Transfers!

Well, it's back to Loess Hills for me! I am so happy to be back, and it is so exciting to get to work again in the area....it's like opening an area - well, it is opening an area - except for I know some people here! Kind of a weird situation, but I like it. First of all, before I answer the 90 questions mom asked me, I just wanted to tell my sister and brother-in-law that their pictures are BEAUTIFUL and they both look so good! I always knew my sister would make THE most beautiful bride. Holy cow. Thanks for taking them, Kara, and thanks for sending them, Mom! It was so good to see the pictures of Nan and company too!

I am living back in CB- Council Bluffs, IOWA- again in the same apartment we were in before. It is a pretty good size apartment, so we like it there! We are back to teaching Chelsea, who is preparing for baptism. She works every Sunday, so she can't ever get to church. We are praying that she will be able to get another job or get her hours switched so she can get baptized, and she is looking for jobs!

My new companion's name is Sister Jones. She is from Lehi, UT, and is awesome! It was so funny on transfer day, because we were walking out to our car to drive to Iowa, she stopped and said "um...did you ever work at Off Campus Housing?" SHUTUP. She worked there after I quit, and recognized me from when I used to go in and visit them there and bring them cupcakes and stuff. What are the chances?!? Well, I guess it shouldn't be that surprising with all of the other crazy things happen in this mission. I did meet Sister Samuels (the Urry's cousin) when she got here. In fact....she just happens to be Sister Whittaker's new companion. She only trains people that have some sort of strange connection to me I guess. I also met Kenneth Wilson's younger brother when he got here. When the new missionaries get here, we take them out tracting. He went out with Elder Tatafu, who I am way good friends with. They set someone for baptism. Atta boy.

This has been such a crazy, but great week. I always love transfer week because it means lots of exciting things, but it also means some unexpectedness. Plus, throw in meetings for the upcoming concerts, and you get an adventure!

Want to hear a miracle? Well, I'm going to tell you even if you didn't want to hear it. On Saturday night, our phone died right when we got home. I was freaking out because the Openshaws were coming to our apartment to bring us something, and I hadn't told them which apartment number or courtyard we were in even at our complex. And we didn't have a phone. So I am sitting in our apartment, holding the phone, praying that Heavenly Father will let the phone turn back on. I literally said, I have faith that this phone can turn back on. Now, that's not the miracle that happened. Heavenly Father just thinks I'm funny when I say things like that. I still do it a lot though! Anyways...I tell Sister Jones that we are going to need to go use someone else's phone, but of course it's after 9 so the Trail Center is closed and the only other phone number I can think of is Lakeview's. They lost their phone, so now it's a new phone number. Great. All of the sudden, I realize I was in Benson for 3 weeks and know their phone number so I decide that we can go ask someone to use their phone. Now we have to decide where to go. Do we knock on our neighbor's door, or go to a store!? I'm just praying that Heavenly Father will provide a way for us to call the Openshaws before they get to Council Bluffs. Right as I finish my prayer, I open the door, and a lady is walking into the apartment complex. She just happened to live diagonal from us, and had seen the Elders when they lived in that apartment. She let us use her phone, and as I was calling, she looked at the dead phone and said "Hey, hold on, I have a charger for that phone!" Two minutes later, she was back with a charger. Not. LYING. Ok, so it wasn't the coolest missionary miracle ever, but it was a cool example of how God answers prayers. Sometimes not in the miraculous way we expect Him to, but He always answers them. And isn't that a miracle in itself?! A similar experience happened last night as we were leaving an appointment and a guy was outside the apartment complex so we stopped to talk to him, and less than a minute later his roommate was there too. We had a great discussion about Christ, and we are going back to teach them next week! We had planned to try and find 2 new investigators yesterday, and I had no idea how that was going to happen because we didn't have a ton of time, but Heavenly Father provided a way!

I know that this gospel is true, and that our loving Heavenly Father answers prayers. He always has, and He always will. It's just up to us to ask Him.

I love you all so much!

Sister Farnsworth