This Week Has Been Awesome! (4/21/14)

Hello Family!

I hope you all had a wonderful week this week! We have been blessed here in Sweden with AMAZING weather. The sun has been coming out more and more. We are currently having more sunshine than darkness. I think this week the sun has rises at 5 am at the earliest and sets at about 8:30 pm - so I am just loving it. Completely different from what I came into in the dark times of winter. We are officially entering into the "Amazing, Wonderful Sweden Summer Season." That isn't a really title for it but I just think it is rather fitting.

In other news before I just jump into this week, there is a transfer coming up on the 30th. I really hope that I will stay in Linköping. There is so many great things that are about to just burst and I am so excited! If I leave I will just be excited for the lucky missionary that gets to reap the reward of some hard work!

This week has been awesome. We have met with this family, the Ericsson's, that I absolutely love. It will be okay to put their name on my blog because like every other person in Sweden has that last name. So that is really cool. They are awesome! The mother is a member and she is really nice, and she hasn't come to church in a few years. But she is so nice to the missionaries. The whole family is really awesome. We have been visiting with them since I first got here. I love it. On the ride home from their house last week, I was talking with her daughter and she said that she would be excited to start learning more about our church! So that is way exciting! We will be meeting with them this Friday! I am very excited about that!

They do celebrate Easter in Sweden. The Swedish word is Påsk :) haha It's super sweet. But they don't celebrate the birth or resurrection of Christ, they just all get wasted. Like hardcore wasted. Like I was talking to a girl on the bus and she was 16 (keep that in mind, 16). When I asked her how she was going to spend her Easter evening, she told me that she was going to go get wasted. Straight up she said that. It was insane to hear.

With our other investigators we have not been able to meet with too many this week, seeing that it is Easter week and all. However, many of them are moving forward very quickly! This area is going to explode!

Sorry this is not super detailed but this week was kinda weird! I can't believe how fast it is all going. #8MONTHS! Like where the heck is the time going? I love you all but I don't want to see you all too soon. I love Sweden and this work way to much :) I love you all!!

Hej då!

Äldste Farnworth

Service time! We gardened for five hours! Awesome!

Spring is here! (4/14/14)

My Dear Family,

This week has been really good! It was kind of a hard week seeing that last week we were so busy we weren't able to have a good planning session so that tends to carry over and make the following week a bit harder. But nonetheless this week was fun. We found out that one of the Elders here, Elder Steen (who is not my companion :) is moving to Malmö!  That is gonna be so cool for him. We are getting a new missionary here in Linköping. I think it will be awesome, he is Finnish and hasn't really been in the mission to long. So that will be a nice change of pace.

This work in Linköping is hard. Not like Skövde in any sense of the word. I love it of course, I just am being pulled and tugged in many different ways and it is amazing how much it can take from you. I am now starting to understand how missionary talk about being tired from their own missions. I truly understand. The work continues on, we met with our investigator this week, Mahin, she is great, I have so much love for her. She loves us missionaries as her children, when we asked her in what order she loves us, she said that "We are all her special sons, and in our own way we have different things she loves about us. " We have been talking a lot about baptism with her and I know she is so close! I would love to be here when she decides to take that step. She is so amazing, I look to her as an example. 

I got the email about Zachary, holy cow how the freak is he? That is terrible about the earthquake, seriously so scary. I'm glad he is ok.  I was bearing my testimony about the strength of members yesterday it was really cool to be able to testify that as members we are all families.  I told the story of Zachary and how strong they all were when they pulled together that was a really cool thing to talk about. That is why I love these small branches, we are seriously a small family. Everyone is very aware of everyone else and we just love each other.

This week has gotten better and better the more I watch conference! I have seen almost all of it! I just have the Sunday afternoon session but I think that I am going to watch that today! I absolutely loves the morning session of Saturday and Sunday! Honestly it was so good. Right now I think that the priesthood  session has the trophy in my eyes. I really enjoyed that.

