asked for blessings, of course, and God has given me UPHILL challenges that really build us the most and bring us to higher planes! So I guess we should even be thankful for our trials because they are given for reasons! I love you all. Leaving my mission is HARD but if it were easy then I would be worried! LOVE YOU ALL A BUSHEL! 

Elder Davis

Monday June 2, 2014.... FHE delightful surprise email

Dear Brother and Sister Davis,
 
During out Tour of the Naga Mission I was able to meet your outstanding son.

We are very fortunate to have him serving in the Philippines.  We are grateful 

for your sacrifice in sending him.
 
May The Lord bless you and your family.
 
Elder Brent H. Nielson
Philippines Area President 

Sunday June 1, 2014

IT IS JUNE! When did that happen!?!

    Seems like yesterday it was June...2012 and now it is June 2014... crazy! Bitter-sweet! Well this week was AMAZING! We had a mission tour with President Nielson, he is the area president of the Philippines and obviously he is AMAZING! SO is his wife. The tour was amazing and he also interviewed me after, pretty AWESOME! We are almost batch, he goes home about 10 days after I do. Anyway I will probably talk about that later on, BASTA- GREAT WEEK! 

     I received the best compliment a missionary can get receive this week. It has happened a few times before but this one was just perfect. We were on our way home, very late at night (but not too late be obedient) and this guy calls us over from the other side of the road. I figured he was drunk or something but we went over and he just said, "I have to ask you two a question..... DON'T YOU EVER GET TIRED!?!" Not a better compliment in the whole world. We just smiled and said, "No WAY! We love this!" This guy sees us walk EVERYDAY! When it is hot, like rally hot, when it is raining, like really raining and when it is REALLY HOT AND REALLY RAINING AT THE SAME TIME! I just wanted to grab him and say, "Totoo baga ang gawaing ito!!!!!! Binyagan ka namin bukas! Alam kong totoo ang Simbahan na ito!" But I didn't say that. I sorta said that, but not quite as aggressive as that. Anyway, that was great. 

     This past week we went to one of our far areas and when we got there there was a new calf, not 30 minutes on the ground! It brought back great memories of waking up every 2 hours of the night to check the corral at night with gramps! I sent pictures. Isn't it amazing that they just know what to do when they are born, they struggle up and just start sucking away. Anyway, brought back memories and I took pics, like you've never seen anything like that haha.

      Last night we were teaching our Recent Convert, the wife of the marine, when the marine, Melvin, called. He has been way down south in some dangerous stuff! Last month in fact in his group of marines they had 17 injured in combat. Anyway he called and I chatted with him, he is AWESOME! He was telling me about the heat and the distance they hike and how high the mountains are they are in and how dangerous and sweaty and scary and just everything, the food and all the things they have to pack in there bag, he was telling me about how heavy it is. I asked him, even thought it is so heavy did you still pack your Book of Mormon? He went on to tell me that he ALWAYS has his Book of Mormon with him. I can just picture him out in war in the jungle and reading about Captain Moroni or the 2000 stippling warriors and it just makes my heart swell! I remember promising him 2 days after his baptism and a couple days before he was to leave, "If you live the Gospel you will come home to your wife and son safe." I felt that from the Spirit and I am so glad he is. He said, "I know someone is watching over me here!" How cool is that? Answer- very cool! 

     So the mission tour was truly great! I learned so much form President and Sister Reeder and from President and Sister Nielson! They talked about a lot and used me as an example for "things to do when you go home" and especially for who to marry haha. It was amazing though to just sit there and listen to him quote scripture and answer questions. We went into the conference fasting and all of us had read a GREAT talk from Elder Bednar about the Redeeming and ENABLING Powers of the Atonement. It was amazing! I learned a lot. He also told me about his "Wheels Up" scripture that I am to read when the plane leaves Naga and the wheels fold up. It is from the 26th Chapter of Alma and he said read that and smile! Makes me want to cry just thinking about it, and makes me want to smile too. Bitter-Sweet! 

     Well I love you all and I love my mission. Things are basically the same as my first email to you back 2 years ago- I am always sweaty, dirty, a bug is always on me somewhere and I am HAPPY! I love my mission! The rain is here- I love working in the rain! I am praying that it will rain there in Eagar too. If not I will pack some extra rain here and bring it home with me! Also Bugga's Tacos sound really good. I promised I am focused but let's be real BUGGA'S TACOS! 

