Home Again!

Leaving Laoag - Pictures from the Field

Quite Possibly My Last Email...June 18, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

So... This day came way too fast.  I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve a mission.  I'm honestly not sure what to say.  These two years have been full of ups and downs, hardships and trials, successes and miracles.  I can honestly say that these two years have been the best two years for my life.  I have learned so many things, many of which I didn't even expect to learn.  I've especially learned more about myself and how to rely on the Lord in helping me overcome my weaknesses.

I will definitely miss the people of the Philippines, a people so loving, caring, generous, hospitable, and humble.  I have seen many people change their lives in order to live in harmony with the gospel and receive all of the blessings that the Lord is willing to give them.  I have seen miracles happen because of the faith of these wonderful people, and the greatest miracle I have definitely seen is the miracle of conversion, not just in these amazing people, but also in myself.  

As I have come to witness the changes and blessings that come into these people's lives, I have also changed.  There have been many humbling experiences for me over these two years, and I hope when I come home those experiences will have made an apparent change in me and my character.  I have seen growth in my spirituality as my understanding of these wonderful gospel increased through these two years.

Of all the blessings I have received and witnessed throughout these two years, the greatest blessing I have received has been coming to more personally know my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am so thankful for the atoning sacrifice of God's Only Begotten Son.  I have seen it's power in my life, and I have used that power to give myself the strength to push beyond the trials that would be impossible to overcome if I were on my own.  I am absolutely in awe of the love Christ has for each and every one of us.  All we need to do is come closer to Him, and He will draw near to us and guide us through our everyday struggles and afflictions.  He knows each and every one of us by name, and He knows exactly what we need in life.  I know that my Redeemer lives, and He is always there to help me become the person God knows I can be.

Thank you all for your love and support over these two wonderful, stressful, growth filled years.  I especially thank my parents and siblings for their prayers, emails, packages, help, and advice as I have learned and adjusted to this new type of life.

Well.. This is it...

Mahal ko kayong lahat.  Di ko makakalimutan ang mga natutunan ko dito sa mission.  Maraming akong naging kaibigan, at nagpapasalamat ako sa Diyos na nakapaglingkod ako sa mga tao dito sa Pilipinas.  Hinihiling ko sa Diyos na gagabayan Niya kayo hanggang sa ating muling pagkikita.  Salamat sa inyong supporta at pagmamahal.  Mamimiss ko ang buhay ko dito sa Pilipinas.

Remember that God loves you all,

Love,

Elder Anderson

Lindsey is Off- June 11, 2018

Dear Mom,

I'm glad to hear that Lindsey is now off to the MTC.  I'm excited to start getting her emails.  I hope she's doing well.  Have you looked into getting me and her a chance to visit while she is still in the MTC? 

It really is true what President Nussbaum said in his blessing.  It really doesn't matter what you're doing as long as it's your best.  That's one of the hardest things missionaries need to learn. But once it's learned, the stress of being a missionary considerably lessens and the work becomes many times more enjoyable.

I sent you my account information.  Please look into it when you wake up.  I have set my cart and submitted it.  It should be processed at 5:00 pm Pacific Daylight Time (at least that's what it said when I looked at my account.)

I would also ask that you add some money (one final time haha) to my account. I will need some money for the airport/travelling as I come home.

Love you Mom,

Love,

Luke

Last Fast Sunday -June 4, 2018

Dear Mom,

Thanks so much for the update on the kids.  I definitely agree that it is weird to think that yesterday was my last fast Sunday of my mission.  It's hard to think that in three weeks I will be landing in Salt Lake City... I'm pretty excited but I also want to stay here haha.  I'm not entirely sure what I'm feeling.  Thankfully I still have some time here to do my very best and help others come unto Christ :)

Thank you so much for your love and support for me. Although I am sad to inform you that I probably will not be receiving that last package you sent.  It still hasn't shown up :)

Not Much Time -June 4, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

I'm so sorry, but I have no time to send an email today.  I spent all of my computer time recovering my pictures from my corrupted SD card (Don't worry mom, I saved them :) ) But as a result, I'm out of time to write.  However, I will send some pictures :) Hopefully I haven't sent these yet.

