Week 15 - David & Dulce's baptism pics

David & Dulce's Baptism!

Hey!!!

So this week has just been great! I guess it's only been like 5 days since I wrote...but I ton has happened!

First of all, David and Dulce got baptized on Sunday! We were so excited! They are Queztalyn´s little siblings, so awesome! They were so excited and I just made me so happy! Dulce told her mom (who is also preparing for baptism) that she wanted to get baptized because she was ready to turn her life into God :´). How adorable is that?! She is 8! So happy for this family, I have never felt more joy in my life than I feel for this family that is, thanks to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, coming closer and will have the opportunity to be an Eternal Family. I'm so happy!!! :)

We had a stake youth activity Saturday morning where all the missionaries and youth from the stake came to our chapel and we divided all up into three areas in our stake and contacted and taught! It was awesome! We got a ton of new contacts and referrals, should be so great! It was awesome, we had over 50 youth all out preaching the Gospel! We even had some investigators with us working and preaching! Wahoo!

When we were in a trio with Elder Hernandez before he got his new companion all of our appointments fell through so Elder Rodriguez said okay everyone pick a house and don't say what it is! Then we all said it and it was THE SAME HOUSE so we went and knocked the door and even though it was like late-ish and dark this lady came out and though she said she was very catholic that we could come back. We have taught her a couple times and she is definitely progressing. She didn't know she felt she had to listen to us, but she is and she is learning why! So her husband works for a factory that makes really nice and expensive socks...and she gets them in this crazy bulk discount, so she gives us a killer deal on socks! We can get this socks for like a quarter of the price, it's less than a dollar a pair and they are like awesome! Socks for missionaries are like the best thing ever, love me some new socks. She is great! Her name is Rosa :)

So we had ward conference which is exactly like Ward conference in Utah except....nah actually it was pretty similar!! There were like 20 people from the Stake up on the Stand, that was different but cool. So let me back up a bit...since it has just been us and the Sisters in the ward, every baptism we have we sing a song, so the Bishop had us sing in Ward conference. We found a translation of Be Still My Soul and sang 2 verses in Spanish and one in English, because the song doesn't exist in Spanish. Its so fun to be in a ward where all the missionaries can sing and we can sing parts and such! OHH!! Fun fact, played the guitar in a baptism last week, sooooo cool. The Sisters sang Savior, Redeemer of My Soul in Spanish and I played for them! The man that got baptized is so cool, he has a tumor and just had surgery on Saturday but got to be baptized and confirmed before, he is a real trooper!! His name is Armando, pray for him that everything goes well and he can recover!

Today we got a chance to watch Meet the Mormons that is coming to Theaters here on FRIDAY!! Of course we can't go, but we got to see it to encourage the members and investigators to go. It was SOO great! I love the message and how grand this work is. This movie was certainly inspired and the effect it has on the image of us as Mormons is so grand. We are hoping it has great success here like it did in the States, bringing others to know who we really are!

Well there's just so much to write and so little, I'll just fill you all in in 2 years, okay? Love ya!

Elder Davies

David & Dulce - filling out the paperwork

David & Dulce - Getting ready for the Baptism

Ready for the baptism - David & Dulce

David & Dulce before their baptism

Elder Davies leaving the font with Dulce

Dulce & Elder Davies after her baptism

David with the Elders

Week 14 - Transfer avoided - "New "Mexican Moments"

Hey everyone!

So this week and a half has been totally awesome! So we had transfers this week and GUESS WHAT!!!!!! Nothing happened! I get to stay with my companion! One of the Elders in our District finished his mission and went home to Nicaragua on Saturday, so we were in a trio with his companion that stayed until transfers. That was super fun! Oh also I'm not being trained anymore! Wahoo! And I hit my 3 month mark this past week, time sure does fly here. It's pretty insane!

So I want to start this thing that I will call Mexican Moments because I just have these wonderful, beautiful moments here sometimes that I just don't know how to classify....well I didn't until I created Mexican Moments. So I have two very prominent ones that I will share with you all today!

