Weekly Update 01-31-11

     Hello to all of my good friends there in Utah, and wherever else you all may be in the world. I am currently filled with an increased love for each of you. This week has been a great week for us here in Flushing Queens. This has been a week of: more snow, miracles, baptisms, transfer calls, and a personal change of heart. I absolutely love the joy that is found here in this gospel, this gospel is real and I know it because I feel it and the way I feel is a way that I just cant explain. I am filled with an ever increasing feeling of peace, that has bough a great change upon me. I feel that I always talk about change, but change is now my greatest passion. I love change. Change is traveling across Brooklyn on the Q56 bus in a suit, tie, and scratched nametag knowing that after a life of failures, I would not fail God. Change is seeing people like John Rivera give up lifelong addictions once having heard about the Restored Gospel. Change is the Atonement.
I measure my life by seeing the dark change to light through the Atonement. Nothing impassions me more than working to help others change. While knocking the streets of Queens, the greatest change I've witnessed is my own. I am not the man I once was, and I am eternally grateful for that.

     This week we were supposed to have 2 baptisms with Anita and with Bob Tut, well Anita was baptised and she is so great she is going to be such a strong member throughout the rest of her life and I know it. As for Bob Tut, we weren't able to baptize him because it would be against the Church Policy to baptize him, because he is currently here on a tourist visa, and he is not a legal resident here in this country. The reason why is because he is a former Muslim from Egypt and if they found out that he became converted to the church they would kill him and his family. He was so sad when I mentioned to him that he couldn't be baptized this pas Sunday, when I told him the news he looked me in the eyes, and said with his Egyptian accent,"So there will be no baptise on Sunday?" I told him no, and I explained why. He is such a strong person that I deeply love and look up to him in so many ways I know that he will be a future leader in this church, when we teach him he always shares words of counsel with us that I know are inspired by the spirit and I am moved every time I hear him speak about the truthfulness of this true church. He is going to continue to be faithful. He says that when he gets baptized he will be baptized in the presence of Thomas S. Monson. He is so funny, his testimony is so strong. He has only a little bit left in the Book of Mormon and then he is finished. He says that he will get married here and then he will be able to be baptized. He knows that he has found the truth. He was able to give the opening prayer at Anitas Baptism. He is such a good guy.

     As for transfers I am going to be transferred to Jamaica Queens, I am going to be living it up in Jamaica. I am being "blinded" into Jamaica, which means that my companion and I are both getting transferred into Jamaica at the same time without ever having served there before. I am going to be a Zone Leader there as well, my companion is going to be my District Leader from the MTC, I now have to train him as a Zone Leader. President Nelson says that this is where the Lord needs me and he has called me like 5 times this week to talk to me about going there and about the work that is laying ahead of me. I am so excited to go to Jamaica, but I am sad that I have to say bye to these great people that I have been working with. I love them so much. I know that this is where the Lord has called me to be is in Jamaica. Oh, I am also going to have a car there in Jamaica, it is actually the only car in the city. So I am kinda excited about that since I havent driven for like 17 months. I am also going to be the designated driver. So yeah that is what is going to be happening tomorrow, I am moving on over to Jamaica. I am excited about my new companion. I know that we will work very well together.

    So today I am going to be saying bye to some people and also I am going to be packing up all my stuff for the rest of the day today. Leaving this area is kinda sad for me because I havent been here for that long, but that is how it normally is for the Zone Leaders here, they usually aren't in an area for more than 3 transfers. I am sad to leave Bob Tut, he is like my best friend, I love him so so so much. I hope that some of you have the opportunity to meet him one day. I am now about out of time and I have to sign out. Again, I love you all so much thanks for everything!

 

         ELDER JD DOYLE