Lord, Is it I?

August 10, 2015

Lord is it I? It was the topic of District meeting this week and I would love to share some of my insights as I have been studying it this week.

The Pharisees and the Scribes were always the ones pointing fingers, finding fault, it was the twelve who asked, “Lord is it I?” It was the twelve who forsook their nets, and became great fishers of men. I imagine they had much desire to be corrected, I imagine they understood the significance of trials; I imagine they understood the significance of change and I imagine they even understood the significance of agency. I imagine they had adopted the counsel once given to Daniel: Fear not, Daniel for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard and I am come from thy words, God expects us to become like him. Let us pray we may fully understand the significance of becoming like our Father in Heaven. Our blindness to our potential makes us blind to our weaknesses or errors.

Something I feel that affects our attitude of “Lord is it I” is pride. Pride threatens our self reliance, when self reliance is threatened our freedoms are threatened. If freedom is threatened our ability to make changes is difficult. If we increase our independence on anything or anyone except the Lord we will find an immediate decrease in our freedom to act. Pride is when we increase our dependence on ourselves or on the opinion of others. When one is too trusting in the opinion of others one is content when he is praised by others and he has no desire or motivation to change or improve beyond the praise of others. One decreases his freedom to act when he is too trusting in himself because when the lord chastens us we see no need to improve because we believe we are already there thus decreasing our freedom to change and grow. One decreases his freedom to act when he is in competition with the Lord as he goes through trials his heart may be broken but he has no interest in changing his opinions to Gods and thus decreasing his ability to be “blessed” in times of tribulation or trial. One decreases his freedom to act as he becomes offended by correction, trusting in himself and his view instead of trying to change and grow thus decreasing his freedom to act.

Something also that affects our attitude of “Lord is it I?” is impatience. (Guilty times 10000) Understanding our potential can cause much frustration because we feel inadequate, I think to be able to truly have this meek introspection it requires much patience. The Lord counsels that in patience ye may possess your souls and shall have eternal life. If we don’t have this Christlike attribute of patience we will surely become angry or frustrated and anxious. We are bound to receive chastening through trials, tribulations and scriptures and if we become frustrated or angry we may hinder our personal growth. We may even receive chastening through others. Others may communicate harshly or constructively either way if we aren’t patient we will become angry or frustrated and take offense. And we begin to blame; we begin to say its their fault and we justify ourselves out of this repentant attitude.

All of us are somewhat ignorant of our mistakes. We trust in ourselves and our ideas and our thoughts maybe a little more than God. A man is saved no faster than he obtains knowledge (Joseph Smith). We must seek the Lord diligently and trust in him more. As we seek knowledge diligently, with a pure heart, we will receive much on where we can improve. Seeking knowledge also will give us the motivation to do more and be more.

To be able to take correction from others and the Lord. I feel charity with ourselves is vital. We must build on our strengths and see ourselves as who we may become. I don’t know the story exactly so if I quote it wrong forgive me, Eliza Doolittle “You see really and truly apart from the things anyone can pick up, the difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to professor Higgins because he always treats me only as a flower girl, and always will but I know I can be a lady to you because you treat me as a lady and always will.” When we treat ourselves as only flower girls we will always be flower girls but if we see ourselves as ladies we will become ladies. If we treat ourselves as slothful, weak and useless servants we shall always be, but if we see ourselves as we may become then we will live up to that potential. Ironically our blindness to our weakness blinds us to our potential and the opposite is true our blindness to our potential blinds us to our weakness. Charity is a little deeper than merely accepting and loving everyone; it’s helping build yourself and others up.

I really feel as always, the biggest thing that we can do to adopt the practice of “Lord is it I?” is always going back to consecration. We must let our wills be swallowed up in the will of the fathers. The difference between honorable individuals and valiant ones is not what they have done but what they have left undone.

I feel blessed to have pondered this talk. I feel to adopt the practice of “Lord is it I?” We must see ourselves clearly. We must know the why of the Gospel. And the reason why is because we have the potential to become just like Him, and the joy attached to having our will swallowed up in the will of the Father’s is a unique experience I pray everyone has the chance to experience. I feel I have brushed up against the veil and have foretasted heaven as I repent. The joy I have felt is unique and something that is indescribable, the joy I have felt when my heart or soul has felt like Peter and I have denied Christ but have repented has been a unique experience that will never be taken away from me.

