Niel's Gift

Niel (yes that's how you spell it) LOVED his new church clothes and Winter boots! It was so sweet watching him open them.
I love these scriptures in Matthew 10
38 And he that taketh not his ^across, and followeth after me, is not ^bworthy of me.

 39 ^aHe that findeth his life shall ^blose it: and he that ^closeth his ^dlife for my sake shall find it.

 40 ¶He that ^areceiveth you ^breceiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

By losing my life in His service I have seen blessings I never knew existed. I love these people so much.

Love ya'll

Sis Davidson

Emma's thanksgiving rules

Emma made sure I knew the Thanksgiving "rules"
1. Don't pee in your pants!
2. Do NOT slobber on the Turkey!
3. can't remember
haha!

...

hi

This sweet card from Golden, had money to buy Winter Clothing for Melissa, Brit, nathaniel, and Neil

Which turned into this

I had a video that I've been trying to upload forever.. but it wont! I'll try again next week.

Happy Turkey Day!

Well this week has been long and good. I decided to try and be domestic and make Thanksgiving treats to bring around to our investigators and less actives. It was a quick fist attempt.. so the turkeys are not perfect.. but they are tasty! With the Holidays around it seems we are doing a lot of service. One place we go to every week is the food bank. I enjoy working there. It's nice to help people with their temporal needs as well as spiritual.. after all if you don't have your basic necessities.. food, clothing.. ect. , nothing else really matters! Everyone deserves to eat. It's quite a humbling experience. I want to make the food bank a part of my regular life when I get home.. to serve there once in a while.. and if i have kids.. to take them there and help them understand what charity really is.

     I have been pondering a lot on what our little choices each day can mean in our lives.. and also how my mission has really changed me for the better. I am still not even scratching the surface at perfect. I make mistakes constantly.. but I see some things now that I didn't before that I can change when I get home to make me a better person. " By small and simple things, are great things brought to pass". Alma 37:6 and that is TRUE. We do not have to be perfect now. We just have to be trying.
     So Adrianna Adling got baptized! Ah! I am sooo happy for her. (my cousins wife). I didn't realize she had been meeting with the missionaries. . There's something so magical about being baptized.. and as a missionary being a small part of others conversions.. you get to see a light in people's eyes.. a hope that has never been so strong. . a determination to walk the path of a disciple of Christ.. the start of a better life.. and the feeling of coming home.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Loves
Sister Rachelle

Happy Day

well we had a week and a baptisimal date! WHOOO!!! yes! whoo! ahh! ok that's enough but seriously...ah!
Have I told ya'll about Brittany, Nathaniel, Melissa and Neil? Well I will now if I haven't.
Brit and Nathaniel are married.. Nathaniel is paraplegic and  his wife also has some health issues but is ok right now. . they were both baptized in this mission about a year ago, but since have become inactive because they moved, don't have a car, and Nathaniel is in a lot of pain and needs surgery.. Melissa is the lady they moved in with, who is not a member and has a 5 year old son Neil with lots of issues.. adhd.. and some other things. Melissa is paid by the state to take care of Nathaniel. We have been teaching them since the first week I got here.. but Sis aitken and her last companion had tried them for months before and never got in. I think it's because Heavenly Father knew how much I would love them, so He saved them for me! haha
    Anyhow we have been teaching Melissa for 6 weeks now and she has committed to be baptized on December 10! We hope it works out! So they all came to church this Sunday! It was very hard for them.. they live in very humble circumstances and a few of them don't even have Winter coats. . Nathaniel is in so much pain but he promised me he would come and he did! When we piled in the back of Sacrament meeting I couldn't help choking back the tears. I really love these people. They come from such meager circumstances.. and yet they put on their best to come to church. Their very best may have been worn down jeans and a t-shirt, but it was their best and I was so touched.  The gospel is for every single person.. rich or poor. The gospel takes the slums out of people, lifts their spirits and helps them become who they always wanted to be.
I know that sometimes members of the church worry that people get baptized before they are really ready to commit.. or that maybe sometimes people are trying to use the church to get funds. I urge anyone who has these feelings to look to the scriptures.. look at who Jesus spent most of his time with. The healthy need no physician. There are so many people out there that have never been around anything gospel oriented.. they don't know anything about Christ, they may have grown up in a terribly abusive environment with not much love. It is our responsibility as children of God to uplift those around us.. to strengthen and lift the feeble knees and take these people by the hand and show them the way. That is the gospel, and I hope I always remember that.
   Oh and remember that lady Shirley we tracted into last week that said she wanted to come to church.. yeah she did! She stayed the whole meeting and was so impressed.. it was the Primary Program and she was so happy to see the children so strong in the faith.. so sure of their future and that they could be happy in this life. Miracles do happen. Every day. Sometimes we have to look a little deeper to see them.. but believe me they are there.
    I love you!

