Oh it is Wonderful!

 So, not much has changed since the last time I wrote. And a lot has as well. As far as the constant grind, nah that's still the exact same. Working hard, all day, every day. Awesomeness.

Then, of course a lot has changed, in the sense that our amis continue to progress. There's so many people here that are ready and prepared to hear the gospel. Right now, we currently have 6 people on date for baptism, and we're planning (hoping) to have more this week as well. Prunelle and Emmanuel, 2 of the kids from the famille Soya are being baptized this Saturday. Things are going good.

Just a quick addition. The past couple weeks with Easter and general conference having happened, I've been thinking a lot about the resurrection and the Savior's Atonement. I had written out a long explanation of how I felt, but I realized that there was a really easy way to express my thoughts and feelings. Hymn #193

I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me,
Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.
I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,
That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
                    
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
                    
I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine
To rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine,
That he should extend his great love unto such as I,
Sufficient to own, to redeem, and to justify.
                    
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!
                    
I think of his hands pierced and bleeding to pay the debt!
Such mercy, such love and devotion can I forget?
No, no, I will praise and adore at the mercy seat,
Until at the glorified throne I kneel at his feet.
                    
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me
Enough to die for me!
Oh, it is wonderful, wonderful to me!

I love this hymn. It expresses perfectly my thoughts and feelings. How would the Son of God descend from heaven to suffer, bleed, and die for someone as lost, weak, and unworthy as me? It blows me away. I'll never completely understand it. But, it does give me reason to always, always thank Heavenly Father for His Son and what he has done for me.

Have a great week!
Elder Lyman

 

Climbing a tree to pick oranges.

oranges...

Elder Lyman has been eating a lot of pork. But not pork like we eat in the States. It is a chopped up pig head. Skin, teeth, bones, ears and all. He says it is like eating Beanboozled or Bertie Bott's beans, but it's all bad. He doesn't love biting down on pig teeth or ears. Or jaw bones. Or most of it.

Caught in a rainstorm while tracting.

 

Lost in the Work

 Okay I actually have less time to write this week than last week.

 It's going to be hard to not repeat myself, but honestly it's amazing to be back here. Last week passed in the blink of an eye. Lost in the work is such a good feeling.

 

From 6:00-9:30 each day we do all of our daily preparation. Pray, exercise, personal and companionship study, and daily planning. Then, from 9:30-19:00, we have lessons. The entire day. Some days we don't have time for lunch, we just keep going on teaching and finding. Then after 19h00, after we've done all of our planning and cleaning and dinner, it's usually bedtime au même temps. It's so crazy, we have no time to se reposer. I love it though.

Sorry if I use French words. Sometimes it just makes more sense that way.

We had zone conference this week (it feels like ages ago). It was really good. It had been a long time since I'd had zone conference in person, and even longer since it'd been here with President and Sœur Lewis. The Spirit was really strong there. 

Some of our amis that are progressing the best is la famille Soya. It's a family that has 9 kids I'm pretty sure. I love them so much. The parents and a few of their kids have been pretty consistently attending church each week, and tonight we taught a wonderful lesson with them. We taught l'évangile de Jésus Christ, or the Doctrine of Jesus Christ (I think) and read Mosiah 5. When we asked them to be baptized, they were happy and excited to. The Spirit was so strong as we talked with them. One thing though, Fr and Sr Soya aren't legally married yet. They'll be married in June, so they'll have to wait. I hope I'll still be here to see that happen, but we'll see. Either way, as long as they are firm in their knowledge and testimony of the gospel, that's what matters most.

La famille Soya

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... 

Now I want to talk about someone that I love very very much.

 Elder Assale told me that this ward was amazing and that they work really well with missionnaires. I quickly found out why. Our ward mission leader, Fr Oulaï, is one of the most Christlike people I've ever met. I've been working with him for just a month, and I've already learned a lot and grown just from his example. I don't know all of his story as well as I'd like, partially because of français, but here's what I know.

That is Frère Oulaï in the forefront

 

 I don't know how many years it's been, but he converted to the church a while ago. From what I understand, there was a point in his life where he started to search for truth. He went to many different churches, and even tried Islam and Buddhism. He spent a couple years in search of truth. Eventually, he found the missionaries, and discovered the truth he was looking for.

 A couple years after that, he was living with a woman (now his wife) and they were working towards marriage. They saved up enough money for la dote(similar to a required dowry), but then he was paralyzed. I'm not sure what situation he was in medically, but from what I understand, for a year he couldn't move or talk. After a year, he slowly rehabilitated, and was able to function properly again.

