Glory in the Moment, live in the Tender Mercies of the Lord

I don't have a lot of time! Ah! First off it is rough in the ward, we have a lot of menos activas but that is Chile in general. Lots of baptisms not a lot of conversions if you know what I mean. 

Got the letters in the CCM and the letters from you with the picture of Nairne! Love it and carry it with me always. Send him one of me!

WE have 4 fechas for baptism! Straight up magic and miracles out here. I have a strong testimony that if we work and focus on what our purpose is we  are blessed with people that are prepared to hear and accept the word of God in their lives.

Their names are Mo, Is, Vi and Ma. Mo and Is are not married but have a little baby boy Ga who has got to be the straight up cutest baby in the world. They came to church and want to change their lives. They live in very humble circumstances and I love them so much . I invited them to the USA after the mish so be prepared to have them over!´

 

Ma is Addy's age. He has some problems we can't get him to share at this moment but we are working on it. He believes and comes to church almost every Sunday. Don't have any young men in our ward so its hard to get him a friend which is one of the keys to retention. If you can, have the missionaries teach others in your home! Be a member missionary! Step out of the box and do the work of the Lord!

I still don't understand the currency here at all and I am starting to realize that everyone has their own way of doing things. Oh the things we learn on the mission! 

 

I am learning the principle of patience and thought control. Thought control is super hard. I pray every day that I can stay present and not get caught up daydreaming about the future or thinking about the past. It is hard! Especially when this 94 year old man is speaking rapid Spanish about his cat that died two days ago. I mean I want to relate it to the Plan of Salvation but it is stretch even in English if you know what I mean. It is so much easier to just think about how delicious food is and how much I love it you know? Haha, such a baby thing but when you can master your thoughts, you can master the world. It all starts in your spirit and your mind. Clean those up and your life is a lot cleaner too.

 

So many things I want to say to you all! I have a little post it note with all sorts of stuff written down to tell you but I have 5 minutes! Ugh!

 

I think I will do a spiritual thought:  So often times we are having a lesson about persevering until the end right? Perserverar hasta el fin. And other people when they give this lesson they talk about how we make mistakes and that we just have to take it step by step, little by little. I totally agree with this statement, but not in the tone of the statement. We should glory and realize how wonderful each step is. Not imagining oursleves scraping along. Glory in the moment. Live presently. It makes the view at the end much more beautiful.

 

Come to the mountain of the Lord right?  That mountain is hard to climb, but if you look on each side of you there are birds, rocks, trees, plants, flowers the little blessings that sometimes get overlooked when we are so focused on the colossal mountain in front of us. This is what I am trying to do. Take those little steps but enjoy them. Live in tender mercies of the Lord.

 

Sorry if I didn`t answer your questions. I am so bad at managing this time!

 

Love you lots. Get some family history done too hah ;)

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

First Sickness in the Mission

I have a fever and crazy back and neck pain. First sickness in the mission! I had to stay in the house over the course of yesterday. I feel a lot better but I am still constantly sweating. rough life.

 

Dulce de leche is SO delicious. And I am going to start drinking mate for my digestion because ya.... I have a problem with the bano. haha rough life!

 

Funny story we were cleaning at a house and there the floor was wood and the lady kept washing the wrong way and all I could thing of was WITH THE GRAIN WOMAN, WITH THE GRAIN. haha :)

 

Fun words: halo- you yell this instead of ringing  doorbell haha. it is weird.. catche- means like "you get it?" and if you do you say "catcho". Palolo-boyfriend.

 

I broke a mirror and a spoon and my watch this week.

Milagro! got my camera fixed! Best day ever! Now all I have to do is learn how to load pictures onto the computer. CURSE YOU SPANISH. haha :) Nah un chiste I love it here.

 

Learning a lot out here. A lot about the need to respect my companion. We have very different styles of living, styles of communicating, among others. and then there is the language barrier. She is an angel for being so patient with me. I am starting to see my stubbornness and how it is a weakness that is inhibiting my spiritual growth. I can say without a doubt that a mission is the best and hardest thing I will ever choose to do in this life. I know that God has an amazing plan for me and  I want to be the woman of God that he wants me to be, I can only hope that I am spiritually sensitive enough to change and grow to become as such.

 

Learned a lot from a discurso by Elder Holland! All about leaving our nets behind and being able to truly say YES Lord I love you more than those things back home and I will feed your sheep.

