Nov. 21- Feliz Dia de Gracias!

Dear Family,

Well, 3 became 2 again. Quite fast, actually. We were so happy to have Hermana Oyarzabal, we were saying she was our daughter and we reorganized and decorated the whole house to welcome her! But then Tuesday morning she received a call for special changes. I do not understand the will of the Father, but I know He loveth His children. Me and Hermana Dent will just prepare our area to be received by two new sisters now :) 

We went on some fun divisiones with the Hermana Gonzalez and Hermana Robles:) It was a lot of fun with them, especially because the last divisions I did with Hermana Rolles was the first day I was sister trainer leader! She said that I have got a lot more calm with mas confianza now, haha:) 

We are having so much fun watching our recent converts just flourish and make friends and grow so much in the gospel:) This is Ricardo riding on the back of President Solis's motorbike:) He really has progressed so much. Ricardo has friends, he teaches the autosuficiencia class, he is the young mens second counselor, and he is a ward missionary:) AND he passes the sacrament every week. I have never been so happy than watching him and our other recent converts progress and grow so much! 

We had some fun divisions with Hermana Gomez and Hermana Silva this week, too. It is always fun to see how companions work together and the work that we can only get done TOGETHER:) That is definitely something the mission has taught me. The importance of having the spirit and working as a team with our companions:) 

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving! They dont really celebrate that day down here in Mexico, but we are eating that day with a member family who lived in the US for years, so hopefully they remember and feed us something good;) 

I am grateful for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and the light that Christ brings to my life. I am grateful for the perfect plan our Father in Heaven has for His children and for His guiding hand. I love Him and I love this work! Have a wonderful week!

Hermana Swallow

Nov. 14- When 2 becomes 3 (part 1)

Dear Family,

It was another amazing week! We are having a lot of fun here in Alpuyeca and everything is just always running and the time flies! 

We said goodbye to a few of the missionaries in our zone that left this week. It is tradition in the mission the cut a tie of the missionaries who are leaving so we did it this week after the zone capacitation:) This is Elder Price, hes been our district leader this WHOLE TIME in Alpuyeca, actually, when I left this zone when I got out of my training he was my district leader. I came back a year later and he was STILL the district leader, haha.

This is Hermana Vidal:) She was a sister training leader and is from Peru:) 

​I dont really know Elder Tuz, but I cut his tie all the same. 

We did divisiones with some of the cutest sisters ever this week:) Hermana Villalobos and Hermana Aguilar:) They are both pretty young in the mission but they are together now and learning juntas!

Did you know indian corn is still a thing?:) But really though, this corn makes really delicious blue-looking tortillas. 

We have been having some health problems lately and it was partly due to the fact that we hadnt eaten many vegetables (we eat whatever the members give us). So, we tried to talk to the relief society about giving us more vegetables to eat and they thought we said that we ONLY wanted to eat vegetables so for 2 days I suffered through that but finally we were overjoyed when Ana knew we didnt want JUST vegetables and fed us delicious enchiladas:) 

Side Note: Enchiladas and Cesina is like my favorite combination ever. 

I took an artistic picture of a butterfly while Hermana Dent was talking on the phone to someone for a while, haha:) 

When 2 becomes 3 (part 2)

One of our very special investigators, Miguel, was baptized this week:) He is one of the most humble persons I have ever met. He sells nopales (cactus) for a living (they eat that here:) and he just has a sincere desire to follow God. 

What made the baptism even MORE special is that our recent convert, Ricardo, was the priesthood holder who baptized Miguel! It was all very awesome.

Miguel was a reference from a recent convert family, Familia Castañeda, it is so easy to just open your mouth and share your testimony:) They bought cactus from him one day and invited him to church. Boom.

So, today starts the new transfer! Neither I or Hermana Dent are leaving our are but we are going to be in a trio now with Hermana Oyarzabal:) She is going to be called as the next sister training leader in a few weeks:) She also happens to be my 'nieta' (granddaughter) because She is the trainee of my trainee. This is a pic of the 4 of us in our family tree:) Me, my trainee Hermana Rodriguez, her trainee Hermana Oyarzabal, and her trainee Hermana Granados. It is very fun:) 

We are excited to be here together and teach Hermana Oyarzabal all about the area and being a STL :)

Nov. 7- Keeping it Real

Dear Family,

It was a good busy week! It started off having our Leadership Council meeting in Cuernavaca on Monday. It was good, we always learn a lot. This is the 6 of us sister training leaders:) It is interesting to think that only one of them has never been my companion, the other 4 all have! 

