April 28, 2014

Email 4-28-14

Okay.. Well the way I thought transfers was going to go..... I was way way wrong.. I stayed in the area, and I’m training a new Zone Leader. He is Elder B from Ohio. He only has 9 months on the mission and is the youngest Zone Leader. He´s way excited about the work, but we´ll see how it goes. 
 
This week was good. We were going to have the baptisms of L and N but their parents were out of town still and weren’t there to authorize it. We´ll be going by there this week to confirm everything getting it ready for next week.
 
We taught a man that is super active in his church. We taught the restoration to him and he understood it super well and said he would go to church on Sunday. We told him to be there at 10 for the meeting.. The only problem was a man in the ward died this week and his funeral was put for Sunday morning.. super weird.. So the stake president remarked our meeting for the afternoon. So when the guy got there for church on Sunday.. the meeting wasn´t happening and there was a dead body in the church. Weird.. We explained everything to him and ended up taking him to a different ward to waith the meeting. It was an interesting situation, but everything worked out. And he loved the church.  He noticed how organized everything was, and how everything makes sense.
 
I´m super sad that Elder E was transferred. Out of all my companions he was the one that I got along with the best!  (His former comp, Elder E was sent as a ZL to Caucaia)
 
We also had some super good people at church this week, and will be marking a bunch of baptisms for the weeks to come.
 
I´m not sure how this transfer will go, but I’m hoping for the best!! Ha ha
 
There were some other things that I was going to write, but I am not remembering what it was right now...  umm.... and these computers where we are don’t have a memory card input, and they don’t have adaptors so you´ll have to wait another week to get pictures!!
 
But have a great week and be happy!!!
-Elder Kyler Blane Farr
 
MORE:
In response to my question of whether he had been mugged or not, He replied, "Nope!   Everyone is like half my size.. We still have to be super careful because someone with a gun isn’t really scared of me. Ha ha., but we just stay out of the dangerous areas at night. "
Elder Kyler has been out 1 year and 7 months next Monday!!   I wrote him that in some ways it has zoomed but in other ways it feels like he's been gone forever!   He replied,"  That´s how I feel.    I knew the mission would be tough, but I never imagined it would be as hard as it has been.   I guess it depends on the missionary, and the place that you serve.  But me, here, it´s been tough.   I´m getting the hang of it though.   Every day I learn something new.   I feel like I’m preparing myself well for my future."
I replied with something to the effect that we've never really known just how hard it's been for him because his attitude is so great and we love how he has accepted each challenge and is true to himself while serving and putting God first.  And that we're so happy that while he is working hard there, he is also looking ahead and working hard to become the man he is to be.  And his last message sent today was this:
I´m still HERE, know that! :) while I’m here, I’ll be HERE!  
I’ll always have a good attitude in the service of my Heavenly Father!
It´s hard at times, but it´s so worth it!   It´s great.   Have a wonderful week, and remember to be happy!     
Love you bunches!   Send my love to everyone else too! :)

April 21, 2014

Email 4-21-14

Today is a holiday, and none of the LAN houses are open. We came to this one and begged the guy to open up for a bit so we could send these e-mails out. Which also means we have way less time. 
Today will be short, but know I love all of you and I am so grateful for the support from each and every one of you. I´m glad you´re doing well, mom recovering nicely and what not.
 
We baptized G. yesterday and have two dates marked for next week with two more possibles.
 
This video was sent to me and I wanted to share it with everyone.. There´s a ton of views so I bet most of you have already seen it. 
 
But thank you so much for everything. You´re the best! :)
 
 *******************************************************************************************
 Additional news from the very few minutes of e-chat:
This whole Easter week is a holiday! HA ha ha   this week was tough to find people home/in the street to teach...
 
I wanted to send the pics this week, but I forgot the stuff.. but next week for sure..I think, ha ha ha because next week is transfers.
   
..... I think prez will take zone leaders out of this area and put a regular companionship here.. The member’s don’t really help. They say they´ll do a bunch but never do anything.   Maybe we´ll both leave, maybe not I don’t know. 
 
Today is HOTTT!!!! It´s been burning hot these passed couple days!
 
( so I looked up the weather in Fortaleza (isn't it amazing we can do that!) and it says it's 88 but feels like 92 with 40 to 50% chance of rain and the humidity says it's 82 -89% today and tonight!   No wonder it's so hot!   He says the rain always makes it worse, because of the humidity and it's warm rain, not cool and refreshing like here in Flag!)
 
  
And that was all we heard this week – the LAN guy must have told them it was time to go!!   BUT I am so grateful
to him for opening up long enough to communicate.   I hope he will be blessed for his service and kindness to those missionary boys and their waiting families! 

April 17, 2014

Email 4-14-14

Yeeahh!!
 
So, remember that lady that i talked about last week!? The one that´s super elect and was prepared to receive the Restored Gospel!?!? And she has a son that´s super awesome too!?!? YEAH, THEM!
 
