I felt famous with all the cameras...(3/21/16)

This was a pretty crazy week! but over all it was pretty good. We did a lot of street contacting this week because we had a lot of lessons fall through so that is always hard. As fun as it is to contact, it is a lot better to have lessons with people. But this week we had a lot of problems with our church it was a nightmare! The sewer had a leak or something so our church flooded three times! It took like 2 hours to clean it up each time then we would have to spend some time getting the smell out afterwards. It was just such a nightmare! Every time we would finish though I would suggest that we celebrate with ice cream so we got a lot of ice cream so I guess that that was kind of a bonus. 

Then on Sunday I was able to conduct the church meeting, AND I was giving a talk. It was pretty interesting ha but then this guy that was speaking took up all the time so I couldn't talk ha. Everyone thinks that I paid him to talk for a lot time.. I cannot confirm nor deny if I did..

At the end of the week we had finished this service project where we planted trees for an orphanage, and there were like news cameras and photographers there and stuff. We were all being filmed digging and talking and stuff and we got interviewed it was so awesome! I felt famous with all of the cameras flashing and all the news microphones and stuff. But it was also cool to be able to talk about the great things that the church does on the news and stuff. 

So hopefully when people see me on the street they will recognize me now because I am practically an Albanian celebrity ;) 

Love you all,

Elder Farnworth

I love this work so much, Albania is treating me really well (3/14/16)

This was a good week! At the beginning of the week we went to this crazy awesome Albanian restaurant. It was like full blown Albanian! It had like stuffed stuffed birds and stuffed weasels on the walls and everything! Then they served us a ton of Albanian traditional food which consists of plates of mysterious meat, cheese, corn bread, and normal bread. So much food but it was so delicious!

Then later in the week we did a really awesome service project at this orphanage where we dug holes to plant orange trees for them to grow there. It was a lot of fun! The first day we did it it was raining a ton so we all got soaked. And the ground that we were digging on had so much rocks and stuff so we had to dig with pick axes! Then the second day the weather was really nice and we had a lot of other missionaries come up to Shkoder to help us with the service. It was a lot of fun! The kids there were so much fun to talk with and joke around with and stuff. And it was so amazing to see how grateful they were for the Church and all the service that we do for them! 

I love this work so much. Albania is treating me really well, don't worry about me :) 

Elder Farnworth

Don't Wear Seat Belts! (3/7/16)

Another beautiful week Albania! I am really loving it here. The weather is nice and rainy I just love it so much. We were also able to meet with that investigator that was supposed to get baptized but didn't. He felt really sorry for not showing up he just had problems with his family so we are going to meet with him and his family and hopefully be able to baptize him soon! We will be praying. 

"Gjami" with a weird statue things in front of it

This week we had conference and it go broadcasted from Tirana to Shkodër so I had to figure out how to get the broadcast to actually work which was interesting. It took me like an hour to fix the WiFi in the Church building but I got it to work! I felt like a little Dave Farnworth :) And then after I spent all of the time figuring it out no one showed up to watch it.. That is missionary work for you! But it was fun we just watched it with all the missionaries in my district. Then we had to drive to a city called Durrës for Stake Conference. We took a mini van there and when I tried to put my seat belt on the driver got like offended which I guess is like a cultural thing haha. But then at the conference it was so great! 3 members from the small branch here in Shkodër received the Melchizedek Priesthood! It was so amazing to see that happen. I know that it is going to be a huge blessing in our ward and in their families lives. 

Also at conference I saw a lot of my friends from Elbasan it was so great! They said they all miss me and hope I serve there again soon. I hope I do too!  It was also so amazing to see all of the members from all of Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia at stake conference! The church is so amazing here. I love all of these members they are all such a huge example to me! I am blessed with the best mission in the world. 

Love you all! 

Elder Farnworth

English pays off (2/29/16)

This was a really interesting week, but for the most part it was really good!  

We had exchanges this week so I was with other missionaries the whole week it was a lot of fun. So we were teaching this investigator and he talked about how he sees visions about the Illuminati and stuff and so we were like uh, okay. Then he randomly texted us and said that he had a vision telling him to stay away from missionaries haha. Those dang visions are killers! 

Our "Post getting pulled over" Selfie

Then later the week, I was driving and I got pulled over for making an illegal turn! I was kind of nervous, but then when the cop came to the window I only spoke English and he didn't speak English, it was so funny. He was like getting frustrated so he just told me to go and didn't give me a ticket so I was like sweet!

Me and Elder Collins, from New Zealand!

The one and only Poopy :) 

Then on Saturday we had a baptism, it was super stressful planning it all, but we pulled it all off! All of the members were there and it was so great.. except one thing.. the person getting baptized wasn't there! And he turned his phone off. It was heart breaking! We were able to get a hold of him today so that was good he said he just had some problems because he talked to his Catholic Priest. He is a good kid though I hope that we will be able to baptize him though!! 

