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!