April 21, 2014 Happy Easter!

Hey everyone!

Happy Easter!... A day late. I hope you had a great Easter though! Mine was pretty good. We started it off with an awesome day at church. First, Femi was confirmed and then we had an awesome Sunday School lesson on the Holy Week. Then we had Easter dinner at a ward member's home with their family. That was fun :)

Happy Easter

As you may have already seen on my Facebook page, we had a mini missionary this weekend. Her name is Sister Dunbar and she is only sixteen! She is from one of the Philadelphia wards, so she wasn't too far from home, but we had a fun time. Since we don't have any investigators at the moment, she wasn't able to sit in a real missionary lesson, but she was able to see some door approaches for meeting potential investigators, do some service, and sit in on a less active lesson. She says that she wants to serve a mission only after spending three days with us, so that's good! I guess Sister Hanson and I didn't scare her or corrupt her too badly.

Sisters Davis and Hanson with mini missionary Sister Dunbar

Earlier this week Sister Hanson and I were out trying to contact some potentials. It was raining earlier in the morning, but by the time we were going to head out it was only misting a little bit. So, I decided that since we would be walking I didn't want to carry around my umbrella... Bad idea. About fifteen minutes into our journey, making it halfway across town, the rain started to pick up. Then a few minutes later it decided to down pour! We were soaked! Everything we had on was drenched! We decided that we should probably go home and change because no one would want to let us in sopping wet. It actually turned out to be a funny experience. Sister Hanson and I laughed the whole way home.  

Caught in the rain

The rest of my week consisted of finding people, service, a couple of Skype lessons with Femi, and a less active lesson. Not really anything too exciting.

The Because of Him social media take over was pretty cool this week. I actually had ideas for things I could post on Facebook. I loved the video that the church produced for it! It was so awesome and we felt it was a non threatening way to get the word out. We showed it to a couple potential investigators and to a lot of ward members. I heard by the middle of the week it had 2 million views on YouTube! That is awesome! I sure hope you had the opportunity to see it. But anyway, I really liked being able to focus on the Savior throughout the week and the true meaning of Easter. I learned a lot about this whole Holy Week, like the events that took place on each day that I didn't know before, and a deeper, greater appreciation for the Atonement and Resurrection. It was also cool to be out here with all the different religions and their traditions.

This morning Sister Hanson and I went over to a member's home to try her T25 workout video (which is like P90x but condensed into 25 minutes). It was intense but such a good workout. We both commented afterwards that we felt so much more healthy and happy. Sister Hanson and I have been joking about doing "six months to sexy" a few months early, but at the same time we were serious, too, haha! So last week we bought a whole bunch of fruit and vegetables and have been trying to
eat healthier. Once our six month mark hits, we're going to try to cut out all sugar and I'm going to try bread. We'll see if I can actually do it, but I really want to. So, for the rest of my mission, please don't send me candy unless I ask for it, ha. Thanks!

Well, that's about it for my week. I hope you have a great week! Can't wait to talk to you in a couple if weeks! I love you! :)

Love,
Sister Davis

April 14, 2014 What a Week!

Hey everyone!

Wow! What a week! First of all, this weekend was BEAUTIFUL!!! It got up to 80 degrees this weekend and I didn't have to wear five layers! I loved it! :) hehe

Secondly, Femi got baptized yesterday!!! It was quite a sweet surprise. Thursday night we received a message from Femi asking us if he could be baptized this weekend or next. He told us that he was able to work everything out with his wife and she gave him the "ok" to be baptized. So, we quickly arranged everything and he was able to be baptized. I was actually really surprised at how many ward members came especially on such short notice. Overall, it was a great day (especially since it was warm outside, too) and Femi was really happy and said that he felt like a new person. 

