Week 12 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello Friends,

Well it's been two weeks since I last wrote, and a lot has happened, so hopefully I can do some of it justice! Honestly it's tough to think back to a couple weeks ago, but one thing that I definitely want to mention is the baptisms of Sammi and Ambri Hart-Norris! I've had the opportunity to know and teach these girls almost since I got here to Fruitland, and to see them take this major step in following Jesus Christ was a beautiful experience. The Spirit was super strong and you could see the happiness just bubbling out of them. Elder Bacon and I had planned on giving a short presentation at the baptism about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and it got a lot more stressful when we looked to the door and watched the mission president, his wife, and about 20 missionaries from Nampa walk in. But it all went well and I'm so happy that this family could come closer to each other and to the Lord.

The Meridian Temple was dedicated yesterday, along with the Cultural Celebration on Saturday. Both were beautiful experiences where the Spirit was strong. The Cultural Celebration was the closest thing to TV I've watched in quite awhile, so I think I was even more entertained by it than I would be normally. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf dedicated the temple yesterday, and he blessed it that it will be a light to this area. We've already seen that light in action as thousands went through the open house and felt the Spirit of the House of the Lord, and I'm excited to see it continue in the future!

With Thanksgiving coming up, my invitation to all of you this week is to get down on your knees and thank God for all that He does for you. You may not see a lot of great things in your life now, but as you begin to search for them, you'll see more and more. We've been teaching a man in his 30's who is a great example to me of this kind of gratitude. He grew up on the streets in a gang, and watched as some of his family and friends were killed. He spent time in prison, where he decided to turn his life around. When he was released from prison, he got a job and got married. Shortly thereafter, he received word that he had diabetes, and since then, that diabetes has caused him to go almost completely blind and lose his job. This guy has lived a seriously tough life, but he is the most grateful man I've ever met. His life and prayers are filled with gratitude to God. I've been honored to learn from him, and I hope that I can recognize God's blessings as well as this man does.

Praying for you always,

Elder Doyle

Week 10 - No Shave November... jk I'm on a mission

Howdy Y'all!

This has been another great week here in Fruitland, Idaho! We got a bit of snow yesterday, but not enough to really stick. Harvest is just about wrapped up, and the onions have all been stored away in their big sheds. Winter is coming.

This week is the last week of the Meridian Temple open house, which has been such a blessing to this area. I'm sad that we won't be able to go through tours with people anymore, but I'm excited to see the extended impact the temple has in bringing people closer to Christ. Before the temple was built, President Thomas S. Monson came to survey the site. He prophesied of 15 new stakes (large areas of congregations) being created because of the influence of this temple, and we've already seen that prophetic vision coming true. The area around the temple, which was previously just farmland, is now booming with more developments, restaurants, and stores than anywhere I've seen in this area. There's also a brand new Chick Fil A, which is yet another of the wonderful blessings brought about by the temple. :)

The Meridian Temple (view from the parking lot)

We continue to see God's help in our lives as we do our best to spread Christ's gospel. Something I've learned to appreciate even more this week is the value of Spirit-led planning. As Elder Bacon and I plan out our day every morning, we seek the assistance of the Holy Ghost in knowing what needs to be done. We end up seeing later in the day that we were guided to particular activities and times for a reason. Without the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, we would have never decided to go to those locations at those times. 

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: This one is more of a daily challenge, but it may take repetition over one or more weeks. Tonight, before you go to sleep, kneel down and pray. And in that prayer, ask God if He loves you. It may sound kind of weird, but it works. Take time to listen for the answer. It may not come right away, because God answers prayers differently for everyone. Repeat the process every night if you have to. But the answer will come. 

Love you all!

Elder Doyle

World Famous Ice Cream Potato

In addition to Annie the puppy, we now have two new friends that greet us when we come out the door every morning. Still don't have names for the two kittens yet.​

Week 9 - Happy Halloween!

