trio to a two-o

October 28, 2019

Hey boys and girls,

We are only halfway through the transfer and they've been changing it all around! We got the saddest news last Monday night that Sister Jacobs needed to go help out in Bay City, so we lost her on Wednesday. As much as a trio was an adjustment, I loved being with Sister Jacobs and Sister Nelson. I know Sister Jacobs is doing good work up there, and I'm grateful to still be here in Sturgis with Sister Nelson!

the wierschkes aka my sturgis parents

• last Monday we had our District Pday which was a grand ole time. We carved pumpkins, got ice cream and played ultimate football in the rain (rip bc we took pictures only after we were soaked).

district pday last week all soaked lol

• in one part of our area, Three Rivers, there is a very large amount of less actives and so we went with three other sisters in the ward on splits. We visited with so many amazing people each with different struggles and things keeping them from coming to church. It was a great experience and something we will keep doing to help find those lost sheep! 

• one sweet returning member we have been working closely with was able to get her patriarchal blessing after losing it years ago. That was such a sweet experience to help her and see how it blessed her. 

• we had our final district council with Sister Jacobs and we come to find out, it was our last with our district too. Because of a missionary who has to go home, they moved our area to a new district which is so sad, but I guess God has a greater plan for us here in Sturgis.

our last district council together

• we lost Sister Jacobs on Wednesday after they inspected our apartment but she is bomb and is doing awesome stuff in Bay City.

lomls

• we taught our friend Alida again and she is so awesome! She knows so much already and is so ready to be baptized. We figured we'd move her date to Nov 16 since she's so ready!

• we also got to teach our friend Rick again and it was so good. He has such a strong relationship with God and said he will pray about being baptized!

• ok funny story. So being the dumb trainer that I am, with no one to correct me, I figured a little rain wouldn't hurt anyone right? So we decided to walk around visiting some people close by in the rain. To our surprise, it wasn't too bad, until it started to pour and because the sun had set, it was freezing. Bonus, there were no street lights so it was pitch black. We barely made it to our church building and we had to call a member to take us home ...that can give you an idea for how much I know haha

me in the pouring rain before freezing to death

• despite it getting so cold here, it is so beautiful and colorful! I have never seen so many trees like these! 

the beautiful hill we biked up

Also, as a goal for our district this week, we shared our personal study to help us each grow together and so I'll share mine from this week! It's a little long so watch out haha. So today I decided to study Luke 17. Two parts in this chapter I wanted to focus on is the Ten Lepers and Lot's wife. First after reading, I was curious as to why these were both mentioned together and what correlation they share. The story of the ten lepers is when each leper cries for mercy from Christ. He heals them and only one returns to thank him. Christ said to him, "thy faith hath made thee whole." While each leper was healed and overcame their illness, it was the faith of this one that made him whole. Similarly, this chapter mentions Lot's wife. After the warnings that Sodom and Gomorrah would be destroyed, Lot took his family to the wilderness. His wife however, looked by as they left. Holland gave a BOMB BYU devotional about this (and I highly recommend you listen to it) and he said, "What did Lot’s wife do that was so wrong? … Apparently what was wrong with Lot’s wife was that she wasn’t just looking back; in her heart she wanted to go back. It would appear that even before they were past the city limits, she was already missing what Sodom and Gomorrah had offered her." Both of these stories talk about faith and sacrifice. It made me reflect upon what I am willing to give to do this work. In Luke 17:33 it says, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it." What an important truth for us as missionaries. We often get caught up in ourselves, our personal problems, and what we could've had. It brought me to think of Tad R. Calister’s talk, "Becoming a Consecrated Missionary." Two things he spoke of are putting our disobedience and our fears upon the Sacrificial Altar. We have to sacrifice our own desires to serve the Lord and align our will with His. We can't do that when we look back as Lot's wife had. We have to have genuine faith in our Father's plan for us. Hebrews 11 gives a great perspective of the role faith plays in all of history. Were it not for faith, Enoch would not have been translated, Abraham would not have had his son, Moses would not have walked on dry land, and many other miracles. The leper was only made whole by his faith. The first Christlike attribute mentioned in Preach My Gospel is Faith in Jesus Christ. I never really understood why that was an attribute of Christ, but seeing how truly NOTHING could be done without faith in Christ and His Atonement, I have a greater picture. It makes me want to lay all my fears and sins on the sacrificial altar, to align my will with the Lords, always pressing forward--not looking back, and remembering the Lord in every aspect of my life. Missionary work is a waste of time if you don't have faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel. I know these things are true and I bear my witness of it. 

love you all so much and wish you the very best

♥sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

195 Memorial Dr Apt B 21

Sturgis, MI 49091