This Week Was a Week That Happened Too Quickly -May 28, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week many things happened, but it went by so fast that it only felt like three days.  Elder Magadia and I worked so hard this week and, to be honest, we are both exhausted.  It doesn't help that my companion also has a sick stomach.  However, despite all of the difficulties, we had a successful week.

First off, we went to an area where missionaries haven't been for quite a while. We did some contacting there and were able to find the Belen family and also found another promising investigator named Ryan.  We are going to return to them this week and hopefully we will see some progress.  Also, Delmary, who we have been working with for quite some time, accepted a baptismal date for the 10th of June, and she is on track to reach that goal.  Finally, we had a surprise investigator, Abby, come to church this week who actually came from another area, but is now staying here in Ballesteros.  We haven't been able to visit her yet, but we have an appointment with her tomorrow :)

Also, Saturday morning during our weekly planning, Elder Magadia and I received a text from our Branch President, which went something like this,

"ELDER PUWEDE BA KAYONG SPEAKER BUKAS KAYO NG COMPANION MO? SLAMAT"

(Translation: ELDER, COULD YOU AND YOUR COMPANION BE THE SPEAKERS TOMORROW? THANKS)

"Pwede po. Ano po ang topic namin?"

(Translation: We could, what is our topic?)

"KAYO NG PIPILI ELDER. SLAMAT ULI"

(Translation: YOU CHOOSE ELDER. THANKS AGAIN)

"Salamat po Pres :)"

(Translation: Thank you Pres :))

Yes, the branch president did use all caps haha.  So Elder Magadia and I turned out to be the speakers yesterday.  I was first.  When I got up to speak I asked the President how long I should speak for and he said, "You're in charge, just use inspiration" which was quite specific.  I chose to focus my talk on the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the blessings of joy and peace we receive as members of the Church.  Then, I connected those blessings we feel and sharing them through our efforts in ministering to others.  All of us have experienced the wonderful blessings that come from the Atonement, and it is our duty to share those blessings with others as we represent the Savior and minister to our beloved brothers and sisters.

Overall... it was only about 12 minutes :)

My companion gave a wonderful talk on Obedience as well.  We as members of the Church must become examples to others of obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel by obeying all of the commandments which God has given us.

Another 12 minute talk :)

Companionship Unity

Anyway, that's all for this week.

Sa susunod na naman

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sorry, Another Short Email -May 21, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

So.. there was no internet earlier here in Ballesteros and I only have a few minutes to email. So this will be quick.

First off, my new companion is great! His name is Elder Magadia from Lucena, Quezon province, Philippines! That's right folks, my last companion will be a Filipino! I'm super excited to be working with Elder Magadia.  He absolutely loves the work and really wants to learn.  I'm also grateful that he is willing to work hard and stay motivated throughout these last weeks of mine.  He's willing to help me work hard so I can finish my mission strong! I'm very grateful for his companionship and I'm excited for these upcoming weeks.

This week we had a baptism! Kimi was baptized this week and the service was wonderful! Her mother, who is a less-active member, was able to attend both the service and the sacrament where she was confirmed! It was truly a great day to see them all enjoy such a spiritual event!

That's all I've got for this week.  The other elders borrowed my card reader, so I don't have any pictures to send this week, but next week there will be some!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sa susunod na naman!

Transfers -May 13, 2018

So, because of mother's day and skype and all that, I don't really have a lot of time however, I'll just give a quick update.

First off, it is confirmed my last area is Ballesteros, and my last companion is Elder Magadia.  That's right, Elder Madsen is being transferred.  I'll miss him, we had a great time together, but I'm sure me and Elder Magadia will get along just fine.

Love you all!

Until next time!

Shake Things Up -May 6, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

So, my Mom was kind enough to inform me that my emails have been quite repetitive and frankly boring, so I'm going to try and make this email better than my past emails.

First off, this week went pretty well. Elder Madsen and I are having a great time together.  We noticed that the work was getting a little stagnant, so we decided to pray to better understand for ourselves who of those in our area are ready to accept the gospel, and not just nice people who like to be taught (There are a great number of people like that here in the Philippines). After some sincere companionship prayers, Elder Madsen and I felt that we understood who we needed to visit this week and also what we should do for our finding tactics. 

