Week 43!!!

This week was pretty good! It's stinkin cold down south though!!! Its closer to the beach so its more humid and has the ocean breeze. This week it was cloudy and rainy for most of the time. The first time I've really seen that here in California. I have no idea what the degrees were like outside, but I'll tell ya what, I never thought I'd find myself getting cold in California... I think I've been here too long... haha
So, my new companion is Elder Gil. He is a super cool guy! He is new in the mission, just finished up training and they sent me in to make sure his trainer did it right. May have been their mistake. I guess we'll see! :) He was raised in Utah, born back east but both of his parents were born in Columbia so he has super good Spanish which is never a bad thing.

We had a zone conference this week. Elder Packer of the 70 came to us and talked a lot about family history. It really was super cool! I learned a TON about why its important and how we can use it to invite the Spirit super strong. When you speak of ancestors, from you parents to your far back ancestry, its almost impossible to not have the Holy Ghost testify to you of the importance of families, and the eternal significance. That is what the Spirit of Elijah is all about. I have an invitation, all who read this go tell someone a story about one of your Grandparents. Maybe tonight at dinner take turns sharing your favorite memory of your grandfather to your family and pay attention to your feelings. I promise you you will feel the love of our Father in Heaven as you do. If you cant at the dinner table, call a friend on the phone and really give it a try. I promise you as you do, your personal testimony of the importance of families and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will increase.

As far as the work here, its not the fastest I've seen it before. Okay, not even a little bit. Lets just say we are doing a LOT of finding. That's okay though. finding is always good. I really do have a super good feeling about this area and this transfer. Me and Elder Gil are getting along great and having a blast, and getting stuff done all at the same time! As of now, I don't have any good stories to share, but I do know that the Church is True and that me and Elder Gil are here for a reason. Now we just gotta find out why and be ready to be the tools in God's hands when we find out. I Love my mission so much. Even the slower weeks like this week are still remarkable. I really thank God everyday for the chance I have to be here.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In every thing give thanks " I firmly believe that. I actually saw that on the side of a bible church and liked it a lot.   Especially this week with thanksgiving and all that, remember to pray and thank our Father in Heaven, who gave us all we have.

I love you all!

Elder Lloyd

Week 42!!!

Hey Everyone!

This week went entirely too fast. The day I have been dreading comes tomorrow... transfers...

I have a lot of friends going home this transfer who have fulfilled their 2 year missions and are ready to return to their families.

Missions are really interesting. The biggest roller coaster of emotions I have ever been on.

So, tomorrow morning I will ship out of Pico Rivera and head over to Cerritos.

I really liked the time I spent here with Elder Lund. We really got along great better then a lot more then my other companions, and we met a lot of really cool people here. I made a lot of like long friends here, and I feel very privileged to be part of their lives and to be able to share my testimony with them.

It isn't ever fun leaving an area, but the Lord has better plans for me elsewhere. There are more people for me to touch. Elder Lund will definitely keep working good with the people here.

So, my new address is

16221 Cornuta Ave, Apt. 30
Bellflower, CA 90706

So as far as the work goes, we didn't have very many lessons. Gloria and her daughters are still on track to be baptized next Sunday!

Love ya all!!

Every transfer there is a fireside for the departing missionaries. This is me and Wendy. We took this picture at that fireside.

I almost forgot! Alma 34:33 says "and now as I said unto you before as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life which is given us to prepare for eternity behold if we do not improve our time while in this life then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed" So, repent before it is too late! :)


Love,
Elder Lloyd

Week 41... TRANSFERS!!!

Hey everyone!!  

So, its some other holiday today... meaning I am back at Staples... haha.

This week was super stinking fast!! But, it was super good! So, it's transfers next week, so don't send me any letters that wont get here before next Monday. Me and Elder Lund had a good run together, but now I guess it is going to come to an end. We have already been together for 4 and a half months, and that is a lot longer than usually a companionship stays together. We really do work well though.

