Investigators and Bike Wrecks

Hey folks!

We had a really good week this week. We are seriously being blessed a lot with our investigators. Just 6 weeks ago we didn't really have any promising investigators but now we've got like half a dozen who are all pretty great. We had a lesson with an investigator named Joe we've been trying to have a full lesson with for awhile now, and were finally able to teach the Restoration. There were multiple places in the lesson where we were clearly led by the Spirit in what to say, and he understood really well for the first time. We're pretty excited about him now.

We also had a lesson with an investigator named Austin, who we've been meeting with for months. But this time was different. It was similar to Joe's lesson in that there were multiple places where we were clearly led by the Spirit in what we said, and for the first time ever, he began to understand what the Spirit feels like and recognized that he's been feeling it as he's met with us. Austin's a little bit autistic so he's mentally about 10-12, and he's been very concerned about going to hell for listening to us, so this is great progress. He's just become one of our top investigators. We're pretty excited about him too.

And then on Sunday Austin came to church! And not only him, but Don came too!! (Don's the guy that John introduced us to last week) Both of them had a wonderful time and really liked it, and both of them want to come back. We were super excited about that. We'll be working with both of them this week, and we're hoping to get Austin on date for baptism.

Crazy story. So on Saturday we went biking with Pete, a crazy member from Thailand who feeds us a lot and is awesome. We went on this really pretty greenway with lots of trees and autumn leaves and it was gorgeous and wonderful. But then we were going through a tunnel and Elder Bateman decided to run his hand against the wall, and he lost his balance and crashed pretty epically. Luckily he was wearing a helmet and he didn't break anything, he just got pretty scraped up and twisted his ankle. And there was a Walgreens nearby, so Pete biked to it and bought some bandages and alcohol and we cleaned him up and biked on.

But THEN, like an hour later, we were almost home when we hit a little patch of gravel, and Pete lost his balance and ate it too! And he fell into the road, and almost got hit by a car, and when he stood up his pinky finger was pointing perpendicularly away from his ring finger (shudder). So we ended up taking him to an emergency clinic and waiting for like 3 hours for the people there to do paperwork so the doctor could spend 5 minutes relocating his finger. Haha but it's all good. We definitely felt God's protection that day. Elder Bateman could have easily broken his ankle, and Pete could have been killed by a car or at least broken his finger. Instead it was all okay. :)

Quick message this week, stolen from President Griffin. At the end of our zone conference this week he stood up and shared 8 points that had come to his mind during the conference. I invite you all to consider them too:

1. Cynicism creates numbness toward life.

2. Instant gratification is counterfeit happiness.

3. Commandments/Laws/Rules help you learn.

4. You are not the exception to the rule.

5. It’s the daily little decisions in life that determine our destiny.

6. Surprise! Every missionary or member is not yet perfect.

7. You get as much out of something as you put in it.

8. Working in the Lord’s vineyard is AWESOME!!!

When considering these points, I invite you to also consider the counsel given by King Benjamin in Mosiah 4:10:

And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you; and now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them.

If there are things you need to change in your life - based on these points, based on what the Holy Ghost has been telling you, based on something you've learned, whatever - do it! Use the Atonement of Christ to change yourself. Repent of your sins and forsake them. Humble yourself before God and ask sincerely for His forgiveness. And if you believe all these things - do them! It's all useless if you
don't choose to use what the Lord gives you, to do what He tells you. Remember His counsel in D&C 58:27-30:

Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.

But he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and receiveth a commandment with doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness, the same is damned.

Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, that will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments?

I hope you all choose to make the changes in your life the Holy Ghost directs you to make. Seek the Lord's counsel and correction. And choose happy. :) I love you all!

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen!

Love,

Elder Swindler

Fotos:
1) Elder Milne with a ginormous pancake at the bishop's storehouse

2) Bishop's storehouse roof selfie

3) Tennessee sunrise

4) Spiderwebs outside our apartment

5-8) We played tennis in the rain today and got drenched :)

And finally some photos from Sister Griffen's blog, taken on P-day and at a training:

Yeilding our Hearts unto God

Hey folks,

This week was great. :) I hope you all had as much fun as I did.