I love Neal A Maxwell; he is officially my new Brigham Young! I am obsessed with the way he writes, everything that I feel I have trouble explaining but I understand, he just puts it into words so that the Gospel is understandable. He is a talented writer. I really want to read everything he has ever written.

I also love this quote from C.S. Lewis: “Your real new self will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original where as if you simply tell the truth (without caring two pence how often it has been told before) You will 9 times out of 10 become original without ever noticing it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, give up yourself and you will find yourself. Lose your life and you will save it. Look for yourself and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair rage ruin and decay. But look for Christ and you will find him.”

There’s a song commonly played haha -- Give me mountains to climb, give me rivers to climb give me something that is going to make me better. This life is the BEST. It’s so perfect. I love this life. I want to do life, I am ready for the trials and hardships, I love this life. I want to give and become who my Father in Heaven wants me to be. I want to suck the marrow out of life. I imagine in the pre-earth life, we all said prove me. I feel we had the enthusiasm of prove me I can do it. I don’t know. I love life I love everything and everyone. I just want to become who my Father in Heaven wants me to be. Everything comes at a cost. Every attribute I need to acquire comes at an expense and it might be painful, but I am ready and I am willing and I am ready to take up my cross not just frequently or once but everyday. I am willing to endure the subsequent erosion of an unbecoming ego. I am willing to have my heart broken so it can be rebuilt. Make me a new heart and a new spirit. I love this life. I will go and do and I will commence cheerfully. I love being a missionary. And I love the work of salvation for myself and for others. This life is so cool. I am just in awe at the beauty and the Master’s hand as he has refined me. I am so grateful for everything, I am so grateful for my testimony. I don’t know where I would be without it. I pity those who have never partaken of the joy of the Gospel and the joy of serving, I pity the selfish man. I love being a missionary. The best year and a half I have ever had.

Love you all!

Sister 

No power, no electricity, no stove...no problem! We have a charcoal stove.

Mission is Not a Lukewarm Endeavor

August 3, 2015

Family and Friends,

If I could give anyone advice about mission, it would be Mission is not a Lukewarm Endeavor. You can’t give part of your soul to God and expect to have a happy mission. You must give all of yourself to the Lord and then you will find this indescribable joy of a mission. Mission has the potential to be the happiest days of your lives or the hardest days of your life. I would be a liar if I said that I haven’t had hard days as a missionary but I feel the happiness I feel as a missionary outweighs the sadness by a long shot. I love being a missionary. I am so very grateful. Sometimes I just sit in bed, and I don’t want to go to sleep because I want to take in every moment. Being a missionary is a blessing, the joy is so indescribable. I love the story of Ananias and Sapphira and how they kept back part of the price; I really hope that when I start to want to hold onto who I was that I remember to give and give of myself. I really hope that my will becomes more swallowed up in the will of the Father. My heart has been broken a couple of times on mission, usually because the flesh is weak but the spirit is willing. The spirit cries I will, and the flesh isn’t quite on the same level. I have had many experiences as Peter did when he denies Christ and wept bitterly, I love Peter. I love his enthusiasm and his zeal and his perfectly imperfection that gives me the courage to continue onward. But through this all, my selfishness has been buried and hopefully it won’t just be buried but it will be annihilated.

Something I really want to invest in when I go home is reading and writing, I feel I have had so many experiences and I feel I have a hard time expressing the gospel and the experiences I have because of my knowledge in these two things is my weak point, I feel I am better at math and stuff.

I have foretasted heaven many times on my mission. I feel mission is the greatest blessing I have had. The times I feel this indescribable joy is when I have felt like Peter and I feel so inadequate and my heart pleads for mercy and I am able to find the mercy and peace of forgiveness. I have experienced a small taste of heaven. I also feel this joy when you really understand the significance of helping others. I also feel I have felt this joy when you begin to have your mind enlarged or enlightened to the Gospel. When you love everyone as yourself, that’s the joy of the gospel, when you love everyone to pieces that’s the joy of heaven, when you look back on trials and see the beauty in them, or when you even see the beauty as you are struggling, that’s a taste of heaven, When you understand the worth of yourself and the worth of others, that’s a taste of heaven.

