Hello!

I can't even think about a single thing that happened this week. How sad is that!?!? We really did see so many miracles this week. It is amazing to see how much this area has grown and changed. It is like a different ward completely. The work is exploding, and I am so grateful!!! I love Heavenly Father.

Saturday was the departing sister's last shift at the Trail Center, and they put us all on shift together. It was so fun to be together, and Sister Whittaker's friend Brad came into the Trail Center on his way to interview at different medical schools. She asked me to go on tour with her, and it was so much fun! I love her, and it has been so fun to be together for so long. MTC comps for life ha.

Sunday was incredible. We had the most inspiring ward council I have ever been in. Our new Bishop has a vision for this ward that we are so excited about. Then we had our new investigator Jacob at church with us, and had some less active members of our ward there too! After church we had a lesson with Matthew, who is set for baptism, then went over and had a lesson with Chris. OH MY GOSH I can not believe how much I love that kid. He was in tears as we talked about him preparing to go to the temple and receiving the Priesthood. He is so humble and prepared to do all that Heavenly Father needs him to do. Ah. love him.

After that, we headed up to Iowa Western to see some of the girls on the soccer team there. They have 2 teammates that are interested in the gospel and have been asking lots of questions, so it was really neat to be able to talk to them and help them start to see the vision for them and their friends. We also got to meet two kids that are members but aren't active that we had no idea lived here. SUCH miracles. Our last lesson was with Jacob at a member's house. We didn't feel right about moving forward to the next lesson, so we let him ask any questions that he wanted to ask or that he was been wondering about. I have NEVER met anyone asks more humble, sincere questions than he does. As he asked questions, he started asking more about the Doctrine of Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end) and he decided that he was ready to set a day to be baptized. All on his own. He is incredible. His one barrier before last night was that he was worried that his family would not be supportive because they are all atheist. He talked to several of his siblings about if they would support him if he got baptized, and they all said yes, and even said they would come to his baptism!!!!! God answers prayers, my friends!!!!!!!

I remember writing a letter to David when he was on his mission and saying that I had this belief that I couldn't really receive answers to my prayers in the same way, say, returned missionaries could. I really thought that. (Don't know if D remembers writing me back, but somehow I have that letter with me on my mission, strange.) What I've realized since I've been here is that RM's ability to listen to the Spirit as God answers their prayers has absolutely nothing to do with actually being a missionary. It has to do with praying more, and studying the scriptures more, both of which you do more while you're on your mission. However, regardless of our circumstances, we can ALWAYS read and pray more. When we do that, we do like it says in 2 N 31:3...we learn the language that He talks to us in. Will you all read that scripture this week and then try to discern how the Lord answers your prayers? I promise that He does answer, and that if we seek out His voice, we will hear it.

I LOVE being a missionary. I love you all so much and I am so grateful for your prayers and support!

Love you! 

Sister Farnsworth