There is so much goodness happening right now (2/26/14)

This week has been just amazing. I feel completely at peace. There is so much goodness happening right now! I love this, I really do. The baptism is set to move forward and honestly she is amazing. I asked if I could share name, she was okay so now I can just say Sofia. She is like the nicest person ever. So because Linköping is just a small branch we don't have a baptismal font here in the church, so we would have to take the journey to Norrköping and have the baptism in their chapel. Or we could do it in a river or lake, so of course, we suggested that idea to Sofia and she agree'd that the second option would be not only easier but a lot more fun. So I am really excited about that. She is really progressing and it is just such a blessing to be apart of this amazing process of conversion! I feel like I am learning so much as I study this important 'basics' of our church! It really has helped me! She was in Stockholm a little while back with her students, we taught them on Wednesday and they go us the coolest ties ever. I have a picture with me wearing them! It was awesome. I will include a picture of that. I also was talking with her about where I could possibly find a "dream catcher" and she said she would get me one in Stockholm and she did and it is so awesome so now I have to hang above my head while I sleep! I am a total hippie now.

The weather is so crazy! It is so HOT. Who knew that Sweden ever got hot? Well this week it was proven to me that is indeed does happen. Holy Cow, I think this week the high was about 85 F which really was insane cause we have about 85% humidity. So freaking hot, but I like it. I am getting tanner and tanner, I have to get as tan I as I can to prepare myself for the harsh Swedish winter. I am starting to understand how people get depressed here. Not saying that I am, but it is just so beautiful in the summer so I could see how it would be a damper to have the winter come and just kill everything. 

We had a branch party this week, that was a ton of fun. It is really cool to see that happen here. If you think about life in Utah, when we have a ward party, sometime you just think "Ok I'll just go swing by and say hi then leave." Here people are liking driving a 45 minutes to a hour to be at this party, so it really shows how willing this members are to be around the church. Really cool to see.

Also, we had Zone Training this last Friday, it was awesome. That is where I got my birthday package. Which was AMAZING. Thank you so much, I love the blanket so much. You guys are awesome (The Blanket was from Disneyland and was a picture of the World of Color fountains, my favorite thing there) It was awesome and just perfect. Thank you so much for the party stuff. We were at the train station when I opened it and then our train got delayed like 1½ hours so we just got all the stuff out and we had a birthday party right in the middle of the station. It was really fun. I have pictures that I will send. 

Okay now to answer mother's questions! Me and my companion are doing really well! I really like him, I am actually really grateful for the chance to be with him again. Before we didn't like each other, it is not a secret, haha we have talked about it, but we decided it was cool to have a second chance and it really has changed my view of him. I realized something, that maybe stung a little. I was not the easiest person to work with a few months back! I have really tried to changed that, but I think I have or people just are giving up on me! Either way I am getting along with a lot more people so that is plus! haha Transfers are on the 12th of June so I should know if I am leaving next weekend. Scary... transfers are every 6 weeks. I think I might be transferred 3 transfers in one area is sorta a long time but who know. I am just accepting to God will, but I would be more leaning to leave just so I can see more of Sweden.

Okay this became very long quickly. Sorry I make you all suffer through these monsters. My spiritual message for this week would be from something that I read in the Book of Mormon this week! It is in Alma 50-60 which is all of the "War Chapters" But I really love them so much. They teach me so much about being prepared for what ever the Lord has planned and the more the the Nephites had planned and were read the more the Lord allowed them to do in general! It was really cool. 

Hope you all have a great week! Pray for the people and for the missionaries! I love you and I love this Gospel! 

Ha det så bra! 

Äldste Farnworth

 These awesome ties that Sofia's students got us in Stockholm. 

2: This was my birthday party in the train station.

The cool dock at the beach

We invited her to be baptized on the 7th of June..(5/19/14)

Dear Mother and Father and all others,

This week has been amazing. Honestly a blessing from God. We have really worked hard and the efforts show in what happened! I love weeks like this! I guess the biggest news that I have to share is that one of the people that we are working with has set a date to be baptized! I am so excited I can't even express it! She is amazing! I believe I talked a little about her on the blog but I can't explain who she is again! She is a teacher at a high school that we have taught at in the past, when I first called and asked if she was interested, but she said if we wanted to we could go and teach at her school. So we did that, and then the other Elders, Steen and Hills, met with her after the fact to get interview and I think that was the setting that she need to accept the church again, so that began teaching her. But they both moved so we took over the teaching and it has been amazing. I love her family as well. They have a little boy, he is like my best friend in Sweden, I am probably not his, but I don't even care. He is so cool and is like the smartest kid I have ever met. He is 5 years old but so we get amused by the same things most the time. We have fun together. 

