Aaron's Email from January 17, 2012

Dear Family,

It is wonderful to hear from you and great to hear that you had a wonderful time on your trip! Things have been pretty good and pretty hectic as well, busy busy busy as mom would say, but i love it. Being able to work hard every day is the greatest blessing for me. Obedience is the first law of everything, so in order to receive miracles, we must, not only me but all of us must be exactly obedient, so I thank you mom for being obedient and i can promise you that you will be blessed for so doing. I am doing good with money, i have sufficient for my needs:) I still feel bad with the ticket though, so i am doing my best to be frugal, 118 dollars is definitely not just pocket change, i certainly learned my lesson and will be obedient to the laws of the land as well as the laws from the Lord. I truly want to thank you for sharing that thought from the book that you are reading, it truly impacted me and has remained with me, especially the  "all He requires is the heart and a willing mind, not a PhD" because that is exactly true. As we give everything we can in this work, with a desire to serve Him and His children, He will help us all along the way to become and take those steps necessary to help us grow and become who He knows that we can become. Something interesting that i read this week in this months ensign is the article from D. Todd Christofferson on recognizing the Lord's hand in our daily blessings and there is a portion of that article where he talks about resolve to change, he quotes President N. Eldon Tanner and it says in the article,

"President N. Eldon Tanner (1898–1982), First Counselor in the First Presidency, said: “As we reflect on the value of resolving to do better, let us determine to discipline ourselves to carefully select the resolutions we make, to consider the purpose for making them, and finally to make commitments for keeping them and not letting any obstacle stop us. Let us remind ourselves at the beginning of each day that we can keep a resolution just for that day.”

I know that change comes one day at a time and we must be patient. We can take things one day at a time, insurmountable tasks become much easier as we approach them in bite size portions that we can handle daily. The Lord is infinitely patient with us, so we in turn must be patient with ourselves to be able to make the changes necessary to bring us closer to Him.

 

We are still teaching the Muslim family, slowly about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. They are working on their English so we have found a translator to help us in lessons, teaching them is still one of the most incredible and humbling experiences. They are excited about the Gospel and enjoy learning about Jesus Christ and this past week we taught them about prayer and they in turn taught their children. They are so kind and welcoming and they are wonderful people. I remember last week and during the Holidays i told you about Korina, she has been looking for a new place for her and her daughter and they found one, sadly out of our area but into an area where we know the missionaries well and she will be able to continue learning and progressing with them. I know that Elder Saager and I were meant to meet her and prepare her to receive the gospel and that she was meant to be taught by those in her new area. I know that the Lord loves all of His children and has a plan for each and every one of them.

 

Has anyone in the family had any missionary experiences the past week?

 

There is true power in this Gospel and sharing it with others, we have been working with a few members in our wards this past week and practicing with them of how they can share the gospel with their neighbors and friends. Many have apprehensions about sharing but i know that so many blessings will come into their lives and the lives of their friends as they open their mouths and share the experiences that they've had and their testimonies. It applies to all of us as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have the promise that we will be given the words to say, that portion that shall be meted to every man in the very hour that it is needed. So I invite each of you this week to share your testimonies, will you invite someone in your life to the gospel in some way? whether it be to an activity, to the temple grounds, to an FHE and many more, i can promise you that the promise given in Joshua 1:9 is true, He is with us and will lift us and strengthen us as we share what we know and what we believe.

 

Also how is the new calling for each of you going? I have been thinking a lot about it and I am still so excited and so happy for you, this is an incredible experience. Do you have Elders or Sisters? Also, cousin Jeff talked to me before i left about his relatives that live in San Diego, they may not be in my area, but could i possibly get their information?

 

TOTW comes from the words of the Hymn Be still my soul:

1. Be still, my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

2. Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

3. Be still, my soul: The hour is hast’ning on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

This is perhaps one of my favorite hymns, please listen to its wonderful words and counsel, especially within the first verse of this wonderful song, "the Lord is on thy side. . . He faithful will remain. . . thru thorny ways, leads to a joyful end"

I love you all and wish you all a wonderful and exciting week!

Love,

Elder Aaron Jordan Lloyd