I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Written 4/6/14

Hi family.

Where to start?

First of all, I'm STOKED for Conference. From all your comments and everything it sounded as good as I dreamed it would be. Literally, I dreamed about General Conference in case you wonder what the dreams of missionaries are. (They're pretty much exactly what you'd think.)

In funny news this week, I got pick pocketed! Yep! As we were getting on a bus my plete (traveling money) pouch got stolen. They probably thought I was a rich american with a lot of moneys, but jokes on them! I had like, maybe 50 pesos in there. That's about a dollar in American money. So there's that. I'm grateful for the Spirit directing us... Normally I carry around my camera with me, but that day for some reason I took it out of my bag. I was also going to grab some more cash from my wallet for plete, but decided against it as well. The Lord watches over us!

Also, I love the language barrier. Its so funny. Earlier this week Sister was trying to explain to me some ingredients in a Filipino dessert. She kept saying "gray ham bread" and I kept asking her what that was. After about 5 minutes I realized.. "graham". Graham crackers. Ahahaha. I cracked up.

This week has been the MOST HOT. Summer is here in the Pines, folks. My tan lines are getting pretty rad. It makes the work a little harder, but I also morbidly love it. I'm just walking down a dirt road in the ridiculous heat and thinking, "Yes. This is legit missionary work." As my dear sister Megan said, "There is just so much more happiness in life when the gospel is what you do." Isn't she wise? And so right.

My friends, agency is a frustrating principle. We had so, so many awesome, spiritually filling lessons this week with C., Sister F., and many others. They really committed to come to church.... But Sunday came, and they didn't. I spent a lot of church yesterday feeling devastated, inadequate, and wondering what in the world I was missing, and what I could have done better. I felt so empty, after a week of putting my heart into the work only to find that they didn't come to church. 

As I studied today in Moroni, I read Mormon's words to his son, about the Nephites and Lamanites he was teaching. He spoke of their wickedness and hardheartedness and that they were not accepting his message. The thought came to my mind that it wasn't Mormon that was lacking in the Spirit... It was those he was teaching. I'm sure Mormon was a powerful missionary, and dedicated and taught with the Spirit. But those Nephites and Lamanites still had their agency- and despite his best efforts, they still chose to reject his words. As I read this, feeling still rather downcast, I continued on in the chapter to verse 6, where there I found the "moral of the story" (for lack of a better term). Mormon says that despite these wicked people and their horrible abominations, that we shall not cease to labor, and labor diligently, because otherwise we will be brought under condemnation. The Spirit washed over me as I read those words, and I realized that even though our investigators will not always exercise their agency to choose the right (even though they may  not be as wicked as those Nephites and Lamanites), we do not cease to labor diligently. We continue, we strive, we do the very best and the very most that we can because that's what the Lord asks of us. Sometimes, like my dear friend Aubree said, all the Lord asks is that we push on the stone he puts in front of us with all our strength, even when the stone doesn't move,(even when the stone is not intended to be moved), because that is the way that we develop strength. It's not always about the rock, but it IS always about our effort and what the Lord requires of His servants. 

Agency is indeed frustrating sometimes, but so necessary. For when we do choose the right, it makes it that much sweeter, because we could choose the opposite. There is true sweetness in the phrase, "Opposition in all things". 

It also helps me realize more and more how frustrating I must be to my Father in Heaven sometimes when I don't do the things I know to be right. Just like me: We have these great, spiritually filling lessons with our investigators, they promise to come to church, and then they don't show. I've had these great, spiritually filling experiences with my Father in Heaven, I've made promises and covenants to him, and I still sin and fail. What a marvelous perspective has been brought to my view.

