Hello,
So we got back from our p-day hike! It was the coolest hike ever! Pictures are attached. But it was filled with waterfalls and it was so green it is ridiculous!!
So this week was a hard week everyone cancelled on us so we had to do a lot of tracting and lots of knocking on doors hoping people would answer and no one did. But we still taught a lot of lessons so that was still good. The hardest part of the week was Thursday absolutely no one answered their door. And it was raining all day and so we were riding our bikes through the rain all over our area. It was the longest day of my mission so far. It was hard to keep going that day.
So we visit this less-active guy and he is going through a hard time right now his wife is planning on kicking him out of the house he can't find a job anywhere and it is just going downhill for him but we stopped by to visit him one night and we had a good discussion about trials and why we go through them and the spirit was so strong and after all he could say was "thank you for always bringing the spirit into my home." It was the coolest moment ever!
The funny story of the week is our stake president called us and asked if we could help him do service for a les-active lady. So we went with him and we walk into her back yard and we see this giant inflatable swimming pool filled with this black water! And she said she wants us to drain it and also get all the dead squirrels out of it! She said squirrels will run along the side fall in and then couldn't get out. So we start fishing for squirrels we pulled out about 12 dead squirrels!!!! The first thing that came to my mind is that me and brad have been trying to kill squirrels the wrong way at home! But ya it was the grossest thing but also one of the most fun things ever!!
The Pictures are from our hike and my mom sent me Brentwood Cherries!!!
Elder Swisher
Hello,
So transfers came and I am staying in Williamsport. They combined two of our areas so the job is going to be bigger. My new companion was already in my apartment and we love each other. So we are really excited to get started! So this week has been insane for us. Me and Elder Davidson have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off! Combining the 2 areas has been crazy. We have been teaching appointments every hour of
everyday. We had about 35 lessons set-up for this week! But people always cancel or don't show up so we taught 20 lessons this week! Which is an awesome amount! But ya we have just been all over the place. We love being companions we get along pretty good and we work hard but we have fun at the same time.
So funny stories for this week. One is me and Elder Davidson were at dinner at the Leatherberrys and she went to cosmetology school and so she usually gives us our hair cuts but this time she was talking about how she gets the inside of her nose waxed. So me and Elder Davidson after dinner had her wax the inside of our nose because we were
curious. It was not really painful but now I can smell great!! Hahahaha
The other story is Me and Elder Davidson went and knocked on a door looking fora less-active and when I knocked we heard this guy yell something down the street "I'll cut your arm off!" and so we just ignored what he said because we didn't know who he was taking too. So I went to go knock on the door again and the guy was getting closer but this time he yelled "if you knock on that door one more time I'll cut your liver out!" We now knew he was talking to us. He then finally walked up to us and this guy had tattoos all over him like he had lightning bolts for eyebrows!! But we just asked him if this guy lived here and he looked at us and he said "what is his address?" I had to hold back my sarcasm as much as I could but I replied back "here!" While I was pointing at the house I was standing in front of. And he
looked at me and said "oh, no he doesn't" and then he walked into the house... I was like seriously what just happened?! Well the funny thing is is that is a normal thing for Williamsport! Hahaha
I had a great week. I am coming to love Williamsport. Me and Elder Davidson
have so much fun together.
Love Elder Swisher
Hey!
so a little history first. I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was in middle school. I started learning when I was 7 and then I got cancer and I was just too timid after that to try it again. I still DO NOT like riding bikes!
So my bike story is me and Elder Bell were riding our bikes and Elder Bell ended up on the sidewalk and I was still in the street. Cars were starting to come down the road and elder bell looked at me and said that I need to get on the sidewalk. The curb was unusually high for a curb. That's my justification for what happened. So I sped up a little faster and a swung out and turned strait for the curb to try to get over it. When I got to the curb I tried to get my tire off the ground and it didn't want to listen to me. So I hit the curb going pretty fast and my bike did a front flip basically. I don't know how I did it but somehow when I was crashing I was able to run strait of the bike so it actually looked pretty cool my bike doing and flip and me running off of it somehow and not getting hurt. So the rest of the way home Elder Bell had me work on doing wheelies so I can get up curbs from now on.
So the pictures below:
1.Someone had the coolest Gravity Falls hat! Me and Brett Peterson loved that show and we watched it all the time. (yes even in high school)
2.Good bye dinner for Elder Hyer. He is going home.
