MIRACLES ABOUND!

Hello everybody!!! Best week ever!!! I am so grateful to be a missionary! I love serving the Lord. I love serving the people of Malaysia. I love speaking Chinese. I love the church members. I love the investigators. I love being called Elder!!! I am so grateful for the time the Lord has given me to serve with Him. 

We were blessed with some incredible experiences last week. Over the weekend, we had a zone meeting and district conference in Miri, which President and his wife attended. I LOVE THEM! I also heard that one of my friends from high school is coming to this mission in June. Welcome to the best mission ever!!!!!!!! 

There were many, many miracles this past week. One of them was when we were meeting with an investigator who recently started reading the Book of Mormon and just heard the Restoration lesson for the first time. He has a Buddhist background, and has had a spiritual experience with prayer and has started developing a strong testimony of a loving Heavenly Father. 

We shared the Word of Wisdom with him so that he could continue to apply something that has been restored and given to us in the latter days. When we shared the commandment with him, he immediately agreed, no questions asked. When I asked why he would follow, I assumed he would say, "It seems to make sense logically..." or, "I want to be healthier too!" but instead he said, "I know that Heavenly Father loves me. I will do whatever he asks me to do. I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet and this is something from God." Wow. It blew me away. I'm grateful for the miracles each day that help me increase me faith and are evidence of Heavenly Father's love for us. 

Another amazing experience came while teaching another investigator. He has gone to church for 20 years, so I assumed he had a rich background and life full of spiritual experiences and gospel knowledge, but as we started teaching, that was not the case. It was hard not to jump in and simply teach a lesson about the whole Restoration, but the Spirit compelled us to share simply about a loving Heavenly Father. As we taught him of Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Ghost, a strong feeling of love and peace filled the room. The investigator finished his closing prayer, and said, "I understand! I feel it now." It was such an incredible experience to be able to help somebody come closer to their Heavenly Father. 

One of the most important lessons I learned this week while speaking with Sister Simmons, and during the District Conference was to OBEY. We must obey what the Lord has told us. 

While studying the Sabbath Day last week, I realized that simply not shopping, not playing games, not playing sports, not hanging out with friends, etc. does not mean that we're keeping the Sabbath Day. This is what I've been teaching my whole mission and believed my whole life. When we live this way, we are simply sinning by omission. We have made a covenant to delight in the Sabbath. We must replace worldly things with righteous things, especially on the Lord's day. We have promised to be a righteous and peculiar people. 

The Lord has given us a day each week as a reminder of his love for us. The Sabbath is a perpetual reminder that God loves us and has covenanted with us. A covenant works two ways. On the Sabbath, the way we show our love for Him and keep the covenant is by doing things that show our love for Heavenly Father and Christ. It's not about what we should or shouldn't do, it's about doing things that express our love for the Savior. What sign do we want to give the Lord on His holy day?

I'm grateful for the truths and experiences I am gaining as a missionary. There is no other place I'd rather be! I love the Lord, and I pray that I can be a pure vessel for the Spirit to work through. Examine your lives, your thoughts, your actions, and your feelings as you ponder about what's keeping you from being happy and feeling the Spirit ALWAYS. 

Love, Elder Lloyd