"So Much Better, Elder Lusk", Those Darn Muddy Munchkins, Saving a Girl From A Donkey and Sparkling Grape Juice

Hey fam! I had a greeat week. Our area is really progressing. We have
baptized for three weeks in a row. The best part is our recent
converts are inviting all their friends to learn. The young man we
baptized this week was a friend of my first convert who was very
hesitant at first but something told me to be his friend and now every
time I see him it goes ,"stanley how are you"? "So much better elder
Lusk". I agree life is some much better with the gospel.
 We also have another brother who we never thought we would teach who is getting ready to be
baptized.
 Sadly, Elder ketchum returns home on thursday. Man we
had a great run. From cooking together, him patiently training me
through my dark first few days, our daily disney quotes and star wars
talks, deep spiritual study, powerful teaching, early morning P90x,
and lots of laughs in between. And blessed were we with success in
our area in bringing many souls to Christ. Also the transfer doesn't
end till the 27th so for ten days i'll be in a tripanionship with
Elder Tidwel and Almedia and all 3 of us will cover the entire
district till they can send us another missionary. It will be good
though and  they are good Elders and we've been together the whole time.
Good experience on thursday: we were on exchanges and I was with Elder
kabisa from Namibia. We had had a rough day with a lot of fall through
and I was frustrated and tired and not really feeling it when he
decided that we should stop and play a couple rounds of dodge ball
with some kids in the street. As much as they drive me nuts and I got
my shirt dirty those darn muddy malawian munchgins got me smiling
again and I got a prompting to try to see one last person and it turns
out that they had come home from school early that day and we had a
great lesson. It's random moments like that that can make a
differnece. Like chopping wood for a guy and everyone stops to watch
the white guy do work, or when you have to pull a little girl from the
street because some guys donkey's get loose and are running down the
narrow road.....yea it's what we call a tifa moment (this is freackin
africa...and the capitol city too but yea not making that story up)
still i love this crazy place and i know God does too. Missions are
not all work though our district had a nice Christmas party saturday
night with steacks, chicken, soup, cake, and sparkling grape juice to
the sound of christmas carols then we sat down and got to watch "its a
wonderful Life" ( never seen it full length but was really touched by
the simple message that one life for good can change the lives of so
many) I know that's true as I have seen it everyday out here. We all can
influence so much good as long as we focus on the one who's life made
ALL the difference.
My humble testimony of the Savior I leave with you.
from the warm heart of africa merry christmas
love elder lusk

Best Week of My Mission, Road Trip to Blantyre, Songs, Skits, Santa Hats, Powerful Missionaries, Most Beautiful Place I've Ever Seen and Man, I Love My Mission

Hey family! Man, this was like the best week of my mission.. So we started the week great with a lot of lessons and we got one of our investigators interviewed which is great since  he is an awesome kid and a referal from my first baptism. Then on wednesday night since the bus to Blantyre left super early all the elders slept over with the zone leaders and we had a big african style BBQ to kick off the fun. Then we woke up super early and took the bus down to Blantyre thursday morning. It was a  very beautiful drive down to Blantyre through the southern highlands and man Blantyre is the most beautiful place i've ever seen in my life. Tall rugged majestic mountains everywhere, green grass and trees and it's a lot more developed than flat dusty Lilongwe. But yea it was great to see Elder Chauke and Sister Porter again. It was so crazy to see how different we all are after three months in the field. Man we are all some much stronger, confident, mature, focused, and just better. It was alot of fun to see them and swap all the mission stories together.
Thursday was our Christmas celebration and man it was a blast. We have some super goofy missionaries. Songs, skits, santa hats, water melon relays (showing water melon in your face super fast) and our white elephant where I got a super nice lion print chichenga (like a multi perpose bed sheet) and then president Kupu made a pig which was nice and we feasted hard.
Then Friday was our zone confrence/training which was super spiritual. Sis Kupu is such a great teacher and we also gave her a suprise birthday party. We talked about quality finding and teaching, Book of Mormon, Area goals for church growth, and it was great. We have some very powerful missionaries here but we also know how to have a fun time and get goofy.
Then saturday we where suposed to get on the bus at 7 but something came up so we spent the morning proselyting in Blantyre. I got to go on splits with Elder Chauke and man that guy has grown powerful since the mtc and i want to be like him. haha we also met the drunkest guy i've ever met here (saying a lot) and i was like hi im Elder Lusk and he was like oh Edward Lust...........yea now half the mission is calling me that. Oh well it was funny. We left after lunch on saturday and my comp and I were riding in the ZLs truck and we took the back roads route through the bush in the highlands and ended up pulling off to the side of the road in the middle of nowehere and us and the STL,s went bushwalking and climbed up this big hill to take pics. On sunday we Baptized a great man we had met on the streets back in september and we are really happy about how much he has changed. We ended the day with 3 great lessons and happily went to bed early, tired but  satisfied. Man i love my mission. And i hope to get down to Blantyre again because i've missed the mountains but it was a very fun and spiritual week and to end with a baptism is the best feeling. Love you all 

merry christmas

elder lusk 

Cruising Around Africa in a Pick-Up Truck Preachin' the Word, Quantity and Quality and Headed to Blantyre

