August 25 2014

Wow! The weeks are flying by!

The majority of our lessons this week were with two different people
Janise and then with Robert. I will share with you a little bit about
our week with them!

Janise was Baptized on August 23, 2014!! It was a great day! Janise is
only 13 years old and is now the only member in her immediate family!
She was so prepared and had such a desire to learn. She had been
taught a little off and on over the last few months. We taught and
retaught her everything the Lord wanted her to know before she was
baptized, all in this one week! Needless to say we saw her everyday
and jammed a lot into a little amount of time! It was great and a
testimony to me that every part of the gospel flows with one another!
It was truly amazing! We had each lesson in a different members home.
The support she has received from the ward is amazing! She is so
loved!

Robert is living with our ward mission leader. He came to church last
Sunday for the first time. We met with him every night this past week.
He accepted a Baptism date the first lesson we had. His sister and her
family were recently baptized a few months ago. He told us that he has
seen a huge change in their family and he wants that in his own life!
He had already started to read the Book of Mormon before we ever met
with him and had already committed to give up certain substances he
was using. He wants to be better. He grew up in a bad part of NYC and
is ready to turn a new leaf. I am so impressed with his desire to fill
a hole that he has had most of his life. I know the Lord prepared him.

The Lord is preparing many people to come into His fold! In the Craig
Ranch ward we began a 40 day fast! Some of you will remember that I
had a 40 day fast over a year ago in my first ward, Robindale. Now we
are doing it here! We started today and the fast will end just in time
for General Conference! It has already begun to shape the ward and
unify it to the cause of Hastening the Work! I am so excited to see
what miracle and blessings come of it! I know our Heavenly Father is
aware of every sacrifice we make!

I am so grateful for the Spirit. I know is promptings are for our
benefit and when we heed them we are protected and can literally see
God's hand guiding us each and every day! I had a prompting this week
that I am forever grateful that I followed. Gloria, is one of our
investigators. She is a sweet lady in her 70's. She has brought her
two granddaughters, Mia (9yrs) and Nia (8yrs) to church the past
month. She sat next to us yesterday in Sacrament Meeting. It seemed
like she was in a lot of pain. After the meeting I asked her what was
wrong. She was experiencing a lot of back pain. I felt impressed to
ask her if she would like a Priesthood Blessing. She readily agreed.
We went into a room with a couple of worthy men who help the
Priesthood, God's Power. They anointed her and gave her a blessing.
The Spirit was so strong. There was not a dry eye. She could hardly
walking into the room to receive the blessing. However, after the
blessing she walked out of the room just fine. The pain was lifted.
She felt it lift! It was amazing! I know that Heavenly Father is so
aware of her and each one of us!

I love this gospel! I know that God's Power has been restored to the
earth! That it is hear to bless and lift each and every one of us!!

Love,
Sister Davis

August 18 2014

Hello dearest family and friends!

Has it really been another week? Time is just flying by! What a whirl
wind of a week it has been!

Monday we ended our Pday 2 hours early, because we had so many
appointments! Things are so fast passed here. The highlight of our
night was meeting with Sister Mundy. She is a less active lady in our
ward. She is trying to put her life in order and come back to church.
She has so many questions about the gospel and is like a sponge. Ready
to learn  anything and everything. She told us that when she saw us a
church the past Sunday she learned something that will forever change
her life. She saw us walk in to class just smiling. She told us that
when we were smiling she realized that God smiles on her when she is
doing all she can to be close to Him. She learned that from the way we
were smiling at her. I know that we, as missionaries and even as
members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are here
to be representatives of Jesus Christ and help others feel of his
love. It is a very special privileged!

Tuesday I spent the day in the Samoan Ward here in Vegas on an
exchange with Sister Ena. These sisters cover the entire Vegas Valley!
We spent most of our time driving in the car to and from appointments.
I couldn't understand a lot of what the people were saying, but they
were all so kind and loving. I really enjoyed serving there. We met
with a kid named Edwin. He was Baptized in February but has since
stopped coming to church. We were able to help him work through some
of his concerns of coming back to church! He is a professional rugby
player and has really made an impact on others as he has taught them a
little about the church. Hopefully he will be back at church this
Sunday and every Sunday from now on!

