5 Months!

Hi! Happy Veterans day =D First of all, I just want to give a shout out to all of those in the military, all the veterans and all those who have passed on to the spirit world, thank you for your service. Today Sister Gardner and I attended a Veterans Day celebration breakfast. It was so fun singing all the song I used to sing when I was little! Like; “You’re a grand old flag a high flying flag…” and “this land is your laaaaaannnnd this land is mmmmmmmmmyyyy land.” being here in Yucca, I have gotten to know so many veterans and others who are serving now and it brought tears to my eyes (not a surprise) seeing all of the different military units stand and sing their units song. 

Ok first off just some boring numbers… the California Redlands mission started out with 156 missionaries in July and now has 222! We have one more big transfer Dec 10^th then we should settle down a little bit and become more stable. Cool huh? More than half the missionaries out have been out less than 4 months!!!! Yes that means that I am in the “older” group of missionaries ha ha ha that’s funny because I still feel like I need more training!  

This day we walked for 2 hours. I know to all the RM's out there they are probably thinking "that is NOTHING". I actually really enjoyed walking; it's a lot more enjoyable than driving around in a jeep.

OK! So update on the Spanish guy we met several weeks ago, the one that we say “hola” to then awkwardly stand there while out ward mission leader talks to him in Spanish. Actually I don’t remember if and what I’ve told you about him…. Oh well! So  bro Perez talked to him this week and he said he talked to his family and they were like “stay away from the Mormons they are a cult” BUT he said to bro Perez “ I know what the holy spirit feels like, I want to meet with you guys sometime and learn” =D!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAHOOO!!! So happy =)  I’m sad I can’t speak Spanish =( but… the Spanish elders are going to come teach him.. so yea. 

BETTY GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY!!! It was so beautiful =) she was so happy and 5 of her non- member friends came and her non-member 95 year old dad came!!!!!! She is already doing missionary work! The baptism room was sooo full! There were so many members there to support her! I love the YUCCA MESA Ward!!! Almost as much as Henefer 1^st ward (wait… is that the ward I grew up in… or is it 2^nd ward…. ? =/ ) Betty bore her testimony at the very end and made me cry, she is so sweet and sincere. AND FUNNY!!! I love people with a sense of humor =) She is so strong and determined I know she will do wonderful things. I can’t wait to go through the temple with her in a year! 

 Betty got baptized!!!! =D we took a smiling picture and after it's usually ME that says "ok now a fun one" but Betty likes to do fun pictures too!! She is the one who suggested it ha ha! I love her so much, she is so amazing! we will be forever friends.

We FINALLY met with Lisa!!! Sister Gardner and I have been trying to meet up with this referral since our second week together here! We have had several lessons scheduled and they have all been cancelled by her or by us for legit reasons…. On Saturday night we had 15 extra minutes to do whatever so we decided to go see if she was home and guess what!!! She was!!! She was excited to see us! She had time to talk with us so we taught her a little bit, introduced her to the Book of Mormon and she had already read it!! Years ago…. But... we talked to her about finding out for herself if it is true and she said “ ok, yea I guess I need to read it and ask” =D we are teaching her on Wednesday! I’m soooooooo excited! We are teaching her at 2:00 so pray for us please!! Jk, you don’t have to. So yeah, that was a miracle!! 

Oh my word! An old lady in the ward bought me bath and body works lip gloss!!!! =D how sweet! I was so happy when she handed me the bath and body works bag! I couldn’t believe it! My lips are feeling good! My chin/cheeks are another story……. =s I think my zip medication is finally working and my skin is peeling off! 

Sister Gardner trying to drain the baptismal font ha ha we forgot to hook the chain up to the spout thing. Bishop Davis figured it out don't worry =)

We taught a member family this week named the Millers. They are so cute! All the kids are so valiant! We taught them the restoration and they know more than I did before I came to the MTC!! Their little girl, she is probably about… 5, she gave me a beaded necklace =) it was cute speaking of cute! Landon Davis!!! Oh my word… he is adorable… we were teaching them last night and he is sitting next to me on the couch, all the little kids are talking and the dog is running around and it was a little hectic and he stands up on the couch and grabs my shoulder, looks me in the eyes and says “I’m really glad you are here”  it made my day =) he is 5 years old! Who does that! It was so sincere.  That family is amazing,  I hope we are related! 

