Elder Jordan Leishman Davies

September 1, 2009

2009-09-06T22:37:00.000-07:00

This week in proselyting was difficult. We were not able to pick up any investigators, and we also didn't get to teach any investigators, because we have had to stop teaching many of the ones we used to be teaching. It is a difficult time for this area. However, our ward is doing a 40 day fast for the growth of the ward, and I know that we will see miracles happen in one way or another.

Last week we were able to go on a mission tour of some of the historical sights in the mission. I loved it so much!!! Our mission area is like the Nauvoo of the States. It was the center for the saints in this area. We went to Liverpool docks, and also to Preston to see where they preached, where President Hinckley's first mission house was, to see where the first missionaries were attacked by demons, to see the River Ribble, and to see where they held their first meetings. After that we went to Downham, where Heber C. Kimball baptized many and had a spiritual experience which Joseph later told him was the blessing that former prophets had laid upon this land. Amazing!! We may not even have the records of those prophets, but they too were looking forward to a time of restoration. I am convinced that the more records we receive, the more prophesies we would have of the restoration. The dead sea scrolls are a good example of that. I loved walking the very roads of the early apostles and thinking about the great work we are doing. It is incomparable, and very spiritual.

It is a tradition for the departing missionaries to bear testimony in their last zone conference. This time it was my turn!! I couldn't believe it. It was always somebody else. I didn't like that it was me. However, I did have the cool experience of doing it in the Downham Chapel, where we held the final part of our Zone Conference. It isn't an LDS chapel, it is a Anglican(I think) chapel, so it was a very unique experience. I never say what I want to say in testimonies, but I guess that is the way it should be.

I should tell funnier stories in my e-mails, so I will follow Taylor's example and share my CBSOTW aka Crazy British Story of the Week

This weeks entry hails from a town called Flint. We met a man that had been taught by the Elders a couple of years ago. We asked him why they stopped coming around, and he wasn't quite sure. 15 minutes later, we knew why. He just talked and talked and talked about how the secret services are chasing him, and how he has all of the government conspiracies figured out. He told us a story of how we took the secret services for a wild goose chase, and kept creeping up behind them saying, "Have you had enough yet?" Next, he took us to his neighbor, who is from the middle east. He took us over there to verify that he was a pain in the backside. He didn't have to go to all of the trouble, we could have told him that ourselves!!! Don't you just love them?

I wish I had more to say about progressing investigators, but we still had an eventful week. I love you all and look forward to seeing you all.

Love,

Elder Jo

August 24, 2009

2009-09-06T22:34:00.000-07:00

Our week was quite difficult. We have had little success in finding new investigators and all of our current investigators are dropping like flies. I must be doing something really bad. I know that isn't always the case, but I am worried about these people. We did find one new investigator this week from our favorite YW . . . S****. She is the best little missionary. So honest and mature. We are friends. She invited her friend J*******, and he was really good. He asked a lot of questions, and actually felt and identified the spirit in the first lesson. He should be at church this upcoming week, and we will be teaching him after church again.

I love serving in this ward. I love going to church. I have a relationship with almost every member in this ward. It has gone by so fast, but I really love them. I will hope to stay in contact with many of them.

I got some post this week. C*****, my convert from Man. South, is doing amazing.

We have a lot of fun. We laugh a lot, and I wish I could capture those moments for you. I will have to take some meditation time before my e-mails, like I used to do in the past. I love Elder Forward's accent. I am going to capture it on my recorder. He is a fantastic guy.

We have been trying to help out with some less-actives, doing service and what-not. The D****, a LA family, came to church this week. It was fantastic to see them there! There is so many cool things that happen each day. I couldn't possibly capture it all. Just know that the Lord is good, he loves his children, and the work is true.

Love,

Elder Jordan Davies

August 17, 2009

2009-09-06T21:52:00.000-07:00

I want to begin by commenting on how lucky we are to be in this family. There are few families like ours, and that isn't any boasting, because we only have this bond because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We all love each other and it comes natural to all of us! I want you all to know how much I genuinely and sincerely care about all of you. Heavenly Father has blessed me so much. We are all so lucky to have the Mother and Father that we do. We can put our family closeness down to the fact that they have made the gospel a priority in our home. I wish more people cared about their kids enough to realize that the best thing they could do for them is bring them unto Christ. We have all been and still are like Mom and Dad's "Eternal Investigators". That never ends.

Mom sent me the words to a song that talked about being Brave, Strong, and True. It reminded me of missionary work, of course. We do brave things that are sometimes uncomfortable, strange to others, or new to us. What moves us to do those things? What is our compelling force? The great cause!! When we wake up and don't know if we can do it anymore, or don't know how we will find the courage to continue on, we must think of what we are fighting for!! Salvation, Exaltation, Eternal Life, Forever Families!! This is applicable to all things in life. Parenthood especially. Why do parents work endless hours, wake up at ridiculous times, give all they have to their children, make meal after meal, clean up mess after mess, and all the other things only parents fully know about???? Because of love and the great cause!! That is why the knowledge of the gospel changes us, it teaches us the great cause!!! That motivates us to fight for right. "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to victory!" D&C 128:22

So about Elder Forward. He is awesome. He is such a cool guy. I definitely would have tried to be his friend back home. He comes from a really gospel-rich family. Seventh Generation!!!!! From Wales, that is unheard of. When everyone was sailing over to America, his family was one of the few that stayed. He lives in Southern Wales in a town close to Cardiff called Cwmbran. That is in the area they call "The Valleys". Wales is so beautiful. There is sooooooo much I haven't seen. I will have to come back maybe a couple of times.

I am so happy I get to finish in Wales. There is something that draws me to this country. When I first came out, I had absolutely no desire to come here, but I love it. And to be honest, I am hardly in Wales. It is so English in this part of Wales. I also love England, and want to see more of it someday. But there is beauty and amazing things everywhere. I am especially glad to spend more time in Wales, because I am hoping to go to a town called Ruthin sometime this transfer. Some of our ancestors come from that town and some outlying towns around it. I would love to get some pictures and look for some things that are Davies-ish. If anyone knows anything else about our ancestors in Wales, please let me know.

Yesterday, we were at a members home called the Kinouchi's. We have been going through a member focused proselyting activity with them. It involves them making a list of the people they know and praying to ask God whom they can work with. They then set goals on specific activities and work on that activity first. They seemed quite hesitant the first lesson, and at the beginning of the second lesson yesterday. They hadn't really kept the assignments between the lessons, and I was a bit discouraged. We asked them if we could pray right then and there with them to pick up to 10 names from their list. They were once again a bit hesitant, but agreed to do so. We prayed and had silence for quite a long time. We asked if anyone had received any inspiration, and they had! They were getting excited about it, and started to list off some names. Some members of the family were a bit more excited than others, but it was cool to see how they suddenly had names stick in their minds and had already started to talk about ways they could invite them.

My favorite scripture of the week comes from D&C 50: 40-45. We are his children, so there is no need to fear. The winds and waves still know His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below. He has overcome the world, He has all power, and He extends that to us. I would type it up, but I want you all to go read it.

Also, I love the Book of Mormon. It is so cool!

I love you all. Please continue to pray for us. I love being a missionary and want to serve Him well.

Love,

Elder Jo

August 13, 2009

2009-09-06T21:41:00.000-07:00

I did not get transferred yesterday, but Elder Parker did. We had quite a long stint with each other, but change is always good. I like transfers, because it keeps you on your toes, especially your last one. I was so happy when I found out who my companion was going to be. A Welshman named Elder Forward. He is really cool. He is also a very good footballer. We will have a great transfer together. He comes from a strong family and he is a good and humble missionary.

Last week was really great! We got some new investigators and we have been progressing some older ones. We talked to everyone!!! And set up a lot of appointments, which usually don't go through, but it is fun anyway. I love being more diligent and more obedient. I still have a long way to go, but I love the feeling after we just exercise the tiniest bit of faith. The Lord truly blesses us in ways that we can't control when we are faithful in ways that we can control.

Anyway, sorry for the short e-mail. Know that I love all of you. I will leave you with a quote:

"There is a line of demarkation, well defined, between the Lord's territory and the devil's. If you will stay on the Lord's side of the line you will be under his influence and will have no desire to do wrong; but if you cross to the devil's side of the line once, you are in the tempter's power, and if he is successful, you will not be able to think or even reason properly, because you will have lost the spirit of the Lord."

George Albert Smith, quoting his grandfather George A. Smith

That is so true! There are so many times when we do something wrong, and we wonder, "What could we possibly have been thinking?"

Well family, stay on the Lord's side of the line. I love you,

Elder Jo

August 3, 2009

2009-09-06T21:27:00.000-07:00

We had a really good week this week. Interviews were on Tuesday, which is always good. President Bullock is very business like, but he is such a charitable man. His wife is very impressive too, but very, very loving. Every time she teaches us it reminds me of Mom. They are almost identical, except for the hair color. She is a brown-haired Mom. We have been working with an investigator named M***. I am not sure if I told you about him last week. He has some very serious problems to overcome, but he remains to have a positive attitude. He says that he doesn't think he can give some of the addictions up, but I asked him if he believes in miracles. He says he has never seen one before. I told him, "I do believe in miracles, and so will you after you see the Lord help you give up this addiction. Miracles are wrought by faith, so as you strengthen your faith in the Lord, and do your best, you will see a miracle." He has been doing well at watering his seed of Faith, and in time will succeed, if he follows the same pattern.

It was Big D***'s birthday this week, and we went out to eat with his family. We went to a Chinese Buffet, and it was so good. Not a rubbish buffet, but a proper one. I was chuffed. I ate 11 plates of food, including the ice cream and desserts. Yes, I was full.

I love reading and listening to the words of the prophets and apostles. They make everything make so much more sense. Everything is so clear. They strengthen me, and I feel a desire to follow their words and stand up for the cause of Christ. I listened to Elder Hollands most recent talk, and just loved the whisperings from the Spirit about standing fast in a righteous cause when it seems that no one is there to help.

My Scripture for the week is D&C 82:10. If we follow the principles and be faithful the Lord is bound. We did that yesterday and just exercised a bit more faith, which seemed daunting at the time but turned out okay, and we found 5 new investigators! It works.

I love you all and look forward to talking to you soon,

Elder Davies

July 27, 2009

2009-09-06T21:20:00.000-07:00

The work continues to go up and down. We have decent success in scheduling appointments, but it is more difficult to have those appointments go through. We have had some success with a new investigator named M***. He recently came out of Prison and is very humble. He wasn't able to make it to church, but he has felt the spirit each time we have been there. He says he feels "warm".

We had an appointment in the middle of nowhere, and didn't take the easiest path to get there. We were riding our bikes through the middle of large grass and climbing over fences with our bikes! It was crazy. Well, she wasn't there, but the ride back was quite enjoyable too. The daily life of a missionary.

A missionary recently returned from Greece in this ward. He is really nice. We played football with him on Friday. That is the first time I have played football since being in this area. I really loved it, but it definitely felt like a long time.

This e-mail hasn't been very inspiring. I sent a spiritual thought to Mom, so maybe she could share it with you. I think that exhausted me.

Generally, I am doing well. Physically I am fine, of course tired. Spiritually, I am continuing to grow (gratefully). Emotionally, I am a missionary, I don't have emotions ;) I am grateful to be serving at this time. Getting closer to the end brings all sorts of different experiences and feelings. I am trying hard to fight those off. I understand the importance of my calling, and often feel quite humbled to be trusted with something so important. I have loved to serve in this ward, and it looks like it may be possible for me to stay. I love all of you, and often I share how lucky I am to be a 'Davies'.

Love to you all,

Elder Jo

July 20, 2009

2009-07-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

I pray that this e-mail finds you smiling and happy because of the wonderful blessings of the gospel in our lives. We truly are a blessed people. This week has been a very fast one, and I don't imagine that they will slow down. I had my second to last Zone Conference, and it seems that many things are trying to remind me that I only have a short time left. I know that everything has its time, but I would never want to look back on the next two months and think that I got 'trunky' at all. At Zone Conference, President Bullock made a cool announcement that next transfer's zone conference will be a tour of the church history sites in the mission. They did this the transfer before I left, so President Bullock wanted to do it so we wouldn't miss out. I am excited. I will not have another proper zone conference, which makes me sad.

This week we have had some success with working with members. We received three new investigators from member referrals. They are all younger, I think all of them are 15. One is from a family who has been bringing along a boy from their neighborhood for the last couple of weeks. Another is from a girl in the ward named S**** W*****. She is really cool, and we have developed a good relationship with her. She has been inviting two of her friends to a lot of things in the church, and on Saturday we were able to sit down and talk about the restoration. Members are the best. I continue to grow in my love for this ward, and consider it a great blessing to have served here.

There was a baptism in the ward on Saturday from the other Elders, Elder Atkin and Elder Wagner. It was a single woman named V****** J****, and it was wonderful. She is such a sweet lady. I am so impressed with her spiritual insights and excitedness about the gospel. Sister M*** H*****(baptized two months ago) gave a talk at the baptism. It was amazing! I was so impressed with her. She is a very smart lady, and has really been digging into her scriptures. We don't get to have as much contact with her anymore, which makes me sad, but I don't plan on losing touch with her after the mission. She is such a nice lady, and I have really enjoyed watching her flourish in the gospel.

I went on splits over to Chester this week with Elder Atkin. We had a good time. I like going to Chester, because it is a new area for me, and it seems that something great always happens on exchanges. However, whenever I go to Chester, it rains like mad! Not nice.

We had an amazing tea appointment with the S***** family on Sunday. Brother S***** is not a member yet, but he sure is amazing. He lives like a member, and is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He is so pleasant to be around. They are both from the Philippines. He is an amazing cook, and has been trying to give us cooking tips. I don't know how well it has sunk in, but it is a pleasure to always taste the outcome. They just had their first baby and have been trying to catch up on sleep. Despite that, we were roaring with laughter for most of the visit. Most of it isn't funny if described. One of those things that you have to be present for.

Well, I am happy to be a missionary, and happy to be in Wales. I hope that continues. I love you all, and constantly feel blessed to be a member of the family. Take Care,

Elder Jo

July 13, 2009

2009-07-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a hot week in Wales, the temperature is nothing compared to Utah, but the humidity is rough, especially in a bike area. I have toned down quite a bit since being here. However, it will have random raining spurts, and right now it is having one. We were lucky to have the rain hold off on the stake carnival last Saturday. We were there for a couple of hours meeting some of the non-members, and helping out with the clean-up. It was really fun.

The week was a good one. We have really been struggling to teach current investigators and to find new investigators. There is one experience that I would like to tell you about. We were biking down the street near our home, and there was a lady outside of her door looking at us. She just looked different. I knew she wanted to talk to us. She let us in, and there were two guys who were there. The best part is when we shared the First Vision, she started to cry. We asked her how she felt. She said she 'felt humbled'. I thought that was a pretty cool way to describe it. We also had a less-active describe her feelings this week as we shared the First Vision. She said that the spirit made her 'feel strong'. I liked that description too.

We have been helping D*** W***** and his family a lot this week. His alternator died, and he has no money. We helped him out. We also took the alternator out of his car for him, and we are going to put it back in today. I know a bit more about cars now. Really, I just like figuring things out. I hope we don't hurt his car.

Well, out into the sudden monsoon. Love you all. I love the gospel and the love we feel from it. I look at people very differently. I look at them and wonder "Do they feel loved in their life?" I know that Heavenly Father loves them, and that they could experience so much love in their lives from him. I also know that they don't experience much love from their families, or the husband/wife, or partner. I am so grateful for the legacy of love that I have been blessed with. It is the only things I know how to do right. I love you all for that, Thank you.

Elder Jo

July 6, 2009

2009-07-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Greetings to you all from the place that can't make up it's mind concerning the weather. It is honestly worse than Utah in this way. It has switched between pouring rain and sweltering sun 3 or 4 times today. It always seems to rain when we go out. Lovely, in' it?

Today, we went to Conwy Castle. That is on the Western Coast of Northern Wales. Absolutely Amazing!!! Wales has everything. Unfortunately, as I was taking a picture of the castle as we were approaching it in a car, my battery declared itself dead! That was not fun. But, the other Elders got some pictures, and I am going to transfer them over to my camera so I can have them. I love technology, and mostly I love knowing how to use it.

Conwy is completely surrounded by walls, one of the few cities that is still like that. From the Walls you can see Lladudno, which is a resort town; and Snowdonia, which is where all of the really tall mountains are(amazing!); the Ocean; and some of the fields and valleys of Wales. Pretty sweet, eh?

There was a very cool shop there that had a lot of stuff on family crests and stuff. You could get your crest framed and it described the background and everything. Our Crest is pretty cool. The Welsh crest for Davis and Davies are the same. I bought a little magnet of our family Crest with a very brief description. I guess the ancient motto of the family was 'HEB DDUW HEB DDIM, DUW A DIGON' meaning 'Without God, without anything. God is enough.'

They also had a lot of Medieval stuff in that shop. Real swords, and helmets, and shields. I quite enjoyed the history of it all. The town is a very old town. We had a good time.

Yesterday, we took some less-active youth to a fireside. They would only go if we went, which isn't the best reason to go, but we tried to stay as far out of the equation as possible. I think they had a good time. While we were there, a woman walked into the church. She says that she drives by often trying to get in, but no one is ever there. She said she saw cars today, and was really happy to get in. She only knows bits about the church, and she wasn't ready to give us her address, but she said she will come to church next Sunday. I hope C**** (that is her name) is there on Sunday.

I don't know how much I have told you about a family we have been teaching. They are very 'well-off' and are christian themselves, but it seems like few religious people are as serious about church as we are. I am sure Taylor has a different experience in Georgia. We haven't been able to get far with them, because all three of their kids do a million things, and they go on vacations, but the mom is especially wonderful. She reminds me of my Mum. She treats her kids so well, she has short blond hair, and she is always interested in what other people are saying. We still don't know how she feels about the things we share, but she sure is a nice lady.

That is about all for this week. Kind of a fun e-mail. A couple other things, Elder Parker and I have a goal to read all of the New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Preach my Gospel in this transfer. We planned out how to do it, and we have been able to keep up with our schedule so far. Imagine that, all three books!! I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. It is great.

I also had a wonderful experience Friday night where Heavenly Father strengthened my testimony of the Atonement. I just knew, maybe more than I had ever known before, that Jesus DID perform that incredible act. I will never be able to understand fully how, but I know that he did. It was also communicated to me that He Lives, not Lived. I pictured the joy of our reunion, and I know that we are the luckiest people in the world to have the gospel. I wish others could see. I will keep trying. I love you all. You are an inspiration to me.

Elder Jo

July 1, 2009

2009-07-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am happy to report that I am still in this area in Northern Wales. And even crazier, Elder Parker is still my companion. It is unusual for missionaries to serve together for three transfers. I hope to stay here for my last transfer as well. I know, through the Spirit, that President Bullock listened to the voice of the Lord in this transfer decision. I know that Elder Parker and I are supposed to stay together, and that we are supposed to stay in this area. I know a couple of reasons why, and i am sure that more will continue to manifest themselves.

This past week went by very fast, but it was also a hard week, to be wholly honest. We have had most of our investigators discontinue learning, and haven't been successful in finding anyone who is willing to learn more about the wonderful gospel. More than ever do I desire to help people see how important this is. There is NOTHING more important. I have been very overwhelmed by how fast time is going. In some ways, I feel that I have been serving forever. However, in other ways, I feel that I still have much to give, although I am starting to feel like an old missionary.

We have been spending a lot of time strengthening members and less-actives in this ward, and we are having some success. It doesn't come up in numbers, but we have been able to serve them and show them our love in many different ways. I pray that their progress will be lasting.

I don't have much to report. Nothing has happened in finding new investigators, and none of our current investigators have really progressed. I do have one funny story though . . .

We are teaching a man named C****. He has a good heart, but he hasn't been very good at showing any commitment. He doesn't quite know how important it is. He offered us a drink on Sunday and we gratefully asked for some water(we have had a ridiculous heat wave this last week). He was pouring himself some pop. He accidentily poured three pops, so we told him it was alright and we would drink the pop. He brought it to us, and it smelled funny. It smelled a bit alcoholic. There is a non-alcoholic drink here called Schloer, which is kind of like Martinelli's sparking cider, and that smelled similar to this drink, so I believed him when he told us it wasn't alcoholic. I took a drink, and it tasted funny. We asked him to bring the bottle to us. He brought a bottle that was labeled Shandy. I had never heard of it. Underneath the name, I thought I read "Made with root beer". I should have been smarter, but I thought to myself, "Maybe that is why it tastes funny, because I haven't tasted root beer in a long time". So . . . I took another drink! It definitely didn't taste right. Well, this time I asked that my companion give it to me so I could take a closer look. My eyes focused on the label and I realized what I thought said "Made with root beer" actually said "Made with real beer". This Shandy is part beer and part lemonade. 12% beer to be exact. The alcohol content is less than .5%. However, any amount of alcohol has an effect when it is the first time it has ever been inside your body. Elder Parker and I had headaches the rest of the night. He was getting quite dizzy. So . . . this week Elder Davies got a bit tipsy!

I will leave you with that, because my companion is ready to go. I didn't get to share my sacrament talk with you. I will try to share it next week, or I may just have to share it in person, but you will hear it one day.

All things will fail except Charity. That is especially meaningful to me at this time. No thing can provide lasting motivation to be diligent except Charity. Remember to pray for Charity. I love you all!

Elder Jo Davies

June 22, 2009

2009-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

The week was unlike any other I have experienced on my mission. I don't know if I reacted to all things in the correct way, but I was trying. I was probably a bit on the edge, and sometimes I was just a bit empty. Maybe my spirit departed for a second to go be with some of you. Throughout the week, I was often thinking of you, and feeling sad that I wasn't there to help, but I know that I wasn't supposed to be there to help. That is why this happened while I was on my mission. I love the scripture from 2 Nephi 2:24, which comes right before the 'men are, that they might have joy' scripture. I do not doubt that 2 Nephi 2:24 was placed right before the joy scripture, because an understanding of this scripture really helps us find joy in all things. It reads, "But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things." I have a firm belief in that scripture. I know that all things have been done in the wisdom of God, everything about each event, even down to the timing. Knowing that will help us find joy.

I loved to hear about the funeral service. It sounds like it was wonderful. I have gone over it in my mind, and it really must have been great.

We had a somewhat difficult week with our investigators. Everything seemed to fall apart. I am so grateful for tomorrows. I love fresh starts. Not to mean that we can put things off til tomorrow, but when a day doesn't exactly work out, we still have tomorrow to keep trying.

This upcoming week is when transfers are decided, and we will find out in a week or so. Transfer day is next Wednesday, so I will not be writing next Monday. If I stay, I will write on Wednesday. If I go, I will probably end up writing on Thursday. President has recently decided that he might need this flat for a couple more transfers. He isn't sure yet, he will know this upcoming week. But because he doesn't know, he asked our landlord if he could have a week to decide before he put in his final notice. So I have no knowledge of transfers. It will be exciting to find out what is happening.

I gave a talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday about the Plan of Salvation, and specifically the role of Father in the plan, including both Heavenly Father, and our Earthly Father. I forgot to bring it with me today, so I will send it next week. I enjoyed preparing it. The ward has showed a lot of love to me over the last week. I am well looked after. They are so kind and considerate, many of them shedding tears and not quite knowing whether to try to give me a hug to comfort me, or not. It is funny as a missionary because we do come to love the members, but we can't be fully open with our feelings. We are encouraged to not give hugs to the opposite gender, specifically if they are your age. Part is for the feelings of the missionaries, but mostly so people don't get the wrong idea. That can be hard to me, because I love giving hugs . . . to everyone!

Let us all grow from grace to grace, by living obedient to receive the light which is currently available to us. Love to you all,

Elder Davies

June 15, 2009

2009-07-14T12:03:00.000-07:00

My heart, prayers, and tears are out to you at this time. I know all will be well. I know that I feel comfort, peace, and love. I know that Jaman is alright. I do not know all of the different things that all of you are dealing with at this time. I am sure that challenges and situations are presenting themselves at every turn. For that reason my heart is out to you. I wish that I could labor by your side, but I know that God will take my place as I am laboring for Him at this time. I have been frequently reminded of the scripture in 2 Nephi 1:15. It is Nephi explaining the love and comfort he feels from the Lord. He uses the gospel-popular phrase, "I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love". I have experienced that constantly since getting on my knees after hearing the news. Many have wondered how I act as if nothing has happened and how I am coping. There are a few members that have lost their family members, and they just look at me with confused looks. I am not hiding anything, and I am not in denial. I am very open with it all. I attribute it to two things. 1 - I am not there. It is not as real for me. 2 - This plays a much larger factor, it is the knowledge of the plan of salvation. The knowledge of God's watchful eye over His missionaries, His arm of comfort, mercy, and peace.

You should all be comforted in knowing that I am not just being watched over spiritually, but temporally as well. I feel blessed to be in this wonderful ward at this time. Many have made phone calls, and visits. The Relief Society secretary asked me which days I would like meals delivered to the house. Everyone has offered their help. I have never enjoyed being a center of attention, and I honestly don't feel any physical needs. It is comforting to know that others are there, as I hope you now know that I am in good hands. As for spiritual needs, they are met by a loving Heavenly Father through the prayers of many loving, righteous family members and friends.

As I was speaking to Mom yesterday, she asked me to send something that might be able to be read at the funeral. I hope this is okay. You have the privelage of altering it if it is too long or short. I have really enjoyed reflecting upon Jaman and my love for him. Here it goes:

Dear Loved Ones,

I am honored to be writing this in memory of my great friend and brother, Jaman. I am at great peace at this time. I know the Plan of Salvation is true. I know that God has encircled me in the arms of His love. I am grateful for where I am at this time, and the blessings that God has poured down upon me. I know it was meant for me to be on a mission at this time, so I could play a role in God's plan. He has already opened the doors of opportunity for my testimonoy to be strengthened. I pray that I can be an instrument in His hands at this time.

I am still digesting much of what has happened, and my current situation is unique, but I have really enjoyed being able to reflect over the memories of and the lessons learned from Jaman. Each family member plays an important role in the make-up of his family. Jaman's mortal existance and passing have played thier respective roles in our Heavenly Father's plan. I hope that from what I share you will see the important role that Jaman played and how he will be sorely missed. In a way I am grateful to be thousands of miles away at this time, because I know that I wouldn't be able to share this with dry eyes. I apologize to the person who was chosen to take my place. Thank you.

There are too many memories of my time with Jaman to remember, but I fondly share some that have come. Jaman and I have a wonderful love for each other. I was the recepient of many of Jaman's expressions of love. We would spend many hours talking about sports, and getting our ESPN fix for the day. We would talk about all sports, from basketball to baseball, or from college football to curling. I vividly remember how we got so into the Soccer world cup, staying up all night, or 'tivo'ing the matches we would miss. I really enjoyed Jaman's gospel knowledge and insights.

