Dear Mom,
Sushi would be awesome. I haven't had any fresh sushi for a long time.Did you think to pray
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Last email
Did you think to pray
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Weed whackers and nerf wars
Well this week has been a great one.
We did lots of pretty crazy service projects.Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Notes: taking, and a short one
What is this news of speaking in church and teaching seminary? Not
that I won't completely enjoy that, but when is this happening?
So Conference was amazing. On Saturday I took notes in
the traditional style, which went well, and I enjoyed it. Then on
Saturday I tried a new way of taking notes. I have had teachers and
missionary leaders try and teach me this before, but it hasn't really
clicked. So what I did is put two small columns on the side of each
note page, then I would write my thoughts in the middle, along with
quotes and other things. In the left column I would put the subject of
theme, then on the right column was a place for the speaker of relevant
scriptures of other talks. It will be really easy to put these notes on
the online notebook that I have.
I also really enjoyed listening to the BYU choir. Their first number was so good.
The new mission map came out, which is so exciting!!!
Well
this week is going to be awesome. We are hoping to have a service
project planned in the coming weeks to get some exposure for the mission
and it's missionaries.
Sorry this is short, it was a pretty non-exciting week.
Love,
Elder Will Davidson
PS
Mom I got a new suit, so I'll be ok.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Continuing service
Well this week we had a tremendous amount
of labor. We did 17 hours of service this week. It started at the
Temple which I already talked about last week. Then we did a whole
front yard the next day which hadn't been worked on in several years.
After that we had a number of yards to mow and weed. And a tree to cut
down. All in all we have been very physically tired.
In other news we got to do a presentation in the Fraser ward on missionary work. It was a great success. We watched a little video, and then right after I was asked to bear my testimony on the power of missionary work. I did and it was ok. There were a few members that said the whole program was inspiring. I'm excited to see what kind of progress can be made.
Sorry this is a short letter, I just don't have much to say.
I saw the Easter Pageant twice this week. The last show Saturday was really good. The whole program is recorded so parts of it can be pretty dry. There is one part at the very end where the live cast is actually singing, and it makes all the difference. They walk out in front of the stage and all of a suddenly the sound becomes 100% more dynamic. I'll miss it next year.
That is about all the news in Arizona. Where all the women are strong the men are good looking and the children are usually Mormon.
Love,
Elder Davidson
In other news we got to do a presentation in the Fraser ward on missionary work. It was a great success. We watched a little video, and then right after I was asked to bear my testimony on the power of missionary work. I did and it was ok. There were a few members that said the whole program was inspiring. I'm excited to see what kind of progress can be made.
Sorry this is a short letter, I just don't have much to say.
I saw the Easter Pageant twice this week. The last show Saturday was really good. The whole program is recorded so parts of it can be pretty dry. There is one part at the very end where the live cast is actually singing, and it makes all the difference. They walk out in front of the stage and all of a suddenly the sound becomes 100% more dynamic. I'll miss it next year.
That is about all the news in Arizona. Where all the women are strong the men are good looking and the children are usually Mormon.
Love,
Elder Davidson
Thursday, March 28, 2013
fires, lists, clean as clean
This
week are area has had the refiner's fire...literally. In less than a
week there have been three major fires. The first happened on the
Corner of 6th pl and Matlock to the home of an 80 year old lady. She
was OK. We were coming home on a Tuesday night and we could see ghetto
bird (the police helicopter) just hovering over our area. That was
abnormal, because normally if they are looking for someone they circle
and have the spot light all over the place. It wasn't until later that
evening that we were biking down miller, and as we came around the
corner, there were 3 news vans, several fire engines, and multiple
ambulances. It was pretty crazy to see all the different crews working
in unison to put out the fire. By the time we were there, they had the
blaze under control. Two days later we heard of a trailer going up in
flames just down the street from the other one. That one we didn't see
either. Then Sunday afternoon there was a house just south of the
church building that was all in a blaze. From the church we could tell
that it was a huge fire. It took a good 10 minutes for the blaze to get
under control. Then a few minutes later we saw the fire ladder go up
with some fire fighters on it. We biked past during the evening, and
the blaze had completely destroyed the house. Luckily no other home was
damaged. Rumor has it that meth was being produced at the house and
the fire was a result of mis-handled chemicals. Elder Martin and I
noticed that there was a trailer involved in all three fires.
Apparently there were two other fires in the city of Mesa. The police
are investigating arson.
Beyond that we haven't had a lot of exciting things going on.
We taught a lady who really connected with a member of the ward. It just so happens that both of them have been in and out of shelters as children. This Wednesday we are going to go see the Easter Pageant for the first and last time.
As a matter of business I got my flight Itinerary from the mission office. I will be arriving in Seattle at 10:55 am. I don't remember the flight number. There are some items that I'm not planning on bringing home.
ie.
Sheets and pillow (the ones I came out with that kind of smell like smoke.)
Bike
Pants and jackets and old socks, and all my white shirts
Any other generic missionary items that are old or worn out.
My goal is to fly with one checked and one carry one bag.