I love being a missionary. The lord has blessed me immensely with great joy. My knowledge has increased, my love has increased, I am on the Lord’s errand in Africa. How can I not be happy? Brigham Young once said, “The man who enjoys the spirit of religion has no trials but the man who tries to live the gospel but clings to the world has trials acute.” I can’t say that I am someone who is ALWAYS living in the spirit of religion, but I strive to and I have found that what Brigham Young is saying is very very true.

We have three possibly progressing investigators--the girl I wrote about who got raped decided to stay in Lusaka and she came to church!! FINALLY!!!! But we will see…the sisters before us were teaching her since January and this his her first time to church so hopefully we will see her continue to progress.

Brother Djo is doing great, he is a good guy. I hope he can overcome his addiction and finally make the covenant of baptism.

And we have a young girl, who is an angel. She is nine and she has been coming to church. Her parents are less active, but she always comes with the son who is super duper active. And she really really wants to be baptized. She is an angel. I love kids.

Can there any good come out of Nazareth?

From Nazareth came example,

From Nazareth came sight,

From Nazareth came strength,

From Nazareth came life,

From Nazareth came faith

From Nazareth came peace,

From Nazareth came courage,

From Nazareth came Christ.

Thomas S. Monson.

Oh how I love him.

I love this question given by Nathaniel and I love the response, come and see.

I feel each of us have our Nazareths, as Thomas S Monsoon writes, “Nazareth was the most disregarded valley in a despised province of a conquered land.” Each of us have our trials or our disregarded or despised valleys; we have those trials that we may despise, we may not see why we are going through them, but if we come and see with an eternal perspective we can see that many good things come from Nazareth.

From Nazareth came example,

From Nazareth came sight,

From Nazareth came strength,

From Nazareth came life,

From Nazareth came faith

From Nazareth came peace,

From Nazareth came courage,

From Nazareth came Christ.

Our minds are carnal, far from spiritual matters and it’s hard to truly understand the gospel and why we all are required to go through Nazareths if our minds are carnal. We must work and achieve a spiritual mind.

I love being a missionary. It’s the greatest thing I have ever done. But even more than that I am so grateful for my testimony and I pray that I never lose it, that I never get slothful as I come home and return from being a full time missionary. I hope that I continue growing and becoming enlightened. I am truly happy and grateful to be a missionary.

I love you ALL!

Sister Falco

My area is pretty cool.

Yep, pretty cool.

Kids are the biggest tender mercy that I have experienced on mission.

I love them. The innocence and purity. 

Wonderful Lady & Honesty

July 27, 2015

Dear family and Friends,

Where to begin, I am so grateful to be a missionary. It is easily the best experience I have had in all of my life. I never want to take any day for granted.

I would love to tell you about one wonderful person in my ward I have come in contact with. Sister Teke! We call her grandma, and she calls all the missionaries my son, my daughter. She is the best. I want to be just like her. Sometimes I worry about her; I don't know why. She just seems a little like she is struggling and she just puts a smile on her face. Well my companion and I try to serve her once a week in the distribution center. (I might be broke when I go home. I am pretty sure--I keep buying things from there but everything is so cheap like Teachings of the Prophets costs 1.7 kwacha which is like 25 cents or less) Sister Teke just loves people so much. I wish I could just give and give like her. She is the best. She recently got kicked out of her home because she was spreading the gospel. And the landowner said that she couldn't live there if she continued to spread the gospel. And she said, “Okay, well then kick me out.” So she basically has been houseless and is looking for a home right now. She almost signed papers on a home and then she warned the lady that she would be spreading the gospel to all her neighbors and the lady decided not to was selling the house didn't sell it to her. Sometimes I feel I have just a small taste of what the pioneers went through when they were establishing the Church back in the olden days. The opposition against the church is so real in Africa. It’s so real. I don't know if everyone feels the same if they are serving in different countries, but really I had no idea I would be called a satanic almost every other day.

