December 29th 2013

Pretty big!

Seen a lot bigger but VERY fast!

Oh dear! Poor kid!

Cute Elders; Maroket and Colipapa

Nasty!

Happy Holidays!

      Well I feel like I don't have much to say haha- we Skyped last week so I think you know what is going on with me. It was so great to see everyone. So much has changed there- but everything is pretty much the same as well. You all say that my hair has gotten dark- I think I am becoming Filipino! But I haven't shrunk any so... maybe not. Anyway this was a GREAT week. It is one of the busiest weeks we have in the office because it is the last week in the office and tomorrow is transfer day so we are super busy but it is good! We are excited. And even though we were stuck in the office most of the week our investigators are progressing like NOBODY'S BUSINESS! Elder Colipapa and can't help but smile like every 2 minutes over this one family that has committed to be baptized! They are so perfect, I'll tell you about them further on in this letter. 

       So I told you about this when we skyped but I want this written down because it is just classic. I think I am officially more Filipino than my Filipino companion haha. We both love eating this soup stuff called LOG-LOG (you all just butchered that pronunciation) or at least we USED to both love eathing Log-Log. We found out this week what the soup is made of- it is always better if you just don't ask and eat. Anyway we asked and the meat from it comes from pig face/head/brains. Now I am the only one who wants to eat it. It is so good- I need to convince Elder Colipapa again to have it. I have a hankering for some Log-Log! And second- we saw a spider yesterday in our lesson to a Recent Convert. Like a BIG spider. It jumped onto the wall and I was like COOL! Can I take a picture of it? Elder Colipapa was like running! He hates spiders. I have gotten way less scared of them- until they start running- FAST! The Nanay in the house caught this thing with some tongs but it jumped out and started heading for our feet- you have never seen two boys climb on top of a chair faster in your life haha. Anyway see pictures- it was a decent size- but not hardly the largest I have seen. 

        Also I will leave it to your own imagination for what/who and where that lice shampoo was used for (see pictures). But I will tell you that I was the one who bought it from the store- talk about an awkward question, "Excuse me do you happen to have any lice shampoo?" Says the tall foreigner in Tagalog haha. 

        NOW- Happy Birthday TATAY!!!!!! Time flies so quickly- Happy Birthday Dad! I hope it has been great. I hope you like the Liahona I sent. I think that thing is awesome. Thanks for being the Father you have always been. A son couldn't ask for a better example. I am not excited to go home, but when I do get home, I will be excited to go do some work with you Dad. I always loved working with you while growing up- digging ditches, building the porch, shed, roofing, tree house, getting wood etc. It will be fun to go lend a hand when that day comes when President Reeder will force me on the plane haha. 

       This past week one of our investigators husbands came home from working in the Middle East. We were a bit nervous to meet him and we hoped that he would be as willing to listen as his wife has been and our prayers were heard. He is awesome. They seem so prepared from the Lord. This family seems to me, to be numbered of those who President Hunt told me in my setting apart  are waiting to hear your testimony! They are awesome! Yesterday was the first time they came to church and they loved it, they participated and felt the spirit and everything. Later on that day we went to their home and taught only the second lesson to them both about the Book of Mormon. It was one of the most powerful lessons I have ever been apart of. The power of the Book of Mormon could be tasted in the air it was so strong. We taught them what The Book of Mormon is and read Moroni's promise and then we read one of my favorite chapters with them: 2nd Nephi 33! It was amazing! We invited them to be baptized and the brother said without hesitation, "YES!" I am so excited for them. They are not completely ready yet. They still have a long way to go to be baptized but you should have heard that brother say the closing prayers as we knelt together. I told him, "We don't want you to believe this is true only because we told you. You ask God- He will tell you if this is HIS truth." Why would anyone want to go home from their missions? You know the scene on Elf when he goes dancing around saying, "I'm in love, I'm in love and I don't care who knows it!" Elder Colipapa and I basically have/do that on occasion because of this family. But we say something more Tagalogy and with less skipping. Some skipping- just less. Anyway there is nothing better than missionary work. I have 6 more weeks in the office and then I can go back to doing nothing other than that for 3 transfers! I am so excited! 

      A little off topic BUT our investigator brought home dates with him from the middle east. He gave me a bag. Those things are delicious. The only time I have seen them is on the Indiana Jones movie and those ones where poisonous if I remember correctly.  Anyway this were far from poisonous- they have like a delicious caramel taste of a fruit. Anyway I had few dates... on my mission, and I didn't break one rule. Haha joke. Off topic. 

