Feb 25, 2013

Wow, first full week in the field in the books! So I very remember last week getting rid of my long sleeve shirts, and celebrating with my roommates in the MTC, because we were leaving the cold. We were so pumped. We got off the plane in Burbank and started tracting right when we got off. It was pretty warm and in the city, I loved it. We stayed at APs house that night and then got our our areas and our comps the next day. 
 My companion is named Elder Flake, he is from Kaysville, Utah. He's a good guy. We were assigned to serve in Palmdale California. In my mind I'm thinking, sounds like sort of Beach region, warm..... Could not have been more wrong. haha. We got in a members car and headed out. We keep driving and driving until we're in the desert, I'm thinking, what the heck.. Where are we going. Then I see this little town in the middle of no where, sure enough, that's were I'm serving. It is cold here! haha.The first night it snowed which was crazy! But it is a good place, we get taken care of well by the ward. It is definitely not what I thought it would be. In a small, cold desert town. haha

This week we have been having a lot of great experiences with following the Spirit and letting it guide us to were we need to go. One night we were going to a couple potentials houses with the ward leader, We went from house to house that we had planned on going to, but kept getting turned down. I felt bad because it was FREEZING, and dark. I felt like we were leading the mission leader on, and came out maybe to just plant some seeds. We had prayed over the area book to find out who we should visit earlier that day. We had been impressed to visit a less active member, so that was our last stop. We went there and they let us in.
 There was the less active member who is an older women, her daughter and two kids, 12 and 5. We just got talking, she really seemed sort of psshhh, towards us. Then she started to open up. She broke down and told us how scared she is of one her sons that's 15 and wasn't there. She said he's going down the wrong path and never comes home, and disrespecting the family. We promised her that if she would take the discussions and follow the example of Christ, her son would come back and follow also. We set up an appointment for this next week, and begin to teach her and her family. We gave her son and daughters english Books of Mormons, and with out even asking, they promised us to read them every night. She asked us for a blessing, and we administered one. By the end she was bawling and the Spirit was so strong. I later came to find that she has been there when they had stopped by before, and she was against it, but now was her time. I have come to find that Missionary work is filled, with SO much failure! But if you continue to fight, and work hard, praying constantly, he will guide you to where you need to be. It happens time after time, This is just one instant out of MANY. 
Hope you are all doing great! Love you all!

Elder Lloyd

Feb 15, 2013

Some pretty good news, Because no Visas are coming in. (Mine included) I have been reassigned to the San Fernando California mission! I will be leaving the MTC at 4 in the morning on Monday. (I feel like I'm escaping in the middle of the night) I am so excited and know that is where the Lord needs me to be. Even though I really want to be in the field in Mexico, I know that there is something in store for me in California. It will be such an awesome experience, and can't wait to get there.

As I have been here, my love and testimony for the Book of Mormon has grown more than I EVER thought was possible! That book is incredible. We can receive SO much personal revelation and insight by simply praying to be directed by the spirit and reading with a sincerity of heart, and really looking for an answer. They really are the words of God, and it is the keystone of our religion. It is not an accident or by luck that the Lord had Joseph Smith translate the book before he had him do anything else for the establishing of the Church. Elder Holland says, that if there is not a true strong testimony set upon the Book of Mormon, there is not TRUE conversion. Out here in the mission field the Book of Mormon, and the power of the Spirit are the strongest tools in conversion that we have. I know that this principle applies in our own lives as well. It is truly an incredible book. I know that when we read it with the right reasons in our heart, and make time to read it. We will draw so much closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ than we could ever imagine.

I hope all is well with everyone, and thank you for all the love, support, and prayers that come my way.

Read the book, and your testimony won't be shook.

