Week #52 -- Hump Week-- One Year down, one year to go!

Hola como  están!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!  I am sorry to say this, but you are old now Mom!!  Like really old!  Ha ha ha ha--jk!  Mom you are beautiful and you look like you have 17 years. :-) You look really good Mom!  I love you so much and yes I did think of you a lot this week.  You are awesome!!

Well, like always I will answer your questions:

1- Well the truth is that I don't really need new ties but I want more ties.  So use your good judgment on my birthday gift.

2- Well you know what would be a cool gift?  If I got the ring that Joseph Smith had or one of the first Books of Mormon.  Those are just ideas, but whatever you get would be cool.

3- Just like the ties, I don't need more Sanuks, but I would like some more.   Como sea.

 

4- I have a lot of shirts but almost all of them are HUGE on me.  My socks and shoes are fine, but I need new pants.  The ones I got at home are all REALLY HUGE on me now so receiving smaller pants would be great.

5- I have plenty of garments because I bought some new ones last month.

So now I will tell you about my week:

This week was really pretty normal.  Nothing new happened.  We just are looking for a family to teach and so they can get baptized.

Tuesday we looked everywhere to find a family to teach.

Wednesday we did the same but this day we worked with divisions with a couple of jovens (I don't know what this word is) and I think they are potential investigators so we will see how they are.  They are the Congel family.

Thursday we had intercambios (exchanges) so I was working with Elder Gallardo. He is from Mexico.  He was cool and we just worked a ton and it was fun.

Friday we had intercambios (exchanges) with the zone leaders and I was with Elder Bench.  He is from Utah and we found this kid named Victor.   He has a date for baptism this week but he has an earring and I am not sure if he is ready spiritually yet but we will see how it goes!!

Saturday the zone leaders had baptisms so we were helping them get everything ready for those baptism so that was fun helping them get ready for that. 

Then Domingo (Sunday) we went to church and everything was great.  We ate lunch with the Bishop and then we went to several houses of the members and we had FHE and I taught the lesson about Helaman 5:12.  I am really starting to understand what it means to be converted and what we need to do to be converted!! Its chevere (I think this means something like awesome)

I want to share with you something powerful that I have learned this week from Helaman 5:12.  I learned that if I do 4 things I will be super strong in the Church.  What I need to do is READ, PRAY, GO TO CHURCH, and PAY TITHING.  This is really cool and we all need to learn and apply these principles!!!

Well this has been my week and I have loved being here in the mission--its the best!!!

My questions

1- How is Grandma and Grandpa?

2- How many missionaries do we have in the ward?

3- How was your birthday?

4- How are Morgyn and George doing?

LOVE 

Elder Farley

Week #51 - (A Slight Exaggeration)

HOLA como están!!!!!!!!!!!

To answer your questions: 

1-  I am happy about my new scriptures--thanks!

2- No I still have not yet received my "hump day" package. 

3- Umm I can't think of anything special that happened this week--just the same awesomeness.

Well my week is as follows... it was a pretty awesome week!!!

Well on Wednesday me and my compañero went to a different sector to help 2 Elders paint a house.  We went to Bella Vista and we helped Elder Gray and Elder Tingy.  Elder Gray is from Australia and Elder Tingy is from Las Vegas.  They are super cool!!!!!  So we showed up to the house (we got a little lost on the way) and then we went to the Sister's house and we painted the whole thing (or just a room).  We had fun!  We were talking and having fun and then we ate lunch with all of them.  It was even cooler because the Elders share a ward with the Sister missionaries so that was cool eating with the Sisters.  It was a different cool!!  Then after we did that we preached the gospel to like 100 people (more like 10) and like 50 of them have baptismal dates (more like 3 have dates) :-).  So that day was super cool!!!

Then on Friday we had interviews with the new president and with his wife!!  They are just the nicest darn people you will ever meet!!  They are super awesome!  President Riggins knows FULL doctrine and Sister Riggins is just so loving and so kind!!  I DID tell them about Hayden so yes they do know.  I am super grateful for the change of presidents that we just had. It is super awesome!!!!

Well this week I studied Alma 5 and this chapter is about true conversion.  In this chapter Alma asks us a series of questions to see if we are converted.  So, my question to you is, are you converted to the gospel?  I invite you guys to study this chapter and ask your selves if you are converted.  In the end of the chapter he invites us to change.  I love the scriptures.

Well, this has been my week.  I love you guys and I pray for you every day!!!

Questions:

1- For my birthday I would love more ties or Sanuks!!!  Or whatever you want to send me, I don't really care.

2- How is Chase?

LOVE

Elder Farley-

Elders Gray, Tingy, ?, Farley

A new friend?

Serving soda at the baptismal service of the Bishop's daughter

Week #50 - The Diaz Family was baptized!

HOLA!

HAYDEN I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH BUDDY!!!!!!

Well I will answer your questions first like I always do!!!!

1- Yes I did find out how to send a package to the US, so this week I am going to ask my Bishop here to help me send it home!!  I will tell you what is in the package but don't tell anyone else, ok MOM?  Well there is an Ecuador soccer jersey for everyone and there are a few letters and a Mexican hand bag for Hayden.

