Week of June 12, 2016

Dear Mom,

That is alright, mistakes happen. But I am really happy that I got a letter anyways! I thought that it was really nice! Thanks for sending it to me. I am excited to see what life is like after the mission. Tell Hyrum that I will see him on the 4th then if he will make it to that! I am excited to see the cousins, I would prefer to be released and then go see Andrew so that I can be in normal clothes and also be able to do some important things before that. I need to make a phone call to Dustin to figure out what my job proposition is and if I will take it or not. I also need to talk to Molly, Lindsay, and Sadie about the homecoming and when that will be, they are all coming and say that they are excited! Molly is bringing her fiance and I can't wait to meet him! The first two girls are like little sisters to me and to see Marlee and Molly married is super exciting! Sadie and I are going to do something most likely the weekend after next week before she goes back to college as well so I need to figure that out when I get home as well. 

Brother Doeroe did baptize his daughter and he did an amazing job! It was a really cool experience for him and he really felt humbled to be able to have the priesthood! My week was good, we are just trying to find new people for the next 2 guys to teach and we have a little pool created for them. We also gave service at the Air Force Museum like always and that gets boring after a while. Brie told me that the dogs ran away because of Caden? What happened exactly? Tell Grandma and Grandpa that I said Congratulations for making it through 50 wonderful years together! And if you could invite everyone on my facebook to come to my homecoming, that would be great, that way all the people who would come are notified and no one is left out. Tell Bryn that I said good luck! I love you guys and I can't wait to see you!

Love,

Austin

Week of June 5, 2016

Dear Mom,

I was a little surprised that you didn't write me this week during e-mail time. Good thing that we have a computer at the apartment office. Brother Lowe is doing great as well. Things have been going really well in matters of work and things to do and baptisms so that is great. We went to Palo Duro Canyon for p-day and it was really fun, we went mountain biking and hiking and I have some great pictures for you! The package was great, I actually used the cliff bars and some of the sports chews for the trip and they helped me a lot! There is a lot of stuff that I need to do when I get home. But can you possibly invite Hyrum and Dallin to the airport as well? I would love to see them there with you guys as well! I heard about Bryn and Brie, tell them I said congratulations. What is going on with Bryson and Caden right now? Haven't heard from them in a while.

That is good to hear about the Grandparents, I can't wait to see them again. I hope you have fun on the camp trip. Brother Doeroe got the priesthood this Sunday so he will be able to baptize his daughter this Saturday. We also had this very funny moment at Wal-mart today where Elder Crop kept referring to different flavors of Shaving cream to mean different brands, so I said outloud while we were walking that if Shaving Cream had a scent and a flavor then all of our problems would go away (meaning that if it was safe to smell and consume, then shaving would be a lot easier!) So the Lady in front of us turns around, looks at us with a smile on her face and keeps walking. Haha

Anyways, I love you and I can't wait to hear back from you! Have a great week!

Week of May 29, 2016

Dear Mom,

That is good to hear, seriously though, the employees bugged me a ton before the mission so now that I know how to handle disobedient situations, I will help as much as I can while I am working on my own career pursuits of course. That is a good thing for Luna I guess, now she can't run off as often haha. That is a bummer for Lucky though, I hope that get figures out. They were confirmed this week! They were so happy to be a part of the church! They were extremely social during church. We are baptizing brother Lowe this Saturday and he is excited for that. Then next week, we are getting to witness the baptism of Beauty Doeroe, Annie and Augustine's 9 year old daughter. The members do feed us really well. I got the package, but 2 days prior I had started a diet to eat no trans fat, little sugar, and exercise daily. So the food contents were a little conflicting ;) But I really enjoyed it, thank you so much! Yeah, they still haven't fixed the mailboxes here so once a week we have to get a ride to the Post Office to pick up any mail. The main stuff that I need when I get home: Garments, Shirts, Pants, White Shirts, and that kind of stuff. What are we going to do about a phone/car? Just wondering. My goal is to get a samsung galaxy and a Subaru Outback. But the car for now is a longish-term goal! I'll be honest, I love being on the mission, but there is something about home that just makes me happier! (maybe a very beautiful girl is the reason) (discard that comment, I was halfway joking ;) ) I love you guys so much and I want to be the best post-mission son you can have. I want to help out whenever I can, I want to be very active in the church, and I want to help people. That is really crazy to see everyone. I hope that Grandma gets feeling better! My week was really good, I wasn't able to email yesterday due to it being Memorial Day but what can you do? We went to the zoo and that was pretty fun! Good thing that there were no Gorillas there ;) (Bad Joke, I'm so sorry!) Yes, I still study Spanish, I want to be fluent in it by the time I get married so I need to practice. I talk to all Spanish Missionaries in Spanish for the most part. I will pray for Brie and Bryn's success. I really hope that Grandpa can still keep up with me on our hunting trips! And I am sorry for your allergies! Hope you get better! I love you guys and I really hope that you have a great week! And if it is any consolation... I don't have any allergies right now ;) LOVE YOU!

