FYI:

Farmington, New Mexico Mission

With Sister Stewart (companion) and Brother & Sister Bott, the mission president.

 With all the elders going to the Farmington, NM mission.

PHOTOS!!!

MTC fun. We got a kick out of this! haha. I didn't put the tag there on purpose, and I was just looking in the mirro and saw how hilarious this looked. Hope you think it's as funny as we did that day. :)

Last temple day before entering the mission field. The one in the green sweater was my MTC comp. Sister Pielstick. She was NOT happy that day. haha

Our house.

Our apartment living room!

Our car. Her name is Nizonhi. That means beautiful in Navajo. 

A mural we found near the track one morning.

Sister Stewart and I outside of a historical restaurant in Gallup. It's called El Rancho. Sister Shephard, a sweetie in our ward took us to lunch there after a Navajo funeral.  

Outside of a home on the Rez. There was a dead sheep skull laying in front of the door and some random dog who was in desperate need of a boob job. She had just had puppies and was a tad bit saggy.

A sweet bus that gives rez tours! We saw it in the wal mart parking lot and I asked this lady if she would come in and take a picture with me. haha! Obviously she said "yes!"

This speaks for itself. haha. 

 A home on the rez. Everybody out here has like 12 cars! It's nuts! And lots of sheep, cats, and dogs everywhere. 

This is the home of Glassy Tree. A woman that we've been trying to track down.

October 29, 2012

From: Jade Swayne <jade.swayne@myldsmail.net>
Subject: Re: Fw: Pitstop
To: "Penny Paxman" <paxmanp@yahoo.com>
Date: Monday, October 29, 2012, 2:25 PM

Hey Mom :)

 

Happy Monday. I hope things are well out there. I hear that it's snowing?! It's crazy to think that it's that time again. I did recieve my winter clothes and the Driving record. Thank you thank you! It came just in time because the weather has just decided to get cold. Sister Stewart and I are snake children together which basically means that we are always cold! Our apartment is warm and we also have this little space heater that keeps our toesie warm while we do our 3 hour study session each morning.

 

Which reminds me! I never gave you a run down on what it is that Sister Stewart and I do each day. Well, shame on me! let's change that :)

 

This is our Sista Missionary schedule

 

6:00 am Rise and shine. We get up every morning and go to the track at Miymura High school. it's about 5 minutes away from our place

7:00 am come home. Sister Stewart showers while I eat breakfast and do my personal study for an hour. Then when she is ready at 8 I get in the shower while she eats and does personal study.

9:00 am We say a prayer to open up our companionship study. In which study, we read from the little white handbook (3 pages a day) then we discuse what we did in personal study. Our mission president has asked us to read the B.O.M 30 mintues each day. and as a companionship we have decided to study Preach my Gospel each day. After discussing our study we talk about our plans for the day, which we have previously scheduled on planning day (every Friday we plan out our lessons for the week. this takes about 4 hours)

10:00 we do the 12-week trainning program. Since Sister Stewart is my trainner we have to do this trainning program each day. I actually like it :)

11:00 we finish studying. and hit the streets because it's time to teach! We go out a either find people to teach, teach less active members, teach recent converts or investigators.

1 pm Lunch time. Then more teaching/finding/service until dinner

5 or 6 Dinner time

7pm back to teaching

9 or 9:30 We have to be back to the apartment.

9:30-10 We review our daily goals and record whether we meet them or not. Write down the progress of those we teach in our record book. Plan our schedule for the next day

10:00 get ready for bed. pray. write in journal.

10:30 Lights out!

 

 

Man, that's even exhausting to write haha. It's a long day but wow...they fly by so fast!

 

We had alot of our investigators come to church these past rwo weeks and we hope to find more people to teach because our pool is very limited right now and we are having a hard time scheduling appointments. So please keep us in your prayers with hopes that we will find people that are ready for the Gospel.

 

There are alot of great people out here in Gallup. They have alot of struggles ranging from intense poverty, abuse, alcholism, drug abuse, lack of education, depression ( this is probably the saddest place I have ever been...it is really important that you have a stock supply of internal happiness because the stories we hear and the faces we see are all very depressing), and the common idea that nobody needs the Gospel in their lives. It's so different here...but I am glad to know that Heavenly Father believed/ believes in me enough to send me to such a sad sad place with the idea that I can do some good here.

