Excuses Excuses

Sorry about all of the missed weeks. Things got a little bit Crazy with a temple trip and the library where we email being closed for a week. I'll make up for it. Maybe.

  

I'm pretty sure the old adage is "April showers bring May flowers," but I think the flowers got a little bit confused. Moses Lake is covered in flowers right now.

Magnolias, Tulips, Daffodils, and Hyacinths are popular. There are also those icky-smelling pink or white trees that we also have in Provo. 

My companion saw deer for the first time in her life. 

We are coming up on the end of my third beautiful transfer in Moses Lake. I have grown to love this little town even more than I loved it when I came. 

I am having tons of fun learning a little bit of Spanish from my bi-lingual companion. This week I learned how to tell people about asking questions in prayer and how to say whether I want or like something. Useful stuff. 

Easter is this Sunday and I would like to share a really great video about Jesus Christ.

http://easter.mormon.org/

Christ's Sacrifice changes everything about my life. Because of Him, I am where I am. Because of Him, I have hope that my family can be together forever. Because of Him, I can change and repent every day and return to live in my Heavenly Father's presence one day. His sacrifice for each of us inspires me to love others.

Time for three Eternal Truths that do not pertain to Salvation.

1. Mail is worth it's weight in gold. Missionaries love mail. It means that someone loves them.

2.  Flowers bring joy to people. Weeds that have flowers do not bring as much joy to people. If we allowed flowering weeds to grow in our gardens they would last longer and require less care than the flowers that we work so hard to maintain. 

3. People come outside when it's warm. They stay inside when it is cold. It is way easier to find people to talk to when it's warm outside.

There are the kittens that I didn't really take in but I am claiming as my own- even though other people take care of them and feed them. 

I love you all. Happy Easter. With all the new life we see around us - let us look to Christ and remember the light and life that He offers us every day.

Love,

Sister Faulkner

Come! Listen to a Prophet's Voice!

Imagine you lived in the days of Isaiah, Abraham, Jeremiah, or Moses. You knew that there was a living prophet of God- a special witness of Jesus Christ on the Earth- and he was coming to your town. What would you do to be there? Would you want to know what he had to say?

Our loving Heavenly Father calls Prophets and Apostles- men with the responsibility and authority to lead and guide God's church under the direction of Jesus Christ. Every 6 months they speak to the world. The words that Jesus Christ wants us to hear today- to give us guidance for our day just like He gave guidance to prophets of old as recorded in the Bible. This weekend they speak again. They will testify of Jesus Christ, His love, and His gospel. 

It will be on the internet (Click Here) the television, and in some places on the radio this weekend. It will be available in meetinghouses across the world. 

10 AM and 2 PM Saturday if you live in Utah, 9:00 and 1:00 in Washington or Arizona, and accessible after the live broadcasts on lds.org (Click Here). 

It's been fun inviting everyone to watch it. Learning about living prophets makes a huge difference in people's lives. It means that Christ still speaks- and He loves us as much as He loves the people who lived before He came to this Earth to perform His mortal ministry and Atoning sacrifice for us. 

It has always been hard for people to accept living prophets - Noah, Jeremiah, even Jesus Christ were denied by many people while they taught on Earth. I know that we have a living prophet on the Earth today who testifies of Jesus Christ. But that is something that each person has to learn personally by prayer.

That is what we invite people to do. Pray and find out by the Holy Spirit.

This week was tough. We've been less able to go out and visit people because we've sick. We lost one of the people we were teaching - and some of the people we haven't lost aren't progressing like I wish they were. Sometimes the work is hard. As Elder Holland said "Salvation is not a cheap experience." But, as I watch people decide not to act in faith and learn for themselves or act on what they have learned, I feel Christ's love. I understand His sacrifice for me a little bit more. I love Him more and I want to serve Him.

Yesterday I found a street in our area that I have never been on. It was like Christmas. More people to talk to. 

People have been really nice to us, too. I can always count on our ward to support the missionaries.

My companion learned how to put my hair in corn rows.

This is one of my favorite letter pictures so far.

I FINALLY learned how to do that missionary trick with my hands. The one where you make a snapping sound without snapping.

I love you all. Stay faithful, stay stalwart. Keep up the amazing. 

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

Greenie BUSTED!

The companion that you have after your trainer "Greenie Busts" you. I'm not really positive what the significance of this term is yet. 

I can tell already that my new companion Sister Reyes is going to be great for our area. The people we are teaching already love her.

Here is a picture of Sister McMurtrey and I right before she left for Yakima. She is a gem. I'm sure Yakima will love her.

Here are the other Sisters in our Zone before transfers- I love them all. Only four of us are still in Moses Lake.

Sister Reyes and I are already having a blast though. She has a lot of enthusiasm for this work.

You know what's coming up?

GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!