Your son,

Austin

Week of May 22, 2016

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the blog post, I really enjoyed it! So what is wrong with the restaurant? I thought it was going well? I will keep that in my prayers, I wouldn't suggest giving up if the problems are minor. Tell Bryn and Brie that I am really proud of them! So what does that mean "overdoes it" Like can she still play and run and that kind of stuff or is she now crippled? I am glad to hear that the horse is doing really well though! I really hope you get feeling better! Our week went really well, a ton of walking! At least it was windy so it felt great to walk. The baptisms went really well! Annie and Augustine were really excited and the spirit was so strong in the room! Sadly though, they weren't confirmed as one of their daughters had to be taken to the E.R and they had to miss church because of that, but we have a lesson with them on Saturday and they will be confirmed this Sunday instead. Augustine will also be interviewed for the priesthood so that he can baptize his daughter who will be baptized next week or so!

 The ward did support but there has been a problem with fellowship in this ward for some time apparently but they are making serious efforts to try and change that! We are also teaching some less-actives, there is a man that I haven't met yet named Brother Lowe, he is a member's husband and they are feeding us this Tuesday and he will set his baptismal date when we see him! He seems really legit! I don't know how much money I have but I think that I am doing ok. But if you want you can put money in there. I don't need that much, I have a lot of food, I am planning on leaving a lot of my clothes here (socks, shirts, and that kind of stuff) We do need to buy new garments and shirts when I get home though, and new socks! Elder Crop and I were talking about cars and I realized that the best car for me would probably be a Subaru Outback but I am still not quite sure. Elder Crop and I decided that we are going to go as hard as possible for our last month and we have been doing a really good job lately. The area is nice, really rich neighborhood though so we almost completely rely on member referrals. I haven't received the package yet but I will check the office today. I hope it is here, did you write the correct address? They will either white wash the area, shut it down, or put sisters in the area. I doubt that the latter is true though as sisters are becoming extremely rare right now.

I still don't know the reasons because President Heap hasn't been told them either, but my last area got shut down. President promised that I would be the first one to know once he found out though. But I hope that everything is going well! I love you guys and I can't wait to hear from you next week! I will send the pictures again! Love you guys!

Love,

Austin

Week of May 15, 2016

Dear Mom,

I honestly do not know how to respond to that email. That sucks a ton. The address is 3631 Brennan Boulevard #9F, 79121 Amarillo, TX. I will read that talk when I get the chance! My new companion and I are doing good, we have a baptism of a Liberian Family this saturday at 2! It has been freezing cold here too! And I have been walking way too much! But yeah, that is my week! I honestly don't know how to reply to that but I hope everything goes all right! I promise I will make a longer email next week! Just know that I am doing really well.

A little more information on Annie and Augustine (the Liberians) They are really prepared, they are ex-refugees, have 8 children, and they have really strong testimonies! Great family! The Abilene Branch bought me new shoes when they heard I was leaving so I don't need shoes anymore! But that has been my week. My new companion is Elder Crop, he is from Fresno, California. He already has a temple marriage date so yep. I am really excited to finish my mission here though! Love you and I can't wait to hear about a better week next time :)

Your son,

Austin

Week of Mother's Day 2016

Dear Austin,

It was so great to talk to you and hear your voice! I am so sorry for the computer issues! If you get the chance, please tell the family you were with, Thank you and sorry we couldn't

see them and really talk to them! They seemed like a great family! I am thankful for the families that have taken such good care of you!

We have such a crazy month ahead that you will be home before we know it!! The girls are finishing up their soccer seasons and have 2 games a week with practices and then the last week of May is try outs! And of course 3 birthdays this month! It's going to be crazy! :) I am having surgery June 7th to help me with being able to run and live life without peeing accidentally!! Bryn has BYU soccer camp the week before you come home. So hopefully we can also get your room finished! :)

Caden is starting Drivers Ed. tomorrow and should have his licence by the end of May. That seems crazy to me!

It has been so rainy this past week, I am ready for some sun! Hopefully a much nicer week this week!

Bryson is trying to sell his car so he can buy a truck... We'll see how that goes!

What would you be doing with Dustin her in Utah or Alabama? Also where is he located? Have you talked to Karen lately?

I love you and I hope your transfer goes smoothly. Make sure you stay focused and do your best to keep your companion focused! Finish Strong!! Make sure an give me your address asap. I will ge the package sent to you as soon as I have it! I saw a cool quilt made with the ties of a missionary - maybe we can use some of your ties for that! :)

Be obedient, teachable and humble! Love those you serve and serve with. Work hard and know that we are praying for you and know that we love you!

