Luke and his new companion, Elder Salvatierra, from Arika, Chile

April 18, 2011

Hola Familia! Wow sounds like you guys are having a great time. It looks like you are in a hotter climate.
We thought that we were slowly entering into winter but this week was pretty hot.

We had a good week, figuring that on Wednesday Elder Meneses called me telling me that we got a special change and now I am with Elder Salvatierra, which if you know Spanish is kind of a funny name: Salvar = Save, Tierra = Earth. So everyone is laughing and saying that we are going to save the earth! So I hope we can. He is from Chile (so you are going to have to let Elder Bishop's parents know so they can tell him) from a city called Arika, and he knows HOW TO COOK delicious food!!!!!!!! and is a great teacher of the gospel.

I had to travel to Asuncion Thursday night alone to take Elder Meneses' stuff to him and to meet my new companion. So that was interesting. I will send pictures of when I had to say good bye to Elder Meneses. The funny thing is that his new companion is his trainer, that’s as if I went back to Elder Hanchett, but he went with Elder Villalon (who also is from Chile).

So to start this week I had been working with the elders from rama 3 and the other elders from rama 2. Elder Walker (ZL) had to go to Asuncion last Monday night to go to a meeting. Elder Bradley R. Foster came and had a meeting with all the mission leaders, the district leaders and the zone leaders, I couldn't go just because they didn't want all the far-away district Elders to have to travel in to Asuncion so I was a little disappointed in not having that opportunity. But it was okay. I am not the biggest fan of traveling in buses like that.
Well we have been working really hard and sometimes it is hard to see the results. Our main investigator, Sara Pintos, left to go to the Chaco with her husband and so we lost her. We have been out in the heat all day long and trying to keep on going. There are people who use their agency to reject this message, a message that brings happiness and joy. I don't know of any other thing that could be more important. We have been having trouble with members who have been members for such a long time and they don't want their children to be baptized!!!!! That is something I don't understand. If Jesus said everyone has to be baptized why wouldn't they want that for their very own children? Everyone is different, and others see different things as important. I have probably mentioned this too much and you guys already know, but President Madariaga wants Concepción to be a stake so we have been trying to focus on the families and on completing families. We have a Family Home Evening tonight with a family. President is always talking about 3 things - reactivation, retention, baptizing.
We are going to be having success here. We have been praying for it. I love Concepción and know there are people here ready to hear about the message of the restored gospel. Thank you for everything. I will be sending out some cards this week. I love you guys and have a safe trip. You guys are probably going to be paying for your time in the cruise to be using Internet, so thanks for taking the time to write! :)
Yo sé que la iglesia de Jesucristo es verdadera, y que las familias pueden ser eternas. Its a truth hold on to.
Love Elder Lucas Rodgers

P.S. We totally have to go on a cruise after, in a couple of years, and we can communicate with the people in Spanish :-)

April 11, 2011

Hola Familia!!!!
Well how are you guys doing!? Swell?
SO we got some news! We had changes and what’s going on is................................. are you in suspense???? I would be too..............I'm staying! With Elder Meneses. But we have a little problem... that Meneses is sick and in Asuncion. He left Friday morning and was thinking he would come back Saturday or Sunday. What happened is that he had a hernia a long time ago and they stitched it up, a long time ago, and just barely he was feeling a little ball under the scar. We didn't know what it was. We were telling him that he had to call someone, Sister Lucas or Sister Madariaga. He was very reluctant to do so, so one day after district meeting he called Sister Lucas and she told him something like ¨good thing that you told us now because if you would have waited it might have gotten worse¨. She said that he had to go to Asuncion that week to see the doctor and see if he needed surgery or an operation. So he left Thursday (we started talking to Sister Lucas on Tuesday) and on Saturday the doctor said they would have the results on Monday so we are going to be waiting for them to see what is happening with my companion. But I really hope that Elder Meneses can come back. It would be really weird having someone else. (It’s interesting that I am thinking that way because it will be our 3rd change together and that is a little weird, especially because it is the 3rd time it has happened to me.) The last thing that we heard is that Elder Meneses has to stay in Asuncion for 10 more days at least and has to take pills to see if goes away so during that time. I don't know what will happen with us. There may be another little special change but I will be here and finishing my 5th change in Concepcion!!
Some things that you can put in the package to send: Tide to go, Macaroni and cheese sauce, ties. I will be sending a memory card soon. You guys should send the memory card to me but put some pictures on it first. Another notice - I never got that Guarani-English Dictionary. I have a couple Guarani-Spanish ones but I'm kinda worried that it will never come... :( That letter from Elder Bishop I just got this week, so it's good to know it takes an eternity to get to me. But whatcha gonna do.
I know about the Referral Center. Elder Jolley and I had a great experience in there. There was a lady that we invited to go to church in New York and she went about 2 times and started talking to the missionaries there. I still have her number and so I will try calling her when I am able to do that after my mission to see if she was baptized. But this experience was truly amazing and one I can never forget.
I'm not sure if it says on the thermometer but it is cooling down a lot here and we are slowly entering into winter. We were playing volleyball with the zone today thinking about the old times when during mid summer we were out in the scorching sun during the siesta, about 11-12-1 in the afternoon, playing sports and how that was SO HOT. I have never experienced heat like this before when you think you could black out and it hurts your head. But it will all be better now that heat is not coming back (hopefully...)
Mom, Dad, the miracles and blessings that we are receiving these days are amazing. The blessings of the Lord always come when we keep the commandments so let’s keep them and stay safe. It is a really easy decision but the follow-through requires faith, which is an action. So let us ¨cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.¨

