11/1/2010

11/1/10

Hey everyone!

This week was a good and short week to say the least! Every 3 months we have been having these trainings were the whole mission comes here to Chihuahua for 4 days and everyday all day we are in these trainings and we learn a lot of the new ways we are to teach the gospel. They are amazing because we were isolated from the things that normally distract us during the week and it makes us really focus in on the mission and gospel. Plus we had TONS of great spiritual experiences this week with the conferences and all and on top of that I got to see all of my buddies in the mission! All of the zone leaders, district leaders, and missionaries that are trainers got to come and so we were like 60 missionaries :) I have had a lot of really special experiences associated with music and singing hymns. I have come too really like them and singing..... I still horrible at singing and all, but now the difference is that I like it and would love to learn how to sing at least okay and to play a little bit of piano. Maybe it will be hard to do and all, but it would be cool!

Oh and also we had a meeting with all of the district leaders and zone leaders in one of the afternoons of these conferences and at the end of all the conference we had a meeting with only the zone leaders. During the meeting with all of the zone leaders and district leaders of the whole mission we talked a lot about doing baptismal interviews with President Angulo and the assistants and then they wanted an example.... The assistant that was there was one of my district leaders before and is named Elder Cook, and I taught him how to interview a while ago when I was a zone leader with him and I knew he was going to call on me to give the example..... sure enough that is how it was and I interviewed my buddy Elder Cook in front of everyone. I was a little nervous but in the end it went well so that was good. It was also weird to see all the missionaries that I saw arrive in the mission are now leaders and trainers! They have all spent a lot of time in the mission and speak Spanish well! It was a lot of fun to see everyone and talk with them again.

The conference went amazingly well and the mission president was very happy and so after our zone leader meeting on the last day of the conference, the mission president took all of us to a Steak Buffet here in Chihuahua! It was cool and it was the best food I have ate in the whole mission! Ha-ha! There was a lot of American Food and so we all ate a ton. I have come to love the missionaries I am serving with and so it was a lot of fun to go out to eat. :)

The area and zone are going well and we are excited to see all we can achieve in November.... I can’t believe its November already! Time flies! But I am very happy here and working hard! I saw so many missionaries waste the last part of their missions and so I promised myself that I would NEVER do the same and I am doing all I can to stay focused and LIVE every second I am here in the mission! It is a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

Oh and this week a dog attacked me and I had to defend myself and it was exciting.... ha-ha! It was the first time it had happen the my mission and so it was fun.... A lot of dogs bark and all, but this one tried several times to bit me and such so it was different....

Oh and Halloween came and went here.... we didn't do much and neither do the people here. The teenage kids have a party and all, but they don’t do too much. Plus the government banned trick or treating because they say that it is not a Mexican tradition and don't want the people to forget about their Mexican heritage. It’s dangerous here in the end so I feel like it is a good thing that they did it.

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

Elder Andrew Davidson