XOXO

Mom

Week of May 1, 2016

Dear Mom, 

Thanks for the advice, it really isn't that bad. It just depends on perspective. anyways, would 5:30 our time work? I will talk to you a lot more on Sunday so we can talk more fully. But cute horses, I haven't talked to Karen for 2 weeks, she is super busy right now, And we got a lot of rain that flooded our streets :D We would like any mexican candy you want to send, and Ghiradelli chocolate. For me and my gringo companion. I love you and if you want to talk more then I am available but I will save all of the exciting news for Sunday :)

Love,

your son

Week of April 24, 2016

Dear Mom,

We just got 2 new investigators yesterday! They are Lupe and Isidro. They are extremely prepared and they had great questions and they said that they will read and be baptized when they find the truth of it. They were dead set on following God. They were very kind and she said that the Holy Ghost had to be with us in order for her to feel the spirit with complete strangers and that we were able to speak it in her language. She was really touched and she said that she wanted to know. Tell Bryn that titles and positions don't matter. Because of something that happened in the zone, I am no longer a District Leader. It was really devastating at first but then I realized that me being a District Leader has absolutely zero importance on what will happen to me later in life. My mission has zero importance if I take the politics instead of the lessons out of it. So I will just take the lessons and tips I have learned and forget about the rest. I will leave the mission happy and forget the mission as what it is and remember the lessons that I learned instead. So names and places will be forgotten, leaders and presidents will leave my life. But the lessons and what I do with them matter and will always remain. 

The rain is coming back this weekend! Yay! I can't wait to see what it does this time :) Tell Bryson and Caden that grades don't matter either, but life does. So do what you need to do to have a life, if that includes learning and retaining stuff in a manner that appeases the government, then do it quick and you will never have to deal with it again. I talked to Dustin and I will be having  a career right as I get back but don't worry, I will still help out at the restaurant when possible. besides the disneyland trip, I need to save up for a Guatemala trip hopefully. Do you think that Andrew and I will be on the same plane? I hope so, that would be amazing! Those horses are pretty, you have switched them out so much in the past 2 years that I have no clue which one is named what. So you will have to enlighten me about that! I have already explained most of my week. I honestly can't stand the politics of the mission or the leaders but again, it won't matter if I do it quick and move on with life. We haven't met with Jesse yet, Jesus and Maribel are still doing good, they notice the spirit that we bring as well. Really great people, and the branch is doing a lot better with unity and helping the missionaries! I teach in both languages, the price I have to pay by being in the United States. But I have been told that my spanish skills exceed that of the Branch President and his first councilor, and 90 percent of the branch itself. I still make mistakes, granted, but it comes naturally for the most part. I have memorized over 60 different pages worth of vocabulary in the Oxford Dictionary and I use that vocabulary every day. I will continue to master Spanish and it would be awesome to marry a native speaker. I can teach you Spanish but it will be a process. It will remind you a little of Tagalog. Tell Mason that I said hi, I honestly don't know if I will be seeing any of them really when I get back. It just seems like everybody has moved on with their life which is good for them but a bummer for me. But thank you so much for your support, I love you so much and I am sending a Mother's day card to you today! But have a great week and I love you guys so much,

Austin

Week of April 17, 2016

Dear Mom,

The battle fares well this week, we have gotten 3 new investigators and we are working hard on some more. Yeah, we decided never to go back to do service there because we deemed it not safe for us haha. A lot of people asked us about the Belgian missionaries these past few weeks so that is a great way to get in the door ironically. I really enjoyed the talk from Elder Holland! I saw the poster and I think it is the most adorable thing in the world!  I hope she wins the election, that would be so cool! It would also give her an early opportunity to lead and to have responsibility and stewardship which I think would help her a lot! It just seems that the only thing I hear about the girls is soccer! Is that their only part of life? ;) It flooded here in Abilene and it is still raining haha. I am impressed with the weather this week! That doesn't sound fun but it does sound better for Caden. I hope that Bryson will be planning on a mission by the time that I get home haha. And that will be useful for me while I am working on getting a car. That sounds like they are doing good as well. Tell Grandpa that I can't wait to go hunting with him and the old knee haha. I am excited about that trip as well, but who is paying for it? I still don't know haha.

I love you guys so much and I can't wait to see you guys, but I have more stuff to do. This week in a nutshell is that I was told by members that my Spanish is dead on perfect, I gave a talk about putting God first in Sacrament Meeting, It has been raining like no other! And we have gotten 3 new investigators named Jesus, Jesse, and Maribel. Jesus and Maribel are a couple and Jesse is another guy! Love you guys so much!

Your son,

Austin

Week of April 10, 2016

 Dear Mom,

I was talking about that really cool ten commandments video during the halftime show of the conference :) It was really powerful! I really hope that God will allow me to continue with my plans and I will always keep an open mind for his plans. I have a lot of back-up plans but I will have faith that things will work out if I am always faithful! I really hope that they serve as well, it will give them life lessons that they cannot learn anywhere else. My mailing address is 1000 Justice Way #907 Abilene, Texas 79602, I could of sworn I already sent it to you but there you go anyways. I am not getting any letters from Brother Stirland. Tell him that I said hi as well! My week has gone really well, we went to the zoo which was really impressive, I will send you the top pictures. There was a turtle the size of my study desk! We drove to San Angelo for zone conference through the buffalo gap mountains which was really beautiful hill country! Made me a little homesick. a few days later we went to Buffalo Gap to do service for a man that is building his own house. My job was to make sure the fire burning the garbage didn't burn the bunny hatch/chicken coop. We then went to a baptism of a man that I had interviewed, he is a really cool guy and he will be a blessing to the ward he is in.

