WEEK 89

  Yeah, it's pretty crazy that I only have 3 months left.  That means only two more transfers left and I am trying not to lose my mind because I don't want to be sick for those last 3 month!  I want to be able to do nothing but work hard and finish strong.  But, if I have to do that while wanting to puke and having a pounding headache, then so be it.

   I am doing well. Honestly and truly, I am tired of being sick and I am still feeling ill. But that has not stopped me from working as much as it can and I will not let it. :)  This week I have been really nauseous, especially when I eat and stand up and move around. I have also had head aches and maybe fevers but I am not sure. I will pick up a thermometer today so we can be sure.  I am not sure exactly what it is. I can't really tell if it's anything to do with my Hodgkins but we will find out for sure on Friday. :)  It kind of hurts to tell people that I am still so sick.  But after much thought and prayer, I will do whatever it takes to finish my mission.  I have to!!!  In the blessing when my back was healed so long ago, I was promised that if I was faithful, I would finish my full-time, 2 year mission. If that means that I have to go through Chemo while doing so, I will do it. I want to serve my time. I know that Heavenly Father intends to keep his promise.  :)  The Lord gave his life and everything for me, so why wouldn't it be good for me to give 2 years of my life for him? :)

  I feel it may have something to do with the heat. In which case, I am pretty much screwed. But in the blessing I received last week I was again promised that I will have the strength to finish my mission so I am not too worried. :)

   As for the scan, I have no idea when the results will come in. I am not a big fan of how things run down here compared to how they went in Utah.  But I imagine that they'll call with the results within a day or so.

 

   Besides my health, everything was pretty chill this week. I was able to go out quite a bit and still rest a bit too.  I feel as if I am almost getting use to how my body is feeling so it makes it easier to work. We helped one of the other Elders' investigators with their yard work yesterday as well as a couple of widows and that was of course nice.

 

  Conference was of course MIND BLOWING.  It was a dervish of spiritual delights!!   My favorite talks were also in Priesthood session. I loved Elder Holland's talk and Elder Nielsen's as well. They hit me pretty hard. Elder Brent H. Nielsen came to our mission and spoke with us a little, so it was cool to see him there.  I also found it interesting that the first 3 sessions were ALL about marriage and family! It was very cool and I had some great thoughts and notes. We just watched conference at the stake center like we always do.  We invited pretty much everyone and their dog, but no one showed up!  Maybe they were just watching it at home or something.  I felt pretty sad about what happened with the sustainings but think they handled it very well.  

 

  On Easter we actually ate dinner with the Senior Missionaries and it was SUPER good! They fed us roast and potatoes and it was really great! Yum!

 

  I did get my Easter Package! Thank you so much! It came in handy for conference!  Plus the tie is legit!

 

  Well, I love and adore you Mother. You are the best!  Thanks for everything Pops!  I love you with all my heart!

 

  Love and stuff,

  Elder Taylor C. Davis

WEEK 88

  I am doing alright. I actually just got back from the doctor and everything is ok. I am sorry that you have been so worried. Yes you are a mom but you stress way too much! :)  I went to Dr. K, my oncologist in San Diego. He wants to do a PET scan to see if my illness has anything to do with cancer and the best way to know would be a PET scan.  I do not know when it will be but he said it should be very soon. I have not started the new Meds yet but I should start them in about 12 days. I am eating normally so not much has changed there.  :)  I am doing alright today. I feel crummy but I am managing. :)

   My week has been alright. We didn't get as much work done this week as I would have liked to but Elder Banks was able to go on splits with other missionaries so we could still get a lot of stuff done. We were able to see ***** and *****'s family and we had a lot of dinners with members this week, so that was nice as well.

 

   We were also able get some service done this week too. I wasn't much help but I did what I could. :)  We helped a couple people move and we were even able to help put up some shelves in an elementary school and do other things like that there. I was also able to help a couple people with their computers so it has been a good week of service.

 

  As for my health and everything. Right now, I have been very tired, I have had headaches, nausea and dizziness, and have a fever here once or twice this week. It's probably nothing too bad. The doctor said that it could just be a bug that is lingering for a while.  I promise to take it easy and rest and drink plenty. Plus I just barely had a long talk with President and Sister Schmitt and President said my circumstances will be better this coming transfer. As to what that means exactly, I have no idea. But I trust him and have come to have a really good relationship with him so I am sure he knows what to do and is guided by the Lord. :)   I didn't ask him for a blessing  because I got one from Elder Banks a couple days ago, so I'm good.  :)

 

  Elder Banks really is a great companion. :)   I haven't been able to do a ton of work myself this week and that has been very frustrating as you can imagine.  But we have been able to go on splits with the other missionaries that live with us so that Elder Banks can at least go out and do work in our area.  So as bad as that feels, I am glad that he is such a champ about things.  With this new Easter initiative I am very excited to see the miracles and blessings that come from it.

