November 24, 2014 - Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello dear family and friends, it was so great to hear from each of you today! It sounds like you are all still doing well and trying to beat the cold. Out of the many things I miss, that is not included;)

I know I have been pretty bad at writing these past few weeks, but that doesn´t mean that nothing has happened over here. On the contrary. We have had so much to do that we haven´t had time to write. With that said, here I go!

Elders Webb, Bates, Nyland, Farrell, Ellsworth, Patterson

As you know, last week we headed to Málaga for the annual mission tour by a general authority. This year, we were blessed to have Elder Kearon and his beautiful family come to visit the Spain Málaga mission. Besides the travel, and seeing so many mission friends, we were so so blessed to hear from him and his wife. I can easily say that we were spiritually edified as a mission and left better than we came. He and his wife spoke on many themes, but some of the highlights that I took out of it were.

1-We as members of the church thrive, and always have thrived with challenge. It is what stretches us.

2-Sometimes, we as Peter, need to have enough faith to jump out of the ship and trust the Lord.

3-We must attack the mornings! Whether missionaries or not, how we handle our morning will not only shape our day, it will shape our week, month, mission and life. (Elder Holland)

I literally could go on and on about what he said, but basically I went out of the meeting with a firmer testimony of the perfectness of this gospel and plan than I entered with. It was a very spiritual meeting.

This past week we were also very blessed with interviews with President (yesterday), miracles in the area with new and progressing investigators, a trip to Ronda for Pday, and a whole lot of other adventures that the mission continually throws at us.

Ronda, Spain

I am so grateful this time of year to be serving the Lord. I am so grateful for a loving Savior. A perfect plan of redemption. A loving family, and everything else I have been blessed with! I love you all and wish you a very happy thanksgiving!!

Much love,

Elder Farrell

November 17, 2014

Hello there family and friends!

Well another week has come and gone. Thank you for all of your emails, prayers and support. I sure love you all!

Well, I know every missionary says it, but I truly can´t even remember what happened this week. (It doesn´t help that I am a week behind in my journal either..) but what I can remember was that it was a good learning week! That is one thing I love about the mission. I have been blessed to learn so so much. 

Here are some of the highlights that I can vaguely recall:

On Thursday, after a long day of work, Elder Bates and I were walking and contacting to finish the night off. As we were walking down the street, we hear a car pass and honk all the way along. Thinking it was just a group of teenagers, we continued walking. Five minutes later, after contacting a man, we heard, ELDERS, and looked up and saw a group of 5 women running at us speaking in English!! It turns out that it was a mom and her four daughters from the states traveling through Europe. They were members and were so happy to see us in our humble pueblo. I think we were more excited;) That was fun!

Another highlight was meeting with our American investigator this week. It is always so incredible what the Spirit can do. He has recognized so many blessings in the past few months as we have been meeting with him. We are really trying to help him recognize the spirit so he can continue to progress. Reading from the Book of Mormon, praying and attending church are all crucial! He also invited us over to an American Thanksgiving meal on the 27. We are looking forward to that!

This week I was also able to go on intercambios with Elder Rasmussen (one of my best friends from my group). It is so fun to see the progress in others during the course of the mission. 

I am so humbled and grateful to be here. It is a great work.

I love you all.

Have the best week!

Elder Farrell

November 10, 2014 - Gibraltar

District at Gibraltar

So right now we are here in the sweet Rodriguez families home emailing you. We had planned to come over and it turns out they were waiting for us and had lunch cooking for us... wow, families like them really mean a bunch to missionaries! They are so sweet!

As for yesterday, UNREAL! We (the district) headed to Gibraltar with the Guffeys, and a sweet member from the base, for a full day of journeys. We intended to go to the rock of Gibraltar to spend the day! We got there, all got past customs with our passports, except for one elder who didn´t have his. It was a bummer, but we are planning on going back. We were able to take some amazing pics of the rock and then take the most beautiful drive along the coast as we headed to Tarifa instead (the most southern point in Europe) WOW!!!! It was so so so beautiful! I took some pictures that I will make sure to send today! Wow. I love my District; we are so close and try to do as much as we can together. 

Today we had our district meeting and the theme was on gratitude. We were able to make a tree of gratitude as well;) A lot of fun and exciting things are happening here in the mission these next few months, they are going to fly! Next week we are heading to Malaga (everyone from this side of the mission) to hear from Elder Kearon (a seventy). We will leave the 19, spend the night in Sevilla, then head to Malaga the 20. I thought about it, I will be seeing 5 of my companions!! I am so excited!

I am doing well, and trying to keep out of the rain here;)  I had a wonderful week. I would have to say the best part was a service project that we did with J. We were able to help a member with a move, and J came and was so happy to be there. I really do love that kid. We are looking forward to a new week. It is always onward and upward out here.

Have the best week!

