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