Christmas is all about Jesus

December 7, 2015

Well this week was a good one as usual!
Monday we went to the pentagon which was pretty sweet. We then went to the pentagon mall where we didn't meet a single crazy person! Can you believe it?! We couldn't. We did run into a guy with Thor like hair that we thought was gonna bash for sure but ended up telling us about a book he read that talked about Utah preppers and how they've got things figured out. He then asked us if we got any converts at the pentagon. We laughed and said no and then he said oh well if anyone
needs Jesus it's those guys. It was funny and a relief because we were all waiting for a slammer. Tuesday we had district meeting which was on Christlike attributes and on how we can improve then it rained all day.
Wednesday we went and bought me a new tire since my parkour biking skills caused too much strain on my tube. It rained all day but we tried contacting some people but had no luck.
Thursday elder cox went to a meeting so I went on a trio in Vienna. It was fun, but we had no car or bikes so it was a little difficult.  But that night we got a car! We get it till transfers which is this coming Thursday. It's been super nice. We've been able to contact tons of potentials and referrals and get places and it's so nice! Friday we spent the morning helping set up for the McLean 1st ward Christmas party, had a meeting, then spent all afternoon taking car of car stuff. So we got a car from the Spanish, and they sometime can be a little lazy, so we had to take care of a ticket they got a few days before as well as getting the car stickers so it can park in falls church. It took all day and a bunch of phone calls but we got it figured out. (We lost the car this morning... Some sisters totaled theirs somewhere so we had to give it up. One of the Spanish elders went home because his passport expired and the other went to a trio till transfers). We had a super awesome lesson with Gustavo and Cinthya that night. We just shared a Christmas message and talked with them and they just talked a
lot about how they feel with the Mormon church and that they like it all. It was sweet. Gustavo said there was no way he'd ever quite coffee then elder cox said something about God saying so and he was just like ok, I'll work on it. It was funny and really cool to see.We don't have a baptism date for Gustavo and cinthya because they're not married.
Saturday we went to a member baptism then did some contacting with our fancy new car. Then we went to the McLean 1st Christmas party. Even setting up we could tell, but it was the most intense Christmas party I've ever been apart of! I'll send pictures. It was crazy But super cool!
Sunday we had church as always. We were all stoked to use ournew car that we hopped right in and drove ourselves to the ward council meeting they don't have on fast Sunday's.... Our mistake. After we met with Mr. Grant and had a decent lesson with him. W committed him church next week so we're praying he'll keep to it! Then we went to the Christmas devotional. It's been a pretty good week so we're not complaining. Thanks for all your love and support. I know the church is true and I'm thankful for it everyday.
Love, Elder Lucas
PS The people here are putting lights up and some people actually get decently festive. I wish there was snow here, but there won't be till like January or February.

                           

The Power of Prayer

So yeah our pday was bumped to today because we had half mission conferences on Monday and Tuesday and meetings for leaders Wednesday so they wanted to have the whole mission on the same pday. So we get one today and Monday! The training was really good. Elder Perkins of the 70 came and was doing the training. It was focused a lot on boldness and quickness. We need to be bold in our approaches but not offensive and quick to get the message across so we don't bore people. It was super good but super long. We were there from 8am to 4pm. We were fed though so it wasn't too bad I suppose. These last two weeks have been decent. Jorgé, the 15 yr old, hasn't been keeping commitments and continually bails on us. Most likely because he's 15... He's super interested but doesn't care enough to act. We're kind of just dropping him and seeing if the young men's president can do anything with him and the other priests. Gustavo and his family, the Bolivians with the 2 yr old, are still doing super good. They couldn't make it to church but have been reading the Book of Mormon and have questions and like the way things are going. They keep inviting us over so it's been super awesome. We hope things will continue to progress. Mr grant, the black guy with tons of strange questions, has been continuing to ask questions but we go over at like 8 and it's way too late and he's only available on Sunday's so we have to wait a week to go back. So we're still trying to get things worked out with him. But he's asked for stuff to read from the Book of Mormon which is awesome.
This day light savings thing is killing us... As soon as the sun starts going down people here say "oh it's way too late guys I'm not interested" or "I'm going to bed you guys need to come by during the
day" (they're not home during the day because work) or "I just put my
kids to bed" or many others which are are all valid excuses except for when the sun goes down at 4:30????? People say that, then we look at our watches and go ummmm ok.... We'll try by another day.... That's always pretty rough.. And to make it worse people don't answer doors, phones, or any form of communication because it's waaayyy too late if the Suns going down. It probably sounds like a lot of complaining but it's how it works here.. And if we don't have pre-planned lessons with members we don't have anything to do all evening... It can be quite the struggle...
We're having tons of fun and I'm still learning lots but it's just super frustrating.. Nothing real crazy has happened. Halloween consisted of the zone eating food and watching cokeville miracles. Which was actually really good! The movie, not Halloween.. Highly recommend watching it. The power of prayer is remarkable and I see it all the time here.
DC was pretty sweet! We just went through a few museums and hung out as a missionaries. We were walking down the street and some guy with a cool tie walks by so we're like hey that's a cool tie and he responded with find the real Jesus... We were just like really.... Really bro? You had to stoop down there after we complimented you?? Oh the love we get for saving people.. Jk things are going good and I'm loving it. I hope all is well at home and thanks for your continual love and support. I know the church is true and I love it
Love elder Lucas

