09/09/13-Week 31 [Week 2 of Transfer 6]

Hi :D

This week has been great! My new companion is amazing. Her name is Sister Kaelei Corbridge and she is from West Valley City, Utah. We get along so well! We are already best friends. I am so excited to be able to serve with her. She is so sweet and yet so bold. Sister Colton is training Sister Standage in the Fort Wayne area (only 30 minutes away). She is covering part of our ward and the Columbia City ward. So it will be great!! I am actually over her a sister training leader. So we will talk weekly and go on exchanges. She will do great! And YES, I did see Sister Ashby at transfers :) I ran up to her and gave her a hug! But...I did forget to take a picture...sorry! But she is doing wonderful!

We were personal contacting the other day and we started to talk with this guy who was outside with his dog. We started a casual conversation, and then he had to start to walk away to chase down his dog. I didn't know how to make him come back, so we started to walk down the block some more. But Sister Corbridge said "No! I am not going to leave without talking about the gospel with him." So she yelled, "Hey, can I ask you a quick question?" And he came back over. We found out that he was Jewish, and he really wasn't too interested, but we at least planted a seed. I was so proud of her! She is amazing. I was too awkward to say anything more, but she was determined to share a message about Christ with him. 

Our first lesson together was with Shelby (the part-member family). We had our lesson at the church and a member (Sister Bullock) was there with us. We taught her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was a great lesson!! AND at the end, Shelby pretty much asked us how she could become a member. So basically she asked us if she could get baptized. What?!! [It reminded me of Jackie from the District.] It was so amazing!! Our member started to cry a little bit and I was so overcome with the spirit. We committed her to baptism and she said yes. We are going to give her a baptismal date this week. We are very excited! Now we just have to work to get her husband more on board. 

Then we had a new investigator fall into our laps this week. We have been doing tracting and personal contacting and such trying to find new investigators. We find a lot of potentials, but no one will set up a return appointment with us. But on Friday we went to go and teach the daughter (Sherry) of our recent convert (Sister Townsend). Sherry's boyfriend showed up and sat in with the lesson. He was very interested and intrigued by our doctrine. He had all sorts of questions about the Plan of Salvation and the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. It was very cool. Sister Townsend said that they have been talking about it for the past couple of days still. It is amazing how Heavenly Father just places people into our hands. We have been working as hard as we can and been getting discouraged, but then Heavenly Father blessed us with a new investigator without any real effort on our part to find him. It was very cool. I love Heavenly Father.

So my new calling is going to be a little bit stressful. As a Sister Training Leader I will be going on lots of exchanges and making a lot of phone calls. Every night after nightly planning at 9:30-10:30pm I am pretty much on phone calls. We have conference calls every Monday, Thursday, and Sunday with all of the Zone Leaders, the Assistants, and President and Sister Porter. We announce how our zones are doing and then we announce our numbers over the phone to the whole mission....let's just say it is a little uncomfortable. It makes you feel awful when you don't have very high numbers and everyone else has really high numbers. I just have to tell myself that I have to do my best and it will all be okay. For leaders we are supposed to get 6 new investigators every week (so far our average is 3) and 85% of our lessons should be with a member present. Currently only around 30% are. This is going to be hard to say the least. I am definitely being stretched to my limits. Also, President Porter wants all of the missionaries to read the Book of Mormon by Thanksgiving and highlight every time it talks about the Godhead in red, Miracles in blue, and the story line in yellow. We are supposed to read 9 pages every day.....and we can't do it during our studies. We can only do it during our lunch or dinner breaks, our morning time when getting ready, and after getting ready for bed. But considering that I am always on calls after nightly planning until 10:25pm, I don't think I will have the evening. It is going to be a big sacrifice to find time. But I have felt a lot more peace as I have been doing it. I have been really really stressed the past few days, but as I have started to read the Book of Mormon every spare moment, my stress level is waaaay down! It is incredible how the Book of Mormon does that. I just love that book :) And it is beginning to look like a rainbow! I know it will bless me so much.

ALLLLSO! Sorry about the mix-up with baptisms. The Bowers are actually getting baptized this Saturday :) They had to change weeks because of Brother Bowers' work schedule. But they passed their interviews last saturday and are set to get baptized! We are so excited. They are excited too. But also very nervous, you can tell. I am so excited for this step in their family. They are looking towards the temple and are so excited to be able to get sealed. Bah! I just love this gospel. Forever families are the most important unit in all time. I am so grateful to be a part of this great work. It is simply amazing.

Linda is also doing great! She had us over for dinner at her house this last week. That is something that Sister George (her neighbor) thought would never happen. She thought that Linda would learn for a little bit and then kind of stop. But no! She asked Sister George if it was alright if we came to her house for dinner and a lesson. And it went great! We taught her about the Restoration and she understood it perfectly. She pretty much told us about how corrupt her old church was as she went back through the history. She realized herself that the authority must have been taken. Oh man..It was great. We gave her a Book of Mormon and she was really excited. She got a new head lamp by her bed and didn't have anything to read yet. But she said that now she was going to read the Book of Mormon in bed! :D She really was quite excited. :D :D But some sad news, her husband has lung cancer, and was given 2 months to live. Keep her in your prayers. She cancelled her lesson this week because of those health problems. Hopefully she will be able to pull through. I love her so much.

Kewish news: Saranna should be getting baptized on the 28th of this month! Horray! She has moved it because she didn't quite feel ready. But this time we told her that she needed to be dedicated to it. She agreed and we are going to be dropping sticky notes by every day now. We are very excited for her. Keep them in your prayers too :)

I am loving my mission! It is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it is also becoming the best thing I have ever done. This gospel is true. This is the only true church on the face of the earth with the fullness of the gospel. Our Savior loves us and watches over us. We are all children of God and must never forget that. He loves us. 

I love you all!! Keep growing closer to our Father in Heaven. Pray daily. Read daily. and Thank Him every step of the way. The best is yet to come!!

