Today is Pday, but everyone is a little stressed because tonight we find out if we'll be transferred or not.. And everyone might get transferred. I'm really hoping I don't, but it's all in the Lords time and will.

The Week

This week was long and fast at the same time... I know weird. Last Pday we went to this place called airborne and it has all these trampolines it was really fun! I did a backflip it was a pretty good one to. It was like I was a cheerleader again. haha. We taught 3 lessons this week and picked up a new investigator! So exciting! This week I help an Elderly couple pick the sweetest tomatoes and the best raspberries!! It was so fun. Then we helped a woman whose husband just had a stroke clean her house and we helped a less active member with her yard, which was great because she has a nonmember son who she said she wants him to hear the lessons and be baptized!! Great things are happening! This week for dinner I had dinner with Barbra Winder she was the General Relief Society president in 1984-89 (I think) Then her and her husband served as mission presidents is Czechoslovakia they opened it when the iron curtain came down. Then they were the first Temple Presidents for the Nauvoo Temple. They were the sweetest, most humble people. They did not tell us these things we found out before we went. Also last night we were teaching a less active member and her visiting teacher was there and we sing before every lesson and this visiting teacher sings with the Mormon Tabernacle choir. It was so special and the spirit was so strong while we were singing! We were all crying.

The Work

The work really is starting to pick up. We taught a couple lessons one to the Rudarmels who we were going to have to drop. (I know drop sounds so cruel) We've taught them all the lessons and they haven't made any progression nor do they fill the need to be baptized. So it's hard when things like that happen because they talk about the trials that they have been going through and I just want them to know that if they read the Book of Mormon and pray to Heavenly Father then things will work out and they will be blessed. We have another investigator, Kellie, who is having trials and she is strong in her faith, but the Book of Mormon makes sense to her and the Gospel does, so we will keep working with her. Once she has a testimony in the Book of Mormon she is going to know that everything else is true. Our new investigator is wonderful. Her name is Tisa and she had an experience where she just knew that she hasn't made the right choices in her life. She talked to her neighbor who asked her if she wanted us to come over she said yes. So we decided to stop by one day and she was so excited! She has been reading and she said that as soon as she reads the Book of Mormon and she prays she doesn't feel like she needs to drink or smoke a cigarette. Then she came to church yesterday! And she had a great experience there and is so excited for us to start teaching her! And she committed to Baptism on our first meeting! Our wards.. our wards are seeing how important missionary work and they are realizing that not everything is well in Zion. Its just so comforting to know that Bishops are pushing missionary work and they have plans to ask less actives and non members if we can come and teach them the lessons! So.. all this great stuff is happening and I don't want to get transferred, but it's all in the Lords timing.

Lesson this week

There are a lot of hard days in the mission field, but there are also a lot of good days. As I finish my 1st transfer (woohoo) I don't remember those bad days, I remember that those were the days that I needed to lean on the Lord. Yesterday in relief society the lesson was on the talk by Elder Holland "Lord I believe." It was great because that is what we need to do. In our hardest trials and when our faith is at it's weakest we need to get on our knees and say "Lord I Believe!"  And I know that the spirit will enter into your heart and comfort you! This week I have met many people who have left the church because of certain things, but now they arer coming back because they got on their knees and believed in the Lord and knew that if they followed Him he would be there. I know that the Lord will be there for us in everything that we stand in need!

I LOVE YOU ALL!

Thank you for your prayers!

-Sister Swain