See Others As They May Become

Yesterday we shared a conference talk by our prophet, President Monson. It moved me to remember that we can't look backward at ourselves or anyone else. We are more than our past. We are eternal beings with infinite potential and to look at any person (including myself) and say that they are incapable of change is to deny Christ's power to save. We can't focus on where we have been. We have to focus on where we are going. 

 https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/see-others-as-they-may-become?lang=eng

This morning I was reading about the Prodigal Son. The young man knows that he's done wrong. He says "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son." He isn't wrong. He has royally messed up. He has wasted his inheritance in riotous living that has scarred him. He feels unclean. He has insulted his family. The road ahead won't necessarily be easy, but his father is watching for him. He is so overjoyed to see him!! That father saw the boy not for his past, but for his future. That father saw his son for what he could become. 

  http://www.mormonchannel.org/video/mormon-messages?v=3250862264001

The young man's brother is a little bit miffed. He thinks he's been unfairly dealt with. He was good, right? Why did his wicked little brother get all of the special treatment for wasting his living? This young man sees his brother's past. Not his future. He may be thinking "He's never going to change! Especially not if you reward him like this. Where is the justice?" Well, we should all be glad to know that Christ overcame justice. Christ paid the price of justice for both of these sons in all of their shortcomings. I recommend we don't ask for justice. Justice serves all of us poorly - since each of us has fallen and each falls short of the glory of God. Christ knows our fallen state and rescues us. He says in Doctrine and Covenants 18:

 "10 Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God;

 11 For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him.

 12 And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance.

 13 And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!

 14 Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people.

 15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

Christ sees our potential and He is able to help us overcome all things.

This week I have been thinking a lot about the people that we are teaching and where they may be in 10 years. I see one as a temple worker, another sealed to a worthy man for time and all eternity, one teaching a sunbeams class, and another feeling clean and forgiven with purity in his attitude. I love these people because the Lord has given me the eyes to see a little bit of their potential. He sees us for our potential. I am grateful for the change He can bring to each of us. My challenge to all of you this week is to see others for their future. Not their past. Then look at yourself with that same attitude.

A returning missionary sang this song Sunday with her Sister:

We sang "Come Unto Christ" with the Young Women in Sacrament this Sunday and almost made one of our investigators cry. I love that song.

I love you all. Be strong. Stick it out.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

Pictures

Walla Walla/ Milton Freewater/ Pendleton Sister Missionaries on the 4th of July

Me with my companion Sister Owens

Us in the underground tunnels under Pendleton

Come Unto Christ

Sometimes we think that we have to wait for just the right moment when the kids are quiet and the house is clean and our mind is free of distractions. Then we will read our scriptures, sesk the spirit, come to church, give up smoking, serve someone else, or mend a quarrel. I have a message for you. It isn't going to get any easier than it is right now.

If Satan knows that he can expend just this much effort to keep you from the Spirit, he will continue to do so. The Spirit does not come in uninvited, but the devil comes in when you leave the door open just a crack. Satan's a jerk. You have to show him that he isn't welcome and that you aregoing to serve God no matter what gets in your way.

So let us ask ourselves the question "What is keeping me from feeling the Spirit today? What can I change in my life to open myself more to God's guidance and to keep Satan's influence out of my home, my life and my mind?"

Another thing that we have to understand is that the scriptures take the Spirit to us. We don't take the Spirit to the scriptures. That's not to say that we shouldn't spiritually prepare ourselves to be open to what God needs to tell us in the scriptures, at church, at the temple, at General Conference, or at any other opportunity to receive revelation. What I mean is that these things will be beneficial to you even when you are in your dark and distracted moments. If you are beset by temptation that is a great time to listen to a conference talk. If your testimony is struggling you should be going to church. You don't have to be perfect to go to church - otherwise no one would be allowed in. As Jesus Said "They that are whole have no need ofthe physician, but they that are sick". You can go to God at any time. You can open up the scriptures and He will give you help if you are truly seeking help and if you have real intent to follow Him. 

My plea is that we turn to Christ a little bit every day so that we don't get lost down some forbidden path. We need to look to Him every day. If we put it off, it will only get harder. I promise that there is no point that we can reach where He cannot reach us. There is no place He will not go to set us free and it is His work and His Glory "to bring to pass theimmortality and Eternal life of Man" Moses 1:39. The worth of your soul isgreat in God's sight.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

Building Your Boat the Lord's Way According to Nephi

Today I was reading 1 Nephi 17 and I learned a little bit about doing things in God's way (not mine).