Earlier this morning, I finished reading the Book of Mormon again. I can tell you with full surety and all my heart and soul that through the Book of Mormon we can know that Christ is our Redeemer. I read the last verse in Moroni 10, and as I finished, the first thought in my head was the hymn, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives." I have an immovable, solid and  unshaken testimony that the Book of Mormon is the witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is evidence that Joseph Smith was the Lord's consecrated servant in this work, and it is the one and only way for us to gain a knowledge of the truthfulness of this gospel. I just want the whole world to know that I know the book is true. Add my voice to those voices you all heard this past weekend at conference. List my name along theirs as a witness that this church is true. If you don't have a testimony, lean on mine. Because I can say with all my heart that I know. 

I've learned a lot about myself this week, and the flaws and weaknesses I see in myself. But one thing I also know, is that we can always "Come unto Christ and be perfected in Him." We can, through His grace, become perfected, complete, whole, and healed. I know these things to be true. On his mission my good friend Tanner said something that'll always stick with me, and I want to echo now:

 "Christ did die for us, but isn't the greater miracle in the fact that he lives, and lives for us?"

My lovely family, I know that my Redeemer lives.

Love,
Sister Luke

Carry On, Carry On, Carry On!‏

Written 3/30/14

Hey family!

It might be a shorter one today, running behind on time. You all are so awesome and email me so frequently that I always have so much to read! :) You are great.

This week was hard but good. We scheduled a ward missionary to work with us every day this week and were SO excited to finally have a schedule worked out... and 5 out of 7 cancelled on us. So that was disappointing. But we still worked very hard and met some awesome people.

This week has also been a crazy one because of emergency transfers going on. Last week the Cebu mission absorbed two of our areas here in Negros, because they are Cebuano speaking areas... Meaning that 45 of our missionaries (mostly elders) assigned in those Cebuano areas had to be transferred back into other areas! Crazy. The "Silay Sisterhood" no longer exists here :) (before, we had 8 sets of sisters here in Silay.) The good news? We have Elders in our ward again! And Elder Henson is back! He was my Zone leader in Bacolod and he served in Bacolod 2nd ward with me. So fun to have familiar faces.

I also finally got all the letters that the office has been hoarding all month! 2 from mom, one from Megan, and a Dear Elder from Heather (very entertaining reading!) so a big fat thank you to all of you :)

We had some really good experiences this week with some investigators, and some surprises too. Brother E. still texts us, but we haven't been to visit him yet. One of our really awesome investigators, C., we found out is actually a long time less active. She's only 14, but she was baptized a few years ago probably when she was 8 or 9. Haha as we extended the baptismal invitation to her, she said, "How do you guys baptize in your church? I think I'm already a Mormon..." Hahaha and indeed she is. But we're excited to start working with her family and get them active again in the ward.

I just want you all to know that I love this work. The gospel is simple and clear. I am so happy, even though things get tough. As I was studying sacrifice this week, and thinking about the sacrifices we make in our lives, I was reminded of the story of Cain and Abel, and the importance of our attitude in sacrificing. Abel was obedient to the Lord's commandments, and willingly gave of the firstlings of his flocks a pure and unblemished lamb. Cain gave a sacrifice too, but it was the fruits and vegetables of his crops. Both sacrificed, but only Abel's sacrifice was acceptable to the Lord. Why? Because Abel gave exactly what was asked of him, and he did it with a willing heart. Sometimes we try to set the conditions of our sacrifices with the Lord, but we don't get to pick and choose when it comes to obedience. Obedience requires sacrifice, but we must be willing to sacrifice according to the Lord's commandments. Take Tithing, for example. The Lord asks 10 percent. Not 9 percent, and not 12 percent, but 10. We don't get to pay 9 percent, and recieve 90% of the blessings... It just doesn't work like that. We either pay the 10% or we don't get those blessings. Does that makes sense?

 I guess the point is: a lamb cannot be reproduced in fruits and vegetables. No matter how much you try, wish, and pray for those vegetables to be a lamb, or to be acceptable to the Lord, they will never be enough. Moral of this rambling paragraph...always give what is required of us by the Lord, and never substitute. I promise we will receive the blessings upon which that law is predicated.

I love you all, keep goin' strong. Kita aye kita!

