WuFuLinMen

Hey everybody, This week was a great week! Me and elder Johnson are busy and working hard! We are learning a lot together and have had a great transfer. Today is transfer news! I will be staying in Kuching and i am so happy about it! I will be with Elder Tan who is a native from singapore! He has been serving with me in the same branch these past two transfers and he is way awesome! We get along well and we are gonna be on fire this transfer! His is native chinese speaking so my chinese is gonna get way good! We are doing so well here in kuching and i think thats why im staying! I am way excited!

This week we had a cool miracle with finding new investigators. Last monday night we tried to visit a less active but they weren't home so we biked around the area talking to people. We found this basketball court that had two ysa aged guys playing on it. We contacted them using the missionary classic "If we beat you in a game of basketball you let us share our message with you, Deal?" They agreed so we returned the following day and we beat them! We barely won by two points! They deal stood and they let us share our message with them. We had a nice long powerful heart stirring conversation with them. They were actually interested and have moved to the top of our list in most solid investigators! And they are potential kingdom builders! Their english is great and they have cars and are young and energetic. Their names are Andy and Vincent.

This week we struggled to get member presents but we were able to teach a lot of people and keep busy all week. The branch is doing great and the leadership is really starting to form. President Bobby is taking the lead well and really leading the branch to great things. J*** is seriously considering a mission and we have taken him out to do missionary work and he is SO GOOD! He is a better missionary then i ever dreamed to be! He is a fearless animal! I fast and pray that he will choose to serve!

Love yall,

Love,

Elder Schwemmer

Trials and opposition

This week was a pretty rough week. At the beginning of this transfer Elder Johnson purchased a new bike, but unfortunately even though its a new bike it still breaks down to be what feels like every day. it is really slowing us down. Tuesday was one of the worst days of my mission haha but in a good way. So first elder Johnson is having back problems. He woke up on tuesday and couldnt move. Then when we were on the way out the door to district meeting he got really bad stomach problems. After a long time suffering on the toilet we were biking to district meeting when Elder Johnsons bike tire popped. So we walked to the church where elder wiser does his anual tuesday bike shop run. He came back with Elder Johnsons fixed bike and then we proceeded to the chiropractor. On the way to the chiropractor his bike tire popped again! And then to add a cherry on top it started pouring rain on us. We walked in the rain to the chiropractor then walked back. It was a long miserable day. But this long miserable day, as all miserable things do, taught me a lesson. I was sick of having bike problems and getting wet all the time. So we went to the bike store and got Elder Johnson everything he needed so that if his bike pops or breaks again we can fix it ourselves. Then i got crafty and attached a bucket to the front of my bike. This basket now holds a nice rain jacket and rain pants that i purchased for only 30 ringit. Now we are unstoppable! No bike tire or rain storm will slow us down again. I will share the idea with other missionaries and hopefully we can get this bike problem fixed! But this long week of disasters like this has helped me develop my patience and long suffering. 

My faith has also increased this week in the power of hope. I read the january liahona that talks about Gordon B Hinckley and his constant optimism. I feel the i am a pessimist and i want to change that! My personal studys have been on fire recently! They have been very good and my faith has increased so much in the book of mormon. I have dug so deep into the mormon this transfer and it has increased my testimony so much! I feel empty if i dont read it. I feel a power is missing from my life if i dont read it every day for at least 30 minutes. As for miracles this week, this past monday me and elder johnson were biking very fast to get home before 9:30. I was just about to make a turn when i look back and elder johnson was no where to be found. I immediately turned around to find him. He was nowhere to be found! I was so confused because just 1 minute earlier he was right behind me. I looked and looked and finally felt that i should go home. I went to our apartment where he was waiting for me at the security guard house. I looked at his face and it looked like he had just seen the devil himself! He was pale white and his eyes were watery and he just looked so shocked! I asked him what happened and he tried to speak but couldnt! He was trying to tell me what happened but he couldnt even think. Later after he calmed down he told me that he unknowingly drifted into the middle of the road when a car going at least 100kmh flys right past him and nicks his handle bars. He was so close to death that he just couldnt think. He was in a bit of shock. But the miracle is that he didnt die! The next day he forgot most of what happened but told me that all he remembers is looking behind him and seeing a car like 10 feet behind him coming in that fast. He said that he braced for impact and was 100% sure that the car was going to hit him and he has no idea how he wasnt killed. I am grateful that the lord sends his angels round about us to protect us on this sacred errand. I feel confident that the lord protected him from a very serious accident!