 

  I am not sure what I feel right now. I am not too worried. I am just sick and tired of being sick and tired.  :)  I just want to be back to normal so I can go out and do all I can to fulfill my purpose as a missionary. In the blessing I was promised the strength to finish my mission. :)  It'll work out. :) 

Sorry to worry you but, "Lay your weary head to reeeeest. Don't ya cry no more! NO!" -Boston :)

 

  Other than that, not much to report. I love you and hope all is well. :)  I could never thank you enough for all that you do for me.  Dad, please hug Mom and let her know that everything is going to be okay.  :)

 

  Love,

  Elder Taylor C. Davis
 

WEEK 87

  The Imperial Valley Zone

  Happy Summer...I mean Spring!  It's crazy that it is already in the 90's and going to push 100 degrees here soon!  But it has been pretty nice not to have to use any coats or anything here on my mission.  :)  That I am grateful for.  It is crazy that is snowed so little at home this past year.

  What a week it has been. Sounds like things are going well there in Utah and that is great to hear. That's cool that you're going to stay in the same hotel that we stayed in so many years ago. I am sure that will be loads of fun! Looking back that is one of my favorite vacations that we took as a family. :)

   So things are good here in El Centro. We do do a little bit of work in Imperial which is the city north of El Centro. Not a lot of people flag us down or anything on the streets or in stores or anything but we make sure to smile and say hi to everyone that we cross paths with. :) One of the easiest ways I've found when talking to people and stuff is when they have a dog. But other than that, I have kind of figured out that once you see them, immediately find something that you could comment on and start a conversation. (ie: a dude having a 49ers hat.  lol)

   The best thing that happened to me this week was probably stake conference. Yes, we had stake conference this week and it was super sick! Almost every talk was about missionary work and our steak is freaking awesome! There was also a talk about revelation that I found really interesting and that hit me really hard. I probably felt the strongest when I was focusing on what the Holy Spirit was saying rather than what the people's talks were saying.

   Institute is basically just seminary for YSA(Young Single Adult) peeps. We start off with a prayer, have a spiritual thought/lesson, and then we play some games.  There's usually from 8 to 15 people there on average for right now, but that will hopefully change. :)

   Investigators are doing well. We were able to see ***** and he is doing alright. He is still slowly progressing. He really is a good guy with a lot on his plate.  We just need to have a nice sit down lesson with him and get him with a date.  He's just busy with work a lot of the time and ****** has been sick so sometimes it's hard, but we'll get em this week.  :)  Now that we have a car and I can run full speed again, I am very hopeful for this week and that it will turn out great!  :)

   I am feeling well. I am doing a lot better now and I guess we will have the car from now on so that will be nice.  That is a blessing for sure. I am staying hydrated and doing my best to stay healthy. The nurse just told me to drink a gallon of water a day and stay out of the heat as much as I can.  So I am trying to do the best I can to do that.

   I am even more nervous for the new meds now though because I have to take them 3 times a day instead of 1, but I am sure it will be fine. :)

    I did get the package. In fact, I just barely opened it! I am super pumped for everything! Especially the new G's and the fiesta dip!!! Thanks so much for doing so much for me and for always thinking about everyone besides yourself. You're amazing!

   The companion and the apartment are going great!  Elder Bank is awesome and I don't deserve him at all!!!  He is a fantastic missionary and we laugh all the time!  He is a really good kid and I wish I was as good of a missionary as he is when I had only been out for 4 weeks!  His Spanish is phenomenal and he is doing amazing!

   

   I sure do love and appreciate everything you do!  You don't have the slightest idea of how big of an influence you are in my life!  Thanks for everything and hope you have and amazingly awesome week!

  Love you!

  Love,

  Elder Taylor C. Davis

Check Out this sick new t-shirt that my companion got me!

WEEK 86

 Well it sounds like everything is going better over there! Sounds like it was a pretty good week and you seem happier than usual. That is great to hear and I am glad.  Man we are truly blessed with great friends over there! I am excited to see what happens with the basement and how it turns out.

 
 That's so great to hear that everything went so well. You always have been a beast at following the spirit and being in the right place at the right time.  That is something that I have always admired about you.  I am sure that she is very grateful and because of you, a lot of her doubt and stress was relieved. Thanks for being such a boss!!!

   Excited for the March Package! Have to say I am a little nervous about the new meds though.   Especially after what happened before the last meds.  But I'm sure it will work out.  :)

   Yeah I know about the letter from President. I knew about it too, because the mission office called me to verify your email so they could send it.  It was a scary thought at first but I am doing well now.  And yes I know that I need to push through and just focus on what's important and not worry about the rest of it. I had a good talk about that with President about that a couple weeks ago. I don't want to be a missionary that everyone thinks was a "sack" at the end of their mission. I want to focus on my purpose and get it done until the tag is taken from me! I made that goal a long time ago and I don't intend to not achieve it. :) I promised myself that I would work hard until the very end because I want to make sure that everyone's time and money was not a waste.  Plus I want to live up to the 2 years, the best I can!

