Hey Mom,
First off sorry for writing so late! The McCollam's are on vacation and they have been instructed to lock up their computer room when they are gone. So we didn't have a way to email on Monday so we had to come to another member's home today to do it (we had to get special permission to do so).
Sounds like a fun time having Dad leaving to Brazil and Kody starting cherries. I tell you what I felt a large pang of jealousy when I thought about working cherries. I will definitely plan on doing that the summer before I go back to college after I get home.
I'm glad Kody took so many pictures on his tour. I told him to make sure he took a ton! I don't know how I'm going to view a lot of them since they are in HD which my camera won't read. You could probably send a CD and I could view them when I email or something. Who knows.
Wow, the next couple of weeks for you really do sound weird. That's a bummer that you won't be able to play the piano. Don't worry about complaining, your circumstances and my circumstances are different so it's more disappointing when you don't get to play than it is when I don't get to play. I actually get to play more than I really expected though still not as much as I would really like. I am trying to do better about singing whenever I feel like it regardless of who's around as long as it's appropriate ;)
Speaking of singing, this Sunday was Branch Conference and somehow my companion and I got conned into singing in the choir :P I never wanted to sing in a church choir because they are always so absolutely terrible and I didn't want to be associated with it. Well the practices were terrible so I was a bit worried. Luckily, the performance on Sunday actually went really well. One of the verses we did as a quartet with Sister Ensey singing alto, Tanee (16) singing soprano, me singing tenor (yes...tenor), and Branch President Prescott singing bass. It sounded really really good and I was very happy to have been part of it. We sang hymn # 273 Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses.
I'm looking forward to reading your journal photo copy :D I know the feeling of really enjoying something but having nothing to write about. Thus you don't get a whole lot of stories from me.
Yevonne was at church, so were Melissa, Jason, Aimee, and little Jason. Also, Sister Smith (a less-active member), has been there the past two weeks as has Sister Fitzgerald (another less-active member), and also Sister Vance (yet another less-active sister). We were very excited.
Aimee is 15 nearly 16 and she is hard to teach because she is really shy and has a hard time feeling comfortable participating. I think she feels like she's going to answer something wrong so we are really working on presenting things in a way that are not scary. We are trying to ask questions that make her think but that she can still answer. It's actually a very fun challenge. She is definitely being able to see how happy her parents are.
Things with Ben fell through. He never came and we called but nobody answered. I guess he forgot. Oh well, we played a game of Trivial Pursuit in the McCollam's nice cool basement.
It's getting stinkin' hot! Wanna hear a funny story? Well Sister Green took us to dinner last night and as we walked out we were commenting on how it was hot but cooling down and she said that it's supposed to cool down everyday this week and by the end of the week it's supposed to be down to 90! We all cheered! I commented on how it's pretty sad that we get excited that it's going to be 90 degrees! I am definitely learning to cope with sweat.
I love using the typewriter. It is such a blast. You know I always loved typing at home. I would get a keyboard out even if it wasn't attached to a computer and just start typing for the fun of it. A typewriter helps me satisfy that craving when I don't have access to a computer. ;) I had to do extra enters and what not to get the spacing right. What I should have done was just used the little manual knob to space it but whatever ;) It is definitely a sign of the times that I hadn't ever used a typewriter. I am going to take it with me when I get transferred of course! It has a handle that I can carry it with so it won't be bad. You'd be surprised how little stuff I've collected compared to other missionaries :)
My guess is that I will get transferred but no guarantees either way.
I got emails from both Kody AND Dad but Kody's came while he was in Detroit, or at least one of them did. I would definitely have been surprised if I hadn't gotten an email from Dad. I did :D I think he sent it from Brazil actually. It has a subject that makes me think that. I love Dad, he is definitely a great guy.
I miss you too :D Thanks for being proud of me Mom.
Love,
Elder Jay Davis
Friday, July 31, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
July 20, 2009
Hey Mom and Dad,
I am SOOO sorry that you only got one email. I wrote a big long email in response to yours Dad and then when I clicked send it brought up the "This Website Cannot Be Displayed" thing and the website was down so I couldn't go back and rewrite it or anything. I was SO upset!
Yevonne will hopefully keep progressing but so far she is still not willing to commit to baptism.
Yup, you can imagine (knowing me) how decisioned out I will end up being ;)
Well I am looking forward to all of the music that you recorded :D It should be such a fun experience to watch/listen to it all.
You didn't tell me that part about Kody's concert. That is AWESOME! I wish I could have seen that :D I wish you could have recorded his reaction too ;)
I'm pretty sure the way we lined up in Austria was the same way you described that they lined up. It was so cool to have the chorale up above :D Isn't it amazing to hear them perform in cathedrals?! AHHH! :D
There were always some people crying in every concert we did which was really rewarding I must say. I'm glad they did such a good job.
That is SO lucky that you know the Goerigks and they still do the B&B for people they know. Man I wish I could have gone. I would have been SO rusty on my German though. I would have made a fool out of myself but boy would it have been fun to listen to her talk and try to pick up parts of it.
That's awesome that she compared me to you when you told her I am serving a mission :D I loved talking about all sorts of stuff and nothign at all :D Those are the best conversations.
