"Our soul food Thanskgiving + 2 other dinners!"

Friends and Family,

Another up tempo week here in no mans land a.k.a. Useless a.k.a.
Eustis!! A lot of missionaries don't really like it in this area, but
I'm really enjoying it. We had a "stuffed" week full of fun. Hopefully
everyone had a great Thanksgiving and was able to enjoy the time spent
with families. Holidays are pretty rough on a mission, but I guess
that's just how the cookie crumbles! We still had a lot of fun in
thanksgiving, and I was grateful to spend it with Elder Chidester. Me
and him are getting along really well and I'm loving this transfer.

Monday we had a lesson with our investigator Sherri. A week prior to
this one, we had an awesome lesson with her and we were planning on
setting a baptismal date on Monday! The results were pretty different
though... She had talked with her husband about possibly joining the
church and I guess things just took a turn for the worse. She still
wants to meet and learn, hoping that things will change. A little bit
discouraging, but I'm coming to find out that it's all a part of the
work. Some prayers sent her way would be great!

On Tuesday I had an Exchange with Elder Pearson! He was a part of the
back to back to back sleepovers a couple weeks ago. Me and him are
good friends now too, and had a lot of success on the exchange! It was
filled with some good service as well. After that, we went to another
one of our investigators who happened to be totally drunk when we
showed up. When he walked out of his house and down the front steps to
the porch he actually ended up falling over! We did all we could to
help the guy, but we were thinking maybe he just needed a Care Bear
and some more sleep or something. That's one thing  I've definitely
learned on my mission, is that the commandments aren't just
restrictions holding us back, but they are safety barriers which are
made to keep us happy and protected! Good day overall!


Wednesday (preparing for the feast) was pretty crazy too! We drove an
hour or so to a District Meeting in Lecanto... This place, honestly is
way out in the boonies. Further out than Eustis! It was a cool drive
and we both realized that we definitely weren't in Utah anymore. There
weren't any mountains, freeways, cars, or much people in that small
town, but it was kind of nice. After the meeting it was one of the
missionaries birthdays in that district, so of course we had to go
grab some lunch. Once we got back to our area, we visited some less
actives, part member families, and other potential investigators until
we had a baptismal interview that night! Doing Baptismal interviews
has to be one of the most spiritual experiences on the mission. I'm
pretty sure that it's impossible to do one and not feel the spirit as
the soon to be member bears their testimony.

Thanksgiving!! TURN UP! Hahaha Thanksgiving was an up and down day. It
started off as one of the best days of my mission! We went out to the
Ward Turkey Bowl in the morning and played some 7 on 7 football for a
little bit. It was a blast playing some football again and being
active! That's one thing I definitely miss. After our legs felt like
jello, we headed back to the home and decided to head out. Our first
Thanksgiving dinner started at 11 Am and boy, it was a lot of food. We
ate with a Less active family so that was pretty cool! Elder Chidester
and I called it our "Soul Food Thanksgiving Dinner" it consisted of
ribs, grilled chicken, fried chicken, watermelon, cornbread, sweet
potato casserole, collard greens, and so on and so forth. I guess we
could just say it was a lot of food and we didn't think about having
to eat more meals throughout the day. We were already full to the
brim... After that meal, we had some downtime where we didn't have
much to do. We headed over to Lake Eustis and walked around trying to
find some people to talk to, but didn't have too much success. We
ended up making a friend with a squirrel after feeding it some bread,
so I guess you can say that was our success for that period of time.
Hahah! we had another Dinner at 4 with a family we didn't really know
much about. It was pretty interesting to eat a big Thanksgiving dinner
with a family we weren't too close to, but we made some good
connections and are good friends now! By the end of the dinner, we
were pretty sure we walked out of the door walking like penguins do
because we were so full. Our bodies dreaded going to into our 3rd and
final dinner appointment for the day. We buckled down and it done
though. Thank heavens that the members we ate with were merciful and
understood that we were full, so they only MADE us eat one plate. All
in all, It was a pretty good day. Definitely missed family and friends
at home, but still a good day.

