And so on and so forth (May 6)

Hey all,

 

I feel like sometimes my emails home are kind of sucky and lack feeling and are just more like minutes. I'll try to share some interesting things today.

 

First pre-planned point: as a missionary you do so many random and ridiculous things and then every Pday I forget about them all so I will now list some of the crazy stuff that happens.

 

1.  Went with a lady in the branch to her son's elementary school to translate for a parent conference in the principals office. Her kid has been hitting all the other kids so they had to have a meeting and I was right in the middle of it translating back and forth. It was out of control hilarious. It was Principal guidance counselor vice principal and teacher (all older black ladies that kept calling everybody sugar) on one side of the table with Mom and third grader on lap on the other side with me in the middle translating and Elder Hernandez standing behind me. They were using lots of educator language luckily I can interpret that too thanks to mother and I was having to circumlocution it all into Spanish. Elder Hernandez I guess had been in the third graders situation a few times prior in his life (according to him) so he was whispering the answers to Oscar (the 3rd grader) everytime the educators would question him on how he was going to change his behavior.

 

2. Went with a member to get his car "de-impounded" They took it because he had no license no registration and no insurance. I guess theyd tried to get it earlier in the day with his cousin who has a license (because they cant give the car to someone without a license") and they wouldn't give it to them because they needed the person who the cars name was in (who was there but because of language barrier and miscommunication was unable to declare themselves) so basically they bring us there because we are white I guess that builds their rapport or something. Basically I translated the exchange which turned into a heated argument which turned into the member saying "digale que es una racista" (TELL HIM HES A RACIST) which causes me to be like well umm he says he feels like there may be some racism involved sir. Which offended the car guy super bad. Eventually we got it all worked out and I just went around and told everyone I could tell they were very nice people to make them all feel better.

 

3 Spent one day with Little Rock English missionaries while I was wating for Hernandez to come over from Memphis. They had a media referral for a girl at the university of Arkansas at little rock who had requested a bible online. But theyd been one time to contact the referral and been rejected by the front desk because I guess you have to get signed in go into the dorms to be permitted in. Not a problem instead we just snuck into the all girls dorm really quickly without the front desk seeing us so we could bring this girl a bible. We get to the third floor and the first girl we see is like "oh hello what are you handsome men doing here?"  We didn't say anything and just kept walking hahaha The referral wasn't home .....

 

4. Ate at a members home this past week and tried so hard to eat the huge amount of food they gave us when I wasn't hungry to begin with. I was so full I was gagging on the food and it was delicious. I thought I was going to be able to hold it all but then I started getting light headed and as my companion started to share the spiritual thought I just booked it out the front door of their trailer and tossed my dinner off the front porch of their trailer. Thankfuly I'd had some milk that was expired with my cereal that morning so I just blamed it on that and nobody was offended.

 

Hopefully that gives you a small taste of how awesome my life is. I honestly love it. Especially the crazy stuff. It's way more fun when things are out of control.

 

Probably funniest moment of the whole week was the day that I threw up dinnerThat day was out of control. Get up in the morning eat cereal and realize while I am eating my milk was a couple days expired finish the cereal anyways.  I had my first district meeting that morning then we went out and got Pizza afterwards (paid for by the member whose car we got out the night before who wanted to take us for dinner after but couldn't because we had an appointment so he gave us some cash and told us hed get really offended if we refused to take it) We went home and right as we went to go out teaching Elder Hernandez realizes he lost the phone. We assumed we left it up at the other missionaries' apartment its the last day of the month and even though we have been smart with our miles we don't have enough to go up and get the phone. We're supposed to meet Little Rock English at walmart so they can come to our dinner appointment because its with single ladies and we cant go in with just two. We teach a little bit in the afternoon go to walmart and go in because elder Hernandez needs to use the bathroom and buy some sheet protectors. We come out of walmart somehow we luckily found the other missionaries parked in the huge walmart  parking lot even though we didn't have our phonewe all get in our car and drive a few miles to the dinner appointment. I stuff myself and throw up dinner outside. I feel pretty crappy afterwards and don't really want to drive. Elder Hernandez doesn't have a license and one of the little rock elders cant drive either. So we are down to one driver and two cars hahaha. So they drop us off at home and then go leave our car at walmart and take their car out to work the rest of the night while I slept off the stomach sickness. And then they get home too late for us to pick up our car (they live in the same apt complex as us) So our car has to spend the night at walmart end of the night elder hernandez finds our phone in the couch where it fell out of his pocket. 10:28 ish we both kneel down to pray before we go to sleep for the night and I say " today was a pretty weird day. I wonder what the Lord wanted us to learn today" and elder Hernandez being completely serious goes "well, probably that like we shouldn't drink expired milk" I just straight lost it for a couple solid minutes. It was sooo funny

