Week 59, September 19, 2016

Area:

Companion:Elder Christian

Date:  September 19, 2016

This week went by pretty fast because we had Zone Conferences so we went all around Wisconsin, It was fun to be able to see all the missionaries again and get to know them better. We had great training's given to us one by our mission presidents was on the Atonement and oh man he expounded my knowledge sooo much I loved it I will talk about it later for my spiritual thought. We also had good lessons with Kealey she is doing good but also isn't haha it is really weird she has felt like she has gotten an answer that the church is true but, then she also felt like she got an answer of no the Book of Mormon isn't true. She is smart enough to know that those two answers to work together so she is really confused right now so we are working with her on that. Honestly though our lessons with her always amazing but they never go how planned which is good because the spirits takes them the way they need to go. We really need to find new people though to teach so we will be working on that a lot! We also have transfers coming up next week so sadly elder christian will be leaving me he is going home to texas in 10 days! We had this cool experience the other day with this lady while tracting. So we walk up her drive and this dog just comes bookin towards us and so ya heart dropped really quick but he didn't do anything and then this lady comes out and is like Elders! Super confused she was so happy to see us I thought it was like a member we didn't know but nope she was just a super nice lady who knows what we do she was awesome she is very catholic but open to learning more so let you know more about her! She just made our day so much better need more people like her in the world. Well ya now I will go on about what I learned from the Atonement training we got.

“Oneness is not only a matter of geography, but of identity. The issue is not just where we live, but what we become. To live with God does not assure us we will be like him. All who live in the celestial kingdom dwell with God, but only those who are exalted become as he is. The objective of the Atonement is not just to cleanse us, but to so transform our lives and our way of thinking and acting that we become like God.” (Tad R. Callister, Infinite Atonement, 26.) This quote is so amazing and so much to ponder in. He is saying geography (living in the celestial kingdom) isn't as important as your identity becoming like God. It is so cool to think that this is all possible because of the one act of the Atonement it truly shows you how infinite the Atonement is. I love you all hope you have a great week! 

Week 58, September 12, 2016

Area:

Companion:Elder Christian

Date:  September 12, 2016

This week was a good one even though we didn't have our Baptism on Saturday. Kealey didn't feel like she was completely ready to be baptized which is alright we want her feeling confident going into it. She still came to church though and really loved it and she listened to Elder Cooks devotional and she said that it was speaking right to her so the Lord is still working ard on her and so are we! This week we met a lot of really cool people but we handed them off to other missionaries cause they weren't in our area but, they all seem pretty promising. We had a lot of exchanges last week cause we have Zone Conference this week but, while on one of the exchanges I was talking to the Elders about how Joseph Smith was thinking of joining the Methodist church and I said " I have never met a Methodist before I don't think" well next door we knock it was a Methodist lady from New York so ya I thought that was pretty funny. Well the rest of the week was good we had great lessons with Kealey one that is really cool with her is she has made me really need to follow the spirit with her becuase she throws so much at us during lessons and sometimes she doesn't say anything but, teaching her has truly helped me become a better teacher and understanding more of how the spirit communicates with me. Kealey truly is an amazing person with an amazing spirit. 

I have a scripture I want to share that Kealey shared with us and it is Hebrews 10:31 "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." I love that so much cause honestly it is such a fearful thing to fall into his hands but, what better hands to fall into He just ask us to show our faith by doing it! I hope you all know that He will catch you He is there. I have felt it time and time again and then the promise as to why we do it  35 "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hathgreat recompence of reward." The reward is truly great but, we only will find that out once we try it! Turst in the Lord and he will not lead any of astray we will not be lost! We are truly His children and He does love us more than we can imagine! I love you all! 

Elder DeSantis

Week 57, September 5, 2016

Area:

Companion:

Date:  September 5, 2016

Well I am sorry because this week I couldn't separate the days for you honestly kinda scares me how fast the days go and how much I don't remember them! I will try and dig deep and see what I can come up with for what we did so lets see but it sounded like all of you had a lot more exciting things happen back home like Katie having her little baby ahora yo tengo una sobrinasita. SO for me we worked with Kealey A LOT we saw her like almost everyday which she needs. All of our lessons with her went really well she is awesome but has some fears which I get. This Saturday is suppose to be her Baptism so if you could all pray for her that would be awesome! Some bad things happen after Saturday and that will be that the Packers start the season on Sunday so Sunday School now will become Packer School. I am kinda hoping it wont be as bad as last year because I was in Green Bay last year so we will see what Milwaukee will be like probably the same. We had a labor day BBQ in one of the wards we serve in and it was pretty sweet so much good food! We also had a Part Member family show up and the ward did great in fellow shipping them so hopefully things go well with them! I have gotten so many times that I look like someone it is so crazy a lot of the times when we go tracting someone says you look like so and so. Do I have that much of like a familiar face. Some cool experiences we had on Sunday was we were able to give Heather (a member in the YSA) ward a blessing because he Grandmother passed away while she was at church and she was a mess cause of it. I felt so bad for but, the blessing was amazing the spirit is always so strong in those and your words feel like they are just flowing out I love it! Then right after that we were able to give one to Kealey for a couple of different things and that one went really well also! This church is true priesthood is real! 