He was a wonderful member of our family scripture study. I always looked forward to when Jaman would say family prayer. He was always heartfelt, selfish, and sincere.

I, along with many others, was frequently blessed with a phone call from Jaman informing us that he was on his way to subway, or Bajio, or Cafe Rio, or Wendy's, and then with the request of "What would you like?" He was frequently trying to find any occasion to give me a bit of extra cash. I always looked forward to a Big J Hug.

When Jaman thought something was funny, the whole neighborhood knew. We love his hearty laugh, it was contagious.

I was one who had the privelage of sharing a bathroom with Jaman for many years. You can only imagine what a joy that can be at times. Krista knows what I mean.

More than anything else, I will remember the way Jaman loved his neices and nephews. NOTHING is more important to him than they are. We will all remember watching him interact with each one. We knew the great size of Jaman's heart and love from those many moments of caring. I love the way he talks with them, the things he teaches them, and the way he holds the newborn babies. All babies should have a Jaman in their life.

Jaman taught me many things by word and by deed. He was a very busy person, but he always dropped anything for a family member. He would take the time to write a letter, or buy something. Family was always on his mind.

There was one member of the family that is extra special to Jaman. That is his mother. Jaman always shows Mom with great love and respect. He frequently writes secret letters of love, and presents her with a bouquet of flowers.

Jaman has a wonderful perspective. He can look at a problem with hope, faith, and insight while many of us were short-sighted.

Jaman is very practical and logical. He has a great mind. He is so smart and can figure anything out. He was often spectator to my blond moments, a rare occasion for others to observe.

Since coming on my mission, I have received many letters and e-mails from Jaman. I always looked forward to Jaman's letters, because he always made me feel special. I don't have many of the things I have received, but I always remember how fondly he talked about his mission. He frequently said he wanted to come back out and switch me places. He always shared how much he loved teaching, talking to people on the streets, and meeting with members. He ALWAYS mentioned this love for his mission.

I do, however, have a couple things I can share from what I do have.

"Elder Davies,

Hope you know how much I love you! I look forward to your e-mails and am so proud to have you as my bro. Happy Valentines! J"

"I know you're going to be a great missionary and I'm excited for you to have some of the Most Amazing Experiences of your life. My mission was both hard and very rewarding at the same time and was 2 of the Best Years of my life. I'm so glad you're my brother and I feel so lucky to know you."

"Remember How Much I Love You And How Important "The Work" you are doing is. Finish Strong And Have Faith. Miracles still Exist!"

In many, many ways Jaman will be missed. I cannot even begin to recount all the memories and lessons learned You will not find anyone else like him. No on can take his place. But he has made an eternal impression upon countless people. I love him.

I would like to finish with a quote by President Kimball:

"Being Human, we would expel from our lives physical pain and mental anguish and assure ourselves of continual ease and comfort, but if we were to close the doors upon such sorrows and distress, we might be excluding our greatest friends and benefactors. Suffering can make saints of people as they learn patience, long-suffering, and self-mastery. The sufferings of our savior were part of his education."

That applies to us today, and it was applicable to all of Jaman's life. Jaman learned much, because he struggled much. I have a testimony that the Plan of Salvation is true. I know that God has a plan, and not just a plan, but provided a way for the accomplishment the plan. It is through Jesus Christ. He lives, and because he lives, so will Jaman and so will we. I love My Savior, and I am grateful for his sacrifice with enables me to look forward to be reunited with my brother. I bear this witness in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Family. I look forward to hearing from you. Please document the funeral well. I love all of you.

Elder Davies

June 8, 2009

2009-07-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

We have had a hard-working P-day. Elder Parker and I are a bit different than most companionships. We take care of things that other missionaries often look over, like keeping the house in good order, and taking good care of the back garden. It is good that we have done this, because the mission is going to stop renting the house that we live in after this transfer. This morning we spent about 4 hours in the front garden trimming bushes, mowing the lawn, and raking up all of the dead leaves. Time sure does fly, and it didn't feel like it took that long. That is how P-days usually go.

This week I have had some bad luck with my bicycle. Over here the brakes are switched around. The left brake does the back wheel here, but in America it does the front wheel. Well, I was braking and I pressed the front brake hard, thinking it was the back brake. I went up on the front wheel just a bit, but when landing on the back wheel, I bent it :( This is the second back wheel I have bent. I promise I can be trusted with a bike. It was so ridiculous, but it gave Elder Parker and I a laugh.

We have had a good week in finding some new people. We actually found some families this week!!!! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah! This first woman is about to get divorced, but she has four young daughters, ages 10, 5, 4, 3. She came to Stake Conference yesterday -

Speaking of Stake Conference, President Uchtdorf and Elder Andersen spoke to us from the Hyde Park Chapel. It was broadcast all over GB and Ireland. It was great to hear from them. They talked a lot about missionary work and reactivation. That seems to be the focus lately. Maybe I just notice because I am a missionary -

Back to our new investigator. Her name is C*****. She had investigated the church 7-8 years ago, but had been stopped by her husband. The elders here tracted into her a few months ago and she wasn't able to meet with them then. She was thinking about the church the same day that Elder Parker and I felt impressed to go back and try her again. She set up an appointment with us. She remembers a whole lot of what she was taught last time. It is amazing. She goes on lds.org and mormon.org all of the time. We have taught her twice and she has a baptismal date for the 18 of July. We went for later rather than sooner, because we went her to feel ready, but it does mean that Elder Parker and I probably will not be here. For that reason, we are making sure we get a lot of member involvement right from the beginning. It is cool, becuase her oldest daughter's teacher is a member of the ward, so they will have frequent contact. Her daughters are so cute! So that is C*****.

We also were able to try back on a lady that I had talked to about two weeks ago. She lives in a really nice house, and come to find out she and her husband own a law firm. She is the nicest lady and her three children are amazing. They seem to be a typical 'Mormon' family with all of the good ideals and trying to do more than they have time for. Despite all of the craziness, they are always happy to see us. We have seem them twice already. The father doesn't really listen, but we get along really well with N*** and her two kids. They have a very big garden, and we usually find N*** out in it. She also has long hair that is much like Mom's. I have found Mom's counterpart in Wales! They are very Christian, and we are not sure if they are just nice or actually interested, but they keep allowing us to come over so it is great! We will see how well they start to keep our commitments to see if they are interested. I am frequently thinking about the family and how we can help them to progress in different ways. I hope everything works out!

We were able to have a good lesson with R*** S***** this week. He is the investigator whose wife is a member. He looks like a member, and he comes to church more than most members, but something is holding him back. His family has a strong Catholic background and he doesn't want to ruin that, although his sister has joined the church. I don't know what to do, and my mind is frequently on him and his situation. I hate to lose touch with these people. It is impossible to describe, but this is no small thing we are helping them to grasp, and we only hope that everything will go smoothly if we leave.

We had a Zone Conference this week, which is always fun. There is usually a musical number, and I love being asked to sing in the choir. The choir spends about 5 minutes before the conference to prepare, so it usually isn't great, but it is a good experience. Zone Conference was about personal conversion and getting back to the basics of the Restoration.

We had tea again with R** S*****' family. I love having tea over there. They are so nice to us, but then again all of the members are so nice to us. We are well fed, generally, and we always have a good time.

We are trying to help two less-active families come back. One is the D****, and the others are the W*****'s. D*** W***** is Big D*** and he is very active, but he is having a hard time with his family. Both families were very attached to the missionaries that taught them, and they don't have much contact with the ward. We are helping the W*****'s to improve their relationship through having family prayer and companionship prayer. Also to take time once a week to have some sort of inventory or council with one another. They haven't been following our invitations, but we are determined to succeed. The D***'s want to come to church this week, which is great. They don't have many friends in the ward, and I don't know if their home teachers visit very often. I always wonder about some of those things. It must be very hard to stay active in the church without a lot of friends, let alone hardly any friends. We are working with the ward to get them involved in this reactivation process. It is the right way to do it.

That must have been one of my better e-mails lately. I hope it is sufficient. Just so you know, personally - I am great. I am healthy and happy(most of the time) and staying focused. I love all of you and hope to find you well next week as well. Good Luck to Taylor who gets to meet his new companion soon. We all know he will do amazing things. My love is with all of you to Eternity and Beyond . . . .

Elder Jo

June 1, 2009

2009-07-14T11:50:00.000-07:00

We are going to Hawarden Castle today with the District, and my companion is waiting for me. He has already finished his e-mail, so I am sorry if this is rather short. Just know that no matter what, I am in good hands. I love the gospel and I love the Lord.

Back to castles, Wales is known for castles. We have seen some remains of the Ewloe Castle, and the Flint castle. These things are built on some very difficult structures and edifices. There are some castles that remain intact, but we live farther from those. It would require some transportation. When we come back, this has to be an area we go to. I have seen some pictures of the mountains up here in North Wales . . . breathtaking. There is so much to do. My new friend, our recent-convert M***, has decided that if we came back, she would be our tour guide. Sounds like a plan to me, any takers?

We have had a difficult time getting our lessons with investigators to go through, but we have been blessed to find some new ones. Unfortunately, they are all on holiday, or moving. There is one, however, that was going to be baptized 7 years ago. We are seeing her tomorrow. Her name is C*****, and she has 4 young girls. Her husband recently left her after cheating on her. That happens so much over here. I wish people could realize that the gospel is the ONLY way to lasting peace and happiness.

Elder Parker and I have been exhausted lately. We are riding bikes in hot, hot, hot weather. I know that it is nothing like Greg's Alabama Hot, or Taylor's Georgia Hot, but I am not used to this heat!! It is usually cold. Everyone is enjoying the nice weather, some people a little bit too much!

I love you all family. I have been recently reading the Doctrine and Covenants, I will also finish the Book of Mormon again before I go home. I just love getting in the scriptures, though I can't always remember them throughout the day.

I hope this was a good e-mail for y'all(How's that Tay?). I am so lucky to be serving with my brother at this time. I think about it a lot. I am so excited for him! Hope you enjoy some of the pictures I am trying to attach.

Elder Davies

May 26, 2009

2009-07-14T11:46:00.000-07:00

As usual, I don't really know where to start. Everyday we are working on getting better, and helping people. Everything just seems like a whirlwind. Some of the things I really enjoy about this area are, as you can tell, the ward and the scenery. The weather has been picking up the beginning of this week after raining the last half of last week. There is a lot of history and scenery that we don't even get to see or hear about, but I do love the stuff we do get to see. We went to the ruins of an old castle yesterday. I don't know much about the history, but we did get some cool pictures.

The Davies name is very popular in Wales. I see it on buildings for companies everywhere. I haven't been able to teach or meet anyone personally with the last name, but it is really fun to see the name all over the place. I hope to leave a good mark on this country, the country of our ancestors. Who knows if any other Davies from our family will be able to serve here!?

M***'s baptism went very well. D*** W*****, a member, baptized her. I heard that the water was very warm. She really felt wonderful after wards. She said that she went into the water with a kink in her neck, and came out without anything. She is a great lady. She is working on many of her friends, and she reads a lot of gospel stuff. I am impressed with how well she has made the transition.

I love studying the gospel, and I look forward to being able to continue this love when I get home. I was studying about knowledge recently, and how important it is for a missionary. I am not necessarily speaking about deep knowledge, or knowledge that we can bash with. But we must have a clear knowledge of our message. We must know it and share it so well that no one can misunderstand. B.H. Roberts says that the Spirit has a better opportunity of testifying when we state the truth more simply. The best way to really understand that gospel, and thus to state it well, is to live it. Applying the gospel brings added understanding, on top of the study of it. It is what the Lord means in the 88th section of the D&C when he says to learn by study AND faith. Applying the gospel not only brings added understanding, but enduring understanding. It makes what we learn last longer. There are so many things to study and learn, it is so exciting!

I will give a better update on the few investigators we have. That is the tough part, is finding investigators. And then the trick is to find interested investigators. It is difficult for some people to see how this would make a difference in their lives, when actually it would mean everything. I love our message. I love all of you. Please continue to pray for us.

Love,

Elder Davies

May 11, 2009

2009-05-19T21:36:00.001-07:00

It was wonderful to talk to you and feel of your love and your perspective. It strengthened me and gave me greater love and perspective. We do have a wonderful family, and I really enjoyed having family prayer with all of you. I could imagine all 15 of you, or whatever it was, kneeling in our spacious living quarters(houses over here a so much smaller).

We had a great week, and are really looking forward to M***'s baptism this week. I love the work and the things it teaches us. I love how we can become more like Christ. I hope to achieve greater love like He has. Greater selflessness, and a greater ability to submit myself. These things come slowly as we seek to change our behavior.

I had a good birthday this week. We didn't really take time to celebrate of course, but I really loved my package. The Beef Jerky was amazing!! I also received a camera and some wonderful cards. Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes.

I will send some pictures that have been taken with the camera over the last couple of days.

On Friday, we were on our way home from an appointment with a member, and we were able to stop by on one potential Investigator on our way home. She let us in, and her daughter sat and listened too. They aren't really looking for anything in particular, but they were happy to let us in and talk to us a bit. They were a great family, and we focused on that. Family is very important to her. She tries very, very hard to keep her family intact, but I recognized some very big differences that the gospel makes in the effort to keep a family intact. It becomes an Eternal Pursuit. There is just such a big difference.

One of my favorite scriptures of the week is found in Ether 12. It is verse 37. Moroni is told that if he has charity, it doesn't matter that others don't. I liked that scripture because we just need to work out our own salvation. We can invite others, but we can't force them. At the end of the day, if you have done all you can, the ball is in their court.

I hope all is well with you. I look forward to hearing from you next week.

Elder Davies

May 6, 2009

2009-05-19T21:35:00.002-07:00

It has been wonderful in Wales. The weather hasn't been too bad, and we have seen some wonderful sights. It is a beautiful area. Sometimes I feel like we are in some remote jungle because of some of the scenery. Hills covered with trees sticking out along the skyline, nice coast land, winding roads, etc. The only thing that would be better would be a car!

We went fishing with some of the members kids last p-day, but we weren't there for long, and I think they had the line in the water for about 10 minutes. They kept switching everything and moving spots. It reminds me of the way we read the scriptures sometimes. We will spend 30-40 minutes dosing off, and trying to find out what to study, and only spend 10 minutes actually doing something.

Things are going well with investigators. M*** continues to improve well, and is set for her baptism on 16 May. She accepts everything that is given her and is so ready for her baptism. At first she was afraid to rush it, but now she can't wait. We have also been teaching the friend of a member who is 12 years old. She is a really cool girl, and she is spiritually in tune, so we are hoping that we can help her receive an answer. Her name is C********. We haven't really been able to progress many other people. That is the difficult part. There is one girl who is living with some members, and we have been asked to teach her. She is 14 years old. She doesn't listen when we teach her, and we are struggling to find ways to help her become interested. Mom, you have taught many, many 14 year olds who don't listen . . . any advice?

The ward has continued to be great. We get a lot of help from them, and I love to be in this ward. There are many very cool members, and they just continue to amaze me. Each one I get to know makes me love the ward even more.

There is a family here who is part-member. They are both young and expecting their first child. It is the S***** family. Both of their roots are from the Philippines, though they were both born in Europe. We are working on helping the husband come into the gospel. He is so nice, and he understands many of the doctrines. I don't know what is holding him back. He just isn't in much hurry.

My mind is hurting for much more information. Sorry about that. I love you all, have a great week!

Elder Davies

April 27, 2009

2009-05-19T21:35:00.001-07:00

I hear that you had a most wonderful weekend, almost a perfect weekend. We have perfect moments like that, and I have tried to capture those in my journal lately. There is so much joy that comes out of noticing the little things. There are so many wonderful things in this world that we can envelops ourselves with. So many righteous habits that can keep us away from sin. Mom shared her joy for the family and how it creates a fortress around us. I really loved that. You are all my fortress of love. I love you all more than I can express. You mean the world to me, and to think that there are a couple that I have never met. I am in for a treat.

We had the All-mission conference last week with President Packer. It was wonderful. I had many spiritual witnesses that he truly is an authorized Apostle of our Lord, Jesus Christ. I was amazed at that, and grateful for the opportunity to be spoken to by him. When he left, I felt a fleeting feeling. Like, "I never want this moment to end" feeling. I had the exact same one with President Uchtdorf. I imagine that is what is was like when we left our Father's presence, even more so. I love to have them in my presence. I feel so lucky. I also imagine it will be even greater when we are about to see the Lord after passing on. We will be so excited and feel so privileged. And He will know us. Let us prepare ourselves for such a moment, like we prepare to hear the word of the prophet at General Conference. Our personality and mannerisms should be such that we could stand comfortable in the presence of the Lord. I have a lot to work on!

We have a great investigator named M***. She used to be in a woman's refuge, but was able to find a place outside. We have been helping her to move in, and from the beginning she said she knows the church is true, because of the way we act. We, of course, want her testimony to be more centered upon the Savior, but it is a good start. She reads and prays and comes to church. She has accepted a baptismal date of the 16th of May. As she said the closing prayer during the end of that lesson, she said she felt a confirming feeling that it was right. She is doing very well. In our second lesson, she told us of an amazing experience she had. She has had a rough past, and she told us that she was praying the other day and she had some scriptures pop into her head. She said 2 Nephi 4: 18-end came into her mind, so she went to investigate. And all of you know that the Lord gave her a gem. She said that it fit her feelings and situation perfectly. That is a miracle. The Lord inspires people in miraculous ways.

My favorite scripture for the week is in Helaman chapter 5. This whole chapter is one of my favorites. They are first told to remember their names and those of their ancestors and to pattern their lives after their fathers. They are also told to remember, remember, and . . . remember. The popular one is v. 12, but I also love right after that when they are told to remember to keep the commandments, and they did, AS THEY WENT FORTH TO PREACH. To be successful in the Lord's work, we must be OBEDIENT. Verse 17 and 18 describe their power and success. They brought thousands of less-actives and non-members into the gospel, because they taught with such great power and authority. Both come from God. The Authority is with them at all times, but I believe that Power like that is given as we submit our will to God, become more Chirst-like, and thus receive from Him the ability to perform like Christ. I love this chapter. I love the Book of Mormon. I just keep finding things that I swear weren't in there before.

To answer my question from last week: This may not be the only man who is mighty in writing, you assume that Mormon would be to fulfill his divine commission, but Moroni tells us in Ether chapter 12 that the Nephites were not made mighty in writing because of the awkwardness of their hands, but they are mighty in speaking. They were not made mighty in writing like . . . here is your answer . . . unto the BROTHER OF JARED. This is all found in Ether 12:23-26. We can learn much from these scriptures, but one fun thing we learn is that the Brother of Jared was mighty in writing unto the overpowering of man to read them. This of course had to be, so that the strength of his vision could be carried on the plates until Mosiah was able to translate them. There is your fun fact for the week.

Our flat now looks gorgeous, as we have put in some work over our free time to fix everything. The garage looks good, and the backyard is getting there. I guess I am just being prepared for many great projects in the future ;)

We got some amazing lasagna from a member in the ward yesterday who was in the catering business for over 20 years. This ward is amazing, really amazing. They never cease to amaze me. I have grown to really, really love a couple of members already. One of them is this sister who made us lasagna. She just went through a divorce, has a special needs child, and has only been a member for about 2 years. She also teaches Seminary. She is so elect. We did some service in her garden last Friday. It was quite nice.

Well family, thank you for all of the e-mails, and update, and pictures. I love them. Keep it coming! I love you all, and am grateful for the path that the gospel puts us on. I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God, that Jesus Christ is our personal Savior, and that God lives and cares about each of us. I love you and am grateful that our family is rooted in the gospel. It is the ONLY way. Until next week,

T'rah

Elder Davies

April 20, 2009

2009-05-19T21:33:00.002-07:00

Wales has been smiling upon us the last couple of days. The weather has been perfect. We even get really hot, especially while riding our bikes, or fixing up our back garden. I enjoy riding a bicycle, especially down a hill. There are a lot of hills in this area, which makes it hard going up, but my legs are learning to get used to it. I really wouldn't mind staying here for a very long time. The ward is amazing too. I love how the gospel changes people, and continues to refine people throughout their lives.

The countryside here is absolutely amazing!! When we are riding along those winding, narrow, Welsh roads, I feel in heaven. It would only be better if we were in a car! Riding along those roads is something I thought I would only dream about. I will have to get some pictures before I leave.

I know that I haven't been able to write much the last couple of weeks, and so I have forgotten many of the stories. I usually am not very good at telling those. We will just have much to talk about in a couple of months. I have always been much better at describing things, people, and events through speaking rather than writing. In fact, that is how many of the Book of Mormon prophets are too. Nephi especially expresses that many times. One of them, however, is a really good writer. That is the quiz question for the week. Who is it? This will show who really reads my e-mails in the week.

We had an excellent Zone Conference last week. We are really focusing on Member missionary work now. I knew this would be coming. President is such a smart man. He was laying down the foundation of forever finding, and then giving us the real tools of what would help the work go faster.

I had a really great experience in church yesterday. This is my miracle for the week. A man had told us that we were great young man, but it made him sad that we were going down the wrong path. He said that he knows some about our church, and we really should look into it and fix our ways. I told him I know way more about the church than he does, but that I would pray and ask God AGAIN to strengthen my testimony. So that night, I prayed and asked God if Joseph Smith was his prophet. Specifically that. I didn't receive an answer right then and there. Yesterday at sacrament meeting, there was a speaker talking about how the Book of Mormon testifies of Christ. She finished her talk by sharing Joseph's testimony of the Savior as recorded in D&C 76. The spirit hit me in such a way that it only has a couple of other times in my life. I wasn't even looking for my answer anymore, but Heavenly Father had heard my prayer and really gave me an answer. When she quoted the scripture by saying, "and this is the testimony last of all, which we give of him, that He lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand of God . . .", I knew at that moment that Joseph Smith did in FACT see God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. I cannot deny the feeling and the impression which spoke to me in near audible words. I love to know that and to bear witness.

We have an All-Mission Conference tomorrow with Presdient Packer!! Cool, huh? We are so lucky. Then again, he is the father to our Mission President and his wife. I am very excited! I will have to tell you more about it next week.

Last of all, General Conference. It has been a couple of weeks, and so I don't remember it as well as when I had just heard it. I am excited for the Engisn to come out, but I remember a couple of talks in particular. I loved President Uchtdorf's talk in Priesthood about having the mind to work. We don't have to be brilliant, we just have to work. It reminds me of a quote, which is especially good for missionaries.

Neal A. Maxwell said,

God does not begin by asking us about our ability,
but only our availability,
and if we improve our dependability,
HE will increase our capability.
(Emphasis Added)

Another favorite was in the same session by President Eyring, about feeling a personal responsibility for each person we visit and have charge concerning.

Elder Holland's was of course a favorite, as I am sure most people would agree.

I think the one that hit me the most was by Elder Pearson. There were a lot of good talks, but this one was especially suited towards me, I feel. He talked about faith, in an almost logical way. He described it as an experiment, and photosynthesis. This is the way I often try to describe Faith to people we are teaching. Alma 32 is a perfect example. I will have to review my notes more for futher insights, but I do remember one more thing about Conference. I went with two questions to be answered, and they were both answered, on TWO SEPERATE OCCASIONS. Boy, I am sure happy for the communion of the Holy Spirit.

I love all of you, and pray for you daily. Please let me know how you all are, and any special spiritual experiences you have. I also have a small request. I was wondering if anyone had any testimony building experiences on the subject of Tithing? If so, please send me a detailed description of it. Loves from Wales,

Elder Jordan Davies

April 9, 2009

2009-05-19T21:33:00.001-07:00

Sorry to keep you waiting for a couple of days, but I will also be writing on Monday, so this one will have to be short. For all of you wondering minds, I have been moved to . . . Wales. It is the Chester Ward, which is in England, but we cover the part of the ward called Deeside, which is in Wales. So I would say that my mission experience is completing itself in a wonderful way. Wales seems really cool, and we have a lot of Welch ancestry, so that is really cool.

The first day has been crazy. Elder Parker and I have whitewashed this area, which means that neither one of us was serving here last transfer. The flat is big, and nice, but was in a state when we got there. I will tell you more about our adventures on Monday.

Elder Parker is really cool. He is from Las Vegas, and has been out on his mission for about 4 months. We are going to have a good time. We spent most of our time yesterday traveling, so that caused the wait for e-mails.

I left Burnley with sad feelings. I love my areas, but it is nice to move on. Things there are picking up, and things here could start picking up too. We just have to put our trust in the Lord.

I will tell you all about conference on Monday. I loved it too. Love you all,

Elder Davies

March 29, 2009

2009-03-30T05:22:00.000-07:00

Like Utah, England has decided to have cold, windy, rainy weather recently, except yesterday of course, because it was Sunday. We were looking forward to our ultimate frisbee game today, and it is looking like we were still be able to do it, but yesterdays weather would have been nice. England weather seems to change many times throughout the day. The clouds move so quickly here.

From what I hear, everyone is very excited for Conference this weekend. It makes my heart rejoice to hear each one of you express your love for the gospel and the words of modern day prophets. We are so blessed, but we are not loved more than anyone else. Everyone deserves to have the blessings that we do. It is easy for us to feel those now, and difficult for others to do so, so we usually have to show them by the way we live that the principles of the gospel form the only way to true peace and happiness. Seeing that example is so important, we have a great responsibility of providing that and giving simple testimonies to others. The Lord will guide us.

This is our first full week in our old area. We have very few investigators. It is not fun, but we are learning even more about finding, and especially working with the great, and pure-hearted members in this area. There are so many wonderful people quietly doing their jobs. I have probably never had a time in my mission where I have had to find as much as I am now. I am learning a lot. I believe the Lord is teaching me specific things for this time. One of the bright spots, however, is J**.

I have told you a bit about J**. He keeps coming to church. His wife is Less-active, and he hasn't started working on her yet, but he is working on his Less-active mother. It is great to see how the gospel teaches people to reach out to others. J**'s kids are also starting to gain an interest in the gospel.

I am sorry this is quite shorter than other e-mails. WE have a train to catch to get to our Zone Activity. I want all of you to know that I am doing very well. I am ever grateful to be involved in this refining process, and ever grateful for you-my pillars of strength. I have a testimony of the gospel and the understanding that it brings into our life. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve a mission, and I want you to know that I pray for you daily.

I love you,

Elder Davies

March 23, 2009

2009-03-30T05:18:00.000-07:00

Greeting from across the pond. We have been experiencing great weather this week . . . until this morning. The rain and wind has ruined our Zone Activity, so we will be trying for next week. But it did give me more time to read and reply to your e-mails. Thank you for them all.

I am grateful for the perspective that the gospel gives us in our lives. Many difficult things happen, and also many wonderful things happen. We are better able to cope with those things when we have the gospel in our life. We all have to learn how to trust in the Lord, and to not worry about much else.