We on the other hand are still slow on appointments, but we have been doing a ton of service and walking around so hopefully things will turn around soon! My favorite testimony building experience was interviewing that man and teaching him the things that he was still unsure on and him responding that my response was incredible. It really built my testimony on the Atonement (the subject that I was teaching) The funniest thing that happened, well we were doing service and I was supposed to hook up a hose to spray water on the fire. I went around the building to hook it up but I couldn't find the right hose, so I went back around to grab a new segment when I saw that one of the other missionaries had already lit the pile and the fire was 10 feet in the air and raging. I was in a panic and quickly got the hose done and started spraying. I was ready to kill that guy at the moment but it became funny later. The members are really nice but sparse. Only 30 members in total and only 12 or 15 are active so it is a work in progress, we are starting to get fed really well though! They are also coming out with us when we have appointments.

Being a district leader is fun but not easy. I have to constantly be on top of everything that is happening around here and I feel that I am doing a really good job! I have to make calls every week, I have to interview people in order for them to be baptized, I have to teach and prepare district meetings, I have to update everyone in my district on changes, and I have to go on exchanges. I think by working hard I am inspiring them. My district is a fun little group, Elder Lund is in it. I will pray that the surgery goes well, tell Grandpa that I said hi and hopefully they can fix his knee so I can take him on more hunts :) I can't wait to go swimming with the dogs, I remember when Luna was scared to death and almost drowned dad and I because she kept trying to get on top of us haha! That is really good on Connor, he is doing the right thing, I wasn't all the way ok to go out when I did but on the other hand. President Heap is the best judge of Israel I have had and he has helped me give up completely all of my chastity issues, language issues, and even my anger management. I still get angry every now and then but it is only to give me a drive to do better. my thoughts are cleaner and so is my tongue. I have become a completely different man because of President Heap and I know if Connor puts his trust in the council of his bishop than he and the Lord will be able to work things out a lot faster :) Tell him I said that please. You can include my story if it will help him even more. I love you guys so much and I can't wait to hear from you guys! The pictures are some bluebonnets I found, the mountains, the job :), the zoo entrance, and the turtle!

Love,

Austin

Week of April 3, 2016

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the post, I really liked reading it, it had some interesting insights about it :) I really liked the whole green beret thing haha. My favorite talks were those by Elder Holland, Uchtdorf, Christopherson, L. Tom Perry,(his talk in the show between conference sessions!) and President Monson. They taught me a lot about humility, fatherhood, husbandry :D, the choice of paths, and the ten commandments. I really know how I want to use my hunting business to benefit the lives of my brothers and sisters around the world. I want to make sure that as many people as possible have jobs, or at least food and water in their lives. I want to make sure that they can send their children to school and that they can keep their families healthy and happy. It is no longer about owning a large corporation, this is about employing a large corporation amount of God's children who need an equal chance in life to learn and progress and work and learn of God's love for them. I hope God will be behind me in all of my decisions as long as that is my ultimate goal. 

So being a District Leader is really enjoyable and I love it a ton! Elder Hatch is a great companion, a little less on top of things than Elder Cortez but I can't expect perfection from everyone. He is from Globe, Arizona. He likes sports, the gospel, and he is still struggling with Spanish but I can help him out a lot if he will let me. Elder Lund and I have been having a blast together, he is still the same great guy I knew in Odessa and it is a lot easier to get along with him since he is not with me 24/7 :) It was a hard week because we had no lessons, but I am getting the area whipped back into shape by talking to every Hispanic person I see! Only 2 families are actually Hispanic in the branch which makes me think that it shouldn't even be a branch... But I will give it a shot anyways. How is Caden doing this week? Bryson hasn't written me but that is ok, he still has next week! I hope that the restaurants go better these upcoming 11 weeks! I will pray for your success haha. But anyways, I love you and I can't wait to talk to you guys next week. I talked with Dustin just barely and he has held my job for me so that is good, and Stephany and I talked a little today as well so I will get you that address next week. But I love you guys and wish the best!

New Companion Elder Hatch... not sure what is up with Austin's hair! :)

Week of Easter 2016

Dear Mom,

Happy EASTER! I really loved the package! And guess what, I am a district leader now, I am going to end my mission in Abiline Texas. I will send you the address next week, I leave tomorrow. I am so sad to leave Elder Cortez because he was one of my favorite companions but I know that he will do great here in Carlsbad! Tell Dallin that if he is paying then I am all for it, but as a missionary, I am dead broke haha.(Trip to Disneyland together!) But that would be really fun! I think Sage will do really well as a missionary! Tell her that I said good luck and give me her email. I am really excited for General Conference this week, it will be strange that it will be in a Spanish Branch, with a new companion, in a new city but I am still excited! I am sure that I will learn a lot from the spirit for my last Conference on the mission. Brother Collet is a great guy, just got back from his mission in Ghana, and he came out with us a lot and was a big help! I am so grateful to him that he was able to deliver the package! The Farley family always seems so isolated which is a bummer because I think they are cool too in their own interesting way... haha. Yeah, well I hope that the kids don't have hard feelings when me and my hopefully soon to be girlfriend destroy them in soccer haha. (That was a joke)

