*MEGA LONG EMAIL ALERT*

Okay so due to my consistency of writing very infrequent email updates, and the many free hours that I had while flying, this email is going to be very long.
It is not for the faint of heart.
I will include checkpoints for those who will need a mental breather before they continue.
You have been warned.

TRANSFERS
So, transfers came. I didn't expect any changes to happen, but they did. Elder Call was transferred to the Flower Mound 2nd ward, and I found out I was training, which was surprising, because I was expecting to be launching over to Côte d'Ivoire soon. We received our trainees and my new comp was Elder Sanders, from Delta, Utah. 

Elder Lyman and Elder Sanders

 

Get this, he is originally assigned to the Côte d'Ivoire Abidjan East mission. Crazy stuff. He's awesome, and I really enjoyed serving with him. We spoke French some, but he was fresh from the home MTC, so I didn't push for too much French.

Here's a fun experience we had.

In probably our 2nd week together, we had a day where we planned to go up to the corner of our area and contact some people, make some calls, and hopefully someone would answer and want to meet. Fun fact, we didn't have bikes. So we walked to the top of our area, called nearby people, and knocked in some cases. No one was home or wanted to meet. When we were done contacting, we had gotten really hungry, so we decided to walk to the nearest restaurant. Well, Google maps had us walk for half an hour along the freeway against a giant wall that helped direct the already below freezing air right into our faces. Two guys, originally assigned to and who packed clothes to prepare for Africa, walking along the freeway with this bitter, bitter cold wind absolutely freezing their faces off. It wasn't fun. Finally we got to WhataBurger and had lunch, then walked back home. Overall, we walked for a little over 10 miles that day. So so fun. When we got back to the apartment, we tried to do studies, but we were so exhausted that we kinda crashed haha.


TEXAS SNOWMAGEDDON
Maybe y’all have seen it on the news, maybe not, but if someone mentions the Texas snowmageddon or something like that and about how terrible it was, they're not making it up.

Thankfully, my apartment had water and electricity throughout the whole weather warning. But much of the rest of Texas wasn't as lucky. On the 12th, we went shopping in the evening to get ready for the storm, and on Saturday we got news that church was cancelled. On Sunday, we got 2, maybe 3 inches of snow. So not too bad. Elder Sanders and I thought it would melt really quick and we'd be back out working soon. But, around 10 that Sunday, some of the other elders in the district showed up at our apartment (they walked). When they woke up, their apartment was 50°. They had no power at all. So, they stayed with us that night. The next day the temperature was around 5°. Not fun. We stayed inside the whole day. The next day, we checked the other elders’ apartment, and brought back more food and stuff to help them be comfortable, because their power was still out. We also had 2 more elders show up who's power was out as well. So, we had 6 elders in a small 1 bed 1 bath apartment for a couple days. It wasn't too bad, I got to make ramen for them, so that was fun. After Thursday, we were able to get the other elders back to their apartments with power and water. Overall, it wasn't too bad, our apartment was just cramped and we were basically quarantined for about a week. 

Everyone else didn't do too hot though. Most people had their power go out, and they didn't have anywhere to go. So they were just stuck in their home or apartment, layering up and trying to deal with it. Then, water was shut off due to major pipes freezing and bursting, so even if you had power, you may not have been able to use water. Also, stores were closed, and when they opened up, people bought absolutely everything. Most food was nowhere to be found. And that's if you were able to make it to the store. Partially melted snow froze into thin sheets of ice, which many cars wrecked on. A couple people that we were in contact with in our area said that it was a living nightmare for them.

During the winter chaos, Elder Sanders and I became a trio. Elder Scorup came and became our companion. He's from Orem Utah, and is originally assigned to Montréal Canada.

TIBÉ'S BAPTISM
This may be the highlight of my time serving stateside. The whole experience with Tibé and Inès has been incredible. From receiving the news about how they were found at the temple, to teaching them, to the baptism, I've never met anyone who's more prepared or ready for the gospel, or anyone who's more dope haha. I've come to really love them.

Their baptism was the first baptism that I've heard of that didn't have any complications. Everyone showed up on time, and it went smoothly. Inès was kind of scared of the water (many of the people in Côte d’Ivoire are), and was a little surprised after she came back up haha. After I baptized Tibé, I asked him how he felt. He said "Je me sens bien, je suis né de Dieu." Just a little cool experience there. 

