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...

YAY for adventures

I am tired. Sometimes that is just what has to be said. This has been a really weird week for us but God does answer prayers... and He works in mysterious ways. That being said, remember last week when I was complaining about not being able to just stay at our apartment.. well This is what happened. Monday night.. after a busy P-day.. my companion was not looking so hot. We took a logical course of action and decided to go home and let her lay down. We got home and I walked into the bedroom to grab something and THUD!! My companion had passed out. That led to a long night in the hospital.. but don't worry.. the work goes on!! We taught a full lesson on the book of mormon to our nurse and he said he wanted to read the intro during his break and that he also wanted the missionaries to come over.. That's Mike. Well they stuffed her full of fluids until she felt stable enough to walk to the car and they they gave us the boot. So we wandered out of the hospital around two or three in the morning and made it back to our apartment.

The next morning Sister Haddock was still shaking but we made it to district meeting and zone lunch but that was it. The mission nurse confined us to our apartment. (this is the part that I mean, God works in mysterious ways) .We were feeling a little out of place.. so he made us stay somewhere.. for 48 hours. Yes, our one day consignment led to two. So that was Tuesday and Wednesday. Wednesday night we get a text... "Sisters, you're moving on friday. Get everything ready so that we can be there at 10am to move you out."

Thursday rolls around.. and we have to pick up another sister at the chapel at 745 yhat morning and she was the lucky winner that was able to help us pack. Then we dropped her back off at the chapel and then pushed onward to go teach that night. A really cool aspect of a companionship is that you know each other SO well.. you know when the other is not being themselves. Her shaking had not stopped but we followed doctors orders and had her on tylenol and were told that the shaking would stop. 

Friday.. shaking did not stop. But we had to clear out our apartment. Picked up the other sister again (her companions were at a meeting) and then.. we moved!! Probably not the best idea.. because being the good missionary that she is, Sister Haddock pushed herself. She was TIRED!! Woo wee.. 

Then we were in our new place.... The "cave" it was pretty awesome. And yes I mean was. What happened next made our weekend a little more crazy. And I know it's going to sound like something crazy happened but I'm letting you know now... nothing did... But we were emergency moved out of our apartment on Sunday. We're safe!! I PROMISE! But it was a little hectic and we're glad we're out. So back to the Sister training leaders apartment. Sunday night and last night we stayed there and will be in a new apartment today. Just what sister Haddock needs.. a little more chaos! It's a good thing we are good friends with the Sister that we have basically been living with!!

Okay but here comes the highlight of the week.. 

MY BIRTHDAY! 

Starts off at 530.. Driving to the other side of New Jersey to see the Doctor for Sister Haddock. This actually helped me a lot.. they are concerned. Don't think i'm weird for being happy that they are worried about my companion but it just... calms me down that we actually have people working with her now and are following up on us. They checked her heart and the ran some blood tests and he wants us back in there on friday and if they can't find anything.. we have a plan of action. So after our roadtrip (with the other sisters of course) we head to the all-sister conference! How about best birthday ever! Ever single one of the New Jersey Morristown sisters were there AND President and Sister Jeppson. It was a blast. After that.. we had time to rush home and shower real quick and RUN out the door. We had an appointment which turned out to be more of a party (by the way I have the best mom in the world). I had set appointments for the night and my scheming companion and creative mother turned them both into parties. Well the first was hilarious. One of the Elders we work with down here, is birthday is the 18th so we did a little bit of a double celebration. Everything was green and we looked super cool in all of the green festivities my mom sent us. Plus I had cake!!! The glueten-free kind.. thanks to my mom again and then we were off. I was blind-folded, yet again, and walked into this house just to be surprised again! This was awesome because it ended on a spiritual note, our district leader, who planned this whole surprise party with my comp, had prepared a really cool lesson as well.. Well then we sang happy birthday.. again... the spanish way.. that ends with your face in the cake.. I even knew it was coming and dodged it the first time but I was laughing and my disctrict leader shoved the cake up as my comp shoved my face down and I didn't even see round 2 coming. 

I wish I had so much more to tell you about investigators and the area and less actives and members but what I do have to tell you this week is that God trusts me. I have been able to see his hand in my life and watched him be able to work through me to help his children. I've seen it over and over again and I can't even express the love that he has for me and the role I have right now. Never underestimate his great power. I ALSO want you to know that I am happy and healthy and that is the truth. It's easy to want to cover up problems as a missionary.. well as a human in general because we think that if we have problems that we are weak. That is not true and I have been able to continually learn through my trials. Hey just one suggestion.. Maybe start praying for my next companions.. ha ha just playing... kind of!

Well I love you all. 

Onward and Upward. 

