Memorial Day!

Hola Padres!                   31 May 2011

       Well it is good that there was no email from a distraught mother. But you guessed right, we weren’t able to email yesterday because of Memorial Day, everything was completely shut down, but here we are today with the permission to email. It is a really good privilege to have.

All these weeks are moving by so quickly. This is the last week before transfers, and it seems like that Elder Lopez and I just were put here as companions. I honestly do not know what will happen here – if I will be transferred -- but I will go where the Lord wants me to go. There are rumors here and there, but by next Monday I will have all that information on where I am going and what is happening.

Well since "the Change" everything has been different. (The “change” Chad is referring to is his desire to be a better missionary, put forth more effort in following the Lord’s plan for him and being more obedient.)  I can come home at the end of the day and feel pleased with what has happened and I can go to sleep with no regrets from the day. I know that I will go out and do the Lord's work and then come home and feel that I did what he wanted me to do. I am really loving my mission more then ever. I am understanding my purpose and what I am here.  It is carrying into my work and work ethic. Because of it, our way of working has changed a little. We have been focusing on people more and numbers less. For the first part of my mission I have looked to numbers as something that needed to be achieved and that was what was expected. However, I learned that if you focus on the people (what is important), then the numbers (what is not as important) will follow. People are what we are called to teach and help and that is what I am going to dedicate myself efforts.  It has made me want to embrace the trait of charity (the scriptures define charity as the pure love of Christ).  I have felt charity at times, but I have not really had charity for everyone.  On occasion, I have even felt dislike for some people. So I am really trying to develop that love that Christ had for everyone and make sure that they feel of that love.

Weather.  The weather has been getting hotter and we have been walking a lot more, but that is just one of the little things. I really can’t complain about walking because I know that there are missionaries that never even get cars at any point in their missions, so I am trying to be content with what I am given.

Since we were walking so much, I had to by some new shoes to help keep up with all of the walking. Don’t worry Mom, I got a good deal and went cheap, but they are quality shoes. (Get the idea that THE MOM is the penny pincher and is always concerned about money???) They are really saving my feet from killing me.

The companionship with Elder Lopez is still working well.  We get along like good friends. We have been helping each other become better and really finding how we can improve as missionaries. This week did have a really weird moment. I saw Elder Bravo again, well I guess now he is just Brother Bravo. (Elder Bravo was Chad’s previous companion and he was at the end of his mission and returned home.) He was back down here because one of his old companions was getting married.  We went on splits for about an hour and we knocked some doors. It was super weird; I was having flashbacks to when we were companions. He still had a little bit of that fire and still talked and asked everyone to do this or that. It was some really good stuff.

I did get a little trunky this week, but it wasn’t that bad. (Trunky is a term used by missionaries when they are thinking about home.)  We walked by the public pool here in our area.  I walk by and see all that stuff going on and it just made me realize that I am not going to be working at Memorial Pool this summer. It is weird to think that I won’t be there after 3 summers. But it is just a little sacrifice to make. But it does make me miss the pool and swimming, especially when it is like 96 here the whole time and we walk by about 3 or 4 different pools everyday. (Prior to his mission, Chad was a lifeguard at the local pools.)

Yesterday was a pretty cool P-day. (Memorial Day) It was different because we didn’t have emails, so we had so much more time to do other things. We went out to Snow Canyon, and we visited the Lava Caves. They are these caves that some how work their way down into the ground about 200 feet or so. It was cool, it was pitch black and you had to squeeze through some tight spots and climb a few rocks.  Definitely one of the craziest things I have done on my mission!

I hope all is well back at home. Stay strong and trust in the Lord!  Live it, Love it, Preach it!!! 

    Con muchismo amor,      ELDER DAVIS