Yesterday we were with them and he challenged his dad and Elder Miller to a "Stuffed Animal War" it got pretty intense, but in the end we emerged victorious. It was awesome. We always have amazing Fika, and we have various tasting games of which sodas and candies we like the most. How could I not love it? I haven't even gotten to the teaching yet. It is amazing, I honestly love teaching her, she just processes everything we say and is really good at asking questions. Last time we taught the Plan of Salvation, and then we invited her to be baptized on the 7th of June and she accepted the goal. So we are pushing towards that now and really working to get her prepared for that! I have a ton of faith that it will happen, I am just looking forward to it all together! Greatest thing ever! 

We also have so many others that we are meeting with. There is this lady who is a member that doesn't come to church but is so awesome and invites the missionaries over to dinner about once a week, and we have recently taught her daughter and she is just amazing. We talked with her a lot about baptism and that is something that she is wanting to work toward too! What? Yes! She is amazing, so much faith. It was so cool to teach her and every time we would check to see if she was following she would just reply with: "Yeah, that makes sense!" So cool, next time we meet with her we will be setting up a baptismal date with her as well! I love what is happening here. I really do. #SOBLESSED

On a different note, the weather is like the best. Warm and sunny! However, it is still Sweden so it randomly rains a lot but I really have started to like the rain, it's really cool. The sunshine is so cool and we have so much of it now! For all those who haven't been keeping up with this, allow me to remind you that when I got to Sweden I had sun from 8:30 am - 4:30 then is just got worst but now it is like 4:30 am - 10:00 pm. So basically I love it, so freaking different and cool. 

Well my birthday was great. Pizza Hut did not disappoint, IKEA was really fun and the missionaries here are just the best so I have to thank Elder Grey, Stoelzing, Hewitt, Miller, and Kiiko for being so awesome then a special thanks to the awesome Sisters, Sister Anderson and Eborn who even got me a little present. They were awesome. I have got some great people around me. Also another big thanks to Otillia! For just being awesome and making my birthday freaking sweet! Thanks to everyone else who made it great! I feel loved out here for sure!

I can't believe that Zac come home on Wednesday. Crazy, honestly I can remember the car ride back from the MTC perfectly, I can also remember how quickly I moved myself into his room.. I am such a dork. You guys probably did the same with me though! I would expect nothing less. Well I look forward to hearing from him. Someone needs to record him homecoming talk. Like put someones iPhone on the pulpit or something.. It that weird? Just do it and explain that it was at my request. 

Okay this is a long one. I would hate to bore anyone any longer. So more to come next week! We will work harder this week. One last thing, the Lord is there. He is really really there. He listens and he cares. He is not just there to listen to us tell him how great everything is going he is there to "hear our souls complaints.."  talk with him, create a plan of action and do something, make changes, we all can be better. The Lord will and wants to help us! I know this from experience! And every time I forget The Lord does a really good job at reminding and humbling me! I am grateful to be a missionary. I have met people here that are amazing, outstanding, unbelievably caring people, that within only a matter of meeting with them once, I feel such love from them. It is the work of God on both sides. I love it here. I love this work and I LOVE this gospel. I really can't imagine my life without it (Well I can but I don't like too :)  

Okay that is all my fingers can take. Have a great week. I love you all. 

Äldste Farnworth 

1: The whole gang on my birthday at IKEA :) So great

2: The world's best cat. I might becoming a cat person... 

3: Me in Norrköping, so happy.

4: The "Best Ice Cream in Linköping!" Note: It was very good. 

5: Otillia and me, she is the coolest ever! 

I Am No Longer an 18-year-old Missionary (5/12/14)

Well it's official.. I am no longer an 18 year old missionary. Just a boring 19 year old missionary. I guess that has to happen at some point on everyone's mission. This last week has been really great - like awesome! The beginning was a bit rough but man it really changed for the better! I am very happy. We have really been meeting with a ton of people who are progressing really well. We have this woman who I just completely love, she is so cool. I first got in contact with her through the phone and we talked for ever and then I called again later to set something up and we ended up talking for a lot time again! SO when I finally was able to meet and teach her it was like I already was her friend! I loved it and this week we had a great lesson with her and the Spirit was so strong I was so grateful for that. She is someone that I really can see taking the steps in her life that will bring her some much happiness. I am grateful to have been able to meet with her. Looking forward to meeting with her again this week! 

The Summer is coming so soon, but before we just get all the nice weather we have to endure the rain! So close! I can almost feel it. We have had rain for about 7 days now. The weather in Sweden is so dramatic, like honestly. It doesn't just simply rain one day in Sweden is rains for 2 weeks straight. But if we want the beautiful green everything, we have to endure the rain. I actually like it. It really looks so cool, to have to rain. That was always my vision of Sweden just sorta raining all the time so I like it. 

We have a lot to do this week, the next transfer is coming and I am not going to let it sneak up on me, if I leave this area I am going to leave it so good. I really don't have a ton of new stuff to say cause we just talked like yesterday. haha I love you all so much. I will write more next week. For my Birthday today I am going to PIZZA HUT :) so excited for that! Have a great Monday!

Hejdå!

Äldste Farnworth

This is NOT someone that I baptized but I went to a baptism and this guy is awesome!!

