Many Lessons Learned

This week has been quite the learning and growing experience. It was fun to call home for 5 minutes to set up the Christmas calling appointment haha:) Mom, your reaction was classic! And it was so crazy because I could hear your accent and it was a lot stronger than I remembered it! So precious:)

I've seen many familiar faces yet again. Pretty much, I see someone I know every day or I hear that someone is on the square looking for me every day. Except there were several people looking for me this last week and I don't know who they were. (Except that one of them was in Katie and Kori's ward from Idaho!) So if you came looking for me and didn't find me I'm sorry I missed you! On Friday night I saw C.J. Spjute, some of my friends from Desert Hills High School Madrigals, Deanna's daughter-in-law, and Jay & Tabby Nyggard! I'm glad there are many people choosing to spend some of this most precious time of the year at Temple Square, a place that really focuses on the true meaning of Christmas.

This week has been hard, in regard to our wonderful investigators. There are several things that I've learned that I really want to share:

1) "With Christ, darkness cannot succeed. Darkness will not gain victory over the light of Christ." -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

2) Jesus Christ is the light within us that gives us hope and a desire to change.

3) The temple is the goal. Everything we do in our lives should be leading us toward the temple.

4) "Happy people are commandment keepers! If you want to have a happy mission, keep the mission commandments! If you want to have a happy life, keep the commandments." -Sister Osoreo (our former mission a.p.)

5) Everything in this life is our choice. Heavenly Father lets us chose if we are going to follow Him. The adversary is doing all he can to force you to follow him. Who REALLY is giving you freedom?

But this is the number one thing that I learned this week: Never fall into the trap of doing what is easy. It is easy to give up, it is easy to never progress and it is easy to be unhappy. If you want to keep trying, progressing, and being happy, you have to WORK for it. The easy path leads to eternal damnation, but the path that takes work leads to eternal salvation. Anyone can do what is easy, but the great ones do what takes work.

Yesterday morning we were able to take the formal tour backstage in the Conference Center and Tabernacle. We were able to go up into each organ and learn how they work so we can better teach people that come to the square. It was so incredible! I don't know if y'all know this but the translation facilities in the Conference Center are second only to the United Nations. And the broadcasting from the CC is state-of-the-art (obviously). Every time I go backstage in the CC or Tabernacle I always think how amazing it would have been to have all these resources in high school when performing haha:) The scene shop alone is mind-blowing! For any performer...the CC is a dream come true to put it mildly. Oh and I got to play on the Organ in the Tabernacle. AH! Blessings, blessings.

This morning Relief Society was not held in the mission home, it was held in the Relief Society Building (the most beautiful building on the square besides the temple haha). We had the amazing opportunity to have Linda K. Burton, the Relief Society General President, come and address us! Her message was powerful and such a great way to start the day! She also asked to give each one of us a hug afterwards so ladies and gentlemen I have hugged the General Relief Society President. AH! I am so blessed!!! :) :)

On Tuesday night my district was able to go to a members home for a Christmas dinner/family home evening. It was such a fun, wonderful experience! They had very cute and very funny children and the food was SO GOOD!:) We played games with them and shared funny stories, it was a wonderful time and it gave us a chance to have a small little family-like Christmas experience.

Through the midst of difficult times as a missionary, I've really appreciated the scriptures. The other day was pretty hard for my companion and I. We had an amazing progressing investigator who was really changing and we saw miracles take place. We had experiences that turned our little apartment room into sacred ground for us, as we offered some of the strongest prayers we've ever said. We saw how the power of God overcomes everything that is unholy, and we felt the Savior give us peace and speak to our hearts and minds. But, the next day our investigator decided to not continue on this path and to go back to what was easy, normal, and familiar. That night I laid on the couch and thought about what Joseph Smith meant when he said, "The worth of every soul is great in the eyes of God." My roommate, Sister Souza, (who is so in tune with the spirit) came and sat next to me on the couch and gave me a hug and sat with me as we cried a little. She didn't know what my companion and I were struggling with, but she could feel what we were feeling in our hearts. I am very grateful to her for her Christlike example of following the spirit. Sister Esquivel came and sat next to us, opened her scriptures, and just started to read them to us. I had never really understood how much comfort the scriptures can give us, but all of us learned that night how much the scriptures can truly fill someone with peace.

D&C 19:23 "Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me."

It has been a blessed week! And next week will continue to get better! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and always remember that it is because of Him, that we have all reason to rejoice. :)

Sister Davis

 This is me standing on the podium in the CC where Mack Wilburg and Ryan Murphy conduct from! AH!!!!!!

That's me over-zealously conducting and wishing so badly that the orchestra and choir were actually there...*sigh*

Me playing on the Organ in the Tabernacle. Yes, I am so lucky.

On the conductor's podium in the tabernacle wishing I was as legit as Mack Wilburg. :)

 

Thanks for reading!