Week 20: Oh Kentucky...

Hey family,

I'll start off with the biggest news. I'm leaving Murfreesboro. And tomorrow morning I'll be heading up to Bowling Green Kentucky. And I'm pretty excited for that. From what I've heard we will be on bikes a lot so I'm very pumped for that. I have loved this area and the investigators and members that I've been able to work with. It's always gonna have a special place in my heart. But now I'm shoving all my stuff into my luggage and getting ready to peace out. My new companion will be Elder Sattearthwaite.  And all that I've heart about him is that he is literally a genius. So that's exciting! 

Elder Hollands visit was incredible. The time that I got to spend with him will never be forgotten, also just invade y'all were wondering he has really soft hands😂. But when we spoke to us he spoke with love power and authority. He truly is an apostle of the Lord. He spoke to us for 2 hours straight. And something that I will never forget that he said was, " don't you ever ever pass judgement on who needs the gospel and who doesnt", he went on to say every time you walk past someone silently you are judging them, and they are missing put on the best opportunity ever. 

It sounds like you guys have been really busy back home and that's good to hear. I'll send some pictures of our last district meeting and when we went bowling today. I'm defiantly gonna miss Elder Jorgensen he is a really good guy. I miss all of you guys. But I wont say I miss you a lot, because time is just flying by. Its almost April already and we get to skype in May. So yall better have some good questions for me😂 Mom your story was very good and also very true. There is a story in the New testament where Christ is ridiculed for eating dinner with publicans  and and sinners. And he responded with something like the whole need not a physician. He came to heal the sick and provide a way for us have eternal life. He didn't come to tell us who to judge and who to treat poorly. 

That's honestly about it for me

Love Elder Swanton

Week 17: Dog days

Hey family,

Things have been going well here in Murfreesboro. Except the weather is getting way hotter. It's now in the 70s and 60s. and it sure is humid here. My new companion is Elder Jorgensen and he is awesome. He is from Sacramento California. and he has been out on his mission for a little over 18 months now. He is a super hard worker. Our first day together it was pouring rain and we had to bike like 20 miles during that day. Elder J got bit by two dogs and ran into a mail box on his bike. so it was a very nice first day for him. We have been working with the members a lot to find part member families and people who are repentant. Things are going well with our Haitian investigators. They just don't speak English to well so we ordered a Haitian book of Mormon for them so they can read it.

Last I heard from president this is going to be my last transfer in the boro. We will see about that thought because things can for sure change in a couple weeks. I get to be the designated driver this transfer and I am pumped. For a while there I didnt know if I would be able to drive on my mission at all. It looks fun back home with all of that snow. and the puppy looks cute. Although this week I got to hold a cute puppy so that made me feel a lot better. Well that's it for me this week. I love yall and hope it will be a goodn.
Elder Swanton

Week 16: Transfers

I'll just start off with the biggest news! I'm not going anywhere. I'll be staying in the Boro for one more transfer. My comp Elder Taylor is getting transferred to the Franklin zone to be a zone leader. And I am receiving another zone leader from Clarksville named Elder Jorgensen. He's 6'4 and supposedly a very good missionary so I'm very excited. This transfer will only be 5 weeks. So it will be a short one. And when President called he said I'm leaving next transfer. But things could change who knows! So that's the big news so far.

This week was really good. We are finally starting to find people to teach again. We have this awesome family from Haiti that we are teaching. It's kinda hard tho because they speak Creole and French better than English. But we are doing our best. We also found a younger military couple that are really interested in learning more and I'm very excited to be teaching them. Elder Taylor is kinda chapped because we are just finding some really prepared people and he is leaving. I'm gonna miss that guy tho. He sure is a party. It was really nice to have a companion from Cache Valley for my first one.

Besides that we had the opportunity to give a blessing to a lady at the local hospital. And while walking in we encountered a lady who was beside herself and very angry. She tried to run into us and then proceeded to follow us to the elevator. Me and Elder Taylor didn't feel very good about it. Some interesting paranormal things happen here in the south that's for sure!

Oh and I met my first anti Mormon guy on a porch knocking doors this week. He told us that according to the King James bible we are a false cult. And that the book of Mormon is garbage. Then he said I hope you guys are okay with heat cause your going to hell. We smiled at him and said have a blessed day sir. People in the south are pretty cool:)

I finished training this week. My 12 week course is officially over. And I'm kinda sad, but now I have to take the training wheels off so that's exciting. And I might get to drive next transfer ! So that makes me super happy. Besides that things are going well here. It rains all the time! Thanks for the update mom. I love you guys lots and I know the book of Mormon is true! I hope you all have a great week.

I tried to do better at taking pictures hope you like them.

Week 15:

Well this week has gone pretty good. Not much to report on. We tract so much and we have really been finding a lot of people to teach. But whenever we try to go back and teach them they are always busy or gone so that's sad.

Transfers are next week. So that's when I'll know if I'm going to be staying again or not. And since this driving record thing is taking so long I'll probably not be driving for another transfer which makes me pretty sad. But that's alright.

Sound's like things are going good back home.

