October 12, 2009

It has been a Miracle Week here in the Hamilton Mill ward. We've certainly worked harder than ever, and the Lord has blessed us for our efforts. We have taught R***** a lot this week. Twice with all of his and his fiance's kids there. He's a good, good man. And he will be an incredible priesthood addition to this ward. We have set a date for his baptism and it is January 25th. A week after he and Lorri get married.

So, ready for some more miracles?

This week we had interviews and we had it at a beautiful waterfall called Amicola Falls. While there a recent convert from a ward next to us gave us 2 referrals. One, a less active seminary teacher friend of hers who now drinks and smokes. Second, her son who lives with her ex-husband who says he wants to be baptized. We visited them and the boy wasn't home but the dad was and he's willing to allow us to come over and teach he and his son.

Another miracle: I survived our 50+ mile week of hilly terrain. I've been so so tired, we really have worked our tails off.

Back to spiritual matters. Saturday we met with an past investigator who was never really dropped, but we just didn't get to him when the ward split. His name is R****, he's retired and lives by himself, but he knows his Bible. He actually teaches Bible study classes on various topics and is super nice. He's kinda open minded; he really likes to just talk about our common beliefs and he actually explained to me a lot of what Baptist churches believe, where they come from and he even offered to take us with him to his Bible study classes. He's a Church of God member, but I think we have a good fellowshipper for him. His name is Brother Smith.

A little background on Brother Smith, he was raised in the RLDS religion, he wasn't super active but eventually he started exploring the church and for a long time really really knew more about our church than most members. Well, guess who his great, great grandfather is? That's right Joseph Smith Jr. Anyway, we're excited to take him over there and to hopefully get Ralph to sincerely read and pray about the Book of Mormon.

Well, we got a referral this week from headquarters and the referral said this: M*** - requested: Missionary visits.... he wants to be baptized. Well, we got in contact with him asap and were able to go over there yesterday. It was truly the most remarkable experience of my mission. M*** has been in the army since he was 18, he's 26 now, and he's grown up around members his entire life. He's grown up a 7th day Adventist and his drunk father came in half-way threw the lesson and tried to get me to "convince" him about why we worship on Sunday and not Saturday. Well, not only was he totally drunk, he was actually proving my point of: by their fruits ye shall know them. Anyway, once he left us alone we continued discussing and come to find out that M*** has his own leather bound quad! I mean this is truly the Lord's elect. Well, needless to say the spirit was strong and he has a baptismal date for October 31st. I know, that's incredible quick, but this man has been searching for truth and is so dedicated to living the religion already that we could not deny that the spirit had us set such an early date.

So a week of miracles and beautiful Georgian pictures. Probably the most incredible week of my mission thus far. Well, last night we got calls about transfers. They were going through all of the other districts in our Zone and then they came to us: Gainsville Distirct: Elder Johnson, Elder Campbell and Elder Davies, you're leaving. What!!! I absolutely love this ward. We have just got the ball rolling, just like we had in Lilburn (3 baptisms, maybe 4 there have either happened or are planned from people we had contacted) and now I'm being ripped from the people who I would bike to the ends of the earth for! Well, I don't know where I'm serving, President has asked me to serve as a District Leader and to be honest family, I'm pretty scared.

My knowledge that the Lord lives today, just as he did in Jerusalem is at the up most assurance that it has ever been. It is him in whom I trust, he is my Savior, our Savior and the Savior of all the spirits who dwelt with God. No doubt in my mind there have been angels pushing my pedals over these mountains. The Lord has blessed me with one angel whom I have missed dearly and thought of often in the short four and half months I've been gone. I can stand still and say with the strings of my heart and conscience that He Lives.

I'm sorry to change up the pace on you from my more humorous weeks, but I wished to share that with you. For all of your love and support, I thank you. You are my most prized posses ions,

I love you,

Elder Davies