This week has been absolutely fantastic! I'm slightly concerned that I've already hit the high point of my mission, because I can't imagine missionary work getting any better! I've seen miracles and felt the Spirit so strongly! First off, the Meridian Temple open house went into full swing this week. Last Monday, Elder Bacon and I were disappointed because we didn't think we'd be able to go with anyone to the temple this week. We prayed for opportunities, and God answered. Tuesday through Saturday, we found opportunities to visit the temple every day, each with a new investigator. Walking through the tour of the new temple, I felt and saw the beauty and sanctity of the temple, and saw it change the hearts of those we went through the tour with. Here's an example:

Tuesday: We meet a family outside after we leave an appointment. The daughters are interested in learning more about the church, but the mother is quite against it.

Wednesday: The parents "coincidentally" have errands to run right next to the temple, so we go through the open house with them. The Spirit is strong, and the mother really opens up.

Thursday: The mother sends us a text to ask if we're free that evening. She loved the temple so much that she wants to bring all of her children and show them. The children visit the temple, and "want to become Mormons."

Friday - Present: Mother texts us daily to invite us over and asks if there's a limit on the number of times families can visit the temple. They're going to attend the Trunk or Treat and we'll be teaching the family this week.

Seeing families become closer and happier this week has made me soooooo happy. I know the temple is the House of the Lord and it allows families to be together forever. I'm so grateful for the Meridian Temple and I'm excited to see it change lives.

Elder Doyle and Elder Bacon at the Meridian Temple open house

Here's one little story that totally blew my mind: I've been cutting my hands up whenever we do service projects cuz I don't have gloves. I could've gotten some at Walmart on P-day if I remembered, but I never did. Anyway, One morning after a wood-cutting service project, I just mentioned in my prayer that I needed gloves. That night, we walk into our room, and on each of our beds is a pair of gloves. We asked the people who we're staying with if they knew where the gloves came from. The wife said that she had thrown our clothes into the washing machine (cuz she's awesome and does our laundry) and there were no gloves. But a couple hours later, when she opened up the washer, two brand new pairs of gloves were sitting on top of the load. She has no idea how they got there. AHHH IT'S SO CRAZY! We're seeing little miracles like that all the time and it's blowing my mind. Exact obedience really does bring miracles. 

This weekend, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles visited for our stake conference. I learned so much from both him and the Spirit, and there were words said in the talks that were exactly what was needed by certain investigators that we had invited to attend. After the meeting, I was able to go up and thank both Elder Stevenson and the member of the Seventy that accompanied him for listening to the Spirit when preparing and giving their talks. They had literally changed the lives of some of our investigators. Elder Budge of the Seventy let me know that he had no idea what to say when he stood up to speak, and the Spirit had directed him to give that message. He didn't know why. That experience strengthened my testimony that these men are called by God, and God knows what His children need. 

Weekly Challenge: This week, focus on strengthening your relationship with your family. Spend time with each other, be kind to each other, and serve each other. God places us in families for a reason, so figure out one of the many reasons that you were placed in this specific family. 

Have A Great Week,

Elder Doyle

Week 8 - One Transfer Down

Ladies and Gentlemen, it has been a superb week! Elder Bacon and I have been able to interact with some awesome people and we've seen a lot of success sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. I've continued to see how God has been helping us do his work, and it's cool to see that people in the community are really getting excited to help us as well. This week, I'd like to share a couple experiences that were pretty fantastic.

This first one was pretty nerve-wracking at first, but looking back on it now, I just laugh. An older man called us and let us know that he had a friend that wanted to meet with us, and he gave us the friend's address. We drove to the address, pulled into the driveway, and got out. Immediately an older gentleman ran out of the house and started yelling. "Who are you? What are you doing on my property? Get out or I'm going to shoot you!" I was starting to freak out, but I asked if this gentleman knew the man who had called us earlier that day. He stopped yelling and said "oh, are you guys Mormons?" After responding affirmatively, his tone changed. "My Brothers! Welcome!" He gave us big bear hugs and we've been meeting with him and eating lunches with him ever since. Gives you a little taste of the awesome people we meet in Idaho haha.