 

So no doubt, this is a tough tough mission area. But I have hope..The Gospel will be the beez-kneez of Gallup someday :) just wait and see.

 

 

I love all of you! and appreciate your letters more than you will ever know. Gallup is a deppressing place, but your letters are like little packets of sunshine that keep me above all of the sadness that cankers this land so heavily. So again, thank you thank you! Keep in touch and stay safe.

 

God lives, I know this without a doubt.His work is alive and well out here in Gallup. And I pray that you will all allow His work to be alive in your hearts as well.

 Love Sister Swayne

 

October 22, 2012

From: Jade Swayne <jade.swayne@myldsmail.net>
Subject: Re: Monday, Monday....la la la
To: "Penny Paxman" <paxmanp@yahoo.com>
Date: Monday, October 22, 2012, 11:57 AM

Dawww...mom, you're going to make me cry with that song haha you and I are going to have to sing that duet style when I get home. So be practicing. Also I heard rainbow connection playing at the grocery store a few weeks ago and of course it made me think of you and our ole pal Kermit thee frog. "He's a carribean anphibian!" lol...that stuffed animal drove me nuts. but I know how much you love it ;) and wanted to play it ALL zee time haha I love you mom. You're seriously one of a kind. These days I find myself thinking more and more about how awesome our family is. I got really excited the other day thinking about the family reunion in 2014. I hope you can make it this time around

I recieved a Halloween card from the Vances the other day that really made me smile. Will you please thank them for me. I want to write them. but the sooner they can feel my grattitude the better, right? :) I can't even contain the joy that I felt when I heard from you, grnadpa, patti and now Mckenzie herself telling me that she is working on here papers...that is so awesome.

But ok. let's do some of these questions :)

1. Sister Stewart is from a suburb of Sacramento, California. And has 2 younger sisters Named Tabitha and Tiffany. She also has an older brother who was recently reactivated in the church and later baptized his wife. isnt that sweet!! She still can't believe it! Her brother and his wife will be married/sealed in the temple a few months after Sister Stewart gets back to Cali. She is super stoked! Ohh, and she leaves July 24th of this coming year. She hit her 9 month mark a few days after we became companions. SO yes....she is dying. (that's missionary lingo ;) )

2. Our apartment is really cutsy tootsy. It's actually one of the nicest housing situations in our mission. We are basically living in a mini community and the place we are staying in can hardly be called an apartment. It's more like amini house! It is owned by a semi-active member named Sister Tina Nunley. She is this awesome senorita from Mexico. She takes such good care of us mom...you would love her. But basically, there are 3 houses on their property. One where Sister Nunley and her husband lives, when his not out doing a job. Then her daughter lives in the next house (which is placed next to ours) and then there is our little two bedroom house. It's pink. lol. and we have a basketball hoop...legit. I know...

3. We have eaten at a members house almost every night since I've been here. They are so kind and the entire ward basically knows me as "Sister Swayne, the Sister with the messed up stomach" lol...I have starrted a new thing where I get pictures with every family that we eat with. I havent been the greatest at this. But since you are asking about them, and since I love them so much already, I need to step up my game so that I can remember them when I leave this area. Because they really are so great. I wish you all could meet this amazing ward.

4. Nope. zero honks...lol people make more of an effort to look at the ground when we come around. They know what we're all about..haha

5. Yes!! I love my bag :) She needs a name though...any suggestions?

6. Alot of salad!!! and Im lovin it. the members don't always know what to make so we just ask " if it's not to much trouble Sister Swayne can always eat salad. She loves that. But if that's not possible she can just eat whatever you serve. We are very grateful for you wanting to feed us and don't want to be annoying" it has worked well and the memebers have been so creative as to the differnt salads that they make...I feel like such a punk asking for special treatment. But they have been so understanding.

7.And lastly, we get our groceries home in style mama ;) We drive trucks out in this mission. So We have a Jeep Compass. YEA YEAAA!

Sorry that I was not able to write more about Alex. We did see her again and I will write more next time. k! Love all of you

And thank you Kylie for the blog. I know if my blog is anything like yours it is simply wonderful.

And please send any letters to the Gallup address and any packages to the Farmington address. The Farmington addy is for the mission office and will be forwarded to us. But letters can be sent directly to the Gallup address if you want me to get it quicker. It's up to you :) And I apologize to anybody who has written but has not recieved anything in return. I have not forgotten about you. Your letter will be in your box soon :) I love all of your letters....I wish you only knew what the mean to me.

