Matthew Farnell's Bio

I am very blessed to have been born into a Christian family where I was taught about God at a very early age. My testimony is kind of unique in that I've always known that God loved me, and I don't remember when I first asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me from my sins. My dad remembers it was at Vacation Bible School when I was 4 or 5 years old. Since I didn't remember the first time I asked Jesus into my heart, I've prayed again to confirm my salvation several times. One of these times, which I do remember, was when I was 13 years old. I prayed the prayer that was in a Gideon New Testament (which I still have), and my mom wrote the date down in the back.

I attended Clover Valley Community Church for the first years of my life, where I was baptized by Pastor Russ Richardson up the Lewis River at Speelyai Bay. During my time at Clover Valley, God gave me the privilege of serving Him by playing piano at worship services and youth meetings, teaching character qualities to youth, helping out with Bible Quizzing, helping with Olympian Club, editing and printing bulletins, working on building projects, setting up the church's first web site, creating a photo directory, serving on the Elder Selection Committee, etc. I very much enjoyed my time at Clover Valley. Currently I attend God's Word Baptist Church.

I base my salvation on Romans 10:9, which says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Another Bible passage which means a lot to me is Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Currently, I still live at home on my family's small "farm". We raise llamas, goats, and ducks. Right now we have five llamas. We have these llamas for their wool and to take backpacking with us, and we have the goats to help eat the brush around our place. We have the ducks for their eggs and pest (slug) control. We also have two dogs, Cocoa and Mocha (both chocolate labs), and several cats.

I'm interested in natural health and enjoy preparing food. In the summer, my dad and I grow a big vegetable garden. Mostly, I grow Blue Lake pole beans, zucchini, yellow crook neck, pumpkins, and watermelon. We also have various fruit trees, grape vines, blueberry bushes, and other small berry plants.

I play the piano and am currently practicing on my own. In the past I have taken weekly lessons in Longview, WA. from Martin Kauble. I have also taken piano lessons from Codi Butler and Mrs. DeJong. I was the music coordinator / pianist at Clover Valley for 3 years, and currently I play piano every week at the Woodland Care Center. I enjoy playing hymns and choruses and learning how to improvise. I really like hymn arrangements by Rudy Atwood and others.

I am also really interested in computers. I like designing web sites using XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, CGI, PHP, Graphics, Flash, etc. Six years ago I entered a state-wide web site contest with my site about "The Importance of Wild Salmon." I won first place in my category and my prize was a brand new Gateway computer! Since then, I have established my own web design business, Farnell Web Design (www.farnellweb.com). My two biggest clients at this time are LewisRiver.com, and Village Missions.

I also enjoy backpacking and fishing. My favorite backpacking/fishing area is Yosemite, CA. I have been there five times and hope to go there many more times. We go way out in the backcountry where there are hardly any people and catch lots of fish. We also backpack in Washington a lot. We have some pictures of some of our backpacking trips on our family web site: www.farnellfamily.com. Next summer we're thinking about a trip to the John Muir Wilderness in CA.

I also really like to ski and snowboard. We usually ski at White Pass, Washington, or Mt. Hood, Oregon.

My latest hobby is Photography. I enjoy pictures so much. I have experience in wedding photography, reunion photography, outdoor photography, indoor photography, cave photography, and panoramic photography. I've had pictures published in Horizon Air Magazine, Country Extra Magazine, Washington State Tourism's web site and the National Speleological Society News.

Other things I enjoy include pumpkin carving, spelunking, and most any other outdoor activity.

I just finished a bachelor's degree in Mathematics through Charter Oak State College (Verity DE). I have earned most of my credits through testing (CLEP, GRE, DANTES) and correspondence courses. I'm working towards being a teacher, so my next step is a Masters in Education and teaching credential. I will be starting that program through Grand Canyon University this fall. I may teach math and/or computers at a public school or college after I finish my education.

I enjoy serving God in various ways and am thankful for my family, friends, business, and all the other blessings God has given me. I pray that He will guide me with my future.

To learn more about my family, subscribe to our family newsletter, see family pictures, etc., please visit www.farnellfamily.com.

May God bless you.