48 Hours

It is a good thing I am coming home because I have no more desires to do emails. Sorry for he short emails. If you really care though, I will tell you what happened these last weeks when I see you. I am super tired and busy saying bye to everyone. Saying bye to the people here isn't too hard because I know I am coming back soon. Jersey has definitely become a home for me.

We didn't end up going to the temple, but it worked out for us because we were so booked Saturday. We had a birthday we helped with and appointments and service. It was a lot. But it was good. Last Monday was our departing trip. It was super fun, and I am excited to show you the pictures of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. I had my
interview as well that day. President helped me to make plans to be successful. We finally got home around 7:30. It was a long day.

Tuesday was hot seats and an exchange with elder brown. Good guy. Super sincere. Super loving. It was a good last exchange. The rest of the week was pretty bland. Just saying bye to people.

Prexcedes gave me an awesome sweater vest when I said bye to her this week. It is super good looking.

I am grateful for all of the love from my Jerseyites. They have blessed me and changed me and taught me so much.

I am also grateful for all your love and support. Thank you. I love you family.

I know God lives. I know God loves. I have loved being a NJMM missionary.

See you on the other side

Was good
 Forever Jersey Strong
Life is good in the gospel

Elder McFarland

One Week

So much is going through my head and my heart. It feels like I am
leaving all over again. Erg.

The last Monday in October was sweet. I went and saw Nancy. She made sopa de chifles. So goooood. And after we went on a hike with the zone. We went to these huge rocks and climbed on them and took pictures and stuff. I am grateful to have been in this zone because of the kind missionaries that make it up. After the hike, we played
softball. I am glad that I chose to play other sports because I was ashamed at my batting skills. Tuesday we had a devotional with the author of the Ricarddi letter. It was good. I learned that I need to pray more, and I just want you to think about your prayers for a second. Ask yourself if they really mean something to you. Why do you pray?


One week ago I went to the temple. Wow. That was the best session I have been to. I had questions about the temple even before I entered it. I had written down questions that I wanted answered this time. When I was in the temple, I forgot the questions. But a new question came into my mind. I asked the question to the temple president's counselor. God answered all but 2 of my questions with the revelation that I received there. Sometimes we are so focused on the answer that we forget to ask the right question. God inspired me while I was in the temple. I felt calm and prepared.


Sunday one of your more or less less active members took a step of faith and bore her testimony of the gospel. It was beautiful. She is less active for health problems so she really isn't less active, but she said something that really touched me. I believe it alludes to a talk from a general authority, but it really sank in this time. She said, "I know the gospel is true. I can't express it to you, but if you could open up my heart, you would know it is true too." I felt a lot of love for her and am grateful for honest and loving members of the church.


I am rereading this email, and I noticed that it is all about me. Sadly that's what going home does to me. It turns the focus back onto me and my problems. Lame.

We are going to take Leonardo and Leticia to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Please pray that everything will work out and that we will be able to not get lost in NY.

Was good
Jersey Strong
Life is good in the gospel

EM

At the airport

At the airport I would like to see you, dad, Hannah, and Adam as well
as my grandparents. No one else please :) I just want to see my
family.

It's one week mom. I am super scared. I don't know what to think or expect.

I love you

Statue of Liberty Today

Please forgive me. I will probably write tonight or Wednesday. Today we go to the Statue of Liberty and hang out. I have my interview with president and tomorrow is my hot seat. It's coming to an end. It's hard to work but it is only one week. I got it :) cya soon

Departing Missionaries

 Zone Hike and Baseball

 Happy Halloween

Sorry

Next week I will write a good email. I am going to lunch with Nancy, and then we are going on a hike. Plus, this last week was pretty normal.

We didn't end up going to the temple. The converts couldn't find a babysitter. But that's ok, I am going for endowments this Wednesday with all of the departing missionaries. So stoked! We get to ask the temple president questions.
Thursday I got to go back to Paterson for a zone conference. It was fun to see some friends and hear from my leaders. The leaders here are definitely inspired. It has been a pleasure to hear and learn from them.


