Sunday, December 30, 2012

12/24/12 That was fast!!


Just so you don't worry about it, I sent Dad all the details about skype and what not. It should work out.
 
This week went by extremely fast! I can't believe that it's already Christmas tomorrow! Super weird. This week was pretty difficult to set up times to meet with people because the holidays were quickly approaching. But we did manage to meet with the old couple we tracted into this summer. They were doing well, but super busy. We taught the Restoration. It was a good lesson, but they were a little overwhelmed. We might be able to meet with them again in January, but they might be busy.
 
We were also able to meet with Ashley and Peter again. But I was exhausted because we went and helped Bro Regnier out in Radville again that same day. And I also have a cold, but it was still a pretty good lesson. We mostly just talked about the purpose of scripture study and prayer. It was good.
 
It was a slow week as far as lessons go. But we were able to contact a ton of missing investigators because they were actually home. That was a plus side of the holidays. Another plus is that in general everyone that we talked to was nicer, but for the most part, the answer we got from everyone was to try back in the new year. So not very productive.
 
Yesterday, we went out carolling with the Regnier's. It was really fun. We started out at the old folks' home because Sister Regnier's mom lives there. It was pretty funny, there was this group of people playing cards, and when we walked by, I asked how this old lady was doing. She looked at me and smiled and said, "I'm doing good, but this getting old business is no fun.... Don't do it!" Pretty funny old lady. We sang to some investigators and members in town. It was pretty good.
 
So...I don't want to say this is pointless, but we will be talking tomorrow. So that's about all I've got. Love ya! Merry Christmas!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons
 
PS. Before I forget, I actually thought of something you could send with Bart. I have like a BYU Men's chorus CD in my old room. That would be neat. Anyways, that is all.

Monday, December 17, 2012

Zone Conference

All of us in the apartment for Zone Conference

My Awesome Magnetic Birthday Stickers










So I've been terrible at sending pics, sorry Mom, so I made sure I sent some of zone conference and stuff.
 
This week was very busy. We've been running all over the place. We were leaving for Regina Thursday morning, so most of our appointments were early in the week. So the first half of the week was pretty full. We met with someone we found last week again. Her name is Ashley. Can't remember if I wrote about her. Anyways, we now have another family to teach because her fiancee (however you say that) has now joined into the teaching. Pretty interesting because they basically have zero religious background, so we have nothing to build off of. But it's a working progress. Ashley has been keeping commitments, so it will keep moving along as long as she does keep commitments.
 
Zone conference was really good. We had just a short bit of instruction, then it was all Christmas stuff. The instruction was interesting, though. Pres Thomas wants us to do more effective finding activities than tracting. He said that he almost wants to ban it completely. Pretty crazy. Tracting takes up quite a large chunk of my time, so I'd be a little lost at first if we banned it. But the Christmas stuff was really fun. We did a program for the senior couples and Pres Thomas. Sis Thomas led us in some Christmas songs, and we all read scriptures. It was ridiculous, the missionary in front of me in the choir seats was singing in his "opera voice". Nobody around him could keep composure enough to sing. It was so funny. But I'm honestly surprised Sis Thomas didn't smack him or something. She went for the "ignore it and it will go away" approach. Not effective. It was pretty great. Elder Perkins.... What a goof.
 
Thanks for the letters and stuff. It was really great. After we got the letters and ate lunch, we had a white elephant thing. I opened up my present and saw what I thought was cookie sheets. I opened the box, and there was chocolate. There was also a bunch of random things. I don't even know. Then I saw this letter addressed to Jared. That didn't seem right. I was like, "who's Jared?" Elder Perkins was all, "a guy that ate Subway and lost a bunch of weight." Turns out it was a package for one of the missionaries in my district. He thought it was just cookie sheets, so he wrapped it and brought it along. Apparently his mom had sent it from home. He let me keep all the stuff in it, besides the letter. And I got to open another gift. Works out for me. I got a whoopee cushion.
 
Elder Lyons in front of temple in Regina
So, when I was opening my b-day package, Sis Thomas was standing right there. Ha ha, I saw what I thought was toy story stickers. I pulled them out to look at them, when the pack of some more stickers caught my eye: Tangled? So I pulled them out and read the note. Ha ha...Sis Thomas was standing right there....oh, priceless.
 
The best part of zone conference was when we got to go to the temple as a zone. It was so good! I loved it. I sent some pictures of the temple. It's really pretty in the snow.
 
So...yeah. Still recovering from the travel and such, but it was a really neat experience. This week will probably zoom right by. We've got appointments set up for most of the week. Should be a great week. Thanks again for everything. Have a great week! I sure love ya!   Elder Lyons

Wednesday, December 12, 2012


So turns out the reason I've been feeling sick is because I can't drink the tap water. We were at Hedley and Brandy's, and I mentioned that I had been sick with the flu. Brandy said to stop drinking the water because she heard that at our trailer park they put something in the water. She couldn't remember what it was called. She tried pretty hard to remember, but finally she gave up and said, "whatever it is it gives you the poops!" So I smiled and said, "fiber?" Hedley smiled and said, "that's it." It was pretty funny. But as soon as I stopped drinking the water, I felt tons better! Pretty stupid because I've been sick for a while. But it's not just our water, it's the water everywhere. I got a drink from the drinking fountain at church yesterday, and I started to get a stomachache. (ha ha..sto ma cha che..Dad will get that). But at least I feel better!
 
This week was a little disappointing. We worked really hard, but still none of our investigators were at church. We had quite a few who were committed to come as well. That's what made it sad. Something always comes up. For Hedley and Brandy, it was Sam getting the flu...again. That poor girl has been sick so much. Maybe she should change to bottled water! Anyways, I don't know what happened with everyone else. It's pretty frustrating. But it's OK, I know what I can do better, so it will all come together soon.
 
Pres Walton came from Regina this week to work with us in Weyburn. It was fun. He has skyped in a few times for our companion study. Which is pretty weird to do by the way. But he came to fix the computer in the clerk's office, so it could handle the technology or whatever. He did his computer nerd voo doo. Then, he spent the rest of the day with us. We had a couple of lessons and a meal appointment. It was solid. We had a pretty great lesson with Lorie and Shane. Chase was fairly calm, and Mackenzie joined in as well. We taught about obedience and the blessings of being obedient. It was good.
 
On Saturday, we went out to Francis to eat at the Lim's. Their a Korean family in the branch. The Kim's were also there. Sis Kim served a mission, and several of her companions were from Idaho and Utah. She was very excited when she learned that I was from Idaho. The food was so good! Sis Lim made so much. Plus they are just a funny family. Sis Kim asked us if we liked to hunt. We said that we didn't hunt back home at all. Bro Kim said that we would get into hunting when we got home...girls! His accent just made it. It was hilarious!
 
We found some new investigators this week. It's nice because we have gone a long time without finding anyone at all. Hopefully, we can help these new investigators progress and keep commitments.
 
This week we have zone conference on Thursday in Regina. And we also get to go to the temple as a zone on Thursday night. Friday we have a turkey lunch and a gift exchange. Wednesday we are going to help Bro Regnier in Radville again....so basically I'm going to be exhausted this week. We have about a million lessons set up for tomorrow because we are busy for the rest of the week. It's going to be nuts. For zone conference, we're supposed to fit 6 elders in the wascana apartment! That place is tiny! But I get to see my last companion, so it will be fun. Say goodbye to a good night's sleep, though!
 
All that I have left to say is that it's been freezing this week! Canada is insane!
 
Well, I sure love you all! Have a great week!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons
 
PS. Mom, if I don't get my packages on Thursday, I won't stop you from kicking some butts! 

Monday, December 3, 2012

Transfers!! Not.