Anyway
This week we taught Elders Quorum in one of the wards. They really enjoyed the whole experience. Preach my gospel really encourages us to treat those we teach as agents, and not objects. Unlike traditional teaching styles, it is not common for us to conduct a long lecture of words. So we taught the lesson with a lot of involvement.
This morning we spent three hours working in the temple. The bishop is over the maintenance crew, so we moved stuff and threw it out etc. We got to take the tunnel beneath the parking lot back to the shop (which was really fun) and we also got to see all the rooms, from the Temple Presidents office to the brides room. The best part was seeing the basement. It was completely clean with a painted and waxed floor. The first job we did was put some boards underneath a ramp in the HVAC room. It was amazing, I crawled under the ramp, and there was not a single peace of dirt or dust in the whole place. The only thing that wasn't newly washed or painted was a support beam underneath. Even then it still was not dusty or rusty. I was allowed to take pictures of the shop space and the tunnels along with the clean air intake.
Anyway hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Davidson
Beyond that we haven't had a lot of exciting things going on.
We taught a lady who really connected with a member of the ward. It just so happens that both of them have been in and out of shelters as children. This Wednesday we are going to go see the Easter Pageant for the first and last time.
As a matter of business I got my flight Itinerary from the mission office. I will be arriving in Seattle at 10:55 am. I don't remember the flight number. There are some items that I'm not planning on bringing home.
ie.
Sheets and pillow (the ones I came out with that kind of smell like smoke.)
Bike
Pants and jackets and old socks, and all my white shirts
Any other generic missionary items that are old or worn out.
My goal is to fly with one checked and one carry one bag.
Anyway
This week we taught Elders Quorum in one of the wards. They really enjoyed the whole experience. Preach my gospel really encourages us to treat those we teach as agents, and not objects. Unlike traditional teaching styles, it is not common for us to conduct a long lecture of words. So we taught the lesson with a lot of involvement.
This morning we spent three hours working in the temple. The bishop is over the maintenance crew, so we moved stuff and threw it out etc. We got to take the tunnel beneath the parking lot back to the shop (which was really fun) and we also got to see all the rooms, from the Temple Presidents office to the brides room. The best part was seeing the basement. It was completely clean with a painted and waxed floor. The first job we did was put some boards underneath a ramp in the HVAC room. It was amazing, I crawled under the ramp, and there was not a single peace of dirt or dust in the whole place. The only thing that wasn't newly washed or painted was a support beam underneath. Even then it still was not dusty or rusty. I was allowed to take pictures of the shop space and the tunnels along with the clean air intake.
Anyway hope you have a great week.
Love,
Elder Davidson
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Short post with Missionary Lingo
Can you believe it? Almost 50% of the mission
presidents will be new come July 1st. I can't imagine how crazy the MTC
and mission department is. There are so many new missionaries, and we
will have a lot of opportunity to use them in different ways.
A LESSON IN MISSIONARY LINGO:
In some missions is is common among the missionaries to use terms like birth, death, and father to explain their missions. For example, my mission trainer would be described as my "dad". and I was "born" in Lehi AZ. Then more importantly I am about to "die" or finish my mission. Which is why Elder Martin in a recording I sent home made that comment that he was going to "kill" me. For the most part I don't really use these terms in public for obvious reasons.
Anyway I had a rather uneventful week. My birthday came and went with out any particular interesting experience.
I guess I'll stop writing here, because Elder Martin was kind enough to let me use his recorder. So when you have nothing better to do, you can listen to 10 minutes of me talking.
Except it won't post on the blog.....
A LESSON IN MISSIONARY LINGO:
In some missions is is common among the missionaries to use terms like birth, death, and father to explain their missions. For example, my mission trainer would be described as my "dad". and I was "born" in Lehi AZ. Then more importantly I am about to "die" or finish my mission. Which is why Elder Martin in a recording I sent home made that comment that he was going to "kill" me. For the most part I don't really use these terms in public for obvious reasons.
Anyway I had a rather uneventful week. My birthday came and went with out any particular interesting experience.
I guess I'll stop writing here, because Elder Martin was kind enough to let me use his recorder. So when you have nothing better to do, you can listen to 10 minutes of me talking.
Except it won't post on the blog.....
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Ummm, new carpet
Guess what, the mission department has
given missionaries permission to email friends. Which is pretty cool.
Right so our new apartment is amazing. It is a one bedroom with a back entrance that we use to bring our bikes in. So my mind is all over the place.
We spent most of the first three days looking for people who could help us move furniture. Moving with only bikes is not a fun experience. We had to get people from other areas to help with their trucks.
The nice thing is we have nice new carpet and an awesome vacuum (not a robot) and we are trying to remember to take our shoes off when we go into the apartment. The bishop owns the apartment.
I am healthy.
We taught a crazy 17 year-old girl. She doesn't get along with her mom and seems to think her life is falling apart. It was really hard to see how we could help because she plays several instruments, has straight A's and probably is a member of several different groups. We just encouraged her to be happy and make good choices.
Right so our new apartment is amazing. It is a one bedroom with a back entrance that we use to bring our bikes in. So my mind is all over the place.
We spent most of the first three days looking for people who could help us move furniture. Moving with only bikes is not a fun experience. We had to get people from other areas to help with their trucks.
