Christmas time!!

FELIZ NATAL!!!! 

I love the christmas season. I was able to still feel the Christmas spirit without snow and sweating to death- something I didnt think was possible, but something that proves the Christmas spirit is in Christ and not in the decorations and the snow.

 On  Christmas Eve we went to the stake presidents house and ate dinner and watched 17 Miracles. Then after the movie we ate dessert and went home to sleep. Then Christmas we spent it at the Bishops house and TALKED TO OUR FAMILIES!!!! it was so good!! i loved every second of it!! :) We also got a christmas gift from our ward which was a whole bunch of food! it was the best thing ever. 

https://www.mormon.org/christmas/purpose-of-a-savior

I love the priviledge that I have to help these people understand the purpose of our Savior and the love that He has for them individually. It´s like everyday gets to be Christmas :) 

-Sister Lloyd 

The good stuff

This week passed by super fast! Sister Nascimento and I stayed with
Sister Fernandes in her area, Coronel Antonino, becuase she didn´t
have a companion (she was waiting for a part time companion to show up
but then the part timer got sick and couldnt serve anymore). But it
was so much fun!! Us three got along super well! We just laughed to
whole time. But we didnt work in our area so I dont have much updates..

This week we also had our Christmas Conference and it was so good! I
saw a lot of my friends that i hadnt seen in a long time!

OH also our investigator, Antônio, went to church yesterday!!! He is
progressing a ton and everytime we teach him he always has a notebook
filled with questions. I love seeing how the gospel gives people this
drive to learn, to know more, to continue growing. And I love even
more that the gospel doesnt have a limit of how much we can learn and
grow. Its the best thing ever.

Also yesterday in church I gave a talk about christmas and used this
talk by Uchtdorf. Its super good!!!! It talks about seeing Christ in
the things around us. Ill copy and paste the talk because its short
and i know hardly no one clicks on the links. hahaha

``Can We See the Christ?

One night a grandfather was reading a story to his four-year-old
granddaughter when she looked up and said, ?Grandpa, look at the
stars!? The older man smiled kindly and said, ?We?re indoors, honey.
There are no stars here.? But the child insisted, ?You have stars in
your room! Look!?

The grandfather looked up and, to his surprise, noticed that the
ceiling was peppered with a metallic glitter. It was invisible most of
the time, but when the light struck the glitter a certain way, it did
indeed look like a field of stars. It took the eyes of a child to see
them, but there they were. And from that moment on, when the
grandfather walked into this room and looked up, he could see what he
had not been able to see before.

We are entering another wonderful Christmas season filled with music
and lights, parties and presents. But of all people, we as members of
the church that bears the Savior?s name need to look beyond the façade
of the season and see the sublime truth and beauty of this time of year.

I wonder how many in Bethlehem knew that right there, close to them,
the Savior had been born? The Son of God, the long-awaited and
promised Messiah?He was in their midst!

Do you remember what the angel told the shepherds? ?Unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.?
And they said to themselves, ?Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and
see this thing which is come to pass? (Luke 2:11, 15).

Like the shepherds of old, we need to say in our hearts, ?Let us see
this thing which is come to pass.? We need to desire it in our hearts.
Let us see the Holy One of Israel in the manger, in the temple, on the
mount, and on the cross. Like the shepherds, let us glorify and praise
God for these tidings of great joy!

Sometimes the most difficult things to see are those that have been
right in front of us all along. Like the grandfather who failed to see
the stars on the ceiling, we sometimes cannot see that which is in
plain sight.

We who have heard the glorious message of the coming of the Son of
God, we who have taken upon us His name and have covenanted to walk in
His path as His disciples?we must not fail to open our hearts and
minds and truly see Him.

The Christmas season is wonderful in many ways. It is a season of
charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of
being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings
that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven. It is a
season to enjoy the music and lights, parties and presents. But the
glitter of the season should never dim our sight and prevent us from
truly seeing the Prince of Peace in His majesty.

Let us all make this year?s Christmas season a time of rejoicing and
celebration, a time when we acknowledge the miracle that our Almighty
God sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem the world!```

Love you all!! Thanks for everything!

