Christmas in the MTC

Elder Davey's P-day is on a Tuesday.  What a great coincidence that Christmas was on a Tuesday too!  I don't know, maybe all of the Elders got to write home since they weren't allowed to call, but it sure was a treat to hear from him.  Enjoy this letter and the testimony he adds at the end.    

Jwaye Nwel!!!! (Merry Christmas!!!)

 

 

                    Dearest family of mine! How are you all on this fantastic Christmas day? I can just imagine you all now, sitting around each other in the living room, opening up gifts and listening to christmas music. AH I have such great memories of those times. I just wrote a letter to you explaining more about my day today, so instead of repeating exactly what I said, I'll just summarize by saying that spiritualy, today has been one of the most uplifting days ever. I'm not even doing anything really different, I'm just feeling so much love from my Savior. This morning we got to hear a devotional from Russell M. Nelson, and the whole time I just felt warm and loved and exploding with spiritual joy. Dad, you weren't lying when you said that the Lord takes care of you on Christmas. It's awesome! So on top of this spiritual uplifting, I LOVED all of the gifts you gave me, thank you so much! I couldn't have a better family :D. That 12 days of Christmas thing was so great, and definitely helped me on my rough days. I think I've used every single one of the items (except for the ear plugs, but I think I might tonight, because Elder Kelley is starting to sleep talk in creole, it's hilarious but it keeps me up haha). And then that stocking was the coolest thing ever. Me and a bunch of the elders in my district had so much fun partaking of insects and alligators. Way fun! Oh yeah, and Elder Kelley and I rejoiced mightily (man, I'm sounding too much like a missionary haha) when we got the alarm clock, it was much needed! My watch alarm is a lying little devil some nights, and just wants to not wake me up. So yeah, things have been pretty great here. Elder Kelley and I are getting used to our zone leader responsibilities slowly. This last week we had to give orientation to 29 new elders and sisters. It's crazy how much the Lord is blessing us, because normally I would be kinda nervous about doing something like that, but we did great, and are loving serving everybody. Well family, I've got to go, they're only giving us 20 minutes today, but i just want you all to know how much I love you, and how much I'm thankful to have all of you as a family. The more I learn about the plan of salvation, the happier I am when I realize it's reality, and realize that we will have an eternity of togetherness! Can't wait for that. Well, I want to leave you with my Creole testimony. Mwen vle bay temwayaj mwen, mwen konnen ku Jezikri ak Bondye renmen tout moun, ak ku tout moun se petit Bondye. Mwen konnen Jezikri te mouri pou tout nou nan jaden getsemmane, ak paske sa, nou ka repanti pou peche nou, epi kekjou, nou kapab tout viv avek chaklot nan wayom celes. Mwen konnen ku liv momon an vre. Mwen konnen pwofet Thomas S. Monson se yon pwofet vre, ak gide legliz Jezikri jodyia, atreve gidans Bondye. Ekspyason Kris la se tre impotan pou nou, ak nou tadwe utilize sa, donk nou kapab vin pwop ak libere de peche. Nou kapab vin livere de kilpabilite ak lawont, epi jwenn lapè ak bonè. Mwen gen yon temwayaj de tout sayo bagay, ak mwen di sayo bagay nan non Jezikri, amen. Well, there's a piece of my testimony. I've got to get going, but everyday I get more excited to talk to you a few weeks from now, when I leave for Boston from the airport (by the way, me and Elder Deweese, the other elder that is going to boston with me, got a postcard from the haitian creole speaking boston elders, it was way cool). It's coming so fast! Well, got to go. Love you all! Bye!!

                               Love,

                                  Elder Davey

In living color

The letter I had been waiting for for weeks finally arrived!  That would be the one with the memory card from his camera.  ;)   We got a brief glimpse into his world at the MTC and I was visually assured that he was alive and doing well.  Mom's need that kind of thing from time to time.  

Elder Davey and his district in front of the Provo temple.

The tags he will be wearing for the next 2 years.  The first one will probably be his main one.

Elder Davey and his companion, Elder Kelley.  They are loving their companionship and assignment as zone leaders.

The Haitian language classroom.  I was hoping I would get a picture of Elder Davey actually inside of it!

This is a little taste of what Elder Davey is learning from Preach My Gospel.  No wonder he is praying for the gift of tongues!

Looks like Elder Davey is being photo bombed!

I promise, he sounds a lot happier than this picture would have you believe.  But a 19 year old still has to look "cool" I guess.  ;)

 Elder Davey isn't one to like too much attention, so asking others to take pictures of him is tortuous.  But, he has been gently encouraged to wield his camera with a little bit more boldness.  We look forward to seeing what comes next!

Highlights

  My Dearest Family!