Well I hope Caden is doing fine with everything, trust me, I have a really busy schedule, I am a missionary who is now a district leader who actually has Elder Lund as his zone leader who makes reports for the mission president, and makes study guides for the entire mission (president approved my idea) So I have a really busy schedule so I can relate to Caden. I am really happy about the restaurant, I hope that Clinton is as successful as the other two are! Why is Bryson branching away? (He's not) Haha, I can't wait to get back into that awesome Utah weather! Skiing, Wakeboarding, Hiking, I'm going to do it all haha. Alma is doing good, Kenny and Jessica are doing good except Kenny argued with me saying that marriage wasn't essential so they will be slow progress but It isn't my responsibility anymore I suppose. My lesson learned this week is leaving an area better than when you found it. We have worked so hard to get Carlsbad prepared for a new set of missionaries only to find out that I am leaving anyways. It really makes you think about your impact on others! I do admit that I did surprise you but again, I am not 100% sure about if it will work out or not, so I am just going to continue emailing her and than if it works out in 13 weeks, then great, but if not than Sadie Thompson is still single. :) But I will have faith that she will be the one and it will work out with I am faithful for the next 12 weeks. I love you guys and I wish all the best! Love you!

Your son,

Elder Farley

Week of March 20, 2016

Dear Mom,

I am so jealous of you guy's going to the temple dedication! I heard it was really good. I really like the comments about the Atonement and I will sure use that with investigators and members over here to teach them that principle! I am sending some stuff up to Grandma and Grandpa Oaks so that I don't have to pay to mail them because they will not be accepted on the airplane either so they should get them anytime this week. Just have them either hold on to it for me or give it to you guys. I am really happy to be here in Carlsbad, it is a really great town and I know that the work will progress as we work hard. I haven't talked to the Farley side (besides the grandparents) for 2 years. So I don't know anything about that side of the family. Where is Brayden working? What job does he have? How is Aunt Stephanie? Thank you for the pictures of the temple, I really enjoyed them! They are really beautiful pictures.

It sounds like soccer pretty much envelops your lives, I guess you have earned the title of Soccer Mom officially. What is happening with Caden's anxiety? Is it a condition, is it stress, or was it just a random thing? Why doesn't Bryson ever email me? I will pray for success with the restaurant. Why are you staying out of the restaurant's business? Is it giving you too much stress? My week was really good. We drove to Roswell for Zone training, we taught a lot of people. Namely Stormy and Cat, Stormy is an atheist but he is a lot nicer and understands the doctrine better than most "Christians" that I have met. We have been sharing the new Easter Video with everyone and it is a really good video, I invite you to check it out. It is called Hallelujah. It is similar to the Christmas video but with adults. We also picked up a new investigator named Alma who is super cool, her mom is a member but she never really got the chance to learn so she asked us to come over. Kenny and Jessica are still doing good, Bro Caldwell is progressing slowly. Sister Smith is doing great, pretty much everyone is at a similar pace.

A lesson that I learned this week is always give the benefit of the doubt. So many people are filled with hate nowadays and they are so contradictory with their statements such as "I have muslim friends, but they all need to be kicked out of our country."  or "Mormons are the best people on earth, but they are just too sexist and racist" I have learned to just love people and not judge them and then if they backstab me, calmly just leave the picture. It is the best we can do without making the problem worse.

(what he is sending in his package home) stuff like eggs of large birds, a gift from an investigator, a rattlesnake skin, a watch, a electric machine toy, and a couple of books. Stuff that I don't need right now. 

So my goals are to get one last baptism at least, and become a really well-balanced person.

And about Karen, I am still trying to find out if we will even start something. But I do share little thoughts with her and I am working at her pace. But I will send you the address as soon as I remember it because you are right and that is my goal with her and I already have it in my head that if she isn't interested then it will not work out. So don't worry, I will not become one of those members. I love you so much and I want the best for myself and for you guys. I am a little smarter than you sometimes take me for ;)

Love you,

Austin

Water they hand out to people... creative storage

Week of March 13, 2016

Dear Mom,

The Caverns are really cool, I won't go back there again unless I get a new companion because it is one of those, you have seen it once, you have seen it all, places. I love it when I see wildlife, it just reminds me more of home because over here it is all oilfield. So it is really hard to see the actual nature of the area haha. Yeah, Elder Whitesides is a great kid, but I can not stand him as my district leader. He shows up really late to district meeting, and he forgets nearly everything. I don't know, maybe he is my test of patience and charity right now. Elder Cortez and I are doing great, we don't go a single day without trying to wrestle eachother into the running water of the shower with clothes on or wrestle on the ground over who knows what :) This week has been better with appointments but nobody is progressing just yet this week. This is a reconstruction week if I could give it a name. Sister Smith is the best but she is in Alamagordo all week so that is a bummer!