 

This week was full of milagros we were able to teach so many people with the same power and authority found in Alma 17. I have a new phrase for myself. Do it ancient. We need to preach like Ammon and Aaron and Amulek and all those great missionaries of ancient times.

 

One last thing, I have come to understand that faith is not a feeling that we have but rather a manner in which we do something. I am still learning a lot about faith, but that is what I am starting to learn through one of our investigators. 

 

It is a short message because honestly I am a little dizzy and can't focus well with this fever of mine. Shoot. but tell P Fox I say hey and the mission is the best decison ever! Love to all! Especially you mommy! Miss you and love you a ton ton ton. Can't wait to see you in 16 months! haha can you believe it has already been 2 months?

 

Love,

Hermana Farner

The Mission Truly Changes You!

Dear Family and Friends,

First THE FOOD: I can testify that yes. The mission truly changes you. Last week me and Elder T both ate a chile pepper whole and I loved it. Hollan watch out we are having a pepper eating contest when I get home! In Chile we just have salads of tomatoes with oil and salt and then lettuce in a different bowl with oil and salt (salt and mayo are the two staples to the Chilean diet. I have not changed in my love for those. Hate them both: tomatoes and mayo) But ya I serve myself tomatoes and eat them whole and I like it! Same with bananas. The other day we had "burgers" and I had lettuce and tomato on mine. Mission change!! haha ;) We also were fasting the only time I could have had cake. Lame. Sacrifice for something better :)

 

APARTMENT:  The toilet seat isn't attached to the toilet and I have to gather my hair that falls out in the shower and throw it in the trash can so the drain doesn't clog. I think of Addison almost every morning! haha :)

 

BUGS: Ya I kill spiders and moths all the time. Sin temor! So weird to see the little things the Lord has provided for me in this mission to make the transition easier.

 

STORY: SO we were at this meno activas house and asked if they needed any help with anything and they were in the middle of a moving furniture day and so ya we started helping them. There was this giant closet thing that needed to be moved and it was not the most sturdy of structure, but anyway we started moving it and slowly each side of the closet fell off and ya totally breaking and my companion and this old lady were both still going about life like nothing was wrong. I was wishing that DAD was there to tell them how to move furniture! Finally she was trying to get this giant closet into just the TINIEST doorway and it was not going to fit and in my broken spanish I was trying to explain but ya they shoved it and the whole thing collapsed. So we brought it in piece by piece and there I was standing on a table in my skirt with nails and a hammer in hand repairing it! Through much sweat and much spanglish I was able to rebuild it. hahahah. Twas an adventure.

 

HEAT: I need a translation of heat! But its like 36 degrees celcius here everyday. I DIE.

 

SPECIFIC PRAYER: The other day we had a specific prayer that we would find a family of 5 to teach that would let us into their home and would get baptized. The work is slow in baptisms out here. Sad life! So we went about our day and slowly we were finding people and at the end of the day this family of three with the cutest baby in the world invited us in and we taught the first discussion. As we were walking home my companion leaned to me and said that we had 5 new investigators that day. All day we had been teaching that we are all sons and daughters of God and brothers and sisters in His family. The prayer was answered in a way that I didn't expect., but what a milagro.

 

Sister Gudmundson. THANK YOU FOR THE STICKERS THEY ARE LIFESAVERS!

 

Mom: Ya the people here have the weakest handshakes ever. I have to lighten up because it is like a dead fish. Your quotes everyday also apply to all of my doubts fears and themes for the day. Thank you!

Hollan: You are so much like Jacob in the book of Mormon it is crazy!

Addison: I miss you so much and love you so much and wish I could talk to you!

 

SPIRITUAL THOUGHT: The work of a missionary is like a pebble being dropped it the lake. Each ripple adds to another until finally it reaches the other side of the shore. As missionaries we may be that pebble, we may be one of the ripples. But by tiny experiences are people brought to the Gospel and when they finally reach that shore of baptism. It is a great day .It is important to not become discouraged because as long as we are working hard that is what is important!

 

FEED THE MISSIONARIES!

 

Love and miss you all so much and I am trying not to think about any of you because it makes being a missionary hard! Stay Safe!

 

Love always,

Hermana Farner

My first completos!

 

 

I am a gringa

Hellllooooo everyone!!! 

It is very different to be speaking in English so please forgive my grammar and my spelling.

 

Well I arrived in Chile and though I was all finished with that MTC life but no! I went straight to the Chile MTC and met a ton of cool people, got some sleep and did in field orientation again, but with the natives so the amount of English was decreased to almost none. I was in a room with a native Chilean, two Brazilians that knew Jillian and a Mexican who lived in the US. Yeahhhhhhhhh different. Very different. I had a rough first day but learned a ton about finding people. The Chile MTC taught us to find families! As I have been out here I am learning the concept of having an eternal family is super super important. I miss my family a ton and also see part member families suffer when they aren`t united. Heart breaking.

 

My first day in the field was a blur. I have a Chilean compànion who speaking NO ENGLISH except funny words like fetch. haha. I taught her swag, doe, and heisman. Whenever people don`t talk to us on the street we stop and say heisman and do the pose. SO GREAT. haha. She is awesome. We are best friends even though it is hard to understand each other.

 

We have so much food fed to us here. I am going to be so fat. Mom make sure you are saving for the gym membership because I need a work out buddy when I get home! I have a super strict in the home diet because outside I can't control it sadly. And here they never serve you water when you go to their house, it is always some kind of juice or some kind of soda. More often than not it is soda. haha.

 

They people here are so friendly they all will stop and talk to you even though they might not know you. Kissing people all the time is super different and 3 or 4 men have gotten upset when I said no because I am a missionary. It was pretty weird. I get a lot of whistles and yells and honks and inappropriate American words yelled at me because I am a gringa. AND SO WHITE AND TALL compared to everyone haha. Least favorite part of the mission but I can handle it.

 

We have some great investigators. J is like 74 or something and in a wheel chair she has a baptism date. Then Jo and M a couple of milagros in our lives. Found M who is like 16 on the street and invited him to church in the next visit and he was like sure ya! Then he brough his brother! Both said that if they received answers they would be baptized! J is getting baptized on the 25th. LA GENTE! Love all of them. I want to know Spanish so bad so I can help more. UGH the Lord is teaching me patience ;)

 

Miss you all so much and I hope that if you have time you can read the parables of the Savior in Matthew and apply each in your life. I have learned so much about how to better my life through the example of the Savior.

Love,

Hermana Farner

Presidente and Sister Barrieros and my new companion

Hey family!

I have finally reached el campo misiona!!  Everyone speaks Spanish, of course, but it is pretty cool.  I really like Spanish.  I don't understand it all exactly, but I get the gist of everything. 
This day is super slow because we are doing some important orientation stuff.  We got to see the city of Santiago.  It is really big.  Super crazy fun too.  So much to learn; Spanish, gospel, etc. But I want to get GOIN' so I will talk to you on Tuesdays? Maybe Mondays?  Can't remember.

The address for EVERYTHING (packages, letters) is:
Hermana Seattle Farner
Mision Chile Santiago Oeste
Correos,Casilla 149
Pajaritos, 1921
Maipu, Chile

Never use Fed-Ex, UPS, use US Mail flat rate global priority with  'missionary supplies' in the content line (value under $100) when mailing packages.

Presidente Barrieros says hi!

Love and miss you all!
Hermana Farner

 

 

President and Sister Barrieros, Training Companion Hermana V

I AM IN CHILE!!

I am in Chile! Safe and sound! I had some rough times with money and the 160 dollar fee. Rough life, had to pay cash and barely had enough. Had to beg her to take a slightly bent bill. I am super super tired and really scared. I am slightly on the verge of tears, and have been simply because I am so tired!

 

I am at the Chile CCM right now and will be here until tomorrow. President Barrieros wanted all his missionaries to come together from the CCM. Which means I have to have another in field orientation. I swear it takes so long for me to actually get to the mission part of the mission! Super frustrating!  But whatever.  I met some girls that knew Jillian here so it was cool to talk to them.

I miss my friends from the CCM in Mexico and I miss Mexico too. I got really lonely and homesick but it will pass hopefully. Chile is gorgeous. I am going to be so happy once I get some sleep. I got here at 7 this morning after flying through the night with no sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open! .

Sorry I couldn´t call. It just would not work for me. Lame right? Whatever, I will talk to you on Mother's day, it isn't too far away. Love and miss you mucho!

Con amor,

Hermana Farner

My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

Hello Everyone!

 

So today is Christmas and I only have a half hour to write all the feelings of my heart to my dear friends and especially family back home! People always seem to think that Christmas in the MTC or CCM would be terrible but I am having the best Christmas of my life out here! It is true that I miss my family and seeing those familiar faces back home, but there is something special about being out here and seeing tons of people in the same stage of life as I am, all doing our best to represent Christ every day, and when Christmas finally comes around it is like when your favorite band is in town and you have tickets to the concert! You are just so stoked! I have been grinning and smiling all day.

Mani and I got up super early this morning and we had made those giant 3D snowflakes earlier in the week and we had 10 big ones and 10 small ones that we taped and stapled together and then we went to our classroom and after some stealthy stealing of some poinsettia plants we decorated the classroom for our elders. We took some really good pictures that I will send if I have time today, but if not they will come before I leave. Then we made little envelopes out of notecards and wrote one word that best described each of our Elders and then put those words in the little envelopes and put them on leaves on their chairs and decorated the windows and whiteboard with a poem and stuff. Mom you would have been really, really proud haha :) I didn´t know I was so crafty until I was pulling out a white sheet from the bedding closet and using it as a tablecloth. It was a great, great morning. Christ is so apparent in every aspect of life.

For Monday I did my laundry and it was hanging out on the line to dry and I was eating at the Comedor and I realized that I had forgotten my nametag, so I ran back to the Casa and while I was running I got this feeling that I should take in my laundry and I didn´t think that I had any time to do so, but I just did it anyway! And I kid you not 10 minutes later it was down pouring rain like I've never seen. If I had left it there, I would have had no sheets to sleep on that night! He is just so thoughtful you know?

Well that is Christmas here. This last week has flown by. It is so bittersweet. The relationships that I have made out here are so precious and I don´t like to think of the possibility of never seeing these people I regard as my family ever again. I love them! My district is worth waking up at 4:30 in the morning to have a surprise Christmas ready for.

 

Last Sunday there were all of these devotionals on the importance of committing ourselves wholly to the Lord and doing His work. Now me and Elder T had a really, really deep convo about 2 days before this on what we sacrificed to come out on missions. Let's just say that I had to sacrifice hardly anything to get out here. There was nothing holding me back. Tuck on the other hand sacrificed a whole lot. We sat and cried and talked about it for probably a couple of hours. Then this guy Elder C (he is the leader of something here) gave probably one of the best devotionals of my life all about EXACTLY what me and Elder T talked about. The whole time I was taking notes my mind was being blown and afterwards me and Elder T ran to each other and were like "DUDE WHAT!" It was so cool. Then we just talked all about everything again.  Elder C compared the importance of dedicating our whole selves to the story of Lot´s wife. It is Genesis 19:26 I do believe. Read it and think about what you have in your life that you stare back longingly at. There are a lot of things that seem to be there for me. But I am noticing a gradual change in my nature. I can see a little clearer, feel a little more purely, love a little more genuinely, care a little more about everything in general. My heart is finally starting to soften. I hope I can remain following my Savior and being happy like I am here. Have you listened to that song yet? My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee? If you haven´t do it right now because it is awesome, then read D&C 122:8-9 and 3 Nephi 22:10. Mind blown once again. Overall that was SUCH a good Sunday and there was no crying because no one left for the field.

One of the Elders here wanted to go home and the CCM president even called home to arrange it, but he ended up staying because his dad told him not to come home.

WE HAD HAMBURGERS!!! It was probably the worst and best burger of my life. Still no guacamole here. I drank salsa. I have it on everything. I get the hottest stuff and put it on literally all my food. I had salsa on my pizza last night. It was so good.

We also have a devil cat the chases us in the mornings. Super frightening. It also meows outside my window at night.

I think I am probably going to write you a letter about all the spiritual things that I am learning. I am just so young and fresh when it comes to anything gospel related. I have loved my time in the CCM and love the fact that I get to serve my Lord. I am learning little by little each day, and I am beginning to see how that is the way God works with all His children, even the great prophets. Reread the story of Alma the Younger and you will see his gradual growth throughout life. I love the guy. He is one of those that I want to meet in heaven. Easily.

Love you all! I want you to know that I know without a doubt that this Gospel is true and can change lives. It has changed mine. I cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be than on a mission. I have felt more emotion in my time in the CCM than I have felt in my life and have gained a huge testimony of 2 Nephi 2 and Ether 12. I can't wait for everything that I will learn and experience in Chile. I miss you family!

 Love,

Mani Farner