Love, Elder Farrell

November 3, 2014

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 boast of my god, for in his strength I can do all things"

So as many of you know, right now we are reading through the Book of Mormon as a mission with the goal of finishing it before the new year. Right now Elder Bates and I are cruising through and enjoying it more than ever before. This past week I read this chapter in Alma 26. I know this verse is very well known among the members of the church. I have always loved it and it has always been one of my favorites, but I don´t feel like I have ever understood it so clearly in all my life as I have this past week.

As for this past week, it was a great one. Yeah, Elder Bates and I sure had some tough times, but there were some moments when I understood this scripture on a higher plane of thought.

The first time came on Tuesday. After a long day of walking, knocking, and talking, Elder Bates and I were finally able to get in with a MA and share with him a nice short message. As we were teaching, we missed a phone call from an unknown short code. After the lesson we called the number back. It turns out that on the other end of the line was Elder Ellsworth! Right now he is in the Malaga 4th ward, a.k.a the area I started in! He called with a question for me and I of course had to ask how everyone over there was doing. I asked about all of the sweet members and investigators and finally asked how Nerea and her family were doing. It turns out that Elder Ellsworth was actually there visiting them at this time and passed the phone over to Nerea. She told me that her parents are planning on getting married by the church and baptized this upcoming February!! It was literally one of the sweetest and happiest moments of my mission. The mission really is an interesting thing. You are blessed to move to so many areas and see SO many people. It just shows that the Lord is ALWAYS working with his children. That was one of the moments of joy this week.

Another came on Thursday when we met with our MA. We were able to meet with him in the church around 8. We started with answering some of his "English questions" which obviously then turned into a gospel discussion. He really opened up to us and the spirit was so so strong. He is making strides of progress. The Lord is really blessing him.

The last of many came last night as we held a noche de hogar with J and his family. We have been looking forward to it all week and it finally came!! It was so sweet to see them all dressed up for their first noche de hogar. As we entered we taught the father how to direct, give the welcome and choose who was going to pray. He did such a great job. Ha it may sound silly, but it is a lot harder for people than we think;) After we showed them the message, "Because of Him" the spirit was so strong. The coolest part of the evening was when we were able to talk about the message. After the message J’s father asked his mother, "Who is God for you?" She really wasn´t able to answer. Elder Bates and I were blessed with the opportunity to explain the difference between God the Father, Christ the Redeemer and the Holy Ghost, and their relationship with man. Although we taught them the basics, they were absolutely awe struck. It is so humbling to teach such basic and essential doctrines that have been lost in the world, but restored by a loving Heavenly Father through the Prophet Joseph Smith. It was such a sweet experience. I am really excited to see their progress!

It was so so good to hear from you family, I love you all!

Alma 26:36, "Now if this is boasting, even so will I boast; for this is my life and my light, my joy and my salvation, and my redemption from everlasting wo."

I love this message. I love you all!

Have a wonderful week.

Elder Farrell

October 27, 2014

Well family and friends, here it has already come again, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I sure enjoyed it on the other end of Spain last year, we will see how this area treats Elder Bates and I this week! I hope you all have an enjoyable and safe time! As for our week!

"Porque he aqui, yo soy Dios; y soy un Dios de milagros; y manifestaré al mundo que soy él mismo ayer, hoy y para siempre" (“For, behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today and forever”) That is exactly what this past week was, a week of miracles! This past week, as many of you know, was the week of finding here in the Spain, Málaga mission. We set a high goal of finding 888 new investigators here in a week. With a lot of work, faith and prayers, we were able to reach our goal and some. As a mission we found 897. God is a God of miracles. It was a great week of work, learning, and pushing!

Elder Bates and I were blessed during the week. We learned a very valuable lesson that applies not only to missionary work, but really to all aspects of life - the importance of enduring all the way to the end. It seems like with the new people we were blessed to find, we either found them at the very end of the week or when the week itself was nearly over. Like I said, it doesn´t matter what aspect of life it is, it applies. The blessings come as we press forward and work to the end.

Probably the most exciting new(s) of the week was meeting with our most recent members’ family. We were able to have a nice discussion with his parents and sister. We are looking forward to a noche de hogar with them this upcoming Sunday!

I have mentioned multiple times how incredible the members are here, and here I go again. This past week, Hermano T really stood out. He is a humble father raising his two 16-year-old daughters and he does EVERYTHING he can and more to help this Rama out. He is such a great example to me. He shows us how we should take care of the Lord´s church in His manner. He is humble about everything he does and doesn´t look to be recompensed. A little side note, but his example really has changed my perspective on things. Elder Bates and I call him the Big Friendly Giant.

Another side note, right now we as a mission are reading the Book of Mormon in 100 days. We started on the 22 of last month and will finish it before the new year. I am enjoying it this time around and learning more than I have ever learned from it. If you aren´t reading it, I would encourage you to get back to it. It is interesting how even 15 short minutes can make the biggest difference. It truly has the answers to every question in our lives. You just need to look for them. I love it.

Elder Bates and I are still enjoying our time with one another. We are really getting along and working hard. We are obsessed with tortilla de patata though... these things are good!;) Anyways, I love you all SO SO much, and pray for your happiness, and health.

Have a wonderful week.

Elder Farrell