Let Eli Pray Right Over Southern Yemen

If mom  can figure out this subject line, so be it.

ok I´ll tell you.

Turns out I'm a leper. (L E P R O S Y)

Ok not really but here are the pictures

you can't really tell from the picture how fun it was, my face was all swollen and the rash and my chest and legs kept getting redder and more swollen, but I didn't get a picture at my ugliest. (sorry)

But please don´t worry I have returned to my normal color and not swollenness.

This isn't a very long group email:

I don't have a lot to say this week. other than the Leprosy, things were kinda slow. 

but miracles never cease from happening.

So first is some bad news. Although we sent for the papers we needed two weeks ago, and we aren't going to point any fingers, we did not get the papers we needed for Alberto´s wedding. He and his soon to be wife were obviously pretty upset about that, but actually they are the first miracle we saw.

They were way more understanding and loving than they could have been, and now we have re-planned their wedding for the 16th and we are hoping to be able to get through to the wife so she can be baptized alongside her almost husband!

Another miracle is that Manuel and Isabel came to church!! That and we have a deal where if they quit coffee I´ll quit coke(haha I never drank it before the mission and I might be a LITTLE bit addicted) that's two times in church and counting!

Another miracle is Holy Week(La Semana Santa.) It´s like spring break here where they celebrate Easter for a week. And even though you've probably heard about Holy Week before, you don´t really know what it is until you´ve lived it in a Latin country!

Also it's fun to say I'm a leper even when I'm not really one.

ate. In which I get a much needed pedicure.

Time flies like a baseball bat that an amateur(but really strong) baseball player lets go and the peak of his swing. 

Can you believe I`ve been gone 8 months? Me neither. ate months is a long time. 

This week was amazing for a variety of different reasons. there are a lot, but I`ll just start from the top.

We went to the Temple this week! we got to do a session and it was amazing! When I was in the Celstial room, I didn`t want to leave. I was praying and asking the Lord for strength and guidance and I could feel His love so powerfully guiding me and teaching me. I love the Temple. It is like a little piece of Heaven here on Earth. Please take advantage if you have a Temple close by that you can visit often

Another Tender Mercy this week was being able to see my great friends from the mission. In the Temple, we got to do the session with one of the other Zones in the mission, Laico. Right now in Laico is my best friend in all the mission, Elder Ostler! If you don`t remember we were in Sonsonate 6 moths together! Also at a multizone conference I got to see a large majority of my missionary friends. Elders Hallman, Gee, Garfield, Gardner, to name just a few.

As for the pedicure, it wasn`t actually a pedicure, but there is a member in our ward that cuts toenails, and I had an almost ingrown toenail, so  I went this morning to go check it out. She cleaned up all my toenails and it was actually really awesome!

Our investigators are doing really awesome! 

Alberto is getting married this Wednesday! He wants to wait to get baptized until things at work slow down(the reason the marriage is this wednesday is because the wife wants to do it before we leave because she has gotten to know us, but is really catholic and isn`t going to get baptized yet, and she told us if they didn`t get married with us here she didn`t want to do it.(transfers are next week and you never know.)) so long story short he will get married wednesday and baptized the 2 of April!

Manuel and Isabel are still working things out. If it was for Isabel they`d already be baptized and active, but we are still working with manuel to get it all ready so they can get married and all that fun stuff

Mariah Lopez needs an answer to her prayers. Her old church visited her this week and she decided she wants to go back there just because its whats comfortable and  what she`s always known. Prayers are needed and appreciated!

Franco is still pretty much an active member. Working with him to get it all worked out so that he feels a desire to be baptized!

Edgardo and Emilio are doing well but facing problems. The goal is that next week the two of them will bless the sacrament and go to the temple to do baptisms!

I am happy and safe and well. I love being a missionary. I love the Lord. I have a testimony of the Atonement of Christ. He lives and Loves us!!!

Have the Greatest of weeks yall!

Elder McFarland

Let`s start from the very beginning, a very good place to start.

I was born a poor black boy in the heart of Detroit. Time's were tough but I was tougher. Work, school, and an overtime graveyard shift helped me provide for my family and my struggling single father who had a ``slight`` alcohol problem. 

Ok maybe the beginning`s too long ago to start.