Hey family we had a great week here in lilongwe! First, On Tuesday I taught my first district meeting lesson which went great and then I went on exchanges with our zone leaders and had a blast with Elder Chartier from Idaho. Just to Merikan boys cruising around Africa in a pick up truck preachin the Word!
In other great news, power came back so we have been cooking and eating like crazy to put some meat back on my bones. My companion made some amazing homemade chapati's ( thick african tortillas) .We also beat our previous record for number of lessons taught in a week. No slowing down for us. What was better is that we had quantity and quality lessons. It's amazing to see how some people are somewhat shy in the beginning but as they start to feel the love of their Savior and start embracing His gospel you really see their joy grow as they build their faith and change their lives.  We had a lesson with a progressing investigator where we where teaching about tithing and he immediately began teaching us about the widows mite and the spirit of giving. I love it when people are taught by the spirit!
  Right now we have six investigators on date for December.! It will be a great month for celebrating our Savior with baptisms.  We are also teaching two 9 year old twins who are so much fun and really smart for their age and are learning a lot faster than we had planned.
 We have also been very fortunate to have members work with us and  in almost every lesson we teach there is a member with us helping us teach. The members are very passionate about helping the missionaries (and providing lunch i was feed nshima three days in a row...I really am a Malawian).  On Sunday I was able to confirm the Majamanda family. That was super spiritual for me. I just love them so much and have seen how much light the gospel has brought them I feel like they will be a very influential strength to the church here in Lilongwe as they are so passionate about  the gospel and really living it as a family. As for this week we head down to Blantyre Thursday morning and will be there till Saturday for our Christmas party/zone conference that my district has a special musical number for which should be interesting seeing as i was blessed with a wonderful singing voice.........oh well i'm really looking forward to it. sorry I dont have alot to say today but i still love you all very much!

happy holidays

Elder Lusk 

Man, I'm A Missoinary....I Like This Stuff, Show Them Some Love and Life Is Great, and Spaghetti Curry

Hey Fam-we had a really great week here, had a lot of fun and taught a lot of lessons. First it's still hotter than Hades out here and  the rains have not fully come yet. But despite the heat the work is great. We had baptismal interviews for a great family yesterday so they will be baptized on Sunday. So excited for them and  they are just the sweetest people ever and were so prepared to hear/live the gospel. We also had a lot of new investigators this week which is always exciting to teach new people. Our efforts to find have really been bringing in results. At our Zone meeting this week we where challenged by to have a baptism on Christmas day so we are praying right now to be able to celebrate the season with a baptism. (hopefully before then though elder ketchum leaves the 16th)  Also on December 2nd were going down to Blantyre for a combined Christmas party/zone conference so i'm really excited for that). 
 We also got surprise fed a lot this week and so we came up with a gospel message with Nshima (white corn flour and water). It's simple yet filling like the gospel. You desire to share it with everyone and all partake together. It's hot so you can't grab it all at once (unless your Malawian) and you have to eat it bit by bit, and there is always plenty of nshima.
I was asked to give a last minute talk at church (happens a lot) and so i had time to say a quick prayer for the Spirit to be with me before i stood up to address the saints of Lilongwe. As i did, i was taken back to 12 weeks ago when a scared, weak, young missionary stood for the first time in this strange land and quickly gave a generic testimony. Now 12 weeks later i stood there filled with love and strength for these people and the spirit came to me as i shared what i had been studying about which is faith, hope, action, and the Saviors call to all of us "come follow me". It really felt great and that's when i realized.."man i'm a missionary"..."I like this stuff". Great moment. Another interesting thing was we were on a mini bus and the conductor tried charging us Muzungu price to go up the road and we where like "no man it's only 100 mk" and he's like "150". Surprisingly, the other people in the bus started yelling at the guy in Chichewa and next thing we know he's giving us the regular price. Normaly they would just laugh and ignore us but all our community out reach and conversations have been paying off (literally) and these people had our backs. Kauma for the win!  I love these people (ok there still some things culturally that are a little annoying but hey people are people nobody perfect but show them some love and life is great).
We were in a lesson with a lady this week who was going through some big changes and we were talking about prayer and i asked her how God has helped her in the past and in her broken English she gave me a powerful lesson. "Dah moor iz forgive dah haapyah my life is"! Powerful. I reflected on that that the more me forgive other, chose to be happy and seek for forgiveness through Christ's atonement the better life really is.
 To the fun this week on thursday Elder Ketchum and I where craving some Noble china and we hadn't been all transfer to we splurged on some sweet and sour chicken (plus we didnt have power so we couldnt cook) and then we got a call for a zone celebration on saturday night and we had to breack into our saving but it was well worth it we went to a really nice hotel and hit up there amazing buffet of steack, bbq chicken, and everything else to celebrate a few elders turning one year old. Also i made this really good spagethi curry dish that was really good. Well thats life here in Lilongwe for now. I love you all very much.

Elder Lusk 

ps 12 weeks here went by way too fast

Being Rude to My People, The Parable of the Chocolate Brownie and Satan's Counterfeits, Oh and the Most Successful Month Ever

 So first something that happened last Monday we were out by the souvenirs market looking at some hand- crafted merchandise and just enjoying talking to the craftsmen and even met two BYU professors. Anywa,y there where these two European ladies there being super rude and disrespectful to the locals and yelling at them and i was about to go give some serious fire  but they left. If anything boils my blood, it's rude people. Especially when they're being rude to my people who are just trying to make an honest living. Enough of that. We had a good week. We are preparing to have 4 baptisms this month. One is a great family who is just eating up the gospel so fast. Another is a man we had just met on the street who is so honestly searching for the truth in his life. The last one is an older gentlemen who, despite his very broken English, is very excited about the church. We had two brand new investigators come to church for the first time which really gets me excited to see such commitment. Interestingly enough ,the gospel principles lesson covered what we had been planning to teach three of our investigators next. Love it when that happens. Interesting experience the other day. From the Gospel of Elder Lusk the parable of the chocolate brownie. So we were at the store picking up some groceries and there by the bakery was some fresh chocolate brownies. We saw them and where like "man those look great" and they did. We bought our things and we went back and because they where cheap, big, beautiful, still warm and we were hungry we each bought one. Excitedly, we finished dinner and then unwrapped our treats. It looked and felt just how a chocolate brownie should expect one thing...they sure didn't taste like they should. They where disgusting. And now it was too late and we had already bought them. It gave me a great metaphor for Satan's counterfeits and temptation. They might have looked tasty but they where not. They were in the open right where we would see it at a vulnerable time. They were cheap but the same money could have been used for bus fare to our area and for something productive. Unfortunately, we learned the lesson late after we had bought and started eating the "brownie". This is just how satan works to tempt and deceive us. He knows our desires and purposefully makes sin appealing despite it's bitter after taste when we chose to yield to it's enticing facade of momentary pleasure. It seemed a small innocent thing and they looked exactly who they should but they where not. I love this simple example of all the everyday lessons we can learn when we simply try to see the opportunity to learn from them. Oh big news. this month was the most successful month the mission has ever had in terms of baptisms and lessons taught. The fields are white here in the great Zambia Lusaka Mission. I serve among great people and with the best missionaries in the world. I am so humbled to be part of that effort!! Not too much else to say I've successfully finished the Book of Mormon for the first time on my mission. Oh and this is the last official week of my in field training! 12 weeks here in Lilongwe have been the best (and based on the way things are going i'll probably stay here awhile which I am totally down with i love my area).  Lots of love to you all back home.