 

Anyways, I didn't really like memorizing scriptures at first all that much I just like knowing what they said and where they were but in the past two weeks its become my obsession. And you get better at it the more you do it. So I have just been memorizing lots of scriptures and its really fun. Then I just say them all in my head all day and brain doesn't have time to get distracted and think about useless junk or home or college or Frisbee or whatever else.

 

So CHALLENGE of the week is for whoever wants to accept is to start memorizing scriptures. Maybe do one verse a week or ever two weeks or whatever you have time for. They can be long or short and then test each other on them and stuff. It's super fun.  You can accept if you want just let me know what you decided to memorize if you decide to do it and I'll memorize it too or something. I promise you'll be surprised how frequently you'll later be doing something and that verse will come back into your mind and teach you a principle or help you make a decision.

 

On a spiritual note this week and I don't really know why but my testimony was tried harder that it has ever been. We met a really sincere lady that had studied with the missionaries and read most of the book of Mormon and never really felt like she got ant was kind  answer about it. I felt sad it was kind of hard. But after a little prayer and scripture memorizing and probably more importantly obedience to the commandments in the moments of most difficult temptation I feel that I now know more than I ever have that it's true. It is all true. Jesus is the Christ, Joseph is his prophet, the Book of Mormon contains God's very words. It's not something that just makes sense or sounds nice. It is something I know. I've never seen Jesus I've never had a vision, and I cant even think of a time I have had a crazy spiritual prompting but I have felt the still small voice that speaks to me not with words but with feelings. So I bear you my witness that I know and that it's true.

 

I love you all and hope your weeks are wonderful.

 

Elder Davidson

 

PS Listened to an eight lecture series by Truman G Madsen on the prophet Joseph Smith. If you ever get a chance to listen to it do it. It was awesome. I think its published by deseret or something.

State of the Mission (April 29th)

Okay let me lay it all down real quick for y'all.

 

My companion Ramirez went to Jackson Tenesse. Basically as far away as possible. My new companion is Elder Hernandez. He is from Las Vegas. He looks pretty much white. However his mom is half white half hispanic and his dad (not really a part of the picture) was half Guatamalan half El Salavadorian.  

 

I'm going to split it up like this first I am going to tell you who he is on the outside and then I'll explain who he is on the inside.

 

On the outside, my understanding is that he did not grow up in the nice part of vegas. He's an only child and I think it was kind of him and his mom for a long time. I believe he know has a stepdad though. He can't really read all that well. He has a lot of cousins that seem to all have played football and then ended up in jail.

 

On the inside however, he is widely accepted as one of the most spiritually in tune missionaries in the mission. You just cant tell him he's inspired or else he gets a big head and then becomes less inspired (advice from previous companion) He LOVES everybody. Like really he just loves everybody. He is always texting all the areas in the mission where hes served and asking about how everyone is doing and then he tells the current missionaries to go tell certain people he loves them. He can communicate in spanish but he doesnt speak very correctly. And then every once in a while the gift of toungues takes over and he'll just start speaking perfect spanish. He is 3 for 4 this week getting us in doors. That's pretty high. He's probably one of the more optimistic people I've met despite not having seen a large amount of success on his mission.To sum it up he's just a miracle in that he emerged from where he was and that he now is who he is. My patience will probably be a little tried at times but I think I am going to learn some important lessons.

 

I'm the district leader now I guess you got the same letter  I got or something. It's not that big of a deal. There are 4 missionaries in the district including me and my companion so one other companionship if you're good at math. Its the two sets of spanish that go to the branch. 

