ice and lack of sleep

Helloozzzz...............

Well I'll explain why I''m tired in a minute.  Mom the pot is from Bro W's neighbor.  I knew that it was a lecruset so I said I would take it and send it home.  I realize that it is a little beat up.  In fact when I tried to make macaroni and cheese it was a little bit of a challenge, just keeping the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.  I wonder if there is a place you can get it re-enameled.  I"m not sure what it is for, but I think it is so you can cook something on the stove, and then quickly move it to the oven to bake.  Not sure what kind of dishes actually use that process.

A came over.  Haha that is wonderful.  I"m sure she now knows more about downtown Seattle than I do.  Speaking of which how is the viaduct coming along?

Okie dokie.  So Apache Junction is an amazing part of Arizona.  Very small town rural feel.  The best part has been getting to know the people.  A woman was baptized on Saturday, and Elder Robinson and I got to perform Amazing Grace.  The fun thing was I played piano and he sang.  He is a really good singer which is fun.  His voice is a nice 2nd Tenor and very smooth.  He thinks that I know more about singing than he does, so I do my best to help him sound more relaxed and professional.  On the other hand my piano playing hasn't improved much.

So we've taught a lot of people already which is much more than my last area.  That said I just read an email that said there is a fellow with a baptismal date in my old ward.  Oh so in AJ we cover three wards.  All are very different.  One ward is Gold Canyon which has some very affluent parts golf clubs etc.  While most of the area is covered by wonderful little homes surrounded by forest.  However when I say forest I really mean cactus plants, bunnies, lots of quail, toads, and lizards.  It is a huge desert area.  As I get to know people better I'll share with you more about the people, because they are so sweet and willing to serve you.

Right the biggest thing to report is something that I am very used to by now.  For anyone that has been reading about the experiences I've had over the last 16 months you know that there have been a lot of medical things.  It seems either me or my companion are always in need of some sort of attention.  So this transfers installment of "Missionary Medical Chronicles"  is brought to you by Elder Robinson.  Saturday morning he got a nasty/severe/horrible ankle sprain possibly a break.  All Saturday afternoon we were trying to take care of the baptism, as well as get Elder Robinson dressed.  It's been an adventure as I've taken pictures and measurements of the swelling of his foot.  As of this morning the index toe has swelled a good 3/4 of an inch in circumference, and his ankle has swelled the same amount only in diameter.  The evenings have been filled with me getting up and changing his ice out, and giving him more ibuprofen.  Saturday night I tried doing a 20 minute nap cycle, in an attempt to keep the ice rotated.  That only lasted till about 1 in the morning.  Sunday I spent the  day writing, reading, and making a bunch of ice for the night time.  Last night was easier with an hour and 15 min. nap cycles.  I alternated switching out the ice, then giving him Ibuprofen and ice. 

Elder Robinson is a really good missionary.  we haven't had a lot of time to teach, but as soon as his foot gets better we'll be back on the path.  He is a little older (21) did a year at BYU-I and worked.  He is from Pullman Washington.  So Leah you should look up his family when you get home.

That is about all I can think to report, I've lost all comprehensive capabilities in my brain from lack of sleep.  If you want more info about the area I would suggest a multiple choice questionnaire or a short answer quiz.


Love your missionary,
Elder Will Davidson

Apache Junction

I'm doing well and ready for another transfer.  I got news Saturday night that I'll be going to a new area out in Apache Junction! I'm looking forward to it.  My new companion is Elder Robinson, and oddly enough he served in the same area that I will be leaving.

As for this area I will miss it very much.  It hasn't been the best area in terms of lessons with investigators, but I have been so blessed to watch all these wonderful families get along in their every day lives.  It was a bitter-sweet experience as I was asked to give the opening prayer this past Sunday.  Following Bro.Y announced that I would be leaving.  I am sad that I have to leave this wonderful ward, and all those we have worked with.  On the other hand I am very satisfied to know that I will always remember the friends I have made here.

Our training by Elder Aidukaitis from the Quorum of the Seventy was really amazing.  All the missionaries shared similar experiences as we went over our notes.  Elder A (He is the first on the list of Seventies) had the great skill of looking at you straight in the eye.  On several occasions I received much needed council, as he looked right at me.

The music number went very well.  I learned alot about what I can do if I just practice.  The Sisters were a little out of practice, and as  Elder Ellsworth put it "I played better than they sang".  That said I was more worried about just getting through the piece.  They will probably never ask me to play a piece again, but if they do I know I can do it.

