Ynez' Homecoming Announcement

Last letter home

HEY FAM BAM!!!!!!
You are so cute I love you all! thank you so much for writing me letters, Trent i forgive you for not writing me because you wrote me a really great letter recently. I love all your letters.  i was cracking up the whole time, but what`s with all the Nacho Libre references?? lol You do all know that SHANE (I mean Elder Davis) is the one in Mexico right?? but i loved it and it made me laugh.

So this week was another contacting week, but we also saw some AWESOME miracles!  Lately it has been really hard for us to find new investigators even though we have been working really hard to do so, BUT this week we did find a new investigator named Lorena, and she is AWESOME!  She was so so prepared when we found her, she confessed to us after the first lesson we had with her that she had been anxiously awaiting our visit ALL week! hahaha

Diana wasn't able to get baptized this week because she got sick and therefore could receive us to get her lessons and couldn't have her interview either.  BUT this week she is going to get baptized, either Saturday or Sunday we aren't sure yet because there is a talent show on Saturday and the Bishop doesn`t want the reverence of the baptism to be tainted by preparations for the talent show, etc. AND the other miracle is that TANIA decided that she wants to get baptized this week as well! It was so so cool! because up to now when we would ask her, she would always say that she knows she is going to get baptized but that she didn't feel ready, but on Sunday when we invited her to be baptized for this weekend she said yes, with out any doubts or hesitation!  It was a miracle! and she is SOOOO awesome!  We are so excited for her. Now we are just waiting for her to ask her parents permission and for them to sign the paper, then she needs her interview and she`s ready to go! :) It`s going to be a busy, AWESOME week!
 

For my last email I wanted to share part of a hymn that i dont believe exists in the english hymn book, so bear with me dad, you`re going to have to translate. It`s a hymn that i love and that I`ve had in my mind and heart these last couple days, and that has defined my mission.

Himno #88  "Placentero nos es trabajar"

1. Placentero nos (me) es trabajar
   en la viña del gran Rey Jesús,
   y honroso nos (me) es predicar
   a Su pueblo Su ley y Su lluz.
   Por Su luz, por Su luz,
   placentero nos es trabajar.
   Por Su luz, por Su luz,
   moriremos en El sin pesar.
2. La palabra de Dios escuchad
   con ahínco, lealtad y fervor.
   Para siempre jamás recordad
   Su pureza, verdad y amor.
   Con amor, con amor,
   la palabra de Dios escuchad.
   Con amor, con amor,
   la bandera de Dios empuñad.
3. ¡Oh hermanos, adiós, pues, adiós!
   El momento de ir vino ya.
   Si guardamos la fe en el gran Dios,
   nos veremos aún más allá.
   Más allá, más allá.
   ¡Oh hermanos, adiós, pues, adiós!
   Más allá, más allá,
   moraremos con Dios en amor.

It is pleasant for us (me) to work
In the vineyard of the great God Jesus
And honorable for us (me) to to preach
To His people, His law and His light.
By His light, by His light,
It is pleasant for us (me) to work.
By His light, by His light,
We will die in Him without regrets.

Listen to the Word of God
With eagerness, loyalty and fervor.
Forever and always remember
His purity, truth, and love.
With love, with love,
Hear the Word of God.
With love, with love,
Bear the flag of God.

Oh, brothers and sisters! Good-by, then Good-bye!
The time to go has come.
If we keep the faith in the great God,
We will see each other again far Beyond.
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
O, brothers! Good-by, then Good-by!
Far Beyond, far Beyond,
We will dwell with God in love.

I really do love working as a missionary in the Lord's vineyard. It IS pleasing and pleasant to me. I love serving the Lord and serving His children here in Chile, I love being His representative. I love preaching His law and His light to His children. There is nothing better or more fulfilling. Placentero me es ... 

I love you all so much! Take good care! we`ll be seeing eachother soon.

Love,

HERMANA Davis

Week 76 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol]

Hey fam bam! Have i mentioned how much i freaking love you guys lately??

Today I woke up with what seems to be the stomach flu, or some kind of stomach virus...yum! I'm sitting here writing to you pretty nauseous (resistiendo las ganas de vomitar) [resisting the urge to ...yeah that].  ¡Quiero mi mama! hahaha  But anyway, I know I´ll be fine and in good shape in no time at all. :)   This trio thing has been pretty rocking!  I love being with Hna Arellano and Hna Parker! They are the best! We all get along super well and spend the whole day laughing our heads off, and it´s even worse in the house, because Hna Nappa and Hna Nokes are crazy! I am living with the highest number of gringas that I have in my whole mission!  Which would be 3 and a half (Hna Nokes, Hna Parker, and I, and the half is Hna Nappa, she rocks english!) Now Hna Arellano is learning english (a la fuerza jajaja)! [by force] I am so happy and I feel so blessed to be with all of them! They really are the greatest, and it´s the greatest combination of sisters that I could have ever asked for.  It´s been especially funny because Hna Parker has been saying that Heavenly Father and Pres. Warne are "reeeeally funny" because Hna Parker was in the zone next door, Tupahue 2, and last tranfer when the cambios were coming up she kept telling me I was going to leave and bet me that I was going to leave and I always told her "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! It wouuld be TERRIBLE to change sectors NOW, when I´ve only got three weeks left." and THEN she got put with me and my comp in our sector! HA-HA!!  She was wrong.

This week was kind of a slow one, we spent more time contacting and looking for less actives than teaching lessons, and that´s always tough, but being in a trio really helped because we all keep each other pumped up.

 

This week is Diana´s baptism!!  We have everything planned out and she is going to have her interview on Wednesday. We are all super excited! And we are hoping, fasting, and praying that Tania can get baptized next week, she already has a testimony and knows baptism is important, but she doesn't feel prepared and she is waiting for the answer that she should do it right now, the thing is she is TOTALLY ready, so we have some plans to help her realize that. Once she realizes that, her parents just have to sign the permission form and she´s ready to go!

 

This week on Sunday, Melissa Campos´s son, Fransico (aka Panchito) finally got his baby blessing (after a year and a half), they hadn´t done it before because his dad prohibited it, BUT he has been coming to church for three weeks now, DESPITE the fact that Melissa´s dad has a restraining order on him, I guess they are trying to patch things up because her dad was the one who invited him to church last week, pretty much giving him permission to break the restraining order (Fransico - Panchito´s dad - tried to fight with Melissa's dad one time).  This week Fransisco was able to attend the baby blessing and at the end he stood up and left really fast, and we thought, uh oh he got mad, but then Melissa told us later that that wasn´t that case, that he had actually gotten choked up and started crying! Score! lol Hopefully something good with come out of all of this. :)

Other than that nothing much is going on here, todo esta ¡bien en el vecindario (all is good in the neighborhood).

Love you guys lots and lots! You all are the BEST! I expect EVERYONE (yes, I mean e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e.) in our immediate family to write me next week and to make it GOOD! 

Last chance!

LOVE YOU TONS,

Hna Davis

Week 75 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol]

You are going to be so mad and I am SOOOOO sorry! this letter is going to be really short this week, i was writing a letter to a certain person that listened to the missionaries with you at the house this week and i kind of felt the Spirit and wrote a lot more than I was expecting and I ran out of time, PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

Any way, big changes! I'm going to be in a trio again! Hna Parker (from Redlands) Is coming to our sector to be in a trio with us! She is awesome! it`s going to be a paaaaarty! (haha well, hard working missionary style of course)

This week Pres Warne called to let me know I`ve been released as a coordinating sister, although it`s a relief in some ways, i was kind of nostalgic at the same time, I really loved serving as a coordinator, i learned SOOOO much from the sisters i served with! It has been such a huge blessing!

