March 27, 2012

Hey everyone,

Thank you so much for all your birthday wishes and kind words. It has been such a great birthday so far. Sister Lewis and I woke up early and went for a bike ride out to Mission Bay which was really enjoyable. It's been a long time since I've ridden a bike. Then some of my sister friends made me breakfast and we just had a good few minutes before it was time to study. We studied and received some great revelation for one of our investigators I've never met. The conclusion I've come to once again (well, I actually already knew it) is that... THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE AND BLESSES OUR LIVES!!!!!!!! It's so great. Every time that hits me I just want to run up to people in the streets and say, "Read this! You cannot obtain salvation and happiness unless you abide by the laws and mandates of God given in this amazing and true book!" They don't take very kindly to us when we do it like that, but I just want everyone to know that it IS true! I may spontaneously combust from the joy that very thought brings me.

Linda Vista is going great. My Spanish is improving so much and Heavenly Father has really blessed me. We've had a lot of really good experiences teaching and finding. MTE was last weekend and we talked about the Doctrine of Christ and we've been teaching a lot more of that doctrine right off the bat. It's amazing how much Heavenly Father helps us and hones us into the missionaries he wants us to be. By the time I get things figured out, I'll be on a plane home. Lame! I just need to make sure everything I'm learning actually becomes a part of my being and that I'll be able to continue living this way. I think I'm finally getting to the point where I actually enjoy being a missionary. I've learned a lot more about the timing on God's table vs. my own. I've learned a lot about how things take time to develop and that it's a much slower process than I wanted. But it's been a blessing and a pleasure to become more in-tune and in-line with Heavenly Father.

I love you all so much. Mom, thanks for the skirt! It's super cute. I will just have to go by a fun new shirt to wear with it :) And yeah, a game day shirt would be great in small if they still have them.

I hope you all have a great week! Thank you for your prayers, I'm praying for you too. I love this Gospel and I love who I am becoming. I am grateful for the chance to learn and become a servant of the Lord. I'm grateful for the trials I face and the people who reject us because it makes the ones who accept us so much sweeter than they would have been otherwise. I am desperately grateful for the Plan of Salvation and for the direction and blessing that Heavenly Father has given us so we can be together after this life. We need to truly treasure all the time we have together in this life because it passes too quickly. Please family, don't take each other for granted. Look for excuses to spend time together and to serve one another. Look for opportunities to give hugs, to play, to cry, to confide in, and to grow together. Our family is precious and I have seen so many cases of broken homes and people losing the direction from the gospel. Please please love each other. I know you do, but look for ways to express that love. President Monson said, "Never assume they know how much you love them. Tell them."

I love you all with more depth than I ever thought possible. Thank you again for your birthday wishes and cards.

Love, Sister Johnson

March 20, 2012

Well family, contrary to what I thought, Heavenly Father has seen fit to transfer me back to Spanish this transfer. So my current area is called Linda Vista and I'm serving in a tiny little branch with some good people and a big area. There are a lot of Asians in my area too, which is fun. It's been a bit of a rough transition, but Heavenly Father has blessed me to keep my Spanish up during the English lapse, so it's all coming along.

 

My new comp is Sister Lewis from Oregon and she is so awesome! Annette, she's a lot like you so I feel like I'm serving with my actual sister. It's nice though, because I already know how to get along with her. She is such a hard worker and always on top of things. She keeps me on my toes and running. Literally sometimes. We've run into our apartment at a dead sprint right before our 9:30 last call curfew, we've run to appointments, we've chased people down, we run to the Battalion... I feel like I'm in a marathon. But she's a super good missionary and really focused on our purpose and our people. She's a great example to me.

I feel like it was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father that things worked out in Spring Valley the way they did. Randy went out of town last weekend so we moved up his date and I got to be part of it all. It was like Heavenly Father looked down at me and with the immense love that He has, handed me a pearl of great price for no other reason than He loves me. Now it's back to work in the Latin vineyard. It's fun to be back in the culture and hopefully this time around I can acclimate better.

