“ … And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.” - Alma 27:27

Wednesday, September 30, 2015

CONVERSATION BETWEEN HEARTS


Good morning, everybody!!! I cannot believe that I'm sitting at the computer again sending emails...the weeks always go by so fast! It feels like I've already told you everything that happened, but when I think back and look at my journal, there are countless, priceless experiences that have made small changes in me that will last forever. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I am grateful for my companion, Elder Hanks. I'm grateful to be serving in JB. I'm grateful for this gospel and the knowledge of a loving, caring, and living Savior. I am so humbled to be able to serve Him each day and show my gratitude!

We are so blessed with amazing people here. There were a bunch of funny, joyful, happy stories last week that have just helped me realize that Heavenly Father's love is manifested unto us in so many ways. I know He is there, watching over us, and inspiring us to continue to grow and help others come to know Him. 

One of the miracles last week came when we met with an investigator who we hadn't been able to connect with. One day he phoned that he was free, but we had another appointment already arranged. For some reason, that first appointment cancelled, so we were able to meet with him. Elder and Sister Benson accompanied us as we taught about the Plan of Salvation. It was amazing to ponder about his questions -- they are so deep and he really pushes me to study and teach with the Spirit rather than just "proving" things with the scriptures. One of the things we discussed was the Atonement of Jesus Christ. 

There's a metaphor that helped me understand the Savior's Atonement. There was a very poor Malaysian living in a kampung, far, far, away, with the dream to become a doctor. Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he would never have enough money or the chance to go to medical school. One day, someone came along and offered him a scholarship to go to medical school for a few years. Does that mean he is a doctor? Did that offer ensure his success? Absolutely not! He still had to study, work hard, and do all he that he could to take advantage of the special opportunity he had been given to fulfill his dream. 

On Earth, there is no way we could make it back to Heavenly Father, in a perfected state, without Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice. That's impossible. He came to Earth, took upon all of our sins, died for us, and was resurrected. In return, we must show our gratitude and learn from the mistakes we make. Because of Christ, our choices and mistakes are learning opportunities rather than condemning and fatal acts. I am grateful that I have been blessed with the fullness of Christ's gospel since I was born. I pray that I can continue to learn it so that I can share it clearly, according to the Spirit, with others. 

One of the best parts of last week was going on exchanges with Elder Avery. He is one of the most obedient, diligent, knowledgeable, and funny people I have ever met. It was a wonderful experience to be with him, and I learned a lot. Something we learned together happened in a roleplay as we shared a quick 5 minute Restoration lesson. 

My Chinese is still a little shaky, and it didn't seem like I was sharing anything special, but as soon as I started reciting the First Vision, we both started crying. He just laughed a little because neither one of us knew how to react. It was almost a surprise to feel the Spirit so strongly. After, we discussed how our investigators must feel the same way when they feel the Spirit. They can't identify it or explain it--they're surprised by it. Later that day, we taught a lesson to a woman who barely speaks Mandarin and zero English. The whole lesson was a struggle of understanding, but as I testified of Heavenly Father's love and our purpose here on Earth, she started bawling. She couldn't understand why, but we did our best to help her recognize that it was the Spirit. The gift of tongues is so much more than just learning a new language or using clear words to convey knowledge; it truly is a conversation between our hearts as we follow the Spirit.

We had another miracle happen Saturday. We expected President Tan to help us with a few early afternoon and morning appointments, but he called last minute to let us know he would be in Singapore all day. We quickly called a member and her mom who agreed to help us teach. We gave them the address of our first appointment, and when we arrived, they were already there, conversing with our potential investigator. The lesson went perfectly because of the two members' testimonies and fellowship. In the lesson, as soon as I finished reciting the First Vision, the member (who just started on her mission papers) immediately started bearing testimony. She let us bear testimony, then she shared from the Book of Mormon. It was incredibly powerful and so impressive! Having members testify and bear testimony is so wonderful! I love the feeling of unity and love as we work together and help people come unto Christ!!

This past week, I learned a lot and realized there are many places that I need to improve. I need to forgive others, I need to forgive myself, and I need to forget. As I've tried to do better at helping others remember Christ as much as possible, I have noticed the Atonement affect me more and strengthen me each day. 