 

So I dont know if I ever went back and told you this. Didn't really know at the time but Elder Canales is like the best missionary ever. I didnt even really understand what was goin on before my very eyes but he was unreal. He was totally President Petersen's favorite missionary I am not even kidding. He baptized 1 with faumui the transfer after I left spanish south and then 7 the next transfer. He baptized a couple his last weekend in the mission that 3 hours before their baptism were 100% set on not getting baptized. Anyways I could go on all day with Canales stories but at transfers Pres Told me in his closing interview Canales told President I was his favorite companion because I was funny so maybe that's why I am a district leader haha

 

Anyways I'll try to send a picture of Elder Hernandez and myself.

 

Love you all, have a good week.

 

NEW CHALLENGE ***ALERT ALERT*** I bought an 8 X 10 frame at wal mart  for my apartment and so whoever sends the best 8 X 10 picture wins. Maybe I'll send you all the picture thats currently in there too. Its awesome

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Hi everybody,

 

This past week was really good. We were on bikes so my counteracting plan to being on bikes for the evenings is inviting all members I can think of to come and teach with us. We had members take us out three nights this week. That's not bad for a branch with average attendance of 40 something. I can't express to you guys how much better lessons go with a member. I don't know if its just because theyre that much more spiritual than us or they are just more relatable or God just blesses us for making the extra effort but it has got to be something.

 

I can't even think of anything to talk about right now. I am just sitting here. I am really addicted to mint chocolate chip Klondike bars. They're like the best frozen treat known to man. You should all go get some next time you're in the grocery store. It's like 2.69 for 6 of them at wal mart. Am I making this enticing enough. I will be following up next week on who did this and I will be giving shout outs for those that come through.

 

Also I have finally gave up fighting it and just started using the word yall its way too convenient. I made it over 9 months (one pregnancy and a bit) without

giving in but I have now cracked. I know I am being judged right now but any of you come live down here for that long and never say it and I will take you out for dinner.

 

Transfers are coming up in a week and a half. Decent chance my companion moves but nothing is ever sure in mission transfers.

 

We have some really awesome investigators right now. There are three pretty cool families we are teaching that I would say are kind of our top investigators.

 

Congrats to Waranne on the child. I like the names.

 

Happy birthday Dad Mom and Anniversary too.

 

I will think of things to write about this week because this email is lame.

 

Spiritual message for today. uhh...

Sister Petersen shared a cool story in specialized training last month. It was about this little group of neighborhood kids who all like to do diving as a hobby and they were all very proper and well off or something. And they go to a diving competition and there is this other kid who was poor and didn't have a pool at his house to practice at and he would try to do flips and stuff but he never pointed his toes or had good form. And all the other little kids to nice dives and swan dives with pointed toes and made fun of the poor kid. At the end of the competition they announce the poor kid wins and the narrator girl goes up to the judges and asks how that's possible because hed had lower scores the whole time. And the judges say to her "you may have had the better dive, but he had the harder difficulty" and he wins because of the difficulty multiplier or bonus or something. Anyways the moral of the story is you may look like your better but others may have harder difficulties. You can't judge anybody because we don't understand their circumstances. You don't know where they come from what their brain chemistry is like how they were treated through out their life. And I am not just talking about handicapped people or random people that are kind of different it applies to every person you come in contact with. Something that has helped me a ton over the last couple months is the parable of the two debtors which I belive is in Matthew somewhere. Gottta go and don't have time to find it but I would invite you all to go read it. And then everytime you're mad at somebody or they are annoying just remember how patient GOd has been with you your whole life.

 

That's all the time Ive got

 

Love peace and blessings yall

 

Elder Davidson

How general is your conference?

What's up friends and family,

 

I hope that your week was wonderful and awesome.

General Conference was amazing. ughhh!

I watched the first 4 sessions in spanish so I didn't get quite as much out of it as I do when its in english even though I more or less understand. It's just not the same when it's not their voices and your native language.

 

We told angel about general conference this week we didnt really know what he would say. We'd talked about a living prophet but just briefly. When we told him what it was and that it was this weekend his  face just lit up and he was like wow I hope I can get saturday off work. THat's going to be really special.