The Tibés

 

 

I honestly love them so much. Their kindness, humility, and faith have repeatedly touched my heart. I'm so grateful that the Lord blessed me with being able to help. Because honestly, none of that was me. The Lord put me here, prepared them and sent them to the temple to meet the temple president, and supported me so that I could teach even with my really rusty French. Their whole conversion process was 100% divine inspiration and intervention. I'm just happy that I was able to contribute what little I could, and play a part in Heavenly Father's plan. It's such a blessing to be here serving, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

COVID SHENANIGANS
The date of my departure kept getting closer and closer. Eventually I received a temporary visa online, as well as an itinerary. Everything was going according to plan. On Tuesday, I went to the mission office to do my scheduled pcr covid test and ship it. So, I followed the instructions as best I could. I did the test, registered it online, shipped it, and tracked it, while refreshing the page often to see when my results came back. No big deal, everything went smoothly. But then, Wednesday night, I got an email saying that it was registered improperly online. I quickly fixed that problem, and was notified that my sample would be processed first thing Thursday morning. Thursday morning came, and I still hadn't received my results. Tick tock went the clock, and we made the decision to go do a rapid test nearby, hoping that would permit me to travel. We drove to a nearby urgent care, explained the situation, and got the test. It was originally going to cost around $200, but when I explained the situation, the price became $10. I don’t know if the man helping me discounted it, or graciously paid for the majority of the test, but either way, that man is a saint. Even though I didn't end up needing the antigen test in the end, it was still a wonderful reminder of the goodness of people.

After we did the test, we started driving to the airport. (Also, this entire morning, my phone was open to the webpage where my pcr lab test would show up. I was refreshing it every 30 seconds) I called the church travel agency department, and the lady on the phone told me that the antigen test isn't accepted for my travel. But, when she checked my account for the pcr test, it was there. Hallelujah. The entire morning my heart felt icy hot. Refresh... no test results. Refresh... no test results. I was a little bit stressed, but mostly I kept praying for hope and patience, willing to accept whatever the Lord's will for me was. And guess what, we made it. Even though I didn't have a printed copy, security accepted an electronic one, and I made it through.

I just want to say again how grateful I am for that man that did the rapid test for me. He was so kind.

And now, I'm currently on my way back to le Côte d'Ivoire. I never ever imagined that it would open back up while I was on my mission, but surprisingly it did. I've been kind of wrestling with this since I received news that I could be going back. The moment I got that email, memories of walking in the heat, warring against cockroach hordes and rat gangs, getting sick and being unable to leave, trying to help disobedient/contentious missionaries, and so many more came flooding back, reminding me of how trying and tough that period of time was. At first, I was not excited to go back.

But as time has progressed, and I've thought about it more, I have become excited to go back. Spending time with the Tibé's has definitely helped, just reminding me of the good things of being over there. I've also accepted that if the Lord wants me there, He will provide a way, and if not, He won't. I actually did really love the 7 months that I got to serve there. Despite all the negative, I loved it. There's two reasons why that is, why I'm choosing to go back, and why I'm now excited to return. The first of which is because my love for God grew. I learned so much about Him and became much closer to Him than before. I love Him so much, and if He needs me to serve in Côte d'Ivoire, I will happily and willingly go. Even though it's gonna really suck sometimes, I'll go. I love Him so much. The second reason is because I also developed a lot of love for the people there. Despite horrible circumstances and situations, the people there still find ways to serve, love, and find joy. I loved serving them when I was over there, and I look forward to it again. Those two things make going back completely worth it, no matter what.

Missionary work is the greatest thing on the planet. I wouldn't trade what I'm doing for anything. God does live; He loves you. Jesus Christ did love and sacrifice Himself for us, so that we could live again. Joseph Smith did restore the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth again.

I love yall so much. I have no idea what happens from here on out, but I'll send emails more frequently I hope.
À la prochaine

Elder Lyman

Elder Lyman arrived in Côte d'Ivoire close to 9pm after 26 hours of travel, and only 2 hours of sleep.

 

 The elders had interviews and meetings the next morning and then met their new companions and headed to their new areas.

yes. he looks tired, but happy.

We received an email from the mission president notifying us of the area Elder Lyman is now serving in. We looked up the weather... 90º during the day and a low of 78º at night, with 89% humidity. The apartments don't have A/C, but very few people in the country have ever experienced that luxury. (He will probably never again complain about sleeping outside at Lake Powell when it's 75º at night.) Elder Lyman will adapt, as he did before, and enjoy his time living in and serving the people of Côte d'Ivoire.

