July 28, 2018: The Last Email

Hey Family!

Well, I guess the time has finally come. 

But, anyways this was a good week! We have been working hard and things are going well. We will have a baptism today which will be really awesome. It is the baptism of Luise. She is Cida´s daughter and wants to be baptized right now. We have followed them up quite a bit this week. We also had some meetings about the transfer with President Biddulph. 

Friday was weird. I got to spend the day with Elder Castlemain because he is going home today. He got to go home a few days earlier. His brother will leave on his mission next Tuesday. So he got permission to leave earlier to be able to see him beforehand. So, Yesterday we went to some places in Salvador and bought some souvenirs and stuff. It was pretty fun. Then, that night we had a last dinner with Pres Biddulph for Elder Castlemain. It was a great little meeting. It was a weird sensation though. We didn´t do missionary work and we felt like we were doing something wrong... but, it wasn´t. It is so hard to explain. haha

Anyways, I think that this email will be pretty short. I will see you guys in less than a week anyways. I am very excited to see you all but very sad to leave this amazing country. I love Brasil. I have loved my mission. 

It was literally the best 2 years OF my life. I will have so many great memories. I wish that everyone could have the same experience. The mission is so great. I am so thankful for how much my testimony has grown and how much more knowledge I have now. I know that God lives. I have had so many experiences with Him. I cannot deny it. I know this is Christ´s true church. I know the Book of Mormon is truly the Word of God. I know that through following Christ and living the principles of the Gospel, we can and will encounter true happiness. 

Love,

Elder Davis

P.S. Accidentally left my camera in the apartment... I will have to just show you the pictures and videos in a bit.

Sent from a Dell computer in Brasil

July 21, 2018: Let it Rain....Alright...it can stop now...Please...Por Favor

Hey Fam!

Once again I had a great, crazy, awesome week traveling with the Biddulphs. They are great people. I love them! They are super nice and really show forth Christ-like attributes. There is a lot to learn from their examples. They have really strengthened my desire to go to the temple weekly. That is something that Sister Biddulph has always done. She has a super strong testimony of the temple. She has attended 55 different temples! haha She said that going to a new temple was her birthday and Christmas gifts. 

Lots of leg room in the Biddulph's car...haha

Anyways, I wrote you guys on Monday right? So Tuesday morning, we left and traveled to Itabuna. It was like 6 hours or something. On the road we had some Acai. That stuff is really good. they love it and eat it all the time. It is like a ice cream made from an exotic jungle fruit here. That night I stayed with Elder Costa e Silva and Elder Hernandez. They are great elders and we had a great time working. It rained a little bit. At night, after 9 we got home and ate some pizza. It was funny though. We bought 2 pre-cooked pizzas. When we got to the house I asked Elder Costa e Silva to start cooking it all while I took a shower. When I got out, I could smell the pizza smell, but I didn't see the pizza. I was worried that they had eaten it without me. I asked Elder Costa e Silva what happened and he said that it was in the Microwave. hahaha I guess he couldn't get the stove to start so he somehow shoved a whole pizza in a small microwave and cooked it. It tasted terrible. haha But, he didn't cook the second that way. So I decided to try and get the stove to work. I just pushed a little bit harder on the button and it all started working. 

Wednesday, I went to help President Biddulph find some elders' houses for him to do interviews. Then I stayed with Elder Pereira and Elder Cruz. We worked in their area for that day. In the morning, going to lunch, it started pouring. I got soaked and my shoe has a whole in the bottom. So my shoe and sock got flooded with water. So after lunch, we stopped at their house so I could change into dry shoes and socks for the rest of the day. Then that night, it started raining. It was 8:30 and the Elders started heading back home. But, I asked them to work with me until 9 at least. So they selected some inactive members to visit about 30 minutes away by feet. So we went fast walking through the rain. It started coming down super hard. I couldn' t even see because I had my glasses. hahaha We once again got soaked and my other pair of shoes got even wetter. haha In the end, we couldn't find the house. But, we found some cool contacts. One of the elders did a contact. The people didn't want a visit. So he went to give them a pass-along card and they were all soaked. He turned and asked if we had any dry ones. We didn't!  aaaahha So he took out a soaked card and gave one to the person. It was super funny. 

