Week 20 - One month in Middleton

Quote of the week: "Is this your truck Elder Jones?"

(every time any of the missionaries in this area see a truck, they ask Elder Jones if it's his)

Hola mis amigos! 

Hello from warm, sunny Middleton! The weather here is feeling more like April everyday, and I apologize to any of you East Coasters who I hear are suffering through an especially cold winter. 

This week has been really awesome! i ate pizza at least 4 times (I lost count), which gave me the opportunity to hone my pizza-devouring skills. Thursday afternoon I was able to put down 11 slices at the Italian restaurant down the street from our apartment! Elder Jones just watched in horror as I returned to the buffet line again and again. We were also able to meet a lot of new people this week, and set dates for 5 new people to be baptized! I can't explain the amount of joy I feel when people decide to change something in their lives in order to come closer to Jesus Christ! It beats pizza by a long shot!

Cool story: I was with Elder Bruce for the day on Wednesday, and we had about 20 minutes until we had to be at the Methodist church to help with the community dinner. We were driving down main street, and I suddenly had the address 211 Jasper pop into my head. I thought that was a little strange, but we had some time to spare, so Elder Bruce and I decided to stop by. We found the address, and ended up talking to an older lady there for about 15 minutes. She was super nice, and said she'd love it if we could come visit and pray with her another day. It was a great visit and we left feeling pretty content. We went to the community dinner, and at the end, the lady in charge came up to us and asked a favor: "One of the older ladies that usually comes to these dinners wasn't able to make it, so we were wondering if you two would be able to go drop some food off with her and see how she's doing. I believe her address is... 211 Jasper." Elder Bruce and I just about fainted at that point! But we were able to go visit her again and bring her a meal, and it was such a special experience! I have a strong testimony that 'coincidence' is not in God's vocabulary.

Weekly Challenge: This week, make a new friend! Go out of your way to talk to someone you haven't met before, or doing some service for a stranger. And let God lead you! 

Love you all,

Elder Doyle

 

Fun with the Irwin Family

Animal Whisperer

 

Week 19 - One week of 2018 down!

Quote of the Week:

"Wow the Peanut Butter Really Doesn't Look Good on the Wall"

Hi Friends! 

One week of 2018 down! And let me tell ya, it's been a great one! New Year's day was pretty uneventful until we topped it off with a full blown Japanese New Year's party complete with tuna cubes, sushi, and mysterious white jello (at least I hope it was jello). I should've gotten some pictures but as usual, I've been slacking as far as the camera goes. 

The work here in Middleton is really moving along! It's been tough during the holidays because everyone has been out of town and spending time with family, but things have been picking up this past week. The people are really wonderful here (be prepared to hear that for the rest of my mission)! It's amazing how much God can expand your heart when you're out doing His work and helping His children!

We ate dinner with a young couple the other day, and they told us the story of how they met, and I thought it was so cool! The husband had left the church after high school, and the wife hadn't been a member of the church at all. They were talking online, and she started to tell him about some of the issues she had been going through. Even though he hadn't been to church in years, he felt prompted to invite her to meet with a bishop, so he did. To make a long story short, the next time they chatted over Skype, she told him that she wanted him to baptize her. He ended up cleaning up his life and becoming active again in church. And now they're married, raising their kids in the gospel! It was an amazing testament to me that God often gives us promptings that we may not understand at the time. But He always has a plan and a purpose! 

There may be little promptings that God has been giving you in your own life that you may not have heeded. I know there have been in mine. This week, focus on following those promptings right away. I have a strong testimony that as we do so, we will see very real miracles in our lives. 

Love you all,

Elder Doyle 

Unusually sunny and warm in Idaho

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We made ourselves a scrumptious brownie pizza

Week 18 - The Year of the Goat!

Happy New Year!

Man, it feels like I haven't written one of these emails since last year... I guess time really flies here on the mission. But it's been a great week! I really enjoy having these holidays happen every few days! I think the number of meals I eat in the week at least doubles, and if I had a scale in my apartment, I'm sure I would see my weight doubling as well! 

This week has been a spiritual feast as well! On Thursday, we were able to meet with a new investigator named Gus. HE IS AWESOME (excited caps, not angry caps)! He's had a rough few months, and he's been looking for a way to start fresh and find that happiness that he's been missing in his life. Well one thing that I've learned here on my mission is that God is all about fresh starts! The circumstances that allowed us to meet Gus were definitely not a coincidence, and it was a testament to me that God wants all of His children to overcome those troubles that they go through and come closer to Him. With the start of the New Year, we all have the ability to start fresh in some aspect of our lives. I invite all of you to begin anew on your path towards your Heavenly Father. I know that He will help you just as he helped Gus. I love you guys! 

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

Week 17 - Deck the Halls

The Oxford girls were baptized!

Merry Day After Christmas!

I love Christmas! And this one was pretty spectacular! I got fed 6 meals (no complaints there) and got to spend the day with some of my favorite people! We woke up to a few inches of snow on the ground, which contributed to a vicious snowball fight between Elder Jones and a ruthless 10 year old girl. She won quite handily. I won't go into details for Elder Jones' sake.

