October 26, 2020 

Yo! Sorry for the late email haha! This week was really great though.

We went on a hike today and it was AMAZING! The hike is called Storm King and the view was absolutely gorgeous. I'll definitely throw some pics down below. We had to get special permission from our mission president cause it's almost a 2 hour drive. The hike was rough at the start... but it's all worth it when you get to the top. I think the hike was 4 or 5 miles but that wasn't the problem. The trail was way steep. Like WAY steep. Our calves were feeling it by the time we finished but it was absolutely amazing. We chilled at the top for a while and it was so peaceful. There were a ton of these birds that would fly around you (and sometimes land on you). It was so sick. I took soooo many pictures haha. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We did a bunch of service this past week with a bunch of people. We met this old lady named Joan and she needed help stacking some wood. That was super fun and shes really nice. I got the job of filling up the wheel barrow and bringing it to the backyard. We shared a little bit of the restoration and she took it pretty well. Hopefully we can go back there again sometime!

The whole district also goes to Fish Line every week and that's always fun. It's this food shelter place in poulsbo. Apparently missionaries used to go there a bunch before covid. It's been a lot of fun and we mostly stack shelves or help organize what's already there. They had donuts for us afterwards which were way good. 

Also yesterday we had two dinner appointments! Haha! I'm not a big eater, but man I was STUFFED after that. We ate at the Browns and the Brindles. I guess that's what you get for being a missionary though... ;)

Elder Macfarlane 

Pic 1-2: Stacking wood at Joans 

Pic 3: Service at Fish Line with the district 

Pic 4-8: Hiking Storm King!

Knocking doors!!

Oct. 19, 2020

 What's up everyone!

Man, this week has been way different. But like... in a good way haha. We had transfers last week and me and Elder Bailey got new companions! It's pretty exciting. I definitely miss the old guys (Elder Wilson and Evans), but change is always good. We have been a lot more productive now that we can knock doors. We can only knock on people who have talked to missionaries in the past, but it's better than sitting in the apartment all day! Me and Elder Hyer have met some way cool people these past couple days.

We met Brother Lewis this past week and he is this super old guy who is home alone. We found out he's 101 years old!! That's insane haha! He told us a bunch of stories about him growing up. Apparently, He faught in word war II which is nuts. He is so cool. We talked with him for a while and it turns out he hasn't been to church in 30 years (bc of his health), so we offered to take him the sacrament on Sundays. He said that'd be awesome!

We've also been busy doing service which has been great. We went over to Allie's house and she was super nice. She's a nonmember and we helped her clear out a bunch of bushes and weeds. Me and Elder Hyer found like 3 car transmissions that were just chilling in the woods in her backyard. It was a lot of work but she was soooo thankful. She bought us pizza afterwards and it was BOMB. I think it was from Westside Pizza or something like that, but it was way good. Elder Bailey and Hassell gave a little spiritual thought while we were eating. Elder Hyer was trying to start a fire for like 45 minutes but it wasn't working haha.

We did some service at Sister Martzianos place too. We go over to her house a lot and she's way cool. We pulled a bunch of blackberry brushes in her backyard and those are always the worst. It wasn't too bad though. We were also gonna help her build a fireplace but she just bought one instead. Were gonna go back again this week cause Elder Bailey's planning on burning a shirt on his 1 year mark.

We held a baptism for this boy named Spencer this week which was super awesome. Its wasn't anyone we were teaching or anything, but it was still cool to watch this little boy get baptized and make those crucial covenants. Spencer was way excited and his brothers were all super stoked too. Elder Bailey and Hyer gave quick talks about baptism and the Holy Ghost. 

Lastly, we've been working with this super kind lady named Lou for several weeks now and shes the best. She calls us her little Angel's everytime we meet. When the Kingston ward got dissolved, he'd records had to be moved to the other ward, so we had to give her to the poulsbo 1st missionaries. That kinda stinks cause I loved meeting with her but me and my comp are still gonna meet with her every once in a while. This past lesson we had was AMAZING. The spirit was super strong and most the credit goes to Elder Hilleshiem haha. That went really well.

