Week 25

Finally, some pictures! 

This is from 2 weeks ago, when he fell in this 'gutter' while showing off popping wheelies. 

He titled this one, 'Adventures in the Caves'. lol.

Slack lining in the Jungle. I think this Elder is cheating though...

Investigators kids, they really like to climb he said. 

Rock cairns after a baptism

Eating cook shop in the middle of the road like bosses. 

The sisters new convert

His district. His comps are the one in the front left, and the one you can barely see.

Luke as a gangster. I don't think he's pulling it off...

Week 22--Book of Mormon Balance

The new area I'm in is flat, windy as heck and very hot, with little rain, but I like it. People are a little better with mental comprehension here. My companion is Scottish and used to be in a gang and fight all the time, but he's way cool and way fun to be with and he's really nice and funny. I will enjoy serving with him.

Conference was really good, it answered a lot of the questions I had on my mind and was praying about. I felt like the general theme was enduring trials by way of faith, keeping the commandments and relying on Christ's atonement in all things. It really gave me a lot of hope. But seriously, every single talk went back to trials. I wonder if people are already going through trials or people are about to go through trials?

Luke's new district

We woke up at 4 in the morning to go to the caves in Linstead before I left to Old Harbor. It was way fun, I climbed this vine like a firemans pole. It was only like 2 inches thick and could hold my weight.

This is my district in Linstead before I got transferred.

This pic is a cow in the back of a truck with almost no securings:) hahaha.

The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion:) hahaha, this makes a great teaching visual:) it took me like 30 min to balance. The Jamaican kids who watched me build it thought I was magic:)

This picture is stew peas with rice, chicken foot and pigs tail, it was surprisingly good and I'm looking forward to the next time I'll be eating it:) They are actually quite delectable.

These are pictures of me and Elder Simpson, he's pretty short but really strong. We are the fastest missionaries on our bikes in our zone:) We race a lot --it's fun.

Outer Space

Hey Mom and Dad,

Today for Pday we woke up at 4 in the morning again to come to Ochi, it’s a tourist town with beaches and craft markets. I didn’t really find anything worth buying in the craft market but I’m excited to go to the beach after this:) I’ll send those pics next week.

It’s sad, but a good amount of people join the church here for support, but since no one really pays much fast offerings there’s never really anything to go around. I don’t know all the details, but it feels like the church out here doesn’t really get very much support from the US. 

It has been so hard out here! I’m not too  tired anymore though, I kinda got used to it, but teaching out here is crazy difficult since no one really has a desire to exercise faith and mostly just want to talk with the white guys and the china man. None of our investigators came to church again which was kinda discouraging, but I guess it’s the norm out here. God always lifts my spirits though. Like the other day, I went to the baptism of the sisters investigator, and wow, she went in glowing and came out shining! I could see she truly had faith to follow her Father in Heaven. I know God has people He wants me to meet out here, even if it’s not to baptize all of them, He still wants me to help them. I’ve never felt so much love for random strangers:) The peoples life style here is often really jacked --and it’s really starting to take a toll on me spiritually. It’s just a lot of darkness, but God is strengthening me by it, without a doubt and I feel I’m growing closer to him every day. 

We bike so much out here, probably like 10 miles or more a day sometimes. My companions have kinda crappy bikes, so they’re pretty slow and I ride ahead. I’ve gotten really good at wheelies-- then I tore a hole in my pants:) oops! Good thing you sent me with those patches! Thanks Mom:) 

I’ve been practicing meeting people and finding potential investigators. My favorite thing to do is to walk up to someone with a smile, pull out the Book of Mormon and say, "Hey! Have you ever seen one of these before?" It works pretty good! The other day, I met and made 7 appointments, which is a lot. But numbers don’t matter, out here it’s all about just helping people at least have a desire to show faith to God. Everyone is Christian, but no one wants to do anything about it. But there are a few we met and things are going well with. One of our investigators, named Kernel, we asked, “When do you want to get baptized?” and he just said, “Whenever you’re ready!!” and he was serious. He’s already read the Book of Mormon one and a half times. He was telling us though, that he wants to make this dramatic exit from his 7th Day church and try to bring some people with him, we just told to bring everyone who would come:)

Ok you will not believe what happened to me literally just now! This old lady came up from behind me and  just kissed me on the neck, and then said, “Do you remember me from outer space?” I was like, freak no lady! I’m writing an email!!! Holy crap, freakiest thing ever!!!!!! 

Me and my friend Elder Gordan, the Jamaican missionary who lives with us, are pretty good friends. Every night we sing an EFY song together and compare Jamaica to the US. We have a good time and I feel like we get each other. This is Elder Gordan and I in front of our house:) The other one is me and my companions on a bridge over a nice river.

Walking to the caves

Entrance to the caves, via tree roots and vines

Elder Fitkau climbing down

Luke climbing down

Inside the cave

Lots and lots of bats, it felt like they were going to run into your face the whole time!

Crazy rock formations inside the cave, it looked like an alien planet!

Oh and happy fathers day dad! I really am so grateful to have my best friend as my Dad. Love you guys.

Caving and Spirit Juice

Hey Mom,

So first things first, and I'm really sorry, but no pictures this week! We are at a bush internet cafe, but next week for sure! 

For P Day today we woke up at 4am in the morning to go caving! Wow! It was so cool! We hiked through the jungle and then climbed down vines into a 20 ft. hole, and then went like 2 miles down into this cave full of bats and crystal stalagmites. Wow, it was sooooooo cool! Especially climbing the vines on the way out. 

It's so hard out here, I'm totally tired every day, but when I teach someone, the Spirit just blasts me in the face with Spirit juice until at the end of the lesson I'm crying. I cry like every day in front of my investigators. The other day our investigator named Anesha said I was emotional and all I could do was agree, as I choked through the prayer. :) I love helping everyone out here, I just hope God blesses me with the ability to teach in a way that might soften their hearts enough to accept the joy that comes from coming closer to God. It's amazing! 

God has really been teaching me how to trust him with my learning. He's taught me how to be teachable from everything. He's also really taught me a lot of sacrifice. A LOT! Freak, I feel like I could go through anything and be able to keep giving, which is such a blessing because all I want to do is serve and make others happy. :) But it is starting to take a toll on me, living in a house with five guys! :) But who cares? It's amazing out here in they ghetto bush country. I love it and I love all the people here! Every day I feel more tired than the day before but every day I want to yell louder and louder that Christ lives!!!! And that God loves them!!!! Wow, such a wonderful time! 

Well anyway, that's about it. Our investigators are all doing pretty good for the most part and we had the first stake conference in Jamaica yesterday. A 70 gave a pretty great talk about sacrifice, which was definitely for me. 

Love you all so much,

Luke