How bout the middle. 

So I started this week with a headache. It may have been from the sun or the stress, but it wasn`t a ton of fun. Work and Water helped me to get through it though. 

So Tuesday we talked with Emilio and Alberto. If you remember, last week I was fairly sure Alberto would get baptized last week and Emilio would need a lot of time. 

Haha.

Emilio was going through some pretty rough stuff. His girlfriend was really angry with him for going to church and wanting to be baptized, and she was tempting him and filling his mind with a lot of anti mormon stuff. He decided that he deserved someone that was going to support him and ended the relationship

he said these words at his baptism on Saturday. `` I have been through a lot of trials as I have been preparing for this day. It came to the point where I was forced to choose. My girlfriend, or Jesus of Nazereth. I chose Christ.`` 

Spiritual fire!! He was so ready and Saturday was an amazing day. He shared with us that he felt the spirit super strong cleansing him after his baptism. Sunday he received the Holy Ghost and the Aaronic Priesthood(The stake presidency was there on Sunday for branch conference and they helped speed up the process!) Next Sunday Emilio wants to go out and visit with us and bless the sacrament and we are going to take him to the temple to do baptisms. He is 35, so in a couple of months if he prepares he can get the Melchezedek Priesthood! His dad is an old guy who is a new member in the ward, and it was great to see the look in his eyes when his son was baptized!

As for Alberto, we hit a roadblock (but don't worry we got around it.) turns out the missionaries before me had just assumed he was married to his partner. (and you know what they say about that Dad;) but luckily his almost wife is really cool and wants to get married(she`s also really catholic too. we're gunna start teaching her ) so we`ve been scrambling to get all the papers together and they're going to get married the 23 this month. Alberto`s baptism will either happen that day or soon thereafter. He`s been coming to church a lot, but these next two weeks he has to work fixing a school while the kids are out on spring break. 

Manuel and Isabel are sweet. Manuel is a little behind spiritually speaking. They are progressing a lot though! We challenged them this week to get married, and Isabel is totally on board, but we are still waiting for a response from Manuel. Pray that they'll receive their answers!

Maria Lopez came to church again! She has been receiving answers and has told us that she want`s to stop jumping between church and church and know which is from God. She will be baptized hopefully at the end of this month!

As for Edgardo? He`s still doing awesome, he went out to work with us this week and he is learning a lot really fast. He is such a smart kid and I know he's got great things in store for him. anyone know a good talk about missionary service being our duty as priesthood holders?

Jose Franco is still progressing, but I don't know what else we can teach him. He almost counts as an active member, and I'm pretty sure he finished the Book of Mormon this week, but he is still waiting for answers and doesn't want to get baptized yet. I think we're going to invite him to fast too to get an answer. The members have been helping us a lot with him. One day he`ll get there, just at his own pace!

Please pray for the Sol Zarco family. they are a struggling family of 3, the two parents and an autistic 10 year old. They are members, but because of their struggles haven't been coming to church. We need to help them feel  God`s love and help them out of this hard time!

Pray for The Ibarra Family, Hugo Juarez, Melany, the Zalazar family, and the Rivas family. Oh yeah and the Ramos family and the Galdames family. They are less actives that need your prayers too!

Thanks for your prayers.

This missionary is having a lot of fun and working really hard. 

Sometimes, our plan and God's plan aren't the same at first. But just remember that His plan is perfect, and although we think we know what we need and want, He knows better. 

Lose yourself and go to work!

It works!

I know that Christ lives and that he loves us!

The church is true!

have the greatest of weeks and remember that I love you!

Elder McFarland

Faith or Fear

This week I got a letter from myself. what a tender mercy and a miracle!

Let me explain, no wait, there is to much... let me sum up(shout out to those who remember this movie quote.)

its actually not that complicated just my mom was inspired to send me a copy of my notes from my farewell talk and there was something in there that I really needed to hear. Just goes to show that God works in a million and a half different ways, and that miracles still exist.

And seriously it was cool to get advice from myself. 

This week has been really great! The Zaragoza branch is starting to wake up and to get the work moving again!! We`ve had some really powerful lessons in a few of the member`s homes with our investigators where everyone leaves uplifted and that is just about the best thing ever!

