Another Week, Another Progressing Investigator -December 4, 2016

Hello everybody!

This week was pretty busy, but fantastic as always.

First off, Elder Torion and I had a great time teaching and working together.  He's seriously a hilarious guy.  He's from Leyte, which is in the Visayas region of the Philippines.  The Visayan people are known for their sense of humor, and let me tell you, the reputation is deserving.  One night, he had all of us in the apartment crying we were laughing so hard.  I love our companionship!

Anyway, the Anchetas weren't able to come to church yesterday, so we visited them and asked why they weren't able to come.  They explained they had to go to a different city for some medicine, but they were really sorry they weren't able to make it to church.  We were able to teach them all of lesson two and they committed to read the Book of Mormon as a family! They are truly amazing!

Next, we had Jelica come to church. She's twelve years old and lives with her aunt. Her aunt is a member, but has been less-active for a long time.  We've been asking her to help her niece come to church and progress towards baptism. Last week, not yesterday, they did not come to church, but yesterday they did! The branch president pulled us aside and asked what we did, Sister Ramirez (Jelica's aunt) hasn't been to church for a LONG time.  It was great to see them come to church and feel the spirit.  They were happy that they were able to come to church and said they'd come next week as well!! 

We now have three progressing investigators in our area, and they really look like they'll continue to progress until baptism!

Now, spiritual thought time: 

This week, I've been studying Christlike attributes (I try to take one week out of every month and dedicate my studies to Chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel) and it's always interesting how every time I start studying the chapter again, I learn something new.

The attribute I want to share with you now is Hope.  It's hard for us sometimes to understand what Hope really is. Many times, we think it's synonymous with faith, but that is not the case. It is true, that faith and hope are undeniably linked together, but faith precedes hope. When we have faith, we hope for things which are not seen which are true.  That hope we have is an expectation and assurance that the things we are promised through the gospel will be given us. Hope can be likened unto a knowledge, a personal testimony, that the blessings we have been promised will come. Whether it be a remission of sins through repentance, being resurrected, or living together with our families forever, we can receive an assurance that these things will come to pass through our hope.  I know that our hope, if based on faith in correct principles, can bring us comfort in times of hardship, for we know that everything will be alright in the end.

Mahal ko kayo!

Ingat kayo!

-Elder Anderson

New Area, New Beginnings -November 27, 2016

Hello po kayo lahat!

I'm doing fine just so you all know.  It was a great week as usual, lot's of hard work and lots of spiritual thoughts. I'll be sharing two today because I forgot to share one last week.

However, first off I'll talk about my progressing investigators! That's right, I have two progressing investigators in my second week in the open area.  Their names are Brother and Sister Ancieta, they are a married couple with a one year old son. It's a pretty awesome experience how we met them, so I'll share it with you. Brother Ancieta was carrying wood to his house, but had stopped to take a break. We could tell the load was heavy and he was struggling, so we offered to help him.  At first, he turned us down, so we just introduced ourselves as missionaries and what our message was.  He asked us to share with him. We gave an overview of The Plan of Salvation and he was super interested and receptive. We closed with a prayer and insisted on carrying the wood to his house. He obliged, and we eventually came to his house, and his whole family was there!  We introduced ourselves to them and they were really happy to meet us.  They asked us to come back and we've met with them several times now.  They're scheduled for baptism on December 31.  They came to church yesterday and loved it, they are keeping our commitments, and asking how else they can prepare to be baptized.  They're amazing!  I can't wait to see them progress!

Spiritual thought time:

1. I was reading the Bible Dictionary, and I read about prayer.  I had never really realized how deep the connection prayer has with our Heavenly Father, my favorite thing the BD explained was this: "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part. Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings."

I know it's long, but it's all true. Sometimes we take for granted the power of prayer and our true relationship with Heavenly Father.

2. I finished the Old Testament yesterday, so I've now read the entire Standard Works while on my mission. It was amazing to witness and connect all of the prophecies of the Savior to His life and ministry here on earth.  It just goes to show that the Lord really does reveal His will through His prophets, and even if we don't understand the true meaning behind their words, we need to follow them.  The Lord does not lie, and all things He has said will come to pass WILL come to pass in His own due time.

That's it for this week, until next time!

-Elder Anderson

A note from mom, November 13, 2016

Hi Luke,

I am sorry you are getting transferred. That can be difficult when you don't get to witness the fruits of your labors as you would like to. Take comfort in knowing that you made a difference and the best seeds planted are those in your own heart. At the end of each area and eventually your mission, the real value of the experience is the growth within yourself and your testimony. I can tell from your letters you have had tremendous experiences and growth in this area, that is a success. Turn to the Lord and ask for confirmation that your work is done in this area (at least for now) and ask for a feeling of peace. I know you will receive it. I love you!

Hi Mom,
I did receive that peace.  The night I found out I was transferring, I couldn't sleep.  The idea came into my head I should ask for peace and guidance.  I prayed, and instantly this warm, comforting sensation and a voice came into my head saying, "everything will be alright."  It was fantastic, and I know this is the plan of the Lord for me.

Hi Luke,

That is awesome, thanks for sharing that experience. I had a similar experience when I was in the field. I was called to be a trainer immediately after I was trained, 8 weeks in. I was terrified and overwhelmed. I went into the next room and poured out my heart and felt that same peace. Later, when I doubted again, I prayed again and didn't feel anything but read in my scriptures later in D&C when the Lord is talking to Oliver Cowdry and says remember when you sought me "did I not speak peace to your soul? What further witness do you need?" I have reflected often on that experience.

That is a fantastic experience.  I met another Elder here (He's from Houston actually) and he was called to be a trainer immediately after his training as well. I was worried I was going to be the same way, this was the last week of my training. However, when I found out I didn't have a calling, I was disappointed.  For some reason, I wanted to train or be a mission leader because I felt like I would do a good job at it.  I realized, however, that the Lord knows what I'm ready for, even if I don't feel like it's what I'm ready for.

Hi Luke,

You will be called to train or lead soon enough. Enjoy this time of learning and try to learn as much as you can, from your companion, leaders and members. You will be blessed. I'm glad you had that experience, it's always good to get a reminder that the Lord is aware of you. I am sure proud of you.

Also, just because you weren't called to be a trainer doesn't mean you wouldn't have done a good job or couldn't do it. You just have different things to learn. The missionary that was called to train right after training has things to learn that you may not. I know one of the reasons I was called to train so early is I needed to get out of my comfort zone faster. It was really easy for me to hang back and let my trainer take the lead. I know the rug had to be pulled out or I would have continued like that for a few more months. I was able to come up with the confidence I was lacking and progressed much quicker in my mission experience than I would have otherwise. You likely don't need that lesson:)