sick dogs

So this week had a great start! We started out handing out Book of
Mormons like crazy and finding people to teach.

We went tracking and the first door we knock on was a foster home with
four young boys around ages 10-12 and they let us come in and teach
them about the Book of Mormon! It was awesome the boys thought it was
so cool and we have planned to go back and teach them more this week.
They were all pumped to have their own Book of Mormon!

We then had Zone conference and it was great President Bednar blew my
mind with his knowledge about agency and the Atonement! We also got
more instruction on light the world and we got more instruction on how
to live by the spirit of the law and not just the letter of the law.
It was such a cool training on how we can live close to Christ without
needing an exact rule for everything! We just simply need to start
asking ourselves does this fulfill my purpose!

Then after Zone conference Elder Segon went down with a cold and we
just kinda chilled in the apartment trying to help him get over the
cold. So the last part of the week wasn’t too exciting but was great
also because I did so much studying and learned so much about Christ
and the Book of Mormon it was great!

Well that was pretty much my week sorry for the lack of pictures but I
will promise to take some this week! Love and miss you all!

Elder Swisher

Thanksgiving!

Hey fam!

So this week wasn't too eventful! But thanksgiving was pretty fun!

We went over to a less-actives families house and had dinner with them
and was able to play so games with them and have a good time. So for
some reason everyone out here eats thanksgiving dinner at 12:00 so
it's more of a thanksgiving lunch but I'm not complaining! Haha I ate
a decent amount of food but not as much as last year!

So other than that Johnny is doing good. He is still progressing
towards baptism and is doing good. All the other investigators have
just been getting hard to get in contact with and so work is booming
quite yet but we are slowly getting there.

Another highlight was last night we went over to dinner at a members
house named the Kuerths and afterward we wanted to have a member
missionary lesson with them. So we sat down with their family and as
we started talking about missionary work they proceeded to tell us how
much missionary work they are already doing! And these are some
amazing member missionaries! Turned out that they were walking down
the street one day and started sharing the gospel with some random
lady turns out that she is an investigator! So that was an awesome
connection! And they committed themselves to invite certain people to
church and to take the lessons so it was an awesome lesson!

That's about my week! Thanks for all your love and support! I love and
miss you all!

Elder Swisher

Nothin Much

So this week has been interesting! We have been working our butts off!

So highlights we went to a Christmas parade/ tree lighting ceremony in
downtown Johnstown! It was the most low budget parade I have ever seen
but it was so much fun the entire town showed up so we went around
talking to all kinds of people. And the Pepsi trunk came and was
handing out free soda so you know I jumped on that as fast as
possible!! We probably handed out all the pass along cards we had in
our apartment that night. So overall a pretty good night!

We also had a lesson with our investigator Johnny. And set him on date
to be baptized! So Johnny told us he would like to be baptized in
march so we set him with a date and he is progressing very well! He is
an awesome dude that loves to learn!

This week we also have been trying our best to use Facebook to
communicate with people and it hasn't been too great... hahaha we have
been getting a lot of rejected friend requests from investigators and
some people leaving our chats. Hahaha I guess it is a work in
progress.

Other than that just the same old same old here in Johnstown! Just
working hard trying to find souls to bring unto Christ!

Elder Swisher

new comp!

So this week was transfers! So I said goodbye to my comp Elder Duley
but before he left it decided to finlalky become winter and we had our
first snow fall of the year!! So I have been freezing lately!! But I
got my new comp elder Segon from Newcastle, CA and he has been out one
transfer less than me. He is an A's, Raiders, and Kings fan! So we are
pumped to be together!

So highlights of the week definitely was giving a talk in sacrament
meeting! It was awesome to be able to introduce myself to the ward
finally. And I shared my cancer story as part of my talk and
afterwards this lady I hadn't met in the ward came up with her 5 year
old son and introduced herself and told me how her son is fighting
ALL! There are no coincidences! I started talking to the little boy
and the mom just started crying she was so happy to hear about that
experience and she said that it gave her hope that he can serve a
mission one day too! I have found at least one reason why I was sent
here! Great experience!!

Another highlight has just been serving with Elder Segon! We are
pretty much the same person and so we get along a little too well!
Hahah it has been a party and we sat down and set some awesome goals
for this area and we have been working our butts off! It has been
crazy to see the miracles already!

We were walking down the street when two guys started talking to us
when we got close one of them asked if we are Elders and he proceeded
to tell us how he is a member and lost contact with the church! So we
set up a return appointment for tonight and he is excited to sit down
and talk with us! He couldn't believe he ran into us and we couldn't
believe it either!

