Well, we thought he was coming home...

So, Elder Faulkner was originally supposed to be home October 31st. He was extended to November 17th. Unfortunately for us, due to a paperwork issue - he was not able to board his plane, . 

We are still waiting patiently for him to come home. His mission president promised it would be before the American holiday, Thanksgiving - which is on November 22.

I will post pictures of him safely here as soon as we can.

The Very Last

Oy,

Di naman ito sobrang seryoso, mas lalo kasi kung igoogle-translate nyo ito bka wla kyung masyadong maiintindihan, ang layunin ko sa pagsusulat nito ay dahil may humingi sa akin, (ang tatay ko kasi.) Kaya masaya ako na ipakita sinyo na natuto ako ng wika ng Tagalog habang dito ako sa pilipinas.

Ang inis ng mga pulang linya! naka-underline ang lahat kasi akala ng kompyuter na di pwede ang mga ganitong salita.

Sa misyon ko napakarami ng natutunan ko dito. ang dami kong kilala na mababait na tao. Gusto ko talaga dito sa pilipinas. kinakabahan akong umuwi, kahit na dati pa alam na alam ko na darating ang araw na ito, ang daming pagbabago paguwi ko. 

Mahal ko ang mga tao d2 sa pilipinas at naiintindihan ko na sila, marami talaga clang mga pagsubok na di naiintindihan ng karaniwang dayuhang tao. Nagpapasalamat ako sa pagkakataon ko dito sa misyon, mahal ko ang pangulo ng misyong si president Hughes at marami siyang nagawa para sa akin, marami siyang naituro sakin. 

Mamimiss ko ang mission, nakakalungkot ang paguwi ko, pero masaya din kasi may pagkakataon na naman para magrow at para paunlarin ang aking sarili. daming suliranin at pagsubok na maencounter ko dyan ng'unit sa tingin ko handang handa ako eh at sana marami ding magaganda...ng pagasa... na pagkakataon... Diba?. 

Sa Wika na naman syempre nasabi ko naman sinyo lahat na may sinulat akong aklat tungkol sa kung paano matuto ng Tagalog, kaya wala naman akong kailangang ipatunay kahit kanino tungkol sa pagkatuto ko nayan eh. Masaya lang ako kasi gustong gusto ko ang wikang ito. Sana marami akong makikilalang pilipino para makapagTagalog ako ulit.

Sana Paguwi ko makita ko kayong lahat at magsaya tayo. Uwi na ako na may dangal (Edi wow Malalim)

Pasensya na medyo maikli lang ito di nyo ata maiintindihan kaya ayos lang un eh.

Sa totoo lang pagkatapos kong magsulat nito nagpasalin ako nito sa google translate at medyo magaling talaga yung google. 

Mahal ko kayo.

Elder Faulkner

Ang Pinakahuli

Someone asked me to write my last letter in Tagalog. I will do the best of both worlds (because I haven't written in so long) and I will do both: Tagalog and English.

This is my last letter. I thought about doing this two ways. I contemplated giving just a short finishing statement and being done, and I thought maybe I should make it long. Well, you will see which one I picked. These letters have been a great help in organizing my thoughts throughout the mission and I hope I will look back on them from time to time to contemplate what I have experienced here.

Coming to the close of my mission, it is hard to grasp that it is almost gone. I remember so many experiences so vividly that it is hard to think that a lot of those experiences were so long ago. Looking forward to the rest of my life, I don't want to look back and regret any of the choices that I have made.

Life here has been good. I love the Philippines, I love the people, and the food, and the whole culture. Doing missionary work here has been the best thing for my life that I have ever done. Especially to look back on this and know that I gave an effort and knowing that I was able to give all that I could. Many things will be big changes when I get back. I will have a lot of things to adjust to but I have been adjusting for the last two years and I am sure that I will figure it out.