The nice thing is we have nice new carpet and an awesome vacuum (not a robot) and we are trying to remember to take our shoes off when we go into the apartment. The bishop owns the apartment.
I am healthy.
We taught a crazy 17 year-old girl. She doesn't get along with her mom and seems to think her life is falling apart. It was really hard to see how we could help because she plays several instruments, has straight A's and probably is a member of several different groups. We just encouraged her to be happy and make good choices.
J is another really cool guy we had breakfast with
last night. He is from Oregon rides motorcycles, plays several
instruments, rock climbs, and is a great cook. It was funny because
when I walked into his house I felt like a true North Westerner. His
house even felt like home. Kind of a weird experience. The sad thing
is he is going through a divorce with his wife. I'm just impressed by
how faithful he is through the whole experience. He actually was
less-active for a while, and as he was getting active that is when he
started having problems with his wife.
Anyway I don't know what else to report.
Oh ya Transfer News.
Both Elder Martin and I are staying together. So this is my last area. What a great opportunity to finish strong.
Love you all,
Elder Davidson
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
News from Lake Mesa
So I have one request. Don't tell me
about the details yet. It is actually pretty difficult to not think
about it so I would appreciate silence on the subject until the last
week, or two. I'm glad you know when I'm coming home. There are a lot of missionaries
that we need to make room for. This next transfer in March there should
be over 30 missionaries coming into the mission. It is an exciting
time and the chances of me training again are higher than normal.
Anyway, last Monday we had a fun activity. We went to a baseball game. It was between the Rockies and the Rangers. The Rockies won 9 to 1 and there were two home-runs in our section. Our little group got on the big screen about 4 times and we danced all over the place. The new missionary Elder Hock held up a Book of Mormon, so we were doing lots of good work :).
As far as teaching goes we haven't been able to make contact with our investigators. One of them actually had to go to the ward were he lives. It was really sad, because he was very prepared and ready to be baptized. The cool thing is he was sent to the Lehi 2nd ward, which may sound familiar, because that was my first area. It has been a small world for me these past few weeks.
Pretty much everyday I have seen someone that I knew from another area. Elder Martin finds it very entertaining.
Well I guess that last news is last night we sang at a mission presidents fireside. It went pretty well. The choir was about 10 missionaries, and we sang "a poor wayfaring man of grief". It isn't my favorite song, but the acapella portion sounded really good.
That's all from Mesa where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the temperature is above average.
Love,
Elder Davidson
Anyway, last Monday we had a fun activity. We went to a baseball game. It was between the Rockies and the Rangers. The Rockies won 9 to 1 and there were two home-runs in our section. Our little group got on the big screen about 4 times and we danced all over the place. The new missionary Elder Hock held up a Book of Mormon, so we were doing lots of good work :).
As far as teaching goes we haven't been able to make contact with our investigators. One of them actually had to go to the ward were he lives. It was really sad, because he was very prepared and ready to be baptized. The cool thing is he was sent to the Lehi 2nd ward, which may sound familiar, because that was my first area. It has been a small world for me these past few weeks.
Pretty much everyday I have seen someone that I knew from another area. Elder Martin finds it very entertaining.
Well I guess that last news is last night we sang at a mission presidents fireside. It went pretty well. The choir was about 10 missionaries, and we sang "a poor wayfaring man of grief". It isn't my favorite song, but the acapella portion sounded really good.
That's all from Mesa where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the temperature is above average.
Love,
Elder Davidson
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Additional missions
This week was a slow week, because Elder Martin
and I got hit by the flu. I woke up in the middle of the night Tuesday
and spent a good amount of time in the restroom until about 10 in the
morning Wednesday. We had a Zone meeting that afternoon which I suited
up for and spent most of it sitting on the floor trying to keep color in
my face. I'm feeling much better now, but I still feel sick every time
I eat.
Luckily my sickness did not disrupt the baptism of W this Saturday. Talk about someone who is prepared to receive the gospel. Her story started with a fire almost 2 years ago. The missionaries were visiting W's neighbor next door. The neighbor forgot about some french fries cooking on the stove and the oil ended up burning down the members apartment, and some of W's. The members of the local ward were able to pitch in and recover quite a bit of W's items. She said that it made a huge difference on her heart. It was soon after that the missionaries started coming, and she began learning more about the church. Another interesting thing about W is she had a degree in religious studies and was a youth minister in another church when her house burned down. I would say that it prepared her to better receive the message of the restoration. It was a very sweet baptism and especially simple with a modest turnout of close friends who love her.
In other news there are going to be two new missions in Arizona!!!!!!!!! Whoppieee!!! The sad news is I won't be here to see it take effect. There will be a Scottsdale Mission and a Gilbert mission, both of which will effect our mission. Pretty soon the Mesa mission will be quite a bit smaller than it already is. Our mission office is in Scottsdale, so it will be rather interesting to see the change. My prediction is that everything in Scottsdale and Phoenix will be a the new Scottsdale mission and Apache Junction will be given to the Gilbert mission then Mesa will pick up the rest of Mesa west of Country Club south of Main. Then again I could be totally wrong.