I actually had forgotten that we received transfer calls this week...ha ha, it's been a long weekend. But we actually were notified about transfers through email this week because there are no changes throughout the entire mission. Pres. Thomas wanted to explain the reasoning and all of that stuff. So I will be staying in Weyburn with Elder French for at least 1 more transfer. Which will make it a total of 6 months that I will be in Weyburn! The branch was excited that we were staying. When we told our branch mission leader he said, "the 2 of you are staying here for the rest of your lives!" I thought that was pretty funny. We have stayed here longer than any missionaries have for a long time. Weyburn was actually closed for a while, so that explains it a little. The Regnier's made sure that they booked us for Christmas, so it looks like we've already got plans. Should be a lot of fun!
 
This week was a little bit slow because we did spend about a day and a half out of our area. It was good to have district meeting in Moose Jaw and not over the phone, but I do like having plenty of time in our area. I get sick of traveling. It's so hard for me to stay awake when we're driving. Traveling just knocks me out. I even drank a Pepsi in the morning before we left, and it was still a struggle. Oh well, no traveling this week, so that's a plus.
 
This week we had the most solid commitment we've ever had from a less active member named Dave. He told us that he misses church and that he would be at church. It was heartbreaking not to see him there. It's really sad to see people who know the truth, who know what's right, but then, they don't do it! Just do it! Oh well, that's life. Just have to make sure I'm committed, so no one's upset with me.
 
We've had a few good lessons with Hedley and Brandy this week. They are still a bit overwhelmed with the whole concept of the Plan of Salvation. But we are inching our way through their questions. Pres. and Sis Tiefenbach have been excellent fellowship at lessons. They've really helped to answer questions, and their testimonies are very powerful. The members here in general are just fantastic people!
 
We had our Branch Christmas Party this Saturday as well. It was crazy we still had it. The roads were just skating rinks. Kids were literally playing hockey on the ice! A member showed us a picture of it near her house. It was a blessing that all those who had to travel were safe. But we had a really good supper, and some great activities. 2 of our investigating families came: Hedley and Brandy and their kids and Lorie and Shane and their kids. It was a lot of fun. They had a good time. The branch really welcomes all who come. It's good to see. However, despite the great time they had, they were not at church. Hedley and Brandy had a sick kid, so I saw that coming. But I'm not sure exactly what happened with Lorie and Shane.
 
We spent a good chunk of our time this week trying to find some of the inactive members in our branch. We've contacted some, but most are still hiding. Because the branch is so spread out, it's difficult to keep in contact with everyone, so some people fall in the cracks. We're going to keep trying though. You can't hide forever!
 
The First Presidency Christmas Devotional was really good last night. I enjoy hearing the first presidency speak. They always just tell it how it is. They really kick off the Christmas season well.
 
I'm afraid that's about all I've got. I've been off and on sick this last week, so I've been very out of it. Hopefully one of these days I'll kick whatever it is I've got! I love all of you! I hope you have a great week!

Love, Elder Lyons

Monday, November 26, 2012


So this last week was pretty crazy. First news is that Hedley and Brandy came to church yesterday! It was so great. They enjoyed it much more this time than they did last time. So that's a plus. Last evening, we also went to continue teaching about the Plan of Salvation. We were talking about the Atonement for most of the lesson. Bro and Sis Regnier came with us, and they were very helpful during the teaching. And the best part is that Brandy prayed at the end of the lesson! It was the first time she has ever prayed with us. It was amazing!
 
Last night we traveled into Moose Jaw. We have spent the day here, and we will stay for district meeting tomorrow. We played a ton of sports this morning. I am so out of shape! It's pathetic. I am going to be sore.
 
This week we got another pretty decent snow storm. It's really a plus for missionary work cause we've had so many service opportunities. People who say no to hearing our message very often take us up on the offer to shovel their walk. When it was cold and windy, this one lady told us we had a less than desirable job at the moment (maybe with more colorful language). We offered to shovel for her, and she said that would be great. We shoveled her walk, and she gave us hot chocolate! Service is great. It really opens people up. In the same day, we shoveled an old lady's walk. She asked us how much she owed us, and we  told her nothing. She shoved money into Elder French's glove. Ha ha. He looks at me, "What was I supposed to do?!" I don't know Elder French. Classic
 
On Saturday, we went to Kisbey to make some visits with the elders quorum president, Bro Brown. The visits went pretty well, the member we visited didn't come to church. I'm not sure what happened there. After our visit, Sis Brown volunteered us to help Bro Brown hang some doors. I'm pretty sure the branch is determined to make a carpenter out of me. Whenever there is something that needs what seems to me to be a professional effort, they look at me, "Elder Lyons, do you want to try?" Come on, I just stand here and hold the flashlight. That's my job! But I do it anyways, and I'm learning. It all works out in the end.
 
We met a couple of great people this week. We met with the guy Elder Hodascek and I met last week, Ian. He was interested in learning more, but he's just super busy. Story of my life. But we also met this guy named John on Saturday night. When we first met him, he offered us a beer. Of course, we politely declined. He asked us if we thought drinking was a sin. We said yes, and he just looked at us and said, "good." John is a pretty funny guy. He's from Romania, so he has an incredible accent. We talked with him for a while on Saturday, and we met with him yesterday afternoon. He wants to lean more, but he's super busy as well. But he told us to try back. He is married with 2 very active little kids! They were very entertaining.
 
I'm pretty sure that's all I've got. It didn't really feel like Thanksgiving this week. Go figure. Transfer calls are this Thursday or Friday. We'll see what happens.
 
Love you all!
 
Love,

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Since when is Freezing warm?.


So this week it's warmed up quite a bit. Well, at least this weekend it did. I was sweating! But turns out it was basically just right around freezing. It felt like summer! Pretty confusing.
Anyways, we've had a bit of a difficult time getting a hold of investigators again. We did have a few good lessons with Hedley and Brandy, though. We were teaching the plan of salvation. Basically all of it is new, so it sort of blew their minds. I guess they were pretty funny at Friday's lesson. I didn't get to go because we were on exchanges, but Elder Kuhre went with Elder French. And he said it was pretty great. They understood well, and they were their normal joking around selves. And after the lesson, our branch president volunteered to come to our next lesson with them tomorrow. It's great to have members that are excited about the work!
While they were teaching, Elder Hodascek and I were out finding. People were actually more short with us than usual. I was a little surprised. I don't know what the deal was, but we pressed on. The last door we knocked, we met a guy named Ian. We told him that we were sharing a message about Jesus Christ, and he just said, "Great! let's hear it!" We told him about the restoration, and we have an appointment with him tonight. It was really neat.
My birthday was pretty great. We went to Radville again to help Bro Regnier at one of his houses. We were working with the dirt again. It was very interesting this time because it was frozen, and there was about a foot of snow. But we were still shoveling piles of dirt. It was funny because about the first foot into the dirt pile was solid as a rock, so we just dug around it. We made a big cave. It was great.
After we finished working, we went back to Bro Regnier's, and he said, "let's go inside and see if we have anything for Elder Lyons." We went inside, and he gave us a DQ ice cream cake. It was funny cause we already had a cake in the freezer back at the trailer. We ended up staying for dinner, and eating a bunch of cake. It was fun.
Another great thing that happened this week is that we happened to be by the Abad's when his nonmember brother pulled into their driveway. He invited us in, and we talked with him for a minute. He's moved from the Philippines to live with the Abad's. And he wants to talk with his brother and set up a time to meet with us.
Basically, right now the biggest thing that we're working on with our investigators is coming to church. We didn't have anyone at church again. We've been really working to help them have the desire to come. Clearly there's still some more work to be done! But it will work out.
That's about all I've got for today. I love you all. Have a great week
Love,
Elder C. Lyons
Elder French's idea of a joke.  "Bunny poop!"  Rasinettes


Happy Birthday to me, I love my icecream!!

