bye bye brennans :'(

June 29, 2020

well friends, this week was a week! good things for sure.

• everyone else in the mission had their transfers this week but we got more sisters in the zone and it has been a party! bonus, president brennan gave sister stahle and chibota permission to come do their laundry at our apartment so we got to spend the day with them and got cfa:)))!! so good to be with other people!

sister stahle and sister chibota♡♡♡♡

• we also met with kevin this week! he is currently praying about a date to be baptized and we are excited for him! the members have been so great at fellowshipping him. one couple brought over cookies and another member got him a large print book of mormon.

• sadly, president and sister brennan are returning home from their mission on wednesday. i am so grateful for the time i could spend learning and being taught by them. i know it was inspired that they were here when they were. we were blessed enough that they came to visit us at our apartment. i am going to miss them lots, but i am excited for president and sister heap! they are going to be great!

the brennans :'(

• we joined in with the elders who are now currently teaching ryan this week. so sadly, he has been struggling with different things and it has been a hard transition with him to be with elders now. please keep him in your prayers!

• erin is doing good! this poor girl is going through trial after trial but she keeps telling us how she could not handle any of this if she hadn't been baptized when she was. she is such an example to me of being Christ-like. love her!

• ok i have been meaning to mention this for like months, but i bought a bird feeder! one of my best purchases on my mission. it was fun when we had geese to come eat from it—but no geese here :'( . it has been sad, but there have been different fun birds in this area, so much so that i decided to get a second bird feeder. things that keep you sane in quarantine, amiright?🤷‍♀️

me and my bird feeders lol

• also sister nielsen and i treated ourselves to olive garden on saturday. for fun haha. and the sweetest members came and visited with us! they are from the owosso ward and paid for our meal! i have never had that happen on my mission, and it was so kind. 

olive garden

• we also have been reading the book of mormon as a mission the last 50 days (i think i mentioned before). since we haven't been swamped with things in the past weeks, i was able to take some extra time to read and finish. so many things recently have really brought me closer to my Savior and this was able to come as an answer to several prayers. i know without a shadow of a doubt that the book of mormon is true. i know it is another witness of Jesus Christ and i cannot picture my life without it. God is so aware. He loves me, and i know He loves you. 

jesus♡

also we have a tennis court so we go play in the mornings sometimes

have a wonderful week

sister johnson

man through faith might work mighty miracles

June 22, 2020

hello hello!! it has been a crazy week but so so cool!!

• we spent a lot of time moving apartments from east lansing to williamston, but it is super nice. we are so lucky. funny enough, there was not a couch in the williamston apartment but there was in the lansing apartment. we decided that is a problem to be solved. we SOMEHOW managed to get the couch into our equinox and it was hanging halfway out of the car the whole 20 minute drive, but we got it there and up 3 flights of stairs!!! so so worth it lol. don’t tell anyone, hahaha. pics below.

moving day! i miss the geese :'(

the transporting of the couch

• also rip lol, our new apartment hasn't had a/c since we moved in. it has been a fun time. 

the new place

• we also had a little welcome party for erin and it was so fun!! the ward is so great and erin said that she can't wipe the smile off her face.

• we also had a crazy powerful lesson with ryan yesterday. we have been working with him to help him meet his baptismal date but he has been hesitant ever since, because he hadn't found an answer. WELL. in our lesson yesterday, he FOUND HIS ANSWER. the spirit was so strong. there were tears shed. and SO sadly, he is in lansing so we had to pass him off to the elders. i am so hopeful for him now though!

"Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings." -Mosiah 8:18

God is good.

sister johnson

yep

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Riana Johnson

5240 Madison Ave Apt A11

Okemos, MI 48864-5115

ERIN GOT BAPTIZED

June 15, 2020

wow. this week was so wonderful. and so insane. let me tell you all about it!!!

• so the biggest news, ERIN GOT BAPTIZED! such a beautiful and powerful service. because of limitations with the virus, we could have a maximum of 5 people there. so that was sister nielsen, myself, the elders participating in the baptism and erin! we were able to zoom the meeting to some of the members in the williamston ward and they were so happy and proud of her. she was GLOWING. the confirmation was so powerful and it has been a very long time since i felt the spirit as strong as i did then. there was no denying that the elder was speaking with the voice of the Lord. wow. such a happy, happy day.

the glorious day!!!

• we have had just an insane week that was so packed and busy we did not hardly take a single break and we worked through most of our meals. it was pretty draining but very fulfilling!

• we had mission leadership council this week and it was really powerful and edifying as well! it was a sad reminder that president and sister brennan will be completing their mission in about two and a half weeks. we have been so blessed to be so close to them here in lansing and i wouldn't trade that for anything! being with the restrictions, we can't have in person zone conferences again, but we will be allowed to have interviews with them in person before they leave. i am SO grateful for that.