This is a Tianguis "Tent Market" in Guerrero, Mexico similar to the one Kelson is talking about
(picture found here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/TianguisIxca2.JPG/800px-TianguisIxca2.JPG)

First of all...on Valentines day they had this giant "Tianguis" (Greg: an open air bazaar or market) which is where everyone decides to put up a tent thing on the busiest road they can and traffic just kinda stops for a couple days, so that's really cool. But the REALLY neat thing was how everyone wanted power for music and light but they were in the road...so what do you do, right? Just cut open the lamp post and splice a bunch of wires to the raw power inlet! There were at least 10 extensions coming out of the lamp post super sketchily all taped up and stuff....and that split up to I think at least 50 individual little stores. GENIUS! SOOOO sketchy but oh so brilliant!

This is what Kelson was talking about - A bicycle that is also a whetstone that sharpens knives!
(courtesy of http://zesterdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Gilman_afilador-580x515.jpg)

Next Mexican Moment was as I was walking to an appointment with my companion and we walked past this guy sharpening knives with his bicycle. Yes I typed that correctly. So this guy when he wants to stop riding his bike and start sharpening knives for people stops, then props up the back of the bike, turns his seat around, puts a belt around his back tire that is attached to a rolling wetstone type thing and pedals/sharpens. That is super cool.

OH! Also when I went to the area of the other Elder I saw something shining and beautiful from a distance and lo and behold it was A GUY IN A BYU SWEATSHIRT!

Kelson saw this random street vendor with a BYU Shirt.
One of the "Mexican Moments" he loves

I got Soooooooo stoked so we went and talked to him and I for some reason had my camera so I got this gnarly picture with my new favorite street vendor! I told him that was the university I was going to attend and he just laughed and was a little confused at first but then got really stoked with me, so that was good. I am gonna attach a picture of this beautiful moment! That reminds me of when my parents came to Mexico for a business convention for my dad and they met a guy with a BYU hat! Okay I guess that is a third Mexican Moment!

So our investigators are progressing well, we are just working on finding new ones and getting the ones we have to come to church! Keep praying for them and that their families will have soft hearts and support them. A LOT of people here really get upset at their children, siblings, parents, and even grandparents if they choose to start listening to us, so that makes things super hard.

The Church is True! Jesus Christ is our Savior, and he loves each and every one of us. The more I learn about His Gospel, the more I realize what I DON'T know and don't understand. But that is the beauty of this life and this Gospel, as the hymn "If You Could Hie to Kolob" teaches so beautifully, "There is no end to Wisdom; There is no end to Light." I encourage you all to continue learning about and coming to know our Father in Heaven and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. In their words and teachings every honest seeker of truth will be filled with knowledge and understanding.

With much love,
Elder Davies

Stray dogs following them home at night :P

Week 13 - Temple Visitor Center Pics

Visitor picture from the Mexico City Visitor Center

Visitor picture from the Mexico City Visitor Center

Hello everyone!

How are you lovely people?? :) So just so you know family there are changes next week, so my P-day will be Wednesday Feb 18, so don’t freak out when I don’t write! Also there will probably come a couple P-days where I don’t write because I have too much to do, so I hope that doesn’t happen but if it does, just know that I’m fine, mmk?? ;) I think I’m gonna stay with Elder Rodriguez one more cycle, but who knows! Guess you will find out on the 18^th ;)

So our church attendance is shooting up! I guess that means that the Hermanas and my companion and I are doing good work! Haha! The other Sunday we had 144 in attendance, I guess the most in 15 years! This week we had 135, still super duper amazing! That is always exciting :)

Queztalyn (Ketz-uh-lean) got confirmed yesterday! Her mom and grandma and also two little siblings were there, that was super great! She is truly awesome. She has an amazing testimony and she really understands what her baptism meant and is doing everything she can to live up to that covenant! I think her family will follow her example very soon! I had divisions with Elder Nuñez, an Elder from Nicaragua that is going home on Saturday, so that was nuts! We visited an investigator that works for a member in a little factory he has in his house. They make pillows and tablecloths and such and after the lesson he let me try his giant sewing machine and it was SOOOO cool! So if you buy a tablecloth and it says “Hecho en Mexico”, I probably made it. Haha no but it was super cool! It reminded me a lot of The Three Amigos when they are all making outfits at the end. They said I did really good so I’m thinking of a career in sewing after the mission. Just kidding I probably won’t do that.

Today I got a haircut at a hair school here in our new area and it because it was a school it cost 6 pesos! That is less than 45 cents. WAHOO! That’s a good cheap haircut :) That’s what I like!