We were on bikes this week again. I never really understood how the phrase "uphill both ways" could be true until I came here... But I survived.

On Tuesday we did some service for a really cool guy in our ward named Al. We helped him start laying stone for a back patio. And we also got a really cool new investigator named Don! A recent convert named John that we work with a lot invited him to come to church with him this week, and Don had some questions about what to expect, so John invited him to come over to his house and meet with us. We answered his questions and ended up teaching him the Restoration and it was pretty amazing. It was probably the best first lesson I have ever had on my mission. The Spirit was so strong, and he understood really well, and he was excited about the Book of Mormon and promised us he'd read it... It was great. :) But then he got sick Sunday morning and couldn't come to church. Sigh... there's always opposition. But we'll try to see him again this week.

We are also going to start teaching the daughter of a recent convert (Samantha) again. The girl's name is Dominique, and she used to be a pretty promising investigator, but she wasn't able to start living the Word of Wisdom, and things just kind of petered out. But she wants to start meeting with us again, and we're going to do the 15 step program with her. She came to church this week and she signed up to feed us dinner on Friday, so that's awesome. :)

We started the 15 step program with Mayetta, and she did really well! Well, at least, up until Sunday. But that's huge progress for her, so we're still excited! We're going to keep working with her and her husband on preparing for the temple. Could you guys pray for her? Quitting smoking is very hard and she could use the help.

Church yesterday was great. John received the Aaronic Priesthood, and Samantha brought her sister Mortisha to church! And the talks in sacrament meeting were awesome. One quote I really liked was something along the lines of "God promises us that when we repent of our sins, He remembers them no more (D&C 58:42). We ought to be like our Heavenly Father and do the same thing. We must repent, leave our sins in the past, and move on, facing the future with hope."

The Lord has really blessed us with new investigators this week and it's amazing. We basically got 3 new investigators (Mortisha, Dominique, and Don) and none of them were really from anything we did. I'm feeling pretty grateful to the Lord. Thank you all for your prayers, too. :)

My message this week is based on Helaman 3:35:

"Nevertheless they did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

I love this verse, and there is a lot to be learned from it. Like how fasting and praying often helps us become humble and develop strong faith. Or how humility and strength go together, and we are strongest when we are humble (see "Humility" in True to the Faith, it's a pretty awesome - and short - little section). Or how strong faith is not an abstraction or illusion but is firm and concrete and stabilizes us. But I think the most important part is the end bit: "...which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God."

Our purpose in life is to one day receive all that our Father in Heaven has to offer us. In order for us to do that we must both be cleansed from all sin and become like our Savior, becoming converted and developing His attributes. We must not only repent of our sins and be washed clean by His atonement, but we must change and grow and be made something new by His grace. At baptism we are washed clean from all sins and are spiritually reborn. We then receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, that He may be our companion and guide along our journey on the "strait and narrow path." That journey requires us to change and grow, to become like our Savior. It requires us to be not only clean, but become purified and sanctified.

And how do we become purified and sanctified? This verse teaches us that we must yield our hearts unto God. As we do this, praying and fasting oft, and waxing stronger and stronger in our humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, our souls will be filled with joy and consolation, even unto the purifying and the sanctification of our hearts.

I challenge each of you to join me in yielding your heart unto God. Pray often. Fast. Strive to become humble and increase your faith. Seek to learn His will and do it. Be willing to give up your own desires and will to do His, trusting that He has your best interests - and your eternal life - at heart. I promise you that as you yield your heart unto God throughout your life, you too will find that your hearts are filled with joy and consolation, and that they will be purified and sanctified. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Elder Alex Swindler

Pictures:

1) Me and Elders Bateman, Hoyt and Milne after the service project (this is the patio we started)

2 and 3) We call this hill Level 10

Chili and Conversion

Hey folks!

We had a pretty busy and crazy week this week. Monday and Tuesday morning we helped out at the bishop's storehouse in Farragut, which was fun. It was pretty cool to see how smoothly and carefully and precisely things are run there. It was pretty different from the food pantry I helped at back in Rockwood. The Rockwood one was still good, it was just a lot less orderly.

