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