Sister Riana Johnson: Life as a Michiganary: it is the work of Almighty God

April 20, 2020

This week was a good one, so much so that I feel like yesterday was preparation day, haha. We have been so busy and it is a blessing! The Lord has prepared so many people to receive the gospel at this time. Here are the highlights:

• We had interviews with our mission president this week! We did them through zoom which doesn't replace meeting in person, but I love that opportunity to learn from him. I know that he is called of God and that I am in this mission to learn from him.

Sister Nielsen made bread for interviews since we couldn't have Sister Brennan's bread

• Sister Cook and I hit 11 months this week! Time has become a blur and I can't believe that it has almost been a year!

• We had a lesson with our friend Ryan this week which was really cool. He has been taught by missionaries off and on for many years and we are trying to help him recognize the spirit as well as answers from God. After our personal study, we felt very prompted that after we read a chapter of the Book of Mormon with him, to commit him to live one of the commandments that would allow for greater spiritual sensitivity. We are excited to see what blessings will come to him as he forsakes the things keeping him from answers.

• We had a few lessons with our friend Kevin this week and he is progressing really well! He is very eager to learn and in our last lesson said, "Well, I think I need to be baptized." There are a lot of steps before then, but we are so excited to help him grow closer to Christ.

• We joined some of the sisters of our zone in their companionship study which was a ton of fun! It was the closest thing we have to exchanges, haha. I love learning from other missionaries! Especially being that I got to see the one and only Sister Nelson! Love that girl.

• Sadly this week was so stinkin’ cold and snowy so we didn’t get out a whole lot. But yesterday was wonderful, and we had some lessons outside which was so refreshing! Pray for warm weather, haha!

Gary and Jerri (my best friends) hanging out with us during a lesson

picinic!

• We picked up several new friends this week and had some wonderful lessons with them! One was Lauren, a referral from a member and we had a wonderful lesson about the restoration—so powerful! Then we also had a lesson with our new friend David, and he is really just seeking a relationship with God. After texting him later in the week about the commitment to read from the Book of Mormon, he had a ton of questions and was trying to understand what God wants him to do. The Lord has blessed our efforts here a hundred fold.

• We have been invited by our mission leaders to study about the love of God. I have seen some very personal messages for me and my missionary work as I have been studying. I know that this time may be challenging but that we are still “to be about our Father's business.” It helped me realize that there is nothing more important than this work. I do not love anything or anyone more than my Heavenly Father and I want to bring Him glory by helping others learn of Christ.

In my studies of the love of God, I read about the story of Peter at the Sea of Galilee when the risen Lord appeared to them. This was retold by Elder Holland in a talk called "The First Great Commandment" and I recommend every one of you to read it or reread it. Here is the link: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/10/the-first-great-commandment?lang=eng

This story has always been very powerful to me as a missionary. I can remember the first time I read about it in some of my first weeks in the field and it had not struck me in the way that it did this past week. He tells of how after Christ rose, Peter turns to the disciples speaking of how it has been a glorious 3 years serving beside the Savior but that is over now. He said they are to return to our former life rejoicing. His former life, being a fisherman, he returned to the sea. After no luck catching any fish, a man shouts to them to cast the net on the right side. Peter immediately knew it was the Lord so he swam to shore and spoke with him. Jesus asks him, "Do you love me more than these fish?" and he replies, "Yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee." Jesus asks again with the same response. Then a third time he asks, "Do you love me?"

In Elder Holland’s words he said, "Whatever his feelings, Peter said for the third time, 'Lord, … thou knowest that I love thee.'

"To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: 'Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me.'

"Then, turning to all the Apostles, He might well have said something like: 'Were you as foolhardy as the scribes and Pharisees? As Herod and Pilate? Did you, like they, think that this work could be killed simply by killing me? Did you, like they, think the cross and the nails and the tomb were the end of it all and each could blissfully go back to being whatever you were before? Children, did not my life and my love touch your hearts more deeply than this?'"

With all that is going on, it really impressed upon me that as a disciple of Jesus Christ, I cannot serve for 18 months or 2 years or any number of time. This is a lifetime of striving to love the Lord our God and serving Him as well as our neighbors. May his life and love touch each of us more deeply and allow us to serve him with our whole soul.

sister johnson