elder lusk 

That's My Boy, The Cat and I Were Both Happy, Running Cross Country, My Own Galilee, Oh, and Boss Chili

hey family! So, it felt like i was just emailing you and somehow a whole week passed by but that's how it goes so here. 

We ended up having the most lessons ever this week after a really slow start which was great. We had our recent convert pass the sacrament for the first time which was great to see him in his new shirt and tie fufilling his new priesthood responsibility. I kinda had a sentimental dad "thats my boy" moment and we celebrated with them after church with a big meal of nshima and fish (actually not a big fan of the fish so i ate the nshima and their cat sat on my lap and i fed it the fish so we where both happy).

The big thing, though, was a surprise rainstorm that came early on Friday.  The rains were not supposed to start for two weeks but we were sitting in a home teaching a great family about the Book of Mormon when suddenly the skies opened up and didnt stop. We ended up waiting for and hour...eating a snack (best apple i have had in a while) and playing with the kids and getting to know them better but two problems, one it was getting late and two,  we still needed to go to the store to get some bread. So we ended up running like 2.5 miles through the mud and rain to get to the store. It was honestly a blast! my companion was a runner in high school as well and we had been running together so we had the awesome mud filled xc course along the side of the road in the middle of Africa singing the rocky theme song. We ended the night by buying a pizza, drinking hot chocolate and watching bible videos while our stuff dried off.

 Spiritually, as I  have been studying the Savior's life, I've seen many parallels to my own mission. Jesus walked among the people and taught in the streets, hills, small homes, and over many meals.  He taught rich and poor alike and loved all. The children where always near to his heart. That how it is here.  The dusty roads of Lilongwe have become my own Galilee. We are even teaching a family with a lot of energetic kids by using primary songs and picture books. The savior taught to people's understanding  whether it was scriptures, farming, fishing, or whatever. Thats something I have been trying to learn to do more to help people learn more. So the work here is great and I'm having a blast. The other night i made a boss chili and home fries that was super good..a bit spicier than i intended but still very good. Love you all

Elder lusk 

 

Uping Our Game, A Little R&B, Singing and Jamming in the Streets, Our Apppomtments Needed to Drop and the Warm Heart of Africa

Hey family this week was great so sit down it's gonna be a long way till the end (catch the pun). So first of all, I'm super sweaty! We spent the morning with the other two missionaries in our now  four person district watering a members garden. Translation drawing water from a well and carrying it to the maize field and watering each individual stock. But it was great! i like being able to do some physical labor.

A lot of miracles happened this week. On Tuesday, we went to see a recent convert and we showed up to the house and a man let us in and we were like, umm does our recent convert  still live here? Turns out she had moved but this man and his son are super interested in the church and we are teaching them. Also in the last few weeks we have been uping our game to network Kauma and contact everyone. We are at a point where we talk to everyone and have established contacts everywhere. People know us in Kauma and they all talk so we have more people than there is time in the week to see. We currently have eight people on date for baptism in November.

On Friday, I went on exchanges with Elder Tidwell, he is only six weeks older than me on his mission and a fellow Utah state Aggie and the two of us kicked some butt. First, we went to see a young man who has been struggling with the lessons so we decided we need to make him comfortable and get to know him better. Once we had built that relationship of trust we began reteaching the Plan of salvation we took one out of Dad's old Family home evening when we were younger book and broke out crayons and started having him draw it out. It was a blast and it really drew him out of his shell. And most importantly, he finally saw why we weere teaching him and committed to baptism! Teach people not lessons.

We also met two great new investigators by talking about music. We had passed them listening to some R&b and Elder Tidwell broke out singing along and we started jamming with them in the street and began teaching them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We even jumped rope with a bunch of little kids. All those little things make a difference in showing people that we are not tourists, charity worker, businessmen, students, or whatever else. Rather, we are here to invite them to come unto Christ. We had a guy tell us that we needed to smoke a joint....yea we didn't end up teaching him.

On Sunday though i had one of the most profound spiritual experiences of my mission. So we had met a man a little while ago who had been taught previously but there had been no record. He is super smart and studies the scriptures very seriously. He was supposed to go on a trip to the northern region but then he showed up to church on Sunday. During Priesthood lesson, I was given a 2 minute heads up and randomly opened the manual and taught a lesson on love and family commitment. Afterwards,  he had disappeared. As we were in the area, every one of our lessons and backup fell through and we were just wandering along the road when he saw us and told us he needed to talk. He began asking a lot of questions and then he said "my trip got cancelled and i don't know why because i wasn't planning on it being cancelled  but i went to church and the messages started hitting me hard in the heart like it was God slamming my conscience and then i saw you on the road." It turns out he had some past transgressions that where coming up and he really wants to repent and follow Christ. I was pretty floored and looked him in the eye and told him that there is no such thing as coincidence, his trip needed to be canceled, he needed to be at church, the messages that were shared were because he needed them, I needed to teach the lesson I did, our appointments needed to drop, and we needed to be on the road at that time. Miracles still happen! I can testify of that. I told him that this was God speaking to him and showing him the path he needed to take to be forgiven. He is so humble and ready to do whatever it takes to repent.

That was a big life changer for me.