For my spiritual thought today "Be not afraid, only believe." Mark 5:36 how simple it is much so much in it. Christ invites us to "be not afraid, only believe" and allow him to hush any fears we might. I know at times it is hard to always be believe but I would like to invite you all to just hang on to the belief show your hope and your faith with your actions and help will come it always does! Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Elder DeSantis

Week 56 August 29, 2016

Area:

Companion:Elder Christian

Date:  August 29, 2016

Man this week was so stressful and busy with mission tour (that is when a General Authority comes and speaks to the mission.) So the first day of mission tour was in Milwaukee and so we pick Elder Ringwood and Elder Cordon from the airport haha I was so nervous to drive them cause I was the driver haha and I was driving this huge 15 passenger van with all of us and President and Sister Williams so much stress haha. It was fun though we started talking on the drive back from the airport and he asked us where we are from and what not and he is from sugar house so he started talking to me about what stake I am in and he was like "you just got a new stake president didn't you?" I was like "ya we did" he said "President Ence" I was shocked how the heck did he know that but it turns out that he called him to be it so that was crazy but wait there is more! So then he asked about my parents and was like "Elder DeSantis what is your dads name?" I said Dave and he instantly replied "oh the golfer" I was so shocked haha so be careful dad you are getting too well known by high up callings I would like mow the lawn on Sunday just to be safe haha just kidding don't do that! So ya that was really cool Elder Cordon was awesome as well he was born in Guatemala but moved to Costa RIca and man he sold he me on living there it sounds amazing! Elder Cordon is super young like 43 I think and is already a 70 he is also super smart! We asked if he went to school in America and he did but didn't tell us where so Elder Christian asked where and he was like MIT. Man such a humble and smart man! They truly are servents of the Lord and called by God! So ya it was fun to meet all of the missionaries in the mission there is a lot of them! Well funny story for you all so I we were about to leave for church yesterday and I heard the shower dripping so I went to go shut it all the way off and I leaned in and turned it the wrong way and just drenched myself ah man I felt so dumb in that moment Elder Christian just started laughing ah man well ya there is that! Sorry I want to write so much because so much has been happening but I just don't know how to write it all! 

So many spiritual things happened this week it is hard to just chose like one hmm ok I got a great one so Elder Cordon gave this training and in it he had a picture of a missionary with three little kids and two parents, this was in Guatemala (they are converts). So he ask an Elder to describe what he sees in the photo and he describes the obvious things and then he asks a sister to describe what she sees and she adds a few girly things like they are so cute and what not. Then he goes on and goes back to the elder and says "Elder could you not see that there are 4 full time missionaries in that photo? Those three little kids grew up and all served full time missions and then the Mom served one when he her husband passed away." Then he goes on "Elder Could you not see 3 branch presidents all the brothers served as branch presidents then he says they actually all served as Stake Presidents at the same time!" goes on to add "Elder did you not see Area 70 and a 70 and also a Mission president?" So that picture was Elder Cordon and his family moral of the story is that you have no clue what will come to be with the work we are doing. We can't see all that will come to be like God sees it! We need to look at our investigators through the lords eyes and not what they are but what they will become! Such an amazing story! This truly is the greatest work in the world I love you all!

Love Elder DeSantis

Oh man I forgot to add that Elder Ringwood said "Hey Elder Davidson!" I looked at him a little confused and he said well are you David's son?? haha he kept calling me that too pretty funny stuff!

week 55, August 22, 2016

Area:

Companion: Elder Christian

Date:  August 22, 2016

whats up everyone I have one transfer down in this area but, transfer went well. We got to go pick up the new Sister Missionaries coming in at the airport on Tuesday pretty weird to be back in an airport haha. Then on Wednesday we had the departing dinner for the missionaries who are all leaving that was pretty fun. Well update on our investigators Nathan kinda wanted space from the church cause things got a little rough with him (girlfriend broke up with him/ family stuff) but, to cope with it he read the Book of Mormon A LOT which is awesome he told us he knows its true and that it has brought him so much joy! So we will keep praying for him! Also Kealey is doing ok she needs a lot of prayers but we hope to answer a lot of her questions this week! This Sunday one of the Stake Presidents daughter brought her boy toy to church so we went and started talking to him super sick kid we have a teaching appointment with him on Wednesday super stoked for him he seems really promising! I mean come on if you're gonna date the Stake Presidents daughter it is bound to happen just sayin! Well also we have been preparing for Mission Tour I am super stoked for! We have Elder Ringwood of the 70 coming to our mission and we are picking him up and then like spending the rest of the night with him on Wednesday can't wait for that! Then we will go to MKE Stake Center (Milwaukee) with him and half the mission on Thursday to have like a conference and then Friday we will go up to Green Bay and do the same thing with the other half of the mission! Well ya that is pretty much all we did this week I will probably have a lot more to tell you next week with all this exciting stuff happening!

So on espiritual side of things we had a great Sacrament meeting! The First councilor in the Stake Presidency Spoke in the YSA and invited like 10 non members and they all came but most were female so the sisters took care of that but, his talk was soooo good! He spoke on a lot but this one thing he said was so profound! He said " A baby chick will grow up to be a chicken a colt will grow up to be a horse and just like a child of God will one day become Him!" Ah man that was so cool and so true it just makes sense if we are children of God we have that potential to become like him!! I know that is part of our Doctrine that people get so caught up with but if you think of it like that it only makes sense! I know we are all truly Children of God. I have felt His love so strong for me and he has answered my prayers I know I am truly a Child of God! How lucky am I to be able to preach that to others! I love you all! Hope you have a great week!

Love Elder DeSantis

no pics this week sorry

Week 54, August 15, 2016

Area:

Companion:Elder Christian

Date:  August 15, 2016

Man this week was so stressful we had so many things to do and it just felt like things were not gonna get finished but they did we DID IT! My first transfer down in this area pretty crazy to think because it went by so fast definitely the fast one in the mission by far. It was really cool to see the Lords hand in doing transfer the Lord really puts his missionaries where they need to be and it is in different ways they get there it is pretty cool! We also had a going away dinner with one of the old AP's he is awesome it was a great night we closed with a testimony meeting and it was so cool Kealey (our investigator) came that and man was the spirit so strong it was so cool! Everyone bore powerful testimony even Kealey! I also finally got a picture with our Mission President so I will be sure to send that! Um ya pretty much the rest of the stuff has been office things this week. I am sorry this one is pretty lame I just have so many things to still finish haha and nothing really exciting happened! Just know though if you hear anything about Milwaukee and Riots I am safe and the whole mission is as well we are making sure of it!

A verse I really liked is in Mosiah 29: 20 "But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him"

Love you all

Elder DeSantis

Week 53, August 8, 2016

Area:

Companion:

Date:  August 8, 2016

Well everyone these days are all mixing together but, this week was really good! We had some amazing lessons with some of our investigators and Less Actives we are working with! We had one with Kealey and our Mission President and his wife. That was such an awesome lesson I love how the Spirit truly directs our lessons and things come into our minds that we would have never thought of before! I was able to have so many powerful lessons with people I love it! One sad thing that we found out is that Nathan wont be getting baptized this Saturday some complications came up but keep him in your prayers because we need miracles! Kealey one of our investigators has a Date for Sept. 10 and we are really hoping she will make it! Haha she is so funny I wish I could remember all the things she says but she cracks us up all the time! I feel like her and Katie would be such good friends they are like the same age as well! Funny thing happened yesterday when we were doing a Family Home Evening with a family form one of the wards. This little Kid Darren (he is 5) is so funny. We had a closing prayer and right when it ends he is like "Nathan had his eyes open during the prayer he is going to go to the Terrestrial kingdom!" ah man I couldn't stop laughing hahahaha I love it! Little kids are honestly the best! I just realized that I don't have a picture with President and Sister Williams well I will get one soon. Oh man we also saw this awesome church they have in Down Town Milwaukee it is so cool it is from 1402, it was shipped here from France I believe piece by piece so crazy! I took a picture from the inside (don't worry they said we are allowed to I asked) but I forgot to take one of the out side of it my bad. Well I think that is all that really happened this week.

So there was a verse that I read yesterday that I really liked it is in 2 Nephi 9:10 "O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit."

I love it because we all have different levels of the "awful monster" some are stronger then others but what is amazing is that God has prepared a way out for us from this "awful monster" He gave us His only begotten Son to prepare this way out for us! There is always Hope in Christ ALWAYS! I love you all His Atonement is real and is infinite use it daily!

Kealey and Jordan

Love Elder DeSantis