October 15, 2012,

From: Jade Swayne <jade.swayne@myldsmail.net>

Subject: Re: My how time flies...

To: "Penny Paxman" <paxmanp@yahoo.com>

Date: Monday, October 15, 2012, 1:16 PM

Hey Mom :)

I can't believe that it's Monday either...time really is flying by so fast! The MTC already feels like a dream to me...it's as if it never even happened. But now that Im outta there I have an hour to e-mail instead of 30 minutes which is so nice! We go to NMU's library to email. (New Mexico University Gallup Campus). We get to print for free too so I always make it a point to print out your e-mails so that I can read them during the week. Usually before I go to bed. They make me feel closer to you and everybody else. I love your e-mails and letters. They are seriously worth more than gold right now. **Side note to anybody who has sent me a letter: I have fur sure read every letter at least twice..some even 5 or 6 times. haha I really do love them.

Your hopes and prayers have been answered, Mama. Gallup is going well. But I can't lie...this place has a weird vibe surrounding it. Some of the people at church have mentioned the fact that we live in a very unique area. What they mean to say is that there are so many natives that live here..so many natives that believe in the traditional ways. aka they believe in rituals, curses, superstitions (ohh my gosh you can't step in dog poop without having to worry about some Navajo superstition surrounding the act of trampaling doggy droppings, it's insane!), Medicine men and women, special cakes that give you super strengths, skin walkers, evil spirits and so much more....This culture is a very interresting one. One that is facinating but also very frustrating. I've heard stories about natives being sick and asking for a blessing from a medicine man, a Catholic priest, a Baptist pastor and a Priesthood holder...just so that they can cover all of their bases when it comes to getting well again. hahaha. Like I said, they are SUPER DUPER superstisious. And the funny thing is that many of the people who cover their bases like this are baptized members of the church...but I really don't know where they stand in their beliefs. Because maybe it's just me but asking for a bunch of blessings from a bunch of different people doesnt really sound like faith...it sounds more like fear and insecurity in their religious convictions. I think it all comes down to the fact that many of our investigators have a hard time with commitment. They don't want to get married. And they don't want to come to church...there is always something else that they have to do. So I don't know...Gallup is just an interresting place. My companion and I actually just dropped all of our "progressing investigators" because they weren't progressing...they weren't keeping commitments and frankly, it felt like we were wasting our time with them. And I know I know..haha. that sounds really harsh. But seriously...it was almost like they wanted us to come there just so that we could listen to all of their problems. Which is fine to a certain extent...We are their to show them that we care. But we are also there to teach them about the Gospel..and it felt wrong to spend so much time listening to the people who could care less about improving their lives, who just want to tell us about how bad their life is, who have no interest in letting us teach them...while there were so many other people in town that really want to know about the Gospel, People who are starving for the Gospel without even knowing it....So needless to say, Sister Stewart and I went on a "drop" rampage and got rid of the people who were using us as therapists.

Now...please, before you judge me and think that I have become some heart less beast please realize that it was hard for us to drop alot of these people....ha...actually ya know what. It wasnt hard to drop them!! I'm not even going to lie to all of you! We thought it would be hard at first because we care about these people and have groen to love them...but It felt so good to be done with these people at the same time. People who had two page long records dating back to 2005! people who were feeling the spirit when we were there but not doing anything about it, who had excuses like "I can;t come to church because I had to do laundry" or who say that we can come visit because we're cool! I am sooooo happy to be starrting new. Sister Stewart and I have made a commitement that we will be more bold with our message, that we will quit trying to be everybodies buddy, and realize instead that we are representatives of Christ who have barely 12 hours a day and 18 months total to do the work that we have been called to this mission to do. We basically realized that we cannot waste our precious time with people who are not yet prepared for the Gospel. We decided to instead focus on finding the people that the Lord has prepared...And boy oh boy does it feel good! So now we are hitting up the "Perspective Elders" list and the " Part member families" list. I will give you more details about our new direction and let you know if we have better success this way. I have a great feeling that we will be doing alot more sowing the seeds of the Gospel and not as much reaping (aka baptizing), but hey what do I know? The Lord works in mysterious ways :) All I know for sure is that whether Im a reaper or a sower I know that I am working to bring God's children the truth and that's enough for me :) as long as I know that our time is being well spent.