Spring is here. The trees are so close to blooming and the flowers are going crazy, they have wild flowers that just grow like crazy around here. I love it, I will have to send pictures soon. I have already commented on the clothing issue, so I will just add that it is progressively getting worse and worse every sunny day. I love the sun, they literally set up benches that all these Swedes will just sit on and just soak up the sun. They close their eyes and just face the sun, it is the funniest sight.

Today we went to the park and just laid in the sun by this cool church. The sun feels so good. I love that I can feel it again. All throughout winter you can't feel heat from the sun. It is amazing to feel the warmth again. Makes me feel so happy. They say the the most productive time to work as a missionary in Sweden is during the summer so I am so excited to see everyone here become to happy! I am including a picture of the park we were at, it's the one with the church in it.

I can't believe that my birthday is coming so soon! I want it all to just slow down! I felt like I haven't been out that long, the school year is almost up too! That is crazy, Jacob will be a senior next year and Megan will be starting high school! I think that it just needs to stop, yes that would be great :)

I love it here, I am hoping that work picks up a little more but that will only come with hard work and pushing myself further than ever before! I love the people and missionaries around me! I am thankful for you as a mother and my wonderful support system. I love you all! I hope you have a great week!  

SÄldste Farnworth

It's spring in Sweden!

Aldste Farnworth and his comp Aldste Stoeltzing

I am so tired every night..I look forward to hitting my head against my pillow! (4/7/14)

Well this week has been a great week. Elder Stoeltzing and I are really taking off. I am so tired every night and am always looking forward to hitting my head against my pillow! My sickness is just slightly lingering but not enough to complain so that is great! We had so many great lesson this week. We have this one investigator who is from a small country in Africa who is 19, and studying here alone. That is quite common here. Anyways we met her about 4 weeks ago when we were in the town, Mjölby. We called her and she was very open to meet and teaching her has been going great! We have been introducing various parts of the gospel and she really has been responding very very well. So this last lesson we centered the entire lesson around Baptism. We read from 3rd Nephi 11 and that is the way that can see the word of Christ go to work. He highlights what is truly the most central points of HIS church. It was a amazing lesson. She committed that once she found this gospel to be true to be baptized. It was really awesome to have that strong of a lesson with her. I am really excited to meet with her more and help her come closer to Christ.

We also have been working with the sweetest lady in the world. Her name is Mahin. She is from Iraq, she is so smart and is working toward her PHD in mental illnesses or something like that. She has been meeting with missionaries for a long time and I feel that her time to come unto Christ is coming soon. We had a very strong lesson with her on last Sunday night and that was amazing as well. We asked her very firmly if she would follow the example of Christ and being baptized. She got very emotional and it was a tender moment. Although she did not set a time or date that she would be baptized she showed such a storing desire to receive an answer to the questions through prayer. We will be meeting with her again soon and I am excited to see how that will go.

This last week we have come in contact with a lot of new Less Actives and it is so great to see these people who have not met us before just inviting us to their homes and allowing us to share a message with them. I love working with these people here. I honestly feel like so unbelievable blessed to be here in Sweden.

It was weird I had the dream a few nights ago that I got transferred to another mission and I had only one more week in Sweden. I was so sad! I really wanted to stay in Sweden! Nonetheless I am very glad that I have 2 years left here in Sweden. The summer is coming! It is so amazing here I am like a Master Professional iPhone photographer. I have taken some sweet pictures. If only I had my Instagram. I'm joking of course!

Sweden is amazing. We watched conference yesterday and that was super cool. I love my branch here. It was so funny, we had the session being translated in Swedish in the main room and in the closet we had it in English. We ended having more people watching it in English than we did in Swedish! It was really funny. Then because we are so small. We stopped and had a pretty great lunch then continued one to watch the rest. We watched the Saturday sessions on Sunday and then I will just watch the Sunday sessions this week sometime. I am pretty excited. They were so good.

I. Found. The. Beach. I knew it was only a matter of time until I would be lead to the beach. Elder Hills and I were on splits and we were in the city, Motala. That city is right on the shore of one of the biggest lakes in Sweden. We found a legit beautiful beach. With sandy shores and all. It was unreal, so yes. I. Love. Sweden.

