8 Dec - lots of pictures. We can only guess . . .

He looks very healthy and happy.

Is that a statue of someone in the river?

Christmas in Colombia and my district is awesome!

So everyone here has the spirit of Christmas. Christmas in the mission is always my favorite time because it is the time when the people seem more spiritual. So it is easier to find new people and we have an excuse to sing to random people without it being to weird. And it gets even better because the church has release El es la Dadiva (I do not know what it is exaclety in English, He is the gift or something idk). Anyways it is awesome because we can show it to a lot of people. The church is also buying all of the advertisments in YouTube the 7th of December and the church has this baby plaung all of the time in time square. So this is pretty much the best time in the history of the world to be a missionary. The gospel is flooding the earth, in a way it never has before. 

And no, the people here do not have Thanksgiving so the decorate more for Christmas and actually start decorating en November so that everything is all decorated by December. 

Umm sadly I do not have a whole lot of time today because today we tried to see if they had shoes here in Colombia in my size because mine totally broke (like super duper uber broke) and I didn't want to wait for my package. So we went to like 10 stores and walked for hours and only found 2 pairs in my size and they were really expensive.

So i do not have a whole lot of time but I love you guys and talk to you next week
Elder Luke

PS: you should recognize the older woman in the back. We baptized her in Novermber. She and her daughter are posing with us. 

Global fans, deep thoughts, and dinosaurs

Hey Mom, 
there are some women in the branch who want your books so I don't know if any of your books are in Spanish.  One young women asked for Just one Wish and Deep Blue Eyes . . . But she also understands a little English if there aren't any in Spanish. She says that English would be fine. So yah, there are some people who want your books so idk if you could send some but I said that I would ask.

anyways love you

Elder Luke

After sharing an experience I had discussing some doctrine with someone who has decided to leave the church after 30 years, Luke made the following observations

Well that pretty much is why we can't be complacent and have the attitude that all is well in Zion. Because then we do not try do grow and build and strengthen ourselves. The first time that a trail or challenge comes, they fall. That is also why I am not going to raise my kids in Utah. Because the weakest missionaries I have seen come from there. Because they never see opposition (or they see a lot less of it) so they never grow. But something like that happened here in the mission. A missionary received a letter from his dad that said 115+ reasons why I have decided to leave the church. A lot of them were stupid.

It is interesting because in the war chapters in the Book of Mormon if you read it carefully you will realized that the biggest problems (for the Nephites) and the root of a lot of their problems were not the Laminates . . . the enemies were apostate Nephites

And so it is and so it will be with the church. I think it's because alot of people think all is well in Zion

Here are a few funny P-day fotos. Pretty random statues

God's plan of happiness

17 Nov 2014
Hey so I would like to share will you guys a couple of scriptures that I have found that you can use to talk about each point of the Plan of Salvation. 1) for your personal growth and 2) to help know where the doctrine is in the scriptures and 3) to help you explain better God's plan to others. I hope that you will take the time to look at each one of these scripture and I hope that you will put them in a scripture journal with your thoughts about them.

I am going to put the names in Spanish because it is easier for me. I will also explain a few things about some of the verses but you should really read this with your scriptures in hand to under stand it.  

THE PRE-EARTH LIFE / WHERE DO WE COME FROM?

jeremías 1:5 

efesios 1:4

1 pedro 1:19-20 these 3 scriptures talk about how people were called to a work before they were born or before the foundation of the world 

eclesiastes 12:7 the word return is deliberately used here meaning to go back to a place we have already been

proverbios 8:22-27 so who wrote proverbs... it was solomen proverbs 1:1

he is talking about himself here in these scriptures and verse 30 reveals to us that he took part in the creation of the world. this is cool because we have very few names of people who participated in the creation all though we know that many did.

moisés 3:5 (I think that this scripture is the most obvious but it can lead to other questions like whether rocks have spirits or a form of intelligence . . . also . . . there is a commandment that would shouldn't show the Pearl of Great Price to people who aren't believers... because the Book of Mormon is part of their test of faith. and if they don't have believe in the basics then the greater light is with held from them to their condemnation.  

(Also I do not have time to tell you all my thoughts about every scripture but if you have questions or want to know my thoughts about a specific scripture you can ask me and I will tell you

WAR IN HEAVEN

now I know that there are more scriptures in the Old Testament that talk about this topic about how Satan fell but i do not have them with me 

Apocolipsis/Revelaciones 12:3-9 Juan is a little symbolic cause that is just how he his . . . the dragon is Satan that is explained in vs 9 and the 3rd part of the stars are the 3rd part of the gods children that followed him. Satan's angels, the spirits who followed him, were considered angels until the were thrown out of the heaven

2 Nefi 2:17 it is always god to show that the Book of Mormon supports and clarifies many things of the Bible.

CHRIST CREATED THE EARTH UNDER THE DIRRECTION OF GOD

efesios 3:9

hebreos 1:1-3

colosenses 1:15-17 i think these are pretty self explanatory... but some people think that Christ creating the earth is a Mormon doctrine but it is really a Bible doctrine

THE FALL 

Wow I think that this is a topic that is hard to understand for many people. It is still something that I do not fully understand. It is really important to understand it. You need to understand the purpose of the creation of the earth but if you do not understand the Fall you will not be able to understand the Atonement. Anyways I do not have time to share with you all the scriptures I have about the fall with my comments

But here are a few:

2 Nefi 2:22-25 explains that it had to happen. Umm some day if you want I can send you the 10 (short pgs because my note book is small) of scriptures and comments from the bible supporting this Book of Mormon vs. bc there are some people who do not want to accept it but the short story is that it is true and that it had to happen. 

