Week 16 - "I would like to thank you all for your wonderful GIFTS!"

Hello, everyone. This week's quote is from Hercules.

Well, I'm getting transferred. I'm headed to Warren, which I've heard a number of different things about. It's bumming me out a little bit, because I love many people here, and I've said goodbye and will have to say goodbye to many of them. It's hard. I've decided that after my mission is over I'm going to revisit every place I served and give a hug to all the people I knew and loved.

So among the most incredible things that happened this week was that as Elder Thomas and I were saying goodbye to a pair of potential investigators, one of them said, "Do you want to borrow a camera to take with you?" And I was like, "For the next two years? No, no, no." She was like, "Why not?" I told her that's so expensive, and she was like, "Hang on." She went back into her house and came out with the first dSLR she ever owned (A Canon Rebel) and a wide-angle lens and gave me the rundown on it, and I didn't know what to say. I said thank you, of course, and I hope she knows I meant it, but as Elder Thomas and I walked away, I was completely dumbstruck. I didn't know what to say. And I felt so much love for her and the other potential investigator there. 

As if the camera wasn't enough, a different investigator gave me a super nice pen (as you saw in the last email), and this past week gave me a leather shoulder bag. I've been packing up my stuff and seen all the other things I've been given and have collected throughout this transfer--it's been a privelege to get to know the people here: Earlier today we went to lunch with a family in the ward, because when we told them we were being transferred they were like, "OK, we've got to see you." One of the kids was going to be in school during lunch, so she begged her mom to be able to come with us and see us off. It was sort of good to say goodbye and see them one last time, but I sort of felt more sad than I had before. As we walked away I think I experienced what it feels like to have my "bowels full of charity"--I care about these people, and there's a part of me that doesn't know how I could be happy without them being a part of my life. They've all done so much for us, and we've tried to do what we can for them. As I've been writing this email, I've felt deeply moved, probably for the first time since I've been out here, to revisit Ohio when I come off my mission--in the past twelve weeks I've said a lot to Elder Thomas about, "When I get back, I'm going to...", talking about reading books, watching movies, and doing all those other things I can't do as a missionary. Now my mind and heart are saying, "When I get back, I'm going to go back to Ohio" and perhaps even, "I don't want to go back." 

Elder Thomas has told me about how his plan when he gives his final testimony at his last zone conference is to walk calmly up to the podium and the mic, lean up close to it, and whisper, "You'll never take me alive," and then vault over the barrier and run out the door of the chapel, being like, "Missionary forever!" I think I'm starting to understand what the desire to do that might feel like. It's been interesting. Now that we're here, the past 12 weeks feel like they've gone by so quick. Elder Thomas says they just go faster and faster. If that's true, before I know it I'll be home. I have to keep reminding myself of that, or I'll waste the precious time I have here. There's definitely an enabling power that comes with being in a calling. "Whom the Lord calls, he qualifies." I've noticed that power in my capacity to love, my capacity to remember things, the depth of my scripture study, the presence of the spirit in my life, the ability that spirit gives me to discern, and more. It's really a privilege to serve as a missionary. I've wondered sometimes, for several reasons, why we send missionaries into the field. That's actually been a subject I've had to grapple with this transfer particularly, and I feel I've come to understand the answer to that question and what it means to be an instrument in the Lord's hands. As we serve in the mission field, and we give ourselves, in addition to bringing other people to a knowledge of the gospel, we come to feel the power of God in a greater degree in our own lives. As Jesus taught, "He who loseth his life for my sake shall find it again." I am by no means a perfect missionary--I do not feel that I have "lost my life," as it were, in this service--but as I have served this transfer and tried to make sacrifices of my weaknesses, I have felt, and especially feel now, the Spirit confirm that my actions were correct and that I have taken part in something good. I feel like I can understand what Alma's talking about in Alma 32:28--I'm experiencing the very thing he describes.

I feel like there are a lot of other things I could talk about here, but my time is coming to an end (my email time). I'll leave you with the message I sent to my district today--we have a FB chat together, and our district leader assigned each missionary to share some "spiritual juice" on a given day. Mine was today. I'll put it below.

Spiritual Juice

I've been reading in Exodus recently, and in chapter 14 the Israelites are on their way out of Egypt when Pharoah and his armies come upon them to destroy them. They turn to Moses and ask him, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou deal thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is this not the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness." The Israelites found themselves in a tough situation because they were moving from one place and one way of life to another. To some of us right now, that may sound familiar--I know it does to me. The Israelites were taken out of a situation that, if difficult, was at least familiar--at least they had learned how to deal with their challenges. Now they were on the move, dealing with a whole different set of difficult circumstances. They are afraid that they will perish, How does Moses respond? He says, "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day ... The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

Elders and Sisters, on the way to the place God is taking us, we may face trials and challenges, and we may fear (and have great reason to fear, according to our understanding) that we will perish. We may lament coming on this path, regretting that we didn't just stay where we were, where at least we weren't experiencing these new and unfamiliar kinds of difficult trials. But if we believe the promise given in 1 Nephi 3:7, 9:6 and 17:3, then we can continue forward without fear, knowing that we will be able to accomplish that which we have been commanded to do. We can continue forward, knowing that we will come to a better place.

BONUS juice: I wrote something down in my study journal the other day, an impression I received, which I realized became more relevant when I found out I was going to be transferred: We can receive revelation for ourselves and those over whom we have jurisdiction, as missionaries, but when we receive instruction from those who have jurisdiction over us, and who have received that instruction by revelation, we must honor and obey that instruction. As you seek to know what you can do to best serve your area (or the land and people of Ohio generally) and the people in it, you will be blessed, but additionally, as you obey the revelation your leaders have received and given to you, you will also be blessed. I know our mission president is being obedient to the will of the Lord and has inquired of Him to know where we should go this transfer. As you move to where you're going, or as you stay where you are, you will experience moments when, as you will know that you're where you need to be.

I love you all, and I love the people here. I testify that as you keep the commandments, and as you give and serve and sacrifice your shortcomings to the Lord in faith, diligence, and patience, you will experience blessings, and your testimony of the truthfulness of this work, this gospel and this church will grow.

Elder Davis 

Pic 1 - This is Charlie. He's a cat belonging to one of the members we served. He reminds me a little of Mendelsohnn, a cat I had growing up. I'll miss him.

Pic 2 - The member whose house we ate at last night collects these Russian toys that feature bears. I guess there's only one town in Russia where they're made? Pic 3 is of more of his collection. It's just a quirky little thing I liked.