I'll update you on D____... I don't know how I feel about him. He seems so hard to read. I can't tell. I feel he is struggling a lot with an addiction but he is too shy to admit it. It’s so sad. I feel like I would be the same. It’s so embarrassing to admit that you have a problem, even to the Lord, let alone two missionaries. I wish we could help him more. But I don't really know how if he won't open up. We tell him he has to come to church 4 times in a row before his baptism and he always misses one Sunday so that he has a reason why he can’t be baptized... haha and he says its because of church, I don't believe it I feel he knows he isn't worthy to be baptized so he uses it as an excuse. I am sad; my heart hurts for him.

Well I have been pondering about two things--revelation and honesty. First, I will talk about honesty. I remember the first Family Home Evening when Jeff returned from his mission was on justification, self-reliance (or entitlement issues) and discipline, and I see why Jeff talked about justification. I have been thinking about how often we justify our actions. And I feel justification is a dark hole that many of us get into. I feel that it is something that takes away so much freedom. IT IS SO EASY to see strengths in yourself, but to admit weaknesses it can be so hard. Or sometimes we admit them and we just feel so bad for ourselves that we lie to ourselves and see no point in changing.  We need to be honest with ourselves. We tend to blame our actions on other people saying he made me do it, or it was his fault, he is the one who started this all. Whenever we get into a situation which threatens our self reliance, we find our freedoms threatened. If we increase our dependence on anything or anyone except the Lord, we will find an immediate decrease in our freedom to act. If we blame anyone for the mistakes we make we decrease our ability to make effective changes. Like really. Honesty Honesty Honesty. I don’t really care about what made you sin, but care more about that sin. If we blame, we automatically hinder our growth. Humiliation MUST come before exaltation. If we don’t want our sins to be humiliating, we won’t make effective changes. And humiliation comes from complete honesty with ourselves. Advancement to perfection can nevertheless be rapid if one resolutely strides toward the goal. We must remember the why of change, the why of humiliation and the why of the gospel. And when I say humiliation, I don’t mean to become depressed over sins, but as Heber J grant says, ‘To make war on our weaknesses.” Whether our weaknesses are our individual sins or maybe a weakness in an area. We make war on our weak points as missionaries, as people, and as businesses (I really want to go into business) to become more effective people, more effective missionaries, have more effective areas and have a successful business. A true measure of our personal integrity is how much we let those sins that no one sees humiliate us. And when they humiliate us, a true measure of our faith or hope is how willing we are to make war on our weaknesses. Honesty cultivates humility and humility cultivates change and change cultivates progress. I feel every missionary who has a hard area, a hard companion or a hard situation, needs to be honest. Have I done everything in my personal power to improve my area or to improve my companionship or to improve the business, and I don’t believe anyone can say that they have tried everything. I feel companionships and areas will always progress if we are completely honest with the work in which we put forth. And we never blame anyone for our small success or no success. I feel personally I will always progress if I solidify honesty in my life. I will be successful, and never prideful. I feel if we are truly honest with ourselves it will be nearly impossible to become prideful.

Well I am so grateful to be a missionary. It’s the best thing I have ever done. Sometimes I feel mission goes by too fast. Don’t blink, cause just like that you close your eyes and open and it just becomes a memory. I truly am trying my best to bask in my mission and to enjoy every moment. It’s the best thing I have ever done.

I love you all so very much!!!!
Sister Falco

Being a missionary is the best!

Emanuel & his best friend.

The Best Recent Convert!!

Lollipops @ Church

Only serving with the best!! Elder Nakele's going home.

Power is out ALWAYS! haha

Sad Situations

July 20^, 2015

Hey Family and Friends,

What to say, what to say for this week! It has been a blessed one for sure.  I am so grateful to be a missionary. My area is an emotional one. I feel like I was either unaware of these sad situations in Lilongwe or Lilongwe was just good but Blantyre and Zambia are just filled with sorrow. And I don’t want to be negative haha but its true.

