He proposed to me right there. Our walk turned into a run! 7-10-2017

8:30 AM

¡Hola Todos!

Yo espero que todos tuvieran una buena semana. This last week was great here in the GKLM! We spent our 4th of July in Frankfort and it was a great day! We started off the celebration by eating chick fil a for lunch and then talking to everyone about the gospel we could because #FreedomofReligion. We went to the Elder's apartment because they were moving apartments so we helped them for a little bit. Then we went around to all of our investigators and we were able to get in with Luz and her son Iran and we had a great lesson with hem. They hadn't been praying so we had a lesson about prayer and the spirit was super strong. And Luz said her first prayer with us, it was awesome. I always love hearing people pray for their first time, it's always so sincere. They're making great progress but they head to Mexico in a week.

We went to a member's house in Versailles for the evening - The White's. We had so much fun. We had a yummy BBQ, did all the pop its and sparklers in the world, and watched fireworks. It was a great 4th.

On Wednesday we had Zone Conference and we were able to meet our new mission president and his wife, President and Sister Hughes. They are both incredible and I feel so blessed to have them. We have interviews with them this week so we'll get to know them even better. You're right dad, it is completely different but it's a good different.

So the mission started a new push to find one new investigator every single day and so Wednesday night we prayed to know where to find our new investigator. Dan St. came to my mind and Hermana Corona said, "I don't know. I keep thinking Macey Ave. but I don't feel like we need to go there." So we drove to Dan St. found a random apartment complex and there was nobody outside. So we picked a door to knock on while we were still in the car, closed our eyes to say a prayer, and when we opened our eyes after the prayer there was a Latino man knocking on the door we had picked. So we ran to him and started talking to him. His name is Jorge and we taught him about the Book of Mormon and he accepted a copy and asked for us to come back to share more. As we were setting up his next appointment he told us he lives on Macey Ave. It was a pretty cool experience.

So every Thursday we go over to help a lady in our ward. She had Leukemia but is in remission now but just doesn't have the strength or energy to do everything she needs to. She has a little rabbit farm and kills them to eat them... so Versailles has given me my first experience with eating rabbit! This week she was going to kill the Rabbits but thankfully we got out of killing them. She killed them and I got to paint one of her rooms in her house. (Hopefully Stevie White reads these, if not, someone tell him I still refuse to kill animals).

We also visit Sister Goodspeed every week. She lives in a rest home but she just had a seizure and was in the hospital for a week. So we went to visit her for a little bit. Her memory is slipping but other than that she seems to be doing good. She was super bored so Hermana Corona and I entertained her by having races on her wheelchairs. It was good to see her laugh.

We had a lesson with Araceli this week and her daughter Fernanda joined us and it was so good! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I am so grateful for the spirit. We shared the Bible video of Christ being baptized and that is my favorite video in Spanish, it is so powerful and I know they could feel it too. After the lesson we asked Fernanda if she wanted to be baptized and with the biggest smile on her face she gave us the biggest nod. And then we asked Araceli if it was something she still wanted. It was so sad though because she told us no. She believes in one baptism and she believes she already had that one baptism and she told Fernanda she already had that one baptism and doesn't need another one. So we dropped Araceli's bap date but she still wants us to keep coming by and teaching her. So hopefully we can help her understand the importance of authority.

Maribel and Delver are still being stubborn. Well Delver is. We stopped by Maribel's on Wednesday and she still hadn't read the Book of Mormon but she was too busy to have a lesson then. So we encouraged her to read it. We stopped by on Saturday and her son Joshua was outside and he was pretty excited to see us so we were able to get in with Maribel pretty easily. We read a chapter from the Book of Mormon with Maribel, Delver was working so he wasn't there. The spirit was super strong and we know that Maribel knows it's true. We have a really good relationship with her and she told us to come back the next day when her esposo was home. Well the next day came and he cancelled it. Oh Delver... he'll come around.

I just wanna give a quick S/O to Elizabeth for taking us around everywhere in Lexington. You're the best and I love you.

So Saturday we had a ward BBQ at a park and I was going around meeting all of the members and getting to know them better and I noticed one lady in the back of the pavilion. So I started talking to her and she wasn't part of the BBQ she was just some random person. So we started talking about the gospel and she told me she would like a Book of Mormon. Well I only had a Spanish copy on me so I went and got the Elders and they talked to her and gave her a copy. I think I was eating my food a little bit later when I made eye contact with the woman (her name is Olanda) and she waved me over. When I got over there I could see she was holding a Restoration Pamphlet and she said, "This is the most interesting little book I have ever read. I think it's true." She had read the whole pamphlet. So we started talking about it and the Book of Mormon and she really enjoyed it. As we were talking she broke down crying and told me all of the trials she was going through and then she said, "Before I came to this park I said a prayer and told Heavenly Father I needed help and that I was going to give up. Then I came here and I met you all. You're an answer to my prayer." It was such an amazing experience and another witness to me of just how aware Heavenly Father is.

Sunday was good. The Frankfort ward just got split up so it's a lot smaller and they're having a hard time getting all the callings filled. Sacrament meeting started and the Bishop got up and said, "One of the blessings of this gospel is having the opportunity to serve last minute. So our first two speakers will be Elder Pedersen and Hermana Swapp." We had no idea we were speaking. We found out when everyone else did so that was fun, I got up there and introduced myself and bore a long testimony haha!

Then right after sacrament meeting a Sunday school teacher came up to us and said he needed help with his class. So we went in there and helped out with the first part of the lesson and then we were able to teach Young Women's the third hour. It was a busy Sunday but I was very grateful for it. It gave me many opportunities to bear my testimony.

Also, one last exciting story of the week. Last night Hermana Corona and I were doing some tracting and we saw a big group of Hispanic men outside so we went and talked to them. I think they all had one too many cervezas to drink and one of them came up to me to shake my hand and proposed to me right there. I nicely declined and told him when he wasn't borracho to say a prayer to Heavenly Father. As we walked away he came following and yelled, "I'll pray that you come back to me." And our walk turned into a run haha!

This past week was great and I really do stand all amazed each week as I see more and more miracles happening. I am so grateful that we have such a loving Heavenly Father who knows and cares for each one of His children. I am so grateful for the knowledge we have of His happy plan and for the opportunity to represent His Son Jesus Christ. I know He lives.

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

Con amor,

Hermana Swapp

PS: "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." -D&C 84:88