November 19, 2008

It has been another great week in Liverpool. The highlight of the week was the Baptism of J******* on Saturday. I was so stressed. J******* was a hard investigator with a lot of needs most of the time, so the relief that I felt when she went completely under the first time, and it actually went through, was a great moment. I was elated. I spent a couple of extra minutes in the font rejoicing! She had some cool experiences. She was completely calm and saw a light above her head while she was going under, though her eyes were closed. She said she felt different, and I was letting her know yesterday how special those experiences were. Those are miracles.

Another great miracle we had was that F****** expressed a desire to move her baptism closer. She is now dated for December 13. This is the Saturday after transfers, so I hope that I will be able to come back to watch, if I leave.

K******** might be going away to work in Coventry for a couple of weeks, so we may not see him for a while, and I may not see him again at all. He is so funny, and has an incredible personality. I will miss that man, but we definitely try to keep in touch with him.

Great things are happening in the mission. President Bullock has instituted some great things to help us broaden our vision and touch the lives of more people. It is too easy to become content with our current influence. Zone Conference last week was a real booster for the mission, and everyone is excited to get themselves more involved in the work. This man will continue to do great things, and I will be sad to leave him. He told us on Thursday, and I believe it and see it, that 'This is the day when the England Manchester Mission changed.'

Everything is going great between Elder Weidmann and myself. He is an incredible missionary and a great friend. Though we have our moments(he is very patient with me), we will be lifelong friends. I love the work and the people we get to meet. Yesterday a member named M***** B***** came out fellowshipping with us. He is from Wyoming and played for them at the University. He was one of their stars and had prospects of going into the NBA, but he had a knee injury his senior season. Throughout college he had moved away from church, but his injury helped pull him out of the fast lane and help him focus on what is right. He started going back to church and served a mission at the age of 23. he served in Hamburg, Germany. He is now in England playing for a team in Liverpool. He didn't get into the NBA, but he still gets to play and now he is back in the church, a returned missionary, a great guy, and married to a beautiful wife. Cool guy!

My Scriptural thought this week comes from Preach My Gospel - Latter-Day Scripture for a Latter-Day Work. That last part was my personal edition. I hope that your PMG study is going well. This week's thought is from the first chapter, "My Purpose". On Page 2 it reads, "As your understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ grows, your desire to share the gospel will increase. You will feel, as Lehi did, the 'great . . . importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth' (2 Nephi 2:8)." On Page 12 of the same chapter President Hunter expounds on the great connection between the Atonement and Missionary Work.

"Surely taking the gospel to every kindred, tongue, and people is the single greatest responsibility we have in mortality . . . We have been privileged to be born in these last days, as opposed to some earlier dispensation, to help take the gospel to all the earth"

"What does the Atonement have to do with missionary work? Any time we experience the blessings of the Atonement in our lives, we cannot help but have a concern for the welfare of others . . . A great indicator of one's personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others."

Because the Atonement is universal and can be felt by all, so is missionary work. It is universal and the fire and desire should be felt by all. The Atonement, in essence, is Missionary work. It is helping our Heavenly Father's children (our brothers and sisters) to make their way back to him. In the scriptures, this kind of work describes participants as 'saviors on mount Zion'. Though nothing we could ever do could ever match up to the Savior, because without Him there would be no need for this work, being involved in His work helps us become more like Him, which is what the Atonement is all about, becoming more like the Savior. So another way to access the blessings of the Atonement is to engage in missionary work.

I know the blessings and change that come from such a marvelous work, and I bear testimony that it is true. I love you all very much. May we all pray for the opportunities to become more like the Savior by lifting where we stand in this great work is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Davies