So her name is Karen Stephany Davila,(the girl he has been writing since before his mission?!) people usually call her stephany but she lets people who she cares about use her first name (I gained that privilege about a couple of months ago :) ) She is 20 years old about to turn 21 so about Hyrum's age. She is a really sweet girl who cares a lot about me and she does take time out of her busy schedule to make me videos and that kind of stuff :) She works at an English Academy and she is studying Pedalogy. We write every week, but sometimes when she is busy it takes anywhere from 2 weeks to a month to get back to me but when she does, it is with like 6 videos and 4 emails that she drafted so that she could send them when she had the chance. I didn't think that it was going anywhere until halfway through my mission so that is why I never said anything. Plus, I kind of felt like you guys kind of don't like it when I talk about my foreign friends so usually I leave them out of my conversations. ( I have 45 to be exact) And don't worry, I don't ever plan on living in Guatemala. She would come up here if it got really serious. But the thing is, America sucks when it comes to Visas. I only need to show the officials in Guatemala my passport and I can stay for 90 days automatically. She on the other hand, is in the middle of the process which has taken her a year and a half just to get accepted to maybe get a visa... My companion can verify that as he has family in El Salvador and Mexico. His aunt and grandma have been trying to get visas for years and they haven't been successful. So it appears that most of our dating will be in Guatemala until she gets the visa, but little fact... If she were to marry an American, then she would automatically get a Visa. So yeah, we will figure it out. That should be thought of way in the future but I thought I would put it into perspective :)

I am a little jealous of you guys watching movies when I am here watching the same Legacy over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over :)  This could take a while so I will stop right there :) So is pretty much everyone in sports right now? It seems that our family is more athletic than I had thought. It is a really great thing that Bryson is being influenced that way, he should be fine as long as he does that. I am really thankful that I decided to go on a mission and I have learned so much and met so many people that have changed my life forever! I love you guys so much and I can not wait to teach you guys what I know when I get back! I only have 3 months so I got to use it to the fullest! Love you

Your son,

Austin

Week of March 6, 2013

Dear Mom,

My week was great! We went to the Caverns and I have pictures this time, we did a lot of work in Otis which is a little town outside of Carlsbad which is mainly trailer homes. We also went to Roswell for Zone Training and I went on exchanges with Elder Whitesides in Artesia. It was fun and we taught some really cool people that night, Artesia is going to get a baptism! 
We are actually not going to cover 2 wards and we might get moved to the new ward which might actually be better because it is so hard to be in 2 wards when they meet at around the same time! We are having a rough time with teaching this week because everybody keeps punching on their appointments, we mainly have been working with Less actives this week. Sister Smith is my favorite, she is like our grandma in the mission.
Elder Cortez' strengths are his huge patience level, he likes the same stuff I do, he is very smart, and he is really funny :) 
OK, So about College, I think Weber will be good. Also, I forgot to tell you, so I have been talking to this girl for a long while, and she kind of likes me and I kind of like her so I wanted to give her a try when I get back. I don't want to do it too soon because she lives in Guatemala City but I thought I would let you guys know that so I am not surprising you. (Still surprising! :) I guess he met her over skype with his international hunting stuff he was doing before his mission?!) 
Is Kung Fu Panda a good movie? I saw some trailers and I laughed when I saw them. I am really excited to see that newly designed home haha. So what is the deal with Bryson and Caden? I thought they got along really well? I really hope you get better! I will pray for the restaurant to go well. Love you guys and I hope you have a great week!

Week of February 28, 2016

Dear Mom,

Thanks, Elder Cortez loves me a ton, he can't get enough of me. Usually because I am giving him a hug every 20 minutes. (I told him he may want to be careful about bugging his companion from Vegas ;))And he is the most pacifist guy I know, plus he is socially awkward so I don't think he knows anybody from that part of Vegas.(I asked what the difference was with them covering 2 wards) The difference is that I now have to go to 6 hours of church every Sunday :/ Not the funnest bonus, but we also get fed more and we get more work done. Turns out that Brandon has been being stubborn on purpose because he finds it funny to annoy us. But he is progressing nevertheless. We haven't talked to Ciara in a couple of days but we are planning on visiting them tomorrow. 

So I got the picture of Brittany, she is a really cute girl. Tell Caden that he did a good job. Tell Stratton that I said hello as well! Yes I have read that talk several times! (The Fourth Missionary) That is really strange but really fun to think that I will have a Mule deer buck under my belt this year. So our week went really well. We have been on bikes for the most part so that we can go to the caverns today. I will send some pictures! But enroll me in Weber for now so that I can help you guys out at the restaurant and start my hunting business with Dustin in a steady environment. But I really do want to get a degree in Spanish and I really would love to go to Guatemala if that works out. But I will explain more when I get back. Just tell Bryson to email me with his concerns and I can talk to him about them in a better environment. I hope he will feel comfortable opening up to me :) But thanks so much for your support and I love you guys so much! I hope you guys have a great week!

