Week 4 - Having Fun!

Dear Friends and family - it is hard to post his letters here, and have them make sense since they are usually answers to my questions and since I don;t want o post my letters too - I will try to clarify anything really confusing! Thanks for reading and your love and support on his behalf!
Sheri

Dear Mom,

I am having a great time at the CCM. Hopefully you will be able to finally buy the house! Is Noah Endicott at the Mexico City MTC or was it the Provo MTC that he is going to? Tell Brie that I love her and Luna as well! Tell her and Bryn how proud I am of their success in Soccer! I have gotten pretty good at soccer but have been focusing more on Tennis! I haven't lost a single game so far! The week has been a little stressful but good.

Answers to my questions below:

 I think the language is coming along nicely, I have memorized the ten commandments in Spanish and I taught them perfectly according to my teachers. My favorite meal is the Costco Pizza as well as the breaded chicken! My favorite scripture is the one in Ecclesiastes about how there need to be two men to spread the gospel. My favorite lesson is the ten commandments and Plan of Salvation since I know them so well. My teacher named Fabien Monroy inspires me. Tell the entire family that I love and miss them. Tell Bryson and Caden that although I don't exactly agree with their decision, I still love them and hope it works out. (They are wanting to go to a Military Academy Charter School)

To be honest, it is a little hard being at the CCM because there are a lot of cute sisters and not being aloud to talk to them haha. However, maybe it will be better in the field. We found a gigantic hummingbird moth in a room on the top floor of the main building. I proceeded to pick it up, whisper to it, and blow it out the window. It then terrorized some new missionaries and flew by a bird which ate it. So I guess I am not Gandalf after all.

We also had a funny moment when we were in a circle memorizing a paragraph. We each say one word and the person in front of me got stumped, I proceeded to ask If you go to Las Vegas, you will meet blank men, I was meaning con men and Elder Chatterton who is from Las Vegas immediately said Naked! I said No and he immediately responded, "Homeless?" I was also in the stall and this elder next to me clogged the toilet and still tried to flush it! Long story short, a tsunami of tinted water was heading for my feet and I barely was able to get my feet out of the way! Scariest moment of my life!

HAHA!! funny! Cute sisters are not what you need to focus on! :) Look at them as spiritual giants instead! :) What is your day like?

P.S. - Be glad you are not serving in Vegas if Elder Chatterton came up with naked!! :) That's too funny!

Believe me, I am thrilled that I am going to Lubbock, Texas. Even if I am the only Spanish speaking missionary going there at this time!

I go study scriptures, then breakfast, then language, then book of mormon study, then teaching omar, then lunch, then gym, then coaching, then language with a different teacher, then teaching Cesar, and then Dinner, and then TALL, and then Language personal study, then daily planning!

I am glad about going stateside too! And no I have recieved no letters besides grandma and grandpa evans. I want a lot of Mike and Ikes! I haven't had American candy in 5 weeks. I love Mexican candy but American candy is way better! Andrew and I are glad his companion is gone in a non-rude way. He was just causing a lot of problems, so he is doing much better now!

Another funny thing happened! Me and elder Chatterton were done with planning so we started sharing hunting stories, I finished mine and Elder Chatterton started to tell his. He went a little too far by saying he shot with his eyes closed and hit it in the neck and all that. He said blood was gushing everywhere when a sister yelled "That is it!" and then started yelling at Elder Chatterton and to an extent me and me and Elder Chatterton went to the bathroom and Elder Chatterton looked at me with a scared look in his eye and exclaimed, "that girl is psycho!" Elder Lindsay came in and said that they weren't even studying up to that moment and that she was stressed because she wasnt getting the language! He said he was about to stand up and say "Well maybe if you would use language time to study the Language" Maybe they would learn" But he was scared of her raging on him so he didn't. But then he said "Well actually, I could of just said it in Spanish and she wouldn't of understood me" That made me, Elder chatterton, and my companion laugh so hard even though it was a little mean, I felt bad afterwards. 

(I asked how much computer time he had left and who he was writing too and hearing from)

I am on for another 20 minutes, and It is only you. I would really love it if Hyrum, Marlee, and Lindsay either wrote me or emailed me, but I can't influence that haha. I haven't received any letters besides Grandma and Grandpa Evans.

