First area - Toboso

Hey guys, 

So it has been quite the week. My first one in the field. I just want to start off by saying it is so much harder than I ever anticipated. The life here is COMPLETELY different than in the states. The people are way different, the climate is different, and all of the nice things like running water and showers are non existent. So I dont have a shower here, I take a shower by dumping a bucket of water over myself. There is no running water so everytime we do that or use the restroom we have to get all the water from a well. There is no really good plumbing so we have to just dump a bunch of water down the tiny little toilet to flush it. It is much different than what I have grown up with haha. What we eat is pretty much just rice and noodles, vegetables, and this hot chocolate stuff and bread. I am struggling with the language. It is so hard to understand these people and talk to them. I know only a few simple phrases and when I am asked questions, most of the time I have to ask Elder Craven what they said. It is so hot here and humid. I am sweating 24/7 and always feel sticky. I will have to get used to it I guess. My trainer is Elder Craven. He is really cool and I like him. We get a long well. He is teaching me a lot about being a missionary.  

 

We have taught many lessons and tracted a lot. I enjoy getting out and teaching it is really fun, even though I can't communicate very well. I know though that as I get better with the language I will enjoy it more. This has literally been the hardest week of my life. I am missing home a lot and missing the nice, comfortable life back home. But I hope I will soon love it here just as much. I know the church is true and my testimony has been strengthened so much since coming out here. 

I miss you all so much and hope you are all doing great. 

Elder Davis 

Elder Craven my trainer

Me and Elder Craven

Philippino house pet!

Our Toboso apartment

Toboso

Toboso area

I made it to the Philippines!

Kamusta kamo!

 

Just wanted to let you know that I made it to the Philippines safe and sound. We all made it safely and I am really excited. I am going to love it here, I  can already tell. I wasn't able to call, but I get to email. So the flights over were sooo long. The flight from Portland to Tokyo was a 12 hour flight, plus the flight to Manila was about 5. I am so excited to be here though. When I first got off the plane, right away I felt the humidity. It is rediculous out here! It literally feels like a steam room. We got into Manila at about 11 our time and then took a bus over here to the MTC. It is so awesome over here. Its really hot and humid, but way cool. You should see how everyone drives here. It was literally the most intense drive of my life. We were in a huge bus and on the highway, and there were cars everywhere and motorcycles and people everywhere. We were going down the highway and someone literally came out in the middle of the highway to wave down and get on another bus. It was crazy. Also we needed to turn around so we literally just flipped a u turn inbetween the median and stopped the whole road to turn around. haha it was intense. We are actually going to get to go out on exchanges today and go out into Manila and proselyte! I am so stoked! Even though the main language is Tagalog, I am stoked to get out in the city. We stay here for 5 days then head out to our missions on Wednesday. I wish you guys could see it here cause its really awesome. But I love you all and hope you are all doing well.

 

Gihigugma ta kamo

 

Elder Davis

Last night at the MTC

Whats up guys! 

 

So today is my last day here in the MTC! Its crazy how fast the time has gone by. I have a little bit of time to email and let you all know whats going on for the next few days. So tomorrow, we get all of our plane tickets and stuff at 3:30 in the morning. We then go to Salt Lake City. We leave from Salt Lake and go to Portland, Oregon. I have a big lay over there so I will have time to call home. We arrive in Portland at 9:30 am, and don't leave until 2 in the afternoon. So be ready for a call between then!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I will call and be able to talk for a while so be ready! So then we fly to Tokyo, then from Tokyo to Manila. I found out I will only be staying in Manila for like 5 days! So thats great. I am very excited and cant wait. I really hope you all read this so we can talk on the phone tomorrow. I love you all and miss you all! I am pretty sure I will be able to email when we arrive in Manila too. So be ready and I will hopefully talk to you all tomorrow. LOVE YOU!!!!!! 

 

Elder Davis

Packing to leave for the Philippines tomorrow!

6 more days in the MTC

Hey! 

