The people and the food are the best!

Life's the same here, more food, more work, and more blessings!  I started to get a little lazy in my workouts and gained five pounds, so I kicked it up and lost seven... My body doesn't know how to work normally.  It's great though, I'm still keeping tone and everything!  I'm eating more than the islanders, but my waistline is just getting slimmer!  I guess my metabolism is going crazy from all of the food!  I'm watching what I eat, and not going to fast food places, no fizzys (soda), and tons of abs!  It's made my studies more meaningful and I have actually been learning a lot more than I did when I first got out here!  I'm getting a deeper and stronger understanding of the gospel every day!  I've been reading the Book of Mormon for the last two weeks, and I'm only to 1 nephi 20!  I've been diving in like crazy!  I know the stories, and I know the characters, now I'm finding all of the little overlooked details that really sets it apart from a story book with doctrinal details.  An in-depth study of the Book of Mormon really increases your testimony of the power of the priesthood.  How Joseph Smith was able to translate the golden plates without even looking at them at times and come out with a book that has so much depth and so many meanings to it only shows that we are just instruments.  It isn't how fast I can run, high I can jump, or even how much I have read that can convert somebody.  It can only be the same spirit that told Joseph Smith the right words to say that can speak to any kind of person through print on a page.  The answers are all found in 531 pages, you just have too look deeper some times more than others.  It's a simple testimony of the Book of Mormon that I have to give, but I don't need any more than that.

This week we set three people for baptism in February!  This area hasn't had any baptisms in over 4 months, and we got three!  I have a great companion, and he is leading the area and district amazingly!  We were able to speak with President Rudd this week, and he told me that he saw us as a very powerful and effective companionship.  This week on Thursday is the transfer meeting, and we will get a call Tuesday night if we're going to be transferred out of the area.  We have had so many great things happen to us here, it would be sad to leave, but it would also be exciting to see what else there is out here in Aotearoa!  It's a beautiful country, and I'm stuck in the city, but it's alright!  I'm loving it here!

The mailing address that I gave you goes to the mission office.  The mission office then gives the mail once a month to the Zone Leaders and they give it to the Elders in their zone.  It takes a while for the mail to get to us, so don't be surprised if you don't hear of me getting any for a while.  I haven't gotten any pictures through email yet though!  I don't know why you're not sending them!  Oh, and I bought a new camera.  It's a sony... I like cannons better.  I wont break this one though...

I'm loving it out here!  Everything is great! I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!  The people are amazing, and the food just follows after!  Thank you for everything, and I love you all!

Elder Lukens

I love it here

Yeah mom told me about the new film!  I wish I could see it.  Oh well, I'l see it eventually.  The work here is going great, our zone has reached the 10 baptism goal/month twice in a row now!  Apparently, our zone leaders have the highest baptizing ward in the mission!  They are doing great, one almost every week!  I'm going to get to that point eventually!  They taught 30 lessons last week too!  They plan their time very well!  I have a lot I can learn from them!  Nothing too special has really happened with us in this last week.  We were walking down the street and a member at a fruit stand gave us a watermelon though!  We saw watermelons the other day for $30!  So that was pretty nice of them.  We need more people like that in the world! I'm going to give you a challenge!  When you drive around, look for opportunities to stop and help people!  Tell me how it goes next week!  We have been giving our members a lot of commitments and challenges, and they're getting all motivated to do the work too now!  I can see how Indiana helped prepare me for here!  The techniques our Elder's quorum president came up with work great over here!  We still have a long way to go, but a long journey always starts with one step!  I think we've taken a little more than one by now, but I still see a long path ahead! The chance not to worry about anything else and just work is great!  I always find myself doing productive things!  I can't wait for the blessings promised to come!  They probably won't be at once, but gradual, but I can't wait to be where I have always wanted to be!  And even then it probably won't be enough.  I just love seeking for knowledge and learning new things in any way possible!   I've really seen instant blessings from the Holy Ghost happen plenty of times when I get irritated at my companion for taking my stuff or leaving the dishes for me to clean.  I remember that anger is only from the devil, and I feel so much more at peace, because I have been set apart to be like Jesus.  As soon as I realize how I want to feel, and it's a righteous desire, the Spirit does the rest.  It's so cool!  I never knew that the spirit could be so active and obvious in my life like that!   I love it here, and I love the spirit and faith that everyone has here. I love my mission president, and I love my companion.  I feel myself becoming more Christlike all the time.  I see my prayers answered, and I feel the spirit.  I love it! Thank you for everything! -Elder Lukens

Hi.

