Dear Family,
It's wonderful to hear from you, I know this email will probably be coming in pretty late, but we had the wonderful opportunity to attend the temple today for our preparation day and it was amazing, I love being able to enter into the Lord's house and to feel the spirit there, especially the spirit of Elijah that is so infectious and those who we do their temple work for, we can definitely feel that it is accepted. The temple is beautiful and we went there with our zone so it was an amazing experience for all of us who were in attendance. Especially since this was Elder McGee's first trip to the San Diego Temple. It sounds like things are going well. Many interesting things have happened that have caused this past week to be amazing and not so amazing within a couple of days. I'll explain in a minute with that.
The Rav-4 is a good car, zippy too. That will definitely get you safely to and from STG during the winter time. We have plans for Thanksgiving, two dinner appointments actually, so no need to worry whether we will be fed or not Mom. Your plans for thanksgiving sound like they will be pretty fun, there will be a good group there to share the spirit of the season with and I do hope that it will be a great time. Good luck with your project today Mom and Dad, good luck in Midway as well, that sounds like it will be a great thing to get involved with, my best wishes are upon that. I will certainly read through James this next week, I love those chapters very much.
I'll explain about this past week; I probably told you about our new investigator that searched out her old friends and began looking into the church, well we received a phone call yesterday stating that she did not want to meet with us anymore and that the church and this gospel was not what she was looking for. It was a heartbreaking thing for us to hear, but we do know that everyone has their agency and how they exercise it is most definitely not in our hands. But all the while we both know that "it is better to look up" and look to the Savior and look forward with faith. Yes, there will be disappointments, there will be those times when the adversary steps in and takes over someone's life before they get the opportunity to accept Christ and His Atonement. But I assure you, we are not going to give up, never. As I was pondering the events of this week I was led to many scriptures, one of which being in D&C 68:4-6, more emphasis on verse 6 when it says, "be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that I am and that I am to come". When these things come our way, there is no need to get down, we truly can be of good cheer for the Lord is with us every step of the way, in each of our lives. and all the while of going through the temple the words of "be still my soul" were in my heart and mind all throughout and Psalms 46:10 echoes those words as well when they said "be still and know that I am God", He can speak peace to our hearts at all times in all things and in all places according to our language and our understanding (2 Nephi 31:3). Christ truly does know each of us personally and knows exactly what we are going through, because he has been there before, He has told us "I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me" if that does not provide a vivid image of how the Savior knows what we go through, I don't know what will. He is with us and can and will help us.
The past little while I have been studying diligence and I must thank you Dad for every letter that you have written reminding me to do "one more thing", those words have great power and great meaning in my life as well, I know that 'he that diligently seeketh shall find" and I firmly believe when it comes down to it, true diligence is having that faith to go out and do one more thing, even when you are too tired or too beat, no matter the situation, doing one more thing allows us to experience and feel God's great love for each of us. Showing that we are willing to take those few extra steps, to go just a little bit further, to do "one more thing", it also shows the principle of sacrifice, and as we know sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven.
I know that the Savior lives, Jesus Christ, the Father of our pains, trials, sicknesses, worries, infirmities, lives and loves us. That power is real. He is always there for us. I love this work and this gospel. Not only is this "his work and his glory" but it is also my own, to invite others to come unto Jesus Christ and help them to accept the Atonement and wonderful blessings of this gospel.
I will continue to keep you all in my thoughts and prayers, thank you all so very much for your support, love and prayers, I love each and every one of you dearly.
Love,
Elder Aaron Jordan Lloyd
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