We are excited to get some work done together!!! Thanks for all your
love and support! Have a great week!

Elder Swisher

well transfers are upon us!

So transfers came and unfortunately Elder Duley is leaving but I am
getting a new comp that has been out for one transfer less then me and
he is from Sacramento!! Ya that's right baby! I'm getting another
Kings fan as a companion!!! Hoorah!! I'm pumped to talk about the bay
with him! Transfers have now been moved to Thursday so my new comp
will come Thursday.

This week I called up everyone I have met this past transfer and we
now have a bunch of appointments this week. That's right Johnstown is
turning around we have 2 investigators progressing towards baptism and
we found a possible family of 4 to start teaching! So we are pumped to
see where this goes this week!

Nothing big happened this week. We had a good lesson with our
investigator Russ who is going to marry an active member and he wants
to be baptized. We had another good lesson with our investigator
Johnny! He is such a stud and he has been reading the Book of Mormon
and says he wants to be baptized beginning of next year! So those were
some awesome lessons!

So this next Sunday we are giving talks in sacrament so I'm pumped to
give a talk so stay tuned because he week might be an action packed
email! Full of Swishers awesome lessons and talks! Hahaha

Only exciting thing that happened was my comp forgot the keys and
locked us out so below is a picture of my comp crawling through our
window to let us back in.

Below is also a picture of our sweet backyard!!!

Well I hope you all have a great week! Love and miss you all!

Elder Swisher

Sick Nasty!

So nothing too much this week. We had a fun experience getting home
last Monday in the middle of a storm! But to rap up this week. My
companion has been sick for the past couple days so he has been sick
since Wednesday so we haven't been able to go do anything so I have
been sitting in my apartment for the past little bit going crazy cause
one can only read the Old Testament so much before you go crazy. But
he is getting better so hopefully this week we can go out and get some
work done.

It is starting to get cold out here in PA and let me tell you I hate
the cold! Hahaha so it has been a good couple days to be inside
because it has been raining non-stop and so we have stayed dry. On
other news I have been drinking way to much soda. I bought an 18 pack
of Mtn. Dew before my comp got sick and it's all gone because I have
had nothing to do in the apartment besides drink Mtn. Dew! Hahaha

Well sorry I don't have much for you this week. Hopefully this next
week will be great! Love and miss you all!

Elder Swisher

B-day serving the Lord

So highlight of this week was definitely turning 20 but also being
able to spend my birthday serving the Lord. The best birthdays of my
life have been these past two were I didn't think of myself once and
just got to serve others the entire day. No better feeling then
serving on your birthday!

Well this week has been fun! I went on exchanges with an Elder who has
been out one transfer longer than me so we are definitely old guys out
here. But his name is Elder English and he is an awesome dude! We had
a good time on exchanges. We tracked down some less-actives and almost
every single one just said please never stop by again but in nice and
not nice ways so it made it easy to know not to knock on those doors
again. Hahaha

We got to give service for this old lady that lived in a farm and I
smelled horse poop for the first time in a long time and it made me so
happy! I know that sounds weird but I kinda missed that smell! It made
me feel like I was home! Haha but we just helped her get her garden
ready and also took care on cleaning out her barn so it was fun!

We also just were told that we will be getting a car for a single
purpose to get to church and get to Book of Mormon class. We have been
struggling to get to those places because no one can really give us
rides and the buses don't always run. So we are getting a car but are
still walk Elders. So that should be fun!

Last night we were walking in a place called Moxham and this guy sees
us and he yells at us to keep walking. So Elder Swisher being Elder
Swisher stops looks at the guy and says why?! He looks at me and
starts going off about how he does not like Jehovah Witnesses and I
looked at him and said we are not Jehovah Witnesses. He stopped and
was in shocked and replied well who are you I yelled Mormons! He just
looked at me and said same thing now get out of here! So my companion
now wanting to be obnoxious starts telling him the differences and
this guy actually warmed up to us and just had a nice conversation.
But that kills me it's like bro we aren't even close to your house or
looking in your direction and you yell at us to keep walking obviously
he wanted our attention. Hahaha well he got it and more!

That was just about my week! Thanks for all your love and support!
Peace out till next week!

Pics below include:
My birthday presents!
Our wonderful sidewalks in PA
My birthday cake that night
And me randomly with a BOM

Elder Swisher

J-Town walk

This has been an interesting week! We had a Zone conference all about
Facebook and our mission President introduced it and gave us the
permission to start using it. We can communicate with investigators.
We can coordinate better with the members but it is really weird to
get used going on Facebook every time I click on it I feel like I'm
breaking so many rules! But the conference was awesome and you could
really feel the spirit! It was also good because I got to see my boy
Elder Holley and my mission grandson Elder Bowring so that made it
pretty cool!