Femi's baptism, April 13, 2014 with the Jenson family

Most of the rest of our week entailed service. We helped a member in our ward clean up some wood in a bedroom that she is renovating and we also helped another member move some things to her new house. We also helped fill Easter eggs for the Phoenixville's Easter egg hunt they had this weekend. (We volunteer at the Civic Center once a week which is just the recreation center for Phoenixville.) Not really anything else too exciting that happened this week.

Oh! We did have a church tour for Chris on Friday and it went really well. Basically the entire time he was just asking to be baptized. He kept asking questions about how we baptize and what he needs to do to be baptized, so we extended the invitation and he accepted. We tried to set a date with him, but he was going to be out of town that day. He did say though that he would come to church on Sunday, however he woke up sick yesterday morning so he was unable to come.

So now that Femi is baptized, Sister Hanson and I basically do not have any investigators anymore... Chris has now moved into the elders area so he'll become their investigator and then Manuela will eventually be turned over to the elders in the other ward since she lives in their ward boundaries. I guess we're just going to have to get to work!

So, I don't know if you heard about the "Because of Him" social media "take-over" that the church is doing this week, but all of the missionaries have been asked to promote this and flood their Facebook pages with it. I want to ask you if you will join me with this to flood the Internet with this. You can go to mormon.org/becauseofhim to find memes, videos, etc. or you can share what I put on my Facebook page. (This started yesterday and it ends on Easter.)

Sister Hanson and Sister Davis at Valley Forge

Oh! I almost forgot! Transfers are this week, but I'm staying and so is Sister Hanson. I'm sure you figured transfers were coming up soon since I received my Easter package a couple days ago. Thank you for it!

Well, I hope you all have a great week! Happy Easter! :)

Love,

Sister Davis

April 7, 2014 Spring is really here! And my sinuses are definitely letting me know it...

Hey everyone!

So, spring is definitely here and I love it! Except for the part where I get allergies and my sinuses decide to drain... All week long I've had sinus drainage and my throat is loving it... NOT! Can't wait for when the blossoms start to bloom now. But anyway, my week was pretty good. Conference was soooo good this weekend! I loved it :). It was kind of funny because just on Friday we were talking to a ward member and a lot of the things talked about in conference we talked about with her. That helped me to know that the conference talks were truly inspired!

Sister Hanson and Sister Davis at Philadelphia Temple site

Like I said, my week has been pretty good, although it was kind of a roller coaster week with our investigators. First of all, Femi didn't get baptized yesterday due to a disagreement with his wife over abortion as well as some visa issues. Femi still has a strong desire to be baptized as well as a testimony, but he doesn't want to cause a problem with his wife by being baptized when his wife asked him not to at this time. His wife's visa was rejected and so it's looking like his family won't be able to make it to the US until maybe June now rather than the end of this month. We believe that he may not be baptized now until his family makes it to the states. He knows the church is true and he told us that this church is what he has been looking for since last July! We're going to stay in contact with him though and still hopefully teach him.

We also found out this week that Manuela has gone through a really hard loss of a family member these past couple of weeks. However, we would have never known if she wouldn't have told us because of how strong she has been and she hasn't even shown her mourning. We also found out that she read 1 and 2 Nephi all in one night! She is also trying to keep all of the commandments and "rules" that we have. She is doing awesome!

Thursday night we had a great lesson with Chris (who is another investigator we have who I only met a week and a half ago). We talked about the nature of God with him and helped him to see that God is an actual being and not just a ball of energy, as he was taught growing up in the Catholic Church. We talked to him the next day and he told us that he actually remembered to pray that night (he has been forgetting to pray) and he received an answer to his prayer that day! We're supposed to have a church tour with him tomorrow so hopefully that will help him with a desire to come to church.

Sister Hanson, Lucy, Moira, Jack and Sister Davis at Rocky statue in Philly

Friday night we had a ward activity and one of our members brought a lady that he met just about a half hour before the activity! He said that their daughters knew each other from school and so that got them talking. He found out that Ebony, the lady, is looking for a church and so he invited her to the activity and she came! We talked to her briefly and she said that she is interested in learning about our beliefs. We're going to call her tonight to try and set up a time to teach her.