One of our investigators is in jail now. The Hispanics have a saying, not everything that shines is gold. And that is true.
This week was a really sad week. A building blew up in flames. Our poor members lost everything. More than fifty families lost their home. But we are happy that no one died.
The hurricane also hit Mexico. Poor people :( we will keep praying for them. I heard it is the biggest one that the world has seen!

Prexcedes is a less active that is on her way back to activity! She again surprised us when she showed up with her granddaughter who is pretty pregnant.

Well. I will let you know how this week goes. Love y'all

Was good
Jersey strong
Life is good in the gospel

Love ya

EM

So lazy

This week I got sick. I caught a cold. I quickly got some stuff to take so it never got to bad. I am so lucky to not be serving in some foreign country. My poor brother got a random sickness, and I am so grateful that I can go to a pharmacy and know what to take to make me feel better without having to translate. Go David o. I am just super tired. All the people we visit give me different vitamins and different herbal teas. I probably am as healthy as I will ever be. Although all I want to do is lay around and talk with my companion.


I got to go on one of the best exchanges ever this week. There is an elder here that served in the army. He is solid. We had a blast, and he really helped me with my testimony. God is so cool! He puts people in our lives to draw us closer to him. Usually it is investigators or members, and sometimes it is a good friend. I am so grateful for good friends. Genuine, nice, good friends. Shout out to Jessie for being my best friend! Sure do love ya big sis. My goal this week was to find a service opportunity for us to do. Most organizations don't let us participate, but God led me to one where we will start serving the community in November! It will be a food pantry. Those are always fun. I believe God helps us achieve our
goals. Big and small.


Our investigators are doing ok. They haven't come to church in a while, so that worries us, but we are not going to push them. All we can do is follow gods plan for them, and hopefully they accept the invitations He offers them.
Church was amazing! We did have an investigator show up with his member wife that hadn't gone to church since arriving to the USA. That is over 20 years. They came and seemed to enjoy it. We didn't get to talk to them because we had to run an errand for the branch president. When we came back, they were gone, but we will see how they liked it
:) 4 of the members with whom we have been working got their temple recommends yesterday. 2 of them are recent converts and the other two are newly activated members. We are going to the temple on Wednesday! We are going to take the bus into NY. Hopefully we don't get lost.Haha. One of the recent converts was ordained to the office of a priest and
got the priesthood. In one year he will get the Melchizedek
Priesthood. Super cool. That's why church was so great.


Yesterday I felt very grateful for my legs. We visited a member who cannot walk. He has been unable to feel in his legs for over twenty years. I am grateful for my body. And I love that man. Every time we leave we shake his hand and touch our head to his head. Although he cannot walk we shows a lot of love and gratitude to the Lord for his
life.


The Vacas came and visited me yesterday. Irina will have her baby next Monday. She is going to have the surgery where they cut open her stomach. I don't know how to spell it so... Anyway she is super excited to have the baby. It has been such a hard pregnancy. She has been strong though. Juan opened up his own body shop so he is super busy with that. They told us hilarious stories about times past and it brought back the good times of Caldwell. After visiting with them, I
told my companion their story. I cried a little bit. I have been so blessed to be part of so many peoples' conversions. I want to always live worthy of their trust. Juan and Irina will start temple classes as soon as the baby is safe and well outside of his mommy's tummy. I know that the message I am sharing brings forgiveness and peace of conscience. It brings hope and understanding. IT HELPS US LOVE ALL OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
I love being a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Was good
Jersey strong
Life is good in the gospel

EM

Last Monday was so awesome! The service was crazy fun. But it left me and my companion exhausted for the rest of the week. Yesterday at the home of some members I fell asleep. It was during the prayer so no one noticed. It couldn't have been too long that I was asleep because I woke up before he ended the prayer.

