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!

Can't Think of Another Subject Line -January 28, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week was a solid week even though we had some work time lost due to interviews and Zone Conference. We ended up having great lessons with some long time investigators which ended up helping them actually come to church this week. It was a great experience to see one of our investigators, who has never been to church, walk through the chapel doors on time! I was so happy to finally see them come and experience the special spirit that only comes through sacrament attendance. We are so excited to see her and her family progress in the gospel!

​

In fact, the lesson we ended up teaching her (her name is Gema) that helped her come to church was quite unorthodox.. The lesson's topic was about gender inequality, which is definitely a discussion I didn't think I would have on my mission, but it turned into a wonderful opportunity for Gema and her husband Jonas to open up and ask questions that they have had.  The next day, we dropped by their house to check up on them and remind them about church and they asked us when we would be coming back, because they had a lot more questions to ask! I can't wait to see what other questions they have that we can help answer with the guidance of the Spirit.

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​Elder Francia and I are doing great. I honestly love working and teaching with him. We don't have any problems with each other, and I feel we are very close. Our teaching is going well and I feel like we are very united in the lessons. There have been more times than I can count where we seem to read each others thoughts in teaching and know exactly what to teach/say. I dare say that we are on fire with our teaching. 

I'm doing quite well, as always. There was some confusion last week on assigning the teacher in Priesthood this week and I thought I was to be the one to teach. Thankfully, it turned out the regular Priesthood teacher prepared something to teach, but as a result I spent some time studying the Sabbath Day this week. I read a talk in the October Coference edition of the Liahona by Elder Peter F. Meurs about how the sacrament can and should be used as an opportunity to review and reflect upon ourselves and determine the things what we need to change. He also gave suggestions on how to make the sacrament more meaningful and powerful to us. One of those suggestions was preparing in advance to partake of the sacrament. He suggested using time on Saturday to contemplate our spiritual progression and determining what needs to be changed that can be helped through the sacrament. I actually took the invitation to heart and took time on Saturday to contemplate how I could better come closer unto Christ. I discovered some things that I needed to improve on and kept those things in mind as I partook of the sacrament. As a result, I felt a calm assurance that God would help me overcome my weaknesses as I tried my best to improve. It was a great experience and I will be repeating that invitation from now on.

Anyway, that's it for this week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Another Week of Hard Work -January 22, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

This week was a pretty great week in Sinait. Elder Francia and I really hit it hard with teaching this week. We both decided that we really needed to step up our game to raise the bar for the work here in Vigan Zone. I can now say that I have fallen asleep while saying my nightly prayers because I'm just so exhausted from the day. We were able to get 7 new progressing investigators this week, and we hope to continue to see them progress. Overall the week was great, just exhausting. I love teaching and working with Elder Francia. We get along so well and I'm so lucky to be his companion.

Elder Francia and I are getting along great. I feel like our teaching is the best I have ever experienced so far on my mission. I feel like we are both doing so well in following the Spirit and teaching according to the needs of those whom we teach rather than just teaching lessons to fulfill the baptismal requirement. I just absolutely love teaching investigators and the feeling that comes when you simply know that what you just taught was what they needed in their life. It's lessons like those that help me love being a missionary.

As always, I'm doing fine. Nothing new has really changed with me. I still love studying the scriptures and I love missionary work. Even though sometimes I feel like I'm just too tired, the thought that someone out there needs the gospel keeps me going. I know that the Lord loves and cares for His missionaries, and He gives them strength to continue His work even when it seems difficult.

In closing, take some time this week to think about someone who is struggling in any aspect of their life and invite them to learn more about the gospel.  I have seen how many blessings come from the gospel and the power it has to fix any problem in life.  Share the blessings that you are experiencing so that others may feel just how much Heavenly Father loves them.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Sa susunod ulit!

First Week With Francia -January 15, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!
I'm happy to report that this week was a pretty good week. We were able to teach a part-member family compound (the dominant family name is Ibarra) and able to extend seven baptismal dates for February 17, and we are hoping to see them all progress. Sadly, they weren't able to come to church yesterday, but last week they did attend. We will be following up with them this week and see what caused them to not be able to come to church. Other than that, most of the week was spent helping Elder Francia become familiar with the area to prepare for any exchanges we will be having.

Speaking of Elder Francia, him and I are getting along great! At first I had to adjust a little to his teaching style, but now we're going strong. I really enjoy teaching with Elder Francia because his teaching style is so unique, but extremely effective in my opinion. I can clearly feel that he lets the Spirit be his guide and share what the Lord knows we need to share with those whom we are teaching. I've learned a lot already in this first week, and I can't wait to see what else I will be learning.

So.. we had an interesting teaching experience this week which I will mention.  We were teaching a new investigator, and her Mom and Grandma were sitting in on the lesson.  We were explaining the plan of salvation because one of her loved ones had recently passed away.  Eventually, we started discussing Jesus Christ and how He is central to God's plan for us.  We asked her Grandma who Jesus Christ was to her.  What followed was a story I will never forget.

She went on to explain how Jesus Christ appeared to her in a vision, and in this vision, they conversed about many great and marvelous things.  She claimed Christ had called her on an important mission here on earth to heal others.  Christ then proceeded to give this lady two high fives, which endowed her hands with the power to heal.  She then informed us that she makes her living in Manila healing others by touching them with her hands.

It took every ounce of my willpower to not burst out in laughter.  She used the most dramatic hand motions while explaining this experience, and she even stood on her chair towards the end.  Definitely unforgettable :)
I'm doing great, as usual. I've been continuing my study in the Old Testament and I finished 1 Kings this week. I have always loved the story of Elijah, and how he stands as such a sure witness of the fact that there is no other god but the true and living God. I specifically like what Elijah says as he is addressing the people before he challenges the priests of Baal, "How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him..." I feel this quote can have an impact on all of us who tend to struggle in keeping those commandments that seem a little hard to keep. We simply just need to make the decision to follow God because He knows more than us, He loves us and only wants to protect us. This can help us when commandments seem a little difficult to follow or we don't understand why we have to do certain things. If we just always remember that the Lord is God, the only God, then we don't have to worry about anything the world can do to or say about us.

Have a great week everyone!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Transfers Naman -January 7, 2018

Magandang araw sa inyong lahat!

So, transfers were this week and it looks like I'll be staying here in Sinait, but Elder Galos will not.

This week we had some pretty great successes, although at first we thought the week was going to be a little rough. We had about 3 of our Baptismal Dates expire this week and we weren't able to meet with them to re-extend the baptismal invitation. We also had made plans to extend about 10 more baptismal dates this week to our progressing investigators, but whenever we went to their homes they were too busy for us to share. However, we were able to invite them to come to church, which led to 9 of our investigators attending sacrament meeting. It was a great experience to have 9 investigators be able to attend Fast and Testimony meeting, where the Spirit is so strong with the bearing of testimonies of the members and missionaries. We have already made plans to return to the investigators this week and extend baptismal dates to all of them this upcoming week.

Elder Galos will be transferring and I can say I will miss this companionship. Even though we were together for six weeks, we were able to build a strong relationship and I will miss him. However, I'm also excited for my new companion, Elder Francia. I know him and I will be able to do great things together. I'm excited to see the progress of the zone this upcoming transfer.

I'm also doing great as well. I am so grateful for the scriptures and the guidance they bring into our lives. I was able to read the Liahona for this month of January, and I was impressed by Elder Russel M. Nelson's experience concerning his study of every reference of Jesus Christ. I was impressed with his comments on how strong his testimony became after this exercise, and I felt prompted to do this study exercise as well. I have made a goal to begin after I have finished my study of the Old Testament. I can't wait to see what will be learned.

Until next week!

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Happy New Year! -January 1, 2018

Naragsak nga baro a tawen dagiti kabsatko!

I hope all of you had a great new year's celebration.  It's a pretty crazy thing to think that this year, 2018, I will be finishing my mission. It feels like yesterday I came into the field, and now I'm getting fairly close to leaving.  It's amazing how time flies in the mission.  I hope all of us will use this great opportunity to review our efforts in becoming Christlike and then make goals to adjust our behaviors to become more inline with the teachings of the Savior.

This week was actually a pretty solid week of work. We had some baptismal dates expire, but we were able to extend several more baptismal dates this week. We had a pretty great finding experience as well. We were going tracting in one of our areas that doesn't have a very large teaching pool and we felt like we saw isang nanay washing clothes outside. We felt impressed to talk to her and she invited us to sit and share with her. Once we sat down, she invited her family to come talk with us and we found out all of the adults in the compound were members, they just haven't been to church in a long time, but they had been able to be sealed in the temple. This led to us getting a return appointment, and several new part-member investigators. So far only two of them came to church this week, but they said they already had made too many plans for New Year's, so they wouldn't be able to make it; however, next week they should be able to attend.

Elder Galos and I are doing great as always. I really enjoy his companionship. We work so well together and it seems like we can read each others' thoughts when we are teaching. It has been great working with him, and I can't wait to continue working with him for as long as the Lord will allow. He has helped me a lot in adjusting to the new area, and I've truly been blessed by his advice and his guidance about our relationships with the members and in how to better build relationships with the Less-Active members. I'll be sad when we have to separate.

I'm doing great as well. I'm happy for this new year and a chance to become a better and more Christlike missionary. I'm grateful for the opportunity to reflect on the year and determine what needs to be changed and what I can improve on in order to better bring my life in harmony with the gospel and Christ's teachings. I'm so excited to make plans and set goals for this year, and I've already made a goal to finish the Book of Mormon at least two more times before finishing my mission. I've also made a goal to start a notebook where I take all of the chapters in the Book of Mormon and write a summary of the chapter and the key points of doctrine discussed in the chapter. I feel like this will definitely help me better understand the Book of Mormon and strengthen my testimony of its truthfulness.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Until next week!