Ward Trunk or Treat and eating Mayo!

Friends and Family, How in the world is this weekend already Halloween!? It's getting to be really nice down here in Eustis, and I'm beginning to really love it here. There are some awesome members, investigators, and all sorts of God fearing people here. As I've worked with the Cowboys, rednecks, and all different walks of life in this area I've learned so much about how to talk with all kinds of people. We were able to find some more people to teach, which is always helpful! It's been fun to work with some new missionaries I've never met these past 3 weeks, and get to know some life long buddies. Our investigator Hunter Mallory passed his Baptismal Interview this week, and is all set and ready to go for his baptism this Friday! Him and his family are some of the funniest people I've met on my mission. They bore some solid testimony of how the gospel has changed their life over these past two years. Hunter and his wife Lindsey have moved in together, got married, and now are in the process of getting baptized this upcoming weekend, because they know that this church and the principles taught in it are true. The lesson in Gospel Principles this week was on the Law of Chastity, and it was pretty awesome to hear how this one commandment has changed their entire life for the better, and has brought their family closer than ever as they bore testimony of it in front of the class. This week was the Ward Halloween "Trunk or Treat" and it was a blast! It was a great opportunity for me to really get to know the members. Elder Stewart dressed up as twins! (See pic below) there were a ton of great costumes and I really love the Ward I'm in now. The picture is with the Dorephler family and they are awesome. They dressed up like the Despicable Me crew and they were hilarious. They definitely won the costume contest. This Ward, believe it or not, is composed of a lot of really fancy, upper class, people with cowboy accents. Most have pretty big homes with barns in the back yard. It's a lifestyle I'm not used to, but I am beginning to kind of like the western life. We have been teaching an investigator named Bob, and he is definitely in the rougher side. He was a part of a biker gang for 33 years of his life and has been out for the last 5. He's what I'd call a "tough guy." He has been looking for a church to change his life ever since then. We've been working with him ever since I arrived in L-Beezy and he's changed so much. He moves to West Virginia tomorrow to move in with his son.  As we said goodbye Sunday, we asked him to bear his testimony to us. As tears filled his eyes, he struggled to even speak. The atonement of Jesus Christ helps all become and reach their full potential. Funny story alert! So I've spoke a little bit about a man named Brother Reising (GM). Let's just say him and his wife "nana" are awesome. My first day here in Eustis, they pranked and joked with me GM and Nana soooo many times!! I didn't know what to believe. I decided this week it was the time to get them back. So at the store on Monday, we got some mini mayo containers and a packet of White Chocolate Pudding. We emptied out the container and filled it in with the pudding. We got to their house and while walking through the door I was eating what looked like a container of straight Mayo! Nana was dying!!! She said "DOMAN! WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU EATING?!? That's sick!" I told her I was on this crazy diet to prepare for football when I get back. She didn't believe me for the longest time. When she eventually she figured it she promised to get back at me. I love this Ward .... Other than the fact that as we show up to Church Sunday morning, we get a text asking us to speak in Sacrament meeting. Pretty nerve racking to be honest!!! We were asked to speak on the Parable of the Prodigal son and Luke chapter 15 in general. I definitely learned to be grateful for the Holy Ghost. I've really learned to love my mission no matter where you are at. The Church and its teaching are the same everywhere and that something to be happy about in itself. I'm grateful for all the support and prayers sent my way. I love and miss you all! Godspeed, - Elder Doman Luke 15:20 " And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him" PS  One more thing!!! If you remember Brandi Litts from Daytona Beach, she was baptized this past weekend! WOOHOO!!!

Starting to love Eustis and the Leesburg Zone!

We found Brock's house on Google maps!!

Friends and family,

Another week here in the books, and my country accent has never been

stronger! This week I've actually really learned to love the Leesburg

Zone. Coming into it this zone last week, I didn't know what to think.

Now that I've been out here, it's actually not too bad! All in all,

I'm a happy missionary, and enjoying this time I have to serve the

Lord. It's been a fun week, so here we go!

 

Brock hanging out with Eustis "Grandpa and Grandma" 

We had a ton of cool miracles this week! We met with our investigator,

Hunter, and his family this week. He was married to a member named

Lindsey the week before I came I to the Ward! It was pretty cool to

see how happy they are when they brought up baptism. Hunter has been

wanting to be baptized for a long time now, and was just waiting to be

married. They have two awesome young daughters named Riley and Regan

(4 years old and 1) and they are the funniest things in the world.

When they talked about the wedding, Riley the 4 year old insisted in

showing us all of the pictures. After dinner, they bought a pumpkin

for us to carve with them. It was fun night and I felt like I was at

home with them! Definitely a cool family! Anyways, Hunter will be

baptized the 30th of October!

