July 9th, 2012

 

Hola Todos!

Well this week reading emails was emotional on many fronts!

First off,

CONGRATS ELDER DAKOTA DAVIS!!!!! THE HMONG PEOPLE OF FRESNO CALIFORNIA ARE GOING TO LOVE YOU!!!! GOOD LUCK LEARNING HMONG! I KNOW YOU ARE GOING TO BE AN AMAZING MISSIONARY AND THE LORD HAS MANY GREAT THINGS IN STORE FOR YOU!!!

Secondly, i would like you Dad to keep me the most updated on Grandpas situations! I will fast for him and keep him in each and every one of my prayers! Docotrs say terminal cancer and i say... for with God nothing shall be impossible unto you!... This is going to be a rough week for me concentrating in this work while this is going on back home, but i know that this is part of the lords plan for Grandpa and i am with him forever!


Many things have happened this week and i have learned so much from all the experiences i have had. First off we met our new Mission President, President Rowely and Hermana Rowley tuesday. They are great! although they are still learning spanish and getting used to the mission you can feel their immense spirit and we all know he has been given the keys to carry out the work in this part of the world! we will move forward, nobly and boldly with a firm faith in Chirst knowing we are behind our preisthood leaders!

I hope you all had a great independance day! my comp and i threw together a few videos that i hope made it out to all of you celebrating the 4th here in Piura! haha just another day in the mission feild!

Well we had a great baptism this week of our great friend Rosggy! he is cousins with the family that we live with. The family we live with is super catholic and although they treat us like sons, want nothing to do with the church! and havent for the 3 years missionaries have lived here! He although did listen and has pasted for many set of missionaries! He was never really sure about the church and when he left with his friends we were worried that he would fall away.... He began to read the book of mormon and we invited him to really read it. In his baptisms ( he was baptised by one of my best friends in the mission Elder Frame) he gave a powerful testimony of how he came to know the book of mormon and the church was true! he is older than 18 and solo made the decision to be baptised although his family doesnt support him and the family we live with can not know! haha he is going to be a great future missionary! i love this kid!!!!

Something i learned this week that really hit me was taught to me by one of our old investigatores that we had not visited in over a month! Rosa Jara is a 21 year old who when we met her had recently given birth with her boyfriend.... she lost the baby 28 days after he was born due to complications and she was destroyed, she would not accept us anymore, wasnt eating, wasnt sleeping, she was in great depression! We visited everyday and everyday she turned us away! This week we had an appointment fall through close to her house and we stopped to pray to find direction as to where we should go, we both felt to visit her and she accepted us right away! she is doing great and has said that the book of mormon and the pamphlet of the plan of salvation that we left with her is helpping so much! at the end of the lesson we invited her to pray, she did so and in her prayer is when i learned a great lesson! She thanked God for having had such a trail in her life, because she knew that it was to make her grow stronger and she thanked god for her progress! it made me stop and think about how strong she was to thank god for this!!!! thats crazy!!!! what love for her father in heaven! i have never thanked god for my trails i usually am upset about having them! i deceided to take a turn and change the way i think about trails and hard times in my life! i thought about ether 12 27 when the lord says he shows us our weaknesses to make them strengths unto us! i am truely thankful for all my trails now and i know it is because the lord wants me to progress and grow!


Last night we were asked by a less active family that i have never met before to give an urgent blessing of health.... we entered their house late last night before going home and found Brother Thomas Ruiz, he is an 83 year old brother who is failing of health, his family begged is to give him a blessing and my companion wanted to give the blessing and i was then asked to preform the uncion.... i placed my hands on his head and anointed his head with consegrated oil, as soon as i put my hands on his head i felt the lord tell me that it was his time to come home..... i was shocked!!!! i didnt know what to say or what to do!!! i paused and was silent for a while! i finished and then it was my companions turn to give the blessing. He gave the blessing and in part stopped for a good minute or so, we were waiting for him to say something and i looked over and found him looking at me...... he finished the blessing and we made a return appointment for tuesday to see how he is doing...
we left the home of the family and just looked at each other.... we rounded the corner and just stopped without saying anything to one another.... Like me my comp had heard the voice of the father calling brother thomas home, when he paused in the blessing he told me he was told to tell brother thomas that his father in heaven was calling him home.... i told him that i felt the same way and we were astonished that we both received this angelic manifestation! we kept borhter thomas in our prayers and are thinking about him constantly....we are not sure if he has gone to the other side, but we both felt last night that it was his time to return to the father..... we will see what is to happen with Brother Thomas, although he is is still fighting, it is only part of the lords plan of happiness, and thats how we should look at it, with happiness!!!! he is only to go to a better place to be greated by our savior and father in heaven!

well i love you all and hope to hear from you all this next week!










