April 28 Photos

Elder Cruz and Elder Hallman and Elder Ostler say Hi​!

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When it rains, it pours, but I guess not in San Benito.

This week there were some pretty crazy, quick rainstorms in our area, but because we were here in the office, we didn't even notice! it only slightly drizzled over here in San Benito, even though everyone in our area sad that they got soaked! 

So even if there were bad things that happened this week, it just seems like we missed them all! haha It was a great week!

It's really fun training Elder Wright in the office. Fun to teach him things that have just kinda become automatic for me, and to see him catch the vision and start to think of ways the job can become even better!

We ran our little 2 Kilometer loop in 8:23(like the equivalent of a 7 minute mile?) yesterday, we're starting to get faster, but it's subper tiring!

Claudia and Jose are doing super well. We saw them a lot this week in preparing them for their interview tomorrow, and they are doing very well! The Bishop came with us to see them, and we had a really great visit with him and them. Everything is looking well for the 29th and we really hope that things are going to keep going smoothly for them, they deserve it!

The Lopez family has been out of town this week, and so we haven't really seen them at all. We should see them tomorrow and I'll let you know more about how they are doing afterwards!

I'm doing great. I feel like I've got a good control of the little things right now(although there is still a LOT of room for improvement.) God is good and I trust in his miracles and love!

I know that Christ lives! He is not just a name from a book or a story, but he is someone real and relevant that can bless our lives!

keep on smiling and keep on pushing through

Have the greatest of weeks!

Elder McFarland

Wright Now.

First things first. Shout out to my angel mother! It's her birthday today! I am beyond grateful that my mom lives and that she has taught me so much! I need everyone that reads this to give her a big ol' hug to her when you see her and wish her happy birthday from me!

I am no longer the Financial Secretary! Weird! Elder Wright has officially taken over!

Elder Wright is a really great missionary. He has one change less than E. Jenks, and honestly I am SUPER pumped to work with young missionaries like them. They have so much energy and they are just so... Good!

Elder Wright is from Calgary, Canada.( shout out to Mom!) he has lived in Cardston, worked in Waterton, and pretty much I think he and Mom would love talking about Canada stuff. I'm sure he knows many of the familes that you visited and taught on your mission mom! He is about a year younger than I am, and he served the first transfer of his mission in Arizona waiting for his visa to come to El Salvs. 

To be honest I'm afraid of finishing this change. Things pass so quickly here in the office, and I have officially been here in the office:

1. As many changes as I was in Las Delicias(4 changes) and with these last couple days I now have MORE time here than I did there
2. 1 change longer than I was in Belize (both areas combined)
3. 1 change longer than I was in Zaragoza. 
4. 4x as long as Belmopan.

Haha, but it feels like it has only been like 2 weeks! How is that possible?!??

God is good. I am thankful for this great blessing that God has given me to be an office elder, and to do the work of the Lord from such a unique perspective. In these next 6 weeks I hope to teach everything I know to E. Wright(which isn't that much;) 

But guess What?

No really guess!

Did you guess?

Guess what happens the 29th of this month? 

That's right:

Jose and Claudia Maldonado are getting baptized!

Last weekend(actually Friday night after I wrote home) we visited them, and like always, we brought up baptism. To be honest, I was expecting the usual response of "we'll let you know" but instead we heard "well actually, we've been thinking of a date, and we want to do it at the end of this month. After recovering from shock and sheer joy, we started talking more with them, and we made plans for them to baptized on the 29th of this month! well, more correctly, THEY made the plans. You can tell the difference when the baptismal date is put by the missionaries, and when it's written on the hearts of the investigators! 

Please pray for them and their family in these next couple of weeks. If I have learned anything, it is that the devil wants us to be miserable, and to fail, and so he will be working on them these next couple of weeks, and we need to work harder! 

The Lopez family is doing great as well. Only that their little baby daughter has been pretty sick, and so they as well need many, many prayers. The Bishop is very involved with their family, so that makes us very happy, as he is taking care of them and helping them to do make it through all of their hardships right now!

