Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

Ni men hao!

Whats up everybody! Gong Xi Fa Cai! That is what you say around here for Chinese New Year! Chinese new year is pretty cool! Gong xi fa cai means like happy new year but the direct translation to English is: "Congratulations! Emulate wealth!" haha Chinese is cool. Speaking of Chinese, this week I have been going super hard with Chinese! It has definitely been improving! When I came to the field I had no idea what anybody was ever saying but now I am to the point where the other day I sat at a bus stop and had a 30 minute conversation in Chinese with this guy. It was way fun!

This week was Zone Conference! Zone Conference was super good! I didn't get to do anything in Singapore because our flight was later in the day, but the conference was awesome! It gave me a spiritual boost that I desperately needed! And then I just went absolutely crazy this week with missionary work!

This week was super good! At the beginning of the week I shared in my email how I was still struggling with some things, but zone conference was super good for me! I went into zone conference with the question of how to get over this dark time and how to move on. I didn't really find a direct answer but the testimonies and things that were shared were enough to give me a well needed spiritual boost. At zone conference I made a decision. My decision was that I was going to work as hard as I possibly could this week. When we got back to Puchong I just lost my mind haha I went crazy! I talked to everyone I possibly could! When the not so nice Chinese dudes would completely ignore me I would follow close behind them and keep talking just to bug them haha. I know I probably shouldn't have but it was fun. Elder Eggertson had to hold me back a few times haha and when he did I would just growl at the mean Chinese dudes lol. I literally went insane this week haha.

 

 

In Puchong, our problem is we don't have many investigators, and you wont do anything in a mission until you find. So this week I tried to put a huge focus on finding. Things with me and Elder Eggertson were going great on Wednesday. We were contacting people, laughing, joking, having a great time while getting a lot of success! And then Thursday rolls around and everything was still going great. Weekly planning went super awesome until companionship inventory. I don't even know what happened but a bit of contention came up and it was really hard. But I tried not to let it slow me down! I still worked as hard as I possibly could and by the end of the week I was able to get 51 potential investigators! And that is just from Wednesday till Sunday! The highest we were ever able to get in Ipoh with Elder Perritt was about 40. And the average is around 25. It was hard doing it, but it was very rewarding! Things got better with Elder Eggertson but then he got sick. I'm kind of worried about him. But my faith definitely increased this week! As I went as hard as I possibly could, I found my self happy. At the end of each day in my nightly prayers I was feeling great as I reported my efforts to the Lord. I felt less worried about my personal problems and was able to shut out Satan. I felt the closest I have ever felt to Heavenly Father this week. And I am definitely not going to let it stop! I am going to keep going crazy! I want Puchong to explode and help put KL on the weekly email every week! 

My miracle this week was definitely the 51 potentials! This week we had a goal of 15 but we reversed the numbers to 51! It was just a miracle that we found that many people willing to hear more about Christ. How we were able to help that many people possibly feel the spirit for the first time in their life. I am very excited about it and am hoping to get about 5 new investigators from it! 

This week we were supposed to meet with the branch president for a dinner appointment and were going to ask him for referrals but some confusion happened and we weren't able to meet up. But we will be meeting with him this week!

I haven't filled you guys in on P-days for a while. The first P-day in KL we went to a trampoline park for a zone activity. Then the next one we did nothing but relax. Then the next one we went to Singapore, and then for today we were going to go to an Ostrich Farm and ride ostriches but Elder Eggertson got sick :( I was so pumped to ride a stinkin ostrich. If you know me you know ostriches are my favorite animal hahaha :)

I love you all! Thank you so much for all the support and prayers you have all been giving me! Happy chinese new year! GONG XI FA CAI! :)

-Elder Schwemmer



Dream come true :)

 

 

 

 

 

Puchong

 

Wo bu hui jiang huayu

What up yall!!

This week was a terrible week. I don't know why, I think it was just Satan trying to get me down. But I'm pushin through! I've had a lot of questions and doubts and lies from Satan come into my head this week but as I've turned to my Savior for help he's been there every time. This week I have really come to know that Satan exists. He is just as real as Jesus Christ and he is set purely on our destruction. The good news is that Jesus Christ is set purely on saving us from his power. The only thing we have to do is reach out to him and he will pull us out of the depths that Satan tries so eagerly to keep us in. This week I felt abandoned and alone. But as I desperately searched for help I most definitely found it. As I have turned to the Lord in humble prayer he has lightened my burdens and taken the pain away from me. He has taken loads off of my back and has shewed Satan hence. I know that our Savior lives! I know of the pure power of his Atonement and his saving grace. And I am so eternally grateful for that! I have gone through a really hard time, but it has all made me stronger! It has been like a refining fire. And as I look back at the hard times, I am grateful for them because without them I wouldn't be shaping and changing into who the Lord needs me to be. I would probably be the same Nate I was before I left. I am very grateful for these experiences and that God loved us enough to send us his only begotten. I am very grateful for everyones support! For all the love and prayers everyone is offering me. Thank you.

-Elder Schwemmer

NEW YEAR NEW AREA!

What up yall! Happy new year to everyone! I hope 2015 treated you all well and I hope 2016 started off right! New Years for me was a huge change! Last Monday we finished emailing and the transfer news still had not come in yet and we all assumed we were staying in Ipoh so we went home thinking nothing of it. We were taking a nap when we get a call from Sister Chris and the first thing she says is "Schwema, You're going?!" And my heart just dropped. I was so sad! She informed me that I will be going to Puchong. I was way bummed!! I love Ipoh and Elder Perritt and Elder Lim and the members and I did not want to leave at all!!!! Ipoh is my birthplace, the place where I grew up but I guess it's now time to leave the nest :(

 



Farewell Elder Schwemmer!!

