Monday, May 26, 2014

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

Monday, May 19, 2014

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

Monday, May 12, 2014

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

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

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