Sis Davidson

Snoooooww!

So maybe for some people the first snow is like an awakening to them that indeed the holidays are about to come forth.. with good cheer and happy feelings..maybe your thinking about that delicious pumpkin pie you'll be making, or if you'll get a real or fake Christmas tree this year.. I'm sure all your all hearing that lovely Christmas music in your cars already.. Well snow for me ( a missionary) means it's freezing! And I have to walk in that white stuff all day! and like that wonderful book by shel Silverstein.. Montana is "Where the Sidewalk Ends". literally.  I don't know how people in live in these climates? Honestly. The winter hasn't even actually begun and yet every morning I wake up it's 18 degrees with a windchill.. AHHHHHHHHHHH. Oh and our zone decided we should walk one day every week the entire day we can't touch our car, so that's been fun/frigid.. maybe I will get frost bite. Ok enough of that. I am actually super happy about the holidays coming because they are great conversation starters.. but the cold. no thanks. Sister Davidson will endure the cold for the next 10 months but after that.. it's warm weather for the rest of my life! Why would anyone choose to live in complete darkness and cold for 6 months out of the year? it baffles me. I was meant for the Pacific Ocean.. in a warm state. and that is where I will reside later.. but for now I will enjoy the days that i get to bundle up in everything I own and still freeze.. hah
     Well we tracted a lot this week. And we had some pretty interesting encounters.. haha those of you that have been on missions where tracting is a regularity.. can probably agree that it is the most entertaining thing ever. you meet the most diverse kinds of people.. and not like racial diversity (because everyone in Montana is white and either from canada or have always lived here) but you just get the most random encounters.. some are really cool.. I'll just give you a couple examples from this week

Door 1. "Hey we are the missionaries with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"..Old lady says.. "Oh that church down the road, are you the same as the Mormons"?  "Yes that's us".. a pause.. then she says "Oh well you know I have met so many nice people that are Mormon, and I have been wondering for some time about what your services are like.. can i come to your services on Sunday? Do you allow visitiors"? For a missionary that is simply priceless.

Door 2. Same type of Missionary intro... This ones a man about 45ish.. he says "Yeah I went on a mission myself, that was a long time ago".. awkward pause.. and then of course I'm all excited like "Really that's so awesome where'd you go"?  he replies (and you could honestly feel the guilt emanating from him) "South Carolina.. and I also taught at the MTC".  I'm like what in the heck do I say.. he is not on our ward list.. so he's either excommunicated or just got lost in the mix since his inactivity.. but he taught at the MTC so he had to of had a testimony at some point.. i felt like I should ask him what the most spiritual part of his mission was.. but I didn't I just said.. well we'd love to see you at church, we'll be there if you ever want to come back. Geez i'm so awkward.. haha but I want to find out more on this guy.. so we'll be going back.

    Ian and his family weren't home on Halloween.. I'm guessing he forgot it was a holiday when he set the appointment.. so were going back tonight! Cross your fingers!.. I love missionary work. Sometimes the things you have to do feel quite like scratching your nails down a chalk board.. you just have to totally get out of your comfort bubble.. there is no comfort on a mission.. but that's the exciting part.. your becoming something new.. changing into something better than you were before.. understanding yourself more than ever.. and at the same time understanding the Savior more than ever as well because of the fact that you really have to rely on him. Your placed into situation after situation where you don't know  anyone.. and you have one main purpose teaching people about the restoration and Jesus Christ. It's just awesome. There is nothing like it. I'm glad I came. 
Love ya'lls