This week has still been full of seeing people I know. I saw Brent Homer and later Kylie Fugal. Michael Ballam was on one of my tours and I got to know his son Ben pretty well. He'll be going on a mission soon (Ben) and I'm excited for him.

Sister Lewis and I were talking today in comp study about Heavenly Father's plan for us and the day of judgement. She said that she'd read in a talk recently from a General Authority about how Heavenly Father will be there with us, asking us to stay with Him, but that if we're not worthy we will feel worse being with Him than away so we won't want to live with Him. It's not going to be a checklist of "oh, you served this neighbor, but not this one. Sorry, you don't cut it." His plan is merciful and just on every aspect and they work so well hand in hand. It's sad that people don't understand that. It's yin and yang! You need both. I've also learned that like Amulek when the lawyers say he is lying against their law, but he's really using the law in it's fulness against them, we do the same. We teach people true doctrine and when they're hardhearted they think we're teaching lies, but they just won't listen to the truth. The truth is that God loves us, He has a plan for us, we do need to repent because no unclean thing can dwell in the kingdom of God, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ has indeed been restored on the Earth. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He always called prophets and He always will. The Prophet receives very direct revelation from God and if we truly have faith, we will act on the council of the Apostles. I am so excited for General Conference! What an incredible blessing we have to hear so much from the men who know what we need to know to be prepared. We are so blessed!

Once again, I encourage you all to pray and ponder on serious questions you have, then to write those down and listen for the answers in General Conference. Heavenly Father will teach us through the Spirit as we've done our part to prepare to receive His word.

I love you all family so much! I'm glad you're alive and well. I'll email you next week when I'm 22! (super weird). Have a great and always be on the look out for some service you can render to another. We are the angels of God when we serve His children.

Love, Sister Johnson

March 13, 2012

Randy has been baptized! Woot! Oh man, it was so perfect. Everything went well, we had good support from the ward, I cried (of course) and everyone later asked if I was ok so I had to explain how happy I was for Randy. We talked about being humble and childlike- Randy is a great example of both attributes. He has been so perfect and just really willing to do everything we ask of him. Then on Sunday when he got the gift of the Holy Ghost, my heart exploded a little bit. I was so proud of him and I felt like his mom on graduation day only a million times better. True joy. This week has been full of seeing people I know. Some people from PG came down for a wedding and I got to say hi, then yesterday Eric Swenson and his family came in. He's engaged and getting married in May. I told him to stop by and say hi to you all. It turns out his mom is a Gylenskog and knows grandma and grandpa and she used to pick beans at great-grandpa's bean field. Dad, I think her name is Kathryn. Do you remember her? It is spring break so a lot of Aggies are coming through. I love it. We've started teaching our Bishop's dad, and I feel so blessed knowing that they trust us with that. I have come to love so many people in this ward and I feel like I'm making a difference. Transfers are tomorrow and I'm nervous that I'll get changed. I don't think I will until the next transfer because we'll be getting more Spanish sisters which means I'll probably go back to being Spanish then, but who knows. We've been really blessed. A few weeks ago everything was running perfectly and was on fire. The past few weeks it seems like everything has dropped and we're running into a lot of snags, but it's interesting to see that even though it's not perfect, that the Lord still blesses us in tiny little ways all day long. I'm grateful to be able to recognize that. Everything is going well. I'm glad you're all doing well and that video of Faye was super cute! I think the pictures I last have are from when she was 5 months so it's crazy to see her even more grown up. About Mother's Day, I'm sure we'll be able to work something out. Just let me know and I'll talk to President Clayton. I love you all and hope you're having a good week! Love, Sister Johnson

March 6, 2012

Hey family,

Mo is engaged!!!!??? I AM SO HAPPY FOR HER!!!. Oh my that is so happy! And happy birthday Grandma!! March is by far my favorite month. There are so many birthdays which means a lot of parties and a lot of happy people.