We had another visit with Roger and Mayetta and it went really well. We felt like we should work with them to help them prepare to go to the temple together. Mayetta has been struggling with the Word of Wisdom, and in the lesson both of us felt prompted to bring up the 15-step program and invite her to try it again (she tried it once before and was able to quit, but she fell back into old ways). She agreed, and she told us at the end of the lesson that before we came she had been praying for help quitting. She felt like our invitation was the answer to her prayers. I thought that was pretty cool. :)

One of the perks of having two major hospitals in your area is that you get asked to give a lot of priesthood blessings. This week we got to give two blessings to members from other areas in the mission. Both were pretty cool experiences. The first one was for a member in the ICU. It took us three attempts on three different days to finally get in to see her (we kept missing the visiting hours and catching her asleep). When we finally did manage to come at the right time, her family was there and we were able to talk with them and help them before giving her the blessing. It was a really amazing and spiritual experience and it wouldn't have happened if we hadn't been unable to give her the blessing those first two times. Heavenly Father does know what he's doing. :)

The second one was less of a cool story but was just as powerful. It was an older lady who had had an aneurysm and was feeling pretty down. We got to talk with her for like an hour and it really lifted her spirits. And the Spirit was very strong there as we gave her the blessing. It was great. :)

On Friday we ended up having two dinner appointments. The first one was with a family in the ward who live super far away from us, and we were super low on miles this week so we called them and left a message cancelling the appointment because we just weren't going to be able to make it. And then, after we'd already made an appointment with another member for the same night, they called back and told us they'd found us a ride. Both of the members really wanted us to come, and we didn't want to hurt their feelings, so we decided to go to both.

The first member we ate with fed us chili. He is notorious for feeding the missionaries tons of food, and he certainly lived up to his reputation that night. Granted, the chili was possibly the best I have ever had in my life (it was hickory smoked, oh my goodness), but I have never eaten so much chili in one sitting in my life. I thought I was gonna pop. And then, guess what the next member fed us? Chili. I hope I don't eat chili again for at least a month.... :P

My message for the week has to do with conversion. Consider these quotes from Elder Dallin H. Oaks' Oct 2000 talk "The Challenge to Become" (which is an awesome talk, and if you get time this week, I invite all of you to study it):

'From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.

'...Jesus’ challenge shows that the conversion He required for those who would enter the kingdom of heaven (see Matt. 18:3) was far more than just being converted to testify to the truthfulness of the gospel. To testify is to know and to declare. The gospel challenges us to be “converted,” which requires us to do and to become. If any of us relies solely upon our knowledge and testimony of the gospel, we are in the same position as the blessed but still unfinished Apostles whom Jesus challenged to be “converted.”

'...Now is the time for each of us to work toward our personal conversion, toward becoming what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.'

It is not enough for us to simply know that the Gospel is true. The Gospel is a pathway, a way of life that changes our very being if we will allow it. Consider Nephi's words (from 2 Ne 31:17-20):

'...For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.

'And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life; yea, ye have entered in by the gate; ye have done according to the commandments of the Father and the Son...

'And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save.

'Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.'

It is essential that we not only enter the gate to the pathway of eternal life, but that we continue on that path. Otherwise we will never reach our destination. We must not only do the things we're supposed to do, we must become the people we are supposed to become. We must become like our Savior in order to receive all that He desires to give us. We must be converted.

The Savior knows this is too much for us to do on our own. That's why He wrought His Atonement to enable us to repent and do things beyond our capabilities, and that's why He gives us the Gift of the Holy Ghost after baptism to guide us along our path.

I challenge all of you to join me in actively choosing to become more like the Savior. Study His life and example. Pray and ask the Lord "What lack I yet?" (see https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/what-lack-i-yet?lang=eng) and choose to make the changes you feel prompted to make. Consider D&C 58:26-28:

'For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant; wherefore he receiveth no reward.

'Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

'For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward.'

I challenge each of you to use your agency to become more like the Savior. Humbly ask the Lord what you need to change, and then make the change! I promise you that as you do this He will help you. His grace is sufficient for you. (Ether 12:27)

I love you all!! Make yourselves a great week!