Friday, Weekly Planning (good thing because we were in a food coma!!)
it took up a big chunk of the day. Later that night the city of Eustis
had an event called "Light Up Eustis" which the Reisings (Nana and GM)
took us to. We walked around all of downtown Eustis looking at the
Christmas lights in the city and checking out the different vendors.

Saturday we had exchanges Pt II for the week! I served with Elder
Thornock from Ogden, UT who is serving in the neighboring Ward
currently. In the afternoon, we were walking around Lake Eustis when
we came across a young dude named Jacob jamming on his guitar in the
park. We sat and talked with him for a little bit and he was really
interested in the Gospel! Hallelujah! He hadn't ever gone to a church,
but thought it would be sweet to go check it out one day. I was blown
away. I figured everyone has been to A church at least ONCE before. He
was busy this week, so he wasn't able to make it out, but he sounded
really promising and we are excited to teach him this week!

Sunday was great. Earlier in the week we got a text from the Relief
Society President asking us and the other Elders in the Ward if we
could teach her class on Sunday. We said yes and thought it would be
no big deal. About a minute later, we get a reply from her, telling us
we can teach on whatever subject we wanted, but she insisted on us
singing "Called to Serve" at the end of the lesson. Our hearts both
dropped. For anyone that knows me, I'm definitely not the next Michael
Buble or Frank Sinatra. We said that we would and "couldn't wait for
the opportunity to sing." We were hoping she caught on to our sarcasm.
The lesson went great throughout the hour. The Spirit was there and
and all was going well. Meanwhile, all 4 of us were shaking in our
boots because we knew we had to sing at the end of this thing.
Anyways, we stuck to our word and sang our little hearts out to the
Eustis Relief Society. I'll close the story in the Relief Society
Presidents final words in the meeting. "Now it doesn't matter if the
Elders sang good or not, the only thing that matters is that we felt
the missionary spirit." :)

Well, believe it or not November is all finished up, and this has felt
like the fastest month the of my entire mission. I don't know how it
happened, but it came and left before I realized it was here. Thanks
again for or all of the thoughts and prayers sent my way. I can't tell
you how much it's appreciated. I know I'm out here for a reason and
there is a purpose behind everything. I no longer believe in just
coincidence or chances, because I've seen too many perfect things
happen at the perfect timing for me or these people we are teaching.
I'm grateful for this opportunity I have to serve!

Much Love,
Elder Doman

D&C 101:36

Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.

Elder Chidester is a stud!

Brock and Elder Husbands

Artie's wedding

Friends and Family,

This has been an awesome week here in Eustis! Some how, Thanksgiving
is already here. Thinking back a whole year ago, when I was with Elder
Potter for Thanksgiving totally blows my mind. Its been a quick year!
Well, there have been some big changes this week, but definitely good
ones. My new companion is great, our area is doing better, and I'm
loving life. I don't have too much time today, but I'll share the top
stories of the week!

1 - As always, I was nervous headed into Transfer Meeting. Elder
Stewart has now been in Cedar City for almost a week. That's pretty
weird to think! Anyways, my new companion, Elder Chidester! This kid
is awesome. He's from Cedar Hills, Utah and we get along great. We are
just about the same person and have the same interests! He played
football at Lone Peak, and is just a stud. I'm really looking forward
to this transfer!!

2- Our investigator Artie got married this weekend! Woohoo!! He
married a returning member to the church and he is now even happier.
He's one big, jolly man and is one of the funniest people I know. Now
that he's married, he can continue moving forward and set a baptismal
date this week. They have 2 teenagers who are also returning to the
church with them. It's pretty cool to play just a small part in this
big time during their lives! Elder Chidester and were talking after
the wedding about how much this Gospel changes individuals and
families. With Artie and his wife faith, they said 2 years ago, they
never would have thought they'd be married in the church. It's
definitely brought them and their families closer together. I've
learned that this gospel truly is for everyone, no matter what their
circumstance is.

3- We have been working with a less active member named Joe for the
last few weeks, and he's one of the most humble guys I know. Every
time we stop by, he wants to learn so much about the life of Jesus
Christ and specifically the Atonement. Joe is a cool example because
of how much love he has for the Savior. He's been attending church the
past couple of weeks, and has just been taking off! He called us a
couple days ago and just told us how grateful he was for us.
Definitely a cool night!