Well, they were baptized on Saturday. It was one of the best baptisms that I have ever seen. After the ordinance the Bishops Counselor asked her to go up to the pulpit and bear her testimony. She was a little bit hesitant, but went up and stunned everybody. For someone that has only had contact with the church for like three weeks, and that doesn´t have a ton of knowledge of the Gospel, just a huge desire, she surprised everybody!   It was awesome.   She´s great.   She made me and my companion feel good.    She talked about how great we are, and how we helped her and her son so much and what not. But the best things that she said were her feelings in the moment. When she went into the water, knowing that she wasn’t just taking a bath, but being baptized by someone that holds the Priesthood Authority of God, a baptism that God recognizes. It was way cool!
 
Lots of things fell through this week, it was kind of discouraging, but we know our purpose, and there´s nothing that will keep me from fulfilling it. 
 
I love this work, I love the way I feel when we help others. I love baptizing people because I know what that person turns into, doing this ordinance. This Gospel, and the church, are perfect. 
 
I hope everybody is well. Thanks for the love and support! :)
 
-Elder Kyler Blane Farr

Email 4-7-14

This week was good. I´ll be kind of quick today due to time, and we´ll be doing a project here at the Lan House. We have some sweet plans to make this ward excited about missionary work. 
 
That lady and her son that I was talking about, we taught them everything and they were interviewed and everything was perfect, but the mom had a little health problem so the baptism will be next week!   But they are so awesome, so elect.   They are some of the most prepared people I have met on my mission.
 
Remember that couple I was talking about a long time ago where we started the marriage process then they kind of disappeared??   Yeah, well we did it!   We took them to conference.   It was awesome!   They loved it.   I was thinking, if there is one meeting that we HAVE to take our investigators to.. it’s conference! 
 
We ended up with five investigators at conference. It was supposed to be more but we had to go to the stake center which is kind of long.
 
Conference was awesome!!   I took notes, but I forgot them at home, so probably next week I’ll make some comments about that.
 
We have two companionships working in our ward and I was kind of mad at the ward and the other companionship because the members give them dinner all the time, and it seems like they do everything for them and nothing for us.   It´s just because they live next door to the bishop, and we live on the other side of the area from them.   Anyways, we were talking to the bishop about the marriage of that couple and how it would be 100 more reais to finish the process, and the bishop opens up his wallet and hands us a bill of 100 reais!  Every little piece of negativity towards him that I was feeling, LEFT!    It´s just the stress that comes from the mission.   Stress doesn't make anything better.. it just makes us suffer.   Everything is going well for me, I’m happy and working my tail off! 
 
-Elder Kyler Blane Farr
Have a great week!
 
He also said that this is the hardest area he’s been in so far and that he didn’t want to mention the stuff in the last paragraph because he’s doesn’t want to appear to be a murmurer!!!   He feels like they ‘ waste’ a lot of money on buses and food and it’s stressful but when we reminded him that he’s not wasting any money, he’s just taking care of his needs while serving the Lord in Fortaleza and the Lord will work it out – just keep working hard like he’s been doing, he thanked us and accepted our advice and replied that the Lord really is making everything work out!   He’s been very fortunate up to now to be in areas where the members feed them not only lunch but dinner, and take really good care of them.
He also said that when he gets his suit ‘reduced’ and new shirts bought that actually fit and are not huge on him, he’s not going to send anymore pics of him home.  He wants to surprise us!  He doesn’t think we will recognize him when he gets off the plane!   In fact, he said that he looked at himself in the mirror the other day and almost didn’t recognize himself!!!  Ha ha ha     I wrote him that although I respect his desire to surprise us, I don’t think I could bear to go 8 months without a pic of him, so please stand behind people or bushes or buildings, but send us more pics!!!  J
He sends his love

April 1, 2014

Email 3-31-14 and mailing address

This week was good!

Ha ha the stress continues! But it´s all good.

This was the week of complications. Every appointment that we set, fell. We are learning more patience every day that passes. 

We went contacting one day and met a lady, which is normal considering we meet people like her every day but we felt something different about her. 
We marked to pass by her house the next day.
When we went there the next day she said she had forgotten about us but we could still share our message. We talked a bit and got to know her and her son and then shared the message of the Restoration. They are awesome.
During the lesson she kept interrupting us and saying ´´that´s not what they teach in my church.`` ha ha so, we turned to the Bible and looked at what God says. She understood well and wanted to learn more. She accepted the invitation to go to church to see how it is and she accepted the baptismal invitation. 
There´s a man in this ward that has a big VW van that he takes us along, every single Sunday morning to pick up our investigators.   So, as we passed by there she was outside waiting for us thinking that we would never come.  She is amazing! 
Her son is a little bit more shy and reserved but we put him in the middle of all of the young men in the ward and they all made him feel welcome!