A problem here in the Philppines is you can gain a lot of "new investigators" just by tracting and street contacting, but only about 2% of all those who are found end up actually progressing, and both me and my companion feel like it's an inefficient use of time to teach those who really have no interest in the message, but want two white guys to speak Tagalog to them.  To come to understand how to overcome this problem, Elder Madsen and I discussed some possible finding strategies we could do, but none of them really felt right.  Thankfully, a member became the answer to our prayers when she mentioned to us that she really wants to visit all of the less-actives in her neighborhood and help them come back to church.  She gave us many names and many of them are less-active member families who have unbaptized children, creating a great opportunity for us to help strengthen the branch here through reactivation and baptizing members of the rising generation into a newly reactivated family.  So far, we were able to contact and start to reactivate one of the less-active families mentioned by the members, who do have some unbaptized family members as well.  We are expecting some more progress to happen this week.

Elder Madsen mentioned to me yesterday that it was my second to last fast sunday in the mission field.  This comment came as quite a shocking realization and affirmation that I'm starting to get close to the end of my mission.  I'm still excited to work, and it really doesn't feel like this is all going to end next transfer, but I promised to myself and to the Lord that I'm going to finish my mission strong.

I was studying this week about grace.  I learned quite a bit actually.  Most of my life, I had kind of figured that we have to perform a certain amount of good works and then, once we reach a certain threshold, grace kicks in and makes up the rest of the difference.

How wrong I was.

Grace is a free gift to all.  Christ atoned for each and every one of us, and nothing we can do will every "qualify" us to receive that grace. None of us can earn our way to heaven.  None of us can, without Christ, do enough good works to achieve exaltation.

If that be the case however, some may ask, why do we have to do good?

The answer to this question came to me in my studies this week.  If we think about a mother who pays for her son's piano lessons, she has already given that son the gift, the ability to learn how to play the piano.  As the one who made the payment, the mother has the right to expect practice from her son, especially if the mother knows and expects that one day, for example, the son will be able to use that talent to bless the lives of others.  If the son practices, it in no way gives the mother her money back, the son can't work off the payment either.  There is no penalty for the son if he does not practice, however he does lose the opportunity to learn and grow his talents on the piano.  We are the son in this analogy, and the Son of God is the one who has paid for our lessons.  We are free to act in such a way that can help us learn or we can choose to ignore the gift. As we seek to "practice" through good works, we show appreciation for Christ and His payment for all of our shortcomings.  We also prepare ourselves to achieve the potential we have to become like God as we strive to rid ourselves of evil by performing good works and resisting temptation.

Hopefully the though made sense haha. I've noticed my English has gotten worse as I've gone throughout the course of my mission.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sana, exciting na yung email na ito haha.

Sa susunod na linggo na naman!

Quick Email -April 30, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week was pretty good. We had exchanges with the Zone Leaders this week and we had some great progress in our investigators this week. However, we only had one investigator come to church this week. It seemed like this week, practically all of our investigators were either out of town or super busy on Sunday. But, based on what they've said to us, I feel like next week most of our investigators will come to church. We will do all that we can to help them understand the importance of sacrament meeting.

Elder Madsen and I are doing very well. We get along and we don't have any problems as a companionship. He is continuing to improve on his Tagalog and his teaching skills. It's been great to see his growth so far and I'm excited to continue seeing him learn and grow. He has a love for this work, and he has a desire to continue to improve, of which I am so grateful.

I'm doing great as well. I am so grateful for this gospel and I love seeing the change that it brings into other people's lives as they strive to live it. I know this work is true, and I am so grateful to be serving as the Lord's representative. I know there is nothing else I would rather be doing. As my time continues to come closer to ending, I am ready to give my all to continue to help further this great work.

Well, that's all for this week. We're really busy today so the email is a little short.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sa susunod ulit!

Exhausted -April 22, 2018

Magandang Araw sa inyong lahat!

This week we worked hard. Elder Madsen and I are so exhausted from this week's work, but it was also a very great week with lots of progress! We continued to contact former investigators and part-member families this week with some pretty great success. However, the greatest success we had this week was the Dagdagan Sisters accepting a baptismal date for May 19! We found these sisters last week and we have seen a great desire they have to come to know the truth. They are reading the Book of Mormon and are praying to know that it is true. They readily accepted a baptismal date after we helped them understand why baptism is so vital for our salvation. We will be continuing to work with them to help them gain a testimony through the Holy Ghost.

