Week 96 - The Changing of the Guard

Hello! Sorry it's been forever!

It's been a hectic few weeks, but tons of fun. Here's the scoop:

I spent my last few weeks of June as a solo missionary. Hopped around with different companionships, living out of a suitcase, etc. Tried to keep my area in good shape too, mostly through texts and calls and whatnot. 

On June 28th, President and Sister Nygaard flew in from Saint George, Utah. As soon as they crossed the mission boundaries, the Sorensens and Bartletts (previous Boise mission president) were released. I met my new companion, Elder Kartchner from Pima, AZ, a few days prior. For the next week after President Nygaard flew in, we covered one area in Boise and one in Nampa. President eventually had us get rid of the one in Boise since it was less centrally located.

The Nygaards are amazing! Super loving and super musical! We've had a lot of fun. With all the random errands, office work, and meetings, we haven't done much proselyting, but we're starting to get some time back. We're excited to go teach some people!

Sorry this email is almost purely informational and not very spiritual! There have been plenty of spiritual moments in the past week, especially as I've made time to have sincere prayer and study the scriptures. I'm grateful for those personal moments when my days are filled with mostly administrative duties.

Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Sincerely, 

Elder Doyle

Finally have a new companion Elder Kartchner!

Honoring a great President and his wife before they head home!

Final raquet ball battle with President Sorenson...still couldn't beat him!

Old and New Mission Presidents!

Week 93 - Going Solo!

Hello friends!

For the first time in a long time, this week has actually gone by really slowly! And it's not a bad thing! Tuesday and Wednesday consisted of about 500 miles of driving missionaries across the mission and to/from the airport, and then the rest of the week consisted of random errands and office work that wouldn't make any sense to anybody else. But it was fun! Not much sleep, but I'm pretty sure my body just doesn't need it anymore!

Sweet miracle! I picked up a new Elder from the airport on Wednesday, and we had a couple hours before the new missionary training meeting, so I decided to take him to my area to do some good ol' missionary work! I decided it would be cool to try a little experiment with him. I handed him my phone with a list of all the people that the missionaries have ever contacted here on it. I asked him to pick the name that he felt inspired to visit. The name he picked was one I had never heard of, but we went and tried it. Long story short, we found 2 new people to teach, and they weren't even the ones we were trying to contact! We both got pretty excited, and we had another half hour left, so I handed him the phone again, and off we went to another name I had never tried. Boom! Another new person to teach. It was a miracle! And I think he was officially hyped to be a missionary.

I know God loves you! He loves to hear from you and He loves to talk to you. Take time to listen!

Love ya, 

Elder Doyle

 

Naptime with Lilo!

 

Week 92 - Let the chaos begin!

Good morning!

This week has been filled with exciting stuff, and it's only going to get better! So here's the synopsis:

Corey and John got baptized, then confirmed! I'm grateful I could work with these fine gentlemen and help them make covenants with God. I feel confident that both of them are headed down a path that will bless them enormously. 

Okay, this one's a big one... We had a mission wide conference on Saturday, which is a very rare occurrence. So everyone drove in and met in Middleton, where we were visited and taught by Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles! Accompanying him were Elders Gifford Neilson (former NFL player) and Elder Alan Walker (Argentinian) of the Quorum of the Seventy. Plus a bunch of other stake presidents and area leaders. It was crazy and awesome! I was asked to do the musical number, and Elder Ebeling accompanied on the piano while Elder Newton played the cello. It was pretty intimidating to sing in front of a small army of priesthood leaders, but I think it went well. And we were all fed spiritually by the messages shared by the General Authorities. Very much needed.

Mission Conference with Elder Anderson

I attended my first wedding! It was cool! Weird to think that in my 20 years of life, I can't remember ever seeing two people get married! The wedding was for Burt and Carla, two people we're working with. We also did a musical number there, and overall the ceremony went very well. I can't wait to see them sealed in the temple a little over a year from now. 

Looking forward, the rest of my mission is shaping up to be rather unorthodox. Elder Ebeling heads home on Wednesday after 2 years of hard work, so between that point and when the new mission president flies in on the 28th, I will be companionless! The plan for the next few weeks is to travel around the mission to help out other companionships, while juggling the work here in my area. And getting the mission ready to merge with another mission, get a new president, etc. It's gonna be so fun! Definitely going to need God's help though. 

I love you all and hope you have a fantastic week! Quick quote from our mission conference: "God can make the willing, able. He can't make the able, willing." So go be willing to do God's will, and expect miracles. 

Sincerely, 

Elder Doyle

Week 90 - Puppies, Pizza, and Proselyting!

Hello Beautiful People!

Alright, we've got our temple trip today, so I don't have a ton of time (big surprise there). But here's a quick recap on our week's adventures!

John got baptized! I haven't gotten the pictures yet, but it was amazing! He shared his testimony at the end and started crying, and golly gee that got me. And it was an amazing experience for some of the other people we're teaching, whom we invited to come. A special spirit is present when people are making promises with God. 

