Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 11

Buenas Días,

In this morning I am very thankful for this amazing opportunity that I have been given to be here for the past two years. There is absolutely nothing that I could have done better than be here. Nothing more satisfying or repaying like this was. There have been several things that I have experienced during this time here that have forever changed my life. And there is no other place in the world that could have done that to me. I know without any doubt in my mind that this is the work of the Lord. This is the most important thing that is happening upon the face of the earth and it will continue to be to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. I truly feel so blessed that I was and still am for another week an instrument in the hands of the Lord in his work. It will be sad to go home, but I know that even though I won't be a full time representative with his name on my chest every day, I will still have lots of opportunities to serve. But just in different ways. During these past couple weeks, I've been having some bittersweet last time moments in the mission such as: Leadership Council, baptisms, members, district meetings, interviews with president, baptismal interviews and the list could go on and on. I truly will miss these things. But I also have had some not so bittersweet moments and I really hope that they are the last time such as: getting pink eye, throwing up in the middle of the night, getting a needle jammed in my toe and so on. Haha but they all add to the unforgettable experience of serving the Lord. because as Elder Holland put it,

“I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."

It is so true. Some of the greatest moments that I have had here in the mission was when I struggled the most. But there is no better feeling than to overcome whatever holds you back from your potential. Helping others reach changes in their life that they would have never been able to reach if it wasn't for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am 150% convinced that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can change any person if they allow it. I have seen people stop smoking 3 packs a day from one day to the next. I have seen people go way beyond their ability to keep the commandments of God so that they could finally be baptized and make covenants with the Lord. I have seen the Gospel fix marriages and on and on. The Gospel has no limit. the only limit is ourselves. If we can learn to trust in the Lord and exercise unlimited faith, we can break down whatever holds us back and become strong in the faith. As I have learned in my mission several times, I am not the one who works the miracles. Because when I tried to work on my own without the Lord, I failed. But, when I trusted in him and worked with him, that is when miracles happened and as my mission scripture states it this is how I strive to be.

Alma 26:12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boastof my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

This is the truth. I really hope the Lord is pleased with the work that I have done here. I am nowhere close to being perfect in all the things that I have done here, but I really did try and do what he wanted me to do. I hope to keep in contact with all the people that I have met here and keep helping them to do what is the most important, the temple, so that they can have an eternal family. I love my older brother Jesus Christ and My Father who is in Heaven. I share these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 10

Well this last week was a very successful one! We were able to have the baptism of 2-part family kids. Wow let me just say that I have never seen some kids so happy to get baptized. It is amazing that at their young age they understand what baptism is and why it is so important. I am truly astonished with them. One of them was in the font and he gave us the thumbs up before and then came out of the water with a huge smile on his face! Super cool.

We also were blessed to find some super chosen people during this past week. A super chosen person came to church to ask us to visit him and we did, and he accepted a baptismal date for the 28th of this month! So that is super exciting!

Well that's all for this week I hope that it goes well for you all! Have a good one. I love you!

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 9

Buenas tardes,

This has been a good week. I just had my last interview with President Amato where I presented to him my goals and plans for my life. So that was great. We were able to talk, and I learned a lot and gained more confidence for what I am going to do with my life. So, I am really excited about that. 

During this last week my comp and I were able to start teaching some new people. It really was a miracle that we found them. Because she was waiting for the bus when we contacted them. The bus showed up and we still hadn't gotten her contact info from her and this bus comes by about every 15 min and she had to get to work in Miraflores. So, my comp went and tried to stop the bus from leaving by talking with the driver. And then the light turned red, so we had some more time to talk. We got her info and made an appt with her. When we got to her house her, her sister and parents were there waiting for us. So that was cool. We started to talk and then the dad started talking and from what he was saying it seemed like he was going to stop everything because he is from a different religion. But then he kept talking and said that his kids are welcome to keep listening and join the church if they want. Because they stopped going to the church that the parents are in. He just wants that his kids are in a good place doing the right thing. Then the mom started talking and said that we were an answer to her prayers. She had been praying that her kids would follow God in their lives and make good decisions so that their family could be more united. So, the mom was very happy that we found her daughter and were talking with them. She even said that if she sees a change in her kids, its more than likely that her and her husband join the church. And I know that they will. if they just do what we invite them to do, I know that they'll recognize that this is where they need to be. Then both daughters said that they were looking for change in their lives. I know that we were put in the right place at the right time. This was my miracle of the week.

Well that’s all for this week. I don’t have any pics this week. Sorry... Next time!

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 8

Buenas Días,

Well another good week has come and gone by really fast! All the days just fly by, I can't believe it. We had a pretty successful week! We were able to have the baptism of Nestor. He is the guy that I told you about that came up to us in the church while we had the meeting with the stake and mission president. He was baptized in about 2 weeks. Another blessing and miracle from heaven. He had the happiest look on his face after his baptism and confirmation. I know that he will be a leader in the Church. He has all the capability to do that. Especially when he can go back to his native country of Venezuela. He is great guy.

I think that I can honestly say that the worst part of being a missionary is when you have a person that knows everything, says he has a testimony, knowing that he has felt the spirit and still denying being baptized because they're "not ready, needs to know more, later" and on and on..... Its sooo sad. Because they are losing blessings. Not just them but also their family. Sometimes I just really don't know how some people just don't understand the need that they have to make these covenants with God in their lives. Its honestly heart breaking. Because they just keep saying later, even though they know. I remember before I came on the mission and I heard RM's say that and I didn't quite know what they meant. But after the time that I now have in the mission I understand. But the even better feeling in the mission is when people do make the decision to follow Jesus Christ in their lives and make covenants with him. Because the lives of these people are forever changed! Because it really is awesome to participate in the process of change that these people make in their lives.