Elder Swindler

 

Pictures:

 

1) Chili and Pot

Post-chili selfie (round one of chili)

 

Spotted in an apartment complex

 

2) Cats

The fattest house cat I have ever seen

The largest house cat I have ever seen

 

 Videos:

1) FOR NARNIA!!

 

2) FOR GONDOR!!

 

General Conference!

Hey folks!

I hope you all got to watch conference this weekend. I loved it. :) But more on that in a minute!

This week was good. We didn't see very many people but it was still fun. This was my first week on a bike, and hoo boy, people aren't kidding when they talk about the "hills of Tennessee." Hopefully I'll have some pretty epic thighs by the time I leave the area. :)

We did see a few less-actives and recent converts, and that went well. One older couple, Roger and Mayetta, are both recent converts and less-active, but recently they've started doing a lot better. Last week they came to church, and it was great. :) This week we invited them to watch general conference, and to have at least one question apiece written down (and prayed about) to look for answers to as they watched. (Don't judge my grammar, not sure if I Englished that sentence right... haha)

We also hung out with a really cool member in our ward from Thailand for his birthday. He's really eccentric but has a huge heart and loves all the missionaries. His real name is hard to say so he just goes by Pete. And he loves Star Wars, so we all (Elders Hoyt, Milne, Bateman and me) pitched in to get him a 3-foot-tall clone trooper action figure. It was really fun.

I had a really good experience watching conference. I decided to do the same thing we challenged Roger and Mayetta to do - go into conference with questions written down. And I got answers to my questions! The answers weren't all straightforward, but they all made sense to me, and they all required me to act in some way. Which makes sense. After all, God's purpose is to bring to pass our immortality and eternal life (see Moses 1:39), and He can't do that if He doesn't help us progress and learn. Giving us all the answers to all of our questions without requiring us to put forth any effort would be counterproductive.

I hope all of you had similarly good experiences watching conference. I hope you all learned things, and felt the Spirit teach you and testify of the truthfulness of the words of those who spoke. My challenge to you this week is to reflect on the things you heard and felt during general conference (unless you didn't watch it, in which case your challenge is first to go and watch it!). Go back and study your notes if you took notes. Watch or read again the talks that stood out to you. I know that if you prayerfully look back and ponder the things you heard and learned and felt, you will find things that stood out to you, things that you feel impressed by the Spirit that you need to do. Because God loves you, and He desires your happiness and progression, and He knows what is best for you, He will always invite you to do something, to act. When we listen to His words, the Spirit whispers to us and quietly impresses upon us things He would like each of us to do. I invite you to find what those things are - the things He would like you to do - and then DO THEM. Act!! God desires so much to bless us and help us progress, but He will never force us, so it is up to us to choose to act. When we act, we have His promise that He will help us.

I challenge you to exercise the faith to act. I promise you can do it. I promise He will help you. Trust Him. He loves you and won't let you fail if you will do the things He asks you to do. And don't try to do everything at once. Mosiah 4:21 teaches:

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order."

Remember also the words of Nephi in 2 Nephi 28:30:

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."

He won't give you more than you can handle at once, and He doesn't ask you to try to do everything at once. He gives "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little." And that is how He asks us to improve and learn and grow. Be patient with yourself, choose to act now, exercise faith in the Lord, and take it one step at a time.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. :)

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support. Make yourself a great week. :)

Elder Swindler

 

Fotos

1) Elders Hoyt, Milne, me, and Bateman at the Sun Sphere in Knoxville

 

2) Because we can adult

 

 

3) Conference dogpile

 

 

4) Pre-conference selfie

 

 

More fotos...

1) Redneck mirror

 

 

 

2) "Get your freshman fifteen here"

 

 

3) A victory for Tennessee literacy

 

 

4) Post-conference selfie

 

Gotta love the South!

1) Redneck fan

 

 

2) Yes, that is a lawn mower in the back of a car

 

Trust the Gardener

Hey everybody!

