Doctor Brookie

Hey everybody! Sorry this is a late email! All the libraries were closed yesterday so we had to wait til today to email. I am a little sad because it is taking out of the time that we have to work and share the Gospel today. I almost decided to not email and just wait til next week but then I was told it is a rule to email every week.... then I thought about how sad my mom would be. Well the work is still going well. This week we worked really really hard. I went on two exchanges this week. I never thought I would be so homesick for my companion and my area in my life. (Exchanges are when you go 24 hours with a different sister missionary so you can learn from each other). It was so funny when Sister Schofield and I were reunited, you would have thought we hadn't seen each other for years instead of just 24 hours haha. Companionship unity right there! So this week was really great, we are teaching a man named Daniel who is married to an Australian woman who is a member. They are absolutely amazing. Well he is on date to be baptized June 15th! I cannot wait! Sadly transfers are next Wednesday so more than likely Sister Schofield and I will not be companions any more :( but I am excited to see who the Lord will pair me up with next. I love learning from other missionaries! We have 15 new sisters coming in next week and 15 new elders! The mission is growing so much! We met this cute old man named Peter and are teaching him. He is already talking about giving up drinking to be "one of them dang Mormons" hahaha he is absolutely hilarious. So I am really sorry that I can never remember more of the last week, it is just that we are always on the go and our schedules are jam packed. Yesterday for P-day we went on a little hike which I will upload pictures of. Oh yeah last week Sister Schofield went to the doctors because her throat was killing her. She had had swollen tonsils last transfer and they gave her some meds to fix it and she said it never fully went away and she is so tough she waited til a month and a half later to finally say something! So we went to the doctor and they told her she had tonsilitis. I was joking around with Sister Schofield telling her I was a doctor. When the doctor came back in she was going to prescribe her the same meds she already had before. I told the doctor " well that is what she was on last time and it didnt care of the problem so maybe she could be put on the something different" (obviously being a missionary has made me a mom haha) and the doctor looked at me and said that is a really good point. Me and Sister Schofield looked at each other and gave each other weird looks like "did she really just listen to me?" hahaha so yes everyone I am a doctor now and can prescribe medication for all your tonsil needs. Well I just want to leave you all with something I learned this week. I was reading in Mosiah in the Book of Mormon and it was when Alma and his people were captured by the Lamanites and put under the rule of King Amulon. Amulon worked them far beyond what they could physically do and treated them like slaves. He also didn't allow the people to say prayers. The people still prayed in their hearts and God told them to not worry because He knows what they were going through. He also said that He would not take away their burdens because these burdens were going to strengthen their faith. But He would strengthen the people so much that the tasks they had to perform would be easy for them and that they would be able to carry the burdens with ease. I LOVE THIS! When we pray in times of trials we are often expected a solution for the trial or for the trial to be done away with completely, but the Lord gives us trials to strengthen us and make us way better people than we were before. But because He loves us so much and never abandons us He will strengthen us so that we can make it through and learn from what we are going through. I want you all to keep this in mind this week and stay STRONG! I love you all and am praying for you all. MAKE GOOD CHOICES!

Love, 

Sister Swisher

P.S. I have lost 3 pounds because I am determined to not come home the size of Maryland! hahaha