August 25th- "Kind of an off/weird week here in Palm Bay"

Friends and family,

What a week it's been! To start out, I'd just like to thank all those who are still taking time out of their day to read my updates! Much appreciated!

Well we have had kind of an off/weird week here in Palm Bay. It has been brutally hot, humid, and sweaty but there isn't much we can change about that! We have heard from multiple sources that the local news stations have been warning people of the severity of the heat and to drink lots of water! Hearing this, me and my companion leave the house with 4 water bottles each! Somehow, we always come back to the apartment dying of thirst anyway. It's crazy! We heard it was 93 degrees one day and 72 percent humidity! It's HOT! Complaining gets me no where though, right? Despite the weather, the work still goes on. And if anything else, we're getting a good farmers tan!

We've seen some more miracles this week with getting out of our comfort zone. We were going door to door (or tracting) one afternoon, while walking up to a house we hear a guy yelling at his dog and saying some choice words! We didn't know if we should knock or just move on to the next home, but we thought "why not?" and decided to go for it. He opened the door and we introduced ourselves. He said that him and his family have been researching the Mormons for 2 months now and are very interested in becoming a member! We sat down and taught them first lesson and they all want to be baptized! It was like the perfect scenario! It's pretty amazing to see how The Lord has been preparing people like them for us.

It's football season again, and that's pretty obvious down here in Florida. As we biked along a road Friday night around 6:30, we noticed there was a solid line of parked cars for about a half mile straight. We couldn't figure out why they were parked there until we rode past Palm Bay High School and saw there was a game going on. The houses surrounding the school all had their "Palm Bay Pirate" flags out and other signs up! It was pretty cool to see that again! Saturday we biked past a park and we saw all the little league games, but down here it's a little bit different. They had cheerleaders, announcers, and jerseys sponsored by Under Armor and Nike. It made me miss it and wish I could be playing again, but there is a different type of work that I need to focus on right now, and I seriously love it! It's amazing to see the change in people when they start accepting Jesus Christ and His Atonement in their lives. I love being out here on my mission and am grateful for this opportunity I have to serve.

On Tuesday, we had the chance to listen to Elder Hamula of the 70 come down and speak to the Zone at Zone Conference in Orlando! It was great! On the way there we drove past the city of Kissimmee. Kissimmee is where my family and I stayed when we went to Disney Worldfor Abby's "Make-A-Wish." We drove right past Give Kids The World Village and it made me think about the great time I had with my family a little bit over a year ago. I will forever be grateful for the Make-A-Wish program and the opportunity they gave me and my family.

A special shout out to my grandparents and family for the package they sent me! It saved me. We sing a hymn every morning to start out our companionship study, and we had have to play the song on our IPads. The volume doesn't go very loud and if you can imagine two elders trying to sing a hymn with hardly any background music, it doesn't sound very good. In the package, they sent a Bluetooth speaker which we could connect our iPad to! Luckily, this makes us sound a little better than screeching tires! Thanks Family!

I'd like to end with a scripture one of my closest friends sent me. It's Job 23:6,  "Will he plead against me with his great power? No; but he would put strength in me" I love how it says put strength IN me. It could have just said "he'll give me strength" but IN me! Ah, I love it. I know that as we ask Christ for strength and help, He will not only give it to you, but put the strength in you. It's something I've seen everyday on my mission. There are some parts in the lesson when I have no idea what to say, but I open my mouth and begin to talk trusting The Lord and it works out every single time.

I hope everyone is enjoying life and having a great time! I'm having a great time out here on my mission! Much love

Elder Doman

Brock sent lots of letters home this week too.  Here are some things that he wrote to us:

“I read this quote and immediately thought of our family.  We are so much closer now than we were before and working as more of a team towards exaltation:

‘I suppose I am talking to some who have had worry and trouble and heart burnings and persecution, and have at times been caused to think that they never expected to endure quite so much.  But for everything you have suffered, you will receive fourfold, and that suffering will have a tendency to make you better and stronger and to feel that you have been blessed.  When you look back over your experiences, you will then see that you have advanced far ahead and have gone up several rounds of the ladder toward exaltation and glory’”

Lorenzo Snow

“The mission life is crazy!  We wake up every morning at 6:30, exercise and prepare for the day until 8:00.  From 8-11 we are studying and planning.  It basically feels like school.  It’s super frustrating though because we spend an hour and half the previous night coming up with a plan for the next day, then part of our morning we focus on what we are going to share with each individual.  So we’ve spent almost 2 hours planning for a day, then to have half of our lessons cancel!!!! It’s so frustrating.  But, it’s alright, I guess.  It is what it is.”