Tania and Diana came to church again, they both have some doubts but nothing to get scared about, they are great and we are doing our very best to help them out and help them stregthen their testimonies.

Hope youre all doing great! Love you SOOO much! im doing great, working hard! promise to write much make up for the short lettter next week! BYEEE!

Week 74 21st B-day (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol]

HEYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!! How`s it going???

It`s been a good week, with LOTS of adventures. On Tuesday we had our zone conference in the mission home and it was AWESOOOOOOOOOOME!!!!! I love zone conferences! The best part was that the Wall's had a part in the program talking about family history, so they came down from Buin and I got to see them and talk to them about everyone there. I love them so much!  I was soooooo happy to see them! (They are the senior couple that got to Buin in my last cambio there.)  They told me about Ana and Rene and everyone, and every one is great! And that always makes me so happy! :) :) :) I get to see them again tomorrow BECAUSE tomorrow I`m going to .... drum roll please.... are you feeling the suspense yet? I am! I am SOOOOOOOOO excited? so WHERE am I going??? oh yeah! that`s right!..... THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D POR FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNN!!!!  [FINALLY]  I am so so so so so so so so (times infinity) excited! All our group that is leaving is going to the temple tomorrow, so I am going to go with Hna Sutherlin.  President and Sister Warne are going and we are all going to have lunch with them, and the Walls are going too! It`s going to be AWESOME!  The only not awesome part is that Hna Sutherlin and I have to wake up at like 5:30 because we have to be AT the temple by 9:30 because the session starts at 10. And with taking the bus and the metro and not knowing our way around Santiago, etc, etc, we want to leave the house at like 6:30 to make sure we get there on time (y con calma) [and be relaxed]. BUT I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!! I'm dying inside! I think I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight!  I feel like a little kid on Christmas eve, KNOWING that tomorrow is going to be the best day EVEEERRRRRRRRRRR!  EEEEEP!

So this week was my burfday, it was AWESOME!!!  Definitely better than last year! haha My comp planned a little surprise party for me with the Campos family and invited a bunch of members and it was adorable and I love everyone!!!  The members here are the BEST!  Also on my birthday we ate lunch with Hna Angie (yes, of course i remember mom every time I'm with her) that day and she is a pastelera [pastry chef] and she cooks SOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! To DIE for! And on my bday she made me TWO cakes! haha one JUST to bite it, and the other she made me CHEESE CAKE! because I told her it was my fave (they don't make that here, but she is super pro and always looks up gringo recipes on the internet).   So you`re probably wondering what I mean by bite the cake, well for those who don't know, it is tradition here in CHile, and in a lot of Latin-America, that the person who`s birthday it is has to bite their birthday cake after blowing out the candles (el mordisco), and you have to try to do it the fastest and sneakiest you cake, or their shove your face into the cake... well... let`s just say I`m a newbee at this.... I had to two cakes, one for lunch, and one for the surprise party at night, the second time was much worse, I had frosting up to in my EYELASHES! And I couldn't breath through my nose, I had to go straight to the bathroom and blow out the half pound of frosting that I had up my nose haha, ok, maybe it wasn`t a half pound, but it sure FELT like a lot! hahaha  But to be honest it was super fun and I LOVED it! :)

pics: 

1) Hna Angie and I

 

#2) me con Nachi, she is a recent convert and AWESOME!!! love her guts out!

#3) my birthday cake that Nachi made (she is studying gastronomy) it`s pompadeur, which is the BEST cake in the whole world

it was an AWESOME day!

Week 73 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol]

FAM BAMMMMMMMILY! HEY!

You all are SOOOOOO cute! I love it! Thanks to everyone for all the b-day wishes!  You all are the greatest!

This week has been another awesome one!!!

The Lord has continued showering down blessings and mini miracles in our sector!  This week Diana's baptismal date fell through because she got to church in the second hour and investigators have to assist at least 3 times to Sacrament Meeting before they can get baptized.  So now we will have to put it a week later because even though she got there on sunday, she didn't make it in time for sacrament mtg, so she still technically only has assisted one time. But other than that, she is doing well! and we are just happy that she DID arrive inspite of everything.  Also we had a new investigator arrive this week, her name is Patricia (Patricia #2) lol, and her daughter´s name is Constanza.  We started teaching them pretty recently, we committed both of them to go to church with us but Constanza went out to party on Saturday night to celebrate finishing her semester and didn't get home till late, so she "couldn't" wake up in the morning for church, but I'm sure she´ll go next week! :)  When Patricia went, she absolutely LOVED it and she said she felt at home, welcomed, etc and the members did a really great job to say hi to and welcome her.  She couldn't stay the three hours this week, pero se quedó con las ganas de hacer lo por el proximo Domingo! [but was left with the desire to do it next week] haha :)  That same night we visitted Patricia with Hna Ruth and Nachi (2 people from the  ward whom I love with all my heart!) and we had a mini FHE with her and invited her to be baptized, we set a goal with her for the 9th of August!  I really see her getting baptized, but she smokes, so we are praying that she will be able to quit.  Also Tania went to church again!  She is doing awesome!  I don't remember if I told you last week, but we set a date with her as well, and now the only thing she lacks is the rest of the lessons and written permission from her parents (because she´s only 17) and she is good to go for the 26th! We are praying and hoping that her parents will support her in this decision and let her go through with it. 

This Wednesday was my companions birthday and we had lots of fun! We planned like 4 different surprises for her, not even joking! One in the morning witht he whole zone after district mtg, one right after that for lunch, one at the end of the day when we were going to go do "service" for Melissa Campos at her house, and then one right after that when we got to our house. The one when we got to the house was the best! But they were all fun and cute and my companion had a great day, we ended up not having enough room in the fridge to put so much cake in! We had to ask our land lady to store one of the cakes in her fridge until we made room in ours! hahaha At night before going to sleep my comp told me it was the best birthday she´s ever had! (YES!!!! mission accomplished!) But don't worry!  We stilled worked hard that day too! No somos chuecas. :) [We aren't slackers]  Now this week we have Hna Gutierrez´s b-day on Wednesday and the next day is MINE! should be interesting trying to plan all that, and undercover! hahaha

What else? It´s cold and rainy!  I´m shivering while I type! haha I got a little wet coming back from our zone activity today. But all is well!  We are happy and working hard!!! I love it! I love it! I love it! :)))) Hope all is well at home and that you guys finally get a chance to slow down and catch your breath after all the crazy non-stop things you´ve been doing.  Take care of yourselves! Love you all SOOOOOOO MUCH! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO be good!

Hna Davis

ps. DAVIS DYNASTY!!!!

Week 72 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol])

Too crazy adventurous family,

Hey guys! Thanks so much for sending pics and everything! Looks like you had an amazing, UNFORGETTABLE, and adventurous week! That is so fun! You guys are all rock stars! On my side of the world this week was an awesome one as well, it was a week full of tender mercies and mini-miracles from the Lord. 