I have learned a lot as a missionary here. I remember the time when I was so afraid of the future, I was so hesitant to push myself. I told Elder Nelson in the MTC: "If we can outlast President Bertin we can do anything." I hadn't even ever met the man, I had just heard stories. Looking back I feel like I wasted a lot of my time here, I should have been able to do so much more. On the other hand I have decided in my mission that I would never again look on the past and wish I could do it again. I will just look to the future with the knowledge that I can change. Repentance is a path filled with hope – because we can change. If we don't like the way that things are going, we can change – that is one of the most important things I have learned and taught on my mission.

This experience has changed me forever. I would catalog here all of the things that I have learned on the mission (If I was not already doing that somewhere else), but you don't need to read all that – no one does. I just have to live it; I just have to live according to the things that I have learned.  

Looking back on my mission is kind of how I imagine looking back on life will be. Thinking on my mission, I have had hard spots and easy spots – times that I learned a lot, times that I was not learning much at all, problems to solve, people to meet. I feel like in the end I accomplished my purpose; not as much as I could have, but I don't have any regrets. I imagine looking back on my life, I will think: "I could have done more, why didn't I figure it out sooner?" But I won't be discouraged, I won't regret anything. I will just be glad that I chose to follow Jesus Christ, give my best effort, and never stop improving. 

I have been in many positions to learn in my life and I realize now that I didn't make enough of any of those. I will do my best to make the most out of any experiences that I will have in the future that will change me as a person. A wise man once said "You can keep doing the old thing over and over and over again, and in about 5 years you'll be about where you are today." That is more the track that I was on, and I didn't even realize it. now I am on a new track (doesn't mean I am perfect, but I want to do more in my life), and that track will keep me on the path to personal excellency.

I love you all, and most of all of you I will see pretty soon, if I do not – I will find you and I will make plans to visit, and then we can talk about life. Thank you all for the support.

Nagmamahal,

Elder Faulkner

PS.

I hope that one day I will live a life that has the Savior's name written on it. He lives. He lived for me, and that I know. The Atonement, the Reconciliation, the Second Chances that He offers to each one of us have the power to change everything. I wish I had the words to describe Christ's power, but words are not enough to convey such a thing. I wish I had the power unto the convincing of men. It is like personal revelation: sometimes you feel like you have it, other times you don't – but it is something that you practice at. I have to go home and get a couple people on a better track. I believe that this mission was, in a way, a chance for me to prepare to do that. God has all power to change people's lives; and I stand as a living testimony of His power.

God the Father lives and loves us. His begotten son, Jesus Christ, lives and is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. Joseph Smith was a called, chosen seer and revelator in this time. Through Him, the church of Jesus Christ was restored. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Christ is one major evidence of such a restoration – therein lies the word of God and the Fullness of the Gospel. Russell M. Nelson is the true, living prophet on the earth at this time. He holds all the keys necessary for the restoration up to this point. This is the true and living church and Gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know this because of personal experience. 

In Jesus Christ's name,

Amen.

Typhoon Rosita/Yutu

Currently, the Philippines is getting pummeled with the strongest Typhoon to hit the area since 1950. The island of Guam and the Mariana Islands were devastated last week by the destruction this Super Typhoon has caused. The people are still recovering from Ompong/Manghut that blew through in six weeks ago.

The Philippines is taking a huge hit with these storms right during harvest time. The ramification of these typhoons will last for longer than it takes to get the power back on. They will likely be short food for the people come next year.

The path of this Typhoon will pass over the area Elder Faulkner is in. Although the mountain range in between will certainly lessen its power, the rainfall will cause mudslides and floods.

Please pray for the people of the Philippines. They are suffering horribly right now.

https://google.org/crisismap/google.com/2018-yutu

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/typhoon-yutu-to-slam-luzon-before-taking-turn-toward-china-taiwan-at-midweek/70006487

Kapag may oras

So the title here means "When there is time." It is a phrase that I have come to loathe over the last howevermanymonths, but at this time it protects me. It is the phrase people use when they don't really want to do something and so they just say, "When I have time" – but what they really mean is "I will not do that thing" (I have found most people in the world use their time to watch tv anyways, so they never end up having time.) .