“Our area has struggled in the past.  A missionary that disobeyed the rules was here previously and that has caused our investigators to expect missionaries to just come over and chill or hang out.  We have been able to turn it around though.  Right now we have 2 investigators set with a baptismal date!! But, just because they have a date set, doesn’t mean it’s finalized and in stone.”

“Mom, it feels like it was just yesterday that I was skipping ceramics in school to bring you a Subway!! Hahaha.  I wouldn’t trade that memory for the world.”

“I wish I had the time to write to you guys more often!  Missionary work is hard and it’s non-stop.  It’s definitely hard work and very different for me.  But I’m lucky to have been blessed with an amazing family to prepare me.  I can’t imagine coming out here without your support and help.  Please, keep the letters coming!!!”

“I've exercised everyday on my mission and am loving it. I actually feel like I'm in okay shape. I was worried about it before I left, but I haven't lost too much muscle mass (thank heaven for the weight room in our complex.) just 5 pounds off my bench, clean, and squat, which isn't bad for 30 mins of exercise daily. My companion likes to run, so we made a compromise we will run one day of the week and lift for the other 5! We are up to running almost 2 miles in the morning! (Thanks to my iPod with a built in pedometer I can count the steps!)  I've never been able to do that in my life! Blessings of a mission right?

“Being on a mission is hard. I'm not going to lie, but then I think about all the life lessons I'm learning, and the ways I am learning to become a better grandson, son, and brother is one of the reasons being out here is well worth it!”

Brock and Elder Husbands, another missionary that's becoming one of Brock's good friends.  He was the captain of the hockey team at Timpview High School

 

Playing volleyball on P-Day

August 18th-Brock is already 1/12th of the way through his mission! (pictures included)

Friends and Family,

It's been another great week here on my mission! The first couple of weeks I was here, the days felt like months! They felt like some of the longest days of my life. Now, the days are flying by. Time is moving so quickly, it's scary!

We are seeing miracles everyday here! It's pretty crazy! It's funny how things have been working on my mission. It seems like each day there is a low point, then right after we have a struggle, we see a miracle happen! For example, we met with an investigator who is struggling big time with keeping some of his commitments, and he isn't quite ready to make the change he needs to! It's frustrating for us missionaries to see because we are doing all that we can for him, but there is only so much we can do at the same time. We walked out of his house feeling helpless, discouraged, and frustrated. About 5 minutes later another one of our investigators called and said she had read the Book of Mormon all night and is almost finished with Jacob! We only gave her the book Monday night, and this was Tuesday when she had called! We met with her again on Thursday and we set up a baptismal

date! What a miracle!

We have an investigator who had been drinking 12 cups of coffee and smoking 10 cigarettes a day. The missionaries have been meeting with him for a long time! About 5 months in total! But he is now down to only 3 cups of coffee and 4 cigarettes! Another miracle! He's making a lot of progress which is fun to see!

I've talked a lot about the positives of being on a mission and the blessings I'm seeing, but being a missionary isn't always easy! There are definitely things That are challenging for me! Before I left I didn't really know what to expect for my day to day routine, and I wish I would have prepared better for it that way! I never was a big

fan of studying and preparing (other then for football) but that's most of missionary work! We spend 4 hours a day preparing lessons, reading scriptures, studying Preach My Gospel, and planning! I wasn't really used to that. I'm definitely struggling with it, and am bored out of my mind sometimes, but I am starting to enjoy it more. The rejection and blown off lessons can get into your head a little bit. It's disappointing for sure and easy to get discouraged, if you don't have the optimistic attitude!

 "20 seconds of insane courage" Elder Waller, our Zone Leader sharedthat quote at District Meeting and I'm pretty sure he said it was from the movie "We Bought A Zoo." But that's not important right now. At first I was like "man, that's kind of a cheesy quote"  but when I started to think about how applicable that is for missionaries it was fantastic! If we have the courage to talk to everyone we see, we will continue to see everyday miracles.

So we made history here in the Palm Bay First Ward on Sunday! Our bishop was prompted 2 weeks ago to hold a sacrament meeting down in Barefoot Bay. Barefoot Bay is the 2nd largest trailer park community in the United States and it is the very furthest south part of our area. There are about 25 members that live there, and are unable to make it to the church which is 30 miles away because of gas and financial reasons. I sent a picture of Barefoot Bay on the bottom of this email! It's insane! There are so many Rednecks that live there it's ridiculous! However, it is right along the coast of the Indian River, which makes it beautiful at the same time. I'm not saying rednecks aren't beautiful.... but.....hahaha. There were only 13 members that attended! It was great. I blessed the sacrament, Elder Willard passed it, the Bishop gave a talk, and we gave a Sunday school lesson! It was a cool experience holding Sacrament Meeting just a little bit different then normally. We weren't in a church, with a pulpit, and 100 members were there. Instead, we were in a community center meeting room, 13 people, and it only lasted an hour and a half! With all of the differences, the meeting was still the same spiritually. The spirit was there and that's what is important!

