A COUPLE OF RANDOM PICTURES

Wheeee!

this ward member who happens to be a taxi driver picks us up if she happens to see us when she is out and about!

"HAVE A GOD-BLESSED NEW YEARS", AS THE TEXAN'S WOULD SAY

I GOT TO HEAR YOUR VOICES! 

Oh it was so great. Thank you, thank you. It sounds like it was a party back home!

It sounds like you had an awesome week though...too much fun. Thank you so much again for all the wonderful gifts. They have already been put to good use.

Well since we last talked I got another flat (total of 4 now!) New bike tires...Christmas gifts to myself. 

Well I shared with you the first part of my week...so as far as the second half goes…...

We went back to see a family we caroled to with some ward members, The Hindry's, and they are amazing! A Christ centered home and they are excited to learn even more about Christ. She called us “servants of the Lord”!

We had an amazing Sacrament meeting. It was centered on Elder Uchtdorf's talk, "Come Join With Us" and the Book of Mormon…… all centered around missionary work! My perspective and purpose in this life has flipped 180 degrees. So many things don’t matter so much anymore…… and so many others matter more. 

Oh, the other day I was cutting some peppers that I thought were just some normal green peppers, well after I touched my eye, found out they were not just some normal green peppers. 

IT IS GOING TO BE A NEW YEAR! My thoughts are crazy of what my new goals are, new challenges etc. etc. It is so neat to see in the gospel that we are continually "starting anew." We have had the privilege of getting to know many Catholics and learning about their background. They have expressed that the gospel is different in the sense that we are continually progressing, learning, and moving forward, whereas there is a lot of routine and repetition in the Catholic faith. As I think back on my time in Jerusalem, almost every church we visited was very similar in this way. What a blessing it is to be learning new things every day, receiving new revelation and inspiration every time we open the scriptures or listen to someone called of God to lead us and guide us. 

Well I am sorry for not updating you all on our investigators...... they are literally ALL out of town for the Holidays. But we have been finding some new ones which has been an incredible blessing. 

I love this work with all my heart. WOW. It is so incredible. I love seeing smiles when people understand it, when people see the light of the Book of Mormon. Often times in lessons we only get to see a glimpse of the joy they feel when they are reading on their own. But that little glimpse of joy is so incredible. I love the thrill the spirit brings to our hearts, and our desire to learn more, our desire to become better. I know this joy come directly from our Heavenly Father, his son Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. I know Christ's church has been restored to this earth with the priesthood authority. 

I love every one of you and thank you, thank you again for your prayers, and your love and your support. I can truly feel an army behind me when talking with others and inviting them to live the gospel. Thank you. 

Always, Sister Davis

our "Merry Christmas" photo!

Tim Tam Slams on Christmas Eve!

Watching "Finding Faith in Christ" on Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas to the Davis Family!

We received this sweet email and pictures on Christmas Eve from a sister in the ward where Mckenzi is currently serving ....

Dear Davis Family,

I am a member of the Garden Ridge ward here in San Antonio.  On Monday I was privileged to have lunch with sweet Sister Davis and her companion Sister Whittier and take some photos of them for a Christmas card for y'all. 

We are so blessed to have these beautiful sisters in our Ward!  Being a return missionary myself I know how hard it can be to be away from loved ones, especially during the holidays.  And missionary work itself is very difficult.  A lot of sweat and tears go into this labor of love.   But you wouldn't know it from the looks on these sister's faces and their cheerful, positive attitudes!

On Monday, after we took pictures and had lunch I took the sisters to Walmart to get some shopping done before they headed home.  While there we ran into four different people from our ward.  Two are active sisters, one is a non-member sister whose husband is a member and one we didn't know but she stopped us to introduce herself when she saw their name tags, she is new to the area.  I was sort of amazed to run into so many people.  I hardly ever see people I know when I shop there.  Missionary work is a special work and Missionaries are special people!

Thank you for raising such a wonderful daughter!  I am so grateful for her service.

Merry Christmas to the Davis family!

Love,

Liz Roberts

AND HE SHALL BE CALLED JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, THE FATHER OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS FROM THE BEGINNING..."

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS FAMILY! 

It is that glorious time of the year, when everyone has softened hearts, when everyone talks to you and smiles, when everyone wants to give and give! Don't let it stop. 

I love every minute I have to serve. I have an incredible companion, Sister Whittier. She teaches me so much and stretches me so much. She is like a little angel on my shoulder guiding me to choose the right. 

I learned a lot about persistence and boldness this week…….. 

We taught the word of wisdom to Sandy this week and the response we got was well...a typical response from Sandy. She is very honest and open with us which we are grateful for. We asked, "Sandy will you live the word of wisdom?" And in her southern black accent she responded, "No, I will not...I will not become a Mormon if I have to give up my coffee." BUT we continued to ask her if she would read about it...

"No.." 