That's awesome that you stayed for 2 nights! Man I can still picture the inside of that house and the rooms and the bathroom and everything! It's crazy! I miss all of that. :) I'm loving life out here though. Have fun with the flight home and don't play too many of the video games or watch too many movies. Make sure you get your beauty sleep ;)
All is well out here. I am really trying to do better at giving detail about my adventures but I am just terribly bad at remembering things and I try to write them down but I'm bad at that too ;)
We were tracting yesterday and had some funny rejections. I need to run and grab them though so one sec...Okay, I'm back. So this one guy we knocked on his door and a dog started barking really loud. When he answered the door he just cracked it open and said, "The dog's pissed off," and that was pretty much it and closed the door. I laughed pretty hard at that one. Then on that same street a couple houses down we were walking up a driveway and the guy was sitting outside and said, "Hey guys, I'm not ready to join the flock yet," I thought that was pretty funny too. Finally, this one was probably my favorite, a lady answered the door and said, "If you're Jehovah's Witnesses, goodbye." We said that we weren't and she said, "If you are religious, goodbye." So we said, "Have a nice day," and walked off. It was pretty funny :D You'd be surprised how often people think we are J.W.'s. You'd think they'd see our name tags and get it but anyway :D
Another funny story I forgot to tell earlier that Elder Cellan reminded me of happened on the 4th of July. So we were walking back to our car after having done service in the park. (I don't know if I told you or not but we helped the fire department run their cotton candy and snow cone booth. It was really fun and we did it in our white shirts and everything. We got aprons from a member, but of course I still had snow cone juice splattered on my shirt. I just took the "Tide 2 Go" pen to it and you can't even tell which shirt I used.) When we got to our car we kept hearing a small thud and then a beeping sound. We were looking around and noticed a lady throwing apples at a car that was parked in front of her yard. There was a lot of parking traffic so this person had parked where they weren't welcome apparantly. It was hilarious! She was just picking up the apples that had falled off her crab apple tree and throwing them at the car and every two or three apples would make the car beep at her. We laughed pretty hard at that :D
Let's see, today we are going out with a priest in our branch named Ben (the grandson of the members we live with). He is going to take us to see a pond that is on the family property (don't worry, we won't be getting in or anything), and then to see some of the mines that are still open and safe to go in. It should be pretty awesome but pretty hot!
Speaking of hot, it's been over a hundred most of this week! It's TERRIBLE! I am getting used to it though and I'm drinking lots of liquids (more than I used to, but not as much as I should probably). I drank a whole 2 quarts of water both of the past two days. I'm learning to accept the fact that I AM going to sweat so I might as well just deal with it ;) It's gross though :P
It was pretty funny when Elder Neeley got transferred I was sort of going through withdrawals from Mindy Gledhill music. We would listen to the two CD's he had of hers all the time but then he got transferred so I didn't have it to listen to. It was pretty funny. I sort of missed the "Trek" CD he had too. I am happy to get to listen to my A Cappella stuff now though (remember that he didn't really like it all that much).
I finally had to buy a refill for the typewriter and I was also able to find a refill for the correcting tape too so now I can fix my typos a little bit better.
Good news, Melissa's daughter, Aimee, is going to take the lessons from us. She was sitting in while we were teaching her mom, so she is already technically an investigator (we picked her up as one when we started teaching the family), but we are going to reteach the lessons to her. Hopefully she will feel the spirit and follow in her mom's footsteps by being baptized. Also, she has been coming to church and seems to have quite a crush on one of the young men in our branch who is an AWESOME guy and is just her age. He should be a great influence on her. Hopefully he doesn't get annoyed with all the flirting she does. She has a non-member boyfriend who is putting pressure on her to join his church so she's a bit confused right now. We are hoping that this new crush will help with that ;) Anyway, so we are excited for that.
We have a member family who is really good at member missionary work and giving us referrals and working with their friends. They have two families they are really working with and another couple that they could start working with and they are excited and really not scared to talk to them about it. We are very proud of them.
Hmmm...I'm trying to think of any other things that I could mention but as of right now I'm drawing a blank. I can tell you that it is hot in our room at night but I'm learning to deal with that too ;) hahaha
Things here are great, I love the work and the gospel. It is really really fun to see people (including myself) progress and come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Oh, I mentioned this in a letter that I just wrote but haven't sent so you'll get this first. I need more acne pills. Also mentioned was the fact that my companion, Elder Cellan, gets VERY little mail. He gets like a letter from an old lady in his ward and maybe one other letter a month maybe. SO, if you could spread the word to my friends and the family to send him an occasional letter just for fun I think that would be AWESOME! Thanks :D
I love you both,
Elder Jay Davis
I am SOOO sorry that you only got one email. I wrote a big long email in response to yours Dad and then when I clicked send it brought up the "This Website Cannot Be Displayed" thing and the website was down so I couldn't go back and rewrite it or anything. I was SO upset!
Yevonne will hopefully keep progressing but so far she is still not willing to commit to baptism.
Yup, you can imagine (knowing me) how decisioned out I will end up being ;)
Well I am looking forward to all of the music that you recorded :D It should be such a fun experience to watch/listen to it all.
You didn't tell me that part about Kody's concert. That is AWESOME! I wish I could have seen that :D I wish you could have recorded his reaction too ;)
I'm pretty sure the way we lined up in Austria was the same way you described that they lined up. It was so cool to have the chorale up above :D Isn't it amazing to hear them perform in cathedrals?! AHHH! :D
There were always some people crying in every concert we did which was really rewarding I must say. I'm glad they did such a good job.
That is SO lucky that you know the Goerigks and they still do the B&B for people they know. Man I wish I could have gone. I would have been SO rusty on my German though. I would have made a fool out of myself but boy would it have been fun to listen to her talk and try to pick up parts of it.
That's awesome that she compared me to you when you told her I am serving a mission :D I loved talking about all sorts of stuff and nothign at all :D Those are the best conversations.