On a fun note Elder Ellsworth and I got the "How to train your Dragon" soundtrack.  When we opened the package, we cheered, and immediately put it into the CD player.  Also last Monday we had an activity at the Stake Center.  There is a flat screen in the high council room, so we had ice cream and watched Mormon Messages.  It was pretty fun, besides the fact that the Wifi was really slow.

There isn't much else to report.

Love one another is the word,
Elder Will Davidson

The Piano Man

Dear Mom-
I must admit a tinge of pain as you told me about R's mission call and all the people I remember graduating and moving on in life.  It is easy as a missionary to think that while you are here everyone's life just goes on hold.  Of course that is not the case.  All of us move forward in whatever direction we've chosen.

The news as of now is not very exciting, but Elder Aduchatis (spelling) from the first quorum of the seventy is coming tomorrow.  There is a sisters choir that needed a piano accompaniment, so I volunteered to learn it on the fly.  I've practiced about an hour and a half the last two days.  I can play the whole song, just not to tempo quite yet.   I don't know why no one else volunteered, but they really needed someone, so I said I would do it.

Beyond that this week hasn't had very much happen.  We are really enjoying working with the ward.  A member of the ward is really good at drawing comics, so we gave him an assignment.  We asked him to make a little cartoon depicting how members have an emergency plan, but they don't have a family mission plan.

Last night we met a really cool young family from Gilbert.  The dad is working on returning to the Church, and a really cool guy.  He has four children from his first wife, and we got to visit them last night.  I was deeply impressed, by how much they loved the Gospel.  We encouraged them to press forward and keep working on a mission and school.  I really think we were more edified by the visit than they were.  The one I remember the most was the 12 year old.  He is the youngest of four and the rest are sisters (sounds familiar).  As we met you could tell how much the sisters affected his actions.  It made me appreciate even more how much I love my sisters, and how much they have taught me.  It was interesting as the girls complained about guys not asking them to dance, I thought to myself.  "I would always ask girls to dance".  Then I realized that the main reason I did was from what my sisters taught me.  One of those really cool moments.

I don't know if you've realized, but most of the pictures on the youth website of a temple are of the Rexburg temple.  I'm happy to say I spent a lot of time in that House of the Lord.

I've been learning a lot as I've had some counseling.  As I've thought about how lonely I've felt these past few weeks it's been amazing to look back and realize that I've never had more support.  I believe that the number one reason people are led to do bad things, or walk away from the gospel is that they don't feel loved.   My counselor has taught me a lot and one of the things he talked about is emotional reasoning.  It is when your own emotions of perceived failures cause you to think that you aren't loved, by those around you.  It is no surprise that second only to loving God we are to love our neighbor as ourself.  The greatest weapon that keeps us from being good is when we don't feel loved, or don't love ourselves.  That has been a great lesson to me, and has helped me see more clearly my duty to spread the Gospel.

I'm so grateful to be a part of the Church of Jesus Christ.

Well we're late for a Zone activity.  Talk to everyone later

Love,
Elder Davidson

Onion's cookies

Hello. That is wonderful to hear that I've been blessed in my true title of Onion.  Leah sent a letter, and talked about visiting with grandparents.  We met a 91 year old this week who was very lonely.  It was nice for us, because we didn't have any set appointments, and we could just listen to him talk about his family and his wife who passed away 3 years ago.  Papa J as he is called has a lot of family, but they don't visit much.  I can't imagine that it is very easy for him to be all by himself.

 

I'm glad all the postcards got through the mail.  Sadly I never got the rest of Nina's post cards, even when she numbered them.  I remember Bro. B's water cutting, because Bro.S was trying to help me schedule a tour before I left for school, and we never did it.  I'm sure the young men have since gone.  Speaking of young men I've heard that there aren't very many youth left in the ward that I know.  Emily and Bliss already graduated?  That is amazing, I thought they were still in high school. Time does softly sweetly glide when there's love at home.  That has been the greatest blessing I have learned and received as a missionary.  How to Love.

 

This past Saturday we had a baptism for a 8 year old, we thought was a 9 year old.  On Friday we had cooked some 6 dozen cookies to give to families that we were thinking of.  Instead we took them to the baptism.  All the members were really impressed when they knew that we made them ourselves.  They were even really good (not healthy).  That evening we went to the Relief Society President's.  I've been there twice before, but there was something different about this time.  I can't tell you exactly what it was, but as we asked her for help on a Missionary bulletin board, she opened up.  We were given some material that made a great back drop for the board.  While she was getting the material her husband came out and talked to us for a good 10 minutes.  Then we left with a prayer.  It was so amazing to actually feel the love that came across from him. 

 

That has really been our week along with the usual ups and downs.  Bro.W took us out to lunch on Friday which was a treat.

 

Hope all is well for everyone.

 

Love,

Elder Davidson