training pt. 2??

December 31, 2019

hey yall!

this week has been a good one and I am constantly reminded why this work is so important. the gospel has been such a blessing in my life but in all those whom we share it with! 

• we got our transfer calls this week and Sister Nelson is leaving me and that I'm staying in Sturgis to train again?? Crazy stuff but I'm so excited!

 

Sister Nelson and me with our BOMs that we read together from cover to cover!

• christmas eve was a little crazy with back to back appointments. We got to see Sue and Robert. Then we went to visit with a recently widowed member whose son left a few months ago to Ghana on his mission. She has so much faith and it was so sweet to spend that time with her.

• Robert is doing great! He has been struggling with some things he read online but he prayed and studied about it and has an even stronger testimony of the Restoration because of it! My favorite quote from him is "no test, no testimony". He also loved church and stayed to sing in the choir.

Us with Robert!

 • Sue is feeling a lot better and she picked the 18th to be baptized! That's the same day as Robert and we haven't broken the news to him  we are SO excited for her though. When we were teaching her on the 28th, she said "I know I'm supposed to be dressed in white getting dunked right now but the Lord has a greater plan for me. I have all these seeds planted in my heart that are going to grow so much". She just warms my heart.

Us with Sue!

• we had a fun christmas too. We got to call home and had district council. Then we got to visit a lot of shut-ins which was such a sweet time. I love how the gospel is for families but also individuals. It is for everyone. It also got strangely warm here up to like 56° and everyone was losing their mind.

• so I am currently in Battle Creek with Sister Schulties while we both wait for our new missionaries. We got to go help out a sweet family yesterday clear out a hoarded home, and I truly just felt the love that God had for this family despite the very concerning situation. 

Something a little different that the Sturgis ward does the last Sunday of each year is called "testimonies through music." So rather than speakers or a testimony meeting, they congregation is open to going up and sharing their favorite hymn and how it has strengthened their testimony. Then we all sing a verse of the song. It was different for sure, but a reminder to me of the power music can have in our lives and our spiritual growth. One of my favorite hymns is "Lead, Kindly Light". Sometimes you may feel as though you are in darkness and there may only be enough light to take a single step forward. The Lord is there to lead us forward to their presence. I hope you each can take a moment to step back and see what power music is having in your life. What has strengthened your faith in Christ and really allowed you to feel His love for you? 

Sister Garner, the cutest member

Sister Nuttallllll

With love,

Sister Johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

yea yea yea... NAH NAH NAH

December 23, 2019

Hey friends!

It has been a busy week but I'll make it quick.

• We taught Robert and set a date with him for January 18th and then he will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost on his birthday! How exciting. Then we hit a bump in the road after he read something in the scriptures that he didn't understand. We almost thought we lost him but it was a miracle. He texted us saying he felt it was okay and that he still believes it to be true! That was a huge blessing.

• Sue has been really sick all week and going through some health struggles so we didn't meet with her at all this week. We have to push her baptismal date from this Saturday so she can feel ready. She is still so excited though and we could not be more pumped for her! 

• We haven't seen Alida since they left but now they are at a shelter, still in our area. It is so hard knowing that it is all out of our hands and we just have to pray. 

• My sister, Jenna sent us the cutest christmas light necklaces so we have been going around and door knocking with it! It has been a good time.

• Our friend Pam called us yesterday and ranted for 45 minutes. It's hard when she will talk about how she felt good reading the Book of Mormon but her heart isn't ready. She kept asking if we were the devil but kept going back and forth saying "yea yea yea.. nah nah nah" then yelling some more. We will have to stop teaching her :\

• We got to see our friend Chrissie, who we haven't seen in a really long time. Her husband had just left her and her seven children last week. It was so amazing to see the faith that she has in God and that it will work out. 

