You can take the guitar away from the man, but you can't take the music!

Let me just say that this title hurts just about as much as it sounds!

I trust President Hintze and I love the Lord more than anything else!

But when President told us there was a new rule that we can't have musical instruments it still hurt a little. on saturday I turned in my little guitar to the zone leaders.

Like I said, I trust President Hintze and I love the Lord more than anything else.

but it hurts a little still

But in every other aspect this week was an amazing one!

First off, we didn't have transfers! Elder Mayèn and I will be together a good while still! also, Elder Sweat and Elder Riasco (the two other elders in the house) didn't have transfers either. This makes 3 that we have been together the 4 of us(for those unacquainted with our mission that is super super rare!

Second off we found a lot of new investigators! this week we walked super SUPER far in our area and found a little pueblo called Asuchillo! there is a ton of potential there and we have started to work there! We found one really positive man named Jerson and another named Edwin, both of which have families of 7! Jerson was meeting with the missionaries before and already has a testimony of the Book of Mormon! Edwin doesn't have much of a religious background, but he has a lot of faith and is super friendly! I`ll let you know as things progress...

Jander and William came to church today! They are both still super motivated to get baptized, but now neither one wants to get married because they have been passing through some super tough times as a couple and need to fix things between themselves. Honestly I don't know what will happen. We are just going to do our absolute best and see what miracles the Lord Provides!

Still super happy to have talked to my family like a week ago. 

fifth off I know that God is behind this wonderful work! I know that despite my weaknesses and shortcomings God is good. In Fact, God is great! He is helping me to improve day by day and He loves me and knows who I am! It`s great to know that he doesn't expect us to be perfect yet! he gives us opportunities to learn!

Hope you all have the greatest of weeks!

I love you all so SO much

Elder Mcfarlandavid

Dear mother the flowers remind me of you!

I love my mother so so SOOOOOOOOO much.

So I got really caught up in talking to everyone today that I kinda forgot to type out a big long group email, but If you have any questions ask my mom, I tlaked to her YESTERDAY!

This week we have been looking for new investigators. While we haven`t given up on all of our dear friends, we need more people to teach. That was where we found a real miracle this week!

His name is Victor. he is a struggling father with a heavy alchol problem. He want`s to change his life to help his poor little family, and he has a lot of faith in Christ that he can move forward and repent. He accepted a baptismal date! We are going to have to help him SO much though, its a hard task he has set out to do! I know that the Lord will help him!

Transfers are this week. I don`t know If I will stay or go, but I trust that whatever happens, I will be where the Lord needs me to be!

I know that God lives, and that he loves me. I have seen his hand so much in my life, and I KNOW that he watches and guides and protects me. I know that he is in charge and that he will make everything turn out right, if we trust in Him!

Did I mention I love my mother?

Have the greatest of weeks everybody!

Elder McFardavid

Pila and Papusas

Better Days

So you asked me what I want this year

I`ma try to make this calm, and clear. 

Just a chance that maybe we`ll find:(see title)

cuz I don`t need boxes wrapped in strings, 

or desinger love, or empty things.

just a chance that maybe we`ll find:(See title)

So take these words, and sing out loud.

because everyone is forgiven now.

and tonight`s the night the world begins again.

Name that song?

This week was one fun thing after another. So last Monday I told my mom we were ready for the wedding of Jander and William on Saturday, and she warned me that the adversary would try with all he can to stop it. I knew she was right, but I didn`t know HOW right she was.

Monday at 11:00 (just as we finished writing.) began the first problem. One of the families in the branch who is really good friends with Jander had been talking to her and asking questions like ``are you SURE about this`` and other things, so when we talked to her to pic up some papers for the lawyer she was pretty indecisive and scared and nervous. We had a good lesson with her that night which helped her trust in the Lord. 

Tuesday my comp had an ultrasound on his ankle which has been bugging him because of an old surgery. They were not very kind to him, and he left the doctor's office barely able to walk. at 4:00 we limped over to one of the members that was going to be a witness for the wedding, and she got super angry because WE had been the ones who asked her to be a witness, not the bride. She refused to help us whatsoever. we had had an appointment with the lawyer and the family at 5:00 to finish the paperwork, but at 5:30 limping our way to the chapel without someone to be a witness we missed both the lawyer and the couple

Wednesday the lawyer wasn`t going to help us anymore, but after struggling ALL morning to find a witness and taking the papers to the lawyer, she accepted.

Thursday we still couldn`t leave the house because of my comps ankle, but in the nighttime was the interview and they both passed.

Friday the bride`s family told her that if she got married they were going to kick them out of where they are living if they get married because the lot belongs to the grandpa.

(Friday night they decided to postpone the wedding until may 26 so they could find somewhere to live before getting kicked out of the house, but they still wanted to get baptized, so they decided the groom would just live in his aunt`s house until the wedding and they would keep the law of chastity and still get baptized Saturday.)