Elder Davis

The WM gang sign stands for White Mountains!  This is Sister Coons; she is from Pinetop and lives on Sherwood Lane!

The rainy season is here!

Rainy season indeed

Adobo... looks and is delicious!

Monday May 26th 2014...... three more Mondays:):)

Never looked happier!

Finishing the roof this week.

Finished product!

Nathan's converts!

All roads go through Eagar.... eventually.

House pets!

House pets!

Delicious fish!

Delicious fish!

bananas

pineapple!

ALL ROADS LEAD THROUGH EAGAR!

     Why in heavens name did you send me Uncle Charlie's talk from Grandpa's funeral haha I can't seen the keyboard through my tears now! I am just kidding, thank you for sending that, what a great message and very fitting for Gramps! I think I am really going to be hit when I get home that Gramps really is gone. But he really isn't gone really. I think he's here in Baao. I have more than one companion, I have had more than one my whole mission. D&C 84:88. 

     2 quick sorta trunky things- When I get home we should have a Chiropractic and Dental check up! I have slept on a 4 inch thick mattress most of my mission with my feet hanging off. We sleep on bunk beds, I have been on the top most of my misison. My spine is in the shape of a U... or Maybe a Y.. Y is better.  And dentally speaking- it's been 2 years, so yeah.

      Not many statements are truer than, "All roads lead through Eagar." This past week Baao had prayers answered. We got a new AWESOME member family that just moved in. They are from Bato (Nathan Adair's last area.) When they got here they said they needed help with a service project at a school and we volunteered ourselves to help (of course hoping for a dinner appointment, just kidding but seriously.) Anyway while we were working I felt like I should ask her how they were converted to the church. She said, "Hey you're from Arizona aren't you? So was our missionary." I said, "What is his name?" She said, "Elder Adair." I said, "Nathan? That's my cousin!" (I actually don't know if he is our cousin but he has to be- I mean Adair from Eagar- please we're related!) Anyway it was great and once she knew that I was Nathan's cousin the dinner appointment was set for 8:00pm that night hahaha! Delicious food by the way! Anyways it is a small world and they will help Baao so much. They are such a strong family! Mom tell Nathan about it. I told them I can still remember watching him play basketball in the dome back when I was little, always under control. I wanted to play under control like he did. Anyways thanks cuz, your converts are strong! 

      So here is something you might find interesting, or maybe you won't but this is something I have found quite astounding on my mission, it is a question I often ask to those I teach. This is the question, it is 2 questions actually, 1- how old are you? "42 and still young" comes the reply. I then ask "In those 42 years of your life have you ever asked God even once which is his church?" Truly almost always the answer is no. Or they weasel their way around the question or say, "I don't need to ask." Anyway it is a great way to talk about prayer and answers to prayers and revelation and stuff like that. I feel like a boring RM already hahahaha. 

     So I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Lots of Service this week, lots of great food, the fish and the fruit I will MISS! Lot's of spiders, basically it is like a normal week of mine- JUST AWESOME! I love my mission,  I love helping others come to Christ. I love watching them come to know the truth because they do as James directs, "Ask God."

       So, every morning when we shower from our bucket there are always mosquitoes flying around. We kill them every time we shower, just by swiping them out of the air with your hands, I am quite good now! Anyway this past week I have "killed to birds with one stone." I killed two, in one swipe of the hand! I can go home happy! Now for the spider, we have just the most amazing Less-active here that should be active and this past week we went to his house when he wasn't there to shine his shoes for church. His little 2 year old son was there at the house and we told him to go find Papa's shoes. He comes back and out of the shoes JUMPS that spider you see in the picture. I thought it was a rat it was so big and how it jsut jumped up onto the wall! Great stuff no? ALSO THAT TATAY WENT TO CHURCH THIS WEEK! 

     That Tatay is so special to me. I told him I would rather have him come back to church than have my pick of baptizing anyone in Baao, and I mean that. He came this week and said he is planning on truly coming back! I pray that is the case! I love that guy. He reminds me of a few less actives back home that I care about and nothing would make me happier than them coming back. This is the same less-active that we read the story of the Prodigal Son with a couple of months ago. HE IS AWESOME! 

