Conference & 5 Months Down!

 

 

October 27, 2014

 

Hey family and friends,

This week has been really good. My new district is great. I love them all--good people who want to work hard. Change is always good. We finally got to watch Conference. Probably my favorite talk was Elder Uchtdorf’s when he talked about receiving a testimony. I loved when he talked about space and how once people assumed that beyond the Milky Way, there was nothing.  And then with more powerful telescopes, we learned that this wasn’t true—the heavens were filled with so many galaxies. That analogy blew my mind. I loved it. No one thought it was possible until it was done. I loved how he related this to finding light and truth. I am grateful for prophets and apostles. They are truly called of God. And what great examples they are of people who have given their lives to serve the Lord and really try to serve with all their heart, might, mind, and strength.

 

Raymond is totally avoiding us. It’s the worst. I don’t think I have ever really gotten emotional over an investigator but this is hard! I think its because I know he’s a good guy and has a really good heart. We won’t give up on him yet!!

We met a new investigator, Steven Michael! He will be a missionary one day! He is totally prepared. He came to all of General Conference!!! SUPER SWEET!!!!! Most of the members didn’t even stay for all of Conference! And Steven Lunguzi--the recent convert--stayed for ALL of Conference too. These people humble me. They are so devoted. And General Conference took longer to watch because every talk had to be translated by a member into Chichewa!

My companion is great. Her family are all members of the church but her parents are less active. Even with that, she still came on mission! I am so impressed with people who go on mission with little or no support.  She is a good person!

Well I am grateful to be a missionary. And I am grateful to know that the Gospel is true. I hope and pray that you all are trying your hardest to live the Gospel.

Love you!!

Sister Falco

 Sister Muthengo from Kenya & Sister Falco

Crazy Week!

Bad Mom...this is coming a week late. I was out of town and didn't have much access to the computer so here it is and this week's email is coming right away.

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October 20, 2014

This week has been a crazy one for sure!!!!! I’ve been in a three-some waiting for my new companion to arrive.  We had big plans to work a few days in their area and a few days in mine but things happened that made it impossible to get to my area.

 

We went first to the home of one of the other sisters’ investigators and walk in and there are two dead-looking people on the floor! The mom is throwing up and the father is talking nonsense. We’re not sure what to do so Sister Orr decides to call our mission president’s wife, Sister Erickson. She agreed with us that we should take them to the hospital. So, we spent all of Sunday at the hospital. Monday was P-day and that evening we visited them again. (I asked Carly this week what they were sick with and it was Malaria). Tuesday we had zone conference, which was sweet. Then when we are parking the truck to work the area, a car hits our truck! And, this is the best part--we call 990 (Malawi’s 911) and there’s a recording that says, "the number you have dialed is unavailable right now." Only in Africa!! So I start stopping mini buses (taxis) asking anyone if they have a number for the police. We finally got the number and the police came and then took us to their office. It was clearly the other guy’s fault but they said it was ours. They asked us to come back the next day so they could have time to find more witnesses. We returned the next day and brought our Branch president’s wife who is a police officer. They didn't even argue and told us that it was the other guy’s fault! Crazy right!

 

Wednesday we spent the morning picking up the people from the hospital and Thursday we picked up my companion from the airport. So… it was a crazy few days and we never got to my area. My new companion is from Kenya and really sweet and will be a great missionary. She and I worked on her lessons and did get out and found some new investigators!

Brother Ntali agreed to pray and be baptized if he comes to know what we’re teaching is true!! We’re excited about that. Our goal is to teach more with members present…just wish there were more members in our area!

 

Raymond agreed to be baptized on November 23rd! We just need to help him overcome his addiction. So we will see!! SO PRAY Like crazy! I love this guy!! We taught Jeffrey Lunguzi (Sister Lunguzi’s son). The lesson started off kind of awkward but it ended strong and I think he is interested in learning more!!! So pray for him too!! We met McLean Kalipindi who is Steven Lunguzi’s friend and we are going to teach him hopefully with Steven there to help him feel more comfortable. And, we had a baptism this Sunday!

So even with all of the craziness, this week has been really great!  I know that this Church is true and I am so grateful for this opportunity to serve a mission. I hope I never take for granted this opportunity I have been given and I hope I do my best all the time.

Love you all!!!!  YOU’RE THE BEST!!!!!

Sister Falco! :)

All is GREAT and No Fear of Ebola

October 8, 2014

Hey family and friends!!!!

This week has been great!! For those of you who are asking, I don’t know my new companion yet because I won’t meet her until Thursday. Until then I will be in a threesome with Sister Orr and Sister Proctor. They are both good, good sisters and I’m excited! I also have not watched Conference.  It won’t be here in Africa until October 26th. I did get to watch the Women’s Conference last Monday! It was great. The power has been out today. Man, this place! It’s so funny sometimes! It’s the best though.

I had an interview with my mission president recently. He’s a great guy and the best example of someone who serves with all their heart, might, mind and strength. He is so loving and compassionate and so faithful. I am blessed to know him. My mission president told me that I will be training my new companion. I think she is from Kenya but don’t quote me on that.

Sister Lunguzi is easily the most perfect investigator and member! She is the most charitable person I have ever met. She told us a story about a sweet family that was super poor and she decided to build them a small house. Now, she doesn’t have a ton of money. That same month, the Church asked her if they could rent her house for their meetings. So basically she spent money on someone else and then the church paid her to rent her home. I don’t know if I ever made that clear in any of my emails home, but she has been the landlord for the Branch for 4 years. She said it was a miracle. And everything she does, she does it out of love. She is one of those ladies that truly understands charity and forgiveness. She has been through a lot. She was married to a Madala (a big guy) and there was a family feud. She lost almost everything because she was the second wife. She has completely forgiven the “step kids and family.” She is so sweet. And currently she is offering shelter to a young girl whose family is trying to marry her off, but she is only 12.  I look up to Sister Lunguzi more than anything. It was a blessing to teach her and bless her life with the Gospel. Oh and we baptized her son, Steven Lunguzi, this Saturday.