Lots of changes, but everything's going great,

Elder Macfarlane 

Pic 1: My comps right before transfers 

Pic 2: PDay with the zone

Pic 3: Service at Allie's (w/ a salamander)

Pic 4: Brother Lewis!!

Pic 5: Spencer's baptism 

Pic 6-7: Before and After pics at Sister Marzianos 

Transfers

Oct. 12, 2020 

Hellllo!!

We had transfers this week! I was totally down leaving or staying, but it was still exciting. I am staying in poulsbo and my comp (Elder Wilson) is leaving!! It's kinda bittersweet cause I like all the guys but it's also fun bringing new guys in. My new companion is goona be Elder Hyer starting Wednesday! I'm excited.

This week was pretty good and we had some interesting member visits. Some were really good and others were... interesting...  We met this super cool guy named Blair. He's been inactive for a while but he's awesome. We had french toast at his place and he had us make it for him hahaha. It was hilarious. Elder Bailey did most the cooking if I'm being honest, but it was way good. We taught him the restoration and the spirit was soo strong. He has a solid testimony but just struggles in some areas. That was really fun.

We had nothing planned on Sunday, so we chilled with Sister Warner for a couple hours. She is also super cool. We were planning to just stop by her place for a bit, but ended up staying a lot longer. She fed us pork chops and they were amazing. And she cooked them in an air fryer which I didn't know was a thing  We talked for a while and just hung out. She has a really nice guitar that I played around with... I lowkey want one. She said she's selling hers sooooo... we will see ;)

Elder Macfarlane 

Pic 1: The Zone

Pic 2: Bainbridge View

Pic 3: Rocking Elder Bailey Glasses 

Pic 4: The Boysss (we were recreating a different pic so it looks weird when there is no comparison )

General Conference weekend

Oct 5, 2020 

What's up everyone!

This week was really good and we were way more busy which was nice! I love serving the people in poulsbo. I am still trying to meet members in the area but some people are a little hesitant with covid and everything (which is understandable). The mission has been way different than I expected it to be, but I think if finally gotten the hang of things and teaching people during this pandemic. A mission is hard at times but it's the best! If anyone is considering one, I totally recommend it!! There us so much growth you see in yourself and how you view and treat the people around you. Love you all and now to get into the week...

Last monday we went back to Brother Donahues again. He is big into art and we went over last transfer to do some painting. We did the same paintings again and it's so fun! You literally just put paint in a cup and drop it on a blank canvas... but its awesome. My painting is a mixture of pink, purple, orange, and sky blue. I think it turned out pretty good. Im still not sure if I like my green one from last time or this one, but there both pretty cool ;) Brother Donahue is also really cool and he always feeds us klondike bars haha. He's this really old guy and he's a way good artist. 

We had interviews this past week with President Metts. We do an interview every transfer and he is the best! It was pretty quick, but it was great talking to him and he always gives me motivation to do better and work harder  I also got a chance to talk with Sister metts while my companion was getting interviewed and shes the sweetest!! I love them and there contagious personality :)

One thing that also happened this week was we ran a MARATHON as a quad! We did this challenge with our zone that if they got 50 return appointments by the end of the day, we would run a marathon collectively. Long story short... they did it. We got up at 5:30 in the morning and went over to the high school cause they have a track. We split it up between the four of us where Elder Bailey ran 10 miles, me and Elder Wilson ran 6, and Elder Evans ran 4. It honestly wasn't too bad but that could be because we walked almost half of it haha! It took about an hour and a half. I've been running 3 miles with Elder Bailey a lot in the mornings so that also could be another reason. It was way more fun than I was expecting though. 

Lastly, this past weekend was general conference! I'm not sure who all reads these... but general conference is basically where the leaders of our church talk and give council to all of us! It was soooo good. There was some SUPER good talks and I definitely recommend watching all of em. We went to the stake center to watch the morning sessions with the entire zone (besides the Bainbridge sister). We ate breakfast all together and it was way fun. We had german pancakes on Saturday!! We went over to some member houses for the afternoon sessions and it was just a great weekend and full of the spirit!

Elder Macfarlane 

Pics 1-3: Painting at Brother Donahues 

Pic 4: Breakfast with the zone

Pic 5: Running while the sun rises