Out of all of the things that happened this week, this lady made up for all of it!   I´ll be sending pics of her baptism next week ;)

I´m kind of sick, but that´s part.. you have to suffer a little bit to make sure everybody else can be saved. There exists many paths, but only one leads to God. I testify that THIS path, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, is the only path that gives us happiness during this life, and salvation in the life to come.

-Elder Kyler Blane Farr
************************************************************************************************************
He also said that it's so hot you can't sleep without a fan blowing on your face,  but that gives you a cold!  He has had a cold about 80% of his mission.   His fan broke so they slept on the floor under the ceiling fan and that's what triggered the current cold!  He should get a new fan from mission office tomorrow!

It has been allowed for them to watch "Frozen" today.  He doesn't know anything about it but I told him to watch for the song "Let it Go" and imagine his little 19 month old nephew singing,  "Ded dit doe.... ded dit doe"  in his big boy voice!!  It's so cute!!   Ky said he can't imagine Liam doing that - he was just born!!  He said it's weird to imagine things at home still going and going..!  I replied that it will be weird for him to see all the changes when he gets home.  He said  it feels like it will never come and he can't imagine doing anything else but this (missionary work).   He says HI EVERYONE!!!   and sends hugs too!! 

If you would like to write him:


Elder Kyler Blane Farr
Brasil Fortaleza Mission
Av. Santos Dumont, 1789 - sala 1612
60150 - 160 Aldeota - Fortaleza - CE
BRASIL

(this address requires a global (international) stamp)

Email 3-24-14

This week was super great! 

There is a member family that we have been working with recently trying to get them to give us references and what not. They are awesome people but they didn’t trust in the missionaries in the past very much and that carried onto us. There have been alot of really bad missionaries in this ward and when we got here no one wanted to give us a hand in anything.  We kept going and going working hard and now the people are realizing our work.  This couple finally ended up giving us a reference of a couple.  This couple had been living together, unmarried for like 9 years and a year ago out of nowhere they got married.. why?!? (I love how God prepares his children for us)  We started teaching them and the ward started making friendship with them. They went to church last Sunday, loved it, we taught them everything this last week and they asked us to be baptized Sunday (yesterday).  They are people that were prepared by God and they didn’t even know it. The wife said, ``I have gone into basically every church in this city and I have never felt the feelings I felt in the church of Jesus Christ.``  She went on to say obviously people feel good in other churches that talk about God, but the feeling leaves when you leave the church, but not here!  We had a devotional after the baptism and left the microphone open for people to share experiences and stuff and they both bore their testimonies. It was an awesome meeting. 

There is also a family where the mom is a return missionary that went inactive. She is returning to church and like three months ago her kids were baptized.  The Dad had had some problems and decided to wait a little bit to be baptized.  We showed up here and he finally marked his own date, which was yesterday too! We opened up this transfer with three baptisms.  The ward is exploding with excitement!   It is so awesome to see the people have the same excitement that us missionaries have. 

Write the names of the people that you love onto a piece of paper with their addresses. Give the paper to the missionaries. It’s so easy! 

John 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

How are our friends going to enter into the kingdom of God if we don’t introduce them to the truth!?   It’s not just any ole baptism..   It’s a baptism done by some that holds the authority of God;  Someone that received it by the laying on of hands.  Just give the reference to the missionaries and they’ll know what to do with it.  We are called of God to Baptize these people.

-Elder Kyler Blane Farr
 
More info:  bold type is his words exactly, fine type is me paraphrasing
  :)  they're the first couple I taught and baptized on the mission!   President gives us a tie! :)  speaking of the couple baptized yesterday
 
By the way, I forgot to tell you... In California I bought a belt to use.   I used the very first belt loop.... now I’m on the last,   I’m about to have to make a new loop.. I’ve gone down SEVEN belt loops!  Ha ha ha ha
 
I’ve lost 27 kilos!    (which is 59.5 pounds!!!)  He also said that his current comp's mother is a nutritionist and has been giving them a lot of tips and that the rest of the weight he wants to lose should go off pretty quickly with what they are doing.   Coca cola is really big there and everyone drinks it - that's one of the things he's stopped doing,.  All the girls/women in the ward get kind of mad at him and call him a picky American but he just tells them that he's going home soon and he wants to go home beautiful!  So then they laugh and think it's funny!!
 
It’s so easy just to fall into habits. 
I’ve noticed that when someone falls into a habit, it’s easier to just let everything else go too. 
My companion always says this when helping investigators with addictions:
If you want to cut off your arm, is it better to make a thousand little cuts throughout a month, or cut it off in one go? The pain will be bigger, but it’s only one pain then it’s over!
That’s what I did (with soda, etc.) and it’s working! ;)
 
They have a lesson to teach tonight and then having FHE with the couple that was just baptized and a member family.
 
He bought new pants and now his comp can't tease him about wearing pajamas all the time anymore!!!  He says that if he can't find someone to 'reduce' his shirts, he will have to buy new shirts too!
 
He's doing great -- is so happy and working so hard and his testimony has grown so much! 
 I'll send some pics next.