Welcome to Greenfield!!‏

Hello everyone and Welcome to Greenfield Ohio!! 

It is the best place I have ever been. I actually am in a tri-companionship with Sister Malloy who is 22 and from California, and has been here 5 months And my trainer sister Leaman who is from Arizona and she is 19 and has been here 6 weeks.  They are amazing we get so much done and we all learn from each other. We get home and just laugh because people here are so funny. Here is a list of how you know when you are in Greenfield-

1. 80 percent of the people are missing ALL of their teeth 

2. They talk funny 

3. They all smoke 

4. They have 15 dogs and 20 Cats all living in their houses and they treat them like their kids. (I'm am currently praying for a member and their cat named emma) 

5. It is the melting pot of religions here everyone has a different church 

6. They are mostly all living off the government and so they don't do anything all day, so when we try to make appointments they think they are busy because they have one thing the whole week.

7. They all have about 60 medical conditions and they will tell you about them after one min of talking 

8. If someone has diarrhea, they will tell you! They are not shy about it.  and last but not least 

9.  They are the best!! I absolutely love them all. 

On my first day we went tracting and my first door they lady saw us and she was like " y'all are wasting your time" and she didnt even get to the door. ha ha it was funny and that whole neighborhood was not so interested but we did meet a guy named Josh and when he answered the door he had doritos all over in his beard. it was really distracting. They were falling out left and right as we talked to him. We may or may not have had the spirit with us as we shared our message with him ha ha Anyways we went tracting again later that night and I placed my first book of Mormon and we set up several appointments! Woo it was really fun. I was pretty scared at first but now I love it. I have had so many funny experiences with it. We have a ton of investigators right now. One whose name is Dwayne and he is so funny he calls us the "Gangsters of Prayer", haha but anyways he is on date for a Baptism for the end of the month so its pretty exciting. We are also teaching a 22 year old guy  and he is so great we taught him about our loving Heavenly Father and prayer and the spirit was so strong. He basically invited himself to Church on Sunday so hopefully he will come!! We are so excited to teach him more! 

 The members here are so funny they freak out if the missionaries dont have somewhere to eat, So we eat with them every night! Can I just say I am loving it. I have had Shepards pie twice since I left home!! LOVING it! Just the other day we went to teach a girl and it was a disaster, she had 12 dogs and they were jumping everywhere, all over us and their house was disgusting. (thats another thing, the houses here are so gross and they dont clean and they have fleas and yea the smell is so bad. between the smell of animal and smoke I might be dead by next week) ha ha just kidding. but seriously. Anyways we were trying to teach and everytime we tried the brother in law or the sister or the dogs would say something so off topic and they were all telling us they had been saved when they were 3 months. They werent interested in the gospel they just wanted someone to talk to. ha ha Oh yea I forgot everyone here is related and they have so not so good family situations. I know alot of this email seems negative but I really cannot emphasis how amazing it is here. I am so happy and I love being a missionary! The people here are unlike anyone I have ever met but I love them so much!  Today we had a luau so I dont have much time left for p-day so sorry its so short! I love you all. The work is going forth!! Congrats to Anna on serving a mission! A mission is amazing! Just work hard and find the good things and you will do great where ever you are!! I love you all. My address is 530 Jefferson Street, Greenfield Oh 45123. Please write me! Emails are great but they are really hard to read all of them and have time to still email back!! I will not be so rushed next week love you!!

Sister Zwahlen

Oh and I live in a house with just us 3 and its big and smells a little!! Its wonderful. Also We dont trust the water here so we buy bottled water. 

Pic's from the MTC

 MTC Companion- Sister Woodward

 Sister Woodward -  Texas San Antonio Mission

Sister Zwahlen - Ohio Columbus Mission

 MTC District

 Its Official!

Sister Training Leader

Hey Family and Friends,

First off thanks so much for all the Emails and letters. That's what I'm talking about:) Its nice to hear from all of you, However I dont have time to email everyone back so I will be trying to write you back instead. If I don't get to emailing you back please forgive me. Also I got a package from the Stokes! Tell them THANKS!! That was so sweet of them. This week has been crazy!! I have been so busy because I have been called as the Sister Training Leader, so basically I just make sure the girls are ok and im like their mother. Its really stressful. I have had meeting after meeting and then I get back to my room to find out sisters are wanting to go home, or they arent getting along with their companion. Its a little stressful, but so rewarding. I cant even tell you how much my zone has become like my family. Especially the Sisters! They are amazing and I love them and care about each one of them. Also as part of my calling I got to do an orientation with the zone leaders to welcome the new district to the MTC. In the new district their is an Elder Maybee, who says he knows Emily and Sam, small world huh? 