Thursday, we had the Zone Conference in Itabuna. It was a great meeting. Everything went great. It was getting a little boring listening to the same training over and over. I was able to see a family of members from Itabuna. They are great people. All the missionaries love them. So that was fun. That morning I put my shoes in President's car because they still hadn't dried all the way. Then, after that we went to Ilheus. When they went to try the suggested hotel, it was all full. We tried 2 more and they were all full. Finally we found one farther away than only had one more room. So they got it. That was a blessing. Then, President and I went to the Elders' house in the Nelson Costa area. He interviewed them both and then I stayed with them. It was Elder Castlemain and Elder Andrioni. I loved staying with Elder Castlemain. He is a great guy. I am good friends with him. He was a little sick that day, so when the Elders from Valenca arrived to stay the night, they stayed with him, and I went with Elder Andrioni and worked. We taught some good lessons. THEN, it started raining. Again. I got super soaked. We were running home in the rain and it was just coming down so quickly. So that night, I put my shoes out to dry. 

Friday, we had the zone conference in the morning. I went to the chapel in flip-flops because my shoes were drenched. Then, at the church I got my shoes that had dried in President's car and used them. The meeting went well. Afterwards, President did some interviews and then after I went with Elder Castlemain and Elder Andrioni and we worked hard. We contacted a lot of people. During that night, it rained a ton again. So, my shoes got drenched. They are currently drying out in President's car. hahaha 

This morning, we left at 9 and headed to Valenca. We just got here. I am so excited to be here and am excited to see everyone again. This was by far my favorite area. 

One thing that I have pondered this week is the importance and impact that our examples have on other people. I am really understanding how we can teach my example. President Biddulph is a great example in loving and caring for others and has really inspired me and others to work harder to do the same. I think that even when we don't notice, people are always observing our actions and so we should always Choose the Right. Well, I love you all! Hope you all have a great, amazing week!

Photo with President Biddulph 

Love,

Elder Davis

P.S. I am using the MacBook again. So I might not have a cord to be able to upload my pictures. But, I will see what I can do. 

July 16, 2018: What a week!

Hey Everyone! haha this was one awesome, crazy, busy week. 

To start off I opened up my email with 41 emails and unfortunately, I don't think that I will have the time to respond to even half of the people. I am currently using my Mission President's Macbook to write to you guys. Pretty sweet huh? 

So this week was super crazy. First off, Sunday night I travelled to Brumado. I got there in the morning on Monday and waited at the Bus Station for an hour for the Elders to send me a ride. It was cool though, I got to watch the sunrise. After getting to their house, I went with the Elders to the Lan House. While they wrote their families, I just read the Book of Mormon. We ate some good snacks as well. It was fun because I got to spend some time with Elder Vander Werff and Elder Gomes. I like them both a lot. They are really great friends of mine. Later that day, they all had interviews with the Mission President. Then, we just prepared for the Zone Conference that would happen the following day. 

Tuesday, we woke up, got ready, and went to the Zone Conference. It went well. You guys wouldn't believe how many times I have listened to the trainings by now. Anyways we had that and it went pretty well. Then, after the meeting and lunch, I travelled by car with President Biddulph, his wife, and daughter. I sat in the front and the whole time I was just explaining how the mission works and the logistics of everything. It was cool to brainstorm with him about new things that would help the mission. After 3 hours, we arrived in Conquista. We were all hungry of course and ate dinner at McDonalds. At night, we met up with the Zone Leader and his companion and they got interviewed by President. I spent the night at the Zone Leaders house. 

Wednesday, in the morning, I went with President to all of the missionaries houses in the city of Conquista for him to do interviews as well. After, we ate lunch at Subway and he dropped me off to work with the Zone Leader. It was a fun afternoon. We were able to do a lot of contacts. At night, Conquista got really cold. At around 8:20, they didn't have anyone else to visit and we freezing and far from home, so we went back to their apartment. Once we got their I regretted going back early. But, we prepared the trainings for the Zone Conference. 

