sister.ali.lloyd: ALL SORTS OF BRAVE!

Well … another week bites the dust with GREAT SUCCESS and yes, it has been another AMAZING WEEK! Wow, I've got to think of some more adjectiveS! :D

Sis Lloyd Defying Gravity as Elphaba!

So, as you already know, last week was transfers. Sorry for repetition but it was heart breaking to see our little "family" split apart. I think it was especially hard because that was my first District that I’ve served with and we've spent the last two transfers together. Some of the missionaries who left have been here several months but as always, we have awesome new missionaries to fill their shoes. Our new Albany missionary is from Highland and he just graduated a few months ago! Man, Sis L and I are feeling so old! He’s great and eager to get to work. It's been a great reminder of the spirit that is instilled in the MTC. Our new zone leader is Elder L. He actually served in our zone before, but is going home at the end of this transfer! It’s crazy to think that we actually go home one day! We also have a new roommate; Sis P from Idaho and fresh from the MTC. She's glowing with the Spirit and ready to work. It has been really fun having her with us and she promised me she would start running with me so I’m happy (:

We have had so many miracles and tender mercies this week! So ready or not, here we go!

*Miracle numero uno: Sister L and I get to stay together in Albany!!!! We are the only companionship that didn't get split; now that is sayin’ something! There’s no dividing this dynamic duo! It has been really amazing to see the two of us grow together and I have learned so much from her. We have developed a friendship that will last forever. Everyone down here gets us mixed up too so we both respond to L and Lloyd. I love her so much and I’m so grateful for the lessons and strengthening experiences that we have gone through together.

*We were blessed to teach a young man his first lesson this last week. He is friends with a family that takes care of us and serves us in so many ways. It was really neat because we have been praying and praying and PRAYING about how we could open the door and start teaching him. One morning, we found a video, titled "Blessings of Scripture" that we thought would be perfect. He is a Christian and believes in the Bible so we thought this would be a great segue (please watch this video! It brings me to tears every time). https://www.lds.org/pages/the-blessings-of-scripture?lang=eng We then felt prompted to write our testimonies in the back of a BOM and give it to him. The lesson went beautifully and the spirit was strong. It was incredible and such an answer to our prayers.

*Sister L and I had the coolest experience this week! We were driving around our area and one of our appointments fell through (you’ve heard that opening before!) and we had about 45 mins to kill before our next appt that was just down the street. We didn't have time to drive anywhere else and we didn't want to use the miles on our car. We had prayed earlier that the Lord would place people in our path that we would be able to teach. Pres Howes [Sister Lloyd’s Sydney Mission President] sent an email a couple of weeks ago about being "desperate” as a missionary, and I have been thinking a lot about what that means. Pres Howes goes on to say that when we are desperate, when we have knocked on every door and done every last thing that we can, the Lord will place someone there at the end of the street. Because … when we are desperate, the Lord can trust us because we are sufficiently humbled and ready to receive His will. Sis L and I have been praying so hard, and I have been fasting to be able to find new investigators and find new people to teach.

Protein Shakes for Brekkie!

Anyway, we decided to go tracting! In our mission, Pres Wall doesn't really encourage tracting because he feels that there are better ways so we don't usually do it but, we felt that we should take advantage of this time because we were desperate to find new people. So we parked the car and started walking. And knocking. And knocking. And no one would answer the door! No one would let us in. Finally it was time to go so we decided that we would try one more door. We said a prayer that we would be humble enough to be able to know what to do. We knocked. No answer. We rang the doorbell and … a beautiful lady stepped outside! She accepted our card and Book of Mormon and agreed to have us over again! It was incredible! Sis L and I had to stay calm as we walked away we were so giddy. Under our breath we were both mumbling ... "next time on the district ..." (The District is a series of videos that all missionaries watch about missionary work). IT WAS SO COOL!

*I got tasered. WHAT??? I am turning into all sorts of brave on my mission! We were driving and this spider crawled on my lap [Insert Anne: Sister Lloyd HATES spiders almost as much as she HATES SNAKES AND RODENTS.] I didn't know Sis L was watching but I didn't say anything, just squished that ugly spider in between my fingers and threw it out the window. She was so proud of me. Oh, and don't worry, getting tasered didn't hurt! [Insert Anne: I have no idea if she actually got tasered by a GUN or just what she thinks squishing a spider does to your fingers!]

I’d like to leave you with some insights I found in my study this week:

I am having a hard time leaving the book of Alma because I keep finding such incredible connections and applications to life! It has been really neat to study the scriptures through a "lens" of unity and obedience (try doing that; pick a topic like love and read the scriptures looking for references about love). This week, one of my friends wrote me a letter and talked about things that he would have done differently on his mission. He talked about how important EXACT OBEDIENCE truly was. He explained how sometimes excuses were made to break the rules; things such as teaching an elderly lady in her home, and staying out late to teach lessons, or not going to bed on time because of prayers. These are all good things, but they are against the rules. We have been given rules and commandments to give us freedom.

Alma 56, vs. 8 reads:

But I would not suffer them that they should break this covenant which they had made, supposing that God would strengthen us, insomuch that we should not suffer more because of the fulfilling the oath which they had taken.

Even though it might have been a righteous desire to break the covenant and fight for their freedom, their God and their families, they had promised God that they wouldn't do so. Helaman knew of the blessings that would come from being obedient to the promises that they had made to their God. There is POWER that comes from being obedient. Power seen in the Book of Mormon that "not one soul of them fallen to the earth." We will receive blessings and power from being exactly obedient.

Another thing that Pres Howes reminded us is that when we were baptized, we covenanted to serve our Savior and represent Him in all that we do. It is not simply being a missionary, or doing missionary work, it is a promise that we have made to "stand as a witness of God in all things, in all places." May we be a missionary through our example and light, that we can bring others to HIM through serving others and representing our Savior.

I love y'all so much. An hour doesn't pass that I am not praying for y'all.

Until next week! I love y'all to the moon and back!