-Sis Lloyd

CRISLAINE

CRISLAINE WAS BAPTIZED!!!!! It was super special! Even though now
she?s not in my area (the area split because now there?s two
companionships) I still count her as my recent convert!! haha


Also this week WE GOT NEW COMPANIONS!!!! Me and Sister Jordan stayed
in the area but now there?s two companionships and WE`RE BOTH
TRAINING!!!! I?m training Sister Nascimento, she?s from São Paulo and
she?s super super adorable!!! Sister Jordan is training Sister Sales,
she?s from Rio de Janeiro.
They´re super excited to work, that?s probably my favorite part about
new missionaries :)

BUT Sister Nascimento and I are opening a new area so we have 0
investigators. Luckily Sister Jordan let us keep Antônio. Speaking of,
he´s still reading the Book of Mormon like crazy and still has a ton
of questions. He studies a lot of philosophy and science so this week
he had a question about the word ``terrestrial`` because his knowledge
of the word is that it?s a place that has a lot of light, it?s
basically paradise; and so how we explained the word confused him so
we explained it like this; With our human eyes we can see all the
light of the moon but not of the sun. SO the terrestial kingdom is the
best place we could ever imagine... with our human minds. And like the
sun, we can?t even comprehend the light, the glory that the celestial
kingdom contains. And with that explanation he was satisfied. Haha

But that?s all the exciting news for this week!!! I can?t believe how
fast time is passing. I love my mission and I love the gospel!!!

Thanks for everything!!

love you all!

-Sis Lloyd

ONE YEAR

Wow I cannot believe how fast this year has gone by! And I still dont have any idea how to be a missionary. 

This week we met someone super elect!!  His name is Antônio. Heres the story; So a member did visits with us for the whole day on Wednesday then she made us dinner and by the time we were done eating we had to fly outta there to get home on time, so as we were half running half speed walking a man stopped us to ask if there were english classes at the church and we told him there wasnt and then he asked ``but can you guys tell me more about this religion?? I dont know too much about it.`` so we explained to him about the Book of Mormon and gave one to him to read and marked with him to return on Saturday and he said `´When you guys visit me on Saturday ill tell you guys everything that happens in the first chapter.`` SO saturday rolls around and we go there and he just starts telling us everything about the introduction, about Joseph Smiths testimony and about 1 Nephi chapter 1. I was literally in disbelief!! And as we started talking to him about religion and found out that he has gone to a bunch of churches but just didnt feel right there and that lately he´s been feeling like he needs to belong to a church. Basically the whole lesson was super spiritual and my companion is skeptical that hes actually a member thats just pranking us. But we´ll see :) 

Also this week we were teaching Crislaine and she was home alone, and after the lesson she came outside with us to say bye and as we were talking the wind blew and her door slammed shut and locked, so we tried to break in a couple time with no luck. But little Lloyd just started picking that lock with a bobby pin like nobodies business and the door opened!!! I saved the day! 

I am so glad to be here at this time. I love my mission and I love this gospel!! 

love you all!! 

-Sister lloyd

Jovanice

This week we are working a lot with the Elders Quorum in re-activating
the ``perspective elders``
So we started visiting them and we went to one house and talked to his
mom, Jovanice, and she?s amazing!! She hasn?t been going to church for
over a year because she got offended with some things and she NEVER
receives visits... it was a miracle that she let us in!

Anyway, we visited her about 3 times this week and we already have a
special bond with her and yesterday when we got to church we were
walking to sit down when I heard ``PSST!!`` and I turned around and
there was Jovanice with her son and his girlfriend! It was such a good
feeling to see them at church!! Something that I have learned on my
mission is a lot about love. We can´t force anyone to do anything. But
we can help them feel the love God has for them and the love WE have
for them and they will feel a desire to do what is right and to do it
for the right reasons.

I don?t really have much more to say.. that was the only experience
that really stood out this week.

SO JUST LOVE THE HECK OUTTA EVERYONE!!!!! !

-Sis Lloyd

This week was super good!! So every Tuesday we have lunch with the
same lady, Laurença, and she?s inactive and her grandson, Vitor (who?s
also inactive), always eats with us and one time we invited him to
church and he didn?t want to go so I started asking him a little about
what he believes in and whatnot and needless to say he didn?t believe
in God. SO last week after lunch he goes ``yeah i think this week I?m
gonna go to church..`` and he went! It was super cool. Then Tuesday
after we ate he wanted to share a scripture with us and he said ``this
scripture reminds me a lot of my return to the church.`` and he read 1
Nephi 3:7

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and
do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord
giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare
a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth
them.

And then he bore his testimony and we all just sat there with our
mouths open. Then on Friday he had an interview with the bishop to
receive the priesthood and yesterday he called us in the morning
because he wasn?t gonna come to church because he was gonna get there
super late and then he said ``yeah but the sacraments first and that?s
the most important part`` wow I felt like a proud little mom.

