8-4-09

Hey everyone!So wow! This week has been a long one and a whole lot has happened! First of all, PLEASE DON’T SEND LETTERS OR PACKAGES TO THE P.O BOX OF JULIANA OROZCO IN EL PASO. I am not longer in Juarez and don’t send anything to there. Send it all to the other addresses, the one for letters and the other for packages.

The REGUALR EL PASO ADDRESS FOR MY WHOLE MISSION THAT GOES THROUGH MY MISSION PRESIDENT, BUT TAKES A WHILE IS:

FOR LETTERS ONLY
Elder Andrew Davidsonc/o Edgar Flores Prieto1650 Sioux Dr. CH. 44781El Paso, TX 79925

FOR PACKAGES AND ENVELOPES ONLY
Edgar Flores-Elder Andrew Davidson2220 Bassett AvePMB 106El Paso, TX 79901

I am now in Meoqui. It’s a little town below Chihuahua and I’m in the south part of the state. Crazy huh? I’ll tell you all about it in a second, but first I was in Juarez, my old area, until Monday morning. So this week we had 2 baptisms. We baptized this Ricardo and Dulce I think I have mentioned a number of times. They are 21 and 16 and Dulce, is 8 and a half months pregnant! Crazy! She is 16 and pregnant already. But they are amazing and it was so cool to baptism a couple, it’s a rare thing in the mission. They have a lot of family in the church and I feel like they will be lifelong members. We baptized them on Saturday and confirmed them on Sunday and it was great.
Also on Sunday we had a meeting with the Mission President and the Stake president and the assistants to the president! Cool huh? Usually only the zone leaders get to be there, but our stake does not have zone leaders. Because there are 4 stakes and 3 missionary zones, so my comp and I got to fill out all of the forums and be there are present it all to them. I learned a TON! When else am I going to get to be in a meeting like that? I really learned how we can work with the church leaders more and what we need to be focusing on and such. And my comp is new to the area so I had to answer all the questions about who is where and details and such. Plus my comp was a little nervous so I got to answer a lot and talk a lot at the meeting.
So I HAD a WAY awesome investigator named Javier. I’m not sure if I have mentioned home before, but he was going to be my best convert. He is like 50 and lives with his son. He has changed tremendously and is so smart and understands the gospel more than other investigators usually do. After we taught him about the plan of salvation he said, “so I have decided I have to do all I can to make it to the Celestial kingdom!” Cool huh? He was smoking about 20 cigarettes daily and we have got him down to almost none and he also quit drinking alcohol and coffee as well. He is a FOR SURE future leader of the church and he loves fast and testimony meeting and plans to bear his testimony next month already! We were going to baptism him this Saturday, but I am not longer there so that is sad. But I know he is in good hands.
So on to the crazy stuff. On Monday morning I was just doing my exercises at about 6:35am and then our zone leaders called to tell me I am going to change areas to Meoqui. My first thought was what in the world is a Meoqui! Ha-ha! So I had to pack and be at the bus stop at 10 am for my bus. Then I traveled all day to the south part of the state. Like an hour below Chihuahua and close to delicias. I have only been here for a day or so, so I don’t know too much yet. But it’s a little small town and the whole town is our area! How cool is that! Oh and the coolest part is that we have BIKES! I am an official missionary now. I have a bike! So I am here with Elder Mar... Who goes home in 2 weeks... weird? But it’s a little tough because I have to learn all I can in only 2 weeks and then he leaves. But the hardest part is that he does not know much about the area because he has only been here for 4 weeks. I have a lot to learn about the area and from him so that is cool and I’m excited. I feel like the next two weeks are going to fly by though. We have to work our tails off though! So our house is way small, two rooms, and we have nothing. I slept on a bare mattress last night because we don’t have any sheets. The little pillow is extremely yellow and old ... so they are going to send me sheets from the offices. The last person here just bought his own set of sheets and took them with him. It’s a cool little town and I really hope to make a difference here. I left a LOT back in Juarez and had a great area and a lot going for me, including an earned temple trip for completing out last month’s goal. So the whole zone goes to the temple this Thursday.. .but not me.
I now have 8 people in our district and we have to travel to the town over to attend district meeting. Oh and we have sisters in our district and its really weird to me. Because there are none at all in Juarez so I have never even really seen a sister working here with us. We are also in the district with the zone leaders and I really like the zone leader here and he is an awesome elder! We had to teach today in district meeting and my companion did not plan anything, but I planned out both parts and the activity so it all went really well. Much better than I thought it would and the zone leader there, Elder Lowe, really like it and pulled me aside and talked to me how much potential I have and such. Cool! I’m not sure it was too good, but if I learn to rely in the lord 100% I will be able to accomplish things here in the mission. Because with my own talents and abilities I do not have much going for me... let alone Spanish... so I got a lot of working to do if I want to try and reach my maximum potential here in the mission and later on in life. It has been humbling to be here and know nobody or the area or the people, but I really like it so far and I know I am here for a reason. The Lord needs me here and I need to do all I can because who knows when I am going to change areas again. I have 2 weeks to learn all I can and then I have to be able to run the area with a new companion. I’m a little nervous, but I hope it will all go well. I will keep you posted. Let me know if you have questions about the area, I will do better to describe it better next week. But I’m real excited and have a LOT of work to do. Oh and 4 elders in my district out of 8 are leaving in 2 weeks.... crazy! I am trying to keep them excited though!
So yeah, if you want to send something you have to send it through the mission president mail, which is really slow. So if you want to have something to get here around my birthday day you have to send it like now...(Sept 1st). Oh and I got letters from Kendra, and Ty, and Kali, and Larissa, and Grandma Davidson this week! I love you all and it has great to hear from all of you! I will do my best to write you back! Things are a little crazy today, but next week I will write!
Love the work and love the mission!
Love,Elder Andrew Davidson