So I got transferred this week. Which means I spent all of Tuesday running around saying goodbye to EVERYONE and packing like crazy. It was really sad to say goodbye. I really love the people in Rockwood and I'm sure gonna miss it there. It was kind of like leaving on my mission all over again. Exciting but also sad. I'm sure gonna miss those guys a lot. :/

But! Things are also really good. I got transferred to Knox West area, serving in the Knoxville 1st ward. It's a great ward and a great area and I'm excited to serve here. :) I really like my new companion. His name is Elder Bateman, he's from Harriman, UT, and we get along really well. He's a great missionary, and really fun, and a great friend, and I'm really enjoying having him as my companion. Also my new district is super fun and I like them all a lot. I'm really excited for this transfer. :)

This area is pretty different from Rockwood. For one thing we're in a big city and there are a lot more people. Also, we only have a car every other week (we bike the other weeks), and there are a lot of hills, so hopefully I'll have great thighs by the time I leave. And the University of Tennessee campus is in our area, so there are a lot of college kids (and a lot of college girls... which can make it really hard to focus sometimes haha) and lots of cool stuff to do and places to eat and all that. It's fun. :)

We did a lot of service this week. We helped out at this senior appreciation thinger at a park on Friday most of the day, and it rained basically the entire time, so we got pretty wet but it was still fun. Mostly we helped escort old ladies across the field from tent to tent under our umbrellas. And on Saturday we spent most of the day helping out at an emergency preparedness fair, which was also fun.

Sunday was really good. I met a ton of people and I'm still trying to figure out everybody's names. We had great meetings and I felt the Spirit and learned a lot.

My message for the week is mostly stolen from President Griffin at transfer meeting. He quoted from Jacob 5 in the Book of Mormon, the great allegory of the tame and wild olive trees, but he told us to consider the verses he shared as a parable rather than an allegory. An allegory is an incredibly complex narrative where every little piece is symbolic of something. A parable is a simple story with a simple moral meaning we can apply to our lives.

Before he quoted the verses, he asked us all to think about times when we have asked the Lord "Why me? Why have you put me here in these circumstances? Why are you letting me go through this trial? I need this, or that, or the other! This is too much for me to handle! Why aren't you helping me?" I think it's safe to say we've all done this in one way or another. I know I have.

Here is the part he quoted (Jacob 5:19-23):

"And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto the servant: Come, let us go to the nethermost part of the vineyard, and behold if the natural branches of the tree have not brought forth much fruit also, that I may lay up of the fruit thereof against the season, unto mine own self.

"And it came to pass that they went forth whither the master had hid the natural branches of the tree, and he said unto the servant: Behold these; and he beheld the first that it had brought forth much fruit; and he beheld also that it was good. And he said unto the servant: Take of the fruit thereof, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self; for behold, said he, this long time have I nourished it, and it hath brought forth much fruit.

"And it came to pass that the servant said unto his master: How comest thou hither to plant this tree, or this branch of the tree? For behold, it was the poorest spot in all the land of thy vineyard.

"And the Lord of the vineyard said unto him: Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit.

"And it came to pass that the Lord of the vineyard said unto his servant: Look hither; behold I have planted another branch of the tree also; and thou knowest that this spot of ground was poorer than the first. But, behold the tree. I have nourished it this long time, and it hath brought forth much fruit; therefore, gather it, and lay it up against the season, that I may preserve it unto mine own self."

Consider that we are like the "natural branches" of the olive tree, and God is the Lord of the vineyard. Sometimes we, like the servant, ask the Lord why we have been planted in such poor soil. We look to heaven and ask God "don't you know that I need this, or that, or the other?"

The Lord's response in these verses is key: "Counsel me not; I knew that it was a poor spot of ground; wherefore, I said unto thee, I have nourished it this long time, and thou beholdest that it hath brought forth much fruit."

At times like this it is easy to forget that God is the master gardener, and He knows exactly what He is doing. He loves you, and He is not stupid. The Lord teaches in Matthew 6:

"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? ...For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

When we are tempted to look to heaven and try to counsel God, we have to pause and humble ourselves. We have to remember to trust Him. Instead of pridefully trying to resist Him, and telling ourselves that we know better than Him, that we are the exception to the rules, we must instead seek to take up the nourishment of the ground wherein He has planted us. We can't pick and choose, either. The questions we should be asking the Lord, instead of "why me," are "what is it? what do you want me to learn here?"