This week we taught Diana a couple more times, she is progressing well! We also were finally able to set a baptismal date (as a goal) with Tania, the girl who is 17 and has already come to church 3 times.  We set it for the 26th of July. It was really cool when we challenged her to it because she was really nervous about it.  She told us herself that she sees herself getting baptized in t he future but she wasn´t thinking of it being "SO SOON".  She also shared us her testimony of church attendance (with out realizing it herself) because she explained to us how much she likes it and that when she goes she feels at home there; like really a part of a big family and that she feels something special, peace and ... tranquilidad (english ?? lol) and that when she goes her whole week goes better, but when she doesn´t she feels the absence of it in her whole week. YAYYY! :) 

Another mini-miracle/cool experience, was with Patricia. This week we went and visited her and taught her a little more in depth about the Book of Mormon and read the introduction with her. After teaching her about it we were leading up to the commitment to pray to ask if the Book of Mormon is true, so I ask her if she would like to have the conviction that it talks about in the second to last paragraph of the intro. - an answer from the Holy Ghost that the Book of Mormon is true, and she answers and just tells us, frankly, "No... I already felt that, like I told you guys about a while back when I´d read and found that scripture that I needed at the time and that really touched my heart." So then we were like, "Wow that is awesome Patricia! So do you believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God?"  And she tells us, " Yes! I believe it. I know that it´s true."
Inside we were like  YEAH! YEAH ! YEAAAAAH! dance party!!!!! (minus the dancing part lol)

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!!!

We visited Melissa Campos (the blonde less active girl that I sent a picture of) again this week and we read another chapter with her in the Book of Mormon, chapter 10 in first Nephi.  After reading we challenged her to read the next chapter the very same night (because normally it takes 5 million years of reminding her and recommitting her over and over again to read the same chapter for her to actually do it). She committed to do it. The next day we are in the street walking past her house to go to another appointment and we run into her walking out her front door so we stop to talk to her for a second. She tells us that her mom and she had just gotten back from the center and that while she was there, they passed by some clothes stores and went by Lider (read "Chilean Walmart"), and that while they passed by all the clothes, she didn't even bother looking at other stuff, instead, she went straight to where the SKIRTS were, because she wanted to buy a skirt to wear to church (she had been coming in jeans until now). 

BUT THAT'S NOT ALL!!!!

SO we keep talking with her outside her house and we ask her how it went with her "homework" to read the chapter the night before and she said "good!" So with surprise and curiosity we asked more specifically, "You read the chapter???" And she said "Yep! I READ TWO!" Almost had a heart attack from pure shock and surprise - the good kind!! 

BUT THAT¨S NOT ALL!!!!

So, Sunday comes around. Sacrament meeting starts, we finish singing the first hymn, no Melissa :( ... then 2 mins later in walks her sister and her husband, and they close the door behind them, and I´m thinking, shoot!  She didn´t come. THEN the door opens again, and in walks Meli in a SKIRT, she looked fabulous!  When we got a chance to talk with her after Sacrament mtg she told us how they almost didn't come because her son, Panchito, had had a fever all night and neither of them had slept much and that her mom wasn't going to go either (and her mom is ACTIVE), BUT that she made her mom go (at least that´s her story)! She is rocking it!
I really don´t know how this change happened, I only know that it´s been a huge and amazing miracle! If you only KNEW how many times I had asked myself after having not so successful lessons with her and seeing her lack of progress even her lack of INTEREST for a LONG time, "Should we leave her, or should we keep working with her?" How many times I went back and forth with it in my mind. It seems like for a long time the thought was, Yeah ONE MORE TIME, and if this time isn´t different.... but for one reason or another we always went back, AND NOW LOOK!!!!! :D  The only thing I can make sense of that could have caused such a huge a dramatic change is that last week we left a challenge with her to read a short little chapter in the Book of Mormon, and then PRAY and ask if it was true and if Joseph Smith really was a prophet of God, that day she did it! And she told us that  she got an answer and that she felt it was true. Maybe in that moment, when she went looking/searching on her OWN account, is when the Spirit was really able to get to her and sprout that seed of faith that she had had in her heart. 

Now, that´s still not ALL, but just know that it´s been an awesome week, and that everyday the Lord shows us His hand in mini-miracles and tender mercies. I love my mission and being His servant and representative SOOO much! As He, in His great mercy, allows us to work and be witnesses of these changes and miracles in the lives of others, He works even bigger changes and miracles in OUR lives and in OUR hearts. 

with ALL my love, 
Hna Davis

Week 71 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol]

My crazy family<3,

MY PACKAGE FINALLY ARRIVED!!!!!!! yayyyyyy thank you! thank you for the bracelet mommy, I'm going to wear it everyday! haha :)

This week was great! we FINALLY had a ward activity! and it turned out GREAT!!!!  Hopefully that will help convince our bishop to let us do activities more often!
We had 2 investigators that came to the activity, and one Sister, who just HAPPENS to be a returned missionary, brought 3 non-member classmates, to the activity!  Also, Melissa Campos came! She is progressing little by little, but the awesome thing is that she is progressing! She came to church again on Sunday and already committed to come next week as well.  Her older sister and her sisters husband (and their new born baby) had to move back in with Melissa and her parents because the husband had been out of work for a while. It´s been rough on them, but I am starting to see it as a blessing because she will be able to help Melissa be more diligent in going to church, reading her scriptures, etc. (Her sister is also a returned missionary:))


We also found a really great investigator this week! Her name is Diana. She was a reference from a sister in the ward who works driving colectivos.  She gave her a ride one day in her colectivo and Diana told her about how 2 of her three children had passed away, one form sickness and the other had committed suicide, so the sister, hermana Guacolda, talked to her about eternal families and about the gospel, and then asked her if she´d like to listen to the missionaries and she said yes!  Saturday morning hermana Guacolda drove us to Diana´s house and we taught her about the restoration of the gospel and the Priesthood authority to make covenants to be sealed as families, etc.  She was super receptive and prepared!  That same night she went to the activity, hna Guacolda picked her up, and she had a great time. Then she also committed to coming the next day to Sacrament Meeting.  When we saw Hna Guacolda at church Sunday morning she explained to us that she had passed by Diana´s house in the morning and called and called but that she must have slept in because no one answered.  But about half way through Sacrament Meeting there is a knock on the door and in walks DIANA! She had come all by herself when she realized that she´d slept in! I have never seen such dedication in an investigator!  Then because it was the 5th Sunday everyone but the people from Gospel Principles met up to have a ward chat/inventory/lesson.  SO we stayed in the gospel principles class and the teacher started to ask if anyone had questions and Diana started asking more about eternal families and what she could do for her sons that had already passed. Well, one thing lead to the next and we ended up inviting her to be baptized right there in the not-gospel-principles-gospel-principles class…. AND she accepted!!! So now she has a date set for the 26th of July and is going to be preparing for that in these next couple weeks! YAYYYYYY!

What else?? Oh, yesterday we thought there was somebody robbing our investigator, Jocelyn´s house. We got there for the appointment and everything was dark and turned off and silent, but he front door was WIDE open, so well called and called (Halo-ed) out side the gate and nobody answered. SO then we stopped calling for a  little bit and start talking low about what could have happened or why the door was open when all the sudden we hear someone inside coming down the stairs. Somebody dressed in dark colors, a tall guy. And we start to freak, because Jocelyn is married, but her husband works in Punta Arena and doesn’t come back for like a month or two. BUT long story short, it was her cousin who had come to visit and was baby sitting her kids. So that was a fun non-adventure.  We got all spooked for nothing. lol

Other than that, all´s good in the neighborhood! Love you  guys so much! Hope you are having a blast on your crazy trip!!!  You are all Davis studs! ;)  Be safe!

Hna Davis




Ps.. Zoe, that´s it, you are SOOOOOOO busted! Totally going to hang you by your toenails in 2 months! Asi que, ¡prepárese!  [prepare yourself]

Week 70 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - w/ Hna. Arellano from Tabasco, Mexico)

Hey Fam bam!
SO this has been a good week! We started another cambio here in Villa el Sol together.  Things have been kind of interesting with the world cup going on and everything.  I feel like the weeks are seriously FLYING by and skipping days too!  Monday, Thursday, Sunday. haha SO much to do, so little time.