The branch has been on fire here! We are working our hardest to do all we can to help the branch here. Elder Tan and Elder Rich spend a lot of time with less actives and every time we try to visit one they say that they already met with Elder Tan and Elder Rich. So we have been working hard on the investigator side of things and also the active familys of the branch. This sunday we had the highest attendance ive seen since ive been here with 71 at sacrament! :) Just las week President Ero gave a talk and told the branch that his goal is to have 80 sacrament attendance by the end of the year. I believe that we can crush that goal! So many good things are happening between the missionarys and the branch. I feel that they trust us and see our efforts to help and bless them. In return they are working hard to be a self sufficient branch where the missionarys are an asset rather then a need to keep the branch together. I love this branch so much and we are growing quickly! Our two recent converts Jeffrey and Welson are now blessing the sacrament together and doing so in english! When i first met both of them neither of them could speak a bit of english! The Lord and his church truly does bless the lives of all who open themselves to recieving those blessings!

Love,

Elder Schwemmer

2017!

Happy new year everybody!!! I hope you had a great new year and set some goals to bring yourself closer to christ!


This week was a good week! It was a bit sad after christmas ended because then people go back to their ways of not really caring about what you have to say. But when its christmas they love it. It was good with the new years though! Unfortunately the new years arent about jesus christ and people arent as accepting as they were during christmas. But it was still awesome! My faith has built this week as i have set goals and resolutions for the new year. I have set the following goals for these last few months of my mission
2 for the amount of personal kneeling sincere prayers i will say every single day with out fail (morning and night)
0 for the amount of disobedience i will have
1 for the amount of times i read the book of mormon while marking it and recording my thoughts and impressions
7 for each month of my mission that i will work my absolute hardest
2017! :)

One of the best skills i have acquired on my mission is learning how to set goals and make plans to achieve them. Every time i set a goal it gets me so hype and just fills me with motivation and faith. I am excited to work this year at  these goals. This week we saw a great miracle on sunday with our recent convert jeffrey. Last sunday on christmas we spent the day with jeffrey. First we taught him a recent convert lesson, then we taught his family, then we took him out with us finding. We went to a populated area and sang christmas songs for people. We found a lot of great people with him and he really enjoyed it. Then the following week (new years day) we did the same thing, taught him, then his family, then went and visited the people that we found with him on christmas. Before starting we recieved a text from the zone leaders that the zone just needed 1 more new investigator to get their first shout out in a long time. So we said a prayer and tested the "ask and ye shall recieve" principle. We prayed specifically that one of the familys we contacted last week would be willing to let us teach them. We said the prayer and went to the first house. They saw us and immediately invited us in and we shared the gospel with them. I think that it really touched jefferys heart as he saw how the lord answers prayers and how great missionary work can be. After this experience he expressed how he now wants to go on a mission! We had asked him previously but he said that he would like to finish studies first. But after this day he was like "so when can i go on a mission?" Jeffrey would be an absolutely amazing missionary. And it would warm my heart if the fruits of my labors would be able to bear fruit themselves. I love jeffrey and will be lifelong friends with him. He is the most special person i have met on my mission. He has set a goal this new year to start saving money to go to the salt lake temple in 2020. If he decides to go on a mission he may be going a lot sooner then that!

Love you all and miss you all! See you this year!

Love,

Elder Schwemmer

In 25 ways. Over 25 days.

