10/13

Hey family!
So WOW these past two days has been rough to say the least! I learned a lot, so I’m happy about that, but I’m just really tired right now. So this past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I was sick, especially on Sunday. I couldn’t even get out of bed Sunday morning and then I got all ready to go to church because I just felt I had to go as hard as it was for me. So this Sunday we had fast and testimony meeting and I have my convert, Edwin(12) there wearing a white shirt and tie for the first time which alone made my day as he had his priesthood interview! :) PLUS his older brother, Chewy (22), was there in a white shirt and tie with his friend, Brenda (30) who will be baptized next week! :) It gave me all the energy in the world when I saw them there together - happy and excited! THEN Chewy gets up after 5 or 6 people had borne their testimony and said "I’m the one getting baptized this Friday (it was announced)" and then continued on to say how excited he was and how proud he was to be a member and how real and true the gospel is. AS AN INVESTOGATOR! He isn’t a member yet! It was the best moment of my life. I have never been happier than hearing him bare his testimony! He called us out during his testimony and it was a little awkward...But he was just saying how we were the sign God sent and have changed his life forever. We even talked more about a mission this week and he is going to go to institute as well! He is amazing and has such a strong testimony. Then.... I don’t know how because I had not eaten in 2 days, but I got up to bear my testimony and it’s was so great and the whole meeting was very inspiring and spiritually uplifting! :)
Then on Tuesday in the morning we went to have zone conference in Chihuahua City, which is like an hour away. It was AMAZING and I learned so much! After I had my dentist appt so we went with the mission president and his wife, who I really like, and it was so cool to just feel like their kids and to go run a few errands and talk for a while and THEN we get to go to their house which is the house for the mission president! We got to eat with them and their son, who I got all excited for water polo and it was really a fun experience. The house is SO cool though! When President was giving us a tour of the house we saw the room where the general authorities stay when they come! I touched the bed.... ha-ha!
Then the hard part of the trip.... waiting in the dentist office from 5 til 9 just to be looked at.... then them telling me I need a root canal because of a bad filling I had that was loose and allowed food to get stuck in for a while.... and then being operated on until 1:30 in the morning! Yeah! SO then we go the mission office, where the assistants sleep and where all the offices are, and slept for a few hours and then went back in the morning. I was there from 9am till 12pm ad then we TRIED to go back to Meoqui, but someone was killed in the bus station so we had to wait a few hours.... carrying like 30 pounds of materials for the zone the whole time. Also we saw drug deals when we were walking.... they were moving someone in very rich clothes and he was holding a HUGE M-16.... not an everyday sight.... So then as we are walking back just trying to get home and then about 4pm a member who is a "detective" who also has a huge M-16 and a pistol in his truck he opens the door and says get in as he moves is guns around to allow us to fit! It was kind of funny and weirdly not that strange. Guess I have been here for a while. Everyone here has a general respect for us and knows us and our purpose and don’t ever mess with us. That is a LITTLE part of my days. I have to go back next week to have more work on my tooth done, so we will see how that goes.
Crazy huh? One of the highlights was when we got stranded out of the bus station in the hot sun, in jackets, and lots of stuff to carry I realized how much I have changed. My comp was all frustrated and upset and it made me realize how calm and optimistic I was. I wasn’t frustrated or mad or angry at all... Plus not to mention my throbbing mouth after having it jacked around for so long. But I was semi happy and really calm and just looking forward and making the best decisions I could step by step, not letting the pulls of life phase me. Obviously I still get frustrated, but especially since the prophets talk on anger, I have really tried to cut it out. It does NO good and just destroys the things we care about most. You know? It was part of my learning day, just rolling with the blows of life and not letting Satan get you frustrated. :)
Life continues onward and time is flying!!!! Wow! I love the mission and love the gospel!! It’s everything and I know if I live it, I will be happy. No matter the circumstance. :)
Thanks for all the love and support! Oh and thank you grandma Davidson, Emily and Suzy Bush, and Sandi for the letters! :)
Love,
Elder Andrew Davidson