Well This Week Has Been Different (5/5/14)

Well this week has been different! Not always my favorite but we push through! I said goodbye to 2 of my friends this week so that wasn't the best, but they sure went out with a bang! From the day that we found out they were leaving (Elder Hills and Elder Stoeltzing) on Saturday we have been running around like chicken with our heads cut off! It has been crazy! But I really enjoyed it seeing how much the members care about us here. They really were great missionaries (Sounds like they are dead..) They STILL are great missionaries they are just in other places! Then Wednesday came.. That was not the happiest day. I don't like goodbyes. We put Elder Hills on his train at 8:00 and Stoeltzing on his at 8:30! Then Elder Kiikko waited to start the new chapter of Linköping! I have a few pictures of the 'last moments.' 

Then we received Elder Millar, from Minnesota, and Elder Hewitt from England. Milliar is Elder Kiikko's new companion and Hewitt is mine. It was really good. It was a beautiful day and we just started strong by dropping of the bags and getting straight to a lesson with a investigator which was great!

Change is not my favorite thing but I have found the one key thing to getting through anything: Attitude. It is everything, and sometimes is it all we can control. If you have been reading my letters every week you probably know by now that Me and Change are not best friends, but this time was different because I really tried to accept everything and everyone that I could. I really have had a great attitude and honestly it's addicting, finding the happy side is so much better than dwelling in the negative. It's okay to know that it is there, but it's more important not to dwell in it! Something that I have had a pretty cool example of lately. 

The week just continued like it always does. Sweden is playing with my emotions, it loves to be really warm and lovely one day, and the next cloudy and cold. But that just makes me love the warms days even more! #positive That was a little cheesy but hey. On Saturday night, we were with a really awesome person Ottilia, she is Swedish and just plain awesome. That is who I took the selfie that I sent! She is awesome. I am going to come back to Sweden with Elder Hills and Elder Steen and we are going to take a road trip around Sweden. So that will be sweet! 

I love you all. So many people are praying for me, I can feel it and I am so thankful for you. I don't know how I got so lucky, you are all awesome. I have the best support system! I love you and thank you so much!

OH yeah! I can't believe how soon Zac is gonna be home. That just blows my mind. So awesome for him, he is like the coolest example for me. I can wait to talk to you in like 6 days! LOVE YOU, have a great week! Pray for the Missionaries. Love life. 

Äldste Farnworth

I am Staying In Linköping (4/28/14)

I am staying in Linköping for a little while longer! Something happened that I didn't think would.. I am getting a companion that I have had before. My MTC companion again. So that is a little strange. I didn't think that happened too much so it will be cool. I am looking forward to seeing how much each of us has changed. It will be cool to see how I have changed in his opinion. It will be a cool experience. Elder Hills will be leaving as well. This is going to be so hard. He has been such a strong support to me here. I really am so grateful for his friendship. He is moving up to the Northern part of Sweden. So that will be so cool and he will love it there. It is also sad that Elder Stoeltzing will be leaving so soon also. He is awesome. He is only moving about 30 minutes north, so that will be nice, He is still be in my district and I am looking forward to more good times with him. 

Well this week has been great! I am loving Linköping and it really is great here! The sun is shining and the trees are growing awesome! Green, Green, and Green! I love it. I am basically living in a different country than I started in. I am starting to understand why so many people get depressed in the winter. I think that it isn't as much about how bad it is, cause I don't think it was terrible, but I think it is the comparison to how great the Summer is! I love it!

I met with a man named David this week! He was amazing! Honestly! He is was so cool, He really is looking for the true church and really hopes that he will receive an answer about the true church of Jesus Christ (which would be The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints). He gladly accepted a Book of Mormon and was very excited to read and pray about that! So I am very excited about that!  Things are going to be great! Positive thinking is really the key :)

My spiritual thought for this week comes from Elder Holland's talk 'Remember Lot's Wife.' I loved that talk, anyone who hasn't read it should do so. I loved this talk - it has changed my life. Honestly. And completely changed me. I love what he ends with when he says: "Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the 'high priest of good things to come.'" We all can have more faith. We can all be better and we can all see work to see more great things in the future. I am going to have complete faith that the Lord has a plan for me. Staying in the past is just not the way that the Lord intended for us to live. He atoned for our sins. He gave His life for everyone of us. He loves us. He wants us to progress and He know we can do it! I love Him. I am not perfect, not even close. I need the Lord EVERYDAY. I would be nothing with out Him, none of us would be. Without the Lord we would all be ruined, plain and simple. I am so happy that we have this knowledge. It guide and drives my life. I love it so much!

Well I am going to ask for your prayers this week! It is going to be a tough one. I am working on my fear of change and I can always use the Lords help! I love you all so much! Sorry this is a crazy blog letter this week! I am having a weird day. Love you all so much!

Äldste Farnworth

This is the only picture he sent with info. The others are just fun to look at. 

The beautiful Spring in Linköping.

Looks like they travel pretty nice as missionaries in Sweden!