I'm sitting here in front of the computer screen mind blank, just thinking, What happened this week? What can I tell my family about???  I think the fact that I'm a little wound up isn't helping me think at all.  Here's what's happening:... Today Chile plays in the world cup again at 12pm (right now) and we have to enter the house before the game ends at 2pm, and be enclosed in the house the rest of pday. BUT the thing is that they told/informed us yesterday that we didn't have to be in the house until 3pm, so we made all our plans around that because we had to clean the house this week (deep clean) and then take pictures of it to send into the office and we had to do all that BEFORE going to use internet because we have to send them by email. So in total we have like 4 hours tops out of the house, and 2 of those hours are used by writing the family (and walking to and from the place), and my comp and I had to go to the center to go buy boots and fleece tights because the boots I was wearing had a huge hole in the sole and we were both freezing to death for lack of thick/warm tights. And that takes a while because we don't know the center very well and it's a little far away.  SO we leave at like 9:30 to go to the center, go to the bank, take out some cash, go buy boots at some sale place, then its like 11 something and our DL calls to let us know that we actually have to enter the house before TWO pm.  SO long story short I'm in the internet place right now rushing to write everything I need before I have to go home and we won't even have time to go grocery shopping or anything and I'm not going to lie, its a little bit frustrating, because they informed us badly.  But "everybody makes mistakes and everybody has those days", plus I'll get over it and bounce back shortly.  Sacrifice brings blessings!!! haha

On Wednesday we had to go home for a few hours too because Chile played Spain AND WON!!!! VAMOS CHILE!!!! hahaha  The people were screaming and driving by honking their horns, waving the flag out their car windows until they went to bed that night, and the game started at like 3 pm! I've never been one to get all excited about sports, let alone soccer, but their enthusiasm is definitely contagious.

Ok, so this week. This week we were finally able to teach Patricia again, and that was awesome because she is a great investigator! And for her schedule and everything we hadn't been able to teach her in like 3 weeks, it was crazy! But it was awesome to see that she is still very interested and open to listen to us and read the Book of Mormon and everything! :)

My companion got bit by a dog this week! haha but luckily it didn't break the skin (narrowly escaped the 6 rabies shots haha)! It was the craziest thing because we were walking along the side walk - and here ALL the houses have gates around their front yard/garden, and almost everyone has dogs that stand there and bark at you while you are trying to contact people lol,- so like I said, we were just walking along the side walk, passing by the houses, and there in this little hole in a wooden gate where you put your hand through to open the gate and as my companion passed by, this crazy dog jumped up and grabbed her elbow through that little tiny space in the fence!  She almost started crying, but more for being startled/nerves than feeling pain.

Other than that all is good here, we are happy and working hard. This Saturday we have an activity put on by us missionaries and our ward mission leader.  The theme is unity and friendship and we are going to try to unite the ward a little better so they work better together by playing games and everything, then we are going to have sopaipillas as refreshment! YUMM! sopaipillas con pebre!!!  haha it's going to be awesome and we are inviting the whole world, so we have high expectations! I'll let you know how it goes next week.

Love you guys lots and lots! I hope you are all well and making good choices haha. you are the best family in the whole wide world!  Thanks for sending pics of everyone! that´s so cool that mike´s fam cam to visit! Send my love to everyone! Take care!!!!!

Hna Davis

ps. ZOE!!! write me a letter or I'll hang you by your toe-nails.

With care, your long-lost/forgotten/abandoned/neglected sister. :)

Week 69 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - w/ Hna. Arellano from Tabasco, Mexico)

HEY FAM BAM!!!!

This has been a crazy week!  Well, like you were saying in your emails last week, I don't even think crazy weeks exist anymore because every week is about the same on the level of craziness! haha

This week I did divisions with the sisters in Graneros and it was super fun!  A grand adventure! Their sector is pretty campo [out in the country] and really LOOONG, SO... we went... wait for it... ON BIKES!!!!!  First time in my mission where I got to ride a bike in the sector! And first time in my life that I rode a bike with a skirt on! ...and first time in my life that I rode a bike when it is raining cats and dogs!!! hahaha and did you know that when you bike in the rain you get WAY, WAY wetter than if you were just on foot carrying an umbrella around??? hahaha Hna Villareal and I got back to the house soaked all the way through, but even so, we had a great day! and we just laughed about it. The thing was that despite the rain, it was like a dream day for a missionary, because every house we went to let us in!!! and a bunch of them were just contacts (future investigators) that the sisters had made and set appointments to go back (NORMALLY like 80% of those appointments fall through). It was sweet! I also always love being able to go to other sectors to see and also be with the other sisters to get to know them better and love them even more!  They are ALL super awesome!

So that was Wednesday-Thursday.  Thursday afternoon my comp had an appointment in the clinic to get an allergy test where they prick your arm with a bunch of different stuff like pollen, dust, etc to see what you are allergic too, the results: ... nothing! and the lame thing is that we are 80% sure it's food that is causing it, but they only do the food test in Santiago... BUT luckily she hasnt had any allergy episodes lately so we are hoping we wont have to worry about it anymore....

Friday: Chile played in the world cup so we had to go home early, at 6pm (the time Chile started their game) because Chileans LOVE their football and they get pretty dang wriled up, not to mention que son muy buenos para al alcohol (generalmente) [that they're big on alcohol (generally)], so for our safety all the missionaries had to retire early to do our weekly planning. It was funny though because without watching the game we knew that Chile had won and exactly how many goals they had scored, because every time Chile scored a goal the WHOLE neighborhood errupted in shouts and cheers and everything, then when the game ended they all went out in their cars screaming and cheering and honking their horns driving like 3 times around the neighborhood screaming and honking before going to some place to celebrate.

This week we had some really awesome spiritual experiences!  I just LOVE being a missionary, and having the PRIVILEDGE to share the restored gospel and the TRUTH everyday, and to be the Lord's mouthpiece and hands here in Villa el Sol, with my compi.

BTW we're not changing!  We get to stay together another cambio and I get to finish Hna Arellano's training!  We are SUPER happy about it!!!!

This cambio is going to be AMAZING!!!

Love you fam bam!  Hope you had a great father's day daddy. Take good care! make good choices ;)

Hna Davis

Week 68 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - w/ Hna. Arellano from Tabasco, Mexico)

Hey fam bam!

Today has been an awesome but super crazy day! We did a lot of awesome things but the result was that now we have no time for anything else! haha So sorry if this email comes out short.

Today we went to this place up in the mountains called COYA, looking for snow (my comp wanted to conocer la nieve [get to know the snow]) lol We woke up like half an hour earlier than usual and got ready and left the house at like 7:15 we and picked up a member then walked to the bus station, waited an hour for the bus to come, and took the 45 min bus ride up into the mountains. It was crazy how much parts of the ride up looked like the 18 Highway coming up the hill haha, but there there was this one part where we came up over a ridge and started dropping down into the valley and when we came up over the ridge, the whole view opened up into the huge valley in the MIDDLE of the mountain range and it was BREATHTAKING!!!! I'm sorry to have to say this but it was way more breathtaking than anything I've ever seen in the Sierras. Of course, pictures never do it justice, especially not from a bus window, but even so I took some and I'll attach some. It was absolutely amazing. Then in the afternoon, an awesome family here, family Campos made us an asado [BBQ] in the afternoon for lunch and we went there but then couldn't leave until like 4 ...and then we had no time left to do anything because we still had to clean the house and write to the fam. We didn't even have time to buy food, so I'm hoping what I have in the house lasts. lol but even so its been a good day, it´s just that I sometimes stress a bit when we are tight on time lol



This week was good but it rained almost all week and was super cold, so that's sometimes hard on us missionaries especially when no one wants to open their doors and let you in. They just open up, ask you what you want, then tell you no because it´s cold or it´s raining and then tell you to go to your house and get out of the rain. And at first when they tell you that it´s cold or it´s raining you´re thinking "Aw really? I hadn't noticed! You know, because I'm standing here IN the rain hiding under my umbrella and shivering so hard its probably visible." haha Then when they tell you to go home and your like... yeah... I CANT but if you'd let me IN it'd be MUCH better! hahaha but no, we were blessed to be inside teaching more than out in the rain, although my companion did get SOAKED when a truck drove through a puddle of water next to the sidewalk on Tuesday (while I was in divisions in Santiago renewing my carnet). Poor thing! hahaha I think she won all the good sport points that day.