   So our week wasn't too bad I guess. I have been sick the past couple days which hasn't been fun but other than that it has been good. The nurse seems to think that I have heat exhaustion. But don't worry, I have been drinking a lot of water and taking care of myself. I am super nervous for the summer heat here, but the Lord will take care of me. :) 

    ***** and ******* are doing great! They came to church on Sunday and are showing more and more interest.  ***** is continuing to listen to the Book of Mormon on CD and is loving it.  Something super sick happened this week though!!!! Our little Spanish group was turned into a Branch on Sunday!!! So sick!!!

   

    Super cool about ****!  Keep it up!  The best way for us to invite others to hear about the gospel is to get to know them and apply it to them and testify of how it helps families! :)

   My mission has been a HUGE blessing in my life. Before my mission, I didn't have a super solid testimony of the Book of Mormon or the Atonement. But because of my mission and all that I've learned and done, I KNOW without the slightest doubt that the Book of Mormon is true. I have read it more times on my mission than I had my whole life before and I will never stop reading it.  I know that Jesus Christ suffered not only for our sins, but for any problem or heartache or pain or suffering that we will ever go through and he has a perfect knowledge and understanding of every little thing we go through. I know it and I love it.

  

    Love, 

    Elder Taylor C. Davis

WEEK 85

   So I am doing good. Glad to hear that things are going alright at home and that they're going better than they were earlier in the week.  My week has been pretty good. Elder Banks is a beast! He is awesome!  His Spanish is stellar and he's already an amazing missionary. I honestly don't feel like I can teach him anything.  :)  Pretty much all I have to do is teach him the basics and help him stay focused.  Sounds easy enough, right?  We are back to just the two of us and we are on bikes.  It is pretty fun.  I am enjoying it because it will help me stay fit for the next few months. :)

  Things here in the valley are going really well!  We were able to see  ***** and ****** this week and they are doing well. We were able to give ***** a blessing and ****** came to church! He also said that he liked it and we are going to go see them tonight.  So that has of course been good. :)  Other than that, we haven't really seen any investigators.  **** has been really busy and we haven't been able find him home.  We are working with a man who is less active who would like to come back to church and things are going really well with him.  We get to meet with him tomorrow.

 
   So there has been talk about Ipads in the mish.  Apparently they will be here in May and all missionaries who go home before November 23rd will not have to pay for them. So I will probably get to use one for my last two transfers and not get to keep it. Which is totally fine with me because I don't like Apple products anyways. So yep, that's what I know about iPads. :)

  HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPS!!!!!! So cool that your birthday ended up on a Tuesday and I am able to shoot you a Happy Birthday email.  I hope you also received my not so cool birthday letter, by now.  Did you by chance?  How's the birthday so far?  Anything good that you plan to do or did?  I'll expect a report next week!  Anyways, I hope that everything goes well with Pops' birthday. Make sure to give him a big hug for me.  Okay? 

   Happy to hear about Utah sports and how well they are doing!I am excited to see what happens with the Utes this year and how well they do!  I am also excited to see how the Jazz end up being next season!  Can't say I'm too happy about the 9ers at all though!  They have really disappointed me in the last 2 years.  But I guess I'd rather they disappoint me when I can't watch them, than any other time.  :)  They will start winning again win I can wear my jersey every week!

   Yes, it's true that I'll be coming home on the 7th instead of the 14th.  Crazy, huh?

 

   Mom, thanks for all that you do. I sure do love and appreciate you and don't deserve most of what you do for me. Love you lots.

   Pops, thank you for always providing for our family and working so hard to do so.  You have taught me what it means to work hard and I love and appreciate that!  May the Lord bless you today and may you have a great birthday!

   Love, 

   Elder Taylor C. Davis

TENDER MERCY

I received a few more pictures of Taylor from a member in El Centro through Facebook today.  I hope she won't mind if I share what she said. "He is very humble and that's great. You have an amazing son. One of the BEST missionaries/person I've met. He has taught me a lot and he doesn't even know it. He's one of those people that makes you want to be a waaaay better person!"

 It was also fun to hear who his new companion is and also where he is from without having to wait until next week!

WEEK 84

   Sounds like a pretty crazy week over there!! Holy cow! That's crazy that Kenna got her call so quickly! When does she leave?  I always knew she would go stateside.  Well, kind of.  :)

 

  Glad to hear that Grandpa is doing alright

 

  Well things here have been alright. It has been a bit of an interesting week. We've gone back and forth between bikes and car in the trio because the car has been having problems so we've had to drop it off at the shop a couple times. We've gotten to see a lot of people and gotten a lot done. 

 

   Our companionship is doing well. It started to get a little rocky at the end because of the whole 2 areas, 3 Elders thing. Plus the car situation was a little rough, but other than that it has been a lot of fun. I sure do love both of these Elders and I glad that I've been able to spend time with them both. 

 

   We got the calls this morning........... Wait for iiiiiiiit!......... I am................ Not getting transferred! Woohoo! But my companion is and I will be picking up a new companion tomorrow morning. I will be picking up a little newbie. :) Yeah it will be sad to see Elder Johansen go because I have seen him grow and change so much.  But he is definitely ready for a change.  I know he will do great wherever he goes.