That's awesome that you stayed for 2 nights! Man I can still picture the inside of that house and the rooms and the bathroom and everything! It's crazy! I miss all of that. :) I'm loving life out here though. Have fun with the flight home and don't play too many of the video games or watch too many movies. Make sure you get your beauty sleep ;)
All is well out here. I am really trying to do better at giving detail about my adventures but I am just terribly bad at remembering things and I try to write them down but I'm bad at that too ;)
We were tracting yesterday and had some funny rejections. I need to run and grab them though so one sec...Okay, I'm back. So this one guy we knocked on his door and a dog started barking really loud. When he answered the door he just cracked it open and said, "The dog's pissed off," and that was pretty much it and closed the door. I laughed pretty hard at that one. Then on that same street a couple houses down we were walking up a driveway and the guy was sitting outside and said, "Hey guys, I'm not ready to join the flock yet," I thought that was pretty funny too. Finally, this one was probably my favorite, a lady answered the door and said, "If you're Jehovah's Witnesses, goodbye." We said that we weren't and she said, "If you are religious, goodbye." So we said, "Have a nice day," and walked off. It was pretty funny :D You'd be surprised how often people think we are J.W.'s. You'd think they'd see our name tags and get it but anyway :D
Another funny story I forgot to tell earlier that Elder Cellan reminded me of happened on the 4th of July. So we were walking back to our car after having done service in the park. (I don't know if I told you or not but we helped the fire department run their cotton candy and snow cone booth. It was really fun and we did it in our white shirts and everything. We got aprons from a member, but of course I still had snow cone juice splattered on my shirt. I just took the "Tide 2 Go" pen to it and you can't even tell which shirt I used.) When we got to our car we kept hearing a small thud and then a beeping sound. We were looking around and noticed a lady throwing apples at a car that was parked in front of her yard. There was a lot of parking traffic so this person had parked where they weren't welcome apparantly. It was hilarious! She was just picking up the apples that had falled off her crab apple tree and throwing them at the car and every two or three apples would make the car beep at her. We laughed pretty hard at that :D
Let's see, today we are going out with a priest in our branch named Ben (the grandson of the members we live with). He is going to take us to see a pond that is on the family property (don't worry, we won't be getting in or anything), and then to see some of the mines that are still open and safe to go in. It should be pretty awesome but pretty hot!
Speaking of hot, it's been over a hundred most of this week! It's TERRIBLE! I am getting used to it though and I'm drinking lots of liquids (more than I used to, but not as much as I should probably). I drank a whole 2 quarts of water both of the past two days. I'm learning to accept the fact that I AM going to sweat so I might as well just deal with it ;) It's gross though :P
It was pretty funny when Elder Neeley got transferred I was sort of going through withdrawals from Mindy Gledhill music. We would listen to the two CD's he had of hers all the time but then he got transferred so I didn't have it to listen to. It was pretty funny. I sort of missed the "Trek" CD he had too. I am happy to get to listen to my A Cappella stuff now though (remember that he didn't really like it all that much).
I finally had to buy a refill for the typewriter and I was also able to find a refill for the correcting tape too so now I can fix my typos a little bit better.
Good news, Melissa's daughter, Aimee, is going to take the lessons from us. She was sitting in while we were teaching her mom, so she is already technically an investigator (we picked her up as one when we started teaching the family), but we are going to reteach the lessons to her. Hopefully she will feel the spirit and follow in her mom's footsteps by being baptized. Also, she has been coming to church and seems to have quite a crush on one of the young men in our branch who is an AWESOME guy and is just her age. He should be a great influence on her. Hopefully he doesn't get annoyed with all the flirting she does. She has a non-member boyfriend who is putting pressure on her to join his church so she's a bit confused right now. We are hoping that this new crush will help with that ;) Anyway, so we are excited for that.
We have a member family who is really good at member missionary work and giving us referrals and working with their friends. They have two families they are really working with and another couple that they could start working with and they are excited and really not scared to talk to them about it. We are very proud of them.
Hmmm...I'm trying to think of any other things that I could mention but as of right now I'm drawing a blank. I can tell you that it is hot in our room at night but I'm learning to deal with that too ;) hahaha
Things here are great, I love the work and the gospel. It is really really fun to see people (including myself) progress and come closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.
Oh, I mentioned this in a letter that I just wrote but haven't sent so you'll get this first. I need more acne pills. Also mentioned was the fact that my companion, Elder Cellan, gets VERY little mail. He gets like a letter from an old lady in his ward and maybe one other letter a month maybe. SO, if you could spread the word to my friends and the family to send him an occasional letter just for fun I think that would be AWESOME! Thanks :D
I love you both,
Elder Jay Davis
July 13, 2009
Hey Mom,
Things on Saturday went really well. Melissa got baptized by her husband Jason. They were both just BEAMING! There were SO many people there to support her and we were VERY excited. We pretty much filled the entire chapel with people and then had people just packed and standing in the primary room (which is where the font is in our building). Elder Cellan and I got to be the witnesses which was totally cool. Jason got the prayer on the first try and Melissa went all the way under fully the first time so they only had to do it once :D I was probably more nervous than they were hahaha :) I really have grown to love them and be so very excited for them. No returned missionary in talking about their baptisms has EVER done ANY justice to the joy that comes from bringing souls unto our Savior and His gospel! WOW! I think that about sums it up :D Another cool thing about the baptism is that one of our other investigators (Yevonne) who is having a hard time commiting to being baptized and what not came to the baptism and then to church the next day (when the confirmation was done). So hopefully she really felt the spirit of that and will want to make the step for herself now.
Yeah, it makes sense that I'm doing all of the planning since I am senior to the area (though like I said, still junior companion). I hadn't even thought about how indecisive I was at home until you mentioned it :D That made me chuckle a bit. It's definitely interesting to see what I can do when I am put in a situation where I have to do something ;) This is definitely a good experience for me though I guarantee you that when I get home I'll be so decisioned out that I'll want everybody else to decide.
