Week Three I Think?
On Mon, Mar 11, 2013 at 2:47 AM, Nicholas Allan Davis <ndavis@myldsmail.net> wrote:

France is still going great and I absolutely love it here. I've been riding a lot of trains for zone conferences and whatnot this week because of that and then to make things interesting for us to plan around the people running the trains went on strike while we were all trying to get to Bordeaux. It all worked out though so we were safe and Zone Conference was good. Sister Roney had all the bleus (the French form of greenies) and read about them from the things their parents sent about them...thanks Mommy. ;) It just so happened that a couple mornings before that I took out all my Rubik's cubes and so when that came up he made sure to let them know that I "brought like twenty rubik's cubes with him." But they all loved some of the stuff and luckily she only mentioned that she had some funny stories and didn't read them all out. I then had an exchange with the zone leaders and the assistants which is pretty rare I hear and it was really cool to see some people that die soon work with all the experience they've been able to gain. I got yelled at for the first time this week. We were walking around and this English man starts yelling at us as though we had kicked his dog or something. It took a little bit for my mind to realize that it was english he was speaking but it was the first I've heard the F word (that I know anyway) in quite a while and it was very strange. It was funny though because he was yelling about how we're American and shouldn't even be there but as he drove away and talked about it we just realized, he's British, this isn't his country any more than it is ours. Granted he doesn't need a visa and we do but he's still out of his country and out of his own language. So we've been laughing about it.Since I got here I've had the craziest moments of déjà vu. I can't think of anythink specific right now but sometimes when we go along a street or meet someone I feel as though I've seen it before. And it's not the occasional little thing but it happens all the time! It's kind of cool and off putting at the same time. It's been raining the last couple days and I didn't realize that I missed the rain. jMy companion is from Western Oregon so when it first started and it was a bit of a sprinkle he started refernecing it and of course I responded with "this isn't rain." Now of course, ten minutes later the windows of heaven open up and it starts pouring out to which I said "now this is rain;" It was really funny. So I've been thinking, you didn't get rid of my unicycle right? You can borrow it out to people or put it in a good place where it's out of the way but I'd appreciate it if it was still there in a couple years. So I've been reading Jesus the Christ and Talmage is crazy. He's referencing these other crazy books like the Apocrafy and the books of Maccabee and stuff and you find yourself wondering, where do you find time to not just read these things but to study them all along the way being an apostle and writing a book. I can't even imagine it. We taught a non-member this week and that was really cool. So now we technically have an investigator. It was pretty exciting. Well I love you all and love hearing all the new things in your lives still. I'll talk to you again next week. 

-Elder Davis

Second Week
On Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 1:56 AM, Nicholas Allan Davis <ndavis@myldsmail.net> wrote:

This week has been another great week in France. Postage to send letters home from here is only 0.95 euros so I'll be doing that today too. The food is wonderful here. They don't really have anything you just microwave... in fact the once or twice I used ours it's so old I feel like I got some kind of radiation from it. But because of that food is wonderful here. I actually had a fun experience with food this week, we went to that guy I can't understand with two teeth and he starts us off with frois gras (I'm not sure how to spell it) which looks like cat food but it was good, he then brings out a stew that had only carrots and peas in a broth but still really good, then he pulls out a whole chicken and starts getting out the big bones in the center and basically cutting it in half. He then proceeds to set it in front of my companion and I and says somehing along the lines of "Eat up. I can't eat this because I only have two teeth so you're eating all of it." So we each ate half a chicken to ourselves. Try that sometime and let me know what you're feeling afterwards. It tasted good though. I also had a homemade lemon merangue pie at a different member's house which blows any lemon merangue pie bought in a store out of the water and into the blackness of space. I'm going to try to get a recipe. We haven't taught any non-members sadly but we're searching. It's a small city and it's pretty much all been tracted. It's funny, one thing I was disappointed about was that I probably wouldn't be going many places by bike and come to find out, my first area has bikes. We're going to use them to get farther and farther out once the weather gets a little better which will be very soon. The members are taking good care of us though so you have no need to worry. Just make sure to keep feeding the missionaries there in Eugene. Oh! The name of that peanut butter like graham crackers is Speculos. They won't have it in stores so I think you'll have to check online but it's worth it. This week we did a primary activity and it was tons of fun. The kids here are adorable but it's exactly how I remember primary but now from the perspective of the adults. The girls are very helpful and the boys mess around and think you can't feel when they stick tape on your back and laugh histarically. It was fun though. We made boxes for their bibles and triple combonations out of cereal boxes and stuck pictures on that. It was fun. I'm going to fix my bank account online now but I don't really understand how you're cosigned on it yet you can't do anything. Well let me know any other questions you have for next week. I love you.

