Letter to Mom December 22, 2017

Hi Mom,

Thank you so much for the update on everyone.  I'm glad to hear that Star wars was great and that the kids are doing well.  I did indeed get your packages, and I can't wait to open them! 

The time frame for the skype will be (Utah time) Monday, 7pm Christmas day.  Hopefully we can start skyping by then.  We will definitely see.  

I just got an update from BYU that my scholarship has been reactivated, which is a little scary because it means I'm getting kind of close to coming home now.  I'll have to look into the housing now.  When I looked into the housing before, the waiting list wasn't for my semester.  It hasn't opened yet for the next fall/winter semester.  

Well, that's really it for this week.  It's kind of quick because I don't really have time to email today, just to notify family about the skype call.

Love you and can't wait to see you!

Luke

Remember Why We Celebrate -December 10, 2017

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week was pretty great. We had quite a few lessons this week, found 25 new investigators, gained 1 more baptismal date, and had 4 investigators come to church. We also have a baptism coming up this week on the 16th, and our investigator is more than ready for his baptism. We are also happy to report that our relationship with the members is very strong. It was a little different introducing myself to the members because this is the first time I haven't "opened" an area where the missionaries before were pulled out. My companion already knows all of the members and the area and for the first week and a half I was sort of tagging-along trying to familiarize myself with the area and the people. Now, however, I feel confident in the area and I know the members in our area/branch fairly well. I'm excited to keep working here and seeing the progress here in Sinait.

Elder Galos and I are getting along very well. We don't have any problems with each other and we have a great time teaching. Our investigators are progressing and we are having great success with the members fellowshipping our investigators and bringing them to church. I'm really enjoying this companionship and I feel like Elder Galos and I really work to push one another. I really feel like we are equals in this companionship.

I'm doing just fine. I continue to love this work and these people. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to help others come unto Christ. I'm grateful for the responsibility I have to help others accept the gospel and be able to return to their Father in Heaven. There's nothing else I would rather be doing than participating in this great and marvelous work.

I hope all of you are taking time to remember the great reason that we celebrate this wonderful time of the year.  Be sure to take time to Light the World through any small way that you can.  The Lord doesn't ask us to do big, grand things.  The small and simple things are what matter most.

Until next week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Vladimir -December 3, 2017

Naimbag nga aldaw kadigiti kabsatko!

This week was actually pretty great. Elder Galos and I were able to have a great time working together. I was a little apprehensive at first to start teaching with him because of the usual adjustment that new companions have when teaching, but I was pleasantly surprised that we had very little adjusting to do. Our teaching is quite unified and we get along great together. As soon as I got in Sinait we planned and headed out to work. It honestly feels like coming back home here in Sinait because I used to have district meetings here when I was assigned in Cabugao. It's been nice that I am at least somewhat familiar with the area and especially the zone.

I also have some very exciting news this week. I don't know if you all remember Vladimir from my second area in Cabugao, but I was one of the missionaries who found him and finished all of his lessons.  Sadly I was not able to witness his baptism because I was transferred.  However, when I got to Sinait I immediately inquired about Vladimir to see how he was doing.  One of the elders from Cabugao gave me the great news that he had recent been ordained to the office of an Elder and was given the Melchizedek Priesthood in their last District Conference.  I was thrilled to hear this news.  However, the best part is he came to church in our branch in Sinait.  We embraced and we caught up on a few things.  He informed me he was planning on serving a mission after he finished his studies, and was already preparing to begin his application to serve.  Finally, I was also privileged to have the sacrament passed to me by the same young man whom I had found more than a year ago.  Tears filled my eyes as I partook of the bread and water, realizing I had made an impact on somebody's life so long ago at the start of my mission.

Somtimes, we don't realize the fruits of our labors immediately after performing them.  Sometimes, the Lord will call us to another place before allowing us to return and see what impact we have made.  This week was a testament to me that no effort is wasted, and people are being prepared to accept this gospel and that this work can bless the lives of others in so many ways.  I'm so grateful for the wonderful privilege I have to serve the Lord as a missionary!

Until next week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Don't Want to Go -November 26, 2017

Magandang araw ang aking mga kapatid,

Well, I was expecting the transfer text but it still hurt when I received it. But no worries, I know that the Lord is calling me to where He needs me most. I'm so very grateful for the time I have had here in Camalaniugan, and I'm going to miss this zone, this area, and the people here. However, I am also very grateful for the opportunity I will have in  Sinait to serve the people and help build up the church there and in Vigan Zone. The funny thing is, my first two areas are in this zone, so I most likely will be able to visit them again.  It could be a pretty fun experience.  My new companion is Elder Galos, and he is fantastic. I've already met him at MLC and we've had some great conversations. I'm excited to be his companion.

This week was pretty great for us in the work. We were pretty weak on finding, but we were able to extend four more baptismal dates and we had many investigators come to church as well. Our sacrament attendance overall went down considerably however. We only had 108 sacrament attendance compared to our 130+ for the other past two weeks, however it is still a stronger sacrament attendance than before.  We're pretty sure the sacrament attendance went down because our branch president attended church yesterday, but that is yet to be confirmed.