On Monday this week we had an earthquake here in the city! We were with the Lopez family, and we had felt a couple little tremors throughout the day and the night before, but suddenly everything started shaking, and just as quick as it started it was over. haha It was super sketchy, but it wasn't anything big at all. a couple of small things fell over(like my shampoo back in the apartment) but that's about it.

The one big problem that happened was that a huge rock fell on the main highway between San Salvador and Sonsonate.

So pretty much changes meetin on Wednesday in Versailles( a city smack in the middle of Sonsonate and San Salvador) was already planning on being a struggle!

Luckily there is a back route that goes through the east mission and back down into Versailles, but we had never been before! And it was ME who had to drive out there. I wish I could show you a map of how bad we got lost! haha, even though we were following the GPS, apparently the GPS didn't want us to get there. But anyways. As soon as we got there, someone told us they had forgotten the missionary agendas, and so E. Mayen and I had to go back ol San Salvador and bring them(like 140 planners for all the missionaries... kinda important.) But once again the GPS threw us a curve ball, and it ended up taking us OVER the volcano and back to San Salvador(lost AGAIN) and then when we finally got to the Office?... Neither I nor E. Mayen had the keys.... Defeated, we returned to Versailles without the planners, and we made a crazy plan to get the planners out to everybody the next day. Everything worked out in the end... but it was a big ol mess!

So after 5 hours of driving, we finally made it to change meeting and I got my new son! Elder Wright is such a good missionary, and he is doing great in the office!

It was great to have 5 hours of driving with E. Mayen before he left the office though. I have been around him for 10 and a half months of my mission! He is a great friend of mine, and I am sad that he's gone, but at the same time I'm stocked because now he is the Zone Leader in the Santa Tecla Zone!(the same zone where he and I were companions in Zaragoza!)

Anyways, its been a great week, lots of things happened, but God is good and the work rolls forward in our area and in the office!

Hope you all know that I love you, and that God blesses your lives continually!

Have the greatest of weeks!

Elder McFarland!

Silly Faces April 14 Photos

Getting things in Order

I officially am ending my last office week as Financial Secretary. Next Wednesday I will pass the job off to a new guy, and all next change I will spend training him in the office! It will be exciting to see someone else do the work I've been doing for so long, haha! I CANNOT believe that time has passed this quickly. The whole time I've been in the office I've been avoiding talking about my last change here, but it's finally gunna be here! I don't know how I feel about it honestly!

Right now I feel ready to pass things off. I've finished all my big projects, and I think everything is in order. I hope so :) Right now I am especially excited for our 2 dear families that we are working with: the Lopez and Maldonado Families.

 Claudia and Jose Maldonado came to General Conference last week! That's 2 Sundays in a row! Jose got a new job that keeps him from working on Sunday, and Claudia had a huge interview for an amazing job that will give her more time, more benefits, and of course, will keep her from working on Sundays. Every thing is working out so well with them! God is blessing them: they've told us they've been praying really hard for the chance to have good jobs that let them go to work! I just pray that it is God's will for me to be here when they make the choice to enter the Baptismal Font! 

The Lopez family is taking equally big strides. Last week Hector lost his job, the company just couldn't afford having so many employees, and they had to let him go. Blessings disguised as trials. The ward is really involved with their progress, and they have been very grateful for our message in this time. They didn't go to conference, but they watched part of it at home! they came to mutual last night, and they love the church!

Wednesday I had another Aetna Party(see pictures) and at long lenght I FINALLY got all of Aetna caught up to date! If you remember, when I showed up I had more than 6 months of it thrown on me plus the 6 months that I've been here. but it's finished. Wednesday E. Jenks went out to the area with the Bishop, while a young man stayed with me in the office and I just fought against Aetna all day. E. Jenks came back and I still hadn't finished, so I kepts working and at 10:00 that night I finished it all(President Adams was fully aware of everything!)

This week should be exciting, lots of changes, and lots of miracles.

I know that God lives and that he loves us, I know that I have been guided by him up to this point on my mission, and I trust that whatever God calls me to do, he will help me along patiently and teach me how to do it!

I love being a missionary. I love serving and loving people. 

I want you to know I love you :)

Have the greatest of weeks my people!

Love,

Elder McFarland!

April 7 Photos