Training!

This past week has been great! We are teaching a lot of amazing people who are really starting to progress. It is amazing to see the Lord's hand in this work. We are teaching about 5 father led families which has been really good; we are trying to see each of our progressing investigators a couple of times a week.

On Saturday night I received a call from President Omer! I will be staying here in Birch Acres and I will be TRAINING!! I am so excited. I have a training meeting that I will be going to later today and tomorrow I will go and pick up my new comp. I can't wait. We are going to hit the ground running and completely rely on the Lord. 

Yesterday we had the first ever branch conference here in Birch Acres. It was a great day for the Branch. We learned that the branch has only had two baptisms this whole past year. The theme was on missionary work and I hope it got the members excited to do everything they can so that we can start the process to turn this branch into a ward. 

The scripture I really liked that I used with the Makwela family is in Phillipians 3:13-14. It talks about how we need to sacrifice all and press forward towards Christ. We need to leave behind things of the world or things holding us back from completely following our Lord and straightway follow him. In our lives we need to have the faith to leave behinds things that may be good for the things that are great! 

I love you all so much! 

Elder Farnes

Ups and Downs

This past week has had its up and downs. It was a hard week. We got bounced more than usual. I still am loving everything though, we need to go through the rough times in order to fully appreciate the great times. It wasn't always easy for Christ, so why should it be for us. We were teaching Zanela who was supposed be getting baptised this next week and learned that she is not legally married. I guess that is a big problem here in South Africa. Gladys was still going to get baptised, but the day we were supposed to have her interview she called and said we couldn't come because her brother who is Zanela's husband was getting way mad about them getting baptised and things weren't well at their house. Saturday night as we were checking on all of our investigators for church on Sunday we passed Zanela's and saw her in the corner store. We went and asked how she was doing and she just started crying saying how much she wanted to come to church, but she can't because of her husband. She then went on to tell us some other things that are going on in her life that are horrible. I felt so sad for her and wish that there was more I could do to help her.

We were also able to see our father led families and they are doing great. They are all progressing and moving along well. Moses and his wife came to church yesterday and loved it. We will be seeing them again tonight.

We were also able to have lunch with and teach an Area Seventy yesterday. He is such a great guy. We went to a members house for lunch and he was sitting inside already with his family. I thought maybe we were getting introduced to a new family to teach, but after a few minutes I realized who he was. haha.

In our district meeting this last week we talked about Consecration. And how we need to consecrate or sacrifice ourselves to the Lord. We need to be willing to give all of ourselves to him. And in reality it's not really "ours" to give him. All that we can truly give him is our Desires, Hearts, Thoughts, and our Eyes. The scripture in Mosiah 2:21 really tells us how even if we do everything we possibly can it can never be enough to repay for the Christ has done for us. Every morning we need to consecrate ourselves to the Lord.

I love you!

Elder Farnes

Great Week!

This past week has been great! We have been continuing to meet with the Makwela family, Bobo and his mom, and Moses and his wife and they are progressing along very well! We also have started teaching the Muglapo family. They are so cool! They have a son that is 16 and he is a stud! We went there for the second time and the mom was telling us about how the son was talking about how he wants to go on a mission one day when he is old enough.

Yesterday we were also able to have our stake conference! It was so cool to see all the members come together and meet in one building. The spirit was so strong and you could tell that these people are firm in the faith.There were some great speakers, I especially loved listening to President Omer. He is such a powerful man. When he speaks the spirit just radiates throughout the whole room! He talked about the power of conversion and how through that conversion process it can cause you to change your life around forever! 

This past week in my scripture study I read an amazing chapter in the Bible. It is Acts 20:19 through the End. In this chapter Paul is speaking to his disciples for the last time. He talks about and teaches them exactly how he served Christ and how we need to serve Christ. He teaches us how we can become more and more of a disciple of Christ. Everything we do in life it should be for Christ. We need to be continually in the service of our Lord and Savior! 

I Love you all!

Elder Farnes

This past week I had a powerful experience with the makwela family that I wanted to share with you! We came and started teaching them about the priesthood and how that power can be used to bless the lives of their family even more as their dad can be able to hold that power. We then took that to talk about baptism and in order for it to be done correctly it needs to be done like how Jesus Christ was baptised and by that priesthood authority. They are deeply religious methodists and the Mom even speaks to everyone at the church every once in a while. But, the mom was able to really understand what we were saying! She started questioning if her baptism was done correctly and how it really was done! She then asked if she was to be baptised the correct way again if she would have to join our church? She is under the impression that every church is a good church! My comp kind of turned to me because he didn't want to answer and right before I Spoke something inside me said "This is the true Church! You are inviting her and her family to be able to have Salvation and life together forever as a family! Be bold!" I then boldly stated how while there are a lot of good churches out there, there is only one true church! And that is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! I told her that she would have to join but I knew it would bless her life! I then bore my testimony about how I knew that all these things were true! When I was done she seemed to really understand it and seemed to be thinking really hard about it. She knows the Book of Mormon is true and she knows Joseph Smith was a prophet! She said she would pray about being baptised into our church, but that ever since we had been coming she felt that her life was going to change! I know she will get her answer! Please pray for her and her family as we are going to meet with them again wednesday night! The spirit was so strong during that lesson! While we were riding our bikes down the hill my comp and I started yelling "Hurrah for Israel" I love being a missionary! It was an experience I will remember forever!