We had a zone conference this week, and it was great!! They always are. We had a visiting authority from the 3rd Quorum of the Seventy. His name is Elder Malm from Sweeden. He was such an accomplished man. I never cease to be amazed at what the gospel does in our life when we live it. There is so much cause for hope for the future. The work here is slow and difficult at times, and then other times the floodgates can open. Down in the Burnley south area, things were just flying everywhere. We are now back up in the North area back into a two-some. I really do miss serving in a three-some with Elder Nelson. The transfer is already half over, because this is only a 5 week transfer. We will finish it off well with conference weekend. Up in the North Area, things are going a bit slower, but we did get 2 new investigators last week, which brings our total number of investigators to about . . . 2 :)

J** is one of those investigators. He came to church and asked to be taught. He had some contact with members earlier in the week, and expressed a desire to come back to church. He had investigated about 10 years ago. He has many different ideas and beliefs, but he recognized the good that came from attending church, so he wants to come back and try to learn the truth. Our lessons with him have been interesting. We haven't been able to teach much yet. The second time, some of his kids were there. The were great. I love teaching kids.

I was sad to leave R***** and C****** in the South area, but they are doing well, and came to church yesterday. J**'s kids are named M****** and J*****. They are 10 and 11. They also came to church yesterday and they loved it. Hopefully, we can start to teach them more regularly.

To cap off the week, we had a baptism on Friday. S**** was baptized and it was a sweet experience. Her brother J**** should follow closely behind. In the craziness of missionary work, sometimes the purpose of our work can be misty. I had a strong reminder on Friday that this is the salvation of souls. S**** started to cry during the hymn before her baptism, and her brother J**** started to cry as we walked to the baptismal font. Their father has been less-active for a long time, and they have been coming with their grandparents. Their father came to the baptism and the confirmation on Sunday. At one time he vowed to never step a foot in the chapel again. I can truly see that whole family coming back. What a blessing!!

I love all of you and I love this work. I don't have the opportunity to serve for much longer. I hope that I have been doing what the Lord wants me to do. I love Him and His grace and love and forgiveness. I love the words of the prophets and am very excited for Conference. May God watch over you all until I hear from you again.

Love you all,

Elder Davies

March 16, 2009

2009-03-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

We have had a great week. Last Week I told you about the family we found on North Street. R***** and his sister, C******, came to church on Sunday and loved it. We are going to get the ward involved in helping the mom come back, and to get the dad to come in. The dad has worked with members throughout much of his life. We will be seeing them on Thursday.

I read a quote in my quote book that I wanted to share, but i left it at the flat. It showed that we have the power to overcome our trials, and they cannot determine our joy.

My three happies for the week are:
The sun is shining!
Our investigators are coming to church.
I have the honor of laboring in the vineyard.

We have had to stop visiting D****, and he is not going to be baptized this Friday. This is because he did not come to church yesterday. He knew this would happen if he didn't come. In the past, missionaries would just change his date, so we can't do that anymore, because he doesn't take it seriously enough.

B**** is progressing really well. We should give him a date this week. He is very cool. He reads and understand a lot. He is about 50 and really likes electronics and taking care of himself. he has changed his lifestyle a lot in the last couple of months. he is solid.

L** didn't enjoy the lesson we gave last week. It was about the Law of Chastity. Very, very, very awkward. He has so much changing to do.

S****/J**** are doing so good. S**** should be baptized this Friday and J**** in a couple of weeks. J**** has been reading a lot lately, and was able to tell us what was in 1 Nephi 10-12 without looking at it.

V***** was given a date for baptism in April and she should be getting back to us this week. she came to church and we love her.

S****** stopped smoking using the workshop. He looks and feels so good. He still has a lot of family problems to overcome, but this is one more thing out of the way. He has a pure heart, but his family can stop him from coming sometimes.

D*****, a recent convert, said the sacrament prayer for the first time yesterday. He was so nervous, but he did a really good job. What a graet guy!

We had tea at some members last week named the W*****'s. They live in a really nice house on a hill in Nelson. It is a very hilly area. Beautiful to visit in the summer! We were able to see a great view over the Pendle area. Too bad I don't have my camera!

We had a lot of potential people fall through this week. a lot of people just make appointments with us. People are quite scared of religion, and they can't see the wonderful blessings that could be theirs. We will keep trying.

My favorite scriptural moment was from Jacob 5. I especially loved when the Lord was coming to the vineyard for a final time with his servants. That is us. he had great things promised for us, but also expects much. I know that greater joy comes from His work than anything else. There are many ways we can all get involved in the work. We should do this, and we will be blessed for doing so. There are many ideas that Sister Allred shared in her talk last conference. Review that and think of an idea you could use.

Elder Davies

March 9, 2009

2009-03-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

It has been a crazy week as we have been working in both of the areas we are to cover. There is much travel, and traveling in a three-some is becoming a little bit more comfortable. Sometimes it feels like we are surrounding people with our message, but that is excellent. We are usually able to contact most of the people on each of the buses we ride on. I wish this could last longer, but we are supposed to break up in the next couple of weeks when the missionaries come from Provo, once their Visas get there.

We have many investigators we taught for the first time, because this area we just moved into has a lot of progressing people. The ward is ready for all of these converts and do a good job at helping them out. It is great to have a missionary minded bishop. We try to keep good relations with the ward, but it can be difficult when some silly things happen. We so desperately want to keep that trust, so we usually just say whatever is needed to keep the relationship positive. We learn a lot of things on our mission that we didn't think we would.

We are teaching a 25 year-old young man named L**. He has had a very difficult life. He loves how he feels at church and what the gospel is helping him do, but he has to overcome many obstacles. We really grow to love these people, with a love that isn't our own. I am convinced of that. Without the infusion of God's love, we wouldn't be able to grow so close to people in such a short amount of time.

We are also teaching a man named S******, whose step son was just baptized a couple of weeks ago. He has also had a difficult life. We are helping him overcome smoking, and there are so many things standing in his way. I can't express how blessed we are to grow up in the areas we have grown up in, with the families that we have grown up with, and the perspective of the gospel that really changes the way we live.

D****'s baptism has been moved to go with another baptism that we will be having on the 20th. The Elders down here have been teaching two young grandchildren of some members. S**** is 14 and J**** is 12. They are great kids. I love how some people are just prepared for the gospel. S**** is going to be baptized on the same day as D****, the 20 of March. The ward likes to do them on Friday nights.

We have been teaching a lady from Monserrat named V*****. She has some family in the church, but used to be 7-day adventist. She is such a great lady, and she does some really good study. She is one of those people who look like they are 25, but really are 60.

I am very much looking forward to Conference. I have been reading the Ensign's for the last two conferences, and I have realized more the blessing of having living prophets and apostles. If everyone would just hearken, how different would this world be. How much more happiness would exist in our lives? How much more blessed would our families? How would our ability to resist the world increase? How would our understanding of life's difficult things improve? It is God's way, because it works. We have that evidence that it does before our very eyes, within our very lives. I have pen-ready, heart-opened, eyes-pointed, and ears-waiting for the whisperings of the Holy Spirit as Prophets of God invite us to grow closer to Christ on April 4 and 5.

My three happies are:
Serving in the three-some.
Watching the gospel change lives.
Having a beautiful new neice. (Do other families oogle over their neices and nephews as much as we do?)

Favorite Scripture? John 15:10-11. All of the commandments given to us really do help us to have a fuller joy. Every commandment received from God, or His servants, ancient or modern will be directed at this end goal . . . our eternal happiness!

Favorite Memory? We have had a lot of funny moments over the last couple of days. It would have to be watching David's reaction to our "12 days of Chirstmas" song.

Miracle for the week? We were looking for a less-active on North St., but couldn't remember the address. We had to get going, but when we got to the bus stop we realized that we had 20 minutes. We decided to tract North St. Not much was happening until the last door. We had 5 minutes left. We started to talk to this lady and she told us that she had been baptized into the church, but had fallen away when her parents split up. She married a non-member, and so it didn't help. She invited us in, and her kids were amazing. They really wanted to come to church, especially the 15 year old boy. He says he doesn't like beer, coffee, tea, or alcohol anyway, so he wants to join us. He should be coming to youth on Tuesday. I am excited to see what happens. He could be the key to getting his family into the church, and one day sealed.

Sometimes we take for granted the gospel and the knowledge that we are sealed forever. It cannot be taken lightly. It is Eternally important for us and for all people. This is why I love to do this work. I love you all and know that God lives and looks over us. Never lose hope!

Elder Davies

March 4, 2009

2009-03-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

We have an interesting transfer ahead of us. Elder Carter and I were serving in Burnley North, and Elder Nelson and Elder Napier were serving in Burnley South. Next to Burnley is an area called Blackburn. Elder Szauter was serving with Elder Stevens in Blackburn. Today, Elder Stevens went to serve somewhere else, and Elder Szauter was going to train a new missionary, BUT the new missionaries have had trouble coming because of their Visa's. So, President sent Elder Napier to serve with Elder Szauter until the new missionary comes, and Elder Carter and I moved down to Burnley South to serve with Elder Nelson. So for the next couple of weeks, there will be three of us serving together! Elder Nelson, as Mom knows, went to High School with me, so it is very funny. We will still be teaching the people in our area who are progressing well. It is only a 30 minute bus ride up to our flat. We will be in this trio until the new missionary comes, if he is able to get his Visa. They only think it will take a couple of weeks. We moved some of our stuff down to this flat, and the other flat will just be empty until further notice. That is my crazy, semi-transfer.

Not much has happened since last week. We have been doing a lot of finding, but haven't been finding many interested people. It baffles my mind, but I can't really explain the difficulties without some of you coming out and trying it. That is usually how we learn things. Returned missionaries will understand what I am saying.

D**** M***** should be getting baptized on the 14 of March. He is finally to a point where he is ready. The Elders down here have a couple of people dated for baptism, so we just picked up some solid investigators!!

We have been teaching someone who has Schizophrenia. It is really hard for her. We are helping her to quit smoking, but the voices in her head say awful things to her. I might have told you this last week. We have found a lot of great people, but haven't had much progression with any of them yet. I talked to this really cool girl from South Africa. It was so refreshing to see someone who could carry a really good conversation with you. She was really nice. She showed some solid interest in the church and I really hope that she gets in touch with missionaries, like she said she would.

Everyday we meet many people. I know that I am learning a lot from these great experiences, but I am sure that the whole lesson for me will continue to be unfolded throughout my life.

I love you all, and am so grateful for the things I have learned from each of you.

Elder Davies

February 25, 2009

2009-03-30T04:53:00.000-07:00

We have had a great week. Yesterday, the President and his wife came over to inspect the flat and conduct the interviews for this transfer. Our flat passed with top marks, and we got a prize of nice brownie mix for it. This week we have found some new investigators and continue to schedule appointments for the future. Unfortunately, many of these fall through, but the more we schedule, the more will go through. Many of these people have real difficulties in their lives. Young, single mothers who need something, but there is so much against them. I wish they could see what blessings could come into their lives 5 years down the line if they were to make righteous decisions now. That is a real test to have that kind of perspective. We are just trying to show them a lot of love, without getting in their face too much.

I don't know if I told everyone, but we have a funny P-day schedule starting next transfer. P-days on Mondays, except for on transfer week, and then P-day and transfer day stay on a Wednesday. Dad a has list of the P-days for the next couple of months, so you can get that from him!

We don't have a whole lot to update on investigators. D****'s Baptism is being moved back to the 14 of March to help him prepare better. He lets his kids tell him what to do too much and they tell him they want to go home from church after sacrament, and so he goes with them.

Z*** and P*** we don't get to see often. P***l is still skeptical about things and Z*** isn't feeling well.

We challenged M****** and C******** to take steps towards baptism by setting a date. I think C******** doesn't grasp the importance of it all, and M****** is very poorly and feels like he has to be perfectly well before baptism.

We met a lady named A**. She is really great. She is a quaker, but her partner is Catholic. She wants to bring her kids to church.

Another girl named K**, who has two young sons. She used to hate religion, but a message about families softened her heart. She didn't understand much of what we said, but I hope that she felt the spirit in the room as we introduced the Book of Mormon and promised blessings.

The real great test is finding interested investigators and everyone know that tracting is not the best way to do that. We are focusing on trying a couple of different means, but it can be really hard to organize and think of other ways. We usually result in just walking around talking to everyone in the streets and knocking on their doors.

We have had some wonderful moments this week. I realized that we have wonderful moments every week, we just can forget them or not notice them sometimes. Yesterday, a member needed some help, and we had planned to go out and find some new people. We know how important it is to find new people, but we prayed and asked heavenly father what the right decision was, and we both felt that is was important to help this member. As we did so, we really felt the blessings of making the decision with the lord. Counsel with the Lord in all your doings. The more into the gospel I get, the more profound conference talks start to mean. I recoginize that they can actually be applied to our lives. Elder Bednar gave a talk last conference about Praying Always. He uses the counsel with the lord scripture in Alma 37:37. Prayer can be a simple part of our day, but if we consecrate our day unto the Lord and seek his will in our day, we will see miracles. We can always be asking: What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go? What do you want me to say? etc. . . .

Family, I love all of you. I know this gospel is true. I know we are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. That knowledge alone changes lives. Sometimes I want to ask teenage girls around here if they know they are daughters of God. They try so hard to impress the world, and they are killing their own soul in the process.

Elder Davies

February 18, 2009

2009-02-18T10:50:00.000-08:00

The work has gone forward much better this week. We continue to learn how to better share the message. This week we went on a couple of exchanges with leaders and had a great time. We set up a lot of appointments. You would be surprised at how many appointments fall through each week. I went on an exchange to Chorley this week, while Elder Carter stayed in Burnley. Chorley is where the Temple is, even though it is called the Preston temple. They just created a 3rd Chorley ward on Sunday. There are so many members there, it is quite fun. We were able to meet many of them on our exchange there.

Our investigator named D**** came to church. He has a baptismal date for the 28th and had to come to church on Sunday to keep that date. P****** didn't come to church, so we have had to tell him that we can't teach him anymore. He has been taught for so long, and he has grown a bit, but this time of not teaching him will help him grow more.

When I was in Chorley, Elder Carter and Elder T. Davies(Crazy, huh? Another Elder Davies, even with a T) found someone here, taught them the first lesson, and Elder T. Davies committed them to Baptism for the 21st of March right then and there. They have a lot of things to overcome, but it is still really cool.

We have been focusing this week on improving our Study. Preach My Gospel gives us so many tips in Chapter 2 on having a better study. We usually don't think they would be that amazing, and then we try them out, and they work. I love how that happens.

We have been visiting with a less-active named J**** W********. She has gone through Cancer and cancer remissions a couple of times. She really gets sad about it, and we have been visiting her over the last week to help her out. She is a great lady. She loves the scriptures and has a close relationship with her heavenly Father. She goes in tomorrow to have another scan for her cancer.

The members here are great. They help us out a lot and feed us a lot. One of the members daughters lives in Provo, going to BYU. She is a freshman, so I was wondering if Taylor had ever seen her. Her name is Nadine Burgan. Sister Burgan truly is a saint. They might be moving to Utah this year. That would help her

I love the pure prophecies in the Book of Mormon, and the pure understanding of the Plan of Salvation. If people would just read it, they could see. I was reading in 2 Nephi 26 today. I can usually only remember todays study right off the top of my head. Nephi sees a lot of the Apostasy and the coming forth of his words. I love verse 23-end. It describes a lot about the nature of God. So kind and loving to all His children.

I love all of you and really appreciate your prayers and your e-mails. I hope all of you are doing well.

Love you all,

Elder Davies

February 11, 2009

2009-02-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

I wasn't able to climb Pendle Hill last week. There was an Elder who is afraid of heights, and was only able to get a hundred steps up. Someone had to stay with him, because we can't be on our own as missionaries, so I stayed behind. Elder Carter got some good pictures at the top. I hope you enjoy them!

It continues to be cold and a bit snowy here. A month or two, and I will be out of the English cold. Yes!! We stay pretty warm though if we bundle up. Nothing to worry about.

The work this week proved to be interesting again. We have had some trouble getting investigators to keep commitments, and to get potential investigators to keep appoinyments. It blows my mind that no one wants to listen. It all comes down to them just not understanding. I wish I could explain it in the way that I know it. They are not having a fair chance to say yes or no.

There is a family that just started to come to our ward. They were going to a ward just outside of this ward, and are now coming to ours. It is cool, because they are kind of in a far out area, so we get to see them sometimes. We saw them this week. One of the ladies is a part-member family. The husband isn't interested yet, but we were able to meet him. He is such a nice guy. He would be a great member.

We have started a stop-smoking workshop with one of our investigators named P******. It is a seven day thing that guarantees they will be able to give it up, if they follow the steps. It is pretty cool. There is a lot to do in the 15 steps, some of them can seem silly, but it works. He has been doing alright for the first two days. I hope he can make the changes. Neither him or D**** were at Chruch on Sunday. We are not supposed to teach people if they don't keep the commitments we leave with them. Many of our investigators are not keeping them.

I can't think of any great finding situations that happened, just a principle. It is easier to keep the commandments than not to. We just feel so much better. That is why they were given. In John 15:9-15 we learn the relationship between love and the commandments. It is so true, so true. Especially v.13, when he tells us that he tells us these things that we can have a fuller joy. That is my scripture thought for the week.

We got to play football today for a Zone Activity. We have such a great zone, and some great zone leaders. That is one of my happies for the week. Another one is the beautiful countryside of England. There is so much to see, and so little opportunities to see it. My third happy is my family. I am continually amazed at how great you all are. Thank you so much for your love and support.

I love you all, 'til next week. T'rah

Elder Davies

February 4, 2009

2009-02-14T14:18:00.000-08:00

We have had a good week. A lot more street pounding than usual, but that is good for us. Not as many outstanding experiences, but still a great week. We are going to climb Pendle Hill right now, and have to meet the other Elders really soon, so this will be a bit shorter. I will also be sending some pictures next week of the hike and some other fun moments we have had over the last couple of weeks. I sent a package last week, and I hope you got that, complete with my first memoroy card, so you can get some good pictures from my mission. I have a couple of questions.

We haven't had any new investigators lately, but we have been planting some seeds, and strengthening personal testimony. I love all of you. Please keep praying for us, and allowing the Lord to direct you in your lives. It is the secret to happiness! I love you all and look forward to hearing from you next week!

Loves,

Elder Davies

January 28, 2009

2009-02-14T14:11:00.000-08:00

We are buried and engaged in the work here in England, and the Lord has blessed us greatly. We can make a lot of mistakes throughout the day, but each time we exercise even the smallest amount of faith, we receive the Lord's blessings. I have never had a week like this one where something unusual has happened almost every day. I will recap it for you.

Friday: We taught the L******'s(M****** and C********). They hadn't really been progressing much lately, and we taught a lesson that we knew C******** would struggle with. She doesn't have a firm testimony of the Prophet Joseph and we were going to teach her about the Word of Wisdom, which she struggles with. She committed to start making the change and cutting down. We don't know how much she has done yet, but she was surprisingly positive about it.

After that we went down to a lesson with a Bosnian lady named H*****. We had never talked to her. The other Elders had found her, and she lived in our area, so we were hoping that she was still planning on the lesson. When we got there she was asleep. Her son woke her up and she came down to talk to us. She told us that she had fallen asleep around 5, because she was not feeling well, and asked us why we were calling at such an early hour. We told her that it was 7:00. She said she needed to get her son to school at 7:30 and she had to reschedule. We asked if he had night school. She seemed confused, so we deducted that she thought it was morning!! I wanted to tell her that there was no way I would be coming to her house at 7:00 in the morning. She came to realize that it was evening and she hadn't actually slept all night. She still told us that she had to reschedule. Elder Carter and I had a good laugh!

Saturday: We went tracting in a small area a bit outside of the main area on a road called Alma Avenue. It is actually quite a popular name in England. We tracted into a mom and dad that had 4 girls. The mom's name was T******. She was an incredible lady. She has never been a part of a religion, but she is so close to God and understands her connection with him so well. Everything she was saying completely agreed with everything we taught. They are very impressive people. She didn't seem too excited at our message, because she isn't looking for anything, but we got into a door! We are going to try to see her again, but I can hardly explain how cool everything was that she was saying. So positive and uplifting.

Sunday: Z*** and P*** fed us. I don't think the chicken was quite done, because it seemed like i was tearing it off the bone. And the blood pockets didn't help. I only took one bit, and that was enough. I was worried that I would get Salmonella and my Tuesday morning experience almost confirmed my worry. However, I was okay. We were not sure at the reason why Z*** and P*** kept inviting us over, because they weren't coming to church or making any progress. We stated our purpose in coming, and got a good response. P*** told us that he would do everything if he received an answer to his prayer that the Book of Mormon was true. That was really nice.
Later that night we were about to go in, and saw a young girl walking on the street. Usually we don't talk to younger people, but this conversation went really well. She was happy to receive a Book of Mormon and we are going to try to contact her this weekend. It was just cool to see how we could have gone in a couple minutes early, but because we were doing what is right, Heavenly Father blessed us.

Monday: P****** received a spiritual experience while reading 1 Nephi 8 in the lesson. He suddenly had a strong desire to read the Book of Mormon and he felt something go through his body. He wondered what it was. We explained that he had a confirmation of the truth. It was great to watch that happen.

Tuesday: We were tracting in an area that is kind of far away. A man who is a brother of a member in Utah picked us up at the bus stop and gave us a lift. He has heard a lot about the church, and isn't interested, but I don't believe that it was coincidence that we were there when we were. It could have gone so many different ways.

There are more, and the ones I explained aren't even clear enough. It is so hard to explain all of it and explain it in such a way to make it completely make sense. I just want you to know that it was great!

I was going to send some pictures, but I forgot to bring the cable to my camera. I will have to send some next week, and describe my companion in a better way. Sorry, but I have to get going.

I love you all and thank you for the love and support you lend me. Maybe I will be able to send a letter with everything else that wasn't in here!

Elder Davies

January 21, 2009

2009-02-14T14:06:00.000-08:00

This will be short. There was a transfer today. I stayed up in Colne/Nelson(Burnley North) and Elder Rawlings went to Blackpool. Elder Carter came to serve with me here. He is from Utah. He has been out for about a year, and he is very smart. I will try to send pictures.

I love the fruit of obedience. The Spirit heightens all of our faculties. It helps us to look outside of ourselves. We are able to have a greater impact on the lives of others. The Lord is able to direct is ALL things. There are so many inexpressible blessings that come. And with sin, the opposite is true. It all comes done to inviting the Spirit, or driving away the spirit.

We have focused on helping the investigators to progress, and some have not. We don't have many to start with, but a lady that we talked to on the street, but haven't taught yet, came to church on Sunday. She loved it! Her name is H****. She is originally from Zimbabwe. I love those people. We are supposed to teach her for the first time tomorrow, but she was also taught by Elders over a year ago.

We have not been having much success in people keeping their appointments. That is, of course, a focus for us - getting new investigators.

I love all of you, and wish that I had time to give a better e-mail.
This week has been very cold and snowy. The countryside is beautiful. I will send pictures, because I actually took some.

Love,

Elder Davies

A package should be on the way

January 14, 2009

2009-02-14T14:02:00.000-08:00

Please know how much I love you. The gospel truly makes us happy. There is nothing we have to wonder about. We can have the assurance that we have the Lord on our side. If we can exercise small amounts of faith, we will see miracles happen.

During the last couple of days I have felt really good. I have had many wonderful feelings that I wanted to share with you, but I can't remember all of them. It was all about the gospel and the magic of it all. The Church is so true! So even though I can't remember it all, just know how much I love you and am grateful for you.

On Monday of this week we saw some miracles. We have been trying to be more diligent in our finding efforts, and also being very bold in helping our investigators progress. On Monday we went on an exchange with the Zone Leaders, and we had a great day. We were able to schedule 11 appointments with people on the streets in just a few hours of talking to people on the street. I had a great time trying to get to know each person I talked to. With each one I got a good conversation from, I was able to get their name. I like it that way better. Instead of saying I got a 6 today or I got a 10 today, I was able to say, today I talked to . . . then I could list off their names. These are real people, with real problems, and God loves them as much as he loves us. We met some wonderful people, and I hope to tell you more about them when the lessons go through in the next 5 days. I know that more things like this can happen, if we just exercise a little more faith.

We have wonderful opportunities here. This ward is great, and the Stake is really focused on missionary work. Of course, we run into difficulties, especially when we need a man to attend a lesson with a single woman(which we teach a lot of), but it has been great. We have transfers next Wednesday, and Elder Rawlings is pretty certain that he is leaving. I think he knows things I don't. I really liked serving with him, but I also like meeting new missionaries and growing from their strengths. I really learned how to love people more from Elder Rawlings. He really loved our investigators.

Nothing has really changed with our investigators. We need to push them faster. Just trying to help them understand the gospel. Hopefully I will be able to update you better next week after we teach a lot of new people, and commit some people to BAPTISM. After all, that is why I am here!

I love you all. Please give each other a big hug from me. Look to help someone each day. Remind those little ones that I still live.

Elder Davies

January 7, 2009

2009-02-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

Hello to All,

First off, I love you all. Thank you for being so good to me. Christmas was great. Maybe some of you don't know exactly what Santa brought me in his bright red bag(all with a matching scripture), so I will fill you in a bit:

Ear Muffs: Stylish and used FREQUENTLY
Beef Jerky: I can hardly describe my joy.
Shoes: they fit AND they look nice
Peanut M&M's: You cannot find these in England, though with all the chocolate, they aren't really missed. I do love them, though.
Scarf: Also used frequently
Jelly Belly's: Also another rare commodity in England, and greatly loved.
Ties: Brown and blue seem to be in fashion lately. Very nice!
Joseph Smith CD's: I love the Prophet Joseph!
... And much much more.
Thank you to all those who contributed

Another present received that many may have not seen was a book of pictures of the Liljenquist Family. This is a prize and treasure. I love it and view it often.

Of course the greatest present was to talk to each one of you!

It sounds like everyone and everything is still staying busy in Utah. I don't know how everyone keeps up with it all. You will have to let me know of all of the great movies that you saw when I get back.
During the holidays, we visited many people, and were able to spend more time at their house and do some things that we don't get to do during the rest of the year. That was fun for the time, but I don't know if I would really enjoy it often.

I haven't heard much from Elder Weidmann in Liverpool, but I saw him at Zone Conferences, and he looked great. He is a great missionary, so I am sure he is going just fine. Elder Rawlings and I continue to become better friends. We are pretty different, but have the most important similarities. We are both missionaries, and we both love the gospel. I don't see us staying together next transfer, usually just because Elder Rawlings moves around a lot, but I am not sure what is going to happen. Anything can happen.

