I can't wait until September 8th!

This has been a good week.  That girl that committed to baptism is still following through and we have three more people getting baptized that same day! Two are brothers named Joshua and Sebastian, they are awesome. They like the same music I do and stuff because people in Chile listen to music in English. It’s funny they sing me the words then I tell them what they mean. The other is Antonio's he's forty five and has had a ton of trials like drugs and drinking and wants to be clean, its awesome to see the gospel making these people as happy as its made us. I love it, he was so happy when we told him he could be clean of everything he has done.

Teaching has also been good. We do splits a lot because my companion is the district leader and one if the elders I did splits with told he felt the spirit every time I spoke. I know that the Lord is helping me teach because at times that's the hardest thing for me. Also I've been blessed with the language, I said a prayer yesterday in Priesthood and one of the people told me I speak a lot more fluid, I was so happy! I feel lucky- three months and I'm nearly fluent.

Things have gotten better with my companion. It’s just kinda rough because we are buds, but we don't have a ton in common. Anyways, this week was a ton better. Dad, thank you so much for the advice. It’s just what I needed to hear. I've been working on being bold, it’s tough for me. With people I’m fine with walking up to them getting to know them and then talking about the gospel, but with my companion it seems harder. But I'll be okay. Thanks again. Really last week I think I was thinking more about myself and being homesick than about everything I want, but now turning all my thoughts towards others and that has helped. We’re already seeing success with our four baptisms dates. I can't wait until September 8^th!

At times I'm home sick, but I know and feel everyday I'm exactly where I should be. I feel happier than I've been in a so long and I know it’s because of this gospel. Its like I finally figured out who I am supposed to be. I don't know the best way to describe it. But never in my entire life have I felt more peace and mire happiness then I do right now. This gospel and this mission saved my life.

Anyways, I hope you love your work Mom, that sounds awesome that you're going to be working with autistic kids. They’re awesome. And once there parents realize how awesome you are they won't be nervous at all. Hmmm, things I want in my Birthday package?  I think I want candy. All the candy here is like not as sweet. Like chocolate recess, twix and things like that. Or if that will just get ruined or something, just others candy like star burst. The ticks are gone so I'll be okay with that. So candy and I need a tie clip. Then just whatever else because I can't think of a ton of things. Some of the things in Chile are almost the same, like the other day I had McDonald’s, it was cool.

Anyway, Dad I'm glad work has been good. We’re so blessed its unreal. Seeing the members here that have nothing but are happy and feel blessed with what they have has really made me feel even more grateful for our beautiful house and everything we have. But you know this, ha... That's crazy about Janeen, I didn't know she had that. Crazy, that's good that she's doing good.

Oh ya, the President and his wife are awesome, they are super chill and the President is funny. He's also filing or whatever to be a President longer, so I might have him my whole mission. We’re the number one baptizing mission in Chile and number six in South America because of them, they are incredible people.

Thank you for all the prayers and keep me updated on life at home. I am extremely blessed with all the family support I have. Tell everyone I say hi and sorry that I haven’t been able to write everyone back, the time I have is really short but tell them I've read their letters and thanks!

I love you all.

Elder Farnworth

Zac's first baptism date set for Sept 8th and I found pics from his Zone Conference on the mission blog=)

Hey that’s awesome that you’ve had a great summer and that the kids learned a lot at Education Week and especially that they loved it. I like to see pictures and it doesn't make me home sick, I really haven’t been that homesick at all..

Things are good here. A little tough though... My companion is almost done so at times it’s not his favorite thing to work. But I’ve been trying to get us to work more and visit more people, it’s just tough because I'm the junior companion and can’t speak amazing. The language is pretty good though, I feel like I’m picking it up pretty simple. I can have conversions and can teach ok, but I’m always improving. I’m hoping that by the end of my second transfer I’m fluent. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer everyday.  I get most frustrated when my companion speaks his Chilean accent, which is more like sounds than words, then I’m like, ok I want a gringo companion who I can understand. But it’s good for me to be pushed to learn Spanish. I’m learning so fast. I feel like new languages aren’t that hard for me, kinda want to learn a few more when I get back.

The people here in Chile don't love the Mormons. So almost every door we just hear about there excuses how there busy. Or we will teach a lesson and it’ll go really well then we'll try to go back and they’re busy. Chile is great, but also frustrating. The cool thing is yesterday we taught this girl named Pati at the church. We started teaching her about the restoration and about baptism. In the middle of the lesson she told us she wants to be baptized in this church. We didn't even ask her, it was awesome!  So we have our first baptism date set for Sept 8^th! She’s the coolest girl too, I’m so stoked for her!

Anyway, I’m happy Jake and kaleb like learning about the book of Mormon! I wish I would've been more prepared with the doctrine before my mission, but I've learned a lot. Looks like you guys are having a blast. Sometimes I still can’t believe I’m in South America. I’ve kinda of had a rough welcome. I got ticks which sucks, I got them two weeks ago. Then the shootings like I told you about,  then also the other day I put my sweat shirt on and a giant spider crawled onto my hand.  Later I found out those kinds of spiders are really poisonous and if I would’ve been bit I would have had six hours to get to the hospital or I would be dead. Crazy huh. We have a mamita who makes our food and the other day she mad seafood like tentacle leg thingy... wow, I almost couldn’t eat it. but I put a ton of lemon juice in it and was fine. Yeah this is nuts, but I’m sticking through it. I feel adjusted to Chile, just not adjusted to like having a native companion and stuff. But with time it’ll be all good. Anyway, I’m going to try to take more pictures this pday and I’ll give you more next pday.

Alright I got to write everyone back Love you, and thanks for keeping me updated on everything.

Love, Elder Farnworth.

**I decided to see if Zachary's Mission President had updated their blog and they had!  I found these awesome pictures of Zac's at Zone Conference on Monday.  I'm sure he will tell us more about it next week.  It looks like President Bruce's wife is back from Utah.=)

The missionaries from the Antofagasta, La Portada and Calama Zones.

Can you see Zac turned sideways in the middle of the picture?

President and Sister Bruce ( I thought I'd throw in this pic of Zac's Mission Pres and his wife)

                                          Zone Conference in Antofagasta

We started our Zone Conferences this past week in Antofagasta. The Antofagasta, La Portada and Calama zones participated. Luckily for these missionaries we have the only Dominoes Pizza in the mission here in Anto so there was plenty of pizza for everyone.

Below are pictures from our lunch.  What a wonderful group of missionaries we have in these three zones.

                                                There's Zac!

A few pics from Zac on Aug 13th, Read his post for his descriptions=)

 Zac and his Companion

Zac's apt. and yes, that is a folding table and chairs.  I'm not sure where the rest of the furniture is?

                                     
 Zac's bed and closet..are those cinder blocks and a board??

 The rooftops of Antofagasta

Zac LOVES the crazy buses..ha ha.

Crazy things are happening....Aug. 13, 2012 in Antofagasta

Things here are going great! I feel like I'm settling in comfortable and feel like this is my home now! Crazy things are happening! We got freaked out at for teaching this girl! Her parents came and found us in church on Sunday and her dad told us how we can’t teach her and all this stuff, it was nuts. Oh and then last night were just laying in bed and I heard like 15 gun shots then cars screeching and driving off! This is crazy, but don’t worry, I’m safe and this place isn’t too bad. haha This is definitely the gnarliest adventure of my life and I’m loving every second. I’m happy every day, and don’t worry I can feel the comfort of the spirit helping me with everything I do. This really has been a humbling experience, we’re very lucky to have what we have and to have the gospel in our lives. Thank you for all you’ve done to have this gospel in our home. It’s all because you and mom have made right choices. I think about that all the time. I’m so lucky to have this that I literally want to talk to everyone! It’s hard to not talk to people when you feel this way!

Sounds like it’s been crazy at home, I’m glad you are all having a good summer! I’ve missed you too! I talk about (sort of brag) to the members about how my dads a Bishop and how he’s the chillest dad ever ha. It’s awesome, the members love seeing our family pictures.  Dad, thanks for being a great dad and marrying such an amazing woman. I love our family so much its hard not to brag about everyone. But I love you dad and thanks again for being such an example to me and being strong through all your challenges. I will always follow your example with challenges, because in my patriarchal blessing it says I will have many. I hope I can work through them as you have.  You are an incredible dad and I’m grateful for all you done. Know I’m praying for you all everyday. I miss you a ton, but it’s really not that long until we’ll be hanging out again.

I’m about to send more pictures sorry if I don’t write a ton, I only have an hour and pics take a little while to upload. Yeah, the blue house is my pension! I’m starting to love it, it’s a sweet place here.

1. me and my comp in centro antofa

2. living room/kitchen

3. my bed and closet sorta thing ha!

4. the view from my bedroom

5. those are the crazy buses!

This computers slow and I only have 15 more minutes! Next week I’ll go to faster computers and I’ll take more pics with my comp, that’s the only one I have. I miss you guys but I feel like I’ve gotten over homesickness and I’m ready to work.

Thanks for all the support!  Oh, I have no idea what the address is here. I you just send the mail to the mission home then they drive it to us, so yeah send it to the mission home! Hasta luego…

Love you!

Elder Farnworth

Here are a few pics from Zac's first week in Chile!

                                        Yes, Antofagasta is a desert!

                  I guess this is where he lives?? Hmmm, interesting....

                    This is the pretty side of the city. Zac looks good!

His first area, Las Arenas, in Antofagasta with Elder Rivas, Aug 6th, 2012

I´m way stoked to be here in Chile!  Can you believe I´m in Chile? It´s nuts!! So unreal to me. I hope we can have success. I´m trying to learn the best way to contact and teach so I can be a better tool to bring people unto Christ. My first meeting with the Mission President I told him I want a native companion, so he gave me the one from Chile. Chileans have different accents, so President Bruce was like good luck, I can barely understand him. haha But I´m starting to pick it up, he helps me a lot.  I´m starting to understand everything people are saying, it´s ton´s more than my first day. I'm always learning, this little boy at this house we taught asked me if I was sick because of my accent haha. It was funny. It´s weird tho because with spanish I almost don´t feel scared to talked to people. I think I talk more in spanish than english.

I talk to everyone on the bus and stuff but sometitmes my trainer goes 'wait till you can speak more'. I can´t wait to be fluent and start contacting everyone! Another crazy thing is the buses. Holy cow my first one I thought I was going to die, they think theýre like sports cars then fly! Then stop two inches from hitting the car in front of them. They are super crazy!  It´s cool, we´re in like a computer hut with a bunch of computers and we just pay for the time. Kinda crazy how poor my area is. I think it´s one of the poorest of all Chile. Idk if I wrote in the other email,  but it´s in Antofagasta so there´s like a ton of people and stuff. At times it´s kind of scary though cuase my companion told me not to take all my money with me. So story time, yesterday was my first Sunday in the ward. the chapel is like a little bit bigger than our releif society room. and nobody can play the piano, so it´s whatever you call when you sing without music. It´s different, but I like it. I bore my testimony talked about how I know I'm doing God´s will and if we work together as a ward we can help others come unto Christ stuff like that. I felt way good about it then after the meeting the bishops daughter comes up to me and goes´when you gave your testimony, you were using your hands like a rapper, like 50 cent and eminem.. are you a rapper??' I was like sweet, I hope that's not what everyone was thinking. ha Oh well. My companion said most people in the ward said good things about me.

It´s frustrating having all these people around you talking and not being able to understand. I can only understand like certain parts almost enough to get the jist but they talk to fast. But it hasn´t really stopped me from sharing with people the message. I talk to people on the bus and like the natives are almost like too scared to, and they speak spanish! It´s not fair. When I´m fluido it´s going to be so much more sweet!

I kind of feel bad tho, cause it´s like I don´t think they have a ton of things ya know and I have an ipod and touch screen camera and when he saw my house he was like woah!! idk it´s nuts. where I live is tiny you´ll see the pictures I´ve taken. It´s tiny and we live in the hood I guess. So normally we would stay out til ten proselyting, but in my area, like the heart of it, we have to go back to our pension area early, as soon as it gets dark. Then, our mamita, the lady who cooks for us makes us one meal a day.  So I have cereal, the one meal, then cereal. I need to go buy more things. In the MTC you have tons of food, now I rarely eat haha, but it´s all good. 

Today we went to this place like walmart it´s sweet and close to us. I was with three other missionaries and one of the laptops in the store was playing way loud rock music so I go up to it and played mo tab on the computer way loud haha it was sweet.  Oh another weird thing here is every person listens to american music. So on the bus all I hear is like Katy Perry and those kind of songs. It´s weird! So many things have happened and don´t even know where to start explaining, it´s like my mind is just taking it all in so it´s hard for me to write everything that´s happening. I like it here, although it´s tons more dificult then the MTC. This is hard work but it´s also way fun and super rewarding. It seems like a lot of people have let us in and let us teach them but theere not home when we go for the next lesson. That´s happened a bunch but I feel like this will be a successful area. But the spirit has been a comforter. I´ve never really felt in danger although last night we finished teaching someone late and we walked though the "hood" when it was dark, but luckily I had nothing on me.

It´s weird how different this is and how like poor the people are, it´s sad. and also I´m used to a ton of people going to church and not having a ton of inactives, but here they have lots. All the members say that the Bishop here is amazing because of all the things he has to deal with. I´m sure it´s a lot of problems with poverty. I´m not used to this. Not used to a lot of things here, but I´m adjusting. All the thoughts and ways I had of always being super clean have flown out the window. It´s impossible when you have probably the dirtiest area in the whole mission. There are stray dogs everywhere, it´s just crazy. That´s the only way I can explain it. We´re lucky to be able to live the way we do, so incredible lucky.

Because it´s so different, it´s kind of made me more homesick then I thought it would. Every night after working I go home and listening to my ipod, going back to english, giving my mind a little rest. But I still love chile! It´s different and everything, but it's awesome. me gusta! Like now to drink water I have to go to the store and only drink water bottles. I have a water filter but the tap water is nasty. Also the food. The food here is good, like the bread, but I miss american food too. It´s weird though because I miss everything, but I feel like this is just my life now. Like i´m already sort of used to it. just like-alright this is how it is so I'm going to love it, which I do.

Another cool thing is all the missionaries here a like best friends. Everyone I meet is really friendly, I´ve made a bunch of new friends already with natives and gringos. A few people I talked with told me I have good spanish for only learning for two months, but I've also heard the opposite. Soo idk but in Chile the spanish is so lazy and kind of weird. The only way I know how to explain it is they have almost a lisp. haha It´s weird, can´t really explain it, but yeah hopefully I will be speaking like a Chilean soon.

Well I gotta to go, I'll try getting on at the mamitas house to upload pictures today.
Hasta luego- love you all!
See ya,
Elder Farnworth

Zachary's first email from Chile! Aug 4th, 2012

Thank-you for that emails! I'm writing right now to tell you all I´m here safe in Chile! It´s unreal here, I have to admit I had culture shock my first two days.  We´re getting to work opening a new area called Las Arenas in Antofagasta. It´s cool meeting the bishop and stuff, this is so much better than the mtc and I loved the mtc. I can upload all my pictures onto these computers monday. It´ll blow youre mind where I live. Its so nuts and kinda nasty, but i love it. My companion is from Chile, so im learning a lot. I can have conversations, like yesterday i talked to a lady on the bus. She said something about her kids and church. So I gave her a card told her about our church then she said something and I was like SI then smiled and left. ha  I have some cool stories, but I will tell you them when I have a more time. Just wanted you to know im safe and i will send all pictures monday!
Love you HASTALUEGO
Elder Farnworth

Zachary Arrives in Chile on July 31st 2012

                          This is Zac's Mission President, President Bruce and his new companion, Elder Rivas!

Pictures from the MTC from May 30th-July30th

Travel plans...last email from the MTC (July 28th, 2012)

Ok, so first off here is my travel plans:

 

Monday 30, 2012 -

 

Leave MTC on bus - 6am

Arrive at the Salt Lake Airport - 8am (We're dropping off other missionaries that will be serving in the Salt lake missions before the airport)

Leave Salt Lake - 10:05am (American Airlines flight: 3039)

Arrive in Los Angeles, CA - 11am

Depart from LA - 1:25pm (Lan Chile S.A. flight: 601)

 

Tuesday 31, 2012 -

 

Arrive in Santiago, Chile - 5:40am (Here we go through cust. and pay country entry fees... Francisco Jimenez is the name of the man that works for the church that will make sure we go through the whole proccess well)

Depart from Santiago Chile - 8:15am

Arrive in Antofagasta, Chile - 10:20am (From here, AP Elder Todd and his comp. will pick us up)

 

Total in Travel group: 12 Elders

Travel Leader: Elder Andrew Congleton

President Leland E. Bruce Jr

 

Secondly, I'm really sorry I didn't send my camera card home. I've been hesitant to send it home because I've been using my biggest memory card, the 32 GB for all my pictures.   If I send it home and you try to send it back sometimes they don't make it there so that kinda of scared me and I already send the package without it in there. I'm really sorry but I will get pictures to you as soon as possible. Lo siento!  But I did send you a package of a bunch of letters and gum and my temple things. We're not allowed to chew gum because it just kinda looks bad as you talk to people. Pardon me! 

 

I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOO stoked to talk to you guys! I bought a card with 500 minutes on it so I can talk to you as much as I want at both airports here and in LA.  I hope this helps you to know when I'm going to be calling. I've just been packing up today. It's crazy, tomorrow is my last day in the US for two years.... I can't wait. Thank you for all the support you've given me. I'm so grateful to be this prepared. I'm not even nervous! just excited. it'll be new and crazy but I like adventures.

 

One crazy thing is that we have to memorize this phrase which is easy in Spanish and we will have to say it to immigration. Like we have to tell them we'll only be in Chile for ninety days, because at first we only have a ninety-day visa. Then we get a two year one once we get there.  I guess the missionaries before said they'll be there for two years and they were held up (sorta arrested or something) by immigration for like 9 hours. haha That would be crazy! So lets hope I get the phrase right! JK it's easy.

 

We've been having a ton of fun our last days here we've kind of been partying (MTC partying is a lot different, partying is like playing stupid games in the hall) haha It's super fun but I also feel so focused on my purpose! I cannot wait. Thanks for your letters this week also, I'm glad everyone is doing good. 

I hope kaleb and Jake are having fun in teton, That sounds awesome, I remember that it was so sweet there. And to Mom, I was glad to see things are good with you. There's nothing I want more than for you to be happy! And I'm glad you are happy! Also, tell Kaleb I'm proud of him for being such a good worker at his restaurant. Doesn't suprise me tho, Kaleb is awesome. I'm excited to see all the incredible things he's going to do in life! Same with jake, I miss all of you so much!  Everyone one of you is in my prayers and I think almost everyday if I could just have one day with them and then come back on  my mission. But it'll just make it that much better whenever I get to call and see you all. If I miss you all this much now, and we're twenty minutes away, Chile's going to be crazy! So keep me updated with lots of emails!

 

It's been a long day of  packing and just getting totally ready. I bought some journals and a Book of Mormon, I'm doing this thing where I read the whole Book of Mormon with those little cheap paper back copy. I read the whole thing with a question in mind and highlight everything answering my question. It's cool, you should do that. Oh ya, to answer your question,  temple walk is still at three and I'm actually going tomorrow because it's my last day! Well, we have to go to workshop, LOVE YOU ALL so much and remember you're all in my prayers. Thanks again for the package, it was absolutely perfect, you're hands down the best mom in the world. Also tell Grandma thank you for her's it was awesome too! I'm so lucky to have all of you!

LOVE YOU HASTA LUEGO

Elder Farnworth