Celebrating my trip into adulthood and out of teenagerdom

Tuesday, November 13, 2012


So this week was sort of crazy since we started off the week out of our area in Regina. That always makes things interesting. Luckily, we didn't have to reschedule anything. But on our way back to Weyburn on Tuesday morning, we got a text from Bro Regnier. He asked us if we could come help him out again in Radville. He had had 20 yards of dirt/gravel dropped at one of his houses. This was before it snowed by the way. So on Wednesday we helped him with some landscaping. They have had some struggles with flooding in Radville, so he was raising his yard and making a slope up to his house. Basically we just had to move a million pounds of dirt! I don't need to make this sound so complicated! It was out of control. We were shoveling and wheel barrowing for hours! I don't think I've been more sore my entire mission! It was nuts! But Sis Regnier made us homemade pizza after, so it paid off.
 
So, while I was super sore, we also went to help a less-active member lower one of his windows. It's a massive window, so I was sure I was going to drop it. But luckily, while I was bracing for impact on top of the scaffolding, it just slid right into place. It was a close one! I would have been done for sure!
 
Also on Thursday we met with Hedley and Brandy. They are doing well. We made sure they knew what our purpose was as we come and visit them. We are helping them to read the Book of Mormon and to pray. They really wanted to be at church, but their daughter ended up getting the flu. So that didn't work out. We also met with someone we found named Chad. He's actually from the same area as Elder French. Kind of weird connection. But he's a great guy. He met with missionaries 10 years ago. He's really looking to make some changes in his life. So of course we're here to help him out. We'll see how it goes. We have an appointment with him on Thursday.
 
The huge snow storm was interesting. We have a tiny car, so we've had to dig ourselves out at least 4 times in the last few days. It's pretty crazy. It literally snowed nonstop all day Saturday! We were out knocking doors, and we saw this lady shoveling snow. We offered to help, and she just kind of looked at us. She thought about it for a while, she looked at her shovel and said, "why is this so hard for me? I think it's because I have 2 boys inside that are probably just playing video games." We laughed and said that if she let us help she would be justified when she beat them up! OK, we said something along those lines. She's super nice, we helped her for a while. Turns out she's from New York. She laughed and told us that she wonders why she's up here sometimes, but her husband is Canadian. While we were working, her son came out and helped. He's hilarious. I guess he was sleeping. After we  finished, we talked for a minute. Patty, the lady, says that she doesn't fully agree with the doctrine of the Catholic church, so her and her husband have been floating between different religions. She knew a bit about the church. We talked about the Book of Mormon, and she said she was excited for us to come by again. And so am I!
 
Yesterday, we went over to Laurie and Shane's to have lunch and play games. I hadn't eaten with investigators before, so it was a good experience. Plus they are just a hilarious family. They would have been at church, but Chase their little boy stayed up until 3 in the morning. It was his birthday party, and I guess he was a bit riled up! So he was impossible to get up on Sunday morning. He's a funny kid. He will wrestle with Shane, and he likes to do the hammer punch. We were teasing him about it yesterday, and he informed us that we were saying it wrong. It's hammer fist. We played Monopoly, which was super funny. It was a Canadian and an electronic version. Shane is super competitive, so it was just funny to hear all of his comments. I was doing pretty well, so everyone cheered when I got sent to jail. It was really great. My technique was just to buy pretty much everything I landed on. I thought I would go bankrupt in the first 10 minutes.
 
Well, that's about all I've got. Thanks for all the packages and birthday wishes. It's pretty great. I'll have to sing "As Zion's youth in latter days" a couple times in companion study before it's no longer applicable. I sure love you all and hope you have a great week!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Canada Winters! BRRRRR

So it's been pretty cold and snowy already. There's also been some insane freezing rain. I forget to bring my camera, so no pictures. But we had to take off about a 1/4 in of ice off of our car!

ha ha...I think Greg is about 6'6" or 6'8". We actually had a lesson with him and the Regnier's. He told me to sit by him, so I did. Sis Regnier kept looking at me and laughing. I couldn't figure out why. Afterwards she told us she wished she had her camera cause I just looked so small. We took a picture next time we met with Greg. Pretty great.

This week was really intense. Laurie and Shane were committed to coming to church and so were their kids. But some family problems came up last minute. Hedley and Brandy were going to try to make it, but they didn't come. Hedley really wanted to, but his back is shot. He's had like a smashed vertebrate for maybe 3 or 4 months. And he's been working construction. Lately, he's been working 2 jobs! Yeah...our investigators have crazy lives. But through everything that happens, they still want to meet with us! It's amazing! They're all just searching for the truth. It's great to be a part of!

I'm actually in Regina right now. The zone leaders asked us to come in last night for our meeting tonight. They said I might have a package that they picked up from Winnipeg on Wed. I'm sorry I haven't picked it up yet, so I don't know who's it is. But thanks!

Oh yeah, Halloween was last week. Ha ha...that was fun. We didn't go out after 5, but I guess some kids start coming out at about 4. We didn't see any, so we kept going until 5. This one guy said we had nice costumes, haha. Super nice guy. He said we could come back, and he gave us candy! This old lady who wasn't interested at all also gave us candy. She answers, looks at us, "I'm not interested, but I am going to give you some candy." I took 1 and she looks at me, "and take more than one!" Weyburn's so great!

We had probably the most spiritual lesson we've ever had with Hedley and Brandy this week. Hedley was done cause of his back. But Brandy was great. We watched the Restoration with them. She's becoming more and more sincere as we've continued to meet with them. It's really great to see the both of doing all they can to learn the truth.

Because I'm in Regina, I got to go to P-day activity again. It was so much fun! But I'm exhausted! I am not used to this kind of physical activity. We played basketball and indoor Frisbee. Yeah, my team lost at basketball, but we won at Frisbee! I made sure to pick all the runners and such for my team. Yeah!

It sounds like life is just as crazy back home. Try to keep sane. Good luck in b-ball, tap, choir...if I missed anything I apologize. Meagan, 2 words: dump him! Ha ha...yeah... Whatever, just take it easy. Love you all!
Elder Lyons

Friday, November 2, 2012

The cold is here!


So I've already had to bust out the parka because it has been below freezing pretty much all week. They weren't kidding when they told me winter starts in October up here. It's been pretty cold. I have to be honest, I didn't think that it would get this cold this early...crazy.
Anyways, we got to go to Regina yesterday to watch the Calgary temple dedication broadcast. Pres. Monson was hilarious! It was snowing in Calgary, and there was all sorts of people outside at the cornerstone ceremony. Elder Ballard was also there. It was just so funny when Pres Monson was calling kids up to help put in mortar. He called up a little girl. She was struggling a bit, so he just says, "the backhand, show her the backhand. Every good woman knows the backhand!" And he swings his arm. It was so funny. I had never heard Pres Monson talk like that before.  ( First, I owe everyone who has ever read this a sincere apology. I hope this is not too little, too late. But please bear with me because I have some explaining to do. The reason I have not already responded is because I did not start this blog. This blog was started on my behalf while I was serving a mission. I did not even see the blog until about a year ago. When I saw the comments on this post, I was unable to post a personal comment, so I quit trying because I thought that, after all, it may have been too late. And everyone had already moved on. But I have been informed of some recent attention to this post, so I feel it is worth addressing my comment. To give some context, this blog was started as a way for my extended family and friends to have access to my personal emails home without necessitating a large email chain. These family and friends are well acquainted with me and the way I speak, so they have all understood the intent of my comments. But there are many who don’t know me, so they have misunderstood my statements. For that reason, I would like to make it perfectly clear what I personally meant by my statement in this post regarding President Monson. When Pres. Monson made his comment about the backhand, he meant that every good women knows HOW to backhand, not that every woman should be hit or abused physically. Let’s be honest, EVERYONE in this world has needed to be put in their place by their mother. And I believe, along with Pres. Monson, that it’s a commendable quality of a good woman that she is willing and able to give her children that necessary direction (although I’m not particularly advocating physical discipline). I am personally grateful for my mom’s willingness to counsel and inspire me, and even though I am certain I deserved physical discipline, she never gave it. In this context, I found Pres. Monson’s comment to be enlightening to his childhood, and that’s what made it humorous to me. It was funny for me to picture a young Pres. Monson acting much like the rest of us did while we were young and standing in need of being reprimanded. I am truly thankful for how transparent Pres. Monson is. He often shares his personal experiences that show that he is very much human. My biggest concern about this whole misunderstanding is that it has tarnished his reputation. I hope that this post clears up any confusion about his character. I recognize my own personal flaws, and you can form any personal opinion of me based on this misunderstanding that you would like. But PLEASE do not form your opinion about Pres. Monson based on this misunderstanding. He is a kind and caring man and a true prophet of the Lord. To learn more about his life and character please visit: https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/what-are-prophets/bio/thomas-s-monson?lang=eng .Sorry again for any confusion. )

He definitely has a sense of humor. After the dedication, I talked with some of the members from the Wascana ward. They thought I was coming back to stay. Some of them even thought that when I left Wascana I had finished my mission. I don't know how they got that idea. I was as green as grass! It was nice talking with them. It was funny, I was also standing with some of the members of our branch. They told one of the Wascana members to stop trying to steal our elder. This stake is just fantastic!
We got invited to lunch by our high council men. He is from Vietnam, so we ate this noodle and meat soup stuff. And we ate it with chopsticks! It was so good! It was authentic...I found some chicken bones in it. Unfortunately, I found them with my teeth. Other than that it was a fantastic meal! We had this soda, milk stuff. It was delicious. They are a very nice family. It was great. We also got invited to dinner last night at the Regnier's. We had homemade perogies and cabbage rolls. Sounds pretty weird but taste really good!
This week was sort of a miracle. Well, not even sort of, there's no short selling it, it was for sure a miracle. Hedley found a new job and received an insurance check just at the moment they needed it most. As of right now, it appears that their financial struggles are over! I know that the Lord will always keep His promises. I was thinking about Mosiah 2:41 a bunch since we met with them on Sunday. I wondered why they hadn't been blessed temporally as the scripture said. They were doing what they could and trying to be obedient. Then, they were blessed within a day of me wondering when they would be blessed! It was amazing! It continues to be a slow and steady progress with them. We'll be continuing to meet with them and helping them strengthen their testimonies.
We helped Bro Regnier with one of the houses in Radville he's going to rent out. I had to stuff insulation between the wall and the ceiling in the basement. It's an old house, so it's not a basement like you're thinking. There's no home theatre down there! At one point, I was crawling along this pile of rocks and dirt that was just about to the ceiling. It was pretty dark, and it was thick with cobwebs. I was taking out all of the cobwebs with a stick and crawling along, all of a sudden, I feel something hit my back. I looked behind me to ask why Elder French had thrown something at me, but he wasn't behind me. I backed out of there pretty quick! When I went back in there, I found what looked like a dead mouse. Best I can figure is that I knocked it loose from the ceiling with the stick, and when I crawled by it fell on me. At least that's what I'm going with! Well, I might have exclaimed something about spiders, so I got teased by Bro Regnier a bit. He was in the other room, and I just hear him yell, "Elder Lyons, you should be in here. There's a bunch of spiders!" All, I'm saying is if I could feel something land on my back, that's a big spider!
Oh, I can't forget about Tuesday! Sorry this email is really scattered. Anyways, on Tuesday Pres Thomas skyped into our district meeting. He wanted to talk with us about how the missionary announcement at conference is going to effect our mission. Apparently, before the announcement, about 700 missionary applications were sent in every week. Now there has been about 4,000 a week! They expect that the number of missionaries will increase from about 58,000 to 90,000+ in just the next 6 to 18 months! It will then level off to about 75,000. But most of these missionaries will be staying in North America in the central areas. My mission! So our mission is expected to triple in size. Increase from 56 missionaries to about 170! Yeah, all in the next 6 to 18 months! So basically Pres Thomas was telling us to step it up! It's really an exciting time to be serving!
Elder Lyons and Greg

Central Canada looks a lot like S.E. Idaho!

Elder Lyons chillin in his new trailor

1st snow!
Our one spot of bad news is that the family in McTaggart had a bit of a set back. Cory broke his ankle pretty bad, so one of our appointments fell through. The poor guy was in a lot of pain. But we'll get in touch with them, and hopefully set something up for this week.
Thanks for all your emails! It was great to hear from you! I love you all and hope that you have a great week!
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Monday, October 22, 2012

Transfers


I can't remember if I wrote about transfer calls being last week or not. Anyways, transfer calls came on Thursday evening. Elder French and I will both be staying! We were both surprised and excited. It's the first time that I will stay with a companion and in an area for more than 3 months. It's really nice cause at about 3 months I really start to love an area. And I won't have to leave it this time, ha ha! I can really see the potential of the Weyburn branch. Last week we opened up the overflow! It was really something to see!
 
This week started off really well. We met with Hedley and Brandy and talked about prayer. Both related that they thought that they had received answers to their prayers. We could really see them beginning to be happy. At the start of the lesson they were upset, but at the end they were hopeful.
 
We also met with another family on Thursday, Lorie and Shane. They have 2 kids, Mackenzie and Chase. We've had a difficult time setting appointments with them. So our plan for the lesson was to ask what their expectations were, and really why it was that they wanted to meet with us. It was a fantastic lesson! Shane mentioned that he just wants to gain a belief. He said that he felt happy when we met with them, and he even felt happy for a little while afterwards. But then the feeling went away. He then said, "I guess that's when I should read the book." We were then able to explain the Spirit and why it is that we invite them to read, pray, and come to church. We even talked about baptism as the way for us to keep the happy feelings they have with them always. They want to be baptized, but they just don't want to rush into it. So close. We will be meeting with them tonight.
 
Hedley and Brandy and also Lorie and Shane had all said that they would be at church, but on Saturday they all had something come up and couldn't make it. It was sad, but it's just a hiccup. We were able to meet with Hedley and Brandy yesterday. They had a really rough week. They both have a bunch of questions, so we decided to devote an entire lesson just to answering their questions. Basically we talked the whole time about one question, "why is life so hard?" It's really a question that I would be shocked if they weren't wondering about. I don't feel that we were really able to answer it. And I don't think it's possible for us to answer it. It's a question that we all have to answer ourselves in order for the answer to be both lasting and satisfying. It's just hard to see someone suffering and not be able to tell them exactly why they are suffering. Only God knows. So we encouraged them to read the Book of Mormon together and pray together. I know it will help.
 
Next week is the Calgary temple dedication, so our regular church meetings are cancelled. They're cancelled province wide actually. So that should be interesting. It will be broadcast to Regina, so hopefully we get to go. I think it would be really neat.
 
I don't think that I have anything else other than that we will have a lesson at the Regnier's tonight with an investigating family in McTaggart. The Regnier's are a really strong family, so it should be a powerful lesson. Last lesson was good, so I'm looking forward to it.
 
I don't have anything else. I hope everyone has a great week. Love you all!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Crazy Insane Miracles


Well, this week is just one of those weeks that makes me wonder how in the world I am still sane! So much has happened. As I mentioned last email, I was a little sick. Well, that little turned to a lot more, until I just couldn't go anymore! On Thursday, we were working, and I just couldn't focus for the life of me. So at lunch I took a nap. I then decided it would be beneficial if I took an extra 30 minutes or so to rest. Four hours later, I woke up. Yeah...It was terrible. I really couldn't function, but after the nap, I started feeling better. So needless to say, there were a few curve balls this week!
 
We did so much this week! We met with Hedley and Brandy on Wednesday night. They said they weren't sure if they wanted to come to church. So we set up a church tour on Saturday, so that they could feel like not everything was new and strange. It went well. We even had some of the Regnier's there to help us teach about some of the aspects of church. We met later that night because they informed us that they wanted to ask us some questions. Basically, Brandy was terribly worried about her daughter Sam. Rightly so because I had never seen the girl sit still! She is just full of energy! We assured her that it would be fine.
 
Sunday morning, Elder French and I were waiting by the door for Hedley and Brandy and their 2 daughters, Kia and Sam. We had been praying that all would go well, and that Sam would be able to be reverent. As we were waiting, Bro Brown walks in and says, "I think you have some friends outside." We walked out, and I see Sam holding hands and skipping with little Sarah Brown! Sarah arrived at the same time as Hedley and company, she saw Kia and Sam, and she just walked up and said, "Hi! My name is Sarah! wanna be friends!" Sarah and Sam sat together and I have never seen the 2 of them more still in reverent! It was a miracle! It really softened up Hedley and Brandy. They had a great experience. When they got home Kia asked, "Can we go to church?" Brandy told her, "yeah, next Sunday." It is just exciting to see how they are progressing despite all opposition.
 
Yes, opposition. So we also had an investigator at church who behaved himself a little unruly. OK, a lot unruly. It was ridiculous. Our gospel principles class was pretty interesting! We had to meet with Hedley and Brandy last evening to do some damage control. But it is no small miracle that all is well! It was just frustrating that it had to happen on their first Sunday when all was just falling into place.
 
Elder French also had a bit of an interesting week. I was sick, he was just in a bad stretch of luck. He has been studying humility. Ha ha...just yesterday, as we were leaving the Regnier's after supper, he kicked a can of paint down the stairs. Hahaha..I'm a terrible companion. Anyways, green paint was everywhere, no one knows why the paint was there, and it's alright cause they're planning on replacing the carpet. Then, we finally get back to our trailer. We finish planning and all we had to do. He sits in his chair, leans back, and takes a deep breath...Crash! His chair breaks through an air vent, and he tumbles backward! Humility has a funny way of sneaking up on you, eh?
 
Well, I think I've done enough damage for one day. I love you all. Good luck at districts! Tear it up! I love you all, my prayers are with you. Have a great week!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Canadian Thanksgiving!


Wow, so yeah, yesterday or not even yesterday, Monday was Thanksgiving. We weren't sure last week what would be going on, so that's why I couldn't clue you in. But we did travel up to Regina on Sunday night. (I stayed in the Wascana apt. which is still weird to go back to). And then on Monday morning we drove up to Saskatoon. We had a zone wide p-day/ Thanksgiving celebration! We played dodge ball, Indian football, and of course ate a bunch of food. I was done for because we ate a ton at the Regnier's on Sunday. Ha ha, we even had a huge tie trade. I picked up some pretty decent ties. It was a lot of fun. I'll be sending pictures. We drove back to Regina on Monday, and left from Regina on Tuesday morning to go to district meeting in Moose Jaw. Yeah, I'm exhausted! And I've caught a cold, so the rest of the week should be interesting. By the way it's really weird to have Thanksgiving before Halloween. But it is much colder up here. We actually woke up to a little snow on Tuesday and today.
 
I did get the package last Tuesday. Thank you so much. It's so great!  The assistants and zone leaders came and picked us up and took us to district meeting. Then we came back to Weyburn to blitz the area. We found a really neat family that are friends with the Regnier's. Laura lee and  her son Cory. She really wanted to watch conference, but she was out of town for the weekend. We had a great lesson with them. Curtis Regnier was really great at sharing his testimony. He's invited Cory to several activities and is no doubt a huge part of the reason that they've begun investigating.
 
We also had an incredible lesson with James and Becky on Thursday. James is amazing! He's read everything from the Introduction to 1 Nephi 4. He and his family would have been at conference, but he got called into work and was basically there all weekend out of cell service. So he missed all of our reminder calls and didn't get our messages. Oh well. But anyways, that was an amazing lesson. I have never felt the spirit so strongly during a first vision recite than during that lesson! It was just incredible. We met with James last night, Becky was gone. He really likes the Book of Mormon and is now committed to pray about it. We helped him resolve his concerns, and he would be at church. But they are going to be in Saskatoon for a wedding. Curse being busy!
 
We also finally met with Hedly and his wife Brandy. They're both troopers. They've been through so much. For that reason, they have some doubts. It will most likely be a slow, steady effort with them. But they definitely trust us. They are actually worried that we are going to leave. Ha ha...I guess that's happened to them before. They really started to like some missionaries, then they got transferred and the new elders were not very nice. We told them to get baptized before we left, just to make sure it would work out. No..ha ha...we reassured them that we would make sure that whoever came to visit them would be kind and would have nothing but their best interest at heart. I really love their family, and can't wait to see them truly feel God's love.
 
The next big thing that happened was that Greg came to conference. He bought us pizza after the Saturday session. He's really great. He's a recent convert that went less active. He just randomly called us on Monday (last Monday). He's now meeting with us and wants to pass and bless the sacrament. He is huge! Just a big teddy bear, though. It's great to see how much happier he is. I saw him for about 30 seconds last transfer. He didn't want anything at all to do with us, and he just looked mean! But he's a happy guy now. He calls us every day.
 
Ha ha..we helped Bro Regnier tear down his deck. It was ridiculous. It was really rotted. It was vinyl on top of wood. At one point, we were taking all the screws out of the vinyl boards, so we could take them off. I missed one screw, so I went back to get it. It was one of the last 3 boards, and Elder French was standing on them about to take them off. I told him he wouldnt' be able to cause I forgot a screw. He just said, "what are you talking about?" All snotty like. Then, there was this cracking sound, all of a sudden the deck was collapsing. He had to abandon ship before she sank. It was so funny! Ha, that's what you get! Good times!
 
How about the missionary announcement?! I wish it was in effect before I came out. Then I wouldn't be coming back to BYU to face the terrible grades I left behind. Yikes! I think it's great for the sisters too. Just a little different. That's the age I came out at! I think there will be a big flood of sisters though. Which is definitely a good thing. Sisters are just good missionaries.
 
Well conference was great. I'm excited to get back to work. And hopefully the basement situation gets worked out. That's no fun. I love you all, and I hope you have a great week.
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Monday, October 1, 2012

What the?


So first off it feels like I just barely emailed, but at the same time a ton has happened. So don't worry I won't be sending a one liner.
 
Well, the last few days have been eventful. Like I emailed last week, we've been doing a bunch of traveling. My eyes have really been opened to how much the branch is actually spread out! Some members have to drive over an hour just to get to church. It's crazy! That has really been the major challenge in coordinating not only missionary work but just about anything really. However, we have discussed some great ideas for how we can unite the branch. I'm excited! It's going to be great. So on the topic of visiting members, we were able to visit a few families this week. One that was fun to get to know was the Lim's and the Kim's. They are from Korea. Sister Kim is staying with the Lim's, and I believe she is waiting for her husband to come. (Not really sure on that one. Communication is a bit spotty at times.) Anyways, we had authentic Korean food! It is fantastic! I tried eating with chopsticks, but I got embarrassed. Plus it couldn't get the job done quick enough. They are just a great family. They all came out to see us off when we left. It was hilarious, I waved and said, "bye!" They were all in a perfect line, and they all waved and said, "bye!" at the same time. It was priceless. I wish I could have taken a picture. Let's see, we also visited the Brown's this week. They are a young family that live in Kisbey (about an hour from Weyburn). Their kids are great. Their oldest is in kindergarten. Her name is Sarah, and she told us a story at dinner about a time she ate a WHOLE box of oreos even though they had just bought them. She told us that when she had to go to the bathroom, she barfed all over herself! It was not possible for me to hold back a laugh on that one. I think it was mostly the presentation that made that one. Good times.
 
