Freezing and Thriving

November 11, 2019

Hey everyone!

     This past week in good Wisconsin it got real cold, and this week is supposed to set records of cold and be an arctic blast! I love the cold, but I don't love frostbite so I'll keep praying I'm smart and remember gloves and actually wear a coat. I bought myself some apple cider though so we should be happy and warmish this week! We got flu shots last week, how exciting!

     We had amazing lessons and miracles!! The work is really exploding in our zone! We are teaching a Hmong college student who wants to be like Christ, a lot. He wants to take our sins upon him so we're going to be teaching a lot about how we don't need to do that necessarily🤣 My dear friend Kathy is doing amazing! She has a renewed spirit and our lesson was amazing! The Spanish elders had a baptism yesterday and Kathy loved it! We finally got an appointment with a girl dating a YSA, she's so cute and awesome! We are teaching a couple kids and they are so sweet! I saw lots of friends at transfers this week which made my day!! I love these missionaries. We visited a lot of members and are really seeing amazing changes and miracles! We are being led by the spirit in so many ways♥️ Prayers are being answered left and right and up and down and always. The Lord always hears prayers. He just has much better timing

     We play a lottt of volleyball every week and this week, the week of blessings, I got good real quick! Not pro olympian but I hit the ball and it went over the net haha. The youth had a nerf gun fight, we had another Spanish dinner, the missionaries tried to do a hacky sack circle with a hand warmer, and I came up with several disney themed names for our districts' missionaries haha. We visited a cute nursing home to see a member and met a lot of fun confused old ladies, I miss old people! Our zone had breakfast all together last pday as well, I love missionaries

     The new Book of Mormon video from this past week is amazing! I love Lehi's counsel to his son, Jacob. Applying it to yourself is so powerful! In 2 Nephi 2:5 Lehi teaches that "men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil", we have the tools, resources, and direction that is sufficient to know what to do! How amazing. I can't comprehend how amazing it is to have a living prophet!! We are living in amazing times as the Lord reveals wondrous truths and miraculous happenings. In my studies in Alma this week, I saw a conference report from 1924 where President Heber J. Grant said, "Many men say: 'If I could only see an angel, if I could only hear an angel proclaim something, that would cause me to be faithful all the days of my life!' It had no effect upon these men [Laman and Lemuel] that were not serving the Lord, and it would have no effect today". President Joseph Fielding Smith also said that the witness of the Holy Ghost can be more powerful than a visitation from an angel as it is renewed and continued day after day, year after year! I love that perspective, God has given us each what we need, the ability to have the Holy Ghost confirm truth to us if we are worthy of its presence and humble enough to listen to it. The Holy Ghost is a powerful testimony and conversion!

"We can create the real Zion among us by limiting the extent to which Babylon will influence our lives" -Elder David R. Stone

p.s. This week my built in best friend turned 18!! Happy Birthday Rachel!!!!️And one of my Aussie best friends got her mission call to Thailand!!

I hope you all have a great week, email or message me, I'd love to hear from all of you! I love you all more than you know.

WHAT A WEEK, 

How great is our God, 

Sister Davis

 I love Neenah

What a dandy breakfast club

6 MONTHS, Halloween, Snow, Transfers

November 4, 2019

     This week I hit 6 months of being a missionary!! That's 1/3 of the way done, it has gone so so fast, there's so much I have learned and so much I want to accomplish! I never thought I would feel so much love for so many strangers. I have grown so close to my Savior as I've studied His teachings and Gospel. I have learned so much from the members and strangers I have met. At my FAVORITE place (the food pantry) my favorite sarcastic volunteer who's like a father to me by now found out I might be leaving the area and gave me a big hug and got so sad. I have grown so close to so many people, I wish I could keep them all by me forever. It snowed heavily this week, and then all melted overnight. Haha it has been fun though! We contacted on campus again and met awesome people! We had awesome lessons and I am so excited to help the people here. Also Happy Halloween!! What a cold snowy day that was here!