I am having a wonderful time preaching the gospel. Today we get to go see a Professional Baseball game. The last game I went to was Edgar Martinez' last game. I don't think this will be quite as cool.
Love you all,
Elder Will Davidson
PS: If anyone wants something to do, letters are still needed, even for us old missionaries. :)
Luckily my sickness did not disrupt the baptism of W this Saturday. Talk about someone who is prepared to receive the gospel. Her story started with a fire almost 2 years ago. The missionaries were visiting W's neighbor next door. The neighbor forgot about some french fries cooking on the stove and the oil ended up burning down the members apartment, and some of W's. The members of the local ward were able to pitch in and recover quite a bit of W's items. She said that it made a huge difference on her heart. It was soon after that the missionaries started coming, and she began learning more about the church. Another interesting thing about W is she had a degree in religious studies and was a youth minister in another church when her house burned down. I would say that it prepared her to better receive the message of the restoration. It was a very sweet baptism and especially simple with a modest turnout of close friends who love her.
In other news there are going to be two new missions in Arizona!!!!!!!!! Whoppieee!!! The sad news is I won't be here to see it take effect. There will be a Scottsdale Mission and a Gilbert mission, both of which will effect our mission. Pretty soon the Mesa mission will be quite a bit smaller than it already is. Our mission office is in Scottsdale, so it will be rather interesting to see the change. My prediction is that everything in Scottsdale and Phoenix will be a the new Scottsdale mission and Apache Junction will be given to the Gilbert mission then Mesa will pick up the rest of Mesa west of Country Club south of Main. Then again I could be totally wrong.
I am having a wonderful time preaching the gospel. Today we get to go see a Professional Baseball game. The last game I went to was Edgar Martinez' last game. I don't think this will be quite as cool.
Love you all,
Elder Will Davidson
PS: If anyone wants something to do, letters are still needed, even for us old missionaries. :)
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Enjoying the days
Dearest Family and Friends,
What a wonderful week.
Goodness I just read the last email I sent home and
realized how boring it was. Sorry. It can be very difficult trying to
share the details of mission life. What seems wonderful and exciting to
me is usually not so interesting to you. None the less I'll tell you
about a couple people.
First the W Family. Wow
what a sweet group. So the dad actually grew up in Eastgate!! We've
talked a lot about what it was like when he lived there. He also served
his mission in Denmark which happens to be the country I wish I was
called to. He is married to a divorced woman and she is super sweet.
She hasn't been active for a while, so she likes having the elders over
to help her learn. Then the two eldest children that live at home are L who is 21 and C who is 17. They are really kind and loving. C speaks about 300 words per minute and never stops talking. Which
is fun because it really reminds me of a beloved older sister. Then L rarely ever speaks, but when he does he has a strong voice. I
guess there isn't a lot of opportunity to talk with his sister. While
we were at dinner with their family we got talking with the kids and
learned that they have been struggling. I was surprised as C
started looking inward and shared with us some of her fears and
desires. This special moment was punctuated by mascara streaks down her
face. During this moment of abnormal calmness we learned from her that
church is a struggle. She attends a high school where most of the
population is "Mormon". Despite being a Mormon as well, Brooke hasn't
grown up with that culture, so she is sadly judged by those who should
be more understanding. This has created a struggle for her. She
wonders why she should keep learning about the gospel, when so many
others in the church treat her unkindly. After that we simply listened
and talked to her about finding good friends that don't judge and help
her keep good standards. We also challenged her to pay more attention
in sacrament meeting. That was also an amazing experience, because the
speakers talked about ...judging others. That was a sweet moment. L
is no different even though he is 21. He
has some of the same feelings. I have enjoyed so much the spirit work
through Elder Martin and I to lift the family.
Another lady we have been working with is
getting baptized this coming weekend. She has been taught for the last 4
months, and is now ready to make the commitment to be baptized.
We are so happy to be in this area. The Lord is really blessing me to keep working.
Love you all,
Elder Will Davidson
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Good teaching moments
Hello from the Mesa North Stake.
I cover a lovely little area spanning from Main to Brown and Stapley to Horne. Already I have met so many people that are related to others that I have met and love. It has made the transition quite enjoyable as I've met good friends. There are three wards in the area Miller, Fraser, and Fairfield. All are great areas and have a lot of potential. The bishop of one of the wards happens to be over temple Maintenance, which is interesting, because I've seen him all over the place, and he has seen me as well. In one of the wards we have a wonderful ward mission leader that I've gotten to know pretty quickly. He is a great leader. In his ward there is a lady who has been taught for several months. She was scheduled to be baptized the week I got here, but then she felt like she needed more time to prepare. I'm excited to teach her and help her to be prepared.
My new companion is Elder Martin from a little town south of Provo Utah. He comes from a small family of three. We have really hit it off, and get along really well. Already we have seen so many miracles in the small space of three days. One is really cool.