I'm still loving my mission and having a great time. I learn something new everyday, and I'm hoping and praying that I remember it all. I hope all is well at home and everyone had a great summer! Thanks for all of the emails and replies I've been getting! I couldn't thank each of you enough for the support I received prior to my mission! 

Much love,

Elder Doman

Ps, I've been biking a lot and remembered a "punny" joke

Q: why did the bike fall over

A: because it was "two tired"

Da dum Tis.... (Shout out to my sister Brittany)

This is a little of what he wrote to his family this week:

“At times I feel like I wish I could stay out here on my mission, and at times I feel like the day is never going to pass. It really just depends. When I think about the time and how much I have left... It definitely feels doable, and I feel like it will come quickly. But when I really start to think about how long 2 years is and how much everything is going to change, it feels like ill never get off my mission. When I think of it as 2 NBA seasons and the first one hasn't even started yet, it seems rough! But when I look back two years ago and realize it was then when we went up to Syracuse for the first game of our season, it feels like yesterday. So it really just depends, but when it comes down to it, it's going to be a long time.”

“How's everyone doing? This week has been a good one, and we are starting to see a lot of success! One thing I'm really missing is the family feeling! It's been hard for me to spend 24 hours of the day with someone I'm not used to! I'm working through it and it's getting easier. I just wanted to let you know I'm grateful for the examples you've set for me! Talking with these people here in Palm Bay, most of them don't have any contact with their family and it's really sad! I can't imagine what it would be like! It's so clear to see the differences in people that have had a strong connection and do still continue to have a good relationship with their families, opposed to those who do not.  Luckily, I've been blessed with such a great family that has taught me so much and helped me prepared to be here today! I love each and every one of you guys! Thanks for preparing me to be here today.”

This was a selfie he took when he was emailing Britt last week, they got to chat through email for a few minutes! I was jealous

We've all agreed that he looks skinny!  I bet he's lost about 20 pounds.

He's so impressed with his art work!

Always being funny!

Brock said that there are always beautiful sunsets in Florida!

August 11th- Top 10 funny moments last week!

8/11/14

Friends and Family,

How's everybody doing?? It's been a great week here in the "Sunshine

State!" I want to apologize for my last email! I looked it over and I

made it sound like it was a long week and I was depressed or

something! That's definitely not how it is! I'm loving life and having

he time of my life! I'm learning a ton and am having a great time!

This week, we have had the opportunity to do a lot of service! Which

was good! I always just feel better after doing some type of service!

Whether it's helping someone move, or just being there and letting

someone talk to you about there problems! There are many different

ways to help others. I love it!

So on Tuesday we had a Zone Conference and our Zone Leaders challenged

us to get out of our "Comfort Zone" and step into the "Miracle Zone"

such a great idea! Not only do we broaden our comfort zone, but we are

able to contact more people and invite them to receive the Gospel.

This was definitely an inspired invitation given to the Cocoa Zone

here in Orlando, Florida! The amount of people we contacted doubled

the amount of the last two weeks! It was incredible! What a miracle!

This week we took the challenge and tried our best to get out of our

comfort zone and talk to everyone! Doing this made us laugh, be

embarrassed, and have a good time! There is one experience where I was

in one of the most awkward situations I've ever been in... We were

driving home from Zone Conference and we are stopped at a red light. I

look over to my right and see that there is like an 80 year old lady

driving a huge truck (that's bad news already) but to make it worse,

me and her happen to make that weird eye contact that nobody likes. I

looked away, and about 5 seconds later my window starts to roll down.

Elder Willard, my companion had rolled the window down and now the

lady next to us had as well wondering what I wanted. I just started

laughing way hard and could hardly say anything because it was so

awkward! She then started to swear at me because she thought I was

laughing at her and she was getting way mad! I finally gathered myself

and was about to explain myself but then the light then turned green

and she sped away! Maybe you just had to be there, but it was making

us all laugh for the rest of the day.

On Thursday night I fell out of my bed, so that's always fun.