At this point, we are pretty busy. I basically have no time, but my time is not used watching tv (Don’t worry ‘bout that). It has just come to the point that I never seem to have the time to sit down and think about home (might be a good thing). I have not avoided writing the weekly email; but I have not really sought out the time to do it. 

Zone conference is over. It went well. We taught about how to learn how to teach. I hope it helps the mission because I can't really do much more for them in the coming months. We focused on the process of evaluation (For when you don't do something well) and Application (So you can actually change it.)

These last few weeks, we have had around 7 Emergency transfers – which is a lot; especially because most of the time we end up doing the driving to make sure everyone gets there safely and quickly. (We had a couple nights of getting home around 1 A.M.!)

Other than that, we have a new missionary in the companionship – Elder Cantillo. He is going around with Elder Hopoate to work in the area, while Elder Nelson and I deal with all of the administrative duties of being an AP. It is good and bad; we lose our friend Elder Hopoate, but we gain more time for the area. We have been seeing a lot of miracles lately. Some of the people we are teaching are showing a lot of faith and I will have lots of stories – when I have time to write them down. 

Mission is good, life is good, life back home is going to be a lot different. For now, we are just pressing on. My batch goes home in 9 days. I will still be in the Philippines.

Sorry no pics

Love

Elder Faulkner

They took my P-Day

This last week I did not become a zone leader in Camarin. Instead, president called me the next day and told me I was going to be his next assistant. I have two companions, Elder Hopoate and Elder Nelson. This is a great experience and I am learning lots of stuff. I don’t have a normal p-day anymore, so I just email when I have time. Now we have a car and an iPad – so things are a little different. We just got finished with a crazy-busy week and I forgot that I even write these mass emails. If you ever want to talk to me, just email me; if you don’t, you might not hear much from me until the end of my mission. Which, ¡surprise! I am extending. I will be here until November 17.

Other than that, there is a bunch of stuff to say – but no time. we gotta go out and baptize people. Love you all 

Elder Faulkner

Transfers Again

Looks like in 2 days I will be transferring. I didn’t know until just now, while I was emailing. President gave me a call and informed me that I will be transferring this Wednesday. I will be with Elder Cacayuran, a really solid missionary. I have worked with him once on exchanges, back when I was assigned in Bagong Silang. I will be in Camarin zone again. I have great hopes for the ward and for the area I will be in. As for Batasan Hills, I will be sad to leave everyone here behind. It really is a great ward and I really enjoyed my time here, but I won’t resent leaving.

We had a baptism on Saturday, John Jay Espina was baptized. Elder Pajarin and I found him about 2 months ago. He has a lot of faith and he will be the only member in his family. I trust that he will make it through tho. He has shown amazing changes in his life and I trust him to do what he knows to be right.

Well because of the call from President I am pretty much out of time, I love you all and I will be updating you all next week about my new area and companion. I might even have some super special secrets for you next week.

Love

Elder Faulkner

The last transfer...

So this week was transfer announcements. We will have 8 companionships in the zone:  Me and Elder Cadayong, 1 other regular companionship, and then every other companionship will have a trainee missionary. 3 of those have only been in the mission for 6 weeks. The other 3 will be completely new on this coming Wednesday. As some of the biggest batches of missionaries are headed out, some of the biggest batches are also coming in.

Elder Cadayong and I will both be staying this transfer. I will live out the rest of my mission here in Batasan hills with Elder Cadayong. We are gonna get all the people we are teaching baptized and we are gonna find a lot more that will be baptized after I go. This area is really great. We are getting solid help from the ward. We have seen a big result of their effort in bringing people to Christ.

We had another baptism this week – the oldest person I will probably ever baptize. His name is Tatay Andronico. He is one of my favorite people to teach, but at the same time it is so hard to teach him. 

Andronico has a very strong faith and he speaks mostly exclusively Cebuano, which I speak very little of. But I love him a lot. We also got some great pictures with him. 