I'm glad that my knees are doing well too :D Thank you for your prayers, I know they are being answered.
Yep, Europeans are WAY better at clapping! I really want more video of the UAM concerts :D I know Kody's in the choir but to be honest I'm more interested in hearing the band stuff (except Kody's solo is of soul interest). I really love ALL of the band songs. I wish you could record them all...*sigh* anyway. :D Thanks for your effort in recording them. I bet you were excited to leave for Europe. I was so jealous yet excited for you!
That's good that Daniel's wedding was good :D I bet they were excited! Hopefully you had an enjoyable day with your sisters. (Oh you answer in the next paragraph) That's a bummer you didn't get to stay the whole time but it's a worthwhile sacrifice for Europe ;)
I love you back and miss you tons. Thanks for being proud of me. Helping Melissa get baptized will have changed more than just one generation of lives which is awesome to think about.
I love you back :D
Elder Jay Davis
Things on Saturday went really well. Melissa got baptized by her husband Jason. They were both just BEAMING! There were SO many people there to support her and we were VERY excited. We pretty much filled the entire chapel with people and then had people just packed and standing in the primary room (which is where the font is in our building). Elder Cellan and I got to be the witnesses which was totally cool. Jason got the prayer on the first try and Melissa went all the way under fully the first time so they only had to do it once :D I was probably more nervous than they were hahaha :) I really have grown to love them and be so very excited for them. No returned missionary in talking about their baptisms has EVER done ANY justice to the joy that comes from bringing souls unto our Savior and His gospel! WOW! I think that about sums it up :D Another cool thing about the baptism is that one of our other investigators (Yevonne) who is having a hard time commiting to being baptized and what not came to the baptism and then to church the next day (when the confirmation was done). So hopefully she really felt the spirit of that and will want to make the step for herself now.
Yeah, it makes sense that I'm doing all of the planning since I am senior to the area (though like I said, still junior companion). I hadn't even thought about how indecisive I was at home until you mentioned it :D That made me chuckle a bit. It's definitely interesting to see what I can do when I am put in a situation where I have to do something ;) This is definitely a good experience for me though I guarantee you that when I get home I'll be so decisioned out that I'll want everybody else to decide.
I'm glad that my knees are doing well too :D Thank you for your prayers, I know they are being answered.
Yep, Europeans are WAY better at clapping! I really want more video of the UAM concerts :D I know Kody's in the choir but to be honest I'm more interested in hearing the band stuff (except Kody's solo is of soul interest). I really love ALL of the band songs. I wish you could record them all...*sigh* anyway. :D Thanks for your effort in recording them. I bet you were excited to leave for Europe. I was so jealous yet excited for you!
That's good that Daniel's wedding was good :D I bet they were excited! Hopefully you had an enjoyable day with your sisters. (Oh you answer in the next paragraph) That's a bummer you didn't get to stay the whole time but it's a worthwhile sacrifice for Europe ;)
I love you back and miss you tons. Thanks for being proud of me. Helping Melissa get baptized will have changed more than just one generation of lives which is awesome to think about.
I love you back :D
Elder Jay Davis
July 6, 2009
Hey Mom,
Things with Melissa are going fabulously. Jason and Melissa are definitely ready. Jason gets to perform the baptism and we are SOOOOOO excited! Oh my goodness I can't even tell you how exciting it is!
That's awesome that Ethan got baptized. I always loved going to the Canfield things :D That is insane to think about Natalie dating and driving...I feel really old...what does that mean about you guys? ;) j/k
Things with Elder Cellan are great. He and I get along well although we are both fairly reserved people so talking to people can be difficult at times. We are doing good work though. lol, surprisingly enough you're right that this is my opportunity to open up and be the fun. I am way more talkative and stuff hahaha I am starting to bring it out in him and it's really fun. I have a lot of new responsibility even though I'm still the junior companion. I do most of the planning and deciding what we're going to do throughout the day because I know the area. He's picking up on things really quickly though. I'm glad we have a car for sure.
Thanks for the update on Adam. We were both WAY curious if he'd gotten his call yet so that's exciting to know and we're both glad to have his address so we can write him. Thanks for finding that for us.
Wow, that is a long time for the church to be out of commission but oh well. There's a new building in Santaquin? That's good that you'll be able to do the full block of meetings.
I definitely remember how many people were in the airport when we showed up for our Europe trip. Holy cow! Man, I am so jealous right now :D But I am so very excited for him.
I'm glad the Bon Voyage concert was so good! I am SOOOOO excited to see it! I better send a memory card home fast! I'm terrible at thinking up good videos to put on it and I am so busy I rarely take pictures. I am SUPER excited to hear Bugler's Holiday, that was my favorite piece...AHHH! I am totally excited! I'm glad the soloists were so good. That's a bummer that Dad forgot the extra battery but that's okay. I am sure that I'll get to hear some of Lyndsay's solos eventually so it's no big deal. She really is amazing and made it into BYU's music program if I remember right. That's awesome that the band kept playing with the lights off. I'm glad Grandpa enjoyed himself so much! I would have been right there with him! I actually probably would have gotten some of my old UAM friends together and we would have been clapping to it just like they did in Europe (it's way better than how people clap in the U.S. lol)
I haven't read Dad's email yet so I don't know if he wrote about Europe or not. That is SOOOO cool that you are going to go and surprise Kody! I am completely and utterly jealous that I'm not at home. I know you would have brought me along if I had been. Oh well, I am doing a good work instead ;) Crans-Montana is BEAUTIFUL! I loved that place so much. You'll get to be there for the fondue party in the big white tent! AHHHHHHH! Best place ever. And Rhotenburg ob der Tauber! Man, good times! I hope you get to stay with the Goerigks! Oh my gosh, "trunky" thoughts lol.