God loves all his children and is there to guide them back to him.

I love being a missionary here in Lilongwe! It is the best thing I have ever done. There are so many miracles and blessings (like when your comp makes enchiladas!) and it's the best. The opportunity to wake up, study the words of Christ, wear his name on your chest and walk around all day talking to everyone you meet about Him.............priceless. I have also seen the members of the Church grow here as they learn to accept the responsibilities that come in the church. It's coming slow but they are faithful and learning. Our branch has several young men preparing their mission papers now.  Big love coming to you from yours truly here in the warm heart of Africa

Elder Lusk 

Even the Drunks Love the Missionaries, A Christ-Like Missoinary vs Doing Missionary Things and Studying More Than I Ever Did in High School

hey family-well this last week was pretty amazing. First mom i got your lettern from august 4th (really fast delivery here) it's funny God has a sense of humor the time i got it we where at our flat with no lunch and the letter was half about food...anyway so last week we had lost our phone in the area which made it hard to make plans. So we exersised our faith and applied 1 nephi 4:6 about beng lead by the spirit not knowing where to go and alot of things happened. We just happened to find alot of people we had not been able to find. Like the man that had randomly come to church two weeks ago then showed up at the chips stand where we were getting lunch and is now being taught. Or passing your golden investigator on your way to his house. Or that one person you saw a month ago randomly came back to church. The biggest blessing has been teaching two wonderful families. The gospel is all about families and it is amazing to see it bless them all together. First, the lady we met a few weeks ago is now doing great with her family and is just eating the gospel up with zeal and has been to church twice. The husband works as a gardener at a library and reads the sciptures durning breaks with his friends. The other family we meet through their son, who is a branch missionary. It is amazing to see this young man testify of Christ to his family. We really don't have to do much work, the spirit is so strong. We also got to help a less active family paint her house to water proof it before the rains come. That was a great experience and really helped build trust with her and she thanked us with a big plate of Nshima...ah malawi. I love these people they just love to talk to you even the drunks love the missionaries here and we've meet alot of those. Also another small miracle is when  elder ketchum and i were out of bread on friday which is big because we go through at least two loaves a week so we're at the neighboorhood grocery picking up some things at the end of a long succsessful day teaching and there is no bread left......and we don't know what to do and so after asking around we went to check out when we saw a loaf of bread sitting by the counter unclaimed.....miracles. We aslo got to teach a great lesson with our branch president who served his mission in Uganda. He was very powerful as we taught a sweet sister about the plan of salvation. By the end of it she was crying tears of joy as she felt her Savior's love for her. unfortunatley she will be moving down to Blantyre the end of the month but luckily we will be able to send her to the missionaries down there. We also got to watch conmfrence this weekend. This was the first time in my life confrence really meant something to me. Sitting in a small house in Lilongwe, malawi instead of sprawled on the couch eating food i was really looking to be spiritualy uplifted. It was so great o\to hear of the many talks about repentance, joy, faith , and missionary work. i especailly loved Elder Nelsons talk about finding joy in the gospel through troubling times . I really found that true on my mission if you focus on the savior the hard times melt away to open your eyes to the blessings of living the gospel. I found an acranym the other day Spirtualy Minded Is Life Eternal-SMILE. The gospel does bring joy and strength through trails.  ive  seen it everyday that i've been here in Africa. Now to the fun side of missions because there is alot of fun:  on saturday night the Elders in our zone went out for a big Indian buffet (alot of indian food here lots of forgieners plus african love curry) and i ate a stupid amount. As i was busy stuffing myself with Naan and spiced mutton i refected on how fast ive come to feel at home. one things i love about missions is the brotherhood and belonging. I noticed it back in the airport in Atlanta;  there is a strong bond between at the missionaries because our united purpose. Also in my personal study i've been study the concept of becoming a christlike missionary, not just doing missionary things. It's great i'm studying more that i ever did in high school....oh well i love you all 

elder lusk 

Blazing Hot, Walking and Teaching Through the Flu and Priceless Moments

hey fam!  so this week was a little slow but it's all great here in Lilongwe. To start, hot season is in full swing for the next month and it is blazing hot. I'm carrying a liter of water with me when we go out and it still isn't enough. The only solace is the rains come next month and then i'll just get to deal with the mud. For missionary miracles this week. First off, a great young man we have been teaching a lot had not been allowed to come to church because his father. We had been praying for him and teaching a lot about faith through trails and when we saw him Tuesday his Dad had had a change of heart and he came to church this Sunday. We also started teaching the family and friends of one of our branch missionaries and they are supper golden. It's great because we have been really trying to teach families. Then with the sister we meet last week who was in need of a lot of help, we had tried to see her this week but we got told she moved. We thought, "well hopefully that can help her" and went on our way and  then she came to church this Sunday smiling brightly. Apparently she was able to move in with some members and she came with them. We are so happy she was able to get away from her situation and get to church. Another thought i had is how the people here love to sing and before i never did, but i love singing hymns in the homes of members and feeling their love and passion for the savior.  Also Africa and missions really have a way of giving you perspective So from Friday morning till about mid-Saturday i had a sudden bout of 24-hour fever-less flu. We were on exchanges on friday and i was working with a great Elder i know very well;  he's just a great guy and I start feeling terrible (headache, stomach, aches you name it) at first i'm like this is just the heat (don't worry mom i'm fine now and yes i am talking my doxy every morning) but it kept going. During that time, i had to lead the way through our area and just about every lesson we had lined up dropped. So we walked from one end of kauma to the other and back the whole time i'm dying and i ran out of water, Luckily mangoes are ripe now and super cheap so i could at least suck on a fresh mango. Finally we ended up having a beautiful meeting with a great family and during it whenever i was teaching i felt ok but when i stopped my symptoms came back. The whole day was one big trail of faith. before i got here had i felt like that there is no way i could have walked as much as i did in the heat carrying a bag and go from one dropped lesson to another and still teach. Our Heavenly Father really does strengthen and uphold his servants. I was finally able to get home shower, pump myself with fluids and ibuprofen, get a priesthood blessing and get to bed.i'm really grateful to be serving with the best missionaries ever. They where patient and loving with me as i struggled through the day and nursed me back. I am thankful for their willingness and worthiness to give me a blessing of health. i was able to get up the next day feeling almost completely better and was able to still work. This was really just a humbling week for me as a whole. it's great and i love it and wouldn't trade it at all. The moments you have on a mission are priceless. Even the times when you randomly hear "let it go" on a bus in the middle of Africa you could never appreciate that at home. 

