Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God. Yo lo Se

Well, this week was a way better week.  We had a baptism, a lot of smiling, and i am happy. 

Well I am going to first start out telling you guys that today the Pope of the Catholic church came to Guayaquil. You guys would not believe how many people are just so excited for today. The question that we have heard a lot is "what do we think of the Pope"?  Its so funny to here the opinions of the people. Some like his coming and other not so much. What they did is they made the entire day a no work day, other than that they shut off all the roads of the entire city. Posters, TV, programs, so many things for a man.  I have wondered if the Prophet were to come to Ecuador if the people would show him the same respect, would they do the same preparations. I don't think so. 

Thomas S Monson is a prophet of God. Yo lo Se (I know it).

1.2 million people assisted the coming of the Pope.  So many people looking for spiritual renewal and a feeling in their heart. They search and they search in a place or in better words they search in a person who can not satisfy their needs. So many people waiting for a look for what I have to teach the world. Sadly not everyone wants to accept it. But not everyone accepted Christ and not everyone will live with God.

This week I found something cool out from the scriptures. Helaman chapter 3 verse 29 and 30.

29 Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked—

30 And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.

This explains that the word of God, more specific would be the Book of Mormon with the Bible, is something of which we need to hold fast to. Cling to it. Because we are in something in Spanish is called abismo de miseria (abyss of misery). We are not safe in a place that isn't with our Heavenly Father. Like it says in that scripture that the word of God is the guide.  If we cling to it then it will lead us back to God. If not then the amismo de miseria will take us down in darkness. But I love what it says in verse 30. It says that if we hold to the word and then we will be led back to the right hand of God to rest and be exalted. But the last phrase is my favorite, something along the lines of "to never leave again". We left once, we will never leave again if we find our way back to him that is why He has sent us living prophets and apostles and the priesthood and revelation, because our father loves us and he wants us to return home to Him.  We are always our own problem or desafio (challenge).

We are the problem, so we need to shed off the natural man and be receptive like a little kid. That's when we can return to God.

Well our baptismo was awesome. Not many people showed up, but it was powerful.  The man who was baptized is called Miguel. One day before his baptism he got super sick. I was afraid he would back out. But he repeated that he made a decision and he will complete. He completed. He was so sick that he had to leave church after his confirmation because he was in so much pain. But he told me something. He said that the pain was strong, but his desire to complete with God was even stronger.  His love was stronger than the pain. I think that applies in everything. I think he learned to understand more about the atonement. The pain for Christ was strong but his desire to complete the will of the father and his love for us was a lot stronger than the pain. That is why he won. And we will win if we come unto Christ.

Mom I love you so much. Time is flying by and soon we will be together. 

Elder Luke

I have just been focused on working in the vineyard

I have to admit that I had forgot about what you guys were doing this week (our family went on a trip to see  a missionary friend of Of ours get married). I did include you in my prayers but to be honest I have just been focused on working in the vineyard. 

Thanks for sending me pictures from your trip. I loved to see the temple. First, wow Brandon is so different and Becça is super tall.  Ben looks the same.

To be honest I am so happy Elder Smith got married I am not use to calling him Skyler, he is still Elder Smith to me. I am so happy for him. I can't wait to see him again. He has impacted our lives in so many ways. It's good that you guys were able to show your support by going to his sealing.

Well this week we have a baptism. It's going to be awesome.  Also we have an anniversary of the mission (the mission was started on July 1, 2013). We are going to meet the family of President y Hermana Denñis. So excited. I really love being with Elder Inuma, my companion. He has a powerful testimony and he is just so humble. We get along so much. Unfortunately our leaders are not very good examples for him but I am trying to teach him and learn also. 

This week I found that other than he is super buff and serious, he is ticklish and he found that I am ticklish also. Now we are just laughing even more. Super fun. 

Here it has been cold and wonderful. 

I can tell you that I love teaching the gospel. I love teaching classes and people. I like expressing my feelings in Spanish, also talking to little kids in English. The first counselor is from New York and he knows English and his wife and his kids do too. It's so funny talking English with the little kids. 

Mucho armor,

Elder luke

Ps sorry I didn't take a lot of pictures. 

Our Heavenly father is the pilot of our lives

Well, here I am on the beach, to be honest I haven't seen the beach yet. But I love that here its very cool. I woke up the other day and I felt cold. I put my sweater on and studied all day that way. 

Well on Thursday I had to go to Guayaquil with my companion for a conference with Presidente. I went to bed at 10:30 and I woke at 3:30 to leave. I also woke up with a cold and wow that day was hard to stay awake and focused. But I was able to see my companion Elder Muñoz. It was so awesome to see him. He also is training and he told me that the man we baptized, Manuel Caizedo, had given a reference to the missionaries of whom baptized  a family of 6. WOW everything started with my acts and my desire to find him. For what I did with my companion we not only baptized 1 person mas bien we set the way up for future baptisms.

 

This week was rough because my companion doesn't know the sector and so we are losing a lot of time but we have a fecha baptismal who is preparing for the 4th of July. so funny. 4 of July. But he is so powerful and his son is going to baptize him. Also yesterday we found so many people so perfect and prepared to be baptized. So much fun.

 

My companion and I have been focusing on working with the members to give us referrals, and inviting them to participate in the work of God. I hope we can find people and also that we are able to strengthen the ward.

 

Yesterday I learned something about this week. 

I am having a rough time adapting to the new leaders and way of doing things. Well I just wondered when I first got here. I asked, " why am I not a zone leader? " Why am I training again.?" But I heard a story,

 There once was a little girl that got on board of a plane.  As she so calmly entered and sat down and started to draw the passengers realized that she didn't have the "first time fears". She seamed calm. On the flight the cabin started to shake as they passed through a storm, and the passengers started to panic. But the little girl no. She just kept drawing. The shaking and turbulence got worse and people screamed a little and the lady next to the little girl asked "are you not afraid?" the little girl responded "No" she kept on drawing when she said, "MY father is the pilot."

 

Our father is the pilot of our lives. I need to trust in him as do all of us. The moment we stop trusting in Him we panic and panic is not good. God is your father. I feel that most humans don't even understand that phrase.

 

I think in the story Christ is the father guiding the plane and we need to trust in him on our flight to return to our heavenly father. 

 

 

God bless you, 

I pray that he may guide us safely to him, only if we trust in him.

 

I love you

ElderLuke 

I have returned to the beach.

Well I let you know that I had transfers.

I went to bed yesterday at 12:30 and I woke up at 4:30 in the morning.

I am super tired.

Well I am now in a new sector that is called Salinas. Its actually super awesome.  Very cool temperature wise. My new companion is Elder Inuma de Peru. He is quiet and humble so I think we will get along. I had a few expectations about where I was going but I am fine with what the Lord has assigned me to do.  I am still District Leader and I am ending the training of my companion.

Well I took a lot of pictures that I cant send all today but I will let you know that we had a baptism and it was very cool. Improved because our plans fell in to pieces but it was wonderful. 

Before going to transfers I was able to say good bye to my converts in Colinas. Also Elder Cordova that was my companion who is returning home. ya ended the mission. wow time flies.

I have returned to the beach.

Well what I have learned this week is that when we are working for God we shouldn't do a shoty job. 

Also that the things that are measured to matter and the things you can't measure are the things that actually matter. 

Also we have been trying to work through members now to find new people and it has been working.

I love you guys and have a wonderful week.

ElderLuke

We Have been committing everyone to baptism

Well this week has been very fruitful. We have been committing everyone to baptism and now everyone is planned to make such a wonderful covenant with God.

Well this Thursday we went to the temple. Wow what a wonderful place. Its where we got to see the very very old video of the temple. Very old and not that cool. But it was the Spirit that I felt. I love going to the temple. The people who don't believe in temples or those sacred covenants are missing a wonderful experience to be so close to God. I LOVE THE TEMPLE. That is why I was so excited that they have already started to build the Meridian temple. I am so pumped for that temple. I had a thought that it would be so easy in this life if we were to just live in the temple.  We wouldn't be vulnerable to so many temptations. It would be a lot easier and wonderful. 

Well we also were able to do a little fundraiser for an investigator that is having some problems keeping the Sabbath day holy. So all the members pitched in and we bought something that is called bollos. I sent you a picture of a bollo, I don't exactly know how to describe what it is. But it was delicious. We have a little stash of bollos now. Wonderful. Now this guy isn't working on Sunday and he is preparing to be baptized. SUPER awesome. But what sucks is that this next Monday is transfers and it might be my turn if so that means that I wont be able to see his baptism. SAD because he wants me to baptize him. This week we have a baptism of this little girl that just turned eight so my companion is going to baptize her because they have the same birthday, June 1st.

Well things are moving along in the work. and well I just have to say that I am so happy to hear your stories and to hear the things the family is accomplishing.

Sorry its short but I will get better.

I love you

Les amo,

EDLERLuke

 

Zone Conference and Mission Tour

The Second week in May the Ecuador Guayaquil West Mission held multi-zone conferences in Portoviejo and Guayaquil for all the missionaries.  Two weeks later, Elder and Sister Uceda (of the seventy) came to tour the mission and they held multi-zone conferences in Manta and Guayaquil and a mission leadership council.  They also held training meetings for all the stakes and districts in the mission too. 

Here are a few pictures taken from the mission President's wife's blog.

I want to be a faithful soldier beside the Lord

Don't worry, I am allllll good. The sickness was for a short time but now I am good. I have been having headaches more frequently but I am good.

Mom don't worry about the hospital bill, because the church pays for things like that. If I get sick in the mission the bill goes to the church.

So everything is good.

Its funny, the house where I got sick and they helped me out that day. Well everyone in that house now is sick. Now I didn't get them sick. I wasn't capable of passing that sickness to others but they got something else. Now their house is a hospital. Everyone sick and so we went and with some oil and the priesthood, we were able to give a lot of blessings there. 

This week was super good. I can say that the highlight was that I was able to listen directly to a 70(general authority) Elder Useda. He is from Peru. He is powerful. On Friday we were in a conference with him from 7:30am to 7:30pm. 12 hours of conference of pure spirit and motivation. I was able to assist a leaders council with him also. It was super long but edifying. 

What I loved from the conference is that he talked directly and very animated. He would teach and get quiet for a moment and then stop and then wave his hands and say something almost yelling in the microphone. But it wasn't over baring, it wasn't bad. But it just got what he said into our minds. He had some different techniques of teaching. He said that  when we notice that the Spirit has touched our hearts or put words in our minds, then we raise our hands and write those spiritual thoughts in our journal. It was only to show how the Spirit is actually there. It was wonderful. All of us were raising our hands a lot. He taught us about how we fell the Spirit. Many people think that we hear a voice.  In the scriptures it says that the people heard a voice, but he cleared that up. He said with a lot of energy. "THE SPIRIT SPEAKS SILENTLY". He repeated a lot so that we keep those phrases in our minds. Its so true. He said that the Spirit does speak but in our minds and in our hearts. But its not speaking like we speak. He said that the purpose of a voice is to convey a message. That's what the Spirit does but silently. Through thoughts impressions and feelings. He based it off of D&C 8:2

Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart

He talked about studying the scriptures and how we need to study frequently and profoundly. Then taught us how to study profoundly. Wow did I learn a lot there. Very powerful the way he taught and referred to the sacred things. He repeated, "I KNOW THE VOICE OF THE LORD.  YOU KNOW THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD". Very awesome.

Well other than that I have been kicking along. Elder Useda brought new understanding about my own dedication to God. In my studies today I learned about that. OH forgot to tell you I finished the Book of Mormon in Spanish for the first time this week.

Now everyday I am trying to only do what the Lord wants and focus on that and only that. 

Well I am still focused but wow I only have like 5 months left. WOWOWOW.  There is this sister missionary that got to Ecuador when I got here and well she is going home this next month. Which means that very soon its my turn. WOW.

Yo quiero ser un soldado fiel al lado del señor... (I want to be a faithful soldier beside the lord)

I love you guys so much. Thank you for your prayers. 

ElderLuke.

p.s. oh wow it hurt to hear that Elder Perry passed away. Keep his family in your prays.