A new LDS temple was just finished in Meridian, Idaho, so we've been inviting people to attend the public tours and have been able to hear some awesome stories about the temple. Here's one of my favorites: The baptismal font in this temple is larger than any baptismal font previously built inside a temple. So it was obviously quite a difficult construction project, and the project manager was having a tough time figuring out how to complete it. On his way home one day, a name popped into his head that he didn't recognize. He looked it up when he got home, and found out it was an 80-year-old, retired concrete worker in a small town nearby. The project manager traveled to this older man's home and asked him if he would be interested in helping with the project. The older gentleman, who was not a member of the church, agreed. He had been suffering through some health issues previously, but as soon as he began working on the baptismal font, his health recovered and he was given strength he said he hadn't felt in the last 40 years. after a few weeks, he ended up completing the font perfectly. However, once the project was completed, the man's health issues returned and he passed away 2 weeks later. On his death bed, he made his wife promise him to meet with the missionaries, be baptized, and then be sealed to him in the Meridian temple. Because of his service and example, the First Presidency has reserved his name to be the first baptism completed in the Meridian Temple. 

 

To see the Meridian temple check out :

http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/meridian-idaho-mormon-temple-open-house?cid=HP_MO_16-10-2017_dPAD_fMNWS_xLIDyL2-4_

I wish I could write more, but I'm just about out of time. Keep praying, keep serving others, and keep learning more of God's plan. This week's challenge is to study the scriptures. Read the Bible and/or Book of Mormon. If you haven't read either of them before, try it. If you already do read them, increase your efforts. I've seen more and more peace come into my life as I've sought direction in these two sacred books. 

I love you all and pray for you! Chao!

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

Week 7 - My hair is finally curly again!

Hola mis amigos!

It's really amazing because you spend the whole week thinking to yourself, "wow there's so much to tell about this week in my email on Monday!" And then Monday rolls around and you've forgotten just about everything you wanted to share in your email! So I apologize if my emails are lacking. This week has been pretty fantastic though! My companion and I are finally not sick, so we've been able to get out and do a lot of work! We've met tons of new people and feel like we're really starting to be effective servants of God out here. Here are a couple highlights of the week:

Friday: All the missionaries in this area (about 80) got together to run a 5k. Running ain't exactly my forte, and I was just getting over my bronchitis, so a 5k wasn't my ideal way to spend the day, but it ended up being a blast! Yes, I felt like death, and I'm still feeling it 4 days later, but it was really nice to meet some new missionaries and get out and exercise. I just realized I didn't get any pictures, but some of the missionaries wore costumes for the 5k, which was quite entertaining. The last missionary to finish the race was one wearing a huge blowup T-Rex costume. What a champ.

Saturday: Elder Bacon and I decided to drive way into the middle of nowhere to meet some people that hadn't come to church in awhile. We turned into a driveway whose mailbox had the address we were looking for and turned in. It was a long, skinny, unpaved driveway with fences on both edges of it. We started driving down it, and after about a half mile, we're starting to wonder where this house would finally be. But instead of a house, we eventually just hit a dead end. The fence came across the driveway, and we could go no further. That would have been fine, except there was nowhere to turn around, so we got to drive backwards up toward the road, narrowly avoiding the fences on both sides. It was actually pretty hilarious in the moment, and I'm sure the cows in the fields next to us were quite entertained. If you're ever in the middle of nowhere in Idaho, don't drive down mysterious driveways that lead to nothing.

A new LDS temple is being built in Meridian Idaho, so that has been a really cool opportunity for us to answer questions and tell people what a temple is all about. When a new temple is built, it's open for the public to take tours for the first few weeks, so we've been able to invite people to go see what it's like. I haven't been able to go see it, and will probably only get to go through the open house tour once, but I hear it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm excited for people to feel that special spirit that resides in the House of the Lord. 

Weekly Challenge: This week, use social media to brighten someone's day. Post a positive comment or picture, and see what kind of positive response you get. I've heard stories this past week of social media being used to really change people's lives, so try it out, and let me know how it goes. 

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

 

 

Sometimes Elder Bacon and I practice teaching and talking to people as we study. When at home, we practice teaching Sprite (pronounced SPREE-TAY). He's very receptive and loves to participate.​

Whenever we leave the house, Annie runs up and sits on my feet. It's actually pretty nice as the mornings get colder and colder.