So we have this sweet, sweet investigator who is progressing. He takes notes like all day long. And He comes to church and takes notes. He told us that he had stopped drinking… But we forgot to call him the night before to tell him that we were coming and we just showed up and he was totally wasted and I was dying that whole lesson. I was breaking down. Haha. Well actually we didn’t have a lesson because his wife wasn’t there and we have to have a woman present to teach a male but he started talking about his wife like she was some puppy that he could command around. He was all mad, talking about divorce because she isn’t listening to him. It was so hurtful. Sometimes the real world is scary. A person’s reality or perception of reality is so hard to understand and it is sad that people understand life the way that they do.

So we have another investigator…well he isn’t really an investigator because we just had a first lesson. It was yesterday and I feel like I keep getting reminded how hard life can be. He told us that he doesn’t know why he should stop drinking and we were telling him because it’s bad for you. And the spirit was telling me to bring up his family. So I asked a simple question: Would you want your kids to be drinking? Immediately he said no. And then we taught him about his role as a father and he said that he would try his best to change. And then he started telling us to go and teach people in the pubs or in the bars where there are prostitutes and he started telling us these sad stories of prostitutes and how they just sell themselves away. He even asked four of them why they were prostitutes and they said that it is because they have no money and they need to eat somehow. Then he asked them if he gave them money to start a business would they do it and quit being a prostitute? And two said they would.  The other two said no. I just don’t understand why people live like they do. Life is hard enough. Why make it harder. I feel like they must just numb out reality. I have this tendency in lessons -- to numb out reality so I can hold it together when I hear sorrowful stories. I have this tendency to block out the feelings of sorrow that I have for people because it’s difficult. I switch off my emotions as I am meeting people or seeing people’s lives being destroyed by drinking or other types of sins. Sometimes I feel like my heart is weighed down with sorrow from time to time because of the people I come in contact with. These people’s lives! Sometimes reality hits me and it hits me hard. And it’s so sad. I will never be a social worker haha I will be a mess always haha.

Well on a positive note… Haha J (Sorry those two stories were kind of sad.) I really would love to express how much I love my trainer. Sister Ntuli. I miss that woman. She truly changed my life. I miss her “put me
in any area and I’ll baptize.” I miss that attitude that I think rubbed off on me a little. J And I miss laughing as we called our district leader because our success was so bad at the beginning. I miss her excitement and enthusiasm. I miss her asking me “What makes you happy Sister Falco?” I miss singing “you are gonna miss this your gonna want this back” as we knocked on gates all day long. I miss leaving Pday early because we begged, we pleaded for success and we didn’t know how else to improve. I miss our quote “go hard or go home”. I miss the beautiful heaven sent Lunguzi family that came after so many one-time investigators at church. I miss her Pentecostal music. “GOD IS ABLE.” I miss her always saying, “If you talk or think bad about others, the problem is you not them.” Ha I miss the first week when I said I need a taxi, And then she chastised me, “There is NO “I” IN A COMPANIONSHIP!” Haha That was a simple day and a simple thing but everytime I think to blame or get upset or take the credit I remember “There is No I or YOU in a companionship it’s a WE”! I miss walking home past curfew and the day when we almost got killed? Haha I miss when we weren’t focused, we’d chastise each other with “mind on my mission, mission on my mind. “ J I literally had the best trainer in the world; I don’t care what anyone else says. J

I am so grateful to be a missionary I really need to be better. I really want to be better and I really want to do my best. I feel so inadequate--like always, but I am grateful for the atonement and for the ability it has to carry me through my mission.

Mission’s the best! I love you all so very much!! You are the best!


Sister Falco

Sister Falco & Sister Quaye

Carly has her tights on--must be cold!

Reflections

July 13, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

Well it has been a great week!!! I don’t really know what to say, I am so grateful to be a missionary!!! It’s the best ever!! I feel very blessed! We went on a district activity last Monday! We went and saw lions and it was so much fun!! I basically have the best district ever!! I love them all so very much!!

Missionary work this week has been sweet. My area is still taking some time to get used to. And the power is still bad but I am definitely used to it now and I don’t really expect to have power haha. So it’s good still.

Well I have done some reflecting this morning and what I have learned so far as a missionary. First thing: SUCK THE MARROW out of life like Steven Covey says. Take every moment and LOVE IT!!!! I am so grateful for my life. Even when it is hard I am just so grateful!! It’s the best life ever!! I feel like I am filled with so much gratitude for all the blessings that I have. Once we realize we aren’t really entitled to anything (haha Uncle David) and everything that we have is a blessing from our Father in Heaven, our life is a lot better.

