January 27, 2013

Family!!!

Thank you so much for the emails and also the birthday wishes!!!! I'm excited to spend my birthday here on the mission! It's going to be great! 

This past week was awesome! Brother Arjay was baptized! Ha ha it was a good baptism, as they are all great, and Brother Arjay was sporting a white shirt AND tie for his first Sunday as a member. It was great. Brother Arjay was a referral from his friend and he has seen a big change in his life because of the gospel. Bro. Arjay was into a lot of drinking and what not before, but then through watching the example of his less active friend (Bro Bruce) come back to church, and then through being taught by the missionaries his life has been turned around. It's great. The gospel is true. When we draw closer to Christ we're happy.

This week I also had my first exchanges with Sister Avancana! It was super fun! I went to her area and was with her all day and I learned a lot. It was fun to meet a lot of new people and be able to teach the gospel with Sis. Avancena. The gospel is the same no matter where you are, or which missionaries are teaching the gospel. That's the best part of the gospel-it's Christ's gospel! 

This week I also had a great experience with finding answers through the Book of Mormon. I was super nervous for my first exchanges as I was the one to be evaluating, teaching, etc but Sister Avancana is older than me in the mission. I felt super nervous. But anyway, I prayed to know what to do, what I should say, etc. and as I was reading the Book of Mormon, the answer came to my mind through the Holy Ghost in a perfect and clear way I can't describe. I know the Book of Mormon answers every question we have if we will pray and read looking for the answer. It's there. I love the Book of Mormon!

That's all folks! Sorry this week is short. I had to do a bunch of reporting earlier that killed my time on the computer. But know that I love you! I pray for you everyday and I hope you're doing those things that will bring you closer to Christ!

Mahal ko kayo!

-Sister Davidson :)

Pictures!

P.S. DAD!!!!! My debit card was rejected here in Cabanatua, Neuva Jucia! So I was unable to pull out any money to buy a new camera. So still no camera... I'll try later today again, but will you check with the bank and make sure they still remember that I'm in the Philippines even if I'm in a different proviance than Tarlac? Like I know you're super busy with moving and what not and I'm sorry this is a pain for you. But ya.... my debit card was rejected and I promise I still know the right pin number and etc. 

1. Great advertisment we saw. Ha ha the Church is true and people know where the Mormon church is!

2. Brother Arjay was baptized by Bishop Dante! Brother Arjay is the younger one.

3. We did some proselyting to this good caribou! She redily accepted the Book of Mormon.

4. And then boom!!! Sister Cari Bou was baptized!!!!  

That's all for pictures. I'm still video'ing and it's still fun. But hopefully later today I can withdraw some money and buy a camera!! love you all!!! 

Here is a copy of your missionary’s new assignment.

Sister Vivian Woodruff

Philippines Angeles Mission Office

Office Phone 045-491-0587

	Philippines Angeles Mission
	"Where Only the Finest Serve!"

January 16, 2014

Sister Marie Davidson

Dear Sister Davidson:

Congratulations on your appointment as a Sister Training Leader! In accepting this position, you accept a responsibility of great magnitude. It is exciting and gratifying
to see you develop the ability, faithfulness and obedience required to handle this important stewardship.

You are expected by the Lord and your missionaries to excel in all aspects of the work. Prayerfully study the responsibilities of your new calling.  The power of
your example will be tremendous, so put forth every effort to magnify your calling.  Gain the respect of your missionaries and become a source of help for them. Be a light and a servant leader!

You now have a major impact on the success of the Angeles Mission as well as upon the development of many sister missionaries.  It will also be a valuable experience
for you now and throughout your life.  Use this experience to grow by helping others grow.

I am informing your family of this accomplishment. I know they will be most pleased with your appointment as a Sister Training Leader. Continue faithfully in all
aspects of the work and enjoy the blessings the Lord has waiting for you in this new position.  Sister Martino and I look forward to the opportunity of working more closely with you in this new assignment.

Sincerely,

David C. Martino

President

January 19 ,2014

Family!

Thank you for your emails! I love hearing from you and it sounds like life continues to be going well for you-good! Count our blessings at times like this!

So big news! I got transferred! I left La Paz this past Thursday and am now here in Cabanatuan Ward 3. So far, I love it!! La Paz was a small little town and the people were so so so kind, loooved them! And now here in Cab it's a city a lot like Tarlac so far. It's full of a lot of people which works out well for me b/c I love to talk to people. But so far it's great! My new companion is Sister Reyes from Bicol and this is her last transfer here in the mission. It will be super weird to be her last companion but it's going to be a great last transfer for her, it will be a great transfer for me. Also something crazy and humbling, I've been called as the new Sister Training Leader! So far, very very humbling and so far very very rewarding. I love it. It sounds like President Martino sent something to you about it but I'm not sure what he said. Anyway it goes like this. Sister Reyes and I are the STL's here in Cabanatuan. We will have exchanges 2x/week with all the sisters here on this side of the mission. It is going to be so great. I'm so blessed to have this new calling! I'm super excited. Also the Sister Missionaries here are so great, I am so blessed. 

