5/31/11 email

Right well I have quite a bit to share so I'll try to stay on topic.

First my area.

Lehi is originally the first location where the settlers came to Mesa.  You could not find a more diverse area than where we live.  Part of the area is populated by more livestock than humans.  There are three wards that we cover Lehi, 2nd Monument and Mesa Vista.  Monument is almost entirely cowboys, and the worst part is we're not allowed to ride horses.  I attached some pictures of our little pink house.  In our area there are about 2 apartment complexes and then there are about 5 trailer parks.  We've talked to all kinds of people.  On the south side of our area is the canal which is probably the only water for miles around.  By the way did you know that to water your grass here you just flood the yard for a day.

The people

Everyone here is so friendly, I haven't really had any bad experiences,  the evenings can be a little weird, but during the day time there's no where we can't go.  We had a baptism this past weekend which was a wonderful experience.  He's an absolute rock star.  He's been living with a LDS family when his parents kicked him out and he had a genuine interest in learning about our life on earth and where we came from.  Well that's what we specialize in teaching.  The service was a great experience his good friend baptized him, and then Elder Berardi confirmed him the following Sunday.  In another ward there's a young kid who has been investigating the church for years, and the only thing keeping him from joining the church was his parents.  Now that he's 18  there's not much they can do to keep him from doing anything, but they do support him which is a miracle.  There is a family that I think I talked about in my last email.  She is a great investigator.  She has grown up around members of the church her entire life.  She lives with her husband, granddaughter and mother, and the three women want to be baptized June 11th which is so exciting, because they're the first people that I've taught from the beginning.  The last individual we've been helping is R, she's from the Papago Indian reservation just next to us.  We met her as we were seeing another investigator.  She expressed a desire to quit smoking and to help her daughter who's 3.  To help her quit we offered to take her cigarettes and no sooner had we said this, she got up and brought us all the cigarettes in her house.  She's had a few relapses since, but she's really trying hard to quit.

Finally there's the problems

First there's my bike.  This bike was pre-ordered and was here when I got here.  I've riden pedal bikes in Washington for years and I have never gotten a puncture or a flat tire of any kind.  Within a week I got 10 punctures in my rear tire and 4 in the front.  Elder Berardi and I spent more time off our bikes fixing them than we did on them(he had several punctures as well).  Finally we went to the bike shop and got heavy duty tubes and this liquid called slime that clogs up punctures and solidifies so you don't have to get a new tube.  The tube that came with my bike measured just over 3mm thick which would explain the punctures.  The heavy duty tubes that we got are one quarter of an inch thick.  Hopefully we won't have any more problems.

Second the weather.  I don't know if I told you but it rained the day I got here.  Since then the hottest I've seen is 101 degrees, which is according to the locals very cool compared to a normal spring.  It may be a dry heat down here, but you're always wet from all the sweat.  I've turned a light shade of brown, which I'm sure will just get darker.

Anyway tell everyone hi and that I miss them.  The horses in our backyard keep us in good company.

That's about it.  I'm having fun and keeping safe.

Love you all,

Elder Davidson

In regards to mail you should know that it takes an extra two days to get to me(they have to forward it from the mission office) which means most people in the US have to send the letter a full week ahead of when they want it to arrive.  I will respond to any letters received during the week on monday which means they'll be delivered around friday.  Also they ask that you put my full name after Elder (ie.Elder William Davidson).

Elder Will in Lehi

Well I'm here!!!

It is beautiful here in Arizona.  We flew in on Tuesday and the work has been going ever since.  My journal entries for the first three days in the field were about a sentence long, just because we've been so busy.  My new companion is Elder Berardi from Illionois.  He's an amazing musician, and he loves making music.  We spent one evening just singing hymns for 20-30 minutes.  I can't tell you all the people I've met in the past 4 days.  The area I'm in is called Lehi Arizona.  Our house is a two bedroom little pink house and we have grass in the front yard!  The neighbors keep us up at night, but that's just because they're cows kicking the wall.  The weather is really not as bad as people say.  I got here and on my second day it was overcast and raining.  It felt just like home for a few hours.  We have a great rule here from the mission president.  If the temperature is above 75 we don't have to wear jackets.  The area is wonderful and I absolutely love it here.