 They had to get ready for marriage again by saving up money. It was then that Fr Oulaï found out that living together before marriage wasn't in compliance with God's commandments. So, for the next year, he slept outside. Basically, he chose to be homeless to keep that commandment. The amount of devotion and love he had is really amazing to see.

 Now, they're married and sealed together. They live in the poorest section of our area, with a house similar to the ones I described next to the lagoon in Vridi. Dirt floor, black trash bags for walls, and sheet metal roofing. Their home is 1/2 the size of my bathroom back home. They basically have nothing. Fr Oulaï doesn't have a job anymore, and I don't think Sr Oulaï does either, at least they don't have consistent incomes at all. They actually live from day to day. 

 And yet, despite their complete lack of money and possessions, they're always happy, always smiling. Fr Oulaï works with us 2 or 3 days a week, for 10 hours a day. And even then, when he isn't working with us, he's street contacting people all the time. He's someone who truly loves the Lord.

 After we talked with them and they recounted their history, Sr Oulaï fed us dinner. They're scraping by as it is, and they chose to feed us. 

 On Saturday, Elder Kouadio and I were going back to the apartment after a meeting for lunch, Fr Oulaï tagged along with us. Our apartment didn't have water for a while, so the dishes had really piled up in the kitchen. I was planning on washing the dishes, but Fr Oulaï just started doing them himself. He did a couple days worth of dirty dishes just because.

 He never ceases to amaze me. I love him so so much. And his wife too, she's amazing as well. But especially Fr Oulaï. People like that deserve so much more than they deal with. It breaks my heart. But it also makes them be such an incredible example for me. I love them so much.

I almost forgot to mention it, but next week we'll be having a baptism. Sr Martine Lida was someone that Elder Assale taught for a long time and she's finally ready. I'm excited for her to be baptized.

Soeur Martine Lida

 

 Yeah I don't know what else to say. I'm happy to serve, learn, and help. When you lose yourself in the service of others is when you truly find yourself. Love you guys. Have a great week!

Elder Lyman

La Terre Promis

 

Okay, I don't have too much time to write this week. But I'll write what I can.

This week was just like the last, nonstop work. It feels so good to be back and always have somebody to help. There's always an ami, a missionary, or a member that I can be thinking about and wondering how we can serve them, what will help them progress, or what way we can bless their life. This place is the terre promis. 

Elder Assale finishes with his mission tomorrow right after zone conference, so I have another companion with me right now. His name is Elder Kouadio. He's from Yamoussoukro (no idea how that's spelled), Côte d'Ivoire. He's been out for about 4 months now, and seems awesome so far. I'm excited to work with him. 

Departing companion (Elder Assale) is next to Elder Lyman, new companion (Elder Kouadio) is on the far left.

 

We went on exchanges with the assistants this week. It was so wonderful to work with Elder Diaz again. The entire day went so smoothly, and I really felt the Spirit as we worked. It was good to see him again.

Elder's Lyman and Diaz working together again

 

There have been tons of other experiences that I was intending to share, but can't right now. Maybe I'll save them for next week.

I'm just so happy to be back with my people and be serving le Seigneur. Despite all the difficulties and struggles, this has been and continues to be the best experience I've ever had in my life up until now. I've come to know so many things that I didn't before, or at least didn't have a clear testimony of before. Foremost of those being that God does exist, and that Jesus is the Christ, he sacrificed himself for us in the ultimate expression of love, and that in following his council, we can return to live with our Heavenly Father. 

Love you guys

 

Elder Lyman

Thank goodness for water filters.

Africa is dope

Africa is dope. I forgot how awesome this place is. It's such a different world out here, especially in comparison with my mission before. First off, COVID regulations, or anything of that sort, are essentially nonexistent. The moment we stepped out of the airport, mask off. The only time we need to take any precautions are when we go to church. So yeah, that is a huge blessing. 

I'm currently in a part of Abidjan called Yopougon, and my area is called Koweït. The ward here is awesome, it's as close to a ward in the states as you can get as far as being well organized and having a good amount of people show up. 

My companion is Elder Assale, he's from Abidjan. He was serving in Congo Brazzaville but he's here because of the COVID changes. He was supposed to finish his mission last month, but he extended. He's going to finish next Tuesday, so I'll have a new companion then. He's incredible, I'm learning so much about how to teach in French again, how to be a zone leader, how to interact with people, along with many other things. I'm gonna miss him when he's done.