        Well it is a New Year. 2014! What will happen this year? There are 365 days in it- I hope I don't waist any of mine. I remember once I was driving with Grandpa Sherwood over the mountain and there was about 8 feet of snow piled up on each side of the road and he said holding up one finger, "Chantzy, the amazing thing is that all of that fell one flake at a time. Small this matter and they pile up." 365 days will be piled up with our small acts be they good or bad. A great missionary shared a great quote with us this past transfer from Dr. Hartsell Wilson which says, “This is the beginning of a new day.  God has given me this day to use as I will.  I can waste it – or use it for good, but what I do today is important because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!  When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it.  I want it to be gain, and not loss; good, and not evil; success, and not failure, in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it.”

      Have a Happy New year. I love you all and I am grateful for your prayers! Keep them coming this way! Mom, I am happy, obedient and hard working. I hope it is enough. I want to improve so much! I am excited to get out of the office. This next week will be fun with brand new missionaries coming in and getting their trainers trained and ready to go and getting everyone to their new areas to start the work- it will be great! Busy and great. I love you all and Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Elder Davis 

Sunday December 22, 2013

Tiniest people ever!

Tiny, brown and happy!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone! O Maligayang Pasko Po Sa Inyong Lahat!

        This past week was so fun, we had our Mission Christmas Conference. Sister Reeder called it a Christmas Party but President made sure we at least called it a Conference but it was SO FUN! The whole mission was there- over 200 missionaries! It that not awesome!?! Also do you remember the family reunion right before I left on my mission when we did the "Things People Never Say" bit in the talent show? YUP- we did it here in the mission and it was a hit! All of the elders here in the office participated and they were laughing so hard at some of our jokes! Anyway, "In all of living have much fun and laughter, life is to be enjoyed not just endured." -President Hinckley! It was awesome. Right after the conference though we took the batch going home to the mission home and that was sad. We had 5 Elders and Sisters go home this thansfer- All Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders! We will miss that batch a lot! But they are home for Christmas- not a bad present for a few waiting Mothers and Fathers! 

         I don't know what to write about- we SKYPE this week so we'll just CHIKA CHIKA rather than SULAT and BASA my friends! Oh Taglish I love thee! Hey random thing- have you ever seen animals called "Fox-Bats?" If you haven't google that right now! They are huge! We have seen a few this past week. Right before sunset if you look up you can see A LOT of them. And they are big. Filipinos believe in aswangs- I will explain when I get home haha. But I bet Fox Bats are the reason for their belief in aswangs! 

        Anyway this past week really made me realize a lot of things. One in-particular, my mission won't last forever! That makes me want to cry right now! The only shot I have is if I die on my mission (not a bad option). haha Just kidding Mom don't worry. But with my birthday and this being my last Missionary Christmas and seeing people go home that started their mission when I did I really realized that, in a coming day, I go home. But no offence- I don't want to! Plus President Reeder gave me a LARGE hint at where my last area will be. Don't even ask me where I  won't say a word. Anyway it makes me want to finish very very strong. 4th quarter. "Finishers Wanted" is a great talk by President Monson! 

        I am so distracted right now- we are very busy here and since we skype on MY Thursday (26th) and YOUR Wednesday (25th) I don't have much to say haha. I am very excited to talk to you all though because of course I do miss you. But I can promise you that I feel more at home right now here in Naga than I would if I were in Eagar with my loving family. I know I am right where I belong. I am a lot of things but one thing I hope I am not is ungrateful. I am very grateful for what I have and where I am. I think we all should be. "A grateful person is rich in contentment. An ungrateful person suffers in the poverty of endless discontentment "

-Elder Bednar.

      Speaking of being grateful and of our enormous need to be such I would like to tell you a bit of a story. First of all- missions are hard. You leave everything you have and everyone you know and it is awesome- but it isn't easy. Second if you serve in a country other than our own you are way lost! This is multiplied if it is a foreign language. Anyway we have missionaries here in our mission from all around the world. The ones that come from countries those first language is not Tagalog or English really struggle! It is as if they must learn English and then learn Tagalog. I have no idea how they do it but they do! For example we have missionaries from Pakistan. Just within the past two weeks one of these foreign sisters, I won't tell you where she is from but she speaks a different language other than English and Tagalog and she is very far from home with almost no one to comfort her. Anyway this poor little sister found out her father died. It was a huge surprise and it happened right before Christmas. 

