Come Unto Christ

November 17, 2014

Wow, I feel so grateful to my Heavenly Father this week for the challenges - and the miracles - that He gives me. It has been yet another challenging week for me here in Las Misiones. I feel like I’ve never worked so hard in my whole mission, and yet I’ve never seen so few results - something that has been stressful and frustrating for me. And yet, as I mentioned last week, over and over again I feel the impression that I need this experience to finish my path to become the person the Lord wants me to be.

I mentioned last week that in this time I have been learning to give something extra in my prayers and trust more in God. Well, that feeling just has kept growing. I am coming to love prayers, to treasure my time in communication with my Heavenly Father, and to feel like it really is a conversation - I receive answers, thoughts and ideas, feelings, right there during the prayer. I literally feel like I am learning to talk with Him as I pray. And I am learning to LOVE reading the scriptures so much more than before, I feel like my mind and heart are more and more focused on my Savior and His teachings. And over and over again when I pray, the Spirit guides me in ways that I can improve, but also confirms to me that I need to be calm, that my area is in the Lord’s hands.

We have been finding lots of investigators, but with very few progressing up until now. However, I know that they will progress and that the Lord is in control, because I feel closer to Him than ever before in my life and I trust in Him so much more. It is impossible for me to explain how much I feel like I have changed in these weeks here in Las Misiones, but I am very grateful to the Lord for not giving me the experiences I wanted, but the experiences I needed to become a person that will stay faithful to Him for all of my life.

Now, I don’t want it to sound like we have had no results at all in our area! The good news is that we have seen lots of results in the less actives, and this week had some very special experiences. We have a less active family that will be rescued next week once we finish the lessons and another less active hermana who has now come to church three weeks in a row and, once we finish the lessons, will also be rescued.

Also, I mentioned a few weeks ago an excommunicated hermana that the bishop asked us to work with and how we felt prompted to take her to an interview with the bishop. Well, she told us this week that in her interview, she and the bishop investigated a little bit and learned that she was never actually excommunicated! No one knows exactly why, since she was supposedly excommunicated three years ago, but now the bishop says that instead of having to wait another two years to get rebaptized, she can receive her rights of membership again before the end of the year. We love this hermana deeply and I was so thrilled to hear the news. She is SO excited, she immediately started to change bad habits, repent of sins, is coming to church every week and participating in activities, and giving us referrals right and left (none for our area, but still a good thing haha). I am SO grateful to have been able to participate in this miracle, which probably never would have happened if there had only been elders in the ward.

We also had the sweet experience of visiting a recently rescued hermana in the elders’ area. The bishop asked us to go, and when we went, she told us about a lot of challenges that are making her want to go inactive in the church again. Well, we were able to teach her and start helping her to strengthen her testimony again, and she told us, "I opened up to you two and told you these things because I could feel your spirit. I have only told one other companionship of missionaries about these things in my whole life." I was grateful, once again, for having that sweet privilege to be an instrument in God’s hands to touch someone’s life.

I know that we can all have that same kind of experience and the same kind of influence in the lives of the people around us. I invite you all to look for opportunities to be a blessing in the lives of others, because there truly is nothing sweeter.

I love you all! Have a fantastic week!

Love, Hermana Chelsie Faulk

The Power of Prayer

November 10, 2014

Hello everyone!

Well, this week has been a week of huge learning for me. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the week we hoped for as far as investigators and less actives go, but I guess it’s always in the weeks where things don’t go as well as we hope that we learn more about our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

We had a rough Sunday, seeing as how after a week of hard work the majority of our investigators and less actives didn’t come to church. Sylvana, the golden investigator that came last week, couldn’t come because her daughter got sick. And our less active family that was at the point of being rescued and seemed to be in great shape didn’t come to church either, and we still have no idea why.

So, we were pretty disappointed at first, but as I said, when moments of disappointment come, that is when we can learn a lot more about trusting in God.  I have learned a lot about that this week, between challenges with the work and having to face the reality that I am going home. In our mission, it is tradition that all the missionaries going home give their final testimony in their last multi zone conference with President (is that tradition in all missions? I have no idea.) But anyway, I gave my final testimony on Wednesday in my last conferencia with President. It was a very bittersweet experience for me to think back on all the experiences I’ve had here, how much I have grown, and how much I have come to love the people of Bolivia and my companions here in the mission. I have loved it, and thinking about going home, while I am excited to see family and friends, will be very hard because it means leaving behind a lot of people, and a way of life, that I love here as a missionary. 