It's okay if you aren't able to get me email. I can live one week without emailing lol :D Thanks for your diligence in getting me emails though :D
I can only imagine how busy this coming week will be for you! A wedding, a sisters party and Europe! I'm sure this week will be busy for me too, but probably just knocking on peoples' doors. hahaha
It cools off enough in the evening that it actually isn't all that bad without AC. During the day it can be pretty warm but we're not really home that often during the day. Luckily for us the coming week is supposed to go down to the 80's so I am excited for that. Looks like we passed the heat on to you ;)
Thanks for all of things that you wrote :D I got lots of excitement out of it :D Hope you have a blast :D I'll be thinking tons about you and being totally jealous.
I love you Mom!
Elder Jay Davis
Hey Dad,
That's okay that your email will be shorter than normal. I am looking forward to your letter :D
Mom mentioned that you guys are going to go see Kody in Europe. That is SOOOO cool! That will be a fun experience and I don't think he'll be upset at all by you being there. In fact he'll probably introduce you to everybody and then you'll leave and they'll all talk about how cool you are (all of my friends do that). Crans-Montana is SOOO beautiful and it is such a fun place. You will really enjoy the concert and the atmosphere and of course the scenery! Take lots of pictures and videos for me please :D
You have to at least let him know you are there at the concert! But anyway, sounds like a blast! Seefeld is really pretty as well. Man...I told Mom I was jealous because I probably would have gotten to come if I wasn't out here ;) But I know I'm doing a good work. Kody will be so excited. I guarantee it! I bet he won't care at all and won't even think that you'd ruin things, so don't worry.
I would love to go back to that museum in Germany too! I missed out on that playing piano with the violins! Hopefully I'll get to see some pictures and maybe videos if they're allowed.
You lucky ducks you get to go try to see Frau Goerigk! I'm totally excited for you guys!
Busy and fast trips are just as fine on occasion :D Especially if you've already been there before.
I'm so excited that you will be in Switzerland next week. If you can't email don't feel bad. I'll be patient until the next week.
lol, just dropping Kody off shouldn't be THAT hard...it's only 3 weeks ;) not 2 years lol j/k I understand that would be hard.
Wow, you are going to be stinking busy for the next 5 weeks! Good luck getting all the ducks lined up at work :D I know you'll do great.
Things with Melissa are great. July 11th at 4 p.m. Jason will be baptizing Melissa :D She will then be confirmed on July 12th by her father-in-law. YAY! I'm not really allowed to ask you to pray for anything but I guess since you asked me I can just ask you to pray that the last week they can stay strong and that as persecution and trial comes after her baptism that she'll be able to stand tall and strong.
It's okay that I can't drive yet :D I'll be patient. I just have a hard time dealing with peoples' driving if it isn't the way I like it ya know? So I am definitely learning patience and at least I get to relax a tiny bit ;) I hope I'm in a car area a lot too. My knees are actually doing really well. I think a bike area would be fine (not pleasant). I think the problem now would be how out of shape I am not so much my knees.
I didn't know there was a church out past the Red Barn now. That's really cool :D Things are definitely changing fast. I'm going to move into a new town in twenty months! That's awesome that they are building a Maverick, nobody had told me that :D I wish we had had those things when I was young too, however Kolby and I used to ride our bikes down to town on occasion :D That was lots of fun.
I miss you tons too! I love hearing about what's going on at home but I tell you what I'm really missing you all and what I'm missing out on ;) We'll have a lot of "missed time" to make up for when I get home :D Well I know you and Mom will be able to handle Kody and I gone. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it.
Have lots of fun in Europe for me!
Love,
Elder Jay Davis
Things with Melissa are going fabulously. Jason and Melissa are definitely ready. Jason gets to perform the baptism and we are SOOOOOO excited! Oh my goodness I can't even tell you how exciting it is!
That's awesome that Ethan got baptized. I always loved going to the Canfield things :D That is insane to think about Natalie dating and driving...I feel really old...what does that mean about you guys? ;) j/k
Things with Elder Cellan are great. He and I get along well although we are both fairly reserved people so talking to people can be difficult at times. We are doing good work though. lol, surprisingly enough you're right that this is my opportunity to open up and be the fun. I am way more talkative and stuff hahaha I am starting to bring it out in him and it's really fun. I have a lot of new responsibility even though I'm still the junior companion. I do most of the planning and deciding what we're going to do throughout the day because I know the area. He's picking up on things really quickly though. I'm glad we have a car for sure.
Thanks for the update on Adam. We were both WAY curious if he'd gotten his call yet so that's exciting to know and we're both glad to have his address so we can write him. Thanks for finding that for us.
Wow, that is a long time for the church to be out of commission but oh well. There's a new building in Santaquin? That's good that you'll be able to do the full block of meetings.
I definitely remember how many people were in the airport when we showed up for our Europe trip. Holy cow! Man, I am so jealous right now :D But I am so very excited for him.
