IF YE ARE PREPARED, YE SHALL NOT FEAR!

Sister Lloyd is 21! Celebrating her Birthday in the first month of Australian Summer!

HELLO BEAUTIFUL FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I AM GOING TO HAVE THE MOST MEMORABLE BIRTHDAY EVER! 

You can't beat living in Australia.

Have I said how much I love it here? Mmmmmm ...

Snow. You have lots of snow. Wow. It looks freezing! 

I got sunburned this morning washing our car. Awesome!

It has been such an incredible week! Probably the busiest week I have had yet as a missionary and it was wonderful. Being busy and losing myself in the work brings more joy than I have ever experienced. I love that about missionary work – feeling more happiness than you have ever known awaits us as we labor among His children. 

While tracting and talking to all of the lovely Aussie children of God, the Spirit told me that this is where I am suppose to be. I felt that Heavenly Father is preparing me and someone else here, to meet. One of the lessons learned from that day is to never take no for an answer -- don’t give up the first time and really listen and get to know the people you talk with.  

My eyes were opened to see the potential of this area and the Lord blessed me to feel love for each person we talked to. I just love the people here! And I want to do everything in my power to be the most consecrated and effective missionary so that I can help as many as the Lord places in our path to enjoy the blessings of the Gospel. 

Y's baptism was also such a spiritual experience. In the short three weeks that Sister B and I have been here and known this family, we have witnessed so many miracles. I am so humbled at how prepared Y was to receive the Gospel and how much happiness it has already brought their family. A, her husband, bears his testimony whenever we visit them, is happily attending church and is doing missionary work of his own. It is incredible. I am so grateful that I could witness the journey this family has made thus far and will continue to take. Our recent convert, S, who has a young family as well, invited them over for a lunch/children play date this week. This is what Heavenly Father wants for His children, for them to love and to serve each other, bringing each other closer to the Savior through our actions.

We met a lady from Medowie at the baptism who was a family friend. We talked for a while and I kept telling her, “You look so familiar! Haven’t we met before?”  The next day, Sister B and I spoke in Sacrament Meeting and this lady and her husband were there. She came up to me after the meeting in tears and we embraced. She kept telling me thank you because something I said in my talk was exactly what she needed to hear. It was a moment when I felt God’s love for me and this beautiful woman and her family so strongly that I had goose bumps. It was a precious moment when I knew our spirits were speaking to one another. It wasn’t me. I am so humbled I could be a tool in my Father’s hands that day. I know that this is where I am supposed to be without any doubt. 

My experience teaching as Jesus taught was at a member’s home yesterday. We talked with Sister M and her husband and had such a powerful, spiritual lesson.  It was an experience I will never forget because I could feel the Holy Ghost guiding and teaching that lesson as we asked questions and read together from the Book of Mormon. I know it was the Savior teaching the lesson, not us. He wanted to make sure Brother and Sister M knew how much they were loved. Wow, I love being a missionary!

I extended a baptismal invitation while we were finding and tracting this week, which is something I had never done before! I was a bit nervous, but I prayed that we would be able to find someone willing to listen to our message and that I would be ready and listening for the Holy Ghost to prompt me to extend the invitation. As we were talking, I felt the Spirit strongly urge me to invite. We invited her to be baptized and she said no, but I left with comfort in my heart that we had planted a seed, left a good impression, and we all felt the Spirit, which is something we cannot deny.

May I share some insights I found in my scripture study this week?

One of my all time favorite phrases:

"If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." DC 38:30

I remember my piano teacher leaning over me before one of my performances and telling me with complete confidence, “Don't worry! You have nothing to fear.  If you are prepared, which you are, you shall not fear.” I remember many performances when that scripture carried me. I can honestly say that every time I walked out to perform I had repeated that phrase to myself at least 20 times. It calmed me; promised blessings, see?! 

If I had practiced my guts out I shouldn't worry. I also remember distinctively the times when I WAS NOT PREPARED. Instead of confidence, it was the sinking, panicking, frustrating feeling because I knew I hadn’t done my part to be prepared. And yes, I felt fear! Too late, I realized that I should have practiced a bit more instead of going out for sushi! 

The Lord, like my piano teachers, has given us the tools we need and we must never fear, but simply do our part of preparation. 

DC 68:6 "Wherefore, be of good cheer and do not fear."

I pray that you will have a wonderful week! And YAY! We get to talk in about two weeks! 

I love you to the moon and back!

sister lloyd