Sister Riana Johnson: Life as a Michiganary: church in person??

July 13, 2020

hello hello!

* we had a busy week here. we had exchanges with each of the sisters and they are SO cute. i love each of them

sister hogge!

sister chibota!

sister duffin!

sister klusman!

* we also got approved to have church in person! it was so cool to be back in a church building, even if it was 20 people haha. we also got to be with erin in person for the second time! the last time was her baptism! so funny.

also church!

* we also got to spend some time with a sister who went home for a few days- sister kovach! my companion trained her so it was fun to teach with them

also we drove to kalamazoo to get sister kovach so big party group haha

* there was also approval for us to do community service so we have been calling organizations and hopefully can start this week!

i made cookies for our neighbors who had a ton of bird seed on their patio because of me.....

* kevin is doing good! we had a really exciting lesson with him the other day. he had told us he is still thinking about a date to be baptized but by the end of the lesson he said "i think i want to be baptized on the 17th!" we were freaking out haha because that would be this week. we decided the 25th with him and after teaching some commandments, we decided he might need a little more time! he is so great otherwise.

this week i have thought a lot about salvation. sister heap, our new mission president's wife talked about how joseph smith had questions "regarding the salvation of his soul" rather than a church that fit his beliefs or his needs. he wanted to know what was Jesus Christ's church and how he could follow that, to live with God again. while thinking about this, i read about king lamoni in the book of alma. their people were SO grateful to have been taught the gospel and be convinced of their sins so they could receive salvation. i know that the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints is not simple a good church with good people. this church is God's restored church- and through baptism and ordinances of the temple, and keeping those covenants, you can live with God again