Happy New Year. I hope
everyone's New Year has been "fine and dandy" to use Mom's words.This
week has been awesome. It was the first week of the transfer and we have
already had 2 exchanges with Zone Leaders. This is my last transfer in
the office and this is also my busiest! I am so excited! Mostly I am
excited to get out into my next and assuming last area!! But I am not
excited to leave my current area- I have been here for forever and I
love the people here- especially the investigators and we have some
amazing ones right now! I told President he should just move the
assistants area somewhere else and then I can finish my mission in this
area haha. But I have learned on my mission that it is not WHERE you
serve it is HOW you serve, someone said that last General Conference.
ANywho, we had a GREAT WEEK!
This past week we had transfers and it was MAGULO but also
very fun. Then we had trainer's training and our new batch of 21 brand
new missionaries got here! We opened 7 areas this transfer- that is hard
to do. Anyway I love seeing new missionaries and their excitement. I
love training trainers too! I hope that I will be a trainer being
trained in a transfer or two! But we got them all trained and all out in
their areas and everyone is ready for the new transfer/areas/YEAR! It
is the most exciting time to be a missionary ever!
Yesterday was the best Fast and Testimony meeting I have
ever heard in my whole mission. It was amazing and perfect for our
investigators! The meeting started and we were heart-broken that our
investigators didn't come.. then they showed up in the opening hymn! I
felt like flying around the chapel I was so excited! Even those that
bore their testimonies in our ward talked about how happy they were when
our investigators came in the door. Anyway, person after person when to
the pulpit and bore powerful testimony! Almost all of them where in
Bicol and I understood probably 99 percent. If they are talking about
Gospel stuff I get about everything. But one of our investigators isn't
from Bicol and I don't know how much he understood but I do know that he
felt the spirit as they testified. We went to them after church and
they couldn't quit talking about church and the testimonies they heard!
The brother said that he has accepted everything we have
taught and is ready for baptism. His wife is on the other hand is just
as awesome but hasn't accepted baptism yet. She is getting closer and
closer by the day though. You should see their faith growing! I have
never been a part of more powerful lessons than the lessons to them. We
bring a recent convert of the sisters with us and he is just a living
testimony. It is amazing. PEOPLE- missionaries can only do so much- we
need members when we teach to truly help investigators. Offer your home
as a place to teach and invite everyone you know to learn more about the
Gospel. If you are scared about offending them I promise that it will
be far more offensive in the next life if you haven't shared this with
them rather than if you do. Anyway they are awesome. SO PREPARED BY THE
LORD! I wish I had a picture to send you of them, but I don't.
The picture I sent you with me and the guy doing the
"power fist" is President Lopez! He is one of my favorite people I have
met on my mission. He works for the church in like the construction part
of chapels and what not and when I was assigned in Ocampo they came and
painted our apartment. When he was there we started talking about the
Gospel and how blessed we all are. (We made pork adobo and where eating
it while having this conversation.) He started talking about how much he
loves the movie, "Treasures in Heaven: The John Tanner Story" and my
companion told him that I am a distant descendant of him. He started
crying and saying how great John Tanner is. He asked me if I have ever,
"begged for bread." I told him no, that we have been very blessed as a
family. Anyway I could go on but since that day me and President Lopez
have been great friends. And he always feeds me saying, "John Tanner's
descendants can't go hungry." This past week I had exchanges with the
Zone Leaders and they live in their area so we by and of course they fed
us and I took a picture with President Lopez. I don't know how I will
ever leave these people- but seeing them in the next life will be
amazingly happy!
I wish you guys could be here and experience all that I
experience everyday. I wish you could be in our lessons or just be a fly
on the wall, or to be more realistic, a really big spider on the wall. I
wish you could see how amazing these people are. I love old Nanays! The
little kids are adorable and the Tatays are classic! I love these
people and I love this Gospel and I know how much it helps them in life.
They need in now and forever, and so do I. I have no idea how I am ever
going to be able to leave them... it makes my stomach hurt just
thinking about it. But for now I just don't want to waste time! I love
you all and I miss you. But I will see you when I see you, as for now I
will enjoy my pig brain soup and beautiful people. Very often I teach
people who have very close to nothing a message that is priceless. I hope we
are thankful! Happy New Year! 2014!
Elder Davis
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| "old school pump" |
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| President Lopez. He is a president of a branch here in Naga stake. But he works in like constructing chapels and things for the church and I have worked with him before. He loves me because he found out we are related to John Tanner. He always feeds me because he says it isn't right for John Tanner's decendants to "go without bread." |
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| Delicious pig brain soup.... Log Log |
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| Smiling pig, smiling Elder. |
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| Investigators and Elder Davis |
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