 

    It will be crazy to see what happens. We have to leave here at about 6:30 tomorrow morning and I'll pick up my new companion at transfer meeting in mission valley.  We won't find out where Elder Johansen goes until the meeting.  Plus Elder Weber, the third comp, will pick his new comp up there as well.  

 

    So things with the Spanish sacrament are going well. I have heard rumors that they will be calling a group leader soon so it will become an official Spanish group. That's not for sure but it is what I have heard. 

   We actually saw **** and **** yesterday and they plan to come to church this week.  hopefully we can sit down with them more and teach them the lessons.  **** Says he KNOWS the church is true!  How cool is that?  I haven't mentioned before that there is a kid that we are teaching and he is really cool.  He has been reading the Book Of Mormon and said that he would pray to know if it was true.  He seems pretty interested.

    The best part of my week would probably have to be Sunday.  It was nice to just have that break and be able to go to church. I am glad that I learned to love church before my mission because I love it even more now. The spirit you feel during sacrament meeting is amazing and all that I have learned about what sacrament really is has changed my life. 

 

   Oh yeah and just a side note, today is Cody the Keeper's Birthday so please wish him a happy birthday and all that for me.  :) 

 

   Oh and just a happy side-note for you...... I wasn't gonna tell you until later but Colton has been bugging me about when I come home and I don't want him to know before you, SO..... my release date should be a week earlier. It should fall on the 7th of July.

 

   You always help me more than I deserve so thank you for always doing that. You're the best. :)

I have used my Wendy's tag and I have loved it!!! Thank you so much! Frosty's for days!

   Well, I sure do love the heck out of you and hope that you know that. :)   I hope you have a great week!

 

   Love, 

   Elder Taylor C. Davis

 

This is a family that we have worked a lot with. They are great!

WEEK 83

  So it has been a little of a different week. We had MTE's (Missionary Training Exchanges) yesterday and we finished up this morning, so things have been a bit crazy for past few hours.  It's just where we exchange companions and go out and work together and try to learn from one another and see how we can improve.  Guess who I was with on MTE's though?  Bet you have no idea! I was with the Sherm Dawg! Oh what an adventure it was! It was also cool to see that he and I still got it. We still have that unity and what not and we had a great time together. :)  Elder Sherman has another 6 weeks and then he goes home.

   So things are going alright here. Yes I am in a trio now. But that is because one of the elders here went back to San Diego so his companion is with us for the next week. The other Elder went back to San Diego because he is a sign language missionary and they needed him back there. But it has been a lot of fun. We actually have had a car ever since last Tuesday because he had a car for his area.  So we have not biked that much lately. But things are going well. Trying to juggle both areas is interesting but somehow we are figuring it out. :)   

    We were not able to see R or R this week but we were able to see a lot of people and find a less active man that wants to come back to church and marry his wife in the temple. So that's pretty cool! :) 

    Transfers are exactly in a week so I should know exactly in a week what';s going down with transfers.  I probably will finish my mission out here. I am okay with it though because I do love it here. 

    Sacrament  in Spanish is going well.  Last week was different because we had to go the 3 sacrament meetings since we are in a trio. So I missed out on Sunday school but it was good :) 

    The best of my week was probably yesterday when I was with Elder Sherman. We were able to see a lot people and have a good time together. Plus it was nice to have a lot of positivity and it was just overall really fun.  I enjoyed it. I probably won't be able to go to the temple until I go home because if we are in the Valley, we can't go to the temple. So I am not sure. I am hopeful to be able to go soon but we'll see. 

   So yep, that's me. I'm glad that you enjoyed my little gift for valentines day. I wish I could have done more but I just wanted to show that I cared about you and that I loved and appreciate everything that you do for me. I sure do love you Mom. :) You are the best!

   Love, 

   Elder Taylor C. Davis

P.S.  If people ask why I didn't email them or anything please just tell them that my week was super crazy and I didn't have a lot of time. Love you!   XxxOooXoOxxXo

WEEK 82

    So it has been a bit of an interesting week to say the least. But all in all, it has been a good week. We were able to get a lot done and it was nice to do so.  I actually was able to interview another person this past week and she is scheduled to get baptized this Saturday! And she wants me to baptize her. What the?... I just met her and she wants me to baptize her instead of the missionaries that teach her. Weird. 

   Oh and we also got to de-demonize a house on Sunday so that was pretty fun. **** and ****** are doing well. ****** had the flu this week so they didn't come to church but they still have the desire to go and are really showing a lot of interest.  ****** didn't say much about the job thing but we'll see him this week again and find out. **** is doing well too. This week one of her friends got baptized because of her and that was really cool. We were able to help her with her talk and that was cool.  

   The bike is holding up pretty well. I don't have any complaints so far. We pretty much do ride everywhere. The other day we prob did about 50 miles. The only time we use a car is when we get a ride to stuff from the other Elders. But their car in the shop for a few days so there are no cars in El Centro now.

   Things with Elder Johansen are going well. He is a really good kid and a super good missionary.

     

  The Spanish things are going pretty well too. I actually had to speak in Sacrament meeting this Sunday. So you can imagine that that was fun. The told me Tuesday afternoon. I think it went ok though. I hope.