Can I just say the MTC is such an amazing place, I cant even believe how much I have grown. We have two investigators one is Michelle and ones name is Maria. We almost got Maria to commit to baptism, but no luck yet. I wanted to tell you about my experience with Michelle. We went in with a lesson plan and as we taught the spirit was so strong and our lesson ended up being completely different. Sister Woodward and I were truly led by the spirit, how we should teach. It was  so amazing. I still get way nervous to teach but once im teaching and the spirit is there, I am so calm and the things I need to say just come to my mind. I am getting way excited to get out to Ohio and teach teach teach!! Oh and I got an email from the mission office that said they hadnt received my paper work. so if you get another packet will you please resend what you can?? Thank you. 

On tuesday we had a devotional at the Marriot Center and Neil L Anderson was the speaker. I loved his talk and he said "While on your mission put the "I" away!" I love that and im learning that it is never about me. When I serve those around me, I forget all about myself and that is when I am closest to the spirit. This gospel is amazing!! ahh I love it and I cant wait to share it. Anyways on the way back from the devotional it was pouring rain so pretty much we were soaking wet and then Sister Woodward lost her key so we went back searching for it. Lets just say I wasn't pretty by the time we got back to class.. and LATE. As we walked into class a member of our branch presidency was in our class. I was embarrassed. Im sure they are regretting their decision to make me Sister Training Leader. Oh and I almost forgot us Sister in our district all sang in the Choir for the devotional and guess what?? It was being broadcast to the other MTCs around the world, guess who got a close up of them selves several times as they were singing. Yep, Me!! I guess you could say I'm pretty famous here!! haha just kidding just kidding. 

Can you believe i am more than half way done with the MTC?? I leave in like 5 days!! its crazy. 

Last week my whole district got stuck in the elevator for a couple hours. Elder, Elder Elder. They decided it would be fun to jump. Now they know what happens with that!! Lucky for me I was at a meeting so I didn't get stuck, which is good because I wouldnt have been able to stand being stuck with some of our Elders for that long! Dont get me wrong I love them and we all have a lot of fun but sometimes they are stupid and frustrating. 

Also I got to go to the temple this morning. It was wonderful as usual! I love the temple and I am going to miss going! I met a Lady in the Temple who was talking to me about her mission and she looked at her name and they were from Ohio. she leaned over and said " looks like we are doing work for Ohio on both sides of the veil! ahh how cool is that!! I loved that! I'm so excited to bring people to Christ! It doesn't get much better than this! Time is flying by and Im loving every minute. 

I guess I am lame and I always forget to what I want to tell you. So sorry its a lame email. but I love you all. I will leave you with advice, DEAR ELDER!! I love it. I can get them everyday so then I don't have to wait till my p-day to get mail. Which I wont have anymore of here at the MTC Anyways!!