That's about it for my highlights this week! I hope you all have a wonderful week! :)

Love you all!

Sister Davis :)

March 31, 2014 It's Always Sunny in PHILADELPHIA!

Hello!

Guess what?! Guess what?! I'm in Philly! I finally made it to Philly :) We were a little worried about today if it was going to work out or not because it has been raining all weekend long... Luckily, though, the rain stopped this morning and the sun came out. (I guess Heavenly Father heard my prayers.) And to answer your question, Mom, I haven't heard of any flooding, but there was a lot of water on the roads yesterday and the creeks were very full.

Moira, a member in our ward who nannies, took us to Philly today with the kids she cares for. We started off at the touch and feel museum with the kids and it was so fun! Right now we're eating lunch in the Reading Terminal Market which is basically just a huge food court place with various types of food. Our next venture is to the temple and then to Liberty Bell and Love Park. I also believe we'll go to the art museum and anywhere else we can make it today. I love it so far and I'm so excited for the rest of the day. I'll send pictures next week :).

Since I'm emailing in the market, my email is going to be a little short today... Sorry,but I'll tell you all about it next week!

Femi's baptism is next Sunday and I am so excited! We met with him yesterday and he is doing so well. We asked how his readings were going and he told us that he is reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning and the end. He is also reading the Bible from Genesis, the Doctrine and Covenants, True to the Faith, and the Gospel Principles book! He is excited for his baptism next week and he finally told his wife that he is getting baptized! He said that he thinks she will be baptized after she gets her "trainings" in. (Femi calls our lessons trainings.)

We were only able to see Manuela on Monday night this week for FHE and it went well. We played Plan of Salvation "Life" with her and her kids. After a little while her kids lost interest in the game so we quickly finished and answered Manuela's questions afterward. She was going to come to church yesterday (she even got work off) but her son got sick. Hopefully we'll see her this week sometime!

I loved the Women's Broadcast on Saturday! It was so good and the best part was when President Eyring said that he was baptized in Philadelphia! :) hehe I can't wait for General Conference this weekend! So excited!

Well, I'm going to end there so I can get back to my Philly adventures! It sounds like you've had a busy week, though. I hope you have a wonderful week! Love you all!

Love,

Sister Davis

March 24, 2014 It's Spring Here...Finally!

Hey everyone!

Spring is finally here and I am so excited! Saturday was a B-E-A-UTIFUL 66 degrees. However, today is a little more chilly. More like 30 degrees, but hey it's finally Spring :)

This week has been pretty good. We started off the week with setting up an appointment with Manuela on Tuesday afternoon. However, she had to cancel because a water pipe broke in her house and it started to flood... Sister Hanson and I were beginning to think that we were never going to be able to meet with her! However, a miracle happened and we were able to see her on Wednesday evening after we had our Skype lesson with Femi! Manuela is awesome and has definitely been prepared! She was asking all of the right questions and even had some deeper questions or questions that would be answered in lessons later on. I also found out that she grew up in Yugoslavia (or whatever it is called today) but then moved to Austria. I'm not very good with my geography, but I told her that I had Yugoslavian ancestors and then I discovered that Grandpa Yalovich's family is Serbian and not the kind of Yugoslavian she is ( I can't remember what she said). But, nonetheless, I thought it was cool that she lived in Yugoslavia. Tonight we're teaching her and her kids as a Family Home Evening. 

Sisters Hanson and Davis with Carolyn and Moira, new converts

Like I mentioned before, we had a couple of lessons this week with Femi and he is still set for his baptism on the 6th of April! He is progressing very well and understands everything we teach him. He is willing to keep the commandments that we have been teaching him. He is awesome! Also, the members that allow us to teach Femi in their home bought Femi a quad [set of scriptures] and mini hymn book and had his name engraved on it! How awesome is that! Femi loved it.