I know that the Holy Ghost has great power. Though all of our little
lunch messages he truly felt the spirit testify to him the truth of
what we were saying. We should never be afraid to share the gospel
with anyone even if they don?t believe is God. Everyone chose God´s
plan before this life, they just forgot. The Spirit can help them
remember that.


also this week one of the sisters in our district broke her foot and
so sister Rodrigues was emergency transferred to her area and so now
im no longer in a trio! Its a little weird because I already got into
the trio mode so its been feeling a little lonely with just two.

but that?s all that happened this week!!

Love you all!!

-Sis Lloyd

KETTLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ps. Kettlin just called me to let me know that shes gonna serve a part-time mission in december!!! ahhh im super happy!!! Shes amazing!! 

heres a photo of her with me and sister camargo

Cuts and Laughs

This week I had a division with... SISTER FERNANDES!!! ahhh it was
super fun!! We laughed the whole day and she told me about the things
that happened in Bandeirantes after I was transferred and it was
awesome! Also this week there was a meeting in our Chapel with all the
members in Campo Grande and we went and I saw a bunch of my good
friends from Bandeirantes! It feels like I came home to good friends.
I LOVE CAMPO GRANDE!!!

But on the other hand, this week we cut all but one of our
investigators because no one wants to progress. Just Crislaine. She is
18 and the daughter in law of members. She?s super hilarious and is
already strong in the church!! This next week were gonna work close
around her house and get a new pool of investigators in that
neighborhood... it?ll be super good!! so I don?t really have any
stories to tell.....

OH yes I do! hahaha Tuesday was a bad luck day for sister Jordan...
right after lunch we were walking to our next appointment and there
was a flower on a tree so she jumped up to grab it, missed it, and
when she came down the level of the sidewalk was different and she
fell and it was pretty funny (she didn?t get hurt, just a little scrap
on the knee so it was okay that I laughed.) then a little later we
went to a members house to see if he could visit an old lady to give
her a blessing and while sister Jordan was talking to him her skirt
got caught up in the fan and broke the fan! Then to top it all off we
had Family Night with Crislaine and invited a recent convert, Marlene,
and after the message sister Jordan was pouring juice for everyone and
when she was pouring it for Marlene she spilled it all over Marlene?s
hands. hahaha I was laughing the whole day long.

``Adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy.``

Don?t take life too seriously. Laughing is healthy!

Thanks for all the support! love you all!!!

-Sis Lloyd

``Family Of Gold``

The beginning of the week it was still raining a ton and still super fun. On Thursday we decided to knock doors and got the usual response from everyone: ``im busy right now but you can come back another day, okay??`` we were almost giving up when we turned onto one road and looked at my companions and said ``our golden family lives on this road.`` and we saw a house that had clothes on the clothes-line of a mom, a dad and children so i got super excited and and we knocked there. All of us were anxious to see if this family would accept our visit. 

 All of a sudden a little girls head popped up in the window and she got super happy and then yelled ``ITS THE SISTERS!!!!!`` i tuned and whispered to Sister Jordan ``how does she know who we are???`` then Sister Jordans eyes got huge and she said ``i just realized this is the bishops sons house.`` hahaha it was super funny. 

As a missionary i´ve been learning the importance of not wasting time. Every minute of our lives is important and how we use each minute will determine the type of person we are becoming and the eternity we are choosing. Theres a quote i like a lot that says 

``Try not to waste your time here

not when there are so many others

who would trade so much 

for an extra minute, an extra second

of what you have been given.

So many strangers you are never going to know

living lives you could hardly understand.

So many people sitting at the window,

looking for a hand to clasp

as everything slows to a crawl

and wondering what it would have been like 

if they could have done it all differently.

Try and remember that is moves

whether you want it to or not,

It moves quicker than you can see, 

it moves quietly, and definitely until one day, 

every last one of these moments is gone.

So from me to you

right here and right now

one human being to another

on behalf of the sick,

the less fortunate,

the wishers for great and impossible pasts,

I implore you to please try 

please try and make the most of it all.``

- Dallas Clayton

Thats all :) 

love you all!!! 

Tchau! 

-Sis Lloyd 

November 3, 2015

This week was super good!! I arrived in Campo Grande safe and sound
and when I got off the bus, who was waiting for me?? KETTLIN!!!! (she
was baptized in March) Ah it was such an awesome surprise! She also
visited my ward on Sunday with her non-member cousin. She?s amazing!!!

