Musical Chairs

This has been the craziest transfer I've ever seen. It's interesting that the people we thought would get baptized this coming weekend are not getting baptized this weekend, and another investigator who wasn't ready 6 weeks ago is bound and determined to be baptized this weekend. You never know what our Father in Heaven is planning.

Speaking of not knowing our Father in Heaven's plans, who would have thought that I would lose Sister Allred to Kennewick mid-transfer? (Technically we are kind of still companions- we are just on a really long exchange). We didn't know what was going to happen at transfers. I certainly didn't expect the call that came.

Sister Allred is going to East Kennewick, Sister Standing is going to another area in Kennewick (her old area is getting doubled out) I am staying here in Richland but I'm being released as a Sister Training Leader to train a new missionary. One of the Sisters who I am currently serving as a Sister Training Leader is going to be my new Sister Training Leader – but all the way from Pendleton, Oregon. That will be a long drive for exchanges. This also probably means that I'll be in Richland for 7.5 months. That's 3 months longer than I've served in any other area, and the entire remainder of my mission. It also means that I was only ever a Sister Training Leader in one area.

Is that difficult to wrap your head around? It is for me too. I think I am going to draw it out in a chart today just to visualize it.

I am really pleased that I get to train again. Training Sister Owens was one of the greatest periods of growth I've ever experienced and one of the happiest times in my life. I have a big long list of things that I want to do better this time.

Transfer day is like a gigantic game of musical chairs. So complicated. So crazy. So inspired. I know that these assignments really do come from our Father in Heaven. He knows where we need to go and who we need to help, and who we need to meet.

I have to say that I am grateful to all the members who help out with the work. I know that even if we had been doubled out, the sweet sister we love so much would still be baptized on Saturday because the members love her as much as we do.

Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

The Power of the Priesthood

We have an investigator named Joy. She's been trying to quit smoking for YEARS. She's been close before, but I think that she is really going to make it this time. She got a priesthood blessing yesterday. She hasn't had a craving since. She Really wants the blessings of living the Word of Wisdom (The Lord's law of health given to the Prophet Joseph Smith) She wants to be baptized. She wants the blessings of the temple. I know that she can make it because she's shown so much faith and desire. I am grateful to know that the power that Christ gave to His Apostles to perform miracles according to our faith is on the Earth again today. I've seen it at work so many times throughout my life and especially here in the mission field. I know that Heavenly Father has the power to heal Joy of this affliction.

I've always loved people the most when they've struggled. I'm not sure why that is, but my time here in the mission field has given me a different perspective on overcoming addiction and how much Christ loves repentance. I know that He enables us to escape. I don't think I realized before how difficult it is to overcome something like that, though. I've worked with a lot of people trying to overcome addictions to a plethora of substances and behaviors, and I've learned a lot about Christ's power to free me from my personal struggles and sins. It's tough! I haven't done anything as hard as overcoming an addiction to tobacco. (I can definitely see why the Lord advised Joseph Smith against it). I know that Christ has power in our lives according to our faith to overcome our weaknesses and give us His strength. He has descended below all things and He knows what it is to overcome such an addiction. I know that nothing pleases our Father in Heaven more than a repentant child. I think that it is very important to Christ that we respond with love and understanding when we see someone struggle, and that we try to be His hands in helping them to succeed as much as we can.

There is something joyous and exciting about claiming freedom from the past, from our mistakes and shortcomings. That's what repentance is beginning to mean to me.

Our mission president advised us to put away our worries and distraction and put them in a box. We need to let Christ take care of them for us. This is my box. I decorated it.

We are trying a new experiment. President wants to see if Sister Training Leaders can train a new missionary and fulfill their leadership assignment without a Sister Training Leader for a companion. In preparation for that, Sister Allred and I are splitting up for the next two weeks. We will still sort of be companions, and we will counsel together for the needs of the sisters, but we will work with other sisters in their proselyting areas. We'll see how this works. I am pretty excited about it.

I am grateful for a mission president called of God to direct the work of our mission. I know that our Father in Heaven directs this work, and He allows us to participate because He wants us to learn and grow. It's pretty awesome.

A sweet sister in our ward gave us flowers. I almost killed mine, but I brought them back to life. You can see that Sister Allred's flowers are doing better than mine.

