This was on of those weeks that draw you toward the Savior and our father in Heaven in every aspect. We saw how there really are so many people ready to accept the Gospel in their lives. We had put in a good hard week of work seeing a lot of blessings and miracles and they just kept coming more and more right down to the end.
We have been teaching a family that I love SO much and will be baptized this Friday that comes. The Family Ibarra Gonzalez, When you hear about a"golden family," that is what they are. It is a family of the Mom and Dad Saul and Blanca, and the kids Berenice 24, Alejandro 18, and Angela 10. They so incredible, from day 1 about 5 weeks ago it has been such a blessing to be able to teach them.
This week has been such a testimony builder on when we are doing what is right and Heavenly Father can and will trust us and put us in the spot where we need to be when we need to be there. And that it is all on HIS time. We had a contact in the street who had told us to return and gave us her address, and an appointment. The time came to go the the appointment, so we found the street, then where looking for the house, turns out she had lied and the house didn't exist. As we turned around to head back the way we came, we saw a women throwing clothes out the window, and we looked down as a man picking them up turned around and said hey! We then realize it was a contact that we had made the week before. He walks up to us and as we could smell the alcohol on his breath says, "hey! wheres God huh?!?" and as we started to speak he says, "Where God when I need him most huh?? Look I'm an alcoholic and my family just kicked me out of the house. Wheres God??...... You know what? forget it." He then put on the sweaters that were thrown out the window and headed off. We looked and each other and said, we have to go talk to the family. We knocked on the door, and his son that is ten, and was there when we contacted him answered, we explained who we are and asked to come in to share something, she told us that is the house of her mother and father in laws and she would go get them, they came to the door, and we explained who we are and what we do, and explained what we saw and that we knew her son and asked to come in and share something of Christ, Then she just went off about how she is catholic and doesn't need us, but go find her son when he is sober, and how rude he is and awful things about him as his young son was behind her. We explained how we need to see those how Jesus does and how he still lives and can perform miracles. in short, she was was not very nice at all, and was sticking to how she is catholic and ya. We were very hurt, and I looked behind her to see his little son, and said, would you like to hear something from us? With the hurt you could see in his eyes said yes. She then started to say how we were not going to come in, Said we know we will talk with him out here. He came out, and we took him to the curb, sat down and started to talk. It was so hard to see and hear the hurt that this young kid has. But so incredible to see the drive he has to be better and help his dad and family. We told him we would come back and talk again and then come for him for church, we came back again and had another great talk with him in the rain. Then when we got there int the morning on Sunday at 7 45 he was all ready and looking sharp. I know the Lord guided us to the spot in the down to the second we needed to be there.
Through out the week my comp. and I had been talking, and we were talking about how we give out so many cards with our number, to about 5 people a day. Then we ask, when can we pass buy to share these things with you they look on the back where our number is and say, "is this your number? yeah I will call you guys and have you come by." But we have never gotten a call, even in my comp.s 21 months in the mission. We were then walking to church as my comp. gets a call asking if we were from the church, we said yes, and the person said when is the fastest you can come? I need help with my son, We then set up an appointment for after church, after church we headed over. We came in with a member in our ward not knowing what to expect. The women went to get her son and told us he is 29. He came down, and when you think of gangster, you're thinking of this guy, long shorts, wife beater, tattoos every where, black eye, cut on his forehead, everything, long story short, it was incredible seeing this man sitting in front of us, bawling telling us that he has looked for happiness his whole life, and has never been able to find it, and how he only wants to change, and be a good guy. It is incredible to have the Spirit testify along with us that through what Jesus Christ has done for us he can and will change.
There is a family that is a family that are converts of about 6 months here in this ward, and very young family with the oldest daughter of 12 years old. Who helps us as missionaries with SO much, even helps the whole zone. This morning we were in a meeting and I was getting lots of calls from the sisters in our area. We then called them after and asked what was wrong, The Sister barely able to talk gets out that the daughter of the family Cortez had died early in this morning... She had diabetes and minor problems lately, but this morning returned to our Heavenly Father. Even though how hard it is, we know that this family now has the information of the Plan of Salvation, and it is now being put to the test. We will be living from internet and the whole zone will be there to support this great family.
I testify that even though we may not understand the will of God, He knows what he is doing, and if we are doing what He needs from us, we WILL be tools in His hands to help others more than we could ever know.
I love you all, and thank you all for your support!
Elder Lloyd
