ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE!

HAPPY 2014 FROM THE LAND DOWN UNDA!

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!!!!

Seems like eons ago that we talked on the phone, doesn’t' it? 

I loved talking to you and I really didn’t mind not Skyping. The prayer we had together is something I will remember forever and I will hold on to it for the next 5 months until we speak on Mother’s Day.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE!! EXTRA SQUEEZES TO EVERYONE! YOU ARE TOO GOOD TO ME! THE PERSONAL LETTERS, WELL … I WILL CHERISH THEM FOREVER – THANK YOU!

It's been an awesome and busy week. It was transfers Monday and Sister B and I are staying in the same area! However … we were called to be the Sister Training Leaders! (Traveling Sisters. No, it’s not the name of a band! The STLs “travel” throughout the entire mission, training the other Sisters. It’s the equivalent of the Elder Zone Leaders.

I want you to understand that feelings of inadequacy and discouragement never come from God, because that is not how the Lord wants us to feel. I also know that whomever the Lord calls, He will and has qualified. 

I have felt the Spirit guiding me in everything I do and I have felt the Atonement working in my life each day, hour by hour. 

While facing a personal challenge, the Spirit answered my prayers through one of the talks I have been studying. In the talk, “Gifts of Love” by President Eyring http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=821, he gives his theory on what it takes to be a good gift giver. In short, the 3 steps to his theory are:

1. The giver felt what you felt and was touched,

2. The giver gave freely and,

3. The giver counted sacrifice a bargain. 

What struck me hard was what it means to be a good gift “receiver.” He says:

“You could make any gift better by what you choose to see, or by failing to notice, make any gift a failure.”

I have been praying my entire mission, but especially this last transfer, to think less of myself and more of others. I want every thought and action, as a representative of Christ, to be that of turning outward. As I chase away thoughts of myself, the Lord always has given me opportunities to serve His children.

Earlier this week, we stopped by one of our investigator’s homes. We asked if we could share a message and she explained that she was busy tending her grandchildren. I noticed an old nativity on top of the TV and asked one of the boys to help me pull it down.  I sat down next to these beautiful young boys on the floor and our investigators just beamed as we taught them the story of Christmas. I had to fight back tears because I could feel the Savior’s love for these kids fill the room. They had never said a prayer before, and what a humbling experience it was to see these boys kneel, bow their heads and show reverence to a Heavenly Father they had just learned existed. They wouldn’t stop asking when we were coming back and when we could pray with their mum.  So awesome.

My studies, prayers, promptings and revelation have all come together this week and have really focused on God’s love for each of us. Being called to be a Traveling Sister is an honor and I can’t think of a more humbling opportunity at this time.  Sister B and I are ready to work and to love and serve with everything we have. We feel humbled that the Lord has trusted us and we are grateful to be instruments in His hands.

Please read D&C 58:2-6. Let me know what you learn.

I love you to the moon and back! Remember to not miss me. Yes, it is hard, but if was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it!!!

Sister Lloyd

Our District

These Beetles are Everywhere!

KANGAROO ENCOUNTER NOT GOOD!

One of the first questions we asked Sister Lloyd, 

"Have you seen a kangaroo?" Her reply, 

"Yes, and I don't want to see one again!" 

While they were driving a couple hours inland, a creature she described as a furry dinosaur, hopped onto a busy road, causing an accident involving their car. They are fine and the car suffered minor damage (the kanga hopped away) but the marsupial did not make a good first impression!

Kangaroos are menace to Aussie drivers

Agence France-Presse

They may be on the national emblem, but a study has confirmed what many Australians have long suspected – kangaroos are the deadliest animal menace to drivers on the nation's roads.

Credit: iStockphoto

SYDNEY: They may be on the national emblem, but research has confirmed what many Australians have long suspected – kangaroos are the deadliest animal menace to drivers on the nation’s roads.

Kangaroos and their smaller kin, wallabies, are famed for their tendency to leap into the path of highway traffic, endangering not only their own lives but those behind the wheel.

A study from the University of New South Wales, in Sydney, has found the giant marsupials account for 60% of fatalities and 40% of injuries in accidents involving animals in NSW.

Lead researcher Daniel Ramp said kangaroos posed a greater threat than dogs, wandering stock or horses. Ramp and doctoral student Erin Roger made the analysis by studying figures from the state’s Traffic Accident Database System.

“Often, drivers swerve to miss animals only to hit roadside obstacles, such as trees and poles or oncoming vehicles,” said Ramp.

13 human deaths

There were 13 human deaths in almost 2,100 crashes involving kangaroos between 1996 and 2005, with a person treated for injury from such a crash once every three days, he said.

The study found that most accidents happened between dusk and dawn, when kangaroos tended to be searching for food, and they were much more frequent in the colder months and on weekends.

But Ramp warned many crashes went unreported and the real figures were likely to be much higher. “[It's] clear that only a small fraction of crashes with animals get reported to police,” he said.

The odds of hitting a kangaroo are so high most farmers and people living in the country have fitted metal ‘roo bars’ to deflect kangaroo impacts from the front of their vehicle. Others use high frequency ‘roo shoo’ whistles to repel the macropods from their path.

Of course, the best way to avoid hitting animals is to drive more carefully. “Drivers can effectively reduce the likelihood of animal-vehicle crashes by reducing their driving speed and remaining alert while driving through areas where animals are more abundant,” said Ramp.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Lights at Sydney Temple

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILLYYYYY!!!!!

Thank you so much for the Christmas package - I'm waiting to open until Christmas!

Mum, Jamie Oliver is everywhere here! Remember watching his show – the Naked Chef?!! Makes me think of you!