Powerful Week!

This past week has been powerful. We have had some incredible spiritual experiences and the Lord is definitely working with us here in Birch Acres. On Wednesday night we went to go meet with the Makwela family. (The one that I talked about in my last email who's aunt gave a powerful testimony to them in sacrament meeting.) When we arrived we were told that the Mother and Father were both really sick. We taught the kids for a little bit and then went to go check on the parents. While we were talking to them the mom told us she wanted a blessing from us. We were able to give both the Mom and Dad Priesthood blessings and the spirit was SO strong! They are both completely healthy now and know that it was because of the blessings. Yesterday Zanela (One of the Zim sisters) couldn't come to church because her daughter was sick also.We were also able to give her a blessing and once again the spirit was overwhelmingly powerful. I'm so grateful to be able to hold the priesthood and to be able to exercise its power worthily. The Priesthood power from God is so real!

Thursday night we met with Bhobo and his mom. They came to church for the first time last Sunday and loved it. They were even at church half an hour early. When we met with them the Mom showed up with KFC for us. She served us and her sons chicken and french fries while she just had a tiny bowl of mashed potatoes. When we teach them we don't turn on the lights and you can tell they are barely getting by financially. KFC is pretty expensive here and you could tell it was a big sacrifice for her to do this for us. She was so happy to give us it though. It was such a humbling experience and I KNOW the Lord will bless her in her life.

On Saturday we were on our way to an investigator when a man came out of his house and stopped us. He asked us "Why we haven't ever visited his house?" We quickly told him we could meet with him right now if he was available. We went into his house and had a great lesson with him. At the end of the lesson he told us he wanted us to come back the next day. We met with him yesterday and it was one of the most spiritual lessons I have ever been apart of. He started off by asking some inspired questions to us about which is the right way to get baptized and then asked how you can tell which Christian church is really the right one! We taught him the Restoration and I felt the spirit so strongly as I was able to share with him about Joseph Smith and the First Vision. He loved it all. He kept on saying how much sense this makes and at the end he said that he thinks this is the truth and the right way for him. He wanted us to come back again tonight, but we want to meet with his whole family so we will be seeing them Thursday night. The Lord has definitely prepared Moses for the gospel.

The scripture I would like to share is found in Helamen 10:4-5. Nephi was such a powerful missionary and I love the way it talks about the way he did his missionary work. It says he declared the gospel with Unwearyness, without fear, without seeking his own life or his personal desires, while seeking to do the will of God, and while keeping all the commandments. This is the way I am trying to commit myself to the Work of Salvation. It hit me so strongly and I want to make sure I am always dedicating myself to the Lord with Unwearyness!

I Love you all so much!

Elder Farnes

Birthday Week

Great great week! This past week we have continued to teach some really powerful people! They are progressing along so well! The Lord is continually preparing them and helping them to feel the confirming witness from the spirit in their lives! Yesterday we had 14 investigators come to church! It was one of the best presents I could have gotten for my birthday. The chapel was almost full. I can't wait for the day when I have to stand all during sacrament. All of the investigators that came loved it! September and October should be busy months for us! I am so excited for it. The work is going amazing here and I am loving every second of serving!

We are teaching a way powerful family that came to church for the first time yesterday! When we met with them for the first time they knew about us because their aunt is in our branch, but they said they wouldn't come to church! They told us their entire extended family has kind of always given their aunt a hard time for joining because she is the only one that has changed churches! We have been teaching them for about three weeks now and they are starting to love it! At church yesterday though, the Aunt went up to bare her testimony. She started off by saying how happy she was and how only the missionaries knew why! She then got very emotional and the spirit was so strong as she looked directly over to her family that was investigating and told them how she knows that this is the ONLY true church on the earth today and how she knows that the Book of Mormon is true! After church they all said they LOVED it! It was a powerful and testimony building experience! I love the Makwela family and I want them so badly to continue to progress; and I know that with the Lord they will!

My scripture this week is D&C 88:67. It talks about keeping our eye single to the glory of God, and how our bodies shall be filled with light if we do! We must always stay focused on the true meaning of this life. This life is the time for us to prepare to meet God! And the best way to do that is through making sure our lives are always staying aligned with his will! We must keep our eye focused on God at all times and in all places!
 

I love you all so much!

Elder Farnes