This week we set a new baptismal date goal with jopsely (because here the investigators have to go to church at least three weeks before getting baptized and she hasn't been able to come yet). This Sunday she was going to come with Hna Jimenez (they were having a pj party because hna Jimenez´ spouse was going to be out of town for the weekend and with her chemo and everything she can't really be left alone), BUT they both slept in. I guess they forgot to set their alarm. CHOOTA! but NEXT WEEK! SI O SI!!!! haha

What else can I tell you? We have a lot of good investigators and are seeing that the sector is starting to pick up, there was a point there when we pretty much had nothing (when all the craziness was going on with my other trainee who went home, and being in trios and 2 sectors, etc, etc) but it´s been awesome seeing a slow but steady progress now that I've got an awesome new companion and we have been back in business 100% of the time in OUR sector. :) The hardest thing has been SEEING all our investigators regularly because they all have complicated schedules and we have an appointment set for the end of the week with them (for example) and then they can't make it for a surprise meeting or a changed work shift and then there goes the week and we weren't able to visit them. But it´s not that big of a challenge. We are working on calling them before hand to remind them and calling them more during the week, setting goals and making plans to overcome the challenge lol :) doing what missionaries do :)

Something cool that happened to me this week was it just like "clicked" in my brain (a little better than ever before) that through the Atonement we can not only become better and stronger in our strong points or less weak in our weak points, but that through the Atonement, I can actually make my weaknesses STRENGTHS! I don´t know why that had never "clicked" before, but it did this week and I'm very grateful for that and putting a stronger effort and emphasis on making my weaknesses strengths, not just bettering them a little tiny bit.

Other than that, they tell us the cambios this Saturday. I have never been so nervous for cambios in my whole mission. haha We will see what happens.

Love you all SOOOOOO much! Take care our yourselves!
Hna Davis

Week 67 (Rancagua, Zone Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol])

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!

This week was crazy! It absolutely FLEW by!

Monday, P-day activity with the hnas- making home made pizza at our house 

Tuesday, divisions with the sisters in Graneros (from the other zone)

Wednesday, come back from divisions in the morning, doctors appointment for my comps allergies in the evening.

Thursday, mission leadership council with Elder Salas from the 70

Friday, ZONE CONFERENCE WITH ELDER SALAS!

Saturday, and Sunday normal, and here we are on Monday again!

It was so awesome having the opportunity to be in the leadership council and then in the conference with Elder and Sister Salas! It was absolutely INCREDIBLE! It was like they just came into our dark room and turned on the light! WOW! Everything seems SOOO much clearer now!  I have been so privileged to be able to be around them for 2 days! ...And the coolest part was that after the conference ended on Friday and we were all eating lunch, the sisters at our table and I notice as elder and Hna. Salas walk in, get there plates of food and start looking for a place to sit, so we all flag them down and they come and sit with us at our table! So all during lunch we were talking with them and asking them questions talking about doubts and doctrine, like an open discussion with a member of the 70!  How cool is that?!?! The poor things had to take turns answering our questions so that while one talked the other could eat.  Then before Elder Salas could even finish off his lunch they called him up to do interviews with some missionaries.

In the Conference I was the second speaker, after Hna Warne (the Mission President's wife).  I was super nervous preparing my talk all week because with how busy we were, I could never find the right time to prepare it and what happened like two times is that I sat down to write it, after having studied, and NOTHING came to mind!  By Thursday night, I had a ROUGH idea of what I COULD say and about a paragraph and a half written, so I woke up at like 5 something on Friday morning to finish and practice my talk.  I was really nervous, but I felt good about it after I´d finished.  It was really funny during the conference because I kept breathing super deeply and couldn't sit still before I got up to speak, but then after I finished I was as happy and relaxed as ever! haha The hermana that was sitting next to me laughed at me for it. 

My compi and I are doing really well! she is great! and so patient with me hahaha.

This week we found an investigator (an 84 year old named Clara) on Saturday night and on Sunday she came to church with us! Tania also came to church for the 2nd time this week and one of the YW told us afterward that they are getting together during the week to eat, and she had already invited her to all the activities for the month of June!!! hahaha I love it!

 

Well times up folks, love you so much! be good! Byeeee!

Week 66 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - w/ Hna. Arellano from Tabasco, Mexico

Hyellow! (that´s how you say "hello" with a spanish accent, and also what all the teenagers yell at us from across the street hahaha)

It´s been a good but crazy week this week! 

Highlight of the week, one of our investigators, Tania, came to church yesterday, she is 17 and is one of those smart kids who is in high school and "pre-university" at the same time (like Lauren was).  This week we took our ward missionary, Liset (who is 18) to our lesson with her and we taught her about the gospel of Jesus Christ with a focus on repentance and it was a really awesome lesson, even though it got cut short because her parents came home and talking with us and wanting to eat dinner, etc. But Liset was really awesome with her about befriending her and inviting her to church, o she finally arrived! And the cool thing was that when she arrived Liset introduced her to Barbara, one of the YW who is also 17 and they really hit it off (the three of them) and Barbara and Liset were awesome about getting to know her and be friends with her super quick and also getting her phone number to invite her to mutual and everything!  It was really awesome.  I know it probably sounds weird, but it´s an awesome feeling when, as a missionary, you introduce your investigator to some members who then start talking and laughing and you end up standing there for no reason, just feeling like an ornament, and not needed! haha  It was just awesome to see the gospel in action and see the members doing their part fellowship, Tania unfortunately couldn't stay after sacrament meeting because she had to go visit her g-ma with her family, but after talking to the YW, I think she really wanted to! hahaha

Also, I think what helped with all that was that the day before, Saturday we´d had a mini MTC with the youth which also was really interesting and crazy (because it´s wasn´t planned all TOO well, but in the end it ended up turning out really well when they had all the returned missionaries get up and bare their testimonies to the youth, awesome, awesome, awesome! 

Saturday night the bishop called me and asked me to give a 15 min talk on la obra misional [missionary work] the next day, so I frantically prepared a talk Sunday morning, despite the short notice it turned out pretty well! 

Saturday night, like half an hour after the bishop had called and asked me to speak, I got a call from the Assistants to the President asking me to speak in the mission conference we are going to have on Friday with a member of the 70, Elder Salas, on Faith.  Luckily, it wont be in front of the WHOLE mission, just 6 zones...  hahaha

I'm super nervous and a little stressed about WHEN I'm going to write - let alone practice-  my talk. But everything is going to be fine, and I'm SUPER excited to be able to GO to the conference with Elder Salas, the last conference we had with a 70, Elder Viñas, was SUPER AWESOME!!!!!! 