Angel came to 4 sessions of conference at the church. He was originally planning on staying for priesthood but he was so wiped out after 2 sessions we just sent him home. I guess thats what happens when you've only had the gift of the holy ghost for a week and you get spiritually nuked. Just drains you.

 

Other than all the other people that said they would be there didnt come. But you focus on the positive not on the negative. (at least that's what our mission president always says when we dont hit our monthly goal haha)

 

My favorite thing from conference was when Tad R Callister talked about people calling to ask which was the best ward and only once in 16 years did someone call and ask what ward needed a strong family.

 

One of the scriptures I memorized is D&C 81:5 Wherefore be faithful; stand in the office which I have appointed unto you; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.

 

I think when you look around its really easy to identify people who walk around with the what can I give attitude.  I'm kind of out of time maybe I'll talk a little more about what I've been thinking about lately next week.

 

To conclude general conference was awesome. President eyerings testimony blew my mind. And Jeffrey R Hollands invitation to lean on his testimony also left me shell shocked. It was unreal. I bear my witness that they are called of god and instructed by him. Exodus 33:11. I know that God is the same yesterday today and forever.

 

I love you all tons, and hope your weeks are awesome.

Nine Months

Hi friends and family, I'll try and give a all around gerneral update because several people told me they didnt really think they new what was going on in my life.

 

My companion is still Elder Ramirez we stayed together after transfers. He was born in toreon coahuila but pretty much spent his whole life in Dallas. He's a goof, he has the worst eating habits but its kind of funny. We get along fine and we've more or less figured out how to teach with each other. I am still in sout little rock.Everything in my area is pretty much off of a road called baseline which I guess one of the senior couples told us is like one of the first roads like period. when they went and explored this part of the states or something I don't know. There are lots of hispanics in our area and we are decently close to the church which is always a blessing. Angel the investigator with walmart and the umbrella is getting baptized this thursday. He is a very spiritual man and he knows a lot aobut the bible. That'll be my first baptism in this area and it will be Elder Ramirez's first baptism so we are excited about that.

 

The spanish branch is not quite as strong over here but it's still good. There are some wonderful people over here very faithful members of the church. Transfers will be in the end of april like the 20 somethingth of april. Elder Ramirez will most likely move and I will probably stay here. We have some other cool investigators but nobody is really that close to being baptized. I now get tons of emails from friends and I try to send repsonses to most of them. It's very time consuming but also very enjoyable.

 

I've been a little sick for a couple weeks. It's getting annoying I think I will call the mission doctor today and see what he says. I'm not really sick but its not going away.

 

We had a super awesome testimony meeting this yesterday because the youth from the stake had just gone on a trip to nauvoo and so the branch president invited them if they wanted to to come up and share their feelings from the trip. They ALL got up. some of them dont even speak spanish but the branch president translated for two of his kids and one girl just bore hers in english. Angel our investigator was crying during the english testimony. That man doesnt speak a drop of english. One kids from the branch got up and talked about a walk that they went on where they were given the name of one of the pioneers that had crossed through that area or something. and and the end of the walk the stake president (by the way the little rock stake president is awesome he's suuuuuuper intense) says to the kids The important question you need to ask yourselves youth is would you be willing to do the same thing the pioneers did. I know you would all be willing to do it. And this young man who is a little bit bigger a little bit awkward wears glasses not super eloquent says. I was really thinking about that important question and I didnt really think I would do the same. And on the bus ride home I thought about it for a while and I prayed about it and I realized that I would do the same thing. It was super sincere and honest I just started crying like a baby.

 

Anyways I hope that is sufficient for an update. I hope you all feel connected. I hit my nine month this past week. Dont really know where the time is going.

 

Much love, Elder Davidson

Exciting News!!!

Hello one and all!

 

Hope everybody's weeks were satisfactory if not pleasing even. Things re all right down here. I'll get right into the good stuff. This week managed to produce a reasonably good story. Nothing to crazy but it was funny.