"Will you pray about it?" 

"No..."

"Will you think about the things we have taught today?"

Later that evening we get a phone call from Sandy..."I have a question about this Doctrine and Covenants 89……. is that in my Book of Mormon you gave me? When can I get one of those?"

AHHHHH She not only read the pamphlet we gave her, but called us and another member of the ward, asked us a question, and asked to learn more! 

We have been teaching a gentlemen named George recently...not sure if I mentioned but he’ll be coming into the fold on Jan 11th! We are so stoked for him. He has a great desire to follow, learn, love and live the gospel of Jesus Christ to its fullness. He loves learning, reading and being refined. You will meet him in Heaven someday or hopefully sooner! 

I love this gospel with all my heart. I find so much joy in learning and reading the Book of Mormon. What incredible power and spirit comes into our lives as we just open it up. 

Last thought of the week...our mission president's wife shared with us something President Slaughter often loves to do....wrap up his kids old toys for Christmas that they have forgotten about and watch their cheerful smiles and happy faces as they open then up, again. He challenged us to find those old gifts and talents we have forgotten about, unwrap them, cherish them, and find joy in using them.

I love you all so much and can't wait to talk with you in just a few!!! 

Much much love,

Sister Davis

COME ALL YE FAITHFUL!

Family, family, family! 

The miracles just never end! It was a fulfilling week …..that is for sure. 

Sandy has been doing incredible...she gave us ‘whoopie cookies’ this week....and Mom, it made me think of your favorite toy, the ‘whoopie cushion’. But great news, during the lessons, instead of laughing when we invited her to church, she said "I will be there, I really want to go, I am trying to get Billy to go...I will ask him this week." Say what? It is hard not to be in total shock when those things occur and scream and shout in the lesson…….. (victory dance J)

We were blessed to teach Vanessa twice this week! It is difficult to meet with her but every time we do it is so worth the wait. She has such strong faith and loves everything she is learning. There are a few others we have been teaching that have been struggling to leave their past lives of Catholicism to live a new and greater life. They just don't know how great it will be. I often found myself in this trap in High School……afraid……afraid to ask if we could stop listening to a certain music in the car for fear they will not be a friend anymore (when really they will respect you as an even greater friend), afraid to leave a conversation for fear of not fitting in…..and the list goes on. And still to this day it is not any easier. Fear of inviting someone to be baptized with a date...they will think it is too close, or you are pushing them. In reality you are only denying yourself and them of salvation when you don't invite. 

Its Christmas next week! The Joy the season brings to us all! Soak it up.

I learned how powerful Satan is, but how much more power the spirit has. We taught a girl we met a couple weeks ago, Claire. Her example enlightened me to do and become something even greater. She shared with us how much faith is required for her along this journey. She reads and prays with an incredible open heart, but still every moment she has to resist temptation to push out her logical and scientific thoughts, and her worries of confronting her family. The stronger her faith becomes, the harder Satan works. But instead of tearing her down, it is only making her stronger.

I also learned a lot about desire, and how the spirit can change the desire of our hearts. Claire has a great desire to know and learn, but we met another individual this week, Lorenzo. When we first met him he did not have much a desire to know and to learn. But as it says in Alma 5, the spirit and the power of the Book of Mormon can change that. We can align our desires more with God! 

Oh and my birthday...ha...it was wonderful! We have some sisters from another area living with us b/c their apartment flooded, sadly enough. So one of those sisters made some delicious scones for breakfast and attempted to make a cake...but apparently only the broiler works....the cake was burnt on top and liquid on bottom. Whoops. But it was still a happy birthday with lots of laughs. 

I know this is Christ's restored church on this earth. As we testify of it to others and share our knowledge with them they will want the spirit in their lives. We must do what we have been not only asked but commanded to do as members of his church and representatives, what we covenanted at our baptism to do....to preach the gospel to all the nations. I know we can do all things in his strength! 

I love you all so very much! Please be safe in your travels this week!

Wow this was a looooonnng one....apologies. Love you, Sister Davis

Sisters who stayed with us for a while.....their apt. flooded...whoops!

gifts from a ward member-fluorescent vests so we are even more of a target!  haha!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

"AND NOW THEY WERE DETERMINED TO CONQUER THIS PLACE OR DIE"!

FAMILY!!!!! 

Thank you, thank you for the birthday wishes......aaannnddd YAY! M'Kay is home!!!! Give him a huge hug when ya see him for me....

THIS WAS A CRAZY WEEK...as one our investigators says every other sentence...‘we were runnin around like chickens with their heads cut off”  

We set Vanessa with a baptismal date!!! And she is living the Word of Wisdom and the best part of all she feels her Heavenly Father's love and is growing immensely. 

Miracles from the members....

