¡Hola Familia!

I have one word for y'all... TIRED. I don't even know why I'm tired but if this email makes no sense you know why. But we had some really cool things happen this week that amazed me. His plan is perfect. 

So one day this week we had an appointment set up with a less active so we prayed to know what to share with her and we felt very strongly that she needed a lesson on God is our Loving Heavenly Father. So we prayerfully prepared a lesson for her and when we went to her home she wasn't there. So we decided to go visit a member in the ward whose husband had just recently passed away. When we got there we saw that her daughter was over visiting and she is inactive. They let us in and we felt strongly to share the lesson we had prepared this morning and so we did. As we shared our lesson the member's daughter started crying. The spirit was so powerful and the daughter kept telling us thank you and it was exactly what she needed to hear. Just like President Monson said - there's nothing I love more than acting on a prompting and coming to find out that it was an answer to somebody's prayer. 

So we found Oscar this week. He's a 17 year old and we had a lesson with him and his friend. His friend was so annoying and kept calling me Hermana Guapa, it made me so mad. So the spirit definitely wasn't there and it was probably my fault because I didn't like being called Hermana Guapa and that charity was lacking. But it doesn't even sound like Swapp. But we came back a couple days later when his friend wasn't there and it was a completely different experience. Oscar is incredible. He is so concerned with his salvation and asked us everything he needed to give up in order to be saved. All he wants to do is please God. He had the most amazing questions and we were able to share the restoration. I think him knowing about Joseph Smith brought him a lot of peace because he could know he's not the only one with those questions. He's struggling accepting that there can be more than the Bible but I know as he reads the Book of Mormon he'll develop a love and a strong testimony in it. He is amazing and so prepared. 

So I can't remember if I already told y'all about Yohandri or not so I'll give you a brief reminder. A couple weeks ago he called us and he asked us if we could meet up because he wanted to hear our message. So we met him at the library and he did most of the talking but we were able to talk about faith with him. Well we hadn't seen him since but Saturday night he called us and said he wanted to go to church and he needed a ride. So we found him one. 

Well he showed up on Sunday and the talks were perfect (the translating wasn't but hopefully the spirit was able to let him know what I was trying to say). They were all about the restoration and Joseph Smith. After Sacrament meeting he asked us if he could have a copy of the Book of Mormon so we gave him one. The whole Sunday school lesson he read the Book of Mormon and he read the chapter heading of 3 Nephi 11 and he read, "Christ's doctrine is that men should believe and be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost." And he looked at Hermana Heil and said, "I need to be baptized, when can I be baptized?" And he picked the date of March 19. And in our mission our investigators have to live the word of wisdom for 3 weeks so she pulled out the pamphlet and he read the whole thing. And he said, "I sometimes drink coffee and smoke but not after today. I need to get baptized." He is amazing! We had a lesson with him during the third hour and he called us last night to tell us all he learned from the Book of Mormon and to tell us thanks. And we just received a text from him saying how excited he is for his baptism haha! Yohandri is great. 

So some fun facts, we had a ward talent show this week and it was a lot of fun. We were boring missionaries and didn't do anything for it, apparently repeating the first vision and goat impersonations don't qualify as a talent. Friday was 80 degrees and it was nice and Saturday was 36 degrees and snowing... I thought Utah's weather was bipolar... we also did lots of service this week. We spent three hours one day cleaning a bathroom! And lastly, we had a fireside last night and it was incredible. It's for recent converts and investigators and it's like a testimony meeting. Maribel was one of the speakers and she did such a good job! The spirit was so powerful and everybody's testimony was so incredible.

I've been pondering something a lot this week. When I was going through a hard time on my mission (really hard) somebody I absolutely love sent me a card and what she wrote on the card is something that has carried me my entire mission and I feel so strongly to share it with y'all so I hope she doesn't mind. She reminded me of the miracle of the loaves and fishes in the Bible in John 6:9-13. All they had were 5 loaves and 2 fishes to feed 5,000 people. She wrote in the card, "When the lad brought just a few loaves and fishes some questioned, 'What are they among so many?' In other words I thought, 'What am I among so many qualified and eloquent missionaries? Can I really make a difference?' Then Jesus took the loaves and gave thanks. He knew it didn't seem like much, but He was grateful for the sacrifice of the lad, and He magnified his efforts. ... you might not feel like you have much to offer but if you offer what you do have with your whole heart you will not believe what the Lord will make of you." I have read this letter at least once a week since I've received it and I have tried to apply this miracle in my life as much as I can and I have a testimony of it. I know it is true. Just like King Benjamin said, "I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." We will always be unprofitable servants but the grace of the Savior will make of us way more than we could imagine. He does magnify our efforts. Everyday I am reminded of this as my Savior helps me with Spanish, as He allows the spirit to be in a lesson even when I make a mistake, and in every other situation imaginable. He is real and because of Him we are enough. "Don’t worry about Christ running out of ability to help you. His grace is sufficient. That is the spiritual, eternal lesson of the feeding of the 5,000." - Jeffrey R. Holland. 

I love you all so very much. I hope you have a very happy week, because life is too short to be anything else. 