I miss the snow! We have zone activities like every transfer. We can
go to DC once a transfer. And the zone leaders are always in charge.
It'll be cool to have two close pdays. Yeah I'm doing good and am nice
and settled. And yes happy. Sometimes it can be hard because but I'm
doing good.​

Everything is Awesome!

October 26, 2015

This week was super busy! Monday we had pday and we had a zone activity where we played games and bonded. Our zone is super awesome! Most the missionaries say it's their favorite zone so far so for me that means I might not be so lucky in the future.. But here's hoping it continues. I have an awesome zone, district, apartment, and companion and hopefully that continues! Tuesday we had exchanges with a different elder and we just did some stuff in their area. It was fun
and is always nice. Wednesday we finished up exchanges and tried to contact some potential people but had no luck.. We never do.. Thursday we had a return and report meeting with all the missionaries that came in with me. We basically got together with all the trainers and trainees and discussed and ate and talked with president. That took up most the day. It was sweet to see the MTC homies again though! We then finished up the day by trying to meet with people we had appointments with but some people are bums and they fell through... Friday we had a leadership mtg and then again tried contacting people... We did have a ward fall festival with tons of inactives and non members which was sweet! Saturday we went to baptism for a convert and then went to lunch with the office elders. Then went tracting in the afternoon and had no success. Sunday was busy as always. We were at church most the day and had an awesome dinner/game night with a part member family. We had an awesome nerf war with the kids. The kids wall has so many nerf guns it's insane and super awesome! We shared a lesson of course afterward though. It was just a fun one.
Today we are headed into DC to do something. Not sure what yet but I'm sure it'll be sweet. The
baptism Saturday was awesome! So elder cox and a previous companion of his had the opportunity to teach Kenny, a black gangster, and go all the way through to baptism. Kenny is super cool and strong in the church! He's also flipped his life around and is way happier now. He's been a convert now for about a year. One thing he said to us a little while back was that the church must be true because we're always learning stuff when we go and you can always feel something which I thought was kind of cool. So his nephew came to stay with him a few weeks ago and say how Kenny has changed and wanted to have that change in his life. So elder huffaker and elder marshal started teaching him
and he has been super excited to learn and become a member of the church. It's been sweet to talk with him. As for the baptism part, Kenny was able to baptize him which was super awesome and he was super excited but super nervous. He kept forgetting the words so we had to keep reminding him. I took him 5 times to baptize his nephew because he was hardly even getting immersed and there was always stuff sticking out but even though they were both quite embarrassed it was sweet to see the importance of the ordinance. They kept trying because words have to be said right and the person has to be properly dunked. It was a cool experience and the spirit was definitely felt. Drick, pronounced dreke, his nephew, short for roydrickas, is super happy with what he's done and wants his girlfriend and family to be baptized too which will be cool in the near future. Elder cox and I have worked
super close with huffaker and marshal throughout the transfer so that's how we've been able to work close with Kenny. Over all though all of our lessons fell through this week but the family we've started teaching came to church and want us over for dinner this week so we're pretty stoked about that!:) so yeah, that's my week real quick.
Somehow we've ended up with 3 boxes of pizza and three big containers of Mac and cheese... We're gonna get so fat... But it's whatever I guess. At least if we die tomorrow we won't be upset for not pigging out. Our apartment is at a 90 degree angle of another building and the apartment right next to ours has a guy (old) that likes to tan in a speedo so that's kinda gross... I've also learned giving away book of Mormons can be super fun. We were at a red light and the guy next to us had his window down so I rolled down mine (we were in the back of a van. Don't worry, we definitely don't have the luxury of having a vehicle...) and I asked if he wanted a Book of Mormon and he said sure so hopped out, gave him one, said have a good day, and hopped back in. It was dope. Church is true.
Oh I just remembered. We were chillin in Wendy's with some other missionaries after an exchange and some Asian guy came in a just stood in the door way preaching something. We have no idea what he said but it was really funny and we're sure he was totally roasting us but we don't know. Everyone there was very confused while we were laughing pretty hard. So yeah. There's my crazy
story for the week. It's been a good one and flown by like always. I hope all is well at home and thanks for all your prayers. The power of prayer is amazing and we'd definitely be doomed without it... The Church is true and watching people progress is an amazing thing. I'm definitely thankful for this opportunity even if some days it's prettyrough being here.
Until next time- keep Reading, keep praying, always go to church, and order us take out. 7700 random run lane, falls church, VA 22042 apt 203 ;)
Lover elder Lucas

