September 5, 2016
Hey Everybody!
This week has been tough, but really really good!
On Sunday, we had a great church meeting! Elder Woodward was able to play the cello and was accompanied by Sister Emerson on the piano. It was a really awesome experience and they both did so well. They played A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief and the Spirit was really there. After Church we had the Linger Longer which was a lot of fun and we were hoping Donna would be able to come, but she wasn’t going to be able to drive out. It was tough for both of us, but we were able to get a lot of pictures of Elder Woodward with awesome members! We went to visit a couple people like Brother Woolfrey, Sister Phipps, and then had dinner at the Spearins! It was really good, and we had a great time with them.
Monday was filled with P-Day, emailing and all and mostly visiting some people for Elder Woodward to see.
On Tuesday, we started with Breakfast at the Rosbachs and had pancakes and such at his home! It was a lot of fun and we were able to spend a good amount of time with them. Brother Rosbach does a ton for us and we are so grateful for his contribution to the ward. Being the Ward Mission Leader has gotta be tough sometimes. The missionaries are always calling and texting about correlations that they need done and it can be frustrating, but he’s there for us!
Then we went to see Abby and taught a little of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and learned a little more about her. We are having a member present lesson with her tomorrow and are super excited!
After Abby, we packed Elder Woodward for about two hours and went over to Barbara’s. We talked to her about the coming Sunday and about her temple recommend interview with the Branch President. We cleared up some MAJOR miscommunication that could have been really tough to work through, but turned out to be just a silly mistake, so she was all set! Monday would be the Recent Convert Temple Day, so we asked her if she would be able to go……and she has family in town. That was tough, but we said that we would schedule a time to go. We helped her get some family names that were very close to her and then we sang “God Be With You Til We Meet Again” for her. It was an emotional time for all of us since we had all grown close, but like the song says, we knew that we would see each other again. Barbara is such an amazing person and has made so many difficult changes in her life and we are so proud of her. She is doing an amazing thing for her self and for her family.
After saying goodbye to Barbara, we had dinner at Taverna’s with Sister McLean. It was a lot of fun and I got the PB&J again and downed it once again! It is so good, but they were both disgusted by it yet again. Sister McLean is like our mother in the Branch, so it was so good to hear from her!
Wednesday was interesting. As of Tuesday night, we had no one to drive us to transfers, soooooo……. the only person that we could think of that might be open was Sister Phipps, so we gave her a call at 8am Wednesday morning asking if she could drive to Rhode Island, back to Brockton and back down to the Cape. She was ecstatic that we had called because she had questions for us. We were just amazed. It was the most last minute favor anyone could ask for, and she was more than happy to drive us. The Lord’s hand was in that and I am so glad for a loving God who provides like that.
We had a great drive and lunch with her, her son, and Elder Rogers, who is the new Zone Leader in our Zone. Eventually, after many turnarounds courtesy of your terrible navigator (yours truly), we arrived in Brockton with tons of time to spare.
Eventually, the car arrived with Elder Jacobson and Elder Sanabria and the Saxeys who are a senior couple in Franklin and who are from Gilbert and know the Days! We swapped companions and were off!
Long story short, Elder Woodward happened to accidentally hold on to the keys and didn’t realize till getting back to Connecticut, so he spent $23 dollars to overnight them to our house.
Yep, so we had to dismantle our air conditioner from the window, jump through the window, and unlock the door from the inside…….and then we had to manage a ride back up to Sister Phipps house, who lives in Sagamore Beach. The North Side of the Area. Thankfully, Br. Woolfrey, a Less Active member of the branch, and his wife drove us up and we had the opportunity to talk with them. So we are all good now!!
So in short, the past couple of days with Elder Jacobson have been rough. Not because of Elder Jacobson, but because of the work. We have been looking up a lot of Former Investigators and Potential Investigators and have been getting a lot of rejection. It’s hard sometimes. We get pushed back and people don’t even know what our message is. They just see missionary and sometimes yell or speak very firmly and tell us that they don’t want to listen to us.
I feel like the Sons of Mosiah sometimes. They were rejected and kicked out of cities, but still went back. We have to keep trusting in the Lord even when persecution comes. In Helaman, Nephi puts up with a lot! There is always someone who is a judge or a Gadianton Robber that hates them, but in Helaman 8, it says,”and nothing did he speak which was contrary to the commandments of God.”
As long as we trust in the Lord, He will bless us.
Today, Monday, was a special experience. We were blessed to be able to go to the Boston Massachusetts Temple and have Barbara perform ordinances by proxy for some family names. She was so ecstatic and when Elder Woodward got there, she was even happier!
He was able to baptize her for her mother and daughter and he was baptized for her father. A member of the Temple Presidency was standing there as well as President McKay who is in our Mission Presidency. Almost everyone in the Baptistry area watched as Barbara was baptized and it warmed my heart so much. As she was confirmed, she just beamed! She had the biggest smile on her face and said that while she was in the temple, she felt like she was in heaven! The Baptistry coordinator said that she was the happiest person he had ever seen there. We had such a special time with Barbara and were so blessed to be able to bring her to the temple!
Elder Jacobson and I were also able to bring family names to the temple, so we were able to be baptized, confirmed, and go through a temple session for them. It was one of the best days I’ve had in the temple so far.
The temple is a special place and there is such peace there. I urge everyone of you reading this to either put your sights on the temple if you are not able to go or to go as frequently as you can if you are able.
We are reminded of what we have learned before the more we go. It helps us to keep the connection with our Heavenly Father and to remember the promises we have made to Him.
Keep pushing on and I love you all!
-Elder Davis
*****Mom Note:
Elder Woodward’s blog is elderianwoodward.weebly.com and there are photos and accounts of their stories that add variety and detail to Elder Davis’ accounts! I love how their perspectives dovetail to provide a clearer picture. Elder Woodward is very special to Elder Davis.
I just wanted to add that here so if you follow Elder Davis, you can also check Elder Woodward’s blog.
Where the Lord Wants Me 