Monday, January 28, 2013

Hola Mi Familia!

Well....hopefully the subject of my email isn't a foreshadowing of things to come! We are getting 6 Spanish speaking sisters in May, with only 1 sister who speaks Spanish that would be able to train them! President Weston has been asking everyone who speaks Spanish, and is trying to figure out what he will do with them haha. I joked around yesterday at the TC with Sister Whittaker that we should probably get out a Spanish copy of the Book of Mormon and start reading it side by side and learn Spanish "The Other Side of Heaven" style- through the Book of Mormon! It will be really interesting to see what happens with them! I think that is when Clark Peterson's sister is coming....did she get called Spanish speaking and full proselyting? There are SO many changes happening in the mission, what with all of the "older" sisters we are losing in the next two transfers and all of the new missionaries coming in, Elder Cleverly getting here, stake boundaries being realigned (which means areas are realigned) and all sorts of other exciting things! I am so grateful that I am blessed enough to be here for all of these incredible changes!
I think last week I had mentioned that we stopped by and saw that young couple Matt and Elyssa that we were teaching and set up another appointment. It had been several weeks since we had seen them because they had been so busy so we were really unsure about where they were in their progression- or if they were even really interested at all I guess. Well, we saw them last Wednesday, and they are more ready than ever. We had an amazing team-up come out with us and he taught them all about the Atonement in such a beautiful way. They told us that they wish they could have us over every night so they could feel they way that they do when we are there all the time- which is so perfect because they CAN. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father allows our investigators to feel the Spirit so strongly if they are just open to it! Tonight they are coming to the Trail Center and Wednesday we are having our lesson at the church building! They are AMAZING!
This email is a hodge podge of random things, but I'm in that kind of a mood...who is surprised!? One thing that I didn't expect as a missionary is to have so much FUN. I knew that I would be able to enjoy my time here and that I would love serving the Lord, but I don't think I ever expected to just be laughing so much. Especially when you get a bunch of us sisters together- like yesterday. EVERYTHING was funny. That's kind of how it is with our ward now too. We have built a good relationship with the members and they tease us like they've known us forever. I love it!
It has been interesting to be at the TC now that it has really slowed down. We had 120 visitors on Saturday, but a normal day right now is about 20 visitors. Max. So it gives you an opportunity to show Heavenly Father that you really want to be a diligent missionary, even when there isn't anything to do. We read pioneer books, study talks, read the Book of Mormon, and one of my favorite things is that sometimes we take each other on tour. Sister Whittaker had a hard day yesterday, and I took her on tour. It is such a sacred experience to really seek inspiration for someone that you love and try to say the things that the Lord needs her to hear. At the end she said "I don't mean this to sound selfish, but we spend all of our time thinking about others, which I love, but it felt really good to have someone focus on me." I think we all need to have that spiritual boost, so my invitiation to you is to seek out who it is that needs you to "focus" on them this week, and then ask Him what you can do in order to bless them. I can promise you that as you do that, you will receive answers to your own prayers. I would love to hear about what neat experiences happen from this, so please type them up and either send them to me or send them to Mom to send to me!!
Before I go I wanted to share with you an experience I had not too long ago with a man named Tom. He is one of the assistant's investigators. One day, we were at the TC and Tom walked in and I greeted him, and then he told me that he was waiting for the Elders to get there. I didn't know which elders they were at the time, but it doesn't really matter, because for some reason, taking the elders on tour with their investigators is kind of nerve wracking because you feel like there is a lot of pressure to say the right things and to be bold etc. Well, then I find out it's the assistants coming in, which shouldn't make any difference, but for some reason it does. So I knew I had to be really bold. I focused the tour around the temple and the blessings of the temple and how in order to go to the temple and receive blessings, he needed to get baptized. We got to the memorial room, and he just kept saying how peaceful it was and how he wanted to feel like that all of the time. I invited him to be baptized, but he said he isn't ready to commit to a day yet.
Fast forward to last Saturday, when the elders brought him in to watch the Joseph Smith movie. I wasn't supposed to be at the TC, but with Elder Watson leaving it was kind of a crazy day so we were still there. When he saw me he told me that he was hoping that I would be here because last time he came in I "recharged his batteries" and he had the best day he could remember in a long time. I told him again that he could feel like that all of the time if he was baptized because that is how the Holy Ghost makes us feel! After he finished watching the movie, we went to the memorial room and I sang the song "Angels" with another sister. I should send the CD home so you can listen to that song- it is incredible! Elder Bown and I both testified about the need to be baptized, and Tom said he knows that the church is true, and that he wants to be baptized, he's just not sure when. I am so excited for the day he gets baptized, and can't wait to go!!!! He is amazing.
I love this work. I love this gospel. I know that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to Atone for our sins so that we can return to live with them someday. I know that because They love us so much, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored to the earth once more through a prophet of God. I am grateful for the priesthood that allows us to access the Atonement and all of the blessings that come!
I love you to the moon and back!!!
Sister Farnsworth

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