2- On Friday we had 6 baptisms and the whole Diaz family got baptized!!  That was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

3- One of the Carrera daughters has been doing better but the other one isn't and I am not sure why? The mom is being really difficult and I don't know why either.

4- The highlight of my week was having 6 baptisms on Friday.  So far this month me and my compañero have had 7 baptisms and we can still get more--we have other people who are ready for baptism. 

So now I will tell you guys about my week!!  So basically this whole week we were preparing for our baptisms.  I am not going to lie--that that was really stressful!  I am so happy that they got baptized though!!!  So on Friday evening we baptized the Diaz family.  I baptized 3 of them and my compañero baptized 2 of them.  I baptized a little girl named Dayana, a little boy named Saul, and a teenager named Julio.  I helped to baptize a lady named Kenia.  She is a little sick so she needed help to get baptized!!  Then my compañero baptized Kenia the mom and the daughter who is also named Kenia.  Then Hno (Bro.) Carrera baptized his son Andy!!

I can not describe how it feels to baptize someone, especially when they are TRUE converts.  The feelings are incredible! In one year I can go to the temple with this family and watch as they get sealed for all time and eternity.  I know that the work that I am doing is the greatest work on the face of the earth!  I truly know the meaning of the scripture, "a rock cut with no hands" .  I am that rock and the Lord is that life eternal.  I am so grateful that through me and my compañero the family Diaz will be sealed for time and all eternity!!!!  I am humbled by the thought that if I didn't come on the mission they would not have known the gospel!!!  I know that this work is the Lord's--our Savior Jesus Christ!!!

Well basically that was my week.  We prepared and then we baptized!!  

Well MOM I just watched that video for Hayden that our cousins made and WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW the cousins have changed so much--especially Jack--he is huge!  Wow!!!!  I was so surprised by that.  Wow!  Imagine in a year what the cousins will look like.  Wow I can't even think about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!  The boys are huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I

"Pretty much he's the greatest ever"  -Ethan Jameson

I agree with what Ethan said about you Hayden.  Hayden the thing that I love about you is that you are a champ, you are like one of the 2000 stripling warriors.  They are brave, they know who to put their trust with, and you Hayden are a HUGE example to me!!!!  Thank you so much Hayden-- I love you more than you could ever know!!!!!  I pray for you every day buddy!!!!!! ;)

My questions:

1- How are Morgan and George doing?

2- Dad didn't go to the Farley Priesthood camp? I would imagine that it was way different without him.

3- Mom I love you so much and I pray for you every day.

LOVE,

Elder Farley-

Garrett and the Diaz Family

Week #49 - Elder Farley: Gospel Principles Teacher

Hola como estan??? 

Well I will answer your questions:

1- Yes I did meet President Riggins.  He is really cool.  I like him a lot as president.  He is a little different as the president but still super cool.  He teaches full doctrine.

2- My compañero right now is Elder Gomez.  He is from Colombia.

3- Well the funniest thing that happened to me this week was probably when I found out that one of my investigators didn't know I was from the States.  She didn't know I was a gringo!!  I thought that was funny!!!

4- Every day I talk to people who know nothing about Jesus Christo and I have the privilege to tell them that He is our Savior and Master.  Because of that I feel like every day is a faith promoting experience.

5- No I haven't received a "hump day" package yet. I don't have a clue what "hump day" even means?

6- For the scriptures,  I don't care what kind you get me.

Well, this week we worked with the two families I talked about last week.  The family Diaz and Carrera.  They are progressing pretty good!!

This week the entire family Diaz went to church and they are all excited to get baptized this Friday!!  So that is super exciting!!!  On Sunday we helped them move some things around in their house, and that was actually really helpful to them.  Their house looks so much better this week!!  So please continue to pray for this family because we have 5 baptisms this week.  The Diaz family this week is crucial for them if they are going to be baptised!!  I am sure that I will baptise one or two of them!!!  That is so sweet!!!  I am excited!!

With the family Carrera the father is progressing super good, but la falla (it is failing) with his wife and daughters.  We are really working with them so they won't forget who they are again!!  So please pray for them so they can find who they are again!!  They are a good family and I want to see them in the temple but I can't make them go--they have to choose!!  When we teach them they are all very receptive but when it comes to the invites to read or go to church only the Dad does them so please pray for the mom and the daughters!!  That would be awesome because their sons has a baptism as well this week!!

Well this week the Bishop called me and said that the teacher of the Gospel Principles class wasn't going to be there on Sunday so he asked me if I could teach the class--so I did!!  Everyone said that I did a great job!!  It was actually fun teaching.  I taught about the Plan of Salvation and that was way cool to teach them that!!!!  So that was cool!!

Well that was my week basically so that's cool!

HERE are my questions:

1- What does "hump day" mean?

2- Does Hank like the dogs?

3- What should I study at BYU Idaho?

4- How did Dad know what he should do for his job?

5- How long do the doctors think that Hank will be like this?

LOVE 

Elder Farley,

P.S. I am a representative of the Lord-- "whether it is by my own voice or by the voice of my servants it is the same" --remember that! (last week Garrett gave us a promise that Hayden would be healed.  That is what this comment is referring to.  Such a wonderful son!)