Love Elder Lloyd

Feb 8, 2013

This week was just another week in the MTC. We received about 800 new missionaries on Wednesday. The average has been about 400 a week... yeah.. crazy. This morning our residence manager came around and told us they are putting 6 to a room now. So this Monday hey will be waking us up at 6, sending us outside, we'll grab an unput together bed and we will have to take it to our rooms put our bed against the window and but the new bed in the space left over... Yeah not sure how this whole thing is going to work.. haha. BUT the Lord knows what he's doing! I'm just glad I'm out of here in a week and a half.

I went and had a scope of my bladder done on Wednesday. Everything came back perfect! Thank you SO much for all prayers that came my way.

There has been a rumor that we will get travel plans today... but I'm pretty sure its next week. No one is getting visas to any South American countries, so I will most likely be reassigned, but we'll see.

Loving this work and being a missionary! The Lords work is hastening on faster than every!

Love you all

Elder Lloyd

Feb 1, 2013

Que pasa cada uno?!

This we received our new district, they are definitely a solid group! It is cool to see all the great missionaries The Church is receiving! This work is hasting on, more than anytime in the history of The Church, I feel so blessed to be a part of it.

A couple days ago we had a rough experience as Zone Leaders. In our district there was an Elder, he has grown to be one of my closest friends in the MTC. Since day one he has had pretty severe home sickness, and the 2nd day had decided that he was going home. He talked to our branch presidency and they convinced him to give a week. He had been meeting with a specialist here and working through his problems. He was doing great, but everyday would battle his separation anxiety. On Wednesday we got back from dinner, and this Elder asked if he could talk with Elder Haderlie and I. We went into another room and he began to tell us that he along with the specialist had prayed and decided it would be best for him in the long run to go home. As he told us this it felt like I had been hit with a truck. As he sat in tears and told us how he did not want to go home at all, I knew he didn't, But he said he feels this is what is best for him at this time. It was very emotinal for me, and I couldnt wrap my mind around it. It killed me so bad to see him battle for 6 and a half weeks, and then see hime not being able to beat this. Then as I was thinking it hit me, it is God's will, and it is between him and the Lord. It is SO hard sometimes to see and even harder to accept God's will. It's hard to see it for others, and its frustrating, like this situation, and it is even harder to see it for our selves. We may not know at the time, or may no know ever what He has planned, but as we accept it, and have enough faith to know that whatever happens He IS always watching out for us and will always bless us. We will become closer to our Heavenly Father, and Jesus Christ, and will open up more doors for them to bless us.

I love you all so much, and can not thank you enough for all the love and suppport.

Thy will be done...

Love Elder Lloyd

ps Congrats to Emma Stapp on your mish call! Love you

Jan 25, 2013

Just another week in the MTC, but always great when you're a missionary! This Sunday I was asked to be the Zone Leader for my zone, and they asked one other Elder in our District also, so I got a new Companion! haha, His name is Elder Haderlie, he is an awesome kid. We get along great, he is a year older than me and is from Parawon UT. He will be serving in the Cucco Peru mission... Our branch Presidency said they have only done a Comp switch here twice in 2 years, But felt impressed that they should do it with us. It makes me happy to hear that they have so much confidence in us.

        It will be pretty crazy because in the next little while our zone will swell from about 29 missionaries right now, to about 68 by the end of February, but with the Lord anything is possible!!!! He doesn't call those who he does not make well equipped. It is going to be an incredible experience and I am all ready loving it! I have seen Elder Westbrook, Dahl, and Flathers this week which was way cool! A lot of people coming in this next week also! Congrats to Collin and Ally on their calls! Love you guys! 

        This week we have been learning a lot about revelation through attending Church. I have always sadly looked at it as something we just have to do, and some what of a nuisance. But the more I learn about it the more I learn that it is such a huge blessing to us as members! The sacrament is one if the most sacred ordinances still preformed on the earth today, and getting the chance to step back from the world, partake of it, and let everything melt away. To just be able to think about the Atonement and how incredible it was that he suffered for us PERSONALLY. It is nothing less then incredible! Church is such a great place to just get out of the world, to grow and receive personal revelation for ourselves. What a blessing.