 

a 4th of July Message from Elder Davis

July 2, 2012

Hola Como Estan Todos!

Well this has been a rather uneventful week for us and its nice to take a bit of a break from all the drama and crazy experiences and just work work work!

My companion and i are together 7 more weeks and we are just fine with that! out of all my companions he is probably my favorite! we get along great and work well together! we are always joking around but teach so strongly with the spirit! i feel like we have great unity and thats what makes a companionship so strong..

We have a new mission president! We had the farewell of President Chipman this tuesday and got to take some pictures with him and sister chipman and i sent them to you! it was good to see how influencial he has been in so many young people lives here! missionaries and members and investigators alike! i hope all is well with him and will keep him in my thoughts and prayers!!!!

A funny story for this week, we were in zone meetings this week and they are starting a new thing taht each companionship makes a goal for how many baptisms they are going to have in the transfer... this was how the numbers went.... 2,3,2,2,2,3 and then it came to my companion and i....6!!!! haha they all thought we were crazy and my comp and i just laughed knowing that it is very possible to do! They asked us if we were serious and if we wanted to change our minds we just laughed and said oh ye of little faith!!!! my companion and i have deceided we are going to baptise 6 people or a family of 6 this transfer and are wokring harder than ever to do so! we know that if we put in our part and wokr hard and are obedient the lord will provide a way for us! we will see!!!!!

another great thing is that my pld President, President Chipman organized a mission reunion in salt lake for all the Returned missionaries from this mission and thier friends and family and all those who are currently serving, well thier friends and families too! so you are all invited to go and meet him and hear all about the mission!

july 14th
6:30 pm
yelcrest ward
1035 south 18th east
salt lake city!

hope you all have fun if you go! tell papi chipman i love him and miss him!

well i havent yet met President Rowely but i imagine he is a really good guy and going well to guide this mission in the direction the lord would have us go! so with time i am sure i will come to know him!

we went to a PERUVIAN KFC today with a bunch of my buddies! it was the first time i have had fast food in such a long time! and the greatest part about it was i didnt have to eat rice for once! haleluah!!!! haha i sent you all some pictures about that too! so i hope you enjoy them....

My comp and i are making plans so that i can come back to chiclayo with him when i return from the mission to visit and we are going to go visit our areas and go to the beaches and go dancing! haha gonna be fun!!!! well if i ever get the money to do sed activity! haha

well i love you all and i think thats about all i have for you this week!

love you lots!

June 25th, 2012

Hola Como Estan Todos?!

Howdy everyone! well this week has been full of lots of exciting things and some others haha

Well My companion and i had an interesting week working with a few of the Rumors that are still going around about us, they are so very frustrating as a missionary! People are always judging you trying to find the bad and not seeing all the good that we are doing! We have had a week full of confrentations with a few members in the ward who are trying to destroy our desire to work here in the area. We know that we are not and have not done anything wrong and will keep working hard to advance the work here. Unfortunatly Satan has his many ways to combate the work and this time it is with rumors and bad taking the missionaries.

We had Transfers today and seeing that there hasnt been a missionary here in the area that has stayed longer than 3 transfers i was bags packed all ready for the new, waiting to go to an area where i could work hard from morning till night and see some results.... like all good comedy God knows better than to let me off the hook that easily and deceided i needed to learn something else here in Micaela BAstidas! thats right my comp and i are staying in our same area for 7 more weeks! we are done training and yet are staying together! i dont mind that i am going to be with Elder Arboleda for another 7 weeks we get along great!!! and we have never had anything close to a problem, but it is going to be a challenge staying in the area, i love the people and i love the members, we just need to keep pressing on with faith and hard work and i am sure everything will all work out!

