Why would we ever want life to be easy?

So things all hit me at once. Nairne, companion, sector, EVERYTHING. You would think God would span out the trials, but why would we ever want life to be easy right?

 

This week we saw a TON of progress out here in this wonderful sector. All sorts of new investigators and all sorts of people coming out of the woodwork and to the church.

 

Learning a lot about how God wants us to be diligent in spite of out situations. Lots of fun out here. I love the fact that there are so many blessings that come when we are diligent even though it is very hard.

 

Got the packages and they are LEGIT. I was so happy. And I gave your Christmas tree to a newly married couple who don't have any tree so it was put to good use thank you so much for your love and detail-oriented mind. My companion was blown away by your packages.

                                                          

 

Love you lots!

Hermana Farner

Chopped

So to start out, I miss you all! I feel like I am starting the mission all over again because I am getting to know the sector, it's hot, and in the city again.

Crazy.

 

Got headlice and had to chop off my hair. Had the straight up worst week of my life that all I could do was laugh.

 

Here is a shout out to all the women that read this blog. If you don't believe in yourselves in this moment, I invite you to start too. We are the rising generations of mothers that will prepare our children for the second coming of Jesus Christ. We cannot afford to feel sorry for ourselves nor think that we cannot accomplish miracles because we aren't perfect. This is just ridiculous. We need to suck it up. That is my rant. If there are any questions, see Moses 6:31-34.

 

Love you and will talk to you the 26th of December.

:):):)

Hermana Farner

Whitewash

This week was good. A little weird but hey that is life. Lots of tears from los montinos ( people from el Monte) It was good to see that they could feel my love. I really did love them a lot and a piece of my heart will always be in EL Monte.

 

 

I am now going to train again in a whitewash which is where I go in with a brand new companion squeaky clean from the CCM and then I also get a brand new sector to start from zero because we don't know anyone or anything. :) It twill be very character building. I am excited nervous and ready to mix it up a little bit :)

 

I have the privilege of being a missionary and going to the temple a LOT. I have gone almost every month of my mission. Crazy. Many missionaries only go once.  God knows I need the strength. ;)

 

I love all of you and I think it is awesome how Nairne is at home for all the holidays :)

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

Breathers in the Mission

This week was really, really, really long. One of the longest of my life. Before a baptism literally everything goes wrong;  it is a promise in the mission. You just hope that the stuff goes wrong with you instead of your investigator.
And that is what we saw this week with good ol Ba. She didn't have a single problem in the week before. It was just us and all the stuff that was happening with the clothing and the place and the font and the mission leader and the zone leaders and the registros and all the paperwork behind the baptism.
And my poor little companion had no idea there were problems and she asked me why I was on the phone so much, so I just told her look honey this is what happens when you have baptism or a confirmation in the mission and laid it all out for her. Her eyes got wider and wider and wider and we ending up just laughing our heads off. (like with everything) She is literally so great. I feel like God always gives me breathers in the mission before I go right back under the water to learn something else. Hermana M and Hermana H are the two evident examples of that.

Hitting a year. No way. Feels weird but I feel good, like it was supposed to happen - everything that has happened. I think I will understand and comprehend a little more the stuff that has happened when I get changed from el Monte. It feels like I am stuck in a time warp out there. It is so far away from everything.

I have changed so much here words shall never be able to describe it.

I love you all so much; pray lots for me this week that I will be able to say goodbye and start over new with a new companion and new people and places without dying! 

 

Love you all!

Hermana Farner

 

Palos

God has never threw me so many palos before in my life. This mornings personal study was not a fun one. I was almost laughing about how directly I was reading what I needed to do. It also didn't help that it was in Doctrine and Covenants where everything suena mas fuerte.

But anyway. Starting week 5 of this last change in El Monte. Got two baptisms planned for this next week. They are Sa.'s daughters. SO GREAT. It will be a lovely service. I hope that you all will be able to pray for them. Ba. is 20 and is literally one of my best friends in this world. I am so happy she is doing this because her family is VERY prepared.

 

Love you,

Hermana Farner

Elder Nelson

We got to meet with Elder Nelson from the 12. Great experience. Got to shake his hand WHAT. His wife talked about our premortal checklist. The things we promised God we would do when we came here. Crazy stuff. Made me think a lot. I hope I am completing that checklist.

Had a baptism yesterday of my dear friend Sa. Literally love that woman. Her family will be baptized soon as well. 3 more weeks in El Monte and I hope I get sent to the coast. PRAY FOR ME.  I want to lift a sector from the dust.

 

Love you,

 

Hermana Farner

"Wow I could have really used this today!"

I learned a lot about the Spirit this week. I feel like sometimes as members of the church, we feel the Spirit so often that we don't take the time to recognize it and meditate on what is happening.

 

Hermana H and I have been trying our hardest to buscar experiencias espirituales instead of just hoping they happen. We are trying to create a specific environment when we are with the people here in Chile where they can really feel God`s love for them. And man is it working wonders. We went from 3 fechas to about 8 in a couple days.

 

I am also going to stress the importance of studying in the morning from your scriptures. We are going into a literal battle with Satan every day, and when we don't read and study our scriptures in the morning, it is like we are walking out and fighting without weapons. And then we come home and we look at our weapons and shine them up and say, "wow I could have really used this today!". Imagine if we had had it before right? We could have been much more prepared to face all the things that the devil is planning to deceive us with. Even if it means getting up really early in the morning, I exhort you to change the habit of scripture study to the morning and really search for those experiences. I promise that it will change your life.

 

As always, miss you and love you. 

 

Love you lots!

Hermana Farner

Live has been very good

Dear Mom,

Life has been very good and God has blessed me with an awesome companion that is really, really, ready to go and to learn. She is very, very sweet  and just like me so we get along really well. Her name is Hermana H and is from San Antonio Texas. Seriously already my best friend. Just love it.

The weather is hot, the food is great, the people are loving and someone should get baptized real soon. So I can't complain really. :)

Time is moving just as it should in my opinion. Made a decision to not think about time until I hit January soooo I haven't thought of it haha :) But life is going good.

 

Say hi to all!

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

4 cakes

I am going to train again. Gonna get a maquina so I am not worried. These two weeks got me prepared to get going with the mission and not to worry about anything. My mini Missionary was legit. I ate a ton of cake.... 4 to be exact.... all from different people. You could say that I am very loved by those here in El Monte. I will be starting my fifth change in the same area. I will complete a year in the mission with only two areas. ;) God wants me in El Monte for some reason!

 

 

Looovvee you more than I love all the cake I ate!

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

Where are We Facing?

Well I am with Hermana R. a little mini missionary here in El Monte. One week with her and then I will get a new companion! Fighting and fighting and fighting like always to understand and grasp the person I really am.

 

We found a whole lot of new people to teach. Actually there is this one lady named Sa. that should get baptized pretty soon. She is legit. Her family will get baptized soon as well. Very, very prepared spiritually. And the Lord still blesses us even when we are whiny complainers like me. ;)

 

I read that talk by Elder Uchtdorf from the woman's conference and then I read it again and again and again and again. And I am starting to get what this life is really about. I still am very far from providing an educated answer obviously, but I really really love what it says. That eternal life is knowing Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ personally. What a challenge. We can say we know they live and list off the facts of their personalities and what attributes that they have but to know them, to walk with them, that requires a type and level of obedience that I still cannot comprehend nor achieve in this part of my life. However I know that there is only a few ways that we can achieve this type of obedience and that is if it stems from pure love of God. No solo por cumplir (don't know that in English) the requirements nor because we are scared of a punishment but because we LOVE God more than we love the world. Someone in general conference talked about deciding where we face. That is true. :) WHERE ARE WE FACING? Even in the mission we have re-evaluate ourselves everyday :)

 

Love you! Miss you a lot! I am almost 20! Weird right!

Hermana Farner

Read and understand

I loved conference. Not sure exactly what I learned, so I am pumped to get the Ensign so I can get reading and studying. I think that is one of the important things that I have learned on the mission, to read and understand the talks after they have been given. To really study and apply them a little more in my life. I love the fact that we have such wonderful technology to listen and read and see again and again the words of a living prophet and his apostles.

Not much to tell! Lots of thanks to a wonderful sister Kristofferson who sent a lovely letter to me that brightened my day. Thank you :)

 

Love, 

Hermana Farner

I can feel the difference

This week was so much fun! We of course had all sorts of miracles like always. We had a big ole district activity in this place called Isla de Maipo where it is just a big ole camping ground. I got to run around and fly kites, watch the members dance the cueca which is the traditional dance here in Chile. It is really weird but you get used to it after watching it for like 3 hours. Then we ate a big ole asado (can't tell you how much meat I have eaten in the past 2 weeks) and we did tug of war.

 

The most amazing thing happened yesterday. We were in a lesson with this family of 5 and last week I told the 19 year old daughter who works and studies during the week and gets home at 12:30 at night that she needed to read her book of Mormon every single day in the week. She told me that she didn't know how she could do it. So I told her that all she needed to do was to read her Book of Mormon aunque fuera one verse every night and she would see a change.

 

We got to her house yesterday and she ran up to me yelling "Hermana! Hermana! Yo lo hice! Leí mi libro cada día! Y sabe que, puedo sentir la diferencia." Translation: Sister! Sister! I did it! I read my book every day! And you know what, I can feel the difference." In that moment I felt soooooooo good. I could see a change in her too. That family will be baptized in the near future. I am sure of it. Just some great things that are happening with the sector. I have been in El Monte for almost 6 months now, and I really don't want to leave to be honest with you. It is something that I have been thinking about a lot. I could live in EL Monte. But that is something to be thought about in another half a year.

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

We Tarry on...

 

 

Anyway, what happened this week? Nothing really to report. I have been counseled to always write uplifting things back home so here it goes,

THE POWER OF MUSIC. It is amazing how powerful a song can be. I have been singing a lot lately. I sing all sorts of music. Remix hymns, change lyrics of old songs to make them church appropriate. You know good stuff.

I had the best time in what we call the 18 of September or the day of independence of Chile. Ate so much food I got really sick. I had a black tongue for a day based on a bad reaction to food, not from anything black I ate. It was really trippy. I felt like I was in some kind of pirate movie. But we Tarry on, am I right. 

Love,

Hermana Farner

To Know

 I believe that the mission has relaxed me more than I can explain. I realize now that I am not perfect and that also I cannot control everyone nor everything. With that said I have relaxed a lot and learned to just love God and know that He is in control and as long as I stay obedient, He will bless me.

I think that is something that Hermana K. has taught me.

 

It is amazing when you come out of a test, it is like you understand everything. I love that. I have been tested and tried and still continue to be every single day of the mission, but there is nothing more satisfying than leaving a trial and UNDERSTANDING why you had to go through it. I get it now. And I just can´t even imagine what is going to happen after the mission, because in a way the mission is one big trial and challenge. So who knows what I will leave with!

 

 I am so grateful for the Atonement in my life. I feel myself slowly learning more and more and more about it. But I know that the adversary wants to make sure that I don't take the steps to really get to know my Savior. Something I love about the Spanish language is the verb "to know" has two different words: to know something, as in a fact, it is "saber" and to know personally or really well is "conocer". In President Boyd K. Packer´s talk at the end he says, Yo conozco mi Salvador. I want to be able to say that. That I know Him personally like my best friend. I still think I can say that I know He lives and that He loves me. But I want to learn more and say more than that. It is time.

Write it in your Heart

All I know is that the time really does fly.

 

I want to talk a little about the importance of the Book of Mormon and how the only way that we can change is through becoming more like Christ, and to be like Christ we need to know Him and His life and His love, and we do that through DILIGENT study of the scriptures. You would be surprised how many times the word diligent or diligence comes up in the Book of Mormon. It is probably the second law of heaven. The first OBEDIENCE. The second DILIGENCE. If we are obedient, we receive great blessings, but we have to always be obedient or rather, diligent in what we do. As we become diligent we because closer to the Savior.

 

Read the Book of Mormon and write it in your heart. That is the goal for this cambio for me. To read the Book of Mormon and write it in my heart to help people see how it changes lives. Because it has changed mine. It baffles me at times how weak I am, how imperfect, how lazy, how just plain ridiculously impatient and well WEAK. But that is why I am here. To be strong. To become what God wants  me to become. But it has to do so much with consistency, something that I see to still be lacking in this life. But I am recognizing which means that I have the opportunity to fix it and get better.

 

Love you all so much! Thank you for your letters and your support. LOVE IT

Hermana Farner

I am never leaving

Ending a change and starting a new one soon! The comp is getting a lot better. Feeling better and we are starting to work more.

The rain is still coming down... But we should be leaving it soon I hope.

 

Oh the great things of the mission. Another group of my pals went home. So weird to think that we are all here working together in our own world and then all of a sudden they leave and never come back. Crazy. But hey one day it will happen to all of us. Except me. I am never leaving. mwhahahahha :)

Everyone is doing good down here, learning that maybe the Lord is still trying to teach me the same lesson that I still can't seem to grasp.  But that is life right? Oh the patience that He has with us.

 

Love you lots,

 

Hermana Farner

Serve with all your Heart

Something that I have been thinking a lot about is what it means to serve with all your heart. To me the mind is so weak. It can be controlled and distracted with the change of one thought. All the mind needs to change is a simple desire. But where does the desire come from? Oh yes, it comes from the little organ that keeps that body moving, called the heart. In the Scripture Study Guide under the word heart it says (loosely translated) "Symbol of the disposition and the willingness of man and in the ideas the fuente de todo emocion y todo sentimiento." I am sorry but I really don't remember anything about English.

 

This is a big thing. the heart, serving with all of my heart is something that I can definitely improve on. The heart has a lot of room for love. A lot of room for all kinds of love. But as a symbol of the scriptures it shows our willingness and also our attitude with the things that we are given.

 

Sometimes I feel like we sustain the challenges, we accept them, but we don't enjoy them. I regress to one of my earlier sayings. REVEL IN THE TRENCHES. That is when you see if your heart is really connected with the will of God, when you get a challenge in whatever form it comes and you love it.

 

Step by step we will one day be truly converted. 

 

Love always,

Hermana Farner

You will become the mansion I have designed you to be

And so we see that time really does fly in the mission. Have been doing all sorts of introspection this past week as on Wednesday I will be hitting the halfway mark of the mission. I can't believe that so much time has passed. I can clearly remember flying to Mexico and flying to Chile and my first day, and my first day in El Monte. Man it is crazy to see how God just picks you up and drops you into the best experieces ever and we get the chance to enjoy them or not.

 

I seriously do love Chile. I have finally let go and just love the food, the people, the culture, the clothes, and especially the Gospel. As I have gotten closer and closer to God I have become to realize that I am really not all that I thought I was. Which those at home I am sure are cheering their heads off for. "Finally Seattle realizes she is not all that!" haha :) But I have learned so much about my talents, my strengths, my weaknesses and not a new category, my new strengths that God has helped me create. It is great to see a progressing investigator, I can explain how it feels. So just imagine what God feels like to see us progress. We are His most important investigators.

 

I have been thinking a lot about a quote I heard in a movie about Joseph Smith when he was talking to Brigham Young as he was helping build the temple in Kirtland, Ohio. He had recently called Brigham as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and Brigham was having a hard time with that. And as he is working, Joseph comes up to him and says, "Brigham, don't you worry. God is not building a temple through you. Through building a temple, he is building you." And that is what I feel like my Savior is saying and has been saying throughout my entire mission. "Hermana Farner, you are not that great of a missionary. You are a just a shack of a person right now. You don't have it all. You are not perfect. So go do your best, and I can promise you that at the end of this time if you work hard, you still won't be perfect but you will become the mansion that I have designed you to be."

 

I have a strong testimony that my Savior loves me. That controlling our minds brings us success and having patience with ourselves and with others is the only way that we can make it in this life and have something waiting thereafter.

 

Love you all so much and hope that all is well :)

 

Love, 

Hermana Farner

WHAT?!

Can you believe it? I am 11 days from being halfway done! WHAT!

This week was an interesting one as we are going to Santiago twice a week. It is what we call a 2 hour travel there and back. We take a rickety old bus all the way to central station 1.5 hours and then we take another 30 minutes in the metro. I can honestly say I know Santiago and the whole western half of Chile like the back of my hand, Santiago reminds me a lot of the lovely city of Seattle and the weather is very, very similar and the people dress the same. I could live in Santiago; but it is really, really expensive, sadly.

 

I love the way the Lord gives us things that we have never experience to broaden our perspective of what life is really about. This week we were able to find 3 more people who have accepted to get baptized. I really believe the Lord is blessing us in a way that we hadn't ever thought of before. I will be honest when I say that there is nothing I would rather do than walk all day and enter a house and tell them that they can have eternal life.

 

I have never been so happy in circumstance that are so dark.  I thank you Mom and Dad for raising me well. It has blessed me more than you know.

 

Love you all so much!

Hermana Farner

Patience and long-suffering

Luckily I learned with my first companion in the mission that the audience always changes. I am learning and have learned a lot in the first week about my weaknesses and how important it is to be calm. haha :) I cant tell if I am going insane or if I am finally losing my insanity and craziness that I have had my entire life and becoming more calm. We will see what the time brings. :)

 

Presidente Barreiros told me that he got a really strong impression that I should be with Hermana K because I would be the one that would help her have a successful mission. I really pray that I will be able to show her the right way to do the mission. We will see what happens.

 

Learning a lot about the different types of patience that are found in our lives. Some people are patient with themselves but not with God nor with other people. Some people are patient with God and His blessings and not with others or themselves. I believe I am patient with myself (yes mother I have made it my strength ;) Thanks to the Atonement it is one of my greatest attributes) And patient with God and his timing, now I just have to learn how to be patient with others. I have improved a ton but it is now up to the deeper meaning of patience and why the word patience and long suffering are together. We can be patience by guarding how we are feeling and living through it, but in order to be long suffering we have to like it. That is my next challenge. I have been studying Alma 7:23-24 to help me get there. Pray for me!

 

Love you lots!

Hermana Farner 

 

PS  Thanks for the package Mom and Dad

The Lord knows each one of us so well

Things that are happening here. WE HAD CHANGES! And just like all of the lovely hermanas that I have been with, little Hermana M. was called as an Hermana Leader :) And I got called to TRAIN! I am so excited! I have been praying and working for this opportunity my entire mission. After working hard to retrain the ones that were trained wrong, I have learned the importance of training the right way. A little greenie is a sponge that sucks up whatever the trainer does, so I have to do it right.

It is a great parallel to life, if we have children and don't teach by example, why on earth would our children grow up to be great people? They wouldn't. There are very few people that forge their own path and I sure hope I get a good little gringa to help forge her own path because I want my hija to be better than I am.

I feel very humbled to know that God has answered my prayers and is giving me a chance to do something that I have always wanted to do. I pray that He gives me the patience, the love, and the understanding that is needed to help this new little hermana wherever she is. I know I can't do it alone.

Love how the Lord knows each one of us so well.

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

We have a Church of Order

Hey I am almost halfway done with the mission! No need to miss me! I am almost home!

Time in El Monte is going fast. It is amazing all the things that I thought I knew and I really didn't. I am beginning to understand there exists a grand chasm between knowing something and understanding something. I think that I am beginning to actually understand the Gospel now. Crazy right? After 19 years of being the church I am beginning to get what is going on. So depressing that I wasted so much time.

 

Something I learned about the creation today. It is actually only organized. We have a church of order, we are beings of science and well, order. We need to be organized in everything. If we are, we find purpose, peace, and understand who we are. Also we already are in the image of God, now we just have to make our spirits like the Spirit of God. That is the grand challenge of life.

 

Love you all! Sorry I am a lame emailer!

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

No Greater Work to Do

B. took the Sacrament!!!!! And to make it just as amazing, her oldest son M (who has a very similar story to Nairne) blessed that very sacrament so that she could take it. It was the first time that he blessed the sacrament (he is 26 a recently got pulled off the street by my dear friend Elder B. 6 months ago) M. has always come to church in some kind of sporty Puma sweat suit and this week he came in a perfectly trimmed suit with a beautiful tie all shaved up and handsome. I was so amazed. We have gotten really close to their family along with others here in the great town of El Monte. I feel like I have lived here all my life.

 

My little milagro el Mar. got baptized yesterday. It was a beautiful service that was filled with all sorts of emotions. He is 16 so we needed a signature from his mom who was late to the baptism so we were a little stressed but it all turned out good in the end. But he was  miracle. He came to church on his own and we met him there; went to his house, taught him all 5 lessons in 3 weeks and got baptized:  never seen someone so prepared in my life.

 

We have had some great times the Hermana M. and I this cambio. It is coming to an end super fast..... Can't even explain how crazy it is how fast the mission goes. I have learned a lot about love and patience in this cambio. Would I say I am loving and patient? No. Not at all. But I am definitely on the way. I am getting there step by step and really feeling a difference. My only fear is coming home and just going back to how I was. I really do not want to do that at all. I have never felt so tired, in pain, and yet completely content with my life. I think that is something that you can only feel while out here in the mission field...and it is not easy. But I know without a shadow of a doubt that there is no greater work to do in this life or the life to share the Gospel so that we can help everyone to receive that gift of eternal life with God one day.

 

Love you so much!

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

I am living a Miracle

Things that happened this week. What didn´t? First off my comp and I got the award of companionship of the mission! What! It was super exciting! But also we put a target on our heads from the other missionaries...... It´ll get a little awkward soon.

 

I learned this week that I don't just want to see miracles but live them. I feel like all this time I have spent in EL Monte I have been living a miracle. I definitely had a ton of revelation and felt the change in my heart and seen it in others. All of these little things have led up to me believing that I am living a miracle. Makes me want to stay out here and not go home because what miracles will I be searching for back home? None. So that will be lame. I have to enjoy every promise that is given as a missionary and put in my part so God will bless me with the part He says. Just start thinking smart and doing things of your own will and God will bless you. President told me that God told Adam and Eve to take care of the garden so what did they do? Came up with other stuff right? That's what we can do! Just  be creative and step outside the box.

 

Also there is this lady named B. in my branch who could never take the sacrament because she lived with her boyfriend but on Sunday (after a ton of time) she told me she finally left him so that she could take the sacrament. God hit me with another humble stick of his power. I cried so much.

 

Love you all so much!

Hermana Farner

Use Your Talents

This week we worked really really hard and met some great people; difficult to believe that there are so many people ready for the Gospel and ready to return to the Gospel that it just blows my mind. We really noticed that there is no way that we can do this work alone and that is when we really understood the importance of the members in missionary work. It is so much easier to sit in the house and only think about yourself and only think about your family. But when you realize that actually there are so many people more that are your brothers and sisters it is a lot easier to go and get things done en la obra del Señor. 

 

I made myself a promise. When I come home in a year the first thing I am going to do before I unpack my suitcases or see my friends, is to bake some cookies, and go meet our neighbors. Invite them to dinner with the missionaries and let them get to know the Gospel in a non confrontational way. Then I am going to the temple and going to do some missionary work for the dead. I  have received a ton of revelation about doing all we can in this life. 

 

There is a General conference talk called '4 minutes' in the Ensign. If you really think about it, SHOOT. Our life is so short. Are we wasting it with pastimes and hobbies? Are we really using our talents to help others come unto Christ?

 

Mental Tenacity says, "Having a talent serves as nothing if you don't use it." USE YOUR TALENTS. but not just for your own benefit. Use them for the bettering of others. If you haven't, repent and do it better.

 

Thank you for the wonderful letters that I received! I LOVE GETTING LETTERS! And you are all so kind to send me them.

Love you all and hope all is well at home!

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

Barefoot in the Chapel

This week was crazy. We had changes and me and the Mitty are together for one more. The week started out really slow after having all kinds of miracles the week before. Man was I impatient. But there is something I definitely learned right there, God always blesses you in his own time. We got blessed on Sunday. We had a baptism on Saturday! J. our bestie got baptized finally. He is the strongest convert I have ever met. But funny story, we were filling the baptismal font and thought it took 4 hours, but we went and checked on it after 2 hours and the whole entire chapel was filled with water. The elders some members and one of our investigators Ma.n swept all the water out onto the street. I was barefoot in the chapel and the water was up to my ankles. Wasn't the finest moment of my life. But regardless Juan got baptized and it was so great. Then the next day all sorts of people came to church that we hadn't seen in forever. God always completes His promises. I got a big palo about being patient this week. I have a lot of changing to do.

 

Life is good in Chile. Cold. I am sick. But with the amount of medicine I am taking it should end soon :) Obedience with exactness brings baptisms. That is the theme for this exchange. Time is flying... Dont know what to do!

 

Anyway one last thing. The Book of Mormon. Always had a testimony of it, but me and the Mitty were talking about it the other day and I remembered someone told me that if I didn't see the tearstains on the plates when I read the book of Mormon I wasn't reading it right. And it finally happened the other day. I am finally reading it right. I can see every tear that was shed by Mormon and Moroni as they wrote and gathered the books together as everyone is dying around them. I finally get it.

 

Love always,

Hermana Farner

Another change

We had transfers. I have another change with Hermana M. and El Monte. We are gonna rock this place. Have a baptism on Saturday. J.is super dope. Never seen someone so humbled by the Atonement and the Gospel. He is legit. This is the promised land of Chile. Seriously SO MANY PEOPLE READY FOR THE GOSPEL!  Hermana M. and I received companerismo de la semana last week and this week. I think our Zone Leader is biased but hey I won't complain. I'm working my butt off.

 

Learning a lot but can't put it into words. I know I am here for a lot of different reason and as my testimony grows so does my humility. I can see so clearly how God lays up the day to teach me, investigadores, menos activos, mi compañera, and inactivos something completely different. And at the end of the day, WOW. Can´t even explain it. Its like I am getting hit with a stick of humility and all I can do is sit there and let the tears of gratitude come and wonder why God has blessed someone so insignificant like me with so many miracles.

I would like to challenge you all to do the same.

 

I get why you have that "ta dah" list mom. It really works. Listen to God and your local leaders and you will be blessed.

 

Miss and love you all!

Hermana Farner

"Success is Not a Matter of Luck"

I think I hit the biggest change of my life in the mission this past weekend, but let me start from the beginning,

Last week I hit rock bottom, never been so desanimado and sad in my life; waking up was hard, thinking was hard, all I wanted to do was cry.

And then the rain came. It rained and rained and rained and rained and nobody let us in, and I was singing and singing and singing with all my heart just so I wouldn't cry and so my comp wouldn't just give up. It was rough.

I can bet everyone has felt like this before. When you are falling and you can feel every sharp jab of cold air in your face and your arms, you see the bottom and there is no way to look up because you are falling down. BUT, when you finally hit rock bottom, you can roll over and look up. And above whatever pit you are in, whatever situation of sadness that you are feeling, God is always there with His arm stretched out ready to pull you up and out. But here is where it will always lie in your power. You choose whether or not to roll over. You choose whether or not to open your eyes, and you choose whether or not to make the effort to grab His hand. It all starts in your head.

 

Elder M. Russell Ballard wrote a small talk for missionaries that our President of the Mission gave us this past week. It is called Mental Tenacity. I felt like Joseph Smith reading James 1:5 when I read this talk, nothing has hit my soul more strongly or changed my life so dramatically. There are tons of good parts of this talk, in fact I am memorizing it, but the part I like the best is "Success is not a matter of luck. It is something produced and obtained every day until converting yourself". And I decided to apply it.

 

Sunday morning we got ready to leave and bring people to church and it was raining and raining hard. There was nothing that we could do about it. And we called our people and they all said no.  Easy to say that there luck wasn´t ours right? But no. I decided I wasn't going to live like that any longer so I went for it. I called them all again, told them what was up in the most direct way possible, went by their houses in the pouring rain and in the end, only one person walked to church with us. BUT it doesn't end there either. Easy to let your mind say, oh well we tried, nothing is going our way. NO. Have the faith. After church started the Familia C, menos activos showed up. La J tambien, and Then our baptismal date Ju showed up too. And I am a witness that it all starts in your head. If you let a little bit of doubt enter, that is where your success ends. I will see miracles, I will move on and I will choose to roll over, open my eyes, look up, STAND UP, and reach out. And God will do the rest.

"Think of baptisms and you will baptize"

 

Be a creator of circumstances, not a creature of circumstances.

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

God is always there

El Monte has so much potential and so much that is good but the adversary is working hard on Hermana M. and me. We cry a lot.  The people don´t understand us, and the men are quite forward and makes it impossible to contact families.

 

But, I will have you know that I have never felt the Spirit guide me so strongly in these weeks of pain and anguish than in my entire life. I have felt pushed to doors that have opened for us to hear the message of God. I have shared scriptures with people that the still small voice told me I should do to see these people start to cry and tell me that I was inspired to share because that is what they needed to hear. I have felt the power of God fill me as I testify of God´s love for His children and I have seen people nod and smile as that knowledge touches their hearts.

 

What do I learn from this? God is always there. He is always beside us, holding our hand, putting his arm aroud our stooped shoulders when we feel like we can´t move on. He will never give you something you can´t handle. He will never leave you to fight alone. If any of you are going through a hard time in your life, remember where you stand. And find joy in the fact that you are the master of your fate and the captain of your soul.

 

As Theodor Roosevelt once said, "Its not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, who strive valiantly, who errs; who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasm, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at best knows the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly so his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

Love,

Hermana Farner 

Thrust in the sickle and move forward

What to say? Well let's see. This week was a rough one as I have told  my family. There are so many things that are thrown in the mix of life that sometimes confusion rules and it's hard to remember that there is order and order is of God and if we are confused that right there is the devil trying to bring us to his side. Never let that HAPPEN! But how can we avoid that?

 

What I like to think about is the life of Alma the Younger. Most of the time when we think of him we end the story after his miraculous vision when his sins were forgiven him. But I think we miss the most important part of his life. What happens afterward. What does he do when he gets forgiven?  He goes and gets to work preaching the Gospel. He throws in his sickle and starts harvesting for the Lord. All those that have been forgiven of their sins should have a natural desire to give the same gift to those around them. But his life doesn't end there either. When he is the chief judge and high priest (double duty), he basically receives a palo from God that says he isn't fulfilling his purpose as high priest because the church in Zarahelma is basically apostasizing. So what does he do? Chooses something better. Quits the chief judge thing and starts working full time thrusting in his sickle and moving forward. And through his example, helps his three sons as well changes their lives. In the end of his life, he totally fulfilled his purpose and leaves the city and gets taken up to God.

 

What am I trying to say with this? Basically anyone who is on the road to eternal life and takes time to look back isn't fit for the kingdom of God. When we are forgiven, we are forgiven. It's that easy. Anyone who tells you differently is the devil and all he needs is a heisman. Hate that guy.

 

Anyway. Not much else has happened here in good ol El Monte. We had some funny experiences. Ran into a house that had a whole bunch of baby doll heads on sticks outside the house.... haha that was fun. Starting Semana 4. Time is flying. Saddddllyyy...

 

Love you and miss you all. Been thinking about my great young women leaders Corinne, Sister Mann, Liz Hardy, Sister Gudmundson, Sister Quist and all those that taught me to do good in this world and be a lady. Thanks so much!

Hermana Farner

Sacrifice is not giving something up, it is giving your best

Love the analogy about God and prayer, believe it or not I use the same analogy with obedience. I say "Me gusta pensar en Dios sentado en su trono esperando por nostros a guardar sus mandamientos y el tiene muchas regalos alrededor de Él y cuando guardamos los mandamientos recibimos los regalos que Dios quiere que tengamos"

 

Funny story about Elders. The Elders out here are way too funny. We have Elder S de Wyoming, Elder B de Italia, Elder C de California y Elder R de Mexico. Elder R is so funny.  The other day we were all together and he asked me how many scarves I had because apparently I am always wearing a different one. Not so. But all the Elders were teasing him and asking why he was paying so much attention to the "Hermana". But funnier yet, Elder B asked me for my Lego tag that I had on my suitcase and I was like sure go for it man. So he changed all the information to his own, EXCEPT for my phone number hahha. Way too funny, think he was embarassed when I saw it. Made me laugh though.

The most amazing thing happened on Saturday. I got this call from the Assistants the the President and they told me that L. AND S. WERE GETTING BAPTIZED IN MY LAST SECTOR!! WHATTT. I was way too excited. They told me I had permission to leave and attend the baptism. But The Elfa and I had this dope plan for Saturday to get people to the church. We had made little bags of candy and planned this lesson about giving our body and spirit the nutrition it needs to move forward. The only way to get that is from the church. I looked at the calendar and in my mind I thought, maybe none of these people will be here. The citas fall all the time. But I wasn't sure. SO we prayed to see if we could really spend all Saturday at a baptism and after the prayer, I read in Alma 53. I have no idea what it says in English so you will have to read your English scriptures, but anyway, basically I knew I needed to stay in my sector. I was dying.... I wanted to go so bad but yeah we stayed. And boy were we blessed. We had 9 lessons in one day. The average here is like 2. When I was working in Maipu I had an average of about 4 or 5 daily. But 9 is unheard of.

 

I remember a quote from a dear friend out here named Hermana S, the quote goes, "Sacrifice is not giving something up, it is giving your best" That is so true, if we are measuring our success by what we are giving up as a "sacrifice" that is not enough. If we think that wow we are so special because we gave up playing a sport on Sunday to go to church or gave up drinking coffee to obey the Word of Wisdom yeah that is not enough. If you did those things out of the idea that it was a sacrifice but aren't doing anyting while you are in church, if you aren't teaching others the things you have learned from keeping the Word of Wisdom you aren't giving your best. If I had thought, wow I am here in my sector when I could have been in the baptism "what a sacrifice" and I didn't get my head in the game, that wasn't a sacrifice. I gave up something and then worked my butt off with my comp to do the will of the Lord. That is what we all should be doing in these final days. Move on from what has happened in the past and get moving.

 

Love you all so much and think of you often!

Hermana Farner

Choosing to follow God

So here is something that I learned on Sunday. I was in divisiones with Hermana S., she is from Utah and just a gem. Love her to death. She got sick so we couldn't work so while she laid in bed we talked Gospel.

What is obedience?

Hermana V. once told me that people are obedient for 3 different reasons:

1)Because they know they should

2) Because they want blessings

3) Because they love God

 

I think that with each commandment each one of us can be using one of these reasons. Maybe we know that if we pay our tithing we will receive blessings, maybe we follow the Word of Wisdom because we know we should. But when we reach the ability to completely obey because we generally love our Father in Heaven, then we are living the law of Consecration.

But how do we get to that point? I certainly am nowhere near living all the commandments because I love God. Don't get me wrong, I do love God but not a lot the commandments just have clicked in my brain in that way yet. I obey because I know I should.

Until yesterday. I realized that at this point of my mission and in my life. I follow one commandment sí o sí because I love God. And that is reading the Book of Mormon. When I was younger I read the Book of Mormon every day from age 14 until now. I missed a couple days but no more that I can count on one hand. But I was reading because I knew I should and I knew I would get blessing and strength. I had a testimony because I did it. But I wasn't converted because I didn't do it out of love and a pure desire to follow God's will. I hadn't made a choice. I was reading in Helaman 14: 30-31 which says: 

30 And now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.

 31 He hath given unto you that ye might know good from evil, and he hath given unto you that ye might choose life or death; and ye can do good and be restored unto that which is good, or have that which is good restored unto you; or ye can do evil, and have that which is evil restored unto you

I don't know why this made me think of obedience, but when we choose to be obedient we are choosing to follow God. And if we can get to the point to choose to do the things of the Lord not because they are an obligation but rather because we just want to do God's will because we just love the guy so much, that's when we are the closest to him and our Savior. That is when we are the most Christlike, and that is when trials and tribulations are but a small moment and we have an unshakeable faith and an unbreakable attitude of hope.

I sincerely hope that one day in my life I will be wise enough to choose this path in my life. That I can be so above temptation that I choose to obey because I love.

 

Tell Corinne that I love her and that she should have come and said hi to me! She is awesome, I learned so much from her when she was my YW president. I am eternally grateful for her example and love. Like my second mom.

 

Love always 

Hermana Farner

Talagante El Monte 3 HERE I COME

We had changes again. I got moved to a new sector with a new companion and we are in the middle of nowhere. I was converted into a city girl. I miss the noise and the people. But this sector needs a lot of help, and that my friends is why they sent the maquina Hermana Farner to lift it up.,, haha just kidding, I am scared out of my mind.

My comp is named Hermana Mi. and is from Idaho. She has about 8 meses in the mission. So basically.... we don't speak much. Spanish will be the challenge in this change I am almost 100 percent sure. We have already made lots of goals to help us with that because, yeah, I am scared out of my mind.

 

I was crying so hard when they told me that I had changes. Luisa and Santiago are getting baptized on Saturday, we had found all sorts of people and everything was working perfectly. We had 139 lessons in our exchange. All sorts of new investigators and all sorts of good stuff was starting to roll forward and then boom they took both of us out and put my companion in as Sister Training Leader (like the boss she is) and sent me to Comp menor otra vez in a dead sector. What more does God want?

Well, I will tell you. I was reading in 1 Nephi 16 and if you remember this is where Nephi totally breaks his bow. And everyone is really mad at him and they are all are saying "Who is this rookie and who left him alone with the good bow?" But Nephi doesn't let anything phase him and he goes for it and makes a new one. And then he does something that really touched my heart today. He goes and asks his Dad, where should I go to get food. In Spanish ¿A dónde debo ir para obtener alimento?

 

It's like me, God knows where I need to be to get that spiritual nutrition that I need. I just need to trust in Him and the plans He has for me. I need to help others to come unto Christ, that is why I am here. If I am here in this sector it is because it needs something that I have. I can guarantee you that I don't have "it" yet but God is going to put all sorts of stuff in my path so that I can develop "it" and become who He wants me to be.

All I have to do now is be obedient, smile, and work my tush off just like my mom and dad taught me. And all of my coaches in every sport I have ever played (thanks Coach Bullock). Mas adelante in that scripture it says that we need to be faithful and diligent.

 

Talagante El Monte 3 HERE I COME

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

No substitute for the Spirit

This week we learned quite a bit the little Hermana M. and I. We have several miracles in the work with our investigators. We are working and waiting to see how it all works out with them. But patience that lovely heavenly virtue that we all need but hate to develop was much needed.

I am going to write an experience that I shall never forget that happened this week. There is this lady named C. she is about 32 years old and is less active in the church. She has two daughters 7 and 3 named G. and I. respectively. She is married to a non member named G. and he is a 7th day Adventist.

We starting sharing the Gospel with them and G. lived in California for most of his life so he talks a lot of English and is professor of sorts of English as well so we talk a lot in English. He has a lot of doubts, questions, accusations but we are all close pals and he is really cool.

We were teaching him on Saturday and it got a little heated, to the point where my comp told him that she would see him on judgement day and then he would know that she was right and he was wrong. I had studied earlier that day in Preach my Gospel and in there Brigham Young tells his story of his conversion, this is what he said:If all the talent, tact, wisdom, and refinement of the world had been sent to me with the Book of Mormon, and had declared, in the most exalted of earthly eloquence, the truth of it, undertaking to prove it by learning and worldly wisdom, they would have been to me like the smoke which arises only to vanish away. But when I saw a man without eloquence, or talents for public speaking, who could only say, “I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord,” the Holy Ghost proceeding from that individual illuminated my understanding, and light, glory, and immortality were before me. I was encircled by them, filled with them, and I knew for myself that the testimony of the man was true.⁵⁹ As I was sitting and listening to them raise their voices at one another, this quote came and hit me right in the head. I really felt that we were not helping this family at all if we taught in that way. I touched my comp on the leg and waited for them to finish their conversation and I bore my testimony and we left.

 

Afterward we had a nice discussion between my comp and me about how we should teach lessons. I learned a powerful lesson about the spirit that night and it is something I will never forget for as long as I live. God is always preparing people to accept the Gospel, and there is no amount of knowledge, tact, grace, or talent that can subsitute for the Spirit. (ps. the quote is better in Spanish)

 

Tell Jean congrats and that there is no better lady to have in Young Women's than she. She is the youngest of us all!

 

Love you all!

Hermana Farner

Never Give Up

What did I learn this week?  Never give up. When you are tired, when your body hurts, when you can't eat anymore rice and chicken, when it's hot and cold and hot and cold again during the day, when the investigators don't capture the idea of the sacerdocio being restored, just don't give up. I have never been so angry, happy, sad, in good humor, and depressed in any time of my life than in the mission. Seriously, I am dying out here but loving it..... the weirdest sensation.

I recently completed 5 months in the mission, let me tell you I remember like it was yesterday when I arrived. I am sitting next to the Elder that picked me up from the airport, he goes home in 2 changes with my zone leaders. My first companion leaves in 4 changes, la M. in Enero. The mission is soooooooooooooooooo fast. I can't even explain how fast it is. It seems like every other week we are showing up to a reunion de cambios and everyone is being moved, can't even explain it. Mind is blowwwnnn all the time.

 

I recently finished the Book of Mormon in English and am now leaving all my English books in my suitcase and going full blown Spanish, I have never wanted something more in my whole life, to speak and understand like a native. I just want to be latin and speak in Spanish. Everyone can understand me, but I don't like that. The perfectionist inside of me is coming out. I just want to talk like I have lived Chile for 6 years and that is where the heavenly gift of patience comes out. Oh, that lovely gift. Patience.

What is patience you may ask? Well, it is when we know that everything will turn out for the better, and we trust in God enough to let it happen according to His plan.

What the heck does that even mean? I am obviously the most impatient person in this planet because I physically feel pain when things aren't happening how they are supposed with these investigators. SO I always fall back on the scripture in D&C 130:20-21. Things willl ALWAYS work out. Patience and hope... all you need to get through this life. Oh and good dose of humility. Still working on all three, and the bags under my eyes are good proof of that.

 

I know I have a whole giant genie bottle of potential, I feel like I am staring at it and my hands just won't move to rub it and let the magic out, and I think Heavenly Father is saying to me "You can do it, just think, trust, and act, you can do it" And yet I still don't lift my hands to rub the bottle. I don't want to go home because I feel like I still haven't learned what I need to in the mission. Oh es tan frustrante. pero yo tengo como 13 meses a buscar que Dios me quiere que encuentre. Nada que ver.

 

Love 

Hermana Farner

The importance of being humble

What happened this week? Nothing much! There are a lot of fires, a lot of earthquakes but really far away. Not affecting us but it is super sad.

 

Well the change is going by super rapidly. Don't want the Elders to leave they are like my fam! Same with the companion.

 

Learned a lot about the Lord's plan this week. I feel like I am just spitting my soul everyday in Chile and leaving it all on the streets of my sector until I come home empty. But things don't work out the way that I want them to or the way that I think they should. But here is the deal. God has His plans, His own timing and we just got to keep moving so that when He presents us with the one person that we are meant to teach that we will be ready.

It's like if you are on a jog and have to cross the street and the little man is red, you need to jog in place so that when the light turns green, you will be able to run without difficulty.

 

Totally offered service to dig gravel the other day and the guy actually let me! I went digging just like Dad taught me and he goes, No way! You actually know what you are doing! haha!  Dad taught me well. It felt good to actually get some manual labor out of the system. That is the only thing that I wish I could do more of on the misión, cut wood and shovel dirt. I miss those a lot. I miss gardening in general. None of the people will let us help them! So frustrating!

 That is something that I have learned out here, the importance of being humble and letting others serve you. Sometimes we feel like if we accept help it is showing weakness, but even if we might be able to do it all on our own super fine, simply letting someone else serve you gives the other person the ability to receive blessings and self satisfaction;  something that they couldn't receive if you continually deny them. Feels good to serve, so we should be humble and let others serve us.

 

La Hermana M. is super great. We have a lot of fun together. She is super great and is super tired all the time too because I make her work a lot more than she has ever worked (that's what she told me at least) She is very satisfied with our numbers because it is much different than her last sector, but ya,.... I'm not. We can do a lot better than we have been. Not satisfied. God is teaching me something again. haha :)

 

Love

Hermana Farner

Pixie Dust

Let's see. What happened this week? Nothing really. Numbers were low. I am a Little upset.

 

I learned something great from GC that I want to share- it is about our 4 minutes to live.

I loved that talk. Really made me think about the big perspective. If we are doing the best we can, we are doing what the Savior wants of us. If we are sharing the Gospel. We are doing what the Savior wants of us. Be obedient and love others. Consecrate yourself. Do what God wants you to do. With a Little bit of faith, trust and pixie dust.  What is pixie dust you may ask? Well I like to think of it as a Little sparkle of positivity, a glimmer of hope, and a soul filled with love. When we have faith and we trust our Lord, we need to do it with some joy, and a smile. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

 

I loved Elder Uchtdorf´s talk about just being grateful. Live your life like that and your already halfway to heaven. And last of all Get a Load :) Elder Bednar said that is the only way to keep traction, bear your burden yoked to the Savior. And LOVE IT :)

We played basketball today with our Zone, me and Elder R. were killin it. Man I miss basketball so much. I really don't miss the US at all or my life at home, the only thing that I do miss is basketball. I think I will go to small university so I can play ball on a team because I don't know if I can live without it. That was so weird.

 

Funny Story: Hermana M. and I run every other morning and one morning she and I both fell. But she fell like in slow motion and tore up the bod, but I fell and did like a sick James Bond roll without a scratch it was hilarious.

 

Love you all!

Hermana Farner

The Importance of making a Decision

MO. AND IS. GOT BAPTIZED YESTERDAY!!!!!!!!! WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE·EEEEE! It was awesome.  It was beautiful!

The new pension is really nice. We live with two other hermanas. Hermana B. (Argentina) and Hermana C. (Greenie from Pullman Washington!) they are awesome. Hermana B loves to talk and drink the mate. She is legit, love her to death. Hermana C. is a greenie with some red red curly hair. Super tierna. I love living with them. Hermana M. is  champ. She is teaching me a lot. We are having a good time together. I apparently talk in my sleep, but in Spanish and I promise blessings to those that keep the commandments. Nada que ver.

 

I got food poisoning again! Yay! Found some sweet cat hair in my food from one of the members. Hermana M. took good care of me. Didn't have throw up, but I wish I did if you know what I mean.

 

And on the spiritual side, this is what I learned this week: The importance of making a decision.

There is this Mormon message about forgiveness and a guy named Chris Williams whose family was killed by a drunk teenage driver, when he met the kid that killed his family, the thing he told him to do was to pick a day and just forget what had happened and move on.

There was this picture in my room before I left on the mission of a little kid running through a field with just the biggest smile on his face, the caption underneath says "Happiness is not a destination but a manner in which to travel."

2 Nefi 2:25 says Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they might have joy.

What do these things have in common? Happiness is a decision.To be full of joy doesn't depend on your circumstances. To want to sing and smile doesn't come from any outside influence. It comes from within. It is a mental action, a conscious choice. If there is a sin in the past, someone you haven't forgiven, si tiene rancor en su corazon, pick a day and forget. God has already forgotten if you have repented and changed. If you are sad, make the decision to be happy. It doesn't depend on what is happening around you, we are here to have joy. But we have to make the choice first.

 

And what do ya know, what do ya guess? I am happy now. I picked a day to forget the past, I picked a moment to feel the joy. And here I am. In the same place and in the same situation but completely different. There is some higher principle that I am going to learn soon but yeah at this moment I am still on level one on how to disfrutar my mission and my life.

 

That's all folks! Pumped for the GC! Elder K. tells me that General Conference in  the Greenie room is like going to the superbowl in the mission. haha ;)

 

Love and miss you all! Life is to be enjoyed no just endured!

Peace out Young bloods.

Hermana Farner

My twin from Mexico

Mo. and Is. did not get baptized. Hopefully this week. We have faith!!

We had changes and Hermana V, left! The new team in Los Cerrillos, Los Libertadores 2 es Hermana M. y Hermana Farner. Hermana M. is pretty legit she is loud and opinionated (in a good way) and loves to laugh, so basically my twin from Mexico. I have a feeling we will see a lot of success together as comps.

We are also switching apartments with the Elders. They have a nicer and bigger one so I guess the sisters get it because we are more careful and cleaner. Perks of being a woman missionary! :) We change today. I packed my camera so I dont have any pictures to send sorry!

What else happened this week? We had a whole lot of investigators attend church. That was awesome we had 7 with us. I love it when they come to church. That is when you know they are really progressing.

Church is like the competition that you have been `preparing' for the entire week. It is what you want everyone to accomplish because when you go to the House of Prayer, the feelings that you feel when you pray to your Heavenly Father are magnified in a way that before wasnt even possible to think. The Spirit that can be found in the capilla is far more powerful than can be found in a home. That is why going to church is so important.

That is why in the Bible it says that it when we are two or more are united in the name of Christ the Spirit dwells there. Go to church people. House of order, house of prayer, house of God or however they say it in English. Do it. Even if you are tired, sick, grumpy, old, anything. Just do it. Go to church. Take the sacrament with Christ in mind, and BELIEVE in the Atonement and all that He did and is still doing for every single one  of you.

Had the highest number again with Hermana V. in our zone this past two weeks. I have a strong testimony that if you work well and communicate with with your companion, whether it be in marriage, mission, friendships, with your dog, whatever, you are going to be blessed by the Lord and change the world because you have the spirit with you.

 

Not much more has happened out here in the front. Until next week!

 

Love you lots!

Hermana Farner

All Great Things Start with a Prayer

Thank you so much for the letters mom! they are so awesome! I love getting the pictures! Though I would like one of you...

And yes from my lovely primos de Utah too! Thank you for your letters. Sara has just the best handwriting ever.

Had a good week; starting the last week before cambios. Super crazy fast. Have 9 fechas to be baptized. WHOA. Mind blown. If you have time watch the district como familia. It is pretty legit and great missionary prep. BAPTISMs the 23rd!!! Mo. y Is.

 

Fun stuff:

When you put your hair in a bun, it is called a tomate. hahhahaha

 

I have been thinking a whole lot about the importance of prayer. How every great thing in the history of the world started with a prayer. For example the magnificent atoning sacrifice of our Savior and Redeemer in the Garden of Gethsemane started with a prayer. When Joseph Smith wanted to know which church was true, he prayed and received the First Vision.

 

Just think of all the wonderful things that we can achieve if we were to apply Moroni 10:4-5 in every one of our prayers. If we had that real intent and talked to our Father with faith and assurance that He is there and listening. All great things start with a prayer. If we really need help, pray. If we feel alone, pray. Do the little things in a strong way and you will receive all sorts of blessings you never knew were possible.

 

Besos por todos! Remember who you are! I sent pictures!

 

Love, 

Hermana Farner

Our mansions in Heaven

Learning a lot about different cultures out here. But yes the wedding was beautiful. They were so happy, no worries got lots of pictures and all that. The sad part is they aren't getting baptized on the 15th they will get baptized on the 22nd because Is. needs one more church attendance. That was super sad.

I think I the hardest part of being on the mission is that there really is no manual. There is no guidebook. You just have to follow the Spirit. I feel sooooo young and inexperienced it is crazy.

Do I have funny stories? Boy do I ever!!! So the dudes here in Chile are way too funny. They will yell stuff at you but then run away like little children. For instance yesterday we were walking and this guy in his late 30s early 40s on his bicycle rode by and stopped for 6 seconds said in English "You are beautiful woman" and then sped off on his bike. hahhahahah. Way too funny. Then there was this drunk guy we walked past and he yells to me in English, "I love you! My name Silva!". They are all so bashful it is just hilarious. Now me and Hermana V. will say things to each other like 'Usted es muy guapa' and then pretend to run away. It has been a good ongoing joke for us.

 

The baptismal fechas are dropping like flies. That darn pesky agency. 

 

A little about faith. We read Alma 32 as a companionship. When we have that faith like a seed and plant it, it is how we can help it grow to become knowledge right? After that seed has grown into the big tree of knowlege the faith is dormant, but when winds come and shake the tree of knowlege the seeds that are there, fall to the ground and start to grow in the same form right? That wind can be a trial, it can be a temptation, it can be a challenge that you have to face but growing a new tree of faith. And soon you have another tree of knowledge growing close by. And then the course starts over! As we care for the trees that we have already obtained by continuing to nourish them, we soon have a forest. A giant forest depending on how well we take care of our little seeds of faith into knowledge trees. But the question in the end is, why? Why bother having a lot of trees? Why bother when I can just spend all my time cultivating my one tree? At times we think that quality is better than quantity. I am here to say that quantity and quality are equals. Those trees of knowledge are going to be cut down to make our mansions in heaven. We need good strong sturdy wood, but we also need a lot of it.

Faith should never be dormant for more than two minutes. We should always be improving always be getting better. Our life is like a glass. If we dont fill it with something to the brim, we will always have the option to look at it half empty. If we fill our lives with good things, we won't have the time to look at what we don't have.

 

Love and miss you all so much. The time really flies out here. I will be seeing your face in a couple short months mommy. Don't you worry!!  The pictures are hard to send because I don't know how to get the cable plugged into the computer. I swear I have pictures though! No se preocupe. 

 

Love youuuuuuuuu looottsss,

Hermana Farner

You Get What You Go For

The world is goin super well and I am sure that you all are loving life at home. I miss you all con toda mi corazon.

So we went and taught again at the spider glass house again and there was an ant in my glass this time. So funny! And then at lunch yesterday I had an ant AND a fly. My life....

SAW JILLIAN at the big meeting we had in saturday. It was awesome. Got your letter and also thank Brother Lewis for his letters they are awesome. And the Roll family. Didn't get to tell them forever ago but ya that is good stuff.

 

So this past week things are starting to get really cold. Winter is starting!!! Would you look at that? We are also on week 4 of my second exchange. It is crazy how fast the mission goes. It is going to be conference before we know it. I can't wait to hear the prophet speak.  There is so much more meaning in my life now concerning the Gospel. I always knew it was true, but now I think about how special it could be to my friends back home and how much it could change the world if the people would just let it.

 

The quote "You get what you go for" is exactly what I think about all the time. YOU GET WHAT YOU GO FOR. If I want more priesthood  holders in the church I am going to contact more middle aged men or men in their twenties. If I want more love in my life. I am going to give more love. If I want to get married after my mission I am going to change characteristics now to be a better woman of God so that I will attract a Man of God, not some random flaite. If I want to remember who I am I am going to remind myself every day that I can rattle the stars through the healing and strengthening power of the Atonement and our tools like the scriptures, prayer and especially our testimonies.

 

If you have the chance to bear your testimony, BEAR IT.  I know that a lot of times we groan when the same people bear their testimonies but seriously they are getting stronger while the rest of us are merely listing and growing mold. YOU GET WHAT YOU GO FOR.

 

If you have time read the talk by our good friend and past prophet GB Hinckley in the May 1999 Ensign I think called Find the Lambs Feed the Sheep or something like that. Help build Zion on earth.

 

Mo. and Is. are getting married Saturday!!! YAYYAA! Can't wait. And baptism next week. I really hope and pray that they will continue to be strong and worthy  to be baptized and that they are truly converted. That is one of the things that we learned from Elder Evans (leader of the mission board or something) that we get baptized when we are converted not the other way around. And Elder H., Nairne's friend from the mission told me the same things this week. (ya he is writing me.... weird right?) But it is so true. I just think of Peter and that bible verse  - When you are converted Strengthen your brethren. There is also a talk I think by Elder Bednar that talks about that very thing, that conversion is a life long process, but I believe there will be a moment that we all can look back and see that day where we decided that nothing else mattered more that serving the Lord, nothing else matters more than living the commandments and that there is nothing else that matters in this life than losing ourselves in the work of the Lord, then we will really find out who we are. I am deep in that mud right now. I love it. Love being in the trenches. Keep that eye single to the glory of God.

 

Love and miss you all. Call me Garfield because I hate Mondays because I hate writing you guys. Makes me sad! 

 

Con Amor,

Hermana Farner

Ps- The comp is great. I stopped being selfish and life is good now :)

Itsy bitsy Spider

Good Morning Washington!

How's life going up north? Down south is full of all kinds of emotion and weather.

 

First off FOOD. So we were teaching this lady and she brought us some pear juice and I noticed a black thing floating in the juice but hey I got to drink it right? So I was drinking it and avoiding the floating dot and then as soon as all the juice was gone and the black dot was finally at the bottom of the glass POOF it sprouted eight legs and started crawling up the glass. Yup. It was spider. A live one. But the best part was she poured me another glass and we had a fun round two! EWWWW.

 

Oh and also my hair always ends up in my district leader´s food. One time he literally pulled it out of his throat. It was super gnarly and hilarious. Yesterday this family served us hamburgers..... YESSS: So I ate 5 of them. My comp was super mad at me, but hey they kept offering and I wasn't about to say no to hamburgers! Sooo good. Oh and mom I ate tuna and noodles and thought of you!! Also the mango here is cheaper than apples. AND I eat tomatoes like there is no tomorrow.  I LOVE TOMATOES!

 

Spiritual: So I have been thinking a lot about convenants and the strength that they bring us. Sometimes we forget that when we keep our convenants and keep the commandments we will receive blessings! It is a promise from God! And the happiness that we will receive is beyond imagination. Sometimes I hear a song in the calle that reminds me of home and the happiness is so different. I can almost tangibly feel the difference of the pure joy of the Gospel and the supposed happiness of the world. 

Also I have been reading the Book of Mormon a ton and been thinking a lot about the final words of each on the prophets found in that book. Wow. Think about Nephi. In 2 Nephi he is talking about all this crazy Isaiah stuff and then he goes, wait a second I have a little more to tell you. and boom we get 31 and 32 of second nephi. The clearest explanation of the Gospel of Christ. think about the words of King Benjamin, his last sermon teaches everything we need to learn in such clear, simple, and powerful terms but with love and kindness.

Lehi when he is giving advice to his children. Same with Alma the younger before he walks off into the desert to be taken up into the arms of his Savior. WOW. I want to write a book analyzing the final words of every prophet in the book of Mormon and Bible. But of course, the Savior´s last words are the most poignant of them all. Before he ascends into heaven, he tells his apostles in Jerusalem, preach the gospel to everyone. There is no greater calling. Every member is a missionary.

 

I have been thinking a lot about if I knew I was going to die, what would I say? There is a talk in conference about this too but I honestly have no idea right now. I hope I live a long life so that I can learn and grow and have pain and trials so that when I finally get to see my Salvador again, I can truly thank him for his sacrifice for me and show him that I worked everyday to become more like Him and leave a posterity behind me following in the same path to eternal life with our family and God. Es la meta!

 

Never been happier than in the mission! Never been sadder than in the mission!

 

Random stuff: First earthquake! Was super dope. and I am also super clumsy. Trip over nothing all the time.

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

Salvation is not a cheap experience

I can't believe I am saying this, but I miss chopping wood and getting wood and getting my hands dirty. I miss the garden the most. I loved watering it every morning! hah. I am so weird.

 

The mission. It really is marriage training. Can't really say anything else about it. My comp and I have trust and communication issues. Both a little stubborn and both a little proud. I am still praying for patience and humility and self control. I figure I might as well invite all the desafios and pruebas at once so I can learn faster and be a better missionary later. Not drag things out. My three month mark is in like 3 days! Whoa!

 

With that marriage training is the quote from Elder Holland "Salvation is not a cheap experience" that is why we have all of these pruebas de fe, moments of complete depression, times where we can't see the light. Salvation isn't cheap. It isn't something that someone just stumbles upon. It is the constant striving to hold on to the iron rod and move forward. It is straight and narrow, often difficult to stay on because ya it is difficult. But the view on the top of the mountain after being stuck in the rain, stuck in the mud, sweating to reach the summit, it is all worth it. Without a doubt in my mind when I get to that celestial kingdom and see my Savior all those "hard things" in my past, not even difficult. Nothing can compare to salvation, nothing can compare to the love of the savior. But baby it ain't cheap!

 

My testimony grew this week when we were with a couple of investigators named Marc.and Mar. They are Evangelicos. Super learned in the Bible and all that stuff. To a third party it may have looked terrible for Hna V. and I because they were just bashing us. But those moments when you can testify without a doubt in your mind that we need the Book of Mormon because it contains the fulness of the Gospel, and that I know Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that I know that we need the Priesthood in our lives, that authority to act in God´s name on the earth, there is no other feeling like it. They might not have felt the spirit, that is their agency, their choice, but I felt it. Hermana V felt it. And it gives me strength to move forward. I love it!

 

So there is this lady Hermana P, she is member. She is very direct but in a nice way. She gave us lunch with specific instructions to bring the tupperware back on Sunday. So I washed that stuff like no other and made one of the little crafts for her and gave a scripture and all this sweet stuff and what not and brought it to church yesterday. The other Elders forgot theirs so I was feeling pretty good! So I gave it to her, all shiny and pretty, and she goes "Why didn't you bring it in a bag? Seriously?" hahahaha. I didn't even know what to say!

 

So I was walking back to my pew and I saw Elder K. and told him what happened and he was like "No way seriously?" and then we went to Sunday School. But the Elders weren't there..... They had gone back to their house, brought the clean tupperware, IN A BAG, and gave it to Hermana P. Those Elders. Gosh. She was so happy with them.

 

Spanish was funny and rough this week. Some guy started laughing at me as I was trying to bear my testimony. But I realized something about why they are called Grandma´s cookies or Grandma´s bread, or Grandma´s chicken. It is because she is old and experienced. She has tried every ingredient every type of flour, variety of chocolate to come up with those perfect cookies that melt in your mouth. Occasionally in her past she had one of those perfect batches, but the next ones were burnt. But that is ok, there are times when there are going to be those burnt cookies because when we taste those, we remember the good ones. That is Spanish for me! I am improving every day, but some days it is like Day one all over again. But I know that through experience I will get that bomb cookie recipe.

 

One other thing of importance that I am learning is the concept found in Mosiah 2:33. About not listing. When I think of listing I think of a boat in the water. Just sitting there. Rocking with the waves. Perhaps it is faced toward the direction it wants to go, perhaps it is in idle, perhaps it is off. But regardless it isnt moving anywhere. This boat is like us, when we are listing, not moving forward, two things can happen. A storm can come, and knock us around and possibly worse, mold and algae can start to grow beneath the surface of the water. Without moving forward, staying active following the counsel of D&C 58 and James 1:5-6, we are drinking our own damnation. Don´t list! Don't wait! Pray for the spirit and follow it!

 

IS. AND MO. HAVE THEIR WEDDING ON MARCH 8! BAPTISM MARCH 15! If you have cheap wedding ideas send me them! They have no money. And we want them to have the best day ever! 

 

Love and miss you all! Addy is precious.Love her to death. Miss all yall!

Hermana Farner

WHY DID I PRAY FOR HUMILITY AND PATIENCE?!?

CONGRATS SCOTT AND EMILY!!! My comp in the CCM Hermana McBride is in the Richmond Virginia Spanish Speaking mission and so is my roommate Hermana McCrae! Emily you are going to lovvvee the CCM in Mexico. What a place! Make sure to eat lots of the salsa that stuff is magic and I miss it every day. Scott you are coming to the promised land my man!

 

A few lessons about praying for patience and humility. I can testify that God answers prayers. I have been praying for the ability to gain the Christlike attributes of patience and humility in this past week. A word of caution and advice for the future. Don't ever do this. God answers prayers.

Let me explain.

 

One day we looked in our fridge and realized that all the food was hot. And well that's just not how a fridge is supposed to work. So we took all the stuff out and ya it was super dead so we don't have a fridge, not to mention the broken shower, toilet and lack of hot water because we didn't pay the bill (haha that last one is just stupidity) but ya that is always fun!

 

Humble yet? Nope.

 

I accidentally drank some rotten milk and ate some rotten jam. (Let's just stay that I was starving and made cereal in the dark. bad idea (stupidity again)). The next day I was laying in bed trying to puke but not being able to. Then we ate lunch at a member's house and I had to give my postre to Elder K to eat because there was no way that was gonna go down and stay down. So then we went to an investigator's house and right in the middle of the talk about the first vision, ya it started to come up. I sprinted to the side of the house and just started puking like there was no tomorrow. It was super super super funny and gross and just awkward. The lady was old and half blind so I don't think she knew everything that was happening but she could probably smell it. After that we finished the lesson invited her for baptism; she declined sadly and we went on our merry way.

 

But that was no the end of that. I used that bathroom in every other house we went to that day and for the next two days. I remember laying on the ground and crying because I wanted to go work but I couldn't move my muscles and all I could think of was WHY DID I PRAY FOR HUMILITY AND PATIENCE. And also then the answer came to my mind. Revel in the trenches and run uphill. Haha-good stuff.

 

I had my talk! Went well. I almost pulled a Mike Farner and asked everyone who did their home and visiting teaching to stand but I figured that it was a step too far. But I definitely spoke with my cutting edge voice with this ward. I am very frustrated; they are very amazing but won't work together. So I gave some nice whacks to the head with the proverbial stick in true Hermana Farner fashion. Do it ancient with some power and authority. 

 

The miracle of the cambios. We are staying in Los Cerillos for another 6 weeks and thank goodness for it! We prayed every night for like three nights that she wouldn't get changed. Hermana V has been in Los Cerrillos for about 6 months already so we were pretty nervous!  We have 8 baptismals fechas for March and we did NOT want to miss those. These people mean so much to me. Especially my Mo. and Is. and G:   Love those kids. Also L. is 73 and S. is 84 and they are the cutest couple ever. She always mentions how she wants to be married to S. for eternity in the temple and he always responds with a resolute smile and silly joke. He is a character for sure. Deaf as a doorknob but just the funniest sweetest old guy. Their grandkids and daughter are getting baptized too and it is just a happy time for that family.

 

I miss all of you and hope life is great.

Love always,

Hermana Farner