The Hastening-- Start Spreading the NEWS!

Hey everyone. Sister Tara Franklin, here.

Sorry about the lack of an update this week. It's been crazy.
We had a holiday on Monday, the normal emailing day... And then we had to go to mission head quarters to get our iPads.
Yeah. I have an iPad. Weird, right? Kind of hilarious that I use more technology now that I'm missionary than I did before my mission. I'm kind of... how do you say... Old fashioned? Haha.
(Janeal and Joachim, if you're reading this... you can motivate Jake to go on a mission one day by telling him he'll have his very own iPad to use for 2 years! Haha. Just don't tell him he can't play Angry Birds or Temple Run. Haha.)

As Facebook has been something we've spent a lot of time on in the last couple transfers. I've discovered something. I've discovered that I'm not really a "facebooker"... I always thought I was, but I'm not. I don't even use it for half the things it can do... Heck, I don't even know how to "share" things from other websites to facebook. Haha. Yeah, I know... I need to get with it.
I have a confession to make: Before my mission I sadly used Facebook to be jealous of other people's lives; And to wish I was off doing things everyone else was doing. And well... As a missionary, a lot of those same feelings are brought back. It's hard for me (because of my own weakness, of course) to not get caught up in what friends and family are doing back home. (I know, it's selfishness... And I'm working on it.) In this the beginning of the implementation of Facebook/iPads/smartphones for missionaries, I have really tried to find productive things to do via online proselyting. But I have haven't had a huge amount of success. People don't really view my page much so, I'm not really sure what post or what would be helpful to people. (And I don't mean that in a "Oh poor me... why don't people stalk my facebook all day" kind of a way, it's simply true.)
I've been praying about it, and asking for some direction on how to use all these technological/virtual ways of communicating and sharing the gospel with others.
Now, I've come to the conclusion that I needed to focus more on this blog and less on Facebook. Don't really know why... But I figure, I should try it out.

A HUGE round of applause for my dear, wonderful mother who has been the caretaker of the blog for the last nine months! Don't know how she managed to find the time. What a supergirl. I'll be the one updating the blog from now on. Thanks for reading. And feel free to share anything I post with someone you feel could benefit from it. In fact, PLEASE do.

I hope you all know how much my calling as a missionary means to me. I'm so grateful that I have this (as I've put it before) "opportunity of a lifetime" to serve a missionary. I'm grateful to be able to focus all my efforts on this hastening of the work. The daughter of my mission president asked if one day, years and years from now when Preach My Gospel has been modified and updated, it might refer to our day as "The Hastening". I think that's a pretty cool thought. And hey, she just might be right.
And what a privilege to be a part of it!!
If by some miracle something I post on this blog helps even one person, well... then that's success. Remember, no effort is wasted. So I'll put forth my best effort.

More posts to come in the near future! Thanks for your love and support and remember to "START SPREADIN' THE NEWS!" Everyone get on board. I can promise you that these are the Latter-days and it's now going to get CRAZY.