I'm going to miss Elder Ronquillo as my companion, we got along great together. He is very patient, kind, humble, and diligent in the work. He has great ideas and a powerful desire to work for the salvation of others. I'm confident in his ability to continue to progress the area.

That's it for this week. Next week I will send the pictures of this week's baptism, and my "goodbye" pictures from the branch because I don't have time today to send them.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sa susunod ulit!

Learning to Be a Better Companion -November 20, 2017

Magandang Araw sa inyong lahat!

This week went by pretty quickly, but it was a great week nonetheless. For the first time in my mission, our Lessons taught with a member present were more numerous than our Other lessons taught, which is a great measurement that we are really starting to work more effectively with the members. Our Recent Convert just received the Aaronic Priesthood and is anxiously waiting to baptize his daughter this Saturday, he's even been practicing the baptismal prayer to make sure he gets it right on the first try. I'm also happy to report that for the second week in a row the chapel was completely full for sacrament meeting, with 130+ attendance. We actually had to take more chairs from the classrooms because there simply weren't enough for everyone to sit on. We also completely finished both the bread and water for sacrament, which has never happened on my misison. It just shows the branch here in Camalaniugan is definitely getting stronger and stronger. We've witnessed great growth here and we are excited to continue seeing such growth.

My companionship with Elder Ronquillo is still strong. We had something happen this week where I was at fault. I kind of made a decision by myself that should have been counseled with him before executing said decision and afterwards he was definitely disappointed with me. However, we talked together and I understood my reasoning and also admitted my fault, where he forgave me. After that experience, I felt our companionship became much more firm than before. I really enjoy working with Elder Ronquillo, and I'm very grateful for his companionship. I will be sad to leave him when the time comes.

I'm still doing great. I'm so very grateful for the opportunity and privilige I have to serve the Lord as one of His missionaries. I'm so thankful for the conversions I'm able to experience and the power the gospel has to change and heal a person's heart. I continue to see my personal growth as a disciple of Christ, and even though I'm not perfect, I thank God that He has given me the ability and the chance to eventually become truly like Him.

That's really all for this week, I'll have pictures next week from the baptism!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Until next time!

Speaking Tagalog -November 13, 2017

Naimbag nga bigad kadagiti kabsatko,

This week was pretty good. We were able to have for Angel, the daughter of the Umbreros, interviewed for baptism this week and she passed, meaning we will be having another baptism in the upcoming weeks. Tatay Umbrero also passed his interview to receive the Aaronic priesthood, which he will be receiving next week. We are happy to report that the Umbrero Family are the first members of the church in their barangay and they are doing a great job extending invitations to others to listen to our message, and we were able to gain many new investigators in their area, with quite a few having very high potentials to progress.  The Umbreros are definitely the most converted people I have seen on my mission.  They love this gospel, they pay their tithing weekly, they changed their entire livelihood in order to follow the principles of the gospel.  Even other people have noticed how great of a change the gospel has played in their life. I'm so proud of them :)

Elder Ronquillo and I are doing great. We have made a goal to help Elder Ronquillo learn English, so we only speak in English when we are together. While we are with investigators and such, we speak Tagalog and/or Ilocano but I have already seen a great improvement in his speaking skills. We even pushed this goal to the other Elders in the apartment to help Elder Miñosa learn English as well. It's been pretty fun actually to notice that the two foreigners in the apartment tend to slip into Tagalog more than the two Filipinos do. 

This week was pretty great for me as well. After the successful exchanges I had with Elder Dillabaugh I was reinvigorated with the Spirit and had a lot more drive for the rest of the week. For some reason, I've been feeling pretty sleepy all of the time, even though I have been getting sufficient rest, but other than that I'm feeling great. I love this work and I love helping others come unto Christ.

Well, that's really it for this week.

Sa susunod ulit!

A Short Summary -November 7, 2017

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

So, this week wasn't anything too exciting, so I'm just going to give a little summary of what happened.

This week was pretty great. We were able to extend two baptismal dates this week, one of which is 100% sure and the other is very solid as well. We were able to work on building up our relationships with the members in our area. We had a couple of appointments fall through this week because people went out of town for the semester break, but we were also able to finish several lessons with one of our progressing student investigators who lives in our farther area.

Elder Ronquillo and I are doing great as a companionship. We have a great time working together and bouncing ideas off one another in order to overcome our weaknesses and how to better help our area. We don't argue and we enjoy our time together. I feel like we get along well. I don't have any problems with him.

I'm doing great as well. I love this work and I'm so proud of the progress I have seen in this zone. I love waking up each and every day knowing I will be serving the Lord and giving my all. I'm also grateful for all of the enthusiasm that the missionaries in this zone have shown in trying to improve themselves and accomplish the zone goals.

Our zone was the only zone to reach their baptismal goal this month, which was a pretty great accopmlishment!  I'm so proud of the work these missionaries have put in to help overcome the challenges in their areas and unite to accomplish our goal.  It's been great to be here as a zone leader, and I'm dreading the day when I get transferred out of this area.  I've been here for so long it will be hard to leave all of this behind.  However, the Lord has a plan for me and I know whatever will happen will be for my good.  Thankfully, there's still three weeks in the transfer cycle, so I've got a little time left here :)

Have a great week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!