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

s(no)w more snow

November 11, 2019

hello my friends and family!

this week has been a good one and God has really shown his hand in preparing our friends here in Sturgis. here are some highlights:

• we got a referral from a BOMB family in our ward, the Franks. Her name is Sue Franks and she is their step mom. She has come to church several times before and knows she feels so good there! We taught her the restoration and the spirit was so so strong. She shared some powerful experiences and knew that she needed the gospel in her life. We put her on date for Dec 28th and we are SO excited for her!

• we also taught Alida again this week and she’s cute. She still hasn't come to church in the past few weeks so we pushed her baptismal date to Dec 14th. She's the sweetest though and really wants to grow her seed!

alida and her mom!

• we also had some cool experiences finding. After stopping by some formers, we decided to go knocking, but I was a little apprehensive being that the neighborhood was almost mansions on the lake. From my experience, people in nicer neighborhoods are far less kind or interested and I was proven wrong yet again. We met this sweet young mom named Madison who had never actually read the Book of Mormon, but said she would love to! God is always preparing the hearts of people—regardless of their circumstances and I can't judge who is and isn't ready to hear the gospel.

we out here. as always.

• we did splits again with two more sisters in our ward to go visit less active members and while most didn't answer, we got to visit with a sweet family, the Tissues which made it all worth it. 

• we also met Pam, a potential who wasn't very interested at the time missionaries had come by previously but when we stopped by, she said she needed what we had. Her mother had passed away from the last time missionaries visited with her and she was really struggling. There is so much power to a hug and when I hugged her—I felt so overwhelmed to know that she IS a daughter of God and God is SO aware of her, even though she isn't aware. These situations are when I truly know the Plan of Salvation is God's plan for us to return home and I am so grateful that I get to share that plan with the people of Michigan.

• sacrament was such a fun time. We had the primary program and the testimony that little kids have is stronger than any we have. They know these simple truths and are not shy to share them. It was also awesome because so many members of our ward invited friends, coworkers, and teachers to come and see! There's no better Sunday than the primary program to see these children sing about how they know Jesus loves them.

• something else that Sister Nelson and I have worked on as a companionship was President Ballard's instructions to teach a lesson every single day. It did not matter if it's someone being taught or members. He simply wanted us to be teaching every day and it has been so awesome. We have had at least one lesson each day since that instruction and it has really helped us develop our teaching skills and unifying us as a companionship. I guess the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles knows what he's talking about, haha.

• also about the snow, it's been snowing a ton here, and boy do I wish I was in 87° Arizona weather but we are having fun with it! 

i may be smiling but i promise i wasn’t trying to drive through that

we aint in az are we

rip—taken before it was cold

This week I was reading in Luke 18 and it was so cool. There's several stories he teaches: the importuning widow and the unjust judge, the Pharisee and the publican, Christ and the young rich man, and Christ healing the blind man. From what I understood, each of these parables and stories correlate to pride. The unjust judge was too prideful to think about the needs of this widow. In the Publican's prayer, he focuses completely on himself and everything he has done to receive glory. The young rich man was too prideful to give up his belongings to find real joy. Then the blind man had the humility to cry out to Jesus to have mercy on him while others around him rebuked him. With our lives centered on Christ, there is no room for pride. We have to be willing to sacrifice our pride, judgements, and our favorite sins to follow Christ. Once we sacrifice those things, we "shall have treasure in heaven" and "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God." So, leave behind your nets, your pride, your sins. Come, and follow Christ. 

hope you all have a great week :) pray i live through the snow..

sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091

Ballard is my best friend

November 4, 2019

Hello friends! 

This week has been nuts filled with meetings and so we have been outside our area all week but some awesome stuff goin' on, let me tell ya...

• so at the beginning of this week, we had our new missionary follow up meeting in Lansing! I am still having a hard time believing Sister Nelson just came out. She is seriously so smart and it seems like she has been out for months. We learned so much though and bonus got one of God's greatest gifts- Chick-fil-a.

our (not) district pic at cfa

• then we drove straight to exchanges in Kalamazoo and that was tons of fun! I seriously love Sister Tate and it was so fun being with her and talking to people on campus.

exchanges!

• Halloween was so fun. A member had us over for dinner and invited a less active, who couldn't make it, so we just had a good time with them. And it even snowed outside! Hallelujah for my new coat- thanks mom. They cancelled Halloween in Sturgis till the 1st and we just went to be early. 

• then Friday, we had Zone Conference in Kalamazoo which was also a ton of fun. We got to see a lot of the new Light the World media and I could not be more pumped!! The Christ Child is such a beautiful video and Nov 24th can't come soon enough. And I really love the opportunity we have to help bring the focus of Christmas on what matters- Jesus Christ. Bonus pt. 2 we got Chipotle.

sister jacobs!! love her

the family back for a few hours

my mom♥ sister nuttall

zone conference wassup

yardy know

• we also had the AMAZING opportunity to meet with President Ballard, Elder DeVries, and Elder Haynie together with the Lansing and Detroit missions in Ann Arbor. I got to shake their hands and it was so cool! So many powerful messages but the one that really stuck in my mind is being fearless. Elder DeVries said that if someone had feared to invited him to church, he wouldn't be in the Area Seventy. Elder Haynie also talked about how we each are asked to leave behind our nets and come follow him. He said we need not fear because we will never be alone in our path of discipleship. President Ballard also spoke about being a fearless finder. The Lord is preparing more people than we could imagine for the gospel and we should never let our personal pride or fears keep them from having their life changed. 

• something also very moving that President Ballard spoke about was his wife. When he shared how he knows she is there waiting for him, there was no denying that he KNEW the Plan of Salvation was true. He said that when she passed, all the things he had been telling other people about was something he needed to hear. I am so grateful to be doing the Lord's work and bringing out the work of eternity. 

• Also, last week I got the best email with pictures of the Bushre's at the temple! Nothing warms my heart more than this cute family feeling the spirit and entering into that holy place. The love I have for this gospel has never grown more than when I was able to see the Bushre's grow in their faith and belief in Christ. God is so good. 

most important of all—the bushre's at the temple♥♥♥

• yesterday, as a mission, we fasted for our friends who we want to find, teach, and baptize, our friends being taught, and our friends who are set to be baptized. We had so many miracles because of that fast! Our friend Warren, whom we have only taught once, walked all the way to church in the cold! He said it felt good and he felt so welcome. We also were finally able to teach our friend Mayra! She is seriously my favorite person and we haven't been able to have an actual lesson with her until last night. Then we went to visit a couple, Arturo and Estephania, and they used to be taught a few years ago. They were still skeptical about learning themselves but wanted the gospel for their children! God really did prepare them to meet with us again and really wanted it for their family. 

Ok more about Ballard haha. Something he shared that I really loved was about the hard times we face. We each have different feelings sometimes, inadequacy, loneliness, homesickness, discouragement, and many other feelings. He said "when I begin to think about myself and what is going on with me, my mind always goes to Gethsemane." The thought of someone willing to go there, knowing he will bear the excruciating pain of each of our lives. It was so personal. I am sure the only thing that got him through that was seeing us and knowing that we can come home because of that. So when we get down and think about everything going wrong in our lives, we can think about Gethsemane and how much love and humility he had for us to face that. 

as always, i send my love♥♥

sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091