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

I know that this gospel and the Savior's sacrifice is not just about "making up" for things that are done wrong, but in helping us become happier, eternal, Godly beings. I am so happy right now!! I am so grateful for the many blessings that I receive each day, and I'm grateful to be surrounded by others that are doing their best to feel the Spirit and follow Christ. I love being a missionary!

Love, Elder Lloyd

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

NEVER BE WEARY OF GOOD WORKS

Good Morning Everybody!!! Thank you so much for your incredible emails every week. I am so grateful for the Spirit and example that you share with me as I serve a mission. I am especially grateful for my family. Jake, thanks for your testimony and example! I heard your homecoming was amazing, and I'm excited to see how you move into the next step in your life. Secondly, thank you for all of the birthday wishes. I am so grateful for all of the love and support! My companion, Elder Hanks, gave me some protein powder and I got a pie from Elder Avery and Elder Pearce. My family sent me a package and I received emails from many of you. I am so blessed!!! It is easy to serve when I am constantly being shown the love of Christ. I love you guys!! 


This past week was one of the best weeks of my mission. We are continually being blessed with more and more miracles. I feel busy, I feel stressed, I feel like we're working all the time -- and it's the best feeling ever! As we open our mouths, talk to everybody, and strive for the Spirit at all times, Heavenly Father continues to lead us to people that are prepared. We are so blessed!!!

One of the most wonderful parts of last week was having zone meeting, then having the opportunity to go on exchanges with Elder T. He has only been out for three weeks, but he is already an amazing, full-purpose missionary and when he opened his mouth, the Spirit was so strong. His testimony is so pure and sincere. I am grateful for his example, and I know he'll be a very successful missionary. While on the bus we met a youth who was incredibly open and sincerely interested in our message.

Golfing! 
I shared a few verses from the Book of Mormon, then Elder M spoke in Cantonese to explain a little more. It is the best feeling to have the Spirit and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful that we were there at the bus at the perfect time. "Perfect timing" types of incidents have happened so many times in the past few weeks. We are so blessed!! It seems crazy that things like this make me so happy, but they do! As we start to feel the Spirit more and invest more into the gospel, we realize just how important it is. We understand that we must be bold and brave as we share it with others. We feel true happiness when they accept. I love being a missionary!

Cheese! 
Another amazing thing happened while walking to another appointment. We were walking past someone inside their car, but waved and walked over because we had a special feeling. As we started talking, he wasn't very interested, but when I showed him the Book of Mormon in my hand, he opened his car door, threw his cigarette down, and started looking at it. I shared 2 Nephi 26:33 with him and bore testimony of a Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love for him. He looked up and said, "This is true! Zhe ben shi zhen de." It was amazing to see his countenance and interest level change as he felt the Spirit and read the word of God. I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon, and I know it is evidence of Heavenly Father's continuing love for us -- His children.

Happy, Happy Elders
We were blessed with many miracles as we used members, called people, and arranged for appointments. Everything just fell perfectly into place! There was a referral from a member who came to church Sunday because she felt something special at our BBQ Saturday night. Another young man worked overtime and didn't sleep Saturday, ditched his friends playing basketball, and chose to stay for 3 hours his first time at church. Two other teenagers went to their own congregation on Saturday with their family, then they sacrificed their time and came to church on Sunday with us because they wanted to understand what we meant when we promised them the fulness of the gospel. We taught them the Restoration after church, and they loved it. As we have prayed, obeyed, and done our best to be the Lord's tools, we have been blessed with joy and miracles. I am so grateful to be a missionary. I have never been happier! I love this work!

 34 Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls.

Elders Hanks and Lloyd BBQ'ing
I truly do feel peace in my heart, and I am eager to go out and work this week. I know that it won't be easy, but it is worth all that I can give. I am grateful for my Savior, and I pray that I can always be a worthy representative.

Love, Elder Lloyd








Beautiful Golf Course

Feels so good to swing! 

E Lloyd is in heaven! 
Incredible smiles! 
Glowing! 
Ahhh ... so good to reconnect with E Chin! 

