Hello!
BOULDER CITY! I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a small town.. I am learning very quickly what it is like! Everyone here knows everyone! And they don't just know everyone they are related to everyone! It is really confusing! But I am starting to catch on!
I have officially come to the realization and understand that Heavenly Father places me in areas that are full of weeds and that are struggling to stay alive. I am here to prune the garden, nurture the tree and prepare it for someone else to harvest. That is a hard thing to accept, but I am grateful that my Savior and Father trust me enough to be on my knees and build an area up! I know that He has prepared me each and every time to have the tools I need to grow my faith and to build each area that I serve in!
Black Canyon is known as the smallest ward in the United States of America! The only reason it is not a branch is because there are too many men holding the priesthood. They call our ward "Newly Wed or Nearly Dead!" Because that is all that it consists of! Crazy! It is so different then anything I have ever seen! The streets here our "Avenue A" through "Avenue K" and "5th Street" to "9th Street". They also have streets named.. "Georgia" "New Mexico" California" and Utah" So weird!
When I came to this area they had two investigators, no member support, no ward mission leader, no organization, no nothin! It was really overwhelming my first day! But the Lord is truly blessing us and miracles are happening left and right!
Last Monday was my last night in Quail Ridge! I was able to say goodbye to a few people that I have grown to love so much! Sister Tucker and I also taught some really crucial lesson together before I left. We taught Maddie and Dustin the Law of Chastity and explained that in order for Dustin to be baptized they either have to have separate places or get married. We explained that they would need to Repent for this mistake that they made. Sister Tucker called me later this past week and told me that they have decided to get married! I am SO happy for them!! Later on the same night we taught Chermayne the Word of Wisdom! She accepted it full heartily and is so excited to continue to learn and be baptized! Sister Tucker also told me later this week that Chermaybe will be getting Baptized this Saturday March 1st at 11am! You are all invited to come!! 411 Valle Verde! I am so stocked for her!
Tuesday I didn't meet up with Sister Area until about 3pm. So I was able to say a few more goodbyes and make the hand off of Quail Ridge to Sister Pantoja who is now serving there. Man goodbyes as a missionary are so hard!! Boulder City is about 30 mins away from my last area, plus with traffic it takes a little longer. I got all moved in sorta! It was so hard to leave and to realize I was coming to an area that had nothing. But I took it as a project that Heavenly Father was giving me. And we all know how much I LOVE projects!
Wednesday I really tried to hit the ground running! There were lots of ideas that had been establish here that are not in line with my missionary standards or the standards of the mission as a whole. It is taking sometime to repair and train the members that we will not be spending an hour at their house at a time just visiting! I was able to meet quite a few members. We also taught a lady named Wanda. She is 88 years old, kinda stuck in her way, but open to having us teach her! Miracles! We found a new investigator! Later we had dinner with the Toblers! Greatest Family! They have 3 boys, one on a mission. They are so loving and fun!! Later Sister Area and I were asked to give a training on "How to Prepare for a Mission!" to the youth in another ward. The other missionaries here in Boulder City gave other trainings and we had a rotation, four for 15 min each! It was so great! We really taught pretty well together. It was a lot of fun!
Thursday was a full day! We were able to do some service for a lady in our ward who need help painting her window frames! I miss painting! It was really therapeutic! Later I met an investigator named Emily, she is 12 years old and her dad is less active. We read the intro of the Book of Mormon with her! She loved it and expressed how much fun she has just randomly opening up the scriptures and reading different verses! She says she really is able to apply what she reads to her own life! We also had a lesson with a 13 year old girl, named Caitlyn. Her mom is less active and she was taught by Elders before. However things got kinda weird, because she started crushing on the Elders so they switched her to us. We watched Finding Faith in Christ with her and her mom. They enjoyed it and we are planning to meet with them this week. I met the Bishop tonight. His name is Bishop Taggard! He moved into the ward in October and was called to be the Bishop in November! Crazy! They are a really sweet family! His two focuses are Missionary Work and the Youth! I am really excited to work with him!