We went to contact a young woman in the ward who hadn't been able to come to church for a while. We had a lesson with her and read the Book of Mormon. During the lesson we were able to help her understand what the book of Mormon is and how it can help her. Then she asked how to repent. It was such an awesome lesson, because she was so sincere, and focused on learning more. What made it even better is that her boyfriend came to a lesson later that night. He is super spiritual and has read the bible cover to cover. He was struggling with prayer, and found it difficult. Elder Martin was able to make a huge impact as he explained how we can pray and receive answer. Elder Martin is easily the best teacher I"ve ever taught with. He is humble, focused, and uses simple language.
We are super excited and hope to help a lot of people.
Love you all,
Elder Davidson
I cover a lovely little area spanning from Main to Brown and Stapley to Horne. Already I have met so many people that are related to others that I have met and love. It has made the transition quite enjoyable as I've met good friends. There are three wards in the area Miller, Fraser, and Fairfield. All are great areas and have a lot of potential. The bishop of one of the wards happens to be over temple Maintenance, which is interesting, because I've seen him all over the place, and he has seen me as well. In one of the wards we have a wonderful ward mission leader that I've gotten to know pretty quickly. He is a great leader. In his ward there is a lady who has been taught for several months. She was scheduled to be baptized the week I got here, but then she felt like she needed more time to prepare. I'm excited to teach her and help her to be prepared.
My new companion is Elder Martin from a little town south of Provo Utah. He comes from a small family of three. We have really hit it off, and get along really well. Already we have seen so many miracles in the small space of three days. One is really cool.
We went to contact a young woman in the ward who hadn't been able to come to church for a while. We had a lesson with her and read the Book of Mormon. During the lesson we were able to help her understand what the book of Mormon is and how it can help her. Then she asked how to repent. It was such an awesome lesson, because she was so sincere, and focused on learning more. What made it even better is that her boyfriend came to a lesson later that night. He is super spiritual and has read the bible cover to cover. He was struggling with prayer, and found it difficult. Elder Martin was able to make a huge impact as he explained how we can pray and receive answer. Elder Martin is easily the best teacher I"ve ever taught with. He is humble, focused, and uses simple language.
We are super excited and hope to help a lot of people.
Love you all,
Elder Davidson
Monday, February 4, 2013
New ties, old ties and jerry garcia ties
We had a wonderful baptism this weekend for two individuals. A mother and daughter. There was a wonderful turnout for the
service, and we had a nice reception at a members home following. It was
Elder Smellie's last baptism.
I hope I can be like Elder Smellie, he is a really good missionary and 100% focused even now. It will be really sad to see him go.
So the news with transfers is pretty simple. I will be going to the Maricopa zone, and serving with Elder Martin.
A little news regarding one of our investigators. He is a middle aged guy, and he moved down to Arizona so he could rescue his 20 year-old daughter. Needless to say she hasn't been very interested in learning more about the gospel. The dad on the other hand has progressed so much. He started reading the scriptures on his own and applying them to his life and how he can help his daughter. He also has been praying to find a job. Through the ward employment specialist he was able to find a good job and he started on Thursday. The other night we asked him to say a closing prayer and he looked right at me. All I did is give a thumbs up and say "you got this". I hadn't said much the whole lesson, but apparently it was what he needed to hear, because he said an amazing prayer.
In very fun news Elder Smellie gave me a Jerry Garcia tie and I really like it. It's name is 'snake garden' and it is purple.
Well that's about all the news, until next week,
Love Elder Will Davidson
I hope I can be like Elder Smellie, he is a really good missionary and 100% focused even now. It will be really sad to see him go.
So the news with transfers is pretty simple. I will be going to the Maricopa zone, and serving with Elder Martin.
A little news regarding one of our investigators. He is a middle aged guy, and he moved down to Arizona so he could rescue his 20 year-old daughter. Needless to say she hasn't been very interested in learning more about the gospel. The dad on the other hand has progressed so much. He started reading the scriptures on his own and applying them to his life and how he can help his daughter. He also has been praying to find a job. Through the ward employment specialist he was able to find a good job and he started on Thursday. The other night we asked him to say a closing prayer and he looked right at me. All I did is give a thumbs up and say "you got this". I hadn't said much the whole lesson, but apparently it was what he needed to hear, because he said an amazing prayer.
In very fun news Elder Smellie gave me a Jerry Garcia tie and I really like it. It's name is 'snake garden' and it is purple.
Well that's about all the news, until next week,
Love Elder Will Davidson
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Lots and lots of missionaries
Dear Family,
Guess what our mission next
Tuesday the 5th of February will be receiving 29 new missionaries. That
is the biggest group we have received in a long time. It is very
exciting, because there are even more planned for the transfer after
that. So this past Saturday the young lady was baptized that I've been
talking about. It was a really special moment to see that take place.
At the baptism I saw several friends from old areas, including the girls
boyfriend. I really enjoyed seeing old familiar faces.
I also saw Sister Brinton at the Zoo today. Our whole
Zone went to the Phoenix Zoo this morning. We really enjoyed the whole
trip. There weren't a lot of animals out because it has been raining
for the past few days, but the African dogs were out and about. The
lions were also prowling around the cage. It was really nice that most
of the zoo was empty. In fact when we got there no one was in line. My
favorite thing to see was the birds. I also learned that there is more
than one kind of rattlesnake! Another reason (besides the heat) that I
don't think I could live in Arizona. This being said the last two days
have been very beautiful.