 

Week 6 - Snow has fallen!

Happy Columbus Day! 

This past week has been a rollercoaster! My companion and I have been juggling various sicknesses this week, so some days we stay in, and other days we're out meeting and helping people. The days where we stay in tend to consist of a lot of sleeping and taking medicine, and the days where we go out have a lot more variety. We often do little service projects in the morning like moving wood or helping out on farms, and I'm proud to say that I haven't yet stepped in any cow manure. I'm sure that will come soon. In the afternoons we have a couple different options: we can either walk around the more tightly packed neighborhoods to knock on doors and meet new people, or we often have appointments set up. We usually get invited over to someone's house for dinner, and then we have more appointments in the evenings.

We have quite a few people that meet with us pretty regularly to learn more about our church, and we also have a lot of members of the church that invite us over to meet them and eat with them. I've really enjoyed getting to know people here! They're super down to earth and are willing to give you the shirt off their backs. Since my companion and I have been a bit under the weather, we've had tons of people offer to send us soup or give us baked goods. I'm definitely getting fatter. I can feel it. My companion says I'm just imagining it, but don't be surprised if Elder Doyle comes back looking like a balloon. 

Yesterday we took a trip up north to hike with other missionaries in the area, and it was gorgeous! The part of Idaho that I'm currently in is technically a desert, so there's very little rain and very few trees. But up north we hiked through a beautiful forest, and there was a fresh layer of snow! I think I finally figured my camera out, so hopefully I can add some pictures. 

Weekly Challenge: This week, try to find out something new about your ancestors. It could be as simple as calling up a grandparent and asking for a story about his/her family, or it could even be finding out where your name comes from. I've really seen the benefit of feeling connected to your family, even those members who you may have never met.

Thanks for all you guys do! I pray for you and hope you have a fantastic week!

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

The view from basically anywhere in this part (the southwest) of Idaho

A hike in the mountains with forests and snow!

Hike in McCall Idaho (Elder Doyle and Elder Bacon...being goofballs!)

I purchased a Kangaroo Onesie at Walmart. Possibly the best purchase I've ever made.

Week 5 - One month out!

Howdy Ya'll!

I apologize in advance if I start using Southern slang more and more over the next few months. Elder Bacon, my companion, is from Texas and he insists that I'll be talking like a true Texan by the time he's done with me. I'm trying to resist. But life here in Fruitland, Idaho is great! Everyone is so nice here and sometimes we'll have people of other religions call out to us on the street and ask if we want water or anything. I'm starting to know my way around a little better, and that's been super helpful. We have a GPS in our car (our car is a 2015 Chevy Equinox btw) but it usually says our destinations are a few blocks from where they really are. Still better than nothing though! There are a couple things that have made this week especially great:

1. We were fed pizza 3 nights in a row. That's right. Pizza. My favorite food. 

2. Plenty of people play volleyball here! In fact, I think I'm going to play after I finish writing this. 

3. General Conference happened! For those of you who don't know what that is, it happens every 6 months, and it's a big televised conference where the leaders of our church speak. It's always super inspiring and uplifting, and this one seemed to be even more inspiring/uplifting than usual. 

I don't have tons of time, but I wanted to share that I've really felt God's hand and influence in my life this past week. These first few weeks have had a lot of ups and downs, but it's felt like God has known that and has given me exactly what I needed, exactly when I needed it. Sometimes it's a song that will come on in the car when I'm feeling down, or sometimes I'll get a card from someone when I'm feeling a little homesick. Hopefully that makes sense. I know God is looking out for all of us, and everyone can receive that same help from Him. Look for the little things God does for you. 

WEEKLY CHALLENGE: Hopefully these things aren't totally weird, and I hope people are having good experiences with them. This week, I challenge you to write in your journal. And if you don't have a journal, start one. I've written in my journal a lot recently, and it's been a huge blessing as I've been struggling with some things. So try it out, and hopefully it can help you like it's helped me. 

As always, stay in touch! I'd love to hear from you all. Letters probably work best, just because I don't have much time on email. The address to send any mail to should be in last week's post. I think about you and pray for you daily! Stay classy.

Love,

Elder Doyle