love this guy

"I want to tell you and all the people, that i can die now. I´ve officially lived and experienced everything. Lemme explain. I live in a house here with 3 other missionaries, one is a new american elder from Utah, he´s a complete genius, but he has deep knowledge about video games and is completely addicted. one of the best things that he said this week was, "I miss my computer screen wallpaper, starcraft 2, a desolate galaxy with a robot warrior." yesterday i asked this elder if he liked to play world of warcraft, and if he was any good, he responded: "I was a level 5 shaman with inpenetratable armor". Then he talked to me for an hour straight about world of warcraft. It changed my life. I love this elder, he´s passed every AP math and chemistry class that exists and he was studying at the U, chemical engineering. He´s never kissed a girl or gotten into any real kind of trouble. This week this elder called me "Peter Priesthood". I GOT CALLED PETER PRIESTHOOD. I never thought that this day would come, but it happened. In this life I´ve lived it all."

-Elder Peter Priesthood Swalberg

there's the skinny

i finally got a letter from spencer TWO in fact

& this little beauty came along for the ride.

i tried to image spencer 25 lbs lighter than

he already was. he looks even skinnier than i

imagined. he is 5 years older than those guys!

he looks even skinnier than the picture of ghandi!

tender mercies

i love the tender mercies that i receive every day

today i got a little note from a really awesome lady

"man, you sure are something else, super strong."

(talking about going on a mission)

i've had great feelings of love and comfort these days

i usually don't do journal posts but to keep everyone

in the loop i thought i might as well, right?

i struggled a lot with the decision to talk or not to talk

to spencer on mother's day i had previously made up my

mind that i WAS NOT going to talk to him and i would see

him soon enough when he got home. spencer wrote and

told me that he would really like to speak with me on mother's

day and we could figure everything out. i was instantly panicked

then an over whelming feeling of peace and comfort swept my soul.

*

"Closely related to this example is the person who has a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but who unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.

We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation. Revelation from God is a sacred reality, but like other sacred things, it must be cherished and used properly so that a great strength does not become a disabling weakness."

i have been praying my guts out these last couple of weeks

and feeling the same promptings about a mission and marriage

at first i was very disappointed thinking that Heavenly Father

would provide a strong feeling of assurance to one but not the other

i wanted the answer

"NO, do not get married, or NO do not go on a mission"

when studying my preach my gospel i read the quote above.

either choice is acceptable

the greatest feeling of peace and comfort has just

filled my little being. come what may, and love it. will do.

my papers are completed i'm beginning to read the

missionary reference library and prepare, prepare & love it.

prepare to relax, go to the temple and study these things out in my mind.

prepare to speak with spencer on mother's day with the spirit.

prepare to be willing to fully and completely turn my will to God's.

prepare to do some intense praying and intense listening.

prepare to make the things of the home of primary importance in my life

prepare for a mission, marriage, motherhood and exaltation.

xoxo

OLIVIA

the man

spencer got transfered to Cuiaba where he says it's as hot as

H.E. double hockey sticks.

he has served in this area before almost one year ago

he's said if he stays in cuiaba until he comes home he'll come home

looking like a black man with red hair

the guy is classic, here is a little bit of his email this week:

It´s strange coming back to this area, seeing familiar faces and such. The people recognize me they tell me that i look different but we don´t know why, they ask me "did you get skinnier?' Maybe it´s cause im rockin a wicked overcomb ("comb over", he gets words like this mixed up all the time) these days, but i think its because of wandering around in the sun for the past year is withering my face away. The people aren´t telling me anymore that i look like a 16 year old kid these days. I GOT A PACKAGE! Olivia sent me a package full of goodies and a butt load of awesome ties. I already pounded a tall can of AZ and it swept my soul away.

i'd like to think this is what spence looked like "pounding" his AZ, but don't mind the long hair or the eye liner, nail polish or the entire fact that this is a woman.

Pres. Monson said that the greatest two words that exist are`"thank you" so thank you olivia, i hope that my letters are makin it home quickly, i got 4 more letters from ya and they´re really helpin me out. i love you.

boo yeah, i sent that package over 2 months ago i had completely forgotten about it! fyi: the first picture really isn't spencer hahahaha (or the third) xoxo OLIVIA

i'm glad i was sitting down when i got that email

these are the words that spencer wrote when he got my email about getting my mission papers.

i'll always love spencer rand swalberg

What about Olivia, I just found out, shes been writing me emails, never could have guessed, whats been goin on. I just barely read it, it blew me away, but now aint the time to worry about a thing. I´ve been real worried about the future, what im gonna do, where im gonna work or what im gonna study, maybe even come home early just to get ahead. A little while ago I talked to our president about this, he told me that there is no better school than the mission field, he told me to forget about the future, the harder I work here the better my future will be. Today is the most important day of my life, im gonna keep working as hard as I can. I remember hearing mom talking on the talk tape crying, saying that she would have served a mission if she knew… All I know is that I wanna live with God, I wanna see All of my friends and family there, I know that I cant make it there alone, but, if I have to wait more, i´ll wait. Everybody knows Im in love, it aint no secret. My words to Olivia:Just follow the Spirit, I love you. Stay green.

xoxo, olivia