Saturday morning the lawyer told us that it was REALLY hard legally to change the date of a wedding the day of, but we got it worked out. 

Saturday night 15 minutes before the wedding the couple got in a fight and decided that it wasn`t a good idea for them to get baptized that day because the wife was angry that the husband might get jealous because they weren`t living in the same house and he might think she was cheating on him and so they decided it would be better to just keep living together because they couldn`t promise to live the law of chastity.

I have a lot of faith that this week I am in for some BETTER DAYS.

I love you all, and I know that God has a plan, which is sometimes different than what we think our plan is. I trust God fully and know that he will help me to do what`s right.

I will forever remember what William said when trying to calm down Jander and make a choice.

I JUST WANNA DO WHAT`S RIGHT!

Amen, Brother William.

Love you all!

have a great week!

Elder McFarland

The Highway to Comasagua.

Every week it's harder and harder to come up with a cool title, but luckily this week I still have one.

First off shout out to Dad! I have one of the coolest Dad`s in the world, and I may have stolen half a title from him...

Second off shout out to Mom! Her Birthday was on the 14th, but I'm still celebrating a little bit, because she is so dang cool!

Third off I`ll start my email. 

This week we're gunna start things out with a little heart to heart ok?

So this last change I`ve kinda been struggling a little.  sometimes I see the great potential that I could be achieving, but I keep falling short. It`s hard for me to admit it sometimes, but I have a lot of faults and a lot of struggles. But this week I`ve taken a lot of strength from the fact that I don't have to be perfect. I don't have to have it all figured out. As a son of Adam I have the inevitable heritage of weakness. But I have a lot of hope that comes from a much more powerful eternal truth: As a Son of God I have the potential for so much more. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ I can improve and get stronger every day

I invite you to think about that this week. I know we all have struggles, but I know we can all overcome them if we rely on the Lord and remember where we come from and where we are going!

Ok heart to heart over!

This week we are going to have a wedding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jander and William are going to go through with it! 

This week William received his answer! It was very inspiring to hear him say ``this is it, this is the path I need to take, I know its true!`` Jander had already received her answer, but now they are going to be so perfectly united in the Gospel!

 As part of the preparation, Elder Mayèn and I had to go to get the birth certificate for Jander (Williams was in the area of different missionaries. The cool part was this. she lives in a small city that is really secluded in the mountains called: Comasagua. they day we decided to go felt like a true adventure, we called Emilio cuz he kinda knows how to get there and asked him for help. He told us where to go and which bus to get on. We got up into the clouds on this small winding road until we finally ended up in Comasagua. I think we may have been the first missionaries in Comasagua for a really long time, if not the first ones ever. We talked to some people and found some new investigators there. I`ll give you an update on Comasagua in a couple weeks. 

Alberto and Manuel and Isabel are needing to get married, and we are trying our best to work out the problems and get what needs to be done done. 

I love the Lord, in Him my soul Delights!

Love you all

Elder McFarland!

Sometimes it Rains.

We are just getting into the rainy season here in good ol El Sal. What does that mean? plastic bags and umbrellas!

When it rains here it rains hard. do you remember the pics I sent you from the Delights.(las delicias) last time we were in the rainy season? we haven`t quite hit as bad as it was there, but we are starting up. Everything is clowdy and its dumped rain like 3 times.

I love rainy season because everything gets so SO green. anything and everything can and will grow.

The problem is that there will be lots of mosquitos. I`m gunna get ready with a backup supply of OFF just to make sure they don`t eat me alive.

This week we almost had a miracle baptism. Do you remember Maria? The lady that we found that was progressing so well and then just stopped because her old church scared her? well we visited her again on Tuesday, read from the Book of Mormon with her a little while and then she said she actually did want to get baptized. she had all the attendences, so we called the district and zone leaders and got permission and everything to baptize her on Saturday. We visited her Wednesday and Thursday was the interview. she passed with flying colors and was excited for Saturday. Then we came back Friday. She told us right away that she didn`t want to be baptized. She told us she would be lying to God if she got baptized again. We tried to explain and teach and do everything we could, but I think someone from her old church had visited her again and scared her pretty bad that she had to go back there or she would be lying to God. So our almost miracle baptism ended with her telling us not to come back. Ouch.

But life goes on! We found a couple really solid new investigators that we will visit this week and we still have our 3 weddings that we are trying to get solid for the end of this month. We also found a less active family, the Cruz family, that were baptized almost a year ago and are really really positive to come back to church!

We showed up right in time yesterday to help them move some big rocks in their yard that the sister couldn`t move cuz she is super sick and that the brother couldn`t either because he has a slight physical disorder. God answered their prayers through us and we helped them really quick and taught them a lesson. The sister asked us for a blessing and we felt the spirit very strongly in their home! they have an seven year old boy that`s about to turn eight in July(only one month older than Adam!)