   Glad that you have been enjoying the pictures.  I don't want you to get used to it and then me get transferred and it not happen.  

   So I did get the February package. Thank you so much! I felt bad that my gift was so lame compared to yours. If you have even gotten it. But it really did mean a lot to me, so thanks.  My Valentines Day was alright. I ended up on exchanges with one of the zone leaders and we just worked hard all day and it was like a normal day.

  

   Sounds like everything is going pretty good at home and that's great. 

   Anyways, Love your guts!

   Love, 

   Elder Taylor C. Davis

P.S.- Elder Karlinsey is going to San Diego in a couple days and he said that if you have a package that needs to be sent, he will take it and drop it off at the mission office.  Here's a quick pic that we snapped a couple hours ago. I'll explain later. Love you!

XOXOXxxooxoxoxXOxxxxxooOOOOxXXX

 

TENDER MERCY

This morning I found these pictures in a facebook message.  They were sent by a member who attends the institute class Taylor attends/teaches in El Centro.  How fun to see him in different settings!

WEEK 81

   So things went pretty well this week! I finally got my bike out of the shop! It's not the best bike in the world, but I really do like it and I am glad to finally have it. The week has been good.  It's just been a little crazy. This past weekend our room mates had 3 baptisms and the week before that I got to interview all of them.  So it was cool once again to see people that I had interviewed enter into the waters of Baptism.  I am district leader again.  I just didn't want everyone to make a big deal about it again so I just kinda hinted at it.

   Pretty crazy that Kenna is already done and waiting for her mission call!  I wonder if she'll go somewhere foreign or something.

   Have to say that I am not surprised that you used your spirituality to help someone out yet again. You have always been so good at following the promptings of the spirit!  You are a machine!  I hope to someday be able to heed the promptings of the spirit like that!  You never cease to amaze everyone do you?  

   How is Beechop? Is he doing any better?

   So I have thought about and prayed about BYU a bit but it just doesn't feel right.  I think I would hate it and that I would just end up wanting to transfer somewhere else.  Plus if I'm thinking of going into the medical field, I wouldn't want to go to BYU anyway.

   So this week was pretty good. We saw a lot of people and we actually inherited a recent convert that wanted to be taught by us (the Spanish missionaries) instead of the English so that was cool. She's super cool and is helping us out a lot and is trying to get us to teach her mom. We saw Ruben and he is meeting with the Bishop today for a job interview.  Apparently his job now is super hard on him and he wants a different one so he can come to church every week. SUPER COOL! Plus he has been listening to the Book of Mormon on CD and is already on disc 5!  What a champ!  Things with the Spanish sacrament meeting in church are actually going really well.  There were actually Spanish Sunday School classes and everything this week!  Plus we are meeting with a member of the stake presidency to talk about it over lunch emails.  So yeah it is going well.  The members are really excited and it seems to be helping the investigators as well.

    The Iron Horse (his bike)  is good. I don''t know how you can help.  You help with enough already on my mission. :)  I think it will work just fine. :)

    I'll forward you the info that you need to send the stuff to UVU. :) Thanks for helping out with that. 

     We don't really have Valentine's plans, that would be a little weird. We just plan on a normal day. :)

      About the room situation, I honestly have no preference as to what room I have. My only concern is that I get my bed back and that I have a 9ers room. At this point, me moving downstairs would probably be better for everyone because it would be easy. Plus Jonah wouldn't have to feel like he only got all perks of that room while I was gone and that the spotlight was back on me again. I have been thinking about him and I think the downstairs room would be most beneficial for us all.  :)

    My Utes blanket is okay. It's actually held up pretty well for my mission so that has been nice.

   

    Well I sure do love you!

    Love,  

    Elder Taylor C. Davis

 I asked Elder Davis for a picture of his face this week - this is what I got!  LOL

This is his zone.

Elder Davis' bike.

WEEK 80

   Happy February!!! Holy Cow it's already February!  I am super happy that you enjoyed the email.  Ahhh your email brought me a sigh of relief.  I was getting super frustrated with the whole U of U thing and things just weren't making sense. Then, as I was struggling, I had the thought, "you're going about it the wrong way." I was confused about this so I prayed. Immediately I had the impression that now is not the time for me to go to the U. I was super worried because of what my patriarchal blessing says and was confused. So I continued to pray and felt like your email would help me out.  As soon as I read it, I took everything into consideration and prayed again to ask if going to UVU is what I should do. Then, I got a very strong spiritual confirmation that it is what I need to do.  So that is what I am going to do and I am NOT going back on it. Hopefully I can get all the financial aid and everything done before March 1st so it will be a smooth transition. But yes that is my decision.

    I am sorry to hear that going through and finding all that stuff made you sad.   :(   But I am glad you put it all away and that you feel good about it. :)  You are so funny.

  

   So other than all the college stuff, it was a decent week. We were able to see a lot of people again this week and I was able to borrow a bike from a super cool member until my bike is out of the shop (hopefully tomorrow).  The bike situation is kinda lame but it's still better than it was.  But yes, I do have to agree, it could be worse.  