Other than that,not too much going on! Working hard, keeping busy, being HAPPY! Love you SOOOOOO much fam bam! CONGRATS JOHN FOR GETTING THE PRIESTHOOD!!!!! LOVE YOU ALL SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (TIMES INFINITY) MUCH!... NO ME! NO ME! NO ME! 

Your favorite SISTER missionary,

Hna Davis

Week 65 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - w/ Hna. Arellano from Tabasco, Mexico

HOLA A TODOS!

It´s been a great week here in Villa el Sol. This week we have been working harder on involving/working with the members. This week my companion invited our new investigator, Joselyn, to be baptized and she accepted! SO we will be working more with her and her family to help her know how to receive answers to her prayers and gain a testimony that the church is true; that it really is the church of Jesus Christ, restored on the earth.  Haha I love that we get to teach that and share that and FEEL the truth of that everyday! 

I did divisions with the sisters that live in our house this week, my comp went over to Recreo´s area and Hna Nappa (la Paraguaya) came over to Villa el Sol to work with me for a day. She is super awesome and fun. We both have the same amount of time in the mission, but she is going home Sept 9th.  

We´ve been having more success, LITTLE by LITTLE, and personally I FEEL like we are having a lot more success just in the fact that we are working more with the members and that the Lord blesses us more for our efforts in that! We still have a long way to go and a lot more to do to combine our efforts with the members, but it has been exciting to see the little day by day successes and count our blessings. I have a funny/embarrassing stury to tell... 

So... its gradually been getting colder and colder.  Normally I get all dressed in a skirt and tights and everything before I start my study, but I don't normally put my shoes on because I like to put on a pair old socks so that my feet aren't popsicles.  One morning, I put on a pair of BRIGHT, electric blue socks with little bumble bees on them, then this day in particular I also put my shoes on over them because the bathroom floor was wet and I was finishing to get ready there. I remember putting my shoes on and thinking "maybe I shouldn´t do this, because knowing myself, I will forget I have these bright blue ugly socks on" but then I thought, "...Nah! I won´t forget!  Or even if I do, I'll totally notice as we´re getting ready to leave, besides, i don't want foot popsicles while I'm studying." 

... Well, long story short, I forgot!... and I DIDN'T notice while we were getting ready to leave, nor while we were saying our prayer to go out to work, nor when we went out the gate of the house and started walking down the street,... nor while we were crossing the main highway and people were randomly beeping their car horns at me and I couldn´t guess why.  I didn´t notice until we were about a block from the house and I went to tie my coat onto my bag and I looked down and something ELECTRIC BLUE caught my eyes on top of my dark grey tights. Yeah, I almost died, half because of embarrassment and half for laughing so hard! I remeber looking at my companion and saying " WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME?!?!?!?!?!?!?!" and she was just like "I thought you meant to do it! I just thought to myself ¨Wow! she must be REALLY cold!"    Thanks for having my back compi!  hahahahaha  Needless to say, I took my SUPER STYLIN´socks off on the spot and shoved them into the deepest part of my bag. 

I´ve got a slight cold and sniffles this week, but don´t worry mommy, I finally started taking my vitamins that i´d been lugging around in my suitcase for 14 months, so I should get better soon! ;)

Fam bam! Love you to pieces! when did you all get so big and SO STINKING CUTE??!!!! STOP IT RIGHT NOW! ;) be good! make good choices! ZOE! you are so totally behind on your commitment to write me everymonth! ... TRENT! you dont have a commitment, but still! lol 

Take care!  I LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!

Hna Davis

Week 64 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - w/ Hna. Arellano from Tabasco, Mexico

[We received this email the day after having an hour-long Skype session (on Mother's Day)...during which Ynez made a passing comment about being tired.  We read nothing into it except that "she was tired".  Although she started her email, "...between us Davis'", we thought it was too cute not to share] 

...between us Davis'

Haha, ok, funny story. Last night after talking with you guys, me quedé pensando [I was left thinking], wondering if I had come off wrong or made you guys worry when I'd whined a little bit about being tired, so I planned out in my mind to write today explaining that you shouldn't worry, that just in the last leg of my cross country races, EVEN THOUGH I was tired and spent, that I´d pour it on and sprint the last part in, like you´d always taught me to do, BUT then I print out my emails and realized that you´d totally stolen my analogy hahaha

but not to worry, I thought of another one...

Just wanted to make sure that I come of right; that I'm not slowing down or holding back right here at the end.  Am I tired? of course! haha but am I going to let that stop me??  PARA NADA! [Not for anything!] haha

I´ll do what you have always taught me to do, "pour it on", just like the time when we did the mountaineers route [on Mount Whitney] in a day and we were going back down the last set of switch backs with tired, jellowy knees and exhausted legs that felt like they could collapse on us in any moment, anybody that is "NOT a Davis" would think that we´d take it easy, a nice gradual descent to the car. But that´s not what my mountaineering, rocklimbing, hard-core, crazy, bonsai-ing parents have taught me! :) WE run to the car, "record" timing ;)

Now some of this might be a LITTLE bit exaggerated, but the point I'm trying to make is that you´ve taught me well, and I will do my very best and push my very hardest till the very end. 

Thank you for teaching me to do hard things and letting me have so many amazing experiences that I never guessed would help me in this kind of a way, I love and appreciate you more than words can tell, miss you tons and tons, doing my best to make you and my Heavenly Father proud. 

LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!

Hna Davis 

Week 63 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] - getting a new "greenie"

¡HOOOOLA!

Thank for all the updates, fam! you guys are the greatest!

And way to GO John and Lucien in your track meet, WHOOPED´EM ALL! ;)

This week has been crazy but not at the same time, crazy because we have been dvividing our time between two sectors, and trying to figure that out and the least complicated way to do it and also the way to do it that would require spending the LEAST amount of money on colectivos [busses] was a little stressful, but as far as the work goes things actually turned out pretty dang good!  Despite all the craziness we were actually really happy with the outcome of the week, and it was also good because Hna Sutherlin and I get along really well, and it was kind of fun speaking English again!  But I´m not gonna lie, I DO sound pretty stupid sometimes when I´m speaking English, but´s like the Spanish to English translation version, for example when we are walking in the street and I´m leading the way and I say "for here" which is a direct translation of "por acá" which pretty much means "this way", but I got so accustomed to saying "por acá" that when I wanted to say the same thing in English I used the direct translation.  It´s one of those moments when you don´t realize how dumb something sounds or how much sense it DOESN´T make until it´s already come out of your mouth. The same kind of thing happened when I was explaining that something was bothering me and I tried direct translating the spanish verb "molestar" (to bother) into english (by using the root of the word and adding "-ing" = molesting)...yeah, that one made us laugh pretty hard!  I remember Hna Sutherlin turned to me and said, "I really hope you don´t pull that one again after the mission when you´re with someone who WON´T understand what you´re trying to say."

It´s moments like these that make you realize when you´ve actually started thinking in Spanish and not English. Haha

Something else fun that happened this week, this week we had Stake Conference! The coolest thing was that Saturday evening we found two new investigators (in Hna Sutherlin´s sector) and invited them for conference the next day AND THEY CAME!!!! That was a big huge miracle and super awesome!