Thank you so much for calling/texting Dad for me. he has been writting me alot but it would be nice for him to read these e-mails too.

So again, thank you!

I can't lie...Im pretty jealous that you got to see the Kingsbury's. But then again, I don't worry because I know that we will all be together again before we know it. Time is really flying! I can't believe that I will be 22 next month...that blows my mind. 

Will somebody let Mcklae know that I want to hear from her. I want to know how the dance went :) And please, somebody let Mitch know that I was thinking about him extra lots on the 11th! how did his birthday go? Did he have a party or anything?? Is he treating my baby Maxi right? haha

I love that you think that youre not included in the Holy grail of motherhood, mom. Exactlly the opposite! You are an amazing mom and I have been so sensative to that truth now more than I ever have previous to my mission. I just...I don't know. My heart feels so full when ever I think about our family. We sang families can be together forever in Relief Society yesterday and wow...you think I could stop crying like a ninny? Forget about it! lol I Love you all sooo much and think about you often. And brag about you shamelessly of course..haha I also can't help but reflect upon the idea that serving this mission is really going to make me a better mommy and wife...one that is so much better than the one that I would have been if I hadnt come on this mission. I feel more patient, less judgemental, more able to see past the little short comings of those around me, and all around more peaceful.

The other morning at the track I was able to do something that I hadnt been able to in my previous 21 years of life...I was able to say " I will never go another day without this Gospel. I am sold for life. For me there is no turning back when it comes to Christ" I had never been able to confidently say that without having little worries in the back of my mind tellling me that I couldnt commit to something like that..I never wanted to say it in my prayers because I never wanted to say something that I wasnt sure that I coudl do. But for whatever reason, that day on the track was my time...It was my time of confidence in myself and in our Lord Jesus Christ. It was as if all of the fear of faliure was deleted from my mind...not because I think that now I have these super powers that give me immunity to sin. No, rather I have realized that I am going to fail everyday at living this Gospel as I should...Im going to fall down. And Satan is going to win a few battles here and there...this is life. But those little faliures don't mean that I have to be permanet butt-head for life. NO WAY, MAN! that's what repentance is for :) We can fall down and get back up because of Jesus Chirst and His sacrifice...isnt that awesome? He died for us so that we can have the ability to make mistakes and learn. He is so wonderful...He is so real...and He is for everybody :) So never ever never ever ever never think that you are to "wicked" for repentance. That you are to far gone for redemption. Because that simply IS NOT TRUE. God is always waiting for us to repent. stand up. and move on. Satan is the perminant butt-head who wants you to believe that you are damaged goods. but again that IS NOT TRUE!! You will always be forgiven if you go to the Lord with a sincere heart felt desire to change...He will always forgive. He will give us the courage and the tools to pick up the broken and sometimes shattered pieces of our life and He will help us glue those pieces back together. But the greatest part about the glue that the Lord uses is the fact that this glue cannot be seen after the repair has been made...the cracks of repaired glass cannot be seen. Because what once was shattered and scattered about can be repaired by the Lord and become perfect, shiney and new as if it never even happened.

I know this is true friends and family. I know that God lives and I know that He is doing everything He can to keep us all together, temporaly and eternally. He knows the love that we have for eachother and wants us to continue to be strong so that we can live together in a better world someday; His world. And I want that for all of us...I want to see you all again...clothed in honor and celestial glory :) were happiness will be more full than a super bowl sunday stadium. Where we can all live together without worries. How great does that sound? If that sounds great please oh please raise your hand! haha and more than anything...believe that this can happen. Believe that the Church of jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. Believe that we have everything we need within our selves to reach this goal of eternal famliy-ness. Believe that Satan only has as much power as we give him. And believe that you and everybody who has ever lived on this earth has choosen Jesus Christ once, and that YOU CAN do it again! YOU can be forgiven of EVERY sin. YOU can be with the ones that you love FOREVER. and YOU can stick it to the man (aka Satan) and tell him to get the heck out of your life!! YOU have that power....never ever never ever never never forget that..please. 

I know that we will all fail more than we'd like to admit...but I also know that we can also get back up, take Christs hand and keep truckin on.

Lets all pledge today to fix our lives and center our minds and hearts around Christ. So that we can all laugh and play and smile and jump for joy in heaven together someday.