Another fun thing that happened this week was that i was asked by president to be translater for a group of opthamologists who were going to be in town doing a free clinic for 2 days here in piura, since they are from utah and dont speak spanish they asked the mormon missionaries to get the job done! it was amazing being a translator!!!! i loved every single second of it! I met a lot of great people! Suprising to me i met a group or family named the Crittles, Richard and yoan crittle they are from cache valley utah!!! woot woot! go logan! i also met another young man they is 17 from logan that went to logan high school he was a service volunteer and we became good friends over the 2 days that we were there! his name is Jacob Hogan and i got all his information so that when i return we can hang out! I also met another great guy named Chris who is actually from day break utah and lives within minutes from my house and knows where i live too! cool huh! it was a fun few days translating and learning how to run all the equiptment and doing a bunch of eye exams! it was a great opportunity for me to learn more about one of the feilds i am thinking about persuing! (opthomolagy) which is just an eye surgeon!

I have been reading a lot and memorizing my patriarichal blessing and it talks a lot about my professional service and what it is that i should do with my life, i have been praying and pondering a lot about waht i would like to do with my life and as of so far 3 things really come to mind as things i would like to do or one of which i mean.. they are as followed but in no particular order...

firstly, this experiencde translating for all these doctors has been a great chance for me to learn all about eyes and being an eye doctor thats great because thats always been something that i was interested in and it is a very good job...

secondly i have been thinking in somehting new, being here in Peru i see sooooo much potential for international business and exportation! there is so much that can be done here to make a profit and also benifit the lives of so many poeple! i am finding new ways each and every day that i can find a way to use international business here...

Thirdly, and right now it is what i am leading most to is...... Neurosurgury!!! haha i know it sounds crazy but there is something that facinates me about the human brain and i have been thinking and praying alot about what would be a good job and i always come back to thinking about becoming a neurosurgeon! It takes a lot of studying and a lot of dedication but it also is a great job pays very well and i get to do something amazing, well if i deceide to do it and that would be saving lives! i dont know yet there are still so many possibilities that i could do i am just favoring that one for right now! we will see how things turn out in the future!!!

well this week the 29th Presidnet Rowely is coming into town and the 30th president chipman leaves with his wife and they finish their missions! it is so crazy to have a chane in mission presidnets! but i know that president Rowley has been called of God and will do great things here in the mission over the next 3 years! Tomrrow is the farewell for Preswident Chipman and its going to be a sad experience but its also going to be great to see how things change in the mission!

I will let you all know more about that change this next week when it really happens!

If you would like there is a song here that is actually evangelica but its has a good message about religion and things like that, you can try to find it! i love it personally... its called.. Aqui estoy yo by Jesus Adrain Romero

well i will write you all later in the afternoon and reply to your personal emails right now we have to go to meet with some members!

i love you all and hope to hear from you very soon!

June 18, 2012

Hello Everyone,

this is going to be a short letter we dont have time today for internet, sorry.

Things are going great we are working hard and this next week is transfers so i will let you all know about it the next week.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! to all you fathers out there i love you so much dad and you are the greatest! i am truely sorry for all that i put you through and i did to seperate and destroy the family. i didnt understand how truely painful it was to you all...

We had a great activity friday and we sang and played the peruvian flute in front of 500 people! legit i know! haha i was a bit nervous but it all worked out!

well thats all i have for you i am sorry so short i am fine!

love you all

 

 

June 11, 2012

Hello Everyone,


first off....

CONGRATS ON THE WEDDING ZACH AND KELSEY!!! I LOVE YOU BOTH TO DEATH AND WISH YOU ALL THE BEST!!!!

Well i can not beleive it but my oldest brother finally tied the knot! And i must give a lot of credit to my new sister in law Kelsey who vowed to put up with him for time and all eternity! Heaven knows that aint to easy task! haha just kidding! i love you both so much and wish i could have been there, but there are other things i am currently doing that are some what of importantce as well. I know that you both will make an amazing couple and will be blessed with many happy and wonderful years! Saturday was a day full of reflection for me here in the mission, knowing that thousands of miles away that this wedding was taking place and that i am here. I congratulate you will all my heart and wish you all the best in the years to come, let they be long and joyful. here is a poem that i like that i shared a while ago but i thought it applied in this case as well... always remember these words and you will never have a bad day.