Thursday, we had the zone conference. It was great as well. Listened to all the same trainings again but, it was a good experience. At the end, President Biddulph was  bearing his testimony and sharing a quick message about our motives for being on the mission. He said that if our motives are that we love God and love our neighbor, we will truly be happy. Something that he said during that message hit me and I repented for going home early the night before. I promised that I would work all the way until 9. That night, the same situation happened. The Elder's appointments fell through and they didn't know what to do. So I just started knocking doors. Just so that you all know, in Conquista, it isn't a very logical thing to do. It is cold and dark. The people are scared of being robbed at that hour so they do not answer the door. But, I had made a promise. So I just kept knocking doors. One after another I was rejected. hahaha It was pretty funny. The Elders thought I was crazy for knocking that late. But, then we were blessed by a miracle. A lady let us in quickly to say a prayer to bless her family and mark another visit. Then, the next house down we were let in too! It was a whole family and they were very receptive! So that was a great lesson for me that we should always do our best and do our part. God will do the rest according to His will. The other Elders felt bad for not helping and in the companion prayer the Zone Leader asked for forgiveness and help to be able to be more persistent. 

Friday morning we travelled once more. It was a nice 6 hour ride. I had a good time talking with President though. I have learned a lot from him and his wife during this trip. They are super nice people. We stopped along the way to eat lunch and then he dropped me off at Eunapolis to do splits there. They continued on to Porto Seguro. I stayed their until Sunday night. Friday, we did splits because their District Leader came to do a baptismal interview for their investigator. So I went with Elder Lovell (From Murray Utah, he has 3 weeks on the mish) And we visited some of their investigators and did a lot of contacts. OH we did a contact and taught a lady with her mom and a member. She didn't seem very interested. However, at the end of the lesson, she offered us some juice. I wasn't going to be rude and deny the offer so I said yes. Haha She came out with some orange colored juice and gave it to us. I drank it in a few gulps. It had a really weird taste. It seemed like it had a fermented taste. Afterwards, Elder Lovell and the member both said that it tasted like Alcohol. Apparently they had both had alcohol by accident and said it had the same exact taste. We all felt pretty sick to the stomach, but after a few hours the sensation passed. haha It was a great day. 

Saturday, we had to go early in the morning to the Church to set up the Baptismal 'pool'. haha It was one of those set-up pools. So that took a little while. We had to use duct tape and patch up some holes in the pools. It still had a few leaks, but in the end it worked out. While it was filling up, we went and changed clothes and went to lunch. After lunch, we hurried back to the font to see how it was doing. When we got there, the pool was starting to overflow! hahah SO we had to get some buckets and empty out a bunch of water. Then we went to go get some of their other investigators and came back to have the baptism. That night, they had a little ward party. Their was a lot of decorations on the wall and around the ceiling fan. Right when we got there, Elder Palma (the ZL) turned on the fans without noticing and ripped of all the decorations. hahahhaha SO We had to get a ladder and, with the help of other members, we put everything back up. So the baptism got delayed a little bit and started about an hour later. In the end though, we had the service and everything was great!

Sunday, was a great meeting. I gave the lesson in Gospel Principles. Then we went to lunch and taught quite a few people. We found some great people. That night, we travelled to Porto Seguro for the Zone conference that we had today. 

Today, we had the zone conference. It was really cool. Really spiritual. At the end, we had some extra time before lunch would be ready so President Biddulph invited me to bear my last testimony to them all and then have a quick testimony meeting. That was pretty sad to do. I didn't cry, but, man I love the mission. I honestly believe that this is the work of the Lord and is not just the best 2 years for my life but, by far, the best 2 years OF my life. I love this experience. I love you all! Have an amazing week.

Love,

Elder Davis

P.S. After the meeting we went to the Historical Center in Porto Seguro. It was pretty sweet. 

July 7, 2018: Bom Dia a Todos!!

Bom Dia a Todos!!!

This was a great week. As you all know, we have a new mission president. So this week we have been helping him a lot to deal with all the mission stuff. We had a meeting with him on Monday. I planned the conferences of Salvador and Imbuí with him and showed him practices of what would be taught during said conferences. He ordered Pizza Hut and it was a good day. I think he is pretty stressed. I can´t imagine what it would be like to assume a responsibility like that. He is doing well though. THey are super nice people from Idaho. He talked about how we must simplify the work and how the gospel is Simple! I really like that.  President Biddulph is pretty different than President Bangerter. They are both amazing guys though. I am learning a lot from President Biddulph and have learned so much with President Bangerter. 