4- We are working with a lady with named Sherri, and she is making a
ton of progress! We met with her this week and had one if the best
lessons of my mission. The spirit was so strong there and we extended
a baptismal invitation. She was really worried when we first started
teaching her for the moment when we invited her, but we felt like it
was time to do it. She accepted the baptismal invite, and couldn't
deny the spirit it the room.

Sorry about the shorter email, we are really busy today! It was 45
degrees this morning, and I feel like a camel taking a dip into the
Arctic Ocean! It's definitely a change, and will open up our lungs in
this crisp weather! I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! I'll be
thinking and praying for each of you! Holidays are always tough on the
mission, but I know without I'm where I need to be, and where Heavenly
Father wants me to be. I'm grateful for those who continue to support
me, and are walking with me step by step in this journey! Have a great
turkey day!

Much Love,

- Elder Doman

John 14:18

I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

Hangin' out with the Lecanto missionaries and Elder Stewart is going home!

Friends and Family,

Hello again!! Well let me tell ya, this week has been one of the
craziest weeks of my mission here in Orlando this far. We had a lot of
random things happen this week that I can't wait to tell you about.
First, it's time to say goodbye to my companion Elder Stewart! He is
headed back to Cedar City tomorrow afternoon. I've learned a lot from
him, and made a new friend. Well, tomorrow is our transfer meeting,
and like always the anxiety level is high. I’m happy about staying out
here in Eustis for at least the next 6 weeks with a new companion!

So Tuesday we had our Zone Conference! It was a good day, but also a
really long one! We arrived at the chapel in Lake Mary at 6:30AM and
left the chapel at 4:30PM. It was long and exhausting, but I learned a
lot about what I can do personally to improve and get better daily as
a missionary. A lot of the trainings were on the topic of prayer, and
inviting the spirit into our teaching. I know I overlook this a lot as
a missionary, so it was nice to receive some further instruction on
this topic! It was also pretty fun to catch up with some good buddies
of mine there (Elder Crismon, Pututau, Johnson, the list goes on and
on!) it was a fun day! The big news is our mission got a new device
placed in all of their cars called "tiwis" that track the drivers
speed, rpm, and acceleration while turning. It's a little black box
that sits inside the windshield of the car. Overall, it's kind of
annoying, but it does keep us safer. After Zone Conference we started
an exchange with the Elders in Lecanto, Elders Pearson, Gubler, and
Lechimenat. Elder Gubler and Pearson came with me to Eustis and spent
the next day with me! These guys are hilarious!! Elder Gubler is from
Hurricane, UT so we had a lot of fun catching up on old times and
finding mutual friends. We headed straight to our dinner with Hunter
and his family after Zone Conference, and they are doing great! They
couldn't be happier about how their life is going. It's always a sigh
of relief to participate in a baptism and then witness them being
strong and active in the church!

Wednesday we continued our exchange with a solid start by doing some
service for Sister Santana, the lady with the Jungle in her back yard!
We planted a few trees, got scared by a giant snake, and then helped
reorganize their backyard. It was all worth it by the feeling we had
after.... We walked out of Ichiban with full stomachs :) We then we to
our investigator Jerry's and had an awesome lesson. He was really
interested in why we are on a mission, and what is our drive behind it
all. Jerry was saying that he really felt the spirit, and it sparked
his desire to learn more!

Thursday we were way busy! With most of Tuesday's time taken up with
Zone Conference, we were going from place to place all day. One of the
highlights of our day was honestly a pretty sad lesson. We were
meeting with a less active family who has been going through a lot
lately, and overall just kind of falling apart. Only the mom was home,
so we sat out on her front porch. When we finished the opening prayer,
the mom was already crying. She just fell apart and started breaking
down... She explained that she knows her kids haven't been making the
best decisions, but they just don't care to listen to her. She's had a
divorce a few years ago, and just feels like the world has been
against her. It definitely hit Elder Stewart and I pretty hard and we
genuinely cared about her, and this family. It's a unique experience and
kid of a weird opportunity we have to meet with others we hardly know
and have them be so open and honest with us. Sometimes it puts us in
some weird and uncomfortable situations, but I love this call to serve
and this chance to grow. We shared a couple of scriptures and really
did all that we could to help her. We're excited to go back this week
and see how things are going!
Thursday night those same Lecanto Elders came down for a sleep over
because Elder Stewart and Elder Lechimenat had their departing Temple
trip Friday morning. Lecanto is 2 1/2 ours away from the temple, so
that would have been an even earlier morning. Luckily, those guys were
able to spend the night so it was only a 1 hour drive the following
morning!