I am sorry you've all been sick lately, that's not fun. I hope it gets warm for you soon so you can all get better. It's started warming up here and I realized I don't know what I'm going to wear for summer
when it's actually hot. I always wear cardigans and I think I have maybe 5 shirts I can wear without a cardigan. I'll figure something out.

That grey and yellow skirt is really cute mom. I wore it a couple of Sundays ago and received a lot of compliments on it. It's still a little loose through the hips and hangs low. I didn't realize until
this skirt affair how much I like my skirts being higher on my waist now. When did that happen? Mom, I'm sure you're thrilled because we've always debated on where clothing should sit :)

Yes, it's my half way week. And I don't feel like it is. I feel like the last nine months have been faster and slower than any other in my life. And I feel like the next nine will be the same. We always tell
people that we've been out, "just under/over a year". I don't know why people ALWAYS say, "oh, so you only have 6 months left." Does that really matter people? And why do you bring it up anyway? Is it pertinent to your eternal salvation how much time I have? No. So don't ask. It is ok, however, to talk about family members out on missions. That's always a good topic.

Now on to the truly important matters. Randy is getting baptized this Saturday! We've had to move up his date because he's going out of town next Saturday. He is so great and really dependable. If you ask him to do something, he'll do it. He reminds me a lot of Alan (before he got married). He doesn't talk about much, or open up, or expound on things. But he's obedient and humble. When we first met Randy I thought he was really scary. We saw him on his front porch smoking a cigarette. He has a big white beard and I misjudged him, so instead of asking him if he wanted to learn more we asked if he had any friends who wanted to learn more. He grabbed his roommate, Josh, and we started teaching them. Josh has moved, but is getting baptized too. Teaching Randy however has taught me a lot about the love, mercy, and plan of God. Heavenly Father loves Randy so much and has a lot in store for him, and Randy is willing to accept God's will. It's incredible!

Peter is lined up to get baptized on the 17th. We have a few more things to teach him, but if all goes accordingly, he'll make that covenant.
Earlier in the mission when we've had people with dates, it was us trying to push them to conform with our will instead of really understanding what they need. This time around we've tried to do it
and give them enough time to be coverted without being shoved, and lo and behold, Heavenly Father performs miracles! Oh me of little faith, but Heavenly Father has been merciful and patient while teaching me. I'm so excited for this area and those who are progressing and
beginning to understand more about the nature of God.
I've had some really interesting experiences in the Battalion this past week. On Saturday a couple came and took the tour with me. When I asked where they were from they said, "Northern Utah". Well, you don't get much more north than Smithfield and it turns out that's where they're from. It also turns out that they've lived there for the past 50 years, they were in uncle Gene's ward and they knew Athen Reese. Their last name is Lane and I think her name is Janae, but she used to be a Winn. In fact, her best friend was a Poulsen, and the sister of the Poulsen that Grandma's sister married. But they told me about how much they loved grandpa Reese and that he had a beautiful singing voice. They really respected him. I didn't realize Geri was my step great grandma. Is she? I remember seeing her in her hospital bed one time, but I never remembered how she was my great aunt. It was really unique to learn more about this grandpa because I haven't heard a lot about him. Brother Lane said to me, "Your grandpa would be so proud of you right now and the decisions you're making." That was so touching
and powerful to hear and I almost cried. I want to learn more about him.

Another neat experience happened with a 2 and a half year old girl named Anna. She has global disabilities which basically means that she is disabled in every way possible. But she is learning to walk and slowly learning to make sounds and say a few words. During the tour I wondered about her, but afterwords in gold panning I got to spend some time with her. She was throwing the rocks over her shoulder and throwing them in the sluice with her grandma by her side. Normally I'd be so bugged at the kid, but with Anna, I couldn't help but feel love and happiness for her. We moved over to the laundress area and I helped Anna feel the texture of the wash board and then showed her the
water in the washtub. She was splashing in it and I felt a lot like I was helping her with her therapy. The grandpa came over with Anna's mom, and congratulated her on the things she was learning. They
clapped and said, "yay Anna!" and then Anna clapped too. It was such a tender moment! I am so blessed to have had that chance to spent some time with her. When I was at Snow I wanted to be a child therapist working with art therapy. I decided against following that route, but after working with Anna I wonder if I will end up doing something with children. I love kids and I love helping them learn and read, or color, or play. We'll see what happens, but that experience was definitely a tender mercy from the Lord.

