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Referral Center |
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Today was such a good day it warranted a journal entry, and since writing home and journal entry are one in the same for me, guess what!? Anyway, I hope that you have received <3> of my letters compared to the one "form" letter you sent to me. If you expect me to write, make it personal and juicy please- I miss you guys! I'm hungry for news from you!
Anyway, today I got to be a "solo" sister for the morning. Which means I had all the boys in my district for my companions. because my colleghe had to go to the dentist in town and only two were allowed. It was so fun cleaning bathrooms with them. Boys are just so much more fun and less sensitive and cheesy-It was great!
Then we went to the Referral Center. (For some reason I thought of Chandler when I put on the headset. I could so picture him doing it. I felt so techy.)
I think it is so good that they have missionaries do this here. Once a week we go to a room with computer stations and you put on a headset and take and make calls from when the Church commercials come on T.V. and people call the 800 number. Then sometimes you call back to check and see if they received the Book of Mormon, Bible or Video. We have prompts to follow that come up on the screen according to their answers that you enter, but there is some spontaneity and quick thinking required too.
So today was our first day to do it for real. It was such a rush!! I got a lot of answering machines (you just hang up and put a comment to call later), Some people weren't home, but I was so lucky compared to some of my Anziani who got sworn at and rejected right and left.
I was actually able to get two callers (or the Spirit rather, from the videos or Book of Mormon) to let missionaries come visit them. So tomorrow, (Before you even receive this) missionaries will have been notified and will stop by the homes of these people. SO SLICK! One lady was from LA and the prompt told me that no missionaries were available in her area (probably because it's a rough neighborhood) She was so sweet w/ the thickest Black Mama accent. But I could only just ask her if she wanted a Book of Mormon in addition to the Bible she'd already been sent and she was all over it! I hope someone finds her and baptizes her! :( :) :(
One woman had received the Lamb of God and she said she and her teenaged daughters watched it together and she seemed so excited to get missionaries. hopefully if I did my job right, she will meet them tomorrow! SO SLICK! :)
When our time was up, none of us wanted to leave, then we noticed one Elder (Butler) was still on the phone w/someone. His call timer was up to 15 minutes. He had his scriptures out and his discussion booklet and was bearing testimony and sharing scripture and listening intently. We all gathered around and I didn't know if the Anziani noticed, but he was glowing. It was apparent to me by the fluidity of his thoughts and words the Spirit was truly working through him. By the time the call was up, he had gotten the guy to agree to have the missionaries come and excited about it. His call clock was up to 20 or 25 minutes. When he hung up, we all cheered!!!
When we got back to class, we begged him to tell the whole story. He was so sweet and humble when telling it. I guess the guy on the phone took him seriously when he asked, "Did you enjoy your free Bible sir?" And poured his religious heart out to Anziano Butler. Then Anziano Butler shared his testimony repeatedly and the guy was so impressed that even though he wasn't initially interested, and said he "wasn't ready for that kind of thing right now" by the end of the call, and all the scripture Anziano Butler had shared, the guy said he wanted to talk to "more people like Anziano Butler".
The way Butler told the story, he didn't take any credit or use the word "I" or "me" very much at all. He seemed embarrassed to be sharing it, like he knew what had just happened was special. The thing is, we aren't supposed to have calls any longer than 3-5 minutes. But we didn't know that rule yet and the teacher didn't chastise him because it was just so cool to see the Lord working through Butler.
I couldn't help but compare the way Butler behaved with some of the other Anziani and even me. Some of the guys were so excited, but also competitive and bragging and comparing results. I realize it's because they were as excited about it as me and they were happy to be doing real work, but Butler is just my hero w/how dignified he always is. He is also the one I think is the funniest. So it is not like he is some goodie two shoes all the time, he just knows when to be sober- What is appropriate and what is not, and to give credit where it is due.
So I was humbled today by the example of a snot nosed "young toe-headed lad" as I have affectionately dubbed him. P.S. he also has a psyco companion who keeps threatening A-wall and says shocking (non-repeatable) random things, but Butler just loves him and befriends him and sticks by him. He's my hero!
One of our instructors is Fratello Heaton. Today he taught us the second discussion as if we were all investigators. At the end I felt such a burning desire to be baptized and then I remembered I was already a member, but he was just so smooth and kept it so basic and powerful. It is easy for the discussions to become trite when we are getting them drilled into us all the time, but this was probably one of hundreds of times he'd taught it and the spirit was so strong!
He has this humble confidence about him similar to what I was describing about Anziano Butler. I decided I will watch him carefully (Heaton) because he was the kind of missionary I want to be. Perceptive, in-tune, humble as to his own abilities, but confident in his faith that the Lord will use him and give him the necessary power to touch hearts and enlighten understandings. I am just continually amazed by his talents. He WILL be a general authority someday. I know it. He is just really special. (Sorry mom, he's already married).
He also served in Rome, so he brought in breathtaking pictures to get us all excited. When he teaches, he doesn't clown around like our other male teacher, but I am never bored or sleepy, He just teaches with such power, yet he is so sober while at the same time personable and charismatic. He has an unassuming yet assertive personality. He is also my new hero.
Then to top it all off, it was Tuesday night devotional and we had a really cool General Authority come (whose name currently escapes me) but he just told lots of cool missionary stories and emphasized teaching and baptizing quality instead of quantity and that some of us will just be laying a sure foundation for an explosion of events years from now.
Oh yeah, and when we were studying about Faith today, my comps got talking about how it seemed like there were very few accounts of women receiving visions and angels etc. in the scriptures (you can probably count on one hand) and I started thinking, "Hey, that's not fair, but went back to my reading in Alma 32 and what should I behold in verse 23 (please read now) but an answer to a quick silent prayer. :) Funny thing that.
Anyway, it is past my bedtime now- And you know how I value sleep- I really do wake up no later than 6 am every morning...I know you don't believe me Dad, but I usually wake up my companions. Lately I've been getting up at 5:30 or 5:45 to be first to get to the shower with good water pressure! :)
Mom, don't stress about the mending I left, especially if it is keeping you from writing to me, sending my ATM cards, checks, CTR ring (or care packages as you feel so prompted) :)
I have an idea! For my birthday you can send me an Italian CTR ring- I know how you feel about ideas, but you've got a few months to get used to it. :) (Ring size 7, medium silver band, plain background or black) Mull it over.
I love you guys. Please write soon, well, juicy and often. I never get mail :( All I've gotten so far is that form letter from you and a card with a pig eating apples on the front of it from Sister Cope, and everyone else gets three or five letters a day! Wah! Wah! Ok, pretty good guilt trip huh!?! Abnegada would be the word you are looking for. Love, Sorella Circle Davis
P.S. I love you Shiloh, I love you Enoch, I love you Mikkel, I love you Chandler, I love you Darby, I love you Mommy, I love you Daddy
P.P.S. Don't forget to Duct tape my bins if you haven't already :)
P.P.P.S. Are Wordens still there? If so this is for them too! If not, please let me know so I can write them
P.P.P.P.S. Mom Check out calledtoserve.com I think you can email me free. Much faster and easier :)
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