 I guess this is the season of a bunch of scorpions! It has been scary hearing people talk about them, and then the other day in a lesson this scorpion tried running up the leg of our investigator before he killed it!

Me and Hermana Dent:) 

We went on divisiones with a trio companionship this week and it was a lot of fun. They work really well together!

We just keep on working and trying to give everything our all! Sorry this email is so short, and as well a sorry to everyone who sent me personal emails- I had trouble looking up class registration information today and spent most of my computer time trying to figure it out. but thank you so much for writing me and I love you all very much! Keep staying faithful!

Love, Hermana Swallow

Oct.31- Feliz Dia de los Muertos!

Feliz Dia de los Muertos! (part 1)

Happy Day of the Dead, everyone!

It was a very special week, but I am going to start with the fun cultural stuff:) 

So, here in Mexico they celebrate November 1 and 2 for dia de los muertos! The festivities actually start on the 28th and each day is something different. Something very traditional for Mexico is their "pan dulce" (sweet bread). They have LOTS of traditional sweet bread. I have eaten so much of it, and I love it:) Our first counselor in the bishopric sells bread so we went by his house and he gave us some of my favorite kinds:) The one with yellow on it is called ''Piedra" (rock) and is soft on the inside but with a crumbly cookie on the outside! I call it the "Pokemon" bread though because it reminds me of squirtle the pokemon and Hermano Adrian (the 1st counselor) actually started selling it calling it the Pokemon!! I love it, haha. The other bread in my hand is what the call "pan de muerto" (death pan) and it is supposed to have bones on the top of it:) 

They decorated really cute for the Holiday in Cuernavaca, we are here in the city for a meeting we are going to have so I took pics to show you all:) They always put these cute colorful banners down the streets and alleys when there are holidays here in Mexico:) 

These are some scary skeleton women that everyone puts up, they are not scared or think skeletons are creepy here. They are like... just old family members that they love. 

Another cool statue skeleton lady. I dont know why all the skeletons are girls... maybe because they talk about Death being like a person here and they call her ''La Muerte'' and say she is a girl. I dont know why

These are marigolds, I think, and they are literally everywhere in this season because everyone uses them for the gravestones and the alters. 

This is an example of an alter that they make for their deceased loved ones. Pretty much every house has one of these (if they are not members of the church:)) and they put the pictures of their loved ones and the food that person used to eat and other things that are special to them. They believe that their family members come to visit for specific days of this week. I think the 29th is for those who were killed, the 30th is for the forgotton or something, the 1st is for children who passed away, and the 2nd is for those who died of natural causes. Something like that:)  

Members of the church dont put up alters because we dont believe in worshiping or giving offerings to the deceased, but we do remember our loved ones and ancestors in other ways:) It is really fun to learn about the culture here, Mexico is an amazing country!

Feliz Dia de los Muertos! (part 2)​

Like I said, we had a really special week! Our investigator Ricardo got baptized on Friday!!! He is so awesome, it was one of the most special baptisms I have been privileged to witness my whole mission:) In our mission an investigator has to attend church 5 times before they can be baptized, and we invite them to be baptized in the first appointment we have with them. We meet them, explain our purpose as missionaries and the joy of following Jesus Christ and then we invite people to be baptized on a date 5 sundays from now. Lots of the time they accept and we help them with their desire to follow Christ and repent:) But EVERY single baptism I have ever had, we have had to push their initial date back farther because they miss one or two sundays or something else happens. But Ricardo found the truth of the restored gospel and was baptized on exactly the same day we first invited him to! 

He has had such a potent and fast change, it was a miracle watching it all happen! Ricardo has already fasted and he even has a calling! Our branch president asked him to be the teacher of the Self-Sufficiency classes that they give in the church here, and Ricardo already accepted:) 

He shared the day of his baptism with the daughter of our Branch President who turned 8 that day. It was really fun seeing how two people with completely different life circumstances were able to make the same covenant with God and begin their path back to him:) 

This is me and my best friend in the branch, Christian:) He is 4 years old but we are best friends, he even told his older brother (our old ward mission leader) that he love me more than him, haha. 

This is Giovanna, the little girl who also got baptized:) She is very cute and I thought it was sweet of her to not feel bad to share her baptism with Ricardo, I think it will be fun for them in the future, they are next door neighbors:

I love being a missionary, it is truly a joy to serve God and His children. I am learning so much everyday and I hope to be more like Him than I was before:) Thank you for all of your love and support, have a great week!