Elder Madsen and I are getting along very well. I really like working with him, despite some of his weaknesses in the language and teaching. He has a desire to learn and grow, which I can see as he asks for help and takes advice humbly. We are becoming more unified in our teaching as time goes on. It has been a great learning experience so far being companions with Elder Madsen, and I'm happy to continue to be companions with him.

I'm doing just fine here in Ballesteros. I'm happy to finally be seeing some greater progress here as we continue to work hard and strive to be obedient. I love this gospel and I'm happy to report that I continue to learn more and more each and every day as I study the scriptures and deepen my appreciation for the Lord and His atonement. I'm so grateful for the privilege and opportunity I have to help others receive the joy that only comes through sincere change because of love for the Savior and His great, eternal sacrifice.

Love you all!

Have a great week!

Sa susunod ulit!

Scorcher of a Week -April 16, 2018

Magadang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week went really well, although the weather is getting quite hot. We focused on contacting Part-member families this week, and we were able to contact them all, but sometimes the person we were looking for wasn't actually there. However, we came to find out that those part-member families had many more non-member family members not on record, which led to many new investigators who are so far progressing. Also, we are having a great time teaching a less-active member named Jerric. He is 12 years old and not yet ordained a deacon, but he has expressed a great desire to return to activity so that he may one day go to the temple and participate in the ordinances there. 

Elder Madsen and I are doing great. I've already seen him starting to become more confident in the language and in teaching situations. Elder Madsen has a desire to learn and to progress. We had some great time strengthening our relationship this week just through getting to know each other even better. So far, we don't have any problems, and I don't think we'll have any as we continue to do what we're doing. We're seeing great progress as a companionship and in the area.

I'm doing great as well. Each and every day I feel closer to my Savior. I absolutely love this work and this gospel. I love seeing the change this great message brings into people's lives and seeing these people want to see even more change as they begin to experience the blessings that this gospel brings.

That's all for this week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

First Week in Ballesteros -April 8, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

First off, I am very thankful for the opportunity I have to serve here in Ballesteros with Elder Madsen. It's going to be a pretty different experience serving with an American Companion, and I've already had to adjust to his language skills, personality, and (strangely enough) his culture. I've realized that, after being with so many Filipino companions, that I've adjusted quite a bit to the Pinoy culture, and going back to American culture is actually pretty odd. That's alright though, because I know that this will be an opportunity to grow and learn.

Elder Madsen and I are doing well. I've found it's kind of strange to talk to and associate with an American all of the time, but I will do my best to adjust while trying to help him adjust to the Filipino culture. A little bit about Elder Madsen: He is from Bluffdale, UT, he has two siblings, he has never seen Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, and his favorite color is navy blue.  He is six months in the mission field, and isn't quite yet comfortable in Tagalog :) And now you have met my companion haha :) I really like Elder Madsen though, and I'm excited for the opportunity I'll have to continue to get to know him.

I'm doing great as well (Like always haha). Conference was very good and I had many questions answered from what was said. I especially liked the talks focused on ministering, not just the instructions from the new announcement, but from what was said throughout the conference. Lately, I've been trying to figure out how to become a better missionary, and I realized after conference that I need to be better at showing my love for those around me. I need to seek after better ways to help those around me feel the pure love of Christ. I need to understand how I can show and develop my pure love for others.  I especially loved the story that Elder D. Todd Christofferson shared in Priesthood session concerning the power of an united Elders Quorum.

In 1918 Brother George Goates was a farmer who raised sugar beets in Lehi, Utah. Winter came early that year and froze much of his beet crop in the ground. For George and his young son Francis, the harvest was slow and difficult. Meanwhile, an influenza epidemic was raging. The dreaded disease claimed the lives of George’s son Charles and three of Charles’s small children—two little girls and a boy. In the course of only six days, a grieving George Goates made three separate trips to Ogden, Utah, to bring the bodies home for burial. At the end of this terrible interlude, George and Francis hitched up their wagon and headed back to the beet field.

“[On the way] they passed wagon after wagon-load of beets being hauled to the factory and driven by neighborhood farmers. As they passed by, each driver would wave a greeting: ‘Hi ya, Uncle George,’ ‘Sure sorry, George,’ ‘Tough break, George,’ ‘You’ve got a lot of friends, George.’