Being in a trio is super different but it?s super fun too!! My
companions are hilarious.

This week nothing too exciting happened; I?ve been getting to know the
area (which is HUGE!! one part of our area we have to walk for 2 hours
to get there) and getting to know our investigators!! We´re teaching
one couple, Altimiro and Lenise, they´re amazing!! Altimiro said that
a Pastor from a different church visited them and that he didn?t know
what to do and he said ``when he comes back I?m gonna show him and
book of Mormon and tell him ´sorry but I?m stickin with this
religion.´´ and they?re reading the book of Mormon together and
they´re already in Mosiah! I love them already!!

Also yesterday RAINED A TON and no one was home (or didn?t want to let
us in) so we just walked bar to bar and made contacts with the people
there. hahah it was pretty funny and all they said was ``wow!! I?ll
visit your church just because you guys are walking around in this
rain!!!``

This week I started reading in Jacob 3 and here?s some verses that I
like a lot;

1 But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are purein heart.
Look unto God with firmness of mind, and prayunto him with exceeding
faith, and he will console you inyour afflictions, and he will plead
your cause, and senddown justice upon those who seek your destruction.

2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads andreceive the
pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love;for ye may, if your
minds are firm, forever.

That?s all.

Thanks for all the support and emails!

Love you all!!

-Sis Lloyd

Transfers and Lice

Today is transfers!! I`m going back to Campo Grande and my new companions are gonna be Sister Jordan and another Part Time missionary!! Im super excited! I love Campo Grande (Cuiabá is a little on the hot side... haha) But ill definitely be sad to leave all of the people that i love here in Cuiabá.

Also, our 10 year old recent convert has lice and we didnt know about it until the primary president told us that she saw something suspicious in her hair.. so we asked her and she said it was true and so the next day i had sister monteiro look in my hair to see if she passed it to me and......................... positive. so this week was a battle against me and the bugs in my hair but im happy to say i came out victorious and am now lice free :)

also i found a scripture that i like a lot... 1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
(this part is talking about the spirits that are of satan and influence people to not believe in Christ)

As children of God, we have divine atributes and heavenly help. Because of this and because we already chose the plan of Heavenly Father in the pre-existance, we have already overcome the spirits that followed satan. We need not fear because the spirit that is within us, it greater than the spirits that are in the world.

never forget your divine nature!!!!

thanks for all the love and all the support!!!

love you all!!!

tchau!

-Sis Lloyd

 

The Work Goes On

First off, sorry the email last week was short... my mind literally went blank while i was written.

But anyway, I forgot to tell you all about Joabe!! so it was about a week before his baptism and we were teaching him and after the lesson, Irmão Jeronimo (his girlfriends dad) said ``yeah its too bad we wont have a baptism next week.`` and my eyes almost popped out of my head and I basically screamed ``WHAT?!`` and Joabe told us that he is wanted to wait a little longer but he wouldnt tell us why. So the next week (week of his baptism) we visited him again to see what was going and it turns out that theres a commandment that he isnt quite ready to live and after we explained about the atonement and read some verses with him he told us that he thinks its better if we give him some space for awhile for him to think about what he really wants. So thats where we´re at with Joabe.

and now Rodrigo.... we taught him the Restauration again (he has lots of questions about priesthood and Joseph Smith) and after the lesson we explained a little more in depth about the Holy Ghost and how we recieve answers to our prayers and we told him he`ll feel peace and whatnot and then he goes ``one time i had a dream and i felt super peaceful during it..... i was standing the middle of a lot of water`` and my companion screamed. hahaha it was super funny. But it truly is amazing how much the Lord has been preparing Rodrigo to recieve the Gospel. We´re working with him to be baptized on october 31. :0

Thanks for all your love and support!!

love you all!

-Sis Lloyd

BIRTHDAY TIME!!!

IM 20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! wow my birthday was super good!!!! i even had a surprise party :) we ate tacos and had american cake. then when we got home we visited our recent converts, Matheus and Alexandre and left a message with them and then Matheus went to the fridge and came back with a cake that they made for me!! it was super good. i loved ever minute of my birhday. :) 

also this week there was a japonese festival and we went there to talk to people about the gospel and it was super cooL!!!! we talked to about 200 ´people about the gospel and what we do as missionaries. it was a super spiritual experience. 

and i seriously cant think of anything else that happened this week...... 

but i know this church is true and i LOVE being a missionary!!! 

thanks for everything!!! 