Love you all so much!

elder Lusk

Elder Lusk's flat that he shares with his companion, Elder Ketchum.

Brother, I am A Malawian; Desperate Cry for Deliverance; and Humble as The Dust that Covers This Beautiful Place

mulibwonji mozingos! It was a great week and great end to my first six weeks in the field. First of all, i cant believe my first transfer is over it went so fast. I am totally different from that wide eyed kid that stepped off the plane six weeks ago. Sister Kupu, {our mission president's wife}, told us our first day that Africa changes you and she is definitely right. I love it! The other day my companion and i stopped by our new favorite nshima stand where we get lunch a lot. The lady who runs it loves us now because we are there a lot. So i come in and order a big plate of nshima and start pounding it down with gusto and this guy on the other side is like man this mozingo loves nshima like a Malawian! For some reason people always think it's crazy the white people eat nshima but then i was like "Brother I am a Malawian"! I also need to give a shutout to Brother Bruton and brother Hasledon for pounding scripture mastery into my head last year. I was in a lesson with and investigator who is doing good he just struggles with keeping the Sabbath day holy then suddenly i was transported back to seminary last year recite the words of Isaiah on the blessings of the Sabbath and was able to use them to share with him! We had a great week and were able to commit two more people to baptism! We also celebrated the end of the transfer with a district BBQ complete with steak, chicken and Nshima. The real high point came yesterday during fast Sunday. Fasting has always been hard for me especially on a mission where you're walking as much as I do. The day started with a great testimony meeting and then i got to participate in conferring the Melchizedek priesthood to five Brethren in the branch which was very powerful. Then our recent convert was called a branch missionary! Then i taught a gospel doctrine lesson on obedience which went very well considering i was given all of 30 seconds heads up. We also had two of the elders in our branch baptize a family of six which really was special to see the work of salvation come to them together. We also got to talk to a Japanese member who was visiting who has 3 p.h.d's and speaks 12 languages. Then we headed out working. At this point, i was tired and hungry but little did i know the miracles that would come. First we saw a man we had been teaching but hadn't been too serious with but then he came to church and when we sat down,he  said "i need to be baptized".....silence as me and Elder ketchum try to realize what just happened..then we had a great lesson and put him on date for November. Then we went off to meet a referal from the other Elders and we met a smiling middle aged women. We got back to her house and she started speaking Chichewa and handing us a piece of paper. On it written in broken English was her life story and it was the most heart wrenching thing i've ever read. Under her bright Malawian smile was an honest and desperate cry for deliverance to us as representatives of Christ. I truly saw her as a daughter of God and wanted to do everything i could to help her. Unfortunately there isn't much we could do to help her temporal needs ,but the branch president is working out some support for her. We did however testify to her of God's love for her and that deliverance and grace do come when we have faith. I walked out of the house humble as the dust that covers this beautiful place feeling an inner resolve to do all i can to "feed his sheep" with everything i had. After that we had finished the day and gotten delayed waiting for the other missionaries and we where tired but we where far from home and most buses stop about 615 and it was already 7. None of us had the energy to walk the 45 min back home and i said a quick prayer when suddenly the lights of a bus came in a time and place they normally aren't and i was like man i love fast Sunday blessings. I am so glad to be here int the warm heart of Africa the church is growing and the people are ready. The past six weeks i have really learned so much that i never knew. I went from the scared, homesick elder the first week to loving every second of Africa-even the heat but especially the people. Seeing how much ive grown im excited for the next 22 months

love Elder Lusk 

Whatever the Weather, Who's the Teacher?, Love, Mighty Prayer and Obedience...Oh, and Corn Dogs!!

hey family!
So,  here it is week six in the field which is crazy it's going that fast. So this week was a little slow but we did have two more people commit to baptisms in October and hopefully all will work out with them. Weather wise, it's getting into the hottest month of the year here. But we found a great poem that we recite to each other, "whether the weather be hot, whether the weather be cold, we'll be together whatever the weather, whether we like it or not". Clever eh?
We had a great experience with the teenagers we just baptized. We were teaching about family history and decided to go around the room and each tell a story to put in the My Family book. My companion and I started and told some fun stories and then in turn each of them shared a spiritual experience that brought the Spirit in and humbled me. Those kids we taught are great and we have already had two lessons with a friend of theirs because of them! So many times out here I go to teach but really it's the people that teach me instead. We also had the chance to meet five new people this week and begin teaching them. Something I didn't realize at first is this work really isn't that hard. You walk around all day in this great place and meet a ton of new people and talk to them about Christ. People are very open and love to talk to you even if they don't understand or even show up when we are supposed to meet (African standard time...) But it's easy to get a lot of referrals.
This week we also had district conference here in Lilongwe. It was a great experience. We meet at a hotel conference center to fit all the members in Lilongwe. The Kupu's taught us about love, mighty prayer, and obedience. I also got to meet the Hall's, a senior couple that are living in Blantyre but came up for the conference.  It was a great day in the progression of the district towards a Stake. They sustained 31 brethren to receive the Melchizedek priesthood which is very big for the members here in Lilongwe. Two of those were guys from our branch who we are working with who are preparing to serve missions and already more powerful than I am.
It's very important to see the learning experience in everything you do and the people you meet.
We did exchanges this week and it was great to see the strength of other missionaries out here. I am very fortunate to serve with some amazing missionaries and members. In my study this week, I found that 34 times in the Book of Mormon it says that as long as you keep the commandments you will prosper in the land..34 times and i can add my humble testimony to that.
 Some high points of the week also came when elder slade made corn-dogs for dinner! 