That paragraph is huge, so I will start a new one. I've really been able to realize how great this branch is this week. There are just some stellar families here. I've loved being able to get to know them all a little bit better. We also were able to do some service when we visited the Tiefenbach's. We helped them build and put up some walls for their shed. I really couldn't have realized how much I would learn about manual labor on my mission. I'm pretty sure the branch has conspired to learn me a little from the time they found out I was a city boy. At least it feels that way. Just because I had no idea what on earth a sump pump was. I'm pretty sure that Brother Regnier has some more projects for us, too. We'll see what I learn this time.
 
Well, now that I've taken you down that side road, let's talk about investigators. Okay, we did have some more lessons fall through. But we did reschedule with many of them. So it will work out. I think I wrote about how we were able to finally have a meeting with Laurie and Shane. They're still a little hard to get a hold of, but at least we've started meeting with them again. And we did see their daughter at the salvation army food drive on Saturday. That was fun by the way. A lot like the one in Pocatello, but on a much smaller scale of course. Let's see...other than that we will be making some phone calls to set up lessons.
 
So, ha, we actually had to move trailers this weekend. We actually had a scare there for 2 weeks that we weren't going to be able to stay in Weyburn. But we got the trailer that were in now, which is still sort of a temporary thing. I don't really know what exactly is going to happen. That's why I haven't written about housing. But maybe that explains why I have sounded a little stressed lately! But, all is well.
 
Sunday we taught the joint relief society, priesthood meeting. We taught about missionary work. It was really good. We're trying to help the members broaden their horizons a little and increase their vision of missionary work in Weyburn. We spent a substantial amount of time preparing the lesson, and I think that it payed off. Hopefully, anyways.
 
Let's see, last but not least, we saw the northern lights yesterday! We were traveling back from Kisbey, and I spotted them! It was actually Elder French's first time seeing them. It's weird, they sorta start out looking like a cloud or something. Then they get more and more defined until they're spread all the way across the sky. It's amazing!
 
Well, that's all I got. I sure love you all! Have a great week!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Things Are Happening


So the library was closed on Monday, and we were traveling to Moose Jaw yesterday for district meeting. That's why I didn't have time to email until today.
 
Zone conference was amazing. Elder Zwick really just told it how it was! I think I may be missing some eyebrows because of the heat! It was crazy. He apologized several times because he said he is "passionate" about missionary work. Specifically working with members. We really focused on Ward Mission Plans. It hit me hard because our branch really doesn't have a plan. So for the past week or so we have been meeting with the branch president, the branch mission leader, and all the families in the branch to discuss a revision of the plan. It has been a lot of work! But suddenly now, we have all sorts of investigators to work with. It's really amazing that as soon as we made a greater effort to work with the branch, we've been blessed with several people to teach. We will be teaching combined Relief Society, Priesthood tomorrow, so hopefully we can present and brainstorm some great ideas.
 
Speaking of people to teach, we had a pretty great lesson with a family that I had never met with. They have either missed appointments or have been unavailable for about the past 2 months. But we finally got to meet with them. And it was incredible to see how willing they were to learn. Shane, the father seems a little hesitant, but his wife Laurie and his daughter Mackenzie are both very excited to pray and read. Mackenzie is only 12, but she had been reading and praying even when we were unable to meet. We're really excited to meet with them on Friday and continue to see their family progress.
 
Also, on last Wednesday we met with a couple we tracted into named Becky and James. They were really open and something that stood out to me was their love for their kids. They really want their kids to have positive lives through a belief in God. We taught and testified about the Book of Mormon, and they committed to read. We invited Becky to say the closing prayer, and in her prayer, she thanked Heavenly Father for the Book of Mormon. Needless to say, we are excited to teach them tomorrow.
 
We've set up several other potential appointments which has been really incredible for me to be a part of. A week ago, we were unable to find anyone who was interested, and even the investigators we had been working with were difficult to set appointments with. But I know that we have been blessed because we are working the way the Lord intends us to, with the members. I am convinced that we must work together in order for the Lord's work to progress. I know that there are great things in store for Weyburn!
 
Another incredible thing happened on Saturday. We tracted into a Filipino man who invited us in. We taught a little about the Book of Mormon and prophets. He is really interested in learning more because his brother joined the church in the Philippines. He said he wants to talk to him about it before we meet again, so he can have more questions to ask. He also invited his housemate to come and talk with us. We look forward to meeting with both of them again. 
 
So clearly there has been plenty of things happening to keep us busy. We should be very busy again this week, and I'm really praying that we can inspire ourselves and the members to work together. I hope that all of you have a great week. Good luck in all that's going on! Love you!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons
 
 

Monday, September 17, 2012

Zone Conference


So I don't have too much time because we will be leaving this afternoon for Saskatoon. But let's see if I can't remember all that has happened this week. At the start of this week, I was just exhausted. I think I may have been sick. When we were eating lunch and dinner, I wasn't even hungry (which is probably a good sign that I was sick.) All I wanted to do was sleep. But I go over it by the end of the week.
 
On Tuesday we actually got to go to this tiny place called Radville. Bro Regnier owns a house out there, and we were helping him dig some holes for like a pump or something. I guess it's to prevent flooding. I had never heard of it before. So for that reason, I was teased a little. I heard, "you're a greenie at this" a couple of times. But whatever I'm used to teasing. Elder French is way into landscaping so basically he's a mole. That just made me look like a fool in comparison, but I figured it out. It was fun to be able to give some service. We've been doing a bunch of service lately. We actually painted a less-active member's ceiling as well. That was pretty fun. He was a little shut off to us before, but he's really opened up and wants to meet with us. Funny how service does that to people. Anyways, his name is Dave. Not to be confused with the other Dave who came to church last week. Yeah...I'm starting to get them straight now that I've met them both.
 
Let's see....yesterday was pretty great. We went to Regina for stake conference. I saw a lot of familiar faces. Lots of friendly people. We actually drove up with a member named Spencer. I think I wrote about him. Anyways, he's so funny. I guess Elder French was zoning out pretty hard, so Spencer was teasing him about it. He asked us on the way back what we thought about when we had nothing else to think about. He just smiled and said to Elder French, "I know what you were thinking about today!" He then proceeded to act like a monkey banging cymbals together. I lost it. It was so great.
 
Yesterday, we also stopped by Hedly....no actually that was Saturday. So back track a little bit. Anyways, Hedly was working away on his house. That man never stops, but we talked with his wife for a while. We hadn't been able to get a hold of them. But when we were talking with Hedly he said that things are a whole lot happier. I just couldn't stop smiling after that. And he was willing to meet with us right then. He would have dropped everything, but we had an appointment we had to get to. But we will be meeting with them on Thursday.
 
I'm sure there's a bunch more that I could write about, but I forget everything as soon as I start typing. So, I'm saying I'm gonna wrap this up. I should know if I got the package soon, so I'll let you know next Monday. That sentence doesn't make any sense, but it doesn't matter because I love you all. I hope you have a great week.
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons
PS. Good luck on Tuesday, Rachel! And tear it up at Bob Firman ya crazy (AKA Meagan)!

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Transfers


So I should probably get all of the big news over with first. I will be staying in Weyburn this transfer. Elder French will actually be staying, too. We both kind of figured that he would get transferred because he has been in Weyburn for a while. As far as I know most areas are staying close to the same. We're out in the middle of no where so we don't hear much. It was sort of a different transfer call because it was one of the assistants that called us. That was the first time that President hasn't been the one to call. But it will be nice to not have to adjust to any changes. We'll just be able to keep on working.
 