Other than that we have been busy trying to track people down.
Johnstown is a crazy place we have started to try to contact all the
less-actives in our area and it has been crazy times.

The ward this Sunday was talking about the missionaries and it was
funny because they said we need to make sure the Elders get feed
because only people in our area can feed us but everyone lives in the
sisters area so in order to remain obedient none of the members can
feed us. So it was funny when they brought it up because everyone was
silent until someone spoke up and said well are you asking us to break
the rules! I started laughing so hard!

We have a weekly service project that takes like 30 minutes and we go
to this TV station and we record Music and the Spoken Word and then we
make it so it gets broadcast throughout Johnstown. And it is pretty
cool to be in a TV studio!

Well that's life in J-Town walk for the moment being! Thanks for all
you do! I love and miss you all!

Elder Swisher

Miracle Referral!

So this weeks highlight has been when we were at a gas station. This
lady came up to us and asked if we still go and visit people. I said
yes and she said go visit my friend. So she gave us his name and
address and then just walked away. So me and elder Duley had no idea
what to expect so we went over and knocked on his door the next day.
And this guy opens the door and lets us in we asked if he was Terrance
he said yes and was really confused. Well we told him the story and he
started laughing. He had no idea who the lady could have been but then
I asked why do you think we were sent here. And he started thinking
again and said well I'm having a hard time with churches right now and
now that I think of it I used to investigate your church. And then all
these good memories overcame him! He said I remember getting an
awesome feeling when I would read the Book of Mormon and pray about
it. And attending your church is great everyone is so nice and I love
how great it feels there. I don't know why I stopped investigating!
Hahaha so right now I was in complete shock. And he said could you
guys start visiting me twice a week?! And we said heck yes we can! So
we found a bomb new person to teach from some random lady!! Miracles
really do happen!

Well this week I am also giving everyone a heads up! We are officially
getting Facebook this week so if you see changes on my Facebook it is
not disobedience it is because after this week we will be using
Facebook! I freaked out because I had to long in and start cleaning my
old one out and it was so weird!! But ya so this is a thing now... not
sure how I feel about it. Also another big change is starting January
missionaries in a tablet mission will no longer have tablets but will
come out with smartphones!!! Crazy changes are happening in missionary
work!!

Other than that I got to attend Johnstown sacrament meeting for the
first time and this ward is tiny and awesome! They are some of the
weirdest and funniest people I have ever met! It is a congregation of
about 40 people! And it is awesome not many people there but they are
some characters and it's great!

Oh we also found a guy to teach! He was a member referral and he is a
former semi-pro basketball player! And he is going to come down to the
church with us a play sometime! Can't wait to get dunked on!! Hahaha

Well that's about it for my week! Nothing much else thanks for all
your love and support! Love and miss you all!

Elder Swisher

J-Town

So Johnstown is middle of nowhere and the people here know it and hate
it! Hahahaha they are funny they just keep telling me welcome to
nowhere! Hahaha

Walking is the best I missed walking and we have been working our
butts off! So my companion is Elder Duley from Oregon he is a cool
dude. He doesn't know too much about the area so we have been figuring
out things together. We have missed a couple buses and have gotten
lost once or twice but it's been fun. So the walk Elders used to rely
heavy on the drive Elders for rides but we now have sisters as the
drive missionaries so we can no longer get rides with them. So it has
been an adventure getting to church and getting wifi. Hahaha but
J-town is great.

So there is an old man in the ward that needs us to help him each week
and then he takes us to dinner. Well I walk into his house and see an
old mandolin and so I asked if he could teach me some and so he
proceeded to teach me how to play a little of the mandolin and then he
proceeded to give me an extra mandolin he owned and said take it, and
practice and you can keep it! So I am now teaching myself the
mandolin!! Hahaha

My first dinner here I went over to a house and the wife said she is
from Fremont and I laughed and said I am from Brentwood and then she
asked if I know the Taylors and I laughed even harder and she just
looked at me like I was crazy! Hahah then I explained that McKenna is
my best friend and she started freaking out. So it was cool to meet
her!

General Conference was amazing! We had to take a bus and get off on a
highway and then walk 2 miles uphill to get to the church so it was
quite the adventure on Saturday. On Sunday we got to enjoy Conference
from a members home named the Wingards and it was great to be in a
home again to watch Conference instead of at the church building!

Other than that nothing much has happened. We are just working hard
trying to learn the area and where we are going!

Love and miss you all hope you have a great week!