This is my deepest prayer and my vision for all of us my dear dear friends and family. I love you so much. But your Heavenly Father loves you more. Turn to Him and I promise that you will never regret it. I know that I don't.

Love Sista Swayne

:)

P.s I am warm at night mama. but an extra blanket would be nice along with my coat and boots. They say it should snow in the next two-ish weeks. Also I need my drivers record so that I can be a driver. I guess that it just needs to be a record of my driving history. So PHX DMV would be the people to talk to about that, but what do you think?

Also Yes, there is a wal-mart!! woohoo! And can't wait to read your talk. Thank you Thank you for all of the love, prayers, and support. I can feel your love everyday :):) Hope you can feel mine radiating back to you.

October 8, 2012

From: Jade Swayne <jade.swayne@myldsmail.net>
Subject: Re: WOW!
To: "Penny Paxman" <paxmanp@yahoo.com>
Date: Monday, October 8, 2012, 5:52 PM

MAMA!! muh numba one go to chick!!

 

First off, how in the world are you? I loved your letter and yes, I was able to watch conference. You are so amazing to call that man...Im sure that made his day. But in no way could your call make his day as great as you made mine last monday when I was able to talk to you. I never could imagine that I could miss all of you (especially you) so much while at the same time feeling so great about being away from you. This truly is the Lords work and boy is His work HARD. but it is so worth it. My companion and I have had some very powerful lessons and experiences with those we teach...I wish you could see this. Like the other night..we taught a women named Alex Soto. she is an 87 year old Spanish speaker...I dont want to say hispanic cuz Im not so sure what she is lol and the other day I learned that being a Spanish speaker doesnt exactlly mean that someboduy is Hispanic. So now that I know this I use the word lightly. at least until I learn how to tell the difference between a Hispanic and a non (maybe you could look up the difference for me and let me know so I dont walk around all ignorent and what not) But anyways. Alex is 87, Catholic, in a wheel chair and has a very busy family that never really has alot of time for her. So needless to say..she is very very lonley. We were trying to talk to the women that lived next to Alex, but she never answered the door so we decided that we would hit up the random door next to this ladies and that door just so happened to belong to a frightened yet street thug tough sister named Alex Soto. So we knocked on the door, and waited for a bit...nobody answered but we heard a voice yell "who is it??" and we replied "the sisters" she came to the door and opened it only a crack. She asked about 3 times "who are you?" and we told her that we were from the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and she said "well, do you want to come in?" and of course you know what we said. We stepped into the light and saw a women wheelchair bound and clearly alone...she had telemundo blasting on her t.v and we began to talk. She told us that she was a lifetime member of the catholic faith. "I was born in it. Baptized in it. Married in it. and I will forever be a catholic"... and when I heard how sure she was about this I became discouraged for a second...but only a second because I felt in my heart that this fact didnt matter and that we truly had something that Alex really needed. And wow....I wish you could have seen the way she was when we came in comparrison to the way she was when we left. At first she was so confident in her faith and by the end..she was confessing that she had never really finished the Bible all the way through and she was just so hypnotized as we bore testimony of Christ's true Gospel. It was truly amazing...and all in all she said that we could come back and teach her more...it was almost as if she went from super catholic (duh duh DUHH! super Cathilic awaaaaay) to something totally different in a matter of minutes. it was amazing....We left her with a prayer, and goodness...I can't remember ever giving a more powerful prayer than I did that night. I know that she felt it and I have alot of hope for Alex..I already love her and cant wait to share more about the gospel with her. So Im sorry this story was so scattered brained. Im typing reaaaaally fast. we dont have alot of time today. But I will write more about our other investigators and the amazing things...ok not "things" but "miracles that have happed in this past week.

 

I love you all soo so much and cant wait to recieve your letters. they give me so much strength and hope you can't even imagine how much I cherish them.

 

And please, can somebody call my dad and give him my e-mail address. please. His number is 602-481-9007 I really want him to read these stories because there will be many more to come. The Lord is alive and well in New Mexico :) oh p.s!! Im in Gallup! I need to find Vangie!!!!!

Drop off at the MTC

About Jade

-♫ ♪ ılıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llılı




Mission Home address:
Sister Jade Petra Swayne
New Mexico Farmington Mission
400 W Apache St.
Farmington, NM 87401
United States

jade.swayne@myldsmail.com


**Please, anybody & everybody who wants to write is free & very very encouraged to do so :):) Love you all & miss you already