January 6th 2013

Kumusta kayo? What a crazy week! It went by so fast, I swear P-day was yesterday! It was a great week though full pf great experiences. I read your emails and being in 5 degree weather sounds WONDERFUL! I can't wait to be in cold weather once again, but then again I get cold now if we are in AC room for to long haha. It is so foreign to think of COLD. Mainit lang! Anyways life is great here. Missionary work is always great, but it is funner when you understand what is going on haha! Here's a little nugget, a little nugget of advise for ya, if you can avoid showering in the well water from your neighbors yard, keep avoiding it. Because that stuff smells bad, at least from my experience. Mabaho naman! So yeah, don't shower in that if you can help it. There is the nugget of the week. So good news, our church attendance for Less Actives and New Members was at an all time high! We have been super blessed and people are coming to church, meaning them and we are happy. It was great to see the church filled with those people I love. Our area is really progressing and the youth especially are very excited about missionary work. They give us referrals and come with us to less actives houses and invite people to church it has been great! I love this branch and I hope I don't get transferred but I think I will. We'll see. So shout out... CAMILLE BLAD, my dearest cousin- email me would ya? I leave you for 7 months and you get married and have a kid on the way? Let me know about your life! I knew I should have took you with me haha just kidding- but for real EMAIL ME! Talk to you soon Camilio! So update on my shoes, since I know you are all dying to hear, I am getting air plane tire slapped on the bottom of those boys! They call them "eternity shoes." Or shoes na walang hanggang! I am excited and I'll let you know how they turn out in a week or two! I am super excited. So yesterday morning was a day I will always remember. We had to go to the hospital to visit a member and I had an experience there I will never forget. However, some things are to sacred to be sent to the world or be put on a blog. So family, remind me to tell you about Jan 6, 2013 and I'll read you my journal entry. Needless to say it was a very spiritual experience. I'll tell you in person when I get home. So I've mentioned Elder Farnsworth in a few emails. He's from Az and he's my ZL. And a super good mission buddy. He's my first real good "mission buddy" to be going home. He leaves this transfer and it is weird to see him leave. It makes me want to work super hard. I seems like the mission will never end but it definitely will. I hope I am ready to go when that time comes because right now I just want to stay. And I hit my 7 month mark yesterday too. I am getting too old! Iyaw ko! I hope you enjoy the pictures I send home. I took some classics this week. The picture with me and the sign is a perfect example of English in the Philippines! Just spell it how you want and IT'S CORRECT. My kind of country! Also we had to cross an ilog (river) last week and well, you do what you have to do to get to the places and people you need to get to. If a river comes across your way you roll up your pants and cross it. If it's not too deep. So that's always fun, it doesn't happen too often. Mostly only when in floods. But that is how it goes when you serve in Naga. Anyways I hope you enjoy the pictures! So I do have another hospital story that I will share. But first, I haven't heard of much crime or violence in this country. The people here are very kind and loving and I have never been scared here. So nothing to crazy happens here, especially outside the big cities. But despite that, people still do dumb things when they are drunk. So follow the word of wisdom haha. Anyway during the holidays one of our members was coming home from central when out of nowhere came a motorcycle with two guys on it and a 2x4. They drove by and smacked him cold on the back of the head. He had to go to hospital obviously and has been there for a few weeks. We went and visited and gave him a blessing as soon as we found out, he's doing a lot better now and literally two hours ago we found out he is back at his house so WAY GOOD NEWS! Moral of the story, don't drink, and always watch your back. Well that was a fun random story. I love what Elder Holland has said, "Missionary work is not easy, because salvation is not a cheap experience!" I was told in the MTC by a teacher of mine, "If your mission is easy, you're not doing it right." I am happy to tell you that my mission is hard, I hope that means I am doing it right. But truly I never understood before my mission what a mission really was. Or just how hard it really is. I guess when reading about The Sons of Mosiah of I always just focused on the success they had and how happy they were, and didn't pay much attention to the difficulties they went through. They went through some rough stuff before they had the success they were given. But despite all the hard things that happen. It is so worth it. I would do this, If asked, for 14 years like they did. When we think about what really matters, and what really is true, choices become easier. The two years from 19 years old to 21 years old, are looked at by the world as "party time" in God's eyes it "mission time." I am so glad I am here. I will be glad, I imagine, for the rest of my life and eternity. No I don't imagine that, I know that. We will NEVER be mad we followed God or His prophets. So, yeah. I am good, I am happy. I am trying very hard to be the best I can be and I see miracles in my life everyday! I am blessed, so are you. Be grateful. The language is still coming along, but still a long way to go. I think I can feel my mind changing, literally changing haha it's weird. It's like it is about to make one giant CLICK and I will know Tagalog, We'll see if my "feeling" is legit haha. No matter how it comes, it comes from God and I can't deny that, not for one half a second. If he wasn't giving me these words I wouldn't be this good. So I love you all. Enjoy the cold weather for me. Praying for you everyday! Mahal, Elder Davis (2013 what is this???) p.s.Well I love you tons! I gotta go. Take car of My Gramps for me. ERED is what we DO! Love you a bushel. BYE!