I know the gospel is true. Every time I have the chance to testify it strengthens my own testimony. Our testimonies are the things that if we give it, we get more. There are very few things that have that same equation. Another equation is F^o=M. F=Faith, O= Obedience, M= Miracles. The more obedient, the more faith we have and the more miracles will come.
I love you all and I am continuing praying for you. May the Lord bless you all.
Love, Elder Lucas Rodgers
P.S. Good Luck on your Cancun visit. I was talking with some of the other elders and I really want to go on a cruise to one of these places because I can speak to the people in Spanish and understand what they are saying. Take pictures for me and take care.

"When we went to eat today"

Money!

Flames cup bought in Paraguay

April 4, 2011

Hola familia!

What a great way to have a week, finishing with General Conference, and wow I was moved by some of the talks! I really can't wait to get the Ensign and to be able to study the talks. They were amazing talks. I was so happy to be in Concepcion during this time because I was able to listen to the priesthood session and the Priesthood session was AMAZING!!!! Wow it was one of my favorite sessions, and a few other talks. I really enjoyed the talk from Elder Dallin H. Oaks. It’s really funny because before my mission it was always really hard for me to listen to 10 hours of talks but now I have to wait 6 months to listen to them again. I'm not sure if you guys noticed but Terry Lee Wade was called into the Area 70s. He’s my old Mission president so it looks like being a mission president was just the start of his church service. It was really cool to hear his name being called! I'm not sure which session, I think Sunday in the morning, but there was an amazing version of “The Spirit of God” that was sung! We decided it was the three Nephites singing and John on the organ! Just kidding! But it was a very powerful experience. It made me remember the time we sang that song in Priesthood conference, one session when dad and I went, and I could feel the spirit SOO strong that today I can still feel that. That song for me is something powerful.

There was a topic that relates to Lauren and Aaron, that people have to marry! So no pressure or anything but... keep me updated. I know that you can’t read the talks yet but when you can, read what President Monson said in the priesthood session.

We had an interesting encounter with a man this week. He belongs to a church where they believe that they don't have any more sins and that they can't sin more. Needless to say it really was interesting. We read with him the last part of James 2 and 1 John 1:8 (I think 8) but he was very hard in his heart and didn't want to accept it and said that those scriptures didn't apply to him. Then we read 2 Nephi 28: 1-9, well my companion was reading it, and I was talking to someone that was fulfilling that prophecy. It was incredible. My testimony in the words of the prophets in the scriptures was increased immensely and I understood a few more things than usual.

Mom, the thing with our house was that we 2 were living here. Then the other elders had to move because they had problems with their landlord. The closest house that they could live was our house because only in certain places are there houses to rent. So the district president is building a house for them in his back yard and for now we have to live here. We also thought that we would have to move too because the roof leaks in the rain, and she wasn't planning on fixing it so when President was here he talked to our landlady and saw our house with 4 elders (there is a new rule that you have to live in your area and can't live in 4) so President knows our situation and told our landlady too that if she doesn’t fix it within 30 days we would not pay our rent so we will see what happens. So far nothing has been done. The house is too small to fit another bed in, and Mom, let me assure you that if there was a better house around We would be living in IT! The only good thing is that there are a lot of less actives around and it is in the middle of our area. It is a really poor area and I think we are blessed to have a little room.

I just want to say what a great opportunity Tanner and Bradley had to go to Priesthood Conference. I truly believe that if the youth of the church go to general conference, they will be blessed. It is a wonderful opportunity for them to be in the same room as a prophet of God and they will be blessed! And Seth and Will are soooooo grown up wow!

Well you will never guess what I found here in Concepcion - a glass Flames cup! So I sent a picture and I thought.....when will I ever get the chance to buy one of these in Paraguay and bought it. There is a photo here with a lot of money- the monthly money for 3 missionaries and a picture of when we went to eat today.

Thanks for everything!

Love you all soo much,

Elder Lucas Rodgers