This is the picture of Allison seeing the BYU Women's Volleyball team!  

Let the Countdown Begin!

Mom, every day the calendar never ceases to amaze me! You are wonderful. Before I fill you in on my week, I just thought I'd say THANK YOU for all of the letters this week! Brother and Sister Ford, Pleasant 2nd Bishopric, Amy Dean and boys, the Hills, and many more! You are all so appreciated!

Omaha finally got hit by a little snow, but where I live (in WEST Omaha) we hardly have any on the ground at all! We are supposed to get a really big snow storm tomorrow, which is good because in every letter from President Weston he says he wants a white Christmas haha. We are having a Christmas Zone Conference tomorrow, which I am really excited for, mainly because I get really excited for every time I get to hear President and Sister Weston give trainings! They are so wonderful!

Christmas is going to be AMAZING. We will have dinner on Christmas Eve with all the sisters and the senior couples and then all of the sisters spend the night at the house that Sister Whittaker lives at. 26 sisters, one house. Craziness, but it will be fun! We will have our breakfast at a senior couple's house and then can visit people during the day and then skype you! It will be great!

This week has been wonderful! I have seen so many tender mercies of the Lord- I guess that is what Christmas time does for us. When the world starts to focus on our Savior, there is an added measure of peace and charity. What a blessing that is!

Thank you SO much for the books and cds. We are giving Mike one book for Christmas and one book for his baptism, and Gena the other book! We found this INCREDIBLE couple- Matt and Elyssa- and we have another appointment with them tomorrow night! They are so prepared, and I am so excited to spend more time with them. They are young- I think Elyssa is 2 years older than me, and they are engaged! We walked out of their house yesterday, half wanting to scream because we were so excited and half speechless. It's so crazy how being a missionary means you love people the second you meet them.

I love the Lakeview ward SO MUCH. They are so wonderful to us- I know that I have made lifelong friends here, and it makes me think of having the missionaries in our home when we were little. In fact, our Bishop is really young, and their kids are about the same age we were when Dad got called to be Bishop the first time. Really fun to remember! Thursday night is the Relief Society dinner and we are singing this awesome song by Hilary Weeks for it- it is Silent Night (which Sis Coats will sing) with this really pretty song. I think it's called the first night or something. No idea to be completely honest!

I can't believe my best friend gets married in 3 days! I love you Mat!

We had a visit from some VIP this week- Brother and Sister Cleverly, soon to be Elder and Sister Cleverly. He will be the new director of the TC starting next month, so he will be here for a majority of my mission! He came and took a tour, learned his "duties" and came and saw us sing at the mall and in Gingerbread! maybe next week I will remember to take pictures of gingerbread to send you. I keep forgetting!

I love you all so much! Can't wait for Tuesday! It will come much sooner than you think. For now, let's all just get on mormon.org/Christmas and watch the Christmas video so we can think about how excited we are to celebrate our Savior's birth!

I love being a missionary. I love the opportunity it give me to testify of my Heavenly Father and my Savior daily. I love the perspective it gives me on what's really important. I love working hard in the service of God!

Thank you for everyone who reads these letters- I am so grateful to have all of you in my life! I love you!

I'm having a good time :)

Sister Farnsworth

Hello!

Well, shockingly, another week has come and gone. Can we slow it down already?! I feel like I wish December could be forever long because it is so much fun to be a missionary in NOM (Nebraska Omaha Mission) at Christmas time. Today we went on something called a "Watson Wagon" with a bunch of the sisters. Elder Watson is the director of the Trail Center, and he is like our dad here. Today we all went to the Kanesville Tabernacle to see their Gingerbread display and then went Christmas shopping. It was a great day! 

SO. The big news is that Brother Mike Hall set his baptism day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is the 29th of December, so that will be pretty much the best week of my life. My best friend is getting married on Friday, Suzy's baptism is on the 22nd, then Christmas, then Mike's baptism on the 29th. Could I ask for a better Christmas???! I don't think so. I realize more and more every day that I have made the right decision being here- that I am doing the most important work that I could possibly be doing at this time in my life, and that being a mom and wife is the only thing that I will ever do in this life that is more important. I am so blessed! I gave Mike a copy of the incredible Advent calendar mom sent, and he said he does that every morning (with my mini hymn book that I let him borrow) and that he reads the Book of Mormon every night. If that isn't the best thing to hear as a missionary, I don't know what is. Oh wait, how about the other day when he listed off all of the reasons that he wants to be baptized. AH. I love him so much. I am so excited for both baptisms. All I want is a "White Christmas" haha. 

Speaking of a White Christmas....we still don't have any snow, but yesterday it was 6 degrees according to our car. I think it warmed up to a toasty 13 degrees by the afternoon. This Arizona girl will definitely be bundling up!! I got my big coat out finally and have been wearing it like my life depended on it! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the wonderful letters this week. I was so grateful to hear from Sister Wade, the Merrills, Emily Bowen, Papa, and to get that awesome package from Jen. I was so grateful for another Christmas CD, and for the chocolate covered cinnamon bears. YUM. Lindsay- your Christmas card was ADORABLE and Cole's little concerned face is so cute. I love that little guy, and can't believe how big he is already! Mom takes the cake though with an advent calendar to beat all advent calendars. I can't believe how crazy that thing is- you should go into business and sell it. I have bragged about it (I know that is un-Christlike, but seriously, it is AMAZING) to everyone that is here. I love love love it. 

So I wanted to tell you about the craziest experience that I had this week. Some people may have seen it in on the NOM Facebook page, but I will give you the background information. We were asked to switch someone shifts at the TC which means we were there all day- it makes for a long day when that happens, but we were fine to do it! So, around 2 hours into our second shift, I went downstairs to the Gingerbread display and saw another bus pull up. I kind of laughed when I saw it, because we had already had about 4 or 5 buses that day already, so it was just a "here we go again" kind of moment. I'm watching the bus pull up, and then this guy gets off that looks SO familiar. And then I watch the BYU women's volleyball team get off the bus. Anyone who knows me very well knows that the BYU athletes are like my CHILDREN, so it was the craziest surprise. I was able to take some of my girls- Ciara and Sammy, as well as Kim on a short tour through the gallery here, which was so amazing to be able to do. I will be excited to talk to Ciara on the phone in the next few weeks and months! Such a blast. It made me realize how aware Heavenly Father is of each of us- and that even though He shouldn't have to, He will always give us reminders of just how much he loves us and how aware He is of us. He always answers our prayers- most of the time in far grander ways than we could ever imagine. How lucky are we!? 

I'm so glad to hear that you have been studying Preach My Gospel for Family Home Evening. I think that book has changed my life in more ways than I could count, and that it- combined with my study of the Book of Mormon- has helped me understand what it is that my Heavenly Father sees in me, and what He has for me to do here. 

OH! Before I go- another "small world" situation (am I my mother's daughter or WHAT?) happened to me this week when I was at a member's house in our ward. Brother Wendel is the music chairperson so he was helping me practice because we sang in church this week (yes, the ward is going to get sick of me singing). I knew he was a doctor, but didn't know he was a radiologist. I knew it was a longshot, but I asked if he knew Carl and Nan Black, and of course, he does. He went when David Archuleta sang at their house! Small world. 