Merry christmas everybody!!! While yall were making snowmans and drinking hot coco i was sweating my face off playing soccer on a beach of the south china sea after i got done hiking through a jungle where a monkey stole my hat and ate all my corn nuts.....  :( Also my companion almost died cuz he stepped right over a posionous snake haha. I caught it.... I bet your snowman was wonderful ;)

This week was an amazing week! We didnt get the highest of numbers this week but we did get a lot of really amazing things done! So first off this week was the week of caroling where the branch goes and carols to eachothers house. The branch planned to go every day this week and we decided that we would only go if we had investigators or less actives who we were working with attend with us. Well, we were able to go caroling every day this week! Each day we had a different investigator or less active member who came with us! Like i said numbers wise they werent that high because rather then teaching them a lesson we were caroling with them. But in my opinion thats just as good! So much wonderful fellowshipping happened as we spread the christmas spirit to both the active and less active members of our branch. As one of my favorite movies says "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!" I would just like to add my testimony to buddy the elf that that is true! Christmas is such a special time to be a missionary. I have really made a huge effort this last christmas season of my mission to give my whole heart might mind and strength as a gift to the savior. An important lesson i have learned on my mission is how much better it is to give then to get. I have been striving to give my companion the best start to his mission he could get. We have been breaking our backs doing service cleaning out our investigators yard. We have been sweating more then we ever have before in our lives biking under the hot malaysian sun in order to help other people have the best gift they could ever receive. We are sacrificing our comfort of speaking a language we know and trying our absolute best to touch the hearts of the Chinese people through speaking their language. I feel that we are giving the best gift that the lord could recieve from us at this time. The best gift i have ever gotten in my life is the time i have had to be a full time missionary serving the lord. So many changes have taken place in my life during the time ive been here and they are all for the better. The absolute least i could give to the lord in return for all he has given me is my whole heart might mind and strength. I am finding myself loving life and being able to see my self worth as i have served with a hop in my step and a smile on my face! I absolutely love christmas time! It is the most wonderful time of the year and i have loved helping other people to feel as special as i always do at this time of year! 

Elder Johnson is doing better. He is getting adjusted a bit more (except for curry haha) and making good goals and visions for his mission. I have really enjoyed my time together with him so far. Its cool to see how much a person can grow in just one week. I am doing my best to give him a solid start to his mission. 

I hope you all can give to others this season rather then focusing on getting. I make you a promise that it will make you happier! Merry christmas!!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Schwemmer

My first born son!

This week was a very good week. I got my first son Elder Johnson! He is way awesome and i am excited to train him! This week was a good honest conscious diligent effort to be exactly obedient. I have felt added strength from the lord and have been feeling alot better about myself and about the work i am doing. I am excited to get Elder Johnson off to a good start!

This week my faith has increased in the blessings of striving to be exactly obedient. I really just feel a lot happier and more stress free when i just submit my will to god. I have always known this and i have always strived to do so but having this responsibility of training has really motivated me to do better. That was the key, I just need responsibility. I feel that its hard to be motivated to continue to do missionary work as a Senior companion or junior companion. But this responsibility has really lit a fire inside me.

This week we had an amazing miracle where we worked the gold mine and one of our investigators gave us a referrel. She wanted us to go over to her friends house and help her with yard work because her husband now has Alzheimers and she has bad knees. So we went and began to clean her wrecked yard. After doing work she came to us and told us how grateful she was. As we were talking tears filled her eyes and her sweet voice drooped as she told us how her husband has been the love of her life and it hurts her to see him have to suffer this. She also told us of her son who was killed in a construction accident. She is a budhist and has never learned of christianity before. I am so excited to see the light and hope that will fill her life as we teach her the plan of salvation. She thinks that it is over and she will never see her family happy again. But we know she will and i cant wait to share it with her this week! We also organized a zone service project at her house because it is a big job! She will be so happy! :)

This week the branch joined us in a fast to recieve help to achieve this white christmas. We have 2 solid investigators who are on date for the 24th. They have come to church several times and know that the book of mormon is true. We are just trying to get them detached from their church. The branch is on board and there to help us!

Training is going great. Elder Johnson got off to a bit of a rough start but things are looking up. He is worried about his chinese which every greenie is and is still kind of floating not knowing whats going on. I am doing my very best to teach him by example. He has  great people skills and im excited to work with him. He has had a bunch of bike problems which is just part of the game but we are getting there! I love him so much.