Sister Luke

 

1. Carabao! I think in english its a water buffalo? Pretty sweet.

 

2. Our cute things from Sister Davis' mom. :)

3. Sister P.U., my second mother here in Silay! She's a returning Less active who feeds us a bunch, and we went to her house last night to eat and say congrats to their graduate :) LOVE her!

Palangga ko kamo!

Written 3/23/14

Helllooo!

Hi. I don't know what's happening to me, but air conditioning makes me really tired now. Haha and there's air con in this email shop right now, so I'm feeling rather lethargic. The Philippines does weird things to you. Also, excuse any typos... This keyboard is not the finest. (I'm having flashbacks to reading that exact sentence from my brothers as missionaries....)

Well, this week was good. And a little frustrating too. Sister De Castro has been suffering from migraines this week and so we were inside again for 2 days. It was reminded to me again that "an idle mind is Satan's playground". I know how Satan gets at us when we let ourselves get lazy or stagnant, so I made myself clean the house, wash garments, write letters, write in my journal, study and sing hymns. Despite the frustration that we couldn't go out and visit all our peeps, I decided to make the most of it and stay positive. And I didn't go crazy! The Lord blessed me to keep my sanity and my positive attitude. I also decided to make a list in my journal of all the things I have changed about myself in the past year. I've had a hard time lately recognizing growth in myself, so I decided to list it all out (an idea from my dear friend Davis) and take a look at it all. I would encourage you all to do the same! It ended up being a real eye opener to me of the hand of the Lord in my life, and His role in helping me become who I should be. I recognized that I have changed, and the Spirit showed me even more areas that I can continue to improve. That was definitely a tender mercy this week.

A rather unexpected experience from this week.... We got a text from Brother E. the other day that said, roughly translated, "I must tell you frankly, Sister Luke. I've fallen in love with you."

So. There's that. We haven't been able to visit him this week because of sister's sickness... But we aren't sure if we can go back. he sent a few more texts edging on the creepy side of things, and I've felt just awful about it for the past few days. Pray for the Brother. He's slightly crazy but has so much potential! And the gospel is for the crazy people too.

If any of you have a Preach my Gospel, go read page 221, "The Commitment to Stay Active in the Church." I just finished 4th Nephi this morning and watching the Nephites go from being so righteous, to falling into such wickedness little by little was so devastating! It reinforced in my head my own personal commitment to be active in the church, not just a few years or for my mission. Sometimes we get asked here what we as missionaries do when we go home. Sometimes we have to explain to people that we still go to church, we still do all the things we are telling them to do right now. The gospel about us ALL staying active till the very end. It's not enough for a person to be active for just a while... It doesn't matter how long a person stays active unless it is for eternity. When looking at the gospel with that perspective, it shows us how we don't try to fit the gospel into our lives... We must fit our lives into the gospel. We must be active with our heart and mind and actions in the church ALWAYS, if we are to gain salvation. That perspective has helped me a lot when facing trials or hard times. It's given me patience and helped me feel the love that Christ and Heavenly Father have for me.

The language mishap of this week: "Nalibugan" in Ilonggo is "confused", but in Tagolog, I found out this week it means "aroused" which is infinitely more awkward. It's correct to say that Joseph Smith was confused using "nalibugan" in Ilonggo, but there are a lot of Tagolog speakers here in Silay. So that was a fun realization to realize that for 6 months of my mission I've been telling people that Joseph Smith was.. Well. Good thing I know better now and that the Spirit is the real teacher anyway.

The gospel is the most true, even when you're sick or healthy, happy or sad. Isn't it nice to know we have that constant? Never forget that  I love you all and I pray for you.

All my love,
Sister Luke

1. Our trip last week to this sweet place called Belaring. There's kilometers and kilometers of bamboo bridges that are the coolest (and scariest) things to walk on. We got to climb one of the towers there and see the ocean. So pretty!

The pictures are taking FOREVER. So I guess just this one today. Sorry its not an especially cool one!