With all my love, 

Sister Farr

09/04/13-Week 30 in Indiana [Week 1 of Transfer 6]

FAMILY AND FREINDS!!!

I must just say that I am a little crazy today. You see, my stress level this morning sky rocketed. 

I have news for you!!! Transfers:

I am staying in Huntington, IN.

I am training again.

AND I am now a Sister Training Leader for my Zone (a mix between a zone leader and district leader thing...)

Sister Colton is leaving and training!!! [I feel like a proud little mom:)]

So, keep sending me letters at:

337 William St #1

Huntington, IN 46750

Anyways. When we saw that President Porter was calling this morning. Sister Colton and I wanted to throw up. We both had thought that we slid past the radar and didn't have to train. BUT! At noon today, they dropped the bomb on us. I have to say that when I was asked to be a Sister Training leader I started to cry a little bit. My last companion, Sister Cordner, was one. I am so grateful that I was able to be with her for a transfer and get an eye into the life of one. But I am so nervous to actually be one now. I feel so inadequate. This past Sunday the Zone Leaders called me and told me that President Porter requested that I come to the Missionary Leadership Council (there were pictures of that on Facebook). I wasn't sure why because normally only Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders go to that. But, I said sure. While I was there, I felt so inadequate! Those missionaries are so amazing. They are really good at just talking to people. They have amazing ideas. They are definitely leaders. As I sat there I got overwhelmed with everything that I have to improve on. I am nowhere near perfect. I have no idea how to be a leader. President Porter said that he wouldn't normally call me because I am so quiet, but Heavenly Father has chosen me to do this. I just have to rely on that. I have to remember that this is a call from my Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ and that all things are possible through them. I am going to need a lot of extra prayers and support. I know that by myself I am completely incapable of doing this work. But I have to rely on my Savior, and He will get me through. I am just going to pray really really hard every single moment! I am not sure how to do this, but I know my Savior does. And as long as I rely on Him, it will all work out. 

Oh man. Anyways, this week has been really long!! Since Preparation Day was not on Monday, it has just kept going and going and going!! But, we are finally at the end. We had some amazing things happen this week!!

This past week we stopped by to visit a less-active family. We have met them a couple of times just on their door step, but have never been able to get into their home. This past week, we met them at the door, and they told us to come back during the day. So a few days later, we stopped by, and we got in! We talked with them and found out that they have seriously been thinking about the need to come back. They told us that the last time that we stopped by, it sparked a conversation with them at the dinner table with their 10 and 9 year old. They talked to them about what baptism was and realized that they have a great responsibility for their children. They are coming to understand that they have to teach their children the Gospel. We had a really good lesson with them. We talked about how the gospel is a lifelong commitment. We are to be examples of our Savior for the rest of our lives. We talked with them about Peter in the bible where he is commanded to leave his ores and his fishes and feed His sheep. When we are baptized, we are commanded to leave behind out ores and our fishes. We are asked to leave behind all that we thought we loved before, and become disciples of our Savior Jesus Christ. And it is not just for a few months or a year or so. But it is for the rest of our life. This gospel is a gospel of Becoming. Not just knowing. But yeah, so we talked with them and they are going to pray and think about having their children taught and brought into the church. We are very excited! They are so prepared.

Then we had a GREAT lesson with Shelby. She is still doing wonderful! She should be coming to church this week!! We are going to do a church tour tomorrow night at the church and commit her to baptism at the baptismal font. We are very excited! She has prayed every night to know if the church was true. And she said that she feels that God is telling her that it is true! We are so excited. We also went to her grandmother's (Lorraine) house and taught her about the restoration. It was a really good lesson. She had lots of questions about the differences between the churches. She has noticed the things that are going wrong in the Catholic church, and is searching for more. She asked for a Book of Mormon because she wanted to read it. She didn't want us to come back yet, but she wanted to search through it on her own. And then she told us that she was glad that we came and talked with her more about what her granddaughter (Shelby) was learning. And that now she is just fine if Shelby decides to join the church. Yay! We were worried about her family. But it seems that everything will work out right. She is moving along wonderfully!! :D

Next Saturday we have 5 baptisms! The Bowers family and Saranna Kewish. We are so excited for all of them! Saranna is very excited and she knows that this church is true. Her mom, Susan, is the only thing that is rough for her right now. Susan has been having a REALLY rough week this past week. We are really worried about her. Keep them in your prayers please!! Things have been very rough for Susan and she has been in a very deep depression hole. Everything has been building up since Saranna's baptism is coming up, and it has been too much for her to handle. Keep them in your prayers please!! But Saranna seems to stay upbeat. We think it may be partly because that is how she copes; by not really letting it sink in. The Bowers are doing great! They have had a ton of trials this past week too. Their daughter was in a car accident and Satan has really been working hard at them. But they are pushing through it all. They refuse to give up. We are very excited for them! We are just working with members to be in contact with our investigators more. They are struggling just coming to lessons with us, so we are praying they have the missionary fire work within them. Hopefully they catch the missionary wave!

Funny story. This past Sunday, Sister Colton and I tried to make Sister Kennedy's legendary chocolate cake. But let's just say.....you shouldn't use a glass pan. We baked the cake during our lunch break, and then at dinner we came back to frost it. After we had frosted it and it looked delicious, we broke our fast and ate it. And it was......not so good. Apparently it hadn't cooked all of the way through. it tasted like eggs...half way cooked. So, Sister Colton and I thought that maybe we could just stick it back in the oven for a little while longer (with frosting and all). Let's just say it was a bad idea. After baking it for almost 30 more minutes, it was now a crusted, eggy, soggy mess. It was quite the adventure. I guess I am just not supposed to bake on my mission! I will take it as Heavenly Father trying to put me on a diet ;) But it was quite hilarious.