I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK. Thank you for all of your love and support. I'm having a great time!

Love, 
Sister Farnsworth

Allison and Sister Coats having lunch with a couple serving in their mission!  We received this in an email!  What a fun surprise!  Thanks Elder Nordhoff!!

Happy December!

Guess what...even after the snow last week, we are back up to a high of 59 degrees today! Let me tell you, this Arizona girl is really happy. Thank you so much for the emails today- it was such a nice surprise to get an email from the Deys and Emily! I am especially excited to see Emily when she gets here!!! So crazy to think about. I will tell the sisters in the Plattsmouth ward to look out for her when she comes. I don't think I will be able to eat with them, but if they come to the TC when I am working I will definitely be able to see them. Too bad the Bowens aren't in my area!

 

This will probably end up being a much shorter letter than I planned on because we just spent about 15 minutes talking to this man about the gospel! He is so cool!! I guess while I am talking about teaching, I will just share now about our investigators. I know it probably seems like Brother Mike Hall is the only person I talk about, but that is because we love him SO MUCH. Last week we watched the Restoration with him, and he just kept telling us how much he has changed since we have started teaching him and the change that he has recognized in himself as he has prayed and read the Book of Mormon diligently. Then, last night, he went with us to the Staheli's house (members in our ward that I ADORE) and watched the Christmas Devotional! It was honestly one of the highlights of my LIFE. To watch him, watching President Monson speak, and really feel the Spirit testify that he is the prophet of God on the earth today made me happier than I can even begin to express. He told us that his goal this week is to decide on a baptismal date. We are thinking either the 22nd or the 29th of this month! I also need to tell you about Suzie- I haven't told you about her beacuse I was just waiting until it was closer to her baptism day. Her mom and sister (who is 15) were baptized in August, and she wanted to wait until her 11th birthday in December, so she will be baptized on the 22nd! It is so fun to watch her grown and learn, and to know that even kids can gain such strong testimonies of the gospel. It makes me think of all of my amazing cousins who are just older than her- I love you!!

 

I got Matilyne and Riley's wedding announcement this past week! I have the most beautiful best friend EVER and I can't wait to see pictures of her the day she becomes a Fitzgerald! There is a man in my ward who did something really hilarious yesterday, and I was thinking about it this morning, and he really reminds me of Riley. How he dresses, acts, everything. Bro Duchenne served his mission in AZ and he and his wife have lived there for ahwile, but he is in law school in Omaha now. He always talks to me about stuff from AZ, and we see him quite a bit because he is a ward missionary. So, yesterday he came up to me after Sacrament meeting and told me that he is going to do me a selfish favor. I must have looked really confused, so he explained that he really wants citrus from AZ, and he wants to order if from some place (I think he said it was on McKellips) but he said it costs 50 dollars for one kind of fruit, and he wants lemons and oranges. He said there is no way his wife would go for that, but that if he could say it is a present for the sister missionary from AZ, she would go for it. So he came to talk to me to make sure I like citrus. Little did he know that I could eat lemons plain like my wonderful great-grandmother!

 

I am really excited for a few different things this week- we have exchanges on Wednesday so Sister Bown will come over to Lakeview for the day, which I am really excited about. And then, on Saturday we have the ward Christmas party, and in the afternoon we are singing at a concert in the mall. SO fun. In Dad's email he said that he wished he could hear me sing a Christmas song, but that he hopes I'm using my talents here in Omaha. I am so grateful that I have been blessed enough to be called to a mission where we are constantly asked to sing at something.

 

I am hoping that today I will actually get to write letters to people. I am so sorry that I have not been able to write a lot of people back. I still don't know what I want for Christmas. Maybe instead of getting me something, it would be really nice to get Mike Hall something for Christmas from the family- church and Christmas related? I don't know. Sorry...I will try to think of something that I want.

 

OH. I forgot to tell you. There was a bit of excitement last week because we told the office that our housing situation would be ending at the end of the month. Then, we were at a wedding for a woman in our ward on Saturday, and Bishop Thompson came up to us and told us that he promised they would find someone's house for us to live in within the ward boundaries because he didn't want to lose us. We thought that was really nice, but in our minds we were thinking that even if we didn't live with a member, its not like we would be unable to serve the Lakeview ward. Apparently they had already assembled a list of people to call to ask to house us. Later, Bishop came up to us and told us that President Weston had told him that if they didn't find somewhere for us to live in the ward, that they wouldn't have sisters anymore, and apparently, people really want Sisters, so that is good leverage. We were so excited because we love living with members. Then, when we got home, Sister Hill told us that she and Brother Hill have decided that they want us for another 6 months, which I will hopefully be spending in Lakeview! It was great news.

 

What is Papa and Grandma's email addresses? Will you give the Deys my address? They asked for it.

 

Well, time to go grocery shopping now. I love you all so much. I know that my Heavenly Father lives and that He loves me. I know that Christ is my Savior and I am so grateful to remember Him at this time of year. I know that this is His church on the earth today, and that even though the other wonderful religions of the world will bring people closer to Him, this is the only way back to Him.

 

I love you to the moon and back!

 

Sister Farnsworth

Allison and her companion, Sister Coats had dinner with Elder and Sister Ellsworth.  Sister Ellsworth sent us a picture and a note after they left to go to their appointment!  Looks like artichokes were on the menu!  It was a big hit!!  Thanks Ellsworths! We love you for watching out for our Sister Farnsworth!!

Hello!

Hello wonderful family! It has been such a wonderful week- I have learned so much. That is one thing that I have been loving so much about the mission...I learn more in one week than I would have learned in months on my own. It has just been so clear to me that Heavenly Father is in every detail of our lives. Well, it finally happened. We got some snow. However, I don't know if I can really even count it as snow...it barely came down, and it didn't really stick. So I'm still sticking by my idea that if we can make it until December (Saturday) with no snow, I will be able to survive the winter. Everyone we meet just laughs at me when I tell them that I am from AZ though. There is a woman in one of the wards here that takes good care of the sisters- brings us food to share at the TC and such, and as I was talking to her the other day, she said that she has a home on McQueen and Ocotillo! Crazy right? She doesn't go down there very often, just has it for when she wants to spend time away.

 

It sounds like Thanksgiving in Mexico was really great! Tell everyone that I love them! Thanksgiving was great! When Sister Coats first got to Nebraska, she found distant relatives that lived in Iowa. When I say distant, I mean that when the pioneers came across, one of the siblings went to Utah (Sis Coats ancestors) and the other siblings stayed here. Anyways, Sister Coats got in contact with them and the Elders have been teaching her for about a year now. Her husband is not interested, so she won't get baptized yet, but she has read the Book of Mormon and knows that it is true. We got permission from President to travel over there and have lunch with them and teach them a lesson, which was great! We stopped in at the TC because there was a big party there with all of the sisters, the new sisters, President and his family, and the senior couples. We wanted to see who was transferred where and who the new companionships were, and it was fun to see people even though we couldn't stay for the party. We had dinner with the Hills, which was awesome, and then dessert at the O'Donnells in our ward with 3 other families in our ward. We ended our night by seeing Sister Jones who is a woman who has just started coming back to church recently. We love her so much!