Yesterday we went to his house and decided to show him the restoration video in Cebuano. He just started talking to us in pure Cebuano, and I couldn’t understand him at all. We left him to watch the movie without us. It was a great experience. We are also now teaching one of his close friends, who has now been to church twice. Her name is Emma.

This coming Saturday, we have a scheduled baptism for John Jay Espina. We have tried to share the gospel with his family, but they are not interested. He will be the pioneering member in his family and he has shown the necessary faith to be able to do that. Will send pics.

Well I am pretty much out of time. Love you all, keep on keeping on. I will keep the pictures coming.

Love

Elder Faulkner

Typhoon Ompong/Mangkhut

https://google.org/crisismap/google.com/2018-mangkhut

Typhoon Ompong (or Mangkhut if you’re in the states) is heading towards the Philippines right now. Ompong is the equivalent of  a category 5 hurricane - larger and stronger than Hurricane Florence. Storm experts believe it to be as strong as Typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines in 2013. 

Elder Faulkner is on the west side and will not receive the brunt of the storm. However, it is expected to cause much damage in the way of flooding where he is. Please keep the people of the Philippines and the people of China, Laos, and Vietnam in your prayers.

Kawawa Dam

We did a zone activity, pictures to follow I can’t send all the pictures, but I will just share the album with my sister Lisa and she can post the pictures wherever she wants. Siya ang Bahala. For the Zone activity, we went to Wawa Dam. It was actually really fun. It was about a 7-minute walk, after a 1-hour jeep ride. We saw some big rocks and some water and a lot of trees. I had a good time. 10/10 would do again. We went with the whole zone and only some people complained. So that is pretty good.

For the last couple weeks, I have been evolving my Taglish skills. Normally when someone speaks Taglish, it is mostly Tagalog but then you mix in some English words that pretty much everyone understands. Now that I have been here in the Philippines for so long, there are some bagay that are just more mahirap to express in English, so I tend to put the Tagalog word there so that it comes out a little more mabilis. Now this is more mahirap for some iba to understand, but for me it is great because it makes things so much easier. Basta I have come to love this language and I will be sad to leave it behind. The first few weeks might be really hard with switching back to speaking English exclusively. I will have to hanap some Filipinos. 

That being said, we are still on for the goal for 15 baptisms. We are really seeing a good difference in our investigators as we focus on baptism more and more. This last Saturday we had 4 baptisms (pictures to follow): Karen Pasco, Bryan Pasco, Gloria Gonzaga, and Jemuel Gonzaga, One completed family and one that is starting off. We were so excited about this because we have been working with these four for a little while and we have really seen their desire to make that change in their lives. They are all amazing wonderful people and I am sure that they will keep strong in the gospel.

Good week, Good work, doing great things seeing great miracles. Teaching great people.

I love you all. Keep up the great work. Don’t think about me coming home – I am sure that it will come eventually. As for me, I am trying to think of it more so it feels like a longer time away... Joke lang... Or maybe, not sure what to think anymore.

Love,

Elder Faulkner

Sanay na

Well we are doing really well here right now, we are seeing a lot of good things happening in the area and we have good hopes for the coming months in the progression of our investigators.

As for two of our investigators, Karen and Bryan, their baptism got pushed one more week because their dad had to go out of town for work. He is supposed to baptize them, so we pushed it out another week. They are going to be baptized along with Sister Gloria and Brother Jemuel.

We are planning for a lot of people's baptisms right now and it is a little hard to keep track sometimes. We are really focused on getting our investigators to baptism and we should really be able to prepare the area and the ward for the next missionaries.

As for the zone, they are doing so well. I am proud of all my missionaries, especially because most of them are very very young in the mission and are still learning a lot. Despite that, they are still seeing huge miracles and having great success in their areas.

We had Missionary leadership council this week – it is my favorite meeting in the mission – and it was a really nice experience to be able to talk with President and the other zone leaders. This is where I learn what they are doing in their zones to see success and to help others come unto Christ.