“On the last wagon was … freckled-faced Jasper Rolfe. He waved a cheery greeting and called out: ‘That’s all of ’em, Uncle George.’

“[Brother Goates] turned to Francis and said: ‘I wish it was all of ours.’

“When they arrived at the farm gate, Francis jumped down off the big red beet wagon and opened the gate as [his father] drove onto the field. [George] pulled up, stopped the team, … and scanned the field. … There wasn’t a sugar beet on the whole field. Then it dawned upon him what Jasper Rolfe meant when he called out: ‘That’s all of ’em, Uncle George!’

“[George] got down off the wagon, picked up a handful of the rich, brown soil he loved so much, and then … a beet top, and he looked for a moment at these symbols of his labor, as if he couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Then [he] sat down on a pile of beet tops—this man who brought four of his loved ones home for burial in the course of only six days; made caskets, dug graves, and even helped with the burial clothing—this amazing man who never faltered, nor flinched, nor wavered throughout this agonizing ordeal—sat down on a pile of beet tops and sobbed like a little child.

“Then he arose, wiped his eyes, … looked up at the sky, and said: ‘Thanks, Father, for the elders of our ward.’”

I truly believe that the new changes brought to the Priesthood Quorums and the new ministering program will bring about miracles that people need in their lives.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to live in this dispensation and be a holder of the Lord's holy Priesthood.  I hope that each and every one of us will find better ways to minister to others that need to feel the pure love of Christ in their lives.

Sa susunod na naman haha!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Transferred! -April 1, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

As the subject line goes, I'm being transferred! I am leaving Sinait and heading out to Ballesteros as the new District Leader.  My companion will be Elder Madsen, from Utah.  I am sad to be leaving Sinait because we have seen so much growth, but I am excited for this new opportunity I have to serve the people in Ballesteros.  I always have mixed feelings with transfers.  It gives an exciting opportunity in a new place, but it's also saddening to leave behind the people in the current area.

However, I'm confident that the Lord has a mission for me in my next area, and I will do my very best to find the reason why I was transferred to Ballesteros.

Sorry this is so short, but I'm going to be travelling today and I need to finish packing!

Until next time!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Hopefully, I Get Another Transfer in Sinait -March 26, 2018

Magandang Araw sa inyong lahat!

So this is the last week of this transfer cycle and I hope I won't be transferring.  I'm having a great time here in Sinait and I really hope I can get at least one more cycle here with Elder Cedillo so we can continue to see the progress here in this area.  However, I know that whatever happens will be the will of the Lord and, like the hymn goes, "I'll go where you want me to go."

This week saw a lot of great progress with helping get the members to participate in missionary work. Last week, Elder Cedillo and I started to give "missionary challenges" to the members such as giving referrals, inviting others to church, etc; however, the greatest success has come from our challenge to give away a Book of Mormon to someone they know. We have seen that, when we give this challenge, the member get very excited about sharing something so dear to them with others. We haven't seen the fruits of this challenge quite yet, but this week we are expecting to have many recipients of the Book of Mormon coming from the members. We're really excited to see the excitement the members are starting to get with missionary work here in Sinait branch.

Elder Cedillo and I are still getting along really well. I am seeing him start to really grow as a missionary, and it's great to see him continue to learn and gain more experience. I really enjoy teaching with him, and our teaching styles really compliment one another. We are seeing great success with the members and we are seeing a surge of strength in this branch that we believe is coming from the fact that many of the members really want to see the Vigan District become a stake. We're doing all we can as well to help fulfill this vision that the members have.

I'm doing great as well. I absolutely love this gospel and I love this work. I love teaching and helping others come unto Christ, and I'm so happy to give all that I have in these last three months to really help others partake of all of the blessings that come from this great and marvelous work.

That's it for this week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Members Are the Key -March 19, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

While being yet another busy week, many great things happened. We have recently been focusing on really establishing the member-missionary work program here in Sinait. To do so, we have been focusing on four member households and training them on how to really share the gospel with others by inviting others to listen to our message, giving a copy of The Book of Mormon, and being able to answer simple questions about our beliefs. It has been a wonderful experience so far and this past week it paid off. We had three of those "trained" members come work with us, and we went and contacted people that they had invited to hear the gospel. We found several new interested people, but the best was the Dalunag family. 

