(Picture of Sister Davis with her Uncle Brad, Tawni (holding Nike), Brianna, and Stockton, found on Facebook)
Friends and Family,
I do have a couple of things to update you on even though it has only been a few days. Unfortunately I forgot my camera today so pictures of Uncle Brad and his family as well as some Idaho Ballroom Academy friends will have to wait until next week. I also saw some of Dad's good friends- the Gallups who were able to perform some Nashville Tribute music here at the center. Our investigators are doing so well! Rob and Cade are very busy and heading off to Hawaii for a week so they are kind of on hold, but Richie and Zach are really progressing. We haven't been able to get Richie to church as of yet because he plays tennis on Sundays, but we invited him to be baptized this week and while he doesn't want to set an exact date he did say that he can see himself getting to that point. His main struggle is the "Mormon" label. He wants to be baptized, but doesn't know that he wants to be "a Mormon". We have explained how the nickname came about and everything but it just still freaks him out. I think we will watch some Mormon.org profiles with him because he hasn't done it on his own and I think it could clear up some of his apprehension. We really need to get him to church as well because you can't not want to be a part of something that you haven't tried... especially when it's awesome! It's interesting to try to find that balance between boldly inviting and yet not being overbearing. Sometimes it's hard to convey to people just how important this really is. That in and of itself can be frustrating. Also, people have their agency which is sometimes hard for me to fully understand. In my mind there has to be a certain way to approach it, a principle or phrase that will convince them that they need the gospel in their life! If only that were true. Some won't accept it. Some won't even listen long enough to really understand what it is that they aren't accepting, regardless of how many times I practiced that door approach in my head. Anyway, enough of that pessimism. On the other hand, I also know that the Lord is preparing people. Zach came to church! He stayed all three hours and as he was sitting with us my mind was going a million miles an hour. "I really hope he isn't bored," "How would someone who has never been to church in their life process all of this?" I'll admit, I was a little panicky. I tried to explain things as we went along since we only had one lesson beforehand that didn't really involve anything that would be going on at church. When I told him about the bread and water he said "Did you say wine? You know I'm a recovering alcoholic right?" I tried not to laugh as I repeated "no, no. Water..." The great news is that he loved it. He said that he had an experience during the sacrament and that it felt like a big family even before anyone really spoke to him. He seemed to enjoy Sunday school and after priesthood mentioned that he liked how the scriptures they discussed seemed to apply to him. The BAD news is that he's 20... so we will probably be transferring him to the companionship serving in the Santa Monica YSA ward :( I'm pretty disappointed that we most likely won't continue to teach him, but when he prayed with us for the first time he specifically asked to be able to meet new people that care about more than just getting high and wasted... Ya. I'm thinking he would really like the YSA ward :) I think that is pretty much the update. The VC is good. We gave an impromptu lesson to someone that came in who wants to have the lessons and be baptized. His friend who brought him wants him to just come here and have all the lessons with the sisters, which we took as a compliment, but he actually lives in an assistants' area so he should be connecting with them soon and hopefully we'll get the updates. My first few weeks here I never would have dreamed that I would be saying this, but I really love my area and I hope to stay in Malibu for some time. Word on the street is that Will Smith is living in our area currently, well a lot of famous people have homes there, but he is the one that my companion and I are unsecretly hoping to bring into the fold. I love you all! Thank you so much for all your support. Sister Davis
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