This is it! Final testimony of the mission!

Holy cow!!! I feel like it's still a big joke, I won't believe that I'm actually going home till I'm in the airport! Well this week was good, we had a general authority come and speak to us and that was really cool! Sounds like some things will be getting switched up in the mission, but I think it'll be good, It'll help the work for sure! Well I have been so grateful to have been able to serve as a full time missionary the last two years. It has been a roller coaster ride! It has been the hardest thing I have ever done in my life so far. But I'm grateful for all the trials I have been faced with, I feel like I've grown and become stronger through them. I know that Christ's atonement is real. I know its the only reason I made it. I know that Christ lives today and he blesses us and wants to see us happy in this life. I'm grateful for the love of Christ in my life. I'm grateful that I have been able to testify of his love to other people and watch the change that takes place in their hearts. There is no greater joy than seeing someone change their hearts to follow our Savior Jesus Christ, not even when the A's make the plaoffs do I feel that happy;) haha I know that the message of the Restoration is true, that Joseph Smith was called by God to bring back the fullness of the gospel to the earth. I know we can know for ourselves if it is true by reading and praying about The Book Of Mormon. I know that the Book Of Mormon is a true book, that testifies of Christ and brings us closer to Him. I have come to the this book and I have been able to see the conversion that has taken place in my own heart. I know with all of my heart that this gospel is true. I love it. I'm grateful for your supoort and love over the last two years. I'm excited to see everyone on saturday!! I hope you have a great rest of your week! I love you all and thank you for your support.

Love, Elder swish daddy 

12 days

Well another week here and gone!! It's freakin me out a little bit!! This week was awesome!! One of my favorite families from Cody came to say goodbye this week, so they took us out to lunch and it was so good to see them, they are awesome!! But the big news isssss we put someone on date for baptism!!! Oh man we were so pumped! The work has been a little slow but we have just been pounding through it and finally we got a reward!!! It felt soooo good!!! And then a less active member of the church took us to go watch the demolition derby!!! That is always a blast, espescially as a missionary when we go to events like that people stare at us and give us the funniest looks. So for all my friends back at home, don't give the missionaries funny looks, they are normal people too!!! hahaha man the emotions are all over the place, being so close to the end, I'm excited to be home but man I love this life. I love being a missionary, it's a blast! ITS NOT OVER YET!!! Still got like 12 days!! This week on Thursday we will be headin up to billings for a big meeting, a general authority is coming to speak to us all, so that will be exciting!! I will get to see some old buddies before I leave next week! Man crazy!! But okay I'll talk to ya for the last time next week!! Have a good one!!

Love, elder Swishdaddy

Holy Smokes!!

Holy Smokes..... only two more Mondays!! Crazy! I'm freaking out a little bit, I had my departing interview with my mission president this week it was really good! He gave me a lot of dating advice, which I definitely need hahaha! But it was really good, it made me realize how close my mission is to my heart. I have grown a lot and have served my hardest so it's sad having it come to an end! But the next chapter in life will be fun as well!! Let's see so last night we went to see a less active lady and she let us in her house and we started talking and her fat dog came up to me. I started petting her and then I realized she was PEEING ON MY FOOT!!!!!! That dang, stupid dog peed on my shoe!! The lady was like "Im so sorry!!! That's embarrassing !!" hahaha I just laughed. It was pretty funny! But as we were leaving I told her she owed me, and she said that she would be at church next Sunday so it was worth it I guess! It smells a lot better than pig pee so I can't be to upset! haha It was a good week here in Thermopolis! We did a lot of service helping people move! So that was pretty fun but we aslo had some sucess in teaching less active members! It was a blast to finally get some really solid lessons in!! I love Thermopolis, it's been a lot of fun so far, difficult work here but fun just trying hard! Well I'm excited to see everybody soon. I hope you all have a great week!! love you!!