With all these things going on, I’ve learned a LOT about the power of prayer and the power of a grateful heart. I want to testify to you all that Heavenly Father knows and listens to us, that He answers prayers, and that He gives us the revelation we need to make good choices and continue progressing. Trust in God and trust that He loves each one of you enough to answer your prayers. I think one of the greatest gifts I have received here in the mission is the development of a personal relationship with my Heavenly Father. As I said, I have also learned a lot about the power of gratitude. I read today the talk "Grateful in Any Circumstance" by President Uchtdorf, and boy is it powerful! I encourage you all to study it and apply it to your lives. No matter what happens to us, we can and should cultivate a grateful heart, because that is the way to find joy. I have applied it and know that it’s true. :)

And of course, I can’t leave you all thinking that all is bleak in our area! We had a new investigator come to church yesterday, Frank. He is the brother of a member, and he’s great. Very sincere, has a lot of questions. We got the chance to teach a powerful lesson of the Restoration yesterday and he understood. While he hasn’t committed to a baptism date yet, he had a lot of questions about baptism and committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray. I love working with sincere people and have a lot of faith that he will progress, along with Sylvana and the menos activos we’ve been working with. :)

Love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Chelsie Faulk

God is a God of Miracles!

November 3, 2014

Hola everyone!

Wow, this week was really a special week, and I think that Mormon 9, the chapter that I studied today in my personal study of the Book of Mormon, about summed it up in verse 21: 

Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and his promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth. 

I know and have had it powerfully confirmed to me this week that God has not ceased to be a God of miracles, and that our faith-filled prayers truly are answered, if we ask in the name of Christ, with faith, with pure intent, and if it is something that the Lord knows is good for us.

This week we had several experiences like that, big and small. One was with an investigator, Sylvana. As I have mentioned, it has been really hard for us to find investigators that were really interested in progressing, but we found her last week. She fell through on her lesson Saturday morning, but then we went with a member to another lesson Saturday afternoon, that also fell through, and this member said, "Since your lesson fell through, I want to introduce you to someone that I feel you should teach." And she took us right to Sylvana, without knowing we had met her! We know that the Lord has something very special in store for Sylvana, who accepted a baptism date and went to church last week the three hours, and loved it. That was the first miracle.

Second, something small, but important: it was raining in our area Sunday morning, which worried us for church that afternoon, because as soon as it rains, people are much less likely to go to church. We prayed hard that it wouldn't rain during church time, and it didn't!  Coincidence, some might say, but I believe that God had something to do with it too. :)

Then, another miracle: a less active family we have been working with for a long time came to church, the whole family, for the first time. The hermana asked for an interview with the bishop and has decided to return to church.  Another less active family came to church as well, as did an excommunicated hermana that the bishop asked us to visit. We encouraged her to have an interview with the bishop and she now has specific goals to get rebaptized. It will be a long process, but I know she'll make it.

And finally, I think I mentioned a family, Natalia and Jorge and their son, we found a few weeks ago that had a lot of interest, but had a huge impediment: the husband works and lives in the country three weeks on, one week at home, making it very hard to progress as a family. Hermana Paz and I prayed, asking God fervently in the name of Christ that He could do something to change this good man's job. Well, we stopped by yesterday, and to our surprise, the husband came out and said that the company he works for has now asked him to work in the city! So now they can progress as a family! We were thrilled and I was so grateful to hear that. God is a God of miracles!!!

As I come close to the end of my mission, I'm trying to make sure that I don't think at all about myself, that I just focus on the people. I'm praying a lot that the Lord can purify my heart and make me the person He would have me be to finish up the mission. Words cannot express how grateful I am to the Lord for changing me so drastically through the mission. I love this mission and I love Him.

Love you all! Have a great week!

Love, Hermana Chelsie Faulk

Come Unto Christ

Well, it’s been another interesting week here in Las Misiones. We continue to see both miracles and challenges in this area. I can tell that Satan is working hard against the people we have been working with, but we know that the Lord is stronger than Satan and He can do his own work. We found a fantastic family last week talking with a woman next to me in a trufi, and when we went to teach them on Tuesday, the husband cried when he heard the story of the Restoration and said he felt something really special upon hearing it. That was definitely a miracle for us; however, we could see that Satan is trying to impede their progress because they couldn’t receive us later that week or come to church yesterday because their baby got really sick. This is the interesting thing that we keep seeing; we keep finding families that seem really promising, and then something keeps impeding their progress. However, I really have a good feeling about this family and have faith that they will progress. 

Another miracle for us was that the 22 year old son of an active member of the church, Jorge, has come to church twice now and yesterday tentatively accepted a baptism date for the 15th of November! That really is a miracle, because he has listened to many pairs of elders before, but hasn’t ever taken it very seriously. He has very different beliefs than us; has a different concept of God and doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, but we can tell that even though he doesn’t want to admit it, there is something he likes about the gospel. He has come to church on his own twice now, reads his Book of Mormon, and prays, so he’s got all the ingredients to come to know that this is true. Now, he still isn’t positive that this message is true, but we can see that his faith is growing and we have had many powerful lessons with him. :) I know that the Lord can change all people and change all of our hearts, even those that seem furthest from Him. That is definitely something I have seen over and over again in the missio, and I know it applies for all of our lives. I know that this gospel is true and the converting power of the Atonement is incredible. Apply it in your lives on a daily basis, and you will see how the Lord can make you strong. I love the scripture Moroni 10:32   

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all  ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength,  then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be  perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect inChrist, ye can in 

 nowise deny the power of God.