We met a less active lady this past week named Wendy! She lives clear

out in the middle of nowhere! We went there Monday night after p-day

and it was a blast. After a long day of basketball, it was nice to

take a long drive in the hills of Umitilla, Fl. She said she has just

been waiting for something to motivate her to gets back to church. She

said us calling her last Friday was just what she needed. When we went

into her home, we saw these two horse looking animals get up off of

the couch. It ends up she just has 2 Great Dane dogs! They were giant.

Anyways, she was at church this Sunday, so that was way cool!

We have an investigator named, Juan and he only speaks Spanish.

Luckily elder Stewart is a Spanish speaking missionary! Here is a

video of him singing. Lol, he's great!

We are really looking to find more people to teach this week! It's

been a longer week, but we are re dedicating ourselves to finding this

week! It's going to be a great week with a lot of fun experiences.

Luckily, the I weather is cooling off and will feel great this week!

Thanks so much for the support, and prayers sent my way!

With love,

-Elder Doman

Hanging out in Eustis, Florida with Elder Stewart!

Brock had a really hard time saying goodbye to his friends in Daytona, he's really going to miss it there.  His new area is completely different, it's going to take some adapting, but I think he'll be okay.

Here's some pictures of his last day with Daytona "Grandpa."  They were really close.  Not only will Brock miss his trips to Costco and his dinners at the Daytona overlook with Grandpa, he'll also miss just hanging out with him.

Friends and Family!

Hello... Leesburger Zone!!!!! (It's actually just Leesburg) but it

will be my new home for the next little bit! I'm in the Eustis

(you-stis) Ward, and it's in the middle of no where... It kind of

reminds me of the gap between Filmore and beaver Utah. Pretty empty!

The city of Eustis itself is pretty classy, but other than that, I'll

"cowboy up" and enjoy my time out here! My new companion is Elder

Stewart. This is his last transfer in the mission, and he is from

Cedar City, Utah. He's a great elder and I'm excited to work with him.

Crazy story alert... So Elder Stewart served in the Eustis Ward 6

weeks ago, he then got transferred and a new elder came in. This past

transfer, one of the previous elders serving in the Ward finished up

his mission, and the other one needed to be transferred! So when we

both came in to the area this week, neither of us have been here for

the past 6 weeks, and we were not totally sure of what is going on.

It's pretty intense!

It was really tough to say goodbye to Daytona Beach and all of the

missionaries out in DeLand. I love that place!! It was hard to leave

and say goodbye to my new friend Elder Crismon. I really learned to

love him and will be good friends for a long time!!

But.... On to new and different things!!! This week has been all over

the place! We started off on Tuesday after transfer meeting finding

out where everything was and what has been going on in the Zone. There

is a member named Brother Reising and he is kind of like "Grandpa" in

Daytona Beach. He comes out with us a lot, and always offers his help

for us. GREAT GUY! (See pictures below)

Brock, Elder Steward, and Brother Reising-the Eusis Grandpa

Wednesday we got all settled in. We met some members of the Ward, and

some of our investigators and less actives. There is this funny guy

named Eddie played football for Wisconsin. Let's just say we get a

long great. If you've ever seen the show "the green mile" he looks

just like that guy. HE IS GIANT!!

We also met a couple who has planned to get married the last week in

November then to be followed up with baptism!! Wahoo!! They are

awesome.

Thursday we had a ZTM. Let tell ya that planning a big meeting like

that in just a day was very stressful. Working with a new companion, a

new zone, and new places was definitely a struggle. I've decided it's

10x harder to be transferred once you have responsibilities over a

zone. ZTM went really well though! It was about always finding, and

how there are many different ways to find. This is like my favorite

topic! Preach My Gospel says... "Nothing happens in missionary work

until we find people to teach!" And I couldn't agree more!

Friday we went and did some service for a lady named sister Santana.

She's from the Islands! She is the craziest lady I've ever met. She

Sister Santana

says some of the funnies things in the world. We were helping her cut

down the branches of her trees using her "lucky machete" hahah we were

loving it. We were super sweaty and hot, but she rewarded us with some

Ichiban!! And I love Ichiban. We had a meeting right after we were

finished up with lunch, and our plan was to go and help cut down her

plants and clean up her backyard and just not get too sweaty... Yeah

it didn't really work out. We somehow forgot that Florida is like a

sauna and we sweat to death! I felt like a furry mouse running around

in a wool sock! We were just really sweaty during our meeting to say

the least.

The rest of the week consisted with, Elder Stewart and I saving a

turtle crossing the middle of the street, fixing a ladies chicken

coop, and good laughs out here in the middle of no where! Thanks so

much for all the letters and emails! I love and miss you guys! I know

I'm where I need to be right now because I feel so close to my savior

Jesus Christ. I joke around a lot, but all in all, my testimony has

never been stronger. I'm learning how to love and appreciate the small

and simple things in life. I'm living simply so others can simply

live. Hope everyone has a great week!!

With Love,

-Elder Doman

"If for awhile the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart.

So it has been with the best people who ever lived."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Joke of the week:

Q: why did the chicken go to church?

A: to get to the other side!