Monday, November 5, 2012

Here Goes Nothin (Oct. 1)

Hello all,

Another week down here in Arkansas. It really is pretty how fast my first transfer went here in the field. Currently sitting at a transfer count of 2:15 completed remaining. That's nuts! 

Congratulations Leanne that is awesome. I really hope every one knows already and I didn't just ruin anything.....

Collin's Halloween 

Sister Culwell. I can't even believe it's taken me this long to tell you al about sister Culwell. She is a nearly 90 year old woman who lives in litle rock. Ok get your blown away faces ready. She has fed the missionaries every wednesday for almost 60 years. BooM! She never misses a wednesday. It used to be 2 missionaries then it was 4 missionaries and now she feeds 6 missionaries every wednesday. And two of her nieghbors come every wednesday to dinner as well they are baptists, really nice couple. Sister Culwell started a book in the 70s. It is an adress book and ever missionary that has eaten in her house since the 70s has signed the book. There have been missionaries who have come and found their dad's in the book serving in the same area years later. She is sooo awesome. She's got some serious blessings wating for her in the next life. She doesn't live in our area we are north but I was lucky enough to be on exchanges twice on a wednesday and got to eat at her house and sign the book. 

So here is my big news for the week. I am getting transferred! Wow! Usually you stay with your trainer for 12 weeks not just 6 but our area is new and things are a little slow and president really wants me to have more teaching time. (Last week we had 0 progressing investigators) He called us on the phone this week and told my trainer he'd received a spiritual prompting that I wasnt getting enough time to teach. I know right! He was spot on... So also here is the way transfers work for anyone that doesnt know. Monday they call everyone that is getting transferred but they dont tell you where you are going. Then on Wednesday every one who is getting transferred and lives on the arkansas side of the mission (side of the mississippi river) comes to transfer meeting in the mission office (RIGHT by where I live... where I am right now actually) then they announce transfers there. Every one who's name isn't called gets in the transfer van and you all drive to memphis. Then they have a transfer meeting in memphis for everyone of the other side of the mississippi. And then after that meeting anybody from the other side who is coming to the AR side comes on back with president and the assisstants and that crew of organizers. Here is the interesting dynamic though. On monday when everyone finds out whether they are moving or not people text aroung and find out who is moving and who isn't and then the speculation and chart drawing begins. So I am moving ... but nobody from central or south little rock is moving (there are a pretty limited number of spanish areas like 9 or 10) Pretty much 1 from every pari in memphis is moving 3 pairs. The fourth memphis area is shutting down. Then there is a missionary going home from jonesboro spanish and a zebra unit in batesville where the english missionary is getting transferred. So those two can take the two extra missionaries hypothetically that are created by an area shutting down. So I can go to one of those 2 Batesville or Jonesboro or one of the three memphis. President is moving me so I will have lots of teaching time so my money is on one of the three memphis areas. South east or west. We will see what happens. I have heard tenessee is the armpit of the south and memphis is the armpit of tenessee. I'm not sure if that makes it 2armpit or armpit squarred but either way sounds good to me. I'm sure it's a great place I am excited to see what happens. Here goes nothing ...

I'll be at a new apt no matter what. You can still send stuff to the same address they forward everything at the mission office. 

Our area really picked up in the last few days. We have taught 3 or 4 first lessons in the last couple days compared to the 2 times the rest of the transfer before. Teaching is the craziest feeling. Its sooo exhilerating. I can't really express what it feels like. It's not like anything else.

We were at our investigators house visiting last night and he got us some food. (Spanish people are hilarious half the time they dont really ask you they just throw stuff down in front of you) its sooo funny. He gave us some really weird can of mango beverage which was ok I drank it all it wasnt good but it wasnt bad tasting. Then he grabs us some tamales and I am like ok I can handle this no biggy. I just start eating it slowly from the edges and it tastes fine. He warned us it would be really spicy but it wasnt bad. My companion just digs on right into his. And I look over, I promise this is 0% exagerated, There is a foot sticking straight up in the middle of his tamale. I was like ohhhh noooo. It was chicken feet. It seriously looked like a baby's hand. It was soo gross. So I start forking though mine and taking a look. Nothing! hahaha it was all normal nice chicken meat. I was tryin sooo hard not to bust up laughing. Thankfully we'd already told him we had an appointment soon so we ate a little of the batter doughy part and boxed it up and left. Narrow miss for my comapnion. It was hilarious. I told him after he should be grateful that I didn't go " ohh no we have 15 minutes still our next appointment just lives around the corner" I think he threatened to shove the chicken feet down my throat affter that hahaha. 

New max weigh in of all time 141.6 BAM  I'll let you all know next week after I put up 2 hundy no bigs. 

Spiritual thought ... ? hmm Well the thing I have been thinking about is resistance to change. In general people are very resistent to change. I dont know if I wrote about this already. Resistance to change in some ways can be a force of the adversary. You can replace the word repentence in the scriptures with the word change in most instcances. In 1 Nehpi 3:7 when Nephi says he will go and do what the Lord commands that principle in some situiations that means being willing to change.Elder Holland says he gets worried about how frequently 1Nephi 3:7 is thrown around loosely in the church. Nephi really understood that he would do WHATEVER he was commanded. Not many people truly understand that principle spiritually. I know I dont.The natural man is so resistant to change.  We get stuck in ruts, we sin the same way over and over and somehow we always justify it. I dont know what it is for you but I'm sure if you think about it for more than 60 seconds you can come up with something. Dont be afraid to change. Thats one thing I am thinking about and trying to work on. I am grateful that as latter day saint members we understand the doctrine of faith as action. Faith is doing. Some people say faith is nothing but a belief. Or in other words "Knowing" something. Well the adversary knows that Jesus is the Christ. How much faith does he have. (I'm aware of the flaws of that argument but I heard it at a priesthood meating and thought it was interesting) So GO OUT THERE AND BE BETTER THAN YOU WERE YESTERDAY. That seems to be the answer of everything I ever do these days. haha 

Love you all tons. 

I'll send an interesting email next week most likely. 

Elder Davidson

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