Anita is coming to church and Enock is doing well. We are hoping to teach Enock’s father. He has allowed his whole family, including all the kids to join the church. He did come to Enock’s baptism but hasn’t made it to Church. He’s a good guy, super sweet. “I pray everyday to know if Prophet Joseph Smith is a true prophet, and I pray everyday that your sins will be forgiven.” Who says that! Only this guy! His kids tell us that he used to refuse to meet with missionaries and we are the first ones he has met with.

Raymond came to church!! This guy! I love him!!! He has made some mistakes in his life. But honestly HE IS THE BEST!! He is always laughing and he has a genuine heart and wants to know if the Church is true. We taught him the Word of Wisdom and he just laughed because he knows he has a huge problem with it. But he is progressing and I pray that things will work out.

Dickson lives in Mtsiliza. HE’S GREAT!!!!!!!!!!! Well kind of haha. He knows everything is true But he won’t come to church. He is like one of those investigators that understands everything and prays about things and can retell you the lessons perfectly. But he struggles to come to church. Last week he said he had to take his daughter somewhere which was probably true. And this week he said he had a headache and was sick. I mean you can only give him the benefit of the doubt for so long because we want to use our time the best we can.

Susan will be getting baptized next week. She’s 16. She always comes to church with the Chatango family (Enock’s).

Well that’s all for this week. Is Ebola still spreading? I have heard that it is. People aren’t afraid of it getting here at all. And I’m not either.

 
Love you all!!!!!! Mission is sweet!!

Sister Falco

Internet Issues

October 6^th, 2014

Hello all…

So I wrote this week’s email on Word and then we lost Internet. We had to move to another Internet café after waiting a while. So I’m sorry if this email is short—the original one is gone!! And, it was a good one!

Here’s the VERY short version! MY WEEK WAS SWEET!! WE ARE MEETING SOME GREAT PEOPLE AND TEACHING SOME SWEET INVESTIGATORS!! I am sorry this is so short!! I promise it was longer!! Steven Lunguzi is being baptized on the 11th of October! And I’m getting a new companion this week. My companion is going home!! Pretty crazy!!

I was studying while my companion got her hair done. The topic was pride. And, yes, pride is the opposite of humility. As I’ve studied, I’ve come to know that charity is a good antidote for pride. Here is why:

"Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. But there is however a far more common ailment among us---and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another and being unforgiving and jealous."

I’ve learned that the best way to stop doing something isn't just to stop it, but to replace it with something good. So what’s the opposite of pride? Looking for the good in others, speaking well about others, being positive, living within our means, being kind and wishing the best for others.

So I feel like developing charity is the best way to combat pride. (I hope combat is the right word.)

And I have discovered that 99% of the time if we have a problem with someone, it is us not them that has the problem.

That’s my little bit of inspiration for the week. I am thankful for everyone who wrote me and has supported me!! And I love you all!!!

Love

Sister Falco!!!!

Time's Flying...4 Months Out!

Dear Family and Friends,

This week in Malawi has been great!! We are meeting some super sweet people and having some awesome investigators. Mission is the best. I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to be on a mission. It’s a privilege. It really is. And every missionary should realize the blessing it is to be a part of this work.  Well I can’t believe that I’ve been out for four months. It is crazy to me that I am that old!! Mission is flying by. But it’s the best. I don’t want to have any regrets and I want to serve the Lord with all my heart, mind, and strength.

We had a baptism this Sunday. I love the Lunguzi family! We baptized Sera, Sister Lunguzi’s granddaughter, and then after we went and visited with the family. Sera’s dad is ready for baptism and so are Elizabeth and Steven. It’s sweet. Edward, her father, doesn’t stay in their area. I love how this Gospel is centered on families and what a blessing to see this family being blessed with it. I am grateful for the opportunity I have to see a recent convert affect her family so much. I am grateful for this family and so grateful to be a missionary.

One of my favorite investigators is named Raymond. I love this guy. He is colored. If he doesn’t get baptized I think I will cry. I want him to have the blessings of the Gospel so bad!!  We met with him this week and he lives with a disabled kid that he took in from the village. Raymond has a sweet story. He already had the Book of Mormon when we met him. He got it in  the UK when he went to attend his grandma’s funeral. Raymond is the best. He is always happy and very honest and very willing to change. He came to church this Sunday. Answer to my prayers! Woot woot!

We met a guy named Dixon forever ago. He introduced himself and is a Baptist. He kept talking about all his duties as a Baptist and so we never really put in the effort to see him. And then one day we decided to call him and he let us know he’d read the pamphlet on the Restoration and he knew it was true! I hope he continues progressing. He has a lot of connections with the Baptist church so we will see. But he came to church this Sunday so that’s super sweet! And our first lesson with him was super funny. We talked about the Restoration and I was sharing the first vision and I forgot the phrase “pointing to the other.” And Dixon corrected me! Hahaha

Well I have been studying the Doctrine and Covenants. Our zone has challenged each other to read it in two weeks. I really love it. It’s made me want be a better missionary. I hope to be able to serve the best I can with no regrets. And honestly the more I study about God, the more I realize how much he expects from us, but at the same time he has this unconditional love for us. We have to put the Gospel first in our lives. God is forgiving and knows the intents of our heart. I am super stoked to have a family of my own. Its true…missions make you stoked for families.

Funny thing: I am writing this email on word, because there is no Internet here in Malawi.

I Love you… Remember to read your scriptures and pray and go to the
temple. Make the Gospel a priority!

Sister Falco!!