Week Twenty Five!

Hola!

Nothing huge going on, just the work of salvation. Oh! Before I forget! Watch the Rays game on August 3rd! It's Mormon Night and all the missionaries are allowed to go to the game! So we might be shown on the tv! So that'll be awesome right there. MLB game.

So like really don't know what to talk about. We biked all the way to Ellenton which is like two cities away because we figured nobody had actually gone finding there before since it's so far away. On the ride there and the way back we were constantly being pelted like NONE OTHER in the face and body with the tiniest little fly things that I are only in Florida. They all decide to fly 5 ft. off the ground exactly where our eyeballs and faces are. And you would brush off one shoulder full of flies, then the other, and then look back and the shoulder would be black again with bugs! Annoying! And then I carry a sweat rag with me, so after I wiped my face and head and the towel was just black because of all the bugs I just scraped off with sweat from my face. We were very annoyed and so done. So we went and got a Large Frosty at Wendy's and it made things better. Eating problems away! I think I still have some bugs living in my shirt pocket.

Oh...and in response to your question...I read my pat. blessing like 72 times a month. So I basically got it memorized! It's way good and helpful. And I could read one thing one day and get revelation, and then a different day read the same thing and get different revelation because of my situation and attitude. It's like the scriptures. Way awesome things. We actually gave like 3 lessons on those this past week to members and recent converts. Awesome stuff! Ya'll best be putting time to reading those! If not....wo unto thee! No but really we should be reading those and receiving revelation and guidance AT LEAST once a week. Some people with them complain they don't receive revelation after praying a ton, but they don't read that blessing or the scriptures. ANSWERS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US. We just have to be smart enough to open that which we already have to receive the answers we need.

So we had interviews with Pres. Cusick the other day. And he talked with our zone a bit afterwards. He told us how important that Broadcast was. And is! So go and visit the "Hastening the Work" website the church has! Study it and love it and live it and share it! Do everything with it! He told us that during that time of the broadcast was the new mission president seminar and training. At that training they had every member of the quorum of the twelve and the first presidency talking to them. That doesn't happen! He compared it to the time of the coming of the Book of Mormon because in those times when those events happened nobody really understood the true magnitude of what just happened, but now looking back those things changed the world and the lives of everyone in it. So it's a HUGE focus for us with members to teach what that website has and spread it through the world.

But besides that nothing huge has happened...........

Live Hard,
Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies

Week Twenty Four!

Hola!

Yep still here in B-Town. Staying here for 4 transfers.......is a long time! That'll be six months in the same area. I love the area, love the people.

Oh! Before I forget. All mail now is supposed to be sent directly to my apartment, not to the mission office! They want it like that because of the upcoming holiday season...even though there's no holidays coming up...? But yeah so any and all mail is supposed to come straight to my apartment. And to #3111 now, because for some reason we only get mail in that box, not the one we live in....?

210 3rd St. W. #3111

Bradenton, FL 34205

The baptisms were nice for Zamarit and JJ. We had 5 confirmations yesterday! We didn't do them during Sac. Meeting because it would've been Sac. Meeting. So we did them in Presidente's office afterwards. I confirmed Aide, Zamarit and JJ! They were all in English (whew). They were all completely different and personalized. It was interesting doing three right next to each other, but they were like the furthest away from the same! And I couldn't have thought of all those different things by myself. So that was way cool and good.

Elder James is awesome! He's from Arizona. Been out for about 7 and a half months. So we're both on the same board spanish-wise. Yay! Even more fun!

Have a stupendous week!

Live Hard,
Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies

Week Twenty Three!

Hola!

So.......Elder Davies is definitely leaving from Bradenton!...............Probably next transfer because it's not this one! I'm staying! Weird right? And guess what else...Elder Evans is leaving! He was only here for 1 transfer! He's way bummed about that. He's going to be zone leader down in Ft. Meyers. I guess I just breed Zone Leaders. I'm staying another and I'm getting Elder James. He was Evans' companion before me! So Evans said he's way chill. So hopefully that all works out good with him! The switch is on Tuesday. Kinda a bummer for Evans to go because it's finally after a transfer that you actually start to build and strengthen the relationship with a companion and find common ground and get used to them. Now I have to do that all over again! Should be exciting. Back to making all the decisions for every little thing!