Consider the words of the Savior in Matthew 6:7-10:

"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

"Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

I'll close with the words of Elder Christofferson, from his April 2011 talk "As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten:"

President Hugh B. Brown, formerly a member of the Twelve and a counselor in the First Presidency, provided a personal experience. He told of purchasing a rundown farm in Canada many years ago. As he went about cleaning up and repairing his property, he came across a currant bush that had grown over six feet (1.8 m) high and was yielding no berries, so he pruned it back drastically, leaving only small stumps. Then he saw a drop like a tear on the top of each of these little stumps, as if the currant bush were crying, and thought he heard it say:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. … And now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me. … How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

President Brown replied, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.’”

Years later, President Brown was a field officer in the Canadian Army serving in England. When a superior officer became a battle casualty, President Brown was in line to be promoted to general, and he was summoned to London. But even though he was fully qualified for the promotion, it was denied him because he was a Mormon. The commanding general said in essence, “You deserve the appointment, but I cannot give it to you.” What President Brown had spent 10 years hoping, praying, and preparing for slipped through his fingers in that moment because of blatant discrimination. Continuing his story, President Brown remembered:

“I got on the train and started back … with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. … When I got to my tent, … I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, ‘How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?’ I was as bitter as gall.

“And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, ‘I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.’ The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness. …

“… And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to [God] and say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.’”

I challenge all of you to join me in considering your own relationship with God. Let us all choose to trust His will and strive to align our will with His.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. :)

I love you all!!

Elder Swindler

Pictures:

Goodbyes

1) The Woods family (minus the younger kids)

2) The Beyer family (minus Bro Beyer)

More Goodbyes

1) Wanda

2)  The Jennings (they may have been my hardest goodbye)

Even more goodbyes...

1) Sis Kelly and Miss Dianne

2) Austin and the Williams

3) Bro Beyer

Selfies and a truck:

1) Redneck jeep

2) Elder Bateman stole my iPad

3) Elder Milne and Elder Hoyt stole my iPad

Transfers and Pride

Hey folks!

So guess what? Transfer calls were on Saturday, and I found out I'm getting transferred! I have mixed feelings about it. I'm sad to leave Rockwood because there are a lot of people here that I've come to love a lot. But I'm also excited for the future. I'm looking forward to meeting new people, and coming to love them too, and seeing a new area, and serving in a new ward with a new companion. There's a lot to look forward to.

We saw Ronnie again this week, which was nice. We haven't seen him in awhile. He's not really progressing, but he likes our visits and he does learn things. We taught him about the principle of "opposition in all things" and how there are really only two choices (choosing to serve the Lord or the devil - and we can't not make a choice) from 2 Nephi 2, and it seemed like it clicked for him, at least on some level. He seemed like he liked it. He's a weird one though, hard to read and hard to teach. I will miss him though.

We had dinner with the Jennings again this week. It was great. I always look forward to going to their house. The Spirit was there, and we had a great visit, and a great discussion. And the food was awesome, as always. I was thinking about it this week and I realized they are two of the people I'm going to miss most when I leave.

Cool story actually. The Jennings are awesome about missionary work and sharing the gospel with the people in their lives. I wish all the members (including me) had their fire. :) And this week Sister Jennings told us about a lady at the nursing home where she cuts hair. The lady had a Book of Mormon on her walker, and when Sis Jennings asked her about it, she said that an elderly couple had given it to her and that she "didn't know how anyone could believe that it's not straight from the mouth of Jesus." She invited her to come to church with them one of these weeks and she agreed!

And then the next day we got a call from Pres Griffin, who told us he had a referral for us (and president never calls to give referrals, like ever, so it was definitely an important one). Apparently a senior couple in a nearby area had given a Book of Mormon to an old lady in a nursing home in our area and had been working with her a bit. Turns out it was the same lady! :) Elder L will be working with her with the new guy, and the senior couple and the Jennings will be involved too.

We also went with the youth in our ward this Wed to play volleyball and other games with a Baptist youth group, and that was fun. And I had a fantastic exchange with Elder Larson, my district leader. It was a wonderful experience and gave me a lot of hope. He's a great missionary and a true friend.

So. My message for the week:

So on Sunday there was a theme in the topics at church, and it really struck me. The theme was pride. And I am definitely guilty of pride.

I am convinced that pride, in one form or another, is the root of every sin. President Ezra Taft Benson defined pride this way:

"Most of us think of pride as self-centeredness, conceit, boastfulness, arrogance, or haughtiness. All of these are elements of the sin, but the heart, or core, is still missing.

"The central feature of pride is enmity--enmity toward God and enmity toward our fellowmen. Enmity means 'hatred toward, hostility to, or a state of opposition.' It is the power by which Satan wishes to reign over us." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, 232)

I'm just going to share a bunch of quotes I liked from Chapter 18 of the book I just referenced.

“Pride does not look up to God and care about what is right. It looks sideways to man and argues who is right. …

“Pride is characterized by ‘What do I want out of life?’ rather than by ‘What would God have me do with my life?’ It is self-will as opposed to God’s will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

“Humility responds to God’s will--to the fear of His judgments and to the needs of those around us. To the proud, the applause of the world rings in their ears; to the humble, the applause of heaven warms their hearts.”

The proud wish God would agree with them. They aren’t interested in changing their opinions to agree with God’s.

The proud make every man their adversary by pitting their intellects, opinions, works, wealth, talents, or any other worldly measuring device against others. In the words of C. S. Lewis: “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man. … It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.”

Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves.

Pride is a damning sin in the true sense of that word. It limits or stops progression. (See Alma 12:10–11.) The proud are not easily taught. (See 1 Ne. 15:3, 7–11.) They won’t change their minds to accept truths, because to do so implies they have been wrong.

I also really love this scripture in Jacob 2. Today, when I read it, it seemed very pointed to me:

20 And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it?

21 Do ye not suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them, that they should keep his commandments and glorify him forever.

And when you read that last bit, remember what God's glory is (Moses 1:39):

For behold, this is my work and my glory--to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

I challenge all of you to join me in doing some soul searching. Let's all apply the counsel found in Elder Uchtdorf's fantastic talk "Lord, is it I?" and ask ourselves, and the Lord, "Lord, is it I?" Let's all strive to yield our hearts to God (Helaman 3:35), and humble ourselves, and let go of ourselves, and give ourselves to His work - loving and serving and lifting our fellow men.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. :)

Love,

Elder Swindler

Photos:

1) Me with Ronnie :)

2) Tried pickled pig's foot this week. (It was gross)

3) Selfies from the long car ride back from dinner at the Qualls. :)

 

4) Tennessee sunset

Improvement

Hey folks!

Once again, trying for a shorter letter this week. We'll see how that goes. :)

This was a really good week. We did a lot of service. We helped out at the food pantry downtown on Tuesday and Wednesday, they needed a lot of help this week. And we helped Bro Beyer move a bunch of stuff into a storage shed. They're moving pretty soon and they're starting to get everything packed away, but they're just moving down the street so it's not too big a deal.

Also, we finally finished entering all the former investigators in our area book into the iPads. That's been a huge pain, so I'm super glad it's done now. :)

On Wednesday Phil and Marylou got married!!! :) Haha it's about time. Missionaries have been trying to get them to get married for ages, since long before I got here. At least a year. It's funny, he's super stubborn and if it's not his idea to do something or if he feels like someone else is trying to get him to do it he's not going to do it (sound familiar Mom and Dad?). When we decided to back off of the whole baptism subject and teach other, less directed-at-him lessons (that were secretly marriage-oriented, and definitely inspired by the Spirit), all of a sudden he proposed. And now they're married. This is huge progress, guys, seriously. I am so excited, in case you can't tell. :)

Also, Shasta got baptized this weekend!! :D It was great. There were a lot of people there, and it was a good experience. I think a lot of people felt the Spirit. I know I did. She asked her uncle, our ward mission leader, to baptize and confirm her. I think it was a really good experience for her family as well as for her, they have just come back to church after years of inactivity and avoiding the Church, and now they're active again and doing really well. I think this was a really good experience for them. This has been a blessing for us too, I'm grateful that we got to participate in this. Really this was such a handout blessing from the Lord, we didn't do anything to find her or even persuade her to be baptized, she just decided she was ready to be baptized and we were just there to teach her the lessons.