We went on exchanges Wednesday! For those who don't know what an

exchange is, it is when there are two companionships working in two

different wards but in the same Stake. We swap companions and spend 24

with them! I went with Elder Husbands and we got along great! We

connected well and had a lot to talk about! Anyway, we were eating

dinner at his apartment when the door bell rang. We went to go see who

it was and it was an older man selling vacuums. He wasn't dressed up,

just in jeans and ant shirt. We told him no thanks and just as he was

headed back to his car the Police showed up! We were like "ohhhh man

what's going on! This was one the most exciting things we've seen in

the past two months!" Well nothing too crazy happened. It ends up the

lady next door had called the police because she felt threatened and

didn't think he was really there to sell a vacuum! he did have a

license and so nothing could have happened! It was just something I

thought was kinda weird!

It's been almost 2 months, time is flying by! I now feel somewhat

confident and comfortable when we're teaching. Some of this is because

I'm getting more experienced and  I'm starting to understand how the

lesson flows, but to the biggest reason I'm starting to feel this way

is because I've put my trust in The Lord. I had to swallow my pride

and humble myself to ask for help. The thought kept creeping into my

head saying "you'll be okay, you are still new to this whole mission

thing. You can do this on your own" But the second I turned to The

Lord for help, everything changed. I was happier, smarter, and just

felt better about how everything was going! It's amazing to see what

happens when you turn to Heavenly Father and ask for help. He's

waiting and wanting to bless us!

We are seeing success come to those who we are teaching. It's exciting

to see people progress and change! However, It's frustrating when you

have a great lesson and the spirit is so strong when you are there and

you leave them with a commitment or an invitation (read, pray, etc...)

and they don't follow through with it! It kills me every time! I guess

I just need to work on my patience or something.

I love reading the responses to these emails and hearing how things

are going! You can also write me a letter! Just get in contact with

someone in my family or one of my close friends for the address! If

you have any suggestions of what you would like to hear about more in

these emails, just let me know! I hope everybody is doing okay! I miss

seeing all of you around, but I'm where I'm supposed to be! Much Love,

Elder Doman

Alma 29:9

"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do

not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded

me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in

the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my

joy."

Here are some things from his letters home this week:

Top 10 funny moments:

1.  Elder Willard tried to get on his bike and ripped a giant hole in the butt of his pants.

2.  I fell out of bed

3.  I tried cooking rice and screwed it up majorly

4.  There is a toy camel at our apartment and I keep putting it all around the house in funny places.

5.  I tried to learn to play the piano

6.  I can’t play the piano

7.  We were at Subway and the worker gave us her number.  We didn’t ask, and we had no idea what to do, so we just sat there very awkwardly eating the sandwich she made us. 

8.  Whenever we are at a stoplight, I reach over to the car and wave, making it super awkward for Elder Willard.

9.  I eat 18 eggs each week.

10.  Elder Willard fell over on his bike just waiting for the light to change. I couldn’t stop laughing.

“I have the hardest time thinking about football.  You have no idea how much I miss it.  Yesterday we were biking and I heard Palm Bay High’s football team practicing and I started crying…..pathetic right?  I miss training, the water tower, and being in Rice Eccles living my “dream” and winning the state title.  I’m very emotional about it.  I mean I spent my entire life training for that one special moment and feeling.  Man, I love and miss it! Whether it’s pre-game speeches, the captain role, being out there with my brothers, or the feeling you get when you feel like you’re a part of something.  IT’s probably all of it, and I just miss it like crazy.  I can’t wait to suit up again!”

“I’m training so hard every morning.  I’m still losing weight too.  I probably need to take my pants to get tailored because they are getting too big to wear!”

“I’m totally jealous of Jersey Boys!  Sounds like some fun.  And the cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory…….don’t even get me started.  My mouth was watering for a good 5 minutes after I saw that!  This week one of our members in the ward is taking us to Golden Corral!  They aren’t ready for me! Hahaha   I’m going to go so hard there J

“I love giving blessings!  Your blessing [he gave me one the night before he left] has been one that I will never forget.  It’s amazing how it works.  I have been able to give 8 blessings already.  Crazy, right???  It’s the coolest things to do.  I mean, you don’t know anything about the person you are giving the blessing to.  You go into it with a clear head and have no idea what to say then.  As soon as you start, it’s like you don’t even really comprehend what you’re saying.  Ahhh, I love it.  It’s so hard to explain!  All I know is that the spirit is always there.  It’s such an amazing thing to do!

“I don’t’ really know what else to say other than the fact that I am happy.  I am loving my mission right now.  I have a feeling that I’ve never felt before.  It’s just a constant happiness.  Our investigators aren’t progressing very well, so that’s frustrating; But, “line upon line, precept upon precept.”  They will understand just how great this gospel is.”