President and Sister Biddulph are in the middle.

So Tuesday we had the Zone conference for the Salvador zone. It went really well. I enjoyed it. I translated for Sister Biddulph and their daughter during their testimonies. It was pretty cool. I really liked Sister Biddulph´s testimony. She said that she got her true testimony when she was 27. I already thought, "Weird, she was sealed much earlier and has been a member her whole life" She then explained that she visited Nauvoo and went to carthage jail. She explained that when she saw the drops of Joseph Smith´s blood on the wood floor she felt very strongly that he was a prophet of God. I think it is incredible how many sacrifices he went through to bring about the work of God. Yet, people still attack him and say terrible things. I know he was a prophet of God.

Wednesday was a normal work day. We had a service project in the morning at a member´s house. It was the same things as the last service project. We helped shovel a bunch of dirt and carry the buckets of dirt to a different location. This time, I didn´t bring my camera with me. 

Thursday we had another zone conference with the Imbuí zone. It was a good conference as well. This time I only translated for President Biddulph´s daughter. He is improving every day in his portuguese and I am sure that at the next conferences I won´t need to translate. President Biddulph´s wife takes a lot of pictures. She is like my aunts. hahaha So that is really great. I think she has put many pictures on Social media.

Yesterday was pretty crazy. It was the World Cup game for Brasil. EVERYTHING STOPPED. Kids didn´t go to school, nobody went to work, it was basically a holiday. During the hour of the game, we couldn´t get in to any house. Everyone was watching the game. But, we walked around  the whole time and that was a blast.... lol. Then we taught some great lessons at the end. We taught Cida, Luis, and their family again. It was really cool. She is in Alma and told us that she wants to be baptized. She explained that she has never felt that way before. She has studied with many churches and accepted visits but never felt how she feels about all this. She asked for some Book of Mormons to give to her sister and step son. SUPER COOL. She also invited us over for lunch on Sunday after church! So we will do that. I am amazed with how much this family has changed. The gospel really transforms families!

I love the mission. This really is an amazing experience. I am going to travel tomorrow night and I will return to Salvador after 16 days. That will be a lot of fun and craziness. I am excited to help out though. Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Davis

June 23, 2018: Two Whole Whoppers

HELLO ALL

Well my dear readers, this week was pretty crazy to tell you the truth. Monday was the first day of the new transfer. So, we had to answer calls all day from missionaries and help them to know where they are going and what they should do to go to their new areas. First off though, We went to President´s house and had a Logistics meeting. So we had to figure out when all the missionaries would travell and who would come to the meetings in the week. Then after, we ended up going to the office to pass all of the transfer to the Zone leaders. It was really crazy. My new companion is Elder Antunes. He is from São Paulo and is a funny guy. He and Elder Rallsion got called as APs and Elder Gomes was transferred to Bom Jesus da Lapa; a new area. So at the moment we have 3 Aps and basically it is my job to train them on what they should do. 

Tuesday, we had the new missionaries arrive. So we gave trainings to them and to the Trainers. That took the whole day. It was a good meeting though. I was a little under the weather though. I am all better now, but my sinuses were going crazy.

We did a service project last week. I forgot to talk about it in my email last week. But, yeah we helped a member shovel a bunch of dirt for some reason. 

Wednesday, was a normal day. It was actually super cool. I was with Elder Antunes and Elder Gomes. (Elder Gomes only went to his area after the Mission Council... So he had to stick with us.)

It was going well. We taught some great lessons and were having a good time. We had already planned to visit certain people. However, at 4;00 I got a text from a random number saying, "Elder, I was waiting for you to call to mark a visit but you didn´t call. I finished 1 and 2 Nephi and stopped in Jacob." That took me by surprise. SO I called the number and..... It was Cida! (The family of investigators that need to get married) I marked to visit her that night. We got there and taught her. It was a great simple lesson. When we talked about what she had read, she told us that while she was at work she put on the Book of Mormon and listened to it. She loved it! She told us that during that day, while she was listening to it, she felt that 'Certanty' that it is true. I got so happy for her! I had been praying and fasting that she could get an answer from God! Now they need to just get married. She said that they are thinking about it and are willing to prepare all the documents while they do so. Anyways that was really cool and I am super happy with the progress that she has made. 

