We were blessed to have our oldest son and his wife spend the night with us last night so they would be here when Taylor called. We carried out our usual Christmas morning traditions. Everyone piling onto our bed, family prayer, discussing our gifts to the Savior, reading "Don't let the love escape", opening gifts and eating Christmas casserole. But nothing was more anticipated than the telephone phone call from Taylor.
The phone rang at exactly 11:07 am. LDS missions.. the caller id announced. I was so excited I felt like I was going to throw up. Hello? "Merry Christmas," said the voice on the line. "Merry Christmas," I replied. "Mom, it's me, Elder Davis!"
Although I knew it was him, his voice sounded different. More soft spoken, more gentle. Everyone attempted to get on the phone and we caught some interference. We quickly changed over to speaker phone and we all gathered around the phone.
Here are a few things we talked about:
You look skinny...Yes, I am growing and I don't have a lot of money for food.
Don't you get invited to eat with members?... Yes, but we can only stay one hour. In the Spanish culture they are usually still preparing the food when you arrive, so some times we are there for an hour and the food still isn't ready and we still have to leave.
Where do you live in proximity to where you teach?... We drive about 15 minutes to the areas where we teach. The areas we teach in are a little "rougher" than where we live.
What was your favorite thing you received for Christmas? ... The money that was folded to look like a dress shirt. My companion and I went to McDonald's this morning and fed our faces! I LOVED the 12 ways of Christmas. They really helped me to feel the spirit.
Where did you put your Christmas tree?... I put mine up on my desk and put my 12 days and 12 ways under it. Elder Sherman had a tree too so we put his on the floor and put the rest of our presents under it.
How did you spend last night and what will you be doing today? ... Last night was like any other night other than opening my jammies. Today we have two dinner appointments.
How was your mission Christmas party?... It was nice. We went to a church in the area and got together. I got to see Elder Karlinsey. He looks great! He has lost like 15 pounds.
Have you been taking many pictures? ... No, I loaned my camera to a sister missionary so I haven't been able to.
Taylor also wanted to know about his baby niece (who should arrive in May) and what her name will be. He is very excited to be an uncle!
We told him we had received an email from the mission president's wife saying he was a very hard working missionary and his response was, "That was nice of her, but I bet she tells all the parents that. :)"
Time flew by so quickly while talking to Taylor. In no time at all, our allotted 40 minutes was nearly up. As the time drew near, Taylor asked if he might be able to share his testimony with us before we said goodbye. He testified that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints IS the true church. He testified that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and restored the church to this earth. He testified that the Book of Mormon is true. He testified that he knows he is where he should be. He testified of many other things. Too many for me to remember. But I DO remember the feelings I had when he bore testimony. The spirit touched all who could hear Elder Davis' voice and brought us each to tears.
We are so grateful for being able to speak with Taylor today. We are grateful for his willingness to serve the Lord in the capacity in which he is. We are so grateful to the Lord for allowing his body to function and be healthy so he may serve him. We are grateful for the example of obedience and humility that Taylor has always been. We are grateful that through Taylor others may be given the opportunity to learn about the gospel and the true meaning of this life. There is no greater gift we could give our Savior this year and always, than to follow his example.
No comments:
Post a Comment