So now for the biggest news of all. This past week
there have been some switches made in our Zone. I have been moved to
the Zone leaders area in the Mountain View Stake, and Elder Brown (my
old companion) has taken my place with Elder Kirwan. It was so good to
be around Elder Brown again. He is such an amazing missionary, and is
really ready to work. They will be together at least until the end of
the transfer. I will be staying with the zone leaders until transfer
time. It was really exciting to be in this area, full of fast paced
work.
Coincidentally a young couple just moved into the ward
that we cover just before I came in. They were being taught in the Mesa
stake by Sister Javed and Brownell, who just happen to be the
missionaries that I worked with in Nov-Dec. It is amazing to see how
easily it is for the Lord to place us in the right place at the right
time. Another cool story is that Dad of an unbaptized 9 year old
happens to be someone I taught in my first area.
FYI my companions for the moment are Elder Jace Smellie
(My third Cousin from Pocetello), and Elder ...Christian Halling (from
the MTC!). Elder Smellie will be finishing his mission a week from this
Tuesday, and it doesn't show one bit. He has stayed focused the whole
time. We did show him a little love when I got a few sticker hearts in
the mail. Elder Halling and I proceeded to put them all over Elder
Smellie's stuff. He was not too enthusiastic about finding 100 little
foam hearts every where.
We are looking forward to a baptism this Saturday for a
mother and her 15 year-old daughter. They are both very prepared and
ready to be baptized. The mother has been struggling with smoking for a
while. One afternoon she was feeling particularly stressed about
preparing for baptism, and felt like she was not ready and didn't want
to come to church or meet with the missionaries any more. We quickly
ran over and talked with her. After a little while she began to feel
more comfortable, and we were able to give her a blessing of comfort to
help with all the anxiety. It is lucky that we were in a trio,
otherwise, we would not have been able to visit her.
Another afternoon on the way to a dinner appointment we
saw a pick-up truck stuck trying to get up into a parking lot off the
street. there was only two men trying to push it up into the parking
lot. We were late, but knew that those gentlemen needed help. We
pulled into the next entrance of the parking lot, and proceeded to run
to the aid of the pick-up. We confirmed that they did need help then
pushed the truck in only a matter of seconds. Wished the men well, and
went on our way. I was so happy we were in the right place, to 'run to
the rescue' of our friends.
We are so blessed in this great work.
I love you all,
Elder Will Davidson
Monday, January 21, 2013
Finding happiness
I'm very behind on responding to letters, and now I have a good stack to
take care of during this afternoon. So for those who are expecting a
letter have no fear it will come....
This week was very exciting. There was a number of amazing miracles through out the district. Several different individuals simply called out to us missionaries, and asked if they could attend church and learn more about the church. I have been so impressed. there seems to be an undercurrent of individuals who are truly looking for spiritual strength as well as Honestly Questioning. Last week we knocked on the door of a neighbor who just moved in. She had met several members of the church before, and was willing to come to church. She really enjoyed the whole service including Sunday School and Relief Society. During Sacrament meeting it was a bit of a struggle to keep her three nephews under control. We found that paper and pens served as an adequate distraction. It will be really exciting to start working with her and teaching her more about the church.
There also was a young lady who we met on the street. She had just come from her friends house, and they had been talking about religion. She asked some really good questions and actually knew quite a bit about the church. The other missionaries just started teaching her, and they said that it is going really well.
As I continue to become a better missionary and a better individual it is difficult at times to keep going. I was lucky enough last week to meet with President Ellsworth during our normal interviews. It was straightforward and he gave me some really good advice. The most difficult part of this missionary work is learning how to be happy even during the hardest trials. With the gospel there isn't much reason to be un-happy, and I try not to be every day. Some days it can be a real struggle.
Regardless it is so much fun when we have special moments to share with others the joy that we have found from learning the gospel. Why else would I be here unless it had changed my life.
have a wonderful week,
Love,
Elder Will Davidson
This week was very exciting. There was a number of amazing miracles through out the district. Several different individuals simply called out to us missionaries, and asked if they could attend church and learn more about the church. I have been so impressed. there seems to be an undercurrent of individuals who are truly looking for spiritual strength as well as Honestly Questioning. Last week we knocked on the door of a neighbor who just moved in. She had met several members of the church before, and was willing to come to church. She really enjoyed the whole service including Sunday School and Relief Society. During Sacrament meeting it was a bit of a struggle to keep her three nephews under control. We found that paper and pens served as an adequate distraction. It will be really exciting to start working with her and teaching her more about the church.
There also was a young lady who we met on the street. She had just come from her friends house, and they had been talking about religion. She asked some really good questions and actually knew quite a bit about the church. The other missionaries just started teaching her, and they said that it is going really well.
As I continue to become a better missionary and a better individual it is difficult at times to keep going. I was lucky enough last week to meet with President Ellsworth during our normal interviews. It was straightforward and he gave me some really good advice. The most difficult part of this missionary work is learning how to be happy even during the hardest trials. With the gospel there isn't much reason to be un-happy, and I try not to be every day. Some days it can be a real struggle.