• The new stake president spoke to us last week and told us the funniest thing. He overheard his children talked to each other and one was upset over something that was said to him. The older brother said "God is your best friend. He can beat up anyone". How true. God truly is our best friend and will protect us from all of the bullies. It made me think of 1 Nephi 21:25 that says "I will content with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children". That promise that God will give justice to us and those around us. He is loving and he is merciful. I know I have really felt that this week.

In the spirit of Christmas, I hope that whatever circumstances you may be in and wherever you are in life- make room for Jesus Christ. We sing that we will "prepare him room" in our hearts. How will you remember him? He gave everything for us- so we could live with him again. 

Merry Christmas :) thank you for all the packages, letters, emails, and prayers! 

I love you all! 

Sister Johnson

Also transfers are next week so you'll hear from me on Tuesday!

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

December 16, 2019

Hey hey y'all,

what a wonderful time of year! I love that we all get to use this season to remember the greatest gift given, and to love others as Christ loves us.

• sue is still my favorite person alive. She has so much faith and has been working so hard to learn. She has been studying come follow me, reading the Book of Mormon, and listening to general conference talks every day. Every time we visit, she ends up teaching us. She could not be more ready for her baptism next Saturday! We are SO excited for her and she's just as excited too. 

• if you couldn't tell by the title... I lost a tooth this week . More specifically, I lost a crown haha. Sister Nelson's grandma sent us homemade caramels and I had to get in on that. Then a few bites in I was asking her if maybe some sugar crystalized and that was this weird white thing that was in the carmel. Then we thought maybe her grandma's tooth fell in when she was making it. It wasn't until I went for more food that I bit down and realized my crown had come off and it didn't feel very good  . No worries everyone, I will be going to the dentist soon, haha.

my little crown, sadly not made of jewels or gold

• right after that incident, we went to the church for a special community event. Our ward got together with the community to have a choir to sing christmas hymns. It was so powerful and the majority of the people in the choir and those in the audience were not of our faith. It was called "For unto us a Child is Born". It was a very spirit filled meeting as we came together to worship Jesus Christ. We had a great turn out and so many people were glad to come join us in our shared belief in Jesus Christ. Afterwards, they had several tables of nativities from all around the world that you could go around and look at. Bonus, there was an insane amount of cookies.

• we also got to visit with Robert again. He had several tennis lessons on Sunday so he couldn't come to church but said that will be changing this week so he can come more. We talked about baptism and some of the requirements so we moved his date to January 18th. He decided that so on the 19th, his birthday, he can receive the gift of the Holy Ghost! So cool. He has just been soaking up the Book of Mormon and has so many questions. I swear he knows more than we do. 

• we got the saddest news last night. We were visiting with Alida and her mom and they told us that they could no longer stay in their home. The shelter they were in before didn't hold up their end of the contract to help with their rent so they are leaving to stay in Portage with Alida's sister tomorrow. It's hard because there isn't anything we or the church can do and they are leaving our area so we'll just have to hope they will do ok in Portage and that they won't get lost! We had just made Alida a little case for her scriptures and we all matched so we took a picture but boy were we sad. 

the cutest girl alive, alida with our matching scripture cases

• we had zone conference this week and it did not disappoint. We had to be in Grand Rapids by 9am so we had to leave before 6:30. The Battle Creek district (my district) was actually picked on to do a lot of demonstrations and it was fun. It is always so powerful to learn from our leaders and recognizing the ways that I could improve in my missionary efforts. 

zone conference!

Something really cool we talked about at Zone Conference is signs. The sign that was given for Christ's birth was a star- Matt 2:9. The Wisemen were watchful and knew what was to come. Samuel the Lamanite also talked about the sign of Christ’s birth- Hel 14:3-6. These prophecies were given to the people to prepare them for the coming of Christ. In our day, there is so much commotion that we are not looking for signs prophesied about concerning Christ in these modern days. Doctrine and Covenants 35:8 tell us that when we believe, we shall see signs. Is your faith strong enough to recognize the signs? Will you be ready for Him to come again? 

