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Talking a Family to the Mormon Batallion Site San Diego Zoo with Hernandez Family

Happy 4th of July

Mom, That's great you are all planning on spending the night at the cabin and celebrating the 4th. I think it's weird someone is trying to set Loafer on fire. So Katelyn & Justin are back from the honeymoon and back to real life. That's good they can get back to work and be ready to start school. So Mom I don't want anything for my birthday!! It would be foolish of you if you were to send me a package. I would rather you just put money in my account. It would cost like 15 dollars to send a package then you would buy like candy to put inside and I don't really need any candy at all nor a box that I will throw away along with the candy! So please don't worry about sending me anything. Even a Birthday card thay are like 3 or 4 bucks just for a card. Just save the 3 dollars haha. From now on I have decided I am not going to buy those things, I gotta save all the money I can get!! Anyways I have everything I need so no worries :) No more teenage years for me :( I just can't believe that it was a year ago that we went up to the cabin for our Birthday party. I don't even know where the year went. Oh boy did it go by fast. That is great Parker will be joining young mens soon. Has Parker been doing anything else this summer besides baseball? Hahaha Parker doesn't have time to write me back, It's summer what's going on??? No if I were his age I wouldn't want to write either so I guess I don't blame him. Thanks for all the pics of Justin & Kate the looked beautiful and the temple! Wow!! I can't believe Kate is married. Parker looked good in his baseball pictures and Capri is always cute. That is awesome the Taylor & Riley have been out 1 year. They are good boys! So for my year mark I am going to celebrate it by doing missionary work! pretty cool eh? I don't think you could have a better celebration than that haha. I don't know maybe I will even treat myself to a cheap Mexican dinner hahaha. All I eat is Rice, Rice and Rice with the Filipino's. So I am now used to eating rice with every meal instead of potato's. You wouldn't believe the stuff I have eaten. I have eaten chicken feet, can you imagine what that would taste like. It was so chewey but I just bit off the cartlidge around the bones on the chicken feet. I have eaten pig ears and all sorts of fish. So basically they eat everthing on the animals, they don't waste a thing. It's cool though to experience new things and eat weird stuff. Well is sounds like y'all are doing well. I am doing so great and I couldn't ask for anything else. We are going to have a great week this week. We are still preparing for Arrmando and Cythinia to be baptized on July 21st so I hope they will be ready. Welp I love you all so much, Thanks for all the support and for all you do. Keep up the good work. Are you still getting up and working out and staying active? I hope so, I hope dad is doing well and I can't wait to go to the temple with him again. Ta ta for now!! Elder Swenson

92 Year Old

Hi Mom, Everything is still going great! Tomorrow morning is transfers so we only have tonight with our extra companion. So my companion and I are not getting trasferred but that means I will be the area for 7 1/2 months. It's crazy. I have been here for 6 months but I will be here another 6 weeks and possibly even more. We are teaching the 92 year old man tonight so I hope and pray he will get baptized. He just says that he is to old and he does not want to, but I hope and pray he will change. He has been taught for 15 years and he is 92 so it's getting down to the wire ya know haha. For Breakfast I usually do oatmeal and toast or cereal with milk. For Lunch we got out and eat sometimes or we just go back to the apartment and eat. Dinner we usually get fed by people so we actually have and hour for dinner, but we just work and people feed us cause Filipions love to give out food. That is great that Capri's blessing was nice. Tell all the Pruitt's that I said hello. Anyways let Grandpa, Grandma and Laur I said hello and that I love them. It's getting hot outside!! Life is wonderful down here and I would not want to be anywhere else. I love this gospel with all of my heart and I am so grateful for my wonderful family as well. LOve Elder Swenson

Busy Times

Hi Glad to hear you are all doing so well. Sounds like you had a great time up at the cabin. I bet things are getting super busy planning Katelyn's wedding and everything else. Anyways last week was a good week. We are actually covering two wards now because one of the missionaries had been sick and had to go home so his companion is with us. Only one more week until transfers and then he will go back to his area with a new companion. We have been teaching alot and things are going really well. The one new compaion is amazing at singing and playing the piano. We are teaching this 92 year old guy. His wife's son attends our branch. He has been meeting with the missionaries off an on for 15 years so it's been quite interesting teaching an old man. He still drives, plays the piano and is still physically active at the age of 92. Isn't that something...I am really excited for Kate & Justin. She is just awesome and I am so proud of what she is doing. Haley and Kate are both such hard workers and such good examples for me. I have been so blessed with such a wonderful family. Everyone that I see seems to be so lost, they don't even know where the heck they are going. It's just sad to see people so caught up in the world. We live in such a good place, we are around so many people who are great and humble and I love it. Tell Parker & Dad that I love them and I think of them often. The Lord has given me so much, I want to give my love to others who need it. What a blessing you and the rest of the family has been to me Mom. Thank you so much and just continue to be faithful!!! Much Love, Elder Swenson