     The YSA had dinner at a restaurant this week for an activity, and I got to know the coolest waiter! Thank goodness for my sarcasm and choking, we struck up lots of conversations and now I know which places are best to eat out, all about his kids, and his busy schedule. As I got to know him I was overwhelmed with love for him. I just wanted him to experience the joy of Christ's Gospel in his family so much, so I left him a lovely note and a link to the Book of Mormon:) it's super random and super simple, but I suddenly had so much energy and passion that evening. During my interviews with President Murphy he challenged me to have 10 of those encounters every single day. One of my favorite parts of my mission is my mission president, he is led by the spirit so much and answered all of my prayers. I told him how much I loved this area and how I didn't want to be leaving, and he stopped me and told me I was right where I needed to be. I was so relieved and happy I started crying. So I'm staying in Neenah and YSA for another transfer!! The Lord knows me so well, I trust Him with my whole heart, and it is so nice to know He knows my needs and where I'm needed! 

     We had a meeting with our whole zone and we are all doing super good! Things are progressing a whole lot and really fast! I am so excited to see us all see miracles and progress togetherWe had Stake Conference this weekend and it was amazing! Each of the talks was so motivating and uplifting! I can't wait to apply each impression and principle in my life. I can't wait to raise sons of Helaman. I love how important families are to God, and how much He helps us in every aspect of our lives personally, and in our homes. How great is our God?! We were able to watch the new Light the World church video as mission presidents have it right now, and I am in awe! I can't imagine what it would have been like to be a shepherd and travel to see Christ, to behold an innocent child and know that one day He would die for all of us, He would love every person perfectly, He would change everything, that He would be the one to redeem us all. I am so excited for you all to see it!! I can't wait for you all to be able to see the new video once it is released this month! I am so so excited for this Christmas season, celebrating the love of Christ, His birth, His life, His everlasting reign, is my favorite thing in the whole world. A song we listened to this week got stuck in my head and says these words: "I just need a little more Jesus, and a little bit less of me". 

I have seen so many miracles in my life and all around me here in Neenah! Prayers are heard. Prayers are answered. I LOVE how much the Book of Mormon makes sense. I LOVE that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. How great, is our God♥️

Have an amazing week! Remember every single child of God has at LEAST one gift!

-Sister Davis

I knowingly chose this pose too

What a time to serve the community on Halloween

What a zone

Hmong picture (straight face because that's what they do)

What a district

Weekly Book of Mormon videos

Elder Carpenter and Halloween Festivities

October 28, 2019

Hello to all my lovely subscribers!

     This week was a busy but fun week. First, I spent last pday at a funeral with one of my companions up in Greenbay. All the missionaries that went sang Families Can Be Together Forever, and we all had to sit up on the stand. It was a long day, but it was amazing representing Christ with a group of amazing souls. In all it was a very rainy car-sick day, BUT I LOVE OTHER MISSIONARIES. Honestly they are so funny and smart and humble. My companions and I dressed up as nerds, kind of, for the YSA pumpkin carving activity. Then the elders in our ward dressed up as Santa and 5 Reindeer for the ward halloween party!! Haha it was so last second and honestly a clever thrift store find. The members thought it was hilarious, also thought we got the holidays mixed up. We talked to a lot of people on campus this week! We did a booth and asked students what makes them happy, and gave out candy as well. What a stellar time. One guy was an avid Taylor Swift lover, one girl loved pickles but didn't know how to spell it, and most said family. We had a lot of lessons this week!! One guy we are teaching started reading the Book of Mormon and couldn't put it down cause he liked it so much! Another girl we taught brought her friend with her, so a 2 for 1 lesson. Another girl was already friends with the YSA member that came with us! The YSA did a family history night, and we used a relative finder website and I found out I am related to David Bowie, Johnny Depp, Elvis, Carrie Fisher, President Monson, Elder Holland, Tom Cruise, and Don & Marie Osmond. HOW LUCKY are they to be related to me;) 

     We served lots and lots, which I still thoroughly enjoy. We may have also cooked brownies for over 3 hours this week, don't do that hahah. I finally got to see one of my first companions, Sister Griffitts, for the first time since June. The trio of Life back together again:) What a day. Yesterday we had a lesson with some kids and they weren't home yet, so we saw all these puppies running around next door. So of course we go and play with them, and let me tell you, I did not know that one dog could have 10 puppies in a litter. But they were so cute and playful and had horrible breath! We started talking with the guy there and he taught us all about Pentacostal beliefs. He was kind though and he's interested in studying the Book of Mormon this week;) This morning we started off with a freezing early morning hike at High Cliff state park nearby. The leaves were very vibrant and the views were so pretty! We climbed this very very very tall tower thing and overlooked the city and lake.  

