teacher-student

The unofficial stereotype of the student-teacher relationship has no place in the world of the church. I was reflecting on a lesson that we had with a man named Mauricio this past Saturday and as I did that I replayed the lesson in my head but I chose to watch it from the view of a more narrow minded, perhaps naive point of view. 

There were two young girls sitting across the kitchen table from a dark hair middle aged man. The apartment was small and the flowers on the table were wilting away but they were consumed in a deep conversation. I couldn't help but ask myself what in the world this rough looking man and these two young girls could be talking about so intensely. He did had a rough look but open eyes, surely his life had been drug through a rocky path. You could notice it by his clothes and the worn out look on his face. One of the most strange things that I noticed was that the girls were the teachers.. it was obvious that they weren't nearly as old as this man, maybe close to half his age but he listened to them as if he were a young boy sitting at his grandfathers feet and intently paying attention to the stories of his past. Eager to learn. The longer they talked the brighter grew the room until the point where it was almost seeping out of the small kitchen window into the dark evening. Then something even more miraculous happened, they each had a  blue book open in front of them on the glassy kitchen table it was clear that one of the girls had just read a part of it. She rested her hand on the book as if it were something that gave her power and as she talked tears swelled up in the mans eyes. He followed her comments by saying that he knew the book was true. What was this book? The very moment I thought they had finished their discussion I was once again flustered that they were not standing up to leave, yet they were merely standing to be able to kneel down on the cold hard floor. Were they praying? Yes. As they lowered they heads down the words started to flow out of the mans mouth...  

To teach you don't have to be older, wiser, more experienced, have a title. It''s not the worlds view on it but it's the right view. Sometimes it doesn't make sense.. but that's okay!! It's not supposed to make sense all of the time because faith then wouldn't be considered an essential factor.

Onward and upward friends and family!! I love you all!

Hermana Schwendiman 

trials like fruit

Well the humidity dropped in about 4 days ago. We were outside the other day and one of the missionaries in training said.. "I feel like I'm walking through steam." The comment was made back, "WELCOME TO THE JERS!!"

Sometimes it still feels surreal to me that I am in New Jersey. That I am a missionary. That now I'm one of the "older" missionaries. As they call us.I don't feel it. I remember hearing when missionary would say that they had been out for a year, 13 months, and 14 months and just being thrown back at how long they had been out on a mission, it first hit me a couple weeks ago when a newer missionary asked me how long I had been out and her response was, "Woa.......!!" 

Well transfers have come and gone and Sister Boudesocque and I are still her in Short Hills. I will be with her for 6 more weeks! We have a lot of work to do here... 

Jaime!! He is our number one right now and incredible. He quit smoking two weeks ago cold turkey. He isn't the same person that he was when we met him, not even close. 

One thing that we see over and over again in life, our lives, the lives of others, lives in the Book of Mormon, any life.. is the trial of faith. It's odd to say, but it was really neat to see Jaimes trials come. To watch from a really personal perspective Gods pattern of faith. The moment he accepted everything.. he was fired from his job because he didn't speak english well enough..  Jaime has clung on to every teaching that we give him, even the word of wisdom. Which is hilarious because he still HATES fruits and vegetables and really anything healthy.. SO this last week when we went over there to teach him he bought a huge bowl of fruit.. but the only way he would eat it was if he layered it with sweetened condensed milk... but it's progress! 

There is something so unique about being able to watch somebody become familiar with God. I think one of the only other times you are able to witness this is as a parent. Which brings me to another point. MY MOM!!! 

Mothers Day. Did you know that this was the 100th official mothers day since it became an official holiday? Neither did I until yesterday. Something that I have loved and learned and loved to learn is how blessed I am to have the parents that I do. If any of you know them, you can't help but agree.. but that's something that I never fully appreciated and realize that I probably never will be able to fully appreciate. I have incredible parents who have raised me in the church, taught me right from wrong, have let me make my own decisions (mistakes), and have loved me through every phase of my life. The world and their views on family are changing. No, changing isn't the right word because that doesn't imply the negative and incorrect overview of the decreasing pride that the world has on the family. It's not simply changing, but increasingly disintegrating. What  a shame. Anyways, I loved talking with my parents! And my dog.. ha ha 

Life is good here in New Jersey. It feels that this IS my life. It always had been and always will be. I thought about how funny it would be if this was how it was forever and if we had to always have permission to talk to our families for the rest of our lives. Well i am glad that is not the case but for now... it makes me super happy!! 

