Hey!!
Well it’s now been a whole week in the mission!! I’ve already learned SO much! It’s been an incredible week! I adore my trainer (: her name is Sis. Jorgensen, she’s so great! We have already had like 6 dinner appointments (2 in one day) and we found 3 new investigators(: I got to teach the restoration for the 1st time and a few times since. It’s pretty nerve-wracking haha, but Sis. J is really great and super patient with me. She’s from Cache Valley too! Imagine that?! We decided it was fate that we were to be companions.
On the first day here it was overwhelming and awesome! Our Mission President Taylor and his wife Sister Taylor have got to be the greatest humans ever. Sister Taylor immediately made me feel at home and wrapped me in the biggest hug when she first met me. Saying goodbye to my parents in front of all the other new missionaries (24!!) and everyone at the temple was pretty hard, but she made it at
least 10x better. And I made instant friends with some other new sisters (Sis. Clayton and Sis. Taylor) it was a fun day overall(:
The next day was transfer meeting! And we met our trainers and had meetings and trainings almost all day. It was great! And the rest of the week Sis. J and I just dove right into the work and met tons of people and our district(: there’s an elder in my district named Elder Mahy (pronounced like “MY” in a British accent lol) and he’s from England! He and his companion Elder Blanthorn are hilarious and I can’t get over his accent. He just sounds so “posh” all the time, I have such a hard time not copying the accent when I’m around him (Right Louis?) 😂 but everyone in our district is amazing! The other elders are Elder Límon (DL) and Elder Wrightley.
On Friday we got my iPad! It’s so handy! And it means I can read all your emails periodically through the week when I receive them (or have wifi haha) but I can only reply on P-Day (Today!)
I’m still trying to get used to not using my first name… It’s awkward but I’ll get used to it haha Sis. J said that its to the point with her where she doesn’t even identify with her first name anymore, it just doesn’t feel like her anymore (she’s been out for 16 months next week) so I’ll get there(: and talking in plural is weird.. But
it’s not bad lol
And I’m still learning everyday about what to do and what not to do and when to do or not to do it… It’s kinda confusing sometimes. But a lot of people keep saying that I’m doing great and how natural I am. Sis. J said jokingly that I came “pre-trained” which definitely made me feel more confident about not attending the MTC first(: the only
thing I feel like I’m behind on is the technicalities and the actual lessons, I’m good at improvising and going wi the spirit but when it comes to teaching from PMG I kinda get lost but it’s a learning process. They’ve actually been telling us to teach short and simple lessons from the pamphlets and try to keep them under 5-7 mins. So
it’s kind of a challenge to try and figure out what to say and what not to say.
Okay, here’s a little about my area(: I’m in Wylie, TX. And Sis. Jorgensen and I cover both Wylie 2nd and 3rd Wards. There are so many amazing people here in the Wards and investigators! We are so spoiled here! A family in the 3rd ward lets us come do laundry at their place and we literally just hang out emailing and stuff like ALL day on P-Day(s.. And another member is a chiropractor and he gives us
adjustments and dinner every Monday too! How great is that? 🙂 I’ve already met and memorized the names of 95 people from both wards! (We were challenged to do that the 1st Sunday and to count how many handshakes/hugs we got. I got about 65. We also had to bear our testimonies in both wards.. Which wasn’t too bad!) it’s so fun here!
So before coming out here it’d been super weird trying to understand the reason why I was called to this two-transfer mission and what would happen because of it. I found myself thinking of the Dallas mission as a sort of passing period, or a checkpoint until I can go to my “real” mission. But as soon as I got my name tag and I met Pres. and Sis. Taylor and I got to the mission, the more and more I felt like this is right. This is where I need to be at this time and point in my life and mission. And I LOVE my area! I know this is where the Lord wants me(: I don’t know what the future holds in 3 months but I know that for now, this is right and I can focus on being the best Sister Swan I can be!
But at the transfer meeting I actually met 2 other missionaries in the same situation, the elder was from Rockwell, TX I think and he’d been out for 1 transfer I think. The sister though, she just became a trainer for Sis. Clayton(: and she is from Washington state, she served the three months there in Spokane (I think) and then got transferred here afterwards to finish out her mission (I think she only has a couple months left)! I didn’t get much of a chance to talk with her but I’m hoping I can in the future(:
Well that’s about it for the first “chapter” I’m not sure how this book will end but I’m so excited for the next 5 chapters about my adventures here in Wylie(:
I love you all so much! Thanks for all the sweet notes in my notebook from my farewell! Oh and Here’s my address so you can send me stuff 😉
401 Flemming St. #1105
Wylie, TX 75098
And send me your addresses if you want me to write you(:
Much love,
Sister Swan