-Elder Davis

First Week in France

On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 2:04 AM, Nicholas Allan Davis <ndavis@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Hello everyone! This has a lot of those red lines saying I'm spelling wrong. Well I made it to France safely as you know. I don't know if the email you got told you where my first area is but it's Brive-la-Gaillarde. My new adress for here is,

Elder Nicholas Davis

24 Bis, Avenue Emile Zola

F-19100 Brive-La-Gaillarde

France.

It's absolutely beautiful here! Although it's kind of cold and has been snowing the last couple days. The snow is strange though, it doesn't weigh enough to fall that much so it kind of floats in the air according to the breeze. The people here have been very nice, both members and non-members. I'm going to strart with the new stuff first though, so first thing I do after getting off the plain is to go to the bathroom. The bathroom was both for men and women. It was very strange to have the sisters in my group walk around behind me. Very weird. So then I go outside and one of the first things I see there is this old lady riding a one of those push scooters that you see little kids riding all the time! That was also quite strange. Next is the driving here in France, from what I can tell in cities there's two speeds, floor it and stop. There's not a whole lot in between that. And the other strange thing I noticed was in the first two days in Lyon, I saw more mini skirts than I have in my entire life, in winter nonetheless.

The first day I got here has been my favorite so far, we went up to this really beautiful catholic church (there's a lot of those here) that overlooked the entire city of Lyon. It was gorgeous and I'll have to send some pictures soon. Up there overlooking the city I got the strongest feeling that this is where I'm supposed to be. These people are the ones that I am supposed to be serving. It was an amazing experience.

So my first day here in Brive we went by a man's house and talked with him and I didn't understand a word he said to me. I was so freaked out! Come to find out, he's from the Middle East and learned Arabic as his first language. Further than that he has tzo teeth in his entire mouth. I then talked to some of the members and they're much easier to understand. Especially my DMP (Ward Mission Leader). Him and his familly are so great. His wife is exactly like Whoopi Goldburg I kid you not. If she spoke French this would be her. They're very patient with me and with my French.

Saturday we went porting (the French equivalent of tracting) and we ran into a Témoigne Jehovah. She was nice and we had a nice conversation with her but she's 92 and very unlikely to change. Shortly after that as we were walking home a guy decided to flip us off as he was driving home. Oh! And my first experience with a door being slammed in my face was kind of funny, it was a door that pulled out towards us so it wasn't in our face really and it also had hydrolics so it couldn't be slammed and broken (because it was glass). So as the guy walked off I couldn't help but laugh. My companion asked me why I was laughing and so I told him why I thought that was funny and it was the first door slammed on me. He didn't seem to think it was as funny as I did.

So my second day here we went to a member's home and ate food with them. Guess what we had? Tacos. They decided to make us Mexican food. That was funny too. It was pretty good. Then the other time I've eaten with a member we had lentels which I love anyways plus this really really good sausage. Much better than any sausage I've had up to now.

Yesterday church was good but I missed quite a lot of it. When they speak it's like they have bubbles coming out of their mouth. You hear, "blubblubblubblubblubblubblubblubb" and if your mind wanders for a moment or you dwell on a word too long you've lost the whole conversation and it's hard to catch on again. Kind of like a fish tank that is filled with all of one color fish to it's complete copacity and then they stick in a different colored fish. For just a moment you see the different colored fish but as soon as you're celebrating you saw it it's gone and you are looking at the same color again. But I felt the spirit there so I still enjoyed church.

We went grocery shopping this morning and it was really strange, they don't refridgerate (sorry for that missspelling) except for meat. Eggs, milk, stuff like that are not. I also don't know what to think of the milk here. Going down it tastes like normal milk but then it's over and you have a really strange taste in your mouth afterwards. I like the cereals here though, they are very good and I discovered something else that they have here that I really wish they had in the states, I can't remember what it's called but imagine nutella that's flavored like those honey graham bears things. It is heaven in a jar is what. Next week I'll make sure send you the name so you can order it offline or something.

Across the street from our apartment is two great food places. One's a dessert place that has really big eclaires for two euros and the other is a nice kabob place. Most eclaires in France are kind of small and like five euros but these are big and cheap too so that's nice. Then kabob is a special kind of sandwhich thing where they cook the meat vertical and rotisary style then cut off meat when it's done. It's really good but you have to be careful.

Well I think that's about it, it's really strange using a French Keyboard for English. You never realise how much you use W until it's in a defferent spot. Sometime try changing the language for the keyboard to French and type like that. 

I love you all and can't wait to tell you all of the new experiences of France!

