SUPER GREAT WEEK!

Happy New Year everybody!!!!!! What an amazing week! I'm pretty sure that I'm still stuffed full of food from last Thursday's New Year's celebrations, but I'm certainly not going to complain. This week was so much fun, but I also realized the many sneaky ways that Satan uses to get to us. I am grateful for my family, and I'm grateful for my Tawau family and the love that we all share. I am so proud to be a member of this church, and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to grow up in the church and receive the blessings of this gospel. We are working hard to to share these blessings with others!

The first miracle of the week was when we met with a member in Tawau who has two kids out on missions right now. He is a very humble man, and he loves the Priesthood more than anything on this Earth. He always gives us soda and  a treat, and nothing makes him happier than serving the missionaries. Basically, he is AMAZING!!!! I love him so much...he is an amazing example and father. While visiting him, we had planned on sharing a specific lesson with him, but as we started talking, Elder Chin and I both changed the lesson plan towards a different need. His oldest son comes home from a mission in a few months, and this man shared the pressure that he's feeling right now. He knows his son wants to go to college (hopefully BYU), but it will be a great struggle to provide him with this opportunity. As I listened to this man, I couldn't help but think of my own lifestyle and how spoiled I am. I thought to myself, what if I didn't really have anything to come home to after a mission? How would that change the way I worked and planned for my future?? . We shared this scripture with him:

 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

 32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.

I know that the greatest gift that any of us could give our friends and family is a strong testimony and conversion to Christ. I hope that when I return home I can notice changes not only in myself, but also in my family and others back home that I was close to. I hope that we can all grow closer to the Lord as our friends and family serve missions. When we focus first on Heavenly Father and Christ, everything else will fall into place. 

The second thing that really struck me this week was more about our attitude and our desire. With the New Year, there were a few who turned to some old habits and shared with us how they just don't really feel the Spirit anymore. We tried to share  with them that all we can only gain the Spirit when we are living righteously with good desires. There is a price to pay for happiness and peace. Even when we are choosing the right, trials, problems, and other hardships will still happen. We must use our agency to first decide in our minds that we want to choose happiness and the Lord. No matter what happens, we must decide that this gospel is worth the extra effort-because it does take extra effort. 

There is a video called Missionary Work and the Atonement that I would invite all of you to watch http://youtu.be/spGtVY6L5jY. It talks about why things must be hard in order for us to truly learn and become like our Savior. I know that when we choose the right in times of hardship, we take bigger steps towards becoming who our Heavenly Father wants us to become. We can do it!!! Write down good times, spiritual experiences, save pictures, scriptures...anything to remind you of something good that will help you feel happier and stronger.

One of the coolest things that happened this week was on New Year's day. We were out in a little kampung on a plantation at a member's house, and they had invited all of their Chinese relatives and friends. There were probably 75 people there!! The food was amazing, everything was happy -- it was just a really positive environment. One of the people there is a Roman Catholic who had visited Vegas before to gamble. As we talked, he told me he had gone on a tour while in Vegas, and his favorite site was the temple (he just didn't know what it was yet). What a miracle -- go to Vegas to gamble and go see the temple haha. I was in awe. I was able to share more about our church and basically the whole first lesson. many people never listen closely or ask questions, but he immediately started inquiring about how our church was different, why I'd leave America, and what I believed to be true. I know that he was prepared long before I met him, and I am so excited to go back to his house and share more with him. 

I know that as we listen closer to people, we will understand more about how the gospel can apply to them immediately. I am so grateful for the many experiences we have on this Earth that are going to help us eternally. I love you all so much, and I hope that you can all feel the Savior's love for us as well. Don't forget to watch the video! Happy New Year!!!! 

Love, Elder Lloyd

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

Hello everybody!!!!!! Happy Chinese New Year!!!!!!! This week, the zone leaders came from Kota Kinabalu to visit us again, so I received a few letters and packages. Thank you so much for letting me know how you are all doing and for showing your love for me. I am so grateful for the best family and friends in the entire world! I also want my grandparents to know that I love them with all of my heart. I am so grateful for the people who have been so important in shaping me and my life... I am so blessed. 

I don't know where to start....so many things happened this week! I feel like yesterday was a month ago, but a week ago was just like yesterday....hard to explain haha. The first thing I would like to share is probably the most important. There is a talk called Creating Success by Elder Ballard that has become one of my favorites. I don't have time to find any quotes or paste anything today, but please read it. I promise it will be much more worth your time than my silly little letter. 

This week we wrote down a few moments when we felt true joy and success as a missionary, and then we talked about how we achieved that. Our goal for the next few weeks is to turn Tawau into a place where missionaries are excited to come to so that their attitudes will be positive and the work will continue to cruise along. We are finally seeing some successes as more people, including Chinese, come to church and are taking the steps towards baptism. I am learning that the line where we choose whether to be creatures or creators of circumstance is absolutely true. It doesn't matter where I go, who I'm with, or what language I am speaking. I can still invite others to come unto Christ if I have a good attitude, I'm obedient, and work with the Spirit. 

One of the coolest things this week was having the opportunity to visit with President L from Singapore and take him to visit a few people. While we were teaching and visiting, he shared with me that going on a mission not only helps ensure that I continue in my path towards eternal life, but I'm also protects my family for generations to come. I thought that was such an incredible thought. He shared with me that the key to finding new people to teach and baptise is in the youth. They are the ones that will grow up and be faced with the trials of the world. As we grow, have our own families/children, and raise them in the gospel, we won't need to worry about the choices that our children/grandchildren make because we can trust that we have taught them well, and we have led by example. I am so grateful that i have had this foundation, and I hope to be able to share that with others. 

