Wisconsin Milwaukee Mission: Happy Times

November 25, 2019

Hello!

This week we started with District Council, hence the jumping-off-the-stage gif (of which I obtain no talent for). Our district is all doing really well! Seeking advice and ideas is honestly so helpful with the work. We went and got ice cream at Lamer's dairy after. We had dinner with hilarious members this week whom I love. A couple more Spanish dinners as well! The first one was homemade KFC chicken with some sauce from a pancake batter dispenser - it was like milking a cow. At the other Spanish dinner we had tamales and I accidentally quoted Macklemore, of whom I know nothing about. We were fed lots of enchiladas this week, not at the Spanish dinners, and I love enchiladas. I have also used a certain object lesson at our dinners a lot this week about focusing on Christ, shown with orbeez, and families love it!

At the food pantry this week I handed out frozen turkeys and hams to the families. They lit up! One lady squealed with excitement jumping up and down when she got to me. Make sure you show gratitude for all the simple and big things in your life. It was so exciting handing our frozen birds. We delivered food drive bags for a young man in the ward who's doing a food drive for his eagle scout project. We walked around lots of neighborhoods for hours just putting these bags on their doors. But it was an awesome experience to help him and talk to some people about the food drive! The youth helped at a community Christmas activity where we made Christmas cards and blankets for refugees. It was super fun to be around so many youth of several religions and serve together! I'm still getting coached at volleyball, and progressing. The YSA had a friendsgiving activity and it was awesome to see so many people come and laugh together. I was shown how to open sparkling cider with a door, I taught the piano, and we went to several back to back meals right after.

We had amazing lessons this week! One of our friends prayed during our lesson and it was awesome! The idea of a clean slate really resonates with people! The kiddos we are teaching are excited about baptism and coming to church! Our dear Hmong friend notes God's hand in his life all the time. Things are starting to make sense about what we teach which is great! We taught the commandments to another couple kids we are sharing messages with, and each of them picked a commandment to work on this week. We showed the new Christ Child video to a lot of families as well and it is so powerful how it displays so much emotion with hardly any words. We got a call from a young guy who watched General Conference with a friend and wants to come to church and learn more! Then the next day a newly moved in member came up to us and has an older lady he wants us to teach! Tender mercies are everywhere!

My favorite thing this week: We were at a local burger place meeting with a recent convert, and we went back out to our car to get our wallets and we held the door open for an older couple behind us on our way back in. They joked about giving us quarters for holding the doors. Then in line they told the cashier to put our food on their tabs and insisted they pay. The older lady told us she had a coworker who quit to go on a mission and she was amazed at what we do. It was so sweet! Then as we are getting ready to leave, the older couple comes up to our table and hands me and Sister Nelson each $20 and wishes us luck on our missions on their way out. I am astounded by service. The money doesn't matter, or the offer to pay for our food. But the genuine love and interest shown by absolute strangers is heartwarming. It all made me love my Savior so much. The love and gratitude I felt is what others feel when we serve them in simple ways! I am so grateful for the Lord's hand in my life, for His tender mercies, for His answers to my prayers, and to His knowledge of what I need. I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving this week! Know that I love you, but if anything, know that Heavenly Father loves you. And if you don't know this, I invite you to think about what it would mean to you and to pray about it. I know God is great. I know this work is so important and that miracles are happening all around us.

Alma 9:30 "And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved".

Beloved: 'dearly loved'. You deserve to be dearly loved. And the Savior of the world loves you dearly. You are His beloved.

Love Sister Davis