Weekly Update 06-13-11

     I am indeed grateful to have this sacred opportunity to serve amongst such great of people who have been truly humbled by their life experiences. Here in Midwood Brooklyn I am sharing the gospel with pretty much only Hatian people. So I have to make sure that Tyler comes out here with me when he gets home from his mission. I get sad when I cant share the gospel with these people because they speak Creole/French. I do try my best though and I keep talking to them as long as I can before they just walk away but I always make sure that I give them a card just in case.

     Right now I live with the ASL missionaries, one of them is deaf, he is such a cool guy he can speak great and he also reads lips very well, so I can communicate anything to him and he will understand and respond. The ASL missionaries are so great, I love them so much they are fun to have as "Pad Mates." This week we found 7 new investigators as we went out and I fearlessed seriously every person that I could possibly talk to. We had some great meetings with people, we invited 3 people to be baptized and 1 of them accepted and will be baptized on July 3rd. The other two are going to pray to know if the 17th of July is a good day for them. We will continue to work with these great people and continue to find and teach these people. I am here to declare the gospel with boldness and strive to take every opportunity that I possibly have to share the gospel. I love talking to everyone, it brings so much joy into my heart.

     Last night I had my first Dinner Appt. with a Hatian family. Bro.... The food was sooo good, I am sure that you are loving the food in your mission. The ward that I am serving in consists of 90% Haitians. They are going to be starting a Creole program here in the mission this next transfer the church is now training missionaries in the MTC to learn Creole, and we are getting a new missionary next transfer. He will most likely be in my zone.

     My companion Elder Yancuba is awesome, he is a fun missionary to serve around he is originally from Africa and lived there for 13 years of his life. He is a funny Elder with a lot of love and care for the work. He has been wanting to be my companion from the begining of our missions. We have seriously been working so hard, we came out together and are both coming to the end of our missions and we have the sincere desire to sprint to the finish giving the Lord all of our hearts in helping His children come to the knowledge of the truthfulness of this restored gospel.

     Ok so now I am going to announce to all of you, I havent said anything regarding this matter, but I am going to be attending BYU Idaho this fall when I get home. I am going to be home from my mission on August 26th and I will be starting school on September 9th. I am excited for my future and the rest of my mission, I know that I am going to work my very best and finish strong. I am looking forward to this next week and very excited to see some great success and miracles here in Midwood, I know that there will be miracles here as I give my heart to the Lord in all that I do.

     I love you all and hope you all have a great week. Oh and I am also grateful as Tyler was for the wonderful map from the Doyle family with the kind words of encouragement and love that have been shared. Keep up the good work that you all are doing and always remember your savior Jesus Christ.

 

                          Elder JD Doyle

Weekly Update 6-6-2011

Hello everyone, It is now time for me to head out to another area. I am sad that I have to say goodbye to all of these wonderful people, I absolutely love the people here in Jamaica Queens. At the same time I am excited and filled with faith for what lies ahead of me. I have been filled with a great brightness of hope for this last part of my mission. I am satisfied for the great effort and hard work that Elder Yau and I put into the work this last transfer that we've shared together. We worked as if we had no time to waste, it feels great to be able to say with complete honesty that I have done my very best throughout my entire mission.

It is amazing that I am leaving because this past week, I felt the Spirit whisper to me that the work that I was sent here to do has been fulfilled and my purpose here has been completed, not only with the people that I've been called to teach, but also with the missionaries that I've been called to serve.

I am going to be serving with Elder Yancuba as my companion he is originally from Africa and now is from Chicago, he is a missionary that I came out with. I am excited to serve with him I know that we will work well together. He is an exciting person to be around and full of love. I am going to miss Elder Yau, I learned a lot from him, but I must do what the Lord has called me to do.

I hope that you all enjoy the pictures that I sent. I loved the children here in Jamaica they were so fun. I am going to miss the Haitian family at the end, I taught the Older daughter and they will be friends forever, I sent his wife a French copy of the book of Mormon in the mail, and she has now read almost the whole book, she is going to be baptized when she comes here at the end of the month. Well I am running short on time and I have to start packing up to move tomorrow, and tonight I am going to go out with the new missionaries to go out to fearless people on Jamaica Ave. I love you all and I am sorry that this weeks update isn't all that great.