I'm so grateful for the sacrifice of our Savior, and I hope we can keep the spirit of Christmas going throughout the whole year. When/If you make New Year's Resolutions this year, find a way for you to keep that spirit of Christ-like charity, happiness, and service even after December ends. Love you all!

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

Our new apartment didn't have a Christmas tree, so I took matters into my own hands. I know, it looks so real!

Kids out here know how to go caroling! The bishop drove a a big trailer around filled with kids while blasting music out of his truck, all while kids ran around ringing doorbells.

Week 16 - Christmas Greetings!

Merry Christmas family and friends!

This has been an amazing week and I can't wait for another one as we focus on our Savior, Jesus Christ. On Wednesday, my new companion flew in from the Missionary Training Center, and his name is... Elder Jones! He hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and he's a great missionary! He's a runner and loves to work on cars and trucks. He works hard and is just an all-around great guy. I'm super excited to spend the next 3 months with him!

 

Elder Jones at his finest....

 

My hair was getting a little shaggy, so Elder Jones whipped out his barber skills

 

Elder Jones and I are serving in Middleton, Idaho. It has a population of about 6 or 7 thousand, but it has 13 LDS wards (congregations) and is about to form it's 2nd stake. It's basically a mini Utah. Everyone here is so nice, and Elder Jones and I have felt super welcome even though we're basically just flying by the seat of our pants. We live in a super nice apartment downtown (at least super nice for missionary standards) and I feel so blessed to serve here. 

 

Since there are basically no trees here, watching the sunrise is a piece of cake!

 

With Christmas upon us, I've been trying to focus my studies and thoughts on the birth of our Savior. Although it isn't in the Bible, I've always liked the story of the Little Drummer Boy, probably because I used to drum way back when. The Little Drummer Boy didn't have anything to give the baby Jesus, so he played his best on his little drum. I think that we're the same way. We may not have any extravagant, grandiose gifts to give to the Savior, but we can give Him our best. So over the next week, think about what you can give Christ. You may not have gold, frankincense, or myrrh, but we can all play our drum for him. 

Merry Christmas,

Elder Doyle

Week 15 - New Face, New Place

Hello All!

There's so much to tell yet so little time, so I'll hit the main points: This week is transfers, and I've been assigned to leave Fruitland (*heart breaks*) and go to Middleton Idaho! I don't know much, but I'm excited to meet new people and be able to serve the Lord in a new area. I'll also be training a brand new missionary! He flies in tomorrow, and then we'll go to work! Hopefully I won't mess him up too much ;)

We just received confirmation that we'll be switching over to smartphones sometime in the next few weeks! I'm excited to see how switching from my old flip phone to a smartphone will be able to assist us in the work! I'll have to relearn how to text on a normal keyboard though... I had just gotten used to using the number pad haha. 

I took a ton of pictures this week to make up for the lack of pictures I've been sending lately, so those will tell you more about the week and the people I've been serving with. But just know that I know God is in control. I have loved Fruitland, and I'm totally nervous to train a new missionary in a new area, but I know that I have a Father in Heaven that has a plan for me. Even though I'm imperfect and will probably make a bunch of mistake in the near future, God knows me and what I need. I love Him.

Please keep participating in Light The World! December is almost half way over, and these service opportunities are truly changing the world. Keep Christ in Christmas my friends.

Love,

Elder Doyle

 

Memories from Fruitland:

 

I've gained a reputation as a Beefalo whisperer (cow and buffalo hybrid). I started making some weird mooing noises and they all started lumbering toward me.

Maddie was baptized this weekend, and she's truly an example to me of faith and diligence. This picture was taken at her baptism, less than two weeks after we first met her.

 

 

Emery is the happiest baby I've ever met! I couldn't get her to sit still for a solid picture though.

My boy Avery has a girlfriend named Bea. She's a barbie. And he's 4. But I still see hope for their relationship.

We had the chance to snag a picture with some of the Fruitland high schoolers before we headed out this morning. They're examples to me of not being afraid to open your mouth and share the light of Christ!

 

Week-14 The Goose is Getting Fat!

Hello my friends!

Anthony and his son Marcus were baptized this past weekend!

It's been another great week filled with many evidences of God's hand! I don't have a ton of time this week, so I want to quickly share some experiences relating to one of the people I've been blessed work with here. 

This past Sunday was fast and testimony meeting at church, which allows anyone from the congregation to come up and share their testimony (what they've come to know is true relating to God and his Gospel). The last person to come up and speak ended up speaking much past the usual time that the meeting ends. When they finished speaking, I expected the Brother conducting the meeting to stand and close things up. But instead, the bishop told him to stay sitting, and we all sat there in awkward silence, watching the clock tick away. I was confused, as I'm sure the rest of the congregation was. Then suddenly, one of our 15-year-old investigators stood up and walked up to the podium. She gave the most pure, beautiful testimony I've ever heard, and basically the entire congregation was bawling. When I asked the bishop afterward why he hadn't let the meeting end, he said he had no idea. All he knew was the Spirit had told him that there was still one more. That experience really strengthened my own testimony that as we follow the promptings that God sends our way, we'll see miracles. 

This week, please continue to make Light the World a priority. I've started to see it bless people's lives already and can't wait to see the blessings and miracles continue! I love and pray for you all! Thanks for your wonderful examples!

Happy Holidays,
Elder Doyle