Edgardo couldn`t get the priesthood yet because of stake conference, but he is still just about the coolest guy in the world. We have been working a lot with his dad too, and he is progressing, but at his own pace. One day they will both be strong priesthood holders and anchors of faith in the Branch!!

Alberto always tells us he feels so ready for his baptism this saturday. I know he is. He is making a great change and you can see the light in his eyes every day! But he has a huge trial this week right before his baptism because his work situation is really really difficult all of a sudden and has to work almost 24 7. Pray for a miracle. We need your faith! Don`t worry though, we will provide the works!

Emilio is super cool but his girlfriends isnt. Emilio`s dad described her as the devil(his words, not mine) because she always is tempting him and telling him not to go to church and not to obey the commandments. We need another miracle there this week too!

Manuel and Isabel are strong as ever, but they too are facing a proelem this week. The only time they have water in their faucets is Sundays in the morning. We are scanning our brains looking for a way to help them to be able to water their HUGE garden and come to church. Also they need to get married.

Jose Franco is in Helaman in the Book of Mormon. Still has a lot of questions and problems to answer and resolve, but he says he feels at home in the church and with the members, so I know he will get his answers soon. The members have been a good help with him!

This week we had an area conference via satelite that was way off the charts inspiring! Elder Neal L. Anderson spoke to us... IN SPANISH!!! The gift of tongues seriously is real folks. Elder Anderson served a FRENCH speaking mission, and lived in Brazil speaking PORTUGESE a few years, and still managed to give an amazingly powerful talk in SPANISH. Woah. 

One of the big topics of the conference was Faith. Faith is the sure confidence that God will fulfill his promises, even if we don`t know how it is even possible. It is knowing that he will bless us if we keep his commandments and doing the right thing even when it is hard.

Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is what makes us stop relying on the Lord and stop keeping his commandments. Fear is what stops us from acting on the Faith that we know we have. 

I`ve noticed something about myself and about life this week. Anyone can do the correct things when its easy. Anyone can sail a ship on calm waters. But when its hard? That`s when our faith is really put to the test. That`s when we(and especially me) sometimes stop in our progress and start to fear and fail. Our footsteps fail on the surface of the stormy seas and we start to sink. It is in these perilous times that we need to remember who is there with arms stretched out to save us! To cry out to One so great that even the winds and the waves obey His will! 

And in the midst of the howling winds and crashing waves, may we have the Faith to hear the words: BE STILL!

I testify that Jesus Christ lives! He loves us and he will never leave us alone! He will lift us up and set our feet back firmly planted on the surface of the water. Together, we can walk ever onward glorying in His name, until the day that he presents us before the Father as one worthy to enter into the Celestial Kingdom!

His Church is here upon the Earth!

He speaks to His prophet!

He is Risen!

He loves you!

I do too:)

Have the greatest of weeks yall!

Elder McFarland

When you don`t know what else to do. Work

Anyone who knew me before the mission(myself included) might be a little surprised to read that subject line. Just be assured that I don`t know what happened, but I`m done procrastinating.

So turns out I've been thrown into a branch that has had a lot of potential for a really (REALLY) long time. But, due to some things that have happened and are happening, it keeps falling short. The house and area are a lot nicer than where I lived before, but I can`t help feeling out of place sometimes. I don`t know what world I belong in now, but I feel like a different person. 

Despite of all the changes that I've been going through this week, I've had something really good to hold on to this week. Work. Work, work, work. I may not understand all of God`s choices. I may not understand what he needs me to do here, but I know sure as nothing else that I am going to do it. 

Edgardo was baptized this week! He is a ray of light in this branch. He is so positive and strong in spirit. I learn a little every time we go to teach him. Are we supposed to be teaching him? haha he is the best.

I have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that he heals and that he helps us all to learn and grow. Sometimes we have to stretch a little to be able to be what he wants us to be

If I have any advice for you this week, its to be thankful for what you have. I have learned so much from the people of this country. 

Be thankful for what you have and work for what you need.

Sorry the letter´s a bit short today, but know that I love you all and I am here for you when you need me. 

Have the greatest of weeks.

