My oh my I don't even know where to start! This week has been incredible!! We have received so many blessings and witnessed so many miracles this week and it has been so humbling and amazing. I am so very grateful. But I guess first things first, I received my transfer doctrine... and I will be leaving Paris. Oh I am just so sad and excited at the same time. I love Paris so much and all of the amazing people here. They really feel like family to me. They have taught me so much and I will forever be grateful for everything I learned here and all of the amazing people who touched my life. I will miss them dearly. I'm going to miss Hermana Fluckiger so much too! I'm excited though to be going to my next area, I will be white wash training Arcadia. I am super nervous. I actually just got a call from President Brough as I was writing this and he changed the transfer doctrine. I was originally supposed to be going to Arcadia with one of the Hermanas already there but he just called and told me I'll be white washing and training so I am beyond nervous. Please send prayers. But Arcadia is the west side of Louisville. West side. (: I will be covering downtown so I'm super excited about that and guess what. There's actually going to be restaurants there, I'm just pumped for The Old Spaghetti Factory. But I've also been told that it's the most dangerous area in my mission so that's pretty cool too, but don't worry I've got my pepper spray and the spirit and I'm ready to go! 

But my last week in Paris was incredible, I couldn't have asked for a better week. There were so many miracles. Our appointment cancelled last Monday so we decided to go see Angie. Angie has been sick so a couple weeks ago the Elders went over there and gave her a priesthood blessing to help her feel better. In the blessing Elder Caldwell said, "Angie, we bless you to be able to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." The spirit was so strong when he said that, but we were confused why he did because we knew she probably wouldn't be able to get baptized for a little while, but he said he was prompted by the spirit to say it! Well when we went over there on Monday she sat us down and told us all about her situation and we quickly realized that it wasn't what we thought it was and she could get baptized! She asked to be baptized that weekend, we were all pretty excited. It had been a long time coming. Satan worked hard during the week but she has more faith than anyone I've ever met and she was baptized on Saturday and confirmed yesterday. My heart was so full as I watched her make that covenant with God. She was glowing. She had such a big smile on her face and I know she was so grateful to be able to be baptized. I love Angie so very much and I am so beyond grateful to have her for my friend and to have learned so much from her. 

Well Monday night after we left Angie's, we went to a gas station to fill up and talk to people. Hermana Fluckiger and I split and we talked to as many people as we could. I went up to this one guy and I started talking to him and I couldn't talk. I was stuttering and babbling and couldn't even think of a word to say and he totally wasn't interested. But the spirit so strongly whispered to me, "You need to talk about Eternal Families." So out of no where I just blurted out, "We know that families can be together forever. The love and happiness you experience on earth with your family doesn't need to end at death, it can last forever." And right then everything flipped just like a light switch. His mouth dropped and he said, "I need this in my life, please come teach me and my family." I got his information and I gave him ours and we set up an appointment for the elders to go teach them. Well I went and found Hermana Fluckiger. She was talking to two teenagers and it was the same thing. She couldn't even talk until she said the word Eternal Families and then it just started flowing and the lady behind her interrupted them and said, "I'm so sorry to interrupt but I need to hear this message." And it was the man's wife I had talked to. It was so cool to see how Heavenly Father knows exactly what these people need. He knows them so individually. 

Tuesday Hermana Fluckiger and I had planned to go to our service at the Bargain Box and then walk to the Library and get some things ready for our lessons that day well when we got to Bargain Box we were only there for a half hour and they just told us that we were done and we could go. The whole six months I have been here I have never had less than an hour at Bargain Box and so I was confused why they just told us that we could enjoy the rest of the day. So we went to the library early and as we were about to go in I heard two people talking and I quickly realized they weren't speaking English. So I walked up to them and again the same thing the spirit told me to say something and so I just blurted it out. I said, "Hola! Enseñamos Ingles! Hello, we teach English!" And both of their mouths dropped. And they said they had just moved here and came to the library to see if there were any English classes. We set up an appointment the next day and we went every day since. They've talked a lot of religion to us, accepted a Book of Mormon, and even said they want to come to church! It has been so fun as well helping them learn English, and they have taught us a bunch of Spanish as well! It was a miracle for sure that we found them! 

So something amazing happened this week! I shook the hand of an apostle! Oh it was the coolest thing in the whole entire world! Elder Stevenson, Elder Uceda, and Elder Gillamoore came to the mission and it was incredible. Elder Stevenson and Elder Uceda both spoke in conference this last month so watch their talks if you wanna know who I'm talking about. But they are just amazing the spirit was so strong and it was so cool shaking his hand. I really felt like I was shaking my Savior's hand. He asked all of us our names, where we're from, and how long we've been out for. It was so cool. And when he stood up to speak he said, "It was so fun to shake all of your hands and to interview each one of you." How cool is that. He talked a lot about Cornelius and Peter and trained us on how we can all find our Cornelius. It was such an amazing day. 

We didn't get in with Amanda and her family this week but we are seeing them tonight for a lesson and to say goodbye. I'm going to miss them very much. They are so amazing and they are still making great progress! They are so strong and I am so very proud of them! 

I've been thinking a lot about the Restoration this week. It's a lesson I teach so much out here as a missionary but it's something I have grown to be so grateful for. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who loves me enough to send me a Savior and a prophet to guide me. I am so very grateful for Joseph Smith and for his decision to pray to God. It's because of him that all of us can enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel. It's because of Joseph Smith that I could be baptized, be sealed with my family for all eternity, and enjoy all of the many blessings that my Heavenly Father is constantly showering over me. I am so very grateful for him and everything he did. We are a pretty lucky bunch to be able to live during this time. 

I really love you all so very much. Thank you for everything you all do for me. The next time I write y'all I'll be writing you from the west side! But until then, be happy. Because life is too short to be anything else!

Los Amo,

Hermana Swapp

"And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul." -Jacob 2:8

Last District picture!

 The Scalfs! I love them.

 Beatriz and Louis! They're the ones we met at the library and were teaching them English! They're so awesome!

 We had our ice cream Sundaes!! Thank you so much Bairs and Littlewoods!! (:

 Elder Walker!! For those who don't know, we went to high school together.

 

Angie's baptism!! 

 The Prater's!

 

Cute Chanel, I love her!

The Reynolds clan!! I love them. 

Brother and Sister Young and the Denninghoff's! Brother and Sister Young 

are the ones who remind me exactly of Grandma and Grandpa Swapp! 

Zaira and Jorge's family! We gave the boys Haz Lo Justo rings!

Our new car (; brother young has the coolest collection of cars!

 Elizabeth and Rhonda!