Elder Cadayong is doing really well right now, and I think he will have an okay time when he takes over as the senior zone leader. He has a lot of adjustments to make right now. The mission is a lot different when you have to worry about 8 other companionships on top of your own. It is a lot to think about and it is sometimes overwhelming. He is still adjusting to the work load but is taking it like a champ.

There is always a lot to think about in the work and we are always so focused on the present. It is weird to think of the future, especially when people keep telling me that I am so close to going home. It is a weird feeling, but I try not to focus on it.

Well anyways I got some pictures. We have one of my favorite members, Romel. He is the one that has the chessboard. We also have a picture of our whole zone.

We are doing great.

Hope you all are as well.

Love

Elder Faulkner

Got my flight itinerary this week, that is a scary thing...

We are just getting back from the temple, so this might be a little bit shorter than normal.

Everything is going really well in our area. We are seeing a lot of miracles. I have been praying for baptisms before I go, specifically this transfer. I knew it would be hard seeing that some of the weeks have already passed by this transfer, but God still found a way to make it happen. This last Sunday, we met a part-member family who has been going to church for 2 weeks now – and we had no idea. We went to their house, taught her for the first time, and she will be baptized on September 15^th – before the end of the transfer. It is amazing how even in the times where you think that something is literally impossible, but you still pray about it sincerely, and God shows His power and makes it happen. We are now goaling for at least 7 baptisms in the month of September as a companionship. I think we might even be able to hit higher than that.

These past two transfers have been great. It has been fantastic to work in the area consistently and to see the progress that has come from that. I enjoy the work so much now that I am committed to seeing baptisms happen and helping those around me become truly converted. I like the goal of weekly baptisms for the rest of my time in the mission. I don’t know how likely it is, but like I said earlier – it isn’t really a matter of how possible something is, just a matter of how much faith you have in getting it and how much work you are willing to put in.

Elder Cadayong and I are doing really well. I think he is learning a lot about leadership. It is a big adjustment, and I understand it is a lot at first. We still have to make sure he is ready to deal with all the concerns of all our missionaries by the time that I leave. We have to make sure he is mature and prepared enough to take charge in a strong willed and tactful manner. One of the hardships of being a leader in the mission is constantly communicating, delegating, and solving problems – not just in English, but in Tagalog. The first time you encounter a specific problem and need to give immediate advice in a different language, is really tough. This is always a struggle when someone starts in leadership in the mission; you have to be an effective diplomat in multiple languages.

This week has been really good. We had only a little bit of time to work in the area, but we still saw the miracles; we still saw what God wanted us to see in the people around us. Most of what missionary work is, is trying to look at people how God sees them and focusing the most attention on those that want to become like Him. Our eternal quest to come closer to God should lead us in an eternal track to becoming like God. That means that the people we teach should have a desire to change their lives to become more Godlike. That is one of the hardest paths we can choose to take, but at the same time it is the most noble. We change, we improve, we desire salvation, and we desire it as well for those around us.

Keep on working to improve. Keep on putting up a fight. Hone your skills; if you feel like you don’t have skills – find out what your skills are. There are lucky people here on earth, but my definition of luck is a bit different now. Luck is where preparation meets opportunity. If you never prepare, you will never be lucky. So go out there and get lucky, through preparation. Whatever it is that you want to be – just go out and work for that thing. Until you get it.

Go, Do, Fight, Win

Love you all

Keep it up.

Elder Faulkner

Nakaraos Naman!

So with what we mentioned last week about baptism goals and about our area, we are seeing a lot of success in our zone. This week we had 9 baptisms. One of the 10 that were scheduled got pushed to next week, but as it stands that is very good for us in general. One thing that we are trying for is a consistent 2 baptisms per companionship, per month. This means that in the zone of 9 companionships – we should be hitting 18 baptisms each month. Ever since I got to Fairview, we have been climbing steadily: May: 7, June: 9, July: 13, August: 19 (with what we have scheduled for this coming week). We are helping a lot of people make big changes in their lives and enter into covenants made with God. It is amazing to see the results of the missionary work in the lives of people around me – it just kind of lifts everyone up: the missionaries and those that they teach.