 

So I am doing great! I am super excited to get outta Utah and head to the Philippines. Its crazy to think that I only have 6 more days in the States. I can't wait though. The language is coming along good. I am learning a ton. So there has only been one super interesting thing this week. I am no longer companions with Elder Wayne. There is this elder that was going to go home last week. I was super sad cause he is so awesome. I helped him pack his stuff up and all that. But he met with the MTC president and decided to stay, on the condition that he switches rooms and companions. So I guess they talked about it as a branch presidency and decided that I was the best elder for the job of keeping him out on a mission. It meant a lot that out of the whole branch, they thought I was the best one to help him. His name is Elder Goulding and he is super awesome. He is from Utah, and he is actually related to Ellie Goulding somehow which is super sick. Me and him are getting along great and I hope I am making a difference in his life. I want him to stay out on a mission so bad. But yeah thats the only change. We did get to watch conference which is always great. We watched all the sessions. I really liked Oaks talk on Saturday. He talked about loving all types of people no matter their circumstances. I know that as we learn to love everyone, we will be much happier. 

 

So I am glad to hear everyone is doing well. I hope hunting was/is a success! I wish I could be out there with you all! I dont think I will need anything before I head out, but if I do, I guess I'll figure it out haha. Thats great that you all are reading scriptures every morning. I finished the Book of Mormon last week and I am restarting it. I love reading it. I have never realized how much power we can receive from it until getting out here. I hope everyone does better than I and starts gaining a testimony of it sooner rather than later. I know its true and that through it, we can receive much power and strength from our Heavenly Father. 

 

Make it a priority to pray and read the BoM everyday, with no exceptions. Bring the scriptures to life also. Talk about the story of whats going on within the scriptures. I think that can help. 

 

But thats all I got for today. I will be able to email on Wednesday night before I leave so I will email then. I love and miss you all and hope you are all doing great! 

 

Elder Davis

 

 

Me and Elder Goulding

 

Two of my favorite Elders in our District

These are two Elders from Ecuador and Mexico. They are so awesome. I love talking with them in spanish! They were super impressed that i could actually hold a conversation haha. But now its really hard to speak spanish cause my brain is constantly thinking cebuano!

 



Me and Elder Wilson

Week 4

Hey everyone! 

It has been another week already!? Haha time is flying by, it feels like yesterday that mom and dad dropped me off, but its been a month already! I am loving it here. I feel this great spirit all the time. Working with all kinds of different people is teaching me a ton. Mostly humility haha. The other day one of the elders in my district was really being rude to his companion and it made me really mad. I love the elder that was receiving the rude attitude, he is one of my favorites here so it really bothered me. So I kinda went off on the other one and said a couple of rude things back to him that were true, but too harsh. I felt horrible after and was really contemplating whether or not to apologize. Before my mission I wouldn't have for sure. But I realized thats wrong of me to do. So I pulled him aside and truly apologized for it and now were golden ha. 

But I hope everything is going great at home! I got my travel plans today! I will leave Utah on October 16th and then fly to Portland, Oregon. From there we will fly to Tokyo! Then to Manila, Philippines and stay there for a month it looks like. I don't know exactly, but then from there we fly on November 17th to Hong Kong! Then finally we will go to our missions. I am sooooo stoked for it. I have never been on an airplane before and what happens? They make me the Travel Leader of 14 missionaries in our zone haha. So I will be in charge of everyone while we travel. Pretty funny. 

So sorry for the short letter this week but theres nothing really new going on here, just the same ol same ol.  The language is coming along great! we taught our first lesson over Skype last night. So we taught a filipino woman that was in the philippines in Cebuano. It was super cool.  But I love everyone and hope y'all are well. 

Elder Davis

and yeah your jokes make me laugh mom!  Especially the one about nacho libre, haha.

​This is Elder Fonua (left) and Elder Toani (right). Fonua is from Tonga and Toani is from Kiributi. They are soo awesome i love them a ton. If you notice Fonua is wearing my red tie, we traded for the one i am wearing. He is singing for the Priesthood session in the Choir so look for him, and my tie!! haha Elder Toani is so cool too, he is teaching me little phrases of Kiributi too. You all probably have never heard of Kiributi so look it up, they are a bunch of little islands north of Fiji. 

A little boredom

They might be GIANTS!