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