• we also met with ryan this week and he has taken a few steps forward but also a few steps back (spiritually). he told us that part of him is so excited to get baptized, but the other part is fearful for what that would mean for him. we had a lesson with him, the abels (his constant fellowship), and president gentile (the institute director and member of the mission presidency)! it was a crazy powerful lesson. ryan was PHYSICALLY struggling with the spirit and coming to terms with the feelings he was having. he could definitely use your prayers, so please remember him in your prayers today! 

• also transfers have been pushed back a week with the large numbers of missionaries coming in. we did just get a call a few minutes ago that we are staying together and moving to the williamston apartment! this is actually really sad for ryan. i have been so grateful for the time i spent teaching him and it is hard to leave! i never knew it would be so wonderful serving with two units (lansing and williamston), but i am grateful we can continue working with erin in williamston! 

a party lesson we had with erin, the elders, and a recent returned missionary rylan

district pic (because we thought it would be the last lol)

so grateful for your love and prayers!! 

sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

500 W Lake Lansing Rd Apt B 16

East Lansing, MI 48823-1479

God is Omnipotent and in the details

June 8, 2020

this week was a good one! it honestly has been a blur but i’ll report on what i can remember haha.

• we have been teaching erin almost every day and she is SO ready to be baptized! she is so smart and knows more than we could even teach her haha! she is so eager to get baptized saturday and we are so happy to be there for her.

• we had a few lessons with ryan again this week. he is still preparing for baptism in july, but we are taking it one step at a time with him. because he was a former youth pastor, he knows a lot but he is slowly but surely gaining understanding!

• also we received a ton of new missionaries! one of my former companions, sister nuttall, was down in lansing picking up her new companion from the airport so we were able to meet up and get some chick fil a! 

the sisters in cadillac!!

• we have been working to use facebook more to share messages about light and hope through Christ! you should check out our video :) 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10218604955969876&id=1076354912 

and if you like what you see, go check out the page Church of Jesus Christ in South Central Michigan :)

• we had a very powerful and spiritual mission-wide devotional last night with president and sister gentile. he is in the mission presidency and is absolutely wonderful. they shared the experience of their 19 month old daughter having cancer. it was so powerful to see how the Lord strengthened them in this challenging time. he made note of a few specific things that helped them through that time and how it will help us in our challenges.

1. God is Omnipotent and in the details

2. put your faith in the eternal Christ- not in earthly outcomes

3. He weeps with you—out of compassion and understanding

4. all these things will give you experience and shall be for your good

5. He will hold you

6. look outward—be God's hands

7. gratitude is empowering

8. seek the Lord's will

9. ask in faith; then go and do

love y’all!! we shall see what happens with transfers this next week :)

sister johnson

sister pontek :)

a district picture that i was not warned about haha

riana.johnson@missionary.org

Sister Johnson

500 W Lake Lansing Rd Apt B 16

East Lansing, MI 48823-1479

the mlm is growing!

June 1, 2020

hi!!

craziness is going on here. this week we are receiving 25 new missionaries and about the same the week after. there is a lot changing but for now, me and sister nielsen get to stay! we are both glad because erin’s baptism is next saturday! she is so great. 

• we have been meeting with erin a lot this week and she is SO excited to be baptized! we talked about temples with her and she is so excited to go and be baptized for and sealed to her family! 

erin!! she is so cute. i love her!

• we also met with ryan this week. he is a great guy. we talked about receiving answers to prayers and we had these wonderful members, the abels join. brother abel gave ryan a strong baptismal invitation to prepare so he can know God's will. he agreed and is preparing for July 8th! it was crazy, pray for this guy!

• we had an amazing devotional with president peter vidmar, former olympic gold medalist in gymnastics. he is great. something so powerful that he said was that while he received several medals including gold, that joy was not lasting joy. the only true and lasting joy we can have is through Jesus Christ and His gospel.

i don't know if i have mentioned this previously in my emails but we are currently reading the book of mormon as a mission in 50 days. it has not been easy but so so rewarding!! i may not be caught up, but i am truly learning so much from my reading that i know was meant for me. this week i read about alma the younger’s experience finding healing and peace after having been a very wicked man. he said, "My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more." i know that Christ can heal any wound, no matter how deep or painful it can be. even alma the younger felt true relief from repentance. i know that the atonement is for you! and me! and everyone! one of my favorite quotes says, "All that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement."

sister johnson

riana.johnson@missionary.org

sister brennan got us little cakes for sister nielsens birthday! so fun

also BLESS the heart of these sweet members who fed us burgers this week. they dropped off food for us (so kind) and for those of you who know from last summer, burgers are something i cannot eat anymore. it was rough, we were fed burgers like everyday for a week straight. anyways so kind, but i don't think i will be eating a burger anytime in the near or far distant future.

we got a surprise call from sister cook and sister rigby! they got permission to video call us. it was a party

we had a comp study with jonesville! they are seriously the cutest

just for fun

me with geese as usual

msu for fun

Sister Johnson

500 W Lake Lansing Rd Apt B 16

East Lansing, MI 48823-1479