Thursday, we had a meeting with President Bangerter from 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM. It was pretty crazy. We planned the Mission Council and a bunch of other stuff for when our new misison president will arrive. During the meeting, we took a break to eat lunch. We went to Burger King. President told us we could get whatever. So I got a Whopper Furioso Combo. It was pretty tasty. After everyone finished eating, President asked if any of us was still hungry and would like more. Everyone just looked at me... lol. I guess they new that I was still a little hungry. I just smiled and we all laughed and accepted and president when and asked for 5 more whopper combos. haha I felt like I was at home with the family. It reminded me of when we go to JCW´s sometimes. haha After the meeting, we went to the office and prepared all the materials for the council. That finished off the night. haha

Friday, we had the mission council. It was great. I was super tired in the morning though. So, for the first training I was kind of out of it. After lunch though, the trainings went well. It was a sad council at the end though. It was sad to basically have everyone say goodbye to President. He is a great guy. I may have gotten some hay fever during the meeting because my eyes started watering. 

But, yeah that was the week my friends. I have been preparing a talk for tomorrow at church. I will talk about Missionary Work. While preparing, I read a quote from Joseph Smith that really touched me. It said that Love isn´t just caring for oneself or just one´s family. But, it is caring for and ministering to the families around  you too. I think that is really true and important. In missionary work or Ministering, we are to love everyone! To be One, United, in Harmony with those around us. I know that is what the Savior would do. That is what we must do. I love you all! See who you can love this week!

Love,
Elder Davis

June 16, 2018: Good Evening

GOOD EVENING MY DEAR FAMILY,

Sadly, today I don´t have much time. AND frankly, I don´t really feel like writing at the moment. BUT, I will do it for you guys. 

Alright, I just sat up in the chair and man, good posture goes a long way. I am totally pumped to write you guys now. So this week was pretty sweet. It was a little crazy. Elder Gomes, the other AP, was travelling with the President to some other Zone Conferences. So, I was in a trio with my comp and his companion, Elder Rallison. It was a good experience. We just had to follow up investigators from both the areas. It was kinda hard to follow up on certain people. But, we worked hard and walked a lot. So it all worked out. Elder Rallison and Elder Lucas are great friends, which made things a little complicated during the week. The started goofing off a little bit too much and they began to lose the Spirit of the work. But, we ended up figuring all that out. 

We worked really hard this week and had some cool experiences. I think that one of the coolest parts was teaching our investigator and her family. Her name is Cida and is really cool. She isn´t married with her husband but they have 2 children. They are a great family and we have been teaching them for some time now. However, she was still searching for her answer and didn´t want to get married. We went to her house on Wednesday and we taught about the Law of Chastity with a focus on marriage. During the whole lesson, she was joking a lot and said some things about what she things about marriage. She said she is not at all willing to get married to him. But, then after most of the lesson she got all serious and asked, "Who sent you here?" We were kind of confused because we had marked the lesson with her. Then she explained that her husband and her and been talking about getting separated. She said that she had been praying to God about it the whole week and we just happened to teach her about marriage the day she was most frustrated about the situation. She told us that she was feeling that her burden was too heavy to bear. I remembered what I studied that morning, which was about the people that were imprisoned by the lamanites and had burdens that were difficult to carry. But, I studied about it in Preach my Gospel and couldn´t find the exact chapter that talked about it. I asked my companion and he was able to tell me right away because it is what he ended up studying that day too! We had no idea. But, we read it with her and it was really cool. She loved it and it really helped her learn what she needs to do to follow God´s will. So pray for them! I hope that they will be able to have the disposition to get married so I might be able to be there for it before I go home. 

We also taught about temples to another lady. She is an investigator from the other area.  It was a great lesson. She has a similar problem. She lives with a guy, isn´t married, and has 2 kids. She wants to get married and be baptized. However, he doesn´t want any of it. She loved it and it gave her an even stronger desire to be baptized. At the end, she asked if she could still get sealed to her family if her husband doesn´t get baptized.... So that was kind of sad. But, we explained about it and told her that we will work with him on it. 

