Hiya Fam,

This week has been really fun. I got to go on an exchange to Ipswich. It is in the country. I forgot how much I love the country. I really LOVED it! It was so much fun. They people were lovely (although all English and atheist mostly- I forget what it's like to not be surrounded by African pentecostals and Asian Muslims everywhere). I LOVED the fresh air. Ilford always smells disgusting. really gross, but it makes for fun jokes with Sister P. I still really really love London. So much, but I also love the country. I just love all of England. I will be happy where ever I get moved to next. Which BTW, it's only a 5 week transfer so moves are next week. So Pday will be on Tuesday. I'm probably going to be saying good-bye to Ilford :( But I know wherever the Lord needs me will be the right thing. Ipswich was really great. Lots of walking and some wonderful people and great members. IT was fun to see another area and the Lord helped me to get some answers I was really searching for. I think my favourite part was getting to be junior companion again. It was so stress free. I'm trying to make work in Ilford less stressful. I've been very successful at that this week. And I learned so much from the Sister I was with. She's from Italy. 

We went  and helped at a primary Activity this week. It was so much fun! It was a chocolate easter activity. Very cute ideas and the kids loved it. We were able to get two of our investigators there. They both are from part-member families. They are doing great. It is so fun to teach them. One is Amaya. She is from Sri Lanka. She is 9. She really wants to be baptised but she has swimming Sunday mornings and so she can't come to church. Her mum isn't a member so it's hard to get her to church, but she is trying to switch to a different swimming class. Her dad is a recent convert of about 1 year. Hopefully we can get the mum on board. Another is George. His mum  has been a member for about 2 years. She was born in Cape Verde but then moved to Portugal. His dad didn't give permission when the mum got baptised for George to be baptised. We are hoping for a miracle. He is a great kid. His mum has been pretty less active but we just started teaching them both and they both came to church on Sunday and she bore her testimony!! It was great! 

The Less-active Sri Lankan family with 3 kids had a birthday party for their 5 yr old daughter on Saturday and they invited us. It was really fun. they are such a great family. The Dad is pretty consistent in coming to church but we are really trying to get the mum to come. It is really interesting to see how different cultures and traditions sometimes make it really hard for some people to adapt to the gospel. 

Today we are baking lots of delicious things. Last p-day was really fun too. We went and toured Westminster Abbey. That's where the queen has her coronation and where the royal wedding took place. It was pretty, gorgeous in fact, but the spirit wasn't there like it is in our chapels. 

haha. funny story. The other day someone tried to tell me I was saying Las Vegas wrong. It's not like I would know how to say it since I was born and raised there. haha This person was telling me that it's "Lass Vegas", rather than "Los Vegas?"- (I don't know how to write how we say it other than Las Vegas so I don't know if that makes sense). I didn't realise it was such a huge deal.. People do always think I say I'm from Australia for some reason. haha.  Oh well. 

I have been studying christlike attributes this week. I was reading Knowledge this morning. I love that in the Bible Dictionary the first thing it says is that it is an attribute of God. And that our progression is determined by our knowledge. It's pretty important. And I have always loved how much the christlike attributes are all linked. I haven't read a single scripture where it mentions one of them without mentioning atleast one other; and usually it's multiple together. That's comforting to think that when we focus on improving one, overall we will naturally become more Christlike. 

The gospel is true. Jesus is the Christ. I know that he died for me and that He lives again!! HAPPY EASTER!!!

Love, Sister Davis xx

 

 

Covenants, Commandments, Charity, and Covenants

Dear Family, 

I cannot wait to start hearing about all of your PMG insights ;) Thanks to those who have already started to share.

I LOVED conference. I always do. We got to watch the Saturday morning (which was Saturday night here- it still is so weird to think about that) at a members home with one of our investigators. It was so fun to be in someone's home. Sister P and I made sure it was a proper conference and brought all the snacks, complete with peanut m&ms. We also finally got to see the Womans general meeting on Saturday night. I loved it. It made me cry and miss you all, but they did a brilliant job. Being a woman in the church is the best! We got to see every session of conference except the last one. I really just noticed how every single person mentioned covenants. And obedience to the commandments and charity seemed a huge focus as well. I just like to think of it as the Conference of C's. I also loved how all the personal testimonies in the first session mentioned priesthood keys. That really is so important. We have all the truth in this church. And we have the power and authority from God. That is a huge deal.This is a miraculous gospel! WE must live it with joy and with courage! And we must share it with others in the same way!

The one year celebration was great. We ended up not going to Nando's because the Elders didn't want to, but they wanted to go to a carvery because they could eat more for less. I was really happy with that though because it was very English for our one year celebration in England. A carvery is where you can go and get a limited amount of meat but unlimited sides of roast potatoes, parsnips, carrots, yorkshire puddings, peas, etc. A proper roast dinner but unlimited. It was delicious and so filling and a really good price! IT was fun. 

