Hey guys, it's been a while. Sorry I haven't kept up with weekly emails like I did in Côte d'Ivoire. I'll try to explain how this last transfer has been!
So, I'm training. My comp is Elder Cardwell. 6'4, loves fishing. From Tampa, Florida. Was supposed to head to Adelaide Australia, but he's here for his reassignment. He's awesome. We've had an awesome transfer together. We are over the Flower Mound 3rd ward. I used to have the 2nd ward as well, but it was split when Elder Cardwell got here. We shared our 1 bedroom apartment with the FM2 elders (Elder Feser and Elder Church*) for most of the transfer. Absolutely love those guys.
Being district leader here hasn't been nearly as stressful as it was in Vridi. It does help to have it in English.
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| The District |
We've done a lot of service for an organization called the KFMB (keep flower mound beautiful) We usually do a bit of landscaping at parks or at public places. We did a big recycling drive on Saturday.
Fun fact... I'm learning Chinese.
All our investigators from before are either in other areas now or haven't responded to any phone calls. So anyone I previously mentioned isn't talking with us anymore. We don't know why they ignore us, but pretty much everyone we call and/or text never pick up.
Sometimes we try and be outside for a little exposure and let people know were out there, hoping that someone will want to come and talk to us. It's interesting, because whenever we say hi, people try to ignore us as best they can. A lot of the time, we'll be walking down the sidewalk and someone approaching from the other way sees us and either turns around or turns and walks down another street. It's weird how consistently people avoid us.
I've had a little luck on Facebook. Some people message and ask questions because they see that I'm a missionary. Others try and bash because they are atheist or are Muslim. A couple of accounts that have messaged me have been thot bots•. We're still trying our best to accomplish the Lord's work. When there's a will, there's a way. We just need to be patient and find the way.
I hope this doesn't come off as negative or anything. I'm still loving it. I absolutely love the members in the ward as well as the other missionaries here. It's just, the work is a bit hard right now.
I will add a
really cool interaction that I had though. I was on exchanges with Elder Smith,
and we were walking to his apartment complex clubhouse to use the wifi because
the sim card wasn't working. On the way I saw a man on the phone wearing a Côte
d'Ivoire shirt. I got so excited and wanted to talk to him, but he was on the
phone, so we kept walking past. We were in the computer lab there, and I wished
I could've gone out and talked to him. A minute or two later, he came into the
computer lab. Miracles. I was able to talk to him for around 10 minutes. It
reminded me of Vridi. We talked in french about Côte d'Ivoire, his family, and
lots of other things. We exchanged numbers, and he left. Miracles haven't
ceased. I was really happy for a while after that happened.
No idea what scripture to share with this email, but one thing that I've really liked recently is President Nelson's invitation video about Hear Him before last conference. It's a wonderful video, and it gets me excited for this upcoming conference. Y'all should prepare for it with questions and prayer, because it's gonna be awesome.
Until next email?
Elder Lyman
*Elder Feser was
gonna be my comp, but then the morning of transfers we got our trainees
instead. Elder Feser is from Layton UT, and was serving in the Rosario
Argentina mission. He has the same amount of time as me. He's training Elder
Church. He's from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was also supposed to go to Australia.
Elder Cardwell's parents were able to come to Dallas to take him through the temple. Elder Lyman was able to accompany them, and was elated to have been able to do so.
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| They took Elder Lyman and Cardwell to lunch before flying back home. |