OH! We found Emily at the church. =D her sister is a member of about…. 8 months and she made Emily come to church (YSA branch) with her last week. We talked to her a little bit and gave her a Book of Mormon and asked if she would like us to teach her. She said she wasn’t ready… but she did enjoy church! Yesterday she came again and after relief society I felt like I should ask her again if she has decided if she wants us to teach her… I was scared to ask… I didn’t want to be annoying or forceful but! I did it! And she immediately said YES! So we are going to start teaching her tomorrow! =D I’m so excited! I love teaching the restoration! 

 At Walgreens picking up  medication! and LOOK AT THIS CUTE DOG!!! O MY WORD...I want it.

 

 Ha ha speaking about the singles ward.. ah ah ha ha it’s just soooo different from the home ward, it’s a lot more relaxed and there are like 15 people there and in Sunday school class or whatever it’s called.. anyway yesterday we were talking about stories in the Book of Mormon and the bible and this kid named Hunter is talking about Ammon ha ha ha ok I don’t know if any of ya’ll are going to think this is funny but he says “ ok so Ammon is taking care of all of the kings sheep and some people come along and try to steal the sheep, and Ammon frickin’ chops off all of their arms, (short pause) frickin… I don’t know if God wanted him to do that but…” ha ha ha ha ha I started laughing my face off! Actually I don’t think anyone else was really laughing… I think I have a different sense of humor than the whole rest of the world…..  Does anyone else think that is funny???...... Maybe you would have to hear his voice… I’m still cracking up just re-playing it in my head! 

Ok here are some verses I discovered during my personal study: Alma 40:11 has always bugged me… but I have always ignored it and thought “whatever… the church is true!” the part where it says “the spirits of all men are taken home to that God who gave them life” what? I thought no un-clean thing can be in the presence of God!!! WHAT! So that’s always bugged me… but in Mormon 9:3 it uses the word dwell! We can’t dwell in his presence! WHOAW! Mind blown!!! No more confusion! We will go back to our heavenly father but we won’t be perfect so we won’t want to dwell with him! Is this correct doctrine?.... this life we will never reach perfection. We just need to practice making decisions and master distinguishing between good and evil. Ok I’ve gotta go! I love you all and I love my mission and the people I have to teach and the people in the wards I am in! I am going to cry my eyes out when I get transferred =(

Love,

 Sister Kersey Davis 

“We become more humble not by thinking less OF ourselves, but from thinking less ABOUT ourselves”

Video:

http://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/enduring-in-faith?cid=HPFR110813154&lang=eng

 

The plan of Salvation gives me so much peace. I know that this life isn't the end. I will do anything to return to my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that there will be others in the Celestial kingdom I will be happy to see and who will be saving a seat for me =) NO EMPTY SEATS!!!! We know what we need to do to get there.... so lets do it! and warn your neighbor! oh and if you don't know what you need to do to get there... then go ask your bishop! or ask the missionaries, they can help too!

Wow… that was really long

Week 18

Hi everyone! hope y’all had a happy Halloween! My Halloween was pretty good... I didn't get to dress up though so that was kind of a bummer... it's ok though I’m a missionary! I can dress up on Halloween for the rest of my life!

 

ok so below is a chunk out of a talk given by Jeffery R Holland

(he frightens me!)

 http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/10/safety-for-the-soul?lang=eng 

We were doing training one morning and on one of the "preach my gospel" DVDs it has Jeffery R Holland saying this:

(read this in his scary piercing voice. He was pretty much yelling!)

"For 179 years this book has been examined and attacked, denied and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart like perhaps no other book in modern religious history — perhaps like no other book in any religious history. And still it stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born and parroted and have died—from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spaulding to deranged paranoid to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination because there is no other answer than the one Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator. In this I stand with my own great-grandfather, who said simply enough, “No wicked man could write such a book as this; and no good man would write it, unless it were true and he were commanded of God to do so"

WOW. Ok. I'm converted!

I wish i could just show that video of him talking to ALL our investigators! The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith did translate them into what we have today. The Book of Mormon is the evidence if this church is true. All we have to do is read it and ask God. If you have ANY doubts or questions about the church or rules... or doctrine or.... whatever! All one has to do is read the Book of Mormon and find out if it is true, because if it is true, then Joseph Smith DID see God the Father and Jesus Christ. If the Book of Mormon is true, then the word of wisdom IS from God. If the Book of Mormon is true, then the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored back to the earth. Seriously all you have to do is read it! JUST READ IT!!! Then ask God =) sorry ok I’ll stop preaching.