                       Hello! How are all of you!? Man, I first off need to apologize, I wasn't able to mail a letter last week like I hoped too. I think P-day just started to get really busy. I havn't even been able to write anybody other then you guys. I think it's mostly because the temple takes up about 3 hours of our P-day, and we only have 4 hours after that for free time/ laundry, so i'm usually rushing. But for our remaining P-days, we won't be able to go to the temple because it's closing to let the Temple workers enjoy Christmas. So i'll definately be mailing off some more lengthy letters then usual, which will be great! I always have so much I want to tell you all, but never have the time! things are so busy here, but i'm loving it so much.

                        So the days are running together like crazy. Every day feels exactly the same, and it's super hard to think back on specific things that have happened. For me, my cough is getting a lot better. I'm still coughing up phlegm (which is the worst thing ever in the middle of a discussion with an investigator), but it's getting alot better. Elder Kelley and I are getting closer by the day, and he's made up his mind that he'll be going to byu-i with me when we're done with the mission. We've had some pretty great experiences this last week. We got to finally act as zone leaders, and give a new sister orientation, and help her learn about everything she needs to know here. So yeah, we're basically pro's now :). Except not really haha we've made a few mistakes, but we're loving the leadership opportunity. So I've got a highlight of the week. This is a more serious one, and actually probably the coolest thing that's ever happened to me. It was another prayer that was answered in the temple. So after the temple session, I was praying hard for the gift of discernment to help me with my zone leader duties, and for the gift of tongues to help me learn creole. Once I finished, our district started to head back to the lockers to get our stuff, when Elder Elliott turned the wrong way and went into the wrong locker room. Since all elders need another elder with them at all times, and since his companion had gone on without him, elder Kelley and I went with him. We ran after him to tell him he was going into the wrong locker, but noticed he was talking to somebody. We realized he was just meeting up with an old friend or something, and started to talk with each other as we waited. A couple minutes went by, then a man randomly came up to us and asked, "what language are you elders speaking?". Without thinking, we answered Haitian Creole. He answered "Oh, that's great. Good luck", or something like that, then walked away. Once he walked away, we started to wonder why he asked us that. We didn't have our name tags on, so he couldn't see the foreign language written on it, and we weren't speaking creole. At least we thought we weren't. Family, elder Kelley and I are convinced that we were blessed with the gift of tongues that moment. We thought we were speaking english, but why else would some man ask us what language we were speaking? If we were speaking english, he would have asked, "are you going to be speaking a language on your mission?". But he didn't. He asked what language we were speaking. What makes us even more convinced is that we can't remember a thing we said during those two minutes. We can remember what we said before, and what we said after, but not during those two minutes. We could be wrong, and it could have just been a guy randomly asking us that, but we're both very convinced that the Lord was blessing us, and letting us know the kind of things He can do for us if we show faith and work hard. A couple other little miracles happened while we were in there, like I met a haitian woman who worked in the laundry room who is the daughter of the bishop's wife in Boston. She was eccstatic to meet me! She said she had been waiting to meet a boston massachusetts Haitian speaking missionary, and was so excited to meet me. She said I'll be fed by her mom the very first night I'm there, and that my skinny stature will be completely gone in a few weeks :). It was such an amazing trip. Elder Elliott also lost his key to his locker, and about 5 minutes later, went back and found it in the locker. So many little tender mercies that the Lord is showing me. It's so great! I love this church so much, it is so true! Well family, i'm now at -9 minutes, so I have to get off, but I promise i'll send a letter, along with a memory card with pictures. Love you all so much! Goodbye!

                     Elder Davey. 

Sak Pase, Mwen Fanmi? (Or whats up, family?) If you're doin AMAZING, say Map Bule! If you're doing good, say Mwen bon. Or if you're ok, Mwen la. It was so good to get your email today! I love hearing about how everybody is doing, I miss you all so much! No worries, i'm not homesick or anything like that, I'm always focused on the work, but mwen renmen ou anpil!

 

So yeah, today is tuesday, my p-day, the only day we have to email or write letters, and they only give us 30 minutes on the computer. I've got 15 minutes left, so i've got to book it and get everything down!

 

This week has been so amazing! For thanksgiving, we got to do an awesome humanitarian project where we made about 6000 education/health kits for children in male. It was actually the first time I was able to listen to music since leaving home. They don't allow us to listen to music ever here, but they made an exception during the project and let us hear some hymns. After the project, we had a huge MTC devotional and was taught by none other than Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It was so amazing! When he entered the room, it was like a spiritual a-bomb went off. I didn't even know it was him at first, it was kind of a surprise to everybody, but I could feel a huge difference in the room when he entered. Coolest thing ever.