Meeting the Measoms

Hello! Yeah it was cool to meet up with Rob & Stacey and have lunch. It did not make me homesick, come on what kind of question is that. haha Bryce will be suprised when we send him a picture. We went and ate at a good Mexican Resturant in old town. That is great dad got a new truck. I would like some pictures of Parks in his new baseball uniform. I am glad you met my last companion on facebook. He is a nice guy and he sure does love me. haha he emails every week and I am like dude I do not have time to respond to you every week. Welp I miss you all very much, My love for my family has grown so much!!! Tell Laurie, Grandpa and Grandma how much I love them. Time is sure flying by, I can't believe that Grandpa Cleve died a year ago. I sure do miss him. We don't really have to many investigators because none of them are progressing or keeping their commitments. We did get a referal from the this very nice Philippino family but the the people live like almost an hour away from where we live so we don't know if we can teach them. We are waiting for permission. It does seem promising so hopefully it will work out. Next fast sunday you should all fast for me to learn the language better. I pretty much got it but I just want to speak it good and fast and just be fluent. I really don't miss home at all to be honest. I know before I know it I will be right back going at it just like life before with school and work. I so enjoy working and I hate lazy people seriously. The mission has really helped me stay focused and just live the gospel. I pray for you all and hope you are happy and healthy! I think back to conference and the overall message I felt was do not delay, time is running out. Not to scare you but I think they just ell people to get ready and don't delay cause you never know. Tell Parks I love him and to keep being a good boy and to work hard. Love Elder Swenson

Blessed

Family, What you are selling the house?? Are you crazy!! Just keep the one we have and buy a condo in St George so I can use it when I come home. I am so glad that Parker emailed me about how he is doing and all about his baseball team. Welp Mom no Baptisms. I tell you what these people are hard. You have got all these people that came from the Philippines and once they live here they get really prideful!! The Philipinos here are not like the ones in the Philippines, the ones over there are really humble and friendly here it's a whole new world of possibilities. There are still good ones out there looking for the gospel but it's just working and working until we find them. Most of them are die hard Catholics! Things are going pretty good. You all need to keep busy and keep your heads up always. The Lord will contunue to bless you the more you work! Tell everyone I am doing great, I love and miss you all. I love the gospel so much! I am so blessed to have this opportunity to serve in San Diego. Love you, Bye Bye Landon

Happy Easter

Nanay (Mom) That is great that Justin is home and had a great homecoming!!! I bet that was fun to go to. That is cool that he bore his tesimoney in Romanian. Maybe I will do it in Tagalog when I come home. I bet he and Katelyn are together alot. Easter week was really good. Everything is going great here. Yesterday we were doing service for this guy and we were out front and then a whole bunch of kids my age or so were like fighting it was super crazy. It seemed like it was 15 kids against one and they kicked him when he was on the ground and then they ran. I was so mad!!!The kid could barely get up with his head bleeding and so we ran and asked him if he needed help and he was like no. Kids these days...something else. I was just mad about it, but ya know I am just grateful that I don't live that lifestyle. I Just ridiculous!! I can't wait to talk to you on Mother's day then we can catch up. I love you Mom and thanks for everthing!!! Oh yesterday we went to this man's house that is in the San Diego Temple Presidency and we studied with him. It was really cool and we learned some rally deep stuff about alot of things. Tell Parks & Dad I love them and to keep up the good work. Much Love Elder Swenson

Happy Valentines Day

Hello Family,

Happy Valentines!!! I hope you all had a wonderful valentines day. For my companion and I we didn't do to much on valentines but it was a great day. We ate with some members and had a good time with them. It's crazy that winter is almost over and it will be summer again. The trees bloomed over a month ago and they have all gotten leaves. It can get a little chill at night, somewhere around 50 so its not that bad. The days are in the mid 70's and just perfect as can be.

This week has been really good, we have had a lot of work and things are going really well. This last Saturday, we took two of our investigators to witness a baptism. One of the ladies spoke on the Holy Ghost and the spirit was so strong. I feel that I have learned so much about the gospel and have realized how important the spirit really is in our every day life. Later that day we had a baptism in our branch. Her name is Micealla, an 8 year old girl that we have been teaching for awhile. She is so smart and knows so much about the gospel and it is cool to see her loving to learn even at 8 years old. I was able to baptize her and it was a wonderful opportunity to do that for her. Her dad is a non member and is not interested in the church but he was happy for her and supported her in making this choice. She has been coming to church for quite awhile with her Grandpa who is a member. We also have another investigator by the name of Mely. She is an older Filipino lady. We have got her out to the baptism and to church twice and have seen the spirit really working on her. She lives with 5 other Filipino people who are all Catholic so its tough when she is around them. She says she feels the spirit and she can't deny it. So hopefully she will be baptized.