Last P-day and this P-day we went to this amazing store where there are nice suits on sale. You get a really good sale if you can match up trousers with a jacket, but they do have some matches that are fairly cheap. They are really nice, and much cheaper than home. Today I bought some double cuffed shirts that I might send home. If they were white, I would use them, but they are quite a variety of colors. If I send them home, I imagine that they will be worn, but I couldn't really expect much different. I also bought two suits, that I will not be using on my mission. I will bring them home. Thank you Grandpa for Christmas money!

Funny story(kind of): Yesterday I left the iron on all day. No worries, nothing happened. But it is a scary thought.

Our investigators aren't progressing very quickly right now. We need to get some solid new ones, but the work has been slow. I would go into detail with each of them, but I have to go.

Quick spiritual thought: I was reading 2 Nephi 4, which is always a good chapter, and I was touched by a couple of verses. Nephi exclaims that he has been very blessed by the Lord, with great knowledge and many visions. He then wonders how he could then yield to sin, after having that great knowledge. I wonder that often, but I am comforted by Nephi's other scriptures. He knows his weaknesses, which are probably very small, and calls on the Lord to deliver him from temptations and the devil. I really like Nephi's humility and acknowledgement of his need to improve. I then love his dependance on the Lord. May we all pray like Nephi to overcome our individual weaknesses.

Thank you for loving me despite my weaknesses.

I love you and pray for you,

Elder Davies

December 30, 2008

2009-02-14T13:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! I am writing today(Tuesday) because the libraries are closed tomorrow, so that means a couple of things: Some of you have not written, not knowing that I was going to write a day early. Also, we are trying to write as quickly as is reasonable because it is not a preparation day. Sorry for any problems that causes. Blame the Lancashire libraries :).

First off, it was wonderful to speak to EACH of you. I am a lucky brother, son, grandson, uncle, and whatever else I am. I love the Christmas spirit our family carries. From what I hear you had a wonderful Christmas season with all of the regular festivities.
We didn't get to talk much, so I will tell you all about what I did for Christmas. First, on Christmas Eve we sang Carols in the Burnley Town Centre with six other Elders. That was one of my highlights, blaring out my testimony of the true meaning of Christmas. People get a little unfocused. Then we went to eat with the Moore's, a family in the ward. We were only there for a bit, and then had to shoot off to the Pickups'. This family has quite a nice house, and it reminded me of being back home with actual space to live and stretch. They fed us a wonderful meal, and we went back to the other Elders' flat and slept over. Christmas morning was the time we opened our presents, and boy was I opening presents for a long time. From around here we got some of the traditional things, like socks, scarves, chocolate, and more chocolate. I will probably be sending home some chocolate, which I am sure you will all love. I am sorry, but English chocolate beats American chocolate in every category. However, from home, I received a big Santa bag. I wrote down all of the presents I received, but I forgot that I was writing e-mails today, so I left it back at the flat. However, everything was wonderful!! The ties are very nice, the shoes are great, even the books that I will be reading when I come back. I enjoyed it all. I think if I had to pick out my two favorite gifts, I would say, 1)The letters and 2)The Liljenquist's book of pictures. Original!!

After opening presents, we went to the Leeds' for Dinner, and that is where I called you from. Then we went to H**** R**'s. He is an older less active man, but he is starting to come back. I love H****. After that, we went to the Hewitsons, and played some games with them. On Boxing Day we got to watch Narnia with some Investigators. That was really cool. We were also allowed to play the Wii at a members home. All of these things were sanctioned!!! Missionaries have it so easy.

Well, this week was quite different with some of the breaks, and the upcoming one will be also with New Years, but everything will be back to normal after that. We got to see the new Joseph Movie at the Zone Conference. That was my second time seeing it and I loved it. I have a great love for the gospel. I love the Prophets, past and present. I love my Saviour, and the wonderful changes He makes in people's lives. I love all of you. Please pray for these people, and the missionary efforts around the world. Sorry this is shorter than usual. I have never been a great writer, but hopefully this did something in helping you see how spoiled missionaries are at Christmas time.

Love from England,

Elder Davies

December 11, 2008

2008-12-22T20:47:00.000-08:00

I was transferred from Liverpool yesterday to the Burnley ward. That is why I am writing today. Burnley is in Lancashire, which is just North of Greater Manchester. It is in the Chorley stake, which is the same stake as the Temple. That is very nice. This area is very different from other areas. More rural, and very beautiful and hilly. I am serving with Elder Rawlings. He is from Idaho. He is a great guy and they have some good things going on up here in Burnley. He is from Idaho, and has been out on his mission for about 5 months.

My head is a bit of a whirlwind right now with the transfer. I basically traveled all of yesterday. There never seems to be enough time for everything. The mission doctor has been telling us to take time to actually relax, and also to eat well. This takes careful planning, and usually more time . . . more time than we have.

We said goodbye to everyone on Tuesday and Monday. No one really cried, which is good because I don't like to watch people cry. We were also able to see C*****, who gave me like 5 Christmas presents. She is great. I look forward to being able to go back to Liverpool. I feel like a new missionary again in Burnley, with a couple of missionary skills. The mission is great, and we just have to keep on running. Preparation really is key, and I am so proud of Taylor and his preparation. What an inspiring example.

I don't really know what to tell you about the last week. Liverpool seems to have gone like . . . that! We have a Zone Conference next week at the Temple, which I am more than excited for.

My favorite scripture of the week is from I Corinthians, I think it is Chapter 12. It is when Paul glories in his weaknesses, because it allows him to apply the atonement of Christ. That is how I am feeling right now, very weak and humbled. These times are good for us, and I am sure that I will see some great growth from it.

I am sorry that this is so short. I love you all, and look forward to giving you a better e-mail next week.

Elder Davies

November 26, 2008

2008-12-22T20:39:00.000-08:00

What a fast week it has been. I have been on exchanges with elders in the district for two of the days this week. There are so many things in missionary work that you do not think would be there before you come out. A lot of responsibilities that come with leadership. They are necessary, but not usually traditional of missionary work. Also with a lot of the rules that protect us, we put a lot of effort into finding males to come teaching with us. How great would it be if the work wasn't so hindered by the problems of the world?!

The time has gone very fast these last couple of transfers. I have heard that it just gets faster from this point on. I hope I am fulfilling everything Heavenly Father needs of me. I imagine that I will probably be leaving this upcoming transfer, but there are never things you are certain of at transfer time. Either way, I will be happy. I have loved Liverpool and the people here, but I also enjoy the opportunities that come with going to new areas. It is definitely an area we will have to visit.

With the new focus of finding we have been able to get more new investigators. That is very important for the mission. Some of them are not progressing as much, so when they get there, I can give you more information. A family from Eritea, or something like that in East Africa, have started to investigate, and also a young British family that have had some difficulties in their life. They are searching for answers and we hope to provide those answers.

We were talking about the Pride Cycle with F******* last night. She is doing well by the way. We were talking about the things that can help us to avoid this cycle. Consistent reading of the Book of Mormon is key. That is why it is for our day. This Pride Cycle is so prevalent in our day, and the Book of Mormon teaches it so well. That is one reason why I know it was inspired, because Mormon saw our day and was able to provide the information to help us cope with today.

I hope that all of us can be mindful of those people who are making difficult decisions and transitions in their lives. It is so easy for us to return to what is comfortable, though it may be wrong. Jesus warns us of the state of someone who returns to past problems after overcoming them in Luke 11:24-26. If we can help these people find rest and nourishment in their 'new' lives, it will help them endure to a far better place. Preach My Gospel has a chapter that shares the importance of the ward in helping retention and reactivation. It is chapter 13. A most poignant part of this chapter is a story of a recent convert on page 214. This is more mission related, but it can relate to many transitioning times in life, as evident in Luke 11. I challenge each of us to be mindful of those around us. To seek to be a help to every cause which surrounds us.

I love you all and thank you all for the wonderful influence you have on my life. Sorry that my e-mail aren't filled more with stories. I find it so difficult to remember specific things. It worries me, because people are always talking about memories I had with them, but usually I forget. It doesn't mean I don't love them. Oh, here is one. We ate at Sister H*******'s with the B*****'s, and she made amazing Arabic food. She should be coming back to church. Pray for her.

Elder Davies

November 19, 2008

2008-11-19T10:12:00.000-08:00

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

November 12, 2008

2008-11-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

This last week in Liverpool has been great. WE had a baptism on Saturday for V***** and L*****. They are doing amazing. Still just trying to get them to wear Sunday best to church, but the gospel has changed them. One step at a time. We are visiting the Temple with them today. WE visited the Temple with J******* yesterday, and we will be going up there for Zone Conference tomorrow. I have no complaints. They have been doing a great job with their friend F******. F****** has gained so much strength and is making the necessary movements to be able to be baptized. What wonderful people. They go and read with F****** during the day to help her understand the Book of Mormon. I am so excited for them!!

F****** loves the lives of those who live the gospel. She wishes she was born with it and wants to go live in Arizona so she can have nice weather and be around members. She struggles with some of the problems in England, and I feel so lucky to be able to have grown up in the gospel. From that, I want to list the 10 things I am most grateful for:

1. Grateful to have been born into the covenant.
2. Grateful to be serving in a difficult mission, where I can learn things that Heavenly Father wants me to learn.
3. Grateful that there is a Temple in the mission boundaries that we can take investigators to feel the spirit of the Temple
4. Grateful that we have been able to watch the change that comes over people's lives.
5. Grateful when we watch the spirit touch someone and enlighten their understanding.
6. Grateful to have an obedient companion
7. Grateful to have a mission President who is committed to making the work progress.
8. Grateful to have a family that sends me e-mails and so many cards. Elder Weidmann has really grown to understand how close our family is.
9. Grateful to have the physical and mental capacity to serve a mission.
10. Grateful for the knowledge and understanding that the Plan of Salvation gives us.

J******'s baptism is this Saturday, and we might have to fill up the font with warm water manually, because the font pump is broken. That means we baptized V***** and L***** in freezing cold water. I baptized V***** and confirmed L***** the next day, and Elder Weidmann did the others. It was such a great experience. To add to the cold water experience, we had to baptize them twice, because they didn't go all of the way under.

It has been so cold lately, and my gloves, scarves, and coat's have been used. It is going to be a cold winter, but I love it. It reminds me of when I first came out. It also reminds me of Christmas.

I don't have any scriptural thoughts or specific experiences from the last week to share with you. It just all rolls into one. I just want you to know that I love the gospel. There is no greater source of happiness. The mission is going great, and I look forward to more great experiences.

Love you all,

Elder Davies

October 29, 2008

2008-11-19T09:57:00.000-08:00

It has been an odd week with the transfers and the Zone Conference. A lot of traveling. This next week will not be much different, with Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day. We have special rules to stay in if we are not riding in a car on some of the days this week. So hopefully I can get much studying/sleeping/cleaning done if that has to be the case, but we are taking measures to try and work it out so we can teach during those times.

The Zone Conference was great. President Oaks is an inspiring man who knows missionary work very well. We were all edified by listening to him. He is also filled with a great love. There is no secret in why these men are so great and stick out in this world of shifting values. Hopefully, that will set us missionaries apart too, and attract the pure in heart who will help us build up Zion.

I cannot think of many other specific events this week outside of teaching appointments, so I will answer some of Mom's questions that I know you all wanted to ask anyway:

On Halloween night I am planning on being one of the most feared creatures this side of the pond. Outside of my new Rooney jersey that I could wear, I will probably just result to being a missionary, both of which strike fear into the hearts of Liverpudlians. It would be hard to imagine that I could strike fear into anyone's heart, but it is funny what some people will do to avoid us.

J******* is still going on to baptism. She lives alone and her mom is in a care center. She loves having us around, but we are trying to focus her on the right things. She wants to be baptized, and I know that the church could greatly help her, if she will let that all happen. She is about 50 years old, but seems younger.

We haven't seen K******* this week because P****, her uncle, had to go into the hospital. He is doing okay, but will not be able to be out of his bed for the next week. She lives with her mum, who will not watch after her much, so much of the responsibility falls onto P****. The dad died less than a year ago, and everyone is still struggling with that a bit, especially K*******. She loves the missionaries.

F******, V***** and L*****'s friend, is doing very well. We talked about the Plan of Salvation last time, and ended at the Atonement. She started to cry, because she asked what should be done if we are doing things wrong. We taught her about the wonderful gift of repentance and how that is made possible through the Atonement. We will be spending all of our lesson tonight on the Atonement

Little side note. I have become a decent cook with easy to make items. I don't know how to do things from scratch much, but I have been able to organize myself into making decent meals. My companion is grateful.

One thing that was great this week, is that we taught K******** at S**'s house. After Tea, we watched the Testaments and K******** was very touched. He loved the end and just kept saying 'wow'. That was good.

My three happies are the Atonement, which makes much possible. My new pictures sent to me today. And this great package I got from the family, which was letters written during Sun Valley. That was nice, and big!

I love all of you and hope that this e-mail finds you well. Keep praying for this work and looking for opportunities to contribute.

Elder Davies

October 22, 2008

2008-11-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

The work here is going well. We are being blessed to be able to teach a lot lately, and are trying to maximize the opportunities we have to speak with people outside of our lessons. There are a couple of people dated for baptism, so that is exciting. I myself am doing well, and enjoying the learning experience that the mission is. I love all of you and look forward to hearing from you.

On Monday we taught K*******. She has been kind of sad lately, so we decided to talk about things that make us hapry and things that make us sad. My first thoughts were about the family. In seeing the world, and also while talking to other missionaries, I have seen how blessed we are, not just compared to the world, but also compared to other member families, to have the family that we do. We have so much love and so much fun. And I sure love those kids. Tell them I love them.

K******** lost his phone, so we weren't able to get a hold of him for a long time. He finally got another one, and we have been able to get in contact again. he is doing very well, but still has not obtained his Visa. We continue to pray for him, and I ask that you do also. Thank you.

V***** and L***** should be getting baptized on November 8th. We just grow so close to all of these people right away. I love these two. They are great. They have given us one of their friends to teach, and she is doing very good too. Her name is F******. She is a young, single mother who is so nice. She loves to speak with us, and even said the prayer in the first lesson!

J******* is still continuing on to her date of the 15th of November. We hear from her everyday basically. She is excited, but we are still making sure that her foundation is in the right thing. This has been more of a social conversion for her. We pray that she is continuing to have a desire to keep all of the commandments. That is so important.

We have been teaching two new investigators from India. I just need to learn Hindi for all of these people! They are friends and already Christian. Two girls about the age of 24 or so. They have a love for the Bible and we have been focusing on how the Book of Mormon adds to our love of Christ. They have great potential.

We met a lady yesterday named D****. She has a real hard time with alcohol and really wants our help to overcome it. Some of the member who live by her know her, but are a little uneasy about getting involved, because of much of her past. I hope that we will be able to help the gospel transform her life through the obstacles that we are facing.

N*** is doing well also. We saw him with the Stake President who is also acting as our Bishop right now. He says that N*** has good potential and that we should try to see him more often to help him to remember more.

M*** is a less-active member we have been working with and he came to church on Sunday. he is from Ireland and he loves to feed us. He is also trying to overcome alcohol, and really has a strong desire to do it. He wants the kind of life that he knows is available to him. I so badly want him to be able to have that kind of life. The gospel can do it, and we can help him.

J***, the member, has been having a really hard time lately. He has to stay on some medication and when he goes off of it, he really struggles. If you could keep him in your prayers. He hasn't been able to come out fellowshipping with us lately or hasn't been able to focus on the Temple either.

The last people I will tell you about is the H* Family. They are Chinese. They investigated the church for about 9 years. They finally got married and were able to get baptized. They have two great kids that go to youth each week. They haven't been coming to church because the father got offended a couple of months ago and has been overcoming his pride. We are trying to help him understand that things like this happen in the church, and he should try not to let other people affect his and his families salvation. The whole family except him is so ready to come back and appreciate the joys of the gospel. They can have so many righteous generations for years to come if we can get them back now. It will play such an important role.

We have Zone Conferences tomorrow, and Elder Oaks, the new President of the Europe Area, will be addressing us along with President Bullock. I am excited, as always, for conferences.

This letter was fairly long, and I hope that it didn't bore you. Elder Weidmann is doing really well. He has a strong will and desire and it is great to serve with him. I love you all and continue to keep you in my mind.

Elder Davies

October 15, 2008

2008-11-19T09:45:00.000-08:00

We have had a good week. Liverpool is an amazing place and means a lot to me. Loving the people on the mission is an important aspect, and there are a wide variety of people in Liverpool. All of England is diverse. Heavenly Father does have a hand in this work, and many people feel like England is ready to progress rapidly. The other English missions are increasing their baptisms at a wonderful rate, while our mission has started to decline a bit. We really need to follow the guidelines of our President and have our whole heart, might, mind, and strength in the work. Nothing will serve us as well in life as these two years.

Elder Weidmann is really good. His first name is Janick. We have been on exchanges so many times these last two weeks, that I feel like I never see him. I have heard great things about him while the other missionaries were with him. I think he has amazing potential. One thing I love about him, is that he doesn't have the fear to do what is right. 'Whatever it takes' is kind of his motto.

V***** and L***** are doing well, though they don't like wearing Sunday best on Sunday. They say that God doesn't care what we wear on Sundays, as long as what is in our heart. Everything they said is true, but they can't see the bigger picture. Needless to say, we are trying to work on that with them. We have had to postpone their baptism, because Victor is having trouble getting work off on Sundays.

K******** was not able to get any news on his visa this week. He was rather sad. This man has had an incredible life. He has basically been oppressed his whole entire life. I love his amazing attitude. We take the principles of the gospel for granted! Sometimes he doesn't receive the money he is supposed to, so he just tries to get by. He wants to work for his money, and always pays people back when they give him some money. He isn't allowed to find employment, but we have been working with members to help him find some odd jobs here and there for a little cash. I told him that we need him over in the houses back home. He can do almost anything, and he works hard.

It is amazing how quickly the holidays are coming up. Halloween will be here in a couple of weeks, and then it just begins to FLY!!! By the time we know it, it will be 2009. Scary!!!! I don't like that thought. Elder Weidmann reminded me yesterday that I will never have an October 14th on my mission again. I am going through my last cycle. Thanks, Elder!

My favorite memory of the week . . . that is hard. Sacrament meeting was amazing, but I would have to say that seeing C***** again was the best. She called us a couple of weeks ago and told us she would like to see us again. She can't really take the lessons again right now, because she is so busy, but in a couple of weeks we will be seeing her. She had a really sincere desire, and still holds fast to her testimony. She hasn't been reading and praying though. When we do those things, the spirit enters our lives and leads us to repentance. We want to do what is right when we do those things. They are the small helm that guides a large ship to an eternal destination. I am sure that dozens of prophets have used that analogy before.

I feel like I have learned so much this week, through studies, e-mails, conferences, and just other things. I wish I could remember it all. I am even trying to remember spiritual thoughts from this morning, but I would like to leave you with one scripture. Our fears hold us back so much, and D&C 67:1-3 help us understand why we should not fear. His eyes are about us, the heavens AND EARTH are in his hands, and the riches of eternity are HIS to give. And then goes on to say that fear stopped us from receiving a blessing. What blessings are we missing out on. What point of further santification are we lacking? Why are we scared? Fear is the opposite to faith. Let us strengthen our faith in the Lord's promises and press forward. Read the Ensign and follow any promptings you recieve. I pray for this kind of strength, and for all of you.

I love you dearly,

Elder Davies

October 8, 2008

2008-10-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Hello from across the 'many waters'. I guess I am right around my year mark. I just realized it this morning when looking at a calender for the first time in a couple of weeks. Well, they tell me that the second goes by faster than the first, and that is hard to imagine. It has been so fast. It makes me sad to think that it is even getting close.

Mom asked me about the top 6 lessons I have learned in my first year. I am not quite sure what is so special about the number 6, but this could be hard for me to hone in on six. Change can be so imperceptible sometimes. I started creating a list of things I would want to tell Matt and Taylor before they came out, so I guess I can just pull six off of that, though it will certainly not be comprehensive.

1. Be obedient . . . to everything.
2. Follow the Spirit that will come as a result of your obedience. It is ALWAYS right.
3. Take great advantage of the hours between 6:30 and 10. Wake up and exercise, and then have a meaningful study with great emphasis on Preach My Gospel.
4. Your loyalty is first to the Lord, then to the Mission President, and then to your companion.
5. Learn how to pray and account daily.
6. Have a willing heart and exercise you Faith.

I guess those are six of the things I would choose to share.

My three favorite memories of my first year?
That is hard . . . Christmas was a wonderful time to feel the spirit of that time even better. Also, General Conferences would have to be up there. And three would be walking home in the rain, this happens often, and feeling I have done my best.

A little about Conference. I left my notes back home, but it was a great conference. There were so many good ones. I love Elder Marcos Aidukaitis and his talk about the POWER of the Book of Mormon and how it has blessed generations. Also wonderful was Sister . . . can't remember. But it was about missionary work. Really, really good! Elder Oaks talk about the Sacrament, and all of President Eyring's talks. He is amazing!! I have grown to love him so much. Probably my absolute favorite that answered many questions was the 'Lift Where You Stand' talk by President Uchtdorf. That is all the Lord requires of us.

My companion is still doing very well. He is as forgetful as I am sometimes, and is very unaware. But I remember how that feels. He is opening up more in lessons. That is something I am working on, not talking so much. It must get very boring to our investigators.

Any Funnies? I usually don't remember these, but there are a couple. The one I remember most was absolutely great. We were walking outside on our way to Conference, i think, and Elder Weidmann just turns around suddenly and heads back to the flat. I finally saw him and realized that the color of his suit coat was different from the color of his trousers. That was funny!

V***** and L***** continue to be Stalwart. We need to have some more spiritual lessons with them, becuase they seem to thirst for it. They are still going on to the 25 of October.

K******** could find out this week about his Visa, so we are still praying hard. Other than that he is growing remarkably well.

My favorite scripture of the week. It would have to be D&C 84:88. President Eyring used it in one of his talks.

We have been able to see the Lord's hand in our day many times. The other day during a rainy time, a member had seen us on our way home and hadn't meant to travel that way, but he stopped and helped us out. A mortal angel. Also, with all of the answers I received to my prayers at conference. There is no doubt that He lives!

I love you all. The work here is going well, but Heavenly Father wants it to go better, I feel. Please continue to pray that they world be opened up and with our faith, we can be worthy of miracles.

Thank you again,

Elder Davies

October 1, 2008

2008-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Some new rules, we are only allowed to e-mail family.

Mom asked me a series of questions about me and the mission. I will share my answers with all of you, because I know that although you didn't ask them, you care to hear just as much. Mom's just have that special touch.

My three happies for the week:
1. Our investigators V***** and L**** C******* are amazing. They love the lessons, especially V*****. He was so prepared. He lives all of the commandments and just soaks up what we say to him. They have accepted a baptismal date for the end of October. The members that referred them to us have been absolutely great with fellowshipping them. That is how the work is going to change in England through the members!

2. We have eaten some good food. I am trying some new recipies, and some have not been so good. Anyone have some additional easy recipies to send? I tried homemade macoroni and cheese. Let's just say I could have done better next time. But I did make some mean nachos, fajitas, burritos, pasta, and stirfry!

3. General Conference is coming up! A major bonus. I haven't been able to wait. Everything else seems to be an inconvenience while waiting for the weekend.

Any Sads for the week?
Just regular trials that come with missionary work. Wishing that we could instill our testimonies into people.

New companion?
He is great! He is nice when my cooking is bad and will basically do anything I tell him. Sometimes I joke around, but of course I tell him when I am joking, after a little bit. It is just so funny. He is very humble and kind. He learns very fast and has great spiritual insights. He will continue to grow very well.

Investigators?
We have had the great opportunity to teach many investigators lately, but we still need to keep filling our teaching pool, because we don't want that time where everyone is either dropped or baptized. As you know about V***** and L*****, they have accepted a baptismal date. Yesterday we taught the two heavy commandments, Word or Wisdom and Law of Chastity. The next one is Tithing! They accepted everything and are excited to continue on. I am excited for them to have conference. K******** is just waiting to get his visa, but his english and gospel knowledge is getting very good. J******* is still reading a lot, but we are trying to get her to stop calling and texting us so much. She was just searching for something to fill her life, and we need to let the church do that. Not much info on others.

How am I feeling?

Great. Things that are not going well will get fixed and we will just keep getting better. Nothing much more to say, except that I am gaining a bit of weight and losing my fitness. You thought I ate a lot back home, you don't know anythign yet.

I love all of you. I hope to remember everything next time,

Elder Davies

September 24, 2008

2008-10-06T13:39:00.000-07:00

We are having some great success in Liverpool. The Lord has given us everything that we need to suceed, now we just need to be diligent in hearkening to his counsel. I guess that is how life is. How much do we hearken to the words of the Lord or to his servants? To whom are we hearkening to in the daily events in our life? I love the happiness that comes when we are completely submerged in what is right.

J****** F** has expressed some fears about not being ready for Baptism, but as the spirit works upon her, she will be brought closer to Christ. We are hpiong for October.

Also with K********. his English is getting better, but it is still struggling. He has a great desire to follow Christ, and that we can work with.

We were able to get many investigators at church on Sunday. It was great. We had V***** and L**** come. They also refered us to one of their friends yesterday. I hpoe that we can help others accept the gospel and allow it to coompletely cahnge their life.

Sorry that I am writing so quickly. I only have about a minute, and their is a long line behind me. I am sorry. I love all of you and pray for you daily. Please keep praying for the people of England to open their hearts to the message of the restoration.

Elder Davies

September 18, 208

2008-10-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

News from across the Pond,

Sorry for not writing yesterday, we had transfers. I am now training a new Elder, named Elder Weidmann. He is from Switzerland! His family is the core of the church is Switerland. His dad has just been called to be an area authority and his brothers and uncles are stake presidents. His sisters have served missions also. I am very impressed with how the gospel is just who he is. He has no desires outside of doing what is right. I love training. He is a great missionary. He is quite tall and large, so we shouldn't have anyone messing with us. Also transfer news, Elder Reidhead became the Zone Leader of the Liverpool Zone, so I get to talk to him frequently throughout the week. He is still doing great.

This has been a great week. Last night we had a great lesson with Elder Weidmann's first one. We were teaching Victor and Loren about the Plan of Salvation. We started to talk about the authority that was restored to Joseph Smith. so they asked if we could baptize their daughter. We read Moroni 8 with them and they loved it so much! It also helped them understand the fall and the atonement a lot more too. WE didn't have to bring up baptism after that. Victor said that he would want to. Next time we are going to be talking to them about the baptism and the Holy Ghost and committing them for Baptism. Sweet! What a great family.

K********'s english has been getting very good. he is learning fast and wants to be baptized. There is basically nothing holding him back, excpet just a greater understanding.

