I love all of you so much!!! I can't believe a year has already passed and that everything is just moving along. I am so grateful for all of the letters, emails, love, smiles, stories and examples and just everything...I love you all so much!!! I also want to shout out to The Mighty 6! You guys keep me going! Thank you for your examples and for always sharing your testimonies.
This past week was incredible...I don't know where to start. It's always a good feeling when you have to choose which miracles to share because of a lack of time to share them all. Johor is doing great!!! I was finally able to meet the new mission president last week, and he is one of the most amazing people I've ever met. He is like a best friend, a brother, a father, a grandpa, and a stake president all in one. The sacrifices he and his wife have made to serve here are numberless. I'm so excited to serve with them and learn from them. I love the Simmons!
One of the coolest things last week happened while we were contacting. We had planned to travel to a taman (housing development area) and talk to people outside because it was around 6 at night. We did that for about an hour and a half until it got dark and people started going inside. As we were leaving the area, I felt impressed to stop and knock on a very specific house. Remember that we hadn't knocked any houses for the past hour and were on our way to an appointment. We stopped anyways and knocked. A little boy yelled for his mom who waved us away, then another lady appeared saying, "Elder" in chinese.
Elder H and I both looked at each other confused. It turns out, this woman was a member of our church and was visiting her sister. She had lived in some other countries the past few years and had been praying for missionaries to find her because she was unable to go to church due to personal circumstances. She was so excited to see us and ask us a few questions. She hadn't talked to Elders since she was baptized several years ago, and she was ecstatic!!! We committed her to go back to church when she goes back to her home country. It was so cool to be able to act on a prompting and see something miraculous come as a result.
I truly know this is the Lord's work! I think the biggest change over the past year has been being able to feel the Spirit more consistently in my life. I felt it in short bursts before the mission, but now it's almost on a constant surge, and it's the best feeling in the world! I'm willing to do all I can to maintain this feeling!!!
Due to an experience with another investigator, I realized how important family relationships are, and I also have started to learn the faith requires patience. I'm so grateful for the family I have, and I'm grateful for the gospel principles that have helped our family become so strong and close.
While studying this week, I was really just looking for an answer to my prayers and to find some solace from the scriptures. There were a few rough nights and dropped appointments that got me a little bit down. I was praying and then went back into my study room and started reading in Ether. I came across one of the most powerful and amazing verses I've ever read-
14 Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life , and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.
I don't know why, but at that time, this verse spoke peace to my soul. I have never had more prayers answered in my life than on my mission, and certainly never so quickly. I know that the reason I'm here is because of Jesus Christ. He came into the world to be a sacrifice for us. He loved us so much, and had both the willingness and the ability to atone for our sins. It is now my turn to come here to JB and proclaim these truths. I love the Book of Mormon, I love the gospel, and I love the people here. I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve and do the work of the Lord.
Love, Elder Lloyd
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