Family and Friends,

With Sister Olivo (She is going to Byu-I. Take care of her :)

We passed the Watts towers while on splits

Family and Friends,

Things are going a lot better now that we have adapted to our new schedule and gotten into the groove of things. My favorite thing about this week was going on splits for the first time! My companion stayed in Malibu and I was able to go down to Lynwood(Spanish area) and serve with one of our Sister trainers, Sister Olivo. It was fun to experience something new and I learned a lot. I was blown away with how many people we were able to talk to in just a few hours and reminded of just how unique our area is. It was also a bit of a confidence builder for me because in Malibu we can go for... a while without talking to anyone about the gospel despite our best efforts, but in Lynwood we spent over an hour on just one small street and were able to teach five people and refer someone to the Elders serving in the area in English. It was exhilarating and helped me realize more how the Lord is able to use us as instruments in His hands. While our areas couldn't be more different I was able to apply some of the things I learned from her which resulted in a positive experience in our area. My favorite part of the exchange was teaching a recent convert family how to conduct family home evening. They showered me with hugs and kisses and after the fact the mother said she felt as though an angel had entered her home. Hispanic people are so loving it amazes me! I don't speak Spanish so I was only able to greet them, but I shared a scripture with a little help and was more or less able to sing with them. I understood most of what was being said to some extent and the spirit was very strong. The children spoke English and we became good friends. Sister Olivo said that she doesn't understand why I'm not Spanish speaking... Neither do I! :) Anyway, we're needed where we're needed. Richie was unable to make it to church this week because he didn't sleep the night before, but he did say that he would like a blessing. We taught him about the Priesthood and have been hoping that he would want one at some point because we know that it will be a faith building experience for him and help him understand the purpose of the Priesthood and how powerful it is. We have been meeting with him a lot more often which has been good. He has a lot going on in his immediate family right now and are trying to help him understand that the gospel can help. Right now he knows that it is something that he needs to be doing, but he still feels that it is one more thing that he has to worry about. We have been trying to help him have spiritual experiences that will help things click. He struggle with wanting to know everything about everything before he can know that it's true. We have found that he is a visual learner and this week took him to the VC to watch "On the Lord's Errand" about the life of Thomas S. Monson. It was definitely a success. We have been able to meet more often with members. We are working to help them participate in missionary work and we're starting a 40-day fast in September with that in mind. I'm crossing my fingers that it results in some referrals and good teaching opportunities. The weather has been a cooler this week which has been welcomed by us. I'm so grateful that we're right near the ocean and have that breeze. Even if it means experiencing a little envy toward all the surfers and beach combers. Well, as always I love every one of you... unless you're a stranger... How available is this blog anyway? ;) Well if you're a stranger I guess I love you too! After all, it's the greatest commandment. Have a great week!

Sister Davis