Life is good in Passaic. There have been about five baptisms in this area in the last couple of months so we are working a lot with the ward to get them to the temple. At every members home they feed us. And it is mountains of food. We got sick last week from eating so much. We bought some peptobismal so we are feeling a lot better now.
My taste buds have changed a lot. I love spicy food now. I told my companion about the times I would say naughty words and my mom would put spicy tobasco sauce on my tongue as a punishment. Maybe that's why Hispanics say such bad words. Just kidding! I don't mean to be racist.Just a joke. I had a pretty bad sunburn last week. I was so red in the face. I should have taken pictures, but I was so embarrassed. I was way more red than an overripe tomato. Aren't our bodies cool though? They can heal so beautifully. And it is usually pretty quick. Our bodies are definitely divine.
Me and my companion get a long super well. We like to listen to the same kind of music, we can understand each other pretty well, and he is a good listener. We enjoy talking about many different subjects that range from his waiting wife to the deep doctrine. The cool part is that it is all in Spanish! I will definitely miss using my Spanish every second of the day. I hope God continues to bless me with the gift of tongues when I am released. That may be the hardest part of coming home. God has really blessed me with that gift. I remember that on the airplane to Mexico I talked with a man for 2 or 3 hours in Spanish. And now I feel completely comfortable in my Spanish. Since day one, God has blessed me with that gift. We have two investigators who are super close to being baptized. It is a family of 5. We are just waiting for the husband to get a confirmation that this is what they need to do. The mom is ready. So please pray for David and Carol. They are from the DR. Super nice. Super prepared. Brother Gossner visited me this week. He is an RM now. He gave me a lot of good insight for coming home. Friends are the best! Wed definitely need to choose carefully.

I am grateful for the spirit and for the guidance that it gives us. It teaches us the truth. I am happy that God has provided a way that we can know He is there without having to search in a rocket for billions of years.

Was good
Jersey Strong
Life is good in the gospel

 The bravo family. They just took out their endowments

The whole family. Hopefully we get to go and see them all get sealed in the temple.

Me and elder Adams (new missionary/ new friend) at the service 

Lil Mexico

We completed the circle. I started in Paterson, and now I will finish in Passaic. When I started, zone 3 was Paterson and Passaic. We went to Passaic a lot. It feels weird to come back almost 2 years after and having myself be very different but having many of my surroundings the same. Now Paterson and Passaic aren't in the same zone. I am in the
zone with Caldwell. The Carranza family came and visited me. Everything makes me super nostalgic. I miss being a new missionary. I spent way too much of my mission wishing I was home.

But it is what it is.

I think I am going to gain 20 pounds here. They feed us way too much... Anyways, I am with another Mexican! Elder Mendoza. He is so awesome.Super fun. Super humble. He knows how to work. He has been out for almost five months. He is mature and focused. We mostly talk in Spanish, and I like that.


Last week was transfers. It was weird to see Elder Pacheco go home, but he had extended an entire transfer! It was time for him to go. I wasn't emotional at all in this transfer conference, which is weird because I usually am. Probably because the next one is my last one. We came home and walked to an appointment. On our way, I think I met
the person I was sent here to find. Her name is Ingrid. We offered to help carry her bags, and as we set the bags down, she told us she had been baptized in Santo Domingo a long time ago. We got to know her and she seems super nice. We saw her again last night and she says she thinks it's time to go back to church. We have an appointment with her on Saturday! Super stoked. Our investigators come to church and read the scriptures, but we don't have any with a set baptismal date. Two of them will this week, and hopefully it is before I leave!


I like my zone. They are all kind and friendly to me. It is fun to be with people that I have met before but never served around them. Elder Mendez actually is in the same branch as I am! It is the first time I get to serve around one of my former companions. Mijo is also super close. He is in Paterson and covers the area that I had when I was there.


