Oct 28, 2013

This week was a good one, one of those rough weeks- but you look back and realize all of the things that happened and what good you did. It is starting to get cold here, which is weird, I don't know Mexico as a cold place. It isn't like home cold, but it is for me because I'm so used to the warm now. And with nothing but cement and tile houses, the houses are like human refrigerators. Haha its crazy.

 We are super excited because we broke the highest attendance record in our Ward this last Sunday and we are just expecting it to keep climbing. The members are one of the reasons and the biggest thing is really starting to catch the vision, making visits and doing those little fundamental things.

 
This week we had the baptism of a guy named Horasio. He really has been an investigator of "gold" as you will. He has been to church for the five times and the thing that I love the most is that he is putting into practice the things that we have been teaching him. In one lesson with him we asked how things were going. He responded good, and that he was having some different problems with different things and he just prayed and read his Book of Mormon and everything eventually straightened out and it was all okay.

It was something that I have been thinking about a lot lately. A lot of times we go through trials, well we could probably say we always are in some form or another. But, when we pass through the big ones, for example, money, school, kids, work, etc.  As humans we do something funny, we feel that we need to focus everything on that problem or trial and do it ourselves and in the act we forget about the greatest help, and what we REALLY need, Our Heavenly Father. How many times have we all said, No I cant go to church I need to get my homework done. I cant go on that visit with you I am swamped with work. Or I need to get this done and go to bed there isn't time to read scriptures..... I have been really realizing how we do that as humans. It's times like these when we need to step back, take a breath and put Him first. Get back to the basics of things, prayer, scripture study, church, and the commandments. And exercise our faith in Him by In this way we are putting everything in His hands and knowing that everything will be okay. If we are good to Him, and we put Him first, He will be VERY, VERY  good to us. I know that following the example of this new member and putting all of our trials in His hands, by doing what he expects of us with our church duties, He WILL take care of what we need and more. He is there and knows how to help, but we have to do our part to receive the help.

Love you all so much!

Love Elder Lloyd

Oct 7, 2013

A great week of spiritual recharge, no?

I hope everyone loved conference as much as I did. It is always so incredible to be able to hear living Prophets. It feels like they are really talking right at you! So incredible!

This week we are so excited, we will be baptizing a young kid of 19 years during this week. His name is Adrian and is such a smart and ready kid! He is a special story, we have been working with him since I got here. But he is a young kid with a really troubled past. Due to that troubled past we have been working through a lot of things, and ultimately had to wait awhile to get permission from the First Presidency of the church for him to be baptized. One night about a week ago our President called us, and gave us the incredible news that he has been passed and given permission to be baptized from the First Presidency. It was such an amazing thing to hear! Then the next night we went to his house, and gathered his family around, who are already members, and we read him a scripture in D and C about forgiveness, then as we looked at him and told him that living Prophets of God have given him permission to be baptized... Wow, the spirit was burning SO strong and it was so incredible. Their father is always at work, and almost never there, as I think about it, I know that Adrian is going to be the worthy strong priesthood holder in that family and that household as it is, is so needed, and it was talked about in conference.

As we have been going through this processes with Adrian, I recently read a talk by Elder Holland given in the conference of May 2012 called the Laborers in the Vineyard; it is an incredible talk. It is based on and describes the parable in Matthew 20:1-15, he talks about it in many different ways. But one point that he makes I love so much, he says" His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there." I know that- that is SO true. It doesn't matter what we have done in life, It doesn't matter how late it is, He is ALWAYS there for us to take us back. He wants us, to return to Him more than anything! He loves us more than we could EVER comprehend, and we can feel the incredible healing power of the Atonement, but we need to look and turn to Him take his hand, and follow.

I love all so much

Hope all is well

Love Elder Lloyd

Sep 30, 2013

Another week of crazy mission things! 

This week we were getting all new things put in the houses that we needed. ( microwaves, new mattress, new chairs, Etc..) YES our President loves us!! So that obviously took away a little bit here and there. But we still managed to have a great Spiritual week. 

This week we have been blessed with finding a couple of new people to teach which is always great! We have been working hard with the less active members still, well, which we will be doing from here on out! haha But this week we were 4 away from breaking the all time assistance record that we are currently in. It was SO incredible to see, we have a goal of breaking it by this next November that comes. When we set that goal as a companionship I honestly did not know how we were going to do it. But with hard work, diligence and most importantly the Lord, we can accomplish ANYTHING in our lives! If it be in the will of the Lord. 

This week we went to visit a really cool 16 year old menos activo that we are getting stoked about the mission. We were outside of the apartment building and there was a man that was standing outside, he let us in and looked at us and said, "I have always loved the way that you guys are sent out so young, but are so smart, and mature." WE asked him if he would like to know why and talk with us a little bit. He said of course and we set up an appointment for the next night. 

We went to his house, and he accepted us very openly, one of the first things that he said to us was, you know what I have always wondered? What is it about the Mormons? They always have a light to them and look so happy. It was SO awesome to tell him that it was the Holy Ghost, and then as my comp was telling the first vision, ( one of my favorite parts and lessons; and the Spirit came so strong, then recognizing it and him being able to feel a part of this incredible gift we have, and telling him that he can feel like this forever through the way of the Lord, which is baptism.  

I know that the Spirit is strong enough that if we are living worthily the people around us will see and feel a difference, and I have said it before and I'll say it again the best way to teach is by example! What an amazing gift we have in our lives-- the Holy ghost!  

Love you all Hope all is well! 

Elder Lloyd