(1) We had a lesson with Sandy this week. This is the beginning of how much the members help in the progression and lasting conversion as well. The member who came with us asked if Sandy had done her family history...little did we know she was adopted and later that week she was able to find out more about her biological parents and was stoked about it. She came to a RS activity later that evening and couldn't even wait a whole 2 seconds to tell us how excited she was about all that she found about her parents! Can you say the work is hastening? 

(2) More miracles from our amazing members...We taught a family where the wife is Catholic and the husband is a member. She has been shaky on the subject of learning more but has finally opened up. During the lesson her husband was able to share some powerful, powerful testimonies of the book of Mormon. She has tons of questions about it, but is learning quickly. The time to share is now, especially with those who are close to us. Can you say the work is hastening? 

(3) We met a girl named Claire a while back...she said she had lots of friends who were members...but she wasn't quite ready for us to meet with her. We were riding our bikes the other day and she was cleaning her car. We stopped and asked if we could share a message with her. And she responded with a gracious yes. None of this would have happened however without the key ingredient of having lots of members as friends and those friends sharing lots with her about the gospel. Can you say the work is hastening? 

(4) And one more...a youth in our ward was talking with one of her friends and her friend simply asked what do you guys do and why do you do it? And her response was something like I have some friends who can tell you more...lets have dinner and they can answer your questions! Idk, maybe the work is hastening, Wait, I think you said the work is hastening...oh, ok, so the work is....hastening? (sound like anyone we know? Maybe like…Tucker?)The work cannot  move forward without the members. 

And one last miracle!!! This morning we had a lesson with a man named George. He is incredible. And we set him with a baptismal date for Dec 21st....oh so soon! WOW it was an outstanding lesson. He attended church yesterday and truly felt the love and friendship from the members in the ward...they all naturally introduced themselves because they noticed someone new in the congregation! We didn't tell each member he was an investigator, they made their own effort to notice him. Wow...so cool. 

 I can't be thankful enough for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for every single one of God's children, for the restoration, the Prophet Joseph Smith, for the Book of Mormon, for my testimony and the testimony of others. I am strengthened every day. This is quite the lengthy email, my goodness. But thank you again. I love each one of you and am so grateful for your support. The other day I heard of a missionary who receives anti-Mormon info from his family every week! So sad…...oh how grateful I am for each one of you. I hope to never, never take that for granted. 

I love you so very much! All is well, all is well! 

Love, Sister Davis

A foggy day in San Antonio!

George! He gets baptized December 21st!

Rudy's BBQ-supposedly the best around!

"IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO FAIL WHEN WE DO OUR BEST, AND WHEN WE ARE ON THE LORD'S ERRAND." - Elder Ballard

FAMILY, FAMILY! 

This week was filled with member missionary work, holy smokes! It was so incredible! I feel that the members have truly caught the spirit of missionary work, but there is still always more we can all grasp. We have an outstanding Bishop who works right by our side…. Always concerned for our welfare but more importantly for the welfare of those in the ward and those who will soon be coming into the ward! 

We currently have the sisters from another area living with us! We are learning so much from them. (Their apartment had some flooding issues :/ whoops) 

We had some spectacular feasts on thanksgiving. "It was an explosion of flavor." (name that movie). We had a couple with some members and their friends, one with a couple who are investigators (Joe and Nilsa - see picture), and another with a family where the father is a member, but the kids and wife are not. It is so incredible to see the different ages and how open they are to learning. Their hearts are so open. Wow!I hope and pray, and hope and pray some more that I will always continue to learn and not get "set in my ways." I just can't imagine how much the apostles and prophets study and pray and read and ponder about what they will speak of in conference or anywhere for that matter. I’m sure they are constantly learning about not only the gospel, but the world as well. 

We learned how to make Tamales this past week! (see picture) Sitting next to Sister Whittier is Bruna. (whom I mentioned last week). 

We also were able to teach an incredible mother named Roxanne this week. She has two boys and a little girl. They all have so much energy and one of the little boys, Justin, is a clone of my sweet Brody. "Do you have a family?"  “Yeth” (with his arms thrown up). "Do we say mean things to our brother?"  “Noooooaaa”. The mother is amazing and strives to have the best for her kids. We were able to give them a tour of the church this past week and Sister Whittier sang The First Noel. Justin had his eyes just glued on her the whole entire time. So incredible how the spirit can touch a heart and calm a soul, even one with so much energy. 

It was a splendid week. The work is moving forward so quickly as the world is simultaneously degrading rapidly. There is an urgency for the gospel at this time. I know that "I am weak...but in His strength I can do all things." We must draw near unto him. 

Much, much love to you all. You are in my prayers every day and I love you. 

Always,

Sister Davis

Oh and check out the December Ensign 1st Presidency message...so cool……. And the quote on the back of the Ensign…... Can you say MISSIONARY WORK!?!

making tamales with Bruna!

Thanksgiving with Joe and Nilsa,!

Thanksgiving leftovers!