My Tagalog is coming along. I can almost understand just about everything they are saying, It's just hard sometimes cause they talk so darn fast. I am blessed to be serving in San Diego, the people and the members are wonderful. A lot of members love doing missionary work and sharing the gospel with their friends and family. Especially this time of year with the elections and Mitt Romney. It's our chance to really show people who we really are and what we believe. Everyone asks us about Mitt and all the political stuff. I love this gospel so much!! I love you all and am so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life. May we all do our best to have the spirit with us always. We are all living in enemy territory but with the spirit we will be protected and comforted. I know this to be true! I can see it every day. I give you all my deepest Love!

Elder Swenson

P-Day Bowling

Christmas In San Diego

Happy New Year

Hello!

It has been a little while since the holidays. As for me, things are going really well. My heart is full each day and I am so thankful for the things I have. The opportunity to do even the smallest thing for somebody is a wonderful blessing in my eyes I have realized so much and opened my eyes in so many different ways. I love being a missionary!!

I will catch you up to date with a couple of stories. This is a funny one. So a few weeks ago my two companions and I were cleaning out this apartment because transfers were coming up and new missionaries were gonna be living there. So it was in the evening and dark outside and the zone leaders drove past the apartment and saw some light on and they knew nobody was living in that apartment. So the called my companion to see if we were that and we were like no you better go see who is there. So my companion put on his huge rain jacket that was black and it almost went all the way down to his feet. Then he put this black thing over his head and picked up a baseball bat in the corner. The missionaries outside saw people moving inside so they were way scared and my companion opened the door and started going at them and they started backing away and it was the funniest thing I have ever seen. You had to be there, because the area is rough. I guess I would have been scared to.

We went Christmas caroling right before Christmas, it was good to sing some Christmas songs and bring the spirit of Christmas to San Diego. I am not used to 70 degrees during Christmas time. I almost forget it was Christmas. One day we were doing some missionary work and one of the member by the name of Tony Gomez came with us to see his home teaching family that was having some really tough times. Tony is 38 years old, he used to be involved in gangs and involved in drugs but has been a member for 2 years now. He has no car and does not really have much at all. He lives in an apartment and just started going to college. On the way home from visiting the members that had just lost his job and a whole bunch of money. Brother Tony said you know what guys I am grateful I haven't got nothing because nobody can take nothing from me. He has the gospel and he is the happiest he has ever been and will be. He said he does not want money or anything because he wouldn't know what to do with it. So as that day went on I kept pondering about that and will never forget what he said. Not saying that I don't want to have a car, money and other things but just think about that.

I have been eating lot of Filipino food and it's weird but I am getting used to it. I have ate some weird things. Ya'll need to try balut...it's super good;) If you don't know what it is... I highly recommend you look it up on google I have also had clams and squid and thare are not so good. I had goat and it was not to bad.

If any of you come to San Diego you need to go to the church historic site in Old Town San Diego. It's a really neat place and you get to take an awesome tour so yeah. They put a whole bunch of Christmas lights on the temple during the holidays so we were able to get a few investigators to go the temple to see the lights!! A few weeks ago we went to Pacific Beach and walked down the beach. We didn't go on the sand sadly but we got to see people surf and go in some cool surf shops and take some pics!

Serving in the Filipino branch is a whole new world from a regular ward. They are crazy, the parties they have are something else. We live in Mira Mesa and it is like 70 to 80 percent Filipino. Sometimes I think I am in the Philippines.... We had two baptisms last Saturday and it was an awesome experience. I will fill you in later.

The gospel is soooo true my friends. Whether you think so or not...I know!! I am so thankful for the gospel in my life and the guidance and protection it provides. As we lived the gospel it will take us to higher ground. We need to heed the prophet and his teachings. The world is spinning out of control but members of the church of Jesus Christ do not have to worry. I love you ALL May peace be with you all, today and forever!!!

Elder Swenson

Zone Conference

These Pictures came from the Mission Blog
Santee Zone Conference November 2011

Christmas Phone Call

Elder Swenson called bright and early on Christmas morning. It was so great to hear his voice again. The whole family was able to be there including Grandpa and Grandma Hanks and Aunt Laurie. We put him on speaker and asked him lots of questions. He was transfered a couple days earlier to a tagalog branch. He now has a filipino companion and is able to use the tagalog language. We asked him to say the prayer on our breakfast in tagalog, that was so awesome. He seemed very happy and is loving San Diego. Now we just have to wait until Mother's Day!!!

Lesa