   It was a super crazy and stressful Sunday because there is so much change now but it is so sick!  So this Sunday they started up a Spanish sacrament meeting and classes for all the Spanish people that live in the area and it was amazing to see how excited and pumped everyone was. Just to add to the awesomeness, Josefina and Rafael showed up and were so pumped that they stayed for the English and the  Spanish sacrament meeting!! Holy poop! Plus I was able to talk to Josefina after church and she is super happy and excited and she seems to be doing well. It's a shame that I can't teach her anymore but her and I were making jokes and laughing all throughout the classes in Spanish. It has been a really good week!  :)  Ruben and Roselee are doing alright.  We haven't been able to set them with a date yet, but they are doing pretty good.  We were talking to Ruben and he said that he never wanted to miss church ever again.  

   Unfortunately since we are in the Valley, we were unable to participate in the Mormon Battalion thing, so that was a bummer. But I heard it was pretty cool.

   I have to say that when I heard the Cheatriots won, I almost cried and have been a little angry ever since,  haha.  

   The best part of my week would have to be Sunday. That just trumps everything else.

   So just to reiterate, I think what I want to do is go to UVU from home and maybe later transfer over to the U.  I still don't know what I want to study but I will just work on my generals and take that problem to the temple when I can.  :)

   Thank you so much for being the inspired Mom that you and always being connected with Heaven. I sure do love you!  

   Love, 

   Elder Taylor C. Davis

    P.S. - I didn't exactly buzz my hair but I did cut it myself and it's all the same length. I should hopefully be getting it cut by a pro soon though.

TENDER MERCY

This morning I awoke to find these pictures on Facebook.  Heavenly Father must have known how much I needed to see my missionaries face today!  Thank you Gloria for posting them!!!  They were taken at Superbowl tailgate party.  The missionaries were able to go to the pre-party, but not watch the Superbowl.  LOL

WEEK 79

   So I am doing pretty well actually, it has been super nuts this week but it has been fun.  Things with Elder Johansen are going alright.  He was just really disappointed with how everything changed so much this transfer.   Holy Cow are you right about January flying by!   Just yesterday I was with Elder Strong!  Now Shoup is gone and I am with Elder Johansen.  Where has the time gone!?!?!?!?

   But all in the same, things are going well here in the Valley.  It's just been super full of changes and everything.  

    So before last Wednesday, we were told that we were merging our areas and that we were going to work both and have a car and live alone and it was going to be awesome.  But what they didn't tell us is that there were going to be sisters coming into the ward, they'd have to have our car and they would take my (Elder Davis') area.  Plus it was disappointing to find out that I had to come up with another bike.  Luckily we had 2 junker bikes in the apartment that we took into the shop so that they can take parts from one and use them to construct a bike that works for me.  Now we just hope that the process will not be costly.  :)  We have just been hoofing it in a biking area for the last week. It has been different and a little hard but despite off the problems, we still got a lot of work done this week.  :)

   We do still have 2 other Elders living with us. They moved in on Wednesday. Their names are Elder Weber and Elder Betts. They are both from Utah, Elder Weber has been out for about 20 months and Elder Betts has been out for about 6 months.  Oh and they are both English missionaries so that is fun. 

   So with all of the changes in the areas and everything, Josefina and Rafael are no longer in my area.  :( But they are in the sisters area and the sisters are good missionaries and I know they'll take care of them.  One of the Sisters was actually in my last district. Her name is Sister Huefner and her companion is  a new missionary so they'll work miracles in that area for sure.

   We are teaching a new family of two.  They are Ruben and Rosalee.  They are super cool and have been to church 3 times already and love it.  They are super busy and it is hard to find them home, but I know it will work out.  There is also a recent convert in the ward who wants us to teach her mom so that's super cool too.  :)

   I am glad to hear that the Randall's and the Higbee's are doing well.  I love them both so much!  :)

   

   As for my best part of the week, it would have to have been either when I found out I didn't have to go to transfer meeting (because I knew Elder Johansen was my companion) or when 2 of Elder Johansen's (and now our) investigators came to church on Sunday.  :)  It really made him happy and that was super cool. 

    I did get my SD card to start working this morning so I will send a picture or two. :)  I also got the packet to start for school stuff and I have started on everything. I will need you to send my U of U stuff that was in my little night stand before I left (If it is still somewhere in the house...)  But I have started working on the FAFSA and I need to figure out if I'm going to be a dependent student or not.  If  I am, you'll have to input some of your info for the FAFSA as well. It looks like it shouldn't be super hard to get things going and I should have time every week to make progress. Hopefully I can get it all done quickly so  I don't miss out on school.

   I don't know yet when I want to come back to have you guys tour the mission.  I'll think about it more though.

   I did get my package and I have to say it was right on time.  :)  The sweaters will work great for a couple weeks and then it will start to get hot again.  So thank you so much!!!!!!!

  My favorite places to go in El Centro aren't really too many or too cool. There's not much out here. But Sizzler and the bike shop are pretty cool.