with great love

elder lusk

No Power, Our Father in Heaven is So Much Smarter Than We Are and Filled with Love in Lilongwe

Hey family it has been a pretty crazy week here kinda the ultimate week of highs and lows. So about 85-90% of our appointments this week dropped. A lot of us showing up to places and nobody is home and a lot of people don't have phones here so calling ahead doesn't work. Also we did not have power most of the week which means no dinner which is hard after you just walked 6 miles and had only street fries for lunch because your favorite nshima stand closed...as far as miracles though we had two baptisms!!!! On saturday we baptized two youth we have been working with and on Sunday we confirmed them. It is very exciting and humbling to see two people enter the waters of baptism and receive those blessings and really feeling God's love for them as they receive the Holy Ghost. They are such great kids and they have grown so much.  I just know they will be very instrumental in the Lord's hands in growing the church here in Lilongwe.  Also had a man we met on the street and taught came to church, committed to be baptized, and then even assisted the branch choir  in getting ready for district conference on Sunday. It is amazing to see that God has prepared this brother to receive the message of the gospel. Right now, we have three people on date to be baptized in October and possibly more to come. I also learned how much smarter our Heavenly Father is than I think.  We had a lesson with a man we had only met once and had not seen in two weeks. At first, I was thinking  this guy is crazy, I don't know about this but then he ended up saying he loved the gospel and wants to come to church but his wife was unsure of it and I was suddenly humbled. No matter what I think, our Father always knows. We also had a chance to meet with a member who has been having alot of challenges lately and we had a brief but powerful lesson on relying on our Savior through trials and what we can learn from them. As I said the prayer at the end of the lesson ,it came over me all the trials,fear, and doubt I have had since being out and how much the Savior has carried me and the strengthening power of the gospel. By the time I finished, I had tears pouring down my face as I was filled with love for him sitting in this humble mud shack out in Lilongwe, Malawi of all places but I have never felt so strong (despite losing a few pounds this week). I know my Savior has our backs. I have also come to realize how much I took for granted  with the church organization back home. In our mission, there is only one stake in Lusaka and every where else is small branches. All the members are recent converts and many do not understand much of the gospel but their faith is so strong.

love elder lusk

Teaching from the Book of Mormon, Kids are Still Kids and Spaghetti

hey fam!  it's Monday...again, the week went by so fast!  two years may go quicker than i thought but it was a great week( it's been pretty hot though and i had to start carrying two water bottles). We taught the most lessons we ever have this week and were able to have a lot of success in our finding efforts. Philani and Chikondi are being baptized on Saturday and i am so excited for them. We were

also able to teach alot of people we previously were not able to find. A common occurrence here is people just coming up and trying to talk to us and sometimes they don't speak English, are drunk, or just see two well dressed Mzoingos and can't resist..other times they are prepared by the spirit and we return to have a great lesson about Jesus Christ and then you understand why you are out here in this crazy place. Also my testimony of the Book of Mormon has grown as i have been able to teach and share from it and have begun to better understand the power of it's witness of the Savior. We placed a lot of BoM's this week and it was amazing. We even finished the week Sunday night by watching How Rare a Possession over my homemade spaghetti dinner. Also just some thoughts that Elder ketchum and I have been discussing on African stereotypes. First of all while these people are poor they really do have everything they need, at least out here. The charity poster child that is starving wearing rags doesn't exist. people all have shoes they just chose not to wear them.  Also there's no wild animals just freely wandering, unfortunately. And there is pretty much everything you can find in America you can find here if you look for it. People still love sports, drink, sit out on the porch listening to music and kids are still kids. It can be awkward being the only white people in a place where that doesn't happen but you just learn to ignore it. when you're  on the bus and everyone is obviously laughing at the two mzoingos in white shirts.It's OK though i'm finally at a point where I've gotten used to the culture and feel comfortable and excited each day as i walk the dusty roads of Kauma. This has really shown me that attitude changes a lot.  Love you 

If God Brought You to It, He'll Bring You Through It, Noble China, Baptisms and Chechewa

Well this week flew by and it was amazing.  First of all, I think all my nerves have finaly calmed down and I'm adjusted.  The first week was pretty rough,  not gonna lie but now I'm good. I've really learned  a lot about consecrating yourself and pushing on and how it leads to miracles. So Tuesday we had zone confrence and had a visit from Elder Ellis of the Seventy who shared a great message and great quote "if God brought you to it, he'll bring you through it" which I really needed to hear.The rest of the week flew by as we got down to work and we now have 7 new investigators as well as 4 people on date for baptism later this month. One of those is a boy named {} who is such a great example of faith to me. We are also working with another young man named {} who is sooo ready for the gospel but his father is against it.  But we  had a member of the Church  with us who had the same expeirence so that really helped. We where also having a lesson with this guy and a friend of his came over, sat down and intently listened and asked questions as we taught the Restoration. So, miracles really do happen. We also found a great restaurant by our flat "noble China" which has the best sweet and sour chicken and honestly sitting there in a nice restaurtant made me feel like I was back at home it was great..expensive but worth it. We also enjoy cooking together with other missionaries because it's pitch black at six o clock and basicly all life stops so we go home and combine our food for a big dinner.  Our favorites have been chicken nodle soup, everything stew, garlic mashed potatoes and chickn, spagethi, rice and beef, potato salad and chili backed chicken. We also have a tradition now of district lunch on sundays because the other elders in the district live like two mintues from the church. ( we are in the Presidential Way Branch). We also help teach a Book of Mormon class whcih is great for investigators and members alike because alot of members even don't speak good english or read well. So I have picked up a few things in Chechewa but not much because we are really encouraged to teach and find people who speak good english to try to build up the church here because there are no materials printed in Chechewa yet and in the whole mission there is only one stake which is in Lusaka.  Oh and i have finally learned to love nshimaw. I don't eat it a lot but we get it for lunch a few days a week and i can pound down a plate of it now so thats great. I really do love it here. It's not easy but the people are good, the gospel is true and it's pushing me to learn and grow more than i ever could. I am lucky to serve with some great missionaries who inspire me everyday. so now at the end of one month,  1/24 of the way down and  I am excited about what the future brings.