Elder Lyman with Bonebo Jean-Luc Oulai

This is a photo a friend forwarded me. Elder Lyman is with the ward missionary of his current area, Koweit 1 in Yopougon. This man, Bonebo Jean-Luc Oulai, took the photo and sent it to the friend saying that he is so excited to have American missionaries back. We are excited as well.

Le Retour

Yo what's up guys. It's been about a month since I last emailed (oops). Happy new year.

Things are still awesome here. Elder Call and I get along really well. I'm still trying to learn some Mandarin. I learned a couple new words this week, as well as what my name is in Mandarin? I think it's 麦金农 莱曼, or mài jīn nóng lái màn in pinyin. Kinda random but I thought it was fun.

Updates on some of the people here:

The Tibé's are still doing awesome. They're on date to be baptized on the 31st of this month, which is AWESOME. They've been prepared by the Lord, 100%. We talked to them about the Word of Wisdom and other commandments, and when we asked them if they would follow them, they basically said they already were, duh. Or at least that was my interpretation. They're funny as well. Bro Tibé really wanted to be an Elder, and when we told him he couldn't get a badge like us, he was a little bit disappointed, but it was funny. They're still on course for the 31st, so keep them in your prayers!

Another family that's been coming to church every week is the Uche's. They've been meeting with us often for lessons as well. Their English is a little hard to understand, but we get by. This Sunday, we taught them the plan of salvation, and they really opened up to us then. Boniface shared something really cool with us. He said something along the lines of "we have been praying to God to help us to find the right way. We know that He won't lead us astray. We know that God sent you here to us. Teach us, bring us into the right way. Help us get ready for whatever He needs us to do." I don't think I've met anyone more humble than them. They're on date for the 7th of January, but it might change for later, it just depends on when they feel ready. Keep them in your prayers as well!  

Zawadi and his family have had a really tough schedule, so they haven't really been able to meet with us or come to church. Their baptism has been postponed as well until they're free to meet with us. Other than those people, we have 5 or 6 other people that could be solid soon, so I'll keep you posted. There's awesome things happening here, and I'm so happy to be a part of this work. 

I've absolutely loved serving here. It's not easy at all, each day we bike 10-14ish miles over bridges and against the cold wind into the top corner of our area because that's where everyone we teach lives. Members haven't typically been feeding us, so we've just been on our own for the most part. With COVID being dumb, we can't really meet with other missionaries. Also, lessons with people fall through. A lot. We bike out to someone's apartment on time, knock on their door once or twice, then call them, and they won't pick up, or they'll say "oh, ok at Walmart." Dude you told us to plan for meeting at 3 today, why are you at Walmart? Haha. It's kinda ridiculous sometimes. I'm sure there's a lot more I could find to complain about if I wanted.

But guys, I'm honestly so happy. Even when all 3 appointments for a day have fallen through and we're biking up a steep bridge against the wind and we still have 5 miles to go and we're tired and hungry, I've never felt more alive. Maybe it's just because I'm a really optimistic person or what, but I've always been happy here. We're doing our best to serve the Lord, and that's all that really matters on our part in the end. And of course it makes me even more happy to teach the Tibé's and the Uche's and to help the other people in our area, it just makes me so happy to be here, knowing that I'm doing best, and knowing that I'm serving the Lord.

Here's the last update for this email. I'm going back to Côte d'Ivoire. We goin' back baby. I have some bittersweet emotions about going back, but I'll serve wherever the Lord needs me. Back to bucket showers and rat wars and non stop sweating and le blanc, hahaha. I'm only a little not excited because my last transfer over there was the hardest and most stressful thing I've had in my life so far, but I love the people and I love the Lord, so that makes it all worth it.

I don't know how to fully express myself or explain why, but I'm just so happy to be here. I am so so grateful to be here on my mission serving my God. There is nowhere else I'd rather be now. I am so eternally grateful that I'm out here now. I have never felt closer to the Savior, never felt more fulfilled in service, and have never been happier in my life than now. That may seem crazy with all the restrictions in place right now and the utter fact that the mission is just straight up hard, but it's true. When the First Presidency says that more joy awaits you than you've ever previously experienced, they're not making it up. I am just so full of gratitude and happiness. It makes me tear up typing this email right now. I could go on and on about it, but just know that I'm straight up having a good time :)

I hope all of you are doing well back home (or wherever you are). Have a great week!

