Email from 7-26-10

Nothing really new this week but im writing a letter and sending some pics home today. LOVE YOU LOTS!!! oh and by the by P-day is now on monday. pres. collins changed the rules but its awesome. Love you guys!!!!

Note from Mom - I will not be editing Mark's emails for capitalization anymore. Dad says it's better to let you read Mark's letters the way he send them. Thank goodness he's a good speller.

We will post what he wrote in his letter when we get it. Pics too.

:)

Email for 7-20-10

It’s alright I found my camera YAY!!!!!

So any who, not much to report this week except we were at Hardees (Carls Jr) and I was washing up after lunch, because my hands were all greasy, then we walked outside and Brother Prebe from Crawfordville walks up to us and asks us for our help. So we said sure!!!! So any whoo, we walk with him to this house and he asks, “Have you ever lifted a dead body before???”

............. WHAT!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! So we helped him put a guy named Charles Gardner in a body bag and threw him in the river so he wouldn’t get in trouble……… Just kiddin’ but we did put a body in a bag and then in his van. He’s a mortician.

Any who, love you guys lots. Oh by the by, I’d like you guys to buy me some Paul Cardall cds. One of them is called Faithful, but he has a lot of good ones and they are approved. So now only piano music, hymns, and Motab are approved...................... IT SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!! TOTAL MUSIC WITHDRAWALS!!!!!! MAN I miss 2 things the most out here and that’s my tunes and........ you know..... But SEND ME ALL THE MOTAB/ HYMNS/PIANO and Those Paul Cardall cds please!!!!! That would be great!!!! Any who, nothing else to report.

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!

Elder Swanson

More Pictures

Mark's sunny experience in a grove. Reminds me of......

Mississenwa River. Indiana is flat but green.

Beem me up Scotty!

Indiana was James Dean's home.

Hoosier food. Hope he doesn't eat that often.

The middle Elder, Jared Renfro was our neightbor RIGHT ACCROSS THE STREET when Mark was a little guy. Small World!!!!

Indiana is Garfield's home too.

Speaking of home, look at the frilly curtains the elders have in their Marion, IN home. Sweet!!

And you call me a big chicken?

Mark can't pass up a stray person or stray animal. These are the neighborhood strays in Marion - Starsky and Hutchins.

Email from 7-13-10

I LOVE BROTHER OSBOURNE!!!!!! He does live way out there. He is really old. 90 percent blind and amazing. He never lets us inside his house because " I never expected to live this long so I didn’t keep up my house, so you can’t come in because it’s a mess!!!!!
I now have a Lithonia bike. All I have to do is pedal and if I have the spirit with me it with self steer me to where I want to go!!! Just kidding. But mom............... I LOST MY CAMERA !! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sniffle* *sniffle* I don’t know where it is.

Tell Philius to play "Ghost Opera" by Kamelot on his drums or something by Epica THEY ARE AWESOME!!!! Speaking of music elder Empey and I took Grandma Millie (one of our investigators she is being baptized august 14th) but we took her to Penn station for lunch and "Peace of Mind" by Boston came on the radio and I started tearing (tearing) up. So I sang along with it with tears in my eyes then after some commercials, Piano Man by Billy Joel came on and I teared up again but then the killer came...... Wanted: dead or alive by Jon Bon Jovi came on......... I didn’t realize how much I missed that till then!!! If nothing else I miss 2 things the most. You all know the first thing.... but the second one is my tunes!!!! We as missionaries consider those events like what happened in Penn station "tender mercies of the lord".

But anywho last night we set a baptismal date with Millie. The spirit was so strong; we took Bro Milakovic with us. I love the Milakovic family!!!! They are my favorite family in the ward. Hahaha, oh man, time for a spazz moment. So we went to the Milakovics for dinner last night, and they have 3 kittens. So remembering an SNL skit I saw a year ago I picked one up and cocked it like a shotgun..... Chk chk... and we all started laughing!!!! It was awesome!! I’m sorry to say but I have a really lousy sense of humor now. Everything is funny! At least I’m happy right? So nothing else new except I NEED A NEW CAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SO BAD!!!!!! I’ve missed so many awesome picture taking opportunities. I’m sending a few more home this week so enjoy those but hey!!! I love you guys!!!!!