I know this is true, that as we come unto Christ, He will perfect and sanctify us, and we will come to a perfect knowledge of the reality and the power of God in our lives.  

Love you all! Have a fantastic week! 

Love,

Hermana Chelsie Faulk

Guided by the Spirit J

October 20, 2014

We have had a week of seeing how the Spirit touches people in Las Misiones! We are definitely seeing the Lord’s hand guiding us in this area, although our challenge continues to be getting people to church. That will be a big focus of our personal and companionship study this week and we hope to receive revelation from our study, and see the miracles from our fast starting this Friday.

Hermana Paz and I are progressing well together. After a meeting we had for the trainers on Tuesday, I put the goal to give her more responsibility and trust in her more and I have felt a huge difference. She is contributing more to planning, making suggestions more during the day, and I can really see how guided she is by the Spirit. The other day, for example, we were walking, our lesson had fallen through and we were looking for whom to talk to. I was talking on the phone when a mom and her adult daughter passed by, the daughter crying. I wanted to talk to them but was talking on the phone and just sort of let it go. But when I got off the phone, Hermana Paz looked at me and said, "I felt something SO strong when we walked by them. We HAVE to talk to them." But we didn’t know where they were, so I just sort of dropped it. We went to look for a contact nearby who wasn’t home, when we turned around and there they were entering their house. This family we had seen lived right in front of the contact we were looking for! Hermana Paz insisted that we HAD to go talk to them, so we went over and the mom immediately invited us in and said she had been praying for missionaries to come by right then!  Turns out it was the mom and sister of an antiguo investigator that we had actually been looking for because we found out that his dad had died two months ago and we felt that he might be interested again. So, we had the chance to start to teach them, and yesterday we met the antiguo investigator, Alan, along with the mom and daughter we met a few days ago. They said they would be willing to learn more formally about the church again, and I know this is a miracle. I’m grateful to the Lord for preparing people that way, and for giving me a companion who is such an example of following the Spirit. Hermana Paz is going to be a powerful missionary!! I’m very grateful for the chance to train her.

We also had another sweet experience yesterday at church. So Saturday night, we had four people with baptism dates confirmed to go to church the next day, all of them referrals from members, and with all of them the members confirmed that they would pick them up. But Sunday came, and all of them, one by one, fell through. That was hugely disappointing, but the Lord gave us a surprising miracle... Jorge, the adult non-member son of an hermana in the ward, came to church out of nowhere, even though his mom didn’t come! He is an interesting person, has been through about five sets of missionaries before us, but has a very different way of seeing the world, isn’t a Christian and doesn’t have the same concept of God as we do, which is unusual here in Bolivia. But at church, he said that he "felt very peaceful and calm there" and said, "I think I’m going to keep coming to church. I like it." We also learned that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and a General Conference talk that we left him, so that was exciting! We really feel that this is his moment to come unto Christ and learn the truth for himself. I’m grateful, once again, for the miracles we are seeing in this area!

This Wednesday I’m going to start my last transfer in the mission. The time has gone by way too fast. I know this mission has changed my life permanently and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for giving me this wonderful privilege to serve Him as a missionary for a year and a half.

Love you all! Have a wonderful week :)

Love,

Hermana Chelsie Faulk

The Fourth Missionary

October 13, 2014

Wow, was this a totally different week from last week, and I loved it. It all started from last weekend with General Conference. Hermana Paz and I both felt prompted to fast for conference to be able to receive additional help from the Lord in our area and receive the revelation we needed for our area. Well, as I mentioned last week, we received revelation to become better missionaries and to help some investigators, and then we also saw miracles this whole past week. We doubled the number of lessons we had with members, taught 11 new investigators, 5 people accepted baptism dates, we found some new menos activos, and we taught a total of 28 lessons. It was a great week, and we know that we are being richly blessed by the Lord. I know that there is great power in fasting, I have seen that many times in my mission, and the Lord confirmed it again by pouring out the blessings and the people to teach this week. 

