This is the mildest winter I have ever experienced! But I did hear a rumor that Lubbock has been entered in to a contest for the city with the most unpredictable weather.  And I just might have to agree. We’ll go from a freezing morning to an incredible dust storm that makes EVERYTHING brown. But….. I won’t have to worry about that anymore. I got my transfer call Saturday night and I am headed to Canyon, a little college town just outside of Amarillo. Everything about this transfer was a direct answer to my specific prayer. It is truly amazing how God really cares about the details of our life. I’ll still be serving with the Young Single adults which I am so happy about, and it’s a branch. But I was talking with the Sister that I’m going to be serving with and she said everyone there is so excited to do missionary work. Also, in Canyon is Palo Duro Canyon which has been my favorite natural wonder here in West Texas…. Well, the only mountainous area…. But it’s in my area.


I may be excited to go to Canyon. But I am really going to miss the College Park Ward. There has been so many good things happening here. Especially this past week. We have met some wonderful people.  Like always, new people to talk about! My first new friend has been dating a member for 2 years and is finally at a point where she is ready to learn about his faith. She is a very devote Catholic and you can tell that meeting with the missionaries has been a big step for her. We’ve met with her twice this week and it has gone really well. She is very sensitive to the spirit. When I was preparing for the lesson on the restoration, the part that stood out to me the most was the “Gospel blesses families” so I spent the majority of the time studying that. The lesson ended up being just that subject especially focusing on the blessings of the temple. The reasons why she was attracted to (the member) is because of how strong he was in his faith. When we are living righteously, people notice. You never know what kind of impact you can have on someone.  Oh! Also this… She cooked Mexican food for us, and it was AMAZING. I’m really sad to leave them.

We also met with another couple in a similar position (man, this week was couple’s week.) They are learning more about each other’s religion because they are approaching marriage. She has been going to the Catholic Church with him for the past 4 months and she has learned a lot. In turn, she has been sharing truths of the gospel with him. When we met with him he admits that the more he learns about our beliefs the more it all makes sense. That’s the beauty of the gospel, the honest seeker will recognize the truth.

I am so excited for this week, with Easter approaching. I feel my thoughts are more focused on my Savior and the sacrifice that He made for me, those that I love and everyone.  As my understanding of His love and sacrifice for me grows, my desire to follow him and His commandments deepen. I want to become the person my Savior has intended me to become because it is built on that foundation of love. I know that everything in life, the experiences we have or the challenges we face or the weaknesses we need to overcome can all be directed back to our Redeemer and His Atonement.

I sure do love y’all all the way from Texas! Have a Happy Easter!
Love, Sister Luke

Good Morning,

Earlier this week, I was heartbroken when I realized it was March for a number of reasons….. First because my mission is going by much faster than I’d like it to and second…… I won’t be able to participate in March Madness! I started plotting on how I could still participate. Even talked with a member about printing a bracket out for me and I would send it to y’all…. But then I thought it could potentially strain some of my relationships with SOME of my family members.  You know…. Having your little sister beat you when she had access to information on teams is one thing….. But having your little sister beat you when she is far removed from the news on the NCAA games is quite another. SO I decided against it. I’m excited to hear the unraveling of these next couple weeks. And don’t worry; I’ll be back next year to put ya'll in your place. Haha.

So this week had some difficulties because of spring break. (like a mini Christmas break…. Are you tired of hearing me complain about student holidays yet? ) But we were able to continue to work hard and find success! We were definitely able to see the little tender mercies of the Lord that just made me love Missionary work so much more.

One experience in particular was when we met with two guys who were over at a recent convert’s home when we went to visit. We got on to the subject of prayer and faith and how they work together. The spirit was definitely strong and guiding me and my companion's words. At the end of our conversation, we asked if we could leave with a prayer. We got down on our knees and asked one of the boys to say it. He was nervous, but accepted our invitation. As soon as he opened the Spirit was felt even stronger. The heavens were opened and he offered a very sincere prayer.

Another experience with prayer is last Monday night we met with someone that we had taught once. He offered the closing prayer which was full of determination to read and study to gain his testimony back. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to be a representative of Christ so that I can be a part of these sweet little miracles.

This week, we have met some amazing people and my faith has been strengthened so much. This church is true! This gospel is the path that will bring us true happiness and everlasting joy. And I know that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. Thanks for your love and support, I wouldn’t be where I am today without a loving family and supportive friends.

Love, Sister Luke

Ate Fried Cheese!

Man, this week flew by. I feel like I say that a lot, but today I really mean it. I’ve never been so focused on one of my investigators before. I think it was because all my thoughts, prayers, and studies were on how to best help my friend prepare for baptism. When we spoke with her on Monday she was sharing her doubts with us. . We fasted for her midweek and it truly produced miracles. We had a couple really amazing lessons, one in particular was with our bishop. Amazing Man. He too is a convert from a home that has negative feelings about the church. His testimony proved to be the confirmation that she needed. She is a strong girl and I am so impressed with her. I keep telling her that, “God has something great he is preparing you for.” I wholeheartedly believe that. All the trials and tribulations that we go through, while they might seem ridiculously hard, are for our benefit.
At her baptism I realized how much I take this restored gospel for granted. It is one of the greatest gifts God has given us. I was talking with her on Sunday after she had received the Gift of the Holy Ghost and she was telling me that she has already started to see the blessings of the gift of the Holy Ghost. Answers to some of her questions (and her mother’s questions) are already coming to her by the power of the Holy Ghost. I feel so blessed that I have that gift to discern what truth is and what is not. Because there is a lot of counterfeits out there that may look appealing and right, but we have that still small voice that is our guide throughout this life. How blessed are we!

