Feb 15th - A Spider the size of my hand...

You know the feeling when you walk into a spider web?

It's the worst feeling ever. It's all sticky and you don't know where it came from... 

That's not how it felt. It felt like I was walking into a piece of thread. A small but very firm piece of thread, strung tight. So tight and strong that it didn't break. I had to literally move it with my hands and duck under it. 

It wasn't until I turned around that I realized it indeed was a spider web. But how, you might ask, did the web stay intact? Why did the thread not snap?

Because the spider who created it WAS THE SIZE OF MY HAND.

I couldn't shake the feeling all day. 

FALTER FAMBAM AND FRIENDS 

On Tuesday we had a dinner appointment with some members. When we got there, the house was a mess and the kids were running all over the place. It was so hot because AC costs a lot of money and the poor mom was trying to prepare the food, but has to take breaks because she's pregnant and her back is hurting. While she was finishing up preparing the food, we cleaned the living room and dining room and kitchen. We swept the floor and washed the benches and table. After dinner we did the dishes. It felt so good to serve.

A member called us on Monday and asked if we would help her move on Thursday, so we went over and cleaned walls, packed toys, carried out beds and tables (I did some heavy lifting but my companion did the heavier lifting...)

We had a great time helping them pack up and sending them off to a different area of the ward. 

On Friday we promised an old lady in our ward (she's 83) that we would clean the tin ceiling outside her back door for her because SHE was planning on doing it herself. She's trying to sell her house and move to Queensland with her son. We got there and cleaned for a couple of hours, and got absolutely drenched. Soaked to the bone. It was so much fun though, and it did look quite good after we had finished. 

On Saturday we got a call from a member who was frantically trying to find people to come and help their friend move as well. Move in, though. We didn't have set appointments in the morning so we ran over there and did as much as we could in the time we had. We were the only ones there, besides him and his wife and the lady who was moving, so we did do a lot of heavy lifting at that house! (: 

I was excited to do so much service for others this week. Members and people we'd never met. I was a bit worried that we would not have enough time to see everyone, however, because we were spending so much time with that, but at the end of the week, we counted the amount of lessons we taught, and it was far above any other week before! (: No wonder I'm exhausted haha. 

The cute family we teach, the kids that are getting baptized, they didn't come to church this week! :( We were pretty sad about it because they'll have to get baptized later. We went to their house the night before to see what they were all going to wear and tell them who was going to sit by them in class, and they were so excited. The only problem was there is these giant puppets in Perth and hundreds of thousands of people were going to see them, so they decided to go last minute. They're all set for next week, though. I can't wait for these boys (11&9) to experience church for the first time!!!

We're studying preach my gospel as a mission, and this week we went through the Christ-like attributes. It was pretty humbling to study about Christ's qualities and what they mean and how we can apply them in our own lives. There's a song that Sister Iosua-Fiu has on her USB about missionaries. One of the lines of the song is pretty amazing to me. 

"The hardest thing I've ever longed to see

was the Man down on His knees in agony.

As a drop of blood falls down on autumn leaves

and for a moment, He suffers there for me."

At church we sang Hymn 192, which also impressed me.

"Come saints and drop a tear or two for Him who groaned beneath your load. He shed a thousand drops for you, a thousand drops of precious blood"

I am so thankful for the person that Jesus Christ was. He is someone I look up to and aspire to be like. He cared so much for every individual on earth and willingly served those around Him. Whether they be friends, enemy's or otherwise. The kind of love and charity he had for me and my friends and the member of the ward I'm serving in is the same kind of love and charity I want to show them. He was patient, kind, and humble. He was perfect in every way and loved His Father in Heaven! 

I know part of the reason I came on my mission is so that I could become a little bit more like Christ, and know him better. I feel like I know my Father in Heaven better than ever before, or at least that he knows me. I feel closer to Him, and to Christ. And I think it's because I'm learning about Him, trying to do the things He would do if he were here, and I'm dedicated. There's a lot less distracting me on the other side of the world. Only a kanga or two (just kidding - I still haven't seen one up close) I love serve others, and spreading Heavenly Father's word with everyone! 

The letters I received this week were so uplifting - thank you for the updates and messages you share with me. I love you all. Couldn't have asked for better people in my life. 

We have a game plan to see the Kangas and Koala's as well. Involving sisters' P-day and a pretty discrete park we just found out about. If not next week, the week after!! (: 

Love you!!
xoxo

Sister Falter