Week 7, I think

9/30/2019

Hey there friends! 

Sorry I've been bad about writing emails that past two weeks. I guess that means I have to write this week. 😊

So lots of things have happened the past few weeks! A few examples are a mission conference with Elder Montoya, talking with a crazy person and getting to use sign language!

So I'll start with the spiritual side of things. Last week we had a mission conference that replaced our zone conference. Our guest speaker was Elder Hugo Montoya of the Seventy! He really challenged us to work with members more often because it is one of the most effective ways of teaching people. It was really cool to meet a lot of the other Elders and Sisters in the mission!

Next story! We were riding our bikes to an appointment when a man yelled at us "Hey! I wanna talk to y'all mormons" so we went over because it was a teaching opportunity! Well anyways we pray with him and then after we say amen, he starts telling us how he is a Charles Manson worshipper (cult leader) and loves the devil. Then he started showing us verses in the Bible that reference the devil and started getting mad that we didn't know everything about the bible. It was super wack! Then he demanded our leaders number so that he could report us for not knowing our stuff well enough. We wouldn't give it to him so he threatened to call the cops 😂 we just rode off because we did nothing wrong. But then he yelled and told us to watch our backs. Super weird situation all together!!

Now I saved the best for last. I think it's the best story! So we started a bible study last week and it was a flop. No one showed up so we decided to go out and invite local people that live by the church to come to it the next week! We were knocking on some apartments and invited some people and then we stopped to talk to a man and woman in a car. I noticed the woman was awfully quiet and I felt prompted to go over to the other side and sign to her. Her name is Maryann and she is actually deaf! I was able to invite her to our bible study and she said she will come! It was awesome. About an hour later she ran back up to us with a Book of Mormon that was very used and marked! She told me that she wanted to learn more. I was able to sign to her with signs that I've never used in my life! It was an amazing experience! I don't know what to call it because it's not the gift of tongues so I guess it's the gift of hands! 👐😂

Anyways I just want to invite y'all to watch general conference this weekend and go into it prayerfully with a question and you will receive an answer!

'Til next week folks!

-Elder Swallow

Goats, Puppies and Missionary Work

9/16/2019

No letter from Dylan this week but he did upload some photos to his Google album so I thought I would share a few of those. Oh and he has a Facebook page now to share the gospel so go "friend" him - https://www.facebook.com/benjamin.swallow.14 .

Sweet Home Alabama ft. The Bedbugs

9/9/2019

Okay so I'll start off by saying that I made it to Alabama!!

 I'm serving in a place called Talladega! There is a huge NASCAR track here! Anyway storytime!

I was supposed to leave the MTC on Tuesday morning but plans changed early on Monday. Everyone in our room had packed everything up and we were all ready to go but then an Elder in our room found a... bedbug! Ewwww! It was so gross and then as we searched we found many more. We went and told the front information desk and then had us sit and wait until further info. We waited for 45 minutes and then one of the MTC district leaders came out and told us that our flights plans were going to be canceled until further notice. Ohhh..., we were all so upset and sad because we were so excited to get to the mission field. The rest of the group not in our room and district headed to Alabama but we were quarantined until they could get us cleared to travel.  The front desk proceeded to tell us that they would have call in a pest control company and they would create an “oven” to put all of our stuff into so that any potential bugs would be killed.

Then they said that we would have to sleep in the same room that night until they could get us a new one the next morning. It was so gross but I was just grateful because my bed was one of the only ones without bugs! 

The tender mercy in all of it was that I was able to be there on Wednesday, the day that my close friend Garrett arrived in the MTC. If I’d left as scheduled on Tuesday I wouldn’t have been able to see him. 

 

After all this happened we finally got flight plans and found out we would finally be leaving Thursday morning! I was so excited!!
I left the MTC at 4:30am and left for the airport! The flights all went great and I made it to Birmingham where I was met by the mission president and his wife!! They are both so amazing! 

And finally I got to meet my companion! His name is Elder Daines and he is awesome!! I'm going to learn so much from him! 

I've started to meet everyone here in the Talladega branch and they are all so sweet and kind! Everyone here wants to feed the missionaries so we don't have to cook much. I got my bike but we also have a car since my companion is the district leader. 

I don't have much time to write but we are teaching several people who are really receptive to the gospel and it is great to see the happiness that it is beginning to bring into their lives.

I already love my awesome mission president and his awesome wife, President and Sister Allred!

My trainer, Elder Daines is dope!

Anyway I'll talk to y'all next week!

-Elder Swallow