3.Burning Elder Hyer's suit
4.Williamsport
5.Elder Bell made this picture of me making a street contactLove,
Elder Swisher
Hello,
Well I have to say I am on my way to looking like Jason Swisher (my bigger cousin). Haha
Now even families in the ward make fat jokes at me. I have gained 30 pounds. My mom has had to send me new jeans for p-day and now I need a new suit! Yikes!
The funniest thing was this Sunday our investigator came to church and after sacrament she stepped outside to smoke without anyone knowing and then when she was done she didn't want to throw a cigarette on church grounds so she stuck it in her purse and then in relief society someone brought up how people smell like smoke during church and then Diane got up and confessed smoking and then was trying to throw her cigarette away in the relief society room! Hahaha
Hardest thing was I had to lead out this week. Elder Bell pretended to be a new missionary and so I had to take charge and lead out the area. It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do but I am a lot more confident now and now I am prepared for transfers and can handle an area without a trainer.
Most spiritual thing was all week because I was struggling so much with leading out it was some of my most sincere prayers and I had to really listen to the spirit to get through each day. It was an amazing experience.
Pictures below are my crew with the title of Liberty and I brought my grandma's missionary tag with me on my mission and I keep it with me all the time!
Have a great day!
Love Elder Swisher
Hi B-wood!
My week has been great and the best and funniest part was teaching our investigator the Law of Chastity! She is not afraid to say what's on her mind and she is very very open. Like me and Elder Bell are going to have to wash out our ears with holy water!! We heard things I have never wanted to hear in my life like worse then anything I heard in high school! hahaha!!
Most spiritual part of my week was when me and Elder Bell were teaching this less-active family and we talked to the dad who is a recent convert we talked to him about getting the priesthood and he met with Bishop the next day and is now working with us to make sure he is worthy and prepared to hold the priesthood!
The pictures below are:
The 98 year old lady gives us ties every week!
Hilarious signs that tell you we are in the middle of nowhere Pennsylvania!!!
I love being a missionary. Have a great week and be a good missionary!
Love
Elder Swisher
Hey Everyone!
I had a fantastic week! I have just been working hard and having a great time serving the Lord.
Diane is progressing so well she is just having a hard time quitting smoking. She is really trying to quit but she is struggling with it. But other then that she is like a sponge she just soaks up all of the info we give her. She is willing to follow all commandments and she is excited to be baptized!
Also the mayor and is family want to keep meeting with us. The mayors wife seems very interested and she just wants to earn more and have her family be like the member families she sees. It is amazing and I look forward to getting their whole family in the font!!!
So we don't have garbage service here. So on P-day's one of our errands is driving to the dump! Pretty exciting! Good ol Williamsport! In the Picture below is Justin and Samir. They just started following us down the street and said they wanted to join us. Haha so we took a quick picture with them before we took them back home! Have a good week!
Love
Elder Swisher
Hey Brentwood,
I'm doing fantastic as usual. My week was pretty good. Our investigator quit drinking coffee and now she is working on quitting smoking. She knows this is the one true church and she has such a strong testimony about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. We also were able to
teach the mayors family again. The mayor wasn't able to make it but his wife was able to along with some of her children. And she seems like she is already a member. She is truly amazing. She has already been referring us to her neighbors and friends! The hard part is going to be the mayor. People say he is a strong catholic and just likes to learn more about other religions but I think he is starting to notice something about this gospel. We have a dinner with the mayor and his wife this week and we are excited!!
So I won't be coming home to the same Ward 😢 I like our ward! We need everyone to write to the first presidency and tell them that our boundaries can not move!!!hahah!!
I can't wait to here about the ward changes. Talk you all next week!
Love
Elder Swisher
Hello Everyone,
We have taught so many lessons this week more then we have before. General
conference was amazing we watched a couple sessions at bishops some at the church and one at another families house. I love conference so much my favorite talk was by Sister Mary R. Durham. It was my favorite cause she was talking about how do parents grow their children's testimonies so when they are on their own they will be strong and faithful. When I heard that talk I related it to me and my investigators. I also loved uchtdorfs talk in the priesthood session it was amazing. Lorika is 97 almost 98 years old and she remembers everything and is as sharp as a tack. She knows everyone and everyone loves her. President knows her so well that he made it so Lorikay is the only lady we can visit
without another male being there! Hahaha She loves to talk to people on the phone. She feeds all 8 of us missionaries once a week. Oh this week I got a random phone call from a
former investigator inviting us to dinner. And it turned out to be the mayor and his wife. They are awesome and I think we are going to try to start teaching them because dinner was fantastic. Anyway that was the highlight of my week. Have a great week everyone.
Love
Elder Swisher