 

Elder Lyman

 

Blessed to be Here

 

Okay so this is my first week in the Dallas 9th ward, and I'm in the north half of the area (there's another set of missionaries that cover the south part). I won't explain much here, but this email will have a totally different tone from the last one. Here's some updates on what's happened this week:

On Wednesday, we went to meet with a Congolese couple that had been trying to meet with the missionaries, but hadn't been able to communicate too well because they only speak French. Their names are Zawadi and Endani, and they have 2 little kids. So we showed up, and I started talking to them, and long story short, in thay first lesson, they asked to be baptized and join the church. Their baptismal date is set for the 2nd of January. We've taught them another lesson and they've gone to church three times. We're meeting with them multiple times this week, it's so awesome.

Next, we called someone that we hadn't been able to get in contact with before, and we were able to set up a time to meet with them. On Saturday we showed up, and we had a lesson with Blessing (the person we called), and her husband, Boniface. They're from Nigeria, and I haven't seen very many people as humble as them. It was so heartwarming to talk with them. We taught them the restoration, and on Sunday, they went to church with their son. We're meeting with them on Saturday again. 

And then, here's the craziest thing. We got a call on Saturday night from President Farley, and he relayed me this information from the Dallas temple president about some people he met:

"They are a young couple from the Ivory Coast. They were introduced to the gospel there and want to join. They looked up the church online and drove or walked to the temple from their apartment and ran into a sister from Brazil there who also spoke French (how interesting) who was there for the distribution center. As Julie and I were leaving the temple, we ran into all 3 of them. They were asking how to contact the missionaries and I took down their contact information."

President Kendrick - Dallas Temple

Then President Farley says, "and guess what. They live right next to your area, so I'm going to give you permission to teach them."

I can't explain the wonder or joy that I felt when I found that out. What are the odds that that happens at the temple, and that my area is right by where they live? It makes me so happy. I've cried a couple times while thinking about that miracle and I'm doing so now, but it's just so incredible. 

Their names are Jude and Inès Tibé. They're from Niangon, which was in my mission in Côte d'ivoire. They came to church on Sunday. It was such a joy to talk to them and to see someone from that country again. It has my heart, and I'm so so grateful that I get to experience a little bit of that again here in Texas.

We've had so many miracles and wonderful experiences throughout the week, they're just a little overshadowed by those ones I mentioned earlier. We taught a guy from Cameroon today, and he's going to pray about the Book of Mormon. We're helping reactivate a Hindu woman, as well as many other interactions and lessons and service opportunities we've found. And it's just been one week.

I'm so blessed to be here.

Anyways, some other stuff. My companion's name is Elder Call, and he's from Lehi, Utah. He's originally called to serve in some mission in Taiwan, but he's been here for about 3 months. We get along really well, and we're both learning Mandarin right now, so that's fun (yeah I'm still learning it). I haven't really met the other missionaries here yet, but they seem cool. Another miracle, everyone in our district is quarantined but us, so we're able to continue working. 

I loved my last ward, the missionaries, and the people there, but it was really hard to be there. There wasn't much work happening, and it was easy to lose hope and motivation. I did my best to be obedient, serve the Lord, and help others, but it overall seemed like my time and efforts were wasted. I survived and did okay, but it definitely wasn't easy. Coming here to Dallas has been an enormous blessing and a much needed change. I do feel like I'm receiving a lot more than I deserve; it just makes me all the more grateful for being here. Here's a scripture that I've been thinking about all throughout this week:

"For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

For after much tribulation come the blessings" (D&C 58:2-4).

I honestly never expected to come here and see this many miracles. I never could have imagined that I would see someone from Côte d'ivoire, much less be able to teach them and have them be legitimately interested. It's incredible, and I really hope it isn't over yet. I'm so excited. 

I'm sorry I didn't share something about Christmas, or really even talk about it at all, I’m just so excited to work here. I love you all so much. Have a great week!

Elder Lyman

 

Quarantine

This transfer has been good so far. We've spent a lot of time with Elder Feser and Elder Hedman (he's a TDWM missionary from somewhere in the SL valley and is in training), and the sisters, Hermana Johnson (she was serving in Guatemala) and Hermana Steveson (she's from Washington State). Everything was going great until an Elder in our district got caught up in Rona season. Yep, he tested positive for Covid19. So, for two weeks, our whole district locked down and put into quarantine.