I'm glad the Bon Voyage concert was so good! I am SOOOOO excited to see it! I better send a memory card home fast! I'm terrible at thinking up good videos to put on it and I am so busy I rarely take pictures. I am SUPER excited to hear Bugler's Holiday, that was my favorite piece...AHHH! I am totally excited! I'm glad the soloists were so good. That's a bummer that Dad forgot the extra battery but that's okay. I am sure that I'll get to hear some of Lyndsay's solos eventually so it's no big deal. She really is amazing and made it into BYU's music program if I remember right. That's awesome that the band kept playing with the lights off. I'm glad Grandpa enjoyed himself so much! I would have been right there with him! I actually probably would have gotten some of my old UAM friends together and we would have been clapping to it just like they did in Europe (it's way better than how people clap in the U.S. lol)
I haven't read Dad's email yet so I don't know if he wrote about Europe or not. That is SOOOO cool that you are going to go and surprise Kody! I am completely and utterly jealous that I'm not at home. I know you would have brought me along if I had been. Oh well, I am doing a good work instead ;) Crans-Montana is BEAUTIFUL! I loved that place so much. You'll get to be there for the fondue party in the big white tent! AHHHHHHH! Best place ever. And Rhotenburg ob der Tauber! Man, good times! I hope you get to stay with the Goerigks! Oh my gosh, "trunky" thoughts lol.
It's okay if you aren't able to get me email. I can live one week without emailing lol :D Thanks for your diligence in getting me emails though :D
I can only imagine how busy this coming week will be for you! A wedding, a sisters party and Europe! I'm sure this week will be busy for me too, but probably just knocking on peoples' doors. hahaha
It cools off enough in the evening that it actually isn't all that bad without AC. During the day it can be pretty warm but we're not really home that often during the day. Luckily for us the coming week is supposed to go down to the 80's so I am excited for that. Looks like we passed the heat on to you ;)
Thanks for all of things that you wrote :D I got lots of excitement out of it :D Hope you have a blast :D I'll be thinking tons about you and being totally jealous.
I love you Mom!
Elder Jay Davis
Hey Dad,
That's okay that your email will be shorter than normal. I am looking forward to your letter :D
Mom mentioned that you guys are going to go see Kody in Europe. That is SOOOO cool! That will be a fun experience and I don't think he'll be upset at all by you being there. In fact he'll probably introduce you to everybody and then you'll leave and they'll all talk about how cool you are (all of my friends do that). Crans-Montana is SOOO beautiful and it is such a fun place. You will really enjoy the concert and the atmosphere and of course the scenery! Take lots of pictures and videos for me please :D
You have to at least let him know you are there at the concert! But anyway, sounds like a blast! Seefeld is really pretty as well. Man...I told Mom I was jealous because I probably would have gotten to come if I wasn't out here ;) But I know I'm doing a good work. Kody will be so excited. I guarantee it! I bet he won't care at all and won't even think that you'd ruin things, so don't worry.
I would love to go back to that museum in Germany too! I missed out on that playing piano with the violins! Hopefully I'll get to see some pictures and maybe videos if they're allowed.
You lucky ducks you get to go try to see Frau Goerigk! I'm totally excited for you guys!
Busy and fast trips are just as fine on occasion :D Especially if you've already been there before.
I'm so excited that you will be in Switzerland next week. If you can't email don't feel bad. I'll be patient until the next week.
lol, just dropping Kody off shouldn't be THAT hard...it's only 3 weeks ;) not 2 years lol j/k I understand that would be hard.
Wow, you are going to be stinking busy for the next 5 weeks! Good luck getting all the ducks lined up at work :D I know you'll do great.
Things with Melissa are great. July 11th at 4 p.m. Jason will be baptizing Melissa :D She will then be confirmed on July 12th by her father-in-law. YAY! I'm not really allowed to ask you to pray for anything but I guess since you asked me I can just ask you to pray that the last week they can stay strong and that as persecution and trial comes after her baptism that she'll be able to stand tall and strong.
It's okay that I can't drive yet :D I'll be patient. I just have a hard time dealing with peoples' driving if it isn't the way I like it ya know? So I am definitely learning patience and at least I get to relax a tiny bit ;) I hope I'm in a car area a lot too. My knees are actually doing really well. I think a bike area would be fine (not pleasant). I think the problem now would be how out of shape I am not so much my knees.
I didn't know there was a church out past the Red Barn now. That's really cool :D Things are definitely changing fast. I'm going to move into a new town in twenty months! That's awesome that they are building a Maverick, nobody had told me that :D I wish we had had those things when I was young too, however Kolby and I used to ride our bikes down to town on occasion :D That was lots of fun.
I miss you tons too! I love hearing about what's going on at home but I tell you what I'm really missing you all and what I'm missing out on ;) We'll have a lot of "missed time" to make up for when I get home :D Well I know you and Mom will be able to handle Kody and I gone. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it.
Have lots of fun in Europe for me!
Love,
Elder Jay Davis
Thursday, July 2, 2009
June 29, 2009
Hey Dad,
This week has been busy. Haven't had the best numbers in some areas but good numbers in other areas. All in all it's been good.
Man, I wish I could have gone to Seth's farewell too. I'm sure he did a fabulous job. I really miss hearing my friends sing and singing with them. Speaking of which while I'm thinking about it. If you or Mom or Kody can find my Chamber Singers CD in my mess of CD's and send it to me I would LOVE that. It is approved music so I'm excited to be able to listen to it.
Holy smokes! The Church building caught fire?! Man, why is all the exciting stuff happening while I'm gone? (Probably because I would have been involved if I hadn't been gone j/k)
That's good that most of the substantial damage was contained to the kitchen and the YW room. Hopefully they will be able to do a good job of getting it cleaned up.
That sounds really confusing how they held the church meetings and stuff :P Hopefully they'll get the church cleaned up very quickly.
Things with my new companion are good. He's much more quiet than Elder Neeley and much more shy. To be honest he's a lot more boring, but he's really fun to serve with. We get along great so that's good. Elder Cellan (Kellin) is from Pocatello, ID. The cool thing is that he went to BYU Idaho and guess who his roommate was?! Adam Merrill who was in my concert choir and whose little sister is friends with Kody :D Small world! We are both trying to get ahold of his mailing address so if Kody or you guys have some way of finding out I'd appreciate it.