Love, Hermana Swallow

Oct. 24- The Vineyard of the Lord

Dear Family,

It was another amazing and great week!! We keep seeing progress and amazing things in our area and our Branch. Our investigadores are progressing so well and the recent converts, too!

We started the week with divisiones with Hermana Morales and Hermana Rees! It is always fun to see my Bear River Buddy;) We had a good time with them and learned a lot about inviting investigators to be baptized. 

Hermana Laura Rees is really learning so fast and I am so proud of her! I wonder what I was like when I had her time in the mission, and I hope that I felt the need as strongly as she does to serve with all of my heart, might, mind and strength. I learn so much from the sisters everytime we go on divisions. 

We also had divisiones later with Hermana Olivares and Hermana Martinez this week, they are fun:) They are from Veracruz and Mexico City. They each have about 10 months in the mission and it is fun to see how missionary perspective grows and changes and matures with time:) 

We had an amazing baptismal service of Hermana Guadalupe Martinez Hernandez. She is honestly one of the most converted investigators I have ever had the privilege of teaching. She has passed through so many things and stayed so strong. In the time that we have been teaching her, her mom was diagnosed with cancer and moved in with Guadalupe so she could take care of her 24/7, Guadalupe fell down and broke her wrist, and she had to overcome an addiction to coffee. There are about a thousand other things that have happened in her life but she has overcome them all and trusted completely and fully in God. She is more diligent and devoted than many people I have met in my life, and I hope to be like her one day. As she came up from the steps of the baptismal font after completing her ordinance her first words were ''I need my family to feel this, too.'' I know she will be the key to bringing many into the fold of God.

I am so grateful for the privilege and blessing of being a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and a representative of Jesus Christ. I know this church is true. I know that He is my Savior and Redeemer. I know God hears and answers our prayers. I know that He is there.

Today I have completed 16 months in the Vineyard of the Lord, but I feel like I am still just starting to understand the importance of it all. Truly, sweet is the work and white is the harvest. God just needs us to give Him our ALL to truly see His hand.

I love you all and I pray that you can feel the same way I feel and the way Guadalupe feels- we can feel the spirit every single day. We can feel the profound truthfulness of the gospel every time we say a humble prayer and ponder. Dont let it become routine- show God your gratitude by helping others feel that love as well. 

I share this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Love, Hermana Swallow

Oct. 17- Amazing Week!

Part One

Dear Family,

It was a good week! Eduardo got baptized!! I will tell you more about it later on:)

We went on a few divisions this week, its always fun to learn and be with the sisters. This is us with Hermana Smith and Bautista, they are in our zone and pretty constant missionaries:) 

Then we went on divisions with some sisters who work all the way in Cuernavaca, Hermana Cardona y Hermana Mendez. It was the first time I had the chance to work with them, and they are awesome! Hermana Cardona is from Mexico and Hermana Mendez from Peru!

Today we went as a Zone to Xochicalco, the place with all the pyramids:) It was awesome! I hadnt gone there for like a year, but I remembered where everything is;) It was Hermana Dent's first time, so she had a lot of fun. We had a cool experience finding a couple there visiting from California. They are in the foto, too. We were talking with them about their lives and we helped them find the right bus to take them to their hotel:) They agreed to listen to the missionaries in California, so we will be sending their address to that mission. I love being a missionary, the Lord knows where to send us and what we need to do! 

Part Two

Eduardo's baptism was a truly amazing experience. He was so ready to make his first covenant with God. When he came in and saw the tank full of water he teared and started to cry. After his baptism he shared his testimony with everyone present (nearly the entire ward) and it was powerful. He is now on his way to full conversion:) 

We had a pretty funny experience with his child, though, the little one in Eduard's hands. Lalito (the little child) didn't want to be held by anyone but his dad in the baptism, so when Eduardo had to get up to go down into the font, Lalito FLIPPED OUT. Screaming and wailing and gnashing of teeth. I couldn't hold him or anything because I am a missionary so i was just praying and praying that he would calm down so Eduardo would have a special experience. WELL the niño just KEPT screaming and Eduardos mom just held onto him while standing in front of the glass window of the font to watch her son get baptism. That's why what happened had a front-row view for everyone. President Solis started saying the baptismal prayer ignoring Lalito's screaming and right when Eduardo was being brought down under the water Lalito PUKED all over the front of the room, right in front of the glass, almost into the baptismal water, haha. Eduardo came up out of the water, his act of faith now complete, and Lalito puked again while the Grama started running out of the room. I couldn't believe it, haha. The members sprang into action to get it all cleaned up, but it was gross, haha. The best part, though, is that Eduardo didn't even hear Lalito screaming. He had no idea of what had happen until after the baptismal service:) The spirit just covered his hearing so he could have a special experience:) 

​I know that God listens to our prayers and that He is in even the smallest of details, He knows His children and He knows our needs:) I hope you all have a wonderful week! I love you!