Hermann Schwendiman

Happy 22nd birthday to me!!

a St. Patty's surprise party... 

A little cake in the face...  with Sis. Haddock

The new apartment... for two days anyway!

Sister Gilbert, Me, and Sister Henrickson at the all sister conference

what a week....

Well this is going to be a little bit of a different letter this week.. Some strange things happened. 

The first of which (sometimes it just happens) was on an exchange. We started Friday morning, my companion and I, and she asked me if I had had any crazy exchange stories.. I really hadn't had any super crazy, one-for-the-books, gets around the mission kind of story and so that ended up being a rather short conversation. Well we get back to the apartment that night (now on exchanges) and it turns out the the apartment downstairs had actually done something with all that ruckus they have been making during our personal and companionship studies for the past week and decided to throw on five layers of paint and redo the floors... Well all of these things (well fumes rather) creeped up into our apartment and decided to hang out there for the day.. make that going four days strong now. We made it through nightly planning and about an hour being home realized we were NOT going to be able to make it through the night. We threw open the windows and started making calls to our leaders to see if there was any way that we would be able to sleep somewhere else. We ended up staying that night at the Sister Training Leaders apartment.. Woo wee.. 

After that exchange Sister Haddock and I headed back to see if the apartment had aired out enough so that we could go back. Our apartment was so cold.  About a half hour in, we both had major head aches. That resulted in night two at the Sister Training Leaders apartments. Sunday after church... well... I found the good ol' family business!! Who new... The first picture... looks like its actually spelled right. But the second one shows a little more clearly that the painter messed up a little. BUT HEY!!! The Schwendiman Taxidermy business!! I knew I had been in the wrong career field... But after that, back to the apartment, starving!! Clever little me (picture 3) turned up the heat!! Ate lunch by the fireplace... well since the apartment downstairs took the weekend off and never vented the apartment it ended up in a third night at the Sisters apartment. It's been a little rough. I remember being frustrated yesterday because I feel like I haven't been very stable. Moving around a lot and feeling like I just wanted to be able to stay somewhere for a little. And then we are moving at the end of this week.. BUT we were able to go see our apartment. The us and the senor couple have nicknamed it "the cave" and it is... a cave!! But the coolest feature is the all-pink bathroom! So excited. You'll get pictures of that this week. But later last night (moving on to the more spiritual points) we met with a member family. 

The Sarabias. First of all, we walk in and there are at least 100 tamales sitting on the table just waiting for us.. and while we ate they shared how they met, which led to how they were converted to the gospel by a member referal, and then eventually sealed in the temple, and now they have a boy on a mission. It was really neat to hear Hermano Sarabia share is thoughts about how when they were married by a Catholic priest.. the words "till death do you part" had always haunted him. The moment he started to nurture his "seed of faith" was when the missionaries shared with him about eternal marriage. He said, "That is when I knew that this HAD to be the right church!" Well we shared with them that we wanted to commit them to be able to share the gospel with others.. or more specifically, be the member that referred them to the missionaries. We gave them a book of mormon and the moment we said that Hermano Sarabia said, "well there's a neighbor that just came into my mind..." and then he was interrupted by his wife.. "NO WAY!!! YOU HAD THE SAME PERSON COME TO YOU??"

Well we formed an "attack plan" with them. It's really interesting to see that if you really are willing... the Lord with give you missionary experiences! He has so many people ready.. he's just waiting for us to put in our request to be his tools. 

This church is true. Families can be eternal. There are people ready. 

One thing that change my way of thinking this week was from on of our Zone Leaders. " Every person on this earth chose to come her to qualify for celestial glory. How many people do we walk by every day that has forgotten that. The people who are looking for "something more" (or other words that goal of celestial glory) but have no idea where to find it. Well that changed out mindset this week.. We contacted 61 more people than we did last week... they are out there. It's our job!

Go get em!

Hermana Schwendiman 

weekly email.. i'm a slacker!

Dearest family and friends, 

I have officially been slacking at weekly emails! But just a quick update.

Things are great!!

Love,

Hermana Schwendiman 

Ok I will make up for my lack of writing, with pictures!! They are more fun anyway! 

The famous Workout World that has "Jersey Strong" magnets.  One of the girls at the front desk saw that we were Mormon and called us "her people" and just gave us a whole stack!

Some of the missionaries that work in our ward with us.  We are still missing 3 elders though.

Tindara... our cat lady.  It started out with my holding one baby kitten and then she kept bringing them and bringing them.  I'm not even positive how many cats I'm holding at that point but I am positive that I have 3 chins.  That's true character right there!!!

We are doing awesome in New Jersey! We are happy. We are healthy. And the work is moving forward!! Love you all!  Hermana Schwendiman