-Elder Davis

Mission

On Thu, Feb 21, 2013 at 6:47 AM, France Lyon Mission <france.lyon.mission@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Missionary Family,

Here is a picture of your son extraordinaire and his new companion. Aren’t they wonderful?

Elder Davis’ new trainer is Elder Johnson and his new address is:

Les Missionnaires/Elders
Elder Davis
24 Bis Avenue Emile Zola
F-19100 Brive
France

We are so pleased to have them serving with us. Thanks for your help and support.

Sister Jeppson
France Lyon Mission Secretary

****PS Sister Davis, Elder Davis tried to call his bank numerous time yesterday and he could not get through. He and Elder Johnson promised they would keep trying and let you know the results.

Lyon

On Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 7:44 AM, France Lyon Mission <france.lyon.mission@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Parents,

We are happy to let you know your son arrived safely in Lyon.  He was met at the airport by President and Sister Roney.  After arriving at the Mission he had lunch, had his picture taken, took care of paperwork, and had an individual interview with President Roney.  Tonight he will have dinner with President and Sister Roney as well as the other missionaries that arrived today.  He will stay at the Hotel in Lyon tonight.  Tomorrow he will meet his new companion who will be his Trainer. Then he will have training with President Roney and the Assistants to the President.  After the short training he will leave with his companion to go to his first area.  We will send you his address and companion's name tomorrow.

Please see today's photo in the attachments.

Thank you for sending us such a fine young man.

Sister Jeppson,

Mission Secretary

Last Email of the MTC

On Sat, Feb 16, 2013 at 5:35 PM, Nicholas Allan Davis <ndavis@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Wow this is almost surreal. I'm really excited to hear everyone again! First though I have a cool experience. Yesterday we were teaching our teacher and I finally received an inspired question that was absolutely perfect. I've also talked to a lot of people just about experiences in general. I heard a hilarious story too. There were four people living in an apartement on the tenth floor of a building and they had to get rid of a couch. Now it's like part of the family, you can't just throw it away, so they took it to the balcony and poured lighter fluid all over it and lit it ablaze. Then it starts to melt the lanolium and so they see a snow bank down at the ground so they decide to throw it off into the snow bank. So they all pick it up and throw it. The second it leaves their hands guess who pulls around the corner? The mission president. So he pulls up to see this couch that is turning into a flaming inferno fall ten stories into what I'm sure was a spectacular land in the snow. The missionaries see this and get inside as fast as they can. Next thing they know there's a knock at the door. The president walks in and asks, "So what's going on boys?" "We had to uh...retire a couch." "Next time, just throw it away." I was busting up laughing!! it was hilarious. So Monday I'll call you early in the morning and then in DC I was thinking about calling Kristina. Could you ask what time would be good for her? And I'll have my new address then. Oh and I'll tell Amber how her cookies were then too. I just sent my package yesterday and you don't need to send the shirt back to me. Have one of you wear it for a while. I love you all so much. A la prochaine.

-Elder Davis

Seven Weeks

On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 4:26 AM, Nicholas Allan Davis <ndavis@myldsmail.net> wrote:

Good morning! This week has been very interesting.  First off hosting was good, I had two Elders and two sisters one of which was talkative and the other not so much. You know something interesting? They allow you to take four minutes at the curb. Anyone that is planning on dropping people off at the MTC just remember that. I've also started to count down some things till I leave the MTC. Such as I'll only teach one of my progressing investigators twice more and I only have two more opportunities to be called up and give a talk in Sacrament. It's really exciting that this is finally upon us.  I am really excited about going to France. Weeks seem so short here. It seems like just yesterday that I got here. All the Zone Rescource Teachers (teachers that can help you with anything you need) are getting new districts too. There are 39 new people coming into the French district on Wednesday and then a couple weeks after I leave then it's 60 new people so that's really cool. I'm hosting again this Wednesday and I really hope I get someone going into the French district. That'd be fun. I taught a girl in TRC that's coming in this Wednesday.  The other day during my personal study time the weirdest thing happened, I was reading in French but then I fell asleep (couldn't help it I'm sorry) but then I started to dream that I continued to read the thing I was reading. I only caught a few words from it every now and then but all of a sudden I woke up and I was back where I started and was really really confused. Life is still pretty great here inside the MTC and I'm sure life goes on as usual back home. I try not to think about home too much. Oh. Thank you for the Elder Holland stuff. That was really really cool. I enjoyed that very very much. Of course the article doesn't do justice to when you're really there but it did a very good job getting everything. His dedicatory prayer was really really incredible and I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't mentioned. But it's still great. I love you all. I only have a couple more times writing you from the MTC before I'm in France.  Good luck and I can't wait to hear about everything.

-Nicholas