Con amor,

Hermana Swapp 

PS: "Yea, ​​​come​ unto Christ, and be ​​​perfected​ in him, and ​​​deny​ yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and ​​​love​ God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be ​​​perfect​ in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God." -Moroni 10:32

 I didn't take any photos this week so here are a couple of my favorites. (:

¡Hola Familia! 

We had another good week here in the GKLM and we made it another transfer! I can't believe how fast time is flying by out here, I don't like it one bit! But Hermana Heil is stuck with me here in Shelbyville another transfer and I'm so excited! I just love her. I have a feelings it's going to be a good transfer! 

But this past week was amazing. So last Saturday we found A outside of the library. We went up and started talking to her and she wasn't super nice. We could tell she didn't want anything to do with us and when we asked her if we could come by one day she said no because she lives with a bunch of Hispanics and they don't know English and so we said, "Perfect! Because we speak Spanish!" I don't think she was too happy about that. 

So we stopped by a couple days later to have a lesson with her boyfriend and she didn't seem happy when we got there. Well we found out immigration got her boyfriend and that he was going to be deported and so she went straight to her room when we got there. Well we had a lesson with the other Hispanics and it was good but I don't think they were super interested. But they told us we could come back. So we went back and they weren't home but A was. And she was in a little better mood we started talking with her and we were able to get her to open up a little bit. We showed her the Mormon Message "Mountains to Climb" and when it was over she was kinda back to her reserved/rude self. But she softened her heart and she told us it actually gave her chills. We talked about the video and then about the Book of Mormon and she was super interested in the Book of Mormon. We told her about it and she said she would read it, as we were about to leave she grabbed the book and asked us if we could mark something for her to read. So we left her with a chapter and she was super excited. And then the most amazing thing happened! She asked us to come back! She said she liked how she felt and that she was pretty lonely so she would love if we came back. 

So we we back a couple days later and showed her the Mormon message "A Book of Mormon Story" and she said she liked how he said, "I never wanted to do a bad thing ever again" and she was amazed that a book could have so much power. She then asked us the question "why do bad things happen to good people?" We shared 2 Nephi 2:11 and 27. She loved it and she told us, "I stopped being religious because when I would ask someone a question nobody could give me an answer but you all always have the answer and it's always through this book." She loves the new perspective it's given her and she loves the Book of Mormon. The spirit was so strong and her heart has changed so much in such a short period of time. A is incredible and I love her so much already! I'm excited for her to keep getting the answers to her questions. 

We also had an amazing lesson with Aisa this week. She is incredible. We were at her house and she's been going through a lot of hard things and she has some family members that aren't making good choices. We were helping her and her kids with some things when out of no where she said, "Tell me everything you know about Heaven." So we shared the Plan of Salvation and taught her about the kingdoms of glory and as we shared this tears streamed down her face. And she said, "God is loving, isn't He?" I can't even begin to explain the spirit that filled the room. When we left her house Hermana Heil and I were so exhausted and so overwhelmed because of how strong the spirit was. I think it was the most powerful lesson I've had on my mission so far. 

So we had exchanges this week and Hermana Banks came here to Shelbyville with me. She is such an amazing missionary! I've been out two transfers longer than her but her Spanish is incredible! It puts mine to shame and she is such a good teacher and the most loving person you would ever meet. She is incredible. 

The Frankfort hermanas moved this week so we drove to Frankfort Friday night and helped them pack their things up and then just slept over and then Saturday morning we helped them move all of their things into their new apartment. It was a lot of fun and service is my favorite so it was great! 

That was pretty much our week though, it was such a good one. I am amazed every week at the love that God has for us. I love the Mormon Message "A Shower of Heavenly Blessings" because Heavenly Father really does love each of us and always wants to give us every blessing he has to give. He is so loving and I am so grateful for Him and all that He does for me. I love you all so very much and I hope you have such a good week. Be happy because life is too short to be anything else! 

Con amor, 

Hermana Swapp

PS: "That the ​​​fulness​ of my ​​​gospel​ might be ​​​proclaimed​ by the ​​​weak​ and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before ​​​kings​ and ​​​rulers​." -D&C 1:23

 We went on a hike last P-day with Sister Endemann and Sister Draper! And we actually went on a trail, I promise it wasn't paved the whole way!

 Elder Pryor made us a Valentine haha!

 Our super cool Valentine's glasses!

 Our exchange with Hermana Banks and Hermana Linares.

 Look who came to Shelbyville! Rhonda and Jacob from Paris!! It was the highlight of my week!

Hermana Parra and I matched perfectly! Aren't we a couple beauts? 

Hermana Fluckiger! 

Elder Gunnell and Hermana Heil! 

 

Zone Conference!

Look who it is!! Hermana Spencer!! We're already deciding 

where we want to go to lunch mom (;

Here's a peacock

Hermana Heil printed out a picture of David Archuleta last P-Day 

so what better place to put it than on your radio right?

It is Hermana Banks' birthday today so we drove to La Grange

 and had a birthday lunch with her! 

I forgot to get a picture with Sister Dorian 

so here's a blurry screenshot from a video we made while tracting.