Friday we had District Meeting! It was great to get to know my new district! It was a great training and we all went out to eat at A&W afterwards - So Fun! I met a couple named Joe and Teresa, whom the Sisters had taught about a month ago. They mostly want to teach us.. so it isn't that great, but we invited to come to fast and testimony meeting in March so we will see how they like that! Later on we were walking to visit our new investigator Wanda when we met Brother Swoope.. apparently he is a member of the church but hasn't been since he was a young man, he's 68 now. He was smoking on his porch and we visited with him for a moment. He told us that in the past year his wife, mother, and then girl friend all died. He expressed is sadness and anger. He said we could come back by to see him anytime he was out in his yard. I have truly seen and recognized that everyone has such huge trails and I am so grateful for the ones I have. I know, however, that the gospel can heal all of our wounds. He told us that he thinks he needs counseling. I testified that the Book of Mormon is the best counseling! We invited him to start reading the first chapter! I am so excited to see him again! We met with Wanda afterwards and Sister Area was so enthusiastic as we shared the Book of Mormon with her! She is excited to read it! We saw Emily again tonight. Her dad sat in and it was a pretty rough lesson. She has a lot of anger towards her family and it definitely showed as her dad made comments regarding the scriptures and her desire to be baptized. We really aren't sure what her main concern is, but we hope to find that out soon. We had such a miracle this evening! Mikalina has been attending another ward, but has never learned about the church. Her mom is starting got show interest so we are making a transition to our ward. We taught Mikalina who is 10 years old and her mom about the Restoration. They really loved it! Mikalina wants to be baptized and serve a mission like us! She says that this is the only church she has been to that actually makes sense. Her mom wants her to wait to be baptized so that she knows she is doing it for the right reasons! After our lesson with them we went down their street to see the Slacks, who just happen to know Tamara and Mikalina pretty well. We invited them to take them to church on Sunday and work on fellow shipping them more! Blessings!
Saturday the Elders were having a Baptism and we invited Mikalina to come and see what it was like! She loved it!! We gave her a church tour afterwards and was so excited to come to church with us on Sunday!! She is so precious! She already is beginning to read the Book of Mormon! We also met with an older man named Starr. He is less active, and has a lot of doubts. We taught him the Restoration and we were really able to help understand a few things! I really love the quote by President Dieter F. Uchdoft "Doubt your doubts, before you doubt your Faith!" We are hoping to help him pray and talk with Heavenly Father about some of these troubles he has. We had weekly planning today and we were able to organize a lot of our area.. It was such a blessing! I feel so much better now that we have a plan for our area!
Sunday we went to Ward Council.. It was great to meet more people in our ward, but honestly there are so many old people, they all look alike! That is why I love referring to everyone as Brother or Sister! You can never go wrong with that! Mikalina and Emily came to church and loved it! Gwynn Miller, a young women in our ward brought her friend Audry with her! Audry wants to be baptized and learn about the church!! We are meeting with her tonight! A new ward mission leader was called today! Brother Stubbs! (not to be confused with the three other Brother Stubbs who are also in our ward... I told you... Everyone is related) Brother Stubbs is awesome! He is a real get it done type of guy! We are so excited! We had a ward correlation meeting with him tonight with our 3 other ward missionaries! Yes there is only 3... our ward is so small! We are so excited for the work to pick up with his support! The Sisters hadn't had a correlation meeting in three months prior to tonight! This really is a blessing and a miracle for us! We met with Emily today and we went for a walk. She opened up to us and told us about things that have gone on in her past that she has never shared with anyone before. She has been through a physical and emotional roller coaster in her short 12 years. Nothing is stable in her life, but change and heartache! It breaks my hear!
Over all though, I am excited for this project that is in front of me! Sister Area is a great support! She is from Kentucky and has been out on her mission for 4 and half months! She has a great Spirit about her and we both have a lot of motivation to get things done!
I hope you all have a wonderful week! You are in my thoughts and prayers! I love you so much! Keep smiling! Remember when life gets to hard to stand KNEEL!
Love,
Sister Davis
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