And then Sunday was a great day as well. As you might remember, I mentioned last week that since Sunday was elections, no one is supposed to leave their house except to vote and then come back. So, we were in the house until 6 pm when we were allowed to leave to proselyte until 9 like normal. And to use the time effectively, President gave us a schedule of things to study, including a talk called "The Fourth Missionary." I love this talk; this is the second time I read it and just like the first time, I felt super inspired. I took some time while reading to really reflect over my own life and my mission, and I am extremely grateful to be able to honestly say that although I haven't been perfect, and I know that there were times when I served a lot more with my might and strength than my mind and heart, I have honestly tried to follow the Lord's will and give up my will. I sincerely feel at peace with myself and with what I have accomplished in my mission up til now. Something I have prayed for almost my whole mission is to become the type of missionary - and person - that the Lord wants me to become, the type of person that my patriarchal blessing describes. And as I read my patriarchal blessing yesterday, I felt the Spirit testify to me that although I still lack a lot, I'm on a good path and I have made huge strides in my time in the mission. I will always be SO grateful to my Heavenly Father for pushing me to go on a mission, even when it wasn't something that was in my plans. He has literally given me everything, and I owe EVERYTHING to Him. The Spirit also testified to me that I need to make sure that I don't get content with what I've done up til now and think that I can just sort of back off, that I've done enough. I need to keep myself 100% focused on the mission til my last day, and I need to continue to work to be more humble. Hermana Paz and I made several goals to develop more charity and humility and to keep our minds even more focused on missionary work. I know that no matter what happens in our area, we will continue striving to be 4th missionaries. :)

And then when we left the house, we had a great experience as well... we met a 20-something year old, Rodrigo, who told us he has investigated lots of churches in the past and really wants to learn more about our church. Felt very sincere, we're excited to teach him and see what happens. :) And then la familia Chamon, who are a fantastic family, the family where we eat lunch every day, took us to meet close family friends of theirs, a young married couple in desperate need of more hope in their lives. They agreed to learn more about the gospel and the Spirit was incredibly strong as we, and Hermano Chamon, testified of the reality of life after death and the hope we have that families are eternal. It was fantastic, and I really feel like this family is going to progress quickly. 

I'm grateful to be a missionary and loving this work! Love you all! Have a great week!

Love,

Hermana Chelsie Faulk

CONFERENCIA GENERAL!

Hello everyone! 

Wow, was that not a great Conferencia General (or for you English speakers, General Conference) that we got to listen to these past couple of days? Mom, you asked me what my favorite talk was. I’m not sure how well I could pick just one favorite, since there were tons of fantastic talks, but I can talk about one of my favorites... I loved the brother that talked about how our small decisions can change everything, and asked the question, "If you continue to live the way you are now living, will you receive the blessings promised in your patriarchal blessing?" Such a profound question; and such an important one. I remember before my mission reading my patriarchal blessing and wondering how I would ever become the kind of person described there. For a long time on my mission, I have prayed for just that - to become the person described in my patriarchal blessing, and I know that I have come a long way, but I still have a lot more to improve. I want to remember that counsel always and work to become all that Heavenly Father knows I can be. I invite you all to do the same! I also loved the calls to make daily prayer, scripture study, family home evening, temple attendance, and family history a priority. Any of you who aren’t doing it, do it! I know that as we give heed to and live the words of the prophets, we will be richly blessed. :)

Well, we have had some challenges in our area these past few weeks losing investigators right and left. But despite that, we are still working with a great, promising family, Adriana and Carlos and their three children. They are intelligent and hardworking people, would make for great future church leaders, and acknowledge that they need a change in their lives and family. Unfortunately, they have commitments at their church that make them HAVE to go, morning and afternoon, for the month of October before they can try out a new church. We’ll be praying for them! We also continue to work with some great menos activos, for example Hermano Karin. He was baptized more than a year ago and almost immediately went inactive, but now has come to church twice in a row. My goal is to see him bless the sacrament before I leave. :) And we also were blessed with a miracle the other day on the bus. President has taught us many times that we should talk to everyone we possibly can, and that includes when we are in the street, buying something in a store, on buses, anywhere, because the Lord puts people who need us in our path! So I struck up a conversation with a woman in the bus, and when I asked her if she had heard of our church, she said, "I used to go there." I said to her, "Hermana, were you baptized there?" With a sheepish, "you caught me" type smile, she nodded and accepted our invitation to visit her. I’m grateful for the way the Lord puts people who need us in our path. :)

Well, this weekend should be exciting... they are holding national elections here on Sunday! Here it’s the law that you HAVE to vote or they put a hold on all your government-related or bank-related actions, so everyone votes, haha. And on top of that, you can’t leave your house on voting day except to vote and then come home. You can’t drive any kind of vehicle either, no cars or public transportation to speak of, and it is illegal to congregate in big groups the day of elections. So, we can’t have church on Sunday, or even leave our houses. Should be an interesting day; I’ll let you all know how it goes!

Love you all lots! Have a great week! I’m praying for you!

Love,

Hermana Chelsie Faulk