This week was a blessing. I made some new friends and I really felt that I gave it my all. The Lord is real and he is preparing and blessing the people here in Sweden. I am so grateful every day for the little and huge miracles that I see everyday. He has and is answering my prayers but only when I pray with the spirit and follow the commandments and will of The Lord. I love you all, thank you for everything you are doing for me so that I can be here doing this most important work I am so grateful. I hope you all have great week!

Äldste Farnworth

Me and Elder Hills by the lake

Beautiful street in Sweden

Me on a cold day

#that'sSwedenforya (3/31/14)

Thank you so much for getting that package going, that is awesome. It is now raining season here in Sweden so glasses are not the best things to have right now. Super annoying so I am looking forward to those contacts :) Thank you a ton. I am feeling much better. I really am, I have stuff that they gave me. I think it was like the flu but I never threw up, I just got a lot of fevers and stuff. Not fun but I am towards the end of it now so I am happy. Just coughing and crap like that, nothing to bad. I never went to a doctor but I had to buy some stuff to fix it. But that pain is compelety gone, so that is good! I have had a great week! It has been so warm here I am just very happy! They say that it will snow today but that is Sweden. Really though, one day we could have complete sunshine and it could be wonderful. Like amazing weather and then the next day.. BAM. Snow. I don't know what to think when that happens.

Another fun thing about warm weather is that what is happening to everyone clothes! They are disappearing! Like magic, dark evil magic that is. It really is crazy, I have seen more crap in this area than I have probably ever seen in my entire life. Maybe that is why God makes it randomly snow, so girls will put there clothes back on! Haha it isn't that bad, I am just being dramatic, but I do hear that it will get a lot worse as it get warmer and warmer. I need to get a pair of blinders or just learn to walk while starring at my feet, one of the two. The biggest problem is our neighbor who lives under us, she just loves to do all of her house work (cooking, cleaning. folding clothes...) Naked! It's so crazy, she even has blinds and just chooses to have them open! #that'sSwedenforya

This week has been a really good week with lessons and teaching. We have really put a ton of work into meeting and helping eveyone that would allows us to come! It really paid off though, I really felt super good about the work that we did. We have our investigator who is just progressing so much. Last night we had amazing lesson with her. We just plainly told her that baptism was something that would HELP her. She said that she would honestly think about it. I am pretty stong faith that she will enter into the waters of bapitsm soon! Then we have out other investigator, probably shouldn't throw out all of their names, there might be a rule against that. But she is also coming along very good, She said that she would try and come to family night tonight, so that is pretty exciting. I am really hoping that she comes! We met with her last night as well and that went really well. I think we will progress with her quickly, once she receives an answer about the Book of Mormon.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers, I feel the effects of them very strongly. I love you all so much. I love you mom. You are the greatest I could ever ask for! Never forget that God loves us all so much, competely and fully! I can't believe that Max is skinny now, you need to send me pictures. Also just send me picture of the house I feel that you have changed so much! Can you believe that we talk to each other in like 2 months? Where is the time going, honestly could someone tell me cause I have not a clue.

Jag alskar alla er så mycket. Ni är fint. Hoppas ni alla har en jätte bra vecka!

MVH, 

Äldste Farnworth

Can't Believe It's Been 7 Months

This week was really great week. Elder Landeen and I held out strong for the beginning of the week, then I sent him on his way to Katrineholm! It was a really good transfer, I learned a ton and I am super grateful to be able to be with Elder Landeen for the last 6 weeks. I can't believe that it has already have been here in Linköping for 6 weeks and on my mission for 7 months! Where is the time going? I want it all to slow down. I don't want to go home, like ever ... sorry. My new companion is really awesome. His name is crazy - I think it is Elder Stoeltzing he is from California and has been in Sweden for like 12 weeks, I am his senior companion which means pretty much if we screw up at all I am the one who gets in trouble. Haha just kidding I am supposed to also be his example! He is like already awesome so I don't know how I am suppose to help him. We will see.