   Dad, you make all the other missionaries jealous with how beautifully you give updates on the sports front.  That is something that I have really enjoyed and it helps a lot to keep our relationship real.  

   I love you and hope everything is going great! Love ya!

   Love,  

   Elder Taylor C. Davis

WEEK 78

   So yeah my week was pretty interesting.  Pday was actually like one of the best Pdays I have had in a long time. It was nice last week because we did something other than play basketball and we weren't super rushed.  I didn't actually do anything for jump day.  It was just like any other day...That is until we got a notice from the zone leaders that President was coming down and we were going to have a meeting with him that night at 8 pm... So you can imagine that we pretty much pooped our pants!   Even more so when we were told that he was just here to talk our district... Long story short, there was some disobedience going on in the district and he came to straighten it out. But not to worry, I wasn't involved and I am totally fine. :)

   What I took away from the meeting is probably different than anyone else.  I took away that I want to study the section in Preach My Gospel about our purpose and how to recognize the Spirit better and work on both of those concepts.

   I actually had a good talk with President and the whole time he was there, I felt like I needed a blessing for some weird reason and I just kept brushing it off because I didn't "need it" need it.  But it kept coming to my mind so I asked him and it was actually a pretty cool blessing.  He earned a lot of respect from me that night.  I did get a package but it was the one from Colton, with my vitamins.  Nothing else.  The zone leaders should bring mail down tomorrow though.  So no worries.  :)

   We got transfer calls this morning and I am actually staying here for at least another 6 weeks.  Elder Shoup is getting transferred though.  :(  It will be hard to see him go because we have gotten so close and gotten a lot of good work done here.  But we have both felt this week that he is going and it was only a matter of time.  I really love Elder Shoup.  He's such a good guy.  I know that wherever he goes is where he is needed.  :)  He will change lives wherever he goes.

   I do already know who my companion is though.  It's going to be Elder Johansen.  It will be good.  We already get along pretty well.  

   Since Elder Briggs left on Friday, Elder Shoup, Elder Johansen and I have been in a trio working in two areas and it has actually been pretty fun.  We have gotten a lot done and have had a lot of laughs.  We weren't able to see Rafael, but we were able to see Josefina and she came to church and was super happy.  Plus one of the members that works with her asked her when she is going to get baptized and she said soon.  We have seen a lot of less active members this week and have been fired up about the work and I think it's proving fairly effective.

   Feeding the homeless was pretty cool!  We also got to help with an event for the seniors in the Imperial Valley and that was super cool.  Hopefully I can send pictures next week.  For some reason my camera won't take my SD card anymore.  :(  But I backed up all the pictures, so we are good there.  I just have to format it this week so I can use it again.  I still have to show you how clean our apartment is.  :)

   My favorite meal this week is hard to choose since we had a meal every single day of the week!!!  It was super nice and cool to be fed that much!  The members out here are super cool!  My favorite meal would have to be the burritos that a member brought over from Mexi-Cali for us.  Yum!!!

   I love you, as always an appreciate everything you do!  Love you!!!

   Love,
   Elder Taylor C. Davis
 

WEEK 77

   This week has actually been pretty nice. We were able to get a lot done. I made a lot of goals this year that I hope to accomplish by the end of June. I have set goals to finish the Book of Mormon again and D& C before I come home. I have also made it a goal to think more about Christ during the day. I also want to be in complete shape by the time I come home.

   As far as the most important to me other than thinking more of Christ during the day, secondly I would like to be in shape when I get home.  

    We actually didn't have too many meetings this week so that was nice. More time to work. :)   What stands out to me the most about this week is that I have been writing thank you cards to all of the people that sent me ties and gifts for Christmas and it has been really cool. It's been like a late Christmas and I have enjoyed it a lot. :)

   It's crazy that the year has gone by so fast already!  I am basically pooping my pants because I was hoping it would be a nice, calm last 7 months.  But it has already gone below 6....What the heck?  But all the same, I am going to make the most of it and work my hardest until the end.  I feel really good about the goals I have set and thin I will be able to do a lot this year.

     We were able to meet with Rafael yesterday! And it went pretty well.  He is doing pretty good.  :)  We jsut need him to come to church this week so he can keep his baptismal date.  No new investigators yet but we are trying super hard to find some more people. We were unfortunately unable to see Josefina,  but we hopefully will see her tomorrow. :)  I am very hopeful; that this next week will be a good one and I am excited to see what comes of it.

   I am actually really loving this area  I love the ward, the people, and of course the weather.  :)  No snow, 70 degree weather all day, every day and I am loving it!  Yesterday was the beginning of me being the "assigned driver."  I was pretty nervous because I hadn't driven in over 3 months.  But I've still got it.  I am driving a 2013 Ford Fusion.  It's pretty nice.  It's a Ford, but it is still better than the piece of Chevy we had before.

  We actually have been fed a lot in this area. :)   It's nothing like I've ever had in my mission before!  So that is pretty nice. :) We actually have dinner appointments with members every single day this week! I am so stoked!