Also, there was a member of the 70 at the conference so our leaders called us Saturday morning letting us know that we had to be at the Sat night session, so Sat night we went and the member of the 70 was talking about La Obra Misional y La obra de Salvación, [missionary work and the work of salvation] and in the middle of his talk he announces that he is going to call four people up to share their testimonies of missionary work; two missionaries, a parent of a returned missionary, and a future missionary. Then he also explains that these four people don´t know who they are or that they were going to have to speak, but that each one would come up on the spot and bear their testimony about the blessing of missionary work, and if they are a missionary, why they are here also.  Then the Elder starts reading off the names, "Entonces, vamos a pedir que las siguientes personas se pongan de pie y vienen al pulpito, en este orden: Primero, La Hermana DAVIS, despues, el Hermano tanto, despues, Elder Ralda,..."etc. [So, we're going to ask that the following people to stand up and come to the pulpit in this order: Sister DAVIS, then Brother so & so, then Elder Ralda...]  Can I just tell you that my heart almost jumped OUT of my rib cage! I was SOOOOOO nervous! But it was a really, really cool experience! 

I ran into President Warne afterward and he asked me how I´d felt, then he laughed and explained to me that 1 min before the Conference started the Elder (70) had gone up to him and asked him to pick a sister and an elder to bear their testimonies, and he´d picked me and one of the Pres.' Assistants. At the time I just laughed with him, but inside I was thinking, "YOUUUU did this too me!!! -_-" lol JK, it was an honor, and like I said, it was a really special experience being able to share my testimony of missionary work with all the members. 

SOOOO cambios [changes], Yes, it has been officially confirmed, I´m training! tomorrow.  I have to go to the mission home to pick up my new trainee. :)  Also, Hna Bokovoy is getting tranferred :(  I'm not very happy about that, I love that girl to pieces! But, as always, the Lord knows what He´s doing. 

This week we have another leadership council on Wednesday, so I will have to leave my brand newbee compi in a trio with some other sisters one her SECOND day, hahaha. Ohhh la misión. :) 

Anyways all is well here.  Mom, I already bought a new down coat at Líder, so don´t worry about sending my big coat...but a package woulds still be nice :) PREEEEEEETTY PLEEEEEASE. LOVE YOU! YOURE THE BEST MOTHER IN THE WHOLE WORLD!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!! BE GOOD! MAKE GOOD CHOICES! READ YOUR BOOK OF MORMON!

Hna Davis

Week 62 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] w/ Hna Sutherlin

HEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!

So, NEW news this week! I´m no longer in a trio! I am now in a companionship with Hna Sutherlin, from Georgia.  She is a sister from my zone that´s working in a sector on the other side of the zone, but what happened was she ended up "alone" as well because her comp went home too.  Her comp, Hna Meeks, (whom I love!) had to go home because she has been really sick to her stomache for like the last 2 months and the doctors here can´t figure out what she has... like at one point they tried telling her that she had DEPRESSION and she didn´t know it so that was what was causing it... yeah, no comment on that...just pray that I don't ever get sick or need urgent medical care here...

SO, she had to go home because she couldn't really work and she really needs to go to the doctor in the states so they can figure out what exactly she has and treat her so she can get better!  It was sad seeing her go because she is a really great missionary. 

SO, now Hna Sutherlin and I are together.  We have to divide our time between her sector in Tupahue and here in Villa el Sol, which is a LITTLE more complicated because we have to take a colectivo or a micro (bus) to get to and from her sector and transportation here in Rancagua (the city) is super expensive. But I really enjoy being with Hna Sutherlin, she´s great and we get along super well!  She goes to BYU and is best friends with one of the sisters that was in my MTC district; small world. :) ALSO, Hna Sutherlin was a coordinadora for like 9 months so I´m totally taking advantage of the time I have with her to pick her brain for suggestions/advice...AND we´ve got the same amount of time in the mission, so that´s one more thing we´ve got in common. Haha

SO, I don't  really remember if I've told you anything about the Jimenez´, but they came to church again this week and that was awesome! They still have a long way to go before they can be technically active again, but they are going strong! The week after Hna Jimenez had her breast cancer removing surgery (on like a Thursday) they came to church the next sunday and Hna Jimenez stood up to bear her testimony.  The funny thing was that I had called them in the morning to see if they were going to go/remind them and Hno Jiminez had answered and said the his wife hadn't been able to sleep all night so neither one of them was going to come...also because he had to stay there to take care of her.  BUT then when sacrament had already started, all the sudden, I see them come in the back doors and my chin hit the floor in shock, but the GOOD kind!  I had to contain myself from squeeling for joy. (That was a really big step for them, and we have been working with them a lot, for a long time).  This sunday we didn't even call them in the morning and they arrived by themselves, no help at all needed. And another less active sister arrived that I had been working with with Hna Rojas, but we had kind of dropped her because she was just not progressing, and not progressing, and not progressing, BUT she just showed up at church on sunday out of the blue, and that was great!  I guess her moment finally arrived! 

OH, I didn´t explain the situation with Hna Sutherlin - we are only together until next monday (cambios) we are like each others fill in companions while we wait for transfers, they are going to tell us what happens with transfers this saturday, but when I talked to Pres Warne after the coordinating sisters´meeting on Friday, he already told me I'm going to be training again! haha So we will see what happens with that :) 

Other than that, all is well!  It's getting a little colder every week, although there are still those freak days that all of a sudden feel like mild summer again, then the next day freezing again.  It´s kind of like the bipolar weather in the mountains at home, so I'm more or less used to it. lol 

Any way! Take care of yourselves fam bam! Love you guys SOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! besitos!

Love,

Hna Davis

Week 61 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] w/ Hna Bokovoy and Hna Gutierrez

I'm in a trio now!

Hey fam bam! First off, you are amazing and I love you! 

This week has been a really good one, but also a REALLY crazy one. Long story short, I am in a trio until the end of the cambio (2 more weeks) with Hermana Bokovoy and Hna Gutierrez (the 2 sisters from Recreo that share the house with me). My companion flew home last Tuesday early in the morning.  She went home for health reasons. Everything was pretty sad and complicated, and very all of sudden, but it's all in the Lord's hand and all for the better. President just wanted to do what ever would be best for her well-being. 

SO, like I said, I am now in a trio, and that was actually one of my prior mission nightmares, BUT I am actually loving our trio! We are like the three musketeers (only girls) and we make an awesome team! (not to mention I love the heck out of these girls!) 

Tuesday morning (after Pres and Hna Warne returned from dropping my comp off at the airport) we had our ZONE CONFERENCE! :) and I (and 8 other missionaries) had the oportunity to give a talk on one of the 9 Christlike Attributes from the Preach My Gospel manual.  They asked me to talk on Faith. I really enjoyed the opportunity and learned a ton from the experience (obviously the talk was more for my benefit and learning than for the people who heard it haha).  

This week C_______ (the excommunicated memeber we were teaching) got re-baptized! YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!! It was super, super awesome and super spiritual! Totally cried! So what happened was she got the approval and we threw the plans together super fast and the next day she got baptized! :) If this computer lets me and doesn't tell me I have a virus, I'll send the pics. 

SO the way things work with our trio is that we have to cover BOTH sectors (my sector, Villa el Sol, and their sector, Recreo) so we have been handling it one day here, one day there, etc.  Hopefully, this week I can get some members from the ward to do divisions with me so we can work in both sectors in one day. 

Sunday was kind of interesting too, beacuse Hna Bokovoy and Hna Gutierrez had to go to their ward, and I had to go to mine, so I had to go over to a members (the Guzman's house) early in the morning Sunday ("Happy Easter fam Guzman! crashing your celebration" lol jk,  ...they actually celebrated in the afternoon) so that their daughter could be my comp for the morning at church, but it was fun, their daughter Barbara is super, she is 17 and planning on going on a mission! 

Other than that, not too much going on.  I'm working hard and loving it! 