         I Love you all so much, and thank you for your love and support!

Its ALL in the attitude!

Love Elder Lloyd

Jan 18, 2013

HOLA!!

         The MTC has been just the same, putting in the grind as always! This Tuesday we went to our regular devotional, and we got there ad guess who it was going to be by? None other then THE Elder Holland! It was incredible! He speaks so directly and with so much emotion, I love him so much! His whole talk was basically directed to us missionaries in and how and what we need to do to become better missionaries. One thing that he said was, That this is the most exciting time to be a missionary EVER!! I know that is so true, the work is exploding. I want to say how proud I am to all of my friends that have gotten or are getting their calls !!! I love you guys so much, words CANNOT explain!

       We got 6 knew Elders and 6 new Hermanas is our zone this week which was fun! Chase came in and I can not tell you how stoked I am! I went and peeked into his class and saw him. Then i saw him at lunch, we gave each other a huge hug, and tears started to well up in my eyes. It hit me so hard, we are here, doing the lords work. We are in the front lines of Gods army! couldn't ask for a better friend, and friends all of us in here, and those who are about to.  I am learning so much about life and how to help people! I love this work so much, and I know this is where I need to be. I wake up everyday just so happy because I know where I am, and know what I doing. My favorite quote is by Elder Bednar from my favorite talk he gave called, "The character of Christ." He said, "When you loose yourself in the service of others, you find yourself, and you wont be looking." I KNOW that is so true. Whenever you are having a hard time or are struggling, if you help others and look beyond yourself. the Lord will bless you, and everything will turn around. I LOVE learning how to, and being able to help people come unto Christ and get to know Him and build a relationship with him and our Loving Heavenly Father! its truly amazing. Hope all is well with all of you! Again I want to thank everyone for all the love and support, especially after last weeks scare! I know that is through prayer that I am healthy. I KNOW he hears and answers our prayers!! LOVE you all!!

If you know you will grow!

LOVE Elder Lloyd

Jan 11, 2013

Hope everyone is doing great! Had a normal week at the MTC, just crazy busy. BUT have had some pretty crazy experience this past week personally. It all started on Monday night I went to the bathroom before bed and saw that my urine was off colored, almost brown, I chalked it up to the vitamins I was taking and went to bed. We had gym first thing in the Morning, I came back and went again, this time it looked like watered down Kool Aid, I tried to play it off and said if it gets worse I'll think about doing something if it gets worse. After lunch we went to again, this time it was startling! It was mostly blood. I went and told my companion that we need to go to the clinic here at the mtc. I got in and talked to the doctor and told him what was happening and he had me do a sample.. As soon as I gave it to him he Said "Wow that's not good at all," I don't think he was expecting it to be that bad. He right then started to take immediate action. We walked over to the other doctor and said I need to talk to you about something, the other doctor asked if it could wait, he has a meeting. He said no very quickly and told him what was going on, the conversed and decided that they need to said me off to get a CT scan immediately. The rushed me to the hospital in Provo and I got CT scans, and they told me i would meet with the urologist tomorrow. This whole time I was just pleading with the Lord that I may understand his will whatever it may be. I was so scarred I would have to come home. My companion and I got back late that night and I was in shock of what was going on, and just kept praying for peace, which the whole time I felt. I just had this comfortable feeling the whole time. I wasn't feeling all to great from loosing so much blood. I woke up the next morning and was nervous with what I was about to see, And by the grace of God everything was perfectly normal! I went to the doctors first thing that day and he said that they could not find anything on the CT, So he sent me for TONS of tests all over, My companero and I spent the next day and a half in hospitals all over Provo getting different test, blood tests every thing! I meant with the urologist and he said he cant find anything wrong, they are going to send one more test to a special lab in the East coast that will take about ten days to get back and they will take further action from there. I am not completely out of the woods yet, but I KNOW that the Lord has sent angels to watch over and comfort me! I KNOW he is there, and was hearing every prayer I offered! I am so blessed right now, it is a miracle. This sort of thing doesn't just happen and then stop with no evidence of why the next day. I love being here and KNOW this is Gods work and I LOVE it day to day. I Love you ALL so much and can feel all your love, prayers, and support!

