Weekly Update 08-15-11

I am truly touched by the spirit in my life and filled with so much gratitude to my Father in Heaven. He has truly poured out blessings upon me in my life as I have been a missionary for these past 2 years. I know that this change that has taken place in my life will continue to carry forward as I press on in my life always observing the commandments of God and living them. The joy that I have experienced these 2 years are inexplicable, but are feelings that I hope to posses in my heart eternally. Also these 2 years have brought much heartache, sadness, pain, and sorrow. It is something that is expected as I am here laboring for the salvation of souls. My joy is full, I know that I will be home next week and it is a bit crazy to me, but as my mission president has told me this past week. He said that the Lord has given him the sacred opportunity to look into my heart and he knows and is certain that I am ready to make the next step in my life. Hearing him say that filled me with an increase of hope for my future. I know that I am ready for this next step. The foundation of my life has been built, and it has been built strong upon the rock of my savior Jesus Christ.

I look forward to seeing your familiar faces. I know that it will bring great feelings into my heart when I meet my family at the airport. The only thing is that I am not going to be able to see my best friend in the world, my great brother Tyler, I love you bro! I know that he is still embarking in a great work, and in some ways I am sad that I am about out of time doing this work 24/7. I have made some great friends here in NYC, and have brought souls unto Christ. That alone makes it worth it even if it was one soul that I have brought unto Him, but my joy is immensely filled as I have brought many unto him through repentance and baptism. I really don't have much time, but I love you all. I will try to make my next weeks a bit better. Right now I am at a Chinese place and it is all in Chinese so I cant tell how much time I have left.

 

LOVE YOU ALL!!             Elder JD Doyle

Weekly Update 08-08-11

I truly dont have much time for todays update, but I will do my best. Lately has been truly a rewarding experience for me I have been reflecting upon the many miracles that I have been a partaker of throughout my mission. This week has helped me with that as I had my departing Mission Home stay with President and Sister Nelson and the missionaries that I came out with. I love the people here so much that is one thing that I am sad about, that I have truly come to love the people here soooo much and now I have to leave them soon.

I will not miss the loud noise that NYC brings, I wont miss the heartaches that come into my heart when people just wont accept the gospel and we have to let them be. I have noticed the ones who are the hardest to love on my mission have been the ones that have needed it the most. I never would have thought that my mission would have been such a battle, but it has been one that I am willing to fight any time because of the joy that it brings. Despite all of this I will remember all of the many people that I have taught. This weekend I was able to attend a baptism of Shaneeza Dass, Kevin and Melissa's mom from Jamaica, she told me that she misses me the most and she thanked me for the blessing that the gospel has brought into her life, but I told her to thank God. I talked to her husband Andrew, he told me that he was going to be getting baptized, but he needs some time. The family is almost complete, when I was in Jamaica we baptized Kevin and later we baptized Melissa, now the Mother is baptized and soon to be the father. The great reward will be when they are all sealed in the temple and become an eternal family. 

I will always remember these people here, I will miss the NY Pizza, I will miss making friends with the homies on the streets, I will miss declaring the sacred gospel message all day everyday, I will miss the diversity found here in NYC, I will miss spending time with my companions. I can go on and on, but most importantly my mission has changed me it is a miracle. I know that I am not the person who I once was.

As of right now for the work here in Flushing, the family that I was supposed to baptize just left to Florida for the rest of this month and they will be back in September so, I will just have to hear about the news when I get back to UT. We still have a few others that we are working with, but I am going to just keep my faith and keep working hard and I know that the Lord will make up the rest, but most importantly I will be happy as I am working my hardest. My studies have been my favorite part lately I have been loving the spirit that comes as I diligently seek the scriptures.

Well I am like out of time for this week now and I have to go. I love you all!!!

 

Elder JD Doyle

Weekly update 08-01-11

Everyone here has been constantly reminding me that I am going home from the members to the missionaries, I always feel sick whenever I hear about it. It is just so hard for me to let this full time service come to an end real soon. It has been an eternal blessing in my life, I know that I have changed so much as a person. The spirit will continually be my influence in my life in all things that I do. I really dont have that much time to e-mail today, but I am going to finish strong.

