5/24/10

Hey everyone!

So this week went well for the most part. We had a number of baptisms in the district this week so we were really busy the whole week with interviews and such. Last month we did not baptize much at all as a district and this month we baptized 20 as a district so it was a big difference! I am way proud of all of the missionaries because they did a whole lot this month :) I think next week we will have a fun activity if the mission president does not let us go to the temple. We have a goal of 37 baptisms in a month to be able to go to the temple, and it looks like we will end with 30. Our district had 20 of the 30 and we are only a third of the zone!) We are going to try and convince the mission president to let us go anyways because this zone has never gotten above 27 in about 2 years. But we will see how it goes :) It all depends how we finish this week.

We baptized Sayra Acosta on Saturday and it went really well. She asked that I baptize her and so that was cool too. Her mom is a little more interested than before, but she has had a hard life and has a lot of problems. She was baptized 20 years ago but is not active at all. Sayra was super happy at her baptism and to be honest we did not expect many members to come, but then like 25 of them did! :)

Marisol is the 25 year old single mother who is preparing to get baptized this week on Saturday if all goes well. Her daughter Lorelly will also get baptised with her. She is SUPER smart and understands everything so well! She has a ton of potential to grow in the church and will be a future leader. :)

I had been struggling a lot with my companion these past few weeks and this week I had a great spiritual experience that changed me a lot. I decided that if I was really going to help him out I need to be positive and an example. I had gotten lost in being bothered by the things he would do and say and I criticized him. I decided to stop judging him and criticizing him and just LOVE him and to be able to focus on only the good and to serve him. Things changed so much and I felt so much better and we have become much better friends in such short of time. I realize I too make tons of errors and mistakes as well and if I expect others to see the best in me I need to do the same with them. My comp, Elder Rojas, then shared a number of personal things about him that helped me understand his struggles more and my role in helping him. It has helped the both of us to be able to progress so much more!

In two weeks my comp goes home... so we will see how all of that goes with all the farewell talk. I am happy to be here and I am loving the mission!

Love

Elder Andrew Davidson

5/18/10

Hey everyone!

So this week I had a number of great experiences that have helped me so much to grow and learn.

So first off..... this week is missionary Sunday and normally the 4 of us speak in sacrament meeting, us and the 2 sisters in the ward. But this week we decided to sing two songs and each of us were to share a conversion story from the mission that we have had. So I obviously choose the story of Jesus Huerta (Chewy) from Meoqui. Then on Sunday before church started the sisters tell me they have a surprise for me! Then Chewy walks in the door!!! My convert from Meoqui!!!! Crazy! I was so excited and had many emotions! He was there visiting with a few people from Delicias! I was so so excited! Then he tells me he now has the Melchizedek priesthood and is the young men's president!!! His mom has had cancer for a while and the night he received the priesthood he went home and gave his mom a blessing! Then he showed me pictures and turns out two weeks ago he went to the temple in Juarez! He performed baptisms there and Edwin his younger brother went as well! :) He is attending institute and all and that he is going on a mission in a year!!!!!!!!! He has NEVER told me that before. Before it was an idea we tried to instill in him, but he told me with so much surety and determination! Then I had to speak in church and share his conversion story in front of him and at the end I told the congregation that he was there and that it was the first time I had seen him in 4 and a half months! It was SO weird to see him there with all his member friends and SO changed! He had a new light in his face and about him. Also it was cool to be with him in class and hear him respond like a normal member and all..... he has changed so much and is so much happier and more relaxed. It was a very joyous experience to be able to talk to him for a bit! :)

The week went great and we have a number of people preparing for baptism.

Sayra Acosta (10 year old investigator) is going to get baptized this week and is way exciting and she such an example to her family. They have a lot of problems.

Also Marisol is an investigator we have taught for 3 weeks and it is going great. She and her daughter are going to get baptized the 29th of May :) She is SUPER intelligent and understanding everything so well. She is 25 years old and has had a hard life and is way ready for the gospel. She also is a designer and has a way cool modern house :)

This week the scriptures have helped me so much and I realize the power of daily study. It is something I can never miss and starts my day out so well!

I love you all so much and thank you for all of the love and support!

Love

Elder Andrew Davidson

5/12/10

Hey everyone!

So this week was a great week because on Sunday I got to talk to the family! :) It was a lot of fun to hear how everyone is going and to hear how grown up Spencer and Trevor are! It was also weird to realize that I have officially been out on the mission for a while now... I still feel like I have just started but talking to the family I realized that I have been out for 16 months, that is a long time! Also I am pretty sure it was my last time calling home, because I think the mission president is going to send us home before Christmas this year because of school and all. Plus that way we can be with the family for the holidays.

But this week we went to visit a less active member who lives in the area and it turns out her kids are not members of the church. There are a lot of problems in the house to be honest, but we found Sayra Acosta, possibly one of the best converts I will have in the mission. She is 10 years old but SUPER smart and mature. She basically lives on her own because of all of the problems in the house and the fact she is alone most of the time. She feels the spirit so strong when we are there and LOVES the church. She can feel the difference and the love that her Father in Heaven has for her. She is going to get baptized this next Saturday the 22nd of May. She came to church this week and loved it and is our great friend :) She has a strong desire to have something so much better than what goes on in her house and wants to grow and learn so much. The church is going to change her life forever and I plan on staying in contact with her for a long time, she is the cutest little girl. It is sad sometimes so see her so alone in the world and we always want to be able to do more for her.

So yesterday we had zone conference in Chihuahua and is was one of the better zone conferences we have had. I was not too nervous this time around to teach and did a better job than I have done before so that is good. Also we bought a cake for President Flores since he just had his birthday and that was a lot of fun. We talked a lot about our purpose here as missionaries and how we can depend on the Lord more. We need to understand that we are doing the Lords work and must do it his way. That pride is thinking we can still find people to teach and baptize even if we are disobedient. It was a great conference and I learned a lot. Oh and we also talked a lot about change and the atonement and how we are here to grow and change and that that life is always changing. We can never expect things to stay the same and should be always changing for the better.

All goes well here with my comp and we keep working hard. We have found a number of new good investigators so we will see how it all goes, I will keep you posted about it all.

Oh and I got letters yesterday at the conference. Thanks Grandma Davidson, Cheryl, Paul. Sister Dozier, and Larissa for all the love and support. I will be much better at responding quicker!

Love you!

Elder Andrew Davidson

5/3/10

Hey everyone!

So another week down already... This week went well and we found a number of new investigators so that was great. Luis Angel is going to get baptized on Thursday of this week so that is exciting. He is a teenager that is more than willing to do all the lord asks of him. We have been teaching him for like a month now and has progressed quite a lot.

So this past Friday we have the zone leader conference and it was great. President Flores asked me to teach in the conference and it went well. I still need to slow down a bit and try to talk slower, but I am improving a little. My buddy elder Killpack also taught and did a great job. it’s crazy how much we have grown since we got here and how much we still have to go. I love being at the conference and how much we learn. Also president talked about how he leaves in a little bit and the change of the mission president, so that will be interesting. He leaves the 1st of July, so in like 2 months from now.

All with the comp goes well and I love Cuauhtémoc and the members. There are always a lot of ups and downs in life and sometimes it is not the easiest thing to do, I know that the Lord always understands what is best for us.

Thank you all so much for all of the love and support! Hope all goes well in the states!

Love

Elder Andrew Davidson