He hears our pleas, and addresses our needs.

LOVE Elder Lloyd

Jan 4, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!

      This has been a great week! Pretty uneventful just because we do the same thing day in and day out! haha but its awesome! I love it! Congrats to all those who have gotten their calls! That's awesome!! Jake and Rachel... I'm jealous, those are unbelievable calls! I FREAKING LOVE YOU Sesi!!...... We started teaching our 2nd investigator this week his name is Francisco. It is incredible that even just one week and a half in the MTC and the Spanish is coming like you would not believe. THIS is the only place you can learn that fast, I'm sure of it! The Lord blesses you SO much when you do what is expected, follow the rules and try your best! I see it on a day to day basis. The teachers her are truely incredible!! I love them! Hermano Mead is the perfect teacher for me! I know that is not by luck... He is so funny.

       Yesterday we spent ALL day (when I say all day I Mean 9 hours of classes) on teaching ourselves and learning to teach our investigators the importance of prayer. I thought I had a testimony of it... But now I DO! it really is SO important!!!! You are really talking to our Heavenly Father, and he WILL talk back, and answer our prayers! We just have to pray with real intent. We were teaching one of our teachers like he was an investigator. We taught him all about prayer, then we invited him to do it.... And even though I knew he knew how, and what it was. He said his "first prayer" and it was INCREDIBLE, the spirit was SO strong, and it was burning inside me. I CANT wait top get to Mexico and experience that time and time again! I KNOW that prayer is real and if we just get on our knees and pray with real intent, he will answer us, and give us ALL that we need, ASLONG as we are doing what we need to, and our willing to except his will.

        I LOVE YOU ALL, and hope you are doing awesome like I am.

Jesus lives, and God gives!

         Love Elder Lloyd 

Dec 28, 2012

Hey everyone, hope everyone had an amazing Christmas as we did in the MTC, it was awesome..... The MTC has been amazing, and day by day, I can tell you that the Lords work is hasting on!! It is truly incredible!! Just some quick mind blowing facts... Right now the MTC is almost packed to capacity with 2,031 missionaries. We came in with the first group of 18 year old Elders, and 19 year old sisters! which was awesome. By May there will be 2,000 SISTER missionaries ALONE!! (Lets all just take a second and take that in...) thats not to mention ALL the Elders coming in also. Honestly gives me butterflies when I think about. They say in ^ months you wont be able to recognize the campus, and then in another 6 you wont be able to recognize it again from all the growth and changes! I can tell you this much, "The fields are white and ready to harvest." ( Just to clear up some of the rumors about the Asian temp. missions, they are not setting up to move into China. Elder Russel said it himself, "We will walk in the front door."

        I am loving the MTC, I love being around people from everywhere around the world! Learning everything from English to Mandarin, but all here for the same purpose, to spread the GREATEST gift on earth! My love for the Gospel is growing so much everyday, and I can feel myself molding into a Soldier at the front lines of the Lords Army. I get SO pumped all the time!! I feel like everyday is the day of a BIG game!! This black tag that I am wearing is the best thing that has ever happened to me! I'm tearing up just writting about it, and thinking about it! The spirit is SO strong all the time, I feel like I can take on the world, and I'm going to try to! haha Starting with the North east oart of Mexico City....

         It is amazing how they have perfected the work we do, and how fast we move. The first day of class the only spoke STRICTLY Spanish to us all day. Me not knowing ANY spanish, everythime they would talk to me I would just start laughing so hard. By day three we were teachong an investigator in full Spanish, (Edwin Sanchez) We obviously didnt know spanish to well in 3 days, so it was really difficult. Be we could take notes, (Or a script for me!)

haha. Our teacher, Hermano Mead, (Whom I LOVE, hes so funny and an amazing teacher) said he did teach an investigator until his 6th week. We finished our 5th and last lesson with him last night and get TWO more starting next week!