-Sister Lloyd

GENERAL CONFERENCE

General Conference was amazing as always!!! It?s also so great to have
conference on, or near my birthday. I love hearing the talks of the
prophet and the apostles!! I love it.

One of my favorite talks was by Larry R. Lawrence. He talked a lot
about being humble and asking the Lord what we lack to reach our
potencial. And also that we need to be humble enough and have the
faith to follow the answer that we receive. I think I liked this talk
the best because as a missionary I?m always trying to be better, I?m
always trying to progress but sometimes when someone tells me
something that I could do to progress more, if it?s something that I
don?t want to do, I end up staying the same. The first part, asking
what I lack, I think I got down, but the part to follow the answer I
receive is the part that I?m forgetting.

There is always room to improve. We should never be satisfied with who
we are. ``couldst thou in vision see, thyself the man God meant, thou
never could then be, the man thou art, content.`` -Augustus Strong

Sorry this email is short. I don?t have much time. But I love you
all!!! thank you for your prayers and support.

Love, Sis Lloyd

Rodrigo

This week was super good! 

First off, Joabe will be baptized on october 10- last week he got super sick and almost died and ALMOST agreed to be baptized earlier but he´s set for the 10!!!

And this week we began teaching Rodrigo. He´s super awesome!! He recently lost his job and his girlfriend of 11 years left him and for the first time in his life he started reading the bible these past couple weeks searching for guidance and then, as he said, ``we showed up`` haha. We only had time to teach him one time this week but it was the best lesson ever. He started out by asking us what the difference was between the bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ- SO we started teaching him about The Gospel of Jesus Christ and we got to the part about baptism and he started asking a million questions about baptism and the priesthood and who has the priesthood, etc. SO in the middle of our lesson we also taught the Restauration and he understood perfectly and even said ``tonight im gonna ask God if i need to be baptized by the priesthood.`` We didnt even have to ask him to!! the spirit seriously was so strong during the lesson and after the lesson he began asking us questions about the mission and how we feel when people dont want to hear our messages and i told him ``It doesnt matter how many people reject us, if we can save one soul- we´re beyond happy.`` and after i said that he was quiet for a minute and then said ``do you think it´ll be mine??`` 

Im so so so so so happy to be on a mission and to be helping other recieve the blessings of the gospel. i read a quote this past week by Ezra Taft Benson; ``The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment.Christ changes men, who change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.`` I know that all the trials and difficulties that Rodrigo passed through were the Lord preparing him to hear the Restored Gospel, and every trial and difficulty we pass through can help us reach our potencial and become more like Christ.

Thanks for all the support and love! 

Love you all!! 

Tchau tchau!

-Sis Lloyd 

Transfer 7

I?ve already been on a mission for 6 transfers??? WOW time is flying!

This transfer I´ll be training a new sister- she´s from São Paulo and
super tiny, and dainty. Her name is Sister Monteiro- I honestly don?t
know what I´ll teach her because she´s already teaching lessons like a
pro!! She´s super energetic and wants to talk to every single person
that lives in Cuiabá. haha! We?re finding a ton of good people to
teach and having a lot of spiritual experiences.

Right now we´re teaching 3 teens- Patrick, Eric and Adilson. They´re
SUPER good kids and have a lot of love for God. We still haven?t
taught them very much but they all have a LOT of potential.
Yesterday we taught a family the Restoration and it was one of the
most spiritual lessons I`ve ever had. At the end of the lesson I read
Alma 32:28 but I replaced the word ``seed`` with ``message`` and it
went a more or less like this: Now, we will compare the word unto a
[message]. Now, if ye give place, that a [message] may be planted in
your heart, behold, if it be a true [message], or a good [message], if
ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit
of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and
when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within
yourselves?It must needs be that this is a good [message], or that the
word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth
to enlighten my understanding ,yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.
The family accepted the invite to ``plant our message`` in their
hearts and we ended with a kneeling prayer. IT WAS AWESOME!!!! and
really the same goes for any type of ``message`` we hear at church or
from our home teachers/visiting teachers.... if we give place to that
message, through pondering and sincere prayer, it?ll being to swell
within us and our testimonies will be strengthened- the gospel of
Jesus Christ really will become ``delicious to us``

Also today we went to the Chapada and it was awesome!!

Thanks for everything! love you all! :)

tchau!!

-Sis Lloyd

September 14, 2015

Sorry I didn`t write last week! it was a holiday and the computer
house was closed... so we used the computers in the mission office and
no one told me it was just for a short amount of time... so I didn?t
have any time to write... haha.

BUT ANYWAY. In these two weeks two major things happened.

FIRST: remember Thayná and André?? The two kids that were baptized
last month? Their dad, Silvio, was addicted to drugs and we think he
used to sell drugs too (but he wasn?t selling drugs anymore)- two
weeks ago he got in a fight with someone who used to buy drugs from
him and the person had a knife and stabbed Silvio 3 times and Silvio
started to run away and fell in the middle of the road and died. The
saddest part is that André was one of the first people to see Silvio
in laying in the road. He was a SUPER good dad for Thayná and André,
and he always listened in to our lessons- we had to hope that he would
have the desire to change and be baptized too. But all of this made me
super thankful that we found Thayná and André and we able to teach
them and that they were baptized. Last Sunday during fast and
testimony meeting they both wanted to bear their testimonies and
wanted to say something about their dad, so they told me what they
wanted to say and I wrote it down on a piece of paper in ``testimony
form`` and they both bore super sweet testimonies. They know that
families can be eternal and they know where their dad is at which is
helping them cope a ton. I?m so so so so grateful to be here on a
mission to be able to help others gain this knowledge!! it seriously
is the best!

SECOND: Joabe, He is SUPER ready and knows everything about the church
but he would not accept a baptismal date. BUT Tuesday when we were
teaching him he asked if we had talked to the Gospel Principals
teacher about him and that he wasn?t ready to be baptized (we really
didn?t say anything to her), because at church she went up to him and
started talking to him about how much he knows about the gospel and
whatnot and we were just listening to him in shock. haha and then he
said ``so I will be baptized...`` and I basically jumped out of my
seat in excitement and then he said ``...on October 10`` BUT finally
he accepted!!!! it was super cool how he got his response and he just
kept saying how incredible it was that the spirit told the Gospel
Principles teacher to say those things to him. It was super cool!!

And that was my two weeks. I didn?t break any more sinks, nor spill
water on anyone, so it was a good two weeks!!!

OH also, my companion got her mission call!! She got called to the
Brazil, Fortaleza west mission!! and she reports to the MTC September
30- she?s only gonna have 15 days to get everything ready!! But she?s
super excited!!! :)
thanks for all the emails and the love!

tchau tchau!!

-Sis Lloyd

JOABE

Last week a lady in our ward told us about someone she had for us to
teach, this week we went there to teach him and WOW. I have never seen
someone SO prepared to receive the gospel!! His name is Joabe, and we
taught him about the restoration and gave him the pamphlet. The next
time we taught him I asked if he had any questions about our last
visit and he goes ``yeah.. I was studying the pamphlet you gave me and
some of the questions at the end I was having a hard time
answering...`` before that moment I didn?t even remember that there
was questions at the end of the pamphlets. NO ONE EVER ANSWERS THEM!
But he is super ready and wants to know everything about the church.

He´s dating the daughter, Regiane, of the member, Irene, who gave us
the referral. And Regiane has a 2 year old daughter, and while we were
teaching him this week, the two year old came over and bit my wrist
super hard. haha it was red the whole next day... also this week I was
holding a water bottle in my arm pit and the water bottle didn?t have
a lid, and we were teaching an old lady, she was sitting and we were
standing, and when we finished I bent over to give her a hug and
DUMPED WATER ALL OVER HER!!! But luckily I?m in Cuiabá so she just
thanked me and told me she was wanting to cool off.... but needless to
say we haven?t gone back there..

and that was my week!

OH also this morning I broke our sink.

this week was a little rough. hahah

love you all!!!

-Sis Lloyd

baptism, general authority, and everything in between

August 24, 2015

Sorry that I didn?t write last week, we went to a farm for P-day and I
didn?t have much time to write.

BUT last week we had 2 baptisms. Thayná and André, they´re siblings 10
and 9 years old.... teaching them was the hardest thing ever. THEY
DONT SIT STILL!!! but I love them to death. The other day I was
playing ball with André and he was super happy and he said to me
``this is so fun!!! no one has ever played with me before!`` their
family situation isn?t the best, but I am just so grateful that now
they have the gospel in their lives.

And this week, Elder Mazzagardi of the seventy, visited us!! It was
sweet! I learned a ton. Something he taught us that I found super
interesting is that exaltation and chastity are two things that go
together. and he talked about the importance of families and temple
marriage. One thing that I have noticed is the decrease of family
values. Almost no one is married here and there?s 12 year old girls
pregnant, or living with their boyfriends. With all of the youth that
we´ve been teaching, the biggest difficulty I?ve noticed is with the
law of chastity. It is super super sad.
Elder Mazzagardi said that this is why Satan is attacking families
so much... because living the law of chastity qualifies us for
exaltation. I am so grateful for the example of my parents and my
siblings of the importance of marriage and of families.
Also for this conference every single one the missionaries here in the
north came, and there was an elder that was in the MTC with me and
when he saw me he said ``wow sister!! you´re a little chubbier!!`` So
I don?t think I?ve lost those 8 kilos yet. haha

and that?s all that I can remember!!!

Thanks for everything, love you all!!

-Sis Lloyd

August 24, 2015

Sorry that I didn?t write last week, we went to a farm for P-day and I
didn?t have much time to write.

BUT last week we had 2 baptisms. Thayná and André, they´re siblings 10
and 9 years old.... teaching them was the hardest thing ever. THEY
DONT SIT STILL!!! but I love them to death. The other day I was
playing ball with André and he was super happy and he said to me
``this is so fun!!! no one has ever played with me before!`` their
family situation isn?t the best, but I am just so grateful that now
they have the gospel in their lives.

And this week, Elder Mazzagardi of the seventy, visited us!! It was
sweet! I learned a ton. Something he taught us that I found super
interesting is that exaltation and chastity are two things that go
together. and he talked about the importance of families and temple
marriage. One thing that I have noticed is the decrease of family
values. Almost no one is married here and there?s 12 year old girls
pregnant, or living with their boyfriends. With all of the youth that
we´ve been teaching, the biggest difficulty I?ve noticed is with the
law of chastity. It is super super sad.
Elder Mazzagardi said that this is why Satan is attacking families
so much... because living the law of chastity qualifies us for
exaltation. I am so grateful for the example of my parents and my
siblings of the importance of marriage and of families.
Also for this conference every single one the missionaries here in the
north came, and there was an elder that was in the MTC with me and
when he saw me he said ``wow sister!! you´re a little chubbier!!`` So
I don?t think I?ve lost those 8 kilos yet. haha

and that?s all that I can remember!!!

Thanks for everything, love you all!!

-Sis Lloyd

TCHAU SISTER CASTRO!

Sister Castro is back in GUATEMALA!!! She was such an awesome missionary and example to me! i learned a bunch from her. and this week, when she was leaving i had to stay with her during all of the activities for the missionaries going home and everytime president or sister Oliveira said something for the missionaries going home, they looked to me and said ``not you. dont listen to this yet.`` haha and sister castro and I got to sleep in Presidents house and it was definitley THE NICEST house i´ve seen yet in Brazil. then we woke up at 3 AM the next day to go to the airport, said our goodbyes, then went back to presidents house. just me, President and Sister Oliveira.. i was on my very best behavior. haha BUT the good news is president gave me permission to sleep until 7. then i woke up and we went to the office and i spent my day there waiting for my companion. 

My companion is a Part-Time missionary because our mission doesnt have sufficient sisters- SO she is from a ward super close to my area, Verdão, and shes just staying for this transfer. i was a bit scared to have a part-timer because that means she didnt pass through the MTC and she knows nothing about the rules or how to teach the lessons. President told me i´d basically be giving all the lessons and doing everything alone. Then she arrived, her name is Sister Amorin, and the first thing she said was ``look. dont be afraid to make me walk a lot, okay?? we´re gonna work this transfer.`` and WOW. she is AMAZING!!!! she has so much love and excitement to be here serving the Lord. it seems like shes already been a missionary for some time, and i forget that she knows nothing, so sometimes i start doing something or saying something and shes goes ``wait. what is that?? what are we doing??`` its pretty funny. haha but I´ve seriously been so blessed with the companions i´ve had and Sister Amorin is no different. Shes going to get her mission call while shes here with me and she´s gonna have her bishop bring it to her so she can open it with me. Its amazing that just in one week we already have made a strong friendship. i dont have a picture of her but ill send one of us next week!! :) 

also this week i learned something interesting... Mosiah 3:19 

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

SO. if we have a ``natural man`` we also have a ``spiritual man`` and when we do the things our natural man wants, our spiritual man is getting weaker, and likewise, when we do what our spiritual man wants, our natural man gets weaker. yesterday during Gospel Principles class, the teacher said that ``our bodies are instruments for our spirits`` and i thought about this verse about the natural man. 

i also had the thought that often times, we get that backward and our spirts turn into the instruments of our bodies. 

how often do we feel the desire to read the scriptures but watch tv, or do something else instead? 

how often should we wake up early for church or seminary/institute but end up sleeping in? 

how often do we have people to visit, church lessons to prepare, spiritual tasks to do, but put off these things until after we have served our natural man? 

it was a super big eye opener for me. I definitely need to strengthen my ``spirital man`` more, so that he can be in control of my ``natural man.`` not the other way around.