Then!! We had a great lesson with a Less-Active, Adesa. She was raised in the church, but her family went off and on. This past week we went back to teach her the Restoration again, and she had a non-member friend there, Sierra. It was a perfect opportunity! We taught the restoration to them both and the spirit was so strong. Adesa started to get a little teary-eyed when we recited the first vision. It was an incredible lesson. Her friend wanted the Book of Mormon and wanted to read it. We are so excited! Heavenly Father is leading the elect to us. Our investigators are literally just falling into our laps. It is nothing that we are doing. We are just trying to be obedient and diligent and follow the spirit. And He is truly doing the rest :)

There have been many other miralces this week. The work is wonderful and moving forward at such a fast past. I can testify that this IS the Lord work. This is the only true church on the earth. We have the fulness of the gospel We have the Authority from God. We have living Prophet who talks with God and Jesus Christ and leads His church today. I am so privileged to have the opportunity to be a missionary at this time. I hope that all of you are looking for missionary opportunities!! They are all around us. Our brothers and sisters need our help to find the Father in Heaven again. To make it back to Him. And it is our responsibility and privilege to help them along the path. Oh man! I love this gospel. The church is SO true. I can't even handle it sometimes. Just reading the scriptures and truly studying them, there is no doubt in my mind that this is the true gospel on the earth. Joseph Smith was just a imperfect man who was called to do a perfect work.  The Book of Mormon is the way to know. We must not forget that whom God calls, He qualifies. We may not be perfect, but his Chruch is. His gospel is. He translated the Book of Mormon and that is the proof that he was called of God. That he was a Prophet. If you have any doubts, take Moroni's challenge and read and pray about the Book of Mormon. That is what we, as missionaries, tell people every single day. Just like Elder Holland told the world in the last general conference, if you don't know this church is true yet, you can lean on my testimony until you can gain one of your own. I just love this gospel. I know I keep saying it, but it is true. We are so lucky to have it. Not just part of it is true, ALL of it is true.

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support!!

Sister Farr

08/26/13-Week 29 in Indiana [Last Week of Transfer 5]

HI :D

First off, next week is transfers. I repeat, next week is transfers. Which means, next thursday, I may be in a completely different place!!! So.....send your mail to my apartment address in the next few days, or just start sending them to the mission office address and they will forward them to me (the address for the office is PO Box 11671  Cincinnati, OH 45248). And!! Next week my P-Day will NOT be on Monday. P-Day will be on Wednesday. So now worries when I don't send an email on Monday :) I have not died :) Just hold tight for Wednesday. hahahah. That is all of the business. On to the good stuff!!

I got to meet an Apostle yesterday! I met Elder Dallin H. Oaks. He was coming to Cincinnati to do some work with the new stake presidency they called, but he had a special meeting just with us missionaries. It was AMAZING! Sister Colton and I had to wake up at 4:30am to get there in time. Yes, we were exhausted. But it was worth it! We drove up with another set of sisters and had lots of fun. What was even coooooooler is that I got to sing for Elder Oaks in the little missionary choir. Now, there is a funny story behind this. Last Friday, Sister Colton and I had just finished having lunch with a member and we get a call from our Zone Leaders. They tell us that they have a HUGE favor to ask of us. We say, sure! how can we help you? Then Elder Petersen asks us to sing "I Know that My Redeemer Lives" right there. So, confused, but used to being exactly obedient, Sister Colton and I look at each other quite puzzled, but start to sing to him. When we get to the Chorus we start to trail off and stop and ask "now...why are we singing this??" (you know, because we didn't really take a second thought before). Then he says "That was great!! You just auditioned to be in the choir for Elder Oaks." We both looked at each other and started to laugh. You see...Sister Colton is tone deaf. So, she doesn't really.....sing with choirs. But Elder Petersen is persistent and eventually gets me to say okay. Then later, the Assistants call and ask me again. But anyways......it was amazing. The spirit was so strong as we sang that song. I just felt so honored to be able to sing. Alllllllllllso, when Elder Oaks was about to get to the building, the Senior Couples told us that he wanted to have a picture with all of us so we all started to file out of the chapel into the gym where they had some bleachers. Sister Colton and I run to the restroom quickly, and when we come back we get in the back of the line to go in. Right as we do so, the Assistants run to the door that we are standing next to and say, "He's here!" They hold open the door for a few seconds and Elder Oaks walks into the building. The first thing he says is "Hello, Sisters!" We reply in a shrilled "hi!!!!!" We probably looked star struck. He said he would be right back to shake our hands. When he came back, he was waiting for his "companion" he called him. But it was a member of the 70, Elder Bennett. He tried to have a casual conversation with us, but all we could do was laugh and nod our heads. I had completely forgot who I was, where I was from, and why I was there. (you know that feeling when someone really.....popular comes and talks to you?? And you have no idea what to say or do?? yeah, that kind of feeling). It was pretty great. Then they started to shake our hands....and I got to be first!! :) Oh man. It was an incredible day yesterday! It was full of.....9 hours of driving and Elder Oaks. Sooo great :D

Anyways, on with the rest of last week!! I have some very exciting news. Remember Saranna? Well, her baptism would have been last saturday :( But! Her brother, Jeremiah got baptized on Saturday. And right before the service, she came up to us and said "I want to get baptized :)" We both jumped for joy! She decided that day that she wanted to be baptized on September 14th! So, she is ready and excited for that day! All we have to do is teach her some last few commandments and she will be set to go!! Oh man it was a miracle. Also, good news with her mom, Susan!! She has truly had a change of heart. We went over on Tuesday to have lunch with her. As we were talking afterwards she started to explain to us how she no longer had a desire to just spend her money. She has struggled with budgeting since she was in her teenage years. And that is something that has been the source of many problems for her. If you gave her cash, she would spend it!! But a few weeks ago, her family had to go without power and gas and everything because of bills not being paid and it really hit her. Now whenever she sees money, she just thinks about her children and how they need it. She has had A CHANGE OF HEART. You know, the change of heart they talk about that is manifest when someone has truly repented?? Yes. She has truly gone through the repentance process. I am so proud of her. As we told her that she was having that change of heart, she gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth and began to cry as she realized that she was truly changing herself for the better :) It was amazing. Miracles do happen. 