Quarantine was the worst haha. We did our best to do what we could, but no one was really down for zoom lessons, and we had already called through our area book multiple times. All I'll say is that I had a lot of time to think and study. Although those 2 weeks seem like a fever dream, I can't remember much sadly. I mostly remember extreme boredom. It's all good though, because when we finally got out, it was so refreshing. Elder Cardwell and I may or may not have treated ourselves to lots of food and treats once we left haha. 

I don't have any updates for interested people or the ward, not much has happened since last time I emailed.

 

The district ran a 5K after quarantine. Elder Lyman was surprised to find that he wasn't much slower than when ran cross country and practiced every day.

 

Honestly, being here has really made me wonder what my purpose is here. Every day is virtually the same. We do the same things, walk the same 4 streets, meet the same members, and get the same reactions from everyone we meet. I'm not trying to complain at all, I'm just saying that being here has given me time to think.

From my perspective, there seems to be 0 progress, from day to day, week to week, and even month to month. It doesn't seen like we are making a difference. We get an occasional compliment from our bishop, or a member here or there, but for the most part, it seems like we don't have any impact. I know that's not true, the Lord is working through us in ways we probably will never see, but to us nothing seems to be happening. It's honestly really hard doing that from day to day haha.

I'm not depressed or upset or anything like that, don't worry. It's just hard because I want to give so much more to the members here and help people come unto Christ, and we really struggle to find ways to do that here.

Really quick, do you know those big buckets at waterparks that slowly fill up then dump down everywhere? My zone leader compared that to our work here. Each time we put forth effort, be obedient, pray and fast, and do our best to help others come unto Christ, it adds drops to that bucket. We can't see it adding it, or how much is in the bucket, but eventually all that will add up and something will come of it. That analogy has helped me out.

I don't know what the Lord has in store for me or where I fit into His plan, but I'm trusting that my efforts here are worthwhile for someone. It's definitely been hard, but I'm still enjoying representing my Savior Jesus Christ and learning more of Him. I'm so grateful for the special opportunity I have to grow closer to Him as I study and serve. I feel like there's few other places that do so as much as on a mission. For that, I'm so grateful.

I'll probably send another email next pday with transfers, and I'll probably put more positive stuff in there haha sorry, I'm really tired right now. I promise that I'm going well and that I am enjoying the work, it's just difficult, as missions always are.

I'm grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ and for the miracle of His birth, life, and resurrection. He is our Mediator and loves us more than we will ever understand. He is always there ready to help us. I love Him, and I hope that yall will try to bring more of Christ into your lives this Christmas season :)

Love y'all

Elder Lyman

 

 

During quarantine Elder Lyman went through the kitchen cupboards and reorganized them. Behind the plastic bags he found a fondu set. So he and his companion made fondu.

Obedience

Yo what is UP FAMILY AND FRIENDS! It's been another great transfer(apologies) here in the Flower Mound 3rd ward! Transfers came and everything's still the same for me. Elder Cardwell and I still get along really well, and being district leader is honestly pretty cool. 

I've absolutely loved being in this district. I've never felt more unified or more like a group of good friends than this district. It's been a great time, but most of them are leaving with transfers. We've gone fishing, eaten some spicy peppers, played lava monster, beat labyrinth (not quite), and lots of other things that I can't recall right now.

We've done a ton of service recently. One of the members here has some hookups, and so we've done a lot of work with Salvation Army and KFMB, as well as random chutes that the residents of Flower Mound come up with for us. It's been really fun (quick sidenote. getting glued tile up with just a hammer and a chisel is pretty terrible).

Not too many updates on our people here. We finally got back in contact with Rochelle and Thomas Spear, and we're hopefully gonna start doing lessons again soon. Our other couple people we interact with are flakey and don't seem too interested, but we're going to keep at it :)

Missionary work in our ward seems like it's going to take a turn for the better. Our new ward mission leader is Brother Lybbert. He has a plan for the ward and is bringing fire to the table. I'm actually really excited to be staying here to see what work we can do here with the members! It should be really cool. I'll keep you posted (hopefully not transferly, but we'll see).

Other than that, I'm not sure I have any updates. It's been really hard to stay focused and keep motivation, but it's been getting better. Israel still has to be gathered, and that means I have work to do.

One scripture that has stood out to me recently is Mosiah 5:8. This verse is talking about how the Nephites had made a covenant with God to serve Him. As I was studying it, this section stuck out to me:

"...all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives."

