Week of May 24th

Dear Mom,

I find it really crazy that Brie will be 11 by the time I get back home! Everyone is growing up way too fast! 

Trust me, I had a way more interesting week than this past one. President told me that I am going to be Senor companion next transfer so now I get to refresh my driving skills.

Priesthood blessings are amazing! I have really developed a testimony on the priesthood by reading the scriptures, giving and receiving blessings, and reading my patriarchal blessing. The Atonement is a really neat thing when you get down into it.

46?! Wow you are soooooo OLD! I can't wait to hear stories from the good ole brick phone days when I get home, speaking of which, I have a brick phone, I will send a picture in this email. Tell Bryn(first talk Sunday) and Kason (Became and Elder) I said congratulations!

So this week I found out that I hate tennis shoes! I rolled my ankle twice this week during two different games of basketball and I was in crutches for 3 days until I decided to be a man and walk on it despite the pain! It is fine now but I would like high-tops in the next package if that would be ok with you guys :) Can you believe that Andrew (his cousin, seving in Mexico) got to visit the Aztec Temples? That is insane to think about! I am so jealous! I also found out that I am really into MMA and Worldwide Boxing associations, maybe because I am hanging around too many Mexican guys. Quien Sabe (who knows) I ran my first 5k in my life yesterday and I was so sore! It was a mission 5k and it was awesome! I also went to Cabela's and it was awesome! I got this alarm clock that does an Elk bugle for an alarm and I am so happy now! That is pretty much what has happened this week and I had a blast!

My Assignment, read the account of Jesus and Barabbus and tell me how it applies to the Sacrament, it will blow your mind!

Love, Elder Farley

Okay - proof he's still a teenager! Argh! Smashing the bread!!

Baptism!!

It's raining and we love it!

District Meeting, awkward pose!

The indestructible mission phone - proving that The Church is aware that they are still teenagers! :)

Week of May 17th

Dear Mom,

That is awesome! (I was telling him about some home video's we watched when he was little where he told me he could spell Monkey 'all day long'!)Tell Bryson and Caden that I said happy birthday! Also did they get my letter? My companions say that they can immediately tell if I am going to do or say something stupid by the look I have on my face so that is a good thing that I kept that look haha! Tell Uncle Layne that I said thanks and also tell him that I can now have a Spanish conversation with him without just saying Si to everything he says haha. Tell Bryn and Brie that I am so proud of them and their achievements in Soccer! I ended up giving the machete to the mission home to take with me when I go home so we don't have to worry about that anymore. I also got the package and I loved it! thank you so much! 

So this week was crazy! Jose Fransciso just got baptized and confirmed yesterday! Ivonne bore her testimony about her baptism and it was beautiful as well! I also just had a click and now I understand French grammar again, so now I can study in Spanish and French so that I can talk to both Andrew and Dallin when we get home! My companions say that my Spanish is amazing and my French is impressive, I can teach simple lessons in french and I can expound on doctrine in Spanish. I woke up with a bloody nose on Saturday and that freaked me out so I had no trouble with sleeping in on that day! We also taught a guy named Dale Johnson who just really wants to know the truth and he was sincere! I could see that guy being the Bishop of the English Ward one day! Then later that day we met two guys that were high out of their minds! They came up to us and shook Elder Heap's hand and said "this must be the warrior tribe leader!" It was hilarious! then one got so close to Elder Porter's face that he might as well should of kissed him and said "Tell me something negative and then turn it positive" We referred them to the English Elders telling them how legit some two guys are that live on Dunnam Street. We hope they get the joke haha! We finally made contact with a less-active family named the Ibarras and invited their daughter and mother to church because they are members. Turns out that Ivonne is the daughters cousin and she brought her to church. Her name is Anahi and she is a very Immature high school girl that has a very Kim Kardashian voice. She is super attractive though it is a struggle deciding if you are going to put up with her or focus on the Mom instead. 

So yesterday while I was sitting with Ivonne, Anahi and her mom show up and Anahi is wearing a super immodest silver pencil skirt, and a shirt that sort ove looked like a greek toga because it was bare on one shoulder. Then she sat down right next to me a little uncomfortably close... Long story short, I had Ivonne switch me spots when she came back from bearing her testimony. At least she came to church though and said she loved it!

So we took Anahi and Ivonne to Gospel Principles and I started to teach the lesson when an old man walked in asking if this was gospel principles and that he was just visiting. He said he was a mission president in Durango and lives in California. So I continued to teach the lesson in Spanish and bore my testimony and after the lesson ended he stood up and walked up to me in front of my companions and the girls and asked me if my last name was Farley, I replied yes and he asked me "Did you know a Wilford "Buck" Farley?" I replied that he was my grandfather and he started to burst into tears. He told me that his name was Jim West and that he and grandpa were good friends in BYU and that they were in a bunch of bands together! He also explained that he sung at his funeral and that he thinks about my grandpa everyday. He also told me that he was just called by grandma last month and that while he was driving to Midland, Texas he had the impression to go to the Hobbs Ward and he walked in on time to the Spanish Branch. He said that he needed solace that Wilford's name wasn't being ruined and that it carried on and that I was an answer to his prayer and he told me that when he meets Wilford on the other side (being 77 years old) that he would tell him that he should be proud of what I am doing. 