This week we tried something new with some of the people that we teach. We went to their house in the morning for about 7 minutes. We gave them a specific reading assignment in the Book of Mormon, along with a few questions to answer. The reading was only about 3 verses long and could easily be done in 20 minutes in total. We then told them we would come back later that day; but instead of teaching like normal, we would just ask about how the reading was. We did that with 3 people who had not yet read the Book of Mormon. 2 of them did the assignment and the other said she read it but did not answer the questions. It was interesting to see that when we gave them a specific time we would be back, they were much more willing to complete the reading. It is like if we all knew the exact day Jesus was coming back, we would all at least go to church the Sunday before that... right?

Elder Cadayong and I are doing great. We both want to do hard work and get success. He reminds me that I am going home quite often, but that is okay cause it mostly just slides off my back like water. It is a very interesting time in my mission. I feel like my time to make a difference is waning, but I feel like one of the biggest things I can do is work with other missionaries to get them to improve and to teach them what they need to know before I go. I think helping the other missionaries will be very helpful in the salvation of others because we really push the work along for the future "generations".

Anyways, I got distracted again and didn’t write a lot. Either way, we are just doing our best over here – trying to make sure all the new trainees in our zone can figure out how to be good missionaries.

Keep on keeping on. Here are some pictures from some stuff that we did over the last two weeks. We ran out of electricity and lit a candle. And one of our investigators had a baby.

Love you all

Elder Faulkner

Malapit na ang Pasco

Life is going pretty decent right now; we are finally seeing good success in the area, and not just our zone. We are really pushing baptism, as I don’t have that much longer here, and I cant really do my job here after I have gone home.

Right now, we are planning and preparing for 5 people's baptisms. There might be some more but 5 are keeping commitments and committed to being baptized on a specific date. 2 of them could be baptized at almost any time, but they are waiting for their relatives so they can be baptized together.

There is a lot of other potential in our area right now and we are working on following up with everyone. There are a whole lot of people who could be making commitments and getting baptized. We will be heavily focused on working with them and finding those who are ready.

     

This week has been so busy, I just want to sleep. But I also don’t want to sleep because I want to be successful. Elder Cadayong and I have been talking a lot about how we can improve our teaching skills and our work as a missionary. We are working on interacting better with our investigators – making them feel like they can learn and feel like they are in a position to change their lives. I have learned a lot about human nature out here. There are so many things you can do for someone, but one of the best is to put them in an environment where they can change themselves.

       

Sorry I don’t have too much time – but I do have pictures!!

We did a big service project because a lot of houses got flooded. We helped move mud and water out of houses. We got really dirty, but it was really fun.

These are just a bunch of pictures for you, I should have more for you all next week. The one in Yellow is Elder Cadayong

Love

Elder Faulkner

The Fairview life, kinda grows on ya.

We got transfers again, now I am not the one that is moving. Elder Pajarin was only here for one transfer and now he is returning to a ward he has served in previously. He was only there for one transfer, so we will see if he stays there longer this time. I will be getting a new companion – Elder Cadayong. He is a solid missionary and very focused. He is a Filipino that grew up in Colorado, had to learn the language just like any other foreigner. We will be hard focused on progression in the zone and in the area. Right now, we are seeing a lot of hard work from our missionaries. In terms of focused missionaries, we have one of the best zones in the mission. Almost everyone is pushing themselves to do great work and we are seeing a huge change.                  

Missionaries want to be successful. When people are in a position that they enjoy, they will put forth a good effort in their work. When people are in a hard position and do not feel like they will be successful, they get sad and discouraged, then they stop doing effective work. One of the most important roles of a leader is to put his missionaries in a position to thrive so that they can feel successful. It isn’t always easy, but it is something that we focus on. We do what we must, because we can.