There are some other great people that we are working with who are really progressing! Man, I just love this work. It really brings me a lot of happiness. Great things are happening here in the College Park Ward! I love you all so much! Thanks for your love and support!

Love, Sister Luke

Hi!

Holy cow…. What a week. It seriously feels like I was emailing just yesterday! It really went by so fast, full of awesome experiences.  But I guess first and foremost, we met with our friend on Tuesday as planned. And it was an amazing lesson. That girl has so much faith. And her testimony is so strong in the gospel, it brought me to tears. I guess anxiously waiting for over a year will do that to you! You can definitely tell that she is converted to the Lord. I wish you could have heard her testify of the Prophet Joseph Smith, of being baptized by the proper authority, and doing the Lords will even when things are hard. I’ve never personally met someone who has such a desire to do Gods will. While her testimony is so strong, we have also seen how Satan is attacking her with all his might. Her family is proving to be the only stumbling block in her getting baptized. But she is determined and set her baptismal date for this weekend. That has only made the adversary work harder. Needless to say, she is in my prayers constantly. This experience made me realize that it is needful to have opposition in all things. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth it! On a large scale such as my friend's example, or a small like me dragging myself out of bed at 6:30 am. I know that the opposition is all for our benefit and makes us stronger more devoted servants to the Lord.

We had a couple funny experiences at church yesterday. I’ll tell you my favorite. We are teaching this kid. He is a funny sort, and is…. Well. A free spirit. Well, he decided to bear his testimony at church. He gets up and shares this experience he had while he was in the rainforest. He tells this story about how he was driving on a beautiful clear day when the car flipped and he fell down the mountain. He was unconscious for a full day and when he woke up, he found that half of his bones were broken. He said that that experience changed his life. He said he had a vision after that and was told to receive the Holy Spirit, he needed to travel to Malaysia and carry baby goats up the mountain. Then he SLAPPED the podium and said. “Nah, I’m just kidding.” I tell you what that kid had me going he is good at telling stories, too good. Then he said, “today I learned that the Holy Ghost speaks to us all differently. Which I’m grateful for.” Then he came down from off the stand. Oh man, it was so funny. But I didn’t tell him that because I thought I shouldn’t encourage that behavior….

Church was also awesome because we had a lot less active members come that we visited this past week. So that was awesome.

We’ve had a really good week here in Lubbock. I am learning and growing so much! I love y’all and take care this week!

Love, Sister Luke

So as you can tell, I am emailing you a little late. I think Lubbock might have more spontaneous weather than Utah. Yesterday, there I was standing outside without a jacket when we receive a sever blizzard warning. That’s right folks, a blizzard in west Texas. I thought it was a joke….. but sure enough we woke up the next day to a blizzard. Our cars were parked so we couldn’t leave the house. In Utah, It would have been manageable. But our Mission President didn’t trust the Texan drivers in snow…. And I’ll admit. Neither do I. Luckily it was Pday so we didn’t miss out on too much (except emailing you!) But it was really frustrating because we had a really awesome lesson scheduled and we couldn’t go. But don’t you worry; we are seeing them later today. It is with that girl I told you about in a past email. She has known the church is true for over a year now, and she just celebrated her birthday so now she can meet with us. and her mother can’t stop her. I am so excited; I will definitely let you know how her lesson goes next week. Any who for the rest of Pday, we just wrote letters, cleaned, and ate something called monkey bread. So delicious…. You should make it!
This past week has been awesome. We have really worked hard. I’m really happy to be serving with my companion. I have already learned a lot in the short time that we have spent together. This past week we have seen a lot of effort put in by the members. They are really great about sharing the gospel and introducing us to their friends.

This past week, we were teaching a new friend about the restoration. As we were teaching him, a roommate came home and sat in the lesson to listen. We continued on with our lesson and their third roommate came home. By the end of the lesson, we had a full house! That’s the great thing about serving with young single adults. They seem more open minded and they even encourage their friends to learn more.

We have been really focusing on helping the ward missionaries to fulfill their calling. It has made me reflect on how I handled my callings in the past. And I am ashamed to say that I did not give my full attention to what I was asked to do. Just as a missionary is assigned to a specific area for a reason, I know that the callings we receive in the church are divinely inspired. God gives us a portion of his children for the perfecting of the saints. I would like to encourage you in whatever God has asked you to do in His church to reevaluate your responsibilities and find ways to do your calling more effectively
.
I love y’all so much! Thanks for your support and examples!
Love, Sister Luke

West Texan Blizzards aren't for sissy's. 

I have good news to report! I am staying here in Lubbock in the College Park Ward! I am so thrilled to stay! I feel like there is a lot that I can learn from serving here. My new companion is actually serving in a different ward here in Lubbock so she doesn’t even have to travel! I’m really excited to serve with her; I hear she is a fantastic missionary.
This week had its peaks and lows, like usual. We haven’t been able to get in contact with one of our friends again. This makes me really sad, because we had such a great lesson with her and I know she felt the spirit. Hopefully we can talk with her again.
But….. There is always something good that happens! One of the people we briefly met like a month ago contacted us. Apparently his phone busted and he lost our number. Well, he wanted to meet with us again! So he came to a baptism yesterday, and then stake conference on Sunday! He’s a pretty neat kid. We have an appointment with him on Wednesday.
One of our main focuses is helping the recent converts stay. Trying to motivate the ward missionaries to do their callings and really fellowship those who are new.
I don’t have a lot of time today! Sorry! This email is kinda lame.... But I am happy and working hard!

Love, Sister Luke

I survived another week in Lubbock, Texas. So this week I had some pretty neat experiences, then some sour ones. But it’s a new week! To finish the rest of P-day, we went to this park and climbed some metal horses. I have heard all the missionaries talk about it so I was expecting something really awesome. But I soon came to realize that it was just one of those things that only missionaries think is cool because there isn’t much else you can do in Lubbock. But nonetheless, we climbed them! I was slightly terrified because I was on the tallest one. And everyone just stood around laughing. But I did it. And I have the pictures to prove it. We also went to a little place called ransom canyon. Basically a baby Utah.
This week I did exchanges with another sister missionary! She is really an awesome missionary from Indiana and she is a convert. We went out to work in Levelland and had some really neat experiences. We met a girl who is thrilled to learn about the Gospel. My companion and I went back to meet with her on Friday and she is working on preparing herself for baptism! We also met with our other friends while we were out there. And our Bishop came with us. He was a great help for them! He was a convert and can relate to a lot of things they are going through. We made some headway with them, I’m really hoping they progress. One of them really ponders on the things we talk about after we leave, the spirit works on him. He had a hard time with the priesthood and why it was necessary. Later, he texts us and tells us that he has thought more about it and the priesthood is a good concept. “How do I be a part of it?” “Well…. You have to be baptized.” “Ah….. I see what you plan is!” haha He gets this idea that all we are here to do is baptize him. But he really does recognize truth.
So this week we get transfer calls. I know for sure there will be some change. But I just don’t know how much will change! I’ll let you know next Monday!
I love you!
Love, Sister Luke

I celebrated my 7 eleven day! 7 months down, 11 to go!

So good to hear from you this week! 

This week went by in a blur. Our friend's baptism went well. She is such a sweet girl who has experienced a lot for being so young. The opportunity to have a new beginning was such a blessing in her life. She is an amazing girl! I’m so grateful I got to teach her, in turn I learned so much! She has so much to offer in this ward and I can’t wait to see her continue to grow in the gospel.

We got to see both of our other friends this week. One is struggling with the commitment that the church entails. He’s never been a part of a church and I think that really intimidates him. The other shares the gospel with all of his friends but has stopped coming to church and reading. We are trying to find out what is going on with him. He is super busy. We are meeting with both of them this week so hopefully we can make some headway with both! They are both really awesome, good kids! I know it is going to work out.

We met with a person who requested a “bible study” on Mormon.org. He told us that he wanted to bring a couple friends also. We thought, “Perfect!” more people to share the gospel with! Well, turns out his friend was a minister for the students here on campus. Well…. In moments like that I’m usually shaking in my boots. But I felt really peaceful and calm in the situation. The guy that we were teaching wanted biblical proof on every concept we talked about, and refused to come to church because we didn’t ‘convince’ him. The lesson didn’t necessarily go well, but I definitely felt the truth of our message as we were teaching it. I am so grateful for the Holy Ghost to be with me in those situations to give me the confidence I need.

Oh I want to tell you about one more person I met this week! She investigated the church about a year ago and wanted to get baptized. Her mother told her that she couldn’t get baptized as long as she was under 18. She would sneak out to go to early morning seminary and her mom put an end to that. Well, her birthday is coming up and she is still determined as ever. She is trying to arrange places that she can stay after she is baptized because she is pretty sure her mother will kick her out.  So you’ll probably hear more about her. Hopefully I’m still around to work with her! I have so much respect for this girl!

Thanks for your support. I’m still happy and well here in Texas! Things are going great! 

Love, Sister Luke

Dear Family and Friends,

So it seems like Utah is getting all of the poor weather, and we are left with all the good. Freezing rain sounds exciting! I remember when there were freezing rains in Logan. Campus was like an ice skating rink! Apparently Lubbock gets freezing rain in the winter but I haven’t seen it yet. This week has been BEAUTIFUL! I keep asking my companion “Is this seriously January?” because the weather is like early April or late March weather. I have had no need to wear a coat or even a cardigan. I think it is a blessing that I was sent to a place that isn’t anywhere close to mountains because I would be way too tempted to “go finding while we hike” or “teach a lesson up the canyon.”

This week we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and to try to find people to teach on campus. I’ll be honest, wasn’t the most fruitful activity we could have done. It really consisted of Sister Lao and me walking around awkwardly smiling at people…. Once they saw our name tags, they avoided eye contact. We would just giggle to ourselves because we felt so weird….. Didn’t help our image. Then we just looked insane. By the end of that hour and a half, we were invited to support the wake board team as they go to nationals, live in the dorms, got free coupon books, and join the polo team (believe it or not, I’m considering it when I get home. ha) A student even coaches us on how to approach people on campus. We were able to invite some people to church also. Weird experience…. But I’m glad we had it!

This week we have been pretty busy! We have had a lot of lessons. Our friend preparing for baptism is still solid! So excited for baptism. Whenever we talk about it she glows! Lessons go really well with her. She has a lot of faith and readily bears her testimony. Before we even teach her a specific principle, she already commits to live it a couple days before. It is so thrilling to see her get to this point. The ward has been awesome with her and really welcomes her in. I love this ward. Stop me if a gush…. But they are really sensitive to others needs. Whether they are fellowshipping someone who isn’t a member or someone who doesn’t come to church as often, they are like family. It is so cool to see.

We met with another friend this week also. He really has a desire to learn. And he sincerely puts in the work. When we saw him on Saturday, he had read out of the Book of Mormon and like the first 10 chapters of the Gospel Principles book. He pretty much taught the Plan of Salvation to himself, and loved it. As we ask him what he believes, we find that his beliefs fall in line with the things that we teach. He told us that he feels like he is meeting with us for a reason. That he needs to know this information for the future.  And turns out he is on an intramural basketball team with one of our members. I’m telling you, God cares about the detail of our lives and puts people in our lives for a reason.

One of our members brought their friends to church on Sunday. It’s this cute girl. It was ward conference on Sunday so we had some pretty amazing meetings. In Relief Society the stake R.S. President asked what everyone was feeling up to that point. This girl raised her hand and said how welcomed and loved she felt. It was awesome. Hence why the College Park Ward is pretty great.

I realized last night as I was writing in my journal how quickly people come in and out of my life. Especially as a missionary. These relationships can just be “there” or I can really have them mean something when I put effort into it. And they are strengthened when I look beyond myself and focus on others. That is the beauty of the gospel; it teaches us to focus on others.  When we are converted, strengthen our brethren!  I am so grateful for the people that I have met, and continue to meet. I feel so blessed to have these experiences to help my testimony grow. I love y’all! And love to hear from you! Have a splendid week. And be safe with all that crazy weather!

Love, Sister Luke

 

Hi y’all!

ISo…. Remember that new car we got just last Monday? Funny story. On Tuesday, my companion wasn’t feeling well (turns out she had the flu…..) and we stayed inside. Well, that morning our manager came and knocked on our door and asked us if we could move our car because there was this ginormous moving truck just inches from our front bumper…… but honestly, there wasn’t any place to move, they blocked us completely in. Any who, they ended up crushing our front bumper.  You can imagine our vehicle coordinators surprise when we called him and said, “So Elder Kelly, remember that new car we got yesterday? It’s broken.” Yeah, trouble seems to find us…. Even when we are parked.

So because Sister Lao was sick this week, we only got to work a couple days. But we had some good experiences in a short amount of time. We went out to teach our friends that live in the small town this week. They completely dived right in to the Book of Mormon. Which confirmed that they are really sincere about learning more.  They had so many questions about the things that they read and it was hard to keep up with them. But one of them came to church yesterday and loved it! He told us that he plans on coming back next week.

We also finally met with our other friend. We haven’t been able to meet with her since we set her baptismal date and we still have things to teach her before then so we thought the date should be postponed. We were worried that she wasn’t interested anymore, but when we met with her it was the complete opposite. She told us that last week she wasn’t able to go to church and she didn’t read much of the Book of Mormon and she noticed that she was missing something. She told us that she had intention of letting this happen again. When we told her that she probably wouldn’t be able to be prepared for the baptism in January,  but we could do February 19^th. She asked if we could work towards February 2^nd! She really is ready, and I’m so happy to be here to see her accept the gospel. I’m starting to become that creepy missionary who lays up half the night thinking about the people I am teaching and how they can progress. Something is wrong with me.

I love y'all! thanks for your love and support!

Love, Sister Luke

Howdy,

Sounds like things in Utah are well? Minus the smog and the freezing weather. We met with one of the Relief Society Presidents ( there are two relief societies in our ward) last night and she was telling us about her trip to Utah. As she was telling us about the inversion and bitter cold of Logan, it warmed my heart. Ha is it ridiculous that I miss nasty air and my hair turning into icicles?  

Well, school doesn’t start until the 16^th ….. BUT that being said, yesterday was stupendous. We had the opportunity to have Elder Callister, a General Authority, come to our sacrament meeting. Elder Viarell (sp?) also came he is our area authority. They took some time in sacrament meeting and instructed us for Sunday school. The neat thing about yesterday was that all of our meetings were centered on the atonement of Jesus Christ. But the best part is that 5 people who we have been working with came. I couldn't have picked a better meeting to come to. The spirit was so strong and anyone who left the meeting definitely knows that we believed that we are saved only through Christ. I tell you what; I had a stupid grin on my face all day. I can’t think of something that could bring me more joy than being in a place that I love, listening to something that I believe in with people I love.

Times in College Park are getting exciting! We are seeing a lot of interest so we are teaching a lot. One of our friends is so awesome and she is coming to church. She texted us randomly on Saturday and asked, “Stupid question, but do I start reading the Book of Mormon from the beginning or are there certain chapters I should read?” Cool right? We see her tomorrow and I am excited to sit down and talk to her more.

 

In other exciting news….. We got home to our apartment only to find it swarming with police officers and fire men. We asked someone what happened and they said “ma’am, all we can tell you right now is that there was a small fire.” My companion and I knew something was up, so upon further investigation (asking the office mission couple), we found that there was a murder. So…. since I can’t read the news …. Will you search the Lubbock news? It happened on Friday and it should have made the front page. (We are in Lubbock, what else would make the front page?)

I’m doing really great here. I may not have below freezing weather or smog… But I’m doing the Lord’s work and that makes all the difference. Hey, I love you guys and pray for you! Take care!

Love, Sister Luke

 

Merry Christmas Y'all!

Huzzah for snow! It happened. Snow really happened! It might be a white Christmas after all!

I was laughing with my companion at all of the emotions we experienced this week. It was somewhat of a roller coaster. My companion was sick so that meant cabin fever. I went crazy being held up in the house for days. Especially as a missionary because there is only so much you can do indoors to fulfill your purpose. I know sometimes it is required to slow down and take care of yourself, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was fine and healthy and I couldn’t do anything about it and our area really needs work done. And then I had to learn that hard lesson that it really is not all about me. Then I started to look at the bright side, I discovered that I had the opportunity to have some really neat studies that helped me strengthen my testimony in the Savior, and His gospel.

We’ve met some really awesome people that…… are leaving for the holidays. So we have some really solid people to visit in 5 weeks. Ha!  Last night was an amazing night. We met three new people who are so prepared to hear the gospel. Our first new friend was taught by some missionaries in New Mexico and has moved home for the holidays. He was raised heavily involved in another church, and his father is a minister there. He talked to us about how hard it is going to be to leave what he has been taught in the past. We explained to him that he will only build on his faith, not leave it all behind. He found a General Conference talk by Elder Eyring. In that, he talks about President Hinckley’s experience with a new convert from China who was moving home. President Hinckley asked him what kind of trials he would have to face now that he is a member of the church. The young man told him that he would probably be disowned by his family, and all opportunities would be taken away from him. President Hinckley said, “Are you willing to make that kind of sacrifice?” the young man responded, “It’s true isn’t it?” Our friend told us that he has been thinking a lot about this experience and is preparing himself to be baptized. Man. God really does prepare people for us to teach.

We also sat down with another fellow. He is dating a member of our ward and he called us up to meet with him. He has met with missionaries in the past so in my little optimistic mind, I thought…. “He got his answer that the church is true and he really wants to learn more!” Well…. Turns out that was not the case. He is in fact an atheist and told us that he has never been happier. He grew up trying to have a relationship with God and said he never got answers to his prayers. My companion and I were shocked. Then he proceeded to ask us a series of intense questions all aimed at understanding why we could believe in God. It was a unique experience to say the least. We learned that his Book of Mormon hero is Nehor. Really, what do you say to that? I have spent a lot of time thinking about this experience. There has to be a bigger underlying reason why he questioned God in the first place. I have been studying a lot out of the Book of Mormon about how Alma talked to Nehor. I feel like this isn’t going to be the last time I encounter a situation like that. In the end we just basically bore our testimonies of the gospel and how it can bring everlasting happiness. Because having no hope, faith or an understanding of your divine potential, where is the happiness in that? Life has no purpose. You know, growing up I remember my family, parents and teachers always telling me that prayer and scripture study is “your armor” as you live your day to day life. I really understand this a whole lot more. Satan is going to throw his “fiery darts” at you. The only protection you have is the scriptures, prayer and your testimony.

To be honest, we’ve met with a lot of interesting people here that have really made me think about charity; having that pure love of Christ for everyone. Whether a person attacks your beliefs or a complete stranger screams at you for no reason. This week has been a good week for me to practice charity. 

Love, Sister Luke

Hi there family!

We had our Christmas conference yesterday so our Pday was pushed back to today! At Christmas Conference, I received your packages! Our Christmas conference was awesome and went by too quickly in my opinion. It was fun to see the missionaries that are back in Amarillo (they drove in for the conference).

So this past week has been a whirl wind! I can’t believe I’ve been here for a week already! When we got off the bus in Lubbock, we were greeted by the Assistants to the President. Their area is also college park. I guess because of their responsibilities (they have to travel all over the mission, and the mission is HUGE so they are gone a lot), they haven’t been able to give the ward enough attention. So that’s where we come in. The Assistants told us that we are basically opening up a new area. They didn’t really have much information for us, so we are starting from scratch. On our first day, we went to the institute building and we saw a handful of people there. They were really excited to have sisters in their ward and a lot of people have told us that they really want to come out and teach with us. It really means a lot when people are excited to see you and to see missionary work get done again. After the institute building, we went on campus to go email our mission president and I had a ridiculous smile on my face the whole time. I just loved being back on a college campus, in an awesome ward that is totally focused on missionary work. It definitely made it easier to leave Amarillo. We actually live 20 minutes’ drive from campus, which isn’t the most ideal. But technically, we cover the whole city of Lubbock, so it doesn’t matter where we live. We have this monster of a truck to drive around. My companion and I look absolutely ridiculous in it. We feel like we are going to run over small cars in it.

There are some really great perks to living in Lubbock over the Holidays.  Every year, the stake puts together this huge, and when I say huge, I mean HUGE nativity exhibit. Members put in ridiculous amounts of time in this. There are about 350 people on a committee to put this all together. They plan this a year in advance, and were up till 3 a.m. last week setting up. Out of control. They have members of all faiths coming in to preform, like a Baptist choir, and Methodist pianists. The Nativity goes on for four nights and then concludes with the Christmas devotional. Pretty neat. Since we live in Lubbock, we were allowed to come and see it. And They had a missionary room where a set of missionaries stayed in case any member not of our faith had questions. They asked my companion and I to participate in this. Unfortunately, no awesome stories with that. We just sat in a room for hours and hours. Ha but we read a good deal of Genesis. Another perk is that we get to be

close to the mission home. I love that. It just gives me a little taste of home whenever I’m there. This morning all the missionaries in Lubbock helped decorate the mission home. It was so much fun!

The ward here is so awesome. We meet in the stake center and the chapel was pretty much full. A member walked up to me and said “Sister Luke, I was supposed to look out for you. My aunt is Kaye  and she told me you were coming to this mission.” And then he asked me how I knew Chelsea Kasen. I was completely shocked that someone knew who I was. And I had to have him reiterate what he said. Small world, right? When I was leaving, and everyone was telling me that I needed to look out for this person in this city, I thought, “yeah right, like I’ll ever meet them….” But happens!

Now I may be making it sound like butterflies and rainbows here in Lubbock but there is a catch. It’s a student ward, and the holidays are coming up…. So after this week (finals week), our ward and the student population in Lubbock is reduced to half. I am hoping and praying that we can stay busy and find some people to teach. Because when you aren’t busy as a missionary and constantly feeling like you aren't fulfilling your purpose, it’s the pits.

I better go. But I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. I feel my testimony strengthened every time I pray, study, and teach. Through the experiences I am having, I am creating firm foundation for the rest of my life. I love this gospel and day by day, my gratitude for my Savior increases. I love y’all! Have a splendid week!

Family!

It seems that my journeys in Amarillo are coming to a close. My companion and I got our transfer call on Saturday night and we are both headed to Lubbock! We will be serving in college park, so that means we work with the young single adults. I am definitely feeling bittersweet about this transfer. I am thrilled to go and work with the singles ward there and to be going with my companion. I’ve just established some roots here in Amarillo and it’s hard to leave the people I care about. 

Probably the hardest person to leave is the last sister who was baptized. On Sunday, we couldn’t look at each other without tearing up. Finally after Relief Society, she came up to me and we both just cried. (I’m such a crybaby, I know. I get it from my grandpa!) She is amazing. We talked about how potentially the next time I will see her will be when she goes through the temple! Since our temple is so small, they are not equipped to have missionaries go through. But if you have a recent convert going through, Our Mission President will be sure that we are there.  I love the idea of being there with her. She came out to teach with us this week and when we took her home she said, “Is that it? I was prepared to go out with y’all all day.” I recently heard a quote that says “You can count the number of seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the number of apples in a seed.” I definitely see that in her. She has an amazing testimony and shares it with everyone. Even in opposition, she still holds true to the gospel!

We met a man this week that increased my testimony that this gospel is true and the Lord is truly preparing people to receive the gospel. He was a referral from some other missionaries. He has been taught two years before and then moved. We sat down with him on Tuesday night. The conversations started out with small talk and just getting to know him. When we asked about being taught previously, he bore a powerful testimony that he knows that the church is true and he wants to be baptized. He expressed how dark his life has been without the gospel in his life and he wants the continual companionship of the Holy Ghost. He even has a testimony of tithing. I was pretty much speechless the whole time. Let me tell you how many people sit down with us and ask to be baptized, none. So I didn’t know what to say. Luckily my companion took over and we went through the baptismal questions to find out where he still had questions. We found out that he has already read the Book of Mormon through till Alma.

Oh and Thanksgiving was fun! We have 6 turkey dinners still in our refrigerator. Ha! We stayed at a members home and played a game called Mexican train. So fun! We are playing when I get home. I’m sad to leave Amarillo before the Holidays. But it will be nice to be close to the mission home. 

Love, Sister Luke

Laura's parents note:

One of Laura's investigators was involved in a bullet bike accident and passed away a couple of weeks ago.  He had become a friend so his loss was very hard on her. She was able to attend his funeral. The following is her email the following week. 

Hello family & friends,

Well after Tuesday, we were kept busy which was truly a blessing from the Lord. Our investigator's service was performed in a nondenominational church which was a new experience for me. I was a little bothered when the only speaker was a preacher that didn't even know him. He started talking about how Adam and Eve ruined everything for us. But regardless, I was still able to feel the spirit there. I remembered our investigator telling us that he felt like he was being called to a “ministry or missionary work”. At the time, I understood it as he was going to go on a mission after he gets baptized. That feeling impressed upon me again. I realized how much missionary work needs to be done in the spirit world. After he gets baptized, I know that his calling is to do missionary work among the people there. I found that really comforting.

We have met a lot of people this week that has made the week cruise on by. I want to tell you about a new friend. I met her a couple weeks ago when her friend brought her to church. She is so warm and friendly and inviting. When we knocked on her door late one night she immediately let us in, so thrilled that we came to see her. She is one of those people that are good to the core. She is one of the most honest people I have ever met and finds joy in seeing others happy. Last night when we went to visit her, she fed us ribs. So delicious.

One of our most recent baptisms is more faithful than ever. She has started temple preparation classes and is so anxious to go! She just got her first calling, ward missionary. You should have seen her smile just beaming when she got out of the bishops office. I’m telling you, recent converts just have this fire about them. I feel so blessed to have been a part of her life.

We have a lot of appointments lined up this week, so this week is going to be good. I can tell. Thanks for all the love and support! Love you all thanks for your examples!

Love, Sister Luke

I

Hi Family!

Thanks for the updates on life back in Salt Lake City! It’s getting cold here so I’m just hoping and praying that I don’t have to face a “Logan Winter” here. Although everyone say’s Amarillo has pretty fierce winters. So…. If you want, you could send me some of my warmer clothes. Thursday was an exceptionally cold day (ok, ok I know that I have friends that are serving in ridiculous weather conditions…. Like Canada and Russia…. But just bare with me here) and yes, you guessed it, it was bike day. So we braved the icy wind, I put on some of my companion's tights and rode our bikes. We knocked a street with some success but frozen nonetheless. We walked to this house and my companion said, “This is the one, they are going to be nice and let us in”. And can you believe it, they did! This person currently goes to another Church. After getting to know him a little bit, we asked what he likes about his church. He sat there thinking about it for a little bit then said, “To be honest, I can’t think of anything.” I’ve learned out here that people are just generally creatures of habit. We continue to do things because that is where we are comfortable. But I feel like the gospel has so much more to offer our new friend. Not just regularity but progression! We are meeting again this week so I am praying that everything will go well. So…. Meeting with our new friend was so worth it even though we froze our faces off.

Last night, we went to visit a referral that we got about a month ago. But every time we go to visit her she is never home. Never. I’m not kidding you; we have tried her like 10 times and nothing. So last night, we felt like we needed to go and try her. And can you believe it her light was on and car was there. I started to get nervous because it was late and I hate knocking on doors late. But before we could even introduce ourselves, she opened the door right up to let us in. I stood there in shock and said is now a good time? And she was like of course! Then I blurted out, “I’m sorry, I’m just not used to people letting us in to their homes.” She just laughed. She is pretty much awesome. She had so many good questions about the church and told us that every member that she has met has been “different.” She said they are always happy and always have a positive attitude. So remember, your example is the BEST missionary tool. People do notice and it plants seeds for others to desire to learn more about the gospel. We were able to talk about the Book of Mormon and the Restoration and she wanted a copy of the Book of Mormon. She told us as we were leaving, “I will definitely read and pray about this.” Neat right? She just gets it.

For Halloween, the missionaries aren’t allowed to work past 6. So we are all planning on getting together with the other missionaries at the church.  My companion and I have been thinking about our costumes…. And I won’t give it away, but I think we might win the costume contest. We are going to work on them today. You’ll just have to wait till next week when I can send you pictures.

This Sunday we talked about Families and naturally, I told the story about how we went camping at cedar breaks. They all laughed when I described Johanna bouncing around the tent trying to knock off all the water that was caving our tent in. And then how we tried to dig trenches around Dave and Flo’s tent so they didn’t have a “water bed” anymore. And while this was going on…. The boys slept. This is one of my most favorite memories. Not that it was the most perfect vacation ( I think that was the trip Jer singed his eyebrows off...) But because I was with y’all. I love that we can laugh at those experiences now. I’ve got a pretty amazing family.

Love y’all so much! I’m always praying for you! Thanks for loving and supporting me!

Love, Sister Luke

Family!

Today I am emailing you from Amarillo College Library. Kinda fun! I am having flash backs of my beloved Utah State campus. I really love that place. (I never knew I had so much school pride…) Dad, thanks for keeping me posted on how awesome they are doing!

Momma and Pa, Thank you so much for the package. I absolutely loved it. All the missionaries are envious of my Halloween decorations! I loved all my little bats the grandkids sent! They are hanging in my window! And don’t even get me started on the salsa and dried apples. Seriously, those are some of my most favorite things. I think I like dried apples as much as my new companion likes candy.