Some people think that Satan frustrated God's plan (and that God's plan was for all of us to be in the garden for ever) but lets examine that for a moment . . . God is all powerful and all knowing, so would it be possible to destroy the plan of an all knowing all powerful being? Especially if you are not all powerful and all knowing???? Ahhh no

So let's go back to 1 pedro 1:19-20. It explains that Christ was chosen to be the Savior of the earth before the earth was formed . . . before the garden . . . before Adam and Eve . . . before the fall. God already had a Savior . . . Why? Because He knew that it was going to happen, because it was part of His plan.

THE EXPIACIÓN OF CHRIST

2 nefi 2: 7-8 I think that this is one of my fav scriptures, especially about the atonement of Christ . . . while you are reading this ask yourself, 'what does grace mean? what does mercy mean? what to merits mean?'

juan 3:16

THE SPIRIT WORLD

juan 5:25 and 28

1 pedro 3:19-20

1pedro 4:6

alma 40: 11-12

THE RESURRECTION

acts 24:15

1 corintios 15:20-22

alma 40:23

SIDE NOTE!!!!!! some people think that Christ resurrected Lazuras (thanks to the Jehovah's Witnesses) but it is not true!!!!!!!!!!!!  It wasn't a resurrection, that was reviving. How do we know that? Because Christ was the first to resurrect. acts 26:23 and 1 corintios 15:20

FINAL JUDGEMENT (I don't remember if judgment has a 2nd e or not... but don't focus on the symbols on the pg focus on what they mean)

2 cort 5:10

3 ne 27:14

juan 5:22-23 mmm interesting

KINGDOMS OF GLORY 

D and C section 76

1 corintios 15:40-41

2 corintios 12:2 can there be a third heaven without a second and a first? no you can not. so there are 3 if you don't understand the verse I can explain it . . . Actually I will just do it now. It says Paul knows a man (the summery at the front tells us that it is Paul himself, but it is easier to explain it to someone by just saying that Paul knows the person) that 14 yrs ago had a vision. Then Paul says that he is not sure if the person was physical taken to the third heaven or only saw it spiritually. but God knows. The important part is that someone saw the 3rd heaven

Freak that is a lot but if you want to understand Gods plan for you better, you should study it and be valiant and not a lazy bum. because you will read in section 76 that el reino terrestre is for those who are not valiant

Love, Elder Luke

10 Nov 2014

Well I hope that everyone is doing well. I was a little sad to find out that there is no Thanksgiving in Colombia. I suppose that it makes sense because it has to do with the Pilgrams who came from England to the United States. But I always enjoy eating lots of delicious food and then sleeping on the couch. I suppose I did get one Thanksgiving on the mission in Washington so  that is pretty cool.  I just started realizing that i am on second and lasts with holidays. For example, I had my last Halloween of the mission. This past Halloween I was thinking, "oh so this is what Halloween is like in Colombia. Now i know what to expect for next year. Since it was my first one in Colombia I thought that I was going to get another one . . . and then I remembered the one I had in Washington. Sooo ya, that was a little weird.

I have 2 theories about the second coming. First, I think Christ will come on a rainy day because it rained Sunday and half of the branch didn't show up. And second, i think that it will be a General Conference. I mean how else is it going to be published to all the world. 

I was imagining that the other day. Someone from the First Presidency directing the meeting and saying we will now listen to the choir sing the Battle Hymn of the Republic and then Christ will address us . . . That would be pretty crazy. Like the time when we were in Hawaii and we all went snorkeling instead of watching Conferenece and Asenath was all upset that she couldn't go and then she told us that the missionary age had been lowered and we thought she was just trying to get back at us and then it really had but we didn't know because we were not watching . . . ya that was pretty embarrassing. 

So I had a bunch of scriptures that I wanted to share with you guys today about the plan of salvation but I forgot to bring my scripture journal so you I guess you won't get the knowledge that will almost take you to a high mountain where visions take place. But I will give it to you guys next Monday because it is tots bosssssssssssss

I lurvs you guys  

Elder Luke

Transfer - I'm Staying, but not my Companero

3 November 2014
Hey fam how is it going? So today there are transfers and my comp left. Tomorrow I will be with a new comp. Also I am now the District Leader but that pretty much means that I get to work more. But that is fine.

My comp and I had a baptism this week so that was awesome. 

los misioneros están felices a pesar del calor y bautismo 

One of the things that we started doing is singing hymns before every lesson. Our lessons seem to be more powerful when we do that. A women and her daughter decided to leave the church over something really stupid. The girl wanted to go to BYU but to get in she needs to go to seminary. She never went to seminary and then they went to the Branch President and asked him to sign off her seminary card thing saying that she had gone to seminary so that she could go. The President said he wouldn't (because that would be dishonest) and so they left the church . . . soooo yay. I am going to vist them tonight and will see how it goes. The church is really just starting here so there are always stupid things that happen. We will see how it goes.

We are still teaching bible classes in the church and it has been going pretty well. We have 4 to 6 people who attend regularly but hopefully more will come after this transfer. Were trying to teach the masses. Sooo that is what's up. I have to go and lets be honest I know that Asenath never reads the whole thing if it is long so I guess I will keep it short. 

Love you guys, Luke

Short and to the Point

October 27 2014
Hey mom everything is going great here. We should have a baptism this Saturday. My comp and I found a ton of people to teach this week so things are looking pretty good. Transfers are coming up and I will probably get a new companion. But we will see what happens.
Love, Luke