Well, I was gonna write some more but I have to go right now. We have an appointment in just a bit. I love you all. Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Davis

June 9, 2018: Bom Dia!!

BOM DIA!!!

How are you all? 

Life is going great here in Brasil. I just love this country. It is awesome. I would never move to live here because of the corruption in the government... But, I love this country. hahah Hopefully they win the World Cup. Which, as missionaries we can´t watch. But, it will be really crazy during the season of the World Cup. 

Mural of a dragon

Anyways, like I told you guys I would last week. I travelled to Itabuna Sunday night. I arrived Monday morning. That day we had a zone conference. It went well. It was a fun conference. Our Mission President had final interviews with the missionaries in the zone. The trainings all went well. Then after that, I took a 45 min bus ride to Ilhéus to do splits with the Elders there. I arrived and took another city bus to the Elder´s area. I stayed with Elder Castlemain and his companion. We are from the same group and are great friends. So it was nice to see him again. We had a family night with his investigators and members. It was great. We were able to feel the Spirit and edify one another. FYI I forgot my camera in the Office this whole week. So I didn´t take any pictures during the trip. Bummer. But, it was a good Monday. 

Tuesday, we woke up early and had the Ilhéus Zone Conference. It went really well. During these conferences, I gave the training on the Plan of Salvation. I had studied and created a way to teach about the purpose here on earth and the atonement from Preach my Gospel. At the end of teaching I would always open up 3 Nephi 27 19-22 to explain about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to invite the individuals to baptism. I had perfected it through teaching these various times during the 4 zone conferences I have attended this transfer. So, I did the same thing during this conference. It honestly went very well. At the end of my training, The Elder from the Senior Missionary Couple made a comment. He said, "Since I joined the church until today, I haven´t been able to understand or accept the fact that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on earth. Until that lad went up, taught that principle, and showed that scripture now I undestand. Thank you."   That was really cool to hear. I really like that guy and I was cool to see how the scriptures help and it shows that you are always learning no matter how old you are and how much time you have been in the church." But, either way it was a spiritual experience. 

After that I did splits with Elder Castlemain.  We left the chapel late because they were one of the last companionships to be interviewed. So I just played the piano and we sang hymns. It was fun! We then visited an investigator and then went to their home. The next morning on wednesday, I went and did splits with Elder Lee and Elder Vasconcelos. Elder Lee is the other Zone Leader in the Zone. We were able to learn new things together and fix things in his area. We also invited an investigator to be baptized and she accepted. So that was great. That night we literally ran to their apartment, grabbed my suitcase, and I hopped in a taxi to the bus station, worried that I would miss my bus. But, it all worked out and I didn´t miss it at all. 

I arrived in Salvador on Thursday in the morning. I rested a little bit because of the lack of sleep during the week. Then we got back to work in my area. Nothing happened in my area during the days I was travelling. Which, is pretty frustrating. My companion said that he would visit marked lessons and go with members... but it didn´t happen. But, he tried so it´s all good. I tried not to focus much on that and just got to work. So we did and found some cool new investigators. We also found some awesome investigators on Friday. 

Funny story... We were teaching a member´s grandma and she was telling us how she used to drink and her late husband drank and smoked a bunch. One day he came home and ordered her to get his food for him and called her an inappropriate name. She came with a knife and told him to not say that again or she would kill him. He said it... and She knifed him 10 times in the leg!!!! She was telling us this story and out of nowhere she said that like it was the most normal thing in the world!!! I was freaking scared to be in the presence of such a powerful woman... hahah She told us that she sent her husband to the hospital and told him that he couldn´t tell the Doctor what she did or she would kill him. He told the doctor that it was their dog that did all the damage..... hahah Yeah, I guess that isn´t that funny but in the moment it was funny because it was such an odd thing to hear from a tiny ol grandma. 

Anyways, that was my week! I was thinking a lot about the movie "You are special" I really liked that show. I related that to sculpting. How in a way God is sculpting us from a formless lump of clay into a beautiful masterpiece. Little by little, through trials and time we are molded to become something so much more than we can imagine!

Love you all!

Love

Elder Davis