   About the journal thing, it's kind of a mixture of everything you mentioned... I have limited time, I am having and have had those kinds of experiences. It's just the curse of being a man of few words. But I have made goals to do better at that in my journal and it is turning out pretty well so far. I do go blank when I sit down and try to write in it most of the time but I am still going to make an effort.

   With the homeless, we basically just help at events that help feed them and we pretty much just serve the food to them and initiate the prayers and everything like that.   When we can, of course we talk about the gospel as well.  Other service things that we've done are like yesterday, we helped an old lady out by sweeping her walkways and garage. We volunteer at the foodbank, take down Christmas lights, and all that jazz.

   For exercise, we run every other day and on the others we either play sports, body work outs or just run. I have also been doing push ups in the morning and at night and that is helping a lot as well.

   Pdays here are pretty chill. It's a mostly dude zone, so the elders usually just play b-ball every week. Sometimes, we do something different and play sports outside. Elder Shoup and I will just chill this week. (Kind of a sick of b-ball.) So it'll be nice.

   I can't think of anything I need right now, other than maybe some more thank you notes.

   No break through s on college yet. I technically can't do anything until I get the papers in the mail from President, so hopefully i get those today.

   I was actually able to get some sweats and they have been nice for running and stuff like that. :) So thanks a ton for that! :) As always, I love and appreciate you more than you could ever understand!

   Love ya!

   Love,
   Elder Taylor C. Davis

WEEK 76

   Things were pretty different this week.  It was kind of a rough week.  A few days ago, our car was broken into and they took a bunch of Elder Shoup's stuff and the brand new flash drive that I got for Christmas.  I had just transferred all of the stuff that I have inherited on the mission like documents that I have made, music, videos and other things that I have used, to it.  Luckily, the day before, I had backed up everything regarding music and I wasn't dumb enough to put all of my pictures on there so I fortunately still have all of those.  :)  They took Elder Shoup's GPS and a couple of cords and some money that we had been saving up in the change bin in the car. Nothing too valuable, but we sure learned to never leave ANYTHING in the car ever again!  Fortunately, the flash drive was the only thing of mine that was stolen. :)  I feel bad it was stolen because it was a gift and it had sentimental value, but it's okay. :)  

   We have also had a lot of meetings and other things that have taken us away from our area. As far as meetings, we have had zone meeting, district meeting and stuff like that.  Plus we give a lot of rides to the other missionaries. Especially since one of their bikes broke. But that should be fixed soon. :)  

   Elder Shoup and I were able to make one of the most high tech maps I have ever had on my mission and now our area is super organized so that we can do work more effectively. So I am super pumped for that.

The map was a joint effort of course, but I have made a lot maps on my mission so it was cool to customize it and all that. I will be sure to take a picture this week and send it. 

    As far as mail is concerned, it is really hit and miss if we get mail every week or not.  We did not get mail last week and I am not sure if we will get it this week either but I am hoping we will. 

    I am glad to hear that your New Years Eve was so nice though! Pops has really changed a lot over the years and he really is a good man.  I freaking love that guy. My new years was kind of lame but it was still good. I did a lot of reflection and pondering about everything though and I actually felt pretty good about it.  We had planned to drink some apple cider that a member gave us and party it up at 10 right before we had to go to bed but somehow some other elders stole it and played a prank on us.  (Don't worry, we got them back.)  But other than that, it was good. We just chilled and hung out in the apartment and I set some pretty good goals for the new year and I am looking forward to it. 

    As for when I come home, I have given it some thought and I actually should be getting some papers and forms and stuff about college and dating and fun stuff like that soon.  I will be sure to be on top of all that because I have seen it become problems with other missionaries and don't want that. It will take time out of my email time though so I will end up just emailing the family personal emails and then just sending out a generic to everyone else. I will think about it more though and let you know next week.  

    As for us coming back as a family after my mission is over, I think that sounds like a great idea! I think that would be super cool. 

   Thanks for the fast!!!! We really need it and I am sure that it will pay off.  Unfortunately  we were not able to see Josefina last week but this week should be better.  We were able to see Rafael and he has a baptismal date in February!  He just needs to see that he needs to come to church in order for that to happen.  So hopefully we can help him see that this week.  Other than that, not to much to report.  We have just been cracking down on the less active work and trying to organize the area so we can be more effective and it has really payed off.  We have been doing a lot more service lately and of course it pays off.  We are going to help feed the homeless again this week so that should be fun. 

   (In the last pictures we have received Taylor has looked very tired, so we asked if he felt okay.)   I'm totally fine.  I just haven't been sleeping very well lately. My mp3 player bit the dust too and no I have so music so it takes me a little longer to fall asleep now. But I think I'm getting the hang of it :)

   

    I know life is hard sometimes :)  AKA - the break in.  But you know me... I am more disappointed than anything. Not really sad. I know it will all work out though. :) 

    As always I want you to know that I love you and that you have changed my life for the better.  I am thankful for all that you have done for me.  Especially while I have been on my mission.  I don't deserve most of what you guys do for me.  

   Well, I love you and hope you enjoy your week :) I gotta go now but I love you!  XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

  

   Love, 

   Elder Taylor C. Davis