The Spirit Directs and Testifies

October 19, 2016

Well this week flew by like always. Which I'm always thankful for. Not a ton happened this week. We had a lot of meetings and different things going on. Also some of our appointments bailed on us so we didn't teach a whole lot. On a crazy note, we met with a lady who said she had only like 20 minutes but then proceeded to take an hour explaining the spiritual journey she went on for 8 months where she didn't work or do anything but wander around visiting churches and pastors and preachers (never went to the Mormon church) and praying and reading the bible.. She also told us about some crazy vision she had which was quite fascinating. It was funny. The interesting thing though is when you hear cool spiritual experiences you normally get a story with the spirit but in this case it was just a story. Just going to prove the spirit directs and testifies of truth and truth only. It was a very interesting experience. We had nothing to say afterward. She doesn't believe Mormonism or that the Book of Mormon is real. So we said well thanks for talking and left. We probably won't go back..
On a positive note We're teaching a new family. And I don't know their last names... A guy, his girlfriend, and their two year old son. They're from Bolivia and they're super awesome. We started talking about the Book of Mormon and the girlfriend said she wants to read it and come to church so we were pretty stoked. They've always liked how nice Mormons are and how we actually live what we preach. They're super cool and we're excited to keep teaching them.
Zafar has been sent home to Pakistan so he's no longer investigating... Which we are a bit upset about. Jorge hasn't been answering his door or phone so that's kind of the pits... And mr. Grant also hasn't answered his door or phone.. So yeah. A bit of a rough week.
Oh another positive note! I finished the Book of Mormon this morning. I started the first day in the field which I thought was pretty cool. Reading it straight through without much stopping has definitely helped me get a better understanding of where things are as well as the story as a whole. I was pretty happy and will probably try to do it again fairly quick. It's definitely getting cold here. I love it! The fall here is not very good but I'm glad it's finally cooling off. I'm short on time today because we are doing a zone fall activity.
Everything is going well and I'm happy to be here. The church is true and I hope all is well back home.
Love elder Lucas

An epiphany moment

October 12, 2015

Well hello again
So first off I'll start with a funny story. The Vienna elders, in our zone, elder judkins and elder baulk, were making phone calls this week and they got to some guy and his wife. Something Rasmussen and his wife Kate kelly. Knowing it sounded familiar but not sure why elder baulk called them up and asked for brother Rasmussen. In return he got "that's my husband but I'm Kate Kelly may I ask who's calling?" His reply, still wondering why she was familiar, said "oh hi, I'm elder baulk from the Vienna ward and we're just calling because we want to get to know our members better. Is there a time we could come meet with your family?" Her response was "well first off I was excommunicated last year and secondly I now live it Utah." He said oh.. Ok.. Well have a nice day.. Thanks. Being quite puzzled he just moved on to the next person in the list. A few hours later a member of the bishopric called and asked" did one of you just call Kate Kelly?" Elder baulk was like "yeah! Who in the heck is she? The name sounds super familiar" he then informed them who Kate Kelly was and as they started laughing the bishopric member told them that she posted on Facebook about the elders calling her. Still laughing they looked her up. The comments are a bit ridiculous but here's the post that made our whole zones day. It was quite hilarious when he was telling us the story. He know remembers where the name came from. We read a lot of the other comments and they were quite sickening.. Sadly..

As for the rest of my week it went really well. We've continued to meet with some members and we picked up a new family we're excited to start teaching. Zafar has basically disappeared but George is doing really well and said yes to baptism! We were pretty stoked about that. We did a lot of service this week as well which has been fun for the most part. So we're also trying to figure out if answering doors here is unorthodox or if people are deaf or if the whole state's been out of town for the last month... What ever it may be, people are just never home here. Doesn't matter the day or time, they're not home. We've got tons of names of people to visit but we've not been able to get ahold of any of them! It's ridiculous.

