Monday May 26th 2014...... three more Mondays:):)

Never looked happier!

Finishing the roof this week.

Finished product!

Nathan's converts!

All roads go through Eagar.... eventually.

House pets!

House pets!

Delicious fish!

Delicious fish!

bananas

pineapple!

ALL ROADS LEAD THROUGH EAGAR!

     Why in heavens name did you send me Uncle Charlie's talk from Grandpa's funeral haha I can't seen the keyboard through my tears now! I am just kidding, thank you for sending that, what a great message and very fitting for Gramps! I think I am really going to be hit when I get home that Gramps really is gone. But he really isn't gone really. I think he's here in Baao. I have more than one companion, I have had more than one my whole mission. D&C 84:88. 

     2 quick sorta trunky things- When I get home we should have a Chiropractic and Dental check up! I have slept on a 4 inch thick mattress most of my mission with my feet hanging off. We sleep on bunk beds, I have been on the top most of my misison. My spine is in the shape of a U... or Maybe a Y.. Y is better.  And dentally speaking- it's been 2 years, so yeah.

      Not many statements are truer than, "All roads lead through Eagar." This past week Baao had prayers answered. We got a new AWESOME member family that just moved in. They are from Bato (Nathan Adair's last area.) When they got here they said they needed help with a service project at a school and we volunteered ourselves to help (of course hoping for a dinner appointment, just kidding but seriously.) Anyway while we were working I felt like I should ask her how they were converted to the church. She said, "Hey you're from Arizona aren't you? So was our missionary." I said, "What is his name?" She said, "Elder Adair." I said, "Nathan? That's my cousin!" (I actually don't know if he is our cousin but he has to be- I mean Adair from Eagar- please we're related!) Anyway it was great and once she knew that I was Nathan's cousin the dinner appointment was set for 8:00pm that night hahaha! Delicious food by the way! Anyways it is a small world and they will help Baao so much. They are such a strong family! Mom tell Nathan about it. I told them I can still remember watching him play basketball in the dome back when I was little, always under control. I wanted to play under control like he did. Anyways thanks cuz, your converts are strong! 

      So here is something you might find interesting, or maybe you won't but this is something I have found quite astounding on my mission, it is a question I often ask to those I teach. This is the question, it is 2 questions actually, 1- how old are you? "42 and still young" comes the reply. I then ask "In those 42 years of your life have you ever asked God even once which is his church?" Truly almost always the answer is no. Or they weasel their way around the question or say, "I don't need to ask." Anyway it is a great way to talk about prayer and answers to prayers and revelation and stuff like that. I feel like a boring RM already hahahaha. 

     So I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Lots of Service this week, lots of great food, the fish and the fruit I will MISS! Lot's of spiders, basically it is like a normal week of mine- JUST AWESOME! I love my mission,  I love helping others come to Christ. I love watching them come to know the truth because they do as James directs, "Ask God."

       So, every morning when we shower from our bucket there are always mosquitoes flying around. We kill them every time we shower, just by swiping them out of the air with your hands, I am quite good now! Anyway this past week I have "killed to birds with one stone." I killed two, in one swipe of the hand! I can go home happy! Now for the spider, we have just the most amazing Less-active here that should be active and this past week we went to his house when he wasn't there to shine his shoes for church. His little 2 year old son was there at the house and we told him to go find Papa's shoes. He comes back and out of the shoes JUMPS that spider you see in the picture. I thought it was a rat it was so big and how it jsut jumped up onto the wall! Great stuff no? ALSO THAT TATAY WENT TO CHURCH THIS WEEK! 

     That Tatay is so special to me. I told him I would rather have him come back to church than have my pick of baptizing anyone in Baao, and I mean that. He came this week and said he is planning on truly coming back! I pray that is the case! I love that guy. He reminds me of a few less actives back home that I care about and nothing would make me happier than them coming back. This is the same less-active that we read the story of the Prodigal Son with a couple of months ago. HE IS AWESOME! 

     Well, 3 weeks. I love you. Missions are like Gramps said about life and toilet paper, "The closer you get to the end, the faster they go." I hope to end my mission well, to do as some wise advise I received once, "The way you end your mission will be a good indication of how the rest of your life will start." So play till the whistle blows! Love you all. Thanks for your prayers! I know this church is true.

Elder Davis 

    

Nice Mid Week Surprise from the Christensen's.

Kathleen
 
We got back from Naga two weeks ago. Chantz and Meisha didn't do a very good
job figuring out a place to meet. We stayed at a hotel 5 miles from the town
where he is serving and we spent Monday morning looking for him in the
computer shops and in the street market - to no avail. But we did run into a
number of missionaries who unsolicited talked about what a great missionary
Elder Davis is. When we left Naga, there was a missionary at the airport who
was returning to Utah County and he said very nice things about Elder Davis
as a leader and hard worker. We wish that we could have met him and sent
home pictures. It was obvious too in the time we spent with the Mission
President that he has a soft spot in his heart for Elder Davis.
 
My respect for all of the Philippines' missionaries went up after spending a
week there.  The country is gorgeous but the conditions are harsh with the
heat and the poverty.  The conditions are counter-balanced by the kindness
of the people. 
 
I am sure you are excited for June. It's a great thing to have them come
home after having done well. 
 
Best, 
 
Jeff & Chris

May 18th 2014...... They build their house of sticks:)

That cheek bone didn't protrude like that 23 months ago:)

White giant:)

Many hands make light work:)

Howdy!

     This week was amazing, as usual! Elder Dingil and I are doing work here and seeing awesome fruit! We had a cool service project too- I will send pictures! Pretty much it was like every other week, just AWESOME! 

     I think missionaries are given many gifts to help God's children. Some are very obvious: I can speak Tagalog somehow, others though I think are suddel (subtle... poor kid and his english) and can go unnoticed. For example, gifts of teaching and learning and listening and loving. But I think there is one quite special that is given to missionaries, it is this: the gift to see people as they can become in their best possible state! I have felt that gift many times as a missionary. You will be teaching and teaching someone and they look like they will never progress, and then you get a glimpse of what those people COULD be like in the future if they would accept the Gospel! It is truly a gift that is great! I am thankful for those times. We can't give up on God's children. I think that is why he lets us have those glimpses. To see people, as President Monson says, "as they can become."

      We had a great Zone Training this last week and because it is my last one i had to give my departing testimony. That was hard. But is is okay I still have a month to soar! Sorry if this is a short email, we are a bit rushed right now. LOTS TO DO and LITTLE TIME! I hope you like the pictures.

    Speaking of the pictures. Dad, do you see how they find level when they build? I saw them grab this clear hose and get water into it and I was wondering what the heck that was for and then it hit me, "It's their level!" I felt like a mini Gary! You would love too see them build here, very primitive. We dug the holes with a coconut- I am serious haha. We are building a SMALL house for a Less Active here. We only got the frame done, I hope we get to go back a finish it, but they might do that without us! It was fun though, service is the best! Do they make me look like I am a 7 footer?

      Well, in our work we are planting seeds that I will never harvest- but I am a happy happy planter! We serve not for ourselves but for others! It is always funner to pick what you've planted but I will leave this place, hopefully, having planted MANY seeds for Elder Dingil and future missionaries to harvest. The whole goal is to help others come to Christ by coming to know the truth of the Restored Gospel! We are establishing the church and having fun doing it! 

      I love you all. Sorry thins is short. I will chat your ear off in a month. But for now i\I am going to go chat about the Gospel to all that will listen! 4th Quarter! Tell Brother Walker thanks about the nice comments he made last week. Thank you for your prayers! Keep them coming! I am happy! Keep brain washing those nippers that I am their favorite Uncle... it really isn't brain washing when it is true! Thanks for all your emails, many of you are also giving "Referrals" if I can call them that. I will let you know ONCE I am home hahaha. But before that I will just focus till the whistle blows! 

Elder Davis

 

May 11th 2014

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

     Skype was heavenly, mostly because my Mother is an ANGEL! Well, sorry Mom, I don't have a poem like last year, you'll just have to read that one again, that's as good, or bad, as I can do! But even though a year has passed I still feel the same way about my "Onlooking Mother!" SO Happy Mother's Day Mom! Give you a hug in a few weeks! 

       So I now am with my new and last companion. Elder Dingil is his name (p.s. you pronounced it wrong.) He is awesome. President tole me, "I have the best of the best." He is a special kid. He is Filipino and more specifically ILOCANO! Which means one thing: HE IS A GREAT COOK!!!! I am eating like a king! He has a list of my favorites he will cook before I go home. He is teaching me how to cook too. He's the bomb! 

      In all honesty I have not eaten all that healthy on my mission. I rarely eat dinner because I am usually way too tired. I am generally more tired than I am hungry so I just journal, area book, daily plan and SLEEP! But this kid cooks SOOOO GOOD that I have to eat! 

     So Elder Villamor, my first trainee, is now one of the assistants here! I took Elder Vogelsberg to the airport and now my kid will take me to the airport! 