Number two thing I reflected on… Idleness is the thief of LIFE! I’ve realized this because in “The Great”, curfew is at 6 pm and we come in and sometimes it’s easy to relax, but I always regret those days. I feel like there is so much in this beautiful world to discover, people to know. Idleness is the thief of joy! Hahahah.

Number three thing I have reflected on is KNOWLEDGE!! Knowledge is the best thing. There is something amazing about learning something new and growing and developing and I love it. Knowledge is the best adrenaline rush we can have. Read books. I LOVE reading; its my new passion.

Appreciate everyone and everything. Appreciate even the things that you don’t really like, like plays and all that kind of stuff. See the beauty in each person. Everyone has a beautiful mind and it is full of so much beauty if we just take the time to get to know the person. There is nothing more thrilling than being happy for no reason. Haha Mission. It’s the best. Keep an eternal perspective.

I like this story--there were three workers and they were building the most beautiful cathedral and one person responds, “I am building stone and the next person says I am dusting off this wall and the last person says I am helping BUILD the most beautiful cathedral.” I think its says a lot about life. We can find joy if we keep this eternal perspective. Sometimes we think, I am just living life; I am just being kind to someone. But if we remember that we are all children of God and we are actually helping someone else receive eternal life, our life will be filled with JOY!!!!

I am grateful to be a missionary!!! It is the best!!!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!
Sister Falco

Adventures in "The Great"

July 6, 2015

Wow, What a week, that’s all I can say! This week has been full of adventure for sure. SO you know how I said Zambia is like stepping back into America. Hahahahahahah that was a joke. So the power is literally out every other day, and when the power is out it means no water, because our water is pumped from electricity. Which means I only shower once every other day. Hahahahha and even when the power is on the hot water literally lasts five minutes. And then it’s freezing cold. I don't mean to sound negative. Hahaha its all a part of THE GREAT!! Haha (“The Great” is what we call the Zambia Lusaka Mission.) haha Heavenly Father knew mission would be difficult for me to leave so he put me in Lusaka. Haha and also the power problem is supposed to last until December. Hahahahaha this life!! Only in the GREAT!!

And then that’s not all for the adventure this week, so there was one day I actually broke down crying in the area. I could barely hold it together. We have been teaching this girl and she is so cute. She is 17 and she was raped and now has a baby. We have been teaching her in her aunt’s place who is a member and where she lives. So we walk in one day and she is all shaken up and you can tell she is choking back the tears, and I was trying to act like I couldn't tell and then the aunt came in and kept saying stuff like, “She is in a mood because she is having a bad day; don't worry about her. And she is leaving for the weekend to visit her cousins.” My companion and I could tell something was wrong, so we asked her if we can escort her to the mini bus. We wanted to speak with her when the aunt wasn’t there. And then as we were walking she said, " I am not coming back." And we were like why? And she said, “Someone tried to rape me again yesterday. But this time I screamed, and the neighbor came.” Her hand was all bruised because of the guy holding her tight. And as she was telling us she said something like "Why is this happening to my life, and all I could do was hug her as she cried." I held it together and didn't cry. And when we put her on the mini bus and she drove away, I just lost it. I couldn't hold it together. And then my companion was the strong one as she hugged me. This life is so difficult for people. I don't know why. I won't lie—Sometimes it’s hard on me to see people suffer so much. I really need to study Jacob 5 more and really believe and trust in Heavenly Father more. This is why I can't study social work. I think I will struggle. I think my testimony will be tested everyday. So…that’s why I want to study business or accounting. J

Okay and to add to the adventures. We have an awesome investigator!!! I won't mention his name. But he is so sweet!!! He is like prime! He came to church at 10:30, (30 minutes early)!!! We taught him the first lesson and then planned to see his wife on Friday. We meet with his wife and I go to shake her hand and greet her and she looks at me and turns away and grabs her child as if she is talking to Satan (us). Hahah and then the husband kept apologizing and I said don't worry!! And he said, "You know the rumors, she's heard them." And then the husband was trying to be all nice and asking if there is any where else we can meet, and he leaves for like 5 seconds and the wife comes in and says, "You can meet my husband but not under this house where my kids are." And so then the husband comes back, and he apologized again and I said okay should we step outside and figure out a members house we can go and teach you at. And so we did. BUT IT WAS CRAZY!!! I have had opposition, but not like this haha. And the husband is still progressing and growing well in the church.