Also this week we were trying to contact a potential investigator name Okasha. The description said that Okasha loves the missionaries and loves to cook for them. So, we decided that we would go try  to contact Okasha. Sister Hanson and I assumed that Okasha was a girl for some reason and were surprised to find out that Okasha is a guy. He invited us in and told us that we would need to come back another time when he wasn't busy but that he would make us food. We went back on Friday evening, but not to get food, just to see him and his wife. We found out that they are from Algeria and practicing their Islamic faith. They said that they listened to the missionaries in the past, but that it was threatening to them to change their religion. They were still really nice, though, and offered to make us food again sometime. (I wanted to throw this story in there because I think it is so cool how many people I have run into in this area that come from different walks of life and nationalities!)

Sister Hanson, Sister Anderson (mission president's wife), Sister Davis
and Moira at Stake Conference

This weekend we had stake conference in Broomall. It was really good and focused on Hastening the Work as well as changing and becoming like Christ. Elder Robins from the Quorum of the Seventy spoke and he was amazing! At the adult session on Saturday he talked about the idea of making first connections with people to do missionary work than to make first contact with them. When we make first connections with them we are more likely to teach them and not just a lesson and show them how the gospel can help them and pertain to them. (What Preach My Gospel is all about.) I thought this was so great!

Hump day celebrated by both Sister Hanson and Sister Davis
on March 23. They're halfway there!

That's about all I can remember for this week. I'm so excited for General Conference coming up in a couple of weeks! 

I hope you all have a fantastic week!

Love,

Sister Davis :)

March 17, 2014 Happy Snowy St. Patrick's Day

Hello!

 

There's no better way to start off the week than to wake up to snow....... NOT! Yes, I did wake up to snow this morning, but luckily it's just a spring storm so all of the snow is melted now.

Sister Hanson and Sister Davis with their Lucky Charms

Anyway, this week was a rather slow week. We talked to Joseph earlier this week and he told us he was busy with some things and to try him again in a couple of weeks... Then we also had the appointment with the Austrian lady (Manuela) fall through. First of all she was called into work, but she found someone to cover for her. Then on her way over, her son got sick in the car and so we had to cancel.. She did come to the Relief Society birthday dinner we had on Thursday night, though, and she seemed to enjoy her time there. She called the member who has friended her afterwards with an hour's worth of questions on Relief Society. She is still really interested in meeting with us which is awesome! Hopefully we'll be able to set something up this week!

 

We also had another member invite us over for dinner this week with one of their nonmember co-workers. Josie (the co-worker) was super cute and bubbly, but not too interested. She did, however, come to church yesterday, but when I talked to her after church she still didn't seem too interested. Oh well. We planted a seed, right? Oh and to top it off, the members fed us fish for dinner... Even Sister Hanson doesn't like fish!

 

We did, however, get to meet with Femi twice this week! He is doing sooo awesome, and he is progressing really well. Oh and he now has a baptismal date for April 6th.  We are so excited! :)

 

We also ended up doing quite a bit of service this week because we had other appointments fall through. Saturday we went to Broomall to help with a youth service activity and we got to go to Olive Garden beforehand. Needless to say, that made my day.

Mural on building in downtown Phoenixville, PA

I realized that I goofed a couple of weeks ago when I said this is my fifth area... It's really my fourth, but Sister Hanson is my fifth companion. Just thought I would clarify that. And thank you for the halfway package! You know, half a bag of Cadbury Eggs is a little cruel, but I guess I'll live ;) just kidding. Oh and by the way, Sister Hanson and I have decided to celebrate our halfway on the 23rd because that's what day we'll leave the mission field. So, you'll get pictures next week. 

 

Well, that's about it for my week... Not too much that happened this week. Hopefully this next week will be a little more exciting! I hope you all have a great week! Love you all!

 

Love,

Sister Davis :)

March 10, 2014 I'm Almost Halfway!!

