This week has been amazing, but it has also been really tough!
First of all, I just want to say that I love all of you guys! We are all so blessed. The people here do not have very much, but the more I teach and get to know them, the more I realize how similar they are to many of you. Each person has their own trials, but I know that the gospel can help with all of them. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love each one of us, and they've sent us here at this time and these places because this is where we'll learn the most and be able to achieve our fullest potential.
So last Tuesday night, after a long day, we biked about forty-five minutes to a member's house for a big family home evening and dinner with a few families. We were so excited, but on the way there, I got a flat tire, and my companion's brakes/wheel broke. We ended up being around thirty minutes late, but luckily, the lesson went great, the Spirit was strong, and we saw everyone at church yesterday. Hooray!
After the FHE, we went outside and found that the wheels and gears on our bikes had all been stolen....it was frustrating to say the least. We spent the next two hours walking back home carrying our bicycles. At first I was rather frustrated and worried and mad, but I know that everything happens for a reason. I think that our wheels being stolen might have been the best way to protect us as we walked home, or it might have been the only way that I could learn how to try and look at the big picture and what really matters. Either way, it was a very humbling experience that I've ended up being very grateful for. I need to do better at letting the hard times turn into learning experiences rather than just letting them beat me down.
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| Dignitary from India Visited and Met the Missionaries |
I've probably shared this before, but I'm so grateful for the Atonement and the peace of knowing that the Savior has experienced all that I have. Everywhere in the scriptures it talks about trials and tribulations...they are blessings!! This life is a test!!! I'm grateful for the many tests that I have and will have because that means I'm having opportunities to grow and repent.
A miracle this week occurred while we were looking in our area book and calling as many potential investigators as possible. We finally connected with someone and she was super excited to meet us, and we ended up meeting twice in two days. It turns out that she knows a lot about our church already, she asked us for more reading assignments in the Book of Mormon, and she's super interested in our church. This is a tender mercy!!!!!!!!! I am so happy the Lord was able to guide us to her and that she has been prepared. I know that as we work hard and continue to be diligent in any aspect of life, Heavenly Father will bless us with successes and growth.
Lastly, I just wanted to share one of the coolest experiences of the week. We visited a member and had a wonderful dinner of spaghetti, soup, bread, and ice cream (yes, I'm whistling and singing)! As we started to talk about our purpose in visiting him, he started to ponder. He kept asking us such sincere questions, and expressed his concern about working so hard to help his family and others. He started crying as he verbalized and recognized all of the stress on his shoulders.
He is an amazing man who wants to make a difference in the world, but feels burdened with all of his responsibilities. We shared a scripture with him from John 14:27-27:
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
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| Learning How to Roll Sushi |
I know this gospel is something that gives us peace in this life. It is not meant to be a burden or something that stresses us out. We bore testimony of the Atonement and specifically how the gospel can bring us joy in our lives. I know that all of us get caught up in feeling that we're not achieving what we think we should/could, but that isn't supposed to happen. If we focus on doing our best and filling our lives with good things, the Lord will guide us in what we truly need to do. I know that all of us do make a positive difference, and Satan is the one who puts thoughts of inadequacy and stress into our heads. When stress starts to cripple us, it's not healthy.
Thank you so much for all that you've done to help me understand the gospel, and thank you for your continued support and prayers. I love all of you guys so much! This week, I got out some pictures and showed my companion and other Elders all of my family and friends...they were all amazed after I finished telling a few stories. I truly have been blessed with the most amazing people around me, and I hope you guys all know that you have helped me and continue to bless others! I love you all!!! Thank you for your prayers and support!
Love, Elder Lloyd
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| Branch Members |
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