Get ready, folks, for the first weekend in April- when we hear the words of a living prophet of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that President Monson is a prophet. I am so grateful to my Savior- that He continues to give us direction and guidance personally through the Holy Ghost and to the world through a living prophet and living Apostles.

Time for the Eternal Truth that does not pertain to salvation for this week:

2. Waking up early actually helps you be less tired than you would be if you woke up late.

Real. Thing. I wish that I could explain this sufficiently to you with science and stuff. All I know is that (provided you go to bed on time) Waking up at 6:30 helps me to stay alert throughout the day. Exercise also helps. I exercise way more now than I ever did before my mission - and I haven't gained any weight yet. So my new advice about not gaining weight on your mission is: never exercise before your mission and then you'll be in better shape on your mission than you were before. (Don't actually take this advice.)

Have a fantastic week of greatness and glory!  2 Nephi 26:23-28

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

When Transfers Call

That should be the title of a horror movie. Transfers are so stressful! I am starting to go gray, folks. But it's okay because...

I'm Staying in Moses Lake! I'm losing my trainer! But that's okay. My new companion has been out a while and I'm sure she's amazing. We have had a really great few weeks- despite the weather (sometimes) and some difficulties with our investigators- we have been really happy! We have really felt Christ's love for us. I'll be sad to see my companion go on Wednesday, but she'll have fun- she's been here so long it'll be good for her to get out of our tiny little area.

It's a new transfer!! That means I get to make a new planner! I'll post pictures when that happens.

I'll also continue to send beautiful letters. These are my favorite:

We made transfer predictions- which were mostly incorrect.(that's me with the chalkboard)

Somebody in our neighborhood decided to put a creepy mannequin in his car! Scared me half to death!

And I made my own Plan of Salvation cutouts to use to teach about our purpose in this life!

One of the Sisters who was in our zone made a list of "10 Eternal Truths that do not Pertain to Salvation" That she has learned on her mission.  I have decided to come up with some of my own and include them in my posts. the first is this:

1. If you are going to take your child out of Sacrament Meeting- you had better make it a lot less fun than it is to be in Sacrament Meeting.

This is something my trainer taught me. It doesn't describe one child or parent- rather it describes the struggle that many (all) righteous parents face as they do their best to rear their children in righteousness. I have compassion for them. I know their struggle. Struggling parents, know that we love you dearly.

This transfer shall be full of splendor and miracles!

3 Nephi 27:20

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

The Wonderful World of Color

When it snows, the world gets a little bit drained of color. Right now there is ice on the roads, snow on the sidewalks and in the fields, and rain falling from the sky. Lots of gray.

But! We have a lot of fun anyway. I just have to find ways to put color into my little missionary world.I made a scripture case:

I color my letters to friends and family. Here are the letters I sent out last week:

They represent respectively: Swan Lake, Rapunzel, Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer", and Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. (inaccurately because of the electric light. Pretend those lights are hand-lit streetlamps and candles from the early 19th century).

You can't really see this giant pile of tumbleweeds, but the wind was being extremely persnickety the day before it last snowed. They totally blocked the sidewalk. Now they have snow all over them.  Not really colorful. Just fantastic. This wins the largest tumbleweed competition for now- but we've had some great contenders in the past. Some bigger than me. None large enough to block the entire sidewalk. Tumbleweeds aren't really colorful, I guess. Just amusing.

If you write me a letter you will get a colorful picture on the back of the envelope that holds my response.

Have a wonderful day!

I take comfort in Doctrine and Covenants 61:36, and Doctrineand Covenants 84:88.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

Go Down Moses

 Things have really been turning around for us this week.

We found three new people to teach! They are super-cool. Our investigators are doing much better. Several that we were having a hard time getting appointments with have set new appointments with us, or started reading more. I know that the Lord is looking out for us, and for the people we are teaching, and for the people looking for the truth.

Christ is waiting to deliver us from the bondage of sin. And He can- there is no doubt about that.

Both my companion and I have been cheerful and well taken care of by the members of our ward. We also got lots of mail this week. Thanks to Mom, Grandma, Aunt Shannon, Melanie, and Alicia. I loved each of your letters/ packages and I am going to write each of you today.

Also, a special shout out to my MOM. Who's birthday is coming up! She's 25 again. I can't believe it.

Thanks to all of you for your love and support and dedication to the work.

Also- be nice to the missionaries when they come to your door. Don't fight with people about your religion or theirs. That does not invite the spirit. I've learned a little bit about anger and the spirit. They cannot exist together. We had a not-so-fun experience recently with people trying to fight with us. I love those people who are polite and loving even if they are totally uninterested. Those people are the best.

I hope that all of you have a great week! I'll write more next week, Promise.

Love,

Sister Faulkner

Pictures

I have some pictures including a picture of what happens when you bring old, used, and not-so-tough/ not-so-waterproof boots on a mission. 

Valentine's Goodies: