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