So this week I got sick. Like it sucks, I have never missed my own bed so much. I was okay for the first part of the week but from Friday to Saturday it went downhill pretty fast, yesterday was the worst and I actually stayed home from church. It was my first time missing church in 7 months it was so weird. I just slept all day then at night the fevers started but it actually was good cause then they broke and today I am feeling good. Okay so yeah that is my illness in way more details than I am sure anyone cares to know. But yeah not to much happened this week, I have a spiritual thought to end this whole thing off:

So this week I have realized the difference between believing the gospel is true and knowing the gospel is true. I heard a really good talk from Elder Holland which really helped me see that even if we don't know that the gospel is true believing in it is so important as well. I am really earnestly been praying in the last while to feel those feelings of the beliefs that I know to be true. When I honestly and truly ask God for those feelings it was amazing to feel them so strongly in the next few days. I know and believe that God lives and know every single of His children by name. He loves us and wants us to come to him with open arms and allowing Him, through Jesus Christ, to change ourselves to become the children that he wants us to be. I am so grateful for the plan that The Lord has for me and that he has given me what he has. I love Him with everything I am. I am here for that reason alone. I love him.

I hope you all have a great week! I look forward to hearing from you next week!

Äldste Farnworth

I finally saw it.. the Sweden Stockholm Temple! It was beautiful! (3/17/14)

Dear Mother, Father, and Friends. 

Well I would just like to start this email off by tell you that I am writing it with my brand new iPhone 5. Yes, you read that right, we got iPhones! That are like the coolest things in the entire world. As you can imagine they have these things pretty locked up, but they still make the work we are doing 100 times easier. I love them. So yeah that was a huge part of this week. The mission life is just becoming better an better. I have to send pictures of me apartment today, then you will see that I am a spoiled. All I am saying is there is NO complains on the quality of life here in Linköping. It is nice. 

So we got the transfer calls this Saturday and to no surprise I am staying here. Elder Landeen is going to Katrineholm! He is going to be a district leader there, so that is going to be so awesome for him. Only like 45 minutes away by train so not to far but he is going to love it! I am getting a pretty young missionary. He is just out of his training so I am pretty excited to get him. He was in Göteborg before, so I am met him a few times. He is a super nice and I am looking forward to serving with him. 

I finally saw it.. The Sweden Stockholm Temple! It was beautiful. I seriously was like blown away. It's weird being here in Sweden and not really seeing much of the church like you see in the states and honestly I like forgot what they looked like. So when I say it right in front of me it was like the first time I had seen a temple. I was down in Stockholm on Thursday for Zone Conference. It was really good. The first section of the meeting was tribute to Elder Bailey. It was really amazing. Sister Newell spoke as well as President Newell. There were a few others who spoke, including his old companions, it was really amazing. They related it all to the temple and really how that is how we can help those missionaries who are working on the other side. It was a really cool thought. We must go to the temple and help out our missionaries on the other side. That is my homework/commitment to you all, everyone that can, go to temple this week! It changes and blesses everyone involved. It was a really cool way to look at the situation. 

We had a really good lesson with our investigator yesterday, we have really been pushing for baptism with her. Mainly because she is a member in every other way possible. She is just amazing. She has such a strong testimony, and really shows it. She just needs to see that this step of baptism is just going help her in every part of her life. The spirit was really strong during the lesson and it was really cool to have that feeling that I have the ability to be a vessel that the Lord could use. I just sat and listened to what she was telling us and it was weird that didn't think about what I was going to say next, I allowed the spirit to take over. It was really a great moment. We had a member who has helped to fellowship her. It was a ton a fun with her. I took a funny picture with our new iPhone :) so I will include that.

Well that's about it.  I have a ton of pictures I am sending.  I love you, have a great week!

Äldste Farnworth

The Stockholm Sweden Temple!

Elder Muirbrook and me, he goes home on Wednesday! Crazy!

Elder Hills, Annelie, Me, Elder Steen, Elder Landeen

                                      

Kaleb's kitchen 

His apartment

Doing service!