 

We started teaching a man from El Salvador about a week or two ago. He's doing pretty well. He's read to about first nephi 10 last we talked and he really wanted to come to church this weekend and see what it was all about. But he doesn't have a car so we needed to find him a ride. No big deal we've got a few different people that can help us with that. It was actually perfect because he lives in an apartment complex and his dowstairs neighbor is an active member. So while we were eating at their house on thursday we asked them if they could give him a ride. They were a little bit hesitant but then agreed.  We gave them his number and gave him their number figured with them living like a 10 second walk from each others front doors we would probably be good. Fastforward to saturday night we call the family giving a ride and they say it's still cool ... unless it rains. Their van's windsheild wipers are broken and if it's raining then they cant drive anywhere. We're llike oh ok thats cool it'll be fine we'll just pray and ask heavenly father to not make it rain so we can have our investigator come to chuch. Fastforward  to sunday morning violent thunderstorms ... our NOAA weather radio is making obnoxious siren noises and warning us about severe weather. Ride 1 not going to work it's cool we're missionaries we always have a backup plan. Go to our cool 30 year old less active who is usuallt willing to help. We get ready to go and leave for church about 2 hours early with the intention of fixingproblem and still getting to church early. We go to his trailer and knock on the door his brother opens we obviously woke him up I dont know how he was asleep at 10:30 in the morning  on the couch with his wife because they have like a 2 year old and I dont know any two year olds that sleep in till 10:30. Irrelevant! We ask him if we can come in and wake his brother up. He says ok we go in (background our less active is a Pretty big guy recently diagnosed with sleep apnea and now sleeping with a oxygen mask)

he's asleep in a recliner with regular clothes on (including shoes) and his oxygen mask. We poke him for several minutes he finally wakes up and he is in no shape way or form coherent so we tell him to come to church and their is mutual unspoken understanding between my companion and I that he is not going to be able to give our investigator a ride. back up plan B we drive to another less actives home who'd been coming to church semi consistently for the last month. 3/4 they're not home. Crap what do we do. We pull into an abandoned gas station to make calls. We first have to call other missionaries to see who is taking their investigator to church because we cant double book anybody. So we get that figured out decide to try somebody else call him he got called in to work for an emergency he says try my wife. We call her SHE CAN DO IT! BOOM! but she needs solid directions. We drive down to the apartment complex where our investigator lives to get a solid address and description for her. Between the two of us and the GPS we get some solid information ready for her. Send that text . Keep in mind its raining this whole time and I and not feeling real well and forgot to eat breakfast. We go and knock our investigators door to tell him about the change of plans. Some other guy with no shirt on answers the door. and says he wnet to buy groceries at wallmart. (he walked) crap! we call our INV and he says he's done buying groceries but he doesnt want to walk home in the rain. In a stroke of brilliance (I have to admit) my companion says fine then we will come to walmart and give you one of our umbrellas so you can walk home without getting wet. Drive to walmart got find our INV give him and umbrella tell him we have a sister from the branch coming to pick him up in 20 min

he decides to get social anxiety all of the sudden because its a woman and is all like I dont even know her what do I say. We assure him its okay her teenage children will be with her its not some kind of date. We go off to church. and leave it all in the hands of the lord.

 

He made it to church. Even had time to put on a shirt and tie and product in his hair. It was branch conference and the stake president gave a wonderful talk. It was all worth it.

 

Knew term coined by my companion for "doing everything you possibly can:" We even gave 'em the umbrella

 

In other news new rule change from SLC says we are now permitted to email our friends! Holy cow! So whoever you are reading this send me an email. jorgen.davidson@myldsmail.net It is now permitted.

 

Cool right!?

 

Love you all hope my story wasnt too dragged out.

 

Have a great week everybody!

 

Elder Davidson

Bueno Bueno (Nov 4)

Hello loved ones,

Life is good. Its hard but good.

Thanks alie for the snacks and the sweater.

So transfers are in a week. My companion is like presidents favorite
spanish missionary so they talk on the phone about whats going to
happen. Sounds like most likely we'll be staying together barring any
last minute inspiration. Fine by me. This is definitely a favorable
area.

Not too many interesting things to say about the last week. We had
rotisserie chicken at the shirmp house so things are a little more
tame on that front.

