Called to Serve!

Isaac Receives His Call

The big news this week was that our oldest grandson, Isaac received his mission call to the Guatemala City East Mission.  He will start the MTC on May 16th.  We are rejoicing that he will be serving at the same time that we will be.  The cool fact is that he will be in the same mission that our youngest son, Adam served in.  He was the last Lloyd from our family to serve besides us.

We had a great week.  As usual, we start everyday with a swim in the ocean just down the street from us.  It is wonderful to swim around in the waves and move our joints in the cool ocean water.  We have made a goal this coming week to snorkel a little.

We have been staying after Institute so the young people can socialize.  With the ping pong table, foosball table, and the board games it provides a great opportunity

Watching the sunset on North Shore

for them to be in small groups and laugh a little.  As we were leaving one night this week at about 10:00 pm, we were greeted by a young man from India that saw our nametags.  His name was Shan Arumugum.  He asked if we knew an Ammon Lloyd.  When we told him that he was our nephew, he waved his arms excitedly and told us that he served with Ammon on his mission to India.  He was so happy to think that perhaps he could reconnect with him again.  It is indeed a small world.

We also had our first experience taking tickets at the Luau in the Polynesian Cultural Center.  We dressed in our matching Samoan clothes and I checked off names as they came in.  Janice got to hand out leis.  It was pretty fun.  Janice and I got to eat at the luau when we were finished.  It was good to get to know the Grahams and the Kirtlands who also helped us.

 A funny thing happened on Thursday after Seminary.  We typically are in a rush because our weekly seminary class ends at 6:00 PM.  We usually hurry home to grab a quick bite to eat before scurrying off to institute class to help Brother Meyers.  When we got home at 6:15, our electronic door lock for our house would not work.  We could not get in.  So we took a quick drive to McDonalds to get a burger and then zipped over to start institute by 7:00.  After we got the rolls passed around, Janice leaned over to me and said, "So, what's your plan?  Are we going to sleep on the street tonight?"  I drove home immediately, took an air conditioner out of our window and asked the Samoan family across the street to lend us one of their little girls to pass through the window to open the door.  They were so kind and were glad to help us.  I think we owe them cookies!

We have been helping out a homeless man who has been sleeping on the sidewalk down the street.  We avoided him for a couple of weeks until I spotted a young lady marching over to him with a plate of food from their dinner.  I thought, "If she can do that, I must also."  Janice ordered him a camping chair from Walmart.  I gave him a pair of pants and a shirt.  We also put together a hygiene kit with soap, a razor, a washcloth, and some trash bags.  He is wearing my pants and sitting regularly in Janice's chair being much relieved from the hard sidewalk.  He is even waving at us once in a while.

We love our mission!  We love working with the young people in Laie Hawaii area.  Once in a while, a young person will take the opportunity to talk with us like they might with their parents if they could and tell us their ambitions and dreams.  We simply have to listen and tell them that God will bless them for the good choices they are making like attending institute.  It puts a spring in our step to think that we made a difference that day!