      How grateful should we be- very. The amazing thing is how well this sister is doing. She decided not to go home. She is sad beyond measure for her loss but she is happy in Christ. How amazing is Christmas? How amazing is Christ? All of our losses will be paid in surplus in Christ. But of all the things we do and think about this Christmas I hope Christ is number one on our list and our thankfulness as well. Even death is overcome in Christ. I love being his missionary. President Reeder said, "Very few are the years in your life that you will wear Christ's Name Badge on his birthday. I think that is pretty special." I think that is pretty special too. I love being a missionary. I don't know how to explain it to where you can understand it but- I am one of His missionary here. I love you and I am excited to Skype with you all soon! Love you a bushel! Thank you for your prayers! Have a Christ-Centered-Christmas and be thankful for the unending gift of Christ to us! 

Elder Davis

      

December 16th, 2013

It got there!

He peaked!!!

Looking festive in the mission home!

Doing dishes! :):)

Howdy Everyone! What a busy and great week it has been! We had two exchanges this week, Goa Zone Leaders (one of them is Elder McBride from Thatcher with whom I played football against- glad we won) and the other one with Iriga Zone Leaders. We had a great time. In Iriga I exchanged with Elder Klassen, we used to live in the same apartment in Ocampo and we are good buddies in the mission! He is doing great. We taught one lesson and when we got there I said, "Hey I remember this place. We came here last transfer and tracted." He said, "That's right- now this man has a baptismal date for December 28th!" How cool is that? You never know what will happen when you just knock on one door! That man is way cool- he is from Cebu. Elder Colipapa is from Cebu and he has taught me a few words Bisaya. One of the words he has taught me is TUTYO! It translates to English as wimp. Anyway after the AMAZING lesson was over I remembered that word and asked this Tatay if Elder Klassen was a TUTYO. He thought it was hilarious that I knew what TUTYO means haha. I love being a missionary. I have fun everyday and joy more than anyone of you know, I think. Well I had an unfortunate thing happen to me this past week. We had just finshed our P-day and we were heading out to work at 6:00pm. I got in the van and realized- the van was broken into and I was robbed of my wallet and other small things. SAYANG! It was in the glove compartment of the van and the van was left unlocked (I wasn't the holder of the keys haha). Anyway they got my wallet with a lot of money in it and my licence and temple recommend and everything else. So once we found out I was robbed we went into the mission office again and told president and he gave me the direction to call home to cancel my credit card. I called Mom's cell phone number, it was about 3:00am! All I said was, "Do you know who this is?" And she replied, "Chantz Hamblin Davis!" She sounded mad, not happy, too hear from her youngest son she hadn't talked to in over 6 months! Haha I responded, "Don't worry Mom I am not being disobedient it's just that I got robbed." haha I think she was more comforted that I was robbed and not just calling to be disobedient haha! How great of a mother is that! I promise I am being obedient Ma! Anyway whoever the robbed us the first time CAME BACK AGAIN! They broke into Elder and Sister Campbell's van. Luckily there was nothing of value inside. They just broke a very expensive window for nothing. Anywho- it is a good time to be stolen from, I am sure they need it pretty badly and it will make good Christmas gifts for his kids. I forgive the guy. And hope he has a great Christmas. I hope you know too that where I live is very safe and that Filipinos are not thieves haha they are the kindest people on this earth- it is impossible to smile at one of them and them not to smile back hahaha- I do it everyday, it is hilarious! With the Christmas season growing ever near of course I have thought about home a little bit. The other night I was thinking about just how much I will miss Uncle Bob's Famous "Navajo Night Before Christmas!" It still hasn't quite hit me that he is gone- I think it will when I see Aunt Tonna! Time passes so quickly, missions, school, life, it all truly is quite short. We have to be the best we can be in the short time we have- be happy, be good and be kind. Serving others I think will go high on the "good list of God" while selfishness will fall on the "Naught List." I love being a missionary because I teach people how we come to Jesus Christ. I am far far far from perfect but the message we share is perfect. And it changes people's lives. Do I have to go home? How can I leave these people I have come to love so much? You guys keep saying I won't be "Home for Christmas" but I promise you I am right where I need to be with my brothers and sisters. Right now our area is doing great. We got to teach quite a bit this past week and it was so rewarding. I love teaching! We are teaching one man who is quite literally in darkness. He struggled to qualify for baptism, but he did qualify and he had a light about his at his baptism. He had been heavily involved in drugs, he had been in prison a number of times and just wasn't doing great in life. He met the missionaries and stopped his bad doings and truly repented and changed. He was baptized and made those special covenants with God. And like ALWAYS happens, after he was baptized the adversary began his temptations again. He fell back into the darkness and the light in his countenance is very dim. He sits in his house and doesn't work, doesn't do much of anything really and is very hard to teach. He is close to what the Book of Mormon refers to as "past feeling." It is always interesting to hear his stories, but they are usually sad. He is not happy, but he does love when we come. When we come to his house he turns off the blasting music and turns on the light, he usually sits in darkness and in guilt. He told us this last week we are "Two lamps that visit a dark house." I hope we can help him more. All I know is God wants us to be happy- and he has given us guidelines on how to be happy, they are found in the scriptures and they are called commandments. Satan wants us to be miserable and lonely, to feel weak and unwanted and he wants us sad. He tells us that those commandments are not needed and that happiness comes from doing our will and not God's. That just isn't true. I can see it so simply as a missionary. I go into homes everyday of members and nonmembers alike, no matter how much or how little money they have- the happiness they have comes from God because they are good people. So my little nieces and nephews reading this- don't do drugs- don't even look at them. Stay as far away from sin as you can. People tend to like to be "close to the edge" but not falling, but it is much happier and safer the farther away we are. I hope Mary-Kate remembers the lesson I taught her that one day at the farm when we were pulling that calf? Remember that? hahaha I feel like I am so boring haha. I don't know how to express myself very well anymore in English. BUT hey- do you guys remember Tatay Abner? Well I think I told you that he travels to Canaman (our ward) to come to church. He lives a long ways away but me and him are buds like me and Grandpa Sherwood are buds. But me and Grandpa Sherwood are better buds! Anyway we are planning on teaching him WITH President and Sister Reeder in the mission home in English in the next few weeks. Darn guy still doesn't want to pray. But he really wants to know the truth, he doesn't realize that all he has to do is pray. Poor guy. Anyway I am boring haha. I hope all is well back home. Christmas is soon and I am very excited to Skype you!!!! It will be great. I love you all a bushel and I am thankful for your prayers. I feel them strengthen me. I hope everyone is ready for a great Christmas. This next week may be the busiest of my whole mission haha- we have a ton of training to do and a Christmas Conference as well. It is going to be awesome- over 200 missionaries in one building. THEY ARE HARDER TO HERD THAN CATTLE haha but it will be fun. They are harder to feed and clean up after than cattle too haha. Our missionaries are great though, they are amazing! Love you all, talk to you next week and then SKYPE on YOUR 25th at 6:00pm YOUR time. If that still works with you. You guys are ASTIG! Elder Davis