The work is still going really well, but we are really struggling to get our investigators to progress. We get lots of new investigators, but overtime they become very non-committal. Even Salma, who was progressing so well, has really started to digress. She had almost completely given up smoking and now is back up to smoking lots and really struggling to give it up. It is so sad because we can REALLY tell the difference when she has been smoking. it changes her so much. It is a bit frustrating to know what will help her the most, but then to see her not choose to do those things. But I'm sure Heavenly Father sometimes feels the same way with me. He knows what is best and if we just trust him and follow him we will get to see and feel all the glorious blessings that come. But sometimes the natural man just gets in the way. But I'm so grateful to know that Jesus Christ is there to help me and strengthen me. 

Read the Book of Mormon everyday. It will get a man nearer to God than any other book. I just finished reading it with the mission. I love it. I know it is the word of God. I love you all and pray for you. Thank you for being who you are and for desiring to follow our Saviour. It is the only true path to happiness. I'm glad we're on this path together. 

Love, Sister Davis 

P.S. london pday today!! So excited! :) I can't believe I'm a missionary and I'm in London!!! It's brilliant! :)

 

 

It's Facebook Official: I'm almost been out a year!!

Family, 

Mom, Happy Mums Day! I thought about you all day yesterday. I hope you felt especially loved and appreciated. way to go on challenging Jimmy and Kristi to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. It's the best. I had a great opportunity yesterday in combined RS/Priesthood to talk about the book of Mormon for a few minutes. In preparing I read a talk by President Benson about the importance of the book called a new witness for Christ. I highly recommend it. So many good points. Especially about how we need daily spiritual nourishment from the Book of Mormon.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie stated, “Men can get nearer to the Lord, can have more of the spirit of  

conversion and conformity in their hearts, can have stronger testimonies, and can gain a better  

understanding of the doctrines of salvation through the Book of Mormon than they can through  

the Bible.… There will be more people saved in the kingdom of God—ten thousand times over—

because of the Book of Mormon than there will be because of the Bible.” (Address at Book of  

Mormon Symposium, Brigham Young University, 18 Aug 1978).  

I am drooling thinking of your strawberry freezer jam. Save some for me?Still no word from Hassan. :( I will get to watch most of general conference. I think all except for the last session on Sunday. I cannot wait!!!!!!!!! I LOVE conference!! 

where is the time going? I can't believe it will be a year on Friday!!! It should be a fun day though. Two of the Elders in our ward are from my MTC group, so all of us Ilford Missionaries are going to celebrate together. We're going out to eat at a yummy chicken restaurant, Nando's. I'm looking forward to it. And I'm sure Sister Pagofie and I will come up with other great ways to celebrate!

BIG NEWS..... Our mission is the first mission outside of the 38 pilot missions in the US to start facebook proselyting. Weird but exciting! So Linda I don't know if you have been logging into mine at all but please no one log into my account anymore because I will be deactivating my home account and making a mission account. Also I'm not allowed to be friends with anyone back home so no one try and friend me here. It will provide great opportunities for missionary work though and is a great trust from our leaders and the Lord. Hopefully it will really help to hasten the work, especially in helping members in their missionary work. It will be exciting to see the changes that come in the work. However it will be very different to try and schedule in time to use it. We found out we could use in on Thursday and we still haven't had time to set up our accounts (well, just me because Sister Pagofie already had one since they use facebook in the Visitors Centre) or use it at all. Tomorrow we will though. 

The work has been good, but we are continually trying to work to help the members get more excited and involved in missionary work. Any ideas? 

We have seen some great success however in contacting AUF- which is Address Unknown File or Lost Sheep. It is people who were baptised but moved and the church found an address that they think that person lives at. It's our responsibility to go to that addresss and confirm whether or not that person does live there and see if they are interested. Then if we have time we are to knock 20 houses around the person and note how many people are interested around the AUF. We have found quite a few new investigators from it this week. One was this sweet woman from Ghana whose husband is actually a pastor. We knocked on her door and after a brief introduction she let us into her home. She said she was happy to hear anything that dealt with the word of God. We were able to teach her the restoration. She was so intrigued about the Book of Mormon and couldn't wait to read it. As we taught she asked, "So what you are saying is that all the other churches are not the truth?" we explained about the fulness of the gospel and about the great apostasy more and she was just so sincere and wondered why she had never heard about this message or the book of Mormon before. she said "Why have I not heard this before when all my life I've been searching for the truth?" It was so sad to see her sincerity of wanting the truth and not being able to understand why she hadn't heard our message sooner. I really pray that the spirit touches her and she reads and prays and that she can know that this is the truth she has always been searching for. I am unsure as to why she hasn't heard this message before, especially because the church is so well known in Ghana, but "I know that [God] loveth his children" (1 Nephi 11:17). I know he knows us perfectly. He gives us the experiences that we need to shape us into who he needs us to become. And I know that he loves all of us enough to give us the chance to choose. I'm so grateful to know this gospel and to be able to choose to follow Jesus Christ. 

I love you!

Love, Sister Davis