Then we had a really great experience with a less-active this week. We met him outside on his doorstep and just had a casual conversation. We asked him about his background with the church and about his non-member wife. He was very nice and happy to see us. Before we left, we asked him if we could say a prayer. He kind of looked at us a little funny, but said "sure!" During the prayer, for some reason, we blessed him to have help in his work. It was just a simple prayer to help them. A few minutes after we left, we got this text: "Thank you for your prayer!! I so needed it. Seconds after u left I was called for an interview. Thank you again sisters! Wow, God blows my mind! I've got to get back to church!!!" Sister Colton and I looked at each other in amazement. We had no idea that he needed any help with finding a new job. We had no idea he was looking for a new job. But as I prayed, I just had the thought to pray for his work, so I followed it. I know it was all our Father in Heaven. Heavenly Father truly is all knowing. He is our master. He loves us and cares about all that we do! He cares about everything in our life. No matter how big or small. The Spirit can truly lead us in all that we do! The small whispering's of the spirit will lead us in ALL things. It may seem insignificant, but it can truly bring about miracles. 

Shelby is progressing!! Last time we committed her to read the Introduction of the Book of Mormon, and we came back and she had read all the way through 1 Nephi 3. Now, that may not seem like very much, but for a non-member it is INCREDIBLE!! We were so happy. She really, truly wants to know. She is recognizing the spirit and she really wants to know. We are hoping to ask her to get baptized this week! Wish us luck :D

We went tracting the other day on Gay St. We were debating on going to a Less-actives house, but we had meant to tract that street for a couple of weeks now and hadn't got to it. So, we decided, that obviously God had someone there who He wanted us to talk to. The first house we knock on, a girl comes out. And she quickly tells us that she is an Atheist. We started to ask her about why she was and about her history. After her telling us that she was raised Catholic, and she just felt that God never told her that He WAS there, she just figured he didn't care about her. As we kept talking with her, she started to just ask us random questions about our religion. Questions about God that probably stump most people. But, we had all of the answers. She talked about how the Bible had been changed. We brought up the Book of Mormon. She talked about how the Bible was written so long ago and we needed current things. We talked about a living Prophet. She talked about pretty much the dispensations, and we talked about the restoration. She asked about our purpose here. We told her about the Plan of Salvation (briefly). It was so interesting to sit there and have her ask us all of these questions, and for us to have all of the answers. You could tell that she had obviously stumped some other religious people in the past, but she was puzzled to why we kept having the answers. It finally came down to the point where we asked her if she wanted to know if God was real. And she told us that she didn't see the need to. She had no desire. We tried to bear testimony to her, but we could tell that she didn't have any true interest. She was very polite and animated when she spoke, but not quite ready to accept God yet. It was a really cool experience though. We knew that God had sent us to talk with her that day. To show her that He truly does have all of the answers. That there is "logic" behind His ways. It was a testimony building experience for me, because I realized the same things too as we responded to her questions. Friends and Family, the gospel is true. This is the ONLY true church on the earth today. We are lead by a living Prophet. He receives guidance from our Savior through the Spirit. Through prayer. Through searching the scriptures. That is the only way to know. Through Him. I just love this gospel!! :D

We had so many great lessons this week. Our investigator Linda is also progressing. She was the one that the George's invited over for dinner and we taught her a brief overview of the Plan of Salvation and she said "wow, that makes sense!" She is 70 years old. And she could feel the difference. This week we had dinner again and taught her the full Plan of Salvation. She just kept saying how much it made sense. She said she never really understood the whole catholic way of thinking. But she understands this so much better. The George's are a young family and have made such an impact on Linda. She knows that they love the gospel and that it makes them who they are. They have played such a HUGE role in her progress even this far. They have prepared her. Never underestimate your impact in someone's life. You are an example to all of those around you. Others
notice when you follow the Savior. They notice when you have the spirit. There is something different about us. It is because we are members of His church. He is our master. We have the fullness. And we have the responsibility to bring it to others. (side note: You have to look up the talk "Missionary Next Door" It is AMAZING!! I am going to do it when I get home. listen to it.). We have another appointment to teach Linda more about the church this upcoming week. If it wasn't for the George's we would have never taught her. Members are SO important. We (missionaries) can't do it on our own!

I also had another wonderful experience this week. I was having a rough morning and was just down on myself. I was thinking of all of my inadequacies and wondering if I will ever be good enough to make it to the Celestial Kingdom. I wanted to make Heavenly Father proud, but I just thought of all of the mistakes I have made and it felt impossible to make him proud. I was letting Satan into my head. After companion study, before we went out for the day, I asked Heavenly to tell me if He loved me. I figured He wouldn't tell me through a huge overwhelming spiritual manifestation, but I told Him I wanted to know. And I would be looking for His answer. We went about our day, and it was actually a pretty good day. As we came in for Lunch, we looked in the mailbox. And low and behold I had a letter. From my best friend. In the Philippines. (I haven't  had a letter from there for almost 5 months). When I saw it in the mail, I knew that it was Heavenly Fathers way of saying "I love you". Heavenly Father has always answered my prayers through other people. He answers our prayers in different ways. I have always wanted him to answer me through a big spiritual manifestation, but that just isn't how He does it for me. But he has sent many angels into my life to show me of my Father's love for me. Each of you have been an angel for me in my life. Thank you for always supporting me and helping me make it through. I love you all!!!

Sister Farr & Sister Colton

Stay close to our Father in Heaven. He will tell us what we need to do to get back to Him. Because, that is ultimately our goal.  

I love you all!!! I keep you in my prayers :)

Sister Farr

08/19/13-Week 28 in Indiana [Week 5 of Transfer 5] "A Week of Miracles!"