Well that's all for this week! The pics are from the baptism and from a park we went to last Monday. Have a good week!

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 7

MILAGROS

Well another amazing week has gone by! It really has been one of the best in the mission. We were able to see MILAGROS (miracles, I like how it sounds in Spanish more than English). I love being able to participate in them. So, the biggest milagro that we saw was with Alain. He went to church last week and we took out his info and then tried to call him to make an appt with him. He never answered so we sent a message, and he still never answered. So, we left it at that. Then on Thursday I received a call from him and he asked if there were any meetings in the church before Sunday and we told him no, but he insisted that we meet with him. So, I made an appt with him for the next day. We showed up to the church and he was already there waiting for us. We went in and taught him L3 and we invited him to be baptized and he accepted without any doubt. Then he told us that he was going to be leaving Sunday on a trip. So, we invited him to be baptized the next day and he accepted immediately. As we finished the appt with him we went and started filling the font so that it would be ready for the next day. We went back the next day and taught him L1, L2, L4 and L5. He accepted the commandments and did it without any doubts. We then had our DL come and do the baptismal interview and he passed. We called the ward and informed them that the baptism was going to be a 9:30pm and people showed up. It was amazing! He was supper duppper prepared beforehand. He told us that he has a friend that had been telling him about the church and urged him to come to church and meet the missionaries. So, he did that, and he ended up meeting us and getting baptized in about a day and a half.

Then yesterday we went and had a visit with an investigator who continued to deny that he wasn't ready to be baptized, but we found out why. As he was talking he said something really interesting. He said "no pienso en bautizarme," and so we jumped on that and helped him recognize that this is why he doesn't feel ready. So we did mental faith exercises with him, his wife and his kids. It worked. He recognized that he needs to improve on that! We scheduled his interview for Thursday. I know that he'll be baptized! He is the last in his family to be baptized. I know after baptism he'll be sealed with his family a year later.

Well I hope that you all have a great week! The pics are of his baptism and then of my comp and I last night! Have a great week!

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 6

Hello, how are all of you doing?

Well last night I received the last transfer call of my mission. How sad, but at the same time exciting. I found out who will be the one to kill me, in missionary terms, it’s going to be my Brazilian comp. Elder Silva and I are going to stay together. So, it’s going to be a lot of fun! We have a lot of work to do here before these 6 weeks are done. We are going to do what’s never been done before. I know that the Lord has been preparing lots of people here in our area and in the zone.

This last week was a great week! I what to share with you some experiences that we had on Wednesday. To prepare for this day my comp and I fasted and on top of that we prayed and felt prompted to invite President Amato and the stake president to fast as well. Because we were going to have a meeting with them to talk about the stake. During that afternoon we were able to find lots of people to teach. And as we were waiting outside of the stake center for President Amato to arrive a man came up to us and was looking for "Elder," and I thought that he was looking for the other elders that are there because I had never talked to him before. Because the office of the lima south mission is in the church where we meet. So, we showed him where they were at and I forgot about it for about 3 min until those elders called us and said that he lives in our area. So, we went and talked to him and he had said that we had called and asked to meet with him at this hour, but we had never talked with him, so we had a lesson with him. Wow he is so chosen. What a blessing it was that God put him is our path. He accepted a date for the 16 of June and he came to church yesterday. And he loves what he is learning. So, after that quick visit with him we had our meeting and it was very spiritual. We were able to receive divine revelation to help the work of the Lord progress in the stake. Then we went to an appt with President Amato. He was able to help us get a person to commit to be baptized. He has been an investigator for years. His family are all members. His daughter lives in the stake and is sealed. So, he will be getting baptized this month. It is so amazing the power of fasting and prayer. I have learned the real purpose of it here and I have seen so many prayers and fasts answered. Before the mission I didn't understand it at all, but now I have a strong testimony of it.

Well I hope that your week goes well! Talk to you next time!!!!

Elder Farnsworth

Lima (Surco) Peru – Week 5

Another week has come and gone, and there just isn't enough time to get everything done. I honestly don't know where the times goes. I feel like we get up and then before we know it, it’s almost 10:30pm and we've got to be back in the room again. When we get to the room, in that hour we must get indicators done, plan and try to brainstorm on what we need to do. Our time just disappears. Then its 11:30 and time go to bed. I remember people always telling me that during the mission you'll be busy, and the time will just run away from you and I just didn't quite understand what they meant until now. Haha it all makes sense. Now I'm coming down to the end and I can't believe where the time has gone. I was talking with my comp the other day about this transfer and that were about to enter week 6 or the last week and then it all hit me. After this transfer is over I will be entering my last transfer...... That's insane. So that freaked me out a little and my feelings are very indifferent about it. Half of me is excited for what the future brings and the other half of me doesn't want to leave the mission. So, I'm just going to forget that it’s my last transfer and keep doing what I've been doing for the last 22 months.

This last week was interesting. We had a couple that was going to get baptized and married this last Saturday, but there were some difficulties with that. So, it will be postponed until who knows when... So, we will do everything that we can to help them get married and baptized. As a zone we have been trying to think of some new ways to find some investigators. I know that lots of you have been missionaries, what were some things that you did to find new people to teach? We're just looking for new ways to find people. Because with new ways you'll get different results. And that's what we're looking for. Right now, we're finding people, but not in the amount that the Lord is wanting. So, if you have any ideas, please send them. Or if you don't have any, make a Facebook post asking people. That would be a great help. Thanks! Well that's all for this week! Have a good one!

Elder Farnsworth