October 6 2014

Hello my dearest family and friends!
What a jam packed week it has been!

Last Monday we met with a lady named Leeann. I had originally met her
on exchanges and she set up to have us come back and say a prayer with
her and her family. Before we prayed we were able to get to know her a
little bit and we soon learned that she has been battling cancer for
the last 4 years. She found out when she was pregnant with her
youngest and as a result he was born with a few handicaps. She asked
us why God would let these bad things happen to her. We prayed with
them and the Spirit was so strong! She could feel Heavenly Father's
love for her and asked if we could come back and teach her family. She
told us that her 8 year old daughter use to got to church with their
neighbor and how much she loved it! We are really excited to see the
miracles that take place in this families life!

Tuesday I was with Sister Paris, from the MTC, all day! We were on
exchanges and I was in the YSA ward here in North. I miss teaching in
the YSA wards! There is something that is so unique and special about
working with people your own age. I can literally see the paths they
could take in their life and the potential they have if they will just
accept and live the Gospel. I want more than ever to help my brothers
and sisters feel the Spirit and the love that our Savior, Jesus Christ
has for them.

Wednesday we had Mission Leadership Council! It is always fun to see
all my friends that are serving in different parts of our mission! We
had the special privilege and treat to have a sneak peek preview of
Meet The Mormons! It was absolutely amazing! It is not a "come join
our church" movie. It is truly about six ordinary people with
extraordinary stories. I want to personally invite every single one of
you to go see this movie on opening weekend. How well Meet The Mormons
does in the box office on October 10th and 11th will determine how
long it stays in theaters and if it is able to later be on Netflix and
Amazon. Elder Holland said of the Meet The Mormons release, "This is a
very bold move on behalf of the Church. This has never been done
before. We are asking you to step out boldly with us!" I love that!
Share and Experience! Invite everyone! It begins on the streets of New
York and takes you all across the world with these people experience!

Thursday we had our Zone Training Meeting! Sister Swerdfeger trained
on Being Consecrated and I gave a training on Patience. My training
was very simple, but from the comments that were made both during and
afterwards I know it had a great impact. We read about Patience in
Preach My Gospel sentence by sentence and discussed each one. Then I
shared this poem at the end and asked them to think about how they
could be more Patient.

patience

He’s Been There Before

The alarm rings at 6:30; I stumble to my feet,
Grab my companion’s bedding, and pull off his sheet.
A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise?
It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes.

The morning activities follow – with study, prayer, and such.
When it’s time to leave the apartment, you feel you haven’t done too much.
“We have a super day planned,” my companion says with a grin.
I lowly utter a faithless breath, “Yeah, if anyone lets us in.”

With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street,
Prepared to face another day of scorching winds and heat.
It’s 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through;
My companion and I are riding home, not accomplishing what we thought to do.

We ride up to get the mail, hoping to receive a lot
Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate “air box”.
We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete.
The only thing to show for our work; a case of blistery feet.

It’s past 10:30 p.m., my companion is fast asleep.
Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep.
In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray;
I need to talk to Father, but I’m not sure what to say.

“Oh, Father”, I begin, “what happened to us today?
I thought we’d teach somebody, but everyone was away.
My hands, my aching hands – worn, hurt, and beat;
If our area was any smaller, we’d have tracted every street.”

“Why on missions are the days all so much alike?
The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike.
Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me.
I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes. It’s very hard to see.”

“Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn’t you protection enough?
People always laugh at me and call me stupid stuff.
Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack.
I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back.”

“And what about my family? They don’t have much to say.
I’m sick of not hearing from home, day after day after day.
My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me?
The way he rides his bicycle, I don’t think he can see.”

“Oh, Father, why am I here, am I just wasting time?
Sometimes I want to go home, I’m sorry that’s on my mind.
Now you have it, I can’t go on, I don’t know what to do;
That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for you.”

My prayer now finished, I get up and jump right into bed.
I need my rest for tomorrow; we have another long day ahead.
Sleep starts to overtake me, I almost drift away,
Then it seems a vision takes me to another time and another day.
maat gma
My companion let out a grumble, “It’s 6:30 already? No way!”
I’m standing alone on a hill, the view is very nice;
A man walks towards me and says, “My name is Jesus Christ.”
Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet.
“Arise,” he states,” follow me to the shade – you and I need to speak.”

My attention’s towards my Savior, total and complete.
He says, “Your mission is similar of what happened to me,
I understand how you feel, I know what you’re going through;
In fact, it would be fair to say I felt the same as you.”

“I even know how you felt when no one listened to you.
At times I felt not quite sure what else that I could do.
I know you don’t like to bike, for you a car would be sweet;
Just remember the donkey I rode wasn’t equipped with 21 speeds.”

“I understand you don’t like sweating. In fact, it’s something you hate;
When I sweat blood from every pore, oh the agony was great!
I see you don’t like your companion – you’d rather have someone else;
I remember my companion Judas, he sold my life for wealth.”

“It’s hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you,
Much like when they put thorns on my head and called me Kingof the Jews.
So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack;
I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back.”

“Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day,
I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way.
It’s hard not to hear from home when your family’s not there to see;
I lost communication on the cross and cried, ‘Father, why hast thou
forsaken me?’”

“We have a lot in common, but there’s a difference between us you see,
I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me.”
He embraced me with His arms, His light filled me with His love.
With tears in my eyes I watched as He ascended back to the father above.

I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head.
Listening, I heard the alarm, and realized I was in my bed.
My companion let out a grumble, “It’s 6:30 already? No way!”
I sat up and said, “Come on, I’ll even carry your scriptures today.”

No matter what we go through, when we feel we can’t take more,
Just stop and think about Jesus Christ. He's waiting at the door.

Anyone who has served or is currently serving a mission can relate to
the feelings of that young missionary in the poem. I am so grateful
for our Savior who know exactly how we feel. I also was asked to bare
my testimony for the last time to my zone. It is such a strange
feeling, but I'm truly grateful for that opportunity.

Friday we had a few lessons and actually over booked so we didn't have
time for dinner, thankful the Endsley's, who were our last appointment
ordered Chinese food to share with us! I am grateful for the little
things. There are tender mercies all around us!

Saturday and Sunday we had General Conference! It was such a blessing
to hear the words of the Prophet, Apostles and other General
Authorities. I know that they are truly called of God. They speak the
words that Christ would have us hear. I wish I had time to share with
you all the things I learned and loved. I think the most important
things I can share with you is that I know with out a doubt that
Thomas Spencer Monson is God's Prophet here on the earth. There is no
reason God would not send us a prophet today. We need him more than
ever. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father. I know that He
wants to help us and has given us the tools to return to live with him
again.

Two things to take away from my email:

1. Go watch Meet The Mormons on Oct 10th and 11th and after those dates as well.
-INVITE EVERYONE!!!!!
2. Go to LDS.org and listen and read the Conference Addresses if you
didn't have the opportunity to watch them.


Love,
Sister Davis