We've had lots of food this weekend. Saturday was a baptism for an 8-year-old girl in our ward named Athena (family from India). They served food after that (a full on meal). Then we had a dinner appointment that wanted to feed us still so we drove to that and ate there some more.
Then yesterday was the "Linger Longer" after church where they have food and socializing for the branch. They are really a lot of fun. Anyway, so this Linger Longer was a special one because we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Branch Building. There have been some cool historical records and stuff kept about it so we got to hear a little bit about that and eat lots and lots of food.
Shortly thereafter we headed up to the McCollams' house where we live. Yesterday was Brother McCollam's 85th birthday. Wow! You'd never be able to guess it! Anyway, so they served BBQ ribs (YUM!), watermelon, water (very important for reasons I'll explain shortly), corn on the cob, etc. It was SO yummy and by the time we were finished we were stuffed. Then they brought out Martinelli's and we toasted to Brother McCollam. As if we weren't full enough they also served us cake (carrot cake Mmmm) and ice cream! Luckily we didn't have any other dinner appointments that evening so we didn't have to stuff more food down ;)
I only had much difficulty with changing companions the day before we changed and the day we changed. After that it's been fine. Although even though I'm still the junior companion I end up doing all of the planning since I know the area and my companion doesn't yet lol. I'm pretty bummed that I don't get to drive still though ;) (the senior companion drives)
Our opportunities to share the gospel are sort of up and down but things are going well. We had 15 lessons (9 to investigators and 6 to members) this past week so we were only 5 below the mission standard for weekly lessons. Better than we've been doing! The summer doesn't seem to really be keeping people from listening to us in fact people seem pretty willing to just let us talk to them while they're relaxing in their yard.
OH! I was going to tell you why the water was so important at Brother McCollam's b-day. It was 100 Degrees! The McCollam's don't have AC! So I was sweating and sweating and sweating some more! It was TERRIBLE! Today is supposed to be 104 here in Foresthill which is saying something since it's usually cooler up here! Sis. McCollam said there were reports of the freeway actually buckling from the heat down in Sacramento area! HOLY COW! Ahh well, I've learned to deal with it better than I would ever have imagined I could.
Things with Melissa are going great. As far as I'm aware we will be holding the baptismal interview this Thursday at 6:30, then she'll meet with the Branch President right after (she and her husband have been meeting with him weekly). Then if all goes well her baptism will be July 11th with her husband baptising her! *fingers crossed*
I'm glad all is well at home. I can't believe Kody leaves so soon either! I'm so jealous and so excited for him! Tell him I expect lots of good pictures with him in them as well as all of his new friends. (I'll tell him as well)
Thanks for your example too Dad and I love getting emails each week as well :D
Love you :D
Elder Jay Davis
Hey Mom,
Wow, this is a long email! I LOVE it! Just be warned I'm going to have to give condensed responses. I also responded to Dad's first so a lot of stuff I'm not going to repeat and you'll have to share with him. Sorry.
This week has gone well. Definitely a lot of change that was hard for me to accept when I first found out it was going to happen and the first day was hard but the rest of the week's been just great. Elder Cellan (pronounced Kellen) is really nice and we enjoy serving together. He's only been out 6 months so twice as long as me. He's from Pocatello, Idaho. I was bummed Elder Pu got transferred because I really grew to love him and he always had me laughing but oh well. He's a Spanish Elder so it's unlikely I'd serve as his companion but they do put English missionaries over to Spanish on occasion. That'd be SWEET!
I'm glad that Seth's farewell went so well and that you gave him a big hug for me and told him I wish I could have been there. I get pretty choked up each time I hear about a farewell and all of my friends. It's good though, I like hearing it.
HOLY COW! I can't believe that Josh is already an Elder! I'm jealous of the rainbow chip cookies! I can TOTALLY picture Bryson eating the strawberries and I'm laughing pretty good just thinking about it :D
I'm so excited for Kody! 3 weeks will be so fun! AHHH! Man! I'm jealous :D But so excited I could burst.
I've actually not thought too much about home to be honest ;) But I'm glad you think about me a lot and that's awesome that you have those pictures posted on the fridge. Don't stare too long ;) Thanks for all of the compliments, I learned from the best.
I love you back!
Love,
Elder Jay Davis
Kody,
lol, that blank email was funny. You did write me an email so no worries :D I understand having long weeks although most of mine out here fly right by. Don't stress about leaving to Europe. It'll go great. Mom and Dad will take care of you financially, so just go and have fun. I'm looking forward to the letter and the journal entries/stories that you'll tell :D
That's awesome that you went the Manti Pageant with Belen :D I have never been before so I'm sure I'd enjoy it. Sounds like a really fun date.
What the heck is the N1H1 virus? I don't get much news out here remember so fill me in :D
lol, well I'm glad you're missing me, but things are going great out here so no worries. I think about you a lot and reminisce about the past :D I'm focussing pretty well even though the heat is frying my brain ;) Love you back.
Elder Davis
This week has been busy. Haven't had the best numbers in some areas but good numbers in other areas. All in all it's been good.
Man, I wish I could have gone to Seth's farewell too. I'm sure he did a fabulous job. I really miss hearing my friends sing and singing with them. Speaking of which while I'm thinking about it. If you or Mom or Kody can find my Chamber Singers CD in my mess of CD's and send it to me I would LOVE that. It is approved music so I'm excited to be able to listen to it.
Holy smokes! The Church building caught fire?! Man, why is all the exciting stuff happening while I'm gone? (Probably because I would have been involved if I hadn't been gone j/k)
That's good that most of the substantial damage was contained to the kitchen and the YW room. Hopefully they will be able to do a good job of getting it cleaned up.