So Lehi and his family have been traveling eight years in the wilderness. They've received a lot of guidance from God that has kept them in the more fertile parts of the wilderness. They've seen a lot of affliction but they have also been blessed in miraculous ways.  They come to the seashore and called the place Bountiful. They name the ocean Irreantum (many waters). No joke - lots of water. They rejoiced. If I were them I would have thought "Well, here we are. It's been a nice trip. I'm glad it's over. We can't go any further so we must be done." But that would have been building my life my way. It seems that building a boat my way is not building a boat at all.

But one night Nephi is sleeping and the voice of the Lord comes to him saying "Arise,and get thee into the mountain." So the first step in building your boat the Lord's way is to get up out of bed and put your feet to the pavement.  By the way mountains in the scriptures are usually symbolic of the temple. So Nephi goes to the mountain and prays. Obviously the Lord needs him there so there must be a reason. Nephi is going to find out what that reason is. The Lord says "Thou shalt construct a ship, after the manner which I shall show thee, that I may carry thy people across here waters."

I am not as cool as Nephi - and I would probably still be thinking "But, Lord, we're done! Remember? We called it 'many waters' for a reason. Too many to cross. Plus - I can't build a boat. What if I mess up and we all drown? You've seen Gilligan's Island, if the skipper couldn't build a raft to get off of the island I can't build a boat. Even if I did build a boat that could hold us for a while - those waters do not appear to end. We will eventually fail."

Nephi didn't even have the metal to make tools. But he had the faith to move mountains. He said "Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?" In order to get the guidance, we need to build our boat the Lord's way. We need to get moving, go to a place where we can be alone with the Lord, ask for direction and have the faith to follow through. The Lord told Nephi where to find metal and he went to work. He practiced using his own ingenuity and experience to do whatever he could to make it work. He wasn't slothful. He showed initiative. He built a bellows out of animal skins, he made a fire, and started melting rocks.  By his hard work Nephi had to show faith and exert his best effort. He knew he couldn't do it alone - but He also knew that the Lord wouldn't just hand him the answer because that would rob Nephi of a valuable learning experience. The Lord lets us try things out and do our best to think it through. He provides the miracle that gets us through.

Now Nephi's brothers have seen many of the same miracles and divine manifestations that Nephi has witnessed. The difference lies mostly in attitude. Laman and Lemuel don't trust God because they haven't tried to trust Him yet. Nephi knows firsthand that the Lord will make it possible because he has put his trust in the Lord before and it's worked out just fine. He took steps in faith, was obedient in hard times, and watched the Lord deliver him. Laman and Lemuel also don't pray for answers - which we've been watching Nephi do from chapter 2.

Nephi writes:

 

 17 And when my brethren saw that I was about to build a ship, they began to murmur against me, saying: Our brother is a fool, for he thinketh that he can build a ship; yea, and he also thinketh that he can cross these great waters.

 18 And thus my brethren did complain against me, and were desirous that they might not labor, for they did not believe that I could build a ship; neither would they believe that I was instructed of the Lord.

If they don't yet know that the Lord has commanded Nephi to do this the best way to find out is to ask God about it. The way we learn pretty much everything is by asking questions. But asking questions is scary because it takes a lot of humility. You have to be willing to do what the Lord tells you to do. You have to accept the possibility that God might tell you that you were wrong. This is Laman and Lemuel's dilemma. 

Laman and Lemuel did end up helping with the ship. To their credit they even had enough faith to get on the boat. But they didn't ask God to know for themselves if that was the right thing to do. They kind of just went with what everyone else was doing. We can't do that. We have to be active participants in our own lives. We have to make hard choices and take steps in faith to follow God or the obedience won't last and we won't really change.

Spoilers: They made it across the ocean. The Lord made it possible. Nephi never forgot the miracle that the Lord had done for his family.

Let's build our lives the Lord's way by seeking His direction and then actively participating in the miracles.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

What's in a Name?

