the new staff August 22, 2009

Well we had transfers this week and a few members of the staff got switched
out, one being my companion. so i am not with elder ribeiro! like most of my
companions he is from sao paulo. i am sure you all had the same
question....is my companion really 19 years old? and the answer is an
affirmative. its funny cuz everybody we talk to thinks he is like 15 years
old. he only weighs like 115 pounds!! some times i feel like i have this
little brother next to me all the time....haha he is a great kid just looks
really really young! but ya so we got a new staff this week. there is a new
excutive secterary and a new secterary of supplies. so with the switch of
missionaries this week, the office got kinda crazy, trying to deal with all
the normal stuff but also trying to train the new guys on what they got to
do. but we all made it through the first week.
So these last few weeks we have been teaching a family that is only living
here in brasilia for like another month or so, then they will be moving back
to their home in Bahia. so anyway they were progressing really fast, they
had been to church a few times and to some activities. anyway we were
preparing them for baptism this sunday and the interview was marked last
night. well during the interview, our zone leader found out that the guy was
not married to his wife! he had told us that he was married legally and all
that but forgot to mention it was to another women, so the baptism got
postponed untill he can get married to the woman he is living with...ya it
sucked, but he is goingto get married as soon as possible and wants to get
baptised before he goes back to Bahia. other then that surprise me and my
companion are going to TRAVEL! ya thats right we are going to a city about 3
hours away by car, to do the audit for the branch there. we are leaving
today and giong to be returning tomorrow night. so i am trying to get
everything down right now before Pres. sergio gets here ( the 2nd counsler
to the mission president) cuz when he gets here we are leaving right from
the office to Unaí.  

These next few weekends we will be traveling to the branchs of the mission
to do the audits for them. so thats going to be EXCITING!

well now i want to know whos idea it was to put my face on a cardboard cut
out....i wont lie it was pretty funny, but i just hope you guys took me to
the beach! things are giong to be was differnt now, i am already gone, jake
is on his way out! there arent going to be any guys at home, just when nick
goes over to visit! watch out nick! its only going to be the girls territory
for a few months...you gotta hold out till feb. reinforcements are going to
be arriving then.

well hope everyone has a great week! Jake dont get nervous man, its the best
thing ever! your going to love every minute of it, and erin good luck with
school....and take it slow with the dating thing...there is no reason to
rush into it, you got few years of that infront of you. love you all, thanks
again for the pictures!


Eu amo vocês,
Elder Davis

Minha Nossa!

Bom Dia everyone! well i would like to thank those of you who sent me
letters....and i will try to get a response in the mail today! But from what
i hear everything seems to be going pretty well for all. Jill is making her
way back home ( cheesy phrase) Erin is about to start highschool and
driving!!! Kari is choosing ugly names for her new kid...haha jake is almost
out the door and going to be in Brasil with me! and well anne is still is
washington....( love ya sis)
well like i said you all seem to be doing very well, me on the other
hand....i am doing great! it seems weird to think about it but i have
already been in the office for 4 months now....!!! man time passes here. I
am not sure how much more time i will spend here but probably a few more
months. I think i will be here till like november, could even possible be
december, but we shall see. I know that you are all dying that i explain
more of what i do here in the office, i tend to put that i was just busy
during the week. I tend to put that becuase the stuff that i normally do is
just like normal office stuff..... i worry about the payments in the
mission, all the missionary houses, and whatever else may come up, which
almost everyday something tends to come up. so sometimes it is a little hard
to explain everything i do during the week. But once again plenty to keep me
busy. :) Things are starting to get al ittle bit busier becuase transfers
are coming up, next week is the last week of the transfer, so we are
finishing up some things for the elders arriving and leaving. these past few
days i have had to do alot of translating, i am the only american in the
office, and the president has this book that he gives to all the new elders
when they arrive, well it was always just in portuguese, and now he wants
the americans that arrive to have portuguese and english, so i am been
taking alot oftime to sit down and translate the `starter book`you could
call it. ya that has been very exhuasting, i dont think i want to be a
translator when i get home. haha
Anway as for the field work, it has been a really good week, that family
that we were teaching are progressing, although the dad cant get baptised
now, they are continuing to read and to learn more about the church. this
last week we have found a few families that have really showed some
interest. One of the families that we are teaching now are really
interested. They have like 10 people leaving in a little one room apartment,
but they are all very great people. It has been fun to visit and teach them,
they remind me of you guys, they are about the same ages, and like to joke
around. They have recently moved to brasilia from another state close by,
but they are really open people, willing to share whatever they can. They
are way cool! we have been able to teach a few other families that have been
progressing also, just alittle slower, but its been really cool to see the
progress of each of these families.
Jake i hope  you are getting excited for this man, there really isnt anythig
better to bring a new light into the lives of others, espeically when they
have never really had any light in there lives. you really get to see people
change!
Well once again i will try to get some letters out todao for you guys, but i
just want you all to know how much i love each and every one of you. i am so
grateful for my family, EU AMO VOCÊS!!!!

Elder Davis

só corrida! August 1, 2009

Sup fam!
well first off, thanks for all the letters, i did recieve a few letters from
ya´ll this last week. Life seems to be very exciting at home. Everyone seems
to be busy with life and all the things that tend to come with it.
well let me tell you all about my week, this week like always was busy here
in the office with plenty of stuff to work on, and plenty of work to be done
before transfers. We just finished the 4th week of the transfer so these
last 2 weeks of the transfer will start to get even busier like always.
Monday was the last set of zone conferences, monday i spent running around
buying this and that, whatever was needed in the zone conferences. Tues and
wed i spent most of the day out of the office, resolving the problems that
kept coming up, and thrusday we had to take a missionary to the airport. he
was leaving a few weeks early from the mission so we woke up early to take
him to the airport. Thats always fun, going to the airport on the
mission...( NOT) haha
well as for our area, we were able to leave everynight and work a few hours
in our area. A few weeks ago we took a family to church that really enjoy
it, they didnt stop talking about it, they were able to go again this last
sunday and this last week was there baptismal interveiw, but after the
interview we had to mark the baptismal date for dec.
we were all a little sad becuase of that, but they really are a great family
and they are going to continue to go to church and continue to prepare for
their baptism in dec. We have been teaching some other great families but
last sunday some things came up and they were not able to go to church with
us. but we marked with them again for this sunday and everything looks good
to go.  

well something came up,i have been away from the computer for like an hour,
i had to take care of somethings here in the office, so i kinda lost my
train of thought...sorry.

Well sorry its short this week, thanks again for everything, i love you guys
a ton!

Elder davis