Well okay…last story. The elders had a baptismal service so we go and the Branch Mission Leader forgot to fill up the baptismal font.  So while the baptismal service is going on, my companion and I are filling up buckets trying to fill up the baptismal font. hahaha And it works!  They had to baptize on their knees, haha THIS IS THE GREAT!! And also while the people are changing from their baptismal clothes to their normal clothes, they usually have the missionaries talk about enduring to the end. So we are up there speaking and we ask,  “So what are some ways we can help these newly baptized members endure to the end?" And this lady in the ward yells out, "We don't have time for this." Then all the ward members start arguing with her. We had no idea what to do. So we closed up the talk and said these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen. hahahahahahahah THIS IS truly the Great!

Well I have found my favorite Prophet, at least one of them. Brigham Young! MAN he is so cool!!!!!!!!! I love his boldness and his attitude. I love him!!!! I seriously Love Brigham Young!! He is the best!! We have the Distribution Center in my area so I was able to buy The Teachings of Brigham Young. I read it every night since I got it and I am basically finished, and I bought it last Monday. He is the best!!

I'll just share some of my favorite quotes from it:

"Is there any necessity of being persecuted? Yes, if they are disobedient. But suppose they are perfectly obedient is there any reason of chastisement. I do not understand the principle of it. Have I been able to see the necessity of chastisement from the Lord on a people who are perfectly obedient? No. Have this people a need to be chastened? Yes they have. We all know the saints must be made pure to enter into the celestial kingdom.
My thoughts:
Trials are the biggest blessing from our Father in Heaven. If
we only fully understood.

"After suitable rest and relaxation there is not a day, hour, or minute that we should spend in idleness but every minute of everyday of our lives we should strive to improve our minds and to increase our faith of the Holy Gospel, in charity, patience, and good works that we may grow in knowledge"
My thoughts:
Cell phones are the best tool Satan uses for idleness. My goal when I go home is to be an adult haha :) but seriously--I don't want to be using my cell phone for Instagram and Facebook when I go home. I will only use it on my laptop. A cell phone makes it SO easy to idle away your time. I don't know. I want to be better! I feel like there really is no point to them, but at the same time I know hahahah I know I have to set realistic goals, and I doubt I will be able to give it up 100%.

"Before you condemn, we should wait until heaven clearly indicates a fault. And if heaven declares a fault wait until Father in Heaven reveals the person is wrong. And when you are capable of correction a person, then it is time enough for you to judge."
My thoughts: The quote is good enough it says it all.
 

"Suppose we were called to leave what we have now shall we call it a sacrifice? Shame on that man who would call it so; for it is the very means of adding in him knowledge, understanding and glory."
My thoughts
I LOVE THIS QUOTE SO MUCH!!! ! ITS SO True!!!! SO SO SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!! The most true quote I have ever read!

"We are not going to wait for angels. We are to build Zion ourselves"
My thoughts: D and C 58... That’s all I can say :) The best!! I love
this quote, and the responsibility that each of us have.

"We do not want any whiners about this temple. If you cannot commence cheerfully and go through the labor of the whole building cheerfully, start for California and the quicker the better."
My thoughts:
Haha this quote is so bold, but I LOVE IT!! Its so true, haha we should never complain lest we become like Laman and Lemuel hahahaha!!

Well anyways, I love this church, and for all the churches that broke away from the church at the beginning days, they should definitely read Brigham Young haha HE Is the BEST!!! He is definitely a prophet.
haha

Well I love this church, my future home is going to be like the mission home. I already have it all planned out. I am going to be a crazy women about the church. Haha I have an obsessive personality. I know I do, but I don’t even care. This is a good thing to be obsessed about right! haha For all those who remember me when I  little--my obsession with puppies, my obsession with going to Lake Powell, my obsession with a boat, my obsession with so many things." And I think I found my new obsession that will last forever!