     So all these pictures you are seeing is us having a service project at our Branch President's house! It was AWESOME! I learned how to latch the grass roofs. I am not going to lie, it was a good thing that I was there because no one else could reach that high. I don't think the scaffolding (sp) I was using was quite safety approved, but it got the job done. IT WAS HOT. And we were sweaty, but I earned my "Filipino Roofing Award!" The old Tatay was my partner and he reminds me so much of Gramps. It reminded me of working with Gramps, the guy can't hear a thing! But he is so fast! He can put up roof about as fast as Gramps could dress a beef! It was an awesome experience. Next week or so we will do the other side of the roof. More pictures to come! 

     Well, we already Skyped so I figure you have had enough of me but this week has been great! HAPPY stinkin MOTHER'S DAY NANAY! You are truly the best! You are still the only girl in my missionary handbook! And in a few weeks when I get off the plane you'll be the FIRST hug! I remember after every football game in high school, win or lose, I always just wanted a hug from one girl in particular: MOM! The only girl in my handbook and only girl that ever wore my letter-mans jacket!   

     I love you and I miss you. I am excited to see all of you but not excited to leave all of these people I have come to love so much! Pray for me. It is fourth quarter and we play till the buzzer sounds here! Time to go to work here in Baao. Love you all. Have a great week! And Happy Mother's Day once more! LOVE YOU NAY! 

Elder Davis

 

 

 

 

 

ROOFING - a little different than the roof he helped his dad put on our house!

Beautiful finished product!

 

May 4th, 2014

Hey There!

    Well, as of today I have been in the mission 23 months. If feels more like 23 weeks truly. I think due to the 23 months of me being out I just DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WRITE ANYMORE! But like all weeks, this one was GREAT! Four AMAZING people were baptized this last week into the Baao Branch. They were the Sister's investigators. Things are on fire here, in the last 12 weeks we have had 12 baptisms, hopefully that keeps up! 

      Those four that were baptized are pretty special. The Mom and Dad, about 3 or 4 years ago, had one of their sons murdered. The Tatay said how he just totally shut our God from his life and couldn't find comfort until 2 missionaries came by and shared with them the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ! They truly are so amazing! Their life is completely different now than it was 2 months ago. They are so happy and mostly, they know the truth, and as Christ said, "The truth will set you free." It was an honor to go to their baptism. President and Sister Reeder came as well and it is always great to be around them! 

      Tomorrow is transfer day! My trainee, Elder Arganda, is being transferred! So tomorrow I will meet my next and LAST companion. How crazy is that? Time is flying by. My next companion will, as we say here, "Siya ang papatay sa akin!" 

     So next week is Mother's Day!!!!!!! I am fairly certain that Mom has been trunky since the day I left haha. The sisters told me that Mom counts down the days hahaha. She's trunky enough for the both of us, which is good, that way I am not trunky. But it will be fun to skype next week! I now know how Race felt his last Mother's Day call before he came home, he was very sober. But I am excited for skype. Mom told me that she got my travel plans and in her words, "Woot stinking woot." I have cute Mom! Anyway I am excited to skype next week! Nothing like Mother's Day! 

      Work is great here in Baao. But this past week I've been sick due to the heat I think. I have had a fever... try having a fever in super heat with super humidity and super NO ELECTRICITY! That is not fun! But it isn't TERRIBLE, we've still been able to work and I figure by Wednesday it will be gone! 

    Great things are still happening here in Baao. The construction on the meeting house still goes on. Saturday night we spent most of the night with our Branch President cleaning the meeting house from all the dust and everything. Church here is so powerful, I love our little meeting house! 

     This past week in personal study, which is the best hour of the day by the way, I read John 15. I especially enjoyed the fifth verse, "I (Jesus Christ) am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing." I think that is key on the mission, in all we do we have to abide in Him and He in us. With the help of the vine fruit is brought about through the branches. Hopefully we never disconnect ourselves from the vine. It makes me think of the hymn, "Abide With Me" which is EXCELLENT in Tagalog might I add. 

     Well, like I said, 23 months have passed and I just don't know what else you want to know haha. The mission is amazing and it is better than I ever dreamed! Thank you for your prayers and support. See you next week on Skype for MOTHER'S DAY! 7pm your time Mom! Or 7:30... hopefully we don't have a power outage... but it is totally possible. Thanks for your prayers! See you next Monday!

Elder Davis  

     

Sunday early morning surpise!

I received these pictures early this morning from Sister Reeder.  Pictures of a baptism and checking out the construction in Baao.