Leaving Ipoh!

 

Next stop....Puchong!

I learned that my new companion would be Elder Eggertson. I have never met him before but Elder Perritt tells me he has the best Chinese in the mission. And he was right! Elder Eggertsons Chinese is amazing! So I'm way pumped about that! Puchong is a cool area. It's all city and not a biking area :( Which I'm way bummed about :( we just walk and take the bus. But its nice, a lot of potential here. It was cool to start the new year with a new area and new companion! I'm excited for this year! The thing I'm most excited about this area is there are  a ton of Nigerians and Ugandans here!! I want nothing more on my mission then to baptize an African! They are so legit! We've already talked to a few and have an appointment with a guy named W*** from Nigeria! I'm way pumped about that. On new years we didn't do anything. The other elders got invited to a party so we just went and handed out English class flyers. Way boring night.

This week has been a small trial of my faith. I was not expecting to get transferred at all! I was just barely learning how to be a great missionary from Elder Perritt and I was expecting to have a little more time with him. The area was really started to kick up and we were having a lot of good things happen and a lot of success. When I found out I was getting transferred I was pretty sad and confused at why I would leave when all these good things were happening. But as I have prayed about it and thought about it I have come to know that Puchong is where I need to be. Somebody here needs my personal testimony of the gospel. I also feel like I was sent here to bring all the skills and things I learned from Elder Perritt. I hope I can do what Elder Perritt did to me. He came in to Ipoh and just blew my mind and was such a boss and it gave me a desire to do that as well. So I hope that's what I can do here in Puchong. Even though I'm still a fairly new missionary and have little experience I hope I can blow my districts minds with my desire to serve and hopefully they will pick up on it as well. I am very thankful for the things I learned from Elder Perritt. He has changed my mission which will consequently change my life. I'm grateful to be here in Puchong and I hope I can make the best of it. 

My miracle this week happened the first few minutes I was in Puchong. I just arrived at the train station in KL and then we hopped on a bus to Puchong. While on the bus there was only one available seat. And it was next to this Indian lady. I took a seat next to her and started talking to her. She is way prepared! It was a 30 minute bus ride so we had a lot of time to talk. During those 30 minutes I basically taught her the first 3 lessons! She was eager to learn more! By the end of it before I even asked her if we could share more she was like "Oh my stop is coming up but before I get off WHEN CAN WE MEET?! Can I have your number or something?!" She was so prepared! She mentioned how several times recently she had been questioning what the purpose of life was. She is awesome. We will be meeting with her this week!

This week I was blown away by the Puchong branch! They are so strong! Their attendance is big and all the members are so strong! I felt like I was in a ward in Utah! They all have very strong testimonies and a lot of strong leaders! They also have a strong desire to do missionary work. After church this Sunday they pulled us aside and laid out their plan for how they are going to get all the less actives back and how we can help with that. I am very excited to be in this branch and I think some great things will happen here!!

I am excited for this new area! I love you all and hope you all had a Happy New Year and make 2016 the best one yet! Xin nian kuai le!!!!

-Elder Schwemmer

WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!

Hey everyone! Merry Christmas! I hope you all had a wonderful white Christmas because I certainly did! I know what you must be thinking, "A white Christmas in Malaysia?! Its too hot for that!" But this years white Christmas was more special than any other white Christmas in Utah. That's because we had a baptism!!!! The person who got baptized name was D*** He has been investigating the church for 8 years! He is only 16 years old. He has wanted to get baptized the whole 8 years but his Hindu father has not allowed him. His mother is actually a member of the church but is inactive and not much support. We had him in our minds a lot a couple weeks ago when one Sunday he came up to us and told us that he feels it is his time to be baptized. We were way pumped but we had to meet with him several times to encourage him to ask his father. People under 18 cant get baptized unless they have both parents permission. So when he finally built up enough courage to ask his dad, his heart was softened and he said yes! He even signed the form! It was a Christmas miracle!!! :) So we had his baptism on Saturday right before the Christmas party which was wonderful! He then received the Holy Ghost and Aaronic priesthood on Sunday which was also his birthday!!! Way awesome! He is a great kid and planning on serving a mission.

Christmas this week was awesome! The Christmas spirit really softens peoples hearts to be willing to hear about the restored gospel! This week was super jolly! Lots of fun. When we ride our bikes through the streets we sing Christmas carols as loud as we can and shout Merry Christmas to everyone. Haha everybody loves it!! Elder Perritt has been Santa Clause this week and he is so good at it! His voice is perfect and he's a theatre kid so he's way good at acting! It has been way fun watching him make people smile haha.

I have had a ton of fun this week and the work is going along great! Today is transfer news! This transfer was so good and so successful! We got 21 new investigators this transfer and the missions standard of excellence is 12 new investigators a transfer. So were working way hard and I love it! 

I have no time today, Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!!! I will send pictures sometime this week! I have a ton of way cool pictures, don't worry! :)

Love you all!

-Elder Schwemmer






Photos on Christmas!!

"Our Christmas tree!!"

Haha crazy Elder

New P-day shirt from Greg!

 

 

 

Skyping Elder Schwemmer on Christmas!!!

 

 

 
 

P-day waiting for a computer haha

Silly Elders