Week 22 - Crazy Week!

Quote of the Week: "Oh, I can't possibly mess this up!" (says Elder Young as his hand slips and he proceeds to shave a giant strip of hair of the side of my head)

Hi Friends!

I don't have a much time to write this week, but the mission life is going great! After I'm done emailing, I'm heading off to the Meridian temple, and I'm so pumped! Temples are such a blessing! I was able to testify to someone this week of the importance of temples and families, and the Spirit hit me like a ton of bricks! I was bawling like a baby, but it was an awesome experience, and my testimony of those wonderful blessings increased. 

Thank you all for being my family!

Sincerely,

Elder Doyle

Meridian Idaho Temple

Experiment with a new kind of necktie!

Week 21 - Another Transfer in Middleton!

Quote of the Week:

"It smells like something is burning. Yes, something is definitely burning." (it was the bacon)

Happy Transfer Day!

Today marks one transfer here in Middleton, Idaho! Throughout the day, missionaries will be traveling throughout the mission to their new areas. But not for Elder Jones and I! Since Elder Jones is being trained, we get to stay for another 6 weeks. And I'm definitely not complaining! The work is progressing so well and I feel so blessed to serve here. 

As most of you have probably heard, there have been some changes in the Church leadership in the last couple weeks due to the passing of Prophet and President Thomas S. Monson. My love for President Monson has really grown recently, and I know that he was called of God to be a prophet. I also have a firm testimony that President Nelson, and whomever else God calls, is who we need at this time. I love that God can lead His church through modern-day prophets. 

In church on Sunday, one of the members of the Stake Presidency told about an experience of his from Halloween. For his family's family home evening activity, they decided to carve pumpkins to set out on the front porch. This dad wasn't a big fan of pumpkin carving, so he sat on the couch reading emails while his kids struggled to make their pumpkin designs become a reality. His youngest daughter in particular struggled, and without the help of her dad, she felt like her pumpkin hadn't turned out very well. Later that week, the dad walked up to the front door and noticed some writing in Sharpie on the side of his youngest daughter's pumpkin on the porch. He picked it up and read the childish scrawling, "it's the best that I could do." Feeling like he had failed as a father, he apologized to both his daughter and to God. This dad testified to us on Sunday, and I echo his testimony, that we have a Father who never leaves us to do anything alone. And when we fall short (which we all do), if we can honestly say "it's the best that I could do," we have an incomprehensibly merciful Savior who picks us up when we fall short. 

This week, I invite you to watch, listen to, or read a talk from a recent modern-day prophet. Talks such as these can be found on lds.org. I've felt the Spirit so much as I've freshened up on President Monson's words for us, and I promise that the Spirit will reside more abundantly in the lives of any who learn and apply the teachings of God's servants. 

Love you all!

Elder Jack Doyle

My Wacky district from the past transfer.

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