13 December 2010

Dustin-PB is Patriarchal Blessing, or benediction patriarchal. I found out that we are going to be at a members house from maybe 12 to 4 on Christmas, if you want to send me a time that you would like me to call around then would be great. I am going shopping today right after our normal shopping to get some Christmas gifts. I will hopefully find a good place to take a picture and sent you a Christmas picture. Also an Elder here in my apartment is just going to have the gifts that the president of the mission gave him for Christmas and the Christmas card that we got from the first presidency for Christmas. I thought that was really sad. And JR told me that he talked to you and I know that I am going to hear it on Christmas when I call or even sooner in a letter but I will wait to tell the story over the phone.

I am going to try to find something that is unique to this area to sent you for Christmas and we are going to the mall today so that shouldn't be that hard. More Ideas for Christmas is ear muffs, scarf (the gator messes up my hair and it is not easy to fix once it is dry), wool socks. It is cold and the wind here as everyone says has teeth.

Leah-About the cold there, I will see if anyone needs ideas for you still before I go and get some for you.

Dustin-I had the traditional cookies already! Someone gave the other elders in my apartment peanut butter blossoms and they let me eat most of them. I don't know if they just didn't like them or what but those cookies are only made on special occasions. I am companions with the district leader and so I get the privilege on getting to know everyone by way of exchanges. There are a lot of really strange people, but to my surprise they have about the same hobbies as I did before my mission or really want to start doing things like what I did. My companion even cut stones on P-day in his last area. Not the same way as I did.

The best thing about the exchanges is that I am learning Spanish so much faster and learning the area really well. This week I might have 2-4 exchanges and this would be the first time that I am leaving the area. Zone Leader exchanges are the most fun. I don't really know why but this week I really don't know what to say.

Leah-Do we need to send extra stuff for the elder in your apartment?

Leah- Does that elder need ear muffs and scarf too?

Dustin-That would be cool if you did but that is up to you. I need a calendar for the year and If you got one that is tropical I think that He would love it.

Dustin-Cool I think that you are an awesome MOM but you are my only mom. lol what did JR tell you?

Leah-He is doing good there. His Mom should be there for Christmas! She won a lot of money in the divorce. He wishes he could come see us.

What does your needy elder need. What is his name?

Dustin-Elder Tarati. His family sent a package but he thinks it is just a normal package of letters from the people on his Island and they sent it on the beginning of the month so It won't get here until after the new year. What did JR tell you about what I asked him for Christmas, if he told you he hinted that he did.

Dustin-He is planning on getting a scarf but I can work with the other elder (his companion to stop him) if you want to get one for him. There are no earmuffs here we checked. So, yes for the second.

Leah-okay, we will send 2 sets.

Leah-Oh, now I know what you are talking about. I will see what I can do, but you shouldn't be even thinking about that till you get home!

Dustin-I woke up one morning and had the impression that I should be writing her but I only think about that on P-day. I am too busy the rest of the time to think about anything else. I do all the paper work every night because my companion isn't there a lot of the time at the appointment that I am doing the paper work on (exchanges) and I am always busy with something. I can tell you the rest of the story over the letter.

Dustin-oh just for fun. to be snotty. Dad wrote you while he was on a mission and married you (not the person that he started off writing) Why can't I write some one? Besides that If I don't get the address then I am sure that at least one elder would write you and ask for you to send it to me. The other elders call their girls a motivation and I don't really agree with that but ya.

Leah-Yea, okay, what ever

Dustin-I thought you would like that. just because I am running out of things to write.

Leah-What time do you want to call us. Morning or evening?

Dustin-OK my time is up I got to go. Love and bye for now. and I will tell you the story later.

Dustin-The result of our accident last week and where I was at this week.

7 December 2010

Hello!

First to answer your questions from your last two letters.

Leah - Are you and your companion getting along?

Dustin - We are both a little shy so we are trying to communicate better. He is from the same zip code, not city, as Elder Holmes. He plays trombone, been out for 16 months, and his girlfriend has been faithful...so far.

Leah - Were the other Elders in the apartment happy to see you get a cookbook?

Dustin - Yes! Everyone here went through it. We haven't used it to cook from yet, but it is great. Yes, I have been brave in eating different things. Something that is really good is putting sausage and eggs in mac & cheese.