Oh man one more thing. We were at this thing called why I believe and a Spanish lady got up and was telling about how she found the church and she said she had a dream one night. Where the lord came to her and (you know the Catholic picture of Christ) he was all bloody and he was crying blood and the skin was hanging off his face and crazy stuff. We had some investigators there and they were stunned, but we told them it was a catholic thing. It was kind of a stretch, but no harm done. Anywho I don’t really have anything else to say so LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!

Elder Swanson

The Wilkins' baptism day.

Bill's baptism day.

Hair cut day w/ Sis. Stover.

Mark waiting his turn in true Mark fashion.

2 phone calls from Indiana this week.

The 1st one to say that Mark's $150 Walmart bike fell apart (surprise) and that he needed more $ to buy a bike off a missionary going home. They are going to use all the parts from Mark's broken bike and another Elder's bike to make a new bike for soemone else. "So it's all good mom. We're helping someone else."

The second call was from Bro. Osbourne in the branch where Mark is serving. He wanted us to know how much he appreciates Mark - for being a good missionary and a good teacher. What a treat for us.

:) the mom

Promised Pictures

Clinton's Baptism Day.

Email from 7-6-10

We have a new mission president his name is President Collins!!!! He is so awesome!!! Everything is changing!!!!!!! They are adding more to Preach my Gospel and changing/adding some things!!!!! but thanks for everything mom!!!! i love you so much!!!!!! I'll send another email next tuesday and a letter too!!!!!!

I LOVE PRESIDENT BURDETTE(atake pres. in his old area - who called us (the mom and dad) to tell us what a great person/missionary Mark is) !!!! WOOHOO CARE PACKAGE!!!!! so anywho, nothing really new, except one of our investigator is in prison now. Charges will soon be dropped. We are seeing him in there for a half an hour today so wish us luck. OH OH OH HEY!!!!!!
elder Swanson

p.s. SAY HI TO PHILIUS FROM ME!!!!!
Phillip flew home from France today - arriving at 10:06 p.m.

Mom's response to email sent 6-29-10

Mark didn't want his actual email posted this week. He's feeling frustrated. Much like in the times when Christ was on the earth, those who actually listen to and embrace the good news of the gospel are those that have sunk to the depths of despair and need God’s tender mercies most – sinners (aren’t we all). To a missionary, this is a wonderful blessing to be able to lift, comfort and help “lost” souls come unto Christ and by so doing help them turn their lives around, find happiness and become givers in the society instead of takers. So what’s the problem? Just like in Christ’s earthly time – those already in the church – born in the church – often see these humble souls only by the labels society has put upon them – druggies, felons, etc. – not worthy of our association or support. They sometimes forget what it means to be Christian and act like the Pharisees and Sadducees, looking down on those sorry, unworthy ones. Mark – who loves ALL PEOPLE can’t understand why some in his local congregation are not more welcoming. Which give us all a chance to ponder…. Am I seeing this person in front of me as God would see him/her? Am I lifting or putting down? Are we not all sinners, dependant on the Lord’s mercies? Do we not want to forgive and nurture others so that the Lord will forgive and nurture us? I’m grateful Mark was born with the gift of love for all mankind. He has overcome many challenges in his life and knows he would be nothing without the forgiveness and healing of God. He knows he will make many more mistakes – as we all will – and trusts that if he does his best, the Lord will forgive, strengthen him and help him be a better man. He gets it. That’s all a parent could ask. Thanks for being supportive friends and examples of Christlike behavior.
Sincerely,
Marjean, The Mom