Wednesday we had a meeting for all the Sister Training Leaders to
prepare for our Zone Conference Training  It was fun to see everyone!
However Sister Pence and I never knew about the meeting so we were
about 30 mins late and had to change some of our appointments! We met
with a lady named Angel, who requested a Book of Mormon and who is
dating a less active member of the church. She has had a very trying
life and is looking for peace and answers from learning about the
gospel! I know that as she reads the Book of Mormon she will find
that! We also met with Sister Mundy again and this time her son who is
not a member was there. He was in the other room when we got there. We
invited him to join us but he declined. However, by the end he was
asking us questions and wanted to set up a time to learn more! It was
a powerful experience!

Thursday we met with Sister Olive! She has had a lot of troubles in
her life and is working on being fully active again in the church. She
really is an amazing woman and has such great faith! I know that no
matter what we have been through or what choices we make we can all
come back and make things right! We have the Atonement of Christ for
that very reason!

Friday was my last Sister's Conference! It was so bitter-sweet! I
can't believe it was the last one. Sister Pence and I gave a training
on Obedience! We talked about all the things we choose to leave behind
to come on a mission. Then we read Matthew 4:19-20 "And he saith unto
them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they
straightway left their nets, and followed him." We compared the things
before our mission to the nets. We all had nets we left behind to
follow Christ and how we need to leave them in the past. We also
emphasized the importance of keep the commandments. 1. Love thy God 2.
Love thy neighbor as thyself 1.5 Love thyself
Everyone seemed to really enjoy it and learned a lot about what they
can do to love themselves and leave their nets behind.

Saturday was spent at the car shop getting work done on our car and
weekly planning. Not much else. Our set appointments all fell through.

Sunday we had six hours of church as usual! The best part was going to
the Why I Believe Fireside! I was able to see many people from my past
wards! It was so great to see Olivia, the Stubbs, and Gardners from
Boulder City! Lou also came and brought me a present! 2lbs of Sea's
Chocolate and a sweet card! He also told me that he took the next step
and received the Priesthood! He was so excited and so was I! He is
doing so great!

I am so grateful for the love I feel here in North Las Vegas! There is
so many great things happening in the mission and I know Heavenly
Father is truly guiding us to those who are prepared! Hope you feel is
hand guiding you as well this week! Thank you for your love and
prayers!

Love,
Sister Davis

August 11 2014

Hello! Hello!

 

So much to say and so little time! I love serving here in North Las Vegas, but it sure is NOTHING like small town Boulder City! So much traffic and diversity! There is always something going down!

 

Monday I was able to say goodbye to many of the people I have grown to love in Boulder City! It was so hard, but I know that the Lord is watching out for them!

 

Tuesday I arrived in North! We are covering two ward here and they both are not doing so hot. I know that is why I am here though, to help these areas be better for future missionaries! We had the biggest miracle as soon as Sister Pence and I left the apartment. We went to talk to this guy who was outside with his dog. A member, Sister Stevens, just happened to be talking to him and after a little bit of conversation she asked us to sing Amazing Grace to this man, Walter. We did and afterwards she said. "Sisters follow me" She took us around to the other side of the apartment complex without saying a word and then said, "There is a lady that lives here. I don't know her, but she has kids. I want you to sing I am a Child of God to them." The lady let us right in and we sang and taught the kids the song as well. They asked us to come back the next day and we taught them the Restoration! Such a cool experience!

 

Wednesday morning we had another miracle! My sister Amanda, who lives just 10 minutes from me here in North Vegas called me. She then began to tell me that when she was on FaceBook a lady posted asking if anyone on the "Air force Mommy Site" was LDS. Amanda began to email back and forth with her and found out she lives in the area where I am serving. Amanda told her that missionaries were really great and that one of them was her sister! Hopefully we will get to meet up with this lady next week and teach her! I was able to meet a few of the members and we have started to share the T-Puzzel message with them! It is really bring unity to the wards!

 

Thursday we taught a young boy who wants to be baptized. His mom is a less-active member. His dad is not interested in the church, but is totally supportive of Gary's desire to be baptized! We talked to a lot of people today. There are so many people just out on the streets- all day long! We did not see that in Boulder City!