Emily, I got your letter and I promise. I will write you back TODAY! I can just get so distracted on Pdays!

Johanna, some advice for missionary friends would be to study Preach my Gospel. I know if I would have started that earlier, I would have been so much more prepared.

So…. Here’s what is going on in my neck of the woods.

I’ve found that change is good. Especially in missionary work. I think I can do this for 14 months. My new companion is an amazing missionary and I’ve already learned so much from her. She is actually Filipino, small world! She was looking at my family picture and she picked out Flo as a Filipino too.  She is super patient (luckily) and likes to work hard. We have pretty similar personalities. I just wish I was tan like her. So I had to navigate her around town the first couple days…. Let’s just say, do to my poor directions we’ve had to do a lot of U-turns…. I think Brandon should send me some math jokes and analogies…. She would love that.

Well, a week ago, our friend's brother passed away. The brother’s death involved drugs and was really devastating for the family. We haven’t been able to see our friend much because our friend has been trying to take care of the situation so the parents don’t have to. We were able to talk last night and our friend told us that prayer has been a great strength. Our friend has such a strong testimony of prayer.  That is something I really admire.

We met with a Pastor at a little church last week. My companion and I left a Book of Mormon and asked the Pastor to read the Introduction and 3 Nephi 11. The Pastor seemed genuinely interested so we were thrilled to teach more. Well, we met at the Pastor's church to talk about what we read. The Pastor talked about how something in the introduction was bothersome. At the end of the fifth paragraph, it says something to the effect of if we obey the laws, we will be saved. When I’ve read the introduction, I have not given much thought.to this section, but I could tell that this was a huge stumbling block. The Pastor told us that Christ died on the cross so that we wouldn't have to obey the laws (the 10 commandments). To be honest, I couldn’t answer because I had never thought that much on the topic of grace. But luckily, My companion was well equipped to answer. She asked if the Pastor tells the congregation that they don’t need to go to church. And the reply of course was,  “no.” She explained that the commandments are all things that Jesus taught on the Sermon on the Mount. At the close of our meeting, the Pastor agreed to read another chapter out of the Book of Mormon if we will read Ephesians. We gladly accepted. In the 2^nd chapter, it talks all about how the church needs to be built upon apostles and prophets.

Well, know that I am doing well! I promise! I am happy and working hard. And have learned so much and can’t wait to learn more.

Love y’all! Take Care!

Love, Sister Luke

Hi Mama and Papa and family,

I’m sad to hear about Grandpa. I know that must be very discouraging for him. I love my grandpa so much! I’m always going to be proud of my tittle “little blonde” I’ll never forget it. I’m not going to lie, this news makes me a little homesick (basically the first time since I’ve been out), and in situations like this it’s nice to be with your family. You are all in my prayers, especially Grandpa and mom. It’s times like these that I just wish I could be with you and give you a hug and maybe cry a little. If you need to relay any information to me, you can always call the mission home.

This week has been pretty good. We got a call Saturday night telling us that my companion is leaving and I am staying in Amarillo and getting a new companion. The only things I know about her is she is really good at math and super smart, and Asian.  I’m really sad to see my old companion go. She has been an awesome trainer. We’ve had so many great memories! I am excited to have some great experiences with my new companion also. If my biggest fear is change, I’m going to be getting over that quick here on the mission.

Our friend has been really busy this week. We’ve only had really short lessons. It doesn’t really give us the opportunity to feel the spirit. Our friend knows everything we have taught is true; but still struggles with a modern day prophet. I asked if our friend has listened to him speak and our friend reluctantly stated “no”. I said that in our next lesson, we are going to watch a talk given by our prophet in this past General Conference.  I told our friend that you cannot judge whether or not our prophet is called of God without even listening to him! This drives me nuts. So many people here just discredit the prophet or Book of Mormon based on hearsay or what their preacher tells them. How many of these people actually pick up the Book of Mormon and follow Moroni’s promise and read the book and pray about it? Few to none. The only way you are going to know is to experiment upon the words.  

We’ve spent a lot of time knocking and finding new investigators. I think I am really starting to get the hang of this. On Saturday, my companion and I were testifying to all that would open their door! We were able to leave a lot of Book of Mormons and make some follow up appointments. Such a blessing! A member brought her friend to church. She walked right up to me and said “I would like you all to come over to have a bible study”. We said, “Well, if we have to….” Just kidding! We were thrilled!! The Lord is preparing people!

On Sunday, I had to give a talk. I have been pondering and praying about what subject to speak about. I asked the 1st councilor what he wanted me to speak on, and he said missionary work. So I decided to speak on my most favorite sentence out of Peach my Gospel. “When your understanding of the atonement increases, so does your desire to share the gospel.” I truly felt guided on the things I needed to say. Man, I’m ashamed that I am just now figuring this out, but the spirit is the best study guide and testifier. When I spoke, the spirit prompted me to say things that I did not plan on saying. One of my investigators said that he could feel the spirit in sacrament meeting. It’s amazing what can happen when everyone is in tune with the spirit!  

Thanks for your letters. I love reading them! I love y’all! 

Love,

Sister Luke