love you all

Elder Lusk

This is Africa Now, Going to Lilongwe, Walkig the Dusty Roads, "Mr Mental Toughness", No Time for Fear or Self-doubt, Soldering On and I Saw God Today

Hey fam it's been a crazy week so i'll try to get it all out. So tuesday we left the Missionary Training Center and flew to Lusaka and all had that  "this is africa now" moment. We went to the mission office and had lunch with the Kupus and  got our assignments and left wenesday morning. It was hard leaving Elder Mira and sister Porter who were heading to Blantyre. we all meet in Atlanta on our way to the South Africa MTC and sat on the plane by each other and had gotten close but im glad im in Lilongwe. Elder Ketchum is awesome and we get along great we also live next door to two cool elders in a really nice flat that we had to do some deep cleaning on alot of times. we make a big dinner together at night with all our food. so we live in a nice area then walk 20 min to get to the bus(seriously scetchy but we have to)and go to our area which is a really poor area. Seriously its a large jungle of tiny windowless mud brink shacks on dusty roads. Its the most poverty ive ever seen.These people have nothing. Its really just life changing the things i see now everyday it really puts things in perspective walking these dusty roads everyday has taught me so much that i could have never learned if God had not have sent me to this far off corner of his kingdom. I feel like ive aged like ten years in the last week being here.People seem happy though especaily the kids when they see two white guys they think it's really funny.I had a thought the other day that heavenly father sees us all like those little kids out of the dusty roads of Kauma who are just so happy and inocent. Its hard to teach because people dont really speak English. its almost all chechewa and so we have to have members intrepret our lessons.we are also white washing and this is ketchums first time in Malawi too so there is alot of guess work right now till w are more situated. So pretty much all the ways i taught at the mtc(which i loved every minute of) pretty much went out the door. We have been blessed to work with brother duma who is amazing he used to be the brach president and is a great man. The branch is pretty good. we have 3 teenagers on date for baptism for the 18th which is exciting.I got to share my testamony on sunday and honestly i dont know if anyone really understood all that much exept for a few who speack english well. we also got to have a bbq with a senior couple that is leaving soon. Food wise we are fine im not losing any weight. we eat pretty well on our budget and im getting better at cooking too because we dont really eat with members. You can actually find almost all the same stuff in the grocery stores here. Also i found out that alot of the crazy things i heard about the mission are not true. One things though, it is  pitch black here by 6 oclock so we generally leave early so we can get back inside and do our study at night. I am sleeping like a log every night here. we come back and i am straight exhausted. I also learned alot about humility and just solidering on, I thought i was so ready and all "mr. mental toughness" till i got here and realized this is africa and there is no time for self doubt, fear, or homesickness you just have to get to work and ignore all other distractions. The nshima i'm getting used to. It's bland but super filling and keeps you going all day. I will say sometyhing amazing though to quote the great George strait I really do see God everyday here( great song by the way go listen to it this is just a crazy expeirience full of ups and downs that really test you but i really look forward to everything i can learn from it. i have more to say but i have to send a couple more emails so you might get another small one. No pictures to send now but i promise i will send some.

I love you all so much and i know God sent me here to lilongwe for a reason his gospel is true and i love it. Lots of love elder lusk

Arriving in Zambia, Meeting President and Sister Kupu

After flying directly to the South Africa Missionary Training Center and spending 18 days there, Elder Lusk, along with these other missionaries flew  up to Zambia to officially begin their service. They met their mission president, President Kupu and his wife who are from Tonga. Elder Lusk then received his assignment and he will be laboring in the Lilongwe, Malawi area for at least the next 6 weeks.

Definitely in Africa Now and Heading to Malawi

Hey family i dont have long but we all made it safe to Zambia...yea i am definitely in Africa now. In the morning ill be heading to Lilongwe with my trainer Elder Ketchum from Las Vegas. He is the district leader and we are white washing the area. Of the six of us 5 are going to Malawi. I am so excited and i don't have much time so i will give you a big email on Monday. But I love you all and i love the gospel Of Jesus Christ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love Elder Stefan Lusk

These pictures were taken in Johannesburg where the Missionary Training Center (MTC) is located. Elder Lusk will depart the MTC this week, as he mentioned in his letter, and head to his mission in Zambia. The second picture is all the Elders and Sister Missionaries who are also attending the MTC at this time along with Elder Lusk. And, yes, girls do serve missions as well! :)

We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Letting Go and the Strengthening Aspect of the Atonement

Hey Family so it has been a great/crazy/fun/long/hard week. So the temple was closed but we still went and I'm sending some pictures. It was cool to finally see some of Johannesburg and have that "We're not in Kansas anymore" moment where you see how another society lives. All the houses have gates and razor wire to deal with crime (big problem in SA they dont't even send sisters here due to the street crime). But apart from that it was pretty cool. So we're all super close now and it's gonna be hard to leave the others going to other missions. With only 19 of us here you really get personal with everyone. I am also learning what it really means to learn and teach. It's a pretty hard learning curve where you really have to let go of yourself and focus entirely on the person you're teaching and trust your companion. It has also been a great blessing to get deeper into the Book of Mormon than I've ever been. I really have felt my personal testimony and strength grow as i have found that the Lord gives us our personalities and passions to help other people see him in their own lives. I really feel so fulfilled here with my purpose and have felt the strengthening aspect of the Atonement bless my efforts to overcome my own weaknesses. I have also had so much fun seeing how God brings a bunch of young adults from different backgrounds and strengths and unites them in purpose.

I love you all!!!!!

