Mabopane!

This past week has been great! We got transfer news on Saturday night and looks like I will be staying in Mabopane for a little while longer!!! I am so pumped! I am also going to be training again which is sweet! I can't wait for my new son.

Nono and Bonginkosi both passed their interviews this past week. Nono feels like she may need a little more time to be fully prepared to make those covenants to God. She is definitely ready so we will just have to see when she feels the time is right! Bonginkosi's Mom will be back in two weeks so we will have interview then. We also received a call from one of our Investigators named Lebogang last night... He has decided that he wants to be baptised as soon as he can! He has some problems with smoking weed but he hasn't done it for the last couple of weeks... He really wants to change his life around! He hasn't missed church for almost three months now!

We have had a few funny experiences with drunk guys lately haha they always come up and talk to us telling them to pray for them and sometimes sing some gospel songs for us. It can be pretty funny!

This past week in District meeting we talked more about obedience! We talked about the why, which is because of our Love for Christ, the people and many more reasons. I like a scripture from 1 John which talks about how the only way to KNOW Christ is to keep his commandments. I also like the scripture in D&C 59:1-5 which talks about commandments not a few. As missionaries we are definitely given commandments not a few to live by. It is only by living the commandments not a few that we can truly access the power that comes from the authority of our calling! Obedience is the Price!

From my Study I also loved a scripture in Alma 59:9 which says how it's easier to keep the city from falling into the hands of the lamanites than it is to retake it from them. Throughout these chapters it continually talks about how they were preparing, strengthening, and fortifying the cities and the people! We need to be constantly doing the same thing with ourselves, our families, and our homes! It is better to Prepare and Prevent than to Repair and Repent!

I love you!

Elder Farnes

Interesting Experiences

This past week was great! Lots of awesome experiences and a pretty interesting one! haha. So our car almost got hijacked this past week... We were pulling up to a stop sign and a big group of people were walking across the street, one of them started running towards us and tried yanking open the driver door. Luckily we had it locked and sped off as quick as we could! It was pretty sweet! I am grateful that we had the door locked though, right before we left my comp had the impression that we needed to lock our doors, The Lord is always protecting us! It is so important to follow the promptings that we receive though!

We also had Zone Conference this past week! We talked about our Missionary Purpose and how we need to really internalize it. There is such a big difference between having activities and working with a purpose. We can be busy as missionaries with finding, teaching, and planning... but all of those things are just means to an end! The end is to get God's children truly converted and baptised! The only way for people to get a remission of their sins is through baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost! Our objective is not to teach lessons, it is to offer salvation!

We also met a sweet Investigator this past week named Alexandra. He is a man in his early twenty's and has been through a lot. Growing up he got into drugs and was with the wrong group of friends, he went to rehab and for the first time got to learn more about Jesus Christ. He loved it! He wants to switch his life around for the better and he knows that it is only through the Redeeming power of Jesus Christ that it is possible! We talked a lot about the atonement with him and how he can be washed clean from everything from his past! He has been to church twice and is loving it!

In my study this past week I loved the scripture in Alma 37:41-42. We can learn so much from the story of Lehi and his Children. We learn that it took them 8 years to get to the promised land... That is a LONG time! From this scripture we learned it took them so long because of a lack of faith, slothfulness, and wickedness. Because of their actions they didn't travel in a direct course, they suffered thirst, fatigue, and many other afflictions. How many times in our lives are we not going in the straight course? Our ultimate goal is to Become like God. (Reach the Promised Land) What little things may put us off the course or maybe even delay becoming all that God has in store for us? Let us do all that we can to stay on that course and not delay becoming a "sharp" tool in the Lord's hands!

I love you!

Elder Farnes

Pics

Happy and Joy

I Love the happiness and Joy that comes from the gospel! Yesterday I felt pure joy as I got to be apart of Thumi and Maria's baptisms. They were so nervous and so excited beforehand... and after you could tell how amazing they were feeling! The spirit was so strong as they were baptised! Definitely a day that I will remember forever!

We have been having some success with some Less Actives lately. We are doing family home evenings with a young couple and their son. They are awesome! For the first time we got the husband to pray and to participate and they even came to church! They even fed us chicken liver last time.... haha.

On Saturday we went and made some chipate's and mince for Maria and her family that we reactivated! They are the coolest people ever! We are like family with them and we all have so much fun together! We just need to get the Mom (Nono) to complete the family that stays at that house! This place seems more and more like home every day! I love the people here!

In my study this past week I loved a scripture in Alma 12:32. It talks about how when God was talking to Adam and Eve he gave them Commandments AFTER having made known unto them the plan of redemption! It is SO important that we understand the Plan of Salvation. When we understand it our life takes on a whole new meaning. Everything becomes more meaningful. We understand why things have to happen. If we fail to understand this marvelous plan, then life can become meaningless! I am so grateful to be able to have a knowledge of God's plan for us and to be able to learn more about it daily!

I love you all so much!

Elder Farnes