General conference was good. We spent most of the week preparing our investigators and members to be ready to hear the voice of the Lord. We watched it all in Spanish (which is actually my first time), and it was great to see who were the new apostles. I learned a lot, and I am excited to study the talks in more depth! Not all of my questions were answered, but I think I will find them as I study the talks. The reason I am emailing today is because we built a park Monday. It was a huge service activity with 4 zones there. Right outside our
house is a big park. There was no playground, but Carmax funds and runs service activities to build parks for children. I think it's called kaboom. It was on the news. Anyways, there was a good number of volunteers there, but most of us were missionaries. In total, we were probably 80 volunteers from the church. We carried a bunch of dirt, cement, sand, mulch, benches, and plants all across the park. We started at nine and worked til six. It was so tiring. It was so cool
to see how hard the missionaries work, though. As missionaries we are blessed with an insane work ethic. We all worked hard. So hard that the ones running the program told us to slow done. Even the sisters were straining themselves to carry heavy bags of sand to get the job
done. By the end we were all dirty and sweaty and sunburned. I cannot imagine working construction! It would be way too hard for me. I enjoyed talking to the missionaries and members. We met some non-members, but not a lot. I met some great new missionaries.I had always thought that my generation was the best, but I saw at the service project that the new ones are even more prepared than I was. They bring a different vibe into the work. They are kind and outgoing. Shout out to David O. and his generation! They are the biggest walking faith bombs. I am so proud of my lil/big brother. He is a role model for me. I read his letter about how many sacrifices he is making, and I am just amazed at what he is doing. It must be very hard to be where he is, but he sounds happy. Sounds like he is having a good time.
I like to be a missionary. I am grateful for the time I have had to serve. And I am grateful for these last couple weeks to continue to work and love and serve.

I know God loves me and all of his children.

Was Good
Jersey Strong
Life is good in the gospel

Elder T. McFarland

boom-pow

Today we went to lunch with our newest recent convert. Roberto took us out to eat pizza. We went to a park and sat and talked. He is so funny("puchica"), and he has crazy experiences. We read a scripture, I sang a song, and said goodbye. It is hard to be transferred. 

While driving to the park, I got a call from President Taggart. They told me last night that I would be moving areas. I am not too shaken up about it because I saw it coming. President was proud of me and what I have done throughout my mission. It was nice to feel like I had pleased my leader. But now I am going to have a new companion in a "dynamite" area. President wants me to help this missionary to grow. 

I am sad to leave. But I know that God wants me somewhere else. Every single transfer has led me to amazing new people. I feel overwhelmed with all of the love from all over New Jersey, and I know I will meet special people in my next area. 

Tuesday I got to spend with Elder Cuyan. He is from the Philippines. He is a very spiritual guy and is very sensitive to the whispers of the Spirit. He would ask questions and bear testimony directly to what they needed. It was a good reminder of who is the real teacher. 

We visited with Leo and Yari last Tuesday. We invited them to be baptized. Yari told us that she doesn't feel it yet. That is ok. She will feel it. Yesterday Madelyn (her cousin) shared her testimony in sacrament meeting. Yari bawled. It was a very touching moment. Leo didn't answer when I asked him to be baptized. He was moaning all during the lesson, and we could all tell he wasn't ok. He looked down at his lap as he sighed. His mom stood up, walked over to him, and stroked his head. She then looked me in the eyes and said, "help me. Help me with him. He needs to go to a doctor."

I felt so helpless. I can't make Leo go to the doctor. I can't convince him to get better. I realized how pathetic we really are, and how we do really depend on God for everything.

One of the things I can do for Leo though, is pray and be his friend. 

And that is all we can really do to help anyone. Pray for them and be a real friend.

My companion and I get along really well and we had a good time this week. He is a good kid and is very kind. He is super funny too. But don't tell him I said that because then he will get a big head... Haha.