Well I have to go destroy Andrew in Tennis, I love you and Wish you all good luck! Tell Marlee, Lindsay, and Hyrum to write the Texas Address and Tell Bryson to email me next week. Tell Luna to be good for me and try to get some cute pictures, tell Brie that I love her and have her write my Texas Address as well, tell caden to write to Texas, tell Jessica and Brayden to write to Texas, and if you can, tell Brigham, Kason, Lily, and Bishop Bowen that I would love to hear from them whether it is by email or letter (to Texas, please) love you bye!

 

Week 3 - still going strong!

Elder Farley photo bombing!!

Dear Mom,

I have been helping as much as I can with my companion learning the language as I think he needs. I did the thumbs up because the people I took pictures with insisted. And yes, Andrew had my scriptures the entire time and forgot to tell me so that is fun! Dallin told me that he was learning Spanish right now so he will not be left out when we get back haha. I am glad to hear that my prayers for Caden and Jordan are being answered, that is really great news!  I knew of her but we didn't exactly know each other, that is still sad to hear! Who were the other 2 besides her and Hannah? I admire your diligence with the horse and forgiveness because if that were me I would have shot the horse! That is something I need to learn to control I guess haha! I got to visit the Mexico City Temple today! it was so cool! Andrew is exaggerating about the food! It is good 90% of the time, trust me! However, yes there are spaghetti and bean burritos but I just get cereal instead. I would like a blue blanket. If you can, send me my Tennis equipment for P-days, I have been getting so good here that I haven't lost a single game against anyone so far! If it is allowed, I really want to do that in Lubbock for a P-Day exercise. I have so many awesome pictures of the temple and paintings that I will send in some seperate letters. 

I am starting to get along with the sisters more so that is good news! Elder Savidor of the 70 talked to us last week and he gave a good talk on christ-like love. I learned this week that when you are obedient, you will still have trials but the Savior will help you with everything! I also learned that Sisters are very good at giving really spiritual lessons! I am getting a whole lot better at Spanish grammar and that is truly a blessing! There are so many missionaries here right now! Only 90 left and 200 arrived this week! It is getting really crowded in the lunch room! I feel really bad for Andrew because his companion is pretty boastful and has been trying to be sent home since day 2. He makes up stories about a Hernia that can only be detected when he has surgery back in the U.S, Andrew says it is really damaging his learning because they have to skip class 4 times a week on his companion who is the district leaders command! It really hurts me to know that my cousin isn't able to get the same experience as me because of his companion. It is even worse because they are going to Mexico City which means they need to know Spanish more than I do! 

I saw a video about this couple who were like Grandma Heath as the man had parkinson's and his wife was not able to speak and their love for each other really made me cry in the bathroom because it reminded me so much of Grandma! I know that she is in a better place! A bomb went off at the water pumps a few days ago and took our water supply out for half the day, so that was an interesting event. The catholic church has a thing where they will fire a cannon every weekend to honor a patron saint and it is funny because the newbies think that they are rifle shots haha, we don't tell them because their reactions are priceless! I am so happy to be halfway done with the CCM and in the mission field! I learned how to perform blessings and baptisms in Spanish this week too!

I also stayed awake in Sacrament meeting for the first time on my own so that is a progression. The elder from Lubbock and this other elder made a bet on who can live longer on a pure diet of peanut butter and water the longest and they gave me the honor of being the judge. After 3 days their health deteriorated so much that Elder Speed (from Lubbock) couldn't stand straight and the other was near the point of passing out! They called it a draw at dinner and ate 5 chickens. A devotional was given by the training director and his teaching style was just like John Bytheway so I liked it a lot! I led a Book of Mormon discussion in my district where we read about Ammon's conversion of King Lamoni which I thought was a perfect example for the missionaries! Yesterday I found a sticky note on my scriptures from Hannah saying " We cleaned your chairs for our Service Project, so you are welcome!", I had to thank her haha! Me and the teacher had a heart to heart talk and that was great! It has been great and I am excited for next week!

Love Austin!'

He learned to give blessings in Spanish this week!

Austin's CCM District at the Mexico City Temple

A friend from Weber - Elder Arrington

Street in Mexico

Mexico City Temple

Zarahemla Room

He found a Book of Mormon in Tagalog - which I learned!

