T ELL I NG GO D'S STO R I ES
‘God always has had plans for me’ By Becky St. Clair WHEN JAMAICAN NATIVE, KEMOL LLOYD, WAS VERY YOUNG, HIS FATHER MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES. His mother left town to find work and never returned, so Lloyd was brought up by his grandmother, a strict and devout woman who raised him in the church, accepting no excuses when it came time to attend the service every Sabbath morning. “My grandma wasn’t educated—she couldn’t read or write—but she believed in education, and she believed in God,” Lloyd says. “That faith is what got me through Adventist school, and when I was 12 years old, I was baptized.” When Lloyd’s grandmother died three years later, the church stepped in and truly became his family. He became even more involved in church, participating in Adventist Youth (AY) and singing regularly. When he graduated from high school, Lloyd tried to work his way through college with a job in the shipping industry. Unfortunately, they weren’t willing to give him 24 hours off work every weekend for Sabbath so he couldn’t hold a position. “I didn’t know what to do,” he says, “so I asked God to show me what path He wanted me to take.” Shortly thereafter, Lloyd decided to change his career focus to education; within days, he received notice that he’d been awarded a scholarship which covered his tuition for the duration of the three-year program. The following year he received another full scholarship, this time one that also provided an allowance for expenses. This pattern continued for eight years, into Lloyd’s two-year master’s program. “At the start of every school year, I’d have no idea where my tuition money was going to come from. Somehow, God always provided,” he says. Power of a Divine Encounter During the summer break, Lloyd worked at an adventure theme park, helping guests with their harnesses as they awaited their turn on the canopy zipline. 12 AUGUST 2022
It was on the zipline platform that he met a retired American math professor named Stu. “Stu was all harnessed and ready to go when an episode of his medical condition made it unsafe for him to do the zipline,” Lloyd recalls. “He stayed behind while his wife went, and Stu and I got to chatting.” As they discussed religion, God and professions, Lloyd mentioned he was hoping to someday get his PhD in mathematics but wasn’t sure where or how that would be possible. Stu asked for Lloyd’s contact information and said he’d be in touch when he got home. “I didn’t expect to hear from him, to be honest,” Lloyd admits. “Why would a random theme park guest care about the life of a park employee?” A few weeks later, Lloyd received an email from Stu, recommending him for the mathematics education doctorate program at Indiana University Bloomington. Much to Lloyd’s surprise, his application was accepted, but the age-old question rose to the forefront: Where would the funding come from? Then the age-old answer also appeared: God. “The school said they could fund me for a year, but could not guarantee anything more,” Lloyd explains. “I told God if He only wanted me there for a year, I’d go for a year. The next year they funded me again. And the next.” For six years God provided the means for Lloyd to continue in his PhD program, and he is set to complete his degree before the end of this year. His faith journey isn’t just about academics, however; he also found a spiritual purpose on the IU campus. Blooming at Bloomington “As soon as I got here, I looked for an Adventist group of students,” Lloyd says. He discovered ACF (Adventist Christian Fellowship). When the former leaders graduated, a local pastor whose church was a strong supporter of ACF asked Lloyd to consider being the group’s president. Although he was hesitant, Lloyd agreed to give it a try. He’s now led the group for four years.
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