WARNING: This is not an April Fool's Joke and no you did not read this email wrong. This is really what is happening to me.
Howdy! I am sure you all want to know what crazy things are happening here in Boulder City! Well let's get right to it...
Monday Sister Barth had to have a Hida Scan. It is a special scan to see if her Gallbladder is working properly. It took about 3 hours and so yet again I spent my Pday in the Hospital. About an hour later the Doctor texted us the results. Her Gallbladder was completely normal and perfect. This was good and bad news. Good because no one wants a faulty Gallbladder! Bad because now we still don't know what is wrong with her. She has in more pain Monday night then she ever had been. After talking to the medical advisor and Sister Neider, our mission presidents wife, we came to the conclusion that there was nothing more the mission could do to help her...
Tuesday morning we received a call from the mission president and yet again I had to drive my companion to the airport. Exactly a month apart from each other. Sister Barth did not want to go and it was so hard to see her in tears. We packed her things and we were on our way. I have not heard from her, so I don't know if she has found answers yet. I am again staying with the other sisters here in Boulder City, Sister Hope and Sister Eagar. I will be with them until the end of the transfer which is June 23rd. This is a long stay and I am having members come out with me all the time! I am pretty shocked that this has happened TWICE! And in such a short amount of time! I am not sure what the Lord is trying to teach me.. But I have learned many life lessons recently! I am grateful that Heavenly Father is teaching me so many things and that He has trusted me to take care of two of His physically ill daughters.
Wednesday I was in a meeting for most of the day. It is called Mission Leadership Council. It is made up of the Sister Trainer Leaders, the Zone Leaders, the APs, and the Mission Presidency. It was pretty neat to be apart of! It was held at the Mission Office, which is in my first area. Sister Berger was there and we both bought Carlos, our convert from November, his own scriptures! We wrote our testimony in it and he came up to the church during lunch for us to give it to him! He was so excited! He just lit up! I just love him tons!!!! I spent most of the night with the other BC Sisters. I am just so grateful for them!!
Thursday we had Zone Conference! And I was asked to give a training on teaching our members the message of the Restoration and the "Willing & Brief Invitation"! It was great! I shared this quote with the missionaries,
"We properly pray for the safety and success of the full-time missionaries throughout the world. And a common element in many of our prayers is a request that the missionaries will be led to individuals and families who are prepared to receive the message of the Restoration. But ultimately it is my responsibility and your responsibility to find people for the missionaries to teach. Missionaries are full-time teachers; you and I are full-time finders. And you and I as lifelong missionaries should not be praying for the full-time missionaries to do our work! If you and I would truly pray and ask in faith, as did Joseph Smith—if we would pray with the expectation to act and not just to express—then the work of proclaiming the gospel would move forward in a remarkable way."
It's my favorite!!! Anyways, and then I role played for them how to do the L1/W&B message! It was amazing! Then all 40 of the missionaries role played together! I got to walk around and hear them role play and give feedback! The Spirit was so strong! Our mission is amazing!! EVERYONE LOVED IT! Later that day I met with Caitlyn and shared a scripture with her! She has been listening to the scriptures as she gets ready and she recognizes the difference in her day! Such a blessing!! The other BC sisters had dinner with one of their members, but I had dinner with a lady in my ward, Sister Harber, whom I just adore! She is amazing! It was so good to visit with her and she helped me feel better about the stressful situation I am in right now. I also was able to have a member with me, visit the Lopan's, who are my adopted grandparents and go to ward coordination meeting! It was a good day!
Friday I did weekly planning, by myself. That makes things pretty easy, because I get to do all of my ideas! But I wish I had someone to help me! Sydni, a ward missionary, came out with me for about 2 hours. We saw Caitlyn and set her for Baptism in July. She wants so bad to be baptized, but she is Flaky Fourteen. So it has been really hard to see her. We got Slurpee's at 7/11! It was a much needed treat! Later I had dinner again with just me and Sister Miller. She is so sweet and really tries to take care of me!! The craziest thing happened today! Well, not the craziest thing, but still kinda crazy. Anna-Lee our anciently old former investigator was in the hospital, so I got to go see her. She has pneumonia, and is seriously in her 90's. It could have killed her, but she is doing a lot better! She was so excited when I walked in! She said to the nurse, "This is my favorite girl!"
Saturday we had Zone Training Meeting, where the Zone Leaders train on what they were taught at Mission Leadership Council. They trained on church attendance and finding joy in serving. They shared this great Mormon Message
I was asked to give a training on Hope! I have learned SO much about Hope! In Preach My Gospel Hope is described as "Believing and Expecting" I read Ether 12:4 but I substituted the word hope for expect or expecting.. It reads,
"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with
surety expect for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which expecting cometh of
faith, maketh an
anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in
good works, being led to
glorify God."
We discussed the worlds definition of Hope "something that probably won't happen" verse Heavenly Father's meaning of the word. It was powerful. I asked each of them to think of a time that they have been discouraged and lost hope... I asked them then, How did you overcome that? For about 20 mins all 30 missionaries were sharing their experiences and we were all so uplifted. Everyone touched on that they found hope because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. To conclude my training I shared this story with them,
There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town.
One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.
Eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak....
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage.
On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright.
I stopped the lad and asked, 'What do you have there, son?'
Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do then?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again.
The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"
The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand.
In a flash, the boy was gone.
The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot.
Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.
Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story:
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation.
Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting.
"Yes, sir, I just caught a world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other,
how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you are done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you.
They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"
"How much? He asked again.
Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, tears and your life."
Jesus said, "DONE!"
Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage and walked from the pulpit.
I know that it is because of Christ we can have Hope. We can EXPECT to return to live with Him again! I am so grateful to know how to return!
On Sunday I went to church with a member as my companion. It was so hard to see everyone in our ward. They all were teasing me about "killing two companions" "better not get to close to Sister Davis" "I bet no one wants to be your next companion" I joked with them too, but it got real old real fast! I had my favorite wings with my favorite family the Birds! And Sister Smyth, a less active lady in our ward, took us 3 sisters to the Why I Believe Fireside! It was wonderful to hear the testimonies borne and the music that was shared. She loved the fireside! I was so grateful to see the other missionaries and members from my old wards! I just love the people here in the Nevada Las Vegas Mission!
I am truly grateful for my trials. I am being refined and becoming more like the Savior everyday! I am grateful for the Book of Mormon, which gives me so much comfort and strength everyday! I would not be able to do this without it! I love you all! And I "hope" (expect) you to have a great week! Remember it is because of HIM!
Love,
Sister Davis