I am looking forward with hope. I think this is the time to be more committed and see good success in the area. Last week, we had 9 investigators make it to church! We are gonna keep pushing this to see the progress I know that we can have. Elder Cadayong and I will be working hard ceaselessly.

This week I finally got to work on my book again, I submitted it to president and it will officially be going to all of the foreign missionaries that come into our mission. The goal is to put them in a position to thrive and be successful. It is a good feeling to have written a book, even if it isn’t a regular book. It is something I put effort into and can see the result of that effort.

We will be working hard and bringing you many stories in the next few weeks promise.

I love you all Keep on keeping on.

Elder Faulkner

Teach Lessons, Not People. Teach People, Not Lessons

We have a phrase that sometimes gets used as missionaries and it goes something like "Teach People, Not Lessons." The idea is that people are most important and, while you may have a specific idea in mind to teach them, you should not let that become the sole focus of everything. This is important because in missionary work because it really is all about people. On the other hand, our mission president asked us an interesting question: "If you aren't teaching these people lessons, what are you teaching them?". With that in mind, in this zone interview president Hughes had everyone teach him a short 3-5-minute lesson. He did this to make sure that everyone was teaching in a way that would make people feel comfortable and understand what it is that we are teaching. President Hughes is very concerned with people, how they feel, what they go through, and how to best help them. I have learned a lot from him as he has explained to me what I can do to make people more comfortable with my presence. Personally, I feel like these skills will make a nice difference in my life in the coming years. Life is good. 

God really wants to help us, He really wants to forgive us, He wants us to feel peace in our lives. I want to you look at the last few weeks or months or even years. Were you peaceful? Did you experience peace? Was it an overarching feeling? Or a seldomly felt experience that never seemed to stay? God wants you to have peace in your life today. I recently gained a better understanding of the peace of repentance, what God is willing to give us, and what He expects of us. We have an expression in the mission which comes from Sister Hughes: "Repent in real time." If you make a mistake, why would you sit around feeling bad about it? Just get back on the bike and get going to where you are going.

This mindset will change your life. You will be affected by the grace of God and you will feel a peace in your life that you can’t explain. I know that we worry about things, I know we experience different things, but my life can’t be that different from yours – and if it worked for me, chances are it will work for you. Keep up the good work and never give up. As for the not good work we all do, focus on the things that you want and where you want to go – everything else falls into place. Keep on keeping on.

I love you all and I really hope that you will be able to apply that in your life. I believe in you all. Life is good here, I pray for all of you. Keep it going.

Love

Elder Faulkner

She made it out alive!

First things first: Sister Calapini made it out of the hospital! And as of now, has no bad effects from the dengue – except the fact that she is really tired, which is to be expected. She had dangerously low platelet levels and she still made it through just fine. As Elder Yates says, "There is no Sister like a Fairview sister." We saw the miracle of her recovery. Now she is back in her area and working hard. She started working again (in her area, not the office or light duty) only one full day after being out of the hospital she is a champion.

This week was a quick one. We are getting a lot of time to work in the area and we are even seeing a lot of miracles in the time that we have. Brother Pasco went to church again and we are really pushing to get the rest of the family to church. The scheduled baptism of Brian and Karen Pasco is August 25; we will be helping them prepare for that these coming weeks.

I really love the work and I have seen so many great things in my life and in my mission because of God's plan. God lives, and He wants us to change. He wants us to change and He wants us to use our free will to choose what is best for us. He knows our setbacks and our shortcomings, and He just wants us to be able to overcome those. There is no other way for us to become clean and whole, except through the atonement of Jesus Christ. He can make us whole and He can heal us.

I love you all and I hope you are holding up well. Keep on doing what it is that you need to do.

Sorry I dont send enough pictures. I really should work on that. As of right now, I am just so focused on the area and the zone and I always forget to get out my camera when things happen. I know that I am wasting opportunities, well sorry.

I love you all keep on keeping on.

Elder Faulkner