Elder cox and I are still getting along super well and it's been awesome! It's made the this whole missionary thing much more enjoyable. I've been learning tons from studies which has been grand,
and also feeling the spirit a lot which has also been grand. We met a man named mr. Grant. He's the guy we had answers to questions for and he was super happy we were able to answer all his so far questions. It was pretty sweet and were hopefully going back soon. I had me first real door slam experience. We've had some decent ones, but this one was top notch and my feel goods are still hurtin. The funny thing is a while back he referred himself to the missionary referral database and
apparently can't seem to figure out why the missionaries keep showing up. We haven't had any new bashers, just door slammers. I also learned that the McLean bible church has their main meeting every week and then also their "how to beat the Mormons" service which I want to attend. It's kinda ridiculous but whatever makes them happy I suppose.

It's actually getting kind of cold some days which is good compared to the blistering heat we've had. The fall definitely isn't as good here in the east. But it's close. I miss the mountains and having any sense of direction. The roads here are so insane. They follow no patterns and go all over the place and the drivers here are the worst in the world!

I had a pretty cool epiphany moment, as I was falling asleep on the couch, as to why I'm here and why I know the church is true. It was pretty cool. I basically just realized that I'm gone for 2 years and away from family and friends and I'm either starving or bloating and I only get to communicate once a week and people are often mean and a lot Catholics are not saints and it's really hot a humid and I'm always exhausted and everybody honks and the hurricanes are lame and everything is expensive and we don't have a car... But I'm happy. All this stuff that could be unpleasant, but I'm happy and Im enjoying what we do and if it wasn't true we'd all be classified as psychos and
I wouldn't be as happy as I am. Just an interesting thought I had one day. It also kept me awake because I got up and wrote it down. It also made me think about why we're happy as Mormons in general and those thoughts have helped me help explain to others why we're so much happier or why we do the things we do. So a challenge to everyone I suppose, think of how best to describe why you're happy as a Mormon and what makes you know the church is true. Even more so than just the
typical oh I feel the spirit.

And yeah, that's basically what went down this week. It's been a good one. Oh if you have any easy, cheap, and filling snack ideas or recipes please email away! Oatmeal cream pies, Oreos, and Raman aren't quite fitting for that category.. We've been eating fruit and sandwiches but that's about all we got. Slow progress, but a good one!
The church is true without a doubt and I love the work. Not necessarily the state or the people, but definitely the work. Time's flying but I still have forever.. That's something I'm still workin on
getting over.. But other than that all is well. Thanks all for the emails and all the love and support.

First area - Falls Church Virginia

 

 

I'm here to stay

October 5, 2015

First of all happy late birthday mom!!! I didn't get the chance to say it last week! Hopefully it was grand. Thanks for all you do and your continued support. Ice thought a lot about all you've done for me over the years and I truly appreciate it. I'm definitely a much better person for it. So thanks for all you do. As for the wether yes it's been awful.. We didn't and don't tract much. The people here are
seriously the meanest and nothing good comes from it. Thank you Adam for the letters! I've meant to respond but I've been busy. I really do love to know what's going on. Thank you all for your emails and letters. Things are grand. I'm still definitely homesick but it's a lot different now. I'm here to stay and enjoying it. Even though people are evil. As for music. As long as it isn't too intense or anything and is clean it's fine. They're not super strict about it as long as it's not distracting or taking from the spirit. We listen to a lot of movie sound tracks like batman and inception and superman and Star Trek and Disney songs are always good. just things like that and just soft nice songs or ones without crazy beats. Id get my own but I have no way to.. I haven't sent the pants, but I will when I get the
chance. As for Julie's package. I talked to our mail lady and if there was no apartment address it'd go back to post office for a few days then back to the sender. As long as you put apartment 203 on it I will get it. The correct post office is out of the area so we can't go to it. It least not without talking to the zone leaders and it's super far away. It's also getting quite nippy here and I don't have a coat..
Or even a jacket.. Were you going to send something out? Or do I need to just go buy one? Will you email me pics of the motorcycle and our car wreck pictures. Ive thought a lot about that wreck and how the thoughts I had before we wrecked were probably promptings rather than just my own thoughts and how I should've listened to it and said something... So a lesson for all, never hesitate to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost whether they seem ridiculous or not. Like the scripture say if it's good it comes from God so if it's good, let it be known. Our gym is garbage which stinks and 6:30 is super early, but things are going good and I'm feelin the spirit nice and strong.
Keep reading and keep praying even if it seems hopeless. I finished the Book of Mormon in the MTC (didn't start in the MTC) and will probably finish it again before the transfer. Our apartment is super
nice and clean and seeing the other apartments makes me super sad I'll have to leave this one.. Missionaries are slobs and disgusting creatures that trash everything. Elder cox and I are still getting
along super well and it's awesome and been really nice. We're still getting things going but it's been good. We're still working on a car because the area is huge and I still don't have a bike. But yeah. Oh
so dad there are tons of porches and corvettes and the basics like mustangs and cameros and chargers and challengers and pretty cool bmws. I havent seen any but there are tons lambos and ferraris around. There's a Porsche store and a super sweet Aston Martin store close which is cool. We saw an I8 bmw which are way nice. You should get some. Everyone's loaded here which is why a lot of them are heartless.
Hope all is well at home and everyone is happy
Elder Lucas