Elder Munday and I are loving our time that we have to serve together, I seriously love him so much. This week I have eaten a ton of fun stuff like Jelly fish, snail, and octopus. I love that about Flushing. The members are throwing a going away party for me on the 22nd, I am happy to see their appreciation for me as I have served here. I am staying in the mission home tomorrow night because the first group of missionaries are going home on Wednesday, so I am doing all of my departing stuff early. Well I am out of time I love you all. See you all soon!

Elder JD DOYLE

Weekly Update 7-25-11

This past week has been a big week of reflection and satisfaction from the Spirit of the Lord that has carried into my heart with feelings of love, joy, peace, and pure happiness. This past week we had our departing temple trip in which we usually don't have those until the end of the transfer right before we go home, but the temple is going to be closed for cleaning. As we were within the temple with President Nelson, he told our group that we have all served honorable missions. It was weird hearing those words, because I went into the temple more pondering about these next 5 weeks that I have left.

I am so happy to be back in Flushing, and to be received by the members with such great love, they seem to be so happy and grateful to have me back. I love the work here so much. I was able to go to the temple for baptisms for the dead with my recent convert from Egypt Abdel Wahab Ahmed Muhammad Ahamed known as Bob Tut. He is doing so well it was so great to see him here staying strong in the church, and was blessing the sacrament. It was also great to hear and see Anita Ngo my other recent convert fulfilling her calling as Secretary of the Relief Society. They are both doing so well, I love them so much. This is truly some of the greatest joys that I have ever felt in my life to see the Spirit of the Lord enter into ones life and change them forever.

Right now my companion and I teach so very powerfully together there is something very special about our companionship, at transfer meeting Elder Doxey (one of the assistants to the president) pulled me aside and said if there is any companionship in the mission that was inspired it was yours. It felt great to hear that, I have not only seen that in the way we teach together, but he is good friends with Jake Cooper, and he knows Tyler, my little bro. They have hung out quite a few times. He would have never thought in his life that he would be companions on his mission with Tylers older Bro. We have a lot of fun together, and are excited to do the work. We both feel that we have been prepared in our lives spiritually to now be companions on our missions at this point in our lives. He is currently on his 3rd transfer and still has a lot of time left, but it is my desire to teach him everything that I know about the work to help him be the best missionary that he possibly can become in these next 2 years.

I was given permission by President Nelson to go to Melissa Dass' surprise B-day party, her mom really wanted me to be there because I was her first missionary, and I baptized her. She is amazing, her and Kevin have completely changed. There was a lot of members from the ward at their home with all of the missionaries in the Jamaica area, it was great to be there and to see them. I had to say bye for now,  but I will have to see them when I make a trip back out to NYC in the hopefully near future. I will miss all of these wonderful people here, but I will do my best to stay in touch with all of them throughout my life.

I know that this church is true, I know it. I am so grateful to know these things, I know that there are many people that are hungering for the truth, and know not where to find it. I have found many people on my mission who are as them, but I am continually seeking to find those who have been prepared in their lives to receive and accept the fullness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that Christ is my savior that his very drops of blood was spilt for me, and for all of us. I truly feel his love in my life so powerfully and I have changed forever, and will never be the man who I was when I left on my mission, but continually strive on this uphill progression to enter in the presence of my Loving Father in Heaven. I love you all and wish you all the best!

 

Elder JD Doyle

Weekly Update 7-18-2011

I am almost out of time for today, but let me give you all a quick update about what has been going on here. Well For me, I received a phone call from President Nelson, he told me that the Lord needs me to go back to Flushing. I know that President Nelson is truly an inspired person of the Lord, that His work is being directed through Him directly to my mission president. When he said that I felt the Spirit strongly, so I am going back to my old area "China Town" here I come. I get to go back to Bob Tut, Anita, and Samantha three of my recent converts whom I love so much. My new companion is going to be Elder Munday, he has a strong british accent, he is from England, but now lives in Utah, his dad is an Area Seventy. I am excited to serve with him he is just finishing up his second transfer so he has a lot of learning to do still, but I know that I will learn a lot from him as well and we can really help each other out a lot. I am going to be a single Zone Leader, so I am going to be the only Zone Leader; Meaning that my companion will not be a zone leader.

