I want this week to focus on how AWESOME their lives will be if they do right

I am filled with joy. I just feel like everything at home is being taken care of. Remember when I told you about when some teacher from the CCM told me that if I put my all into this work here that God will provide for my family back home. Well I cant say that I am perfect.  For my strength I am nothing, I am weak, but God is blessing my family. He really is providing. 

Dillon (a friend of Brian's that we hired at our store) is a perfect fit for the store. I got a little worried when you told me that you hired someone. But when I read that it was Dillon I can say that I felt the spirit confirm to me that it will be all right. That I don't need to worry. I am so pumped for Dillon and the business to grow. To get stronger. 

(In last week's email Brian was worried about the members in his new area not following all of the rules of the Gospel.  I suggested that maybe that would be his purpose in this area.  Less focus on Baptism and finding the golden investigator but to strengthen the ward which will in turn find them people to teach.)
Mom I am really grateful for your words about this rama (branch). I felt the same way this week. That I need to worry and focus on the members and not too much on baptisms. It really hurts my heart to hear that endowed active members are buying things on Sunday, they aren't going to church because minor reasons, and falling in pecados (sins). It just hurts so much. Every Sunday I feel that I just find another disobedient member. Every time I see it I say something, but they harden their hearts and don't listen.  

Here we have a term its called machete. Machete just means to say the truth. Even if its going to be hard to take. Its like grass. Grass represents our actions and knowledge. When grass grows super tall its ugly see. The lawn is just awful. So you have to get the lawn mower to cut it. But here they don't have lawn mowers they have machetes. So when you machete that represents the scriptures you cut down all the garbage and false doctrine that are in their heads. Sometimes its necessary. But......

This week I have felt a little fed up with this ward so I feel that I have been machete machete ,machete, 24/7. My companion even said that I am the justicia (justice) and he is the humildad (humility). Its true but I have felt bad that I am like that. 

I had an inter cambio or exchanges with Elder Munoz that lives in our house. He is so loving. He loves the people so much. I learned so much from that cambio. Then I realized that I have been macheteing and focusing mas (more) in the castigo de dios (punishment of God) rather than the blessing that we receive when we are obedient to the commandants of God.  

So I want to change this week. I don't want to focus on how bad their lives will be if they don't do things right.  I want this week to focus on how AWESOME their lives will be if they do it right. SO when you said mom that I need to love the people, you are right. I haven't been loving them very much. I have felt like a drill Sargent in drum line. The main message is that the gospel of Christ blesses the families. I am so grateful that I can study and improve.  

I have been trying to focus on my blessing. Really God blesses so much his servants. I got to read Alma 26. Here is a link to this scripture Ammon talks about how bad him and his brothers were in the past. That God spared their lives and didn't judge them. And that God has been merciful unto them. That God has given him that opportunity to repent so that he could have the privilege to bring almas (souls) unto Christ.  I have felt the same way. God has been merciful unto me.  He has spared my life and given me an opportunity to repent of my sins and mistakes so that I can have the privilege to bring almas (souls) unto him. 

This week we had an awesome experience. We were walking with a member and we saw that this little kid had fallen and was crying in front of his house. His mom was on the balcony watching. SO my companion ran over to help. When he did that the husband saw us. He was watching a movie and told us that we should come in. We were like, okay. So we walked in and we started asking questions about his life to get to know him so we can better know his needs. SO he explained that he is Christian and that he loves God and that he has been searching for God for years trying to always do His will. The he finished and told us that he wants to know our stories. So our member, my companion and I told our stories on how we found the church. I really learned a lot about my companion. But then he told us to start teaching because he wants to hear. Only from his body gestures I knew he was super interested. SO we taught the restoration. Principle for principle until we got to the restoracion (restoration). We told him that we would finish the next day because we had to go. But that he needs to read the pamphlet. Then his wife reminded him about his dream. He started right off with telling us his dream. He told us that in his dream it was at night and their were a lot of stars out. He said he looked up and say a book in the sky. Huge book with letter of gold. He said he remembers that he read one word. F E R M O N E S. He asked what that meant. SO our member just thought of something super weird and said that his name is Fernando and we are Mormons. Fernando-Mormons. Fermones. To me I thought it was pushing it, or stretching it a little. But this investigator  was so happy that he had just received the answer. So I butted in and told him that we are Mormon because we believe in the Book of Mormon. I told him that we were going to teach that the next day and that he has to read for the pamphlet. He was so happy. He hugged us and almost started crying when we left. 

The next day he explained to us that he read all of the pamphlet and that he knows its true and this is what he was looking for. He said that the Book of Mormon is the book that he saw in the sky in that dream. He was so happy and it just filled me with joy because we had found someone prepared for us. (direct answers to our prayers.) He told us that we are angels and I told him no, that God is loving that is why he sent us to his house.  

The only thing that is the problem is that he has to get divorce first from his past wife and get remarried. But when he told us that he knows its all true, I had like a mini vision of him in the temple being sealed with his family. Then I saw him has an awesome bishop. God has such a future planned for him and we get to be part of his conversion. Its going to be a long super long process but something that I know is that he is chosen and that we have to do everything possible so that he can be a member. I know he wont progress fast but I know that he needs us. So we told him that we are dedicated to help him until the end. We have been praying a lot so that we can see his baptism. He cried and gave us a hug and praised God for blessing him. That's when I really learned that I have to love more of these people.  

I am so grateful for my family and for this opportunity to grow. I am grateful that I was raised in the Gospel and that my parents did the hard stuff and made the sacrifices so that i could be here serving. I am grateful for my companion Elder Sanchez.

Have an AWESOME week.

Elder Luke