Regardless it is so much fun when we have special moments to share with others the joy that we have found from learning the gospel. Why else would I be here unless it had changed my life.
have a wonderful week,
Love,
Elder Will Davidson
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Freezing in Arizona
I of course know what hoar frost is. Dad has educated me fully on the subject. Speaking of weather Arizona has experienced some FREEZING temperatures. It has been in the 20's for a couple evenings and the highs during the day are usually around 42. I enjoy it, but it is still cold. In fact one of the mornings I was on an exchange and had to put my suit on over my exercise clothes along with my towel around my neck. My Zone leaders were impressed that I had dressed in proselyting clothes just for sports :).
Meanwhile we have had a wonderful week. Last Monday we taught the husband of a member, and he has a strong testimony of what we have taught. He has been attending sacrament meeting for more than a year, so he is very prepared. We are looking forward to teaching him again this evening.
We also have a baptism scheduled for this weekend with a sister who has been taught for a long time. It will be nice to see her finally make that commitment. In my old area I was informed that the husband of a member was just baptized. He hoped that I would be able to attend, and we had plans to take an investigator with us, but at the last moment she canceled, and I was unable to attend. Elder Conaway and Elder Dobbie report that the ward has "exploded". It was good to hear from my companion and know that he is doing so well. He also let me know that C was baptized just before the new year. It is so wonderful to know that things are going so well.
A short report on our preparation day activities. This Monday we acquired four laser tag guns, with attachments. It has been great fun to run around the cultural hall blasting the life out of the other players accompanied by an electronic computer voice warning you of your health.
We are really experiencing some great success in this area. It is a great new year and life is treating the whole district well.
I almost forgot. This Sunday we got to attend the Missionary preparation class in the stake. There were over 25 missionaries in the class, with several young women preparing for missions. In our little break off group I got to teach with the other future missionaries. I was impressed by the sister in the group, she is a convert of about two years, and her family wouldn't let her get baptized until she was 18. She is very prepared and I had the opportunity to practice teach as her companion, and it was humbling to see how prepared the future missionaries are. I wish I had the same things that the missionaries have now, when I came into the mission field.
Love you all,
Elder Will Davidson
Monday, January 7, 2013
Good start to the New Year
Dear Mom-
I got the package from the family and it was like Christmas all over again. I admit it was a little strange to see Elder Davidson participating in so many activities by proxy. My favorite was sledding and building the igloo. Eating breakfast with Tyson was fun as well.
All the pictures were very entertaining, and I really enjoyed seeing the Nieces and Nephews.
Anyway I was happy to receive another Penguin tie. I had passed the other one on to a young man in my old area. He was good friend and I will miss him dearly.
As far as missionary work is concerned we had a tremendous week. Two individuals have committed to be baptized. The first is a lady who has been learning about the Church for more than 7 years. She has struggled with some alcohol problems, so she hasn't been able to make that covenant. As of now she has overcome that and is ready and willing to be baptized the 19th of January. The other lady is in the young single adult ward. She has been associated with the church for a while and wrote a missionary during his whole mission. She has since learned more about the church, and is also ready to be baptized. She is afraid that her family won't be supportive, so she has yet to tell her parents that she is learning about the church. We challenged her to tell her parents so she can have their support, and let them know of her intentions to join the church. It should be an amazing month for this new year.
Speaking of celebrating the new year. We had an amazing new years day. The family that fed us made pounds of crab for us (Yumm). They even sent some home with us. It was nice to have something from the "Big Blue". Afterwards we played a game of backwards charades. It was all the girls against the guys. Most of the competition leaned in favor of the women who seem to think on the same wave length. However one round the men took a very lopsided lead. The elders came in handy when trying to act out the 10 commandments.
All in all it is a great time to be a missionary. I have lots of work left to do, and more opportunities to improve.
Speaking of improvement, the T-wreck has risen to a new height. A member offered to take the bike to a shop and have it fixed. When they opened the rear hub (which made all the noise) he was surprised at how good of a condition the whole assembly was in. The front hub and tire are another story. He pointed out that the rim had been worn to almost tin foil, and the brake pads had worn right through the tread. The member kindly donated a used rim and tread to repair the front tire. It's like knee replacements.
In other news my garment bag which had been left in my old apartment finally found it's way to me. The sad news is everything still smells like an Eagle and Child.
Glad to be in a matching suit and ready to work.
Love you all,
Elder Davidson
I got the package from the family and it was like Christmas all over again. I admit it was a little strange to see Elder Davidson participating in so many activities by proxy. My favorite was sledding and building the igloo. Eating breakfast with Tyson was fun as well.
All the pictures were very entertaining, and I really enjoyed seeing the Nieces and Nephews.
Anyway I was happy to receive another Penguin tie. I had passed the other one on to a young man in my old area. He was good friend and I will miss him dearly.