Wednesday morning surprise!

Dear Sister Davis,
Hello! Hope you and your family are doing well. Have you attended the Forgotten Carol yet? My daughter is going tomorrow, I will miss the Forgotten Carols But I wouldn't want to be any other place except where I am at right now, here in Naga. For now  I will just enjoy the music for three years :).
 I just wanted to send you a line or two today to tell you how much we love and appreciate Elder Davis. Thank you for raising such a fine young man. He is loved by all, and a wonderful example. Elder Davis is a very humble and loving missionary.
Have a Merry Christmas!!!
  Love, Sister Reeder

Driving lessons?

Monday December 9th 2013

I thought it said something about a pig but 'supposedly' it is about handsome men?

Paradise

Paradise with very unique flowers!

Goofy!

Hello!

      First off- we spent 13 hours in our area this week. That is nothing. It was a very busy and crazy week. Elder Colipapa and I had, what he calls an "escapade" and what everyone else calls exchanges haha in Camarines Norte. We left on Tuesday and for Daet and stayed there until Thursday morning and then went to Labo Zone for a day. It was a great exchange but it took us out of our area for a long time. We also had Zone Trainings this week. It was a great week and very nakakapagod but all in all we didn't get to teach very much at all- sayang! But this week should be much much better as far as all of that goes. We are in our area every day except for one- we are going to Iriga. 