Also, this Sunday is a special Sunday as we come to worship Christ. I invite you all to find a Church of Jesus Christ near you to come join us to worship our Savior and remember the true meaning of Christmas. 

https://www.comeuntochrist.org/light-the-world/christmas-worship-service  

a full course meal a member dropped off for us

Love you all!

Sister Johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

they wouldn't have bound me twice

December 9, 2019

Hey hey y'all!

This week was a lot of ups and downs with our friends but it was good stuff!

Here are the highlights:

• Sue is so so good. We love her to death! She has been reading and studying so much and is progressing really well. We taught her about temples and we set a date for her to go to the temple after her baptism! We are so excited for her.

• Alida, our sweet girl is sadly not on date for baptism anymore. Her mom decided it is best for her not to right now and it is heartbreaking because Alida knows it's true and wants this. 

• Robert is also doing really well! He got back from his vacation and told us after praying, he wants his baptism to be Dec 21st! He said he knows it is true and doesn't see a reason to wait. We got to teach him in members homes several times this week which were wonderful and we even got to watch the Christmas Devotional with him as well. He has really been studying 1 Nephi and always jokes that Laman and Lemuel wouldn't have bound him twice... 

• The Christ Child video is still my favorite thing. I could quote the whole movie to you in Aramaic and even sing the Psalm! We got special instruction from Elder DeVries on Saturday that we needed to share the video least 8-10 times between Saturday night and Monday night which proved to be a challenge but we are managing! It has such a strong spirit and peace you feel while watching, you could understand why we want us doing more. 

Something that was mentioned in church yesterday struck me. The speaker said "Every day, we are either forgetting or remembering the Savior." What are YOU doing today to remember the Savior? Or will you go about your normal day not giving Him a thought, forgetting about Him. I love this scripture from Isaiah 49:15-16, "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget the. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." Christ could never forget us and has a constant reminder of us upon the palms of his hands. He suffered for us. He died for us. All because He loves us. Let us remember Christ as He remembers us, not just during Christmas but at all times.

we got hot n now—the only remaining hot n now restaurant that happens to be in sturgis

Love you all! Please continue to pray for no snow :))

♥Sister Johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

sister johnson²

December 2, 2019

hey hey! 

it was a good week here as always and we were extra thankful this week. I just wanted to let you all know how grateful I am for my Savior, Jesus Christ and His willingness to descend below all things, so we could repent and come unto Him. 

♦ we had interviews this week which is always my favorite! President Brennan, our mission president has so much wisdom and it is such a great opportunity to learn and recognize where to improve! bonus... we got qdoba while in Battle Creek :)

♦ we were able to go and serve at a church in Sturgis on Thanksgiving! we served people food and were in charge of making the coffee (who knows if it even tasted ok lol). it was wonderful spending time serving others and those who are in need.

♦ sister nelson forgot her tag when we went to interviews and I happened to have an extra so we were both sister johnson that day! we had a good laugh about it and people were very confused

♦ we had thanksgiving dinner with the Wierschkes! we love them and it was wonderful sharing the Christ Child video with them and the friends they invited to see. Christ's birth was so humbling and watching it brings the spirit more than anything else. 

Thanksgiving dinner 

♦ we have been sharing the Christ Child video with our friends and members everyday! i don't think there is anything greater to watch over and over again than this. please take 18 minutes to watch and feel the peace that it brings. 

♦ me and sister nelson made a goal to read the book of mormon together cover to cover by the end of the year and it has become my favorite part of our night! I learn so much from her and I love the strength that it has brought to our companionship. 

we took literally one picture this week i apologize 

here are some people i am very grateful for (pino not pictured but still loved)

also so grateful for these ones. everyone send me pictures of your dogs and give them a good pet for me :)

♦ warren and elizabeth came to church this week after having no contact in over a month. the Lord is so willing to bless us when we act in faith and we know that this was a great blessing!