Nothing too special has happened this week.  We got three new
investigators though!  that was a miracle.  This week was slow and
steady, but we ended up with a lot more success than we originally
expected!  I'm just looking forward to eating!  I skipped breakfast
because Elder Witt used the last eggs to try and make cookies... Which
didn't work.  Oh well!  I don't have anything good to share this week,
but I'll just share a scripture.  Hebrews 13:2.  Don't be afraid to
help strangers, because many people have actually attended to angels
without knowing it.  Just like Jesus came to his apostles on the road
in Luke 24, he can hide our sight from them as angels, and just being
regular beings.  Angels are always coming to the Earth, so by serving
everyone you can, you may be serving angels!  I love how thin the veil
really is!

I'll consider it a miracle that I left the states at the time I did.
I would much rather have this weather, even if it means a warm
Christmas!  Thanks for everything, and I love you!  Sorry I'm not up
for a long quality letter, I'm too hungry to focus haha!

-Elder Lukens

Happy New Year!

I don't know if I've ever seen pictures of you at that age!  That's weird to see!  Haha so my camera broke, so I'm just going to buy one out here.  The only ones that aren't 20$ ones for kids are around 150$.  So I'm just going to spend some from my chase account.  I love the quotes that you send!  I just like good quotes I guess!  I use them all the time!  I wrote one down from President Uchdorf saying that the best place to start is where we are right now, and that the darkness won't all dissipate at once, but surely as night always gives way to dawn, the light will come.  He hung it up on his wall and tells me how much he loves it every time we see him!  Liken that to a financial situation!  A sunrise is a slow and gradual change.  Like our faith, it happens in such a way that we don't even notice it until we are able to look around and see so much better.  It's a very comforting concept to see how much brighter everything is than it was earlier, especially when I feel like I am walking in darkness.  The parable of the mustard seed also gives me comfort.  Because a seed can grow into such a tree, birds can find shelter and safety in it.  The faith that I can bring to people can give them comfort and a place to go in times of worry!  I think that is a reason I was sent here.  I have learned that faith is something simple.  I am simple enough to believe that Heavenly Father can travel anywhere He wants.  I am simple enough to believe that He will answer my prayers if I'm obedient to His commandments.  I love the simple yet overwhelming faith that the islanders have here.  It's just so simple.

I can't wait to see the promise of the youth and others manifest itself too!  That will probably be something gradual that when I look around I can see it, but not with my forward tunnel vision.  Sometimes I just want to walk backwards so I can see how much I have done.  So I can see what I have accomplished, but like Edward Dube said in the last conference, Never look back.  A man putting his hand to the plow and looking back is not fit for the kingdom of God.  I don't think the Brother of Jared was comparing his past experiences when he took the stones to be illuminated.  He just kept looking forward with a simple but overwhelming faith that he knew would only bring him higher.  I want to be like them.  The less a man knows, the more necessity for revelation he haves!  But I've learned that the more knowledge you receive, the less you know in proportion.  1 Cor 3:18, Nobody is wise.  Everything I am looking to learn is what I can teach, and what else there is to learn!  Studying is much more exciting when you're not just searching through doors, but opening as many as you can!  sometimes I write for a whole hour study period and I've just peeked into another door!  I love this gospel!  You never stop learning!  At the same time, D&C 121:45 tells us the Doctrines of the priesthood shall distill upon your soul as the dews of heaven if you have charity towards all men.  BAM!  Learning without studying!  I'm so excited to learn everything out here!  

I absolutely love the scriptures.  I love Hymns.  I love quotes.  I love gospel discussions.  I LOVE THE SPIRIT!!!  The excitement that He gives me just can't be compared to any other experience I have ever had, so what's the use in looking backwards?  BAM!  Everything fits.  Everything testifies of Jesus Christ.  I love it!!!

I'm learning a ton, I'm eating a ton (and exercising), and I'm rambling a ton.  I'm sure you can understand my feelings.  President and Sister Rudd are great!  I talk with them a ton when we have a conference or any other opportunity.  I've gotten to know them pretty well, and they always get excited when they see me coming their way too.  I guess we were friends before or something, because we can just talk forever!

The holiday season has settled down, so I hope more people will be home!

Thank you for everything, I love you!

Elder Lukens