Love you All

Sister Zwahlen

Wet Cement

First, lets say that every single person in my district received mail today, but not me. Not a single letter. Don't worry, I was sure I would have an email from someone... Nope not a single. Moral of the story, people should write me:)  So as you can tell my p-day is Friday, but I only have a half day today. The MTC is wonderful I am loving everything about it so far, I sit a lot but I am learning tons. On our first day we had 3 investigators, and as a group of about 100 we were to teach. It was great. I learned lots. Mostly that we need to really get to know those that we will teach, and try and look at them the way our Heavenly Father can see them. Its amazing when you try to see everyone that way. You experience a lot of love for someone you have only known for 5 min. My companion is Sister Woodward. She is from Kearns, and headed to the San Antonio, Texas Mission. Its a little sad because she is the only sister in our district headed to Texas, All the other sisters are headed to good old Ohio, Columbus Mission. I am very grateful that I have Sister Woodward. She is amazing. I learn so much with her and we work so well as a companionship. Neat story. Sister Woodward was supposed to leave for her mission in April because a week before she was to report she fell off a horse and broke her back. I know that this sounds sad, but I'm so grateful she did. I know that she was meant to be my companion. So if that meant delaying her mission 4 months. It had to happen:) Maybe I should just say nothing is by accident. There are 6 sisters and 6 elders in my district. Sister Woodward and I are the oldest missionaries in our zone at our old age of a whopping 22 years, but we enjoy it and all 6 of us sisters are in the same room. (sister Anderson, Sister Burningham, Sister Daupin, and Sister Harper.   Its kind of fun. We all really get along great. None of us are the same and it works because we all balance each other out.  My classes are great I have an amazing teacher Sister Kline and she is so sweet and really works hard. Ok so let me explain the the subject of my email now. So for gym time, Sister Woodward and I went up to the field, and as we were walking to the field I may or may not have stepped in wet cement, in front of the workers. They all just laughed at me and it was a little embarrassing. I think its all said and done, but when I return the worker told me I had to pay for my foot print. ha ha I ran away. Just kidding. I'm pretty sure he was just joking with me. but now I learned not to walk around cones and workers because there may be a reason they are there. The food is great. I have liked everything. Its not the best but I'm not going to complain I get filled and I'm happy.  Although yesterday one of the options was "cod nuggets".. Ewwwwwwwwww I stayed clear of that line. I will not eat something with the knowledge that it is called a Cod nugget. Also in the showers if anyone starts singing everyone joins in. Its creepy. I don't like that.  Well lots has happened here but I cant remember all of it. Its kind of cool I feel like I have been here for at least a week. Its like time is slowed down here so that we have all that time to study and learn what we need to. Its like a blessing in disguise.  Well that's all for now. I don't have a lot of time to email today. Love you all. I'm great and I love it here. 

Love,

Sister Zwahlen

 

So as you can see, I am a little too excited about being a sister missionary. I had to change my blog so that it is all ready for when I leave. I will have my mom post my letters here, for those that are interested in reading them.

Here is the video of when I opened my call for those that werent there. I am so blessed to have so many supportive friends and family. I am one lucky girl!

 

 

Waiting to open my mission call was one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done. I had no clue as to where I would be called. I am so blessed to have been called to the Columbus, Ohio Mission. I have heard only good things about Columbus and that area. I am so excited to be serve. I wish it was August 21st already!

No more Mario

After many weeks (maybe longer) of being so bored that I have resorted to playing the Wii most days and convincing my roommates to follow me down this dark path, I am please to say I am now happily employed. I start next week and I couldnt be more excited to get out of my apartment and start my new job!

Bad Luck Please go Away

I havent blogged for  awhile but when you lived in Taiwan for six months everything seems dull and not worth blogging about. Not that anything exciting happened today but I feel like blogging about it. Here's how my day starts. Alarm goes off at 6:00, I decide to sleep till 6:30. Great now im in a rush to get to my 7:00 class on time. I get to class a little late only to find an empty classroom and a sign "In the computer lab today", ok I can handle that so I find the right computer lab and sit down at an empty computer.  At this point good luck seems to be on my side right?... False! My computer wont turn on, so I look around and watch as others who have the same problem try the rest of the empty computers. That computer lab was not having it, there were more students than working computers. So I do the logical thing and ask the girl next to me if I can look at her computer so I can still do the work. Here is how that went:
Teacher: Just share with someone next to you since all the computers arent working.
Me: Hey do you mind if I share your computer since mine isnt working?
Girl: Um maybe you should try a different computer.
Me: Are you kidding me? I just watched and there isnt another working computer. You dummy! (Alright I didnt really say this out loud but I was thinking it!)
What?? Ok. Whatever. I know I look like I just woke up but really you cant share your working computer? Its fine. I will find another partner. So I stand up and find another partner. As I do this the unwilling to share girl acts as if I was so rude to go find another partner. The teacher goes over to this girl and talks to her and then says " Hey she doesn have a partner so if anyone needs a computer to look off of."  This has got to be a joke. All I have to say is, out of control. This day is out of control.
My next class was boring to say the least but atleast I didnt have any problems. Then I walk all the way across campus for my third class, just to remember that class was in the Library. So I hiked all the way back across campus. Its only 10AM I hope this day gets better. Good luck please be on my side, and bad luck please go away.