Elder Farley looks amazing!

Week #48 - Carrera and Diez Families

Hola como esta???

Mom how can I send a package home? I have something for everyone but I need to mail it home and I don't know how, so what would be the best way to send the package home? P.S. Hayden, I have something special for you buddy!!

Well this week was way cool!  This week we found two families to teach!!  The first family is named the family Carrera, and the second family is the family Diez--they are both super cool!!

The Carrera family is a less active family who were sealed in the temple.  The dad served in the high council and in the Bishopric.  The wife was a counselor in the relief society but for some reason they left the church.  They have been inactive for almost two years so we have found them this week and we have been teaching them and we committed them to go to church this week and they WENT!!  They are all progressing very well, but the father most of all!!  So please pray for them so they can continue to progress!!

The second family is the Diez family. They are investigators and they are super awesome!!  In this family there is the Mom and 4 kids.  They are all progressing amazingly well.   They have a baptismal date for the 11th of July.  We have been teaching them and they have been soaking up all the lessons--its amazing.  But this family is very humble.  They basically don't have money to eat, so whenever the mom talks its always like "the kids don't have to eat".   This breaks my heart, but at the same time all I feel is love for them!!!  Please pray for them if you can!!

Well this has really been my week.  This Thursday or Friday we are going to eat lunch with the new president of the mission.  Other than that, we have just been trying to find more families to teach this week!! 

Really the only thing that frustrates me in the mission is that some people don't want anything to do with our church or with us.  Don't they know that we are only here to bring them blessings?  I just want to know how Hayden is doing each week because I love that little kid!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE 

Elder Farley-

Week #47 - A Baptism and 7 Cascadas

Hola como estan??

Well here are the answers to your questions:

1- My toe is doing very well now.  It has healed and I am working just like normal again.

2- This is definitely the same toe as before so that made it hurt even more.

3- The truth is that I don't even know how I get the in-grown toe nails, so no I don't know how to prevent them.

4- No, I haven't met my new mission president, President Riggins, but he should be here in a week or two so I am sure he will come to where I am to talk to everyone and I will meet him then.

5- President Amaya traveled to us in Quevedo and he said goodbye to everyone there--it was really cool!!

6-Well I am feeling a little scared and a little worried about Hayden but what can I do?

Well now about my week:

This week was really cool.  We worked and worked so hard this week and on Saturday we had a baptism.   It was way cool!!  We almost had two baptisms but the other guy didn't want to do it on that Saturday!!  Well the guy that got baptized his name is Miguel Ayala and he has 19 years.  He is way cool!!  Well that was probably the highlight of my week--the baptism and/or watching the world cup about everyday!!  Sorry but its not me it's the people down here.  They are obsessed with the world cup so I have been following the world cup only because everyone else is also!! BTW the United States are doing pretty well and Ecuador as well!!

Well today we went to the 7 CASCADAS (7 waterfalls) and man that place is so beautiful.  I have a lot of pictures.  We went with all the Elders in our Zone and with our Bishop--it was awesome!!  I will send a ton of pictures.  This has been my week--I love you all and just know that the Lord has his plan for each one of us!!!

Sorry if this email is lame.

LOVE

Elder Farley-

Week #46 - News about Hayden and more in-grown toenails

Hola como están?

Well this week for me was very different.  Hayden, I was in the hospital also almost the same time as you!!!

Well you guys don't know this but I have had an in-grown toe nail for the past two or three months.  So on Tuesday I was sick of my foot hurting and I finally went to the doctor and they took out the nail--AGAIN!!!  But something cool happened while I was there.  We were waiting to get my toenail taken out and we were waiting a long time--like two hours.  While we were waiting two Sister missionaries came in and one of them was really sick.  She was having an asthma attack, so that is when I got all worried.  They rushed her into the back room and they put her on an oxygen tank and her compañera was freaking out so after everything died down I asked her if she would like a blessing.  So in the midst of her attack, me and my compañero gave her a blessing and then twenty minutes later she was fine.  After she recovered they took out my toenail, and again it hurt like nothing else!!!!  But the most important thing was that I was able to be a tender mercy for the Sister missionary from the Lord!!!!!

Well, actually they didn't take my whole nail they just took some parts of it.  But on Thursday they wanted to remove the whole nail because part of my toe was still swollen.  So for a couple of days I was all worried that they were going to take my whole nail!!  But they didn't and its healing just fine!!!

Friday we had a meeting with President and Sister Amaya for their farewell.  I am going to miss them but it will be alright. I did get a picture with them so that is way cool!! Other than that I didn't work this week because of my toe.

Now to answer your questions:

1- Well my most spiritual experience was when I was a tender mercy for the Lord to that Sister missionary.

2- I am doing just fine--you guys don't need to worry about me, just worry about Hayden.

Now my questions:

1- How is Hayden feeling about the news?

2- How is our family reacting?

3- The new set of scriptures aren't important so whatever you choose is good for me.

LOVE YOU HAYDEN!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Farley

President and Sister Amaya's farewell