The Dalunag family was a referral from the members, and their daughter has attended sacrament meeting before, but this was the first time we were able to contact them because we weren't sure where they were living. We were able to find them with the members' help, and they let us right in. We had a wonderful lesson on the Plan of Salvation and they were really happy to have us come back and teach again. The Spirit was very strong in our lesson we had with this family, and we're super happy to see them progress.

The Sinait Branch finally called a new Branch Mission Leader this week (previously we had none) and we had a wonderful Coordination meeting as well. Even though the Branch Mission Leader is new, we are really happy for the calling and we will be working closely with the Branch Mission Leader to guide him and help this branch become even more established. We are planning on doing a Mini MTC with the members, where we will be training them on what they can do in order to help others hear the gospel. It will be happening on April 14, and hopefully I will still be here to see that happen. However, whatever the Lord's will is for me, I accept.

Elder Cedillo and I are doing really well here in Sinait. I really enjoy our companionship, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to serve with him. I'm grateful for his willingness to learn and to really strive in becoming a better missionary. He is so humble, and he is always ready to learn and to help me learn as well. We're doing well here, and we are seeing a great surge of strength coming into this branch. I hope this companionship will continue to improve.

I'm doing great, as always. It seems like every week I say that, but it's true. I'm so happy to be learning more and more about the gospel and the great peace that comes from living by its principles. I love my Savior, and I'm grateful that He loves me enough to have been willing to sacrifice Himself for me so that I would be able to return to live with My Father again. I know that this work is very true, and there is no other greater work than sharing the gospel.

Picture March 12, 2018

Running Out of Subject Lines... -March 12, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week was pretty busy.  We had MLC this week and we learned some really great things about leadership.  I especially liked a training that Sister Andrada gave about Eagles and Geese.. I know that might sound kind of strange, but let me explain the reasoning. 

Sister Andrada posed the question, "What would you rather be? An eagle, or a goose?" Then she had us raise our hands to indicate which we would choose.  Afterwards, she explained how eagles are very strong, brave, and free; however, they always fly alone.  Geese, on the other hand, always fly with the flock, they encourage each other by 'honking', and when one goose is injured or sick, two geese will always stop and stay with the injured goose until it heals, or dies (showing that geese support struggling companions ;) ).  I feel like the power of the training is kind of lost in the email, but I hope you all get the point ;).

The work we had this week went pretty well. We were able to have even more success with the finding at the church. Before, the students felt a little awkward or shy around us, but now they expect us to be there and are ready and excited to listen to our lessons. It's a great change from before. We are building up a great pool of investigators, and it's great to see their excitement about the gospel.

Elder Cedillo and I are continuing to have a strong relationship. I really enjoy his great enthusiasm and motivation he has for the work. I really appreciate his fresh look on missionary work and I'm glad to say that I'm learning from him. We get along really well, and I hope I'll be able to stick with him for at least one more transfer. Every time I've said I get along with a companion they always get transferred, so hopefully this time will be different.

I'm doing great as well. I absolutely love this work. I'm so grateful for the scriptures, and the guidance they bring to my life. I'm also grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and the power it gives to change lives for the better. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to help others feel this same power in their lives.

I attached some pictures, but only one wanted to upload, so next week will be more :) You're welcome Mom :)

Sa susunod ulit!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Mom's response:

Hi Luke,

I couldn't help but smile as I read about the geese-- I love the analogy but I can't stop picturing you as a little boy chucking bread over your head as you run for your life from an attacking gaggle of geese!

(This actually happened to Luke when we lived in Oregon.)

Wala pang MLC, bukas pa -March 5, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

So, I know normally at the beginning of the month I don't have an email at the regular time.  However, this week for some reason our MLC will be on Tuesday instead of Monday, so y'all will be getting my email today :)

This week was pretty busy. We had exchanges with the Assistants, which is always a great learning opportunity, and then we ended up getting many referrals this week from members! We were able to contact all of them and they seem very interested. We are teaching them at the church for lunch break and they are really interested in learning more about their purpose here on earth. I honestly love teaching high school and college students. I find the most success comes from teaching that certain age group because they are looking for purpose in life and are actually pretty deep thinkers when it comes to gospel things.

