I'm now 20 years old!

Happy Birthday Hermana Davis!

This week I left my teenage years behind (blessed day!) and entered adulthood. 

Here´s how we celebrated the occasion - Argentina style.

The missionaries in Caleta threw a surprise birthday party disguised as a district meeting. They sang to me and I bit into the cake - it´s tradition. 

Then we ate lunch with Gimena and Julio. They made Choripan. Then they brought out a cake with a sparkler-like candle. We talked, listened to latin music, and laughed until our sides hurt.

Then we shared a scripture with them. Julio´s whole family are members except for him. They are sealed in the temple and everything. Both of his parents died of cancer. He separated himself from anything relating to God or religion. He started smoking more than a pack a day. Then he met Gimena. She helped him stop smoking (what a capa!!!!!) 

Now, because Gimena is meeting with us and telling her husband everything that we teach her, Julio is interested in hearing what we have to say.

I bore my testimony about the atonement and the ability of people to change and progress. Then Julio said a prayer. He hasn´t prayed for 16 years. The spirit was overwhelming and Julio said he felt heat from head to toe.

Basically it was the best birthday I´ve ever had.

For p-day we visited the sea lions. I almost got bit while taking a photo :) Do these sea lions have talons?  (name that movie!) The Patagonia is so beautiful. It is like the hills of Utah combined with a giant blue ocean. Then we ate Locro to celebrate the 25th of May. Locro is ricisimo! It´s basically a stew with everything in it but the kitchen sink!

Challenge time!!! 

Set aside a time each day to take a break from Technology, music, and the business of life. It is in the quiet moments that we are best able to listen to the spirit.

Love you tons!

Hermana Davis

I Love to See the Temple

Cordoba Argentina Temple

Dear Friends and family:

The Major highlight of this week was the Cordoba temple dedication. Cordoba is in the northern part of Argentina. We watched the broadcast in our capilla with the members. As soon as I walked into the chapel I felt a strong spirit wash over me. We were in an extension of the House of the Lord. Our goal as a mission is to have a temple in the Patagonia. I can´t wait for the day when I am watching general conference with my future family and the Prophet announces a temple in Comodoro Rivadavia.

We also had interviews with president yesterday. He is so in-tune with the spirit and has high expectations for our mission. I loved the training and advice we received. Hna.Rogers encouraged us to give 100% because 99% leaves room for regrets. 

Also, we invited Tina to baptism and she accepted!

Other things:

1. We had some really crazy wind this week. It makes me think of the scripture with Satan and his shafts in the whirlwinds. If we are built on the rock of our Savior we won´t be pushed and carried by the wind of temptation. So now when the wind blows dirt into my face I put my head down and think ¨Bring it on!¨

2. We knocked the door of a house. All of these dogs started running from the back of the house to bark at us through the fence. It total we counted 27 dogs!!!

Challenge: Read Alma 7 and Alma 34. Also, say your morning and nightly prayers kneel down on the floor. It is more powerful than kneeling or laying in your bed. How well we complete the basics (read the scriptures, pray, attend church) affects our progression in the gospel.

Love you tons!!!

Hermana Davis

"This week was de diez"

Our happy Hermana Davis skyping on Mother's Day 2015

We had a great skype with Aubrey!  It was almost 3 hours long and we enjoyed every minute of it.  She is growing spiritually and is amazingly happy!  Of course, she always has a way of making us laugh!  Such as:   "I find that the less teeth people have the harder their Spanish is to understand!"  :)

This week was de diez!

Here´s what went down:

1. We did divisions with Hermana Vera and Hermana Rassmussen. I learned how to work more and walk less. I love learning about how I can improve as a missionary.

2. In divisions we had a miracle. Hna Vera and I went to visit an investigator. She wasn´t there, but we met her cleaning lady. Her name is Nudi and she is from the Dominican Republic. She was reluctant at first, but we finally wrote down her address and told her that the Elders would pass by. Later that night we recieved a call from the Elders. They had been knocking doors and weren´t having success. After being rejected by one family, they decided to knock the door of the house that was behind the other. Nudi opened the window and told them to wait. The elders were really surprised. They thought, ¨Does she know that we are mormon missionaries?¨

Nudi returned with two chairs.The elders asked her if she knew who they were. Nudi replied,¨yes, the chicas told me that you would be coming.¨ (we hadn´t even passed the reference to the elders yet!)

They taught Nudi in her doorway (because she was home alone.)

The Lord knows his children!

3. District conference!!! All the missionaries sang the EFY medely (Spanish has ruined my spelling...) The first time we practiced the song it was re-feo (really bad.) I said a prayer that the Lord would help us sing beautifully, or that he would cover the ears of the people with the spirit. In the end it turned out really great! Milagros cada dia :)

4. Skype with my family!! I had a hard time speaking english at first. These days spanish is my main language. It was so good to see everyone. We cried and laughed and shared spiritual experiences. After the call I felt an even stronger desire to make the most of my time in the mission. 

5. I ate an ostrich (?) meat empanada...and I liked it.

Challenge time: This week I challenge you to pick a commandment. It could be the word of wisdom or perhaps modesty (or ¨thou shalt not kill,¨ but only if that´s a tough one for you.) 

Live this commandment to the best of your ability for a week. Pray each night to know if it´s really something God commanded us to do. Search for the blessings you get from keeping this commandment. After, you will have a strong testimony of this commandment and a desire to live it for the rest of your life. 

les amo mucho!

Hermana Davis

I ate blood sausage

Blood sausage and other Argentine meats

Caleta Olivia at night

Dearest Family and friends:

I finally did it. I took the plunge and I ate blood sausage. It´s about as rico (delicious) as it sounds (not very...). 

Other Highlights of the week:

1. Maria has a fecha!!! (baptism date)

2. We met a man who built a place for young adults with disabilities and violence problems. He also has a sanctuary for abused women. He gave us a tour of his facilities and gave us a loaf of bread. They sell bread to maintain the facilities. He´s not a member (yet), but he is a capo at the whole serve your neighbor thing.

3. We watched Meet the Mormons (Conoce a los Mormones) for a branch activity. Everyone loved it!

4. I ate my weight in meat at the Pacheco´s asado. (BBQ)  I now know why the word of wisdom tells us to eat meat in moderation. Live the law - reap the blessings (avoid heart burn).

Challenge: Find a quote that talks about the atonement. Write it out and stick it where you will see it every day.

I love you all tons,

Hermana Davis