Week 21!!!

Hello Everybody!!!
 

This week was great! We found Mabel again. We taught her twice then she had family visit her for a week and she fell off the planet. We walked by her house and she was outside, and said she wants us to come by again! We are super super excited!

 

We also were able to pick up Erika again. Me and Elder Kasen got the referral for her a few months ago but nothing ever worked out. Me and Elder Huesca were out on the streets contacting and walked by her house and I thought what the heck, lets run up to her apartment and she let us in. She broke down almost in tears explaining to us how her daughter asked her "mom what are we? my friend says she's Christian" and she's says "I was like oh my gosh, I'm a horrible mom.  My kids don't have religion. I try to teach them about God but I don't know how!" and went on for almost an hour with all these questions and concerns and doubts. Literally every question she asked will be answered with the Gospel. We started a lesson one. We were in there for two hours and only got through the first two points (God is our loving Heavenly Father and The Gospel blesses families). She was in tears saying how she wants this and wants it now because we are answering questions she's had for a long time. Its kinda cool how the Gospel does that.

 

This week I have been thinking ALLOT about member missionary work. I learned some statistics for my mission. 1 in every 1000 doors knocked yields 1 baptism. 1 in every 900 street contacts yields 1 baptism. 1 in 3 member referrals is baptised. Members. We NEED you to help us! We had a District meeting on it last Thursday on the importance of members. Then, Saturday night the adult stake conference was on it, half of the general stake conference was on it. Then to top it all off, there was a world wide Leader ship training broad cast on Sunday. I have no idea if anyone knew about it or watched it, but it was good. I challenge ALL of you, I don't know who all reads this. Active members, less active members, nonmembers or anything in between. I challenge ALL to go onto LDS.org and watch it (maybe someone will put the link on the blog) It had some great enlightenment's on missionary work for all to hear. IT will enlighten you and allow you to feel the Spirit of the Work. If you already watched it, go back and do it again. Sit down with your families at a night that is convenient and watch it.

 

Members, we, the missionaries of the church, are called directly from God through his living prophet, Thomas S. Monson, who is on the earth today to "invite others to come unto Christ..." (missionary purpose, Preach My Gospel page 1). We CANNOT do it alone and have any sort of success. I know the Gospel can and WILL bless the lives of all those who partake of it. If I didn't KNOW this with an absolutely surety in my heart, there is no way I would ever leave my family whom I love so dearly for two years. Because of the happiness I have from the Gospel and my love for our Savior, I couldn't imagine not sharing it.

 

“True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior's doctrine of losing one's life to gain it.” —Pres. David O. McKay

 

"Every member...a missionary!" "True Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for your fellow men. This is the spirit of missionary work" -Pres. David O. Mckay

 

I could go on but I'm short on time. Take a minute and read pages 12 and 13 of Preach My Gospel.

 

Believe me, i know that it can be scary to extend an invitation to someone to learn about and live the Gospel. That is Satan telling you with everything he has got to never do it, for he knows the positive impact just one simple invite can have on anyone. 

 

Invite people everywhere. "They want 'peace in the world, and eternal life in the world to come' (D&C 59:23), but they are "kept from the truth because they know not where to find it' (D&C 123:12)" (PMG page 1) BE loud and proud about your religion and love for the Lord! I don't need to tell you of the happiness that you get from the Gospel, but i can promise you that much happiness awaits as you invite a soul to come unto Christ. I now it can be a bit nerve wracking, but the Full Time Missionaries of the Church are here to help in anyway we can. Believe me, the only thing that will make the missionary that you call and say "I have a friend but I don't know how to invite them" and allowing them to help you, any happier, is when they watch the said friend step into the Baptismal Font and make sacred covenants that will bless their lives for eternities on end. I may not have had the opportunity to baptise anyone yet, but I'll tell you what, I have seen many tears of joy from missionaries, new converts, and members who have all helped tremendously in "Inviting others to come unto Christ"

 

I love you all so much. Thank you for all your support.

 

Love

Elder Lloyd

Week 20!!!

Well, I guess I'm officially 1/5th of the way done!! Is anyone else as shocked as I am? Man time is flying by. It almost makes me sad because I'll be leaving here far to soon...

This week was good. We had one of our best investigators, Camelia, drop us though. That was sad. She is super super interested but her husband doesn't exactly like us.

We have had a hard time finding those we are supposed to be teaching this week. It seems that everyone keeps having stuff come up. But, it happens. Its weird. I'm not sure why, but sometimes it just happens in a week. No one came to church which was super lame. But that's okay. We have been doing a TON of contacting so next week will be better!!

I love you Lots!!

John 14:15 reads "if ye love me, keep my commandments" That one is one I have had memorized since before I could talk (only slightly exaggerating. ask my mom :) ) it is so short and so sweet you just have to love it.

Thanks for everything!!

Love

Elder Lloyd

Week 19!

Hey everyone!!

How are things going?

This was a great week!! I am really short on time right now, so I'll just run through a few main points.

My new companion, Elder Huesca, is a cool dude. He is a break dancer. He was born in Mexico and moved to Arizona when he was 9, so he can help me with my Spanish a ton!!

We have had a ton of success this week! We have just made sure to talk to EVERYONE on the streets. Instead of knocking, we just pick a street and walk down it. We found a boy. He is 17. We had our first lesson with him at his house yesterday. He asked what baptism is and what happens. Luckily, there was a baptism in the church an hour after that so we called a member and rode down there. He said "man, when can i get baptized? If I can have that feeling all the time, I want to do it now" hopefully his mom will let him. Since he is 17 we need her written permission.

A quick scripture to share:
Alma 41:10 "Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness"

I know this to be true.  That as we go through our lives, if we do good things, we will be happy.

I love you all so much!!

I've been trying to send pictures but the computer wont let me... I try a lot. The libraries in Long Beach are closed on Mondays so I can't do it there but hopefully next transfer I can get a computer that will let me.

Love,

Elder Lloyd

Week 18!!!!

Hey guys!!

This has been another quick week in the great city of Long Beach!! I hope all is going well for you all at home! I have very little time this week. I am super busy with getting Elder Kasen ready to ship off for home!! I drop him off at the airport at 5:30 A.M. tomorrow morning and I get my new companion, Elder Huesca. I've heard nothing but good things from him so I'm really looking forward to this next transfer. I am still in the same apartment and same area so feel free to mail letters again to the same address!!

The Highlight of this week was we had a big Family Home Evening with the Alvarez family and some of their family that lives here in Long Beach, including his uncle, who is the ward mission leader. We made graham cracker towers and compared them to the tower of babel vs the tower King Benjamin used to give his sermon and said to do everything with right intentions. It was super super fun!!

I really love it here in Long Beach. I'm really glad that I wasn't transferred!!

A scripture This week is Helamen 3:29. it reads "yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked" when i first got here, President Bubert challenged all the new missionaries to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days and promised that if we do, we will come to have a greater knowledge of the Gospel and be happier and closer to Christ. I'd like to issue that same challenge to all of you now. I promise you the same things. If you read the Book of Mormon, things in your life will be better. You will come to know of the important things and the little details that seem to not work out, will become minuscule and unimportant.

 

I love you all!!

Elder Lloyd