We met President Cusick on Friday! He had his wife and daughter with him. They're way cool. He'll be way good though once he gets more experience. Interviews and stuff with him will probably be this next transfer. He let us know a lot of the new stuff that's coming. Like IPADS!! That'll be awesome! And how we're going to be using Facebook in our areas and the building tours and such. There's gonna be a lot of changes coming up in the next few months. Change is good! OH! Did you guys know it's a new rule that missionaries are like absolutely not supposed to wear backpacks or even like have them or bring them on their mission??? They say it's because it makes us look unprofessional and people always wonder what we have in our hiking packs. So now it's the side book bag things that we're supposed to use. And we don't even have to carry around scriptures since we have ipads, but we'll probably still have to do it to prove to people that we have a bible and stuff. 

We had two more baptisms yesterday of Zamarit and JJ! I baptized JJ and Evans baptized Zamarit. There was SO many people there! Like 12 circle tables worth of people! There's usually like 3 tables worth. It's because their grandma is an awesome member whose daughter (jj and zamarit mom) is inactive but they've been associated with the church and this branch their whole lives so all of the adults in the branch knew who they were and the grandma made sure there was like ten thousand pounds of food made and it was insane! But it was so cool to see that many people at a baptism! Instant support right there. That's how EVERY one should be! They literally know they have the whole branch supporting them as new converts. It was way cool to be a part of. There'll be pics from that. 

4th of July! Yeah we didn't do anything.....except watch fireworks!! We watched them at the Riverwalk, since we live on it we just walked basically outside of the parking lot and were there. So they shot them from right behind the green bridge and we were on the Riverwalk watching them and they were all reflecting off the river and stuff! Got some sweet pics of that too. Oh man! But walking up and down that Riverwalk made me and Evans want to be in Utah! In Utah before fireworks there's people playing games, throwing a football, doing little fireworks, bbq'ing. Here....there's just a smoke cloud above everyone's heads the entire night because of all the smoking from...everyone.

And yeah. 6 months. WEIRD. Technically it's considered my "6 months" like...today because I've been out exactly 4 transfers including the MTC and each transfer is a month and a half...so I like the earlier one! So I'm at 6 months! Something weird is the transfer after this one is going to only be 4 weeks long. That'll be a short one for sure! But yeah 6 months on a mission! I met up with Elders Hall and Booth at the President meeting thing and we were talking about how insane that is. It seems like we were just barely in the MTC together, but then it seems like it's been a long time! Pretty weirdy.

Oh so this next transfer is going to be so much knocking doors. Unless we amazingly start getting referrals from people. Because as of right now, we have NOBODY that is progressing that isn't a recent convert. That's like all this transfer will be is recent convert stuff because there's like a billion. So that'll be exciting.

Alrighty well have fun with everything going on this week! Tell everyone I say hi!

Live Hard,
Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies

Week Twenty Two!

Hola!

Welcome to the heat! Global warming......or end of the world........or both.......or it's just Summer. HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!! Yep. That's about it.

We have those transfer call things this Saturday. Tal vez I'm staying? Tal vez no? I could see it either way! Don't really know right now. We had three baptisms yesterday! The three girls from "The Crew"! I'll send pics. Lizbeth, Aide, and Janet. Aide and Janet are sisters and their all cousins. It was pretty great to finally see them reach that point in their progression! Especially since it's been a decently long process and I've been here for the whole thing. It was AWESOME. I baptized Lizbeth and Elder Evans baptized Aide and Janet. They know they're making the right decisions and changes to their lives. And the two baptisms of JJ and Zamarit next week are on schedule and going perfect!

I don't even know what to talk about for this past week...........It rained a lot. A LOT. Oh and I'm sick. I've been sick with cold or whatever for like 5 days. The thunder wakes us up every 37 seconds during the night. And the lightning since it brightens the whole world. The thunder here is scary loud. Like I cry a lot. Sometimes. Not really. It rains a lot. It's actually raining right now. And it's still 90 degrees and 171% humidity. Nothing really crazy happened this week. But then when I look back in my journal there's been a lot of crazy stuff......just never remember it! that's why I write it down. And then forget it. Eh.

Live Hard,
Love Hard,
Laugh Hard,

Elder Bryson Davies