Riding the bus 

Do you think Kaleb is a little OCD?

I'm not like this idiot, well like I guess sorta...(3/10/14)

Hey Mother!

Sorry this is getting to you so late. We just didn't have the will power to wake up early this week to chat with you guys, but I promise that next week we will get it on. Okay, I am going to start off by answering you questions before I get all distracted. Do they have Costco in Sweden? No, they don't. The don't even have Wal-mart. The only store that they have here that we share would be IKEA. I really like it though, I really am in a completely different world. Sweden is crazy. I have like "holy crap I am in Sweden..." moments every single day. Okay so transfer calls go out this Friday, I don't know if I will be transferred but I do know that I will be stressing about it this whole week! I will know next week. I did not go to the service for Elder Bailey, they could not allow everyone to travel in because the chapel wasn't big enough, so only people that knew him on the mission were given permission. It was a really sad week here. It is just something that you never think is going to happen. It's just another one of those moments where we have to have trust in the Lord that we have a plan. We have this investigator who is like the sweetest person ever. When she found out she called us right away and totally we telling me how cool it is that we have the Plan of Salvation. She then told me that she knew that God just needed him to be a missionary on the other side. She is like the greatest investigator ever. I really hope I am able to help her come closer to Christ through Baptism.

This week was really good. We have had a few things that over the last few weeks we had going into bad habits, like a little lazy with a few small things. So this week we made it a special effort and we saw like really great things come from it. We have had a great amount of teaching this week, and we really were able to help a few people! This week was very rewarding. The work in Linköping is going forward at a very fast rate.

Holy cow the weather here has be beautiful. Swedish people love to talk about the weather. All I have to say to get a conversation going is "Wow, it a really nice day!" Or "Can you believe how cold it is?" I will generally always get a pretty big response from that. The times that I don't are really awkward. I am not kidding sometimes when I try to talk with people they will straight up look me in the eyes and like just not respond to me. So that is dumb. Swedish people can be very awkward but you kind of just have to learn to love it and laugh at yourself sometimes. When I get like hard core rejected, I just laugh right then a there. Then I just assume they think I am insane. It's a really good time. Something that I LOVE to do that really messes with the people here is sing on the buses. Just like a side note, the buses here are always so quite. NO ONE talks. Like the bus can be 102% full and not one person is talking so I just like start singing really to my self and my companion gets embarrassed so I get louder and louder then the whole bus is looking at me. It just is so awesome. Don't worry. I am not like this idiot, well like I guess sorta.

So in not so good news, my knee is getting really bad. I have these pills that are supposed to reduce the swelling and then I put this cream on it and I have these wraps but the fact that I walk around all day on it just means every night it hurts a little more than the last. Today it was terrible. But don't worry I am still pushing. Just pray for me. I don't want to have this hinder any work that could be done here.

You guys are changing the house so much I don't think I recognize it when I get home. I cannot believe that I have been out almost 7 months that just doesn't seem real to me. I just want to stay forever. Okay maybe not forever but a long time for sure. I love it here so much. I didn't think that I would like Linköping at first just coming from a small branch and going into a smaller branch but I have really been able love this branch. I am so excited for the work that is going to take place here.

This week has been great. I am so excited for this upcoming week and I am so excited for what the future holds. Thank you for all you do for me. I can feel the love that I am getting for back home. Continue to pray for the people here. The Lord is real. He loves us. All of us. Pray to him. The song 'A Child's Prayer' comes to mind.

Heavenly Father, are you really there?
And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?
Some say that heaven is far away,
But I feel it close around me as I pray.
Heavenly Father, I remember now
Something that Jesus told disciples long ago:
"Suffer the children to come to me."
Father, in prayer I'm coming now to thee.

Pray, he is there;
Speak, he is listening.
You are his child;
His love now surrounds you.
He hears your prayer;
He loves the children.
Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.

I love that song. I sing that song in my head probably once a day. We need to strive to have the faith of children. So pure and so true. Love you so much. Have a great week!

Äldste Farnworth 

Exploring the woods on P-day

We made a fort:)