So the new area is awesome. We have a fantastic ward and we have a bunch of great people we're teaching! We have a bunch of investigators who are struggling with their addictions to cigarettes. It's sad to see how addicted they are to them. Si Brother Carlito and si Brother Rodel come to church all the time, they read the Book of Mormon and pray, but for how long now, they've been addicted and they truly have such a difficult time leaving their addictions. They'll go for 3-4 straight weeks without any sticks, then they'll use just one and they'll have to start all over again. Addictions truly rob us of our agency. But here is the great thing, there is always hope. We always have hope no matter what our addiction is through the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

My reliance on our Savior has grown incredibly strong while I've been out here. He truly is everything. When we rely on Christ, we will be okay. It doesn't matter what's happening in our lives, if we keep Him at the center of our lives, if we try to live as He would live, we'll be okay. We'll be happy.

How grateful I am for Christ. How grateful I am for each of you. Thank you for your continued love and support and prayers in my behalf, in behalf of those we are teaching.  I hope you will continue to pray for those we are teaching, that they might have the strength to make changes in their lives in order for them to draw closer to Christ and have the Spirit in their lives. 

I love all of you soo much! And seriously, thank you so much for your love and support. This past week I got a bunch of letters from different people-thank you! The Jensens and the Stevens sent a Christmas card to me. Thank you! also last month or so I got a letter from Aunt Stephanie and then from Aunt Sheree, Uncle Steven and Emmy! So cute the letter I got from Emmy! thank you! Also one from Sister Powell! I seriously am so supported here in the mission-thank you! 

I love each of you and hope you are doing those things Christ would do if He were walking with you.

Mahal ko kayo!

-Sister Davidson :)

P.S. My camera is still broken so no pictures this week. But I've been videoing still and it's been awesome! But the computer isn't reading my card so I can't find the videos on my SD card so I can't send them... bummer. But it's okay I'll buy a new camera later and so hopefully we have pictures next week! Love you! 

January 13, 2014

Family!!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EMAILS AND ALL THE PICTURES!!!! 

Haha loooved all of them thank you thank you thank you!! okay what the-Linc is getting so big! It's adorable! That is so fun you all got to spend so much time together! Ah I loved hearing about it all-thanks!

So fun news, my camera is still broken which is a bummer which means no pictures this week. But cool thing-my video camera works perfectly so I video-d my whole week which turned out to be hilarious! I want to video camera more things b/c so many funny things happen when I just video short segmanants of what I'm doing. But more fun news-I left my camera at home which means I can't send you anything this week. Sorry. Next week it'll be grand though.

This week was awesome!!! I love everyday of my life. It's awesome. 

We had one of our less-active who just returned back to full activity Tatay's tell us about his coming completely back. He happily told us that next next week he will be giving a talk in Sacrament meeting, wearing a white shirt and tie, and be partaking of the Sacrament for the first time in years and years! He has been working on returning fully with our Branch President and he was sooo happy to tell us about his experience with the power of the Atonement. He never went into details but simply seeing the joy on his face of what the Atonement has done for him-was really neat. The power of the Atonement-it is amazing. The Atonement truly does heal all that is wrong, unfair, hard, or whatever in life. The Atonement has the power to heal everything. It's amazing and it is an amazing evidence of the love our Savior Jesus Christ has for us, and the love that our Heavenly Father has for each of us. 

We also had a great experience giving the less-active Rubio family a temple goal date for May of this year. They are on their way to returning to full activity in the church and we gave them the goal date of May 2014 for their family to be sealed for time and all eternity. We were sharing our experience of watching the Solonga family being sealed inside the temple and the wonderful Spirit that we felt and everything just worked out perfectly. The Spirit was the one teaching that lesson and that is when things are powerful. It was amazing. We are super excited for the Rubio family and we truly see the desire they have to be sealed to one another for forever. 

I love being an instrument in the Lord's hands.What an amazing privilege He has given me.I love the power of the Spirit and I love helping create the environment in people's lives where the can feel that power. I love testifying to so many people all day about the love that Jesus Christ has for them. I love testifying of the love that Heavenly Father has for each one of them. It truly is amazing.

I love each of you so much! Thank you each of you so much for your incredibly kind examples to me. Thank you for doing so much good where you are at. Thank you for your continuous love and support to me.I love you! And I know that our Savior Jesus Christ and our Eternal Heavenly Father love each of you as well!

Mahal ko kayo!

-Sister Davidson :)

Pictures!!

Jokes. ha ha got you. :)  

January 6, 2014

Family!

Happy 2014!!!!!! How are each of you?? I hope each of you are doing well and loving life, had a good 2013, and so far are having a great 2014! 

Okay so that's a bummer your flights got cancelled out to South Bend but cool that Ry and Savanna and Link were able to come home! So neat! Fun stuff for everyone. 

