December 6, 2010

Hey y'all!

    

     I don't know about any of you but my week was FULL. Lots of exciting things are happening in the work here in Longview. Our top investigator Mo has a baptismal date set. Her date is Dec. 25th! She is absolutely on fire and I'm so excited for her it's ridiculous. We are looking to set another baptismal date this Wed with John. So things are rolling right along. The transfer is almost over and a sense of urgency has taken Elder McNinch and I. Neither of us are ready to leave the area and we are hoping and praying that we are both left here.

     Yesterday(Sunday, Dec 5) was awesome. The day started out kinda rough but that changed very quickly. Our later of the 2 wards we cover found itself with about 5 investigators at sacrament meeting. Mo brought 3 of her friends with her to church and John was also there. Elder McNinch and I both took the opportunity to bear our testimonies. Afterward, Mo surprised us and decided to bear her testimony as well. It was really cool to see her eyes light up as she shared her newly found testimony of the restored gospel. Her enthusiasm is inspirational. It's incredible how the Lord has provided a way for her to overcome the obstacles in her life in such a short time.

     After Church we introduced Mo to the singles group and had dinner with them. Afterward we all watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. Mo and her friend both felt the spirit strongly and they absolutely loved it.

     Our wards are finally beginning to get excited about missionary work. Elder McNinch and I have been working very hard to get into the members' homes to share messages of encouragement and to help the members work out their concerns with sharing the Gospel. We've been handing out copies of the Book of Mormon to each of the Quorums and auxiliaries each week for someone to write their testimony in and hand out to a friend or loved one. One of the brethren spoke to us this week about how grateful he was for the opportunity we gave him and for holding him accountable. The friend he gave it to promised to read the Book of Mormon before Christmas and the brother said he seems very excited to learn more. I'll keep you updated as we have the opportunity to meet and hopefully teach the gentleman.

     I love being a missionary! It never ceases to amaze me how wonderful a blessing it is to have the Lord constantly guiding your every word and action. I pray constantly to be better able to be an instrument in the Lord's hands so that I can hopefully have some small part in blessing His children. I find myself more and more loving everyone I meet before I meet them. The message we share is amazing and every day is exciting. I wish the time would slow down a little but I'm doing my best to take nothing for granted.

     Thank you all so much for all you do. Your thoughts and prayers in my behalf mean more to me than you may know. I feel your love and a strength that comes from your support and faith every day. I love you all very much and pray for your continued happiness and success as you exercise your agency righteously. Until next time; be good, stay safe, and keep the faith!

Love,

Elder Michael P. Lyman

   Texas Dallas Mission