 

 

Week 2

Dear Mom,

I am glad you got to hear about it from both sides! I made sure that I was the first person Andrew would see on MTC grounds, I talk to him every single day and we play Tennis on our seperate P-days since we have gym on the others P-day. I honestly don't like the sisters in my district that much because they constantly accuse me of stuff that makes absolutely no sense like if they see me say hi to Hannah and talk about some stuff like our weeks and what is going on back home then they accuse me of flirting and threaten to tell the Mission President for disciplinary action. My companion is easier to get along with so it isn't that bad. My teacher is awesome and he used to be our fake investigator. His name is Fabien Monroy. I would honestly love a few cookbooks and anything else you would deem useful. It is a Balmy 65 degrees constantly here with hard rain showers at around 5-6 and Lubbock is the same temperature as back home according to the weather gadget on the computer so I love the weather here. 

I would love to hear how the opening of the new location goes. I appreciate that you waited 2 weeks to replace me with a horse ;) Tell Bryn and Brie that I hope that they will do good the entire season! I am sorry to hear about Grandma Heath and I am happy that she found happiness in Heaven.

 That is great! I have been praying for Caden to heal faster so I guess that is helping! It takes about 2 full weeks to receive letters in Mexico due to Custom checks (dumb i know). You should be receiving letters for other people because I forgot their address, one should be arriving to you as well. Make sure they get those letters by checking my school planner for their addresses. Haha, I guess she got over her fear of water while I was gone!

 My Spanish is coming in really well and I have successfully memorized over 800 spanish words and phrases and it always bugs my district that I can go through a giant stack of cards without taking more than 5 seconds on one. We wrote a parody to Do you Want to Build a Snowman called DO YOU WANT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL! It is going to be a hit once we film it! We got a new set of investigators and It is fun talking with them!

I also had to act as a translator for everyone during the Service activity since I was quite literally the only one out of 45 kids that could understand what the Janitor was saying because he was speaking so fast! So I got out of doing work and just translated whatever he felt necessary to say. 

It is awesome here and I want to hear whatever you have to say about back home! I love you guys and all of you are in my prayers!

Love, Your Missionary

Elder Farley

Mexico City

Sister Hedges... going to Oregon!

 I'm assuming this is his instructor that he is talking about above - Fabien Monroy.

A cool tree growing at the CCM!

His District...

First Week in MTC

Dear Everyone,

       That is great to hear! It is really awesome that the restaurant is doing that great. My companion is named Elder Pemberton. He is from Blanding, Utah and is going to Manchester, New Hampshire. The other roommates are named Elder Tew and Elder Moon. They are all great to be around and we laughed so hard about stuff last night that I didn't get much sleep at all haha. The water is completely safe to drink so I rarely use my filter. The food is fantastic and It is sometimes even better than my cooking. However, there is this fruit that looks like a Marachino Cherry but is definatly NOT A CHERRY!!!!! It was possibly the worst fruit ever as it tastes like rotten apples. I am also loving a Mexican candy called a Milch bar. I also have obtained a full collection of Mexican Pesos except the ugly dude on the $500. 

The first day was awesome and it started with this group of sisters coming up to me and telling me that I looked like Justin Timberlake from back in the 90's, this happened 5 times that day and even some elders said that so I guess I am more attractive than I thought. My first investigators seemed to like my message and my Spanish is really coming along to the point where I only needed to look in my guide once for a grove of trees translation in an entire 30 minute session. We got here in the middle of the rainy season and it has rained hard at 5:00 everyday so I guess bringing a waterproof suit and an umbrella wasn't as dumb of an idea as you thought. My district is awesome and we all bonded a ton! My companion and roommates tell me that my role in the district is as the bizzare guy who keeps everyone happy and laughing. My companion and I are also the district leaders and that is fun although hard. We sung the Star Spangled Banner in the comedor while the elders chanted U.S.A over and over and the lunchroom was decorated in American Stuff so they actually did remember! I met an elder who lives in Lubbock and he personally apologized to me that I have to go there. He told me that if I see a mountain then I need to take cover because it is most likely a dust storm. He also knows about the boring city list and supports it! I can really understand Spanish well and I can read in it too, but talking is a little bit more difficult. I have seen Hannah Hedges everyday and it is fun talking to her.