HI!! :D

This week has been so great! :D It has been full of miracles and laughs galore. I love being a missionary!! Yesterday we had what this ward calls a 'cottage meeting.' Susan and Saranna came and it was so fun! It was hosted at Brother and Sister Minch's home! [they are the ones that we have been working with lots and have just barely been coming back to church. They were less active for a good 20 years]. We watched "Finding Faith in Christ" with them. I love that movie. Each time that I watch it, I can't help but shed a tear because the Spirit is so strong! But after the movie, Brother Kennedy (our ward mission leader) asked what people's favorite parts were. Mine is always the part where the people bring the lady who committed adultery to him and he tells them that whoever had no sin among them to cast the first stone. And they all leave, except for him. Because they all sin. And he tells her that he does not condemn her. Our Savior is forgiving. He is the savior of the world. His whole purpose is to forgive. We must never think that he won't forgive us. As long we come to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, He will forgive us. He loves us beyond what we can understand. I am so grateful for His atonement and His love. 

But, the funny part of the story is when Brother Kennedy asked if anyone saw something new that they had never noticed before.... Susan said "yes! I never noticed the pottery in the scene when Jesus is healing someone." Elder Day [one of the Elders in our ward] looked over at us and started to chuckle. We couldn't help but try to hold back our laughs. I just love them :) They make us laugh so hard. Saranna was very hyper the entire time we were there. And to make it exciting, we had a member there who kept making puns out of everything Saranna said. Sister Minch made the comment about her "fat, stinky cat" and how she didn't want it to come down stairs, and the member said "that would be a 'cat'astrophe!!" Later, Saranna bumped the TV and a picture frame fell and almost hit her. Then the member piped up and said "you almost got framed!!" and Saranna was laughing so hard. Then he told us a joke about how his dog could talk. He asked the dog what was on the tree trunk and it said "bark!" He asked the dog what was on top of the house and it said "roof!" He asked the dog what sand paper felt like and it said "ruff!" Susan was laughing so hard. She could barely eat! It was great fun :D Sister Colton and I were laughing pretty hard too. It was just great.

But!! This week was GREAT!! We have seen so many miracles! We taught Wayne (our investigator set to be baptized on Sept 28th) about the Word of Wisdom. And it was the easiest lesson ever!! We were really nervous because we had no idea if he had any problems with anything, but he took it so well! We asked him if there was anything he thought he might have a problem with and he said, "No, I only have a cup of coffee every once in a while. So that shouldn't be a problem." What?? This never happens!!! Wayne is so prepared. We are so excited for him!! It was a great experience. 

Then we had dinner with the George's [members] and Sister George had a friend over for dinner, Linda. She is about 70 years old and is very good friends with the George's. As we had dinner, we had really good conversations, and at the end we offered to have a spiritual thought. We pulled out the Family Proclamation and read the 3 paragraphs where it talks about the Pre-Earth life and about our purpose here. We explained to her that God has a body of flesh and bone, and that we lived with him before, but we could never become like Him without gaining a body. So, he created this world for us to come to and to gain bodies and to learn from our mistakes so that we could return back to him. After explaining this she said "That makes complete sense!" At this point, Sister Colton and I just stared at her in awe and had no idea what to say. We were thinking..."what do we do now?? No one ever says this!!" Eventually, after getting words back, we continued to teach her. At the end, we asked her if she would want to learn more and said said, "Yeah, I would like that!" Again, Sister Colton and I just stared at her in awe for a few seconds. Moral of the story: We found an amazing new investigator that Heavenly Father just placed in our laps. We have return appointments for the next two weeks with her. We were just smiling ear to ear and asking ourselves "what just happened?!"  as we got into our car. It was amazing!! The Spirit was so strong. Linda was searching, and when she heard the gospel, it just clicked. Oh man. It was so cool.

Then!! We had a lesson with Mary and Scott. And we were actually able to teach them! You see, people here in Indiana realllllllllly like to talk. And so it was always hard to get them to stay on topic and get through an entire lesson. Mary was always confused with what the Book of Mormon was, she thought that Nephi building the ship was Noah......but! we were able to actually teach her the Restoration from start to finish. And they understand it! They know what the Book or Mormon is! And they understand why we are different. The next morning, She asked us to bring over another copy of the Book of Mormon for her husband Scott to take on the roads while he drives! It was great. They have been reading it. AND THEN! We took Mary on a church tour. And she loved it! We had Sister Bair come with us and she was a great fellowshipper. She used to be Catholic [like Mary] and was able to really connect with her. Mary said that she felt the peace and spirit in the Chapel. AND THEN!!! She came to church! We were sooooooooo excited. After Sacrament Meeting, I asked her how it was and she said that she felt that the speaker was talking just to her. Like he knew just what she needed and was speaking to her. She said she got a little teary-eyed a couple of times. It was so wonderful!! Family and friends, the church is sooo true!! AND THEN!!!!!!!! She came to Sunday School, and guess what the lesson was on???! Tithing. Really? Her first Sunday here and they talk about Tithing. but guess what??! She took it so well! She is already prepared and okay with paying when she is a member. What?! Heavenly Father just knows what these people need. It was so amazing! I can't even explain how wonderful it was. 

We had 8 investigators at church yesterday. The Bowers family, Susan and Saranna, and Mary. It was wonderful. Going to church as a missionary is so much different then going before. As a missionary you are all stressed about how they are taking the messages and if they feel the spirit...but it always turns out! They always love it and feel the spirit. The Church is True. 

This morning I had a wonderful experience during my personal study. We had a less-active pretty much bible bash us this week. He was throwing scriptures at us every other second from the Bible and not allowing us to talk. The spirit fled and we tried to get out as soon as possible. After leaving, there was a bad spirit with us, and we just felt off. I prayed to Heavenly Father to remove the evil spirit from us and help us to have his peace. And of course, He restored it. But I continued to ponder over the comments and questions that were made. I still held strong in my testimony, but I wanted to understand what he meant better. This morning as I was studying for an investigator, Heavenly Father lead me through a scripture chase all over the scriptures. He showed me the reasons why things were certain ways, He answered all of the questions I had. he truly hears our prayers. Even if they seem small and insignificant, they matter to Him. He loves us!! :D 

We had a lesson with Angie and Greg. They were a referral from a Sister Lloyd [who just moved to Arizona]. And it was amazing. We taught them about the restoration, and the spirit was so strong in their home. We bore strong witness of the godhead, of Joseph Smith, and of the Book of Mormon. Angie was very attentive and would ask questions and ponder. But throughout the lesson, Greg did not keep as much eye-contact or seem as interested. But as we bore our testimonies, you could see the spirit touch his heart. At the end he told us that at first he was a little hesitant. But he said "I know that you girls truly know that this is true. You can see it in your eyes." We told him that we wouldn't be out here if we didn't know it was true. No one can deny a true and heart felt testimony. And let me tell ya, If I didn't know that this church was true, I would have been home MONTHS ago. But I know that this is the only true church on the earth. This is the only way back to our Heavenly Father. We are the only church with the Authority from God to make things "count" or "transfer over" when we pass from this life.