Fear no man. Trust in The Lord.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

March Forth

The last two weeks have been marked by a number of experiences where the Lord led us exactly where we needed to go. I am gaining confidence that if I pray, the Lord will show us by the Spirit where we need to go. We were led to  people we were looking for even when we didn't know their addresses (sounds like Selah all over again), and we were led by the Spirit to be exactly where the Lord needed us at exactly the right time a few times this week. I love those miracles because it reminds us that we can trust the Spirit to take us where we need to go and we can have confidence that the Lord leads His work.

We had an exchange this week with some of the Sisters nearby and we decided to give it the theme "Confidence in Christ." I think it is important that we remember that we are representatives of Christ, not college students. We can be bold when we invite people to change because we love them and we were sent to them by God to help them come closer to Him. We can also have confidence as we trust the Spirit. It isn't about trusting in ourselves or having confidence in our own abilities. That's pride and it's a sin, but we can have confidence knowing that the Lord has power to make up for our weaknesses (Ether 12:27) and that His strength is sufficient to do His work (Alma 26:12). When we have humility we substitute God's power for our own (That is really hard to do). In order to do that we have to be doing things His way (Doctrine and Covenants 121:36-45) We have to be giving our will to our Father in Heaven, and we have to be giving our all (Helaman 10:4-5) As we proclaim His word with unwearyingness, we can be promised His help to do anything that is necessary. It isn't our power that gets it done. It's His power, which He allows to work through His children when they do their best. We are still sinners. We mess up all the time. We make mistakes. When we make mistakes we can repent and do better with His help. It's really about asking for help by giving Him our will. Then we can be permitted to do His work. I love that all that we have to do is really, really want to serve Him and do our best. Then His grace can reach us because our hearts are ready to accept His help and we have the faith to be made whole. The best part is that even when we have trouble giving our best, or desiring to serve God we can pray for help and He will change our hearts (Mosiah 5:2).

I had a lot of pictures that I wanted to show you today but I left my camera at home, so you will have to wait until next week.

I went to the dentist – I had a broken filling. That was fun. I did that on the 10^th, and it was one of the more difficult dental experiences I have endured in this life. I'm grateful to Dr. Larson, though who really helped me out. He showed great mercy.

It needed a lot of help and we are watching it right now to make sure that it doesn't need a root canal. I liked Dr. Larson because he helped me for free (which I didn't deserve at all) and he showed me the x ray so I could know exactly what has been going on in my tooth before and after and what I need to do to take care of it. He showed me the x-ray and explained where the root was, where the filling was, and what was happening when it was causing me pain. I think that I will always ask my dentists from now on to explain what is going on in my mouth. Thank you to all dentists who look out for missionaries. You people are the best.

Thanks to all who support us. Thanks to you all who pray for the missionaries. Those prayers are much appreciated.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

Glorious

God's work and His Glory is to bring to pass the Immortality and eternal life of man (Moses 1:39). To me this means that glory lies in the salvation of God's children. Some things that are therefore extremely glorious are:

Repentance,

The temple,

Humility,

Missionary work,

Family prayer and scripture study,

Ordinances of salvation (like baptism),

A life spent in humble service of God

I love this. To find glory we can't be seeking our own power or influence. We have to be trying to serve and lift others. We have to call repentance. Sometimes people talk about the glory of the world. That's not the kind of glory that we want. That's fake cheap glory that is found in:

Acceptance,

Affluence,

Fame,

Positions,

Promotions,

Recognition,

Ability,

The list goes on.

I am grateful for a Father in Heaven who is able to remind us of what is really important.

I am really trying to work on charity right now. I need to feel more love for people and feel an urgent need to help them come unto Christ. I think that it's impossible to do this work without love, and that is something that we can all improve on. I need to remember how very much Heavenly Father values every single one of His children. Doctrine and Covenants18:10 reminds us "The worth of souls is great in the sight of God.". He weeps with us when we are sad. He rejoices with us when we are happy. We matter to Him. That is why we need to cry repentance unto every person. It's glorious.

Love,

Sister Faulkner

Charity Never Faileth

We got to go to the temple again today. I told you that Sister Allred and I are companions again. I didn't tell you that Sister Donnelly is in Richland now, so I am her Sister Training Leader- so we get to see each other quite a bit. I love all of my companions and all of the sisters that are serving here in the Richland stake. It is fun to get to see them at the temple. 