 

Mike Hall came to church this week for the whole block! Every year he wins an award for his Christmas lights at his house, and on Saturday he put them up, with the help of several members of our ward! I love this ward so much- they are really catching the missionary spirit and it is amazing! Last night, I called Mike just to see how his day was and how church was, and he was very excited to tell us that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying daily! I am so excited for him and the amazing progress he has been making. Last week when we taught him the Plan of Salvation, he just lit up. He kept saying how it made so much sense that Heavenly Father would be so fair in His plan for us and what will happen to us when we die! Gary and Star continue to come to church every week. They LOVE church. They are still learning and progressing as we go teach them.

 

In Nebraska, people are super into decorating. Not just some people, EVERYONE. Christmas lights are everywhere, and have been even before Thanksgiving. We came home the other night, and as she normally does, Sister Hill had decorated our room. She gave us a little Christmas tree and ornaments to decorate it how we wanted, and stockings to hang up in our room. She said that since it is our last month living there, we need to have it be really special. She is the BEST. Then, we went to the Ludlows for dinner on Sunday night. She is a returned sister missionary and so she always gets really mad at us when we don't call her if we don't have someone signed up to feed us haha. Maybe it also has something to do with the fact that she has a son on a mission. Anyways...she is in the Primary, and she gave us a mini Christmas tree with ornaments that the Primary kids made and letters that they wrote to us. SUCH a great night.

 

I am not sure how it will actually work out with the 66 new sisters coming in. 2 came in this transfer, and we know of 4 coming in January. I just can't imagine all of these sisters coming in- it will be amazing! In answer to some of your questions, Sister Whittaker is doing really well! It is a blessing that we get to see each other so often. In fact, Sister Coats was sick yesterday, so Sister Whittaker stayed at our place with her and her companion came out with me because we had some appointments. In return, I am singing at a fireside for them tonight. One thing I am really jealous of Sister Whittaker about is that she gets to drive. Normally the senior companion is the driver for the whole transfer. However, there is a rule that no one can drive during their last transfer, and it is Sister Belka's last transfer, so Sis Whitt gets to drive. I'm jealous because I feel like I will understand how to get around better once I can actually drive!

 

I love you so much, and am so grateful for the continued support and love through your letters. I hope that everything is going well there, and am so excited to hear about all that is happening in your lives!

 

Love you to the moon and back! I'm having a good time!

 

Love,

Sister Farnsworth

A letter from November 21, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving!  I can't believe I have already been in Omaha for 6 weeks-time flies.  It has been such a blessing for Sister Whittaker and I to be around each other still because we are always experiencing similar emothions and feelings!  She had her first baptisms last week, and it was so fun to hear all about that!

A few weeks ago we visited an older couple named the Evans in our ward.  They are AMAZING.  She is always serving people and you can feel his testimony.  He just got called to be a service missionary and you can tell that it is really exciting for him to put that name tag on.  We committed them to study from Preach My Gospel daily and promised them that if they did, the person that they were thinking of would have a change of heart about the gospel.  Last Sunday, Sister Evens came up to us and, in tears, told us that she has been doing exactly what we asked her to do.  Her daughter who lives in a neighboring ward is married to a man who isn't a member of the church, but last week, he held a family council and told her that he didn't feel right about sitting at home while his wife and kids were at church, so he will be attending with them from now on.  I know that the blessings we promise are not our own- Our Heavenly Father is so incredibly aware of each person we come in contact with.

Hola from Omaha!

Hello! It is 68 degrees here!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my kind of Thanksgiving! Tomorrow we will have a very busy Thanksgiving, which will be so much fun! Mom- before I forget, THANK YOU so much for sending those adorable aprons. I love them so much and am so excited to give them to people. Amanda- thank you for sending me an email! It was so great to hear from you and David this week in email, and to get letters from Papa and Jen. I love hearing from my family! Jen...it doesn't look like Gena's baptism will be this weekend in Nebraska OR Utah, but I will let you know if she ends up having it in Utah! Before I go into the details of my week (which may not be very exciting to you this week) I want to explain about Gingerbread. You should probably google Mormon Trail Center Gingerbread display. I am sure it will be online somewhere. People from all over make gingerbread houses and there is a huge display during November and December in the basement at the TC. People make them in their families, Relief Societies, cub scout groups, or just with friends. Then, people from all over the state and the surrounding states come to see them! It is so much fun, and tons of people come to it, so we get really busy. We even pull them up and take them on tour while they are there, which makes it even better.

 

SO. Now that we've got that crucial bit of information out of the way haha. This week was kind of crazy because we were only in our area for a total of about 6 hours. Gave me a taste of what it must be like to be one of the Assistants! Part of the reason we weren't in the area was because I was invited to go to that Leadership Training meeting, which was absolutely incredible. Tracy Watson from the Proselyting section of the Missionary Department came and spoke to us about how to be better missionaries and really focused us on telling the "stories" of the lessons. I guess he would know how they are meant to be told because he was one of the authors of Preach my Gospel. He made us role play a TON and his main focus was to have us be able to teach the whole lesson and extend an invitation to be baptized. I guess that would be my advice to those who are soon to leave on a mission or put in their papers (Megan Arntsen and Madi Webber!?!?) because it really helps you understand what is important to say and what you can leave out. Especially since you will have less time in the MTC, I would recommend really going through PMG! President Weston also spoke at this training about how the whole mission culture is about to change. He said that President Monson would like missionaries to be in an area for an average of 8 months- 3 months is normal right now! He would also like them to stay with their companions that long if at all possible! The big announcement, however, is that all of the sisters in the mission will now serve 3 months of their mission full proselyting- no time at the trail center. I am both excited and nervous about this annoucement. I absolutely love teaching people, but I will miss the TC when it's my time to serve full pros. So, even though I am pretty positive that I will stay with Sister Coats in Lakeview for the next transfer, I guess we will see when we get a phone call tomorrow to tell us who is being transferred!

 

We had another full day of Training the next day, and the rest of the week was spent at the Trail Center or at the funeral for President Clarke. It was a really beautiful funeral and it was so amazing to see the members of our ward just really take care of everything that needed to be done. President Clarke's grandson-whose father also died in the plane crash- spoke at the funeral, and I kept thinking he looked SO familiar, but I couldn't figure out why a 17 year old kid from Missouri would look familiar to me. Then I figured it out that he was in one of my sessions at EFY. Reez- I think it was the week we did together. He had super curly hair and sang in the variety show and was up on stage just about every 5 minutes because he was AMAZING? So crazy how Heavenly Father has such a way of bringing us all together.

