WEEK 67

 

 Mine and Elder Strong's Pumpkins

 My pumpkin

  Sporting the mustaches that were in his Halloween package.

     Week 67...has been crazier than crazy!!!  There has been so much going on and we have been super busy! But yes it has been good too.  :) 

     The continued training of Elder Strong is going really well. He's taking the lead in most situations and he says that he is finally understanding people.  So that makes us happy. 

     I am still the district leader and yes it is going great! I had been praying and talking to President about getting more missionaries in the district to help the work and it happened on Wednesday! So we have had a lot of meetings to help them get their new area and change things up a little.

    

     Our new apt is just me and the Terminator. It's pretty nice though.  The apartment that we moved out of is still a 4 man so I think you can say it was a success. :)  We didn't move too far from where we lived before but geographically we are in a way better place and it has actually become really nice! It's very roomy in some aspects and not so much in others.  Overall I think it's nicer because it has it's own washer and dryer.  So we will be saving like 40 bucks a month now!!!! It also has a lot of dining space. I will take more pictures this week to send you next Tuesday of what it looks like. 

      Pretty much every apartment is different. Ours right now has a comfy couch but the mission office informed us that they'll be taking that away soon. :(   You asked what we take when we move, usually we just what we can fit in the car to go.  Down here in Chula, most of the apartments have dishwashers so that has been nice. :)  Our apartment has a crock-pot, but usually that isn't very common. It pretty much all depends on who was living there before.

 

     We actually have been trying to cook more lately.  Elder Strong likes to cook and I do too. I was wondering if you could somehow make me a small, portable cook book of easy things to cook.  I know you have suggested it before but I think I'm ready for it now.

      On Halloween we had to be in by six and they gave us an assignment to study and it was pretty good. Once we were finished with that, we carved pumpkins and put them out on the porch. :)  

     I did get the package you sent and it was super cool. Thank you so much! I can't decide what my favorite thing was but I'd probably say the Reese's Pumpkins, the Reese's cake mix, or the tie. :)  How are you so creative!?!?!? 

     Things  with Andres are going pretty good. He came to church with his grandma on Sunday! Which was actually stake conference. SO SICK! Plus we saw him yesterday and he is SO ready to be baptized. We are going to schedule his interview today. :)  So yeah he's looking good for the 15th. :)   We are starting to see a desire of his grandma to take him to church. So that would be really good!

      The new branch is going along pretty well. I am super good friends with the Branch President so that always helps.  We have actually been having more attendance in the Ward so far, so that has been pretty good. Church is now at 9 so of course that is great for us. Minus the 7 am branch council meeting.

     We are still working really hard reactivating peeps - yes. There is a family that we have been working really hard with that is almost considered to be fully active again and it has been a lot of fun working with them! 

     What else is new? Hmm.  Well as you know, I have been in Chula since February so you can probably imagine that I am struggling with that.  But I actually have been loving it here. Yes, a change would be nice but I would be okay if I stayed here for another 3 months if that's what the Lord wants.  Anyway, last week at transfer meeting (Wednesday), President invited all the missionaries to pray to receive personal confirmation that we were where we needed to be. Well, this made me feel kinda cool because the Monday before that day, I had actually had a feeling that I was staying for sure and I prayed to know if that was actually what was going to happen and if it was where I needed to be.  But.... I had not received any type of answer yet. This experience seemed all too familiar... So since that day, I have been praying and still had received nothing. I started to doubt, I started to worry.  But when I was sitting there on the pulpit as part of the choir for stake conference, President Schmitt got up on the pulpit and said how there are 36 missionaries in the wonderful stake of Chula Vista. At this moment, I was overcome with the spirit. I felt the spirit so strong that it was the strongest I have felt the spirit in a LONG time.  I can't even explain how it felt, but it was almost like Nana was giving me a giant bear hug of the spirit. I hope to never forget that feeling. I know I need to be here and I am glad to be here. Chula is where it's at!

    Mom, I love you to death and appreciate all you you do for me to the very core of my being. You mean so much to me. 

    Dad - What a joy it is to read how well you are doing! You really have amazed me with your conversion. Especially since I have left home! It's just a testimony to me that Heavenly Father really does take care of you while I am away. Thank you for always sharing your powerhouse experiences and for sharing what you have learned from the Gospel. I hope to be as temple thirsty as you are when I get home!  Don't get me wrong, going to the temple once every 3 months as a missionary is unexplainable. But I'm not sure it competes with going every week.  Well Pops, I know you know I love you and I hope that you enjoy this week and feel that love for you.

    Love, 

    Elder Taylor C. Davis