What is Love?

Love is always paciente and kind,
it is never jealous.
Love is never boastful nor conseded,
it is never rude or selfish.
Love does not take offense and is never resentful,
Love takes no pleasure in other peoples sins,
but delights in the truth.
It is always ready to Excuse, to Trust, and to Endure....whatever comes.
TRUE LOVE NEVER ENDS!

1 corinthians 13: 4-8

Again i wanted to tell you that i love you both and wish you all the best! Kelsey welcome to the family sis and i look forward to meeting you here in about 14 months! All i can hope for you now is that you make me an Uncle!!!!!!! hahahahaha get on it!

Well Friday we had a rough day, we met with a young man named Alexis Montero Coico who has been investigating the church for more than a year now. He has attended church more than we can count and still he is hesitant to be baptised. We have worked and worked and worked at helpping him recognize an answer to his prayers but to no avail. This friday was the do or die lesson with Alexis, there comes a time in the relationship with an investigator where you have to make the painful decision to focus your time else where if they arent progressing in the gospel. Firday we met with Alexis and finally got the root of his problem, he didnt understand fully the book of mormon and had not yet gained a testimony of its teachings! We spent a long time with him answering his questions and reading different passages with him to help more fully explain what it is that the book of mormon is and what it teaches us. At the end of it all we told him that we would give him a second to ponder what it is that he had read and understood from us and then to kneel down and offer up a prayer to our heavenly father to ask to know if it is true. He did so and i felt the spirit so so strongly that i was sure he had received his answer! when he finally spoke he told us that he didnt feel anything and he didnt think the church was true! i was shocked!!!! i didnt know what to do! i was sure he was going to receive an answer! we couldnt have done anymore. and with a broken heart and so much pain we had to let him know that he would need to continue his search without us, until he felt ready to really search honestly to know if it was true.....we pray for him everyday.

This week didnt end on a sour note though, we had the amazing baptism of a young man named Isaac Leonardo Garcia TImana! he is a young man who has been attending church for a few months! he was always very excited about the gospel and progressing very well. The problem with this situation was that his mother was a less active and was not interested yet in returning to the church! We worked and worked and worked with the family to try our best to rebuild the excitment they have for the gospel. It was an interesting experience because his aunt who is also less active but lives in the same house is deaf and mute, so i learned a bit of spanish sign language to communicate with her! its super fun! Yesterday we had the service of Isaac and it was the first time his mother has attended church in years! she bursted into tears and bore a powerful testimony during his baptism! not only are we being blessed with a baptism but we are also reactivating an entire family! it feels really good.

We are still working with a few of the nasty rumors that are going on about us, but we know that we arent doing anything wrong and we are working hard to prove that to one and all, but at the end of the day it doesnt matter to me, because i know my lord and savior is proud of me! I didnt ahve a run in with the president of the young womens organization the other day, we were speaking with her councilor in church and she came up and tried to tell us that we werent allowed to counsil with here organization without her, then she got angry because i ignored that comment and told me i was welcome to leave. and then promptly esscorted us out of the room in church.... you would be very happy to know that i kept my tounge and didnt say a single rude word! in fact i apologized for causing hard feelings and expressed that it wasnt my intention to do so. i think she felt a little dumb because she didnt know how to respond to that. But at least i can say i didnt react badly.... PROVERBS 13:29 and PROVERBS 21:23! thanks to these 2 scriptures! woot woot!

WEll another fun thing happened this week, President is having a going away partyish thing because he is finishing his mission the 26th of this month! We invited the 3 stakes that make up all of Piura! He asked me and 4 other elders to sing a special musical number in front of EVERYONE!!!! i am super nervous! haha i dont sing!!!! but i am very excited knowing the lord will provide and i hope it will be spiritually edifying! who knows... it is this friday at 7!! yikes!

well i think thats all that i ahve for you for the week if i have anything new to tell you i will write it down for the next week!

i am off to singing practice right now but will finish my internet time in the afternoon so if you want to send a response i will try and get a quick letter out to you in the afternoon!

i love you all and miss you all!

pictures from 6-4-2012