     On Thursday we had a combination of Zone Conference/Mission Tour with Elder and Sister Carpenter! A few missionaries were selected to give talks and do role plays, alas I did not thank goodness. It was an AMAZING spirit! I learned so much from the various teachings and from the Holy Ghost. One thing I realized as we were talking about our favorite Atonement scriptures: Alma 34:9-10 talks about how it is "expedient that an atonement should be made", and it is EXPEDIENT that we should use the Atonement as well! Daily repentance and constantly striving to actually be better and improve is so important. It makes us so much happier, and keeps us so much safer spiritually. Our testimonies must be deeply rooted so we are truly converted, then when the winds and storms come we will be strong enough to withstand! We have watched the new Book of Mormon videos with so many people this week!! They are amazing visuals. 

     I hope you all are doing well! I love each of you and invite you all to continually seek out the Spirit, and put yourselves in situations where you will feel the Spirit teach you. 

I love my Savior and am so grateful for my mission! It is the hardest and most rewarding thing. Salvation isn't cheap. But God is perfectly loving and perfectly capable. How great is our God! 

Sister Davis

Me and my pumpkin child.

 The original trio of LIFE

 Twinning at the mission tour conference :)

 Just out here tryna talk to college students about happiness

 Santa and his reindeer was the best idea

 The sky is cotton candy

 Puppies are messy but SO TINY

 Me impressed with the high view of the lake from this fort tower thing

 Missionaries at the funeral

Nerd was a quick costume I guess haha

Fro-dough🍦🍩

October 21, 2019

Hello hello!!

     This week we did exchanges, so I went back to Appleton for a day with Sister Wardle!! It was fun being in my past area! We had amazing lessons and met amazing people. I felt Heavenly Father's love for every soul I met♥️ We went to Macs for dinner - a mac and cheese restaurant! Genius. We are around the youth a lot lately, and my new found volleyball skills are limited to Bump Set Spike, I still dodge the ball during an actual volleyball game haha. So I make a better sideline cheerleader/ref for now

We are spending more time at college campuses lately, and boy does that get you out of your comfort zone. But I watched some inspiring videos about missionary work this week that get me so excited to talk to strangers! We've had dinner with cute families in the ward this week, teaching lessons that children can understand is so different but fun! My cute momma sent me a coat suitable for Wisconsin winters (colder than Antarctica last winter). We met one of our friends at a candy shop here that has hundreds of classic candies - lots only parents and grandparents have heard of, and they are the only place besides California that sell Fro-dough (ice cream inside a hot donut)! 

     I am serving around the best missionaries in the world, they are my best friends and my favorite people! I have never laughed so hard and felt such deep love! They have the purest testimonies. Without a doubt, this Gospel that I share is all true, is the full Gospel Christ taught, and it the purest form of happiness. I love the Book of Mormon! I am learning so many new things every time I read! So many things have stood out this week. The sons of Mosiah in Mosiah 27 as they are on their missions went "preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them. But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God." Their mission was HARD. They went through so many great trials and were smitten, BUT they had long-suffering and dedication to the Lord so they continued to teach and persevere. I love their faith and devotion to Christ and His Gospel. This is the kind of missionary we should all be! No matter what people do or what we go through as we serve, we will find a soul who needs Christ.

     I hope you are all well, please email, message, or voice memo me about anything and everything. I have so much love for each of you! I can't begin to imagine how much Heavenly Father must deeply love you with his whole heart. He knows each of you individually and is perfectly watching over us with outstretched arms. How great is our God?

So great. Love Sister Davis