I've learned alot this week. Transfers are next week and I really hope I'm in Spring Valley for just one more transfer. But the Lord knows where I need to be and I'll do His will because I know I can't see
what He sees ahead.
I love you all and hope you're having a great week!

Love, Sister Johnson

Ps. The Mormon Battalion has a facebook page with fun pictures you can go see.

February 28, 2012

Hey Family,

I'm alive and well. We've had some really great experiences this week.
Randy and Peter are both progressing really well. It's been
interesting to see a change in Peter. When we were first meeting with
him it was more about the social aspect for him and he just liked
talking with us. We'd try to teach and he wouldn't really listen. But
the past few weeks, after he started coming to church and getting more
involved with members of the ward, he has really started accepting the
gospel. I feel confident that he'll have a testimony or the beginnings
of one, by his baptism. Randy has been doing well too. He is so
dependable and accepts what we teach him and he does what we ask. He's
really quiet (like Alan) so we're not always sure what's going through
his mind, but he says he's getting it and we keep praying for his
testimony to become super strong.

We had two more investigators who came to church on Sunday. One is a
funny, older woman who loves to talk with us. She's a really great
lady and we have the perfect fellowshipping pool for her. Everyone was
so welcoming to her and she already has about a million new friends in
the ward. The other man who came is a new investigator. We added him
and his fiance last monday and committed them to come to church. And
he came! She couldn't, but he did. That never happens when people
follow through so quickly. Heavenly Father has prepared so many of His
children and has placed them in our path. He has done so much to help
them be ready and open to accept His gospel and it's incredible to be
the tool in His hands.

We've had a really interesting experience the past few days. A man
came into the Battalion and took the tour (neither Sister Kunz nor I
took him). After the tour he walked in the front door, where I
happened to be located. I started talking to him and he said he was
really interested in learning more so I asked him to fill out a
referral card, but he was really hesitant and wanted to meet with
missionaries at the Battalion. I set up a time with him for later that
night when Sister Kunz and I could meet with him. We taught the
Restoration and he was so open! You know the stories of the people who
ask all the right questions, and are totally open to the Spirit and
everything you teach, and ask when they can get baptized... and you
think that those stories are fake because nobody could possibly be
that perfect? Yeah, this is that kind of story. He said to me that he
felt so much peace and love as we were teaching him, and later he said
he felt that it is true. And every question he has, he's willing to
accept our answers. We met with him last night and we taught the Plan
of Salvation. He had some questions, but was true to form and open to
learning the answers. After the lesson he said he had one more
question. What exactly does baptism include and how would he tell his
family he wanted to get baptized into this church? His concerns
weren't about the doctrine, he accepts all that. His concerns are how
he is going to tell his family that he's found the truth without
hurting them. OH MY GOODNESS! I can't believe we've been so blessed to
teach him! Here's the catch. He's from Seattle and leaves on Thursday,
but he's moving back to San Diego in a few weeks. So our challenge is
to keep in contact with him while we send the other missionaries to
make sure that as Satan tries to throw him a curve ball, that he won't
falter before other missionaries can teach him and help him. We'll be
meeting with him again tonight to watch the Joseph Smith movie to help
him gain that testimony.

Family, we have been so blessed lately. It's such a blessing to
finally see some fruits of my labors, but we have to stay humble and
keep working hard and not let Heavenly Father down now that He's
opened the windows of heaven.

Well, I love you all and I hope your week is going well.

Love, Sister Johnson