Happy 2015!

Written 1/4/15

I just realized I forgot my list of things to tell you all at the apartment. Oops :) We'll be winging it here.

First off, Happy Birthday, Sarah! I swear I thought you'd all change more than you have. You're all as beautiful and young looking as when I left. Or even MORE.

Heather, the Filipinos in Sagay 2nd ward know about 2nd dinner. They even know about 3rd lunch andmidafternoon snack. Needless to say we get fed CONSTANTLY here. No complaints there, though.

We're emailing now because we're going to Bacolod to stay the night for MLC tomorrow at the mission home. I'm peeing-my-skirt excited to get trainings from President. I could go on and on about him but I'll refrain.

Speaking of President, nothing better than your mission president showing up suddenly to your district meeting unannounced.... While you're wearing flip flops. I cut my toe on a rock last week (it has since healed, mom) and I couldn't wear regular shoes... So... That was a nice embarrassing experience. Some things never change, like my awkward nature.

Its been a really, really good week. I feel like Sister Turtal and I saw the fruits of our compounded faith, and my testimony has grown leaps and bounds. Sister and I committed to exact obedience and were constantly evaluating our teachings and our work and ourselves, and I saw a difference in the work this week. We experienced so many powerful lessons. I felt the Spirit burning in my heart every time we taught, and I saw a visible difference in our investigators. We have a lot of long time investigators who have been taught by so many sets of missionaries and just haven't progressed, but this week we saw changes and I know they felt the Spirit. We were able to see 10 investigators at church on Sunday, and I just have such a testimony that our faith can change others. It can bring the message strongly unto their hearts, and it can bring them to a knowledge of the truth. I love love LOVE missionary work.

We taught a recent convert this week and she had missed church last week. She told us it was because she had played volleyball last Sunday at the park with her friends. This led me to some pondering in my studies on our purpose in this life. I thought about the good things we do in life as opposed to the best things. (Thinking on the vein of Elder Oaks' talk from a few years ago.) It's not bad to play volleyball with your friends- in fact that's a healthy, wholesome activity. But when it gets in the way of the best things, that's when it becomes a sin and a hindrance. I learned that the devil doesn't always work through making us do horrible and evil sins... But if he can distract us enough from the best things in life by doing only the good things, then he has succeed in distracting us from fulfilling our divine purpose. Elder Cook put it well in last conference's priesthood session:

"Many choices are not inherently evil, but if they absorb all of our time and keep us from the best choices, thenthey become insidious.
Even worthwhile endeavors need evaluation in order to determine if they have become distractions from thebest goals.
"Distractions and rationalizations that limit progress are harmful enough, but when they diminish faith in Jesus Christ and His Church, they are tragic. ...In all things we should remember that being 'valiant in the testimony of Jesus' is the great dividing test between the celestial and terrestrial kingdoms. We want to be found on the celestial side of that divide."

We learn here that the choice of doing good things or doing the best things is the deciding factor of us being able to return to our Father in Heaven and be exalted. We taught this principle to our Recent Convert and lo and behold, she came to church on Sunday, bringing with her a non-member friend.. Perhaps one that had gone with her to play volleyball the week before. :)

This week was crazy and busy and filled with the usual trials and tests... But there was something different about this week that I will never forget. A special spirit abounds in the work. We are not alone. The work is so good. It's inspired of God and He knows what we must do to keep the work moving. I love my companion. Sister Turtal and I made New Years Resolutions together. We made lists of of the things we are going to leave behind in 2014, and then burned each slip of paper containing the things we want to put behind us in this new year. My list helped me mentally release and refocus, and ponder on those things I want to change about myself.

 Happy New Year to you all, I hope you all set resolutions and rely on the limitless power of the Atonement of Christ to accomplish them. Here's to getting our priorities straight and doing the best things, those things that will bring salvation and endless happiness in the life to come.

Love,
Sister Luke

1. What's that I see?

2. Sister "Turtal"

3. Cuties.