...hey, we're doing good.

Sounds like a good week. I can’t believe Megan’s thirteen, I’m not going to recognize her when I get home! You’ll have to tell me how the youth conference goes, it sounds awesome. I tried explaining that to my comp and he said they don’t do stuff like that in Uruguay and especially not in Chile. Its cool we are able to. But I’m glad you had a good week!
This week was good, kinda tough. I’m getting a little frustrated with people going on vacation so much. It’s a mining town so everyone’s like "yeah come visit me in March when I’m back from vacation..." Ha. But we have a good family we found. There’s four of them and only the dad is a member, but hadn’t gone for 4 years or so. But they went last week and his daughter (who isn’t a member) knew all the answer about Joseph Smith in Sunday school. I was like, hey we’re doing good. We just need to keep getting her to pray because she says she cant stop being catholic, but has come to church twice and likes it... so yeah.

Also this week we had our interview with the president. He’s awesome. He gave me advice on how to help Catholics or other religions change. I’m learning a lot about like problem solving and stuff. It’s cool. That’s about it thought, nothing new just working. But hey I got to write some people but thanks for the update, keep it up love you guys take care!

Con amor,

Elder Farnworth

A lady asked me to marry her yesterday...

Tell Hayden congrats, that’s awesome about his call! I know he will love it.

My new comp is pretty cool, he talks a ton more than my last comp and we've been working way hard. This week we got 4 investigators to church, and the awesome guy I told you about said he got an answer. He said when he prayed he felt something and could sleep really well that night. It’s awesome, I hope we can get a date set, he wants to wait but we gotta talk to him. 

Nothing too new this week, besides I had to conduct Sacrament meeting. It was kinda of cool, but not that big of a deal because there were only 13 of us ha. Still kinda of cool. We are finding people, including a lady who asked me to marry her yesterday ha, she was drunk and hitting on me bad, so we had to leave quick. But we taught two doctors and have a return appointment with a lawyer. We did contacts in the rich sector haha, but it’s cool.

Nothing else really, sounds like you and dad had a good weekend. Hope you guys are having fun, keep me updated. I got to write a few people, but I love you- talk to you next week!

See ya ha,

Elder Farnworth

So, you guys are here to help people get to the celestial kingdom huh?

Kinda weird to me that it’s so cold for you guys cause it’s just getting crazy hot here. I’m starting to get burned, ha and there is NEVER clouds in this city. 

So we had transfers this week, I’m getting a new companion. I forgot his name but he is from Uruguay and has the same time as me. We left on the mission the same day and I hear his cool so we will see, should be fun. I’ll let you know how he is.

This week was an awesome week. We’re just looking for people, and we find one of the best investigators I think I’ve had in my mission. We taught him the restoration and he understood it all then was like, is there more that you can teach me? We were like uhhhh yeah, let’s teach the next lesson! So we taught the plan of salvation and he said something like, you guys are here to help people get the celestial kingdom huh? Ha, I was like, pretty much! Oh and he speaks English, so I taught a little bit in English so he could practice with me. It was awesome, I would hang with this kid, and he’s like 22 I think. He’s going camping and he says he’s going to pray while he is camping, away from technology and everything, to get his answer. I’m stoked!

Then this girl who was working with is waiting for her Dad to let her get baptized, but her mom is good with it, so she might just sign the registry and let her get baptized. Which would be awesome! I love doing this, it’s so cool, ha.

Anyways, Things are good here. I keep having dreams that I’m home which is weird. I hope all is well there and that you have fun in the snow, hahaha.

Love you guys take care! 

Elder Farnworth

My Christmas and New Years was awesome!

My Christmas and New Years was awesome! Yeah sorry, I forgot to write about it. I loved talking to you guys, it was awesome to see home and everything. I thought for sure it would make me trunky or miss home, but really it just made me realize I’ll be there soon enough and right now I just gotta work, ya know.

But Christmas was awesome here.  In Chile, they celebrate it at 12 midnight, so they open all their presents and everything at 12 then the next day they play with them. So Christmas night we spent with this family the Varas and their daughter who is absolutely horrible, but so funny. I'll send you pictures. They got us some presents like chocolate I think, but it was cool. Then, during the day we were at the Presidents house who you all met, it was awesome, they’re cool.

New years was with a family, the Gallagiyos, (the family that buys me peanut butter). We did all these funny traditions like running up the stairs, eating nasty beans, and sweeping the steps. I guess it’s good luck or each one means something, haha. I was like you believe in all that, and they said no, its just for fun ,ha. 

That’s really it, we just kept working after. The work has been tough in this area. Finding people that are here and actually are gonna stay here during summer is kinda tough. My city is just like a work house for all these rich people, ha. But we’ve been working hard. We have a few potential baptisms like Francisca who is talking with her Dad , then after she’ll hopefully get baptized. 

Then were meeting with this lady who has been to Church four times and isn’t baptized. Kinda is a joke that she hasn’t been baptized yet, but we will see what we can do. It’s a hard sector, but its cool, the houses and the members, just a lack of people. But we’re gonna keep working hard.

Thanks again for the packages and all the cards that I got, I’m lazy with writing so just email me.

Thanks and ill send some pics right now love you guys!

Elder Farnworth

What an amazing Christmas...

Zachary didn't send an email on Monday, but we had an amazing Chirstmas present from him on Tuesday.  We were able to skype with him for over an hour.  He just seemed so happy and loves what he is doing.  He had a little Chilean boy that jumped up on his back and the whole family gave him a hug for us.  You can tell he really loves the people there.  It was so wonderful to see him looking so good and realizing he is still Zac, only better!  We all visited with him as a group and then each had our one on one time.  It really made our Christmas!  At the end of our visit he bore his testimony in Spanish.  We all felt the spirit and were amazed at his ability to speak the language and for his love of the gospel.  We couldn't have had a greater gift this Christmas Season.

AND, when he got to the zone conference, he got BOTH of my packages!!  He was going to make his Thanksgiving turkey dinner on Christmas!  He said he put up all the Christmas decorations and gave the Chirstmas book that was in Spanish to the family he was with.  That was such a relief for me and brought us so much happiness to know he was able to have some gifts from us at Christmas. 

Zac did send some pictures of his Zone Conference and I found a few more on the Mission Blog.  President and Sister Bruce just seem like the most amazing people.  Zac is so fortunate to be lead by them. 

 The Missionaries had a gift exchange.  Looks like Zac got a new pillow;)

                                          

Sister Bruce and the funniest gift, a plunger.

President Bruce looks like he is having a good time.

 When someone would say baptize they passed to the right, when they said Christmas they would pass to the left.

            Then they have a lunch with all the missionaries.

This is Zachary's Zone.  It is called the Chanaral Zone.

MERRRY CHRISTMAS 2012

It hardly feels like Christmas without snow, ha!

Haven’t gotten anyone packages yet.... this Thursday we have a conference, and the assistants always bring packages there, so I should get one then. The one you sent in November is going back? Hopefully I’ll get the Dec. one!

I’ve been listening to Christmas songs, but it still hardly feels like Christmas without snow, ha, feels like summer.

Things are good, still a little rough. Tough people here, really like keep to themselves and they don’t like to be social, ha, it’s interesting. But I like the city and how it is. Thinks are getting better with my comp, still kinda hard to keep a conversation, ya know. But it’s all good, we’re buds! Umm, I haven’t found a member yet, but we’re going to ask this week. Hey, could you make me a skype account then send me all the info cause I don’t know how to do it. Plus, then it would  just be already for next week. I’ll email Monday and get the password then skype Tuesday. Crazy that it’s already my first Christmas! 

Just keep sending stuff to the mission home, they will get it me, it just takes a bit. But if some of them have gotten here I’ll get them this Thursday for sure. 

Teaching is good. In Antofagasta we had a ton of people to teach so we got in like 28-30 lessons each week. Now, a good week is like 12... BUT we are planning to put a baptism date the 29th and it’ll be the first baptism here since 2011, I think. That’s what my comp says at least. So we will see how that goes.

I love you all and can’t wait to talk!

See ya next week!

Elder Farny

*As a side note, I ended up calling the Mission Home in Chile and they had just received Zac’s Christmas package!  YAY!  The Thanksgiving package  is still MIA, so some Chilean is probably enjoying a nice Thanksgiving dinner;)

Nope THIS is the hardest thing I've ever done...

My new area is great. It’s so quiet, its weird, there’s not a single stoplight in the entire city and like 5 or 6 cars in the street at a time. But its loaded, the houses are some of the biggest in Chile. They would kind of be smaller homes in the states but they’re big for here. And the streets are all gringo names. I guess the city was established by gringos like 50 years ago. So they have like a street called 4th of July. Ha, Kinda of cool. But at times it's a little boring being alone in a little city just you and your comp. I used to always see my zone and stuff but we live 4 hours from the zone leaders and 2 hours from the nearest missionaries. Yeah its pretty far inland, before I left, I tried showing my converts the boys where it is and couldn’t find it on google map ha, goes to show how small it is.

My Companion is from Peru and one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met haha. He’s unbelievable quiet like he just flat out doesn’t talk. It’s rough not going to lie. First time being senior comp. I’m like leading the lessons and talk almost the whole lesson. But it helps me with my Spanish I’m getting faster and faster. He has two more transfers than me and is 25. But easily the quietest person I’ve ever met. Like one time this less active lady was like so what are you thinking you just look at me and don’t talk?... And he didn’t say anything ha, but then other times he'll teach and stuff and he does a good job. I feel like each transfer I find my self saying "Nope THIS is the hardest thing I’ve ever done" Ha but its good to always be stretching my abilities.

Oh, and our sector hasn’t had a baptism since 2011. Crazy, But the branch is super strong. There all rich so just about all of them have been to the temple and are endowed which is rare. Its cool to have rich members the because there’s this one guy who loves football and we are kinda buds, but has peanut butter which is crazy expensive, just for me at his house ha, its cool. Oh and then cooking has been kinda cool but I’m already tired of it haha. We had tacos and french toasts and rice.. Can’t remember what else. But this week I think we're going to try some pasta stuff and whatever else we think of.

Christmasy huh? It’s finally starting to feel like Christmas here there are a few houses in my sector with Christmas lights. It’s weird that there won’t be snow this Christmas but I think I like the heat more. Still haven’t gotten my package but I’m hoping soon, at least one of them! I hope I at LEAST get one before Christmas! But we will see. Yeah we can skype for Christmas I’m hoping to find someone cool to spend Christmas with and skype at there house but if not we will just do it at a Cyber.

Anyway I don’t have too much time this week because we got to get to work quick. But I love all of you guys and will talk to you next week. OH and that lessons sounds awesome, our president just taught a little about that a while back. Its interesting thinking faith and fear cant exist like darkness and light.

 Anyway, Love you all, take care and talk to you next week

#missionaryforlife