J****** has been very needy. We just need to baptize her and let the ward start taking more care of her. She told Elder Morrow before he left that he would have to come back for her baptism, so it looks like she is pretty serious abou it. We will be seeing her tonight, and maybe picking some time out.

N*** has been deemed unaccountable by the District Leader last transfer. However, he is starting to live the commandments and comes to church each week. We might baptize him just to get his name and record into the church so we don't lose track of him and he can have home teachers for years to come.

Brother G******** came to church last week. WE have been working with him. His family is awesome, but we are trying to get him back. He loves the lessons and understands the eternal view of it all. I think that there is great potential there.

We also visited with less-active Chinese family named the H*'s. We told them how it was and that they needed to start coming back so their family could obtain the blessings of the church and of the temple. They seemed positive afterwards, so we hope we didn't lay it on too much.

I can't think of much else to say, and Elder Weidmann is waiting for me. Except that I got to read D&C sections 121-123. Those are amazing. It teaches us a lot about our relationship with God and how to be 'chosen'. Please review that if you have time. I love you all and hope that all is well there. Know that I pray for you all individually and love to hear from you.

Elder Davies

September 10, 2008

2008-10-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Another good week in Liverpool. Transfers happen next week. I imagine that I will be staying here, but getting a new companion. Time sure does fly on the mission! We are very lucky to have the gospel and the knowledge of the plan. What a great knowledge and a beautiful world that God has created! Mom expressed a couple of questions, so I will fill everyone in:

The arabic food we were fed was a rice base. Then we had either spiced chicked with some seperate sauces to put over it, all of which were very very spicy and tasty, or lamb in a basic sauce. All of it was spicy, but so good. African, Arabic, and Asian food all have some very similar characteristics. We live next to the most densely populated Arabic and African places in Liverpool, so needless to say there are plenty of opporunities to sample, though we usually just cook or eat with a member.

I spoke about J*** last week. He has a lot of illnesses that he has to monitor and is told that he shouldn't work. he get a monthly allowance. We thought it was bad in the U.S. with people who basically get paid not to work, but over here it is 10 times worse. However, people like J*** need it. He basically has all free time and spends it with missionaries, family history, in the scriptures, or taking care of basic life stuff. A really cool guy. He has an incredible conversion story. He read the book of Mormon and received his answer in many wonderful ways. He went through some rough patches, but is now active after being a member for over 20 years.

Our investigator from Bhutan is doing well. Right now we are mostly teaching him English. Bhutan is right by India.

3 "Happies" for the week: Exchanges with Elder Aughney, The Leishman Line coming and my family!

Favorite Scripture: 3 Nephi 11:29. Talking about contention. Even with the smallest things, you can feel the spirit leave like . . . that.

I am very grateful to have such a wonderful and supportive family. I love you guys so much. Our investigators are doing well. J******* is very needy and has so many questions. She is going to have to take some steps of faith if we are going to continue teaching her.

Also yesterday we watched Ensign to the Nations with C****. It was incredible. Every time I see it, it just gets better. The work they did all around the world and especially right where I am. What did they do? We have got to do it again. The leaders of the church say it will only happen through the members.

N*** is back and coming to church. We are helping him to live the wow so he might be able to be baptized. he just loves coming to church! Any ideas on how to teach him simply or better. They will not let us take him into primary :)

I am so sorry, but have to be running now. We are being taken to lunch by some members. I promise to write a more comprehensive letter next week.

I love you all,

Elder Davies

September 3, 2008

2008-10-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

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

August 27, 2008

2008-10-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

I hope that this e-mail finds you well and especially our band of Liljenquists. I am so grateful that we have witnessed this miracle. Let us always remember how merciful the Lord has been. What an awe-inspiring story. Please tell Dan that I love him and am so grateful that he has been helped. Please let us also remember those who are feeling very down at this moment. More down than we would feel if the roles had been reversed, because we are so blessed with the knowledge of the gospel. I wrote down many things that I wanted to tell you during this weekly letter, but I left the paper at home. It was mostly about the people we are teaching, as I have not been very descriptive about what has been happening with people or events in this area.

We have been teaching some members where the Dad is not active. They actually met Elder Morrow's parents in Idaho when they went for a wedding a couple of weeks ago. It has been a good experience to watch how the dad changes when we teach. he listens intently and seems to be willing and thirsty for the gospel. He just has to put off his worldly ways and see that it is cool to be a member of the church. Getting out to their house takes a couple of hours round trip on a bus. Needless to say I hope I pass my test next week and have the privelage of using a car sometime soon. We have been visiting with a lot of Recent Converts. One being a man named P****. P**** has more history than this e-mail has memory to send, but he is very ill and could pass away at anytime they say. He has been able to bring a lot of people into the gospel and still helps us out a lot. C**** is his friend, the one we recently baptized. We gave him a blessing yesterday. I love doing that! C***** is also doing well as she has been growing in the chruch. She does very well with the homework that we give her. We found R****, but she hasn't been keeping appointments. That drives me bonkers. P**** is also introducing another friend into the gospel. he is a great member missionary. We have been working with a member family from our ward named the M*****. They are a great family and he just actually delivered his own baby, because it was coming too quick for the ambulance. What an experience. We taught them about receiving answers to prayers and we talked about three main points. Our approach to the prayer, the action following the prayer, and recognizing the answer. Approach, Action, Answer. I thought that was pretty clever. I hope they liked the lesson. Another less-active we have been working with is M***. He knows that he needs to stick to the gospel and loves the prospects of the type of life that comes from being a 'full mormon'. People are funny. It was his birthday and we made him some brownies and watched Mountain of the Lord with him. He has a thick Irish accent, and it sure is fun. I will have to get some pictures.

We have had the opportunity to pick up some new investigators. One named T****, who is a middle-aged women who has already made some friends with the ward. She really loved the Plan of Salvation and we are seeing her again on Friday. We pray that she can exercise the faith to follow the gospel. Another is named K********. He is from Butan. I love people from the East. They are so humble. He loves meeting with us and loves church. He doesn't have too much background and we have been teaching him about Christ and his role. Also, his friend just got baptized in Manchester and that has been a huge help. The work is going very well over here and we try to bring some people back, and some new people in. I am grateful for the bleessings that come from missionary service. I love you all, and pray that we can stick close to the gospel.

Elder Davies

August 20, 2008

2008-10-06T13:06:00.000-07:00

We had the privelage of attending the temple today. We got a ride with two other elders from a family in the ward. The travel took longer than expected, so we are very rushed to get back to work on time. I wanted to send a really good e-mail this week, along with some pictures, but I will have to make sure to get that in next week. A couple things happened that come right to mind.

C***** is not doing well. Last Saturday she dropped the ball on one of the commandments and consequently is not being baptized this Saturday. Actually, we have lost all communication with her, as she is not answering our phone calls. She felt a lot of pressure from the way we live and doesn't think she can live to the lifestyle, but I know that she can. She is just really down right now. I wish she could see five years from now and see the difference that this decision could make in her life.

On a happier note, we found R****, the Recent Convert we have been looking for. She moved back to her old house, and we stopped by. She was surprised to see us. African people are so laid back, she didn't think we were worried about her. Let's just say that it was a relief.

On Sunday, a member from the high council gave a great talk about Family Prayer, Family Scripture Study, and Family Home evening. Back home I hadn't really caught the vision of how important these things were, but now I can see it, and I love it. I feel that I have been so blessed to have those habits in our family since I was little. I know that will have an impact on hundreds of people through future missionaries and posterity. Thank you so much for making those habits. They are eternal.

I love you all. Please pray for the people in Liverpool. We desperately need to share the gospel with them. Sorry this is short!

Elder Jordan L. Davies

August 13, 2008

2008-08-13T10:00:00.000-07:00

This week has been really great. I am sorry that I run out of things to say. I wish I could even remember the things about the place I am, let alone the activities that happen. Everything turns into a gloop when I sit down at the computer, and I wonder what I should share.

Anyway, it has been a great week. C***** is progressing towards baptism on the 23rd. She is so ready and so excited. She paid Tithing at church on Sunday, and then yesterday she had a huge happening in her business that will cause her to be able to work even better. I know that Heavenly Father blesses us when we do what is right. It really helps us be able to contribute more in His kingdom. C**** is doing very well and coming into the church gracefully. I have really enjoyed the studies this week, as I have learned how to better be able to answer people's questions and help myself more.

We are going to go through some tunnels that are in the city now, so I have to get going so they don't leave us. Please help us by praying for us and one of the people we have been working with. Her name is R****. She was baptized a couple of months ago, but has gone missing. We really can't find her and have been searching and calling everywhere.

I want you all to know how much God blesses us when we do what He asks and how much He loves us. Being a missionary is a unique opportunity to see what God can see at times and to pull ourselves into deeper discipleship. Next week, I will make sure to keep a better detailed account of my days so I can share in a more organized manner. I love you all!

Elder Davies

August 6, 2008

2008-08-06T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello from rainy Liverpool. Is everyone sure it is August? Maybe we could let England know somehow. I hope that whoever is praying for rain is really enjoying their answered prayers. Teasing aside, it has been quite humid and rainy, and then at other times quite humid and hot. It can change even faster than the weather in Utah. The clouds move so fast.

Today was transfers, another six weeks come and gone!!! By the end of this next transfer, I will roughly have 12 months left on my mission. Scary!! Elder Morrow and I have stayed in Liverpool together. Not many changes around the mission, and especially within our district. Only Elder Fullerton left, with Elder Wheat coming in. Transfers are a time when we are certain to see God's hand. I know that whatever happens, will always be for my good, if I let it. Heavenly Father wants me to learn things, and I will, if I follow Him. I guess these are things that are common to every situation in life, and I am probably just being prepared for the future. Whatever He wants!

I have been taking some more driving lessons this week, which continue to drain my bank account. I am doing well, but the test centre is so packed, I have to wait for six more weeks. Those are lessons that aren't needed. I think I will just stop taking them, and hopefully get some practice in some way.

We also did some service at the P******'s. They continue to be a great help and support to us, so we were happy to do some service at their home. They were getting updated food storage, which has really been pushed in England lately, along with 72-hour packs. I wonder what is going to happen in the next 6 months? Exciting!!!

Sacrament on Sunday was really great, besides the fact that none of our investigators came. I always love Church and especially Fast Sundays. Living outside of Utah helps us hear some great stories, especially conversion stories, from the pulpit. The gospel has to be a huge part of people's lives here for them to survive in the church. That can be why getting people baptized and committed for life can be difficult. I feel for the people of England.

On monday we were able to have a FHE with some members. Elder Morrow prepared a great Gospel Jeopardy game, and I felt like I was back in the days of Seminary. Good times!

On the Investigator front, things have seemed to slow down. Many people have been unavaliable or out of town. C***** is doing well, just trying to make that transition. She has been off cigarettes, or cigi's as they call them here, for a week. She has a fake one that she has to put to her mouth for the habit, but she is doing it. She will be a great support to the church. She has so much fire and determination. We hope to see her baptized in the next two or three weeks. We taught a former investigator named J**** yesterday. She has been taught for a long time, and was wondering what happened to the Elders. She is very old, and has had a hard time keeping the Word of Wisdom and grasping the gospel subjects. We were hoping to give her a couple of lessons to see if it was her time to start living the commandments. We started to explain why God would ask her to give those things up. Nothing was working. We then tried to give her a bigger perspective of it all. Elder Morrow handed her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet. She started reading, and just completely forgot about us. We watched her for quite a while, and she suddenly got very excited. She could only say 'Wow'. She was so excited. She said that it just made everything fit together for her. We hope that she was grasping it. She loved it and was so grateful and couldn't wait to see us again. We are going to go by on Friday, and we will see what kind of reaction we get.

In our ward is a wonderful family with three kids named the R******'s. The husband is from Ecuador and the wife from Spain. Their kids are adorable, and they have a brand new one, which I want to hold sooooo badly. It reminded me of the new little ones I will see one day.
Spiritual thought is from Ether 12:32-33. Why did Christ suffer and die for us? Why did he humble himself to an Earthly state from a Heavenly Throne? Why did he subject himself and suffer himself to the voice, opinions, and 'powers' of mortal kings and rulers? And allow Himself to be slain for all people, an infinite atonement to satisfy the demands of justice? We learn from Ether the answer. Such that he could prepare a place for us, even a house among the Mansions of the Father. For this he did all of that.

I love you all and rejoice in the reality of the gospel. Thank you for your constant love and support.

Elder Davies

July 30, 2008

2008-08-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful week it has been. Especially full of great studies. Now don't ask me to remember all of them. You should be glad to know that Cheryl is donig very well. She cancelled many things on us this weekend and we were getting a bit worried. But we were at her house yesterday and she was very excited about the Law of Tithing. This is an elect woman. I know it! I just hope she does too.

One of my studies this week was on the History of the church in England. It is very powerful and the miracles that happened in this country to keep the church alive in America are a true testament to God's great work. It played a great role. Now, England seems to be struggling a little bit. We need to progress them faster.

N*** is leaving this Saturday to live with his brother in Australia for a month. His brother is a member, so N*** should be able to live all of the commandments while he is there. We will see if he can keep the things going when he gets back.

We got to go bowling today, and I was working really hard not to try to hard. Everyone knows how competitive I am, so I decided to mess around a bit. It was still a lot of fun!

We have found some new investigators which has been great. We will have to sift through some, but there are some promising ones.

I am very sorry this is so short, but I will leave you with something that I almost forgot about, and something you wish you wouldn't have missed. We had a ward talent show on Saturday. Of course, the Elders had to do something stupid. So the six of us in the ward got together and performed "Thousand Miles" by Vanessa Carlton. You can only imagine!

Elder Davies

July 23, 2008

2008-08-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Great to hear from many of you this week! Thank you for that. I hope this e-mail finds you to be enjoying life and the gospel. I love the words of the brethren and how much effort and time they put into our well being and keeping us on the gospel path. We may not have all of the answers, but we always know exactly where to find them.

We have had another great week in Liverpool. We had a Baptism on Saturday! C**** was baptized by her friend, P****, whom referred her to the missionaries. She has progressed rather quickly and overcome her fears of water. She has a testimony of the gospel, especially Joseph Smith and prayer. Member referrals are the greatest. While on the Recent Convert front, we have been trying to track down the new member that was baptized last transfer. She has been moving and switching phone numbers a lot, so it is hard to keep up with her. We dont think she is doing it to get away from the church, just trying to get into an area she isn't scared of. We have had a lot of help from a ward member here named S******* P*****. She has been fellowshipping with us a lot, and just provides a great anchor for new members and investigators. She really understands her role as a member of the church. I love it.

One of our investigators, named C*****, who she has been working a lot with is progressing very nicely. I think I have told you about her. She is still just trying to give up smoking. She has only smoked once this week, and is all our of cigarettes. She has to quit smoking by today if she wants to keep her baptismal date, which she does. She is so excited to be baptized, and I am amazed at her faith. She has already started to share the gospel with people around her. We really need her to stop smoking today, so please pray for her. That is C***** A*******.

We had a great experince this week with a new investigator. We had a media referral that was from months ago. We called and set up a time, he said to come by between 12 and 2. We got there about 12:30, but no one answered in his flat. Before we had left for the day, we looked at what PMG said to do with Media Referrals. One of the suggestions was to try by on the neighbors and stuff, because maybe that was why we had been led to that area. So, we did it. We rang all of the flats within the building that he lived. None of them answered . . . until the last one. A man came to the door looking very tired and not exactly excited to see us. We asked him if he knew the person we were looking for and he said he had never heard of him. We looked at the post in the flat, and it said a different name. So we started to talk to this man. Come to find out, he works a lot and we had just woken him up. He only has time to sleep during the afternoons. He is home between the hours of 11-3, which makes our scheduled appointment between the hours of 12-2 quite convenient. Heavenly Father even gave us a little bit of room for tardiness. Well, we asked this man if we could share a message with him for 10 minutes. He said that he had no belief in God or Jesus Christ, but that we could come in. We shared the Plan of Salvation with him, and he started to really consider the likelihood of a God. He gave us a return appointment for Sunday, but before we left he saw the Book of Mormon on the back of the Plan of Salvation pamphlet and asked about the Book. We told him a little bit about it, and he expressed an interest in it. We gave him one, and he was very grateful. We hope to have our appointment on Sunday and follow-up with him how everything went. Yay for Preach My Gospel. Sometimes we have fears of relying upon anything besides ourselves. The realm of the unknown. But with something from God, like PMG, it isn't the unknown. We can rely on it. It is there for that, which is great in a world of the unknown!

I am not quite sure what else to tell you. If there is anything specific, let me know, and I can answer questions in later e-mails.

Liverpool is great. There are 2 Marriot hotels here! I thought that was crazy. Also, the city is going through a lot of exciting times this year, because it is the European Capital of Culture for 2008.

I don't know a whole lot, and continue to feel that way the more I learn, but I do know this. God has Prophets on the world today, and His Authority rest with those men. Their purpose is to guide and direct our lives, often times on behalf of God. If anyone has questions, search the scriptures, both ancient and modern, and apply the principles in your life. You will understand and grow in Testimony and Faith. I know this. I love you all and fully appreciate all of the support and love I receive from you.

Thank you,
Elder Davies

July 16, 2008

2008-08-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am doing very good this week. Liverpool has some beautiful sights and I saw one last night. We were heading home on a bus from a place pretty far away, so we were able to have some time to look around. The moon was out and it was huge! The sky had some great color to it and it was wonderful to see it all. It wasn't as noticeable in the city, though. Liverpool has some attractions that our family would love. One of them being the Empire Theatre. I can't remember if I told you last week, but the Wiz is going to play there soon. Right now it is . . . Cabaret. Needless to say, President turned down my petition to attend on P-day! They also have a new Barry Manilow musical coming out called "Can't Smile Without You". Sounds good.

While sitting in lessons this week I noticed something very apparent. Mom should teach in the MTC about an atmosphere in a lesson. Our mother is very, very good at just making everyone feel great. And then her testimony of the gospel would be the clincher. A great Mission President and Mission Mom our Dad and Mum would make. They could even switch roles some days while Mom prepared the lesson and Dad cooked! A great vision!

Zone Conference was wonderful. I know I am going to like the Bullocks. Sister Bullock is just wonderful and reminds me a lot of you, Mom. I can just feel her love for the people around her. They brought a lot of love from the Twelve and the First Presidency, who they spent a lot of time with. The Brethren put a lot of effort into missionary work. And they are very positive about the future of Britain. He was a CEO of three financial companies. Born in Boise and raised in Colorado. Sister Bullock was born in American Fork and grew up in Salt Lake City of course! They both love Gardening and helping out in the community. They have 5 kids(4 boys and 1 girl). Three of their boys have been to the Brazil mission. One of the boys is going on his mission soon at will be at BYU this Fall. Look out for him Tay! Their daughter is 16 and came with them. She seems to have a great attitude about it, but we haven't met her yet. The future of this mission looks very positive!

How blessed we are to have a prophet on the Earth today to lead and guide us through basically any question. And to have such a power in the Book of Mormon. I love it. I am so grateful for the example that all of you are to me of a dedicated and loving Latter-Day Saint.

Sorry that this is a bit shorter. I love you all.

Elder Davies

July 9, 2008

2008-08-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

According to our investigator K*******, congratulations to us beating the Aliens on July 4th. She honestlly didn't know that it was against Britain, but that could be some persuasion from adults around her not wanting to admit that they lost. Who knows? We celebrated it by being invited over the the P*****'s. They are a mother and a daughter who love missionaries and help us out so much. They are so great and rooted in the gospel. There are a lot of people who help us out a lot and I know that God loves and blesses them. Another one of those families is P**** and K*******. P**** was recently re-baptized (long story) and K******* is his neice whom he lives with along with his sister (K********'s mom). K******** is to be baptized soon, but we are still working on softening the mom's heart. They feed us whenever we are over to teach a lesson and they are a great help to us. P**** has a friend named C***** who has been investigating for the last couple of months. I can't remember if I had told you about her yet. We committed her for baptism for July 19th and overviewed the commandments and everything yesterday and everything is a go. We are excited for this and she really is a great lady who has found her faith in Christ again. She is in her 50's and P****'s friend. She loves the gospel and is dedicated to it!

On Sunday we got to have tea at the Ward Mission Leader's home. His name is Brother B***. His family is great. His wife is blind, and he takes such good care of her. He loves the missionary work and is very excited about getting things going. AND he makes some amazing food. Roast Dinner!! Man, that has got to be the first thing we have when I get back! Speaking of, if you come get me, we need to go to Liverpool. It is the coolest city, especially for a family like ours. you can't spend days in it like NYC, but I like the tourist part of it. The people seem to be really nice too.

This weekend we worked with something the Public affairs department of the church has been doing. It is called family history on the road. Elder and Sister Hull go all around the UK and bring a huge database of names with them. We volunteered to help and saw some missionary opportunites out of it. They had a really good turnout in Liverpool and I heard that there were so much opposition, but they really turned to the Lord and he made it all work out. They really did all they could, but Heavenly Father worked things that we couldn't even touch. It was amazing! I love miracles and the faith that people in the church have.

We have a Zone Conference tomorrow and I get to meet the new President for the first time. I really don't know him at all, but the Assistants tell me that he likes to work closely with his missionaries, which President Jacobsen didn't do as much. I am excited to meet him and see how things go. Our Conference is in Chorley, so we get to go up to the temple again, which is always a joy. We are so blessed to have one in our mission!

We just had an amazing lesson with an investigator named C*****. She was being taught by the Elders in Crosby (the area just above ours), but she was moved to us because thier ward is struggling and our ward is great. I have always served in strong wards, except Birkenhead, which wasn't long. Speaking of Birkenhead, when we are on hills, I can see over the mersey to my old grounds. Back to the story . . . She is so amazing! Our ward has latched onto her and she will need it. She came to church and knew this was something she needed to do. She gained a witness in front of my eyes about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. We dated her for the 19th, but Satan has thrown some opposition, so we might have to move her to the 2nd of August. With it being so quick, we needed to teach her the commandments as the second lesson. I was a little hesitant to do so, because we usually teach the foundation first, but she was great. She likes to move quick. She wanted baptism as soon as possible and she is going to commit to live the commandments. She sets her mind to something and does it. She owns her own business at 24 years old and is a very impressive person. She wants to put everything she has into this. She has to give up almost everything on the list of WoW, though not anything too bad. Also, she lives with her boyfriend, which she says in no problem, she doesn't see it going anywhere anyway. We just rattled off commandments and she was WRITING THEM DOWN and the scriptures we used. She knows it will be hard, but man does this woman have faith! A gift of the spirit. When she found that the Restoration is true, I asked her what she thought she should do next now that she knows. I was expecting Baptism or something like that, but she went further. She said "Share it". She also noticed how people in the church can take this for granted. She is so genuine! I hope this all works out for her. Pray for C*****!

I am learning some more things about the Atonement. Many people just think it is to wipe away sins. But church members understand it to mean that we have help though trials, sicknesses, temptations, etc. It is the power behind miracles. I am sure that it goes even deeper, but I have seen another side that I am beginning to understand a little more. It has lifting power. I have always believed in God and Christ and the power of the Atonement to cleanse me and help me through trials, but it is for the times when we are trying to improve also. People can lose faith in themselves sometimes, but still profess to have faith in God and Christ. This cannot be, for if you have faith in Them and what They do, you understand that they have not destined you to fail, and They can lift you up to a new level. It is the power to change. For example as a missionary we feel the power of the atonement, as we try to improve ourselves. It is not of our own power. We put our faith in God and we can suddenly do things we were not able to do, I guess this ties into Ether 12:27. And it is the backbone of the plan. God did not just provide his Son for us to be clean, but for the ultimate goal, for us to be perfect! One can be clean without being perfect. The Atonement helps us eliminate the weight holding us down from protection one little piece at a time, and then we still rely upon the Grace of Christ. Something I learned about the Atonement. I know it is in the scriptures somewhere, but I will have to research that better.

We have been doing service at a place called Habitat for Humanity. We work on building houses for poor people. The work is slow and some volunteers aren't very serious, but it is fun to get into the building business again. Elder Morrow is a hard and fast worker, so we get some good stuff done!

I realize that I haven't told you much about the area, just that it is cool and good. I have trouble wrapping my mind around those things which I notice, but don't really tell you. Our area is huge and six of us serve throughout it, which is unusual. We don't have set areas between the six elders of the ward. So we go into the city a lot, and also take 90 minute bus rides to the outskirts. It sounds like a long time, but would probably only take 15 minutes in a car.

That is probably about it for this week. I have felt the divinity of the work, and grow to love the gospel more and more. I love you all and appreciate your help. Please pray for us.

Elder Davies

July 2, 2008

2008-08-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

It was great to hear from some of you today. It has been a very interesting week getting used to a new companion, a new area, and just getting familiar with everything.

Elder Morrow and I have been finding some unity in our companionship, and are trying our best. It has taken some time to find some sort of progress, but I am seeing it happen. Missionaries all have different outlooks on the work. This area is really great. There is so much potential. The ward is pretty spread out, and we are the ones who get to travel all over the place. We are really working on getting the ward missionary oriented. I have to write another e-mail later. I love you all!

Elder Davies

June 25, 2008

2008-08-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

It is always great to hear how things are doing back home. One big CONGRATS to Dan and the family for the really great job that I am sure was done to get everything set up for the election. What a great opportunity to be a force for good in this world! It sounds like he had a lot of support, which doesn't surprise me, because that is how we do things, right?

We had a really good week. We did give C***** a baptismal date last week for the 12th of July and he was really happy to agree. Throughout the week we noticed that he was definitely ready to have it moved up, so it has been changed to the 5th of July. We are really excited for it! He came with us to eat at President's house last night. It was great to eat there, and the Jacobsens are always very nice. It will be sad to see them go, because they are so great, but we are excited for a new President, who arrives on Tuesday. The ward is having a farewell party for him on Friday and he is speaking in church on Sunday. I would have loved to be there, but unfortunately I have had a change of scenery today. It is going to be really great here, I can tell. And if I want it to be, then it will be, because attitude is seperate from what happens to us. I have a couple of hints for you to where my new home is. I can't seem to say out of the city areas. I keep on moving from one area to another then back and then back again. European City of culture for 2008. Michael Owen plays on the prestigious team in this place. The Beatles started their stint here. Albert Docks. The river Mersey. If no one has guessed yet, then it is hopeless. I am serving in the heart of Liverpool. I have felt pretty good about the ward, the new area, the new investigators. My new companion is Elder Morrow from Idaho. He seems to be a more athletic type guy, and I look forward to a lot of good work with him. This will be a great opportunity for me to grow. This city is crazy. I would say even crazier than Manchester. I am not going to recap my week as much, because I am looking forward to Liverpool, but I had some great friends in Manchester South. C*****, Brother T****, the whole ward. They were great!