This week was as great as ever. It was fun spending New Years' in the Philippines. That's for sure. We didn't do anything outstanding or crazy as we had an early curfew. But we went to an early dinner with our Branch President and we ate some great Spaghetti then we went back home. Because we had to stay home, we sat out on the porch and watched fireworks go off from our neighbors. Ha ha there were a ton of fireworks and they definantly went all night. Not just starting at midnight and ending at 1am but ya, from like 7pm to 7am there were some type of firecrackers going off all the time. It was awesome. Ha ha it actually was really fun. 

So this week was great! We met a bunch of new people and we were able to be witnesses of many miracles. For the past few Sunday's we have had hardly any investigators come to church for a variety of different crazy reasons and we've had many things not work out. But yesterday my testimony of fasting and asking for specific blessings has been strengthened. As I was fasting, I really asked Heavenly Father to please help our investigators come to church. Then on Sunday we witnessed the miracles! One of our investigators who has been taught for over a year by the missionaries, and comes to church often, but not on a regular basis was suppossed to be baptized this past Saturday. But b/c of his inconsistancy it didn't work out. Yesterday he came to church! And as it was fast and testimony meeting and anyone can go and bear their testimony if they want, Brother Arvin went up to the front to bear his testimony! He's not even a member and he went up to the front to share how he feels about the church, and to share his beliefs. Anyway, he went up to the front and basically was the answer to my prayers. Brother Arvin stood up and said thank you to us for our persistence. He said thank you for coming over persistently even if he isn't home, etc. He told us all how he knows that this is the only true church on earth. he apologized that it has been a long time that he has constantly told us he's not ready to be baptized. for whatever it was, he never felt ready. But then in front of everyone he said, "Sister Davidson, I want to tell you that now I'm ready. I don't know why I wasn't ready before, but I'm ready now to become a member of this church. When can I be baptized?" I was just smiling and couldn't wipe the smile from off my face. Ha ha it was awesome! I wish I could have said, "right now!" but he has to do some more things before he will be baptized. But what a miracle I was able to witness! Brother Arvin-telling us he is now, finally, ready is he to be baptized. and then asking us when he can be baptized. What.a.miracle. Ha ha seriously, Brother Arvin has been a long-time investigator and now is the time. I'm so excited!!! And ah m

an I pray that I'm not transferred so that I can witness when he gets baptized. It was so great. What a great way to start 2014. I'm pumped for the rest of the year. 

I know there are no accidents in the Lord's plan for His children. I know that everything happens for a reason. I'm incredibly grateful for the fact that our Heavenly Father knows each of us one by one. He does things on a one-by-one basis. He knows each of us. He knows each of our struggles, He knows each of our strengths. He knows the desires of our hearts, and when we pray and ask specific questions, blessings, etc. He gives us specific answers. 

I love being a missionary.

I love you all and hope you're having a great time together! Love you!! Mahal ko kayo!

-Sister Davidson 

Pictures

1. We had a delicious dinner with the Giray family and Brother Giray and my favorite food is watermelon! I'm happy to say we successfully ate an entire watermelon. And we got really full.

2. It was delicious. And I love the Giray family.

3. Sister Tupua and I for New Year's! 

4. Trying to capture the fireworks... not really succeeding. 

5. And then my camera broke while I was trying to take a picture of NUTELLA!!! 

Ya that was delicious. :)

That's it for pictures b/c my camera really did break.I don't know how it broke either b/c the I didn't drop it, and the video on it works just fine, just taking pictures doesn't work. I don't know what is wrong with it, but I'll get it looked at later today and hopefully it will be an easy fix. If not, if you want to put some money into my account so I can buy a new camera for myself for my birthday-I'm up for that! But anyway. I love you all sooo much! Hope you had a great new years and have some good goals for 2014! 

Temple Pictures

Thank you for the package!!!!!

1. i made a Christmas tree and then put our Christmas gifts under it! thanks for the package! I was sups excited!

2. sups excited. p.s. isn't my hair getting super long!? 

3. Ya the Young Women of the 9th ward are the best! Those balloons were soooo cute! please tell them thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

4. BOOM!!!! Oreo's with peanut butter filling!? what the, I'm excited! still haven't opened them yet as I'm enjoying each gift to the fullest. and right now i'm working on the animal crackers :)

5. yep most definantly i am loving the animal crackers. they seriously are my favorite!!! 

6. best package ever!!! thank you!!!!

 1. for dinner we had bbq at a member's house! it was great!

2. bbq in december. yep that's the best. This is Sister White by the way. She's awesome and married to an American. funny her last name is White ha ha

3. enjoying our dinner!

4. Ya! Go Christmas!!!! 

yep go Christmas! I love you all so much! hope you enjoyed your Christmas! and hope you enjoy your new years!!! 

go jumping shots! go "i'm still single" shots! 

 1. yep totally allowed to walk outside in white and take pictures. 

2. The Solonga family and other members of the ward who were there to support!