Love,

Austin

Week of February 21

Dear Mom,

Elder Cortez and I are doing really well, we are getting a lot of success together and Elder Cortez said that I have changed his life forever. (That was wishful thinking) It has been more on the lines of "Can you please get off me, I am trying to Read here... or "I guess for the sake of you going to sleep, I love you" or the classic "Now seriously, what are you doing?" Him and I have a special relationship that consists of the touchy me and the introvert him. 

Brandon has been doing better because we found the key with him! READING! Turns out that he likes to read the scriptures, so we are making slow progress with him. Also GUESS WHAT! The Carlsbad wards have split so now I cover 2 wards, the Pecos River and the Loving's Bend wards, this is the first time this has happened to me! The work is progressing fast here in New Mexico. Ciara is ok for now, she is checking up on her and the baby's safety and we haven't talked to them since then. We are going to check up on them tomorrow. I actually went to high school with Ciara and she knew a lot of the same people as I did. She even knew Marley Kieth. So she is already a member, her husband. Leviticus Funk (we call him Levi) is a catholic, but he is really fun to be around and he listens sincerely! We get fed like no other here. For the entire months of January and February, we didn't make ourselves dinner once! I want a picture of this so called BRITTANY! Nobody gets a legitimate girlfriend before I DO! Tell every one of the kids that I love them a ton. 

My favorite scripture is Galatians Chapter 5 that says "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump" It shows that even the littlest things can effect us in the long run and that is why we should be exactly obedient.

I love you guys and I hope that this was enough writing for you :) Have a great week!

Love,

Austin

I am really excited to take on Bryn and Brie in a soccer match. My Mexicanized powers have re-emerged and I am ready to destroy them. I ate Elder Cortez' soul so now I have double the power! It tasted a little like Taco Seasoning but I think that was just the after-taste. HAHA I just wrote all of that because my companion is watching my screen :) 

Don't get too hard on Luna, she is just the most intelligent dog on the planet. I mean, what do you expect from the most intelligent owner on the planet. They don't write heritage books about just anyone you know. The weather here has been so HOT! 80 degree weather in the middle of Winter! It is not normal at all! So how is everything going with Lori? Well, I am sure that you will change your mind if we go to Guatemala for vacation. 

Week of February 14th

Dear Mom,

This past week has been great! Elder Cortez and I have been getting along so well. I am glad to stay in Carlsbad, we are still working on them though. 

So what happened this week, We taught a recent convert Brandon about setting goals and it is so hard to work with him. he has no desire to progress because he is very anti-social. But we have other recent-converts who are eager to go to the temple these upcoming months. We have been doing a lot of service at the senior citizens center, I really enjoy that. We found a really cool little wind up radio in the apartment that runs on solar energy, so we use it to find out the weather, really neat! We also are speaking a lot more Spanish. yesterday we had 2 dinners with 2 different families. 1 was steak, the other was Hawaiian haystacks. We had a lesson with Levi and Ciara and Ciara had a small seizure so she went to bed and we taught Levi and he really listened about the Gospel of Christ. 

Keep a watch on Luna, she will get there, she is still a puppy. I am proud of the girls and it frustrates me when people don't know how to work at all at the restaurant. But I love you guys so much and I love the advice you give me, I will work harder to have more stuff to talk about next week!

Love you

Week of February 7th - Birthday Week!

Dear Mom,

Thanks for the birthday wishes! I really appreciated them! I really liked the package! Except for the fact that it was fast sunday when I got to open it :) I got Hyrum, Hayden, and James to email me so that is good. That is good to hear about Mesquite. So my week was good, I am staying in Carlsbad with Elder Cortez, Elder Whitesides is leaving, we had a lot of lessons and we brought a lot of people to church. I lost a chess game to our Ward mission leader and we have eaten at a lot of places. Members made me a cake which was delicious.

 We went to the caverns, but I don't have the pictures right now! Sorry my bad, but they were really nice! Elder Cortez and I ran up the caverns which is 72 stories in 4 miles so that was a great incline! I met a woman from the Philippines at the Visitor Center and we talked about you and your time in the Philippines and how I want to go there as well. We are having a problem with investigators not being married which is a big hurdle but we can get over it. I taught seminary which was great and I also tried to play charades where I was proposing and my companions literally thought that I was being Knighted, I don't know what to do with these guys. So Thanks for the birthday wishes. The best thing I ate was Asada Tacos, best tacos ever! I love you guys so much and I hope you guys have the greatest week ever! Love you

Week of February 1st

Dear Mom,

My week has been good thanks! I am sorry for the passing of Great Grandpa evans! It must have been a little hard. Not the first thing I wanted to hear over text from you :) But yeah, things are going to be really different coming back, not the way I exactly expected but it should still be good. How did the funeral go? Who attended? How many? How long was it? Who gave the eulogy? Tell Jake shaw that I said hi! I really do like Carlsbad a lot! I just went to the Caverns today and it was amazing! But I don't have much to say anymore but I really hope that you have a great week! I love you guys and hope for the best! 