Hey everyone!

I can't believe that my halfway mark is this week!! Where has the time gone?! Crazy! Anyway, you guessed it, Mom--I am living in Phoenixville, PA with my new companion Sister Hanson! I am serving in the Valley Forge 2nd Ward in the Valley Forge Stake. (Yes, the Valley Forge National or State park is in my area, and I'm about a half hour drive from Philly!) There are three sets of missionaries serving in this ward. One set of Spanish elders, one set of English elders, and then the sisters. This ward is huge compared to my last area where it was just a tiny little branch. I love it so far, though. Sister Hanson and I came out together, so she'll also hit her halfway mark this week too. Sister Hanson considers herself from Seattle,Washington although she was born in California and grew up in Virginia. She also loves Disney and had the opportunity to work or intern (I can't remember for sure which one) at Disney World! How cool is that! She is 21, but will turn 22 in April. She did a semester at BYU-Idaho and lived in Utah with her sister for a little while. So she's been around the country a little bit. We have a lot in common which is awesome! I love her and this area already!

Sister Hanson and Sister Davis in Phoenixville, PA

Phoenixville is fun place to live. We live in a little apartment (I had to carry my suitcases up about 50 stairs. That was... fun) above this coffee house called Steel City where they have bands playing on the weekend until roughly 11 or 12 at night. That was fun this weekend. Surprisingly, though, I was able to fall asleep pretty quick! We also live across the street from a bar called Molly Maguires where there were several crazy drunk people decked out in their St. Patty's Day gear this weekend already. I wonder what it will be like next weekend?! I really do love this area, though. It is a busy area compared to Pottsville, which is wonderful. We have had a few service opportunities this week, which is something I have really missed. I haven't done any service for awhile. 

Molly Maguire's in downtown Phoenixville, PA

We are also teaching an African man from Nigeria named Oluwafemi, but he goes by Femi. His wife and two kids are still in Africa, but will hopefully be coming to the states in April! Femi is here as a computer programming student. Femi is super intelligent and is progressing really well! He calls our lessons "trainings" and he asks awesome and sometimes very deep questions to make sure he understands. (He says he is going to teach his wife and kids so that is why he wants to make sure he understands.) The sisters invited him to be baptized before, but he wasn't sure because he has been baptized before (in another church) and other churches have accepted his baptism. He understands the need for priesthood authority, though. Femi is so awesome! Oh and we teach him at the Jenson's home and you'll never guess who was Sister Jenson's grandpa... Gordon B. Hinckley! How awesome is that?!

Just in the few short days I have been here there have been quite a few miracles. Firstly, we contacted a Mormon.org referral named Joseph who actually referred himself and wanted to meet with us! We met with him on Saturday and he told us that God is telling him that Mormonism is what He wants him to do. Joseph has had Mormon friends in the past and he said he did the "Mormon" thing before. He was raised Catholic, but he is going through some life changing and challenging experiences in his life right now and he wants to build that relationship with God right now. We taught him part of the Restoration on Saturday and then he came to church in Sunday! We're going to see him again on Friday. Later on Saturday we met with Femi and had an awesome lesson on the gospel of Jesus Christ! He also told us that he had received his answer to be baptized the beginning of April! Sister Hanson and her previous companion had received the answer for him for April 6th! How cool is that?! (I also had my first Skyping lesson with Femi on Wednesday. It was so cool!)

Last night we had a member call us and tell us about an Austrian lady she ran into who had been looking for a church. They initially invited her over for dinner to talk about Austria because they were thinking about moving to Austria and so they wanted to talk to her about it. They talked about Austria for about 45 minutes, and then the rest of the time they talked about the church and they set up a time for us to come over on Tuesday to teach her more! See why I love this area? :)

It sounds like you've had quite the week! I hope you have another great week that isn't quite as stressful or busy! Thanks for everything! I love you all! :)

Love,
Sister Davis