 

Found on Facebook

October 2, 2015

 

P-day service activity

Companion is at 10:00 from Parker

It's an adventure!

September 28, 2015

Hello everybody! This week flew by! It feels like I was just writing. Hopefully it's been a good week for all. Were to start.... Um so the Indian ended up being not an Indian from India but instead a paki from Pakistan. I have no idea what they're called. But we talked to him and went over the first lesson with him and found out that he's been reading the Book of Mormon, gospel principles, and for some reason started reading the bishops and stake presidents Manual. He's super smart and is basically just learning everything he can about the church which is awesome! So like the great missionaries we are we committed him to baptism on October 3rd! It was awesome and he is totally prepared and we were super excited! I use the word "were" because he came to church yesterday, like he has been, but informed us that he might be going out of town tues or Thursday and doesn't know when he'll be back... If at all... So yeah we basically just sat there and didn't even know what to do or say... So we're crossing our fingers and praying he decides to stay a bit longer so we can get him baptized... He's a golden investigator for sure and we might be losing him. We do have another though His name is George and he's 15 years old and he's interested in what we have to say. We taught him the first lesson and yesterday the second and believes it and wants to keep learning and we are still working with him. So we're hoping he feels of the truthfulness and we can get him baptized.
Other than that the wards slowly coming together. These last two weeks they've sustained like 50 people so things are a bit slow but the members are awesome and friendly which is a huge relief because the average virginianite is an insensitive bafoon.. We've done some good amounts tracting and the people here are heartless... We've also been doing a lot of member contacting and the active ones are really nice and some inactives are nice but a lot of the inactives are grumps. One guy told us that he keeps telling all us Mormons he'll come back when he wants to and how he's tired of telling people that... We thought about telling him a crazy way of changing that but we didn't. Another
told us he's not a member anymore because he wasn't gone in 15 years. We were just like actually buddy you are, you're just a pile of a member. All in all the people of Virginia are evil. Their license
plates all say "Virginia is for lovers" but it's a lie. A lot of them are Presbyterian or Jewish or Catholic and as soon as they see us they tell us which still doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. "Hi we're
missionaries from the chur....oh I'm Catholic" and we just sit there like ok well what's your point? "Um that's cool we're Mormon, can we finish?" And in the case that they're  Catholic, which is quite often, having the pope in town has sure made things difficult... Everyone we try to contact is constantly talking about the pope and his majesty. Did I mention they're heartless?  After one pretty horrendous day of tracting we were enjoying the wifi of a local target and a lady (non
member) said hi to us then told us how amazing we are and how she knows it's gotta be so tough but that we're amazing for doing what we do. It was pretty awesome. It made my day. Then she bought us soup. It was beyond disgusting but it was thoughtful and we were happy. My happy day lasted a whole 2 minutes though because a guy walked past us and said quite rudely "the pope says hi..." We both about jumped up and beat him to the ground but we refrained due to our name tags and our increasing Christ like attributes.
Another "fun" experience: we were sitting at Wendy's enjoying wifi and lemonade and a big weird lookin guy came in and sat down at the table next to us and plopped down a bible and were were both just thinking great... Here it comes... So he started asking us why Joseph smith wrote another bible so we started to explain and he kept ignoring and hammering us with questions about him writing a new bible. We said something though ,without bashing, that made him stop talking. It was cool. He paused for only a moment though and started asking us about random crap and telling us what he believed. He told us of these crazy experiences he's had where God showed himself to him and told him things and some other random stuff. We just sat there smiling. He then drilled us on how the New Testament is correct and asked us, with sincere intent of destroying us, if we'd ever read the New Testament. And we both chuckled and said yes actually we have. It caught him off guard but only for a sec because he was quite persistent in finding out if we'd ever read revelation and again we chuckled and said yes, we believe fully in the New Testament and revelation.... He was stumped for a moment but failed again to shut his ever flowing mouth. He kept telling us how the New Testament is right and that we need to read it and how he knows some Mormons that were reading it and
teaching from it and that they were telling everyone about it and how people were upset because they were reading the New Testament???... He was psycho and we really messed up his plans of roasting us so he wasn't making much sense. In the end we said we had to leave and he told us not to teach falsely or we'd end up in a burning lake of fire with Moroni. We were upset but after a while got a good laugh out of it. And now we think it was quite hilarious.
One last quick thing. Our planning is often crazy and and random last second stuff but it always ends up working and people tell us how good our timing is and how good our lessons are and how we came at the right time and it's awesome to see how God has plans for everyone and everything is in motion even if it seems completely random.  So that's been an awesome thing to experience. God knows what he's doing and everything will always work out. Alma 26:27
Those are just a few of the interesting things we've experienced. And to clear up the "enjoying wifi" phrase I use. Most apartments have wifi in the leasing offices that missionaries use/need to update area books and maps and lds tools and check emails and such but ours doesn't have wifi so we have to go out about 3/4 a mile to Wendy's because it's the closest. Or target when we were in the area.
All is well. The work is good. Slow and hurtful but good. We're still trying to figure things out and we're out of money and have maybe/hopefully enough food till next pay day and pday... We had 29.73 to buy food today for the week...But it's fun and an adventure. Raman, cereal, sandwiches, and snacks are wonderful. As for this vs the MTC, this is much better. The MTC was nice but it's also nice to be out here learning and growing and doing as we please (all good obedient things of course). I hope all is well at home and that everything is going ok. I love you and miss you all. The church is true and the gospel is great. It's been rough at times but the scriptures can be life savers. So read and pray and endure to the end. If you don't... you end up in Virginia. Jk but for real
Elder  Lucas