After I read that, I kinda sat back and thought huh. I've committed to being obedient for my whole life. For a second, that realization seemed a bit overwhelming, because I do my best to be as Christlike as I can, but if course, I'm not perfect.

Then I remembered a quote from someone that went something like "Obedience is the law of a free man" or something close to that. It made me realize, or more like remember, that commandments are there to ultimately make us happy. Even though keeping them may be difficult and possibly an unachievable task, in the end, they are there for our happiness. 

So, in other words, the covenant to be obedient for our entire life is really just a commitment to have more happiness and freedom. It's just so cool to see that everything that Heavenly Father does is always for our good, and to help us be as happy as we can be.

It's been a while since I've shared my testimony, so I'll share a bit here.

It hasn't been the easiest being here. There have been moments where being here has been really hard. But, the thing that often keeps me going is the reason why I'm here. Every day is a day worth living because Christ lives. He lived for us, died for us, and was resurrected. That fact alone is a reason to always be happy. We can be saved and live with our families again! What a wonderful blessing to have. I testify that Christ lives and loves us. He is our Savior and Redeemer, and is able to help us with whatever need we have. He will never leave us comfortless :)

Love y'all, until next time!

Elder Lyman 

Reminder of Vridi

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.

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.

One day when we were walking to our apartment we saw that our upstairs neighbors had boxes on their balcony, and we figured they were moving. We went and knocked to see if they needed help. Long story short, we helped a family from Jerusalem pack their Uhaul. It was just the husband (Akram) trying to move couches and appliances by himself. We packed his Uhaul in no time. He bought us some Chickfila, and that was the last we saw him. It was a cool act of service.  

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. 

They took Elder Lyman and Cardwell to lunch before flying back home.

 

Pray continually

Okay so, a bit has happened since the last email I sent home. This transfer has absolutely flown by. I love my area, my comp, the members & investigators here, and honestly just the opportunity to be here in the Lord's service. The past month and a half has been a blast. I know it might seem weird that I'm loving the mission, when my circumstances are taken into account. We live in a more difficult area, 50% of the few planned lessons and meetings that we have with people fall through, and on top of that, it's all digital. I love it anyways. Here's some info on our investigators:

We have someone on date for baptism! I know it seems kind of out of the blue, but Mariah is an investigator of ours that has been really flakey, so I didn't count her in last weeks email I think. But out of the blue, she came to church. After church, she said "hey I've chosen the church for me." The next day we taught her the Doctrine of Christ, and she wanted to be baptized. There may be some family stuff to work around, but for now, her baptism is scheduled for the 29th! It should be awesome

We also taught another lesson this week to Rochelle (another person that I think I've only touched lightly on if at all). She just got married go her husband, who's been a fairly inactive member, but wants to become active again. They want to progress towards temple marriage, which is honestly incredible. She wants to be baptized, but first we need to help her grow a testimony. She's such a sweetheart. I'll keep y'all posted on her!

We've been trying to contact Gwen, but she's never picked up. Hopefully we'll be able to meet with her this week

We've kept working with Beaumont, just reading the Book of Mormon with him and being his friends. He's been through heck. It's so cool to see how he's so happy and positive and nice despite the dark hole he was in just a couple months ago.

Danielle is another inactive member that we've been working with. She's been through heck as well. We taught a lesson with her where she cried. It's amazing to feel the Holy Ghost working through you to help others and touch their hearts. 

I have such a genuine love for the people here. I'm not sure where it came from, but I just love them so much. I wasn't planning on using this as my scripture for the week, but it just came to my head, so here ya go.

"For I pray continually for them by day, and mine eyes water my pillow by night, because of them; and I cry unto my God in faith, and I know that he will hear my cry" (2 Nephi 33:3).

I honestly love these people so much. There are nights where we come back to the apartment and I just feel like crying, knowing what they go through, what they've had to deal with in their lives. I wish I could help them in any way I can. I've shed many tears for these people. But, I'll keep working, keep doing my best to help them see the goodness in life and in the gospel, and come unto Christ, and find joy and peace. I know that even though the work is different, it hasn't stopped. Why would I be here if God has stopped the work? I've been commanded to serve, and with that commandment, I have the assurance that I can accomplish that. There's people to help, hearts to soften, and lives to change. The mission is still dope. 

Love y'all

-Elder Lyman

  

Transfers happened and Elder Lyman has a new companion, Elder Cardwell from Tampa, FL.

Somehow this happened...  we don’t know the story behind the photo.