Life is more better!

20 January 2014 

This last week was crazy and great at the same time. When do I not start a letter saying that "this last week was crazy!?" Life as a missionary. It's always going forward.

We were able to take To. and the L. family to the Temple Visitors Center last week. It was an amazing experience. I could really tell that all of them were feeling the Spirit strongly there because of the kinds of questions that they would ask. All of us, including me, got something out of our visit that day. I can't really describe how the lesson was, it was just centered around the plan of salvation and the temple. It was simple, yet powerful. As a result of it we got a text later that night from the L. family truly thanking us for taking them to the temple and To. started to read the Book of Mormon for the first time on his own free will. His wife was really excited about that. 

I was also able to give To. an old suit jacket that I ripped the pants to (don't worry mom, it was one of the suits I bought after I could no longer fit into the ones I came out in. I got it from Goodwill for $20) and also a shirt that had shrunk in the sleeves and a tie. He looked so good at church. It looked like he was built for that suit coat. He was just happy to have something to go to church in other than his jeans and sweat shirt. Now he's styling!

The thing that I've been studying a lot lately is the difference between obedience and consecration. A lot of the difference is merely our desires. God doesn't want blind obedience to spiritual laws. He doesn't want the bare minimum requirements so that we can get into heaven. He wants us to know Him. He wants a true relationship with his kids. He wants to "hang out" with us for lack of better phraseology. But he can't be with us if we don't WANT to be with HIM.  He put it simply in John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments." The only way that we can truly get to know him is through obedience.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson is coming to our mission this Saturday. My mission president called me and asked me personally to lead the special music number in a "dignified manner." It'll be cool to be up there close to an Apostle. I am truly curious as to what he's going to say to us, especially considering that we're going to be getting iPads within the first week of February.

I love you all. I hope you have taken the time this week to try and "hang out" with our Heavenly Father by reading the scriptures, or praying, or going to the Temple and church. In the end, that is the most important relationship that you can ever develop.

There's a new companion on deck, plus a couple tag a longs.

 14 January 2014

There is so much to write about this week I'm not sure if I can finished before I have to go, but I'm sure as heck going to try!

So this last week was nuts. I haven't been to be d before midnight for over a week straight and I'll tell you why. 

Starting Monday night Elder Hendrickson and I had to go on 3 exchanges back to back to back because of the illness that had taken him down for 2 weeks. tuesday I went with Elder Ott in my area. we did a lot of work. We moved in a new less active member that wants to baptize his daughter as soon as he can and we also got back into contact with Co. who has been rather elusive over the last two months. We worked hard and we got to talk about many of Elder Ott's struggles that he's going through at this time. It was some god stuff.

Wednesday I went with Elder Bell in his area. We walked for about 4 hours straight in the pouring and stinging rain. I felt like a real missionary again. It took two days for my shoes to dry out and my hair totally was plastered to my head until I could dry off. At dinner that night I caught a fly with chopsticks! I was like Mr. Miyagi! See picture below. The family we ate with put a rat on his shoulder and he freaked out. Twice. It was beautiful!! So funny. Then as I finished eating my Canadian dessert I went to go wash my hands. As a pulled up on the tab I had failed to notice that the water spout had been taken mostly off. So instead of coming out into the sink, the water jet streamed into my shirt and pants. All of us died laughing. In fact, the young mom crumpled to the floor laughing. It was soooo funny. It was some good times!

Thursday I went on an exchange with Elder Randle, who is a visa waiter for the Australia Sydney South mission.  It was a lot of fun. Again we worked hard. I helped him to understand what a planner should look like and how diligence should be applied at all times. It was fun. we taught Co. again at the Temple Visitors center. It was interesting because we went from talking about how we can receive our answers to prayer for a conversion experience to talking about the word of wisdom. Co. likes to throw up a lot of red herrings when it comes to her "issues" with the church. She's funny. Every time she gets serious about meeting with us, she'll back out of scheduling appointments and fall of the face of the earth for a few months. It's been like that for nearly 3 years with her. She needs to just sit down and commit herself to more than just dipping her tow into the water and then pulling back out. It's a little frustrating some times, but it's good stuff.

when Elder Hendrickson and I got together that night we talked about the exchanges a lot  and got things back together so that we could work effectively in our area. Before this, I had seen him for maybe 20 minutes each day on our way to start the next exchange, so there was a lot to catch up on. 

The next day, Friday, Elder Randle started a grease fire in his apartment. Elder Clark (his trainer) was stepping out of the shower at that point and proceeded to put out the entire fire in his towel. He burned his hand on the pot trying to throw out all the grease into the rain soaked grass outside while his companion kept screaming "don't throw water on it!"

the fire fizzled as it hit the grass, and then Elder Clark ran back inside with an oven mitt and smothered the fire out while trying to throw out as many flammable items out of the way of the fire. He did a good job. The fire could have damaged a lot more than it did. It only did about $5,000 in damage. But that means that they had to move in with us. So now we have 4 elders living in our apartment. Moving them in is still in process. The smoke did a  lot of damage to their apt.

Saturday, Elder Hendrickson go notified that he was being transferred and we said good bye to everyone for the next 2 days. That was nuts! We got to celebrate his 23rd birthday on Sunday with the Anderson family. We both got light saber toothbrushes that light up and tell you how long you are supposed to brush for.  Mines green!

I now have Elder Kleinman as a companion. He's awesome! he came out with me. He's from AZ. got to go though! I love you all, and I know that God answers you prayers. Sometimes it's just his timing that we have to wait for. 

Love

Your Elder Lloyd!