Tuesday, January 28, 2014

HI!!!


Holy cow. I think it just hit me today that I am coming home. Don't get me wrong, I am still a long way away and I am far from being READY to come home, but it just got really real haha. We had interviews with President this morning and it was a really neat experience. I just love him so much and have learned so much from him! I am so grateful to have been able to serve in this mission. Man. So lucky.
We had a great week! We were in our area a TON so we saw so so so many miracles. Sister Jensen's birthday was on Wednesday so Heavenly Father gave us a full day in the area and a miracle new investigator for her birthday presents. And it only snowed or got cold for a little bit. Of course, cold is relative to you desert people haha. I am going to be in for a shock. More like, YOU'LL be in for a shock when you get here. It was 0 degrees (Degree??) when we got here today. Ha. The funny thing is that I am so used to it now! I also took Sister Jensen to a buffet for lunch because that is her favorite place to eat.......we didn't really eat at buffets growing up in our home. Actually I'm pretty sure that my first time was on my mission. So it made me laugh but she LOVED it. We found our sweet new investigator when we buzzed the wrong apartment in a locked apartment complex and she let us in. She said that she had been looking for a church and she invited us to come back. Such a miracle.
Thursday we had district meeting and then were in our area for the rest of the night. Our meal appointment had to cancel so she called in pizza and bread sticks for us to pick up....which leaves us with the awkward problem of finding a place to eat said pizza. We ended up going to eat at Sister Reents house. So funny. Friday we weekly planned and then had the rest of the day in the area. We did have to go to a doctor appointment for Sister Jensen that Elder and Sister Cleverly took us to so we could save miles (oh man, everyone go drive your nearest missionaries around for awhile so they can save miles!!!) and then they took us to get ice cream at Culvers. Haha. Took me back to the beginning of my mission when Sister Coats and I used to get Culvers alllll the time.
Saturday we had ward coordination and then Trail Center all day Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday I took Elder Tatafu's investigator Fred on tour again. Tatafu asked him to pray at the end of the lesson (we were down in one of the theaters) and so we knelt down and prayed and he said the longest most entertaining prayers I have EVER heard. I looked up during the prayer (I know, irreverent) and all of us were dying laughing. I LOVE being a missionary haha.
Well, I somehow spent all of my time already. Don't know how that happened, but know that I love you all! You have been the best support a sister missionary could ask for!
LOVE, Sister Farnsworth

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Hello!


Hello! Hope everyone had a good week! I still think that time is completely warped on the mission because I never understand how a week passes by so fast. We had a lot happen, so I'll just get right into it....

First of all, I wanted to start by telling you about something that means a LOT to me. I have had so many evidences of the love that my Heavenly Father has for me over the course of my mission. I think that honestly, after Saturday, Heavenly Father has answered literally every prayer of my heart. I have been so blessed. I guess I should back up and say what actually happened. We have a meeting at 7:45 every Saturday morning with all of the Trail Center missionaries. President Weston comes and gives the training the second Saturday of every transfer. I was really excited to learn and received a lot of great answers to my questions, but the cherry on top of my day...week......mission? happened when Elder Cleverly stood up to end the meeting and said that he had an announcement that he had been asked to make by President and Sister Weston. Sister Bates, my old companion, has recently been re-assigned to serve in the California Fresno mission. She gets to be a missionary!!!!!!!!!!!! That's all she wanted but she was way too sick to serve when she was here, and going home was heartbreaking for her. I am so grateful for the healing power of the Atonement. I know that it wouldn't be possible for her without the help of her Savior and the guidance of the Spirit. AH. So happy. I bawled my way through the closing hymn. Which was awkward because I was leading the music. Haha, ok so maybe I wasn't really bawling, just crying a steady stream of tears. Whatever the case, I probably looked really weird because I'm pretty sure "Hark, all ye nations" isn't the most emotional song.... 

The work continues to keep us super busy, which we love. It's Sister Jensen's birthday this week which will be FUN (you all know how much I love a good birthday) and we should have a great week. We served all day at the Trail Center on Monday and we don't serve again until Saturday night, so we are going to forget how to take tours...haha. Ok, maybe not, but it will be really strange. 