P.S. We should be able to go to a members house for conference but we might also go to the church. We're not sure yet. The members are super nice and welcoming. At least the active ones are.. The wards huge but there aren't a lot of active members. The only ones we're teaching are Zafar and George. We've had no other luck. We do have a bunch of referrals that we're hoping will pay off though. We've bought some food. But we don't have much. Next week we should be able to buy a bunch because we'll get paid again. 165 a month... The elders bike I'm using has a car. We're working on getting one though because our ward/area is huge and there are tons of main roads. It's about 4ish miles from top to bottom. Maybe a little bit more. And 2ish miles wide more in some areas. We're living near the bottom of the area. And yes we wear helmets. We have to. Nothing super spiritual has happened but it's definitely been awesome to see gods effect and love in everyone's lives and in helping us connect with people and meet their needs. And nothing scary or crazy has happened. All is well. Some days are a struggle but they go quick and we're staying busy. My companions still awesome and we work really well together. I don't need anything. But I did get the pants and do
love the letters and emails and pictures. Will you send me a picture of the motorcycle. But yeah everything is good.

Virginia is for Lovers!

September 21, 2015

Hello everyone! 

Sorry I haven't been able to email... The way pday was in the MTC and now here in Virginia through things off. So first things, the MTC was awesome but I'm very glad to be out of it. We woke up at 1:30am on the 16th to leave at 2:30. We got on the plane about 5:30 and after a layover in Minneapolis we made it to Reagan airport at about 2:00 pm eastern time. It was a long and very boring flight but flying into DC was pretty sweet. We saw the monuments and pentagon and lots of trees. We then went straight to the Jefferson memorial to take pics for our families and to look around for a second or two. Afterward we got back in the scalding vans dripping with sweat and so tired we wanted to die. We went to president huntsmans house ate dinner had interviews and finally made it to our hotel by 10ish. We were all so exhausted we could barely stay awake for anything. I don't know if they were trying to kill us, scare us, or if they thought it was funny but a few of us kept looking at each and were seriously wanting to run away. It was intense and I thought for sure it was going to be the worst 2 years of my life... Either way we were dead to the world and slept like coma patients. 

The next day we got up and went to transfer meeting and met our trainers. My companions name is Elder Cox from Manti he's awesome and we get along super well. I'm already gonna be sad when we split. We've connected really well and are stoked to be together. We've also got some crazy random same backgrounds which is sweet. He's been here for almost 15 months. So he's got some good time behind him. And of course he's taller than me...

