Oct. 11, 2011

Hola mi familia,

Este semana fui... bien. Pero, nuestros numeros fueron tan malo. Esta bien. Yo se que el Senor me ama, inspite of my failures. I don't have a lot to say this week. I took my 100th tour at the Battalion last Monday, but I think I forgot to tell you. I'm now at 112. I saw pictures of the Philly temple and it's so pretty! I'm super excited! Dad, one of the Elders in the Battalion is curious if you know his nephew, Mark Jensen. The name sounded familiar, but I wasn't sure. Also, dad, you've raised a lousy lock pick. One of our members locked herself out of her house right before we went to visit and her husband is currently not in San Diego so we had to try to help her break in. The landlords were walking around, but they didn't have keys. So I tried to pick the lock... and failed. At least Hermana Adams has long arms and was able to get the window open. It was an exciting event.

Last week for Pday we went to La Jolla cove and wrote letters. It was so pretty and I enjoyed sitting next to (definitely not on) the beach. Today we're planning on going over to Coronado.

The best thing of this week was our lesson last night. We've been trying to visit a lady named Carmen, but she has been avoiding us like the plague. We had decided to back off because she wouldn't keep appointments or let us in to talk to her. But one of her friends is a strong member in the Branch and wants us to keep visiting her and so we stopped by a couple of weeks ago. The result was that we taught her husband, Juan. Then out of the blue Carmen came to church on Sunday with her grandkids. And Hna. Soriano had scheduled an appointment for us to go visit her last night so we did, even though we didn't think it would result in much. Well, we went over and Juan and Carmen had cleaned the house, put the grandkids in another room and were waiting for us. We were a few minutes late because we were waiting on Hna. Soriano to come with us, but she couldn't. But anyway, they were ready! So we taught them the Restoration. They've been taught it before, but this time the Spirit was so strong! Carmen kept saying the prophets preach the gospel of Christ. It was all very simple and they seemed to accept it. We have asked them to start praying together about the Book of Mormon. And then Carmen said the most tender closing prayer. She asked for help with something she is facing, but she said that if it couldn't work out, that she would be able to accept God's will. Talk about humble!!! It was such a powerful lesson, especially because we weren't sure how well it would go. It's just a testimony to me that the Lord blesses those who are searching and ready for Him. I'm not talking about us, I'm talking about Carmen and Juan. As they come to search for Christ and keep His commandments, they will find so much strength in their family!

We have one member that we've been keeping track of. She's 20 and going to BYU-I this January. But she's having a hard time enduring and wanted to keep going in the Church. Everyone is putting her down and fighting against the covenant she's made, and it's hard on her. We are trying to help her realize that these hard times will pass as she comes to rely on Christ. She's so strong! She reminds me a lot of Jessica. I just hope she can start to realize how amazing she is. There really is so much help that comes from reading in the Book of Mormon every day.

I think about how hard it is to be a member during these times. And if it's hard for us, it must be overwhelming for people who don't have the light of Christ guiding them. They just don't understand what they're missing out on and how much better things can be! But that's why I'm here. Hopefully, I can help somebody come to Christ.

I was glad to hear about your lesson, even if it didn't go very well. What you said about having so much great information, but not enough time to give it- I feel like that's how the Prophet and apostles must feel. Every General Conference, they must be thinking. " I have such great news for you! Why can't you all just be doing the right thing so you can learn more?!?!" I feel like saying that same thing, but then I realize that I have a long way to go too. This is why it is so important to learn as much as we can through every phase in life instead of putting it all off until "later". It's critical to learn everything we can now, because we will be called upon later to lead the Church with the skills we have acquired. We'll need a lot of skills.

It's crazy to think that my second transfer is half way over. It's down to mere weeks for Hna. Adams before she leaves. She's pretty scared, but we're trying to cope. The time is just flying by for her so quickly. I look at each day and feel like I have done a month's worth of work. Then I look at each month and can't believe that it's already October. It's a mind boggling feeling. But we'll just continue to move and work, live and do our best. It is encouraging to see that I have become a better person. I've definitely learned a lot more patience and my Spanish is getting better. I don't write it very well, and I'm sure I don't speak it well, but everyone is always willing to help.

Well family, I love you. Thank you for your prayers and support. Have fun climbing mom! Dad, I hope you feel better quickly. Annette, enjoy getting settled into your new, stinkin cute home.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Oct. 18th, 2011

FAMILY!!! Wow, so things are slowing down up there (probably due to the fact that it's cold) but here, this week has been nuts! First of all, congrats to everybody for everything!!! Babies, drivers license, climbing, skirts, etc. Yay! Now, let's get started.

To start off with, a man came in the other day who had ridden his bike from Canada down to the Mexican border, which I thought you'd appreciate. Next, Shelly (Shelby?) Reeder came in the Battalion and she and her husband know aunt Lisa from Bonneville. They were nice and are living in AZ now. Hummingbirds are really quite noisy and we have a ton of them at the Battalion. I hiked up to Presidio Park the other morning for our exercise and noticed the DUP and SUP signs up there. It was awesome to see that little bit of home. However, the poor DUP sign was carved into granit, and is in need of some serious love. Maybe I'll try cleaning it sometime, but it's really faded. I took a lady on a tour who loved it so much that on her comment/referral card she said, "I'm Catholic, but this tour made me want to be a Mormon." How cool is that?! We had a group meeting (like a district meeting of Battalion sisters) in the Enlistment room, the one with trees and tents. It was amazing! We read the Book of Jarom and related it to the Battalion and then bore our testimonies on the Battalion and the lessons we've learned. The Spirit is so incredibly strong in that building. I am more than honored to have been chosen to serve there. Out of all the thousands of sister missionaries in all the world, I'm one of 22 in the Battalion. I love serving there more and more each day. My heart will break when I have to leave it. I do have a goal to reach 1000 tours before I got home, and I think I'll be able to do it. I'll just have to give three tours every single day.

Now a little more about our area. We've been having some random successes. One with a girl names Angie. We have really been trying to help her see how the gospel applies to her and she is started to understand. We'll see what happens. We have another lady and her family we're teaching. Her daughter was the one with the date who didn't believe God helped her. Her date fell through because she won't come to church. But we visited the mom the other day and I think I like teaching her more when she isn't in front of her daughters. She's not as rude. Our last lesson with her and her daughters was bad. I was so mad! She was really rude to us and being really dramatic. But I've had to eat 100 humble pies and pray for more charity because ultimately, she's a daughter of God and she needs the Gospel. Juan and Carmen didn't come to church, but we have a lesson with them tonight. We stopped by another lady's house, her name is Teresa, to try to teach her. She's in the process of moving to another home in the neighborhood but as it turns out, she has a son who was baptised in Tijuana a few years ago and lost track of the church when he got here. We're trying to find his records, but if he starts coming back to church , he can bring his whole family! It would be great. Sister Adams talked about keeping the Sabbath day holy last Sunday and she did great. It's a hard topic though, because more everyone in the Branch has a hard time keeping that commandment. It was a good reminder for them. I'm going to be speaking on Caridad (charity) next Sunday. Presidente Lopez (the branch president) assigned me that topic last Saturday. He is a great man. He told me on Sunday that I'm a great missionary, my Spanish is fine, and I need to not be so stressed out. He also said if he were allowed to, he'd hug me. President Clayton also told me I seem stressed in our interviews last week. I'm starting to see a trend here, and I don't know if I like it. I'm trying to not be stressed and smile more, it just hard when I am focusing so hard on what people are saying and having the Spirit with me so I can say the right thing back, and do the work with all my heart... it's a lot to think about! Another member in the branch told me to stop looking so serious. I guess if I'm getting it from three sources, something has to change. I'm not a mad person, I am just focusing very hard. Last Sunday was a little better though and I was able to have a few more relaxed moments with members and get to know them a little bit better.

Last Pday was great. We went to Coronado and it was so pretty! But everything is so expensive, so I don't know if I'll ever spend extended time there. We went to the Hotel de Coronado and it is incredible! It was so intricate and I would love to spend a week there, but that'll have to wait until I'm rich. Today we did our Pday activity at 5 in the morning. All the Battalion sisters (except 2) hiked up Cowles mountain and it was quite the experience. Our three APs joined us, so we had some priesthood there. But driving, we got lost and did a lot of Uturns. And then when we found it we were hiking in a cloud and it was pitch black. But so worth it! It was fun, but by the time we got to the top the sun was rising, we had hiked above the cloud and it was beautiful. I felt like a Likin Hikin Lady and I see why you enjoy hiking with so many women, mom. There is a lot of energy from that many people. It was incredible! As we hiked down, we walked back into the cloud and tried to drive away, but it was pretty foggy. Now our plans include taking a nap to make up for that lost sleep.

Other news: AZ was on fall break last week so 90 percent, literally, of everyone who came through the Battalion were from there and we had a lot of families. One tour, I took a mom and three of her kids. They had been expecting it to be like it was a few years ago, so they left the smaller kids with dad. As it turns out, our tour is amazing and so much fun so they brought the kids back the next day and I got to take them on a tour again. Then a few days later a couple came through and mentioned that they were camping next to a family with a lot of kids and as it turns out, it was the same family! It was fun to be so connected to that family. And the kids were really well behaved. The parents say they beg to differ, but we get a lot of terrors through and it's easy to see which parents have good discipling techniques, but also which ones apply the gospel every single day in their homes through scriptures, prayers and FHE. It's a hard world to raise kids, but I believe it can be done if parents are consistent, and disciplined. Letting kids do whatever they want does not do any person in the entire world any good! I've been learning a lot that I hope to apply some day. Other great news: Yesterday morning one of the main actors from our tour came in with his family. His name is John Foss, and his role is Captain James Allen. The moment he walked in the door I knew it was him and I dibbsed the tour. Sister Ortez and I got to take it and it was so much fun to spend that time with them. He came in with his wife and two kids, his dad and mom and sister. They were all so great! I loved talking to each of them. His sister is a big time ski jumper and has done some work with the Warren Miller guys and ads for the Russian Olympics. Her name is Suzanne. It was so fun to spend that time with them, but of course, since he's a movie star to us at the Battalion, we all had to get pictures with him and I think we made him feel uncomfortable. But that's what he gets for being part of the production. He's actually in another Church film that will be coming out next spring. He has the biggest role in it, and I'm excited for you all to know about it. I don't know how much I'm allowed to say, but I've seen pictures of the set (which is in Goshen) and I've seen pictures of the costuming and makeup (actually from a different source who is going to be in the movie and is from the Battalion film too). Plus also, Nathan Mitchell will be in it. He has a big role too. It's going to be big and it will touch lives. The Church is starting to update their films that they use, and they'll use John and the others a lot for those.

Now, yesterday went from being super excited at seeing Captain James Allen to something completely different. One of our members (who just moved into the Branch because her husband is in the Navy and Point Loma is in our area) called us and said she had an emergancy. We couldn't get to our phone or out to her house until close to 6, but when we got there her cousin informed us that she went to the hospital because she lost a lot of blood. Oh, and she's 5 months pregnant. They just barely found out that it's a little girl. So she went to the hospital to try and find out what was going on. We went to try to see her, but as it turns out, Naval Hospitals are really strict and require 2 sentries and ID before they let you in... or as it turns out, don't. They tried to find Hna. Dubon in the system for us for ten minutes and when they did find her, she wasn't up to visitors because she had just barely been seen by the doctor so we had to leave. But she called us back today and told us everything is balancing. The baby is fine for now, she's a fighter, but they don't know what else will be happening. The Lord is blessing her though, because her husband (who has been deployed for the past month) was in port this week and able to be with her during this time and the cousin has been here helping out. It's so neat to see blatantly the ways the Lord guides and blesses people. We'll have to wait to see what happens, but I'm just glad that the baby is fine for right now. But how awful to experience that! Our zone prayers for each other's investigators and members every day, we receive a text of who needs help from the ZLs and we all pitch in. It's good to know that there are so many missionaries praying for her now.

Brittney Stirling finally came in yesterday and it's great to see her. She had tendonitis in the MTC and had to wait, but she's here now! I've been teaching Sister Adams how to Waltz, which has been fun. She just got her travel plans today and I can't believe that time is ticking down until she leaves.... I don't want to think about that. I've been trying to eat healthier, but that is far to expensive so it's back to granola bars and apple sauce next month.

Sorry to type so much, but it really has been a crazy week. But a good one. I love you all and hope you have a great week! I'm excited to hear from you. I haven't received my package yet, but that'll be later today so I'll let you know if I need anything else. I will need a dress coat at some point so I don't know if it's better to buy that or have you send me one. I don't have one in black, which isn't a requirement, but it would be nice because it matches more. But we'll worry about that later. For now I can hopefully borrow another sister's coat when I go to the temple. Thanks again for always taking care of me. I don't know how to thank you, and everyone who is supporting me know. I love you all. Tenga un buen dia!

Con Amor,
La Hermana Johnson

Oct. 4, 2011

Oh my everything is so exciting at home. I'm happy for Nat!!! That's great. I bet she can't wait to get going and I know she'll be such a great missionary. She's always been such a good example to me and I am thrilled that she'll get to spread the gospel. I know she'll be a good missionary. So much is changing and so many people are moving, but it sounds like they're all enjoying the changes for the most part. What is Faye going to be for halloween? Has Annette worked on the girls costumes? I think this year I'll be a pioneer for halloween. Although, it may be hard to come up with a costume.

Ok, update for the week: Last pday was great and I loved 17 Miracles. We all watched it together and it was fun, but we cried. I love that movie. General Conference was amazing!!! Of course. But this time I felt like I actually paid attention more and got more out of it. We had to work during the Sunday afternoon session so I missed a lot of the talks, but I did meet a nice lady who came on the tour with me. It was a unique tour and I was able to personalize it a lot more because she was open to learning more and it was more intimate. I was glad to meet her. The only frustrating thing about working during conference was when members came through and wanted the tour. They would always justify and say, "Oh, we TVO-ed it". Well, that's great for you but do you not realize that a PROPHET OF GOD is speaking to us RIGHT NOW?!?!?! I prayed very hard to have patience with them because all I wanted to do was direct them out of the Battalion and away from us. But it ended well and fortunately the Church is amazing and we can watch it online if we find a few minutes.

Transfers were last week and we got a new zone leader. His name is Elder Young and he plays the piano, which will be nice, but I don't know how much it will help. The branch we're in is pretty tone deaf, bless their hearts. That's the only thing that changed in our district. We've been continuing in the work. I feel like everyone is avoiding us though. We stop by pretty frequently, but the thing is, we wouldn't swing by so much if they would just make and keep the appointments we set. I don't think they understand that. I'm realizing more and more that people don't like to change and no matter how much I push, they won't budge unless they are good and ready. Bah! It's kind of frustrating. I can say that I've learned a little (a lot) more patience since I've been out.

On lady we are starting to visit was almost baptised a long time ago, but then didn't follow through and doesn't remember why. But she likes that we're teaching her because she doesn't like the elders as much. She says she is ready to change, and I sure hope so. Her daughter told us she was reading the Book of Mormon and highlighting passages, which means she is progressing!!! Whoo hoo! We're teaching her daughter too, but that's a whole different story. We taught her the gospel: faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. And she wants to get baptised so we set a date. She understands that it's a big commitment and didn't want to do it because it was "the cool thing" to do. But she wants to now so we're working toward that. The problem is that she doesn't believe God has done anything for her or that he has any part in her life. Yeah...., I don't know why she wants to get baptised. She refuses to pray and we keep telling her she will not recognize God in her life if she doesn't actively look for him. On the bright side, we have 18 days to help her get a testimony. In all reality, we have more time than that, but her date is in 18 days. We'll see what happens.

A lot of our work has been with less actives this week. One elderly sister has been having some crazy problems with devils in her home. I don't know details, nor do I want to. The elders and Elders Quorum President blessed her and helped her. But the point is, she felt like we didn't want her to come do missionary work with us because we felt like she wasn't able to bring the spirit. Well, the other day Hna. Adams and I were praying and had a really weird feeling. We knew we had to get to our area and talk to someone. As we drove past her house on our way to somewhere else we felt like we needed to see her. So we turned around and went to visit her. It ended up being a great lesson and we helped her realize that we love her, that the Lord will protect her, and how much we appreciate when she comes with us. We've made an effort to take her with us to lessons more and she has already started being happier. It's great to see. Another sister has health problems and has been having a rough time. So we visited her and sang with her a little bit. Then we decided to help her clean the house because she really wasn't able to. Even though I find cleaning other people's houses really gross, I felt so happy to know that I was actually helping someone and I could see the results. It's a great feeling.

I do love some parts of the culture. My favorite thing is "besos". I love it! When I'm in a situation with all white people and nobody does besos, it is so sad. And I didn't realize how immersed in the Mexican culture I was until the other day we were driving down the street and saw a white man working on his yard. I was so shocked! I literally could not wrap my mind around the fact that a white man was working on a yard in Logan Heights. That's when I realized how Latin our area is. It just never hit me before. Then I realized how much we must stand out. The other thing I like, even though sometimes I don't, is that the people aren't afraid to tell me how to change. In our last coordination meeting with the Branch President, he told me I needed to make my companion happy and work harder. That was a slap in the face, but he's right. He then taught me a phrase to use when people are blowing hot air and giving me excuses. "No me diga cuentos chinos." Basically it means "don't tell me chinese stories." I don't think I'll use it on anyone we're teaching, but I now have free reign to use it on him and the other elders when they give me grief. It's all in jest.

The Battalion has been good this week. It's good every week. I love that place soooo much! It means everything to me. A few days ago a 15 year old girl came in with her family and she was dressed in a Mariachi costume with her trumpet and her hair was done all fancy. Turns out they were taking her quinsenera pictures at the Battalion. Random, but cool, and it really is a beautiful building so I don't blame them. I stayed with the family just in case they needed anything and at one point the dad asked if I'd be in one of the pictures with her. So a random, 15 year old girl in a mariachi costume has a picture with me in my pioneer dress. I hope the picture turns out. Another experience happened just last night. Sister Christensen was taking one of the architects who worked on the Battalion on a tour and was showing her all the rooms. The senior couples from all over San Diego were having FHE in our theaters. I heard they had candy and treats and wanted to investigate. So here is how all those components work together: I opened the door to let the architect look in the room where the senior couples were and as she finished, I was still holding the door and a couple walked out. I shook the elder's hand and introduced myself. He asked me, "Do you happen to be Camille Johnson?" Shocked, I responded, "Yes" because I am Camille Johnson. He proceeded to pull a paper out of his shirt pocket and explained that he met someone I know. I thought for sure it had to be one of my grandmas, but alas it was not. He showed me on this paper a line he had typed. "Bruce Stratford's niece Camille Johnson in the Mormon Battalion". So apparently this elder had met Uncle Bruce at a lawyers luncheon last July and learned that I'd be here and he's been carrying around that paper with my name so he wouldn't forget to find me. How tender is that? He gave me his business card and told me that even though there are so many people taking care of me, if I needed anything to let them know. They're names are David and Susan Day. It was fun to meet them and make that random connection.

Well, that's how this week has been. One of my favorite sisters (not that I have favorites or anything) has been really sick this whole transfer. She has crazy migranes and they can't find the source. She's going home tomorrow so she can rest up and hopefully get back to normal. She'll be coming back, hopefully in two weeks or a month, but I'm going to miss her. She's so funny and great and I just love her. Plus, she's an Aggie and knows my friend, Rhett Keaton. She just needs to heal fast.

Pues, este es todo. Gracias mom! I'm glad you're having fun with the changing seasons and last minute activities. I'm missing fall, but it's getting colder here and starting to get rainy every now and again, but then it all burns off and gets hot. Crazy weather. Love you all and I hope everything is going well.

Love, Hna. Johnson