This week I've really just felt exhausted, so it has been sort of a blur. We've had a lot of lessons fall through, which makes me feel a little down. That probably goes without saying, but we've been working hard and keeping positive. A couple of really great things happened this week. We had planned to meet with Hedly on Thursday evening, but when we got there he was working on a house a couple houses down from where he lived. So, instead we just walked up and said, "we're here to help." His wife said that she wasn't going to let us help in our nice clothes. But we had planned to help out a less active member that morning, so we had our service clothes in the car. We were disappointed when that fell through in the morning, but we still had our clothes in the car. So we went and changed and helped him out. When we were working his wife asked, "did you really just come to help." We said that we came to help, but this wasn't necessarily the way we thought we would help out. Elder French said he was talking with Hedly, and he had been working on this job since 9:00 am. He was only halfway done. We helped him pretty much finish in about an hour and a half. Elder French when he was talking with Hedly mentioned that this wasn't the way we thought we would help him out, but we were glad that we could help. Hedly said that he thought it helped out both ways. Yeah, we're excited to meet with him in the future.
 
Another great thing that happened this week happened yesterday. A less active member we've been meeting with came to church. He came late, but he was there! It was...I don't want to say surprising, but I really don't have another word. He's been twice in the last 40 years. He's a really great guy, but he just has some concerns about church that we just don't fully understand. We're going to keep working with Dave, and hopefully we can help him understand the importance of coming to church.
 
Yesterday, we also had 2 meal appointments in one day. That hasn't happened since last transfer in Wascana. It was funny, we ate dinner at Bart and Missy's house. Missy's actually from Idaho Falls They live in the trailer park with us. They actually own the park. They live in the nicest trailer I've ever seen! Anyways, a couple of weeks ago a ward member told Elder French, myself, and Missy that it didn't matter where potatoes came from. We had a pretty good laugh about that. Bart thought it was funny she said that to 2 people from Idaho. Afterwards, we had another skype meeting thing. That's why we were there actually. It went OK. It's a little difficult over skype, but basically the mission is going to work on our studies and finding.
 
That's pretty much all that I've got for this week. I love you all and hope that you have a fantastic week!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons 
 
 

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

9/4 It's Not Back To School For Me!!


So it's crazy that it's already time for school again. Summers are really short here! They're only about 2 months. It seems like they just got off of school, now they're heading back. Poor kids. So count you blessings. I've also discovered that it usually snows and starts sticking before Halloween....yeah.
 
This week went by crazy fast. I'm really trying to think about what was this week and what wasn't. If that makes any sense at all. It's all a blur. At the start of this week, we went to Moose Jaw for district meeting. It was really great. First and only time this transfer that our whole district will be together for district meeting. Yeah, middle of nowhere district! We went on exchanges afterwards, and I ate a deep fried banana at lunch...my arteries are changed forever. I was with our district leader Elder Kuhre while on exchanges. He's only been out a transfer more than me. He came out with Elder Call, so it was a ton of fun! I really learned a lot.
 
On the way back into Weyburn, we traded ties with Nathan in McTaggart. He's moving to Saskatoon for university. It was great. Nathan is a super strong member and an even better missionary. It's been fun spending time with him.
 
On Thursday, we met with a man named Hedly. He has really been through the ringer! He's really had a tough time. He's even met with missionaries before, but he decided to meet with us again cause he just wants answers. We'll be meeting with him again soon, so it's going to be great seeing the hope start to come into his and his family's lives. 
 
On Sunday, there was a move-in into our branch. As you can imagine, that is a very exciting occurrence! His name is Spencer, and he is an RM. He served in Colorado, and even served close to the Hansen's. He is actually only up because it is his off track at BYU-I. He will be working to save up some money He's a super funny guy, and he actually spent most of the day with us on Sunday. He did mostly less-active work on his mission, so he was helping us contact some members. It was fun being able to talk about Idaho with someone. Ha ha...he asked me what the name of the city just outside of Pocatello was.."you know the one that starts with a 'C'?" I couldn't remember! Then it hit me...Chubbuck! Elder French just started laughing. "How'd you forget a name like that?" It was fun.
 
In other news, we found George.. sort of. He dropped off the face of the earth for a while. Turns out he moved out of the home he was at, so it makes sense that he was never home. But we tried calling his new number, and we haven't gotten a hold of him yet. But soon he will be completely found!...again.
 
This week looks pretty good. Except that transfer calls are this week. Hopefully there won't be any crazy changes. I really like Weyburn.
 
Well, I sure love you all and appreciate all that you do for me! I sent off some letters yesterday. It should be about a week and a half. If it comes sooner let me know... cause I put this airmail sticker on it. Apparently that makes it go faster...we'll see. Get well soon, and have a great week!
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Monday, August 27, 2012

Crazy Tired!


This week has been pretty draining. We traveled in to Regina on Tuesday and had meetings most of the day on Wednesday. 2 things that just exhaust me. But it was a good time. I got to see Brother and Sister T and Pres Walton from the Wascana ward. I also got to stay the night Tues at the old apartment! Elder Call is still serving in Wascana, so we had a good time laughing about our past transfers together.
 
The meeting with Pres and Sis Thomas was great. They're really excellent people. I can just tell they care so much about us. Anyways, like I said it was a great day. And to top it off, we had a great meeting with George in the evening. We met at the church, and we talked a bit about the Atonement. George has had a rough life, so he really just needs comfort. It was an amazing lesson as we were able to use the Book of Mormon to teach about the power of the Atonement. A member family, the Regnier's were also with us. They did a great job helping George see how the gospel can bless his life. He now has a baptismal date for October, and we are meeting with him again tonight. 
 
This week we found out that Matt and Mona are moving again. They'll be moving to Saskatoon. But they stopped by in Weyburn before they left. We met up and were able to say goodbye. I guess Matt found a better job, so they decided to move to where there's more people. Lampman's pretty small. It was weird to say goodbye for the second time.
 
Saskatchewan Sunset

Leaving Regina

Saskatchewan Prairie ( Looks Like Idaho)

Matt and Mona

Mancakes! yum
I've been asked a few questions about the branch here. The branch is amazing! They love the missionaries! The owner of our trailer park is a member. His name is Bart. He and his wife Missy give us food all the time. Super nice. The Regnier's live out of town in McTaggart. Their sons Nathan and Curtis play sports with us on Mondays. They have us over for dinner a bunch. They're crazy about missionary work. They'll help us with anything! It's just amazing. Most of the members live out of town. But they're all super great. It's a really strong branch. 
 
I have to say, I'm pulling a huge blank right now. I don't really have too much more to write. Sorry, I'll make up for it next week. Anyways, I sure love you all! Have a great week :)
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

August 20th 3rd Sunday in Weyburn

I can't believe that yesterday was my 3rd Sunday in Weyburn. This week flew by. And I'm pretty sure this week will go even faster. We have specialized training in Regina (which is like an informal zone conference with a lot of practice). And we also have a pretty good amount of lessons set up for next week.
 
So let's start with yesterday. We didn't see Matt and Mona at church cause they couldn't get gas until today. It's about an hour and half drive from Lampman to Weyburn... Yeah, and they're in our area. Anyways, long story short they couldn't make it,and we couldn't make it out to them. But we did have potluck after church cause we had some high council people and the stake president from Regina at our meeting. There was some great food.
 
After church we started tracting on the hill by the church. We met this man named George. He is an older man who has lost his wife, brother, and parents to cancer. Clearly, he has had a rough life. We testified of Christ and the Book of Mormon. We will be meeting with him at the church on Wednesday (it was a little noisy at his home cause his grand kid and family were running around). Very great man. At one point he asked, "so what do I gotta do? I ain't moving to Utah."
 
Then, let's see...Saturday was pretty neat. We were knocking on this door, and we were turning to leave when they pulled up in their big truck. I pretty much hate when that happens cause it can get super awkward. But Elder French played it off well. They opened the doors to get out, and he said, "looks like we've got great timing, caught you right on your way home." The guy laughed and opened right up. But...he wasn't interested. Then, all of sudden this guy with a killer accent just says, "what is the Book of Mormon. I've never heard of it before. I'm from South Africa. I'd like to hear more about it." Apparently, he was sleeping in the back seat when they pulled up. We talked to him for about 10 minutes, and he was just totally prepared. He just kept saying, "I believe it, I believe it." He even said, "I knew there was a reason I needed to talk to you." Unfortunately, he lives in Regina. But we look forward to hearing about him. We gave him the YSA elders info. He actually lives near where the YSA ward meets.
 