It has been a wonderful week!! I love this gospel. I feel so honored to be a representative of my Savior at this time. I know I have much to overcome and do, but with the Savior, all things are possible. If you ever doubt something about the church, don't be afraid to ask our Father in Heaven, and then go search. Search in the scriptures, search in your heart. He WILL answer you. I can promise you that as a representative of Jesus Christ. He hears your prayers. He loves you. He has always answered my prayers and concerns. You matter to Him.

I love you all!! Thank you for all of your love, support, and prayers.

All my love,

Sister Farr

08/13/13-Week 27 in Indiana [Week 4 of Transfer 5]

Hi there!

So! First things first. I got peed on by a dog this week. It was.....a fun experience :) bahaha. Next, I had a Peanut Butter and Jelly....cake. Yes, a cake. It was delicious! The Zumbrun family is so much fun. We had dinner with them again. My favorite quote from a story from them: someone asked their brother: "If you could have any superpower, what would it be?" he responded: "Immorality!!" his brother turned to him and said: ".....uhhh..you might want to talk to the Bishop..." ..... "bahahahha" (he meant immortality). It was really funny. :D Sister Colton and I couldn't stop laughing. They are just too fun. 

Third, I had a GREAT birthday!!! I got packages from you all and it made it the bestest birthday. I must say, I felt loved :) And I LOVED Dawn's "200 things why I love you most" thing. I may have cried just reading #1 with the web song. Yes, I might sing that to myself out here when I can't fall asleep :) [and Sister Colton and I may or may not have eaten the red velvet cupcakes for breakfast the next morning...they were sooooo good!!] 

I love you all!!!! It was great. I went to the Peacock's for dinner and they sang me happy birthday and everything. They are pretty much our family away from home. I love them!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have some exciting news though!! 5 baptismal dates for September!! Wahoo!! First is Wayne! He is progressing so quickly. he feels like he has finally been getting an answer from Heavenly Father that it is true! He likes the spirit that we bring, and reading in the Book of Mormon has really helped him come to know. He has been praying so much and constantly hoping to find out, and he is!! It is so hard when you have an investigator who is trying to know if the message you bring is true, and they pray and pray, but feel that they never get an answer. That is how he has felt for a while now. But he told us last time that he felt that God was telling him that it was true!! What?! Hooray! We are just so excited for him :) 

Next, the Bowers family has a baptismal date! It is for Sept 7th. They have been working with the missionaries for quite some time now and they are ready to get baptized. So, really, we did no work, we just came in picked them back up as investigators, and they pretty much asked us to give them a date. It was GRAND!! They are so ready and so excited :) I can't explain how happy I am for them! We had a lesson last night, and they were just so much fun. They are starting to open up to us more and get comfortable with us as their new guides. I love this work! Even though, you go out day-to-day and feel like you are doing nothing, the Lord blesses you and as you look back, you realize all that you have learned and become. 

I had a great exchange this past week with a sister named Sister Ward. She actually went home this past Saturday. Lets just say that I learned A LOT! She is an amazing missionary. She is a powerful teacher and is full of the spirit. I am so grateful that I got to spend just a couple of hours with her. I learned so much! But she went with me to our lesson with Shelby, which was great! In our lesson with Shelby, she really opened up. She is recognizing the spirit and wants to know more. We found out more of what she knows about the Church and were able to teach to her needs. We taught her a lesson to her needs about eternal families and tied it into the plan of salvation. She really lit up and understood what we taught. She even gave us a referral to her grandparents who are very catholic (and that is the last thing I thought would ever happen!). It is amazing to see how the spirit works. Shelby told us that she has definitely feels the spirit as we are with her. She told us that she understands why we need the Book of Mormon...she just gets it!! That is the power of the spirit. It helps them understand. If I didn't have the spirit, I would be doing nothing out here. Nothing would even matter. But, with the spirit, all things are possible. But, Sister Ward is such a Bold missionary. She tells people how it is, but in a loving way. She knows how to talk with everyone. She can teach people to their needs. It was just so great to learn from her! She chose to come up to us for an exchange out of all of the other sisters. The President asked her to go around to just a few sisters and she felt prompted to come to us. I definitely learned so much! I have so much more to do and become. But I am just going to take it step by step and the rest will work out.

I learned something really cool about grace this week. I learned it from the talk called "His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox. I have had a difficult time understanding grace as a missionary. People here have a very different concept of it. They think that because Christ did everything for us, we can pretty much "sit back and enjoy the ride". They don't have to do anything. But, he compares the way grace works to a mother and her child with piano lessons. here is what he says:

"Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice."

When we do things for Christ, when we follow him, we are not paying him back. We are "practicing" or in a sense, we are showing our appreciation to Christ for his incredible gift. His grace can and will transform us if we let it. Something he also said in his talk really hit home to me. He said: "The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can go home but that—miraculously—we can feel at home there." 

It is an amazing talk!! If you haven't read it...read it. The Savior and His atonement...it is just incredible. We truly don't understand everything that the Savior did for us. And we never will. All we can do it try to show him how much we love him and appreciate Him for all he has done for us. We must forget ourselves, and do what he wants us to do. That is the only way to true happiness.

