The Best Week.‏

Written 5/25/14

Hi guys!

I'm never coming home. I love this too much! This has been the best week of my mission. I can't even really communicate it all in words. The Spirit has been present in abundance and just so much good going on. Manapla is on fire. 

First of all, no transfers! Sister and I are SO happy to be staying together :) I also got to hold a starfish and a piglet, so that was icing on the cake. The cake, though, was JR's baptism. It was supposed to be at 6 on Saturday, but it ended up starting at like 7:15 because the font wasn't filled. But it didn't matter that we had to wait, or that the speaker cancelled... Seriously, none of that mattered. It was still so cool to see JR make covenants he'd been waiting so long for. In his lesson on Wednesday, he told us he was 200% ready to be baptized, and when I asked why he wanted to be baptized so much, he looked at me and said, "So I can go on a mission!" This boy has his priorities straight. ("She needs to sort out her priorities..." Sorry, I can't help myself. Once an HP fan, always an HP fan.) J, our recent convert that baptized JR, was glowing. Well, they both were. They just looked like angels in their white clothing. Man, I love these people. They are the coolest! 

On Sunday we had 17 investigators at church. The chapel was full to the brim, and the talks were somehow perfectly tailored to our investigators. The Spirit is so genius! 

One thing I loved in my studies this week was in Mosiah 5:12-13 about conversion. 

12 I say unto you, I would that ye should remember to retain the name written always in your hearts,  

that ye are notfound on the left hand of God, but that ye hear and know the voice by which ye  

shall be called, and also, thename by which he shall call you.

 13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto  him, and is farfrom the thoughts and intents of his heart?

When we are converted, we know the Master's voice. We recognize when He speaks and what he says. Just like Mary at the tomb of Christ when He was resurrected, we one day will hear the Master call our name. Will we be able to recognize him as she did? 

I've come to know my Savior, through serving his people. The point of the gospel and the church is to help us experience conversion- bringing the "thoughts and intents" of our heart in alignment with His. We cannot know the Savior unless we serve Him. Unless we walk a few steps in His shoes, spend a few minutes with him in Gethsemane. Go and read 3 Nephi 17 (my mother's favorite Book of Mormon chapter) and take a look at how well Christ knows His Father, His mission, and each one of us.

Keep being awesome. Go tell someone about the Book of Mormon. We have the happiest message in the world!

The MOST Love,

Sister Luke

1. This is VJ and RM. VJ is our 13 year old investigator who is being baptized on the 7th of June, but if you ask him, he's already a mormon. He loves working with us and can't wait to serve a mission. Did I mention how cool these people are?

 

2. This is a starfish. Starfish smell really gross.

3. The kissy face here is called "patorong" (paht-oh-rong). LOVE.

4. JR and I are thugs.

5. Miss Piggy! This is JR's mom.

6. My feet are the envy of Manapla.