February 2, 2014

Family!! 

Thank you for your emails! LOVE THEM!!! Thank you thank you thank you! Thanks Dad for sending a quick note from Greg's house! Love them and tell them all hi! This week was also awesome! Ha ha I got a bunch of mail that had gotten backed up somehow. As in I got one letter from a friend with a stamp from the States in November and then check it out-Savanna and Ryan I got your Christmas card and pictures!!!! THANK YOU!!! Ha ha your family is adorable and I was also excited to talk to you this past Christmas. Also I got a Christmas card from Grandma Ann ha ha it was very delayed as I opened the mail in Feb! But it was still great. Thank you!! Also it was perfect timing for my birthday as I got a "pack from Mak!" ha ha fun to say, but they sent me a Christmas card with cookies in it! Thank you Maki and Quinn family!

This week was super fun full of great things! I had my first ML/DLC meeting for leaders and it was sooo great. I learned so many things and felt the Spirit. It was a lot like Zone Conference, but it was neat b/c usually at those meetings I'm thinking of what I need to do for our investigators, LA, RC, members, etc. But during this meeting it was all about what I need to do to help these awesome Sisters that I am sooo blessed to serve. Seriously. I love my calling. I love love love it! These Sisters are amazing and I learn so much from them! 

I got to go on exchanges with Sister Brock (batch!) and then Sister Altea. They are so focused on the work and they have the Spirit with them which made the work so satisfying. It's fun to go on exchanges also b/c I have the chance to meet so many new people. I get to work in different areas and I get to know and learn from not only these Sisters but also from the people we're teaching. 

So we have this inspired goal in our mission for March to reach the standard of excellence in baptisms. Which means 250 baptisms in the month of March. It is a big goal, and it is completely obtainable. We are finding so many people prepared to be baptized in March, and it is not just us. All the missionaries I talk to, they're witnessing it also. Miracles are happening in March. it is so neat. We have one investigator, Jasmine, who has been progressing so much! She's reading the Book of Mormon daily and making changes in her life to bring her closer to Christ. And then all of a sudden, she moved to a different area, which means she will now be taught by other missionaries. Darn. Oh well, God's plan for her is better than our plan for her. But then we are wanting to see baptisms in March so we needed to find new people. The same day we found out and were so sad about Jasmine leaving, we found a new completely ready investigator, Kimberly! We met her for the first time through her part member family. She is 18 and told us she was already Mormon. When we asked if she had been baptized she said no, but she was suppossed to have been but b/c of work she moved and the baptism didn't continue. We gave her a BGD for March for her to prepare, she started the BOM, and she came to church yesterday!!!!! Then yesterday at church, one of our Recent converts, Arjay, brought his 2 cousins to church with him and asked us to teach them! The 2 cousins Sister MaryLou and Jaya, have been wanting to be taught since they started seeing the change in Arjay. Arjay I think I mentioned before, was into drinking before and then through his friend, he has come closer to Christ and is such a different person who is so happy! then at church, another of our recent converts brought his best friend to church! Brother Markarvin was curious and his best friend brought him to church to see for himself. THE POWER OF MEMBERS IS INCREDIBLE!!!!! If I hadn't learned one thing on my mission it would be that members are so powerful in the work of salvation, in missionary work. Without them-missionary work is harder and slower. With the members, becoming one with the members-the work moves forward so strongly and swiftly. I love it. Miracles are happening this March. I'm excited. I love being a missionary. 

This work is amazing. It truly is the Lord's work and not ours. When we follow the promptings of the Spirit, when we follow where the Lord tells us to go, when we say what He prompts us to say, when we do and be what He wants us to be... the miracles are miraculous. The blessings are bountiful. When we are stubborn and try to do it our way, when we second guess the promptings we've received and don't follow through-it's hard. It just doesn't seem to work out as good as it could have. When we turn it all to the Lord, when we do what He would have us do-it's amazing.

I love you all! Thanks for you love, support, and your prayers! please continue to pray for those we are teaching and finding. Please pray they will have the courage to make changes in their lives so they can come closer to their Savior. 

Mahal ko kayo!!!

-Sister Davidson :)

Pictures!

Camera is still broken. Still couldn't withdraw money last week. Hopefully it works this week so I can buy a new camera! 

But I did use the camera of some other kind missionaries!

1. For my birthday! We had cake and ice cream and then turon! So delicious! Happy birthday!

2. I love my kasama and kabahay! Sister Reyes, Sister Brock, and Sister Ocampo!!! They make things so much fun!

3. And then I got the package from Mak and family with the delicious special cookies they make every Christmas!

 Then we had a zone activity this morning where we went golfing again! But at a different location. But it was super fun! I love Cab Zone!

1. I am not a pro golfer, I just pretend to to try to be one. 

2. Sister Reyes is hilarious!