So in regards to the work here, there's not enough time in the day for us to reach out to everyone.  In my first week three people have accepted the invitation to baptism.  The joy that you feel every day can not be expressed in any language.  The experience is unlike any other.  The only way to explain to you what it's like is by how time passes.  Every day feels like an entire week from 6:30 until 10:30, but every week feels like a day.  The people are absolutely wonderful, and there's really no way to tell them how much you care about them, except share the gospel.

This message is short, for a very good reason.  There are people here that know we are here to help and support them find a way back to live with our Heavenly Father, and we have been called of God to share this message to all the world(or Lehi).

I miss you all and I know your lives are going well and full of excitement, if you write I'll be sure to respond.

Love you all, I'll be home soon enough, but not until my work is done.

-Elder Davidson

5/14/11 Last email from the Missionary Training Center

Hello World,

 

This update is coming early, because our plane leaves on tuesday morning so we won't have time to use email at all on our P-day.  On the bright side I have the whole plane ride to catch up on some letter writing.

 

So now it's story time.

First tuesday night we got to hear Neil L.Anderson of the qourum of the tweleve give us the best talk on the atonement I've ever heard.  It was remarkable how powerful one man can speak, when they are ordained to testify of Jesus Christ.

 

Second story (The power of Prayer)

During a rather intense game of soccer I got a little carried away and rolled my ankle.  At first I just crumpled to the ground thinking, man why, I was about to gain control of the ball.  Then you can imagine the pain I felt.  My whole ankle felt like it was exploding out every side.  It took a while to get up and when I tried to put pressure on that foot, I could feel incredibly sharp pains around my ankle.  All I could think about was that I would be leaving on Tuesday, and I didn't want to get stuck at the MTC because I did something stupid.  As I was walking back with the assistance of Elder Contreras I said a short silent prayer.  It was simple, I just prayed for the ability to walk away from the field and leave on my scheduled day.  As soon as I said amen, I walked with only a slight limp back to the residence hall, and I know that it was because of my faith in Christ that I was able to experience that miracle.

 

Third Story (The Lord puts you in places you need to be)

 

On thursday one of the Elders, Elder Ellsworth Got pretty ill.  He was doing ok in the morning, but around one o'clock he took a turn for the worst.  I was in his room watching him as he slept, and he started having bad shivers, and coughing fits.  What worried me most was the fact that he was starting to be a little delusional.  I accompanied him to the ER and they checked him in.  I could tell he was not doing well.  He was constantly fading in and out answering basic questions incorrectly, like what's your first name.  It didn't help that he was trying to make jokes, so It was a little hard to tell if he was aware of where he was.  Well at the hospital, there were two patients there that needed a priesthood holder to assist in a blessing.  It was amazing everyone in the hospital knew who I was and why I was there.  I am a representative of Jesus Christ and our job is to preach his gospel to all people, and serve our fellowman.  That was the spiritual part.  As it turns out Elder Ellsworth had his appendix taken out that evening at 7:30, so I left the Hospital as he was being taken to the operating room.  So there you have it the most exciting week I've had in my entire life, and I'm sure there's more to come.

 

Love you all.

-Elder Davidson

5/10/11 email

Family,

 

Everything is going well.  I've had lots of oppurtunity to get some good exercise, playing basketball and soccer.  I played keeper for Elder Contreras from Gutemala, and he's probably the best shot I've ever seen.  This evening we had the best meal we've had at the MTC yet.  I had a crispy chicken salad and a wonderful slice of papa john's pizza.  Not exactly a gourmet meal, but it really hit the spot.