Elder Swisher

getting transferred

Well i am getting transferred! I am going to Johnstown!! Not only
Johnstown but Johnstown walk!!! That's right back to a walk area! If I
finish my mission in this area it will make it 10 out of 17 transfers
in a walk area!!! Hahaha walk Elder for life!! My companion is Elder
Duley and I don't know anything about him besides he has only been out
for like 8 months. But I'm pumped. Johnstown is in the Altoona stake
and is in the middle of the mission so I'm excited!

Well leaving beaver on a good note we have an area that we cover
called Hookstown and it is middle of nowhere and we have been tracking
down less-actives out there and we have found 3 part-member families
that want us to come back and share the lessons with them. I drove out
there with a team up the other day and I decided to try an old Book of
Mormon referral she said she didn't want someone to drop off a Book of
Mormon that she would just get one from the library. But that was a
couple months ago so we go out all the way to hookstown just to try
her. And she was so happy to get her own copy because she had to
return the library's copy. Hahaha but she has been studying about the
church for a while and wants the missionaries to come over and teach
her more. She says she really likes what she has studied so far! She
also wants us to start teaching her family! So unfortunately I'm
leaving but I a, leaving Elder Groesbeck with lots of people to teach.
No more drought! Beaver is booming!!

I got to go on exchanges with my boy Elder Bryan and he taught me some
more things on the guitar and we also got to have some bomb lessons
and found some new people for him to teach in his area.

It was hard to say bye to the Beaver Ward. This ward is the best ward
ever! And has become family to me! I have some pictures of the
greatest people I have ever met! And so the pictures below are some
extended family now! Hahaha my adopted family!

Well thanks for all your love and support! I love and miss you all!
Hope your week was great!

Elder Swisher

How did you find us?

So this week we had a beast Zone Conference. Where Elder Neilson of
the seventy came and talked to us. It was such a cool conference. He
taught us all about Christ's Atonement and the different parts to it.
And then he focused on us and how we could help our investigators
apply the Atonement in Christ's life. It was so awesome to be able to
hear and learn from him.

So this week I got to go on an exchange with an Elder in my district!
Elder Wood. And he is an awesome guy and likes to sweat. So he ran me
to the ground on bikes. I think he had us bike up every hill possible
in their area but it was good for me. Hahaha

So the other night we had a feeling to stop by a less-active who's
name we had never seen before. And it's not too far from our house. So
we go there it was late at night and we knock on the door and this
lady answers and before I can say anything the first thing that came
out of her mouth was "How did you find us?!" In an interesting way. I
had had this happen before and it was usually followed up by someone
yelling at us or a door slammed in our face. But her husband came to
the door and it was the less-active and he was so excited to see us.
Apparently she responded like that because they had just moved to that
house like 2 weeks ago. So how we got their new address so fast I have
no idea! Hahaha but their son was about to go through a big hip
surgery again and he is only 2 years old. So the dad wanted us to give
him a priesthood blessing. So before I felt the need to explain what
it was to the wife, who is not a member, and share my testimony of
them. Afterward we gave him a priesthood blessing and in it the words
were said "let the doctors know what will be best for him at the
moment." And so the surgery was the very next day and we text the dad
to see how it went and he sent this huge text telling us how amazing
it was. The doctors were about to do the surgery when they decided to
take one more X-Ray to see what is going on. And right before they
were about to put the little guy to sleep one doctor came in and said
don't do it. He then showed the X-Ray and his hip had showed recovery
it was growing normal it was on its way already with no surgery
needed. The Dad and mom were so happy that their little boy didn't
have to go through another surgery. Especially since he has already
been through so much. They want us to come over and visit every week
now. Miracles really do happen. The priesthood is real.

So we got a text from a member the other day telling us to contact his
friend. So his friend just proposed to a girl in the ward and they are
engaged, well the family doesn't like that he is not a member but he
doesn't know anything about the church. So because he wants to make
decisions for himself and not for his future in-laws he wants us to
teach him the lessons but keep it a secret so he doesn't feel pressure
from the family. So we started teaching him and he is just an absolute
amazing guy. Crazy thing is he is my age! He graduated the same year
as me and so it was cool to teach someone that I could relate with
very well.

There is a less-active that I have done a lot of service for his name
is Pat. And he wanted to repay us for all the service we did and so he
took us out to dinner and a Brazilian steak house one of those places
were the meat just keeps coming. Ya he took us there and it was
amazing! I have never been so full in my life!

That was pretty much my week. So pretty good week. Love and miss you all!

Oh ya and a member gave me a dope bowling ball to use for P-day today!

Elder Swisher