We are currently in the McLean stake in the tysons corner ward our address is 7700 random run lane, falls church, VA 22042. I love all your letters and packages so send away! We are the ones opening a brand new area/ward which has been and is quite the struggle. We have no directory which means no names or addresses and no area book which means no investigators or potentials or inactives or anything. We have nothing... It's been a pain in the rear. To make things better we got to our brand new apartment which is sweet because it's the biggest by far and nicest by far of any other apartment in the mission. The only issue is that it's new to missionaries... So we have a little furniture and it's nice and clean, but we had not a single bit of food, lamps and lights but no light bulbs, I didn't have a blanket or pillow for the first two nights, we had half a roll of toilet paper, no shower curtain (you never realize how important a shower curtain is until you don't have one... The bathroom was soaked) and the sisters had our luggage until like 10:15. So our first day was very unproductive because we had nothing and didn't know what to do And it was dark in all rooms but the kitchen and bathroom. We've since been able to buy light bulbs, food, a shower curtain, and other necessary items. Mom, the package of food you sent us came at the perfect timing! We are beyond thankful. We were able to eat breakfast, lunch, and have a snack. We thought for sure we were going to starve to death. Kidding of course but we were very hungry, hadn't eaten all day, and were quite worried about our well being. So thank you thank you thank you! It's been a very rough start but things are getting better. 

On a positive note we had an Indian (from India, there's tons here) call the church while we were there for a meeting on Thursday and say he wants to meet. We met and he wants to be baptized which is awesome! so we're working with him now. We also were finally able to meet the bishop and mission leader and a nice member family and get some food and other supplies as well as a meal schedule. The mission president and his wife are also very nice and welcoming and seem like they'll be great leaders. We met a guy named Jose who didn't speak tons of  English but he's interested so I used my vast amounts of Spanish....to tell him we'd have the Spanish missionaries come visit him.... We've met with members and tried tracting but with out a directory or area book we're still basically working with our hands tied and eyes blind folded...

Things are going well and I'm excited to start working in a bran new ward/area. We are biking missionaries in a huge area which is a pain, but members are nice and we've been able to catch rides places. It's hot and a little humid but it's very green and there are trees everywhere!

I hope all is going well and that life is good. I'm back to being able to check emails whenever I have wifi since we've got iPads so feel free to email. Oh and send pics! I love to see what's going on at home. Again my address is 7700 random run lane, Falls Chuch, VA 22042. Love you all, hope everything is going well, everything here is dandy, the church is true, God loves us all, pray lots, read tons, and have a wonderful week. 

Love Parker

PS Everything is going well. Elder cox and I get along super well. Our apartment is super nice but kind of in an interesting part of Virginia. Thank you dearly for the package. We really didn't know what we were going to do. Some things I need and would like. I need our medical insurance card.. And also a watch with a date keeper.. And you could email me pictures of anything. The motorcycle, Morgan, the family, my mullet, just anything so I have some. Also a thumb drive full of music would be great! Movie soundtracks are always good or nice Christian bands. Basically calm appropriate music. Cologne would also be nice. I can obviously get a lot of that here, but anything would be nice. Also something to say to the youngins. Practice instruments! Both in the MTC and here I wish I played the piano better and had songs memorized. I also wish I knew how to play guitar. Other

wise things are dandy and were surviving. Oh I thought I had a lot of ties.. Most missionaries have like 20+. I think that's all I can think of at the moment. I'm allowed to check email again whenever I can so send away. I like to read all your emails even if I can't answer a lot of them. Thanks again for everything.

Elder Lucas

Poor starving missionaries!

 

Meals are set up for the whole week so we won't starve!

 

Hello, Washington D.C.!

September 16, 2015

 

To the parents of Elder Lucas,

We have your son, and we LOVE him.

Love,
President and Sister Huntsman

Ready for the misison field

September 16, 2015

Parker called home from the airport at 4:30 AM.  We were able to talk to him for a few minutes before he went through security.  Linda Allen and Andrew were there to give him breakfast and let him borrow a phone!

 

A tired, but happy missionary

Ready for takeoff!