 My companion doesn{t share the same comfort of talking to Sisters as I do and I guess that is both good and bad! They also have a lot of Mangoes here and it is fantastic because I get a whole mango to myself every other day. I heard the most inspiring talk in my life on Sunday from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland about how our missionary work is more important at this time then it was before, and that we need to drop everything to feed Christ's sheep. My umbrella broke but I fixed it so I do not need a new one sent. We watched the Joseph Smith Story and I love it so much and I truly believe that Joseph Smith did more for the salvation of man than anyone save for Christ. I am always picked as team captain in every sport we play because I am usually the one who scores the most whether it is Soccer, Tennis, Volleyball, or Basketball. Guavas have an interesting taste and I am starting to get used to them. I received the package and am grateful for the care package! Except for the fact that I spilled part of my Arizona all over me because the lid on my bottle wasn't secured enough, It was a great gift! I miss you guys a lot but I am not homesick fortunately. I do miss Luna a ton though! I need monthly pictures to see how much she grows! 

     Please tell Bryson that this is the best decision I have ever made and that I wish that he makes the same decision to! I promise that he will make friends that will last longer than Anthony and that he will become happier and maybe even meet his future wife! There are elders and sisters that have given me their address so I can keep up with them on their missions! There are still some things I find unusual about the church, but I still want to serve the Lord as much as I can and I hope he does! My favorite part of everyday is companion study because it always ends with me teaching the class a Spanish lesson. Here are some pictures!

 1. A view of Strawberry Reservoir from the plane

2. me with the list of mexican candy

3. The Bahamas World Cup Soccer Team

4. Mexican Cola and Wafers, made with real sugarcane

5. My companion and I

6. A MILCH bar

7. My house

8. The MTC square

9. All the Missions in the Americas

10. Tiancum Painting

11. Stripling warriors painting

12. A view of the City

13. Harmana Hedges and I

14. A tree that grows trunks that look like  a chain-link fence

15. Part of my District

A view of Strawberry Resevoir from the plane on his way out...

Painting in the CCM of the Strippling Warriors...

His apartment at the CCM...

His favorite candy bar in Mexico...

His Companion Elder Pemberton from Blanding, Utah...

List of amazing Mexican Candy!

 Bahamian World Cup Soccer Team at the Mexico Airport...

Day 1

Today started out with a 4:00 a.m. arrival to the Salt Lake City Airport... checked in, said goodbye, stood in line and I'm off...

 
Letter Home from Mexico City MTC or CCM:
Dear Mom, This is the best thing I have ever done! Me and the Elder I was with high fived because just like me he did not know Spanish and took 3 years of French! I had the greatest time so far! I met my whole district on the plane including one of Dallin's friend's past girlfriend that I have met before. The take off was great and I got to know quite a few people. When we landed in Dallas, we all bonded and hung out in the airport and had a blast. Then I sat by this guy on the plane to Mexico City. When I asked what he was going to Mexico for, he was a little cold and just told me it was official. Then we found out we both had a definite love for hunting and he completely opened up to me and talked the entire 4 hour flight. Turns out he was the Air Marshall! He ended up giving me his email and told me to keep in contact with him when I get back to Texas so I can talk to him about the church since he said someone that interesting has to have something good to say. He also wants to keep me in the loop of the hunting world. Then we got to the airport and a few people lost their luggage. I offered my help and went up to the lady to ask about the luggage. One thing led to another and I ended up coming back with a list of the best Mexican candy from the ladies writing it down for me. So I have made my mark as the funny one in the district as everyone wanted to hear how that all happened while laughing. After I bought some delicious Mexican candy for only 2 American dollars. We ran into the Bahamian National World Cup Soccer Team, and they were enthusiastic when I asked for a picture with them! I got to explain to them what the Church was and they listened and said they will have to look it up when they get back home. Then I got to know some Mexican people at the airport and they are a very nice people! Now I am at the MTC and ran into Tanner Post already! So in short, this has been awesome so far! Andrew will have a blast! I will try to send pictures when I can! My P-Day is Tuesday by the way.