Elder Ebeling and I have the opportunity to go on exchanges a lot with other missionaries, which is a blast. While on exchanges back in Middleton, my temporary companion and I got to help make and serve pizza at the local pizza restaurant for their 35th anniversary! Anyone that knows me well, knows that I love pizza, so it was probably one of the coolest service projects I've ever done. My hands still smell like pizza sauce 3 days later, but sacrifices must be made.

 

The Pizza Crew!

 

A discussion Elder Ebeling and I had while talking to a couple of ladies outside brought up some thoughts that I'd like to share. As missionaries, our purpose, put most simply, is to invite others to come unto Christ. We aren't forcing, convincing, tricking, or coercing. Just inviting. We talk with people about what we know is true, and then we invite them to do little experiments. We invite them to do things like praying or reading the Book of Mormon, and then they see whether or not their life gets better! That's what missionary work is: inviting people you care about to do things you know will make them happy. So I would invite whoever reads this to think about the thing that has made you happiest, and share it with someone you care about. It'll bring you a lot of joy, I promise.

Love you all!

Sincerely, 

Elder Doyle 

My little sleepy buddy

Double rainbow

Week 89 - Shin Splints and Stake Conference!!!

Happy Monday!

It's been such a wonderful week, and an especially wonderful weekend! Elder Ebeling and I ran two 5k's this week with both halves of the mission, and it was a blast. Some of you may be thinking, "I didn't know Elder Doyle liked to run!!!" Don't be confused, I still don't like to run. But it was a blast to see all of the missionaries and spend time with them. By the end of 5k number 2, my legs were destroyed, so I think I'll probably give them a few decades to recover before running again. 

After the 5k runs, we got together as districts and acted out Book of Mormon skits for the rest of the group. I had the great pleasure of portraying Abinadi, and it brought me back to the good old days at the Hill Cumorah Pageant.

 

Abinadi -preburning

 

The Nampa West Stake had their stake conference this weekend, and it was one of the most uplifting stake conferences I have ever attended. Elder Hathaway, an Area Seventy, visited and shared some inspiring insight about ministering, missionary work, and temples. I wanted to share one of my favorite quotes:

"If you ever say you can't do missionary work, you're wrong. It's not that you can't, it's that you won't. My kids say they can't reach behind the toilet to clean it, but when I place a 50 dollar bill back there, it's suddenly a piece of cake! When God gives a commandment, he always provides a way to accomplish it."

Man, I can testify that it's true! The leaders of the Church have been talking about doing missionary work in "normal and natural ways," but that does not mean it's going to be easy and convenient. But it does mean it's going to be worth it! I feel so blessed to be a missionary, especially at this time in the history of the world. I love you all and hope you have a safe and productive week!

Sincerely, 

Elder Doyle

 

Fresh trout from Elder and Sister DeWitt (they serve in the office)!

The new ride!

Week 87 - "The Tall Boys From Philly"

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

I hope all of you mothers out there had a wonderful weekend, and that you know how much the rest of us love and appreciate you! I know that none of you are perfect, but you're doing the best you can, and that's all that God needs. If God wanted all of His kids to be raised by perfect parents, then He would've kept us all living with Him. But He knows that there are certain experiences and lessons that can only happen in an imperfect family. So keep it up!

Elder Ebeling and I are becoming quite an iconic duo out here in Nampa! Two tall, skinny white kids from Philly! We're keeping busy and getting some work done, which means I'm a happy missionary! It's interesting that even when people slam doors in your face or ask you to stop talking to them, you can stay positive when you see the bigger picture. I'm doing God's work, and golly gee this is a happy work!

Sorry this is a quick email, but I'll include a picture of a service project we did with the Salvation Army to stock up the Nazarene Food Pantry! It was awesome to see so many people and organizations come together for one purpose. I love you all!

Sincerely, 

Elder Doyle

 

 

Week 86 - Back Home in Nampa!

Hello all!

I didn't get to write much last week, so here's the rundown on what's happened the past couple weeks!

I got transferred last week from small-town Middleton to small-city Nampa! I've spent 6 months here previously on my mission, so I already have a love for the people here. I cover different wards now, but it's still fun to see people I recognize every once in awhile.

My companion is Elder Ebeling, and he's from Philly! His two main hobbies back home were volleyball and music, so we get along stupendously. We've made it a goal to sing at every lesson, and it's honestly made some miracles happen. We just started teaching a guy named Immanuel, and we asked if we could sing for him, and by the 3rd verse of "Nearer, My God, to Thee," Immanuel was belting it out as loud as we were!

I've been amazed this week to see the work God is doing behind the scenes. It can feel discouraging as a missionary when not much is happening and it seems you're all alone, but holy cow, God is working too! We taught a guy named Carmelo, and he had some amazing questions that could have only come to him through the inspiration of the spirit. Things like "what happens to my dad, who never had the chance to get baptized when he was alive?" or "how can I know that what you're saying is really true?" Our mouths were basically hanging open by the end of our conversation with him. So if you feel alone or forgotten or like things aren't going your way, just get excited for the things God is preparing for your future!

Love you all! Thanks for your prayers!

Sincerely, 

Elder Doyle