My core experience with God this week was prompted through the study of our recitations. The first musical number at the Christmas broadcast really moved me, “My Kindness Shall not Depart from Thee.” http://youtu.be/Zq-KhxsUxNo

Music is such an important part of my life and I always feel the spirit powerfully through music. The lyrics of this song are beautiful, and the message was with me the rest of the day. Later that evening, Elder J gave me a talk titled, Lessons from Liberty Jail. 

A quote from this talk really stuck out to me: 

“You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly, instructive experiences with the Lord in the most miserable experience of your life, in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced …EVERY experience can be a redemptive experience if we remain bonded to our Father through that difficulty.

Man’s extremity = God’s opportunity to turn prisons into temples.

Going along with the theme of music, “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy” has become one of my favorite hymns on my mission. I have always been fascinated with boats, sailing and lighthouses. The second verse especially stood out to me this week:

“Dark the night of sin has settled, loud the angry billows roar. Eager eyes are watching, longing, for the lights along the shore.Let the lower lights be burning, send a gleam across the wave.  Some poor fainting, struggling 

seaman, you may rescue, you may save.”

http://youtu.be/KchNq0M9N1k

These lyrics helped remind me of my purpose.  “Eager, watching, longing eyes” are just waiting for us to find them and shine a light of the gospel in their lives. I am reminded of the urgency of our work and our calling as so many are prepared and searching for so much more in their lives but “know not where to find it.” I can’t think of any greater calling -- to rescue souls and serve my brothers and sisters in this portion of the vineyard.  I can’t think of much better motivation than to be forgiven of our sins as we serve others! I want to be forgiven and cleansed from my sins and take part in helping others understand the Atonement. 

Unfortunately, it has been one of those weeks where many appointments fell through, doors were closed and we weren’t able to stick with our plans for the majority of the week. However, it was amazing as we exercised faith and followed the promptings of the Spirit that we were able to meet and talk with many people.

I finished the Book of Mormon again yesterday. I know with all my heart that the Book of Mormon is true and is the word of God. I have been looking forward to praying and asking again if it is true, just like we invite our investigators to do and my prayer was answered immediately.

As we were out teaching yesterday, the Spirit prompted us to see a recent convert. He was baptized in Sept. and is the most wonderful man. He has such a big, genuine heart and has so much faith in God and His power. He has been kicked out of his home and will be homeless in a few weeks. We stopped by to share a lesson and testified that God loves him and is listening to his prayers, even though it sometimes feels like they’re not being answered. We were prompted to promise him that he will be blessed for his trust in the Lord. 

As Sister B and I evaluated our lessons, we both felt as though we weren’t the ones teaching -- we were simply instruments in the Savior’s hands as He comforted His children and incited them to “come unto Him.” 

We were instructed on what we can do to make sure that we never fall victim to being lost or less active when we go home from our missions. I know that this is something that weighs on every missionary’s mind. This is powerful and I urge you to read it and apply it:

1. decide now to keep study habits
2. participate in church, pray read
3. marry in the temple
4. serve to have spiritual experiences
5. don't be lazy!
6. temple focus- keep you in check
7. pray with sincerity and love
8. don’t become idle- you’ve learned to be powerful- use it!
9. get a job or go to school
10. spend time with family
11. seek for the spirit
12. cont. to sanctify yourself
13. missionary work- bear testimony and invite others to change
14. family history work
15. set goals and plan - have a vision
16. continue to continue - don’t’ get stuck
17. keep in contact with those your served with & those you taught
18. follow the prophet
19. be the member you wish the members were
20. be converted-  it’s you this time
21. study PMG
22. recall missionary experiences
23. serve others outside of callings
24. leave your nets! Don’t go back
25. be a joyful example of gospel living
26. go to institute
27. go to the temple often
28. think about your posterity
29. keep asking questions to help study
30. make rules- write your own white handbook!
31. hang out with good people
32. review mission paperwork
33. plan your days and weeks
34. show up- be there
35. choose not to be offended
36. look like a missionary

FAMILY - I HOPE YOU HAVE A VERY MERRY HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK! I'LL TALK TO YOU SOON!!!

Sister Lloyd

Brightly Beams Our Father's Mercy: http://youtu.be/KchNq0M9N1k

MTC Companions Reunited!

We love mail!

MY KINDNESS SHALL NOT DEPART FROM THEE

My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

Text and Music by Rob Gardner

For a little while 

Have I forsaken thee; 

But with great mercies will I gather thee. 

In a little wrath I hid my face from thee 

For a moment. 

But with everlasting kindness will I gather thee, 

And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings, 

For the mountains shall depart, 

And the hills shall be removed, 

And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea, 

But know, my child, 

My kindness shall not depart from thee! 

Though thine afflictions seem 

At times too great to bear, 

I know thine every thought and every care. 

And though the very jaws 

Of hell gape after thee I am with thee. 

And with everlasting mercy will I succor thee, 

And with healing will I take thee ‘neath my wings. 

Though the mountains shall depart, 

And the hills shall be removed, 

And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea, 

Know, my child, 

My kindness shall not depart from thee! 

How long can rolling waters 

Remain impure? 

What pow'r shall stay the hand of God? 

The Son of Man hath descended below all things. 

Art thou greater than He? 

So hold on thy way, 

For I shall be with thee. 

And mine angels shall encircle thee. 

Doubt not what thou knowest, 

Fear not man, for he 

Cannot hurt thee. 

And with everlasting kindness will I succor thee, 

And with mercy will I take thee ‘neath my wings. 

For the mountains shall depart, 

And the hills shall be removed, 

And the valleys shall be lost beneath the sea, 

But know, my child, 

My kindness shall not depart from thee!

http://youtu.be/Zq-KhxsUxNo