Sunday, July 27, 2014

7/21/14 Tlaxcallan 2, with Elder Salazar

Good afternoon and hello everyone! Guess what... me and my companion are leaving the area, and they will probably put sister misisonaries here in Tlaxcallan. So today we had to deep clean the house, and wash all our clothes. So we didn´t have alot of time to do much day, other than play soccer for a little bit with some of the young men. But tomorrow, they are going to send me to a new area with a new companion. So I´ll let you guys know next week.

On Sunday luckily I saw some of the people we taught and baptized in Atempan. We saw Enrique, Fernando and Angel, Guadelupe, and Dayane, and they are all staying strong in the church! It´s always awesome seeing that your converts are enduring to the end. Im planning on visiting all of them before going home from my mission, including Berenice, Corina, and Rafael. Seeing converts strong is really something that gives me joy in the mission.

Marilu (the investigator that we started teaching a little while ago), her husband, and Aquilina, are really starting to progress well. Mario Alberto, who was baptized because his parents made him, really has never been strong in the gospel. When we started teaching him and his family, he said that he didn´t really want to live a gospel life right now; he didn´t really feel the need or have a desire to do it. He just wanted his family to do it. We are now seeing that as we teach his wife and mother in law the gospel, we also see that desire grow in him to live it. Marilu is already completely sure that she wants to be baptized, but Aquilina is having problems leaving some of her traditions that she has had her whole life.


But the mission is awesome! With that said, I have some advice for Kannon especially (but it can be applied to all). While I was studying at BYU idaho, I used to ask different return missionaries about how they felt about their mission. I generally recieved three different answers; 1 I would rather not talk about my mission because it wasn´t a really great experience. 2 It was alright, I´m glad I went; I learned alot and it was cool. 3 It was the best experience of my life! The choice is ours to make. There are very few people that give an answer like number 1, where it was a bad experience. But it is our decision to make the mission a bad experience, a good experience, or the best experience of our lives. To choose answer 3, you need to work with all your heart, might, might, and strength. You need to work hard to improve weaknesses, improve your relationship with God. Are you willing to do what´s necessary to make the mission the best experience of you life?

I have some photos to send but the computer doesn´t have a place to plug in my SD card. So I´ll send them next week.

But I´ll let you guys know next week about my new companion and new area!
I love you guys a ton!!!

Love,
Elder Shane Davis

Sunday, July 20, 2014

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email received on July 14th, 2014

Hello everyone! I hope all is well at home!

Thank you for the letters this week!

This week we had an interesting week. We worked hard and talked with a lot of people about the gospel and a descent amount of people accepted. The interesting thing about the people here is that there are many that accept listening to us, but the difficult part is finding them again. They usually forget about there appointments. On Saturday we had an appointment with a guy who supposedly wants to be baptized. We ran into him on the street 2 hours before his appointment, so we took the opportunity to remind him of his appointment at 6, then he said that he would be there. Then he wasn´t. That is one of the greatest challenges of this people, is that they aren´t in their house when they say that they´ll be in their house.

Today for Pday, we played soccer some of the young men, because they just got out of school. It was pretty fun. The Latinos play quite a bit better than I do, but when we play basketball I do alot better.

This is the last week of the transfer, I am pretty sure that me and my companion are both going, and that they are going to put sister missionaries here. First, the zone leaders called us and asked us this week how safe this área is. 3= meaning not safe at all. 2=meaning questionable, kind of safe. and 1=meaning super safe. The area of Tlaxcallan 2, is a number one. Then later the Assistants to the president called and asked the same question. So it´s looking like they are going to put sister missionaries here. But nothing is for sure, so I´ll let you guys know the next.

There are a lot of sister missionaries that have been arriving in this mission. I think that it is because Puebla and Tlaxcala (the two states that pertain to this mission) are two of the safest states in Mexico, especially Tlaxcala (where I am now). This is a very safe mission, so that means that they are going to put more sister missionaries here.

Well, all is going well over here. We are working hard and improving every day. The mission goes by so fast... Kannon: you will be surprised at how fast it goes, so always work hard and do your best. Learning how to open your mouth and share the gospel is an interesting process. Don´t procrastinate.

Thank you all for the support and prayers! I love you all so much!!

Until next week,
Elder Shane Davis

Sunday, July 13, 2014

7/7/14 Tlaxcallan 2, with Elder Salazar

Hello everyone! I am glad to hear that Havasupai was awesome. I am even more glad to hear that you are planning to go when I come back!

I feel like I learned alot this week and that we worked hard. This week I learned that as missionaries, we need to make every lesson a powerful one. Sometimes it is easy to think that some lessons are more important than others, and therefore, we try harder in some lessons than in others, and some lessons that we give are great, and some are just all right. But the truth is, is that we have to try hard in every, pray hard all ways, rely on the Spirit to guide us always. As it says in Doctrine and Covenants 50:17-18, if we don´t teach with the spirit, then it isn´t from God. We need to pray fervently always for the Spirit to guide us in the lessons to always have powerful and Spiritual lessons.

Yesterday we went on splits with the members to teach more people at once. Splits are when each missionary of a companionship take another guy in the ward (at least 16 years old, holding the priesthood) and they split off and teach more people at once. That is a great way to help more people, and also strengthen the members that go with us. We actually have been getting the members in the ward to help us out with the lessons. Every member that went with us to make visits has been strengthen spiritually. I don´t know how the work is in the running springs Branch, but the missionaries should have the help of the members... and given that there are sisters there, that means that the sisters in the ward should help them out and make visits with them (mom, justine).

