10/3/2010

10/3/10

HEY everyone!

So another fast week has gone by and I feel like time continues to speed up with each weeks that goes by. This week like all of you already know we had general conference. In the stake center where we had conference they always put a room in English for the American missionaries and a few others who speak English as well. I had to listen to parts of conference in Spanish during a couple of times during my mission and to be honest it is not the same by any means. I guess it is because I have come to know the prophets by their voices and its weird when it is in the voice of someone else.

Felix our great investigator had a tough week. He went to Camargo, where his family lives to tell them about the baptism and they attacked him more than he ever expected. His mom and sisters cried and were all upset as if he had committed some kind of deadly sin and his dad told him to wait like 6 months to be able to do it. They also took him to a catholic church and had him talk with a priest and all.... Yeah, he had a rough time. But he has a strong testimony and stayed strong to what GOD has revealed to him and says he wants to be baptized in the true church, but needs to wait for his family to cool down a bit. He is 24 all lives alone and all, but he loves and respects his family and all so it is tough. But the whole situation is tough because the point of the church is to bring family together and not pull them apart. The down side is that his family remains in ignorance because they do not want to listen to him and what he says about the church. We have a lesson with him right now so we will see how things are going. I know his family will open their heart soon and listen to Felix and be able to support him.

All goes well with my comp from BOLIVIA! He tells me all about it all the time and I really want to go to South America some day. I also want to study outside the US for a semester or so after I get back. Who knows yet, but I have a lot a new plans and ideas now that I have learned a lot more about the world outside of the US. I feel like BYU has a number of international programs so I will try and be apart of that for a year or two after I get back. What do you think? :)

Today we had another zone leader conference and it went well and the zone goes well. The mission was a bit down during the month of September but we are going well so far in October.

The ward is doing well as well and we have really gained the confidence of the bishop and he seems to be really happy with us right now. I love this ward already and I really look forward to staying here for a couple of changes.

I love you all so very much and thanks for all the love and support

Elder Andrew Davidson

9/27/2010

9/27/10

Hey everyone!

So ALL goes well here and I am doing well and very happy to be honest. I think I have never been so happy in my life and have never felt so good here in the mission. I have come to really love the mission life and I will be very sad when it is over. But in this area things are going so well and we had a baptism this past week. Adilene was baptised and it was a bit tough because her family was not too happy and did not support her too much, but she was very strong and has a strong testimony. Her husband seems to be coming around and I know he will get baptised soon. :)

Felix Flores, the investigator I told you about last week is still doing great!! He is now reading in the middle of second Nephi and is so smart and comments all the time about stuff he has learned and understands everything so well. He even comes with us to teach another investigator who is a friend of his girlfriend. He is going to visit his family who lives like 2 hours away to tell them about his decision to get baptised and it is the only big trial he has right now. He can't get baptised this week because of conference, but he will get baptised the 9th of October. I am pumped and he is going to be one of my best converts in the mission!! He is going to be a future leader of the church some day :) Plus it is a lot of fun to be with him and the family of his girlfriend. They are all students and it reminds me a lot of school and I feel like we have a lot in common. AND we always have really good and powerful lessons because Jared, the ex missionary is powerful as well and so when his girlfriend, Lizzy participates as well it makes for powerful lessons with Felix. I feel like I will be Friends with them for a long time, well most of my life.

All goes well with my new Bolivian companion. He continues to learn and we get along well. He also teaches me a lot about his country and we have become good friends. He is also a good teacher and so our teaching has gone really well. Life is great and there is a LOT to do.

We are also finally gaining the confidence of the members here and especially of the Bishop. the ward has a bad story with a lot of missionaries in their ward and so they are slow to trust the missionaries. But they have seen that we are different and we have started to work with them a lot so they can have spiritual experiences with us as well. The bishop is thrilled and I really like him.

We spoke in church on Sunday and it went really well as well, I think it is one of the things that helped us to gain so much of the confidence of the members. I talked a lot about 1 Nephi 8 and missionary work and the spirit was strong there.

We are planning a ward activity to do with the members for the 8th of October and we have planned a stake activity for the 17th of October. I will let you know how they go :)

I Love you all and thank you so much for all of your support and love

Elder Andrew Davidson

9/20/2010

Hey everyone!

I got a kid in the mission!!! How cool huh? and the BEST part is.... that my comp is from Bolivia!!! ha-ha! I am stoked and very happy. He is such a funny guy and I Love that we are both foreigners here in Mexico and we get along great. He served in Boliviafor a month or so because his Visa did not come through so he is not completely new to the mission stuff, but Mexico is a lot different for him. It is fun because he makes me remember a lot of the things I thought and said when I got to the mission. He is from the city La Paz and has been a member all his life and is cool. I wanted to send a picture, but I forgot my camera sorry.

On Wednesday night they called me to tell me that I was going to get a new comp and I was really sad to be honest because in my three weeks with Elder Avendaño I came to really love him like a brother. But after a day or so with my son in the mission I felt great and I understand a lot of the things that Lord wants me to learn in the mission right now. I was worried I was not going to have a kid in the mission so that is exciting for me. Plus I don't feel to old in the mission and it keeps me working super hard so its all good.

The area is also starting to improve so that also makes life a lot better. When I got here there was nothing at all! Serious they did not even have one investigator for more than a month. This week a number of our investigators didn't show much, but 5 of them came to church.

Adilene is going to be baptised this week on Friday and is progressing a lot. But our coolest investigator is names Felix. He is studying his masters degree here and his girlfriend is a member. I am not sure how much I told all of you about him last week so sorry if I am repeating myself.... His girlfriend, Lizzly, live with her brother who just got back from the mission and her younger sister as well. It reminds me a lot of BYU and college because they are a group of teenagers living together. They are great and I love teaching Felix because he is So smart. He is already ending the first book of Nephi and LOVES it. This week was his second week at church and he has started to progress a lot. The ward also had an activity this week on Sunday night where they gave tours of the church and each organization explained what they teach to the family. He loved it and loves the church and his testimony is growing a ton. I feel like by the next time I write you all, he will have a baptismal date :) I am exited because he has so much potential in the church and feel be a future leader! :)

Also another friend of the family of teenagers started to learn about the church and we had a great lesson with her and ALL the members participated and the spirit was so strong there! She also came to church and she is a lawyer and just graduated from school, she is 24. Oh and Lizzle is 25, her brother who just got back from the mission, Jared, is 22 and their little sister, Jazmin, is 18. It is a fun group and they are from Casas Grandes, The Mormon colonies, so they are really strong members, speak perfect English, and help us out a lot! The drive us to where we need to go and always make us brownies and cookies and such. Felix is the coolest out of all of them and I know he will be a lifelong friend!

As you can tell life goes well. I love the mission and LOVE what I am doing. I Love the Lord and that is what motivates me each day to get up and work strong. The mission is the best experience I have ever had and it has FOREVER changed my life. I have had too many spiritual experiences to ever be the same person again.

Thank you for all your love and support and I will keep you all posted on how things go and all we accomplish this week!

Love you!

Elder Andrew Davidson