We had Zone Conference yesterday, and it was GREAT! Oh man. I love meetings. I know I am a weirdo, but I just love them! They get me so fired up and ready to go and conquer the world. Yesterday President Porter made a statement that brought me a lot of comfort. He said that I don't necessarily have to "want" to do this work. All I have to do is be willing and to do it. He made the point that even Christ, as he began the atonement didn't necessarily "want" to suffer all of our pains and punishment, but he was willing and he did it. We must align our wills with God's will. That is the only way to true happiness. Being a missionary has been so hard for me. I am exhausted every day. I have to push my self every day. I often just want to curl up in a blanket and watch a movie. But, I don't. I focus on WHY I am doing this. Missionary work is the work of Salvation. Because we have been so blessed to be members of this church, we have the duty and privilege to go out and share it with our brothers and sisters. I feel honored to be able to be a missionary now. I am learning to LOVE this work. This outpouring of missionaries is a fulfillment of prophecy. If you read in D&C 88:72-73. We are the Elders (or Sisters..) who the Lord is sending to "hasten [his] work". The prophecy that was made over 150 years ago is being fulfilled right now!!! And we are a witness to that. And I have the honor of being part of that force of missionaries. I just get filled with such gratitude when I think of it. I am truly humbled. The Lord allowed me to be sent here to earth at this time to be a part of the great work. He knows us, He loves us, and He wants the best for us. Sorry if I sound all preachy! I just get so excited when I talk about it. :D I just love this work!!!!!

Our dear Sister Kennedy (our Ward Mission Leaders wife) makes the BEST chocolate cake!! Today, she had us over and she showed us how to make the chocolate cake. It is sooo good. I will have to make it for you when I get home! It really is my new favorite recipe. mmmhmmm. 

I also wanted to make you all aware that Sister Porter (the mission president's wife) has a FaceBook page for the mission! She posts LOTS of pictures on there constantly (namely, tons yesterday from Zone Conference). The page is called "Ohio Cincinnati Mission" So, look it up and you can get updated about things that are going on and find fun pictures! :D 

I love you all! Thank you for your letters and your support! It means so much to me. I hope that you all have a wonderful week. I know our Father in Heaven loves us and watches over us. As long as you put Him first, everything else will work out. I LOVE YOU!!

Love,

Sister Emilee Brooke Farr

08/05/13-Week 26 in Indianna [Week 3 of Transfer 5] "Roller Coaster Week"

Hello!

This week has been a little CRAZY! We have been having some major crises with our investigators. We had some ups and downs. But we also saw some really amazing miracles. We had some investigators this week who have been having a lot of financial problems and haven't been able keep up on their rent. So their power and their gas were shut off. We went over to their home and the mom was sitting at the table, and from the moment I looked at her, I knew that something was wrong. The light was out of her eyes. I sensed something. So, we asked her what was wrong and she told us all about their financial troubles. It was really sad. I have learned a lot about how to manage money on my mission..funny enough! But we talked with her and broke down how she could make it. Sister Colton just took off and started speaking like a motivational speaker and pumped her up! We watched her slowly get up out of the hole that she was in and saw the light come back into her eyes. Sister Colton and I had just been praying and praying this past week. And we saw the ward pull together and the Lord bless them! We had a sister in the Relief Society come and take all of the food from the fridge and the freezer and take it to her house to keep it good for them. The Bishop ended coming and helping them out financially through the church. People have pitched in to help them have a garage sale to raise some money this weekend. It has been really amazing to watch. It was a very stressful week for us though! We are a little burnt out. But we keep praying and praying.

Also, we are sad to say that Saranna has decided not to get baptized on August 23rd. She decided that instead of getting baptized with her brother Jeremiah, she wants to wait for her mom. But her mom won't be able to get baptized until next spring/summer because of some personal problems...so she will have to wait for a while. We tried to talk with her and help her to understand how important baptism is. We wanted her to understand that the longer she waits, the harder it will get for her to be baptized. Satan creeps into our life when we are in limbo. When we are just waiting and have no motivation or goal. Sometimes it is hard to see people choose not to follow what they know, when you have done everything that you can to help them. We will just continue to pray for her and try to help her mom work through her problems so that she can get baptized earlier. I know that miracles are real. Heavenly Father has a plan for them. Even if I don't see it at this point, I know that He loves them and has blessings in store for them as they work to obey Him.

Also, last week we did a Young Women/Young Men activity! Well, I showed them all the crafts that I have made for teaching. I have made apostasy cups (for teaching the restoration), a Plan of Salvation cut out, and a Gospel of Jesus Christ flower to explain the principles of the gospel. It was really fun to talk with the youth who are hoping to go on missions. We got to tell them some cool stories and help them to get excited about serving a mission. We have taken some of the laurels out teaching with us, and they have really liked it! I wish that I would have had sister missionaries to go out with before I came, it definitely would have been an eye-opener.

We are hoping to give the Bowers family a baptismal date this week! They have been working towards baptism for quite some time now and they seem to be ready. Brother Bowers has stopped smoking, and that was really all that was holding them up, so we will be working with them! We are excited! A family!!!! :)

Also, great news about Wanda!! (from Indy) She is on the compassionate service committee there and she is doing great! She loves it. I am so happy for her and her family. I loved to see her progress and become the amazing women that she is. I never realized that when you serve a mission, I am not just a missionary to these people for 18 months. But I am always "their" missionary. They will look to me and reach out to me for the rest of their life. I always have to be that example to them of how to Endure to the End. The work of Salvation is one that is a life-long commitment. And I feel honored to be a part of that.