The gospel is great, and it can be difficult for people to understand that, when the light of Christ has diminished within so many people, but I have gained a greater appreciation for it. It is the best thing to live by to make us happy. Better than anything. I will certainly come back with a different attitude towards things of the gospel, but I still have a lot to learn and a lot to do while I am here. Please pray for us and keep on pushing on in the gospel. I hope all is going well back home. Sounds like all of the kids are growing up and the adults are staying busy. I love you all. Let me know of anything I can do.

Elder Davies

June 18, 2008

2008-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

It has been another great week at Manchester South. C***** got work off on Sundays now, so he should be baptized in the next two or three weeks!!! Finally! This guy is going to be a great addition to this ward and to the church. He told us last time that he has decided on his own that it would be a good idea to stop drinking caffeine altogether, although his favorite drink was lucozade, a caffeinated sports drink. he also told us that he wants to be in every Saturday night by midnight to keep the Sabbath Day Holy. He really keeps the Spirit of the law. We have had to leave B***** and S**** alone for a while, because they just keep avoiding us. We don't want to force them to listen, so we just have to leave them. That is the way it has been with many people. We just get to the point where we have to find those who are going to keep commitments and have a real desire . . . a patience-requiring process.

I have been trying to send a package out that contains a cd with my first three transfers full of photos, though the last three haven't been captured as well. Also in it are many letters which will end up just being very, very late. But I love you all!

I am taking my driving test today, and it has been raining all day. That will make me drive slower, and then maybe the test will not be full of so many different obstacles. It has drained any money that I have/had, but it will be nice to get that weight off my chest.

We had a really great District Meeting yesterday focused on choosing to be happy, which is something that I am glad was decided on, because I needed it the most. The district is full of great and happy guys, and I was trying to teach them about it. I prepared too much as I usually do, but we had a great time. We did a role play of six different situations we usually find ourselves in every day and showed how we could do it with a positive and happy attitude or with a negative attitude. We laughed really hard, but I forgot to bring my camera to capture it all.

We also made a cake(in honor of Dad's birthday) and wrote each other some cards. My purpose was just to help them have a fun time, and feel the love from the District. We really do have the choice to be happy or not, which is something that mom has been telling us for years, and some of us never seem to understand. I really like two scriptures about the point: 2 Nephi 2:26-27 and D&C 123:17. There were more, like Helaman 5:12. Many times we let our happiness be affected and decided by outside circumstances that change. We cannot do that, because then our level of happiness will change, like basing my happiness off of how many people will listen to me each day. But if we base our happiness on a sure foundation, something that never moves, then we can be consistently happy. That is Christ (Helaman 5:12) and he will lead us across the gulf of misery(or sadness).

We had another week full of really great stuff, but one of the highlights was a new investigator named M****** who said that he felt so good after our meeting last time. That right there makes the effort so worth it. Recognizing the spirit is the most important thing, because WE CANNOT CONVINCE PEOPLE. I am trying to learn that more and more. Only the Spirit will have that influence. I just simply don't have that capability.

I love all of you, and thank you for your prayers and concerns. I hope to have a positive influence on you, like the one you have had on me.

Thank you,
Elder Davies

June 11, 2008

2008-08-06T08:55:00.000-07:00

I hope this goes through. I will not be able to give you a comprehensive feeling for the last few weeks, but I will try my best. First off, I want to say Thank You to all of you and the wonderful example that you provide for me. The mission plays a very important role in my life, and really helps me to set my sights and what I want to become in the future. Second off, I am doing great. Do not worry about me. Physically, I am tired of course, but it is great! Emotionally, I am tired of course, but it is great! Spiritually, I am fed! and want more!! By the way, I guess there are some really great discourses about Joseph Smith given by Truman G. Madsen. I hope to be in a car area soon, considering I should be getting my license a week from now, and they sure would be great!!!

Elder McIntosh and I are getting along great, with the normal bumps and bruises that come with living with someone for 24 hours a day. I hope that I am not too difficult. We all do little things that we don't even mean to do. That work is going along. We are still working with many of the same people, and picking up new doesn't happen often. One of the reasons for that is because we don't have much time to find new people. We really have to get better at time management to increase our ability to find people. We have been meeting with members often, and that is one reason why we don't have much time. We are helping them to do the basics, but I didn't really do the basics before my mission, so I wonder how fruitful it is. We will need to go on to really focus on making them better member missionaries. Missionary work is much more effective through members, but it is hard to enthuse them. We have had some really wonderful experiences with the members in the last couple of weeks. I love watching the spirit enter their life even more, and He will be the only way they will be enthused. C***** is looking to get work off on Sundays, and has something in the works. He says he will put in his notice in a couple of weeks if nothing works out. He has so much potential and I really pray that everything will go the way he wants, because he needs it.

S**** and B***** are friends of Brother T****. They have both been falling off the radar, becuase we were too forward with them. Talking about authority and the only true church. We have been focusing more on Christ whenever we get to see them, but they have kind of pulled away. S**** knows that he needs to do what is right and that would be to follow us, but he realizes that it is up to him. We can't do much more than we have done. He says that if he doesn't have everything figured out by Sunday, that he will do whatever we tell him to do, but we will see about that. B***** is in London now, so we are waiting with her. We picked up this great guy named M******. Him coming into the gospel and staying would be a miracle, but he really understands the Great Apostasy and has somewhat of a desire.

The weather has been very nice lately. But it switches every couple of weeks. A couple of times I have felt sunburnt!!! Yes!!

Happy Fathers Day to Dad and the Grandpas!! We do have the best!
Our new mission president will be here for about 2 weeks and he is great. He has never really held a high calling, but I am sure that he is ready for the fire.
I am trying to get a package off today, but if I do not, please don't hate me.
I love all of you. Obedience is happiness.

Elder Davies

May 28th

2008-05-30T11:49:00.000-07:00

I hope all is well considering I only got a message from one of you, and that is the one with 5 kids under 9. I know that you are all busy, I just hope that you are okay. I thank you all for your prayers and support you have been giving me. I have really focused on feeling those, as I know they have been put forth for me. I don't know how your prayer usually goes, but if you could focus the prayer on the ward, the investigators, and my companion/district I would appreciate it. If all of those go well, then my welfare will be taken care of. It is amazing to be involved in Gods great work. There is no limit to the amount of blessings that God is ready to pour. Every time I have done what is right, I have seen the work and the area flourish. He is exercising his mercy now more than ever before. I wish everyone understood the true nature of God as it is taught in the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

For just that fact, I am eternally grateful for the sacrifice of our Prophet Joseph Smith, and the early saints of the church in this
dispensation. The Book of Mormon is a powerful book that can heal our souls. There truly are men called of God and given His authority present on the Earth today. I love them and support them. This church is a miracle.

S**** is starting to explore the Hindu religion that he has been a part of and never really cared about for 26 years, but he thanks us for setting him of his path. He will continue to listen to us, and just wants to make sure that his religion is not right either. There is so much that is silly in that man's life, but he has his free agency. C***** is on vacation in Tennesee and I hope to see him this weekend.

Getting used to a new companion is having its difficulties, but I was told to focus on the positives. The weather has gone back to the norm for England, and I love you, and dislike limited time on computers.

Elder Davies

May 21st

2008-05-27T08:46:00.002-07:00

This week has been pretty crazy. Our investigator pool has completely vanished. This is a difficult area. We have had many investigators be dropped, and some just disappear. We have been working with a man named S****, who is Brother T****'s friend. He has received a lot of opposition from his Dad, who has forbidden him to see us. He loves his father and is very sad. He has continued to avoid us, although he knows that this is true. I also think that the Word of Wisdom was being very
hard for him. Satan is just so evil with what he does to God's children. C***** is going to his sisters wedding in Tennessee this week, so we have no one to teach. We need to do some hard work, and stop whining about it.

Good news . . . the Elders that just moved into Sale are doing great. They received some investigators from us and have been privelaged to get some new ones. They are going to do very well. That will be very nice for the new missionary. We had an amazing zone conference on Saturday with President Kearon and his wife. He is on the Europe West Area Presidency. They talked a lot about exact obedience and just being more converted missionaries. Both he and his wife were great. I need to review my notes more to see what I am going to do.

Missionaries often feel the need to change everything immediately, because sometimes it feels like nothing is changing. It is important for us to look at what has been asked of us and to make specific goals. I am trying to remember more of my feelings from Zone Conference, but I can't remember much. I just remember that it was great!

The weather hasn't been great lately, but it is supposed to get better this weekend. It will happen!

My new companion is great, but he has been feeling ill this week. I had to stay inside the flat for the first time in my mission for a couple of hours last night. It was very weird, but I did get some extra study in! The transfer so far has been a bit difficult, but mom told me last week that what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. Elder McIntosh has a lot of great ideas to make the work move faster, and hopefully we are going to be able to put it into play.

We have a ward activity this week that we are looking forward to and trying to get many people to. We also have the All-Mission Conference this monday coming up with President Uchtdorf. I know that it is going to be great, and I get to go back to see the Temple. We dont' get to go inside, but I get to see it!

I haven't been able to say much about the glorious birthday package that I received. I love it! The talks and music are especially appreciated. Hopefully I am able to get a package out in the next week or two. There will be a picture cd in there with the pictures of the first couple of transfers. I haven't taken many lately. Also, don't worry about the shoes that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.

I love all of you, keep doing what you know is right and trying to do a little bit more. We will be surprised what Heavenly Father will make of us!

Elder Davies

May 14th

2008-05-27T08:46:00.001-07:00

We had heard about Sister Spjute, but the person I heard it from didn't
know how to pronounce her name, so I didn't even try to make the
connection. That is so incredibly hard. Someone we know. I need to
write
Greg a letter. I thank God for the Plan of Salvation. So many times
we worry about some pretty silly and selfish things.

This week has been pretty crazy. Our investigator pool has completely
vanished. This is a difficult area. We have had many investigators
be
dropped, and some just disappear. We have been working with a man
named Sabin, who is Brother Thapa's friend. He has received a lot of
opposition from his Dad, who has forbidden him to see us. He loves
his
father and is very sad. He has continued to avoid us, although he
knows
that this is true. I also think that the Word of Wisdom was being
very
hard for him. Satan is just so evil with what he does to God's
children. Callem is going to his sisters wedding in Tennessee this
week, so
we have no one to teach. We need to do some hard work, and stop
whining
about it. Good news . . . the Elders that just moved into Sale are
doing great. They received some investigators from us and have been
privelaged to get some new ones. They are going to do very well.
That
will be very nice for the new missionary. We had an amazing zone
conference on Saturday with President Kearon and his wife. He is on
the Europe
West Area Presidency. They talked a lot about exact obedience and
just being more converted missionaries. Both he and his wife were
great.
I need to review my notes more to see what I am going to do.
Missionaries often feel the need to change everything immediately,
because
sometimes it feels like nothing is changing. It is important for us
to
look at what has been asked of us and to make specific goals. I am
trying to remember more of my feelings from Zone Conference, but I
can't
remember much. I just remember that it was great!

The weather hasn't been great lately, but it is supposed to get better
this weekend. It will happen!

My new companion is great, but he has been feeling ill this week. I
had to stay inside the flat for the first time in my mission for a
couple
of hours last night. It was very weird, but I did get some extra
study in! The transfer so far has been a bit difficult, but mom told
me
last week that what doesn't kill me, makes me stronger. Elder
McIntosh
has a lot of great ideas to make the work move faster, and hopefully
we
are going to be able to put it into play.

We have a ward activity this week that we are looking forward to and
trying to get many people to. We also have the All-Mission Conference
this monday coming up with President Uchtdorf. I know that it is
going
to be great, and I get to go back to see the Temple. We dont' get to
go
inside, but I get to see it!

I haven't been able to say much about the glorious birthday package
that I received. I love it! The talks and music are especially
appreciated. Hopefully I am able to get a package out in the next
week or two.
There will be a picture cd in there with the pictures of the first
couple of transfers. I haven't taken many lately. Also, don't worry
about the shoes that I wrote about a couple of weeks ago.

I love all of you, keep doing what you know is right and trying to do a
little bit more. We will be surprised what Heavenly Father will make
of us!

Elder Davies

May 14th

2008-05-14T15:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is so sudden and short. We had some problems with Transfers and now time is running down on us for us to get back to work by six. Elder Mckenna got transferred to Barrow-on-Furness, which is up north. He is now serving with an Italian Elder named Elder Di Ilio. I am in Altrincham still, and Elder McIntosh has come to serve with me. He is from Lindon, Utah and seems to like many of the same things that I enjoy. Transfers are always weird, and I am not even sure why with this one.

We got two more Elders in our district. Elder Pimmentel and a new missionary. So we still have Elder Phillips and Elder Pettersson in Wythenshawe, Elder McIntosh and I in Altrincham, and Elder Pimmentel and Elder (I forgot his name) in Sale. I really want to help this new Elder to feel at home, because I remember how stinking hard it was the first little while, and my District Leader took great care of me. I guess remembering his name would be a start, but I only talked to him for a
couple of seconds. Anyway, I am excited to get to know all of them a lot better. Elder Mckenna is an amazing missionary and will continue to pull off miracles wherever he is at. I am excited to try my hardest and pull up a positive attitude. It really is the most important thing to have.

There are a lot of great scriptures in the Book of Mormon about remembering, but I would like all of you to look at Mosiah 4:11-12. Thank you.

I got an amazing Birthday package, I am still going through it. I am amazed at how much our Mother does for us. She thinks of every little detail and just makes everything the absolutle best. I love her!

We have an all-mission conference in about two weeks. To say the least, i am very excited. Presidend Uchtdorf is an amazing man, obviously.

The phone call was a lot of fun, and it was really good to talk to everyone. I love all of you and hope to write more next week.

Elder Davies

May 7th

2008-05-08T08:45:00.000-07:00

Everything over here is amazing. We go through so many different things and truly the Lord is the only constant. My mind
just feels flooded with information and trying to remember everything. I just want you to know that I am trying my hardest and am so grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed us so much. I would like to say sorry to Megan and Taylor that they have not yet received birthday letters from me. There really is no good excuse for that. Also, I was told today that I don't talk about my experiences enough. I don't really know why it is that I don't. I do have a hard time talking about anything but the missionary experiences. Some of my missionary friends are helping me to experience some of those things.

The area that I am serving in is very wealthy. There are so absolutely huge houses, and they sure do have nice garden areas. It rains so much here, but lately it has been so nice. I have been sweating for the last couple of days. I am not use to this weather. Today, I am wearing a short leave shirt and no jacket. I feel like one of those Brazil missionaries. We have been doing a lot of service outside lately for members and less-actives. I love doing it. I like being outside and getting my body moving. Speaking of getting my body moving, the Assistants are living with us for the next week. I got to go running for the first time in a while this morning. It was joyous!

The District meetings have not been as hard as I thought they would be. I plan for a lot more than I end up needing. Yesterday I went on an exchange with a new missionary as his District Leader. Really weird to be in that sort of position. It was great though. We are all learning how to better share the gospel, but I am really focusing on how to do it in the most effective way, mainly through members. We got a member referral from a man in California. He plays on line games with a lady who lives in our area, and got talking about what happens after death. Anyway, he asked if he could send some people over, and we have started to make some contact. They have 6 kids!! She is very excited to meet us and he is eager to hear about what happens with the referral he gave. We are planning on meeting with them tonight. We have had so many great things happen.

I think I told you about Brother T****, the recent convert from Nepal. He has such a desire to do missionary work, he bore his testimony about it on Sunday. He also brought one of his friends to church, who we have taught twice since. Sabin is the one he brought to church and is from India. He is so loving and humble, and really wants help to do the right thing. We committed him to be baptized once he feels ready, but we also told him that it mostly just takes a desire, which he has. His friend, Brother Thapa is great with him and we just love member referrals! It makes everything so much better. Everything!

Some of this area is just beautiful. The other night we were walking down a path in a wooded area. Elder Empey, I was on exchanges with him, stopped and started twidling his fingers in the air. I guess he was calling bats, because bats started to swoop close to him, and then fly away once they realize he was not a bug flapping his wings. We did that for about 5 minutes while bats would dive back and forth. It was pretty awesome. I just love experiences like that on the mission. We have
been working with less active woman named M*********. She joined that went to the JW's and is hopefully starting to come back. She is accepting the lessons again, and she feels like an investigator. She is a really lovely lady. I really enjoy making these great relationships with people.

My driving lessons have been going very good. I am starting to pick up on the clutch, and it is very nice. I have six weeks till my test, because it takes that long once you book the test.

I love all of you. Everything here is great.

Elder Davies

April 30th

2008-04-30T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hello family. It sure has been a crazy week. I don't think I will ever realize how amazing this is. It definitely has its good times and bad times, but whatever it is I feel safe and confident. The only times I am ever upset is when I don't do something I needed to. I can deal with rejection when I do my best.

England has really brightened up this week, and it has felt great. Who knows how long it will last, but I seem to be blessed abundantly all of the time. It sure is nice to have an amazing family! The learning curve is pretty quick, and Elder Mckenna is so good at picking it up. I think he will train next transfer. We are getting 16 new missionaries this upcoming transfer, so I hope President Jacobsen doesn't have any funny ideas. Whatever he wants me to do, I guess. I think he feels like he has overwhelemed me, so I could see myself being Junior companion to a great missionary next transfer. Whatever it is, let's do the best we can.

I have started to love the English people, especially some members of our ward. There are some amazing, dedicated people in this ward. One of them being the Brogans. I don't know if I have told you about the Brogans, but I think we have seen them every single day for the last week. We use their home and also us Brother Brogan a lot. He is a great missionary, and since he got a car again, he has had plenty of time to hone his skills. I think Sister Brogan wants him back a bit, so we are trying to give him a break, maybe.

I wish I could share and remember everything that has happened. There are little things inside everyday. And not just in a missionaries life. You can see God in your day every single day. I promise you. Something I taught in my District meeting this week (first one) was about the Atonement. There is a great talk, and book, by Stephan A. Robinson called 'Believing Christ'. It has helped me understand the Atonement better. Something I love about the Atonement is that it allows me to have the Spirit. I don't have any of the huge greivous sins that we think about when we think about applying the atonement to our lives, but I do sin. We all do. And God cannot dwell in unholy places. The atonement cleanses us, no matter how big or small our sins, to allow us to have the Spirit, which is so critical in everything we do (read PMG chapter 4). It also allows to just to lay everything, whether it is sin or not, at the Saviors feet. He did not just suffer for our sins, but for our infirmities and trials AND TEMPTATIONS. I love that too. We are not alone in ANYTHING that we go through.

I begin to understand Alma 7:11-13 even more each time I read it. I love the scriptures and the knowledge we get from them. Imagine if we didn't have them! We would be so lost! Everything would be so confusing! Please read 1 Nephi 13 and look at all of the amazing prophecies. I gave a pretty long talk on Sunday about the Book of Mormon. It was great. I love the Book of Mormon. I also love you all, sorry to end so abruptly, but my time is counting down on me. Tra,

Elder Davies

April 23rd

2008-04-23T15:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry my e-mail did not go through last week. I did write it, but it wasn't that great so oh well. Sorry that this week i am pressed also. I just want you all know first that I love you. We are so blessed to have the gospel rooted in our lives. It is the guidance for everything. We need not fear. This has been a pretty amazing week. We have had an amazing zone conference, and President Jacobsen told us that we were having a visit on May 25th from President Uchtdorf. I am really excited to meet him (well, probably just to shake his hand). We had a great zone conference that just talked about taking it to the next level. We really have to and we really can. It is what the whole church needs. We just all need to take ourselves to a new level. That was talked about at conference a lot. And if you ever want to know how. Read the Conference talks. They really will guide us and direct us in what we need. A lot of other things happen, but to ensure that I get this e-mail off, I am going to try to send it real quck. I am praying for you. I love you. The work is going along, and I am doing my best and staying up with it! Pray for yourselves to have missionary opportunities! God is wonderful and wants to help us. So does his legion of Angels.

Elder Davies

Editor's Note: What Jordan did NOT mention here is that he was called to be a district leader. We know he will work hard and do a great job fulfilling that calling.

From Wednesday April 9

2008-04-23T15:30:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful week it has been. Conference was absolutely amazing, and we are just seeing blessings being poured down from Heaven. The Lord wants what is best for all of His Children and we are lucky to receive the guidance through the Spirit for how we can follow His will. It truly will make us very happy. Today was transfers and nothing happened gratefully. I get to stay again!

I learned how to start driving this week. We go out for about an hour with a driving instructor, and have to pay quite a bit, especially when we double it to get it into pounds. I drove manual for the first time, and it did take me a while to get used to it, but I eventually got the hang of it, and I will be able to whiz through these lessons, hopefully.

I received the Leishman Line this week. I love the Leishman Line! Our family is so amazing, and we are receiving so many blessings. I have really come to know this time after time, after seeing what so many people struggle through. I never cease to be amazed while reading the Leishman Line.

We have been focusing teaching members some basic lessons that have been put across by the Bishopric. Our Bishop is quite young, but he is amazing. he is always thinking of missionary work, and these lessons are going to set up this ward to do missionary work for such a long time. It starts with daily scripture study. This will be a Liahona for our whole lives. It must happen daily. The area presidency has challenged each member to bring a soul into the gospel. That means the membership in this whole area would double this year. I know that it can happen, because we can feel it and it came for the area presidency. Satan cannot stop it from happening, only we can. It is true. We wouldn't be asked if it wasn't possible. The work must press forward, and England is lacking a bit lately. Why can't it happen? Is not this the most important work ever? I feel blessed to watch it happen, and it will be something I will always remember.

This week, Elder Mckenna and I found a member that had moved into our area about a month ago. His records had been sent up here from London, but we had never been able to get to him. I wasn't expecting much, but this man is amazing. His name is Brother T****, and he is from Nepal. He is about 28 years old. He moved over here from Nepal and was Hindu. He converted to Christianity a couple of years later, but was being delayed being baptized into the Catholic church. One day sister
missionaries found him, and he progressed quickly. He loves the gospel so much, especially the Prophet Joseph. It means everything to him in his life. We are so excited to have found him. He also loves missionaries, and owns a really great Nepalese resturaunt that he fed us in on Monday. Wow, have we been pampered by members the last couple of days. He
is so excited to go to the temple and to share the gospel with his friends. I cannot even begin to explain how pure and great this guy is.

We have had many great lessons with C***** these last couple of weeks. By his request, we have been teaching ALL of the commandments. He just wants to live the right way. He has taken everything and even stood up to his friends numerous times about his belief. He should be baptized in the end of April, and hasn't only because he had to fight to get work off on Sunday. WE are pretty sure everything is going well, and we are free to date him later this week. Awesome! What a blessing! We
also had a former investigator tell us on the bus a couple of hours ago that she is coming to church this weekend. We had talked to her before, and she had been very funny about it. Suddenly, she just tells us that she is coming this weekend. Awesome!

Sorry, I have very little time. I just want you all to know that I love you. WE are so blessed, I cannot even believe it. Study Conference. I wish I had time to talk about it, but let the Spirit teach you. I love you all,

Elder DAvies

2008-04-02T09:56:00.001-07:00

It is good to hear that everything is going well and that people continue to push along with a heart full of song. My mind is trying to remember the last week, so stick with me for a second. I am also sending some pictures.

This area has been trying this week. We are usually able to get some contacts, but I am not sure about what is in the water here. It is like happiness is drained out of everyone. We had some investigators drop us, but it gives a chance to find those that are really interested. A lot of time is spent just trying to give everyone who we have talked to a chance, or maybe we are just pestering them. But it is important to find out. We have some great members of this ward. I was sent to the zion of English wards I am sure. Our bishop gave us Krispy Kreme donuts the other day while we were teaching our soon-to-be-dated-for-baptism investigator. He and his wife has been to Provo, so it was fun to talk to them. An Elder Whiting just became our Zone leader because they have been moving some stuff about. He is from Vegas also. Actually he is the Ralphs neighbor and knows them very well. Pretty crazy! Someone will have to tell the Ralphs that I know an Elder Whiting.

This week we also tried to teach a less-active member named J***-***. He speaks french, so it was to little success. His wife, who speaks English, is coming over so that will help. This is quite a short e-mail, so i am sorry. I know that this church is true, absolutely. There is so much evidence, but the best evidence is the witness of the Holy Ghost that I feel. I love you all and I hope that conference is amazing for you, because it can be.

Elder Davies

Elder Davies and comp:

Elder Davies' flat:

From 3/26/08

2008-04-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

This area has been hit hard with a lot of interesting missionaries, so Elder Mckenna and I have just had to try to build from ground up. However, we have been blessed. A lot of people express interest and then draw it away, so we could have had it built even more, but we are teaching some great people. Well, mainly just one really good person, and some others that are just as great, but not as gospelly minded. This persons name is Callem, and he is going into it will full purpose of heart. He is going to be baptized in April, we hope. He just wants to be completely ready to make it his whole life, which we love. He is doing his homework and picking up on everything very well. It has been a blessing, because it has been a while since this area has seen a baptism.

We had a man who was a recovering alchoholic drop us because the man who was helping him overcome alchohol told him to stay away from us. We are also teaching a Irish Catholic named Theresa. She belives the Book of Mormon is true, but we are trying to help her understand what that statement entitles. I hope to send you all some pictures soon. I am not getting too fat, mainly because I finally found a companion who will run with me, though we are killing ourselves. I just wanted to leave you with something:

I have been trying to thoroughly read through this month's Ensign all about the Savior. Contained within are many beautiful testimonies of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I hope that everyone gets to read it. I don't remember everything from it, but I desire to share some of my favourite parts from it. Through out the whole magazine there are many different personal testimonies and experiences that people around the world have shared concerning Jesus Christ. I love the see the difference
that He is able to make in the lives of people around the world, not just my life. I know what the Savior has done for me, and it is so much. I can't imagine anyone being able to pull that load, but then I realize that it is that times eternity. His sacrifice is eternal. I know that sounds impossible and quite bold, but I have felt it in my life, and there is no other way to understand than to allow Him into our lives. I promise that as we read the words about the Savior in the scriptures and from the modern-day scripture that we were gain a stronger testimony of Him, and better understand His role in our life. I know that the Spirit will testify of the truth to everyone who desires. It doesn't matter where they may live, how old they may be, or whether they
are a member of the church or not, His sacrifice is for all who come unto Him with full purpose of heart. We will begin to see our view of others and of the world lifted to a new level, and our hope for a better place in the world to come become a reality. President Hinckley gives a beautiful testimony of Him on page seven of the Ensign, under the heading ˜The Focus of Our Faith". Over and over again, the prophets have declared our worship of Christ and our love for Him. I am grateful for men of God on the earth today that speak with God and declare the divinity of His Son, Jesus Christ. I am moved when I think of how
selfless and humble the Savior is. When He had divine power given from on high and struggled through more than any man before, while suffering more temptation in the like manner, He offered Himself as a sacrifice for all mankind. It was His purpose, but it was voluntary. Not just a plan enacted by the Father and thrust upon any soul to save the rest of His Children. But it was willingly offered by His Only Begotten Son. A performance of that manner could only be performed by Christ because of His matchless love and character (for a better and more eloquently stated source of this topic, please read "The Character of Christ" by David A. Bednar). President Packer helps us envision this sacrifice on pg. 15 of the Ensign under "Atonement of Jesus Christ".