My favorite people of Shkoder, Mimoza and Pavlo. (And Elder & Sister Collins)

Albania is going great though. The people of Shkoder are just so great I love them all so much! The branch is so nice to me. Love Albania! 

Love,

Elder Farnworth

Shkoders next top model (2/22/16)

Shkoders next top model 

This was a good week! I am loving the people so much. I feel like I have gotten really close with all of the members already. They are all just so loving and so accepting it is awesome! Accept none of them can say my name so they all call me Elder Fani (Fawny) it is funny, I don't really understand why Farnworth is so hard to them! 

So this week we got new senior missionaries in Shkoder! Elder and Sister Kollins. They are from St George and they are super nice. They love to joke and tease so needless to say we get along really well. They are both converts to the church and have such unique convert stories! But I am really excited to work with them they are so nice. 

But this week was really good! We had a lot of lessons, we are started to get a solid base of investigators so we have a lot of lessons every day.  I was street contacting this week which is always interesting. I had one guy sing to me for a really long time and it was actually really quite lovely. Then I met this guy who kept touching my hair I was really uncomfortable. People of Albania are just all really strange and fun I love them. Also, I talked to this guy who is a shoe shiner and we talked just about my life and his life for like a half hour. He was the nicest guy ever then he like forced me to get on his shoe shining chair and he shined my shoes for free. 

So when he was shining my shoes I looked at it as an opportunity to share the Gospel with him it was funny. But then he totally was interested and he gave me his number! 

Fake falling down a well then actually falling down it

    at the castle in Shkoder!

Then on Sunday I walked by him while we were going to church and he was like whats up! And I asked him if he wanted to come to church and he said yeah so he came with us it was awesome! Then we were sitting in Sunday school and he was like this is all just so great and I was just like, do you want to get baptized? Then in my mind I was like WHY DID YOU SAY THAT but then he was like yeah! it was just so awesome. So we will start teaching him. He is such a stud.  

Members from Elbasan came to visit!

I love this mission so much I am so blessed with the best mission in the world. I love it so much! The Lord knew what he was doing when he sent me here because this is the place for me! I love it. Thank you for all your support and love every week!

Love you all!

Elder Farnworth

These dogs are from Austria and named Max and Luke!

    My good friend from Elbasan 

                                                                                            

Finding random creepy stairwells in Albania

 

This house has so many rooms!

My house!

A book especially made for me haha!

"Poopy" is like my best frend on my mission (2/15/16)

This week was amazing! I felt the Lord helping us so much this week! 

So first we drove out to this farmers house and him and his wife fed us so much amazing food! I loved it so much. Then we taught them such an awesome lesson and they want to be baptized but they are leaving the country soon so we might now be able to. 

Then later this week we taught the family with the dog named "Poopy" that is like my best friend on my mission. He fell asleep on my lap again so we were over at there house for longer than we needed to be again oops sorry.. But I am also not sorry because a dog fell asleep on my lap for Pete Sake! You can't blame me for wanting to stay. :)

Later we went to this other family who are just so friendly we had an amazing Spiritually lesson with them. Then as we were going to drive away our tire was popped!! SO we had to change it that was crazy but an adventure. 

This sunday we had 7 investigators at church it was truly a miracle! There were more investigators than there were members it was amazing. The Lord is definitely working with us :) 

Love you all,

Elder Farnworth

Shkodër is the best city in Albania. (2-8-16)

This is a boulevard we street contact on. Reminds me of Disneyland. 

Churches like these everywhere! 

I am now here in Shkodër! I love it here so much. There is so much rich history here and really cool buildings here it is all so pretty here! I am so excited to be living here because this place really is great.

Our first day here we visited a couple that are members, Mimoza and Pavlo, they are really great people. And they have the cutest dogs ever named Poopy and Jessy! I love them so much. Poopy fell asleep on my lap which was so great, we stayed in that lesson for so long.. it was hard to leave. :)

Center of Shkodër

Later in the week I had an insteresting experience. This guy came up to me and at first I thought he was going to want to argue and bible bash but then I realized he was just a funny guy and joking about how the only true church would be one where Obama is the prophet hahaha. It was very interesting but he was actually a very nice guy!

There are only 6 active members in the church here. It was the smallest sacrament meeting I have ever been to (14 people, including 6 missionaries) but it was so amazing. The members are all super friendly and have really strong testimonies it is was such an amazing testimony meeting. 

I can already tell I am just going to get so close with all of these members here!

I am just loving it here in beautiful Shkodër. Albanian is the best country ever. 

Love, 

Elder Farnworth