♦ sue is seriously THEE cutest. we love her. she has so much faith and has been working so hard to give up coffee and smoking and she said she has felt SO much love from Christ. it makes me so grateful to have this gospel and seeing the impact it has had on her.

♦ also ya girl is goin home in exactly a year from today! mark your calendars and get excited :)

Part 7 of talking about the Christ Child video.. PLEASE WATCH IT. there is nothing more humbling than watching how the Son of God was born. I hope we can all work to focus our Christmas season on Him, and the importance of WHY Christ came- which is because he loves us. So let’s show Him that we love him by lighting the world and remembering Him.♥

https://www.comeuntochrist.org/light-the-world/the-christ-child  -after you watch it, email me and tell me about it! i love hearing the peace this video brings and i hope you all desire to feel that and SHARE it with others :)

https://www.comeuntochrist.org/light-the-world/service-prompts-sms-signup  -ways that we can serve others and help bring some light into the world!

love you all!!

sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

thanksgiving on the 21st??

November 25, 2019

hey hey!

great week here in sturgis as always. here's the highlights:

○ we had tradeoffs with sister tate and sister tupou and they are seriously so fun. we even got some jesus chicken (cfa) in portage which was the bomb.

tradeoffs

lol we also all wore the same shirt (different colors) on accident

○ we went to visit a less active family on thursday and come to find out they just had thanksgiving dinner! their kids are not in school right now and neither of the parents work so they assumed it was thanksgiving. they even went to look for the macy's thanksgiving day parade with no luck. seriously so funny- until they gave us each a crap ton of pie and we felt like garbage the rest of the night

○ we taught Sue again at her grandson's home and it was amazing. she wants so bad to be baptized and we are so excited to help her get there! she has even been sharing the Book of Mormon with her husband which is a crazy miracle since her husband has been against the church since his son joined over 30 years ago. 

○ we also got to teach Alida again! she is so cute. we always teach the plan of salvation with a little visual that spells out love and she wanted to make one for herself. when she finished it she taught it to us! so fun. we also made a little missionary name tag for her. she is so excited to be baptized, go to the temple and one day be a missionary. i love this girl!

alida and her cute tag :)

○ we taught robert again and that man is wild. he is seriously so smart and has been so set on learning all he can about the gospel! he even told us that he wants to become a member of the church! we are hoping to put him on date soon so stay tuned! 

○ estephania and arturo are doing good. we went over and taught them about prayer and they had sister nelson pray in spanish which cracked me up but she did good. they are such a sweet family and really want to have God in their lives.

○ the Christ Child video came out! it is so powerful to see what it was really like and how truly humbling it would have been for everyone involved. if you haven't already, please go watch it and make Christ the center of your holiday season.  

○ we got to speak in church this past sunday which was fun! we focused  

This week I found out that my sweet dog, Rosie, passed away. She was quite old and was dealing with a lot of health issues but she had been with me through all of my childhood. It was a little hard but brought me peace knowing that she was no longer in pain. I am constantly reminded why we need Christ's atonement. It is not simply for our sins, it is for our hardships, our pains, our tribulations. He knows us. He has felt what we have felt. All because He loves us and wants us to know what we are never on our own. I truly love Christ and for the peace He has brought to me. 

throwback picture of the cutest dogs

they have circle k here! i had no idea so we immediately pulled over and got some

sister heitzmann pointed out that we all were wearing black and white--which meant there must be a picture taken. isn't she the cutest?

always sending my love,

sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

Little angels

November 19, 2019

Hello hello wassup friends.

Transfer week was this week (hence the Tuesday pday). Big news--nothing is changing! Me and Sister Nelson are glad, Sturgis still has so much work to do. Here's the week:

• Robert! This guy we found knocking last week is now my favorite man. He is extremely smart and after teaching him the Restoration, he had so many questions and has been reading the Book of Mormon looking at every single cross reference to understand. He told us he knows the Book of Mormon is true, he just didn't know how to talk about it. He told us that this added witness of Christ has only added to his belief in God and that he can't get enough of it! He even came to our ward party on Saturday and knew almost all the members because of his work. He wants to come to church because of his job so stay tuned. We are meeting with him tonight and are so excited. He even promised to sing to us and he calls us his little angels.

• we got to teach Sue again! I love her to death. She is so willing to soak up all of what we teach her and feels so strongly that it's true. We got her hooked up with a baptism calendar to help us both be on the same page with what we need to teach and when. That helped her feel more comfortable and clarified all her concerns before baptism. 

• we got to see Alida this week too. She's such a cutie. We are currently struggling with her to get her to church but it's difficult because she is only 12 and can't force her mom. She told us how she loves the gospel and wants to be a missionary one day! She has so much faith. 

• we met with Pam again too! She is a little crazy but man do we love her! She knows she needs God in her life and especially the Book of Mormon. She gave us little rocks with faith and hope and told us that we are the ones who restored her hope and faith. She talks about how we are troopers of God and are her little angels.

the gifts from Pam. so cute.

• we met with Sister Heitzmann again and talked all about temples. She has been a member for over 20 years and has never been to the temple. She was told she was unworthy once and thought she could never go. We showed her the Rome Italy Temple Tour video and she wants to feel peace inside. It may be a long process but we are going to get her there. 

• Rick, sadly is struggling to keep commitments. He told he knows the Book of Mormon to be true but there are no fruits to that. As servants of the Lord, we can't waste time on people who are not ready so that we spend the Lord's time with those who are. We may have to stop teaching him soon but I will keep you updated. 

• we did splits again and that was fun! A little crazy but we are finding those lost sheep! One member we stopped by lives out in the boonies and his driveway was like a mile long. Super sketchy lol. We had to walk up this giant stairway and met the member but he said he has never been apart of our church. So interesting but he was very kind about it. Then walking away his dog ran after us and he couldn't stop because of ice so he just pummeled me. I ate it good but we were laughing. Then we went to an apartment building and there was no specific apartment number so we tried them all lol. We met some fun people and Sister Ricks had to translate some Spanish but sadly the guy we were looking for had moved. And we parked in some ice so guess what, I slipped and ate it again.

• in other news... I hit my 6 month! I can't believe I made it this far haha. In all reality, this has been the best decision I ever made. There is no joy that compares to the joy of sharing the gospel. It has not been easy, but like anything worthwhile- it takes everything you've got. I never realized the impact these people would have on me. I am honored that I have the opportunity to teach and share the gospel with people here in Michigan. The church is so true. 

6 month!!

and in honor of 6 months, here's a reminder of some of the best times:

• we had our ward party this weekend! We invited all our friends and Robert came! We gave him a chapel tour and had some really good gospel discussions. The party was a potluck and games which was tons of fun for all. Plus it was a great way to introduce our friend in a casual setting so he feels more comfortable.

• The family we are teaching, Estephania and Arturo are progressing very slowly but they are making progress! Arturo prayed at our last lesson with the promise that we would learn to pray in Spanish and say that at our next lesson. Wish us luck haha. 

  

• Thank you everyone for your prayers, the snow has melted and it is warming up to nice and warm 33°. They were greatly appreciated and pray it never snows here again. Thanks in advance :)

snow

giant icicle

One scripture that has been circling through my mind is John 14:18. It says, "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you." How would knowing that Christ is there change how we endure our trials? Knowing there is someone who will be there to comfort us, to come to us. The gospel of Jesus Christ and his Atoning sacrifice is so incomprehensible yet personal to us. I love thinking about how Christ will "succor" us and come to us- in every hard thing we face. We are never alone. That is the reason for everything. That is why we spend 18-24 months of our lives sharing about Christ. He is always there for us. I truly know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and my Redeemer. He suffered so much for me- being the imperfect sinner that I am. All because He loves me and loves each of us. Light the World this Christmas season and make Christ the center. 

♥ Sister Johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091