Dear Family,
It's great to hear from you!! I am loving my new area! it's a
blast! and in my last area i was a zone leader and now i have the
opportunity to serve as a disrict leader again, it's a lot of
responsibility but i know that the Lord will help me fulfill this
calling to which He has called me. That's great that you had the
missioanries over for dinner! i'm sure they loved pizza too mom no
worries! some people are just pickier than others haha (in reference to
the tomatoes). The members here in Del Cerro feed us
well too and Elder Brown and I are in an apartment here at the lowest
point in our area, so everything is literally uphill haha but it's a
nice apartment and we have awesome neighbors and a great landlord, it's a
small complex, only about 10 units so everybody
pretty well knows everybody and we're able to share messages with them
every so often so it's a great! and Elder Brown and I will be playing 9
holes with Elder Dehlin (his dad works for the Utah section of the PGA)
and his companion Elder Hill at Admiral Baker,
a golf course in our area. Thank you for sending the backpack! hopefully
i get it today!! I can't take credit for the card, you can thank a
sister in PQ1 for that:) but i hope you like it! i'l do some quick
updates then it's on to mom's memory for her follow
up birthday letter!
Updates!!
Well first i guess would be follow up, has anyone picked a date
yet?? or read the talk i gave the link to? I would definitely encourage
each of you to read it and to prayerfully set that date and share it so
that others can help you achieve your goals,
especially the full-time missionaries, because we want nothing more than
to help and see others succeed in their efforts to share the gospel
with others!! That brings us happiness too!
Our lesson with Bro. Jolly last week went SUPER awesome, the spirit
was so strong and as soon as we got in the car with Bro. Jolly, he
stared to talk about the lesson from last sunday in gospel principles
about agency and he said that the past few days,
all he's been able to do was relate his work and his life to that lesson
and it's been on his mind a lot. He was also given a copy of the gospel
principles book and he started to read it on his own and as he read, he
went through the questions that are asked
within each chapter and answered them for himself and then went back and
read the section and then compared his original answer with what he had
just learned, he blazed through 5 chapters in 2 days, how awesome is
that?? We were abl to teach and testify about
the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and leave him with the
pamphlet which also has questions that you can answer in the back:) He
told us that he felt like everything in his life had prepared him to be
where he is right now and on the path that he
is on, he does want to get baptized, but he's wanting to have a
foundation, he does know that it will come bit by bit, line upon line,
but his desire is there and it is real as is his intent, what a blessing
to be a part of this work!
There was a Mission President's fireside in PQ sunday night that we
attended with our neighbors whom we are introducing to the gospel and I
had the opportunity and priveledge to sing with Sister Hudson and Elder
Wallentine an arrangement of "Jesus Savior
Pilot Me" by the LowerLights and Elder Perry accompanied on the guitar,
it was fun:) I was able to sing with two incredible singers so i
consider that a great blessing! We were also able to give Amar, our
downstairs neighbor a blessing last night because we
weren't too far from home and it was toward the end of the night and
Elder Brown said, "hey let's go see if Amar is home" and when he
answered the door he wasn't looking too well and said he was about to go
to bed, he's been sick all day. To which my companion
offered him a blessing and we were able to teach him about the
priesthood and blessings and Elder Brown gave an incredible blessing and
afterwards he said to us "wow thanks guys i feel better already" how
amazing!! What a blessing it is to be a part of this
work, His work!
Ok! on to Mom's memory!!
I do know that there are many memories that you and i have together
mother, from folding laundry to all the support and love that you've
shown me through everything. I don't know if i've shared this with you
but i wanted to talk about something that has
been incredibly meaningful to me in my life, something that you have
done every day of my life that has helped me to remember my divine
sonship and potential. Each and every day i recall waking up getting
ready for school (in various grades) and going to eat
breakfast and when i would come back up to the kitchen there would be a
lunch all ready to go and the "stand a little taller" daily book by
President Hinkley. Each morning we would open it up to the page that
coincided with the day's date and read the thought
of the day- i learned much from those, but what i wish to highlight on
were the words that you said after we had a morning prayer and right
before i walked out the door to face the day. I'm sure you are well
aware, but those few words entered into my heart
and gave me courage and strength throughout the day, they reminded me
that i was and am a son of a Heavenly Father, that i am a part of a
family that can be foreve, that i am your son as well. Those words?
"Remember who you are and what you stand for"- each
and every day when walking through the halls of middle school, high
school, even college, those words echoed in my mind and in my heart and
though there were many things going on around me, those words reminded
me to stand tall and "be an exaple of the believers"
to "let my light shine" and love one another as Jesus loves me--because i
am a son of God, I am your son, and now when i think of those words
just before i walk outside each day i take a deep breath and think to
myself "now i'm ready, let's go!" I want you
to know how much i love you mom, you mean the world to me and i will
forever be grateful for your love and your example and your daily
guidance and counsel.
Love, your son,
Elder Aaron Jordan Lloyd
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