Love Elder Swishdaddy

Indian ceremony

Brentwood!!! Well it was a good week here in thermop! we have been working our butts off trying to find people to teach, tracting for 3 hours everyday!!!! And we finally found 2 new people to teach!! It was awesome! Even though thats not a whole lot we were so grateful for them. It boosted out sprits like crazy just to be able to teach someone! Its been crazy hot here this week, I love it!! Its adjusting me back to California wheather!! It'll be nice to get my tan back.... I was looking at myself the other day and I look like I'm from Montana with this white skin... it's pathetic!!! hahaha oh man! So I started this sweet diet (Elder Swisher's famous words) so I eat two hard boiled eggs for breakfast and the at lunch I eat 10 crackers with peanut butter on them! and then limit myself to one helping at dinner!!! We will see if that helps me get in beach shape?;) hahaha Oh! So this week we had a picture contest in our zone, we had to take pictures demonstrating the principles in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The first one with me and the bags, we titled "Keep enduring Elder Rentfro..... wait Elder Swisher don't pack too early!!!" hahah and then the toilet one "Just as we have faith that this toilet will flush, we have faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" hahah classic! I thought they were clever! Then we got to go watch an Indian celebration! Years ago they sold the springs to the white man for $5 a month. So now they celebrate every year with a performance. It was cool to watch, they have a cool culture and it's fun to watch them dance and chant! haha We don't have that in Brentwood! Well I think that's all I got for this week! Hopefully you guys have a great week!! I'll talk to ya next week!!

Love, elder Swishdaddy

Less than 5 weeks to go!

Well it was a crazy week!! It started out playing 4 hours of basketball on Monday, then Tuesday I drove to Billings. I stayed the night in Billings with Elder McGrath my old comp, we haven't seen each other in awhile so we stayed up till like 3am talking. Man I missed him! He's a good dude! So we had to get up at 5:30 so he could organize the transfers and get the new missionaries settled in. I worked the whole day with a companionship in Billings till about 4pm and the I met my new missionary at the mission home and me and him drove down to Wyoming!! We got to Thermopolis at about 10 pm that night after making a bunch of stops taking care of other missionary's luggage. So now I'm in good ol Thermopolis!!! I love it here, I forgot how awesome it was!!!! On friday night our ward had a party and they blocked off the street and had a DJ out there and they were just all swing dancing and line dancing! hahaha We got some food and talked to all my old buddies here, but then when my favorite country songs came on we had to go.... haha It was getting me excited to listen to music again!!! haha But the work is slow right now here in Thermopolis  so we are starting from scratch so it'll be fun to try and find people who are really wanting to learn and change their lives!! It'll stretch us but I know we can get something happining here!! Well I think thats all the exciting news I got for ya! Hope everybody has a great week and I'll talk to ya next week!! Love you!!!

Love, Elder swish daddy

Back to THERMOPOLIS!!!

Brentwood!!!! Well for my last 6 weeks I will be getting transferred back to THERMOPOLIS!!!!!!!! hahaha Oh man I'm so excited to go back! It'll be a fun way to end my mission!! I'll be training a brand new missionary so we will be getting doubled into the area! The past missionaries there I guess kinda slacked off so we will be building it up from scratch! haha It'll be a good way to see what I can do before I finish this thing up! Well this week was way good, we had a lot of good lessons and we found like the perfect investigator!!! We were out looking for this part member family and I knocked on the door and asked for the family's name and this young mother said that they lived there before she did, so we were bummed but then asked her if she wanted to watch a sweet video about Christ and she said she would really enjoy it. So we showed her the video and during the video she started to cry and really feel the spirit. It was sweet, we testifed of the video and of Christ, and asked if we could come back and share more with her and she said "I know that God sent you to me today to help get my life back in order." Inside I was like YESSSSS HECK YESSS!!! hahah So yeah she is super sweet and the elders here will have a lot of fun teaching her! That was such a cool miracle though! I seriously love being a missionary. It's the best. Well I hope everyone has a great week!! I love you and miss you guys!!

Love, Elder Swishdaddy 

Fast break candy bars! Yum!

Well I'm starting to really freak out..... I start my last transfer next week... it's weird. haha Well this week was bomb.com!!!! We taught a lot of good lessons and the biggest miracle was that we found a family of 3 who wants to learn more about the gospel!!! Prayers are answered!!! I love it!! They are way sweet, we found them tracting, after a lonnng day of tracting. We were just finishing up the night; when we tract a lot and its getting close to the end we get a little crazy in head. So I knock on the door and I say "We are going around your neighborhood trying to share this 2 minute video about Christ, and nobody has let us share with them... will you be the first?!?!?!" hahah the lady just laughed and said "sure" so she watched it and it really touched her, she was holding back tears and said they need Christ in their lives more right now. It was really cool. I already love this little family of three!! I can't wait to keep working with them!!! So I have been working out for 2 weeks strong now, but I think I'm counter acting it cuz I realized that everyday last week we stopped by this same gas station and I got a Fastbreak candy bar.... literally everynight of the week hahaha classic!! Those bad boys will never get old!! Well I hope everyone has a great week!! I'll update you next week where I will be living for my last transfer!!!

Love, Elder Swishdaddy