Haha I love you all, don't forget it!! I am one blessed person to be serving a mission!! It’s the best thing I have ever done!!

Sister Falco!

BASK in the Gospel and the Story of an Ant

June 29, 2015

Dear Family and Friends,

I am in the great Zambia LUSAKA!!! I am so excited. It’s the best!! Everything is so nice starting with the computer I’m on! I love being in Zambia. I guess that’s what you get when you come from the poorest country in Africa (Malawi) and then move to another poor country but not the poorest (Zambia)!! Haha I’m still getting to know my new area. I’m not sure what to think. I feel like the members don’t really trust us, but they will soon! J We had a baptism. It was the STAKE president’s nephew. HEY did I mention that I am serving in A WARD and A STAKE, which is pretty cool here in Africa!!!

I have been studying a lot this week. I love this Gospel. It’s the best!!! So I was reading in Preach my Gospel about faith and charity and have been reminded that charity requires work. Alma 32, the famous faith chapter, gives you a new perspective if you replace the word “faith” with “charity” (or love). You should try it!! CHARITY IS SO SWEET!!! I think so often we think we have charity because of how we feel for others.  But if we don’t really do anything about that love, it’s just a nice feeling.

“But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of “charity”, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to “love”, let this desire work in you, even until ye “love” in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words.

“Now, we will compare “love” unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your “hatred/selfishness/pride”, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this “love” is a good seed, or that “charity” is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. Now behold, would not this increase your “charity”.

It goes on to say how we need to nourish this seed and that to me means we have to get out there and serve and life and support those we have these feelings of love for.

I love the scriptures! I love how it’s helped me to see that my love for all mankind has “enlarged” and been “enlightened” and “deepened”. And it has become “delicious to me”. I still need to improve for sure with charity but I’m grateful I’ve had a chance on my mission to discover and grow in charity.

I have been “basking” in the Gospel these days. Basking is a word my Mission President uses.) It’s helped me to realize the importance of my worth. I have been pondering on the idea of my potential. Our potential to become like the Savior and Heavenly Father… And this potential is not just MINE… but the potential of everyone I come in contact with. I love the idea, that everyone I come in contact with has the potential to become like our Father in Heaven. Once we understand our worth, we understand the worth of others and it’s nearly impossible to look at someone with the intent to hurt or belittle or to think they are less than us. I feel like this love for all mankind is the most delicious thing that I have ever experienced. I am so grateful for it.

So one night this week, the electricity was out hahaha and I was still up outside on the couch with a candle on the floor writing in my journal and I saw something interesting. There was an ant and he was going around in circles around the candle--just around the edges where it gets dark. The candlelight made a circle of light on the floor and the ant was so determined to walk in circles within the light. I decided to move the candle to see if the ant would follow the light…and it did! And I was watching this ant go around and around, I started to wonder if we are like this ant. The ant has the potential to EXPLORE this whole house; there is food in the kitchen that this little ant could eat but he stayed where the light was. As people, we have the potential to become like our Father in Heaven, but we stay where it’s comfortable, in a tiny amount of light. Sometimes, living a consecrated life is hard and even scary because we have to go into the “dark” where it’s not comfortable. Working to reach our potential can be scary because we have to go where we can’t really see. The second part of this is realizing that when we widen our circle, making it more light, it’s not as scary to change and become who our Father in Heaven wants us to be. We widen our circle by brightening our testimony, understanding the Gospel and making changes one step at a time.

Well that’s all for this week. I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE GOSPEL IS TRUE!!!! BASK IN THE GOSPEL!!

Love,

Sister Falco

 

My companion!! She was the best! Although I was only with her for a few weeks, she taught me so, so much. She taught me how to love, how to laugh and how to cry. Haha we went through some embarrassing times together but we were able to laugh it off. And the embarrassing moments brought us so much closer and made me love her. She is the perfect balance of kindness and boldness. She is the best!!!!! I love her!!

These pictures are all from good old Blantyre!! Saying goodbye to the best!! 

 

Baptism in Lusaka--Stake President's nephew!