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Schwemmer

Great Week!

This week was another good week. It was a bit tougher then the last few weeks but we had some awesome things happen!

So first miracle. This week we had a branch activity for thanksgiving. The branch had no idea what to do for it so us missionaries took the lead in organizing it. We did a few games and then had a little skit about being thankful. Anyways, we invited everyone we possibly could to the branch activity and we were able to get 70+ in attendance! Ill remind you that at sacrament we usually get around 30-40. We had 26 non members in attendance! There was so much good fellowshipping happening! it was great for our members and investigators! The next miracle we have seen was the following day in which we organized a ysa activity that had great turnout. With the whole "you get what you go for" initiative, our branch needed ysa. we have many senior citizens in our branch and it needed some life. So we have been going for ysa. As you know we were just able to baptize jeffrey who is ysa. And the activity we had many investigators who were ysa and there was great bonding happening between them and the members! Our next miracle came on sunday! One of our investigators named GG is a member referrel. GG has a daughter who is not baptized but has been coming to church with her member cousin for months now. We have been trying since i got to kuching to get the mom GG to church. Every sunday she comes up with some lame excuse and we dont see her. But this week we had an amazing lesson with her that boosted her motivation enough to come to church for the first time! And while at church she saw her daughter participate in the primary program. Then at sunday school it was one of the most powerful spiritually uplifting sunday school lessons i ever had. During it i looked at GG and saw her eyes swelling up with tears. Its been hard to get investigators to have spritually uplifting experiences at church but the Lord definitely went to work on this one. It increased my faith in the love that god has for all of his children! He doesnt care if they are members or nonmembers, sinners or righteous, rich or poor, male or female, he loves them all with a perfect love. He loves GG just as much as he loves me! He wants to help her just as much as he wants to help me. Its when you see an investigator through heavens eyes that your love truly grows for them! I am excited about her and her future experiences she will have at church!

This week working with members was great! We had our first corrilation meeting with our BML since i got here! Also the less active brother lim that we have been working with just recieved a calling yesterday as branch missionary!!! The branch is really cathcing on to missionary work now! :) I have seen so much growth in this branch since i first arrived here a few months ago. We are getting a nice solid foundation built for rapid growth. I love this branch and all the growth ive been able to be a part of in it!

Love,

Elder Schwemmer

Baptism!

This week was an amazing week!!! We had the baptism of J*** this saturday and it was absolutely wonderful! I had a smile on my face the whole time! J*** was so happy and seeing him happy made me even happier. He got up and bore his testimony of his experience of repenting. He is so amazing and will do great things in his life. On sunday we confirmed him and immediately after church he helped teach for the first time as a member present! He also got interviewed to recieve the priesthood and a calling! I am so proud of him for making these decisions in his life! And i am so happy that i was able to have my very first baptism on my mission! I got to see j*** all the way through. I saw him the first time he came to english class, then we contacted him and began teaching him, and now i saw his baptism, and in the following weeks i will be able to see him receive a calling and bless or pass the sacrament! Its so exciting to see this change in someones life. I wish he could only see how much this will bless his life. He has no idea. His life will be so much better then i think he ever has planned for it to be. Now we are just working on getting him to go on a mission! I love J*** so much and will ALWAYS remember him through out my life.

The baptism of J*** was my miracle this week along with one other. So we were biking on the street sunday night and stopped and talked to this guy and asked if we could meet him right now and he said sure! So we went and taught him and he was way awesome and very friendly!

The less active (no longer) we have been working with, Brother Lim just had an interview to recieve a calling this sunday. He will be a branch Missionary! Both he and us are very excited for him. Elders have been visiting him for years and trying to reactivate him. The diference between what we did verses the past missionaries is USE THE PAMPHLETS! We began to teach him everything using the pamphlets and he stops us and goes "Everything i can understand so clearly! So clear! I never understand elders before but this is so clear!" The pamphlets have POWER! :)