Lately we've really been getting in with the youth in the ward, and in the city. I didn't really realize that's what's been happening until like yesterday. Last week we played basketball with some guys downtown who are always playing on the public courts, and we've been asked to substitute teach the youth class at church for two weeks now, and a bunch of the youth have been involved with the lessons with Shasta, and on Friday we got permission to go to the Rockwood/Kingston high school football game (big rivalry, and both cities are in the ward) which was super fun, and we hung out with a bunch of the youth and met some of their friends there... We're friends with the youth now, and it's awesome. I realized yesterday that the youth have more non member friends than any of the other active members of the ward, because of school. And member referrals are the best, of all the ways missionaries find people, member referrals most often are what lead to new converts.

Crap, now it's getting long. I'll get to my message.

There is a Mormon Message I saw this week, and a line in it really got me. It's President Russell M Nelson talking:

"For the individual who is weak in the heart, fearful in the heart, be patient with yourself. Perfection comes not in this life, but in the next life. Don't demand things that are unreasonable, but demand of yourself improvement. As you let the Lord help you through that, He will make the difference. I'm so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that allows me that kind of strength in these tumultuous times."

(http://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/mens-hearts-shall-fail-them-1)

I love that. I am so hard on myself, basically always. I beat myself up over past transgressions, shortcomings and failures, and basically because day after day I am still not perfect. Elder Nelson reminds us that we must let go of perfectionism because being perfect in this life is not our job. That was Christ's. Our job is to use Christ's Atonement to become clean from our sins and to improve ourselves, and allow Him to perfect us over time.

I loved the thoughts my mission president shared in his weekly email to the missionaries this week:

The following thoughts I have compiled from one of my favorite authors Wendy Ulrich.

I would like to start by asking you each several questions: "Does God really mean it when He promises the gift of forgiveness? Is it okay to forgive ourselves? Can we afford to trust that even our most terrible sins are within His reach?"

As you ponder the above questions would you consider the following from the scriptures? 

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." (Isaiah 1:18)

"For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." (Hebrews 8:12)

"But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven." (Moroni 6:8)

"Behold , he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more ." (D&C 58:42)

And finally, here is one of the most powerful statements anywhere on the consummate power of the atonement, from President Boyd K. Packer at he November 1995 general conference of the church:

"Restoring what you cannot restore, healing the wound you cannot heal, fixing that which you broke and cannot fix is the very purpose of the atonement of Christ. When your desire is firm and you are willing to pay the "uttermost farthing" (see Matt. 5:25-26), the law of restitution is suspended. Your obligation is transferred to the Lord. He will settle your accounts. I repeat, save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. This is the promise of the atonement of Christ."

God's promise is clear and oft repeated: when we repent, He forgives.

I promise you that as you let go of perfection, forgive yourself, and allow the Lord to take your life into His hands, you will find He gives you peace and happiness in this life, and shapes your life, and you, to become like He is, and gives you Eternal Life in the world to come. That's something I'll be working on this week. I've got a lot of things I have to let go of, a lot of favorite demands I like to beat myself with. It's going to be hard to give those up to the Lord. But I've realized I need to. I challenge you to do the same. :)

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sheesh, every time I start I'm like, man, I've got nothing to write, I better start fluffing, and by the end I'm like, dang, when did this get so long?? Sorry again for the long email guys. Haha

Love you all! Make yourselves a great week!

Elder Swindler

Photos:

1) Mawwage - Phil and Marylou after the wedding :) I didn't get any pictures before she changed out of her dress, but I'm asking for some from other people, so hopefully those will come soon. Also, Phil cried when she was walking down the aisle (he seems gruff and rough and cantankerous and grumpy on the outside but he's secretly a sweet old teddy bear on the inside. I love him). And typical of them, instead of "I do," he said "Yes, ma'am" and she said "...yeah, I will." Haha :)

2) Baptism - Elder Livingston and I with Shasta and a bunch of the youth after Shasta's baptism. :)

3) Bae - Elder Udy borrowed my iPad. :)