         On our first day, we were in a work shop, so there were about 30 sisters and elders teaching the same investigator. It was set up in a big room and we were teaching LaWona, a bigger inner city black girl. It was set up like we were in her living room in the middle of the room. We could feed off each other and teach her. She talk super ghetto and she was SO funny, and we were all trying to convert her, and through out things about the gospel. In the beginning she had said something about being in the hospital. So we tried forever, and she kept stumping us. Then she got and said, "Look I want you all to just take a step back and look at the situation. No one ask me why is was at the hospital, you are all to worried about giving me your religion. I have cancer... All I needed to here is that someone loves me... Love that's a word LaWona hasn't heard inn a LONG time."  The spirit came into the room stronger than i have ever felt! We all started to bear our testimony on the Atonement and how we know Christ and our Heavenly father love ALL of us SO much. It was INCREDIBLE. It hit me in the face we aren't here to get people into the Gospel, we are here to love the people, and show the Gods love, and to help them in any way possible.

         I dont want to sugar coat it and make it sound all reindeer games... Its HARD, and its STRESSFUL, and the language can be SO over whelming. Sometimes in the middle of work you don't know how much more you can take. But EVERY SECOND is worth it! You turn it into the Lords hands and let him help you. The first day it hit me so hard, even though I came in here with a full head of steam and ready to give it everything, I CANT DO THIS ALONE!! I need our Heavenly Father more than anything.

         I wish I could have all of you come spend a day with me and just feel and see what I do, everyday. Its incredible! I Take SSOO much pride, amd love the simple black name tag, and love what it stands fro more than anything right now. I am a representative of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I already feel 2 years is not enough time, and  DREAD the day I have to take this tag off.

         I LOVE you all, and hope you are all doing amazing. The Lord lives and loves us. Please Write!

Love Elder Lloyd

Dec 25, 2012

Hey GUYS!!

First off..... MEERRRYYY CHRISTMAS!!! HOHOHO

As A gift to us, we get a short time to email, so I only have a little while before it kicks me off. Buuuut, the mtc is amazing! the Spirit is so strong everywhere! My companion is Elder Bertran from Toole Utah. We get along pretty well. We just got out off a Devotional given by Elder Russel M. Nelson. It honestly was so incredible. He and his wife spoke and the had so much amazing insight! She spoke on asking the Lord for the gifts you are in need of, like a gift card the Lord has already payed, an incredible price for the gifts that we need, and that we should not let that "gift card" go to waste. Elder Nelson basically gave us a pump up speech. It was Awesome! He said in there that the Greatest gift ever given is the gift of the Atonement. I truly believe that to be true. Everyday I feel the love that God has for EACH AND EVERYONE of his children. I have a solid district with a lot of great guys. I have never Worked so hard in my life, but I love it. I want you to all know how much I love you. I will write a more in depth email on Friday (my P day) and fill you in on more once I have more time. I hope everyone is having a great Christmas day, and remembering the true meaning of Christmas.... I can not express the joy and happiness I feel when I think about the fact that I am part of, and am in the front lines of Gods Army! There is NO greater place to be right now!!! This is an incredible work....... I can not thank you for ALL the support I feel from all of you. Please write.... I'm dumb and didn't collect anyone's address.... Thanks you for all the Christmas gifts and cards, I cant explain to you how much it means. Things like that, and letters are GOLD!!

 I LOVE YOU ALL WITH EVERY PART OF MY BEING. The Church is true, the Book is blue!!!

 A large gift he got from his Sister Blair

LOVE Elder Lloyd

Getting ready to leave

 Elder Lloyd is lucky to have such great friends and so much love and support. We was definitely sent off feeling the love.