At church, President and a few others from Kuching talked about self reliance and how this gospel is not simply just about reading the scriptures, coming to church, praying, etc. This gospel is about having joy in all parts of our life as we become more like the Savior and apply His teachings. As we truly come unto Christ we will be able to find success in school, work, our health, and many other things that may not initially come to mind when we consider learning about the gospel. It is a miracle that our church has so many programs to help people all around the world, and I'm excited that they are being brought to Malaysia. these people need it so much, and I'm eager to see the changes that will be made. 

Lastly, I just want to share the importance of gaining people's trust. I used to think that by asking millions of questions about people and memorizing every aspect about them would help me be their friend and get to know them, which would eventually lead to trust, honesty, and baptism. I was so wrong. I think the best way we can come closer to anybody is by truly opening our own hearts and walls. As I've tried to share more about who I am, what I enjoy, what struggles I've had, and what I'm working on, people have become more interested in what I have to say, and they've been much more willing to honestly share what they are going through as well. I would invite all of us to work harder to be honest with others about ourselves, even when it's scary. If we expect others to share how they're feeling with us, we must first be willing to put our own feelings on the table. I am so grateful for the things I am learning as a missionary that will be priceless for the rest of my life. If you have any doubts, serve a mission!!!!! It is worth it! I love you all!!!!! Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Lloyd

TRUTH

Ginormous Jackfruit! Smells like stinky feet, tastes like Juicy Fruit gum! 

I am so happy to hear about all of my friends back home receiving mission calls. I am so proud and happy to be surrounded by so many amazing people that have been good examples to me my whole life. I love you guys!!!!! 

Most of all....CONGRATULATIONS TO MY SISTER AND DANNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited for you guys!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe you're getting married!!!!!!!!!! THAT"S AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) I'm a lil hurt you couldn't wait another year and  a half for me to get home though ;) 

This week we had many challenges such as sickness, dropped appointments, miscommunication with our investigators and members, and many other things, but I also realized just how amazing it is that I'm here in the first place. I am a 19 year old boy all the way across the world in a Muslim country.....it truly is a miracle that I have this opportunity to serve the people here at all. When I hear experiences from other missionaries, members, and experience things for myself, I become more and more grateful for the gospel. 

Most importantly, I realize that we certainly still have miracles! I know that gratitude truly is something that helps us understand Heavenly Father's impact on our lives, and I know gratitude leads to repentance and change. As I pondered about all that I am grateful for, all that I'm trusted with, and all that I have been promised, it lead me to a desire to change certain parts of my life that were straying from the path Christ has set for us. 

As I was reading through a talk my sister sent me a few months ago called Truth, I pondered more about what I'm doing rather than what I know. It points out that truth is more than just a set of facts. Lawyers take the same facts and make multiple, completely different ideas from them. As we study the gospel and these "facts" that are contained in the scriptures, we must become doers of the truth, not just knowers. We must be willing to follow, consistently, what we are commanded to do. I know that as we do these things we will become spiritually and physically happier and more peaceful. 

This week, we really focused on helping our investigators and members understand the importance of the Sacrament and repentance.I wish I had studied and understood the Sacrament better before I came on a mission...there is a talk in the January Ensign called An Hour to Watch With Him. What I learned from that is that the hour we have each week at Sacrament Meeting is just like the hour the apostles were asked to wait and pray for the Savior. It is such a small amount of time that has the potential to change us so much. 

As we truly remember the Savior for the one hour during Sacrament Meeting each week, we will be able to better feel the Spirit throughout the rest of the week. We will know how the Lord wants us to change and who he wants us to reach out to. I know that repentance and change is a happy thing, and I'm grateful that we all have the opportunity each week to partake of the Sacrament and recommit to follow Christ. We are loved!

I know that this life is the time to prepare to meet our Heavenly Father. I know that we are so blessed to have this gospel, and with that blessing comes the responsibility to share it with others and to use it ourselves. We are given so many tools, opportunities, and experiences that can help us be happy and progress if we are willing to humble ourselves and use them. I know this gospel is the only true way back to our Heavenly Father on this Earth, and I know that each one of us has been invited to partake of this goodness. 

I love you guys so much, and I'm so grateful for the many prayers and your wonderful stories! Thank you for sharing your miracles with me! Have a wonderful week! Love, Elder Lloyd

THE GOSPEL IS TRUE!

I'm so sorry, somehow my long letter got deleted while I was doing other things, and now I'm out of time! I know that things happen for a reason, so maybe I just need to be short and simple this week.

I want you all to know that Heavenly Father does hear and answer our prayers. I also know that the Book of Mormon is the thing that will bring us closer to God. If you have questions about anything, absolutely anything, please read the Book of Mormon. It is a collection of other people's experiences as Heavenly Father answered their prayers in the midst of their trials. By reading the Book of Mormon, we will be able to recognize how the Spirit speaks to us. 

Lastly, I want everyone to know that the desire and willingness to change is one of the best traits we could ever develop. I know that we must change in order to progress and continue growing closer to the Lord. We will never receive all that the Lord has to offer if we stop trying to reach it. 

I promise that it is worth it! No matter how hard, how tempting, or how lost we might feel, keep pushing. I know that we are never given more than we can handle, and I know that through our trials we will better understand who Heavenly Father wants us to be. 

I am so grateful that this life isn't easy, and I'm grateful for the chances that I have to help others. If I have one regret, it's that I didn't serve or show my love for others enough before my mission. Listen to people, talk with them, help them, serve them....show Christ's love for others each and every day as best as you can.

I know this gospel is true!!! 

One of the coolest talks ever is called "Apostasy" https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/04/apostasy-and-restoration?lang=eng Please listen to it this week!!!!! 

I love you guys so much!!! I know that this gospel is a message of hope and love. It is never too late, and it is never too early. Please focus on what you can do today to bring yourself and others closer to Christ. 

Love, Elder Lloyd