Happy Happy Birthday E Lloyd ;) 
Birthday Pie from the Bensons!  
Thanks for making E Lloyd so very happy! 
Grilling is serious business

BBQ impromptu choir


Love Elder Hadley! 
No words to express how much E Lloyd loves E Hanks
Priceless!  

Loving the new "wicking" pants! 
Light-Up Star Wars chopsticks and Reese's
Ahh ... basketball AND golf -- all in one week! :) 

Monday, September 14, 2015

THEIR SOULS ARE PRECIOUS

Good Morning Everbody!!! I am so excited and eager to share with you today. Last week was filled with many miracles that have left me pondering in awe and joy. I am so grateful to have the privilege to be on a mission and sharing my testimony with others. The testimony we have is so precious and so powerful because it is based completely off of the things we have received through the Spirit. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost and the many times I have felt Heavenly Father's love in my life. 

Second birthday in the mission field - yippee! 
Firstly, MLC was absolutely incredible. As a zone leader, we go to Singapore once a month for a meeting with other zone leaders, the assistants, and the Mission President and his wife to discuss the needs of the mission and receive training. I found it amazing how President and Sister Simmons patiently listened to us discuss and talk about problems, concerns, methods, etc. without ever cutting us off. They probably know the answers to most of the questions they asked, but I appreciated that you they were humble and realized that we will learn a lot as we seek to find our own answers from the Spirit and from each other. I was in awe as we shared scriptures, testimony, and experiences. After MLC, I had no doubt that I have been called to represent Jesus Christ and invite all who are willing to learn more to come unto Him.

The next day, Elder Hanks and I had an amazing opportunity to go on exchanges with the assistants. They are incredible!!! I was able to go with Elder Pearce. Even though our morning studies occurred on a bus and while standing in immigration, we planned out our day and most important, we executed it.
Mooncake - not sure if they want to eat it? 
I was so impressed as Elder Pearce urged me to continue to do my best to stay with our plan, even when we fell behind a bit or people cancelled and appointments dropped. We had made backup plans and had made preparations in advance, so nothing ever caught us off guard. Amidst all of the craziness (all but one appointment ended up dropping), we had an incredibly successful day.We literally talked to everyone in our path and were calling as we were walking. We worked so hard, but it brought so much joy. 

Oreo and cracker "sushi" to celebrate E Avery's BD
I know the work is hastening, which means that we need to be more urgent as missionaries. Elder Pearce is playing basketball in college, his brother goes to Olympus, we were in the MTC together -- basically, it was tempting to talk about other things and get distracted, but Elder Pearce and I worked hard the whole day. Even though it was exhausting, I realized just how much can get done as we change from dedicating 95% of our effort to 100%. I know that as we work hard to give all of our time and effort to the Lord, we will experience miracles inside of ourselves and in the lives of those around us.

Post-Workout Birthday Breakfast Compliments of the Bensons
The highlight of the week was being able to attend and be a part of B's baptism. Over the past two months, he has gone from having no understanding of who God is to a deeply rooted testimony of Christ and the Restoration. After the baptism, he bore the purest, sweetest testimony about the Spirit and the love of Christ that has changed him and will continue to influence him forever.  As I confirmed him a member of the Church and blessed him on Sunday, I felt the most peaceful spirit and immense love. I want to work my hardest so that we can be together in the Celestial Kingdom with our families. I know B will do his part, and his example will continue to motivate me. I love him so much, and I'm excited for him to receive the Priesthood and take the next step in his progression.

I'm most grateful for the people around me who I learn from constantly.  I'm so grateful to be a missionary and I cannot wait to continue to search and pray for revelation so that we may continue to further the work of the Lord. Thank you for everything and all of your support!!! 

I don't have time to elaborate, but please study this scripture in Alma 31 and its background:

31 O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.

 32 O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with me—yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, and also my two sons—yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ.

 33 Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may bear their afflictions which shall come upon them because of the iniquities of this people.

 34 O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ.

 35 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.

 36 Now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words, that he clapped his hands upon all them who were with him. And behold, as he clapped his hands upon them, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Love, Elder Lloyd

Sisters! 
PS: I really want to get better at using media and modern day scripture. Please send me your favorite mormon messages, talks, etc and let me know why you like them. Thank you!!!!!


















Trevor loves his Tim Tams and Milo!