We have been grateful to see the love that the members have shown us and our investigators. It makes a big difference. It is very difficult to come to church for the first time. It helps a lot when you know that someone there loves you. We have seen amazing service and compassion on the part of the members toward the people that we have been teaching. I will be forever grateful to the members that continue to help the people I have taught after I am gone.

I am grateful to our Father in Heaven. He loves all of His children. I can testify to that. It is amazing that He can lead us to the people who are prepared for our message and who have lost hope. We knock on strangers' doors and we find people who are ready to learn. It's pretty amazing.

This is a picture of Sister Allred and Sister Lindmeir a little less than a week before Sister Lindmeir went home.

The members we live with "heart attacked” our apartment. They left us brownies and flowers. It was so sweet!

This is some of the sisters in our zone at the temple. Some of them were gone by the time we came outside, but we got pictures with the ones who were left.

Have a lovely month!!

Love,

Sister Faulkner

De Ja Vu

Transfer calls same a couple of days ago. Of course we knew that Sister Lindmeir would be headed home (she goes to the mission home today). I get to stay in Richland. My new companion is an old companion. I am getting Sister Allred again. The area won't suffer too much for losing Sister Lindmeir since Sister Allred has all of the devotion, diligence, obedience, and enthusiasm that Sister Lindmeir has. Remember that Sister Lindmeir trained Sister Allred. I now know where she got some of that zeal for the work of salvation.

Speaking of trainers- Sister Owens is training a new missionary this transfer!!

Sister Allred and I will be tearing it up here in Richland for at least six weeks. We are pretty excited about this coming transfer. We saw a couple really cool miracles this week. Last night we were referred to a family that has been meeting with missioonaries in Kennewick, and they are so excited to be married and to be baptized. They have already shown significant faith and repentance. I love the light in people's eyes as people show faith and repentance. When people feel the Spirit testify of truth and they feel God's love a change comes into their countenance. They look different. They talk differently. The spirit causes a person's countenance to reflect Christ's image and His light.

Some of the members gave us live violets this week. It made me think of my grandmother, Violet Faulkner. So I named the violets Johnny. I'll post a picture next week.

I would love to write more, but we have to take Sister Lindmeir to the mission home, so I have to go. Have a wonderful week!!!

  

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

February Already

Our recent convert received the priesthood this Sunday. He is preparing to go to the temple and perform baptisms on behalf of the dead this month.  The branch is really reaching out to him. I am so grateful for members who are helpful to recent converts, and I know that Christ is more thankful than I am. I am also grateful that we have a temple so close- because the spirit of the temple is powerful and it helps people to keep their testimony strong.

One of the recent converts in our branch received his mission call this week. We like to joke that we are his trainers because we take him tracting with us and we take him to lessons. We are so excited for him. I know the missionaries who taught him. They are still out, and they may be able to be there when he goes to the temple in a couple of months in preparation for his mission. That will be a great blessing to him and to them. I know they care about him a lot. Missionaries love all of the people they teach. We love watching them grow in their faith, and we love watching their lives change as they grow closer to Christ. We pray for them. If you are a convert- know that somewhere there is a missionary praying for you.

We have really been enjoying a new weekly service project at a nursing home here in town. We read the Bible and do Arts and Crafts with these sweet elderly people. They have great stories and amazing spirits and we have been spiritually filled as we've been able to work with them. If you have the opportunity to do something like that- take it. These wonderful people love visits even from strangers. They have much more to offer us than we give them.

I'm grateful for the members who have wrapped their arms around the people that we have been teaching. It makes a difference in their lives. It is our responsibility as disciples of Christ to "lift up the hands that hang down and strengthen the feeble knees" We also promised at baptism that we would "mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort" and that we would "stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places" (Mosiah 18). I know that when we do this, we are acting as the Lord's hands. We are helping Him reach out and embrace those around us. Thanks to all those who help others feel loved and welcome at church and in the community.

Transfers are next week, but I am probably staying. Sister Lindmeir is going home, though she would fight tooth and nail to stay if it would do her any good. She is one of the most converted missionaries I have ever met and it has been my privilege to serve with her. I know that she will do so well as a returned missionary. I know that she will continue to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I am thankful for the opportunity I've had to serve with her in this area.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner