September 3, 2008

WHEW!!!!!! Let me think about everything I wanted to tell you.

Our investigators are doing well. We continue to try our best to help them progress, and try to listen to the spirit concerning what to teach them and when to stop teaching them. We were able to teach a husband and wife yesterday. The best part is that they came from a member. Member Referrals rock! They know a upstanding member of our church, and that helps leaps and bounds. It is an American member who brought his family over here for University. These are amazing people. It is the M****. I think I told you about them last week. Everything is 100% with them.

We have not been able to get in contact with C*****, but some other missionaries who knew her have been. I hope something happens from that. Whatever it is, I just want it to work out. We have not been able to speak with her all week.

Our new investigator from Butan is doing well. Lessons are very difficult with his limited English, but he wants to come to church and be baptized. We will prepare him. I think the prophecy that the gospel will go to every nation is happening in England. The melting pot of this country is incredible.

J******, is one of our new investigators. We are trying to find out how interested she is. She has been into a lot of anti-mormon stuff, which has stopped so many people from investigating the church lately. I can't believe the things that some of these people say. However, if that can stop them, then they aren't prepared or ready to accept the gospel.

T**** is doing very well. She knows some of the things she will have to stop doing or start doing to be baptized. She does her homework and we are starting to see a change in her. We took her to a less-actives house yesterday. This less-actives name is Sister H*******. She is English, but has a lot of middle- eastern family. She speaks fluent Arabic and hasn't been to church for a while, except last Sunday. This is a prime example of what one visit can make. I had a really good feeling about her as I saw her on the ward list and as we tried by on her. Eventually we were able to see her and she is great. She is always willing to make some food for us and let us use her home. Yesterday she made some Arabic food, and it was delicious. That is something I have come to love. Also there was a member named J***. He gets along really well with T****. J*** has been helping us out a lot lately, because he basically has all of the time in the world. He is 38, has a home, no job, and loves to do missionary work. He writes down everything we say and do. It is like having the book of life being written right before your very eyes.

We had a zone conference this week. I love being up by the temple. I also loved Zone Conference. There are just no words to describe them. President Bullock is very smart. He finished with a talk that wasn't very much for missionaries, but was really cool. It was about the 2nd coming, and signs of the times. We are close, very close!

We have also been working with an investigator named H*******, from the Ivory Coast. He came to church, but is struggling to understand Christ and the Plan of Salvation. WE don't really know what else to do, but he likes church and shows a desire to learn.

Well, I better start wrapping this letter up. Today I passed my Driving Test!!!! Whew, what a relief. It is quite expensive over here. I will not tell you how expensive, but very. The dollar is getting better and not costing us so much.

Today, I had a study off of Elder Maxwell's talk from October 1995 Conference titled, 'Swallowed up in the will of the Father'. It is amazing. Please read it. One scripture stuck out to me. It was Mosiah 5:13. It talkes about the thoughts and desires of our heart, and how that determines who is our master. We can get sucked up in the daily things of life, many of which are important, but does that prevent us from thinking about Christ? I looked today at my daily thoughts, and would encourage all of us to do the same. If you were to record the number of minutes you think about certain subjects, which would come off on top? Who is our master? As a missionary we are called to be his servants, but that doesn't mean that comes without a lot of focus. It comes back to something that I have been studying about recently. Remembering! If only we could always remember in every situation who we are. There are certain things that will help us remember more often and also direct our thoughts more on the Savior throughout the day. It comes down to two simple things. Daily prayer and daily study. There are more effective ways to do both these things as we know. Doing them with real intent and our whole heart will leave an impression upon our souls that is not as easily erased. I want all of you to know that I love you, and I love what the gospel has brought into our life. We owe so much to it. I love the examples that you are to me, and I hope to carry your light with me as I try to reach out to the people of England.

Much love,

Elder Davies