     Well, 3 weeks. I love you. Missions are like Gramps said about life and toilet paper, "The closer you get to the end, the faster they go." I hope to end my mission well, to do as some wise advise I received once, "The way you end your mission will be a good indication of how the rest of your life will start." So play till the whistle blows! Love you all. Thanks for your prayers! I know this church is true.

Elder Davis 

    

Nice Mid Week Surprise from the Christensen's.

Kathleen
 
We got back from Naga two weeks ago. Chantz and Meisha didn't do a very good
job figuring out a place to meet. We stayed at a hotel 5 miles from the town
where he is serving and we spent Monday morning looking for him in the
computer shops and in the street market - to no avail. But we did run into a
number of missionaries who unsolicited talked about what a great missionary
Elder Davis is. When we left Naga, there was a missionary at the airport who
was returning to Utah County and he said very nice things about Elder Davis
as a leader and hard worker. We wish that we could have met him and sent
home pictures. It was obvious too in the time we spent with the Mission
President that he has a soft spot in his heart for Elder Davis.
 
My respect for all of the Philippines' missionaries went up after spending a
week there.  The country is gorgeous but the conditions are harsh with the
heat and the poverty.  The conditions are counter-balanced by the kindness
of the people. 
 
I am sure you are excited for June. It's a great thing to have them come
home after having done well. 
 
Best, 
 
Jeff & Chris

May 18th 2014...... They build their house of sticks:)

That cheek bone didn't protrude like that 23 months ago:)

White giant:)

Many hands make light work:)

Howdy!

     This week was amazing, as usual! Elder Dingil and I are doing work here and seeing awesome fruit! We had a cool service project too- I will send pictures! Pretty much it was like every other week, just AWESOME! 

     I think missionaries are given many gifts to help God's children. Some are very obvious: I can speak Tagalog somehow, others though I think are suddel (subtle... poor kid and his english) and can go unnoticed. For example, gifts of teaching and learning and listening and loving. But I think there is one quite special that is given to missionaries, it is this: the gift to see people as they can become in their best possible state! I have felt that gift many times as a missionary. You will be teaching and teaching someone and they look like they will never progress, and then you get a glimpse of what those people COULD be like in the future if they would accept the Gospel! It is truly a gift that is great! I am thankful for those times. We can't give up on God's children. I think that is why he lets us have those glimpses. To see people, as President Monson says, "as they can become."

      We had a great Zone Training this last week and because it is my last one i had to give my departing testimony. That was hard. But is is okay I still have a month to soar! Sorry if this is a short email, we are a bit rushed right now. LOTS TO DO and LITTLE TIME! I hope you like the pictures.

    Speaking of the pictures. Dad, do you see how they find level when they build? I saw them grab this clear hose and get water into it and I was wondering what the heck that was for and then it hit me, "It's their level!" I felt like a mini Gary! You would love too see them build here, very primitive. We dug the holes with a coconut- I am serious haha. We are building a SMALL house for a Less Active here. We only got the frame done, I hope we get to go back a finish it, but they might do that without us! It was fun though, service is the best! Do they make me look like I am a 7 footer?

      Well, in our work we are planting seeds that I will never harvest- but I am a happy happy planter! We serve not for ourselves but for others! It is always funner to pick what you've planted but I will leave this place, hopefully, having planted MANY seeds for Elder Dingil and future missionaries to harvest. The whole goal is to help others come to Christ by coming to know the truth of the Restored Gospel! We are establishing the church and having fun doing it! 

      I love you all. Sorry thins is short. I will chat your ear off in a month. But for now i\I am going to go chat about the Gospel to all that will listen! 4th Quarter! Tell Brother Walker thanks about the nice comments he made last week. Thank you for your prayers! Keep them coming! I am happy! Keep brain washing those nippers that I am their favorite Uncle... it really isn't brain washing when it is true! Thanks for all your emails, many of you are also giving "Referrals" if I can call them that. I will let you know ONCE I am home hahaha. But before that I will just focus till the whistle blows! 

Elder Davis