I would like to close with my testimony that I love the Savior. He makes it possible for me to gain true happiness in this life and, more importantly, makes it possible for me to take with me to the next life my most precious gifts on Earth. That is my family. I love my family. Please read and study the Ensign. It is inspiring and uplifting. How great it is to have those men that know so much, and have given so much, on the earth to guide us as they are guided by the Holy Ghost. Another thing has also helped me grow in appreciation for the Atonement, and that would be a talk written by Melvin J. Ballard titled, "The
Sacramental Covenant". Another great read. I know that Jesus Christ has made it possible for us to stand before our Father in Heaven again and to cleanse ourselves before Him. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A Big Surprise!

2008-03-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

The last couple of days have been absolutely crazy. We had an all-mission conference that Elder Scott was supposed to speak at, but he wasn't able to come because he got sick. So President Kenneth Johnson, our area president, came. He is an inspiring man. If that we all, then we would be alright, but President Jacobsen called me up on Monday and asked me if I could do
something for him. He asked me to bring my luggage with me to the all-mission conference. I thought he had found out about all of the dodgy things i had done ;) but he told me that I was moving . . . again!

After about two weeks in Birkenhead, I am now back in Manchester. This ward is just south of Stretford. It is appropriately named the Manchester South Ward. Elder Taylor is staying in Birkenhead and Elder Key is going to serve with him. I am taking Elder Key's spot in Man. South with Elder Mckenna, who has been out for two weeks. So after whitewashing into Birkenhead, I basically whitewashed into Man. South, but this time while training. However, Elder Mckenna does not need to be trained. He is training me. He is a great, enthusiastic, obedient missionary and I am excited to learn a lot from him. I feel a bit all over the place during the last couple of weeks, so give me a couple of weeks before I start to make sense again. I hope that I can fulfill the responsibilities that President has entrusted me with, and I look forward to the learning that comes from it all.

In the Manchester south ward we have the Assistants serving in the ward, two other missionaries(one who could easily be an assistant), and also the Mission President and his lovely Wife go to this ward also. Elder Mckenna sure is being trained by more missionaries than one. He is going to be able to learn a lot of great things that will allow him to go out and spread his influence, now I am just trying not to counter all of that positive influence! Things are starting to pick up again in this area.

I would tell you more about Birkenhead, but I didn't have much in the first place. Except that we taught a deaf and dumb
lady and her son the last night I was there. I love watching a member of the ward explain the gospel through sign language. I loved watching as her understanding became a little bit better. I do not know what is going to happen there, but maybe I can stick around Manchester South long enough to have an impact. I thank God for the knowledge that we all have and the comfort it brings into our lives. No other way could 19 year old boys come out and do this if it wasn't true.

We have a great opportunity coming up in General Conference. We will be having a Solemn assembly, and I am sure that Mom will be able to explain that much better than I could. I know that the spirit will be strong, so I encourage you to ask Mom about it, and prepare yourselves for it. Also do this for General Conference. Meditate over your needs and concerns in life. Write them down. Pray about them and pray for the spirit to give you revelation during conference concerning them. I know that our answers will come as the universal language is spoken by these amazing men.

I love all of you and appreciate your prayers. Thank you,

Elder Davies

March 5, 2007

2008-03-12T21:58:00.000-07:00

I am sorry that I do not have loads of time. We had a zone activity today and it went pretty long. We are rushing to get to an appointment with a Less-Active member. That is one of our focuses of this transfer. That and finding a family. We and the Ward Mission Leader decided that if we brought a new and excited family into sacrament meeting, the ward would completely turn around. It would solve a lot of families. So right now we are searching for that family, whether it be through referrals or
tracting. This ward is a bit small, so we are also focusing on some less active members of the ward, especially priesthood members.

Birkenhead is medium big. It is much like a suburb of Liverpool, but more self-sufficient. Out in the outskirts of our area, we get some big houses and more fields. I am excited to spend some time out there.

The ward is small and has had some hard things happen over the past years. I guess some good missionaries have served here, but we are just trying to do the best we can to strengthen the ward and help make it grow. The Church in England seems to be struggling a bit at the moment. They are going to combine four ward into two in our area, so it is more than likely that our ward size will double, and we will get two more missionaries in here. That certainly will help the 10% of the members doing 90% of the work.

There is a city center to talk to people, but it is pretty tight and closes down early. We will be doing more tracting this transfer,
unless the Lord knows someone will be in the city centre and we need to talk to them. It has been interesting bringing an area out of the dust a bit, but we have the support of everyone, and Heavenly Father certainly is on our side.

Our miracle is about a less-active lady. Her name is S***** and she fed us, but that is not the miracle. Earlier that day she saw
a man asking for some change. She didn't have any, but she went back to her car to get some. Afterwards she felt good about it and thought that she would be blessed for it. Later that night, not two blocks away from where she lives, we gave her a call and boy was she excited to talk to us. She considers it her little miracle, so will I.

Elder Davies

Transfer to Birkenhead

2008-02-28T09:00:00.001-08:00

First email:

I just have to send a quick one saying that I am moving to Birkenhead. I really had no idea I would be going there. I saw myself seeing a lot of things through here, but here I go. I will tell you more about it hopefully later today, and definitely next week. My new companion will be Elder Riedhead's old companion, Elder Taylor. He came out with me. He is a great
guy. Once again, I hope to be able to e-mail again later today, but I just wanted to send you a quick one saying I was transferring. I really can't believe it! Birkenhead is just across the Mersey from Liverpool. I love you all and hope to write to you later today!

From the second email:

Well, I made it to Birkenhead. I don't think that I told you exactly where it is, but it is right across the Mersey from Liverpool. However, we are not even in the Liverpool stake. We are in the Chester stake and close to the border of Wales. We are on a Peninsula with the sea on our West, and Rivers on our South and North. It is still pretty Urban, fitting as many people into as small an area as possible. Elder Taylor and I are getting use to the ward and the area, and just trying to receive the revelation we need to understand what we are here to do. Right now it is looking to strengthen the ward and prepare the area. Not
every area is a baptizing area, but we will do that if God wants us to. It can be daunting, but I know that we are not ever called to fail, and that we will be given everything we need to do the job at hand. I have faith in the Lord and in my mission president to receive the proper revealation for this mission. That shows how much his ability to receive that revealation has an affect on those he is over. It is the same with us. We may have been called here for a reason, but if we don't live in a way to receive that revelation, we will affect the reason we were called here, and affect the people we will called here for. I love all of you and your uplifting stories. Please teach me how to have fun! And teach me how to be taught.

Elder Davies

Evaluating Investigator Progression

2008-02-20T08:06:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your love and support. I know this work is very important, and that I am receiving many prayers a day. Thank you.

I have learned some great lessons from this past week, and continuing to try to learn the ones that are still in progress, I guess that is what life is all about. I am having some thoughts come back to me, so just bear with me.

There is a difference between having a testimony and being converted. Being converted takes years of sacrifice and evidence of faith. Many of us go through that stage at different times, but we can all tell when we are converted. Also, there is no plateau and no top in this life. It is just different levels of conversion, and we increase in our conversion each time we read or feel the spirit, or act upon faith and see the fruits of our faith. The older people reading this can attest that you can never reach the pinnacle in this life, it just won't happen. Just different levels of conversion. I read some quotes about that, but can really remember what they say, just know that most of that didn't come from my brain.

We have also been focusing on faith this transfer, and I think it was inspired, because I am learning the true meaning of faith. There are so many things that can grab our attention or cause us to lose focus, and it can happen at many different times in a day. But as we step forward with faith, doing those things we know we should by the spirit, I have seen that all things work out for our good. It is definitely not easy, but it will strengthen your faith. God is just trying to mold us to the level that he knows we can attain.

Another thing from this week is the principle of love. If we can truly develop charity (like Mom), the outlook on this life will be so full. We do not shrink, but we are confindent, enthusiastic, and faithful in what the Lord thinks of us. I have felt your love this week with all of the cards, and I thank you for that. They are so great! I have tried to really love people. To desire their salvation, and not get too frustrated when they openly deny it. Loving people doesn't just mean that I sit there on their couch and say that everything will be okay, and it is fine that they didn't read this week or anything. If we truly love someone, we should look at what the Lord did. He was always uplifting and building and sharing. The best gift we can give is 'living water' (John 4, I think). I love all of you.

On a similar note, we have been going through our investigators really seriously and trying to focus and get through those that are and aren't interested. It has been tough, and I was pretty forward with a man last night. But we must love those that are waiting for us. A cool experience about that: The zone leaders started to do that with the faith that the increased finding they were about to have would yield results. They met a couple named M****** and S*****. Long story made short, they got baptized on Saturday, and they bore their testimonies afterwards. Words cannot describe they spirit that was present in that room. M****** is a head teacher of a school in South Afirca, but came up to get some more degrees, he is so smart. But he is so humble, and has seen how the gospel has changed his life. He is going to baptize ALL of South Afirca. He wants so desperately to share this with everyone he knows. We are soon to have a BYU-Afirca. He is very smart, hard working, and carries an amazing spirit with him. I am excited for what happens. We have been doing that a lot, baptizing people who are going back to their native country. C****** will go back to Malaysia and make big splashes in the church there too. AWESOME! Excuse my American.

Here are some answers to Mom's questions:

1. About our investigators. This has a little bit to do about something Mom said earlier about how it is hard to drop people and see people dropped, but there are many out there who are ready to receive the word, and who knows what kind of seed we planted in the 'dropped' investigator. I don't really like saying 'dropped', because they are still on the Lord's list of investigators. However, the only way I feel comfortable putting them off our list completely is if we teach with the spirit. If we do not, it is our fault that they are not progressing. We must give them a reason to change, and then ask them to - 'Declare
Repentance'. If that happens, we must have enough love for the person waiting for us to drop the current person. This is another example of the importance of the spirit in the work. He can tell us when to drop and then where to go to find that person waiting for us. It is the single most important aspect in the work, which makes the rules are that more important. What all that has to do with my current investigators is that we are focusing more time on less people. We do not just drop others without teaching them, but with those that are progressing we try to meet with often and then there are the others that we meet with maybe once a week. I still feel like a have a lot to learn about teaching and finding and all that, but I can only rely on the Lord that what I am offering right now is good enough. So we are focusing on:

D***** and T****: I went on exchanges with Elder Somerville, my new zone leader, on Monday and it was great. I love exchanges, because I learn a lot, and my confidence waxes strong in the message and my abilities. Those leaders who can do that are great men. However, I don't want to have to rely on them for that. I want to be that type of missionary that can uplift those around me. Anyway, about D***** and T****. Elder Somerville was very foward with them, which they didn't like all
that much, or so they say. However, I saw a big change in them. They are very excited about church on Sunday, and I can see a baptism in the next few weeks! They want to get more involved and we just glowing after our lesson yesterday

K***: We got in touch with her again!! It was so great, and the lesson was really good too. She has some crazy notions in her head, but we have decided to teach things that will uplift, rather than to try and convince her against her negative notions. It is just nice to get back in contact. How we did it was cool too. A couple of months ago, I had left my scarf and gloves at her house, and her sister had taken them. Well, they finally came back, and we 'had to drop by' to pick them up. Luckily, we brought the bishop with us. I don't think that God had me leave my gloves there because he knew what would happen, but I am grateful that He made something out of my silly mistakes to make it possible for this wonderful lady to come closer to the church.

There are so many cool things happening, and the trick for me is to just focus on those. It makes everything seem so much more fruitful. I will give more updates on other investigators once things really start to pick up with them, and once I can remember better.

Scripture of the week: I left my scriptures at the flat, but I think it was D&C 88:118. Look it up, I hope it was good.

My miracle was K***.

I love you all, and I appreciate your prayers. I don't really know what I just wrote, so I pray that it is good.

Elder Davies

Press Forward

2008-02-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is so short, but my mind has really been occupied on the work. Just trying to be really effective, and trying to know what the investigators need, and also taking everything at face value. We have been blessed to grow from some trying experiences last week. My testimony that all will work out for your good when you are with the Lord has been strengthened. I absolutely love the words of the Prophets. They are such inspired and loving men. They just want to warn us and teach us. I love their boldness and Elder Hill and I are going to start work on the aspect of our work. We will teach truth, but there has to be no doubt about how important and serious we are about the work, all while having a good time of course. This has to become and treasure and a large part of someone's life. We aren't like other churches, where the church fits your life style. We overcome the natural man to find true happiness. If you trust that God wants the best for you, you can get over that. We have seen people be able to do that. God will not give any of his children any trials that they cannot handle, or are not common to man.

Sorry, I have been all over the place. Back to our week. We have been having some of our strongest investigators start to drop appointments and stuff. K*** dropped us completely. She called all freaked out about the Book of Mormon and said that she doesn't want us to be in contact with her and she would when she is ready. I have no idea, but the work must go on. The continual overhaul of investigators makes it more of a challenge not to look at each person as just another investigator.
Each one has their own potential and their own special difficulties. The Lord really blesses us to love and understand these people. On Saturday, we were blessed to be able to see President Hinckleys funeral. It was absolutely great. We have such a firm foundation and God is so wise in the way He works. I wonder how much we all appreciate the fact that we have a PROPHET on the earth. I started to share that with more enthusiasm and the results have been great. Yesterday, we got let
into a house. They are Christian and believe that many churches are true and asked a lot of questions. We are going back better prepared, but are very excited to be able to teach them again. We were blessed like crazy on Sunday to get a hold of many former investigators who are very promising. And then Monday we ran into M**, the girl that showed up from X***'s hometown one Sunday. We hadn't had contact with her since we last talked to X***. So we see her on the bus on Monday night on the way to FHE. We had also stopped by X***'s house for the first time previously that day with no answer. Catch this, while we were talking to M** about the situation with X***, we get a phone call. Who from . . . . X***!! It was wild! I was so excited! The very same day, and basically the same time. Mysterious are the ways of the Lord. We don't really know what is going to happen from here, but we live each day at a time trying to do the best we can. Also, yesterday we had a man
walk up to us and just give us his number. I asked him who he was, and his name is S******. I was flabbergasted. On Sunday I was going through the area book and saw S******'s teaching record. We decided to give him a call, but we were not able to set up anything with him. So on Tuesday, he just happens to be taking the same bus we do. Coincidence? I think not!!

Well, we certainly are being blessed and just trying to do the most with the blessing we are receiving. It is the Lord's work so we are trying hard to do it the Lord's way. It sure is a lot more fun and exciting doing it His way. Press Forward with a steadfast faith and perfect brightness of hope. It is funny how the scriptures make so much sense!

I love you all,

Elder Davies

President Hinckley AND a Baptism

2008-01-30T06:54:00.000-08:00

Friends and Family,

I would like to start by thanking the Lord for His wisdom in the foundation of our church. We have the 14 most capable men in the world all looking towards the Lord guiding our church. I know that whoever is the next prophet will be the man who is needed to progress the Kingdom and the Work even farther. My testimony is firm and solid, now let's just tell others! When Elder Hill and I found out (about President Hinckley's death) we had a lot of great discussions. My first thought was of how happy he was. This man loved the work and his wife, and now he can watch over and be with both. His welcoming in Paradise certainly was sweet, but brief, because they have people to teach! Elder Hill and I shared a lot of feelings and stories about the prophet. We sobbed together, we laughed, we wrote our thoughts and our feelings. It will be a day we will not forget.

Things in Stretford are ready to go Boom! The only reason they wouldn't would be because of our weaknesses. The whole world is ready to do so. As we thrust in our sickle with more heart, might, mind, and strength we will start to see God work through us more. There is no reason why miracles of scripture magnitude cannot happen in these days. The world is being prepared! I know that without any doubt!

We had a wonderful baptism on Saturday with C******. He is doing so well and is excited to start coming out teaching with us. We found a man who will be a beacon of strength for those around him wherever he goes. He has been praying and consulting' the scriputres a lot since his baptism. What a great guy! We got two investigators there, and our most promising one was T****. She is getting so close and we most likely be baptized in February. I wish she just had a car. That hold a lot
of people back, which is too bad, because some people walk for hours to church. SACRIFICE BRINGS FORTH THE BLESSINGS OF HEAVEN. We have been focusing our lessons more upon the Savior and bringing everything back to Him. Even with people who already have a Christian background. It is the most sure foundation for our investigators. We are realizing more and more how weak we are. We rely upon the Lord so much, and it will only happen through Him.

We still have no contact with X***, but we have been looking into different avenues of getting in contact with her. We also have J*** and R***, who have been coming along well. They would either have to get married, or move apart til they do, before they are baptized, but we have one of them convinced of this. There are other people out there. The trick is sifting through all of those scary ones. I love learning what I am and I appreciate your prayers. Sorry this is a little short. I love you all!

Elder Davies

Elder Hill, Miracle of the Week and Some Scriptural Thoughts

2008-01-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Things this week have been great. I love serving with Elder Hill. He is a really great guy who is so incredibly easy to get along with. I just wanted to say Thank You for your support. I would love to say words of wisdom for all of you, but I just have loads of stuff running around in my head. We have been working really hard to get everything organized so we can just continue to oil a high-powered machine. We are excited about the progression of our investigators. We have a baptism this Saturday with a Golden Investigator named C******. He is universtity student over here from Malaysia. We are trying to get our investigators there so show them how great it is. We also had the opportunity to be in a threesome for about 24 hours. Elder Brewster came over from the area next to us to spend some time while his companion is in the hospital with appendicitis. He left the next day though to be with the other Elders in his area. It was nice to have an older, British companion for a while, just because the accent is awesome, well at least his is.

Stretford is becoming such a blessed area, and we are working to get the most out of it. We depend so much upon the Lord though, because there is no way this work would happen any other way. It is amazing everything that must go on to accomplish the work.

Miracle of the Week:

We had a lesson with an investigator named K** yesterday. She really like her achohol and enjoy smoking too. We have of course talked to her about how those things are bad, but this time we decided to say why. Why we have commandments and why we stay away from things like that. We went through the Plan of Salvation and talked about what we are here for, and the Plan that God has for us. She is slowly becoming closer to the idea. This time she said, well what if I just drink every once
in a while . . . so that is better. We have had a lot of people being able to commit to those things, so the desire is there.

Another miracle happened on Monday in the town centre. I saw this lady and was a little scared to talk to her. At first, I just ignored the prompting, but then I turned a 180 and just went for it. To my dismay, she had been stopped by a charity person, but I patiently waited my turn. I stopped her and she just unloaded her life on me. At the end she said such a sincere thanks for being able to share that with someone. She has had some trials in her life, but she is so ready for something the is better
and will help. We got all of her information and are anxiously awaiting our lesson with her. Follow that prompting Elder Davies!

Mosiah 23:21 speaks about how the Lord sees fit to chasten his people. That makes sense to me, but others might see that as cruel. Helaman 12:3 gives us the answer. So that we will remember Him. Men have the habit of being prideful and giving themselves the glory(sounds a bit like Satan), so God must helps us remember, because we cannot do so ourselves. It really is a mercy in the end. He wants us to turn to Him with our faith and just experiment upon the word. Our witness will come after the trial of our faith. Ether 12:6. The trial is to lift our ability up to the task. God sends us these to help our progression. Our trial will never be brought down to our ability, but God will lift our ability to equal the trial. I talked to a man on the bus one day, and he said that he had a really religious friend who had lost his faith because of what had happened in his life. He decided that having faith did him no good, but he never exercised that faith. It can be really tiring, isn't exercise always tiring?
However, that doubt is from the devil. 2 Timothy 1:7-8. We shall not fear when we have the God with us. That involves getting the Spirit. So now we know what to do, now how do we do it? When Nephi was in a similar position, he talked about who his strength was and where it had come from. He received this because he would pray mightily. 2 Nephi 4:24. So one is to pray. Pray for strength, pray for the spirit. Number two is to hold strong to the word of God. Helaman 3:29 explains what we can do with the word of God. It will lead us through a STRAIT AND NARROW path ACROSS, not around. Alma had a situation that sums the whole concept up. It is contained in Alma 8. He has loads of success in Melek (v.1-6). On his spiritual high he is told to go to Ammonihah, and things don't turn out so well (v.7-13). In the middle of those verses (v.10) he prays that things will go better, but when he goes back(v.11-13). Things don't go any better. What must have been going through Alma's mind? 'God, I wrestled with you in mighty prayer! Now where is my answer?' He had to exercise his faith. He got his answer when an angel appeared unto him and told him to rejoice. REJOICE? ARE YOU SERIOUS? Why did he tell him to rejoice(v.15), because he was keeping the commandments of God. After this Alma returned speedily(v.18) and boy did things work out. From then on, Alma and Amulek were forces for bringing thousands into the fold.

Sorry that was so long. My companion has been done for a while, so I better go. I love you all!

Elder Davies

New Companion 1/16/2008

2008-01-16T08:29:00.000-08:00

Well, today was transfers, and . . . I am still in Stretford. However, Elder Reidhead moved on to the highest baptizing area in the mission. That is Telford. So my new companion came in from Lancaster. His name is Elder Hill. He has been out for 6 months. He is from Syracuse, Utah. He is a really great guy and has had some great success on his mission. He seems like a very smart Elder, which will be really nice for me. He is also very personable, so our ward will like him also. He is about 6 foot 1, has the same hair color as I(maybe a little darker), and has a fun personality. I think he will be a little more serious than Elder Reidhead. It will be different, but really great. I am excited to get back to work with him. Let's go forward and Baptize a
nation!

Well, this week has been pretty great, only because I am making it that way. We had a lot of people cancel on us. Last week total, I think we had 10 cancelled appointments, which is a lot for us. It was hard to continue to get things organized, because we have a lot of investigators we are trying to get back in contact with, and a bunch of new ones we are trying to keep contact with. Let's just say my pocket is being burned by the phone bill. We also got a bunch of contacts from our Zone
Leaders that we are trying to call and find the potential in there.

I have a question for all of you. What are some good ideas you have teaching little kids, or even teaching principles, in a simple and fun way. It really helps people to get more involved. I need to start creating my repitoire with that, and we all know how my creative mind works.

We have been teaching M***, our Buddhist friend, a lot. It is really nice that he is so available to teach. He just asked us about Baptism last time out of the Blue. He has a lot of opposition coming after him, but he is an honest guy, and loves the teachings.

Also, we challenged two of our investigators to pray about Baptism, and are meeting with them tomorrow about their answer. I have a good feeling about it, and hope that they feel great.

I love you all. I feel your support. I love the work and our Savior. God hears and answers our prayers. I pray for you everyday. All my love,

Elder Davies

Things are GREAT! January 9th

2008-01-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

Dear Family,

YES!!!! What a week. I can hardly even remember everything that has happened. I wish I could tell you everything, but I really can't remember most of it. It is funny how things from weeks ago will come into my memory. So you will hear a lot when I get back, and am reminded of things. I just want you all to know that I am GREAT!!! The work is going forward, and I thank God everyday that I get to join in the effort. It is certainly not easy, but it is so important and we get to learn a lot. I felt that I have learned a lot in the past week, but mostly just how to relax, work hard, and be myself. I have seen the fruits of a
lot of my laboring lately, and we are being so blessed. I know that this will continue IF we continue to do what is right and bring the Lord into everything we do. It is definitely something that I have learned, to bring the Lord into everything we do. I am trying to develop habits that will serve me the rest of my life.

Anyway, as just a basic run-down. I am learning a lot, we are having blessings heaped upon us, and all is well. I am learning how to focus in on myself a little bit, and just trying to make sure that I am doing the right things. Of course, I want Elder Reidhead to do the right things too, but as we work together in unity, the Lord solves my problems a whole lot better than I
ever could. This is a true principle for life. We have just had a lot of fun, and are staying on top of everything. We have been able to teach a lot lately, but with finding in between our appointments. We have found some absolutely amazing people, and are just trying to continue to refresh our teaching pool with people, while trying to stay up with our old investigators too. So much to do. Thank you for the Spirit to guide and direct us. We have learned a lot about Gratitude, and how the Lord blesses us even more when we are grateful for what we receive. Things has happened that we could be really down about. We have had a lot of appointments fall through, and some people start to disappear, but we see the bad and just appreciate the good. We had a gratitude fast on Sunday, and we have just been so happy with what is happening.

I have been learning so much from the Alma chapters about missionary work. The Book of Mormon truly is for our day. I am seeing things in there and in Preach My Gospel that just fit together perfectly. I am just continuing to be brought up to a whole new level of understanding. I really like looking at the big picture and seeing how each thing we learn can play a role in our life. And looking at the role that the mission is going to play in my life. What is comes down to is just trying to do what is right, trying to be like Jesus. As we try our best, we are forgiven and lifted to new heights.

I will just choose two miracles for the week. We are getting D*** to read the Book or Mormon and he is on fire. He has been reading so much lately and just loves it. We were trying by on some people on Monday who use to be investigators and we starting talking to this lady on the street. She invited us in and we taught her and her husband. They are coming to church on Sunday and we are teaching them later that day. We have so many people who are planning on coming to church. Yesterday, we went to an appointment we had scheduled from a contact from another missionary. He is buddhist, but believes in God. We taught him about the Atonement, and were able to get him really interested. We are meeting with him tomorrow too, so I will let you know about more next week.

My favorite scripture: That is a hard one. I have been reading between 14 and 22 of Alma and there is so much. I love Alma 22:16, actually just the whole chapter, because is shows a lot of great missionary lessons about teaching people. Alma planted the seed, and then Aaron used the scriptures to expound. Suddenly, the Kind is interested and starts to desire Eternal Life. Aaron gives him a great commitment. Next thing you know, 7 Lamanite cities are converted. I love it!

I love all of you. Thank you for your hard work in everything that you do and your prayers. I really feel them. Continue to pray for hearts to be softened around the world. The world needs the gospel, not just to make it better, but to save souls! We are seeing miracles from our loving Father in Heaven, and he wants us to be a powerful people. I love you all,

Elder Davies

Happy New Year!

2008-01-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It has been such a crazy couple of weeks. Buses not running, people making silly excuses, zone conferences, etc. Much different from the rest of my mission, and I am just excited to get back into the hard and rewarding work. There have been too many moments in the past few weeks that I have not felt like a missionary. I know that I am still a human being and not a robot, but we are here to do missionary work. We can do that other stuff later. I know that as we sacrifice and follow every commandment to the best we can, that amazing miracles were happen even more often in the work. We see miracles everyday, literally every single day! I know that God lives! I could spend a long time telling you about each one, but sadly enough there is a such thing as time. Also comes the problem that I probably couldn't name every one. So much happens in a day, that I struggle to write in my journal at night. I will have no good documentation of my mission!!!! I am just teasing. Mom challenged me to share at least one a week, and I will limit myself to one. Though it is just one, it is absolutely amazing.