 

Everything else here is going great though. The days are kind of blurring together, cause we kinda do the same thing everyday. Mwen komayon ak mwen are getting closer every day. He is SO much fun. We'll sing hymns as we're walking around the mtc, spontaneously break into raps, point out the attractive sisters (and ONLY point them out.. :D) and lots of other fun things. Him and I have started about 10 inside jokes that are spreading throughout the district, its way fun. Like one is whenever we see a super cute sister, we'll say BYU-I! (cause he is also planning on going to byu-i after the mission, and we point out the sisters that WILL be going to byu-i with us afterwards.. you know :). Haha so yeah, things have been pretty fun around here. Yesterday we got to be taught by brother christensen, the blonde guy from The District. It was funny, cause he's this little mormon celebrity, and everybody knew who he was and was all excited.

 

But yes Mommerson, I got my coat, it is way cool, thanks again! I'm also taking my vitamins, along with some antibiotics, mucinex, and strong cough syrup to heal my bronchitus. Yep, I have bronchitus :). I went to the doctor a while back and he told me I have bronchitus, and if I would have waited a couple more days, I would have developed pneumonia. But its all good now, i've been getting much better, and really, health is at the end of my worries right now. I feel so protected by the Lord, there is no worry in my mind. So don't worry about me, i'll be fine!

 

So i've got about 1 minute left on the timer, so i'll try and make this quick... I've been made our branch's zone leader! Yep, Elder Kelley and I are our branch's new zone leaders... we're  really humbled, but looking forward to this leadership experience. AHHH I have so much more I want to tell you, so i'll write it in a letter which you should get later this week. The timer is out, and its bugging me to get off, So i'll talk to you later family! I love you all so much! Please get better, and dad, get some medication, this illness is nasty and will probably get worse if you don't get help! Oh, and if you want me to write me quickly, you can use dear elder.com, which will print out the email you send me and I will get a hard copy immediatly.

           Well, love you all so much!

                              Avek renmen, (with love)

                                          ou gason (your son)

                                                   Elder Davey

   Bonjou muen fanmi (Hello my family)!
             How are all of you doing? bon? Anfom? Map bule? (Good? Awesome? On fire?). Haha things have been awesome out here. I've definately been tested and tried alot, but i'm puttin my shoulder to the wheel. well, Starting from when I was at the airport, me and all of my fellow elders flew to the mtc and got our nametags and were led to our classroom. I met my teacher Fre Nelson, Who only talked in creole all day. I had to communicate with him through gestures and some english, but it was really cool, he's an awesome guy. I later met my district and my companion, Elder Kelley. He is such an amazing guy. He is a convert of two years and could probably beat brother rhead in a book of mormon trivia. Well, probably not, but he's awesome. He has such a strong testimony and is really helping me out. Oh. And he's black. I finally have the black brother i've always wanted! Haha but i'm slowly adapting to everything here. it's so complicated! We started teaching discussions in creole on the second day, and Elder Kelley and I have taught about 3 since then. He is picking up on the creole SO fast, but i'm still struggling. For a while, I had a huge problem with this. Elder Kelley is an all around all-star missionary. He is always full of joy and spunk, befriends every elder he meets, knows everything about the church, and has an immovable testimony.  Oh, and I was set apart as district leader! So that added a TON more stress. I now have to lead my district in so many things and be an example to them. So after feeling really stressed and put down, I prayed harder then i've every prayed for the first few days. I'm getting stronger every day, slowly learning the language, and feeling more connected to my savior. And dad, since that morning, I absolutley have been putting forth 100% effort. The trials and hardships I've had aren't slowing me, like I thought they would, but they're making me much stronger, and giving me a greater desire to serve. Well, my 30 minutes are up on the computer, so i'll write you next week with a lot more info and some pictures! I love you family! 
                                Elder Davey


                        Jessica, PS: BUR BUR BUR BUR BUR JIG JIG JIG JIG JIG ZUR ZUR 

Called to Serve Him

Elder Davey has been preparing his whole life for this day.....the day he was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints.  He received his missionary haircut, packed his bags, and enjoyed his "last" bit of everything before he was set apart on Nov. 13th, 2012.

Our wonderful Stake President, President Cowan and dear Bishop Kroff arrived in the evening to set him apart for this sacred responsibility of teaching others about the gospel of Jesus Christ for the next two years of his life.  

Elder Davey is anxious to become what this picture has represented for so many years as it hung on his bedroom wall.  He knows that he will go forth to serve with the protection and guidance of the Lord.  

An early morning departure to the airport.  It really couldn't come soon enough for him.  He probably didn't sleep much the night before as he contemplated this awesome assignment before him!

A last goodbye to his favorite girl - Gidget.

His other favorites, his sisters, were both thrilled and trying to stuff their tears as we spent these last precious moments with our Elder.

Elder Davey, has been called to serve our Savior Jesus Christ.  In reality, he has been serving Him his whole life by his good example and constant desire to choose the right.  We love our Elder and know that he will be blessed in so many ways as he selflessly gives of himself to others who are seeking the truth.  

Good luck Elder Davey!  

The Adventure Begins.....