And so,

Although sometimes it rains,

The sun always comes out to shine again.

Sorry I don`t have a lot of time to write more, but remember

The church is true.

Have the greatest of weeks.

I love you.

Elder MacFarland

On the Lord`s errand.

Let`s talk a little about mangos.

I don`t think I ever had eaten a mango before in my life. Do we have mangos in the states?

but the problem is.

I love mangos. 

so here in El Salvador we are just getting into the full swing of Mango season, so I feel like you all deserve a description of how you eat mangos here.

First, there are the green mangos. They are the ``unripe`` mangos that supposedly they only eat here. They are kinda sour but they have a very very addicting taste. they are delicious. you eat them with lime and salt and hot sauce. don`t bite the pit though, it is VERY bitter.

There are mango trees EVERYWHERE, and so they are very cheep and I might eat too many. 

Second there are the ``ripe`` mangos(orange) Mango season is just starting, so they haven't quite really all ripened yet, but for the first time in my life I ate a fresh mango. Turns out you have to peel it like a banana. huh who knew? they are very delicious. 

Can you buy mangos in the states?

Ok now that my little sidetrack is done.

This week I learned just a little bit about what it means to be on the Lord`s errand. Have you seen President Monson`s biography movie that is called ``On the Lord`s Errand?`` If not I encourage you to watch it one of these Sundays to learn a little more about the great life of our great Prophet.

President Monson talks a lot about following the promptings of the Spirit. When the Lord commands, obey. This week we made a goal to visit more less active members and to help them feel the Spirit more in there lives. 

tuesday we had to go to a doctors check up for my rash(don`t worry Mom, he said everything cleared up well!) we got home late and only had a couple of hours to go visit people. We had had planned to go to visit a certain family in the branch, but it looked like we weren`t going to have time to go and visit them. But I felt, we HAVE to go visit that family. My comp felt the same and so we went. 

They let us in and we small talked for about half a minute, and then the Sister started telling us about her week. A family member had passed away and she needed someone to talk to. She had been praying that we would come over. Mostly, we just listened as she talked it all out. She has been through the temple, and so she knows and has a strong testimony of the plan of salvation, but its still hard to lose a loved one! We listened to her and gave her words of comfort, and we asked if she wanted a blessing. We gave her and her daughter a blessing and by the time we left they were feeling comforted and peaceful. The Lord had worked through us to calm their hearts and bless them! I was so humbled by the whole thing.

We had a couple other similar experiences that just made us wonder at the power of the Lord. His hands are in everything we do, and he has a perfect plan for all of us.

My investigators are doing well and I am scrambling looking for how we are going to do 3 weddings this change. I really hope they all go through.

(1 alberto and his wife who wants to wait like 3 months)

(2 manuel and isabel)

(3 some old investigators we found in the area book this week named Jander and William who accepted a baptismal date and to get married!)

Life is good. I love being a missionary.

Christ lives.

He loves me. and you.

Have the greatest of weeks.

Elder McFarland

Conference in General

HOLA VOSOTROS!!! 

COMO ESTÀIS?!?!?!?

(Crowd goes wild)

Let`s here it for General Conference!

(crowd goes even wilder)

What a great weekend huh?

I especially loved all of the talks. 

I`m doing really well

My investigators are doing well too!

Alberto is pretty much an active member, but yesterday his soon to be wife told us she`d rather save up a huge ton of money for a cool wedding party than get married any time soon, so I don`t know when that will happen. One day they`ll be a family all together in the church though. We invited them to pray as a couple about it and we`ll see what God tells them!

Alberto`s daughter has been to church like 4 times now. She loves it! We are helping her to recieve her answer so she can be baptized. We are hoping that will happen this Saturday or the next! Her name is Christina and she is 13(really close to Hannah`s age!)

Manuel and Isabel are doing really well. This last week I didn`t drink any coke and Manuel succesfully quit coffee for the whole week! He says it wasn`t even that hard for him, and that he`s gunna keep it up! Isabel is having a harder time with it, but we`re getting there! We`ve got some things to work out this week so they can get married and baptized, but they are progressing alot!

Mariah Lopez has kinda stopped progressing. We haven`t been able to get ahold of her a couple days so we`ll have to see where that one goes.

Jose Franco has been sick, but he continues to progress.

so that`s the cool things that have been going on here.

oh yeah and I`m going to a volcano today

So that`s pretty sick!

Conference really strenghtened my testimony(as always) and helped me so SO much

After conference I gave a priesthood blessing to a sick member. I can`t really describe it in words, but my testimony of priesthood power was doubly strenghtend yesterday.

I hope you have the greatest of weeks, and that you know that I love you.

Elder McFarland