The pope came to Philadelphia this week. The roads were ridiculous and everywhere we went we heard about his arrival. I personally think it is awesome. Millions of people showed up to show their devotion. It opened many hearts this week as we were talking with the people. I like the Pope. He seems like a loving person.

We had a correlation meeting with President Stokes. He is the Stake President. He has been a great example to me when I was in Freehold and now while I am here in Trenton. He is intelligent and loving and focussed. A wonderful man. 

Roberto was baptized Saturday morning in a river in the Pocano's Mountains. Everyone said the Spirit was present and that it was a beautiful experience. We weren't allowed to go, but we were happy that it was done there. Roberto loved it. He is a happier person. The time finally came for him to enter into the path back to his Heavenly Father. That is exciting.

He bore his testimony to me today. He said, "with our heavenly father, nothing is impossible." He said more, but I felt the Spirit when he said that. It reminded me of my patriarchal blessing. I am grateful for Roberto and for the advice and counsel and love he has given me. Hopefully I get to see him again before he leaves to Guatemala next year. 

Roberto asked me to confirm him. That was a great experience. I love being part of peoples' stories.

So today is a lot of "see ya laters" because I am coming back as soon as I can to New Jersey. I love it here. I think I might live here for part of my life. Obviously not in Trenton, but some quaint township out here would be awesome!

As I prayed last night, I felt my relationship with God grow. I know there is a god. I know that he loves me. And I know that I love him.

Was good 

Jersey Strong

Life is good in the gospel

Love you

Elder McFarland

One more transfer

I am going to start writing this letter first. By the time I get to this letter, I am annoyed with emailing, and I just throw some words on the screen. Ergo my letters home aren't very good. 

but here we go... last week was a good week!

Roberto scared the living daylights out of me. He didn't answer his phone all week. Finally on Thursday he picks up and tells us he is working and to call him on Friday. We did and set up an appointment with him. He and we didn't want to rush through the material, so we decided to push it to this Saturday. Saturday and not Sunday because General Conference is the following week, and the week after is Stake Conference. He wouldn't be able to get confirmed for 3 weeks. So we are going to baptize him on Saturday. He is ready. We all feel it. It is way past time... a couple decades late. But it is happening this Saturday. Please keep him in your prayers.

Yari and Leo aren't doing so good. I mean, they are progressing and reading the scriptures, but Leo's health is getting worse. We need a lot of prayers on his part. They are getting exhausted of the hardships and struggles. Poor friends. They are so desperate for a cure. I have faith that their cure will come as they continue learning the gospel. As they pray for guidance, they will know which doctor to go to to receive help. 

The members here are doing good! There is a huge possibility that this branch will become a ward at the beginning of 2016. D. Todd Christofferson came and opened a new stake in Central Jersey. We didn't get to go because our stake wasn't a part of it, but our president said that it was powerful and that he left some special blessings on the Jerseyites. It is fun to be in a place where you can contribute so much to a ward or branch. Being involved is awesome! I want to continue to be an involved member my entire life. There is so much good we can do.

We had a 3 day exchange with our assistants this last week. He listened to our opinions on how we think the mission should be run, and then he gave us some good feedback on how we can improve. We worked hard and laughed hard. It has been a blessing to serve the missionaries here. I wish I had been more focused on loving the missionaries around me instead of trying to be better than them. 

Maybe you could also include Tyler McFarland in your prayers this week. This is the last week of the transfer, and I am nervous that President might take me out of Trenton. Just pray for me that I will be happy with whatever he chooses. Wherever I am the next transfer, pray that I will know that that is where God wants me.

It is fun to be a missionary. I would choose to serve for another year if I could. 

I love the guidance I am given as I read the scriptures. 

I love my people here in New Jersey. They are so special to me.

I love you family and friends.

Waz Good

Jersey Strong

Life is good in the gospel

Elder McFarland

Roberto is cool.

Buster the turtle. Empanadillas from Zulay. 

And me and Zulay.

Ylonka gave me a pilon.