Love you all and hope you have a good week.

Week 14: 3 months...where did it go

Hey family!

Big Big news! It was just announced That at our next zone conference we will be receiving smart phones. This is a mission wide thing. And We are super excited for it. We have been using a flip phone and it's been pretty hard to communicate with anyone. Today We are moving one of our investigators to Michigan and they have so much stuff. We might be here all day. Actually We got them moved out. It was quite an ordeal but I have faith they will be baptised in Michigan. I can't wait to hear about it!

This week went by pretty fast as well. I know I say that a lot but having p day on Wednesdays just makes the weeks fly by. Bridger just hit his 5 month mark and I just hit my 3 month mark today so I'm pumped about that. We Have been doing a crazy amount of tracting. Knocking doors for more than 4 hours a day sometimes. That get kinda exhausting but me and Elder Taylor just keep working hard. We have a few new people who we are teaching who could really end up getting baptised. But if there is one thing I've learned going door to door in Tennessee is that everyone knows Jesus, and everyone is related to a preacher. Either your daddy is a preacher. Or you are. Or your grandfather was. It's kinda crazy. So consecutively since I've been here I've had Mexican food every week from member family's. I'm super grateful but I'm kinda confused at where this wonderful southern food is supposed to be. I've been able to use my bike a lot more recently as well, which makes me super happy. But the weather is just nuts. One day it's 66 and sunny and feels amazing, and the next day it is 32 and freezing with a wind chill. The saying is if you don't like the weather wait ten mins.

We have been doing a lot of tracting in the hood. And we have almost been destroyed by a pit bull. One literally almost broke though the owners legs and ate us. The owner was blocking it. Besides that the only other super scary dogs are German Shepards. When those come at you, you find the nearest tree and climb as high as you can.

I have two more weeks of training and the  I'll probably be on my own in a new area. Hopefully they keep me and Elder Taylor together cause he is a great missionary. Nothing too fun happened this week. Just a zone conference. And that was a blast.

That's about it for me this week.

Pic one. Elder taylor and me at town square today checking out some shops
Pic two. Me in a 200 year old family farm cemetery at a house we knocked on.
There are tons of dinky little cemeteries everywhere here. And lots of confederate flags😆

Week 13: Confirmation of the truth

Hey guys!

Sounds like your all having a lot of fun with the puppy and the dishwasher! Before I forget again mom for me to be able to drive in the mission I need you to go to the DMV and get my motor vehicle record. And then send that to me so I can get it to the mission office missionaries. I was supposed to be driving this transfer but that didn't happen.

Besides that I apologize for the lack of pictures. I scrubbed out. This week has just flown by. A new missionary is in our zone and he is dope. His name is Elder Ellison and he is going to be playing college basketball for Westminster when he gets back. That's exciting. We had exchanged with them this week . We worked so hard and found some new people to teach. Unfortunately our baptism fell through and we don't know when it will happen now. Transfers are in two weeks and it's being predicted that I may leave and train a new missionary but we will see what happens. I love Murfreesboro but I am ready for a change.

P days are a blast now because we have enough people to play football or basketball. I finished the Book of Mormon all the way through this week and prayed right after. And I just had an overwhelming feeling of knowing. I knew the book of Mormon was true and this is just confirmation to me. I'm also half way through the New Testament. There is so many gems in there it's crazy. It's been a warm and sunny 60 degrees mostly hear but the temperature is supposed to drop these next couple days.

We set up family mission plans with all the family's in our ward. It's really easy things y'all can do to serve and be good examples. Like pray for missionary experiences. And pray for people investigating the church. Do you guys have missionaries in our ward? It's really cool to hear about all of your missionary experiences. Keep up the good work!

Love you guys. Hopefully I'll have some good pictures and stories next week!

Week 12: Feeling the sprit

Must be from Utah....this ain't snow!

Here's the experience. Me and Elder Taylor were walking and talking and I had a feeling that we should go try this lady that we tracked into that was a member but didn't go to church anymore. So we walked to her place and I showed her the video, it's a Mormon message called "A shower of heavenly blessings". While watching the video she began to shake and cry and had to hand my tablet back to me so I held it for her and she watched the rest. She really felt the spirit and I testified to her that no matter what we are going through our Jesus knows our pains, and Jesus and heavenly father want us to get back on the right path. So I told her that and told her that we as missionaries would love to help her get back on the path. She through tears told me that she really wanted that. And we set up a time to come back and then said a prayer with her. Honestly that is one of the only times I can recall where the spirit clearly directed me to one of God's children who needed a message. It reminds me of President Monson saying"I feel I've done some good today. I am excited to keep teaching this amazing lady and help her become reconverted to the gospel.

Right after that we were knocking doors again and when a man opened the door he stared at us and he had some college girls inside said, "Come in, we are drunk!"And then another one said come get drunk with us! And me and Elder Taylor laughed and left them with our card. Maybe we should have just told them we didn't drink but we'd like to share a video with them. But that's alright. It was still way funny.

It literally snowed 3 inches here and everything is closed.

Love you guys and hope you have a good week!