Love, Hermana Swallow

More picts of the week

Oct. 10- Zoofari Adventures!

Dear Family,

Well, it was a wonderful week! Hermana Dent and I are seeing so many blessings and awesome things happen for us here in Alpuyeca, we are loving our time here! We have a baptism this week, our investigator Eduardo (the one who has one eye) was able to overcome many habits and find strength through the atonement of Christ and is ready to enter into the waters of baptism:) Pray mucho for him.

This week we had this one day of adventure looking for this one colonia we had never seen or heard of but had a reference in. We walked for quite some time before we found civilization again but were blessed with finding a super chosen new investigator Maria who was practically just waiting for us to come walking up, she is now working towards a baptism as well:) On the way looking for her we passed lots of what seemed like wilderness and I took another 'look for the iguana' pic :) 

All the way walking and looking for this funny colonia I was tripping all over the place, I even almost fell into this baby ravine, but Hermana Dent caught me- that is companionship love;) (it is bigger in person)

After all that walking when we finally came to Hermana Orfa's house to eat she just let us lay down in front of the fan for a bit, haha. #suchaprincess #lookatthattan

Orfa's daughter Michelle (one of my best 7 year old friends ever) took a funny picture of us eating. I have no table manners anymore, I just eat everything with my hands, haha. This is one of my favorite meals ever: small friend chicken tacos with chipotle caldo. 

Something weird has been going on in the colonia where we live lately, it is part of Catholic traditions. Where we live/work is a very small pueblo and it has alot of weird traditions. I told you a little bit about it a few weeks ago- they have been getting together in large groups of people and they carry around a large Virgin Guadalupe statue and candles and flowers and leave flower petals behind while walking through the streets. There are kids that dress up like animals and weird beasts with masks that dance to a flute song while walking.. it is a sight to see but always scares me a bit when we hear the music and then accidentally have to walk on the same street they are on, haha. I am going to attach a video i took, too. 

This is us with Hermana Sak, She is so cool! Her name is actually Sak-nicte which is mayan for white flower:) She just graduated college and I am so sad because she just got her first job and now she wont be able to accompany us for visits every week. 

This is one of THE COOLEST investigators I have ever had the privilege of teaching. His name is Ricardo and he is truly a prepared and chosen son of God. We found him by accident looking for a direction- at first he thought he 'knew everything' and didn't need what we had to teach him but when he listened to the first lesson he realized there was a lot more God had in store for him:) We see him almost everyday because he wants to learn everything so fast- we met him 2 and a half weeks ago but he has already went to almost all the sessions of general conference, takes notes while he reads his scriptures, fasted with us yesterday for Fast Sunday, and loves to serve and help all the members of the ward. We are going to ask permission so he can be baptized next week:) 

So... today! We went on the coolest adventure I have ever been on in the mission so far! There are some members, Ana and Nestor, who always spoil us and love to do visits with us. They invited us to go with them to a zoo-fari today and it was honestly SO COOL! There are parts where you just walk among the animals and they eat the food from your bowl- even giraffes! I took about a thousand pictures, I hope you enjoy (Tommy- I will take you here when we come back;)) I feel like it was way cooler than the US zoos that have too many rules and 'safety precautions' ;) 

I wasnt scared about the animals- they all act just like goats, but Hermana Dent was pretty hilarious trying to feed them, haha. 

They are Ana and Nestor:) That animal eye-balling them from behind literally followed us for a half an hour, haha. 

I have no idea what these are called but they were just these like giant guinea pig things that were laying all over the place, haha. 

Nestor was in-love with this baby donkey in the exhibit by the buffaloes, haha. 

This monkey took the food right from my hands and held my fingers:)

So, that was cool:) I am a happy camper here. I love serving God's children and I am grateful for every second I have to serve Him. I hope you all have a wonderful week!