My time here in Midwood was short, but I was truly able to get close to a lot of people in the short time that I had here in the area. Last night I had a famous Hatian dish that is called Legume, I am sure that Elder Tyler Doyle knows what I am talkin about, it is some good stuff. I will miss a lot of the people here, but I know this is what the Lord wants me to do is to go back to Flushing.

This morning we woke up early with the zone and went to Coney Island to watch the sunrise and play ultimate Frisbee on the beach. It was a blast... We had fun.

Well I love you all here are some pics for you all as well...

Elder JD DOYLE

Weekly Update 07-11-11

> I have truly been filled with blessings from on high as I have been
> striving diligently to bring His gospel message to the world here in
> NYC. My heart has changed in so many ways. I will reflect back on the
> experiences that I have had here for the rest of my life.
> This past week Manolita was confirmmed, it is so great to know that
> she has entered onto the path that the Lord desires of her to travel
> for the rest of her life. I am going to be a little sad if I am going
> to be leaving this area already, because my companion and I are both
> going home next transfer, but it is looking as if I am going to be
> staying here in the area and getting a new companion. I will know
> everything at the end of this week. I am thinking that I am going to
> get the companion that I have been wanting to serve with forever,
> Elder Kinikini. He is the man, him and I have such a great passion for
> the Lords work and we have the same style of how we do the work. We
> will see how all of that works out.
> Today we went to the Statue of Liberty and to Ellis Island, it was fun
> going with the Zone to go check out Lady Liberty. We took a lot of fun
> pictures, and we had a blast. I would send you some of the pictures
> but I left my USB, so I will have to send them to you next week.
> I am still loving every moment of doing the Lords work, it is a work
> where great power is found, a work that has nothing to do with myself
> but all to do with others and with His children. I am loving NYC, it
> is going to be a special place that I will have in my heart for the
> rest of my life. I have learned to love His children, love is what
> generates the most power in this work. Love is why I came on my
> mission in the first place, it was because I have a great love for the
> Lord. It is through His love that I am able to stand here and bare
> witness of the Living Christ. That He lives, that He has called a
> prophet Joseph Smith to assist in the great work to restore His true
> living gospel in its fullness back to the earth. I know that Christ
> truly guides and leads His church here on the earth, I know that He
> has called me through a living prophet to come here to NYC to be a
> missionary. The Book of Mormon is true, I know that if anyone reads
> the pages therein with a desire to act, by applying the principals
> taught in the Book of Mormon to their lives that they will know
> through the great love and power of God that these things are true. I
> invite all to read and they can find out on their own from the most
> Powerful Being himself if the Book of Mormon is true. It is true and I
> know it, I am happy to share it and eternally grateful for the sacred
> experiences that I have had as I have been here on my mission. I will
> hold them dear forever. I love you all, remember the Lord and His
> work, you are all a part of it!
>
> Elder JD Doyle

Weekly Update 07-04-11

Today is going to be a short update for you all, because today I am going to go hit some golf balls at the driving range. It has been such a great week for us here in Brooklyn, Yesterday Manolita Chenet was baptized. She has been taught by a lot of missionaries in the past, my second week here we invited her to be baptized and she accepted, and we helped her to prepare herself to be baptized. She is from Haiti, and has made a lot of great changes in her life to enter in to the covenant of baptism. 

This past week I had interviews with my President Nelson, and when I sat down with him, he straight up told me that we don't have to talk about missionary work today, because he knows that I am going to work hard and finish my mission strong. It was great to see the trust that my mission president has in me. He said that we need to talk about what I need to do when I get home he told me to show him my schedule for my classes at BYU Idaho. He gave me some great pointers. I absolutely love President Nelson, he has spent a lot of quality time with me as I have been here. I know that I will stay in touch with him throughout my life. I have had a lot of General Authorities come to our mission and they have all said that we are so very blessed to have President Nelson as a mission president and that he is among the very best of all mission presidents. I believe that to be true, the mission has completely changed from when I first came out here until now. 

I know that this is the time that the Lord has prepared for me to serve a mission, it truly makes so much sense to me, as now I am coming to the end of my mission. As for now I commit myself to work my hardest to the end of my mission, I am not sure what is going to happen with transfers and all, but who knows I might go somewhere else for my last transfer who knows? 

Well.... I love you all so much. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, it has changed my life eternally and I look forward to sharing it for the rest of my life.  Have a great week!

ELDER JD DOYLE