 

In other news teaching and studying is going well.  Elder Halling and I have made lots of friends with the investigators.  We've met all sorts of people who come from all over the world.  Lot's of them are members, but the great thing is that we treat all of them like they've never heard about the gospel before.  It is without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done.  A normal day involves 3 hours of personal study 8 hours of class room study.  Then we have about 2 hours for breakfast lunch and dinner.  The rest of our time is filled up with practice teaching.  basically you're working from 6:30 till 10:30 with a couple hours for meals.  So having said this I've appreciated all the well wishes from home.  My mom passes the well wishes on. in her letters, and they are a great source of support.  If I could make a request, to anyone who reads this is to pray for my companion Elder (Christian) Halling. His Grandmother passed away saturday night, and I know he could use some well wishes.  As of today he's doing very well, and has found great strength in reading the Book of Mormon, but most importantly he's has the support of all the Elders in our district.  If you'd like I'm sure he'd enjoy a joke or just a hi through dearelder.com .

 

Thank you again for the love and support.

 

 

Mom thanks for all the letters and the pie.  All the elders and my classroom instructor appreciate the extra snack it worked out really well.  I'd ask that you don't send anymore though *believe it or not my belt is getting tighter, and not in the cool sort of way.  If you could let people know on facebook how to contact me that would be great mom.

 

Annie

thanks for the news update.  I felt like the most informed kid in the whole MTC.  Of cousre most guys here want to hear about basketball and baseball.  So I've tried to learn some of the languages, but there just isn't enough time to learn.  The elders and I in my district only have 6 days till we'll be on a plane for Mesa.  In regards to the recipes, please send lots.  Anything that's simple and short to prepare would be greatly appreciated.

 

Nina

You wouldn't believe it,but I taught a girl on the BYU dance team, and all I could think about was dancing. Hope all is well.

 

Leah

Running out of time, but if you send me your address I'll be able to communicate more easily

 

Love you all and I wish you could be here to help me teach.  this is quite honestly the hardest work I've ever done, and it gets harder every day.  All I know is that God is my Heavenly Father, and Iam supposed to be here to help others come to that knowledge.  one minute left

 

Love you again

Will's first missionary letter/email

All is going well my p-day is today and I only have 30 minutes for email.  The experiences here are great, I'm learning so much and I'm trying to get through the Book of Mormon before I leave the MTC.  The food is ok, they're doing some renovation so there's only one option for food.  I'm trying to get lots of vegetables, but there aren't many options.  Apparently the Orange Juice is not made for human consumption.  In class I have two instructors Bro.Cope and Bro.Sacket.  They are both incredibly good instructors, and they have taught me so much about teaching and bearing testimony.  My companion is Elder Halling and he's from Manti Utah(and proud of it).  He has been a great help in bringing me back down to earth so my head isn't so high in the sky.  It feels like I've been here for weeks.  Our second day Elder Halling and I got to teach a real Investigator!  It was a wonderful experience, because we had no idea what we were doing so we had to really teach by the spirit.  Our district of 8 has some wonderful elders, I'll be sure to send you pictures in the mail.  One of the elders is from Raymond and his last name is Baldry(Just in case you want to see if he's related to anyone).  The gym has a really slick audio set-up, and I think I drove one Elder crazy talking about it during exercise time.  All of our group meetings are held in the gym so it's outfitted with all kinds of sweet things.  Send love to everyone.

 

According to the mission rules we're not allowed to dance in the gym.  We're also not allowed to sing in the cafeteria.  I haven't asked about dancing in the cafeteria and singing in the gym though ;).

 

I think for the first time ever I'm in a place, where I can hear more languages in less than a square mile than anywhere else in the world.  If you hold the door open for a group of Elders and Sisters, you'll hear thanks in English, Tongan, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Swedish, Russian, ...It's crazy how many languages are being taught here.

 

Also it's only been 5 days, missing home, send letters.  I've been told that if you use dearelder.com (Will's mailbox is #168, AZ-Mesa, leaving 0517) a letter will be printed and put into my mailbox with a mailing address so I can respond by snail mail.  This way I will have some letters I can read to remind me of home.

 

The Gospel is true and I'm getting lost in the work.  There is no end to the knowledge and faith we can gain from reading the writings of the prophets.  I add my testimony to their words that Jesus is the Christ, and did die for all of us.  In time I pray that all people everywhere will be able to know of the the Gospel that Heavenly Father has given us so that we may return to live with him.

 

Missing you all,

-Elder Davidson