Love Elder JD Doyle

Weekly Update 6-2-2011

Well everyone, today is my P-Day because we went to the Mets game, I am out of time for e-mailing so they are kicking me out of the mission office. I will talk to you all on Monday, I love you all so much the Mets game was great the Mets beat the Pirates 9-8. We got tickets from a member so we had 24th Row seats it was fun. I love you all so much! OH and I caught a shirt, ha ha ha. That is just my luck. I wish I had more time. OH yeah I will talk to you more about it on Monday, but I am out of Jamaica I got a phone call from President Nelson and he wants me to do to Midwood, Brooklyn for my last area. I have served in all of the Haitian areas now so now my little bro can come and speak to all of the Haitian people that I've met on my mission. I look forward to going to Midwood, I know that I am going to love it there. I only have 12 weeks left, Holy cow! That is crazy, I just barely thought of that. Well I have to go I love you all.

Weekly Update 05-23-11

     My good friends and family, it is an honor for me each week to have this opportunity to share with you a portion of the miraculous life-changing experiences that are found in this marvelous work as I am here serving the Lord with all of my heart. Some of the experiences are some that I love to share, and others are very personal between the Lord and I, where one day I may share some of these experiences if the Lord permits me to do so at some point in life. It is my prayer that you all may be able to feel of the significance and the need that we all have to share the gospel with everyone. I know that I have been called to serve as full-time missionary for 2 years, but when I was called I know that I was called to serve forever. I will soon one day be released from the mantle of a full-time missionary, but I will serve forever. I may leave the field but not the missionary will not leave me.

     Today I am short on the time that I have to type up this e-mail to you all. The work here is moving forward, the Lord is watchful of His children as he is for each of you. It is amazing how our role as missionaries comes into play in others lives. I love to hear of the great work going on in Orlando with Elder Tyler Doyle, my best friend in the world, and the great work that is happening all around me.

     I am not sure if you all heard about the "end of the world" that was supposed to happen, but it was a big deal here in NYC. The "End of the World" was on May 21st, well I am still here alive and spreading the gospel into the lives of my good brothers and sisters here in NYC. There were people that have taken this false prophecy serious some have sold their houses and spent a lot of their money on advertising this false prophecy. It was great because on Saturday the 21st we got all of the missionaries in our zone to go out to Jamaica ave and set up a table and talk to everyone that passes by on the street, there are too many people that we didn't have time to talk to every one, but it was fun. I love this work and there is nothing greater than this. I have to go now, I love you all!

 

 

           Elder JD Doyle

Fwd: Weekly Update 05-16-11

     The miracles that are found in this work are incredible. We have been blessed through the hands of the Lord placing His prepared children on our path. This past week as we were going forth to visit a less active member, we saw these two young ladies sitting out on the stoop of a house. Whenever I am walking and I see people I will go talk to them to invite them to listen to our message. As my companion at the time was Elder Moore(we were on exchanges) we went and talk to these ladies. As we were talking to them I noticed that one of them was intently listening to what we were saying and very interested in the message we share. As we were talking to them the gal who seemed interested said that her mom was now home and she pulled up in her car and was about to walk into her house across the street. I was quick to run over there and talk to her about what we do as missionaries. I was able to get her to listen to us and allow us to come and teach her and her family. We went over to their house yesterday to meet with them. They are all excited to listen to more of the message that we share. I know that this gospel will bring a great change into the life of their family.

     We are still working with Shaneeza she has a baptism date set for the 29th of this month, this week it was her Birthday and she invited us over for dinner and we taught her about the Word of Wisdom, we haven't taught her that before and we knew that she drank coffee. This week she called us and was excited to tell us that she hasn't drank any coffee after she has been drinking it for her entire life since she was a little girl. It is great to see what power the Lord can give when one is willing and wanting to make a change. We are excited for that wonderful family to continue on the path of righteous living for the rest of their lives.

     I am grateful for this time that the Lord has blessed me with in my life to have this opportunity to come and serve His children. This is a time that I will treasure for the rest of my life, and reflect back on the experiences that I've had forever. I have had so many life changing experiences. I know that the Lord has taught me much in how to be a better person. I was able to learn a lot of patience here in the mission field. That was definitely something that I have struggled with throughout my life, but now seems to be one of my strengths. I really am just about out of time and I don't have much left to say for this week. I do love all of you and am grateful to have each of you be a part of my life. One more thing that I would like to mention is that I am the absolute worse writer ever when it comes to writing letters, I sincerely ask for each of your forgiveness with my lack of effort put into writing letters. Please forgive! I love you all and have a wonderful week.

