Week Seventeen!

Hola!

So....yeah I'm still in Bradenton. Figured that was gonna happen. BUT Elder Casey is leaving me! My papa got transferred to Tampa! He's going there to be a zone leader, which is incredibly weird because he's so young, still under a year old. We found that out on Saturday and then, yesterday and today are basically just saying goodbye to everyone in this area because he's been here for 6 months, long time. It's been pretty rough for him to have to say goodbye to everyone, and it's hard for all of the recent converts to say bye to their missionary and the guy who basically baptized all of them! And guess how much pressure that puts on me with the recent converts to keep them all coming and stuff!? Uhh...a lot! I'm taking over my area tomorrow. INTENSE. It's pretty crazy stuff. I'm getting.....Elder Evans! No idea who he is. He's from Utah around Salt Lake Valley area. He's been out for about 14 ish months, so his Spanish is probably way good....WHEW! Don't have to worry about that one! Ya know Elder Hall? MTC comp? He's totally training where he is right now. Pretty crazy. I'm glad that didn't happen to me! Taking over and area and training! No thanks. But yeah it stinks that Casey's leaving....Tomorrow morning it'll go down. 

But some good news! Baptism of Angie Sorto yesterday! (Abi's little sister) I baptized her! And it was flawless! First perfect one!...................Except for the fact that the font was draining while we were waiting and so when we got in it was half full and so she had to get on her knees when I did it to make sure she went all the way under......but it was flawless! Pretty great. And Jr. Santos got confirmed! And he's solid.

Everyone's here at the church for one last hurrah. Like all the missionaries and all the youth and some leaders. We be playing trash ball and dodgeball and such. Pretty fun! Our zone is getting completely changed! New zone leader, basically everyone's companionship got switched up besides Nitta and Buck the English guys we hang out with, and we're getting two new english and two new spanish sisters. My branch is gonna have seven missionaries in it! That's crazy for a ward let alone a tiny branch! It'll be pretty crazy. 

But yeah anyways that's been the happenings here. Tomorrow I get a new comp and then the fun begins! WHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Live Hard,
Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies

Week Sixteen!

Hola!

We had two more baptisms over the weekend! One was Maria Teresa, we found, taught and baptized her within like two and a half weeks! That was awesome! And she was staying at a member's house and the members are solid so that helped A TON. We're really starting to see the incredible importance of using the members in the Lord's work. They need to step in and do their part! The other baptism was Jr. Santos! Of the Santos clan! Older bro of Alex and Neftaly! A month ago he didn't believe in God, now he's more excited and into it than ever! Alex baptized him and he'll be confirmed by one of us next Sunday. Dang some awesome stuff with the changes the gospel brings! And it was amazing too because we were at the Santos house a couple days ago (as always, we literally go there like almost everyday because they help us with the lessons) and we read the BoM with them and were going to leave with a kneeling prayer. Their little brothers were in there so we made them sit with us and Jesus (he's 8) just started praying! We just went with it! And right when he started their mom walked in and saw us all circled and kneeling and her 8 year old son praying, and it was a perfect prayer! Perfect structure and he thanked Heavenly Father for letting his older brother get "baptismed". The mom started crying and ran in and told the dad. And we're also starting to try to teach Jr's girlfriend, and like 10 other referrals we received last week. Got some good potentials! And of course...they're all young! It's with the chosen generation of young kids that are the ones who are prepared to make the change and come unto Christ!

Fun stuff. 

Oh Michael emailed me! So that was cool. Hopefully he keeps that up it's cool to hear from him given I haven't even seen him in like 87 years. 

Transfer calls are this Saturday and there are a TON of changes that're gonna happen in our zone this week just with missionaries that are finished and going home or have been here for too long and we think are leaving. Sister Summerhays specifically said, "Oh we can't split Elder Casey and Davies up, they're having way too much success." SO we're hoping that means he's staying. Because we have the potential to have more converts this next transfer too. But we'll find that out on Saturday! Besides all that the work is just the same. Day to day stuff. THis week is bike week. It's about 100 degrees here. Nice. FUN. But yeah.

Well that's all I can think of at this moment which probably means I'll think of about twenty more things when I log off. So yeah good luck with everything in the fam! Learn to divide your time wisely and focus on family time, gospel time, and fun time! 

Live Hard,
Love Hard,

Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies

Week Fifteen!

Hola!

Pretty dang awesome to see you guys yesterday! Fun stuff! Weird because it seemed like it hasn't even been that long since I've seen all ya'll. Weird stuff this time thing out here. And the next time we talk I'll be about halfway done! What?? That'll be weird because it'll come way fast!

I emailed Ben! He's in the city that borders the northernmost part of my mission. He said he freaked out when he saw Florida, just the wrong mission in Florida! Oh well. We will be able to reminisce together about Florida and the heat and the overpopulation of lovebugs. Know what lovebugs are? They are everywhere here when it's hot. They're man made bugs. Scientists tried to make something to eat the mosquitos but then messed up and made these bugs that are always stuck to each other in twos. They don't bite, they're just annoying. And their blood is acidic so if it gets mashed on the car it peels the paint off! Weird. Don't smash them on your arm!

Uhh.....yep.......two baptisms this week so that's way awesome! I'm almost getting to the point where I can read straight from the Spanish Book of Mormon and PME without having to look at the English one, so reading and understanding Spanish are getting way better. Who needs speaking anyways.....

Probably will have some sweet pics next week of b-tisms! It was awesome to talk to all ya'll! Good luck with end of school and all jobs and such!

Live Hard,
Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies

P.S. Here's a sacrificial burning of a cockroach. It happens on the daily.

Week Fourteen!

Hola!

So this will probably be a pretty short one, given we're gonna just talk face to face (kind of) in a week!!

Pretty crazy how I can read your message (in Spanish) every week at the end of your emails and understand it right? FREAKY. I'm to the point where I can't remember when Spanish stuff I hear didn't have meaning! Like going on exchanges with english guys, which I did again, and having a conversation in Spanish or going off on a gospel topic with someone in Spanish, and then the english guy is like okay what are you guys saying?? Weird. Gift of tongues right?

So this last week was a TON better. Me and Casey are way cool now...most of the time. We're tight though. I'm his son, he's my father, it's one of those relationships ya know? It's good. It actually stinks to think that next transfer he might not be here! We're hoping he stays or we get a new guy to double train since we're having so much success in this area in this time. We've got Jr. Santos' baptism coming up, had to move it to the 19th because of work. And we have another date set with a girl, Marilu Chapa, who we met the first week I was here, and then she disappeared and never texted us back, and now she's back, she's best friends with a member, and she's solid and ready to be baptized on the 26th! Pretty cool how there's a plan for everyone right? Always.

On the 19th is Stake Conference and two general authorities are coming to preside! Elder Cardon, who's come here before for the missionaries, and...another guy I don't know the name of. Pretty cool stuff. And right now Elder Anderson is up in Tampa going around with missionaries filming segments with recent converts and such for some video their making for the church! Our zone leaders got chosen to help him out so they've just been driving around with Elder Anderson for a week! I guess it's because that area's been having a ton of success lately.....and we think it's because that's his wife's home ward.

So that's pretty much it I suppose. Voy a llamarles este proximo Domingo como a las 5 o 6 en la tarde, segun las horas de Florida entonces. Hagan las preparaciones necesarias! Nos vemos el Domingo!

Live Hard,

Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies