November 27th 2012

Hey mom and dad,

Sorry I don't have much time to write...We just had transfers...my companion elder figueroa was sent to redlands and now my new comps elder Austin. (we were mtc companions).

I've just been writing typing out my essays for school so i'm over on time. But yeah, I think everythings good to go with that. I guess I'll have to inform you a little more next week on how everythings going.

I did get your package, thank you!!! The gift cards are great!! and I'm glad taylor gave a good talk, i got both his letters and they were great. Now that i'm done worrying about my essays I'll be able to reply to my letters :)

And yes, I did get to play football!!! not as good as home....but it was still pretty fun. Thanks for everything...and have a great week.

Love Elder Farnsworth

November 19th 2012

Hey mom and dad,

Things are going great...we had a good week. We've been teaching a guy named fernando, he's 22 and we're planning on having a baptism for him this coming sunday. Its exciting!! I hope everything works out with him. We just started teaching his mother as well, it was kinda cool, I taught the lesson in english and had my team-up translate into spanish. We'll be handing her over to the spanish missionaries now.

As for the gift certificate to target...thank you! its Awsome!

And with the letters, I don't know if I'm getting letters or not. As I said in the last letter, they don't forward letters to my area. So its only when they have mission meetings that we get mail.

I've been working on my essays at home whenever I can find time, so hopefully i'll be able to get them submitted on time.

And yeah, teaching was cool...i'm pretty used to it by now, but it was a little different for elders quorum. The ward isn't huge, (at least the active ones)but the list is pretty big. our buildings about the same size as the one back home, and its just across the street from our apartment complex. And I know you were asking about palm springs...and no, its not in my area. Its nearby though.

I'm having a great time with my companion and the area, like I said before...he's really cool. He doesn't seem like a greenie, he's catches on to things really quick. The works starting to pick up and its been way fun!!

But yeah, thats about it for me!!! I'm glad you had fun with talent show thing and everything else, I wish the best for keith as he visits heidi and I hope you and dad have a great week. Thanks for everything!

Love, Elder Farnsworth

November 13th 2012

Hey mom and dad,

Things are going great...we had a good week. We've been teaching a guy named fernando, he's 22 and we're planning on having a baptism for him this coming sunday. Its exciting!! I hope everything works out with him. We just started teaching his mother as well, it was kinda cool, I taught the lesson in english and had my team-up translate into spanish. We'll be handing her over to the spanish missionaries now.

As for the gift certificate to target...thank you! its Awsome!

And with the letters, I don't know if I'm getting letters or not. As I said in the last letter, they don't forward letters to my area. So its only when they have mission meetings that we get mail.

I've been working on my essays at home whenever I can find time, so hopefully i'll be able to get them submitted on time.

And yeah, teaching was cool...i'm pretty used to it by now, but it was a little different for elders quorum. The ward isn't huge, (at least the active ones)but the list is pretty big. our buildings about the same size as the one back home, and its just across the street from our apartment complex. And I know you were asking about palm springs...and no, its not in my area. Its nearby though.

I'm having a great time with my companion and the area, like I said before...he's really cool. He doesn't seem like a greenie, he's catches on to things really quick. The works starting to pick up and its been way fun!!

But yeah, thats about it for me!!! I'm glad you had fun with talent show thing and everything else, I wish the best for keith as he visits heidi and I hope you and dad have a great week. Thanks for everything!

Love, Elder Farnsworth

November 6th 2012

Dear mom and Dad,

In palm desert, the mail doesn't get forwarded from the office to me. For some reason it doesn't work for apartments or something like that, i'm not really sure. So what happens is every month the zone leaders go to riverside for a meeting and they can pick up our mail. Luckily this thursday the zl's returned home with mail for me! what a surprise!!!

Its kinda hard to explain how I felt...enough to shed a few tears. It means so much to get a letter. Thank you, I really needed it. And I'm thankful to taylor and andrew as well, they also wrote me.

I'm sorry for not responding last week, I didn't know what to say, i just felt a little overwhelmed with all the college apllications and stuff...I'm not supposed to go on any other website besides this and lds.org/mormon.org and I wasn't sure what to do...And then after doing that for a while I had already run out of time to write. So I called president smart for permission and he said yes, but i'm still working on the essays.

but yeah, when it comes to the past couple weeks, Things have been doing really well. I'm still learning the area and the ward members...but hey I had a chance to give a talk last week and everybody liked it. Plus, this week my companion and I both bore our testimonies. So through all of that the wards getting to know me a bit more. On sunday I also had the opportunity to ordain one of our recent converts daniel to the office of a priest. Then I taught elders quorum. Its pretty cool!

We had a zone meeting this week and the focus of this month is going to be finding new investigators...One of the actions plans we have for that is inviting at least one person to be baptized each day. Its been fun trying to incorporate that into our everyday oyms. The other night I had a great experience at a park, the day was hard i wasn't feeling very motivated, but I talked with my companion and it came down to the faith I had in the savior, it wasn't very strong....and it hasn't been for a while. But I said a really meaningful prayer and felt much better...It prepared me for the remainder of the day/night. Well, while we were walking around the park we met this guy working out and we started to talk to him. His names jose, and as we started talking we went over our purpose and we taught him parts of the restoration, the plan of salvation, and the gospel of jesus christ...we answered every question he had in a manner that was directed by the spirit and it felt good. We then invited him to be baptized. He's catholic and thats what his family is, so he couldn't commit to anything. But I don't care...the point is, we acted like representatives of jesus christ, and we did what we could, relying on the lord and upon his spirit. Thats the feeling I enjoy most and I want every oym to be like that. One of these days....

We're finding new people to teach everyday, and many of them are still at the beginning, but there's a lot in store, so i'm excited.

Anyway, I hope all is well and that everythings going great with school and work and bowling. But I've gotta go now..Love, Elder Farnsworth

Hey mom and dad,

sorry to hear not much happened this week....

thats great that you were able to go to the movies thouch,thats gotta be nice...haha. i'm starting to forget what its like to go to the movies. but thats okay, this works much better!!!

My new companions actually really cool, he doesn't even seem like a greenie, he's outgoing, hardworking, and motivated, plus he's good with the scriptures, its so nice...it makes things a lot less stressful for me. I mean there are still little things here and there that we can work on, but allround things seem great so far. This sunday I get to give a talk at church, so thats exciting...I hope I can help motivate more people to give us referrals and have us over for lessons..That would be ideal because we need more lessons!!! because the more lessons we teach (with quality) the more successful and likely we'll be to finding new investigators and baptizing someone...I'd sure like for that to come sometime soon. BUt yeah, I don't have a whole lot to say about the area yet, i'm still getting adjusted...but it will come. We live in a four man apartment and then some of the other missionaries live just around the corner. So its way more fun having all the company. We have a car, and our area is huge...its one of the biggest areas in the mission I think. but we've got a bike rack for the car so we should be able to save miles that way. Luckily the weathers going to be good!!! i'm excited to continue biking.

Other than that I not much else is happening...but yeah...I'll let you guys know more as the time moves by. Take care!!! Have a great week!!

Love, Elder Farnsworth

ps(president smart said he took care of the ecclesiastical endorsement for school so hopefully that worked)

October 16th 2012

Hey mom and dad,

hows everthing going? I did hear about seattle, sounds like it was loads of fun...I know some missionaries who live around there so when I get home I'd like to visit them sometime!!

Thats great that you've got some hardworking students in your classes, it must be a huge relief, hopefully they can all do well. Sometimes I miss school....but not the homework, haha. I'd rather make my own HW...speaking of school, I guess that would important for me to do...to talk the mission president, I'll get on that...so i've got 2 weeks to make it happen?? phew...okay. I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem.

As for the work, Things are going well. the past couple weeks have been a roller coaster...last week elder alo and I weren't getting along very well, we had a rough time just for whatever reason..Conference was great though!!! It was very inspiring and uplifting, its always nice to receive further direction and guidance from the prophets to help improve life. After conference we were able to do better, we've just both been stressed about things and it wasn't a good combo, but we're good now...we always talk things through and then we get back up to speed. As for the mission age, thats way cool, i'm sure so many more people will be motivated to go since they don't have to wait as long anymore, its truly a blessing, the world needs more missionaries, thats awesome that sherry's decided to go out too! As for whats happening right now with me in the mission...we just had transfers...yesterday I said goodbye to murrieta and ventured off to my new area in palm desert!!! My new companions name is elder figueroa and he's been out 3 months, so bran new!!! I'm sure its gonna be great. We're serving in the La Quinta ward, its crazy...in the stake there's only two english wards, the rest of them are all spanish, from the looks of it, there's a lot of mexicans out here, I better touch up on my spanish!!!! I might actually have to learn a little more now, if I want to be successful.
BUt yeah, thanks for everything!!! I hope you guys have a great week.

Love, Elder Farnsworth

(as for things that I need...I think I'm doing pretty good, but Of course I always like getting nice ties...and if I think of anything else I'll let you know :)

october 1st 2012

Hey mom and dad,

In response to your question oym means "open your mouth" so its basically just a detailed hello which includes an invitation to act, such as: will you check out our website mormon.org? or will you pray to know if the book of mormon is true. It can't just be a hello or a wave.

Thats pretty sweet that you guys are gonna go on the train to seattle, thats gotta be fun, I'd sure like to go on a train ride out here...it beats riding my bike!!! Actually...scratch that, I love riding my bike....What I don't like is my pants splitting when my legs get bigger from riding. haha. I haven't had that problem in a while...so no need to worry. yet. As for my week, It went from bad to good in a heartbeat...At the beginning of the week I was feeling sick....elder Alo was kind enough to spread his disease to me...And in the night I ended up vomitting multple times...but its okay, my immune system worked wonders...The next day, or morning I felt much better!!! Sadly Elder alo was still feeling sick with a cough...BUt we ended up going to work anyway, he's a hard worker so we get along great, As a matter of fact he pushes me to do better when I start to lose motivation. So its truly a blessing to have him. As for the actual work...I was able to attend a baptism this week!!!! A family I began teaching in lake Elsinore finally decided to get baptized so they invited me back to give a talk for the service. And then in the mean time elder alo was able to teach our new investigator cindy, who later on made it to church with us!!! Thats a great blessing because its been more of a difficult task getting people to actually come to church. BUt yeah...I'm about to run out of time, so take care!!! Have another great week. Love, Elder Farnsworth