 

Mike Hall is doing really well! He was going to tell his children that he is joining the church last night, so hopefully that went well! We are going to teach him on Saturday when he gets back in town from Thanksgiving and help him hang up his Christmas lights! We are going to Gary's house for dinner tonight- his girlfriend, Star, has been coming to church with him the past few weeks, so we are excited that we will be able to teach both of them for the first time! I'm praying that we will be able to get them married and baptized soon! Tracy Watson (the man who gave our training last week) said we don't "get it" if we aren't inviting everyone to be baptized during their first lesson with us, so you can bet she will be invited tonight haha! Even if they don't say yes, at least they know then why we are there and we can know where they stand! Everyone says I'm pretty bold, but I guess we can always be more bold. Haha....see what I did there?

 

None of us really know what to expect because of the 66 new sisters that will be coming here over the next few months- especially because we have so many sisters going home in the next few months! New sisters got here last night, and I can't wait to meet them! So strange that I am not the greenie anymore. Well.....really I still am, but there are now people that are newer than I am.

 

I love you all so much! I am so grateful for your love and your support- especially for the letters! Thank you Irene, Jen, Papa, Amy & Logan, Marc & Kylie, and SYS Blomquist for the letters this week!

 

I'm having a good time! Love you to the moon and back!

 

Love, Sister Farnsworth

 This is Sister Ellsworth!  She is modeling the apron that I made and had Allison give her!  Isn't she cute!  We sure do love her, and are so grateful to know she is watching out for Sister Farnsworth!!

HI!

So, this email may be shorter than normal because I have the best family and friends and I have been reading emails and looking and pictures for a majority of my time here already. First, I wanted to say how sad I was to hear about Shad and that my prayers are with Jessica and Trevor. His name will be added to the WQ temple prayer roll on Friday.

 

You may have seen this in the news, but this weekend a man in my ward, who was also in the mission presidency, was killed in a plane crash. President Clarke was a wonderful man, and it will be a hard few weeks in particular for this ward. His son also died in the crash, and one of his other sons was just released as the bishop of my ward. I am so grateful at times like these for my knowledge of what comes after this life and for the peace that was felt at church on Sunday despite such a huge tragedy.

 

In lighter news, we had Zone Conference this past week, and it was incredible! President Weston's message to us was based around Elder Bednar's talk about Testimony vs. Conversion. If you haven't studied it yet, DO IT. I loved it so much, it has really changed my whole perspective about what I believe. This week is going to be crazy busy, which is just how I like it, but I'm sad because we will not be in our area very much. We have lots of trainings happening and will be at the Trail Center a lot- which is great because Gingerbread starts on Saturday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait. We decorated for Christmas last night at the TC, tree and all, which was fun but I just kept thinking about how much Marisa would hate it hahahahah. Can you send some Christmas CDs? In the car we listen to cds so it would be nice to have a few.

 

Apparently Elder Snow came to another stake's stake conference this past weekend and him and President Weston talked about what all these new missionaries will mean for the people in Nebraska. President Weston said at Zone conference that we will be getting 66 new sisters, and that the mission (which only has 170 missionaries now) will soon have 250 or more. He said that only 4% of missionaries live with members as compared to some missions near us that have over 40% with members. He told them that this will need to change! It is such a blessing to live with members and I am so grateful for people who open their homes for missionaries.

 

We taught Gena last week- the woman who said she wants to be baptized soon- and I feel like I've known her my whole life. She told us that she is thinking about November 23rd or 24th! However, she may want to be baptized in Salt Lake because all of her friends who have fellowshipped her live out there now! If that happens, who wants to go for me?? I am so excited. She is 37, single, wonderful, and lives down the street from us. Such a blessing! I feel like I've known her my whole life.

 

OH! Jen- thanks for writing that Ensign article. Sister Coats was talking to someone the other day and was trying to remember what the article was about being single in the ward, and I just happened to overhear her, and could obviously tell her exactly who wrote it and where to find it! You're wonderful!

Thanks for the pictures of the wedding- I got the ones from Papa last week and it was so great to see them. Susan looked gorgeous! I'm sure it was a wonderful sealing and reception!

 

We had an amazing lesson with Mike Hall a few nights ago and invited him to follow the example of his Savior and be baptized! He said he would prepare for December 8th! He is so great. Eli came to church on Sunday for all three hours, without his wife even!!!!!!!! We wanted to scream we were so happy.

 

I am going to the temple on Friday! I cannot wait. I have missed so much being able to go to the temple often, and it is even harder when I am teaching about how much the temple will bless people's lives and I can't go! I am so grateful to have a temple so close that I can see every time I am at the TC. Our P-day is cut 3 hours short today for the time we will spend in the temple on Friday, so there may not be very many letters coming out. I will try to write Lexie back finally (sorry Luther) and get as many other letters as I can, but know that I love you and am so grateful for the emails I got today.

 

I know that this church is true, and that it doesn't matter where we are at in our lifes, this gospel can bring us more happiness than we could ever imagine. I know that my Heavenly Father lives and loves me. I know that His Son, Jesus Christ, is my Savior and that He Atoned for my sins and pains. I know that His church has been restored once more to the church through a prophet of God and that Christ stands at the head of that church.

 

If I didn't know this, I wouldn't be here!

 

I love you to the moon and back! I'm having a good time!!!!
Love,

Sister Farnsworth

Hello, Hello!!

I hope that this week has been great for everyone! Sounds like the wedding was wonderful! I'm so glad that I got two new uncles this year! Such a great blessing! Well, today is the first day that I really feel like winter is starting to set in. It's about 40 degrees and very overcast and kind of rainy. One of my MTC teachers said if she could describe Nebraska in one word it would be windy, and I would agree. Especially when we are running. At 630. In the dark. Up hills. Haha it makes for a fun wake-up every day. I have felt really lucky though because I have still not broken out my big coat or gotten really serious about dressing warm! I feel like if we can make it half way through November without snow I will be great! So much to tell you and I feel like I can't focus on what needs to be said, so this email might be a little scattered. Sorry! First of all, thank you so much for the cute package! I loved everything in it- especially the cute note cards and necklace! You are the best. It was waiting for me Saturday morning when we showed up for Trail Center Training, so it sounds like it doesn't take too long to get here! Tell Papa thank you so much for being the most dedicated writer of all time. It is so great to get his letters! This week Training was about fitness and healthy eating, which was so great because most of the sisters here say they have gained between 10 and 20 pounds. yikes. Luckily, I have lost some weight since being out, but I know that I need to stay focused on it, so this nutritionist was AWESOME. 

