Happy 20th Birthday with a little seasickness!

Kumusta Kayo? Well I don't know too much to write about... I get to Skype you TOMORROW! I am excited to see all of you! So this week has gone by super fast. We had a "Mission Christmas Conference" and it was a lot of fun to see my "mission friends" and be with President and Sister Bliesner and to hear them speak to us. I have the best mission president that ever lived. Sorry Race, but it's true haha. It's too bad that I only have him for one year. But anyway the Christmas Con was great and it was a lot of fun, when we got back to the Island we had a Branch Christmas Party and it was on my Birthday so it was AWESOME! Today has been a festive week, I am excited to just start working again, I feel like i haven't really spoken Tagalog in weeks haha. Also I got your Christmas packages you sent to me, thank you so very much! So again we went to the main land and the boat over there was great... but the boat back was BAD! I got sea sick for the first time and it was not fun, but happy to say I never threw up. The boat was getting thrown around in the ocean. Malakas ang Dagat! The boat was swaying back and forth and we were out in the sun/rain it was bad. "The sea was angry that day my friends like an old man trying to order soup at a deli." I started out fine for the first hour of the trip but then was feeling SICK for the next hour or so, then I got my sea legs and was fine for the last hour. Usually it only takes 3 hours to get to Cats but the ocean was so strong it took 4 hours, it was fun. Also, random but Sting Ray is delicious! So if you ever run past Sting Ray cooked by a Philippino EAT THAT STUFF! I have basically started to just eat whatever sounds the weirdest wherever we eat, usually it is DELICIOUS. I love the food here and I will miss the rice... I love rice... I love rice more than I ever knew anyone could love rice haha. It is so weird to think you people eat meals with no rice involved- that's weird! I really don't know what to write about haha. Actually I have two pretty cool stories I guess. The first one was, of course, while I was showering. I was just enjoying my cold water in a bucket and out of the corner of my eye I saw something hop. I move another bucket (our flusher) and I see this massive frog hop again... I am not sure who jumped higher, the frog or me haha. But I defiantly yelled louder haha, it scared me. Anyway I just kept on showering with that guy looking at me the whole time and then we caught him and let him go after I was done haha. I have no idea how that BIG frog got into our second story apartment, but hey it's the Philippines, anything could get into your apartment. Second story, last week we were out working with a member to find some less actives in a place called Bato we went out early in the day and, of course, IT WAS HOT! We worked all morning and it was very good, in our last appointment in Bato we met a family and invited them to church and to our Christmas Party. Their house is very close to the beach, we could hear the waves as we were in their house, so after the appointment we decided to go look at the beach and maybe take a picture. We were just standing there looking and then Brother Tubo started stumbling, like he was falling. We thought he was just kidding but then we saw his eyes rolling back into his head and he was heading into the ocean. He was stumbling and spinning and his eyes were rolled back into his head, before I knew it he was about to his knees in the ocean and was doing everything he could do to not fall. Before I knew it I dropped everything and ran in after him with Elder Lavaka at my side. We grabbed him and started to carry him out. It was very scary. We got him into the shade and got him water and eventually took him home. He's much better now, I figured he had a heat stroke or high blood or I'm not really sure. Either way, other than for baptisms I bet that will be the only time I go into the ocean on my mission. I felt like I was in The Other Side of Heaven. My shoes were SOAKED but that happens all the time, just this time it was salt water. Anyways it was scary, but it makes for a good story. YOu never know what will happen in a day. Thanks for all the letters and packages again. I got some letters and pictures from the Hunts, thank you very much, the kids drawings were awesome! Also thanks for the El Pato, I can't wait to eat it! Well I don't have much else to say and if I do, I'll just tell you TOMORROW as we Skype! Well, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you have a great Christmas! I know I will. I am excited to have a Christmas as a missionary for Jesus Christ and his church. I would rather be right here than ANYWHERE else on earth and that includes home. Of course I will miss you and my thoughts will go to Christmases past but I don't think I will be homesick. I am much to busy and happy for that. I know what I am doing is right. I am called of God to "Preach His Gospel" and that is exactly what I will do, no man, power, language or anything will get in my way. His Gospel is going to the ends of the earth and I am a happy missionary continuing that work. My feelings of Christmas as a Missionary are best expressed in my poem I sent last week. I know a few simple things to be true, namely Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, Joseph Smith was his Prophet, Thomas S. Monson is his prophet right now, The Book of Mormon is True and this is the one and only true and living church on the earth, His Gospel and Plan of Salvation will guide us through this life back to his presence. I know these things through the power of the Holy Ghost and I thankful for my simple testimony. It is true, I know it is, and it is also REAL! So Maligayang Pasko! Love you all. Elder Davis P.S. The thing I miss the most is The Forgotten Carrols Music with the family! We should go in 2 years? See you BUKAS!