We have been doing a lot of service too! Sister Lloyd was a member here who just moved this week to Arizona. And this week we painted A LOT! It was so fun. It has been amazing to watch her progress. She used to be less-active. But this past week as we spent quite a bit of time with her, she has become a little missionary! She talked with her friend who was there helping her paint as well, about the temple and gave her a pass along card. She even talked with her neighbor and told her neighbor that she would send the missionaries! She has grown so much. I have come to realize how important the spirit and service are! I have seen it transform many people here in the Huntington ward. Not only Sister Lloyd, but also Sister Rydell. She is a recent convert (RC) of 2 years and we have been in her home a lot helping her clean. She had an accident last year which resulted in her loss of memory. She only remembered being 17. She didn't even know her 5 kids. It was hard for their family. Since then, they haven't been the same. But we have been in her home working with her to strengthen her, and also her teenage daughters. We have seen her come back to church and smile more often. Also, not just Sister Lloyd and Rydell, but also the Ahrens. They were inactive for quite a long time. But we have been working hard with them. We went over there a couple of weeks ago and helped clean and vacuum. Then we went over again and helped stain the deck. And this past week we went over and helped them treat the wood in their home. And we will go back this week to help them again. We have just seen Sister Ahrens transform! She is coming back to church, and she is smiling much more. At first, she seemed sad and uncomfortable around us, but now, each time we see her, she lights up and is happy. I can't explain to all of you how important it is to serve our brothers and sisters. Serving them can be the way that we can get to their hearts and soften it. It is amazing. I have seen many miracles come as a result of serving.

Also!! This week we had some great experiences with some investigators. Jeanie...we had a great lesson! She has been taught by missionaries for a good 3 years, but we had a break through this week. We asked her a lot of inspired questions and she just opened up!! It was amazing :) We are hoping to bring her into baptism too. Without the spirit, we would be useless. The spirit is sooo key!!

Funny story.........we had an investigator ask us on a date this past week. Let's just say that we dropped him and passed him off to the Elders. Oh the joys of being a Sister Missionary!! Ha Ha!

A request from me: Thank you all for emailing me sooo much!!! It brings me so much happiness :) But because I am so loved, I don't have quite enough time to get to everyone. If you want to, I am sure that you can write me your emails, but do them through Dear Elder so that I get them in the mail (and they are free for you) and then I can use this time to send you this email. I don't know if that makes any sense...but I hope it does! I love you all!!!! Thank you again!

Oh!! AND It is my Birthday this week!!! :D :D I will be 20. I am excited. 

Love you!
Sister Emilee Farr

07/29/13-Week 25 in Indiana [Week 2 of Transfer 5] "This Week-Miracles!! *Faith*

Helllllllllooooooooo.

My apologies for last weeks email. I pushed send when I literally had 1 second left. So...the ending was a bit crazy because I didn't have a lot of time to re-read or anything. I only have about 15 minutes to write this email, so lets get down to business!

This week at church was amazing again!! We had 8 less-actives to church :) It was so wonderful. I spent a lot of time in Indianapolis trying to get people to come back to church, and I did not have much success, but here, we are seeing success from the time and effort we put into meeting with people. I have learned the importance of being bold with people. As a missionary, and as people in general, it really does no good to beat around the bush. When we go to people's homes who haven't gone to church in years, they obviously know why we are there....so we just tell them! Hey, why haven't you been at church?! Okay, not that harsh, but in the same sense.....someone has to eventually ask. And we have seen some real miracles come of it. Sister Davis came again this week and it was great!! Sister Lloyd came teaching with us this past week to her house, and they got along soo well! They just clicked automatically (but the sad thing is that Sister Lloyd moves this Friday....to Arizona........) Sister Davis hasn't gone to church since she was....15 or 16 and was only a member for 3 or 4 years. So, when we had the lesson on the Word of Wisdom in Sunday school, Sister Colton and I were biting our tongues. But, she took it so well!! She was very open and receptive to it. The spirit is a miracle worker, I am telling you. She wants to get her 3 sons into church too. She has a 18, 16, and 14 year old. We are hoping to get them involved in Young Mens and help them get some good friends. She is just on a roll!! I am so happy about it. :D

The spiders here are ridiculous. Sister Colton and I have killed our fair share of spiders. But there was a funny story with one this last week that I didn't get a chance to write about. We have spiders who are currently living in the side mirrors of our car. Mine's name is Charolette, Sister Colton's is Hank. Now, there is a story being Charolette's name. 
   
Sister Colton and I were laying in bed one night talking about our neighbor. You see, that night, after getting in, we were trying to destroy the spider webs on the side of our cars. We were attacking them with our water bottles and using all of our "master spider-killing" skills to get rid of them. We prodeeded to do so for a good.....3 or 4 minutes. As we walked up to our house, our cute old neighbor, Art, walked out with a container of cantaloupe (they always give us food) and said "have a spider??" We said...."yes..." (realizing that he was watching us the whole time as we were attacking our car. Hahaha! Apparently, it is a normal thing here in Indiana to have spiders living in your mirrors. So great. :D

But, we found some new investigators this week! Shelby is married to Casey, who is a less-active. They recently got married in June and we have been trying to meet with them for a good 2 months now. But they have been cancelling and rescheduling with us the whole time. Well, last week, we finally got to talk with her! We sat down and just asked her what she expected with the missionaries coming to talk with her. Just getting some basic background. Eventually the conversation lead to families and to eternal families. We talked with her about the nature of God (she was raised Catholic) and about how we have a Heavenly Mother. The spirit was sooo strong in the room! I bore my testimony about how I knew that we not only have a Father in Heaven, but we also have a loving Mother, who cares about us all. The spirit testified so strongly. We told her about the temple and how she and Casey can go and get sealed. It was just a beautiful lesson! I wish I had time to go into all of it. It was a lesson completely guided by the spirit. We went in there expecting to teach her something completely different, and ended up coming out with a new investigator. It was a miracle!

This week, Sister Colton and I experienced a miracle with our numbers...I guess you could say. Sister Colton and I put forth a lot of faith in setting our goals last week, and we didn't know if it was possible to reach them. But with faith, we met our goals and exceeded many of them. I know that as we rely on faith and work our hardest, no matter how impossible it seems, the Lord will always provide a way. He is on our side. As we are doing all that he has asked us to, he will never leave us alone.

He loves all of us! He watches out for us. I am so grateful to him for everything.

I don't have any more time. I love you all!! Thank you for all you do!!

Sister Farr