Pretty much the rest of the week has been a lot of walking. We've been really low on K's. And it was a little interesting because I caught a bit of the flu on Thursday and Friday. So I didn't eat much. And it was pretty hot, so I was a little out of it. But we found some great potential investigators. This one had a little 2 or 3 year old boy. He answered the door and all he said was, "wanna see my yo-yo?" Almost before we could answer he tore off in search of the thing. When he left, we could see the yo-yo sitting right next to where he was standing. He came truckin' back, picked up the yo-yo, and played it off like he had just found it in some far away place. He continued to show us all of his stuff while we were talking with his mom. Then he asked, "you wanna see my squirt guns?" "Sure, buddy!" He just looks at us with no emotion, "I don't got any." Funny little guy.
 
Well, this week is sort of a blur, so that's probably about all I've got. Hopefully that answers some questions. Mostly, we're starting from scratch, so we don't really have too many investigators that have met with us more than once or twice. There's about 2 or 3 from last transfer, but that's it.
 
I'm having a great time in Weyburn. It's an amazing place! I hope that all of you have a fantastic week. I love you all!     Elder Lyons

Monday, August 13, 2012

Trailer Life


So it's a little weird emailing again when it's only been half a week. So let's see, what happened. Okay, I think the biggest thing was Saturday. We went out to Kisby and Carlyle. I went on splits with Bro Brown and we went to Ocean Man ( a native reserve), and Elder French went with Bro Earle to Carlyle. We were working with some of the less active members in the branch. We were inviting them to church because once a month there is a meeting in Carlyle, which is significantly closer for some members than Weyburn. Well, Bro Brown and I started off, and we had about 3 possible appointments. They all fell through, so we had 4 hours and not many ideas of what we could do. Bro Brown made a bunch of phone calls, and we ended up meeting with his neighbor in Kisby. We taught about the Book of Mormon and invited her to church. It was pretty good, but I don't think that we'll be teaching her again cause she lives about 45 minutes from Weyburn. She's in our area, but we have limited K's.
 
But, anyways, we ended up knocking doors in Kisby to invite everyone to church. We only planned on being out for 30 minutes, and our 30 minutes were up. But I felt like we should knock one more door, so we did. We talked with this guy for a while, and he said he would like to go to church. It was pretty neat.
 
After that, we went to Lampman to meet with Matt and Mona. It was so weird. It was the most spirtual lesson I've had with them, though. It was amazing! Bro Earle came with us, and he invited them to church. They drove to Carlyle to go. And they want to go to Weyburn as well. It was good we were able to learn about some of their concerns. We also learned that they want to be baptized! It's just going to be rough meeting with them because they're so far away. We might have to meet via skype or something.
 
The branch here in Weyburn is great. It's pretty small, so I was asked to speak. They get pretty excited when there's someone new. I suspect that all missionaries are given the opportunity to speak. Anyways, the members are super strong. They are amazing at fellowshipping! I'm convinced that a branch is the best place to join the church. You can get to know everyone if you come to church once! ha ha..it's been great serving here. I've really enjoyed being with the Regnier's. They love missionaries. Bro Regnier comes to appointments with us, and his sons come and play sports with us on p-days. It's a lot of fun!
 
Oh! here's a neat story. We were tracting on Thursday, but then we left to go to an appointment. Afterwards, Elder French had the idea to go back to the street we were on before our appointment. It wasn't in our plans, but we decided to go back. About the 3rd door we knocked on, an old lady answered. We talked for a minute, and then her husband walked up. I admit, the thought may have crossed my mind that he was going to cut us off and send us on our way. But he smiled and said, "we're not doing anything important. Do you want to come in?" So we told him, no we're busy. No, of course we went in! I guess he had seen us when we were around earlier, and he felt neglected that we didn't stop by! ha ha. We taught them about the Book of Mormon and read in 3 Nephi. The Spirit was so strong! The man kept saying, "We're quite comfortable with our religion." Yet, he really wants to learn more. We'll see how they feel when they begin to meet with us and read the Book of Mormon daily.
 
OK, I think I covered it all. I hope all of you have a great week. I love you.
 
Love,
Elder C. Lyons

Miracles in Weyburn

Elder Lyons in front of Moose at Moose Jaw

Elder French and Elder Lyons

The Trailer

So I know everyone has a bunch of questions, but that will have to wait a second. I have to tell you about something amazing that happened last night. We were sitting in a lesson, and the phone kept vibrating in my pocket. I had to silence it like 4 times. I couldn't figure out what was so urgent. I look at the phone after the lesson, and we had a few missed calls from an unknown number and a new voicemail. We're in the car with the phone on speaker listening to this voicemail. It just says, "hey this is for Lyons, could you give us a call back. Thanks" Elder French was just confused. The look on his face was priceless. He had no clue who it could be. But I DID! I was just like, "no, that can't be Matt."  So I called them back. It was Matt and Mona from Prince Albert! They had moved to the Southeast corner of Saskatchewan a while ago. Elder Zohner told me they would be moving when I was in Regina. Somehow Matt and Mona talked with the missionaries while they were in Regina yesterday who referred them to the Weyburn elders cause THEY'RE IN MY NEW AREA! They must have been so surprised when they found out they had missionaries by their new home, and that it was me! It's just so crazy cause the one regret I had when I left PA was that I felt that I didn't do all I could to help the investigators I taught. Especially Matt and Mona. I get a second chance! They said they want to come to church in Weyburn, and go figure, we had planned to be in Estevan on Saturday which is really close to their home! Everything has just fallen into place. It's incredible to really see the Lord's hand in my mission! I love it! Not only does He care about the people, but He cares about me and about what I feel. The crazy thing is when I first heard about Matt and Mona moving, I was still in Regina. But I wondered, who's area is that? I'm sure it's in the CWM. It would great to get to teach them again.
Anyways, you probably want to know about Weyburn, Elder French, our amazing trailer, and the little branch here. So first things first, here is my new address: PO Box 1424
                          Weyburn, Sk S4H3X6
So I will send pictures of our trailer. A picture says a thousand words. And they're good words, too. It's amazing living in a trailer.
Ok, Elder French is from Raymond, AB. He is my first Canadian companion! He is a goof, and it's been great serving with him so far! He makes mancakes! Pancakes the size of the frying pan! haha...remind you of anyone? It's just been nothing but a good time finding and teaching with Elder French!
So Weyburn is a tiny little town with about 10,000 people. Most branch members have to drive about an hour to church. There's a lot of farms and some amazing homes. There's only one hill for miles, and of course on top of the hill is the church.
One of the investigators we have is the husband of a member. I guess the Griffin's just appeared at church last transfer, so Elder French started teaching them. Brother Griffin was the one that decided they should go to church. And on Sunday, we set a baptismal date with them for the first of September. Super solid! In the first week of investigating, Bro Griffin read the first 16 chapters of 1 Nephi!
We have been finding and teaching and setting up appointments more than I have for a while! It's incredible to see all these people who have been prepared by God. People are just coming from nowhere and landing in our teaching pool. People like Matt and Mona. Elder French just got an email from his family about someone they know in Weyburn that they would like us to teach. It's so amazing to see all these miracles literally just coming from nowhere.
The members are great. We spent most of the p-day playing sports with the Regnier's. We played tennis, soccer, Frisbee, ping pong, and volleyball. We ate dinner at their home. It was fantastic! Oh, and traveling to Moose Jaw was fun yesterday as well. It's just been crazy!
So if you haven't gathered it yet, this transfer is going to be amazing! I can't wait to be a part of all of these miracles! I hope that answered some questions. I love you all! Have a great week!
Love,
Elder C. Lyons