 

Friday we stopped by to see Sister Stevensons and she took us to another lady in her apartment complex who has kids. We sang I am a Child of God to them as well and the mom told us that her youngest was asking her about God two days ago and she wants to learn more so she can teach her children! It was so awesome! We also were able to pray with two different families, whom we had met previously and they invited us back to teach them more about the gospel. Heavenly Father is just pouring blessings and miracles on us. I can't even keep tract of all of them!

 

Saturday we helped Gloria, one of our investigators, move into a new house. We had about 5 Trucks and 10 Members come to help us! It was amazing to see the wards support! She hasn't been taught much about the Gospel, but has been coming to church and loves what she hears and sees. We also had a hand off lesson with the YSA Sisters. They were teaching a girl name Talece and now we are teaching! She is 17 and has a pretty hard life, but wants to be a missionary one day! We had a so many other lessons with investigators! There are so many prepared people here! It is hard to keep track of everyone! We met with a guy named Kenny, who's wife is a member. Since I was new in the area I was able to ask all the hard, semi-awkward questions about his life and why he wasn't a member yet. It was truly inspired and he is way more interested them he has been. I am excited to be apart of helping his family become eternal!

 

Sunday was wild. We attend both wards meetings. I felt like I was a teenager again, going from Atascocita to Humble Ward meetings in one Sunday. There are so many families in these wards! I am praying I can keep all their faces and names straight! Gloria and her granddaughters came to church this week! They loved it! Mia and Mya prayed in Primary! They love coming to church!

 

It really has been a whirl wind of a week, but that is what makes life so exciting! I am grateful for this gospel! I sure love teaching people and helping them come closer to the Savior! I know the only way can be close to Him is if we are obedient and seek to know Him. I hope to continue to know Him better each day!

 

Love,

Sister Davis

August 4 2014

HELLO!

What an exciting week it has been! One that will go down in history!

It has been pretty stormy here! Monsoon season has arrived! What a blessing!

Monday we saw Lou, of course! At 3pm! Just like clockwork! He is loving church and really excited to be a missionary and shared what he is learning with others!

Tuesday we met with Tamara and had a real heart to heart about if she really did want to learn. It was completely inspired. She is committed to put forth the effort necessary to receive her own witness! We are going to meet with her every other day and call her in between days to help her stay on track! I know that this will really help her as she tries to get on her feet! She was in tears and so was the member that came with us! It was so uplifting! Later, we went over Lou's Baptismal Questions with him, along with choosing who he wanted to participate in the program. He is so excited and asked if I would speak on The Gift of the Holy Ghost! I am so excited! We had a few other visits that night! I love being here in Boulder City!

Wednesday I had Mission Leadership Council to attend, it ended up lasting until 4pm! It was so inspiring! They announced that Sister Training Leaders will be in a companionship and cover a whole zone, starting next transfer! That means, that I will be with another STL next transfer! It will be awesome! I didn't get to see Lou today, because I was at this meeting but Sister Nichols shared with me an experience he had, and I just have to share it with you!

Lou goes on a walk every morning and stops at Burger King. Before learning the Word of Wisdom he would get a cup of coffee or green tea. Since learning of the Word of Wisdom he orders a cup of hot water and brings a packet of herbal tea from home. He started doing this the past few days and he always orders from the same person. So we started a conversation with her and this is how it went...

Lou "You are probably wondering why I am ordering just hot water now, instead of my usual."

BK Girl "Yes"

Lou "Well you see, I am becoming a Mormon and that is against the Word of Wisdom"

BK Girl "I'm a Mormon too, but I haven't been for a very long time"

Lou "Really? You really should come to church. The people are so nice and they would just welcome you! We meet on 5th Street at 9:30. I am also getting baptized on Saturday at 2pm, will you come?"

BK Girl "Sure! I will try to make it! Thanks so much"

Okay it was probably a little more interesting of a conversation, but that was the cut and dry version! Pretty awesome, huh?!

We also had dinner with Brother Norris and his 12 year old daughter Helena! They took us and another member out to Pit Stop! It was sooo good! They have been coming to church each week for the past month! They are going to work on getting to the Temple to do Baptisms! I am so excited for them! They are wonderful!

