August 4th, 2014- So, I did take a foods class my sophomore year, but like any other boy in that class, I only took it to eat.

Friends and Family!

Sorry about he email earlier today!  We were at the library and it closed right after we just got there! So now I'll type of the weekly email! I hope you got the pictures!

Well, I had a roller-coaster type of week! Very high “ups,” and very low “downs.”  The beginning of the week was rough. I really miss you all, and reading your awesome e-mails last Monday only made me miss you all more! But please, keep sending me them! I love hearing how everything is going! It was hard for me to make the decision to serve a mission because Heavenly Father has blessed me with so much! I had a lot of things going my way. I had the opportunity to play football at an

excellent college, friendships were becoming stronger, and my family was so incredible. This list can go on and on. I am so grateful to have been blessed with so much! Last Monday night after P-day, I was very selfish and my mind was focused on what was going on back at home. It wasn't good! I needed to get my mind back here on the

Florida, Orlando Mission. I was very focused on myself and that isn't how it should be on a mission! It should be the opposite!

Tuesday morning we had personal study time and I wanted to read something that would change my mindset, and bring it back where It needed to be! I was looking through the most recent general conference talks and came across the one by President Monson. It was called "Love- the Essence of the Gospel" in that talk, he quoted a poem, and the poem states,

"I have wept in the night,

For the shortness of sight,

That to somebody's need made me blind;

But I never have yet,

Felt a tinge of regret

For being a little to kind"

I took this and applied it to my mission. I need to do all I can to serve the people here in Orlando, Florida. It totally helped me! I was able to focus back on what is important and change the way I went about doing missionary work. I shouldn't be looking to teach a lesson, or baptize people. I need to be looking for opportunities I have to serve others. Doing this, the other aspects of missionary work will come!

Once I had that attitude, everything started to get better! We came in contact with so many people and offered just random acts of kindness!

The spirit was so strong and it just left a good feeling if nothing else.

On Saturday afternoon, we received a call from our investigator that had a baptism scheduled for Sunday. She sounded very upset and told us

she had a slip up and did something that would make it so she couldn't be baptized the following day. She then started to question if the church was for her. Elder Willard and I were able to talk to her and set up a time to meet with her on Tuesday, so we are hoping things go well. When we first heard this news, we were upset and disappointed,

but there was nothing we could have done as missionaries. We then got back into the attitude of "let's go and serve more people!" It helped us

so much!

I've got to go, but I hope you all have an amazing week! Serve those around you! It will not only make them happy, but it will make you happy too!

Funny story: my wonderful grandma sent me a package full of food and ties. Everything a missionary needs! She put in the recipe to cook

"Hawaiian Haystacks," for those that don't know what that is, all you need to know is that it requires rice. So, yes, I did take a foods class my sophomore year, but like any other boy in that class, we only took that course to eat. I forgot that rice TRIPLES in size when it's cooked. Man.... We now have a lot of rice. So much that I don't think I'll need to cook rice again for the next month or so!

I hope everyone has a good week! If you can send me some funny jokes, or creative knocks to do on doors I'd love it! Have a good one!

Much love,

Elder Doman

Scripture of the week:

Matthew 14:28

A few things from his letter to me this week:

I'm so stoked about Luke [Brock's 9-year-old cousin that just signed up for his first year of football] and his football.  He's going to love it!  He just needs to know that his pads will protect him no matter what, he'll be safe.  They just have to go run into people hahahaha.  I'm so excited he wants to be #77!  I hope he gets too, I would love that!

I love the scripture Mark 5:36.  It's so great.  Look it up and tell me what you think.  You should also read Matthew 14:28.

So Tuesday night we wing to a dinner with a family.  We were talking about St. George and how I'm from there.  They visited St. George in the middle of June to see family.  So we started talking and I asked them what they did while they were there.  The said they went to Tuacahn to see The Wizard of Oz.  Then I started thinking, wait……The middle of June, Wizard of Oz, and Tuacahn.  I remembered that I went on a date to the Wizard of Oz in the middle of June.  I asked what day they went, and they said it was Friday the 13th, the same day I was there!!!  Crazy right?  They sat on the front row, so we definitely didn't sit by them, but small world right?  I thought that was like the craziest thing I've heard in almost 2 months!

This week was a long one for sure.  But Mom, life is hard and always will be.  But if we realize how much we've been blessed with and how much our Heavenly Father loves us, it will never feel like we can't handle it.

The pictures are from a district P-day today.  They got to go to the beach, Brock said he had a blast.  I think he looks tan and fit!  The beach looks beautiful.

The pictures are from a district P-day today.  They got to go to the beach, Brock said he had a blast.  I think he looks tan and fit!  The beach looks beautiful.