Elder McFarland

Sara Joys: in which everything gets flipped on its head and spun around

yhitgnvere

So turns out I didn`t stay in Las Delicias. Tuesday morning the AP`s called me and told me I had to clean everything out of the house because they were cleaning my area and sending sisters there instead of Elders. They told me both me and my son were having changes and that we needed to clean really well or president would be angry. So the Zone leaders Elder Gustavus and Elder Sanchez came with Elder Ostler and his son Elder Delcompare to help us clean. We ordered pizza and it was a good going away party.

So now I`m in a branch called Zaragoza. If you didn`t get my joke in the title please look up the meaning of the word Gozar in spanish. Its a huge change. 

For the first part it is more city life than I am used to. Everyone has cars and phones and a lot more money than my other area. There are still poor parts, but there are hardly any dirt roads. I feel like I`ve come to a whole different world. Also this area has a lot more hills in it than my other one.

so Zaragoza is a like the equivalent of american fork, a smallerish city in between two larger cities, but instead of Salt Lake and Provo its San Salvador and Puerto de la Libertad. most of the people that live here aren`t here during the day because they are in one of the two cities working. 

The hard part about that is that the members are really really busy with their work, or at least the ones that would otherwise be able to help us. the other part of the branch is fully asleep. They come to church late and leave as soon as it is over. They hardly talk to anyone and its just kinda sad. So... We have a lot of work cut out for us. Our game plan is activate the active members first and then work on the rest of the branch, My goal is to get the branch organized so that the members take it upon themselves to make this branch into a ward. i know its so possible.

As for my investigators I inherited a goldmine. We have 7 baptismal dates right now.

The first one is named Edgardo. He is 17 years old but he is super mature for his age. He understands the Gospel and is changing his whole life to be more like Jesus Christ. He gets baptized this Saturday!!!

Another is named Emilio. His dad is a recent convert, and he is about 35 years old. He wants to have the blessings of God in his life, and is changing a lot to progress to be baptized in March.

Jose Alberto. He reminds me a little of Dad. Well, between Jose Alberto and Edgardo`s dad you get my dad. Super kind and funny and has the best heart. He only needs to come to church 1 more time and he is more than ready to be baptized the 5th of March.

Isabel. Don`t know her super well yet but pray that she and her husband will be able to get married and baptized.

Carolina De Leon. Super sweet mom. She has 3 kids and just wants to do the best for her life. Has members that are her family, but I`m not exactly sure the relation. she only needs to come to chruch 1 more time too!

Jose Franco knows the church is true. but he told us he doesn`t want to get baptized until christmas eve. Wow thats a long ways away. We`re going with him again tonight.

another is a lady named blanca. She has a lot of good desires but its hard for her to act and put it into practice, but she always keeps her committments so that is really amazing.

Please pray for those 7 people that they will have the spirit that they need to act according to what they already know. I know that your prayers help my investigators.

Also pray for your missionary friend elder McFarland

As for my comp, he is so sweet!!!! I am a stepdad now! Although I dont get to finish Elder Perez`s training, I get to finish the training of Elder Mayen! He is really cool and we have a LOT in common. The coolest thing I know about him from before the mission is that his name is Elvis Abinadi Mayen, and that he worked 12 hours every day as a DJ. What the awesome?!?

so this change is going to be really awesome. I am going to work until I literally cannot work any harder. I can`t wait. 

Do you know what the key to happiness is?

we teach it in a lesson Elder Torres and I prepared that teaches one of the missionary lessons in a powerful way.

the key to happiness is found in mosiah 2:41. but I`ll let you do your research to find out what it is. Let me know if you find it, and next week I`ll describe it a bit more!!

I love the Lord, and I know that hehas a plan for each and every one of us. Sometimes we think we know what we need/want, but he know better than us what we need to be in our life!

Thank you, Master Gardner.

If you didn`t get that reference please look up the Current Bush mormon message. Its called, The Will of God.

The church is true!

 Don`t forget that God loves you!!!!

Elder David

It's really Delicias

Can you believe that my son is already 6 weeks old? We are finishing the first transfer together, and the most probable is that I stay here for 6 more weeks. I REALLY hope that I do. The work is about to explode.

