APRIL 2 2012

Hey mom! I loved conference, it is like Christmas for us missionaries, it was really fun. Well conference, I loved all of it, I took so many notes, I love taking notes, it really helps me focus and pay attention and it was painful to see them close it for another 6 months... I love conference so much! I love hearing their words and I love having questions answered, mom I can promise you if you will ask a question and read from the book or Mormon or listen to our priesthood leaders then we will get an answer... I have done it everyday for almost a year, and it has worked every time and I love how the answers come, they are always very simple and very easy to do. But I know that personal revelation is something that is true and love it. I read a talk from elder bednar in March ensign it was about the atonement and I loved it, it talks about how the atonement does not only heal, but also empowers us! It gives us strength, something that I learned from that is that we do not pray for god to change our circumstances but we pray to god to give us the strength to change the circumstances, if you think about it God almost always uses worthy and willing people to do his work, so why cant that person be you? But something that I asked during conference I was searching for a question and one came to my mind, but I thought to myself, that is not important and does not apply to my purpose, so I kept searching and pondering but that one was just shouting at me! So I wrote it down, it was how can my mission prepare me to be a better father... Ha kind of funny question to be asking, I know... But I asked it for the last session of conference and mom, guess what, it was the perfect question for what they were all talking about! I got so many answers, but I will just put a bookmark in my study journal, and save that until a little later in life, but I am glad that I acted upon my promptings. I had a great experience on Sunday, something came to my mind that was troubling that a former companion had told me... so I decided to call my mission president and as I was talking he said, all I remember that he said, its real isn’t it.. Meaning the atonement, and that’s when I knew and that’s when I felt that it was real. I loved priesthood session, loved loved, I cannot believe that I have slept through those my entire life until my mission! They are so power packed!!! A story that elder bednar told that just shook the room, he was talking about how his dad was not a member of the church, although he would always come to church and he seemed very active, but he would always ask his dad, so when are you getting baptized... and one day he asked a question back, he said your church claims to have the restored priesthood power from god, so if this is true, why do your church leaders beg your men to do their home teaching? Why is it that you men do the exact same things that the men in my church do? WOW let me tell you mom, it was great!! It slapped me in the face and I was welcome to that! Any way also mentioned in that talk was the difference between the priesthood authority and the priesthood power, authority is given but the power is earned... I loved that talk and I learned that I must do all things in life by and behind the priesthood, for if I live that way, how can be unworthy or unrighteous? I cannot. That is a dream that I have to be in tune to the spirit enough that I will always feel and know its presence and if it leaves me, I will hunger to have it again, for if I can do that with the help of the lord, then how can I fall away? I cant! I am so grateful for my mission thus far, mom. It has changed me and reshaped me, and has brought a new found hunger in my heart to follow my savior, I know that the atonement is real, and I know that Jesus Christ was and is a real person. Anyway the temple was just wonderful, I learned a lot. It was a great experience and I got a lot of good pictures! We also went to the Special Forces airborne museum after, wow we had a whole 5 minutes to run through this awe inspiring piece of history. But it is something I really do want to go to again. well I got to get going, oh I am sending a package home, it has a lot of stuff in it! I love you all! Love elder Farr.