This is Halloween night, I didn't dress up =( =( we had a trunk-er-treat because it isn't safe for people to walk around by themselves here! So EVERYONE in the community pretty much goes to a church to do trick or treat stuff. Anyway that is the Davis Family to the right, aren't they so cute!!!? Landon the red head is so precious! and to the left is our neighbors, we are trying to get them to come to church with us. We just keep inviting them! Someday they will come!

Ok funny experience of the week. HA HA oh my.. This experience could be in a movie!! ok so we met this Korean guy. He kind of freaks sis Gardner and I out so we brought Bro Perez with us. Anyway we go to the door and ring the doorbell.. no answer.. rang it again... no answer.. we could hear him in there yelling in Korean so i pushed the doorbell like 6 times in a row so they could hear ha ha and he came out and talked to us... he was definitely under the influence of something.... so we wandered to his drive way and then an Old, short Korean Lady come running out the front door yelling Korean stuff and grabs sister Gardner and I by the arms and pulls us into her house ha ha ha... and hugs and kisses us! yes. kisses. like for real.. if i would have let her she would have kissed my lips. She motions us to sit on her couches then sits between us and is EXTREMELY touchy and is talking to us. I have no idea what she is saying and i am just shocked and flabbergasted and laughing my head off inside my mind. She then tells us about her husband then drags me (she is extremely short so i am all crouched over while being dragged) to a room full of her husband’s plane.... stuff... we try to talk to her about religion and she says she isn't interested. And during this Jay is hitting on me every chance he gets and his mom is kissing me and holding my hand ha ha ha ha it was such a fun/funny/uncomfortable/great/interesting experience! It was so chaotic! There were only 5 of us in this big room so i don't know why it was so chaotic! so yea... then Jay came to church on Sunday and was really loud.. and kept swearing and when the bread came around he took a big handful... and spilled the water all down his body.. oh my word... it was.. Interesting. Brother Perez is such a good man! He is sooo patient and Loving. He sees all of his brothers and sister here on earth with eternal potential!

So every week we have what is called "weekly planning" we plan our who we are going to teach and what we are going to teach and what member we want to come with us.. etc etc.. at the end of ever weekly planning we have what is called a "companionship inventory" we talk about personal goals, comp goals, how we can improve, what we are doing well... and if we have any conflicts to resolve so yea just awkward stuff like that. These are our personal goals for the week!

Things are going great here! Betty is getting Baptized this week so we are extremely excited about that =) She is SOO ready! She is already doing missionary work! She is so amazing. Go to bettykerr.com. That's her!! She has a lot of people telling her about how horrible the Mormons are and that she is joining a cult and foolish stuff like that but she stands strong and leaves when people act like that towards her.

I can't believe i have almost been out for 5 months! What.... crazy. I miss my family so much.... I miss your voices! I can't wait to talk to you on Christmas!!! it's probably just going to be a big bawling fest!! Sometimes i don't know how i am going to do this for another year.... Matt Treasure emailed me today!!! Made my day =D His mission is using Facebook what the heck! Why isn't my mission!?!? oh well. I like it the old fashion way.

hhhmmm... i don't know what else to tell y’all.......... oh we got a new district leader the poor thing has only been out for 3 months and he is now training, a district leader and he got doubled in!  OH! this week we got to do service for 3 hours it was soooooooooo fun!(what...?) we cleaned the church then we went to a members and deep cleaned their house! it felt good! After we got to visit a lady in the ward who just had a baby. Oh my word!!! the baby was SOOOOO cute! I forgot how cute babies were! it made me want to have a baby. For a minute. 

We had some extra time one night this week so we put on these mud mask things and memorized some spanish phrases! Dios es nuestro padre celestial, nosotros somos sus hijos! Nuestro Padre Celestial envio a su amado hijo jesochristo a la tierra! ha ha that might be spelled all wrong... but that's my best!

Ok well I don't know what else to say. I love you all and....... oh! KyLee and Cherie I got your letters this week =) Hopefully i will get back to you in a month or so.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUaHacwLxao&feature=player_embedded

 Share this video on Facebook =) you might change somebody’s life!

Love,

 Sister Kersey Davis

Let the savior lead you to...........

....... Happily Ever After

PS... when we were cleaning out the members fridges sister Gardner came across what she thought was a shriveled up grape stem.. She tugged on it because it was stuck in a crack and when it came lose she discovered that it wasn't a dried up grape stem it was a shriveled up dead lizard!!!!! AH HA HA H WHAT THE HECK!