Elder Cedillo and I are still getting along great. I really enjoy working with him, and I have a great time teaching with him. He has a great love for this work and for the people, and I'm so glad that I have a companion who wants to give his all in this work. I have learned how to plan better, not just for investigators but also for all activities that might be happening in the week, better planning for groceries and also to be more efficient with my time in the house. I know those might not sound that great, but in missionary work it's the little things that make a big difference.

I'm doing great as well. I am so grateful for this gospel and I love seeing the change that it brings into other people's lives as they strive to live it. I know this work is true, and I am so grateful to be serving as the Lord's representative. I know there is nothing else I would rather be doing. As my time continues to come closer to ending, I am ready to give my all to continue to help further this great work.

I don't have any pictures because I forgot my converter... Next week I PROMISE :)

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sana mahal nyo din ako ;)

New Companion, Same Area -February 26, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week was pretty good. Even though we had transfers this week and me and Elder Cedillo are a new companionship, we did some great work. We were able to implement a new idea I'd been excited to try out. Everyday at noon, seminary is held at the church, which is in our area, and during seminary many non-members come to hang out at the church because of the wi-fi and the shade. What we started doing is going to the church everyday for about an hour to find and teach those students who might be interested in the message. As a result, we have gained a large boost to our teaching pool. This practice has been really successful so far and we are excited to see what progress will come because of this practice.

Elder Cedillo and I are getting along great. Even though we are new together and still kind of adjusting, we are hitting it off really well. I'm really excited for this opportunity I have to be companions with Elder Cedillo (who is from Pampanga, Philippines), and I am excited to learn from him, even though he is still fairly new in the mission. He is a great missionary and I'm happy with the work we will be doing.

I'm doing great, as always. I love this work and I am so happy to be a missionary. I love witnessing little miracles every day and seeing the joy that the gospel brings into the lives of others. I'm grateful for the privilege I have of helping others come unto Christ and there is nothing else I would rather be doing.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

I'll try to get pictures, but the internet is still slow...

Tapos na ang lahat.. Dito pa rin ako... Luke - February 18, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

Well, this week was pretty great. We had two baptisms this week, however they weren't able to be confirmed because they weren't able to get a ride to church on time. But, next week we will make sure that they will attend church so that this crucial ordinance is performed. We also had one of our less active families come to church, and they were so happy to return to the church. Overall, it was a really successful week, and we saw great progress in all of the aspects of our area this week.

I received the sad news that Elder Francia will be transferring while I was sitting at the piano at sacrament meeting. I was honestly completely shocked, but I know he is needed in the area he will be transferring to. In the mean time, I'm definitely excited to be companions with Elder Cedillo and I know we will be able to go great things together.

As always, I'm still doing great. I love this gospel and I love sharing the joy it brings with others. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to help others come unto Christ by serving as one of His missionaries. I know that I'm not perfect, but I know that I can strive to improve and repent each and every day. I'm so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the enabling power it brings into my life.

And I know I promised pictures this week, but the internet is being really slow, so I'll just send them next week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sa susunod naman!

Letter to Mom

February 11, 2018

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the email :) I really appreciate the expressions of love.  To be honest, it's pretty hard being on the other side of the planet while you're all in Utah, going on with normal life.  It kind of feels really lonely out here, and those things you said really meant a lot.

I love you too Mom.  Thank you so much for all that you do for me, and the rest of the kids. I feel like I've kind of experienced a little bit of what becoming a parent feels like while here on the mission.  I have some housemates that don't like to help around the house, so I do the cooking, most of the cleaning, I wash my clothes, make my bed, and have to deal with people asking over and over "what's for (insert meal here)? I'm starving!".  I'm sorry for asking that same question to you so many times before, because I know realize how irritating it can be if you've had a tiring day.  

Thank you so much for the guidance you give me.  I love the insights you share with me in your emails, and how you consistently email me every week, no matter what :) I love reading your emails and how you keep me updated on the family.  I love your love for me.  Thank you so much for being the best Mother a son could ask for.