I`m about to describe my area to you in the greatest detail I know how. Geographically speaking.(for an actual map just look it up on LDS.org ward Las Delcias stake sonsonate) So it starts in the ``suburbs`` of Sonsonate. It`s more or less developed in the north where we lived, the dividing line is a large street that runs east to west(My area starts at the line and goes south) about at the midpoint of the street there is a river with a large bridge. Here each neighborhood has a name and they call it a colonia(colony for all you english people) on the east side of the river starts the colonia `Las Delicias` where the church is found when you turn down the first street passing the bridge heading east. to the east of Las Delicias is a colonia called Espiritu Santo(Holy Ghost), and even more east is called Tatopa (who knows what that means...) and then you hit the freeway and the end of my area. below those three its called Santisima Trinidad( Holiest Trinity)There is a large road that leads all the way down the area that is the second right after the bridge. Following that road you pass Palmeras(palms) Las Brisas del Mar(Ocean Breeze) and Via Canales(canal road) below that you can keep walking and there are a lot of houses but it really doesn`t have a name except Canton Las Delicias(I dont know what Canton means...)(update, according to google translate and dictionary.com a Canton is a small territorial district, especially one of the states of the Swiss confederation.) WAY below that is called Santa Emilia, but if you don`t want to walk like an hour and a half(which I never have) you have to take a 10 minute bus ride on the freeway. On the other side of the bridge it starts with Jardines(Gardens) and after that Lomas de San Antonio(I`ll let you look that one up if you want) There is again one big main road going south, and if you follow this one all the way through Jardines(which is fairly large) you pass through Santa Virginia and El Proyecto(the `project`because they are going to build a lot of houses there but haven't yet. And then you get to Los Encuentros de Agua Santa, the crossing of holy waters, and if you keep going you pass a lot of HUGE sugar cane fields and end up again in Santa Emilia after a LONG walk (I`ve never once not taken the bus.)

Everything from Via canales and Santa virginia and below is dirt roads and lots of poverty.

So there you have it a long (but actually very un detailed if you want ask me in 18 months to describe it in painstaking detail) description of my area. I don't know, I thought it`d be fun to tell you.

So like 3 weeks ago a less active family from San Juan (woops missed that one it's like another half hour on foot south of Santa Emilia) just showed up without any warning. I had never met them, but they've been coming to church and we're going to visit them (It's so far!) and help them prepare two of their kids for baptism. They are really humble and really amazing people. They are really a miracle from God.

Also yesterday a member introduced us to his girlfriend who came to church yesterday and is really positive and wants to learn more. We are going to start teaching her this week. and will be teaching them in a members house in Las Delicias.

Oscar and Vilma (el Proyecto) are doing really well. Oscar always reads what we leave him and has the beginnings of a very strong testimony of the book of Mormon. Vilma is a little more behind. She is praying, but she doesn't read because her too little kids are SO crazy during the day and they don't have any light whatsoever in the house at night to be able to read. Oscar promised to read to her this week so she can get a testimony too.

So yesterday was Valentine's Day, and so we made a plan for him to propose to his wife yesterday! To make her a nice dinner and to promise to always love her and be with her! His phone is dead and he can`t charge it until he goes to work(again, no electricity in his house) so we still don't know how it went!

Luis and Norma(Jardines) are still very much the same. They have good desires and good hearts but it's hard for them to actually act. But, this week Norma decided she doesn't want to play around anymore with the decision to get baptized. She wants to read and study and make the choice for herself! We'll see where that one leads.

Tatiana (Jardines) is still struggling to progress. We are still trying to activate the family and therefore bring her to church.

Do you remember Ricardo?(Las Delicias) He is still around and every once and awhile we visit him. But this week we have started working with his adult son. he is so super positive and then. Turns out he was baptized when he was a youth! If we can get him to come to church on sundays his dad will come too (because the son is the one who can drive and takes them all to go work) and I think he might be the key to helping this family finally get baptized! (Ricardo has the desire and was so close before!) also we found about 3 other inactive members by accident!

I sent a photo of a lady that had cooked us dinner like 2 weeks ago but I never explained it. She is my first convert Ana Julia! She almost has 6 months of being a member. And she is doing really well! She is gaining so much testimony it's insane. She will make it to the temple, I'm so sure!!!

So, to review,  really the work is about to explode! This transfer is over but this next one will be SO good!

I know that God loves us and that he is with me here in the work

Love you all SO much

Elder Dave!