That sounds really confusing how they held the church meetings and stuff :P Hopefully they'll get the church cleaned up very quickly.
Things with my new companion are good. He's much more quiet than Elder Neeley and much more shy. To be honest he's a lot more boring, but he's really fun to serve with. We get along great so that's good. Elder Cellan (Kellin) is from Pocatello, ID. The cool thing is that he went to BYU Idaho and guess who his roommate was?! Adam Merrill who was in my concert choir and whose little sister is friends with Kody :D Small world! We are both trying to get ahold of his mailing address so if Kody or you guys have some way of finding out I'd appreciate it.
We've had lots of food this weekend. Saturday was a baptism for an 8-year-old girl in our ward named Athena (family from India). They served food after that (a full on meal). Then we had a dinner appointment that wanted to feed us still so we drove to that and ate there some more.
Then yesterday was the "Linger Longer" after church where they have food and socializing for the branch. They are really a lot of fun. Anyway, so this Linger Longer was a special one because we celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Branch Building. There have been some cool historical records and stuff kept about it so we got to hear a little bit about that and eat lots and lots of food.
Shortly thereafter we headed up to the McCollams' house where we live. Yesterday was Brother McCollam's 85th birthday. Wow! You'd never be able to guess it! Anyway, so they served BBQ ribs (YUM!), watermelon, water (very important for reasons I'll explain shortly), corn on the cob, etc. It was SO yummy and by the time we were finished we were stuffed. Then they brought out Martinelli's and we toasted to Brother McCollam. As if we weren't full enough they also served us cake (carrot cake Mmmm) and ice cream! Luckily we didn't have any other dinner appointments that evening so we didn't have to stuff more food down ;)
I only had much difficulty with changing companions the day before we changed and the day we changed. After that it's been fine. Although even though I'm still the junior companion I end up doing all of the planning since I know the area and my companion doesn't yet lol. I'm pretty bummed that I don't get to drive still though ;) (the senior companion drives)
Our opportunities to share the gospel are sort of up and down but things are going well. We had 15 lessons (9 to investigators and 6 to members) this past week so we were only 5 below the mission standard for weekly lessons. Better than we've been doing! The summer doesn't seem to really be keeping people from listening to us in fact people seem pretty willing to just let us talk to them while they're relaxing in their yard.
OH! I was going to tell you why the water was so important at Brother McCollam's b-day. It was 100 Degrees! The McCollam's don't have AC! So I was sweating and sweating and sweating some more! It was TERRIBLE! Today is supposed to be 104 here in Foresthill which is saying something since it's usually cooler up here! Sis. McCollam said there were reports of the freeway actually buckling from the heat down in Sacramento area! HOLY COW! Ahh well, I've learned to deal with it better than I would ever have imagined I could.
Things with Melissa are going great. As far as I'm aware we will be holding the baptismal interview this Thursday at 6:30, then she'll meet with the Branch President right after (she and her husband have been meeting with him weekly). Then if all goes well her baptism will be July 11th with her husband baptising her! *fingers crossed*
I'm glad all is well at home. I can't believe Kody leaves so soon either! I'm so jealous and so excited for him! Tell him I expect lots of good pictures with him in them as well as all of his new friends. (I'll tell him as well)
Thanks for your example too Dad and I love getting emails each week as well :D
Love you :D
Elder Jay Davis
Hey Mom,
Wow, this is a long email! I LOVE it! Just be warned I'm going to have to give condensed responses. I also responded to Dad's first so a lot of stuff I'm not going to repeat and you'll have to share with him. Sorry.
This week has gone well. Definitely a lot of change that was hard for me to accept when I first found out it was going to happen and the first day was hard but the rest of the week's been just great. Elder Cellan (pronounced Kellen) is really nice and we enjoy serving together. He's only been out 6 months so twice as long as me. He's from Pocatello, Idaho. I was bummed Elder Pu got transferred because I really grew to love him and he always had me laughing but oh well. He's a Spanish Elder so it's unlikely I'd serve as his companion but they do put English missionaries over to Spanish on occasion. That'd be SWEET!
I'm glad that Seth's farewell went so well and that you gave him a big hug for me and told him I wish I could have been there. I get pretty choked up each time I hear about a farewell and all of my friends. It's good though, I like hearing it.
HOLY COW! I can't believe that Josh is already an Elder! I'm jealous of the rainbow chip cookies! I can TOTALLY picture Bryson eating the strawberries and I'm laughing pretty good just thinking about it :D
I'm so excited for Kody! 3 weeks will be so fun! AHHH! Man! I'm jealous :D But so excited I could burst.
I've actually not thought too much about home to be honest ;) But I'm glad you think about me a lot and that's awesome that you have those pictures posted on the fridge. Don't stare too long ;) Thanks for all of the compliments, I learned from the best.
I love you back!
Love,
Elder Jay Davis
Kody,
lol, that blank email was funny. You did write me an email so no worries :D I understand having long weeks although most of mine out here fly right by. Don't stress about leaving to Europe. It'll go great. Mom and Dad will take care of you financially, so just go and have fun. I'm looking forward to the letter and the journal entries/stories that you'll tell :D
That's awesome that you went the Manti Pageant with Belen :D I have never been before so I'm sure I'd enjoy it. Sounds like a really fun date.
What the heck is the N1H1 virus? I don't get much news out here remember so fill me in :D
lol, well I'm glad you're missing me, but things are going great out here so no worries. I think about you a lot and reminisce about the past :D I'm focussing pretty well even though the heat is frying my brain ;) Love you back.
Elder Davis
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