Recently we were given a new rule: when we have activities on our Pday, we can´t have groups with more than 4 missionaries. So now we can´t get together to play sports with more than two other missionaries... so that really limits the things we can do on our Pdays. I don´t really know why they gave us this new rule, but I guess that we gotta obey it with a smile.

Well, other than that, I don´t have any other stories this week... I do have some photos but the computer that I am at right now doesnt have a place to put my SD card, so I guess I´ll send them next week. But I love you all so much and thank you all for your letters. I got the package you guys sent me this week and its awesome! thanks so much! But I´ll talk you guys next week!

Love you all so much!
love
Elder Shane Davis

Sunday, July 6, 2014

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6/30/14 Tlaxcallan 2, with Elder Salazar

Good afternoon family! I hope that you are all have fun in Havasupai! It looks like an awesome place. This week was an interesting week. I have a few stories to share.

One day we were walking down the street. As we were walking we passed by a group of drunk guys sitting and drinking on the side of the road. For some reason, drunk guys always want to talk to us. One of them yelled at me "Come over here güero!! Get over here!!" (güero is like saying white boy). Talking to drunk guys is usually a huge waist of time, because they aren´t really mentally aware, so I told them that we had an appointment and we kept walking. 10 minutes later we were still walking and a women passed by us running and screaming and screamed at us " Young men! Young men! Call the Police my drunk husband wants to beat me!!!" Thirty seconds after she passed by, the same drunk guy that yelled at me 10 minutes earlier ran by chasing his wife. Luckily, we were about 10 yards from the pólice station, so they took him away. What would have happened had we stayed and talked with the drunk guy?... who knows, but I´m glad we didn´t. There are often drunk people in the Street, so we usually avoid them when posible.

Then on Wednesday. we had a lesson with Marilu, Aquelina and Mario Alberto. Marilu said that she had a dream. She told us that she saw a tree and a path, and from that she said that she felt that the church is true and that she needs to keep going to church and listening to the missionaries. I don´t know how she got that answer out of that dream, but just as Mormon says in Moroni 7:13, if it tells us to do something good, then it is from God. The Latin people have a lot of dreams. I guess that God communicates with people in diverse ways, because I have never had a revelation in a dream... or maybe I just don´t remember it, because when I wake up in the morning the last thing I remember is going to bed.

A few weeks ago, I had to go to the immigration office to renew my Visa (we have to do it annually). When I got there, after waiting for five minutes or so when it was my turn to go to the desk, they called "Christopher!"... no one answered "Christopher!!" this time a tittle bit louder. Then "Christopher Davis!!". With a confused look, I went up to the desk and saw my picture next to the name Christopher Davis. So I told them that I was Davis but not Christopher. Apparently they made some mistaked in the system and had changed my name to Christopher. So I showed them my Passport and they changed my name back to Shane. I asked them if there was anything else I had to do before I left and they said that was all, so I left thinking that my Visa was good for another year. Then, on wednesday. I recieved a call from the secretary of the mission, he told me "Elder, you need to go back to the immigration office tomorrow or they are going to deport you!". Apparently they made some more mistakes with my Visa and it just about expired. Luckily, they didn´t deport me, I went back to the immigration office, and they fixed everything, so I am still here in mexico.

Anways, those are the stories that I got this week! I hope that you are all having having a ton of fun in Havasupai. I can´t wait for the package to get here! Kannon... I am still excited for you! Keep preparing for the mission, don´t read the scriptures prayerfully study them, because you can´t teach the góspel if  you don´t know it.

I love you all I wish for the best! My last 9 months in the mission are going to go by way too fast, and then it will be over... Until Next week!

Love,
Elder Shane Davis

6/23/14 `Tlaxcallan 2, with Elder Salazar

Hello everyone! Buenas tardes!

Congratulations Kannon on graduating! I personally was glad that high school was over and I really don´t miss it. But have fun being a high school graduate!

This week we had a pretty good week. We found some more people that seem like they are going to progress well in the gospel. We had one referral from a member, Ruben Simon, who is 15 years old and already wants to be baptized. He is already sure that he wants to be mormon, the sad thing is that he is going to Mexico City for about a month, and then he is coming back to stay. But he seems like he is going to be a very strong member.

We started teaching another family, Mario, his wife Marilu, and her mom, Aquelina. We contacted Marilu in the street one day, and she was interested and we agreed to visit her and her family. When we got to her house we found out that her husband, Mario is actually a les active member of the Church. He was baptized more than 10 years ago and really doesn´t remember any of the lessons. But his Marilu and Aquelina seem like they are going to progress very well and they said that they are willing to be baptized if they feel that it is right for them. So that is a good example of the Lord leading us to the people that are prepared.

So right now, things are going good with Elder Salazar. We are working hard and I think that in 5 weeks there will be more baptisms (that is enough time for investigators to attend church 5 times).

Last week we also started teaching again Arturo, Lidia and Sofia. They invited us to start teaching them again because they had some more problems in the family. When we got to their house for a lesson, Arturo said that he made a pact with Satan and needed our help. We helped him realize that if he invites God more in his life, the Satan´s influence will decrease, and that the devil will only have power in our life if we let him. I don´t know if he really saw Satan or if he was just drunk, but either way he needs to change his life in a drastic way.

So, things are going pretty good right now here in Mexico. This week I got a letter from Alex, our little cousin. Could you guys give me his email? (or his parents´)

Anyway, all is going well. The mission is going by super fast! I only have 9 months left till I go home! To me that doesn´t sound like a lot of time. For me, time is flying, I don´t know about you guys! But my hour is up! Thank all for the letters this week. I love hearing about the news of the family, so always keep me updated!!

I love you all!
Until next week
Elder Shane