I wanted to tell you about this HUGE miracle that happened over the course of the past few weeks. A while before Tom's baptism- actually, the it was the lesson that really helped him to decide that he was ready to get baptized that we team taught with the elders- we were talking about how he really wanted a different shift at work and he was up for the position because he had the 2nd most seniority. We promised him that day that if he would live the Word of Wisdom, he would get that shift at work. Now, I know that as a missionary I am allowed to promise blessings to those I have stewardship over and I have faith that God will hold up those promises. But I was a little nervous with that promise- it was kind of a big deal. At our ward coordination meeting on Saturday, the elders told us that Tom got the shift and the raise!!!!!! AH. I love that. God does answer prayers. He sees the sacrifices we make in our lives, and is bound to bless us when we do what He has asked. I love knowing that my Heavenly Father is aware of every part of our lives. He was aware of Tom's desire to change, and aware that it was hard for him to change. He was aware that this would make a huge difference in his life. And He was aware that the tiny amount of faith that I have allowed me to listen to His Spirit and He wanted to bless me for that tiny faith. I LOVE HIM. It has been one of the most powerful examples to me of my whole mission about God's love. 

I got to take a tour for Elder Tatafu and his companion yesterday. Their team up was their ward mission leader Brother Wilson who is my friend Kenneth's brother. Small world. The tour was NUTS. This man was so funny, but completely all over the place. I was really lucky to be able to even share any stories or history or bear my testimony before he would start talking again. And he was talking about the most RANDOM crazy things haha. We were cracking up the whole time because it was just so random. Then, we got around to the handcart and I told the story of Francis Webster (who is the best) and about halfway through after I had said the name "Francis" about 3 times, Tatafu and I both started cracking up laughing because that is his first name. Hahaha. Love that kid so much. He is really excited to meet you guys, and said he would make sure they had a car so that kid on crutches could still go out with him (Curty....you are going to have a BLAST. Wait. Do you even read my emails, bud??? Haha).
I love you all so much. I have been so blessed to have you all in my life. I know that Heavenly Father has given you all to me because He loves me!! So thanks for being you. thanks for helping me so much, and thanks for always being there!!
Love you!
Sister Farnsworth

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Busy Week!

Well, transfer week came and went and Sister Jensen and I stayed together in Old Mill. Actually, pretty much the whole mission stayed together. I love that, because it gives us more of a chance to gain the trust of our companions and the members in the areas where we are serving. Hopefully I will stay in Old Mill for the next 5 months (haha...just kidding Mom. Don't have a heart attack). We have the best kind of problem to have as missionaries right now...we have too many people to teach in our area, which is AWESOME. It gives us a really good opportunity to use the members and to prioritize, but it is a little crazy trying to get everything done that we feel like we need to get done in a week. Guess that's why we need to rely on the Lord to tell us what we have to get done, not just rely on our own instincts, right?

Holy cow. Saturday was REPLETE with appointments. We were scheduled to have our weekly morning meeting, our ward coordination meeting (which typically lasts 2 hours) and then had 8 appointments scheduled. So we had appointments at 1, 2, 3, 4, 530, 630, 7, and 730. Um....yeah. Crazy day. The other set of sisters that we had serving in Old Mill got transferred over to open the Kanesville area (in Council Bluffs, one of the areas I covered in the singles ward) so we got to split the investigators and less actives that they were working with between us and the elders. So 7 of those appointments were ours, and then the 7 o clock was one of their appointments that we took on. I had absolutely no idea how we were going to get it all done, so I kept praying that we would be effective in all of our lessons with time and that we would be able to do the things that we actually NEEDED to do. It ended up that 2 people canceled and we added one appointment, and we were able to see 7 people people...not the same people that had been scheduled in every case, but close. And all of our appointments ran almost exactly how long we needed them to run in order to travel to the next appointment. I don't know if I'm explaining this well enough for you all to realize what an incredible MIRACLE this is....but it is. I always get nervous when we have back to backs because you get late on one and then you're running behind all day long. But Heavenly Father seriously blessed us. And we saw huge miracles in every single appointment. I love Old Mill and I love being companions with Sister Jensen. I swear I have never seen so many miracles my whole mission....ok I probably have, but it just feels like we are seeing so many miracles!
Nothing too exciting happening over here.....the Trail Center has officially hit JANUARY because we have been as slow as you could possibly imagine. It's given us lots and lots of time to study and read and role play and.....anything else you can imagine. Our area book has never been in such great shape haha. The REALLY good news was that after our horrifying cold at the beginning of last week, it warmed up for the rest of the week. It even got to 50 degrees! That is no jacket weather (who thought I would ever say that?)! I think we will nosedive back into the 20s soon though.
Today I was listening to the song "Savior Redeemer of my Soul" and one of the lines really stood out to me. It said "chasten my soul till I shall be in perfect harmony with Thee." Sometimes we have to be chastened and taught and rebuked over and over and over again so we can line up our will with the Lord's will. Sometimes that will hurt. A LOT. Because we have to rip things out of our lives to make ourselves be in harmony with Him.
I love being a missionary. I love getting the opportunity each day to try to be more in line with Him and His will for me and those of His children that I get to serve with and around.

I love you all so much!!

Sister Farnsworth

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

A few more pics......




One More Picture



Last Transfer Week


other than to tell you how COLD IT IS HERE. Haha kidding, I have LOTS to say. But the thing that's on my brain MOST is that yesterday was the coldest day that Nebraska has had in over 15 years. As in, it was -12. And with the windchill, it was colder than -31. HA. Do all of you Arizonans even know what that MEANS!?!? I sure didn't. It was an adventure of a day for sure. We were in the TC until 3 and then out in our area for the rest of the night, and we were nice and bundled up so all was well.
This week has been a week of changes. Sister Owen has been sick for awhile and has been so tough and sticking it out, but she went home this past week. I miss her to death but I want her to get better more than I want to be selfish and keep her here with me. When she left, Sister Mahlstede got transferred down to Bellevue 1st with Sister Tarpenning, so Sister Jensen and I are back to being just a normal companionship. No more trio for us.....well, I guess I should wait until transfers happen this week to make any comments like that. :)
Last week was really good! The TC feels so much better now that all of the Christmas decorations are down and that the GB houses are gone. Haha I feel like Marisa, trying to get rid of Christmas as soon as it is over. We had a great district meeting, and I want on exchanges with Sister Anderson on Thursday, which was a lot of fun. We have served together for over a year now but we haven't ever gone out teaching together. I wish we would have had more time to just be out in the area, but we had 6 appointments and just had to run from one place to another. Welcome to Old Mill though.

TOM GOT BAPTIZED! The elders texted us Tuesday night and told us that Tom wanted me to speak at his baptism...meaning...he's getting baptized! AH. Best text ever to get. I think this has been one of the biggest miracles/evidences that the Lord is in control and that He loves us. Seriously, what are the chances that I would be transferred into Old Mill the transfer he gets baptized after he has been taught for over a year? So good. He had his interview on Thursday before district meeting, and I was a nervous wreck during it. I normally am during baptism interviews, though, so nothing new haha. He came out joking and smiling (and asking really specific details about what he has to pay tithing on....I wanted to tell him to call Dad because I didn't know/care about the details haha) and told me that he would see me Saturday morning!

We showed up to the church at 8 on Saturday morning (yes, 8 in the morning) and found the elders dumping buckets of water in the font. They had been filling it up for long enough but, as we would find out later in the day, they put the wrong end of the plug in the font so it was draining at the same time it was filling. Tom was glowing. We took a bunch of pictures and then started the baptism. I spoke, then Tom went to get in the font with Brother Vaterlaus. We heard a crash. Come to find out later, Tom slipped down the stairs, and then as he was being baptized, bumped his head on the back wall of the font. Yikes. What a baptism.
After that, Sister Jensen and I and Sisters Mahlstede and Tarpenning studied and grabbed some lunch, and then headed BACK to the church for cute Brandon Carruther's baptism. I love that kid and his family so much. It was really hard to see the girls try to be supportive and happy for their brother even though they were really sad that they weren't being baptized too, but Brandon was SO happy that it made up for it. After the baptism, he went and hugged every single person in the room, including Sister Tarpenning who he has never met before, and a woman in the ward who the other set of sisters brought with them so she could see a baptism again. Oh man. It was so cute. Love that kid.

Today was one of the best Sundays of my mission. I guess it's more like it was one of the best times at church of my mission. Fast Sundays usually make me so nervous because you never know what people are going to say, and you hope that the Spirit will smooth over anything crazy that happens haha. Sacrament meeting started by having cute Brandon stand up when they talked about his baptism. He was smiling SO huge and kept looking over to us and waving. I love that kid! Then, Tom received the gift of the Holy Ghost. THEN, Brother Mullin blessed their baby boy and Brother Forbush blessed the Miller's (a family that is returning to activity) little boy Laughlin. And then, to top it all off, William passed the Sacrament. I could have died. It was the best sequence of events. EVER. And the testimonies that followed the Sacrament were brief, powerful, Christ-centered testimonies of truth. The comment was made by Brother Morrison (in the bishopric) that it was such a sacred and spirit filled meeting because it began with so many priesthood ordinances, and that the truthfulness of that priesthood was confirmed through the Spirit.

I always sit next to Tom in Sunday School. He saves me a seat every week. During class, Brother Vaterlaus announced that Tom had been baptized the day before, and sweet Tom yelled out "It was AWESOME!" To which I leaned over and responded "aren't ya glad you finally did it?" He just looked at me and smiled and kind of teared up as he nodded. He is such a humble man.
I love you all so much. I hope your weeks are great and that you know that I love you!!!
Love, Sister Farnsworth