After church, we went to the Diaz family for dinner and they served Papaya Juice and I just learned that I HATE Papaya! I have never had anything that smelled, tasted, and looked like my own vomit. The Cold soup was already spicy and it made me need a drink but every time that I put the cup to my lips I would put it right back down because the smell would overtake me haha luckily the attention was diverted by Elder Heaps when he subconsciously blew on his already cold soup. We had a really good lesson on prayer and sister Diaz cried when she was bearing her testimony on prayer. We teach the lessons pretty equally and we have amazing companionship unity! We have had super crazy rainstorms and I love it! I love the rain and looking at lightning in the TLM! So that is how my week went so I hope you enjoy it! Please tell me how you guys loved the Papaya story haha!

Love you guys!

Elder Farley

Week of May 10th

Yvonne's baptism!

Dear Mom,

It was really great talking to you guys as well! I was super grateful to have had the chance to talk you all of you guys in one room! I really hope as well that Bryson and Caden will get the hint that they should go on a mission! It will seriously change their lives for the better and I want them to experience everything I have experienced! And at least they will have a brother and parents who support them as they go out! Jesse just wrote me that he decided that he needed to go on a mission but his problem is that his Mother doesn't want him going to church and she doesn't want him to serve a mission even more. His dad is lukewarm on the subject. So he is asking for my advice on what to do and I told him that if he truly loved his family, then he would serve a mission so I hope he listens.

We did service at Salvation Army this past tuesday and it was awesome, I have never seen so much bread in my life! It is amazing the feeling you get when you are just doing service for your brothers and sisters! Cenia was very grateful for helping her out since she was short-handed that day! Cenia loves missionaries but she has never taken lessons so we are working through service to show her the gospel. I am feeling great for most of the time. What has influenced me for the better is honestly time to my self to evaluate how I am doing as a disciple of Christ. It honestly grinds my gears when other missionaries tell me what I am doing wrong because Christ already does it through scriptures and through impressions. I don't need someone turning into a hypocrite by telling someone that they messed up and then go mess up an hour later. So I take it with a grain of salt and move on. I definitely learned that developing Charity for other missionaries in your zone or district is the thing that I need to work on because it is hard. There are days when I love them all and others where I am dealing with Pharisees and Sadducees trying to nail me with their opinions. I love reading the scriptures because Christ is never wrong and I feel comfortable admitting when I am wrong and making a mistake when I read it.

I really hope that my metabolism slows down so that I can gain weight from all the amazing food I am being fed! You should tell Dad to get into making Carne Asada, just tell him to look it up on the internet but it is delicious and tasty! We are given an hour to study Spanish each day but I study it in my mealtimes and spare time and in the car as well so I personally study Spanish for about 4 hours a day approximately. I just love learning Spanish! I am also learning a little more French by reading the French Book of Mormon and doing vocabulary note cards that I write from a French Dictionary i bought so that Dallin wouldn't be alone when he gets back! I study Spanish for 4 hours a day and French for 20 minutes a day. I will try to be as obedient as possible because I know that is what I need to do!

Love you guys and wish the best, I hope that this letter is the way you wanted it to be! Love you so much! Make sure to deliver those letters!

Love, Elder Farley

Week of May 3rd - super short!

Dear Mom,

 

I am loving my new companions a ton, we have our differences but at least we feel comfortable talking them out and working on it. Ivonne's baptism was awesome!

You can really tell a difference between a member and an investigator when they come out of the water and see the Light of Christ already take hold! The spirit was strong in the chapel for sure! 

My favorite experience in Hobbs was when Ivonne got baptized!

My most spiritual is when I realized that the gift of tongues is a serious gift and how I need to pay more attention to it than I have.

The funniest is when we found out that the verb to make out in Spanish is Chupar la Pina which literally translates to suck the pineapple hahahaha.

Hardest moment was teaching an entire chapel in Spanish the restoration. (the rest is answers to other questions)

We play non-bet Poker, Liar, They play Pokémon, and Indian Poker which is where you hold your card on your forehead for everyone else but yourself to see! 

We will be skyping at 2:30 Mountain Standard Time, I hope the Flu goes away, why is it always when we Skype that you are sick?

I am doing really good in regards to temporal stuff. Hope the restaurant goes well. 

Coach Larson is the biggest tool I have met, he said the only reason I did not make the basketball team was because I wasn't tall enough. Hope Bryson passes his test!

Love you guys and you will be receiving letters to deliver to people in the valley and in our ward, I will also write you guys next week as thanks for the favor!

 

Love Elder Farley