I cant think of too many specific things to say so I guess I'll tell
you a little about some of my investigators.

Margarita is our number 1. We found her tracting a month ish  ago. She
doesnt look that spanish shes got a pretty fair complexion. She spoke
english to us at first and we werent going to do anything other than
ask here where hispanics lived but I felt impressed to ask where she
was from. After she said Panama the dynamic changed a little and we
started speaking spanish to her.  Shes about 45 maybe give or take a
little. Shes from Panama (uncommon) and she is widowed and has no
children. We've found out stuff about her in a strange sequence but I
dont have time to explain all the details. First we taught her plan of
salv because of her husband and she cried. (I was on exchanges and
wasnt there) The she got Antied by a friend who told her you cant get
remarried in our church so she tried to drop us (again I was on
exchanges) They went striaght to her house and cleared things up with
the scriptures and watched "Together forever" movie about eternal
marriage. ANd she cried. We have taught here many times since. (I have
been there those times)

She really feels like the things we share are true. Shes reading the
book of mormon and she likes it. SHes well ish read in the bible and
she likes the similarities shes finding. SHe listnens to some crazy
pastor though anmd always tells us random stuff he says. Like jesus
lived in the mines in england while he was a kid and the queen of
england is a descendant of his line. (who knows?) She is awesome
though.

We've mowed her grass and picked up here perscriptions. She says we're
angles that God sent to her. SHe gave us some mary kay acne spot
treatment yesterday because she "noticed we have some pimples" haha
she came to churhc once. She liked it. SHe liked sacrament meeting.
SHe is suuuuper self concious and a little awkward though and she felt
reallllly uncomfortable in relief society. It toook us a while to get
to the bottom of that doubt.

Turns out her husband was actually quite wealthy. He owned an aparment
complex and now she's quite poor. SHe doesnt want to come back to
churhc because she only has one churhc outfit and she things that the
relief society ladies will jedge her and that she's from a defferent
class than them. She also thinks they're kind of uneducated and not
well read in the scriptures and that she cant learn anything in that
class. She has on friend in the RS that she used to work with and that
used to clean her house.(when she was married) She is coming to an FHE
with them tonght

We've taught her about the role of the spirit and how even the prophet
is still leaning and that we all learn at our own level from the
spirit.

Whenever we read scripture with her and teach her things she always
says. "Eso es verdad" (that is true) she is also sincerely praying for
a confirmation that this is true.

Man I feel a little weird writing all this about her but this is my
life right now. She didnt come to church the last 2 weeks and after
the first time she didnt come the next week she apologized personally
to me because she could tell how sad I was and she hates making people
sad. But then yesterday she "wasnt feeling well"

Please pray for her. She's getting baptizxed the 17th and I think she
really already knows its all true. She just needs to not worry about
the relief society ladies.

Sometimes as missionaries we have to say strange stuff. I think I bore
my testimony that though the church is perfect the members (referring
to the RS ladies) are not and that we are all trying to learn and get
better.

I guess that brings me to my closing exhortation. As soon as these get
self righteouss or preachy someone tell m,e and I honestly will stop.
But something I did not understand until I came out here is how much
members make a difference. And I am not going to tell you to go out
with the missioanries a bunch and feed them everyday. But saying hi to
someone new at church makes an insane difference. Investigators feel
so uncomfortable and nervous its craaaazy. One nice person can make
such a difference. Another investigator came to churhc yesterday and
after chuch this sweeet member lady put her arm around her and invited
her to stay and eat with the ward at break the fast. SHe sat with her
at talked to her and I wanted to cry. (That lady also asked for mom's
phone number becayuse she likes to call missonaries moms or something
so if some lady that only sort of speaks english calls you mom that
would be why) But she made such a difference in that ladies life.

TO contrast I heard a story about a priest age young man investigator
that came to churhc and one of the priests sat next to him and called
him gay and a fag the whole time and that boy has never come back to
church (personally I dont blame him) (it was a long time ago the story
happened) I know none of you would obviously do anything like that and
nor is it our place to judge those who do. But be a blessing to the
lord and his work

Love you all!

Elder Davdison