The Tagalog Blog: Sunday April 6th 2014

Hello All!

Well, all of you have seen General Conference now! We have to wait til next week! But I am very excited! Elder Teh spoke I heard, that is GREAT! He is awesome! Pinoy Pride! Anyways, I am sure you had a great April 6 Sunday... but I am betting it wasn't quite as great as the April 6 Sunday here!

Yesterday, April 6, 2014 Baao Group was organized into Baao Branch! Now that is awesome! April 6, 1830 The Restored Church of Christ was again organized on the earth! Making our organization of Baao Branch just that much more awesome! Yesterday was amazing! We had over 100 people OVERFLOWING our tiny little hot SACRED meeting house! Can you believe that- first meeting of this Branch and there are over 100 people there... can you smell ward and stake? I hope so in the future! And lets just build a temple while we are at it... I already know the hill we'll build it on haha. I am joking but truly yesterday was amazing!

The newly called Branch Presidency gave their testimonies and seeing there was some time left President Reeder asked me from the pulpit if I would come bear my testimony to them about "how the missionaries feel about this." So I went up and gave a very short testimony... but I did 25 to 30% of it in their native language! I had no time to prepare, but the spirit allowed me to speak some Rinconada to them as well as the Tagalog, of course. I can't really accurately tell you however just how great the meeting was! It was 90 degrees and probably 90% humidity (people are fasting) and we were CRAMMED in there but it was AMAZING! I could go on and on... but I will stop.

We watched the Joseph Smith video this week with a family in our BRANCH (I can't help but smile when I say that) and it is just amazing to here them testify of Joseph Smith. The pioneers here are soooo strong. The Tatay we watched the movie with said that the first Sunday after he was baptized he walked out of his house to go to church and people had lined up outside his house trying to refrain him from going to church. They said terrible things. All because he was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You should here his testimony. They don't even know where New York is...but they know that a young boy that grew up there was called of God to be a Prophet and because of that knowledge no persecutions have stopped them.

Alma 28:8 smacked me in the face this week in my study. Hear it, a shortened version of it, "sufferings... sorrows... afflictions.... incomprehensible joy... bless their souls forever." These are the attributes of a mission served with honor. I have felt a little of all of that... but mostly I have felt the joy and the blessings. Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. Nothing better than serving a mission! Love you all a bushel!

Elder Davis

P.S. Aunt Tonna will you be my Rook Partner? We will kick booty at the next Family Reunion!