Onward and upward family and friends!!

Hermana Schwendiman 

Jaime with his bowl of fruit

Sister and President Jeppson... I sure love them!

l. tom perry, jaime, games

Just to start of for the week... Having Elder Perry here in the mission was awesome!! I was able to shake his hand and as I did I felt like my head had to be tilted all the way back to be able to see into his eyes. He is one tall, and very personable man. As I shook his hand he said to me,"Schwendiman. Schwendiman? Let me think about how I know that name..." Well he knows my great grandfather. It was fun to listen to him speak as he would talk about the other apostles and said that Richard G Scott was incredible and he couldn't live like he does because he goes to bed at 8 o'clock and gets up at 4 every day. "... and I can't go to bed without checking up on the red sox before I go to bed."

It was fun to be able to hear from him. His testimony of the savior was incredible. I didn't know this before but apparently President Jeppson, with the help of his sister, lined up Elder Perry and his wife! And Elder Perry wanted to make it out here before President Jeppson goes home (July). So we were able to reap the rewards!! 

Then the week continued as usual, exchanges.. Sister Schaefer, my child of inheritance, came here to short hills with me! That was weird... but awesome too! We saw Jaime quite a few times this week and we had an incredible experience with him. He has been playing soccer with the ward members and they mentioned to us that he said that he's going to have to quite smoking because he's having a hard time playing soccer. So we knew we had to battle that lesson asap. We taught him on Wednesday and as as our lesson was wrapping up he told us that he had quit smoking two days earlier. This is something that he has been doing since he was 8 years old because of the way the culture is where he came from but has been sober from everything else other than smoking since he came to this country. That's over 5 months and now has been smoke free for a week now! Our one catch is that he hates fruits. He hates them so much and so me and my companion have been scheming ways to have him eat fruits and vegies. 

One of the proudest moments of the week was at zone conference. I thought my competitive nature had simmered down but I was proven wrong this Friday. A few zone had gathered together, as we do every three months, and after we eat lunch, it's tradition that we play a game. This one should be mission illegal but it's the most fun!! It's called the bouncy ball game... Every person grabs a bouncy ball and president gathers them all together in the middle... we circle up around him as five are taking out... up go the bouncy balls and crazy go the missionaries. Round after round, missionaries pushing missionaries, bouncy balls go bouncing.. and eventually the numbers start to dwindle. I have reiterate... we have many competitive missionaries in this mission, and not just elders.. well the picture below demonstrates the final three. Even though it may look like I have a clear shot to one of the last bouncy balls.. It was swiped out of my hand, a little pushing was involved.. and I lost.. But President was proud!! Ha ha ha The best is the faces of the people on the side! 

Ah well the work goes on and life's not boring!! I love this work and my calling!! 

Onward and upward!

Hermana Schwendiman 

the final three!

let the games begin... many competitive missionaries and not all are Elders.  ha ha

go, do!

Last night as we slid out of our car after a beautiful Easter afternoon, I glanced up the street and saw a gentleman walking down the sidewalk in our direction. We walked straight up to him and continued to "contact" him. After that there were two more people walking from the opposite direction, we talked to them as well. We then went and attempted to knock down the door of a referral, without success.  We turned to walked down the steps and noticed that a car had pulled up. As we walked down the path, she started to creep her window down. We talked to her. The moment we stepped back from the car I turned and noticed a girl sitting on her porch. She had seemed to be looking right at us and the moment after I asked my companion, "
What about her?" the girl posted on her porch yelled over to us, "Ya.. You can come over!!" We did. As if she had heard what I had said. 
I wanted to share this story to be able to relate the feelings that I had as we headed towards our car to go home. I had a few thoughts come to my mind, one of them was realizing to me how natural it had become to contact people. Not necessarily the actual contact, but something that I had recognized is that there was no thought process before those contacts. It was just go and do. Also something to notice is that all of those people were simply put in our path for that time. I find an urgency to talk to everyone. I notice people when we are driving down busy roads and it bugs me that I cannot talk to them. The blessings that have come from this select standard has changed me more that I can even express. 

Our investigators are doing great. Jaime called us this week and had some bad news. The people he lived with were mad because we occupied the kitchen when we came over and now are not allowed to meet there. The most amazing thing happened though, he did not just leave it at that. He desperately tried to invite himself to lessons that we were going to have with a member he knows or any member that lived near or if we could even meet outside. The faith of this man is going to take him so far. 