For Thanksgiving we went to a members for dinner. We actually had a great appointment with Martin Y Yolanda. Then we had another dinner at one of the other Elder's members house. During the day because it was Thursday, we did weekly planning.

I just saw the mailman go the other way, so we will see if I got the package and the envelope today. The package is fun. Elder Tarati wants to decorate the tree. The tie is awesome! The first red tie that I have. What is up with the one chopstick again?? I thank you for thinking about me. Ok, the snowflakes melted together but they came apart somewhat easily. The plastic candy canes are cool. I

With love, Dustin

6 December 2010

I don't really have Ideas for myself like always and for my companion I think that recesses peanut butter cups would be good for him. He is running low on candy. You could ask Dad some of the things that he got or even Joe. I hope that there are pictures in the package. There is another picture that I would like. Of Joe. because of a suggestion from the people that run the MTC, I would like a picture of him with his cane and sunglasses on. It is part of the new teaching suggestion that they are asking that we use example of everything that are more personal to us and our family. And it is even in my PB (patriarchal blessing).

The running is good. I am going to put my bike in the bike shop because I let another elder use it until he got his from home and he crashed and messed up the tires and shifters and I have no idea how to fix it. I was going to use my card today to get a pillow, but I will wait till I get my new card. When he ( Dustin's companion) goes out jogging I ride his bike. I can't keep up and still don't want to run so that was the compromise. Please mark packages that are for Christmas that they are for Christmas so I can put them under the tree.

First part

I would have been here typing earlier but in the parking lot we were hit by another car and the forms that we had to fill out took a long time. I really feel sorry for him because right after we got done filling out the paper work he tried to pull out again and hit another car.

The people that I am really happy that we met is Martin and Yolanda. On the second visit with them Yolanda said that she will quit her job so she can go to church, and her husband has rearranged his horario so he can come to church too. The branch want to have them baptized before the end of the year so that they can meet their goal of 10 baptisms this year. I don't think that we will be able to teach them everything that we have to before Christmas. That’s when the branch has already planed the baptism. A White Christmas is what they are calling it and if they are not going to have a baptism then there is another activity that they have planed that is centered on baptism for them to go to. My companion is going on exchanged because he is the District leader and I will be teaching them solo. Well there is a member that will be going out with me but I will be the only missionary that speaks Spanish.

We are going to try to have the Christmas picture taken today to send out so That is why I need the addresses of the grandparents. Hey try Takis they are really good Fuego is the best flavor. They are hispanic chips basicly

*Leah asked, “how is your Spanish now?

intiendo mas cada dia, poco a poco. tengo menos un minute (more every day, little by little. I have about a minute)

Adios.

oh yea. Who was over at the Wiberg’s and who was in the picture that you sent me. It is crazy that you got so much snow. I just asked for an idea for Christmas and no one has an Idea. Elder Tarati says candy, lol. He loves chocolate. Hey would Val like to have someone to be a pen pal with because there are a lot of people here that are trying to learn English. You can write Santiago Castillo. This is what Elder Tarati says: "neico" that is what he calls me because I call him "mijo". They both mean like my son or something like that.

NO tengo tiempo entonces.

Con mi amor, tu hijo

Dustin Swanger

30 Nov 2010

I was joking about sending Shang Hai, but if you really want to I will not stop you. LOL.

I had a fun Thanksgiving. The spanish branch played soccer for three hours! It was so much fun. The members here love us. When they pick teams, the Elder's are the first ones picked, even if we are really bad at futól.

Our tree is up and very barren. Christmas is just like Thanksgiving. We will be eating American food. I want to know how the Hispanics would party with us.

I need the words to Jangle Bells, We Three Kings, and Veni, Veni, for the holidays. I have to get ready to go to an appointment so bye for now.

les quiero mucho,

tu hijo

Elder Dustin Swanger

P.S.

We'll we didn't take the investigators to FHE with our branch president. They just weren't home. We went and they really missed out, it was fun. I hope the branch isn't stepping in too quickly and scaring them off.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

29 November 2010

We don't know if she (investigator) wants to or not but to meet the goal that the branch has made to have 10 baptisms this year the president want her to change the date (she wanted to be baptized on Christmas morning) and I think that that is one that that he will bring up while they are at their house. It would be easier to buy them here (running clothes) except the pin you gave me doesn't work. I forgive the comunication thing and no I do not have my hat and we are not to wear hats here anyway. But earmuffs are what we use in this mission. and scarffs. If you looked at the forecast you would know that there is always wind here and it goes all throught out the winter. I am so glad that I am in a car. which is why I don't need an umbrella. but thanks for the offer.