Love,

Austin Farley

Week of Jan 27th

Dear Mom,

The battle fares well, we have had so much success. We had 6 less active members come to church yesterday and they said that they enjoyed it a lot! Liliana and Gil are that family, they are doing good, they still have some questions but we will answer them this week. Transfers are in 3 weeks from now. I would of liked an Ipad but that can't happen haha, I would really like a hand-written letter from Hyrum maybe. I would also appreciate a GPS in case of Elder Whitesides leaving. Brie and Bryn seem to do really well in Soccer! How often do they practice? Brie is a really tough girl and I am proud of her, is Bryn having fun still? Is Caden good at rugby? Tell Bryson that serving a mission would give him purpose in life ;) 

Why is it that so many tournaments are held in Mesquite?! Elder Cortez tells me that it is just a small town between St. George and Las Vegas... Anyway, that sounds like a good plan. Do I have to work at all 3 or can I choose which one I would like to work at? Winter sounds like a dream right now, it is always so warm here and then I forget to wear a sweater and then the desert night sets in and I am miserable haha. 

That is a good article and I just read it, that is so true how we need to be disciples in the fullest and not give excuses. We have a motto in our companionship. "BE EXCEPTIONAL WITHOUT EXCEPTION" And it has been a pretty good motto to live by lately. I love you guys so much and I am going to the Caverns next week so I can send pictures for my birthday :) Is there anything that you guys want me to tell you? Just let me know! Love you guys bunches!

Your son,

Austin Farley

Week of January 17th

Dear Mom,

How did you enjoy the letter? Patience is definitely a thing that I need to work on. But I am feeling better although Elder Cortez is still coughing a lot. But I will take more medicine next time. But luckily, my birthday is not at the end of the transfer anymore because they changed it so now my birthday can go normal without any packing! 

Elder Cortez is so stellar! He is a hard worker and a very peaceful guy and he is really smart and he knows a lot of the stuff I know. We are working really hard and we actually had dinner at the house of an investigator family and they came to church as well so it went really well. I have not visited the caverns yet, but I probably will on my birthday p-day. It has not been snowing that much at all. It is really hot here and snow is like a long lost memory here. I hope it doesn't melt,(the snow here) I want to come home to a legitimate Utah! 

That should be an interesting change to things,(opening Clinton location of Huntsville BBQ) how many locations does dad want to open? I am glad to hear that Dad is doing ok and yes, Stratton is the last one so they better all be at my homecoming! But due to me being sick and my companions being sick, I don't have much to say! But I am glad you got my letter and I hope that suffices till next week! I love you and I wish the best for everyone! 

Love,

Austin

Week of January 10th

Dear Mom,

That is really great! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I love you a ton and you are the greatest mom ever. So the big bummer is that I have the Flu or the Cold so nothing has gotten done because I have been to sick to do anything! I hate the cold weather! Elder Cortez is a really great kid, calm, smart and easy to talk to! He has been really helpful this week! That is a really good word, my word is PATIENT. The more patient I am, the more that I can help people. Caden is such a playa with the ladies. I just noticed that legitimately the only girls I attract is foreign girls. So I might end up marrying someone from a different country, who knows! So where exactly in Clinton will it open? And when will it open? I feel bad for K, missionary work definitely isn't for everyone, it requires a lot but I am sure that the Lord needs him where he is! I know that he is a great kid and a worthy priesthood holder and I want you guys to let him know that I love him and support him in everything! Also, tell him to email me! The snow has all melted but it is still super cold here! That has not helped me with my cold in the slightest! But I love you guys so much and I want a gym membership! That would be great! I promise that I will write a longer letter when I am feeling better! I also love you guys and can't wait to hear more about the adventures of the Farley Family!

Love,

Austin 

It's a New Year!

Dear Mom,

I am feeling a lot better, I dominated New Years Eve in Volleyball and Basketball and Slapjack. The weather is much better, still cold but with less snow! I really want to meet Taylie now! She sounds like such a funny character! I really miss everyone but it gives me the drive to finish out strong, that is for sure! So what is wrong with Dad's health?(Nothing... I just worry about the stress of 3 restaurants) Why Clinton? (Good question!) So are Bryn and Brie dead set on playing soccer in High School? I can't wait to go back and play soccer with them. So I heard that you want to go to Mexico for Christmas next year? What about Guatemala? 

I am still speaking Spanish, my trainee is Elder Cortez, he is from Las Vegas and he is a native spanish speaker. Really fun trio! We have had a pretty good weekend! I am trying super hard to be as diligent as possible and it is working out for me but it is hard to get my companion to be as enthusiastic. Sorry that I don't have much to say, I was sick for 4 days and then we got snowed in for 2 which means that we really haven't done much! But I love you none the less and hope that everything goes well. I would love answers to those questions. I will write a letter today but you can't open it until your birthday. Love you guys!

Your son,

Elder Farley