As far as missionary work is concerned we had a tremendous week. Two individuals have committed to be baptized. The first is a lady who has been learning about the Church for more than 7 years. She has struggled with some alcohol problems, so she hasn't been able to make that covenant. As of now she has overcome that and is ready and willing to be baptized the 19th of January. The other lady is in the young single adult ward. She has been associated with the church for a while and wrote a missionary during his whole mission. She has since learned more about the church, and is also ready to be baptized. She is afraid that her family won't be supportive, so she has yet to tell her parents that she is learning about the church. We challenged her to tell her parents so she can have their support, and let them know of her intentions to join the church. It should be an amazing month for this new year.
Speaking of celebrating the new year. We had an amazing new years day. The family that fed us made pounds of crab for us (Yumm). They even sent some home with us. It was nice to have something from the "Big Blue". Afterwards we played a game of backwards charades. It was all the girls against the guys. Most of the competition leaned in favor of the women who seem to think on the same wave length. However one round the men took a very lopsided lead. The elders came in handy when trying to act out the 10 commandments.
All in all it is a great time to be a missionary. I have lots of work left to do, and more opportunities to improve.
Speaking of improvement, the T-wreck has risen to a new height. A member offered to take the bike to a shop and have it fixed. When they opened the rear hub (which made all the noise) he was surprised at how good of a condition the whole assembly was in. The front hub and tire are another story. He pointed out that the rim had been worn to almost tin foil, and the brake pads had worn right through the tread. The member kindly donated a used rim and tread to repair the front tire. It's like knee replacements.
In other news my garment bag which had been left in my old apartment finally found it's way to me. The sad news is everything still smells like an Eagle and Child.
Glad to be in a matching suit and ready to work.
Love you all,
Elder Davidson
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Christmas week report
You could say that it has been a good week of really sweet experiences.
I don't know how I'm going to get a 'good' picture. I'll try my best. As for a scripture I would have to request D&C 6:36. I have always loved that scripture, and it always is a help.
This was a very interesting week, it feels like it has been a full month.
I guess I'll summarize the activities of this past week.
Monday was a good relaxing day as we spent time at our Zone Leaders house. I got stamps and a few letters while there. And it was exciting to get a new tie along with some chocolates. I opened all the packages that day before Christmas. It was actually really nice, because I didn't have to worry about finding a time to open gifts and other things. We played a good game of foosball, and the other missionaries played a lot of ping-pong. It was all going well right up until Elder Halling (yes my old companion) hit it straight into the roast pit. It was only a split second before the ball completely obliterated. I thought that was pretty cool.
Christmas day was spent at breakfast with two different families. The first was our mission family. We got bacon and pancakes, and all the fixings of a god breakfast. Then after taking some good pictures we went to the other family, where we spent our time preparing to talk to our own family. It was a fun experience, to see my whole family. I'm looking forward to seeing them again. It was a very special experience and one that won't happen again. Following the wonderful visit we played a few backyard games. One of the boys got a ladder golf set. Basically you throw golf balls tied together by a string at a PVC pipe ladder. It is pretty fun and very tricky.
The rest of the week was spent working on getting a young man ready for baptism. He has been around the church for a good 18 years. Finally he was prepared and ready to be baptized. His first choice for the person to baptize him couldn't and Elder Kirwan was sick (No surprise to anyone who knows that my companions are always getting sick). So I was the back up and got to perform the baptism. It was a sweet experience, especially during the Christmas season. I'm looking forward to a new year and a great transfer.
Love you all and a Happy New Year.
Elder Davidson
PS. My garment bag has been found. Yay I can have my ties back.
I don't know how I'm going to get a 'good' picture. I'll try my best. As for a scripture I would have to request D&C 6:36. I have always loved that scripture, and it always is a help.
This was a very interesting week, it feels like it has been a full month.
I guess I'll summarize the activities of this past week.
Monday was a good relaxing day as we spent time at our Zone Leaders house. I got stamps and a few letters while there. And it was exciting to get a new tie along with some chocolates. I opened all the packages that day before Christmas. It was actually really nice, because I didn't have to worry about finding a time to open gifts and other things. We played a good game of foosball, and the other missionaries played a lot of ping-pong. It was all going well right up until Elder Halling (yes my old companion) hit it straight into the roast pit. It was only a split second before the ball completely obliterated. I thought that was pretty cool.
Christmas day was spent at breakfast with two different families. The first was our mission family. We got bacon and pancakes, and all the fixings of a god breakfast. Then after taking some good pictures we went to the other family, where we spent our time preparing to talk to our own family. It was a fun experience, to see my whole family. I'm looking forward to seeing them again. It was a very special experience and one that won't happen again. Following the wonderful visit we played a few backyard games. One of the boys got a ladder golf set. Basically you throw golf balls tied together by a string at a PVC pipe ladder. It is pretty fun and very tricky.
The rest of the week was spent working on getting a young man ready for baptism. He has been around the church for a good 18 years. Finally he was prepared and ready to be baptized. His first choice for the person to baptize him couldn't and Elder Kirwan was sick (No surprise to anyone who knows that my companions are always getting sick). So I was the back up and got to perform the baptism. It was a sweet experience, especially during the Christmas season. I'm looking forward to a new year and a great transfer.
Love you all and a Happy New Year.
Elder Davidson
PS. My garment bag has been found. Yay I can have my ties back.
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