Let's take the seriousness down a notch and talk about names. I've been thinking about this for a while. Have you ever met those people who's names are not pronounced the way that they are spelled? Example Carolyn and Caroline. I was taught that in English phonics "The silent E makes the vowel say it's name" A silent "E" makes a long vowel hence Carolyn (Care-oh-lin) and Caroline (Care-o-line) 

Even place names like Sardina (pronounced Sar-din-ia)

I try to explain to people that those letters don't make that sound. Where did that extra sound come from? I try to explain that the entire purpose of having letters is so that we can know how words are pronounced when we read them- therefore things should be spelled phonetically. People say "It doesn't matter how it's spelled. This is how it's pronounced!" 

I've decided that I may name one of my children F-R-A-N-K pronounced "Bob" just to make a point.But in all honesty I would never do that. 

In other news- two investigators in the Spanish group got married on Saturday and my very talented companion Sister Owens did the bride's hair. It was beautiful. I played prelude music. (Anyone who has heard me play the piano will know that that was not as beautiful). Working in the kitchen I learned all sorts of Spanish. Words like "Platito" meaning "Little Plate." I love learning.

Well - I hope that all is well and that the world has not exploded in the last 7 months (not that I would know about it if it did. Missionary work would just keep on going). Thanks to all of the beautiful, wonderful people who wrote me letters this week. You know who you are. 

Keep up the fight. 1 Corinthians 16:13. Galations 5:7.

Love Always,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

The Key to Happiness

I've decided to make a list of ways to be happy. I find them to be very helpful.

1. Pray for comfort. No one knows what you are going through like Christ does. He promises to run to our aid as we reach out to Him. Remember that in Matthew 14 Christ reached out to Peter immediately as he asked for help.

2. Read your scriptures. Opening yourself up to God's guidance and his Spirit will help you to:

3. Focus on the Eternal 

4.Take a moment for positive and active reflections, or in other words:

5. Count your blessings. 

6. Serve - temple service especially helps me to refocus on what is most important. When we forget ourselves and go to work we do much better.

7. Reorganize your priorities. Focus on those pursuits that lead to lasting peace and happiness. Having the courage to rid ourselves of amusing, but negative, influences can pay dividends in the future.

8. Go about doing good. Work hard; get involved in a cause bigger than yourself (like missionary work!); be constructive.

9. Repent. Repentance is forward looking. It focuses us on what we can become and involves letting go of those actions and influences which make us miserable.

10 Surround yourself with good influences. Inspirational music and art, good friends, and ice cream are some of my favorites.

11. Take steps in faith. Faith and fear cannot coexist. As we have faith we do hard things and trust God to give us the strength that we need.

As we all try to be the best that we can be- sometimes we get down on ourselves because we think that we aren't doing enough or we let someone else's opinion get us down. Remember your worth in God's eyes. Remember the strength that comes from doing His will. (His strength instead of our own). Then get up and work. As we take steps in faith, we find the road to be more solid beneath our feet than the world would have us believe. Set your sights on the eternal, but take is a day at a time. Be content with improvement instead of perfection.

Love,

Sister Caroline Faulkner

Father's Day Greetings

Not all of us come from perfect families and sometimes Mother's Day and Father's Day are a little bit difficult for people. I was blessed with parents that love me very much and I am grateful for the example and support that they give me. I couldn't be here without them. Their faithfulness gave me an opportunity to develop the testimony that I share. 

No matter what our circumstances, we all have a Father in Heaven who loves us more than we can imagine, who also gave us life and would love to hear from us. In the Spirit of Father's day and on every day- I invite us all to reach out and strengthen ties with our Heavenly Father. Spending a little bit of time with him through study and prayer, or in the temple, are the best ways I can suggest to do that. 

Heavenly Father has given us our families for this life and for eternity to watch over us, to help us to learn and grow, and to help us feel His love. 

While I am out here in the mission field, I cannot be with my family - but I know that the Lord gives them great blessings for the support that all of them give me. I love my dad, I am thankful for his love for me - he knows I have to be away right now. 

A missionary is a person who leaves their family for a little while so that other people can be with their families forever. 

Because the power given to prophets in the past has been restored to the Earth today - and we have a living prophet called of God, with power and authority from Jesus Christ - the power to seal families together for eternity is on the Earth today. 

Everyone needs to know about this. 

God lives. He speaks. He is our Father and He loves us more than we can imagine. Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer. He makes it possible for us to find peace in this life and eternal happiness in the life to come. 

So thank your Father. 

Pictures from our temple trip yesterday: