Hey there folks! Thanks so much for keeping up with all the emails these last 2 years, I’ve missed you all!

Last little funny story and miracle, I have a pal who has a yerba mate shop in Mendoza centro, after passing by the first time I told him I would send all the missionaries over to his shop to buy mate, and that's what happened! He has since said that he opens on monday solely for the missionaries, and closes after 6pm. I had asked for a personalized mate a long time back, but hadn't gotten back to Mendoza to pay for it. When I found out I was going to the temple I let him, exequiel, know and he prepared the Mate! When I got there he showed me the mate and gave it to me alongside a yerbera (leather bag made for keeping the yerba). When I finished my purchases I asked him how much it would be and he told me it was a gift for having done so much advertising for their business and supporting all without anything in return, I nearly cried.

Anyway, everything summed up, the Mission has been incredible, I've learned so much, my testimony has grown more than I had ever imagined. Serving a mission is easily the best decision I have ever made and I know it has forever changed my life. I have experienced more joy in the mission than during any other time in my life and I am grateful that it has caused me to be much more sensitive spiritually. I am now much more aware of what things invite, and offend, the spirit, and I hope that after my mission, when the real mission begins, you will all help me to keep being a good disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 
Thank you all very much for following me on this adventure in Argentina, for reading the weekly emails and tuning in. Thank you so much to everyone of you who has written me! Your words have supported me and I assure you that all your prayers have been felt. I will never forget the love you've all sent from afar, and the great love I have received from the amazing people here in Argentina. 

In writing this email I thought back on a scripture I love in the Book of Mormon: And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

There's so much I would love to share that I just can't write out, but I think my biggest invitation is that you read the Book of Mormon, truly read it, ponder and reflect on what you read, it is sacred scripture and I am so glad to know that for myself. If we read it, and do so with real intent, with faith in Christ, we truly can know of it's truth by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Love you all so much one last time! 
God Bless, Elder Kai Schwemmer :,)

Subject: Last Train Home (2/3/25)

Okey, first things first. I've waited nearly my entire mission to be able to name this email "Last Train Home", if some of you have not yet caught on I try to name every single weekly email after some song, typically from the 80s, which reflects either the mood or the events of the past week. This song by the Pat Methany group (NOT BY JOHN MAYER) is exactly how I feel and well describes the week given that I write it on my very last P-Day of the mission so I'd love it if you guys gave it a listen! 
The mission has rushed on by, it's incredible, I have worried at times that I haven't quite changed as much as I hoped, as one continues in the mission the changes stop being so stark and happen so gradually that without reflecting on where one has been it can be difficult to see all the change that's occurred! So I took my dear comp Elder Su'esu'e's advice and read back in my journal from when I was beginning the mission. 
These last 2 years I've written an email almost every single week so I won't try to resume all the events of the mission here, but I would like to share how amazing this last week in the field has been. Remember Vita? We've invited her to be baptized on very many occasions and she has never accepted the invitation. A few weeks back we invited her to be baptized and I, feeling inspired, told her that the Lord desired that she would be baptized on the 1st of february, as I said that (something I had never said to someone before) I felt the spirit unmistakably and potently confirm that that was in fact the case. God did want her to be baptized on the 1st of february, and my comp had felt that same confirmation thereafter. On that occasion, she once again refused our invitation, fast forward to last wednesday, five days ago as of when I'm writing this message on monday, we pass by her house with a strong hope to put her on date for baptism. After a lesson dissecting every verse of 2 Nephi 31, the doctrine of Christ, I once again extended the invitation. In that moment I thought back on how clearly I felt the spiritual confirmation I had felt, and explained to her how I had received that spiritual prompting confirming that the Lord wanted her to be baptized on the first of february, I explained that we wanted to invite her once again to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone who has the authority, and that I knew that it was God's will and plan that she be baptized on the February 1st, but that nonetheless it was a personal decision, but I repeated once again that I KNEW what the will of God was concerning the date (I also recognize that sounds quite presumptuous, I certainly would have seen it that way had I been in her shoes, but I just knew it.) She accepted the invitation, and then did the math, it would be saturday of that same week. 

Elder Su'esu'e and I had not prepared any of her baptism, but we were very sure the Lord would make it all possible. On friday I went to Mendoza to visit the temple and wasn't involved in the process of the baptismal preparation, in fact I returned from Mendoza at 4:50 on saturday and the baptism was at 5:00. The baptism was beautiful, I once again got to use the white alpargatas that I had stored away in my luggage already. As Vita came out of the water she held me by the hand and said "Thank you so much", it was such a heartwarming moment. After initially having accepted the baptismal invitation she told us that she was just filled with happiness! That her anxiety had gone away and she was just happy!

In Mendoza I was able to go to the temple for the first time in nearly two years and had a great time with the other missionaries who were homebound and Presidente and Hermana Ingersoll. As we left I saw Esteban from La Gloria there! He was an inactive youth when we found him, and we trained in his house every morning, yesterday he was set apart as a missionary to serve in Neuquen, Argentina! That was another miracle from the week.