Also... I went on an exchange this week.... BACK TO MORRISTOWN!!! It was so odd and so awesome! Saw members, and even an investigator that me and my companion had found that had just got their divorce papers in so that they could marry their current "other half" of thirty years. I saw Neeeeeeeena!! 

Our email time this week was cut in half due to Elder Perry.. I think I'm okay with that! :) So those of you who didn't get a personal email, next week! Love you all 

Onward and Upward 

Hermana Schwendiman 

elder perry is coming

When I got on emails this morning, I opened our mission presidents weekly letter and this is one of the first things it said, 

"Last Monday I got a call from Elder L. Tom Perry, advising me that he and Sister Perry would like 

to visit our mission Monday afternoon, April 21. Needless to say, I accepted the offer. So, we 

will be having an All-Mission Conference Monday afternoon, April 21, at the Morristown 

Chapel."

 "As most of you know, Elder Perry is second in line to become the next 

President of the Church, after President Boyd Packer. His health appears to be very good…he’s 

92 years old. I am so excited for him to meet our missionaries and to feel the power of all of us 

combined."

SO needless to say, we are really excited! Also just a little update.. in the mission right now we have a standard that every companionship should be contacting at least 10 people a day.. This obviously have brought so many miracles. As of numbers 8,749 contacts for the week and Our total since March 1st is 39,823. It's incredible that as we set our own standard and goals... the blessing come and come, they do!! 

This week we found two people that are so special!! They both, I believe, have come as a direct blessing of following and pushing the mission standards.

1. Jaime. (Hi-May) Jaime is incredible and I seriously love this boy so much already. We found him when we were visiting a potential investigator and he wanted nothing to do with us so we asked him where the latinos lived around the area. His next door neighbor. We found Jaime!! He is 24 and from Chile. Just moved here 5 months ago and reminds me so much of Diego!! He is getting baptized on the 11 of May and came to church this week!! 

2. Eva also came to church and is ALSO getting baptized on the 11 of May!! She is the cutest 14 year old girl from Guatemala and she already has made best friends with a cool 12 year old girl at church. She's not a member either but her dad was just baptized two weeks ago!! 

Well short letter this week but I love you all so much and will organize my time better next week to write you a longer one :)

Onward and Upward 

Hermana Schwenidman 

life is good

Tuesday after transfer conference we make it back to my new home. The place where I was going to be able to unpack and settle in. We walk in the door and I scoot my back to our bedroom and my companion turns to me and says, "Oh yea, we have to move in a month.." I just couldn't help but laugh!!! I think I laughed so hard that tears came to my eyes.. but our lease ends at the end of the month. And also we are in a four-man apartment and they are trying to get rid of all of them. Luckily we found an apartment already and will be out by the first of next month. If I've done the math correctly that will have put me in 7 apartments within 12 weeks. I think it's fair to say I have developed the talent of quick and efficient moving!! 

SO my new compa! I don't know where my words have gone for this one, but she is the best!!! Her name is Hermana Boudesocque (buddah-sock).. and YES, it is nearly impossible for Hispanics to even care to learn our names. What they usually do is look at my last name and realize that they don't want to even try and find my companions name and stick with that one... but this just leaves people careless. Other than the members here... because I found another Schwendiman. I believe the only other Schwendimans in the state of New Jersey.. and I met Brother Schwendiman yesterday. We figured out (well he figured out) that we are something like second cousins once removed.. but they are in the English ward here so ALL the Hispanics already call me by name! 

Well more on my companion. She is the best! I don't understand why we were put together because we have both wanted this since we were both born into the mission, and it usually just doesn't work like that! We entered the MTC on the same day but she already knew Spanish. Little smarty pants. But we also go home the same day and for some reason have just clicked since the beginning, and now we are finally together. 

