G’day everyone!!
Well although I had to miss emailing last week… I am now writing you from the beautiful home of kangaroos, vegemite and awesome accents! I’M IN AUSTRALIA MATES! It’s beautiful here(: I am serving in the Australia Sydney South Mission but I have been called to serve in Nation’s capitol of Canberra (pronounced can-bruh)! And yes I know what you’re thinking… nope, Sydney is not Australia’s capitol 😉 who knew? lol It was a LOONNNGGGG 22 hr total flight(s) but I survived!! Haha we had a layover in San Francisco and then in Auckland, New Zealand! It was super neat to be there if only for a short time.. flying into New Zealand was GORGEOUS! Right as the sun was rising.. goodness God is such an artist when it comes to the skies! I’m so happy to be here and we’ve already seen some amazing miracles!!
My new companion is Sister Stott!!! And wouldn’t you know, she and I went to the same Uni! She’s a USU Aggie too! Whoop whoop! We even found out that we worked at the Mall in Logan around the corner from each other and we remembered seeing each other at work haha small world! We get along great! She’s from Idaho originally and so she gave me this cute Idaho Spud potato pin to wear on my tag lol it’s great. She’s been on her mission for 10 months and is an amazing missionary! I’ve learned so much from her already.
We’ve decided to do a shortened version of 12 week training again just because it’s a great refresher for both of us(: and we’ve been able to teach a lot of people and have 3 baptismal dates! (we had 2 when I got here and we set another this week!) AND we’re planning a wedding for two of our investigators with a baptismal date, Terry and Leanne, so the work here is great! Soooo different than the work in Wylie and the TDM but still moving forward! We’re serving in the Woden Ward and we share the Ward with a set of Elders.. so that’s kinda weird going from covering 2-3 Wards to sharing one haha but there is so much to be done here we stay super busy!
It’s been pretty hard adjusting to the work here in Canberra.. because I’m so used to how we worked in the Texas Dallas Mission. Not to mention the culture shock.. they told me I will probably be a driver here cuz they are always struggling for drivers and so I’m about to learn how to drive on the left hand side of the road! ahhh! haha I miss everyone in Wylie and the missionaries I served with SO much, but I’ve been blessed with an obedient district here and a great Ward, so I am beginning to love it here too(: Each day poses a new challenge and something else I have to get used to, but I know that this is God’s mighty work and that He provides the way for His work to progress! I love being a missionary and seeing God’s hand appear in the lives of those we teach!
So back track a little…
My Christmas at the MTC was literally AMAZING.. Elder Bednar came in the morning and it was just incredible to be in the same room as him and to hear his message! I learned so much from him(: about Christ and about who I want to be as a missionary! Then we watched this super cool two man reenactment of “A Christmas Carol” (so cool), AND THEN…. wait for iiiiiiiit… they surprised us with a special guest appearance of David Archuleta and Lexi Walker for the evening devotional!! it was awesome!! And I got to talk to my family for 30 minutes which was perfect! It did my heart so good to hear their voices and feel their testimonies!
I am so grateful for what I’ve learned in my 4 months as a missionary! It’s incredible the growth I’ve seen in myself as I’ve learned to grow closer to my Savior. ​Elder Bednar’s​ talk “The Character of Christ” has truly touched me and has pushed me to come to know my savior more deeply and to understand His character more so that I can strive to become more like Him! In his talk and when he spoke to us on Christmas, Elder Bednar invited us to open a new, blank, inexpensive paperback Book of Mormon and to start from the beginning and read it with a specific question or topic in mind, such as “The Character of Christ”. As a mission here, we have begun to read the BOM all together on a 6 month schedule (not as fast as the 40 Challenge but it’s still great!). It boils down to about 1-2 chapters a day, and I’ve started this week on my reading with the intent to get to know my Savior through reading and studying His character in the Book of Mormon! I’m so excited!! It’s been awesome so far!
​I wanted to invite each of you to do the same.. I can​ promise that miracles happen when reading the Book of Mormon and you WILL find your answer! Whether it be to simply know Christ better, or a more specific question like “how can I be more patient?” 🙂 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is SOOO true! And God lives and there is a prophet on the Earth today! I love them both dearly and I LOVE the Book of Mormon! It is so true! Miracles happen and angels are watching over us! God loves you all so much and so do I! I hope this next week and the rest of 2016 is amazing and full of joy and miracles!
Much love,
Sister Swan
PS Attention all Missionaries!! Add me to your weekly emails if you haven’t already! Miss y’all!! 🙂
PPS I’m so glad all y’all ​in Texas ​were safe in the crazy Tornadoes last wee​k !! I’ve been praying for you!​ ​<3
