Giving Thanks

Elder Davis @ Porto Ferriera Church

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

So this past week, we spent a lot of time receiving and contacting references. We also traveled to Pira 2 area to help them out with doing 4 interviews of progress. We ended up marking 4 dates with them! Woo! We have 3 baptisms for December 3rd and 2 more after that! We also have been working very hard with less active families and have reactivated 5-6 families in our ward which is awesome. We have been studying and working on teaching well. President Bangerter has been working with us and has given us some plans and lessons of faith. Those have really helped us in working with families who have struggled to get back to church. I am hoping I can stay here in Porto Ferreira for one more transfer. I really love the members and would love to pass Christmas here with the ward and Elder Sander but more importantly I want to be here to see the baptisms of the rest of our investigators that we found together and are teaching! But that might not happen because I will have been here for 4 months by the time transfers come. But I hope to stay.

We are celebrating Thanksgiving today and are making churrasco with our zone leaders in Pirassununga! WOOO! It will be like a thanksgiving feast for us. I have the mashed potatoes and gravy mix from my package. Thanks for that! They are all Brazilian and are stoked to try garlic mashed potatoes. haha I am stoked for the churrasco! 

Turkeys @ a member's house chilling - no worries for them at Thanksgiving! 

I gave another talk in church this past Sunday. That makes 3 in a little less than 4 months so I average about once a month! When people don’t show up we know it is definitely going to be us speaking! That’s okay; it’s good for my Portuguese. Hopefully it is good for the members! haha Yesterday I spoke about the parable of the rich young man who asked what he should do to obtain eternal life. He was told to obey the commandments and replied that he had done that throughout his life and wanted to know what else he lacked. Then he was told to sell all he had and give it to the poor and follow Christ. He walked away sad because he could not do it. He loved his material possessions more than the Lord. I was thinking about this and sometimes it may not be just material possessions but sometimes we love our worldly distractions and even maybe our problems more than we love Christ. We let those take over our thoughts and what we work for instead of focusing on the Savior. Instead of having faith that all those other things will work out if we first seek the Lord. So when we have problems and think we cannot do the things the Lord has asked us because we are too busy with our problems and distractions… we need to think again. No matter what the problems are that we are having, we need to just put it to the side and follow Him. He knows our problems and difficulties. He suffered for our sins, our problems and sufferings. If you follow Him and do those things that are right, He will lighten those burdens for you or make you stronger so you can carry them. He will always do His part but that means we have to do our part too. We have to follow Him and show faith. If we don’t do our part, I can promise you that nothing will happen; you will not receive what you are looking for. We have to do our part. A lot of times we are waiting for things to happen and then are upset or sad when they don’t. But really it is our own fault since we are waiting and watching. We have to have faith and move ahead doing our part. The Lord wants to help us follow Him and do those things that are right but he cannot change our hearts. He can only do so much because we have that great gift of agency. So we have to want it, then work for it ourselves and be willing to give up what needs to be given up.

I am so thankful for many things; my relationship with the Lord, the gospel that guides me, my family, friends, life, my health, and now the great opportunity to be a missionary. As a missionary I have come to know Christ more in this short time than I feel I did in my whole lifetime before my mission. Each day as I study to learn of Him and then strive to serve Him, I see Him guide me to change people lives and help them have joy and happiness. Because of that I have grown in my love for Him and have developed a deeper personal relationship with Him. It is through serving Him with all our hearts that we come to know Him. I am thankful for His love and spirit. I know He lives and loves each one of us. I am thankful I can be a witness of Him. Love you all.

Um abraco,
Elder Davis

P.S. It is becoming harder and harder to think in English, a lot of times I can’t think of the word that I am trying to say so excuse the "awkwardness'"of my letters now. That is a good thing I guess.