Have a great week! love you all!! 

-Sis Lloyd 

This week Alexandre and Brenda were baptized!!!!! 

Brenda was supposed to be baptized July 18 but on the 17 her aunt took her on a suprize trip so that postponed her baptism- BUT she came back and we made sure everything was good, and she was baptized :) Brenda is super awesome. she lives in a home that has a LOT of messed up things. She´s seen and been raised with things no one deserves to be around. and shes only 13 years old. when elder freire was interveiwing her, he said it was the hardest interview he´s had and that during the interview he had to give her a blessing. after her baptism she told us that she felt ``happy and light``. I know that now, she´ll change her life and her future. 

also this week i have divisions with..... SISTER CAMARGO!!!!! and it was her birthday so every house we went to, had cake. it was the best. and im another 8 kilos heavier!! 

aaaaaanndd.... thats all this week. 

tchau tchau!!! 

i love you all. 

-sis Lloyd

Pray Always

this week started out AWESOME!!! my companion builded up all her courage and decided to call alexandre´s mom and just causually ask her if he could be baptized. 

so we call and start talking to her and sister castro starts by asking if she´s okay with him visiting our church and she said ``of course!! its good for him to learn more about God`` so then sister castro asks ``and if he wants to be baptized...`` and then she said ``i think he´s a little young right now. but it thats what he wants-`` then we could hear alexandre in the background yelling ``I WANT TO!!`` haha so she gave permission and we were super happy!!!!!! and he stayed at his moms house for the rest of the week and got home yesterday night... so we visited him and he said ``yeah i dont know if i want to be baptized anymore...`` 😨 so we talked to him a little and it was because while he was at his moms he wasnt reading his scriptures, he missed going to church 2 weeks in a row and so his spirit was weak and he broke the law of chastity and now feels like being baptized isnt what he wants. RIGHT AFTER HIS MOM GAVE PERMISSION!! Satan is real, and when we stop doing those simple things, he will have a bigger influence on us. but then in the middle of the lesson his grandma called us to talk to her and she was so frustrated with alexandre and she goes ``all he talked about was being baptized and now that his mom gave permission he doesnt want to. i dont even know what to do.`` so she invited us to come over tonight to talk to him about whats going on. so everythings gonna be okay :) God is more powerful than Satan.

 Doctrine and Covenants 10:5 Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.

Alma 37: 46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.

Never be slothful in doing the simple things! 

Love you all!! thanks for all the support

tchau tchau! 

-Sis Lloyd

good ol´ cuiabá

WOW this week was a good one!!!! 

Alexandre... (i learned that his name is actually alexanDRE not alexanDER haha) we have to ask his mom for permission for him to be baptized... but alexandre said shes super closed and he doesnt know her address... but look how amazing Heavenly Father is!! we were teaching him about the Plan of Salvation and in the middle of the lesson his Step Dad came over and started talking to us and we asked him where he lives and he said ``im not from here.... im just passing by....`` (hes a little different) then he started quoting scriptures and me and sister castro finished the verses with him and then sister castro said ``thats exactly what we´re teaching your son right now!!!!`` so he gave us his address to visit him and his wife... SCORE!!!! 

also this week we had ``festa junina`` which is basically the 24 of July for Brazil. and there was a family there thats super awesome!!! theres a mom, and 3 boys that are 14, 12 and 10. we visited them on saturday and taught the restauration and after sister castro asked if they would come to church with us on sunday, and one little boy that´s 12 responded ``LOGICALLY!!!`` hahaha it was super funny. BUT sunday morning came around and we went to their house and knocked and knocked and called and called and no one answered. :( so we visited them after church and she said that everyone slept through the morning but that they´ll be there next week!! they are super sweet. i already love them. 

also the sun here is so strong (im using sun screen, dont worry) that my hair is turning white. everyday it gets lighter and i have streaks of white. I can´t wait for summer here!! hahaha

its so amazing to see how the gospel of Jesus Christ changes lives. Im so so so happy to be here. even if the sun is dying my hair. :)

and thats about all the excitement this week!!! 

love you all!!! thanks for all your support. 

-Sis Lloyd

Raimundo and Heloiza