    I hope all is well  back home! Everyone's emails seemed good and happy and excited for Christmas! Malapit na yan! It feels like Christmas here too- just hot, green, and no snow. But the people still have the Christmas spirit and the Christmas music and that is about all you need to have a great Christmas. I feel very much at home- even though I am half way around the world, I know I am where I need to be. 

     I had a very cool experience this week on our Cam Norte "escapade" we were in Labo with the Zone Leaders and we went our tracting trying to find people to share this message with. They are opening an area and they don't know where anything or anyone live so we just started hitting the streets. We were ONLY on the 2nd door when I "Tao Po-ed" (yelled to see if anyone was there) when a young man walked out with only one arm. When I saw him I remembering talking to the Elders who used to have this area but got transferred last transfer. They had told me about this one armed kid young man they had baptized, he is 19 I think. When I saw this kid I said, this might be the recent convert- and if it is not the recent convert then this kid probably knows the recent convert because there can't be too many one armed boys here. He told us to come in and I awkwardly asked him if he was a member of the church. He said yes and then he said, "the missionaries haven't been here in about 3 weeks- where is Elders Sorensen and Togueran?" I told them how the area had been split and how do to some sicknesses the zone leaders hadn't been able to work much for those 3 weeks (true story). Anyway he was very happy that the missionaries finally knew where his house was. 

    I told him how we didn't know that this was his house, we had just said a prayer and we were going to find people to teach and that we hoped God would guide us in our search. On the second house we found him- I am so glad we didn't skip this door. I was in "tracting mode" and I was ready to teach people about prophets and The Restoration and Joseph Smith and how God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared unto him and then we went into his house. Instead of sharing about prophets- I was shared to about prophets. I asked him what he knew about the restoration an he started to tell me all about Thomas S. Monson, our living prophet! His testimony was so sure and so simple. I was hit very unexpected- it went from thinking this was going to be a "first visit" to this being a Recent Convert sharing to us about the Gospel. Well, I hope you know, that I know, that God called Joseph Smith to be a prophet. I know that his priesthood line traces directly back to Jesus Christ. I also know that we rest safe in the knowledge that we have a living prophet on the earth with Thomas S. Monson. It was a great experience meeting the one armed kid and hearing his testimony and God leading us to his house, the zone leaders didn't know where he lived yet. 

     Okay- can you believe I am officially in the 4th Quarter of my mission? I think I am going through a mid-mission crisis. The morning of December 6th I got a text from my batch mate congratulating me on 18 months of service. I have NO IDEA where that time has gone by. They say the last 6 month goes the fastest- thus I am going through withdraws. I love you all so much but I don't want to go home yet. I feel like my mission is just getting started! 4th Quarter! Well I hope that I play this quarter better than any 4th quarter I ever played back in the day- much more than a game is on the line and I am wearing a much cooler jersey! 

        Well I don't have too much time but I hope all is well back there. I feel like I am running out of things to write about. Once I am out of the office, if that ever happens haha, I will have much cooler stories for you! But here is a funny story- we were on our way to church and we drive a white Starex van.  We were just coming around a corner when we passed two Nuns in a White Starex van haha. I have never seen Nuns laugh so hard and smile so big. We got a pretty good chuckle from it ourselves. We just smiled and waved and laughed haha. Elder Colipapa did remind me though that our Starex was a newer model hahaha. It was funny though, two Nuns in a Starex on Sunday morning- I could write a poem about that haha.

     I love you all a bushel. I am excited to Skype you on Christmas Day! I hope you are well and being good- I know you are. I am a happy, I love my mission. It is going too fast but that is okay- I will do the best with the time I have. Kiss the BAGETS (sp) for me. Bagets is basically our slang for "Little Nippers." I hope they haven't forgotten their Uncle Chantz... I mean Elder Davis! We can't be having any of these nippers thinking Uncle Race is the coolest- that is just false doctrine. Pray for me in my last 4th Quarter! I thank you SO MUCH for the prayers and love you do send me, they are felt everyday and your prayers deserve much praise for the good they have done for me and those we teach. Thank you. Love you a bushel.

Elder Davis

P.S. Happy late Birthday Katie! And happy birthday to my Angel Mother on the 11th! I would tell you her age but it would just make you feel bad about yourself so I will spare you! Love you Mamma!

Monday December 2nd, 2013

Looking old and maybe wiser?