Oh The food, That is a missionary version of chow mein. It is made with top raman noddles. Hey for christmas you should send over some shan hai. You could use the boxes that Joe gets with his medication. LOL.. Well I have to go because we have an appointment today at noon. It was the only time that he said we could come back. and because I have less than one minute left GTG

Con Amor

Tu Hijo

29 November 2010

We put up our Christmas tree and Elder Tarati was the one that tryed to put it up the frist time and it was the first time that he built a Christmas tree. You can see in the picture that made it upside down. Thats why there is a huge gap in the middle of the tree. It;s all good though. It has been fixed the tree is up and the lights are pretty. Oh just so you know I haven't tryed to print the pictures but I cna't even see them when I try to look at them on the camara so I don't thing that that will work. O elder Tarati has been being taught slang and man It is so funny to hear this elder say things like " That's lagit" and " Cool Peanuts" that is would he sometime says for cool beans. Right now the work is very slow and we have been knocking alot of doors but we have been getting alot of people that have some potential. The other day we PLANED to be knocking on doors for 4 hours. By the way that is really long time, that goes by really fast. We did find one couple that we met with twice this week and they are awsome. They are Matrin and Yolanda. Yolanda works on sunday and she said at our second visist that she will start looking for another job so that she can go to church. Martin says that he knows by reading the first few pages that the Book of Mormon is true. Tonight we are taking them over to the branch presidents house for family Home Evening. We told the branch council about thema and that they have a baptismal date and they jusmp right on to getting the plan of what THEY want to do to help them get ready. We have a member that is going to be coming over with us every week and they want us to do a chapel tour on thursday with a member there. It is great the branch here is very missionary oriented, seeing as most of them were baptized.

Oh, if you didn't make the stones for the lesson that I have made now I had an Idea. For the person that is going to represent sin you can do the marble thing and put a piece of wax paper in the front of the picture then it will look cloudy. Then do the same picture and just do it normal. I got a Dear Elder this week. It was a mass letter to all the missionaries in the ward and sent by Hno. Chandia. I have already sent him a letter. I knew that he was working at BYU but I didn't know what he has been doing there. OH. I will forgive y'all for the lack of communication this week ... if I get a letter. lol. I am making the list of all of the families that I will want to visit. some of them are already friends with me on Facebook. At least that is what they told me. There is Santiago and Jenny Castillo and La Familia Oliva y La Familia Gonzalez y uno o dos otras familias. All of these people speak english or their are people in the family that speak english.

Right now I don't know what else to write. Oh Christmas! I need ideas for Alisha for Christmas.

Leah--We actually have snow before thanksgiving.

Dustin--Thats not fair I want to get snow here! We are playing in the branch turkey bowl it is awsome. We will be playing soccer and the other spanish group of elders are coming down and we are playing them. The books that I sent were given to us buy a member that moved down to Utah and they didn't have room and I thought that It would be fun to have the books after I got home. One of them is called "Grapes of Wraith and we are not supposted to read it as missionaries but everyone says that it is very good. So I sent it home. I have my second companion and am learning things so much faster. We have gotten lost several Times already even with a GPS. No, I don't print the emails because that would cost money. I am staying prety warm but the president told us because we are both new to this area that we need to get vest jackets to wear under the suit. They have some cool ones over at Rue 21. The young men here are all getting them from here. Hey I will be sending out Christmas cards I will send one for the primary.

I already got the pictures from the email (I sent pics of how we painted his room and how the computer room looks), but I don't think they will print but I wil let you know when I go to walmart. My new companion wants to learn how to cook. So we are going to be cooking a little more which is cool. Oh I am 32x32 for the pants. My companion is diabetic and so the package that he got from his family, half for me, was full of candy.

We will be putting up our Christmas tree soon. It will be good fun. We don't have anything but lights. Oh, If there are candy canes that are spearmint can you sent some. I will use them to mix my hot cocoa. and to decorate the tree because there is only lights.