This week, we went by Gloria's house. She is an investigator we have had for a while now, a few weeks, but hasn't really been progressing. She has a few kids, so we ask her again if we can meet them. Then, on Friday, we have a meeting with all the Elders in the ward I am serving in. We discuss how we can better get the members to work with us effectively. We discuss how we need to try our best to get members to come out with us, then get them to share a testimony about their missionary experience to the ward in priesthood or relief society. So, we do it. We called up Gloria and asked if we can come meet her family. She says yes. We found out at church last week that Wendy knows her daughters. So, we call up Wendy and Rosa and ask them to come with us. So they do. We taught possibly the most powerful first lesson about the restoration I ever have. Then Wendy bore one of the most heart felt testimonies I have ever heard. Gloria's daughters were glued to Wendy. You could feel the Spirit testifying to them that what Wendy was saying is true. Then, they all accepted baptismal dates as a goal to work for later this month. It was sooo good!! Members, please go out with the missionaries. I testify to you that miracles WILL happen if you choose to sacrifice a little and help out the missionaries in your area. Souls WILL be blessed. Lives WILL be changed.

That's my cool story of the week. I hope you all enjoyed it! :)

Alma 32:27 reads "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." If you can do no more then desire to believe, work on that desire till you can believe. I promise, if you take the time to act on the desires of your heart, if they are righteous desires, that desire will work inside you and you will be blessed.

Thanks for all your kindness and support! I wish I had more time, but we should probably get out of Staples' hair.

Love you all!

Elder Lloyd

Week 40!!

So, sorry Mom... don't be mad at me... but, I spent to much time emailing others and forgot to do this one first... now I'm out of time and have to write something in here super quick...

This week was pretty good!  It went sooo fast!! I think it was the temple trip.  Usually they make time speed up a bit for the week! 

So, we have this investigator that the English Elders gave us.  Her name is Gloria. She was taught a bit in English but wasn't getting it so we are trying in Spanish. We got her and 3 of her daughters to come to church with us.  It was super cool!! Turns out, they have been going to the same school as Wendy since elementary. So, Wendy is going to help us teach them.  It's pretty cool.

I wish I had more time this week. but I gotta go.

Alma 28:14 says "And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life."  I like that allot. Its so cool! Sorrow because they don't know God, happiness because they do.  This is why we need to share the happiness we have.

Love you all!

Elder Lloyd

Week 39!!

Hey Everybody!!

This week was pretty good! IT was kinda crazy though... On Thursday we had Zone Conference which was super cool. I really do love President Tew and the direction he is taking the mission. He has helped so much! We are breaking records all over the place in this mission. In the past 10 weeks, there have been 51 baptisms! That is remarkable!! I am so thankful for his service here! The conference was all about how to teach with power. How to teach in a way to allow the Spirit to be there and testify to everyone present that what we are saying is true. It was one of the most powerful Zone Conferences I have been to. I really CANNOT believe that it has been 3 months since the last one!

This morning we went to the temple. I really, really love that place. My favorite place on Earth. No where else can you feel such a spirit of peace and calmness that allows you to go and to rest from all the cares and worries of day to day life and do selfless service for one who can't do it for themselves. No where else can we be sealed to our families for all time and eternity, never to be separated again, that knowledge gets stronger and sounds better the longer I have been out.

Saturday we had a free car wash at the church. It was GREAT!! The members teamed up to wash and dry the cars and provide refreshments for the people, and while their cars were being washed, the people were invited into the church where the missionaries were waiting to give them a tour of the building. It was crazy successful. We washed some 46 cars and had about 24 tours (Not everyone was willing), and most of them had multiple people on them. One was a friend of Wendy's that she invited. She has only been a member for 3 weeks, and has done more missionary work then I did the first 19 years of my life...

Also, I moved. Not 100% sure why, but the senior couple that is in charge of apartments and cars calls up Friday morning and says "hey Elders, not sure if you heard, but effective immediately, all for man apartments are closed in the mission. Be in your new apartment tonight. The manager will give you more details." So, we go to the manager, and she says we live upstairs now. So we pack up our stuff and jump ship. It was kind of annoying to move last minute, but its all good. But, now I have a new address. It is still the same complex, just a different apartment, so my address is 9128 Burke St, Apt. #348, Pico Rivera, CA 90660. But, don't worry about anything still in transit. Our roommates, well old roommates, still live in 120 so all mail that is in transit will still make it to me.

That's my week in a nutshell! Love you all!

Alma 24:19 reads "And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace." I like this one a lot! I hope that we can all be so converted that we are willing to suffer even unto death to not commit sin. Many of these Lamanites were killed because of their beliefs. In the past few months, my testimony has grown to the point where if I was required, I would seal my testimony with my blood. And I hope the Gospel means enough to you that you may be willing to do the same.

Love,
Elder Lloyd