Week 2 in the MTC

Seprember 18, 2015

Everything is going well! This week has been much better! The time here is the weirdest thing. It feels like yesterday was Sunday and the days are flying by, but it also feels like I've been here for a million years. They are still shoving so much at us but we're finally getting the hang of taking it in. Our district is awesome. We get along super well and have a lot of fun but are also very serious. The food here is good and very abundant. But with abundant good food comes abundant not good problems.... I love receiving your emails and letters. At first they let us check our emails whenever we had the chance because we have iPads, but they've since changed their minds so we can only check on Fridays. I do still love reading what you have to say. Thank you so much for the packages
and again the letters. They really mean a lot and I'm happy to get them. We can check the mailbox after every meal so I do see letters all day. My knowledge of the gospel has already grown tons and I'm sure it will only continue to increase. The spirit is super strong and it's awesome. I'm still a little homesick but things are going much better and I'm getting over it. We often don't have time to think
which is nice I guess. We are doing lots of role play sand reaching investigators which Has been a sweet experience. One of our investigators is a real investigator who wants to know why we're happy
and what makes us different. He believes everything we tell him and has no doubt about we say but he doesn't feel it which is kind of where we're at with him. We're still working on that one though. So we leave the MTC for DC at 2:30am Wednesday morning...... I'm going to die. Something else kind of neat, There's a missionary here that's 7'2"! He's skinny but a giant! His poor companion is about my height which is rough in the first place, but with a giant I'm sure it's way bad! Having an iPad is way nice. It's quite limited for obvious reasons. But we have iMessage and emails and some internet but it's nice because we have all the scriptures and pamphlets and every missionary resource we could possibly need. It also makes all the other missionaries jealous which is fun and quite funny. They're way nice.  Um.. I'm trying to think of what else to say. There's so much I could say... We're learning tons from preach my gospel and the scriptures and we're learning how to teach better and it's been really good. I'm sure the more recent missionaries will understand all I'm saying. Thank you again so much for all your letters and packages they've definitely made the stay here easier. Hope everything is going well at home. I do miss you all and home but it's been awesome here and I'm super stoked to finally get in the field. The church is true and the gospel is awesome. I'm finally getting the hang of things. It's flyin by but also really slow, it's kind of weird. We have a temporary iPad while at the mtc but we'll get new ones we pay for in the field.   Gerald Causse from the presiding bishopric spoke. It was good. My companion is from eagle mountain. We're special so we get iPads and it's been fun. The flight leaves at 5:50 but yeah we have the layover. I've read all the letters everyday up to Wednesday day. They've been way nice to read. But now I've got to wait till p day but it might all be different in DC. I'm nervous but very relieved. Im excited to get out of here. Thanks for everything you've sent and the messages and letters. I do like to hear what's going on at home. It's a nice break from here. It's much better here and I'm super excited to leave to DC though. I love you and miss you all. 

Love Parker 

 

Laundry day

 

MTC schedule

 

 

A well-loved missionary!

 

 

                       

First letter!

September 11, 2015
I'm not even sure where to start, but um my companion is elder Yeager. He's shorter than me which I pretty awesome and just as hairy! He's a bit of a spaz but we get along pretty well. These first day
days have been pretty brutal.. I miss home a lot and everyone at home. Our district is awesome. We all get along really well and laugh and keep things chill but they're also spiritual when they're supposed to be. The mtc is definitely a big shock. The days go by quickly because they are shoving so much at us but then at night it feels like we've been here for years. I'm definitely learning tons and getting a better understanding of how missionary works. I've seen Luke and kaleb and jake Holman which has been a nice comfort. I'm super excited to see Liam. Our whole zone is all new missionaries which Is nice. There's mostly elders, but there are sister in it as well. Our zone is split up into missionaries going to DC, Chicago, and New York. There are tons going to DC south. The foods good and I can definitely see how people gain a million pounds. I'm making sure to not eat tons and
we've made sure to move around a stay active. Our days are all different but it mostly consists of breakfast, class or zone teaching, lunch, more class and learning things, dinner, and more lessons. all
the other missionaries are great and friendly which makes things easier. My companion and I are the district priesthood instructors amid we have no clue what that means but hopefully it's a good
learning experience. It's been pretty rough and I'm definitely wishing I was home but I know this is where I'm supposed to be even if it's quite difficult.. I'm hoping i can get the feel of things better and
feel better but the spirit is great and we're naming it as fun as we can. Hopefully I answered all questions. I'm definitely missing home and everyone but it's good and I can't wait to get out of the mtc and into the field. We've also got iPads so I can see your emails or get your letters everyday, but I can't respond until P day. Hope all is well at home and everything is just dandy. I wish I could call and share everything And hear everything. The church is true and the gospel is awesome!
Love Parker

 

P.S.  So we failed to pack me shampoo or body wash... I also need more than one part of gym shorts and more than 2 t-shirts.. Everything else is good. I'm super homesick and it's very hard but it's been good and we're making it fun. I love you all and miss you and wish I could be home relaxing but I know I'll be blessed and thankful later down the road and I know my testimony will be strengthened.