We had a really awesome miracle last night. We had an appointment with a man who basically eavesdropped an entire discussion we had on the street. So we show up and he wasn't home. The next phone call he told us that he had left work too late and wouldn't be home for another half hour. Outside of his house though were two of our other investigators, they were smoking. But we talked to them and at the end we felt like we should ask them for a referral, and something not very common happened... they gave us one!! Pablo said that he had a friend that lived just down the street that we should visit and we took off down the street to track him down!! Well we got to the end of the street and were going to turn right but looked left and saw down the street a muchacho that we wanted to contact.. as we got closer we realized it was yet ANOTHER one of our investigators. (They all live in one house.. it's incredible). There are 6 or 7 apartments in this one house and well.. he sat down on his front steps and we ended up having an incredible lesson with him. To his side he had put his grocery bag full of work cloths and water and another... a 6 pack that he had just bought. One of the beautiful things is the change of weather. Beautiful early summer nights make it much easier for people to slow down and take some time to talk to us. 

Well he started to tell us that one of his friends came into his apartment the other day and he was sitting at the kitchen table reading in first Nephi.. I don't know quite how to explain the joy that comes from a response like that but it's incredible!! Then he continued.. later on he said that he really wanted to come to church today and was planning on it but he had to go into work at 12.. that was when conference starts over here and thought he was going to be able to come to our 9:00 service.. he then said that he was going to plan on being there next week. Another one of those amazing things to hear.. and then... the best part was when we were wrapping up, we were talking to him about that beer that he just bought and how that's not going to help him and he said.. "You know what.. I'm going to go give it to my friends and I think i'm going to stick to water tonight!" I felt like I had just won a championship game, or gotten 100% on a final. 

Life is good. Gerardo is a blessing. More like a miracle. Conference was incredible. This mission is my life. Onward and upward! 

Hermana Schwendiman 

Fishing last week

transferred and a new calling

This is going to be a rather short email this week.. well because we're going fishing!!! Ha Yes... I said we are going fishing. and No.. it's not the same as going up to Strawberry with my dad and throwing a line in the water and catching up on life but... we have a full tackle box in the trunk and somehow ended up with four poles. (we owe some people some fish..)  It has been dumping rain (welcome to spring) for the past 48 hours straight but as of about 3 hours ago.. cleared up and blue skies are overhead. The members here are so awesome! This ward reminds me of Union City.. but I have been jipped the same amount of time. That's right.. getting transferred. 

The Lord saw me fit to extend me another calling.. 

This is how it happened.. 

We get a phone call and Sister Haddock answered and Presdient Jeppson was asking her about her health and checking up on how she was doing. We had been sitting on the couch and talking about it right before and as he wrapped up the conversation he asked Sister Haddock if he could talk to her companion.. My thought was that he wanted to ask me a couple questions about her and he asked me how I was doing.. 

"I'm doing very well President. How are you doing?"

"Well I am doing really good right now because I am able to call you on behalf of the Lord to extend a calling to you to be a Sister Training Leader!'

"Are you allowed to do that?" (Yes that was my actual response. My filter seemed to have been shut off for the moment and I was so thrown off by the change of topic that the words just came out..)

The best part about that all is the next morning at Leadership council with all the Zone leaders and Sister Training leaders... President talked about how its always entertaining extending callings to sisters because you can usually hear snickering in the background of the occasional companion that says "I called it" and then there are OTHERS! He just stopped after that and looked and me and laughed.. smooth Sister Schwendiman.. smooth... 

So for those of you that aren't aware what a Sister Training Leader is... I don't know either so.. wish me luck!! Just kidding.. We do not take the position of Zone leaders and not district leaders but we do everything they cannot do for the sisters.. for example exchanges. They tend to frown upon Elders going on exchanges with sisters.. hmmm.. but then we can be as personal and ooey gooey and sappy and sad and all that fun stuff that we sisters have to deal with. So we are assigned to anywhere from 16-22 sisters and we go on exchanges with em all!!! Woo we all know how well my last exchange went.. 

I also am SO sad to leave THE BRUNS (New Brunswick). It was amazing to me to see how much I stinking love these people in just 6 short weeks. I had to see a lot of tears yesterday and I felt a lot of love!! I also am SO sad to leave my companion but I have sworn promises from our district leader, the sister training leaders, the assistants and the mission nurse that they will all watch over my compa. Man it's amazing how 6 weeks ago we had hardly heard each others names before and now she is one of my best friends for the rest of my life!! 

This mission is the greatest and I love God! 

Onward and upward! 

Hermana Schwendiman 

Our last district meeting and the district leader whacked me in the face right before that... go team!

All this sisters before we divided and conquered for the STL's to go to a meeting and compa's to go together.  Stinkin' beautiful sisters is what they are!

Scariest car ride of my life... it's still weird that elders and sisters can ride together...