Friday, another day with Elder Gubler and Elder Pearson! We did a lot
of service in the morning, and gave a couple of blessings at the
hospital. At about 4 in the afternoon, we got a call from our
companions at the Temple, saying they had to pick up a new car to take
out to a companionship in the Zone. All was fine and well until they
pulled into our driveway with the new car. We then get a call from the
Mission Vehicle Coordinator telling us that the car is no longer
needed, and we need to drive it back to Orlando that night. So we
loaded up the car and drove it down to Orlando! The Lecanto Elders
followed us so they could take us back afterwards. The vehicle
coordinator was awesome and decided to take us all out to dinner when
we arrived in Orlando, after a somewhat frustrating day. On the way
back we had a full car with 3 bigger Elders in the backseat of a Chevy
Cruze. It was quite the drive back to say the least. When we got back
out to Eustis it was 10:20 and there was no way those Elders could
drive an hour and a half back to Lecanto that night, sooo President
Berry approved for another sleep over! 3 in one week! New record. It
was a great time, and those guys will be life long friends!

Saturday was another service filled day. We started by going back up
too the chicken coop and hanging up fishing line across the top so
Hawks and Eagles can't swoop down and pick them up. (We got to hold a
chicken, so that was pretty awesome.) We pulled out the famous "Do
chickens have large talons" quote from Napoleon Dynamite and
unfortunately it went right over the members head! After the chicken
coop, we went to a single mothers home and helped dig big holes around
their trees and under the roots so they can have someone come and pull
out all of the trees! This was a new service project and was actually
pretty fun.

After cleaning up from service, we tried to go and visit the member
named brother BONECUTTER!!!! How cool of a name is that? Yes, it's
actually his name too! His name goes along with a pretty intense story
too. It was pitch black when we were looking for his home, and we
finally think we found it after about 5 minutes of searching. We
started walking up to the door on the drive way, when we slowly hear
some big dog paws pounding against the cement coming our way. It was
scary enough, then we hear a deep, angry growl... We were both sure we
were going to get our legs bitten off, so we just stand there, hoping
it doesn't charge. When the dog finally comes out of the shadows after
what seemed like hours. We finally see that it is a big, buff,
red-nosed Pitt Bull that doesn't look to happy. If we ran, we probably
would have been obliterated by this beast. The thought came to mind to
just pretend like you are a member in the home and just be friendly
and playful to this dog! We were basically out of options and ideas,
so I decide to make some kissy sounds and call the dog over! Thank the
Heavens this dog was nice!!! It came over and couldn't be more excited
to see us. We walk up to the door, have a lesson with Brother
Bonecutter and make it out alive!

Sunday we had a great day at church then started saying goodbyes to
some of the families in the Ward Elder Stewart really liked. Sunday
night was a cool experience! Two famous and professional musicians,
Vanessa Joy and Marvin Goldstein were in Orlando and offered to do a
special musical number for all of the missionaries, investigators and
Recent Converts in the F.O.M! It was way sweet. To save the mission
car miles, we had to double up with some elders in the Zone for the
drive there. so once again, we drove to Orlando with the Lecanto
Elders! The Concert was awesome, and the spirit was definitely there.
One of my favorite people I've met out here is Rick Roman! I taught

him while I was in Winter Park and I love that guy! It was awesome to
see him there and catch up for a little bit! It was also fun to see
every single missionary in the mission and have a chance to catch up
with them again. I feel like I've made so many friends out here. I
feel like I've known some of these guys forever and we are best
friends. The mission is awesome!

I'm grateful for this chance I have to serve a mission. It's
definitely stressful, hard, and exhausting, but this call to serve is
priceless. I'm grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers sent to
the mission!! I love and miss you guys, and hope for the best.

Godspeed,

Elder Doman

Luke 9:23
"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."