Elder Lusk's Contact Information

For those wanting to contact Stefan during his mission, you can write to him and it will go the mission office in Lusaka and then get distributed to him. He will get transferred to a different area every 6 to 18 weeks or so, therefore, the best way is to send mail to the address below.

Zambia Lusaka Mission
c/o Elder Stefan Lusk
14038 Katima Mulilo Road
Lusaka, Zambia 10101

Please also remember that he has very little time for writing letters but all missionaries love getting positive, encouraging letters from home!

Alma 29:9 at Elder Lusk's Request

" I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."
Alma 29:9 (Book of Mormon)

Stefan asked us to put this on his blog. Just a little background, in this chapter of the Book of Mormon, Alma is expressing his deep desire to spread the gospel and share the message of hope to all the world. His deep love and concern for people everywhere and his humility towards God is evident in this entire chapter which is why Elder Lusk wanted us to share.

Brutal Plane Ride, Praying with the Pastor, Loving my New Brothers, Humility and God

Hey fam,

This past week really has been undescribable. I can't fully share all that God has done for me and the amazing things that i have seen, felt and done. To start, the plane ride was brutal but it did have its moments. Being able to meet up with ten other missionaries on the flight in the airport was a real blessing. We all had an instant love for each other like we had known everyone for our entire lives. we even shared our last american meal together at Panda express. Anyway on the flight(which was just like any normal plane disappointingly but some people where moved around and i ended up being between another missionary going to Zambia and an older man named Brian who was a pastor in another church heading to a conference and he really loves mormon missionaries and we prayed together which was pretty cool. so there are 19 of us here in Jo-burg right now and we have become one big family. Its amazing how much love i have seen this week i can't even tell you how loving theses missionaries are. They really do send the best to Africa. Also president and sister Aston are amazing and firm believers in fun. Food wise we are eating alot! Which is good because they pretty much said eat it now cause you ain't getting it in the field...oh well. I have been blessed to be paired with Elder Yosi from south Africa he is going to Botswana, wants to be a civil engineer, and he has taught me so much about love and humility i really love him and all the african they are the best! There are six of us going to Zambia....Elder Mira from Alaska my new poly brother who gives the best hugs, Elder Chauke from SA who is so humble and happy at all times, Sister Porter from Boise who has destroyed all of us in every sport and board game, and sister Gwebu and sister Marriot both from SA. Its amazing who specail the bond is here when we all have the same goals,faith, fear, joy,spirit, and love for christ and each other. I have grown so much and feel like a much different person. I have never seen God so much and i feel a great sense of peace and purpose like the weight of my old worries and cares are now replaced with a sense that i am home and where i need to be. I have never laughed, smiled, cried, or loved so much. The pure love of Christ that is here has change all of us an it beautiful. To see people from different countries and backgrounds totally embrace each other in love afeter only a few days and make so much sacrifices out of love to help each other. I can tell you God is close in Africa and he loves all of his children so much. I can only imagine how much i am going to expeierence the rest of my mission . I cant send any pictures yet but i promise some soon. I love you all so much. 

Stefan 

I know im leaving out alot here but i have more to tell in coming emails

         

 

The Mission Call and Beyond

This is Elder Lusk's mom and I'll be updating his mission blog over the next 24 months. Just to back up, though, Elder Lusk is a full-time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (other nicknames for the church are Mormon or LDS). Elder Lusk  chose to serve a full-time mission upon high school graduation so back in January of this year, Elder Lusk began the process of not just completing forms electronically and getting physicals, dental exams and the like but also going through a series of interviews with his Bishop and Stake President (his local leaders) to make sure that his testimony of the Savior and of the restored Gospel was solid and that he was living as close to to the Lord as possible and seeking to do the best he can in keeping the commandments and, in essence, that he was spiritually ready to serve, but not only spiritually ready but emotionally and physically as well. You see, it's not just a matter of saying, "well I'm 18 now, let's sign up for a mission". It's been a process. But when that application was formally submitted to Church headquarters in Salt Lake City he beginning of March, we all knew he was ready. And then the waiting began. We waited for that assignment to come in the mail. Some people get theirs a quicker than others. And the wondering out loud in our family about drove us crazy. It was a daily conversation and it went something like this, "I wonder when your mission assignment will be here?", "will it take a week to get here or three weeks?", "maybe you'll serve in Montana or Montreal or Idaho or Ireland or perhaps Brazil or Boston". The following night was similar: "maybe it will be California but, if so, will it be English speaking or Spanish speaking? Australia would be nice but so would Arizona or Texas or Taiwan". And on and on it went! Zambia was never mentioned....or even thought of. In terms of his assignment, it is done by inspiration from the Holy Ghost. On certain days of the week, the church leaders assigned to make the missionary assignments will electronically  pull up the mission application of each applicant. They briefly review each applicant and consider the current needs worldwide and with a prayer in their hearts, they make the assignment. I know that each mission assignment is inspired of God and is not random or incidental. I know the assignments are not made until those making the assignment are confident that it is God's will. I know that to be true! I knew that Elder Lusk would be called of God to labor in his vineyard wherever that vineyard happened to be. It's a good thing everybody in our family knew that because when the assignment came in the mail and he read that he would be serving in the Zambia Lusaka mission, it was unbelieveable but we knew it was right.
Please join us for the next 24 months as we follow Elder Lusk's journey!! We're happy to have you along for what is sure to be an amazing adventure!

Elder Lusk's Thoughts

As I get ready to leave for the next two years to serve in the Zambia Lusaka Mission I want to take a moment to thank everyone who has helped me get here to this point. Your friendship and support means so much to me. During the next two years I hope you will follow me as I set out serving, teaching and representing Jesus Christ among the great people of Zambia and Malawi. I hope you can be inspired as I share this experience with you and I greatly look forward to all the blessings the next two years will bring. I want you to know that I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to share God's love with his children and I know this is the work that He has called me to do.
-with love
Elder Stefan Lusk
the Great Zambia Lusaka Mission
Isaiah 6:8 "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I, Send me".