Love,

Luke

Another Random Subject Line -February 11, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

I feel like this week went by in a flash. We had a really busy week with MLC, attending District Meetings, exchanges, the baptism of Jamaicah, and a meeting with the district presidency and the Branch mission leaders here in Vigan district. Thankfully, everything went smoothly this week, and I can testify that God helped us this week in accomplishing all of the things that we needed to do, because despite how busy this week was, we were also able to have pretty great work done in our area. We were able to contact some former investigators this week and found them to be receptive. They stopped investigating simply because the missionaries who were teaching them were transferred and none came back, but now they are happy to receive the lessons once again. We also have the baptisms of Joshua and Lou Ella coming up this week. It's been a great time in Sinait, and we have been seeing great progress here and are expecting to see more progress ahead.

Elder Francia and I are doing great, as always. I feel like we are able to support one another very well in teaching investigators and training other missionaries. I have no problems with the guy, and I've seen great personal growth as I've tried to learn and also improve my own skills as a missionary.

I'm doing just fine here in Sinait. I really love the people here and I love the area. I'm so grateful to be assigned here, and I'm glad I have the opportunity to serve those in this area through preaching the gospel. I'm so happy to be a missionary, and there's nothing else I would rather be doing than giving my time to the Lord.

Sorry for the kind of short email and lack of pictures, but I promise next week I will have some pictures with my email :)

Until next time!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Letter to Mom

January 28, 2018

Hey Mom,

As always, thanks for the update. The family sounds as busy as ever.  Also, thanks for your insights on the Sabbath, it sounds like you've been learning a lot so far.

First off, I'm way far from the Volcano, so don't worry about it :)

Secondly, speaking of Brother Tucker, they actually came and visited me this week.  They were in the area and they took about a half hour to come visit me in my area.  It was great to see them and they look great.  I was able to catch up with them and their family.  It brought back so many memories and helped me remember what life was like back home.  I'm grateful for their visit, it really boosted my spirits. 

Well, I could use some vitamins actually. Just those One-A-Day vitamins would be great, just make sure they aren't gummies or else they will most likely melt.  Also, I could use some beef jerky, they don't have it here. If you want, you could send a Sonicare toothbrush, but that's not really that important.  I just miss the super clean feeling that comes from a sonicare.  If you could find a pen that won't bleed through scripture pages (preferably blue) that would just be wonderful :)

That's probably it. If you think of anything that they have in America but not here feel free to throw it in :)

Love you,

Luke

Running Out of Subject Lines -February 7, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week went well. We were able to prepare our investigator, Jamaicah, for baptism and she will be baptized this week! She is the brother of our RC whom we baptized in December, and we are so happy for her progress. We have definitely seen a change in her life since she has started living the gospel. She is definitely happier and more confident now that she has come closer unto Christ. I'm so grateful for the special opportunity I have as a missionary to see how much a person's life can change because of the gospel.

Elder Francia and I are getting along great. We are getting more and more unified in the teaching and we are doing really well as friends. We tend to see eye-to-eye on all things, and we haven't had any large disagreements. I really enjoy being his companion, and I feel like we are really making a difference here in Sinait.

As usual, I'm doing well. I had a pretty great experience the other day with one of our less-active members, Janice. Whenever we go to Janice, we tend to have a pretty animated, happy lesson where we answer her questions and seek to build her faith in Christ. However, this last lesson started alright, but suddenly Janice started talking and she ended up telling us her entire life story, which is actually quite heart-breaking. Janice has had a really hard life, and I honestly wasn't sure what to do to help her. I wasn't even sure if the scripture in D&C 121 would help her because, from her life story, the statement "Thou art not yet as Job" wouldn't really apply due to the fact of just how hard her life really has been and currently is. So, as a companionship we decided to give her a Priesthood blessing of comfort/healing (she has medical problems as well). 

I went to do the anointing and as soon as I placed my hands on her head she kind of jumped and said," Elder Anderson, why are your hands so hot?" which was surprising because it's actually been pretty cold here in our area and I knew my hands were a little chilly. I replied that I didn't know, and went on with the anointing. Elder Francia finished the sealing and afterwards, Janice broke down crying tears of joy and relief. She stated that the blessing we had just given was the greatest experience she has had in her life. She said she felt a great warmth come from our hands into her whole being and she felt as if all of the burdens she had been experiencing seemed to melt away. I had never felt so much joy for helping someone as I had felt at that moment. This experience really helped me gain a greater appreciation for the Priesthood and remaining worthy to exercise the Priesthood power at any time.

That's it for this week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!