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