Towards the end of our night we met with the Gardner's they had their less active son, Cody, and his girlfriend, Samantha, over for us to teach Sam about the Gospel! It was one of the most amazing lessons I have ever been apart of. As we taught Sam she was holding back tears. Everyone else couldn't hold it together, even her boyfriend was crying. We asked her if she would pray to know if what we shared with her tonight was true and her reply was, "I already know that this is true!" The Spirit was so strong and we sat around the kitchen table. I am grateful that the Spirit is the true teacher and can pierce our hearts when we hear truth!

Thursday we did some service in the morning. Then we went to the Shattler's and watched the Restoration DVD with them! They loved and Tiffany keeps asking her mom when she can get baptized! Tiff's dad is pretty anti, so I don't know how soon that will happen! But we keep praying for them! Later, Lou had his interview with Elder Anderson. Both Lou and Elder Anderson are talkers!!!!! So a 20 minute interview turned into 1 hour! But they came out laughing and feeling very comfortable! Lou said that his wife will be at the Baptism! We also met with Tamara, and she actually read Alma 32, the chapter we left her!!!!!!! She's never really put forth much effort, BUT SHE DID TODAY! She loved it and understood it! Now all she needs to do is pray about it! Which she committed to do! It was the highlight of our day!

Friday we had Zone Training Meeting and I gave a training on Morning Studies! I started with a cool object lesson. I had a bowl of water and poured oil in it. The oil settled on top of the water and a put drops of food coloring in it. After a little while the some of the food coloring went into the water and spread. I compared this to our Morning Studies. The oil is our personal study, the water is our companion study, and the food coloring is our revelation. We talked about how our revelation expands during comp study and some of it stays with us from personal study. It was really neat! Then we had a great discussion about experience we have had during personal and companion study that helps us to be better. I love giving trainings! It is one of my favorite parts of the mission! Then we met with Lou and talked to him more about his commitment to be Baptized. I was in tears during the lesson as we told us that he wishes he would have made the decision 10, 20, 30 years ago. But no one ever invited him. He was surrounded by members at work and no one, not one person ever invited him to learn about the gospel. He was in tears as well. But then he said, "I know that this is my time. I need my Sister Davis to knock on my door." I know without a shadow of a doubt that I was sent here to Boulder City for Lou! After everything that has happened here, after having two companions leave, being in trios, and having so many personal trials, I know that it was all worth it and that it helped me be in a place where I could teach Lou. He is why I came on my mission. There have been so many amazing people that I have been touched by. But I know that Lou needed me and I needed him.

Saturday was the big day! Lou came to the church and so did his wife, Anne. This was the first time I met her and I just love her. She has such a sweet heart and Spirit. Lou was so excited and nervous. Sister Graff spoke on Baptism and then I spoke on the Holy Ghost. I compared the Spirit to the wind and how sometimes we have strong promptings or just breeze like promptings. I gave him a jar that had a quote on it that says, "There is no price too high, no struggle too severe, no sacrifice too great, if out of it all we receive and enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost." On the front I wrote, "Collections of Spiritual Promptings" and invited him to write them down and keep them in a jar as a journal! It was so great! After Lou was Baptized he shared his testimony and his feelings of the Gospel it was so powerful! He will be a great instrument in the Lord's hands! About 30 mins after the Baptism we found out about transfers! I am being transferred to North Las Vegas! I will be serving in two wards, the Craig Ranch and Mountain Shadows ward. Sister Pence, who came out with me, and I will be companions! We will be the STLs over the North Zone!  I am excited, but so sad! I went to Lou's home to tell him the news. It totally blindsided him. He just kept saying, "Oh no, Oh no, Oh no...." It was so sad. We visited a little bit and then he offered a prayer before we left. I felt as though Lou was giving me a blessing. It was the most powerful prayer! I went around to say some more goodbyes, but saying goodbye to Lou was the hardest!

Sunday Lou received The Gift of the Holy Ghost! It was wonderful! I bore my testimony along with several other members, that brought me to tears! This is going to be a hard move! I have grown to love it hear with all my heart, but I know the Lord has great things in store for me. I am going to be serving in a place that needs me and that I need. I visited a few more families later at night. It is so hard to say goodbye, so I choose to just say see ya later!

I love this gospel! I love that I can meet so many people and that they are all my brothers and sisters. This is the best decision I have ever made. I would not trade anything for my mission. This is where the Lord needs me and I need Him here.

Love,

Sister Davis