Things are just super great here. I’m learning so much every day! I watched the movie about Thomas S. Monson called on the Lord’s Errand and that was so cool to see how the Lord had slowly prepared him and tested him throughout his life for him to becoming the man and prophet we know he is now. Pretty interesting! Well that’s all for today, stay beautiful, I love you all!

Elder Davies

Week 12 - Quetzalyn's Baptism, Christmas in January & Hot cake Birthday Cake

Quetzalyn's Baptism at the Church by the Mexico City Temple

Hey all you wonderful people!

Shout out to my beautiful Mother who turns 29 today! I love you mom! You are the greatest :) Ever since I can remember, my mom has done everything she can to make sure I am happy and have everything I need :) Thanks for being the best mom I've ever had!

Also Kenadee and Brother and Sister Covington, I got a package and a sweet Christmas card on Saturday from you lovely people! So guess what I did, I put on Christmas music and my comp and I had a little Christmas party! Wahoo!! This is the best thing about bad mailing systems, you get to celebrate Christmas like 6 times without feeling guilty for opening packages before Christmas! WAHOO! :) Everything was so perfect, thank you all so much :) Sure do love you guys!

So Quetzalyn was baptized yesterday! It was so cool. We had Stake Conference, so our meeting was in the gaint chapel in Temple Square here, so the baptism was a the church right there too, so the pictures are super cool because the temple is in the back! The Hermanas in the ward also baptized a young girl named Julieta, so I got to baptize here and my companion baptized Queztlayn! It was absolutely incredible to get to see her get baptized. She was so prepared by the Lord and just loved everything we taught! After two missionaries knocking on her door on a Saturday night she came the very next day at 8AM to church and stayed for all three meeting! She is just Golden. We are now working with her mom, siblings, and her grandma who are almost all progressing :) Sure do love her and her family!

The "Hot Cake" Birthday Cake!

So a member here in the ward that always lets us use her washing machine had her birthday this week, so naturally we made her a cake. But oh, not just any cake. Remember how I bought that giant bag of hot cakes at Sam's? Yeah. We made a cake out of hot cakes. A hot cake cake. The Hermanas made a yummy frosting and together we created quite a masterpiece! It tasted exactly how you'd expect a giant hot cake to taste, but better because it was HUGE! Anyway that was super cool :) Alejandra and her husband Hector are our favorites and Hector is into a lot of the same stuff as me, so we have fun chatting about electronics and such when they invite us over to eat :)

So I saw a couple things that surprised me even for Mexico, so I thought I'd share them! First, there was this horse-drawn carriage downtown by the temple. That was weird, but then weirder because the carriage was indeed an old truck bed somehow attached to the sides of the horse. I am still trying to figure that out! Also there are always Mariachi bands by the Temple on the corners and yesterday there was one and they also featured a SAXAPHONE! Mexico s first and famous Mariachi Jazz Band.

Hermana Amor decorating the Hot Cake-Cake :)

So this week we took an investigator named Daniela to the Centro para Visitantes (Greg: CV or Temple Square Visitor Center) and it has been sooo hard to get her there. Something always comes up! But this time the same thing happened but we just made it work and somehow made it to the CV with her! It was so powerful! We showed her the video of the family there (Filmed in Red Cliffs in St George, hehe) and after it talks about Eternal Families and my companion and I bore our testimonies of eternal families and told her that we wanted to see her and her husband and her two cute little girls there. I also said something along the lines of how bad we wanted to see her there and how much more our Father in Heaven wanted them to come - all together - to live forever with Him. At this point she just broke down crying and that was so cool! That's the most I've seen the Spirit touch someone during my testimony. I know it wasn't anything I said, but what the Spirit affirmed and taught her.

Hot Cake Birthday Cake

Today my companion and I were on our way back from shopping and we jumped out of a bus to help pop start a taxi that had a dead starter or solenoid or something.  He was so grateful he gave us a free ride pretty close to where we live! It was awesome. We have amazing experiences every day. I love all your letters, thanks so much! I will get to every one of them as soon as I can, but keep em coming it helps a lot! Love you all! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!! :)

Elder Davies

No idea what is up with the Math. HAHA!  Just keeping sharp?