We have been in our area a lot lately (as opposed to being in the TC) which is always nice because we get to see more people and find more people to teach. We dropped Ann yesterday because she won't come to church anymore, even though she says she wants to be baptized. She'll come around, and I have faith that she will be baptized within the time that I am in Lakeview. We have only seen the little family once this week, but they are doing really well! Gary- who we met our first day out- is still doing really well! When we went by on Saturday we made sure he would be at church the next day, and he said yes, and that he bought his girlfriend and his little baby church outfits so they would come with him, so their whole family was at church yesterday! SO great! The ward was incredible after church, and about 15 people came and introduced themselves. The ward is really starting to catch the missionary fire I think! We have seen them really reach out to us, and we have been so grateful for them- especially as we have taken them out with us to teach people. I will talk about that more in a second, but first I want to tell you the MIRACLE we saw yesterday. A couple of weeks ago, Bishop called with a referral that he had received- someone called him about her friend that lived within our ward boundaries. Her friend said she was beyond a golden investigator, so we were sooo excited. Her name is Gina. We called her like 5 times, and left messages, but we didn't hear ANYTHING. Well, yesterday after church, Bishop came up to us and said Gina is here, she wants to talk to you. We went up and talked to her, she hugged us right away, and said that she is sorry we haven't met yet, but she was trying to prepare herself to meet with missionaries in person. She has been taught by sister missionaries in Salt Lake over the phone for quite awhile now! When she moved to Omaha 15 years ago to work as a realator, her first clients were a big Mormon family. They reffered her to another Mormon family and on and on and on and on, and these families became her good friends. Well, she told us this story, and then, almost nonchalantly, said, so I'll be getting baptized soon, I just have to tell my parents, and my parents love Mormons so it's not a big deal! We set up a time to see her this week, and then both walked away super excited!!! We had both- without telling each other- fasted that we would know who is ready to be baptized in November and that we would be led to someone who is ready. SO cool. Heavenly Father is so aware of each of us and will bless us if we humble ourselves and do as He has asked! It was incredible.

SO. I don't think I've told you about Mike Hall yet. He is an older man who lost his wife 3 years ago to cancer. We have taught him 3 times, and last time we took Sister King with us, who we absolutely ADORE. She is this cute Southern woman in our ward who is so much fun, and always wants to go out on teamups with us, which is so awesome. So we took her to see Mike on Tuesday, right after I emailed, and they became friends which was really great. We talked about the Plan of Salvation and about eternal families, and you could tell he felt the Spirit strongly. Sister King invited him to come to the trail center with her and her husband and us on Sunday night, and he agreed! So last night, we took him up there, gave him a tour, and watched God's Plan for the family. If you haven't seen this yet, GO SEE IT. It is worth the drive to your nearest Visitor Center. Plus it is only 10 minutes. Mike left the TC crying. I am so excited to teach him again this week, and set him to be baptized! We absolutely love him.

Someone else we are teaching that I don't think I've told you about is Eli. We saw him last Tuesday after I emailed too! His wife, Nicole, has been a member for about 6 years and they are the CUTEST young married couple. Nicole is really quiet, and Eli is off the walls crazy. They love to do anything outdoors, and Eli loves hats and watches. Sound like anyone I know? Curt? Haha. Eli told us on Tuesday during our lesson that he KNOWS the Book of Mormon is true and that he could never deny anything that is of God, so he can't deny that it is true. We asked him to pray about what Heavenly Father wants him to do with that knowledge, because without action it doesn't do us any good. We absolutely love them, and I am just praying like crazy that he will get baptized soon, and that I can see them sealed while I am still on my mission! How great would that be!?

So after we got home from teaching Mike and Eli last P-day, we came home to a Happy Halloween gift from Sister Hill aka the best person ever haha. She had flowers, a candle, chocolate and a card on a table for us, and she bought me the running gloves that she had bought for Sister Coats and her old companion because it is so cold when we run. In the card was a giftcard for each of us to Target. To top it all off, she asked if we would like to have Thanksgiving at her house! Sister Beach, who is the Stake Relief Society President, also asked if we would like to have a meal at her house for Thanksgiving! The members of this ward are really taking care of us, and I have been so grateful!

The Hill's daughter, who graduated from BYU but is living with them for a few months, got a cat. She looks like Charlie, but is more hyper, so that's fun haha. Never a dull moment on the mission.

I have been thinking a lot about the people in my life that I could have shared the gospel with. I know that if we show Heavenly Father we are willing to share it, He will provide a way for us. This message is for everyone. It blesses our lives SO incredibly much- why would we not want to share that joy with others? So I guess that is the thought that I want to leave with you. To pray about who is ready to hear this message, and then to act on it. Invite them to come unto Christ. Be brave and be bold. Study Preach my Gospel. When we taught Relief Society yesterday, we told them to build their confidence in their Savior, because if they do, they will want to do His work. I know that is true- if we are confident in our message, which we should be, because it is perfect, then we will not be held back by fear or doubt in ourselves. Who is that you will share the gospel with?

This morning I was studying conversion, and Alma 26:35 stood out to me. It says "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God, for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and He is a merciful Being, even unto salvation to those who will repent and believe on His name."

Ammon got it. I hope that I can get it like he did!

I love you all to the moon and back! I'm having a good time! Love you LOTS,

Sister Farnsworth

An Incredible Week!

I have had an INCREDIBLE week, but before I get into that, I will do some "housekeeping" for all of the wonderful questions I have been asked. I love you all so much, and appreciate so much the letters and packages. Sister Scott- thank you for my awesome package when I arrived here! It was so nice to get to the Trail Center and have something waiting for me. Papa. I love you. Thank you, and Grandma too, for the letters, money, and sports clippings! Especially the one about the Yankees being terrible. I read that one a few times because it made me really happy. MOM. That "greenie" package was the cutest thing ever. I loved it!

 

Send a few aprons- I know that we will for sure be having a "fake" Thanksgiving with a family in our ward on the 17th, but we are not sure who we will be having our actual dinner with that day. We went to lunch at one of the senior couple's apartments yesterday- the Monsens. They are SO great and from Mapleton, Utah. I love them, and they are friends with Sister Coats grandparents, so that is extra fun. They are really like our grandparents here, especially the Ellsworths. I have been so grateful that we have gotten here at the same time and get to be together our whole time here! Over half of the sisters will be gone by March, so I will be one of the "experienced" missionaries by then. Haha...yeah right!! I am learning so much and just loving it. To answer some of your questions...the Trail Center IS open every day, even Sunday 9-9. I get to go to the temple on November 16th (AHHH!) and I think it is every other transfer that we typically get to go. We have an awesome Halloween party tomorrow night at the TC for all of the sisters and the senior couples! It will be a lot of fun, and we get to do a fun craft! We went to the Trunk or Treat for our ward on Friday night, which was a lot of fun. We had invited that little family with the little girls who think we are angels to come, and they had another Halloween party that night, but they came at the very end because they really wanted to see us! We love them so much. That was the only night that I have really been freezing, because I should have had my heavy coat on, and I didn't. Gloves or a scarf might have helped too, but we were at the TC all morning and didn't know it would be that cold at night!! People in Nebraska really decorate for Halloween. I've never seen anything like it!

 

I'm going to write my experience of this week now, so I will have time for sure to get it all down, and then I will write more about my week if I have time! So. Dad. First of all, whether you were aware of it or not, THANK YOU for following the Spirit and sending me those stories. For everyone who doesn't know, Dad sent 4 packets of stories about my pioneer family, all who had some connection to the area around here in WQ. I was sooo happy when I got them, and the same day, Papa had written me about my family that is buried in the cemetery where I serve. It was really exciting to me because everything had so much more meaning! I thought that on its own was really incredible, but it didn't end there. That night was Elder and Sister Johnson's last night serving at the Trail Center before they moved to American Fork. They live in the area here and have served at the TC for years after he retired as a professor at UNO. He is well known as the Family History buff of all of the senior elders, and we all go to him if we have questions about FH or about doctrinal questions, but I hadn't served with him very often. We were all sitting at the desk, and he was talking to Sister Brown (whose family also is from the Colonies) about family history, when I perked up, and wanted to share the cool information I had learned from the stories that Dad had sent that day. I excitedly told him that Stephen Martindale Farnsworth and Philinda Keeler were in the same handcart company, which I thought was exciting because my grandpa was a Farnsworth (obviously) and my grammy was a Keeler! I thought this was cool on its own, but Elder Johnson was about to one-up me. He said "did you just say Keeler???" And I said yes, and he said stay right there, and ran off to get something. He came back with a huge book, and turned the pages hurriedly until he got to a page that told the story of Abner Keeler and Leah Jane Shaw. Now, unfortunately, I don't know my family history as well as I should, so we checked to make sure, but sure enough, this is Grammy's line- her grandparents, right? Now, once again, I thought this was SO amazing, because my family was in this book, and he knew right where to find it! He told me to go read all about them, and I came back in after I was finished and told him how much I loved them. I apparently said "I really love that lady" and he started crying, and I was tearing up because I just felt like it was the most incredible thing that I got here right before he moved to Utah, and that we were able to have this incredible moment of him knowing where to find my family so quickly. However, once again, it doesn't end there. Elder Johnson wrote that book. It is called the Legacy of Virden, and he WROTE it because his family members were also in Virden with our family. They were also in WQ, Mexico, and Keg Creek, Iowa with our family. We have so many incredible ties to each other.

 

On Saturday morning, during Trail Center Training, they had the opportunity to bear their testimonies. Elder Johnson got up, and after managing to choke out that he had seen a tender mercy this week, told the story that I've just told you. However, he added to it that after he retired, his wife didn't want to retire from teaching elementary school yet, so he didn't know what to do to pass the time. One morning, he woke up and knew he needed to write this book, even though he had never even thought about doing something like that before. He put $20,000 and 3 1/2 years into that book, and in front of all of the missionaries at the Trail Center, he said that it had all been worth it for the experiences that we had this week. He called me up to the front and gave me a copy of the book, and told me that Leah Jane Shaw had been one of his favorites of all to write and research about, and that she was a hero to him, so meeting me was a tender mercy. I was crying the whole time. Today, he and Sister Johnson took Sister Coats and I to Keg Creek, Iowa, so we could see where they would have lived, the cemetery, and surrounding church sites. It was amazing!!! I will never, ever forget it, or forget them.

 

Look! Pictures sent by email! It's a miracle. Ok, more answers to questions. We definitely take our coats with us everywhere, but it hasn't been too bad yet. We do have cars, but the problem is that we are limited to a certain amount of miles each month, and we live 25 miles from the TC...which means we get to "car fast" or not use our car some days. The members of our ward are amazing and drive us places sometimes, and I have been so grateful. We have seen miracles those days!

 

Our TC schedule changes each week, so some weeks we are there more, some less, but Gingerbread comes November 17th which will mean we get much busier for awhile! I'm so excited. Ask Emily Clonts what ward her in-laws are in. I think its Bellvue 1st, 2nd, or Fairview? That's just a guess. I am fine on tights and my shoes are just great! I rarely wear my danskos, but I've worn them a few times! Tell Susan and Brian congratulations for me! Send lost of pictures. Tell the Marisa thank you for sending pictures this week!!! That was such a nice surprise. She can definitely email me, but I can't email back. OH! Just to clarify- I can't call my non-member friends if I refer them, but one of the other sister missionaries can, and the only people who can do that are Visitor Center sister missionaries. So, Sister Coats can call any of my friends who I want her to, but I can't!

 

Because that experience took such a long time to type, I didn't get a chance to tell you about any of our investigators, but know that I love them with my whole heart and that we are working hard and being obedient. We know that with exact obedience comes miracles, and we are going for miracles, not just blessings!

 

I love you to the moon and back! I'm "having a good time" ;)

 

Love,

Sister Farnsworth

A Little Note from Sister Ellsworth

Hello again....
Just a little note to tell you how much we are enjoying being around your sweet missionary!  We got to work together at the Trail Center this evening and had a great time!  When she emails you on Tues. she'll tell you about a wonderful book of family histories she received today written by Elder Johnson, a senior missionary at the Trail Center, containing history of her New Mexico ancestors.  It is quite a remarkable set of circumstances that set this event into play...and a very tender moment for both Sister Farnsworth and Elder Johnson. She can't wait to tell you all about it!  I just have to say....you are the ultimate missionary mom in my book after seeing the cute skirts, pillow cases, etc. you have made for your daughter!  She can't help but tear up as she talks about what a great mom you are to her.  And she sure has a special place in her heart for her dad as well.  Good job, you guys!   
THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO SERVE A MISSION!!!
love,
Sister Ellsworth

Finally Some Pictures!!

Sister Farnsworth and Sister Coats

Sister Farnsworth and Sister Whittaker

Loving Omaha!

Hello again! I think that I told Katie that my preparation day changes every week between Monday and Tuesday, but I can't remember if I told anyone else. Sorry! I'm a slacker. I hope that you got my letters and my pictures! There was no card reader or way to hook up my camera last week during the email, so we printed some at Walmart when I went to buy another pillow. Did I tell you how much I adore my quilt? I love it. So much. Is that the package that you were talking about? Because if not, I just got really excited. Ok, I will try and answer all of your questions. I copied and pasted them into a word document so I could look at them and try to answer them!

 

The house we live in (the Hill's home) is so great. We just live upstairs, and have our own bedroom, bathroom, and she lets us use her "craft" room as a study room so we can have separate space to study in. We really love them, and she is always doing stuff for us and is so sweet. It is amazing because we have  been able to help them out in some ways and they help us out so much. Heavenly Father really knows how to put people in our lives that can bless us! We share the kitchen with them, but we are rarely home anyways so it's not that big of a deal. They signed up to have us live there for 6 months, so at the end of December we might be moving! I would absolutely love it if you could make some cute aprons. I don't know yet where we will be for Thanksgiving, Christmas etc., but Sister Hill loves blue, and I would really like to be able to give her something because she does stuff for us all of the time. I think that is the address that President sent you, which is weird. Don't send letters to their house. I will send you the Trail Center address, which is way better to send mail to because the mail man actually delivers it there. If it goes to the office, we have to wait for someone to bring it over from the office to the Trail Center, and we may not be there for a couple days. We are at the trail center either 9-3 or 3-9 about 4 days a week. Some days more, some days less, but that is pretty average. I just can't get over how much I love it there. I honestly just have this overwhelming feeling that I am supposed to be there every time that we are serving there. We get 140 dollars a month, which has been plenty so far. I did spend some of the cash I brought with me last week to get stuff like my pillow, pictures etc. But I should be fine on that front! This week a lot of people have signed up to feed us too, which is nice because it saves us money.

 

My eye is fine as long as I am wearing my glasses, which means that it is either my contacts or my contact solution that is the problem, or that for some reason, my eyes can't handle being covered? I don't know, but it makes me wish that I had listened to you and gotten another pair of glasses because I get really sick of wearing the same pair all of the time haha! I got kind of sick last week, but I am healthy as a horse again!

 

Sister Coats is from Heber, Utah. She is so great, super artistic, and pretty much the missionary that everyone in the mission wishes they were. Most of the sisters say that if they could pick their trainer it would be Sister Coats, so I guess I am just really blessed! We get along really well and laugh a LOT. In fact, yesterday she told me that she has never laughed this hard with any of her companions, so basically I'm just really funny. Haha yeah right. She's probably just laughing at me for messing up. I have a lot to learn, even though she is really sweet and says she I came pre-trained. Makes me grateful for my MTC teachers. She comes home in February, so she only has one transfer after we are done together!

 

So. We are only over one ward, but it is a HUGE area. Honestly it is so big, but it is an amazing ward. Sister Coats said it is probably the "nicest" area I will serve in my whole mission, which is interesting. I love it a lot!! We have really felt strongly like we should be working a lot with the members of the ward and helping them become "Preach my Gospel members" just like we are PMG missionaries. We know that we will see great success through people bringing their friends in, just like it sounds happened with Curt's friend! That is so sweet. I have gotten to know a lot of the members and really love this ward. I am apparently singing in church on Sunday with a woman in our ward who has been less-active for quite awhile, so we are really excited about that because she obviously has to be at church to sing in church! We have been trying to use our talents that Heavenly Father has blessed us with in order to do His work in His way, so this is a step in the right direction!

 

Ann, our investigator who came to the Gladys Knight concert, is great. I can't remember if this happened before or after my last email to you, but in our last appointment with her we committed her to prepare for a baptism date! Hopefully she will have the faith and determination to know that this decision will bring her closer to her Savior than any decision she has ever made in her life. I know that being able to truly access the Atonement will change her life.

 

Gary, who we set for baptism my first day here, is also really wonderful. He has this baby girl named Athena who is so cute! We had another good lesson with him on Saturday, and then he came to church on Sunday!! It is so exciting and scary all at the same time to have investigators at church with you, because you want them to have a good experience, but you also know that this could be a turning point in their lives. Church has really become so much more important to me on my mission than it has ever been before.

 

We met the CUTEST family the other day! We knocked on their door, looking for a girl named Brandi that Sister Coats had met there before. Amanda, who opened the door, said that she didn't live there but she was there a lot and that's probably why she said to come back there. So anyways, Amanda talked to us for a few minutes with her little girl named Ava, who is 9. The little girl got so excited when we started talking about Christ, and pretty soon her sisters- who are 7 and 8- came running to the door so they could talk about Jesus too. They are so great. Before we left, we gave them the pass along cards with the pictures of Christ on them and they came and hugged us and asked if we were angels. It was adorable. They were convinced that God had sent us to earth to meet them and that we were going back to Him as soon as we were done talking to them. Can you believe how cute that is?! They would just love going to Primary!

 

We have been trying to pray more specifically because we know that if we are specific, God will answer our prayers specifically. So, as we have been trying to work with members who have friends prepared to hear the gospel, we prayed about that. Before church, Sister Coats and I were praying together, and she said "please help us know who has a friend that is ready to know about the gospel by having them come up to us at church and offering to feed us." Now, I didn't know this, but in her head, she thought, and they will be wearing red. Really specific, right? So, right before Sunday School, we were walking to class and Sister O'Rourke (the primary president) came and was talking to us, asking how we are. They have a lot going on right now because his dad has pancreatic cancer, so we haven't been able to go over and see them, but she wanted to tell us how excited her husband was because this woman he works with has been asking him all about the church. Brother O'Rourke grew up Catholic, and this girl is Italian and very Catholic, but she has been really interested in learning about the church and they talk about it all the time! We were really excited about this, and told her that we would talk to him about it after church. Right as we were about to walk away, she said, hey, do you have dinner plans tonight? We didn't, so she offered to feed us. She was wearing a red sweater and red shoes. We walked away and just stared at each other for about 10 minutes. WHAT?!?! We had an amazing dinner and lesson with them, and Brother O'Rourke is going to give her a Book of Mormon with his testimony in it and invite her to church on Sunday. They are amazing.

 

So this week at the Trail Center, I got to go on a group tour with Sister Coats. It was one of those tours that is like a church history tour, and there are people from all over that hop on a bus and drive together for hours to see all of the church history sites. When they walked in, they were kind of grumpy from sitting on a bus all day, but it was amazing to watch that just by feeling the incredible Spirit at the Trail Center, and by allowing them to really feel the sacrifice of the pioneers, their entire countenances changed. The Trail Center is a sacred place. When we got to the Memorial room, which overlooks the cemetery and the temple, we had them sing Come, Come Ye Saints and had one of the men in the group read Amy Porter's story. (I'll send that home sometime) He was so choked up that he couldn't even get through it. We then talked about how so many of us have family that came through here with the Saints, and that I have a relative buried in that cemetery who was only 14 months old when he died. I think that I understood better what we mean when we talk about giving people a converting experience rather than a testimony building experience, because all of us in that room felt very strongly the desire to be closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. As we align our will with God's, we will be happier. We will feel His love more frequently, and much stronger. We will be led to serve others and will be blessed.

 

 

I love being able to bear testimony of my Savior every day. It is a blessing to me, and I cherish the relationship I have built with Him. This is His church. This is the way that He has established to return to live with Him once more. If we make even small steps, we will be blessed more than we can possibly imagine! I love this gospel. I know, with everything that I am, that it is true. I love you so much, and am so grateful for your love and support!

 

I LOVE YOU!

 

Sister Farnsworth

Pictures from Omaha!

We just received these pictures in the mail.  This is President and Sister Weston.  The others are the group that Allison arrived with as they begin their mission in Omaha.  Sister Whittaker is standing next to her!  Fun to see the faces after hearing about them!

Welcome to Omaha!

We are so lucky to have such a writer!  I hope you enjoy this letter even a portion of what I did!  Pray for her eye to heal...I'm a little worried!  Thanks for your support of her, in your letters and in your prayers.  Sounds like she is off and running as a Missionary!  What great experiences she will have!!

So much to tell you, and luckily, I get an hour for email in the field! So I should be able to say at least part of what it is that I want to say. First of all, thank you for the emails! I was really grateful to get here and have them waiting for me because it feels like forever since I have heard from anyone with leaving the MTC and getting here and settled in. My packages were here and waiting for me, which I was so grateful for! Thank you so much for sending a quilt- it's so cute and comfortable. I am going to buy another pillow today because my one is not enough. I guess I will just get this out of the way before I tell you all about my wonderful week....my eyes have been really bad. My first full day here they were completely red and sore down to my cheekbone. I have found that if I am wearing my glasses, they heal, and heal quickly, so I don't really know what to do. Maybe I will only wear glasses for awhile, but you know how much I hate that! If anything happens, I will call Sister Weston and she will help me figure out what to do!

 

Well, I will start from the airport in Denver because that is the last I talked to you! This email may be an overload of information, but I will just get it all out so that you can have all those questions answered haha. When we landed in Denver, we found out that our flight had been delayed, so we were in no rush to do anything. After hanging out for a little while, we went to try to make a phone call, but somehow, ALL of our minutes were gone on our cards. We went and found a calling card vending machine, which worked for Sister Whitt, so i put a 20 in, and nothing came out. I tried again, and NOTHING came out. I was pretty disappointed because I wanted to call you, but I kind of just gave up and sat down next to Sister Whitt while she called her dad. A man ended up coming and sitting by us, and we had an awesome, hour long discussion about so many things, and we left him with a Mormon.org card. It showed me so clearly that our Heavenly Father has a plan for us, even when it seems like its just a coincidence. His plane just HAPPENED to be delayed....not a coincidence. Then on the plane, I had the best flight of my life. I sat behind the cutest family, and the two girls (who are 8 and 6) talked to me the WHOLE time about how much I will love Omaha. They told me that they wanted to be friends with me, and the mom said they could have me over for dinner!! They were an incredible family, and I love those little girls so much. Emma wrote down her address and phone numbers, so before the end of my mission, I will go to their house and they will get baptized! They are so great.

 

We met President and Sister Weston at the airport and then the Assistants took us back to the Mission office for dinner and training and interviews. We stayed that night with a senior sister, and the next day got to go see the Trail Center for the first time. I fell in love with it instantly. I am so grateful that I get to serve at that sacred place, and I went and found James Brinkerhoff right away. I love it. So much. After that we went over to the Kanesville Tabernacle and took a tour there! All of the Senior couples are like our grandparents, especially the Ellsworths for me. I am so grateful for them. Next we had lunch at the mission home and some of the missionaries came and we went on exchanges and went out tracting! The APs challenged us to commit someone to baptism by the time we got back in 2 hours, so off we went. I went with Sister Coats, and Sister Whittaker went with her companion. We met a few great people, and then we met Gary. Gary came out on his doorstep and talked to us for quite a long time. He told us that he is really lost and confused and has been looking for the way that he should go. After teaching him for awhile, I knew that this was my opportunity to invite him to follow the example of our Savior and be baptized, so even though I was terrrrrrified, I did! He had a few more questions, but by the time we left, he committed to be baptized on November 12!! Such an incredible experience. After we were done, we went back to the mission home for more training, dinner, and to find out our first assignments. I leaned over to Sister Whittaker, and even though I was so sad to leave her, said how great I think it would be to have Sister Coats as a trainer. Well, sure enough, I opened my letter from President, and I was assigned to serve with Sister Alexandra Coats as my trainer in the Lakeview area in the Omaha zone!

 

I have had an incredible week. I have met wonderful members, had meetings with some really great less active members of the church, and fallen in love with our investigators. One of those investigators is Ann. Apparently Ann is what missionaries call an eterni-gator (I'm still getting used to all this misison lingo) and has been investigating the church for about 2 years now. She has had some really hard experiences in her life lately that have prepared her heart to really be humble and accept God's will for her. So, when we found out that there was a possibility that we could have tickets to the GLADYS KNIGHT FIRESIDE, we called Ann and asked if she would want to go with us. We didn't think that she would because she has anxiety when she is in places with a lot of people, but she said that she would love to come. If you haven't heard about this, Gladys Knight organized a choir called the Saints Unified Voices and goes all over the country giving firesides for free. It is gospel music straight out of Baptist churches, performed by an LDS choir, and you can feel the Spirit like CRAZY. I wanted to cry the whole time. Gladys, her husband, and the man who has been her friend ever since she joined the church all spoke, and were very, very bold about the message of the Restoration. They essentially said, this is Christ's church, and if you want to follow Him, you need to be here. They even said that now that they had been at this fireside, they would be held accountable before God because they had heard of His truth. It was amazing. Ann felt the Spirit sooo strong, and she kept saying how grateful she was that she came. We met with her Sunday night, and after teaching her that faith and trust in God are necessary to keep going, she committed to prepare for baptism on November 10! We are so happy for her and I am praying so hard that she will be able to keep that committment, because I know that God will bless her for making efforts to follow Christ.

 

There are so many other people I could sit and tell you about, but I want to tell you about the Trail Center and how much I love it. Elder and Sister Watson are the directors, and I love them so much!! They go home in January, so I don't have very long with them, but they are great. Every Saturday morning we have training at the TC, so all of the Sisters are there together...meaning I get to see Sister Whitt all the time. It is really great. I think we are spending the night at her apartment on Friday night because we work at the TC that night and then we have training there in the morning and we live about 25 minutes away! Saturday after training, we had new sister orientation, and one of the things we had to do was take our companions on a tour of the gallery. This was super intimidating for me because Sister Coats is really incredible, and knows so much, and I hadn't even really been on a tour yet, much less given one! She gave me a tour first, and the Spirit was so strong. I had this very real understanding that I was supposed to be here, and that I had a work to do in the Trail Center. She asked me if anyone came to my mind that I wanted to share the gospel with, and Tevin kept coming to mind, so she called him yestserday haha. He was probably in practice, but we will see if he ever calls back. Love him. After she finished, I took her on tour. I don't know nearly as much as I would like to know about the pioneers, or even about being a missionary, but I know how to bear my testimony, and I know how to relate how hard that was to our lives. So I did that. And I saw how, as we are willing to follow our Heavenly Father and really submit our will to His, we will be led in doing His work. This is His work, and as I make efforts to do it His way, I know that He will bless me. It was an incredibly spiritual experience, and I was grateful for it. I love the Trail Center. You can feel the pioneers there. You can feel their sacrifice and their desire and their love. Being there is a huge blessing to me in my life, and I know already that I will never forget that feeling.

 

We live at a members home in our area, which is so nice, and we will be there until the end of December, which is when my training will be done, meaning Sister Coats will most likely get transferred and I will probably stay here in Lakeview! That means probably about 4 1/2 months of my mission will be spent here, which I am thrilled with because I really like it and I am really tired of not knowing who people are. It will be nice when I know the members and people better. I also found out that the date on my certificate is correct- my mission is over February 25 2014. Weird to think about right now. Apparently Trail Center sisters serve closer to 17 months total. Sister Coats was called full proselyting, so she will serve 18 months.

 

I can't think of anything else to say. I know there is more, but I still have to email President Weston and Elder Watson. Send letters to the address that is the mission office. They bring them to the Trail Center for us. I love you. I miss you! Tell Mattie happy birthday for me.

 

I love you to the moon and back. I'm having a good time.

 

Love,
Sister Farnsworth