We have been teaching X*** for quite a while now, and have probably dated her (for baptism) about 3 times. She keeps on being silly about it, and we honestly had run out of ideas, because obviously she needs something more than just the doctrine. It has to mean more to her in her life. One of the problems was with the language, and also thinking that is was just a English church. Needless to say, we have been praying for an answer or something that we could do to help her out. Well, a couple of weeks ago we, as a ward, passed out Christmas cards to the surrounding area inviting them to come to church. We didn't get much of a response, but last week we had a girl walk into the chapel, and we went up to talk to her after Sacrament meeting. Well, she is about X***'s age. She speaks X***'s language, and she comes from the same town as X***!! In Manchester! Right near our chapel! I couldn't believe it. We are starting to teach her, and now her and X*** are becoming friends. I have to go quick, but that is the miracle in a nutshell.

12/19- Finding at Christmas

2007-12-19T07:25:00.000-08:00

Everything here is going well. The mission is such a learning experience. I feel like I learn so much a day, that a couple of days later, I can hardly remember what happened. A lot of great things and funny things happen each day. Every day is just an adventure. One that I wish I could do justice, but my mind is swirling with all of the stuff that goes on. One thing I have learned this week is the importance of having the spirit. Our Father in Heaven knows each of us so well, and knows exactly what we need to learn and how and when, so I am putting my trust in him that whatsoever happens will be for my good. Everything happens line upon line. That is why it may be so difficult to sense change sometimes. I read a great quote by Thomas Paine. "The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly".

One of the difficult things at this time of the year, is that people become very busy. Many of our people are on vacation for two weeks. Our current list of people to teach got cut by 75%. So that means a lot of finding, which is also difficult around Christmas time. One thing I know that will happen is as we stick through the hard times, miracles will happen. We will find someone. I had a neat experience Monday night. Elder Young and I(we were on splits) went into the town centre to do some street contacting. Neither one of us was doing very well. I got fed up with myself and with the people around me. I decided that it was time to pray. I asked God to help me have the courage to talk to people, and also to find someone searching for the message. I just started to have good conversations with people, but none of them were interested. I stopped a kid around my age, named Timi, who looked like he was ready to give me a hard time, but I just went for it. I started to talk to him about the comfort that the gospel can bring, and how it is for everyone at everytime. He just agreed with me the whole time. I told him that we go around sharing this amazing message with people. I don't even remember everything that we talked about, but at the end he just grabbed my shoulders and sincerely thanked me. We have not been able to get in contact with him yet, but I feel like there is a good direction. It is amazing the people that the spirit touches everyday. I was reading through my journal the other day and was noticing a lot of people that we contacted at the beginning of my mission whom we have never heard from since. It is sad to see so many people lose interest, that is why it is important to get their number, but you do what you can.

I have been reading about the importance of having the spirit and carrying the message with power and authority. The gospel is for everyone and has so much to offer people. I have taken it for granted so much in my life, and it has taken seeing millions of people without it to wake me up. Even people who are good, loving, serving people are missing something.

We have been progressing two investigators, D***** and T****, towards baptism. They are building a firm foundation, but I know there will be some road bumps ahead. Their testimonies can be the only thing to get them through. We also have C******. I cannot remember if I have told you about him, but he is amazing. He remembers so much, but also has so much to learn. Despite this, he just knows that he should be baptized. He is back at home in Malaysia, but his baptism is in January. I hope I am still here for it. We have an investigator named S****. His dad, J******, is also a bit interested, but his Mom is a pastor at a church. She knows her Bible, but WOW, Satan can work in sneaky ways.

She saw that in the introduction to the Book of Mormon it said that Joseph Smith had the Melchezidek Priesthood, and said that only Jesus had been called after the order of Melchezidek and that we were claiming that Joseph Smith was on the same plane as Jesus. We have taught her that Joseph Smith is just a prophet. He got his authority from God, as did Melchesidek, as did Jesus Christ. She asked if we would put Joseph Smith of the same plane as Melchesidek, and we said we would. They were
both honorable priesthood holders. She claimed that Melchezidek was Jesus Christ not yet revealed, and we were like . . . "WHAT!!!! Do you realize what you are saying?" Her son and husband stepped in at this point and told her she was crazy. She says that Melchezidek never died and they have no idea where he came from. I was just astounded.

As people read the Book of Mormon, they are changed. We saw it in S****. It is true for everyone. Our only investigators who go anywhere are those who do their reading. A lot of people don't do their reading though. If I had a pound for everytime someone told me that their life was just too busy and they were just too tired to read, I would be rich! No joking!

X***'s baptism this Saturday was cancelled. She just doesn't have enough desire. We cannot force her to do anything. We really need her to feel the spirit strong, but she just isn't ready.

K*** got sick last weekend, but she is excited to meet with us this weekend. She knows what she wants to do eventually, but she is going to take her own time getting there.

I talked to a man named A*** at the library last Saturday. He used to be a member, but didn't have enough faith to understand the atonement and believe in things he cannot see. I wish he lived in our area, but we want to call the missionaries who serve in his area. He just needs some faith building experiences. I love the power of prayer. It does everything!

We are working hard to try to continually contact people who haven't been contacted for weeks. We are having some success once we get into their home. There is a continual cycle that must go on. As you teach people, they either progress towards being baptized, or they are dropped. To avoid having no one to teach, you have to find people while you are teaching. It really helps to have member and investigator referrals to feed this cycle, but most of it comes from personal efforts. We
have been doing this pretty well to the point where we always have people to teach, but Chirstmas time is presenting a problem. I am excited to focus on Chirstmas and it's meaning more when we have time to just sit and think and read. The mission just prepares us for everything that happens later in life, especially with families. The most important
missionary work is done within the home. Harold B. Lee said something about that. Anyway, I love you all! Have a great Christmas!

Elder Davies

12/12/07 Investigator News and a Miracle

2007-12-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

About recent news with our investigators: We overtook an investigator named C****** from some Elders that were replaced by sisters. He is from Malaysia and has a baptismal date for January 19th. Both of my baptisms I will have basically walked into. I will get one of my own one day!! He is amazing. He has been taught basically everything, and is just waiting that long because he is going on holiday for three weeks.

During weekly planning this week we prayed specifically for X***. I had a distinct impression to commit her to baptism on the 22nd. I love the spirit. Well, the next day we approached her with it, and . . . . . . YES!!!!!! It was awesome. She took a while to sit there and think and she said that she would like it. Recently she has hesitated a bit about it, mostly because her family doesn't know a lot about it, and because she is scared to have that responsibility. But then we watched the Finding Faith in Christ DVD and the spirit was so strong. She said she was very touched, and then started talking about how a baptism would be a great Christmas present and birthday present. We are praying for everything to continue smoothly. Things with Kath are going good. We figured out some stuff about her past, so we understand that everything has to move at her pace. Each time she gets more solid about baptism. We are loving teaching her, and being blessed all over.

We had a lesson yesterday with a couple named T**** and D*****. D***** had been taught before, and told us what he thought about Joseph Smith. It was awesome. T**** is doing everything we ask her and she is alive!! While reading about the atonement the night before their lesson, I suddenly knew that we had to teach about the atonement. It just went into repentence, and then baptism. We brought it back to the restoration more, but I think if things go well tomorrow that we could date them for baptism!

We had some investigators named A****** and R***** who were from India. I am teaching people from all over the place. I think K*** is our only white, English investigator. A****** and R***** are so great and humble, but they moved to London last night. We are calling the Elders in London, and I hope to hear more about it. We had a lesson with an investigator named C****. We watched the restoration DVD, which is awesome. But her girl was out of control. She ended up slapping her hand! It was pretty shocking, and the spirit just went whoosh [meaning it left]! This week will be awesome, so I look forward to have tons to say next week.

I have to tell you about a miracle I had on Saturday. Weeks ago I met an agnostic on a bus, and we had a great chat about missionary work. I felt really bad after leaving him, because I did not leave him with anything. It was probably a new missionary just feeling like he had to give everyone a Book of Mormon or something, but I still felt bad. So I have been praying to meet D*** (that is his name) again. This is where it gets good. Forgive my lack of suspense, because this could be
great in the right hands. Well, we had an appointment set up with a man named D****l on 10 Nash Street. He had been a previous investigator of missionaries many months ago, but we got in contact with him again. So when we knocked on the door, who did I see . . . . . D***!!! I was dumbfounded. He invited us right in like he was expecting us. I asked him if he knew D****l, and he said that D****l had moved. We called D****l, and it was true. So that is another call we have to make to missionaries in another area. I couldn't imagine it. Maybe the only reason that D****l was ever taught was because I was supposed to run into D*** again, in the house that D****l used to live in!!! I Can't believe it!! D*** didn't want us to have his number, because he is searching on his own, but we gave him our number. I so hope he calls us. God may have just directed me to D*** because I prayed for it, and he was showing me the miracles that can happen with prayer. Whatever the reason, I know that prayer works. I hope we are the answer to a lot of D***'s questions, but we can only continue to pray.

B***, our recent convert, has not been praying much lately, so we committed him to pray everyday. He told us he would read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover by the end of the transfer. 17 pages a day! That was yesterday. We talked to him today, and he had read all of 1 Nephi. 53 pages!! We promised him that if he could read the Book Of Mormon in 5 weeks that his life would change, and he would look back on the last five weeks and see so much change. I love it! Last Friday I learned the secret to the gospel, but I will have to share that with you another week!

My dear family, this is an amazing time of the year. I would ask you to reach out to God's children this Christmas to those who would not have the chance to participate in the same amount of spirit we are able to. Whether it is some stranger, a family in the ward, a non-member friend, or even better a member of the family. We are so blessed to have the Chirstmas spirit that we have. Find a way to share it! Whether that is by giving of monetary blessings, or inviting others into the home to feel of the spirit, or anything.

Money may waver, where we celebrate can change, people you are around may change, but each year our testimonies can grow stronger. The greatest gift is one that doesn't run out, can be continually built upon, and is best when being shared. This gift is the great knowledge we have of the restored gospel, and the testimony we hold that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of us all!! Let someone feel of that gift! I love you all, and hope I was able to share everything. May our Father in Heaven watch over you!

Lots of Love,

Elder Jordan Davies

Excerpt from 12/5/07

2007-12-11T11:15:00.001-08:00

The December goal for baptisms for the mission is 30. That is not an unattainable goal, but with four weeks in December we would have to average 8 per week in the mission. We had 8 this week, but I do not think there are 22 more investigators with a baptismal date. We do not have any with a date. We have two that are very close, and I do not know how to get past the last problems. When we got the goal we thought that we would definitely be able to contribute to the 30, and now it is looking scary. We are trying very hard, but sometimes things just don't work out. The two investigators (that are close) are named X*** and K***. X***'s family hardly even knows she is investigating, and that is because she doesn't take it serious. I think she just like Elder Reidhead, ha ha. Her desire to gain her own testimony and find her own way to church is small. She is very focused on school, which I understand. K*** is about 68 years old. She is very involved in the Church of England, but she sees that we have the proper authority. One thing is that she has a hard time turning away from all of those people that need her. I tell her that she can reach out to a lot of people, but that she also needs to do what is right also. Another concern is she is all about diversity, that every person is different and we should all accept that. She believes that when she singles herself with one group, that it shuts her out. I tried to explain that the gospel is for everyone, and she can help bring a lot of people to the same understanding she has come to. She said that she wants to be baptized eventually, so that is good. She is
praying a lot this week to understand what God wants.

Member missionary work is absolutely vital. It is our duty. We have received it. It is for EVERYONE! We are at WAR!!! We are physically and spiritually in an actual war! Onward Christian Soldiers! That is great to here member missionary work being pushed.

This week has been a week of patience with myself, with companion, and with all of the people forgettiing about lessons with have planned with them. We had a lot of unexpected and unfamiliar things happen this week. I will just try to continue to try and do the right things. Sunday was especially interesting. We had a long talk with X*** about her showing that she was serious about this. After church we had a couple of people ditch our appointments. We also met this lady who has an amazing testimony of Christ and she feels that there is something in our church. At the end of the week we had 11 new investigators!! That was a mission high! It happened because we went through our area book and contacted some people who had been taught in the past. We ended the night teaching this couple that has thought about splitting up many times.
They just say awful stuff about each other right in front of each other. I was being a marraige counselor. Trying to calm down the situation and explain how the gospel helps family life, and having that will help the children. At the end of the week I felt like a missionary, Mother, Psychiatrist, Secretary, and English Teacher. Anyway, I have to go now. I love you all. Hopefully I can talk more about stuff next week. Not sure what I have forgotten to say. We will see next week. I love you.

Thoughts from 11/28/07

2007-12-11T11:09:00.000-08:00

England is nothing like Americans think it is. I don't really get the tourist look at things, but it is very similar to some parts of
America. Just wait until I get into Wales!

I do not enjoy being right next to the Man U stadium and not being able to go to a game, but jerseys are cheaper here. Let me know if anyone wants anything!

What a week of opposition it has been! Satan is trying to fight against our every effort. It is good though, because we have been working hard. We are just trying to do whatever we can. That is all he asks of us. But without his help, we would not be able to do anything. Mosiah 29:20. Also, Helaman 3:19. So many great scriptures. He will lead us through!

We cannot convince anyone of this great message. It is too foreign for people, especially the people of England. We really have started to see how void of humanity this world is becoming. No one cares about anything. It is comforting to think of all of the great things that are happening though. I think of the righteous causes that my family and friends are engaged in. I am forever grateful for the life that the Lord has blessed me with. I could have been anyone of these people in the terrible circumstances that they have. It must be so hard for converts.

My first thoughts when I woke up this morning were gratitude. I woke up and just starting talking about all of the great things we have. Elder Reidhead was a little surprised to say the least. Speaking of Elder Reidhead . . . I love the guy. We are eveloping a strong relationship and are able to become great friends. It really helps the work when we feel comfortable about being totally strait-forward and honest about things.

Back to our previous converstation . . . I was just so grateful to have a body. More importantly to have a body that works with
little problem. So many people in this world don't even get to experience that, let alone the blessings that the gospel brings. That is why it is so important to tell them about the message of the restored gospel. The message that lets them know that the Father in Heaven loves them and wants them to live with him again and has sent forth a plan for them to do that. He wants to bless all of his children, and is looking for whatever way he can. Another things I am thankful for is the scriptures. There is so much contained in them. Judging by your e-mails, you all love the scriptures too. Which makes me even more thankful.

Funny enough, the quote in the quote book today was about Gratitude. It said something to the effect that Thankfulness is measured in words, but Gratitude is measured in actions. So if I really am grateful for these things, I will show the Lord my God that I am grateful. That is where faith and love come in, because they are needed to share the message. The message has eternal implications. I am beginning to understand why Elder Holland feels so strong about the work. This is somebody's
chance to understand some of the mysteries of eternity. This is their chance. It can affect Eternity. It also affects their mortal lives. Every day can be lived with more conviction and direction. More understanding and more love.

Everyday is a whirlwind of emotions. So much happens in only a few hours, that it is so hard to describe just one day. Ask my Journal. That is why it is so hard to describe more in detail how my week went. However, through the week of trials, we are starting to see a lot of blessings. We went through our area book, which describes past investigators in the area that people taught. We prayerfully searched for people to call and were able to set up a lot of appointments. I love teaching! It beats finding anyday! We had one of those lessons yesterday, and I am amazed at how well the Lord prepares people to accept the gospel. These people had a lot of concerns in the past week and were hoping that somebody would help them. They believe that when we called, we answered their prayers. They are so prepared to accept the gospel, now we have to let the spirit take over. Be the instruments!

Our work with X*** is coming along well. We are starting to leave it in her hands. She has to be able to make the decisions on her own whether to progress or not. That is the greatest gift that God has given us. It is what the whole plan is built upon. That is why Adam fell and consequently why we need the atonement. It is all centered upon God's love for us.

My scripture that helped me for the week was Alma 26:22. We have to exercise faith. That involves following the rules, commandments, and consistently trying to find people to teach. Believe that it will come! Praying is involved, or course! Missionary work is draining, but totally awesome! I try to constantly keep that outlook, but am not able to, to be honest. But it is during the tough times, not during the peak times, that God starts to mold us into his sons and daughters.

C.S Lewis is awesome. I am convinced that he has accepted the gospel. Do you think his work has been done for him? That could be a cool experience! We see miracles everyday, but sometimes I can't remember all of them. But I do know that happen. I am still working to become better at street contacting. It works best when I go in with faith, the spirit, and my own personality. The gospel is a happy message, so show it!

One of the hardest things is to try and keep track of everyone. We are doing everything we can to strengthen everyone's testimony, but it is so important to let them choose, or else they will not be converted. I guess Heavenly Father must feel a lot like that. Trying to bring everything to a perfect balance that gives us a chance to accept the gospel. He truly does bless us immensely. Through the scriptures, through our family, and especially through his prophets. Wow! I hope all of you know how lucky you are. Start and end everyday by counting your blessings, even if it means taking 10 minutes to think about it. Once you do, they will just start to flow through your mind.

Seek the spirit, and continue in righteous works! I love you, and remember the gratitude commitment I extended!

From 11/21/07

2007-12-11T11:02:00.000-08:00

With Elder Robinson we taught a Chinese investigator named X***. We helped her better understand prayer and scripture study. I see a new light in her that I did not see before. We have been stressing learning how to pray and do proper scripture study, because it helps them become independent for life. They will not have to depend upon others to answer their questions. They can search them out themselves.

What spawned this change within me was John 4. Jesus speaks to the woman at the well about living water and a well of everlasting water. This is the best gift we can give someone. I started to search for this when I had talked to a homeless man earlier in the week. I decided that the best thing I could do for him is help him become independent and help himself change his life. After all, my purpose is to "Invite other to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel . . ."PMG 1. We cannot convince them or just teach them. We have to help them receive it. If they receive it, it becomes a part of who they are.

We got three new investigators this week. It is awesome. I love meeting people who I know just as well as Elder Reidhead does. We are continually filling in spots, and it is only getting better. We are working hard to find people, but need to work harder. The days can get difficult, but the Lord blesses us when we just go out and do what he would want us to do. Speaking of, you might be surprised, but I am so good at waking up in the morning. I am always helping other missionaries to wake up. Also, I came in a cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. Mom, you can pull your jaw back up, but don't count on that habit continuing on when I get home. Just kidding, I am starting to realize that I have to do it if I want it done. And a clean place feels much better than a dirty one.

It has hardly rained since I got here. One of the only times was last night, and I am sending some pictures of Elder Reidhead and I just chilling in the rain. It felt really nice. I just have a bunch of random stuff to talk about. I have yet to play proper football since I have been outside the MTC. Still looking forward to that. But we do get to play basketball and volleyball with our Zone today. I seem to step in dog poop all of the time. It is just all over the place. It really is nasty. England is so tightly packed. People live in such small areas, and they leave stuff all over the place. Sometimes their dogs do too.

I am learning a lot everyday and focusing on retaining as much as I can. There are some great missionaries out here, and I can learn from all of them. I am excited for the role that the mission is starting to play in my life. It continues to become a part of me. By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. I have started to put small and simple things in my day to accomplish great things. I used to just sit there and think of amazing things that could work, but it is a gradual process. I am getting excited about these kinds of habits that I am getting into. Time is flying by really fast. It is almost the end of 2007!!!!! Some of my friends have been out for almost a year! Scary, scary, scary.

We had a Thanksgiving Dinner on Monday with all of the FHE. A missionary couple from America put it together for us. Things are going great. I am fighting through anything that I have, but don't get me wrong. I know it is very hard. Everyday is, but that is how God teaches us. Through experience. I am so grateful for the scriptures, an amazing family, and wonderful church leaders. MEMBER MISSIONARY WORK!! Work on companionship unity with your Savior!

11/14/07 Update

2007-12-11T10:59:00.000-08:00

We had a great week. I am getting use to street contacting. I had an interview with my mission president, and he helped me a lot. He is a great guy. This e-mail is going to be shorter, because I really have to hurry, but I want you to know that I am
working hard, I am learning a lot, I am doing great, and I want to continually hear from you all.

My companion and I taught about Love and Charity for the Zone Conference. It was something that I wanted to study up on, so it was a blessing. Love is so important for the work, because that will make you really effective and make you work really hard. We started to talk about companionship unity, and moved it into love by showing that as we develop companionship unity with our third companion that our Will will become his Will. We will be united in the same cause, and he will be able to work through us. Something I have tried to incorporate into each day is think, "If Christ were in my position, what would he be doing? I am his hands, and if he wanted to come down to do this work, he could, but he wants me to do it. So what would Christ do with the opportunites I am presented with?" It has helped me overcome some fears I have with talking to random people on the street.

We have some great investigators, but we need to start getting some new ones, because the ones we have now will either be baptised, or will be dropped soon. We are working really hard to work with members, because it is the most effective way of missionary work. I love teaching, so we are trying to set up appointments.

Prayer is amazing. We were tracting the other day, and it was not going well, but we stopped to say a prayer and everything went better. I wish my words could do justice to the amazing things that happen each day. I just need to learn from them. What is the point of being told something, if we don't do anything with it. Those who don't learn from what they hear, have no
advantage over those that can't hear.

From 11/7/07

2007-12-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

Old Trafford, which is the stadium to Manchester United, is basically in my backyard. I see it everyday!! It is pretty awesome, and we are going to take a tour with a member who works there on an upcoming p-day. They have a lot of awesome futbol stuff here, but everything is so expensive. On match days, everything closes down. Don't even bother trying to talk to people. It is wild, and you can hear the stadium for miles. I love it!

In PMG(Preach my Gospel) it lists Christlike attributes, and we work on a specific one each month. It is a great goal to single one out and work on it. I would recommend it to everyone . . hint hint. Just continue to read PMG. Study it and disect it. And of course the Book of Mormon. They do well together. Also listen to the prophets, they know what they are talking about.

Jesus Christ lives, God loves us, the church is absolutely true, and the Holy Ghost works miracles. I see it every single day. As a result, everyday seems like a week. I try to go through the day at the end and write down all of the things that happened, and all of the things that I learned. I have trouble remembering somethings at the end of one day, so forgive me while I try to remember this whole week. I learn so many things everyday, starting with Personal study in the morning (which is the cure to any trouble, question, or hard day you are having), to conversing with people throughout the day, to conversing with missionaries, to trying to internalize everything, and onto discussions.

Basically I think a lot, and try to draw the most out of everyday. When you stuff a lot in, somethings are bound to find their way out. Before I start, know that countless things have happened that let me know I am loved. Each day is a roller coaster in itself, but the true test is what you do when it comes to the low points, physically and emotionally. I have developed a skill I have always wanted. The ability to cry! At first it was because it was hard, and I was only thinking of myself. Then, I started to cry later in the week because I was so grateful for the things my mission is going to do in my life. One night, I started to
tear up, because no one wanted to talk to us. I just wanted to grab them and say 'You have no idea how important this is!'. I hope I continue to build these feelings. So many blessings come as you endure to the end, and follow the spirit. The personal conversations I have with God each day are enlightening.

Excerpt From 10/31/07

2007-12-11T08:05:00.000-08:00

If I had only learned one thing this week, it would be . . . Humility Preceeds Faith. I have been humbled by the Lord, by other people, by myself. It is hard, but I am just pushing through. At the end of the day, it is so worth it. Yesterday, I talked to this guy that had studied the church a lot, and didn't like it very much. He was polite, but kept on bringing up doctrine that would just make me mad. I learned that you have to walk away during those moments.

Another thing I have learned to do is to develop a love of prayer. I pray contantly everyday, and it brings that spirit, which is critical to the work. You use it to find, to teach, to know where to find, to know what to teach. It is the converter. People have to know for themselves that what we are saying is true, and that only comes through the Holy Ghost.

The work is coming along slowly, but it is only my first week. We have a baptism this Saturday, but i cannot really claim it, because the date was set before I got here. His name is D****. When they started teaching him, he was an atheist, so a pretty good job. We also have another investigator who is not really taking the lessons serious, so just jokes around the whole time. However, I do realize how hard it is to convert. A lot of people have to give up a lot of things, but that is why it is
important to promise blessings. One problem is that people only care about what happens to them in this life.

Like I was saying earlier though, read the Book or Mormon. If anyone reads that Book for two weeks, there is no way they cannot know it is true. If they sincerely read it, and sincerely pray about it. X***, an investigator, didn't really believe it. We told her to say a prayer and then just open the Book of Mormon to any random page. We were praying really hard that this would work. She did and it was perfect. She read about the importance of coming unto Christ and being baptized. We are trying to move her towards a baptismal date. It is a slow work.

The church is true!!! It makes so much sense, and the best part about it, is that I only know that through God. I am also working on looking at each person as God would. Looking at them as a child of God who he wants back into the fold.

NEWS GLORIOUS NEWS....Hot sausage and....sorry

2007-10-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

ITS OFFICIAL! WE HAVE NEWS! Elder Davies sent a great letter just the other day. It will be scanned....or typed and then a link will be created so that ALL CAN ENJOY! He is doing GREAT! He is currently one of the THREE district leaders in the Preston MTC (a total of 35 elders!) His companion is Elder Garcia from Spain. He helps him with the language and watches him eat.........oh the glorious MTC. Well enough paraphrasing for now. You can read it yourself once the letter is posted.
Because of the mail delay you can now send all letters to the mission office. Once we get an actual apartment address we will share that; however, to be safe you can just send all letters to the office and they will be forwarded to him.
We are keeping our fingers crossed to see if we get pictures after he gets into the field. Once we do you will be able to post them and all you have to do is simply click on the pictures link. Isn't that nice? I thought so.

ALAS.....nothing....YET!

2007-10-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

So, brothers and sisters, at this point we are taking the phrase, "no news is good news" to heart. As far as we know (due to the incredibly brief email sent by the MTC President) Elder Davies has arrived and is healthy and well. Other than that.....NOTHING! THUS, stay tuned for the latest and greatest addition to the exciting chronicles of the Elder Davies blog.

PS and bytheway.....WRITE HIM! Letters take just under a week to arrive in the mission SO.....write now and you will be able to get him a good two or three letters in before he leaves for the FIELD!

WELCOME!

2007-10-06T21:53:00.001-07:00

HELLO! Well here it is, Elder Jordan Davies' official blogspot! Here you will find a link to mission photo albums, current and exciting news and highlights, updated addresses, and any other random bits of information that we may find useful for our family and friends to know about. Please feel free to leave any comments/questions/suggestions in the comments area under each post. They will all be checked and we will get back to you.

God bless and ENJOY!