Cuidense muchisimo! Les quiero muuuuuuuuuuuuuuucho!

tengo frio! please send jacket lol 

[Take good care!  I love you sooooo much!  I've been cold!]

Week 60 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] w/ Hna Huamán)

Howdy family!

Just going to apologize in advance, this email is going to be short.

You´ll have to forgive me, I´m just a little maxed out right now both physically and emotionally, BUT I do want to know that I am doing really well.

This week I did my first companionship exchange with Hna Gutierrez (and my companion went with Hna Bokovoy), they are the sisters that live in our house. 

They are awesome missionaries and I love them to pieces!

C____, an ex-communicated member that we have been teaching to help prepare her to be baptized again, finally had her disciplinary council thingy yesterday and they told her that she could finally get re-baptized, so that was super happy news!  She has been waiting a long time for that.  We don´t count it as our baptism, but even so, I am super happy because we´ve been working with her since (and before) I got here to Villa el Sol.  She is really great and has changed a LOT.  Her boyfriend is also taking lessons from the Elders in our ward and is also going to get baptized. Then they also have plans to get married in August   The bishop said they she can get baptized as soon as possible if she wanted, so we just have to arrange the program with her and our ward mission leader and it will probably go down this Saturday yaaaaaaayyyyyy.

Fam, I want you to know that you letters and words of encouragement and council have really been inspired these last few weeks and have been a tender mercy for me and have been exactly the words and encouragement that I have needed. I love you SO much, so so so so SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO times infinity much; you're the best family in the whole wide world. 

Have a wonderful week. Enjoy easter and don't eat too much candy or have too many egg wars with out me  YOU ALL ROCK

cuidense muchisimo [take good care, until soon,]

hasta pronto,

Hermana Davis

Week 59 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] w/ Hna Huamán)

How´s it going fam!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMY!!!!!! 

I made you an easter egg that says "feliz cumple mama" but this computer is telling me i have a virus in my memory in my camera (uh oh) so I don't know if I'll be able to send pictures from now on.... 

This week has been a new one! New adventures. 

Wasn´t conference GREAT?!?!?!?!?! I loooooooooooooove it! :) 

We had 2 investigators come (POR FINNNN [FINALLY]), and some new less actives. 

This week my companion got a cold - the poor thing has been shivering since she got here, EVEN when she´s all bundled up - so on Wednesday morning when it was time to get up she didn´t feel up to getting out of bed, so I called the mission nurse and she gave me some advice.  I made my comp take some DayQuil and some herb tea and did my studies while she rested.  Luckily, by the time the afternoon rolled around she was doing better so we went out to work. :D 

This last tuesday we had our Mission Leadership meeting and it was SUPER awesome!  It was really spiritual and helpful and I got to see some of my favorite people from the mission! ...AND I talked with the Zone Leaders that are working in Buin and they told me that Rene now has the MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD now!!!! ...and that he and Ana are super awesome and are the only ones that help/accompany the missionaries in Alto Jahuel haha. It made me SO happy to hear that! SO I sent a letter with them to give to Ana and Rene and also Sammy Nuñez :) I miss them all SO much! Buin is AWESOME! 

So whenever we have leadership councils in the next district meeting we have a zone training meeting where the Zone Leaders and Coordinadoras have to teach the zone what we learned in the leadership meeting. This time I got to teach one part of the training, "El poder del Espíritu Santo en la conversión" [The power of the Holy Ghost in conversion].  I really enjoyed teaching with the Zone they all cooperated SUPER well! The whole training meeting with our zone was super awesome as well; very personalized to OUR zone, and I learned even more from those who taught OUR zone even though I was in the original leadership meeting! haha 

Today we had a super awesome activity for just the sisters. We had all the sisters from our zone, and from the zone next door (because they don't have a Coordinadora - 12 hermanas in total) come over to our house and we made them lunch and THEN... wait for it!... WE DYED EASTER EGGS!!!!!!! :D :D :D It was SUPER fun and it turned out REALY well, especially for all the latin sisters who had never dyed eggs before, they were super cute about it!  I took some really awesome pictures, but like I said I can´t access them right now, I'm hoping it's just this computer acting weird with it´s antivirus stuff.  I really enjoyed it and Hna Bokovoy (from Massachusetts) and I tag teamed the shopping and preparing.  Of course we couldn´t really sit down to enjoy lunch or the egg dying part very much because we were running around making sure everyone had what they needed, but of course watching the other sisters enjoy it made it all worth it! :)  Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to send the pics soon. 

If you haven't sent my package already, I would also LOVE/need my long down jacket with the fur-lined hood. pretty please with sugar on top.

Have a FANTASTIC week; especially you mom! And have a great b-day! 

You are the best family in the whole wide world!!!!!

ALL my love and hugs and smiles,

Hna Davis

Week 58 (Rancagua, Zona Tupahue 1 [Villa el Sol] w/ Hna Huamán)

AHHHH NO TENGO TIEMPO PARA NAAADAAAAAA
[Ahhh, I don't have time for anything]

OK! HI! 

I'm a little more time crunched now because I´ve got to write a little more to the Pres. every week about how training is going and about how the sisters in the zone are doing. hehe

My new companion´s name in Hna Huamán (wah-MAN) she is from Lima, Peru. (<- yay! I don't have to speak English)  :) She is a convert of 4 years AND (fun fact:) before getting baptized she was a (drum roll please).... Catholic NUN!  That´s right, NUN! haha  She was a Nun for about a year and 8 months, then her family came and bailed her out and she started listening to the missionaries with her aunt´s family (who are members) and, long story short, HERE SHE IS!!!!! :)

We both have been studying like mad and learning lots, practicing LOTS AND LOTS, and doing all the other normal missionary type things. :)  My poor poor compi got fleas in her bed the second night. From one day to the next fall arrived and she isn´t accustomed to ANY form of cold, so we pulled out some old blankets that we had in the closet to help her keep warm, the next morning she woke up half eaten alive!  Poor thing was scratching all day so we gave her all the stuff we had for insect bites, that numbing first aid spray, hydrocortisone cream, EVERYTHING! haha and we washed all her blankets and sheets immediately and vacuumed her mattress and all the like (FULL flea killing/attack time). We´re still not sure if we killed them all or not because she somehow woke up with a couple more bites the next day, and then DURING the day she also got a few more, but we did buy some raid today and are going to do a second round of flea attack.  LUCKILY, I haven´t had any problems.  My poor greenie companion got ALL the bad luck! But I´ve been trying to help her all I can; encourage her all I can, and love her all I can. She´s great! :)

Tomorrow I´ve got my first mission leadership council, where all the Zone Leaders and coordinating sisters meet with the Pres and the AP's.  I´m actually really excited.  Hna Berbert told me that they are really special/spiritual.  

BTW, I was able to see her on Monday night when we dropped Hna Ruis off at the mission home who went home with that group, she was outside and I was able to talk to her for a little bit and wish her luck in her new mission. That girl is so awesome and so tough! Love her!  Hna Tidwell and I are the only two sister missionaries left from MY MTC group that came from the mission Concepcion.

Another BTW, Hna Tidwell is a coordinadora as well so I will get to see her tomorrow! YAYYYY!!! :) (for those who don't know or don't remember, Hna Tidwell was my comp in the MTC).

Parentals, have I mentioned how much I LOVE and appreciate you?  Your letters and advice were EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I LOVE YOU! keep being awesome example you are for me! DAVIS STYLE!!!! :D :D 

SO are you excited for General Conference or WHAT???!!!!? I SURE AM!!! ¡Estoy TAN animada que es posible que me haga pis encima! no need to translate that, dad. LOL