Well howdy? This has been a great week! This week has been awesome. I love this week haha. It really was a good week though. We are opening an area and you would not believe how many doors we are getting into. We are talking literally to EVERYONE! We are finding tons of success- but we have a problem. The problem is this next week we will only be in our area a total of 3 days AT TOPS! We always have places to go and things to do but that is a good thing. Want to hear a CLASSIC story? We went to bed last night after a great Fast Sunday and day of work- a great way to end the week and ready for our p-day in the morning and then I wake up to a call at 2:00 AM from President Reeder (you should know immediately that this is not a good thing). We had a missionary in our newest and farthest areas (it always seems to be the far areas by the way) who was very very sick. President called to ask if we know where their apartment is- we didn't know. But I knew that the office secretary and financiasl elder helped stock the apartment so I woke them up and told them President needed them. That is like 1 out of the 4 apartments I don't know in this mission haha but I can't lie- I am glad I didn't know where that is. You never know what will happen in the mission- I don't envy President Reeder. But the Elder went to the hospital this morning and he should be better in a couple days. So that is good. Can you believe it is DECEMBER?!? This is the month I turn 21- which means this is the year of my life that I will be released as a FULL-TIME missionary :( Nakakalungkot! Anyway time is flying by- we are already making extensive plans for our MISSION CHRISTMAS PARTY! It is going to be fun- there are a ton of us too. It will be great! This past week we had 3 exchanges with Zone Leaders! That is a lot of exchanges in one week and this week we are going to Daet for 3 days! Thus we won't be in our area for very long this week. Anyway we are doing great. Elder Colipapa is a great companion and an amazing teacher. I have never had better teaching in unity my whole mission than I have with Elder Colipapa. He is great. Tomorrow we have Mission Leadership Conference and then it is to Daet that we head! It should be a fun, fast busy and exciting week. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I hope everyone was as thankful as could be- we have much to be thankful for. We had a great one here- we had a little office lunch and it was fun. Also Sister Reeder fed us some pumpkin pie- that is a blessing very rare here in the Philippines and it tasted a little bit like Eagar haha, but not quite as good as Mom's of Aunt Tonna's pumpkin pie. Don't tell Sister Reeder that haha. Anyway it was a great. But Thanksgiving isn't a thing here so we're just all excited for Christmas but I hope you had a very very THANKSgiving! ALSO- Happy Birthday Markee! How old are you now Sis? You are an old lady... when I get home I shall call you Nanay and bless you like the kids do here to the older people. In fact all of you sisters are a bunch of old ladies with babies! Mom is the youngest most astig one out of all the batch! haha just kidding. But happy birthday Marks! Thanks for all the emails. Also Happy Birthday in a few days advance to the oldest of all the old Nanays our very own PANGANAY kung baga- KATIE! Happy birthday sisters. I have the best sisters anyone could ask for. Anyway my Bicol is still in it's studying phase- but I did convince a local fruit stand this morning that I was "tatao" in Bicol, or in Tagalog "marunong" which means basically "I know how to speak Bicol." I am far from that though haha. But this past week I gave a few prayers in Bicol in our lessons this week and if I can convince them that I know how to speak it I just let them believe it. I just let them believe what they want to believe haha. It is coming along though. About this time last year I remember sitting in a sacrament meeting and telling Elder Lavaka, my companion, that I understood almost everything the speakers said. Yesterday in fast and testimony meeting I understood about everything the speakers said in Bicol. That was cool. I made a goal to bear my testimony in Bicol in January in sacrament meeting. Bicol makes me maugma! That my friends is my favorite language= BICLISH Bicol and English. We speak Biclish somtimes in apartment niamo, pun. I love my mission. I love this Gospel. I love studying it and teaching it. I love seeing what happens in peoples lives as they live it. They change and they become more like Christ. The same thing happens to me as I serve. I don't think there is anything quite as important as becoming Christ-like. There is not much excuse for being mean to people. Be kind and charitable and find ways to serve them. Talk a bit less bad about other people. These are things we can all get a little better at. That is true missionary work. "Who you are is more important than what you will ever say."- Elder Bednar. I love you all so much. I hope Grandpa is doing well. Thank you so much for your prayers for me. I love my mission and I am as happy as ever. Life is too short to be sad and the Savior as done to much to not be happy. Have a great week. Have a great week and I know I don't need to tell you but- take care of my grandpa. Love you all so much. We'll skype in 3 weeks. Elder Davis