Elder JD DOYLE

Weekly Update 5-09-11

My dear family and friends, it is my sincere prayer that you may all be able to feel the Lords love today as you read this update for this week. My desires for you all to feel this way is that you may feel a portion of the love that has filled my soul. I know that I have been called to declare His gospel message to the world, and I feel that I have felt the power that has been given by Him to me, power of which is not known among man(D&C 24:12). This power comes as we open our mouths not knowing beforehand the things that we shall say, but by putting our trust in Him to carry this message into the hearts of the Lords precious children. 

This past week I have had many opportunities to open my mouth and to declare the truth unto others of my brothers and sisters, now they may not all have accepted the things that I have shared, but I strongly believe that I have helped them come closer unto Christ. It is amazing, as I have been here on my mission I have taught and baptized people who have met with the missionaries or had encounters with members of the church in the past. Yet these people who have opened there mouths to speak to these people in the past have no idea the impact that they have made on these individuals who have now decided to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized into His true and living church. It is my invitation to you all to seek for missionary opportunities to share His gospel. It is my promise to you that you all may be able to feel this power of which is not known among man(D&C 24:12), but only by those who seek to declare his gospel with intentions to help them come unto Him. As I have opened my mouth to declare this truth to others I am not always aware of how many will act upon the words that I share with them. It is my hope with everyone that I talk to that they may be able to one day come to this understanding through the Spirit of God, that these things are true. 

About a month and a half ago, I invited a member to share the gospel with one of her friends and she did. I was able to hear her get up and bare her testimony that she acted upon the words that my companion and I shared with her, to share the gospel with her friend, which has now lead to her friend being baptized, it is incredible the way the Lord works. Who would have ever thought that that my companion and I inviting her to share the gospel with her friend would have lead to her friend being baptized in Brooklyn. That is a miracle in itself. This is a work of miracles and of blessings. Miracles are awaiting each of us as we choose to share the Lords gospel with our friends and helping them experience the joy that we all feel!

This past week we had another baptism, Melissa Dass was baptized on Saturday and confirmed on Sunday. We also invited her wonderful Mother to prepare herself to be baptized on the 29th of this month. She has accepted the invitation and is going to prepare herself to be baptized on that very day. I am happy for her and her inner commitment to follow the Lords example, and to keep His commandments. I am so happy to be a missionary, coming on a mission has changed the course of the rest of my life and many windows of opportunity have been opened to me in which I will pursue and continue to declare the Lords Gospel for the rest of my life and hopefully even beyond the veil throughout the eternities. I love this work and I love you all! Have a great week!

Elder JD Doyle

Weekly Update 05-02-11

This past week has truly been a defining moment in my life. I am so grateful for my new companion Elder Yau. Elder Yau is from Hong Kong, he has been in the Chinese program for his entire mission, he now has 2 transfers left. He has been a leader in the Chinese program for the past while in the mission, and now he has been put in the English program for the first time. The work here is a lot different from what he is used to. I am learning a lot from him, he has taught me a lot about the importance of goal setting and fulfilling the goals that we set as a companionship and with our individual selves. I have developed a deeper understanding of the importance of setting goals and reaching our goals that we set. As I was getting ready this morning I was pondering the thought in my mind of how much better I would have done on my mission if I would have known these things that have now come to me with conviction from the Spirit. As that thought came to my mind the Spirit was quick to reveal to me that I am only ready to receive the spiritual knowledge of things that I am spiritually ready to receive. I was not spiritually ready to receive the knowledge that I now have received. I was able to learn a lot from this meaningful experience that I had. This knowledge that I now have I want to share with all of the missionaries in our Zone, and with everyone. I talked to President Nelson about it this morning in his office, and we both had a great talk about it and president wants me to talk about it tomorrow in ZLC (Zone Leader Counsel) with all of the Zone Leaders.

Last week I was asked to speak to all of the Leaders in the mission about "Fearlessing", as I prepared my talk that I was assigned to give I know that I received revelation in behalf of "Fearlessing." Fearlessing is what we call going up to people on the street, train, bus, in the store, or wherever we may be; opening our mouths to share the Lords Gospel message with others. As I spoke I know that I was moved upon by the Spirit my message was carried into the hearts of the Leaders in the mission. President Nelson now wants me to give that same talk to all of the missionaries. I will just have to wait and see how it all works out, but I am excited about the missionary work here.

This past week we had Bettina and Kevin confirmed in church. We also had a miracle this week, we went to the Dass families home and Melissa said that she wants to be baptized. So she is going to be baptized on this coming Saturday. We are working with a lot of great people.

I am excited to call home this coming Sunday to speak to my wonderful family.

I dont have much time left, so I have to get going, I love you all and I hope that you all have a great week.

 

     LOVE ELDER JD DOYLE