I'm busier here than I ever have been before. Each day here is full of lessons or meetings from 9:30 AM often until 8:00 PM or later. Usually by the end of the day, I barely have time to write in my journal. It's kinda crazy and really tiring, but I love it. Being able to just push and work work work is such a blessing.

As far as French goes, I haven't had too much of a problem with it. Somehow, after almost a year of not being immersed in it and for the most part not practicing it, I'm still fluent (don't take that term too literally). I learned French 100% through the Spirit and the gift of tongues, and I'm certain that my French is good now for the same reason. 

Also, it's so hot here. So hot. Thankfully this area is right next to the lagoon, so sometimes we get some cool breeze blowing through, but for the most part it's just a microwave. The piment definitely doesn't help with the heat factor.

I've missed all the little kids shouting 'le blanc' as I walk past, eating garba and futu, having random goats and chickens chilling everywhere, breastfeeding during lessons (kinda didn't miss that), random people touching my hair, eating mystery meat, people saying goodmorning and howayoo, murder missle taxi drivers, the excessive amount of oil on literally anything I eat, sleeping with a fan blowing on me all night, sitting on 6 inch tall stools under random fruit trees teaching lessons, bissap, and a whole big list of other random things that I forgot about being here. This place is so dope haha.

Here's some random experiences from this week:

On Saturday, one of the fat rats like the ones we warred against in Vridi ran through my legs during a lesson. It brought flashbacks.

Friday and Saturday, our water was out, so we weren't able to shower. Also, our power was out Friday night, so we didn't have dinner. We finally found water somewhere Saturday night, so we carried buckets of water up to our room to shower with (we live on the 4th floor). Super fun stuff.

I found mountain dew here. 

I've had to learn how to handwash my clothes. Super fun (not).

We changed out the water filters today. I haven't seen a more heavily used water filter than today. Holy cow it was nasty. It hadn't been changed since October or November last year. Nasty nasty. 

Earlier today, I was thinking about my mission. When I returned here last Friday, I was finally told my end date for the mission, August 3rd. It didn't take me too long to realize that I only had 5 months left. It's such a small anount of time left for me to serve. It made me kind of sad especially when some part of me still feels like I need to serve 2 full years here. Instead I'll have served around 1. It made me feel like I was robbed, especially since I spent 3 months awaiting reassignment, and a lot of time in Flower Mound wondering if I was really making a difference. 

Although that is the case, and it would have been wonderful to have been able to serve 2 full years here, I know that what happened is all according to God's plan, and I learned what I needed to as well as had the experiences I needed to have. At first it wasn't a very easy concept to come to terms with. However, as I've reflected over my mission up to this point, I wouldn't trade it for anything. Simply taking into account the change that I've seen in my own life and testimony makes it all worth it.

I applied to serve the Lord for 2 years  and I was called to serve, not to a place. That, and what we do with what we're given, is all that's under our power. The rest is up to God, to carve our path. And having signed up to serve the Lord, the least we can ask is just to influence the life of one person for the better. And if He sees fit to let us do more than that, it would be wonderful. In my case, I've been blessed with the opportunity to see many people's lives change for the better, the foremost of which being my own. 

I don't like to say this because I feel like I should be more outwardly focused and talk about other people that I've seen positively influenced by the gospel, but I truly do feel that the change that I've seen in myself has been my favorite part of my mission.

Before I came on a mission, I went through the motions for the most part, as most people do. I went to church because that's just what one does, I maybe participated in seminary, and every once in a while I got nightly prayers and scripture study in. I had faith and believed in everything, but it wasn't a very solid belief. I just thought "yeah, it's gotta be true" and didn't think much else of it.

Going from that state to where I am now is more than I can thank my Heavenly Father for. I've learned that God really does live and love us. I've learned about God's plan, the restoration, the gospel, and what they mean for me and for everyone. I've learned so much about Jesus Christ, what he did, who he was, what he really went through, and what that means to me. It's been so wonderful.

I can never thank my Father in Heaven enough for that gift that he's given me.

So for where I stand whether or not a mission is worth it... yes. My answer is a complete, resounding yes. Although the mission is indisputably hard and even sometimes excruciating, it is so so so worth it.

I've loved my mission up until this point and I'm excited to work as hard as I can for the next little bit. 

I love Africa, I love the mission, and I love my Savior Jesus Christ.

Have a great week

Elder Lyman

 

Elder Lyman's current companion, Elder Assale, is on his right side, and his last companion in Africa before leaving, Elder Diaz, is on his left side.

*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