Week 46- Flying solo and Flying birds

Hiiiii Family

The mission has been going good. Haha trying to mesh two areas together for only three weeks has been pretty ineffective and frustrating but also a really good learning experience. Never pray for
patience.

 We are teaching right now our ward mission leaders mom and she is really old and tiny and cute. Well we were teaching her the word of wisdom and she goes off telling us about this one time a few years ago when her family all got together for a big party and how they had brought some beer and she decided to drink one and then iN the middle of the lesson she starts to imitate what she felt like and she
squinted her eyes really tight and started stumbling around the room. It was so funny just because she was this tiny little grandma. Moral of the story is that she said she didn't like when she felt like that
so she was going to follow the word of wisdom haha. And then in that same day we went and viSited someone else and they fed us goat milk suckers. It tasted a lot like Carmel that had gone bad from a few
halloweens ago. But we conquered them and it was just a crazy day.

The next day was nice because we got to spend a whole day working in my area!!! My companions had to spend the whole day at a meeting in   newberg so I got a temporary English companion named sister palanite- she is from Tonga and learned English here in her mission. It felt so good to just be working all day and we had an amazing lesson about the restoration with an investigator named Marcela. It was weird to be translating in a lesson but it was one of those times that as you were teaching the lesson to someone else the lesson became so much clearer  for yourself. We talked a lot about authority and about how God would not give authority to something that wasn't absolutely true and His doctrine that was going to bring us all His blessings. It gives me comfort to know that we can trust in something with authority straight from Christ. Well that same day we went and had another lesson with an investigator named Concepcion. And she has this parrot that makes this noise like a fire alarm beeping whenever we come over. And it was out of its cage during the lesson and then all of a sudden we here thisloud screech and the bird comes flying straight at us from across the room! And me and Sister Palanite both ducked right in the nick of time or else this bird would have literally ran right into the side of my face. Then it landed on Concepcion's hand and said "pretty bird" about a thousand times with its head tilted at us. You could say the Spirit flew away with the bird. And then everyone you are NOT going to
 believe this- we left the lesson and came outside and there was a few people standing beside our car and it turns out that someone had ran into our car and then drove away!!! Haha make that car number 4 for me while I have been in Salem. It is also pretty funny because I have not
been driving for about a month due to obvious reasons and it was my first day back driving. But don't worry mom, we don't have to pay for this one.

Sorry this is so long- eventful week. But then on Thursday we had zone conference and basically I got talked into doing a musical number where I was going to sing a solo in Spanish! Haha so I was obviously
thinking I was going to be the next American idol until I got so beyond nervous that I couldn't breathe and we were going to sing how great thou art and I got to my verse and was so nervous my voice came
out way high and shaking! It was slightly funny but mostly tragic and it was in front of like a million people. Haha so I have come to the conclusion that singing is not my cup of tea. Like mom told me in 7th
grade soccer, "you're pretty bad, Kate, you should quit" I did then and I will now :) but something we talked about in zone conference that I liked a lot is that healing of anything emotional and spiritual
personally comes from serving someone else. They showed a video called Lift and I love it so much where it just talks about how physically healing comes by turning inward but emotional healing comes from turning outward. Serving others is easy when it is something that doesn't require much of us-like helping someone carry their bags to their car. But the real trick is serving when it is demanding in every
sense of the word. When it takes of our time, maybe our money, maybe even our emotions. Someone that has been always a great example of service to me has been my mom. I can recall many times when my mom has done things what she has assumed she did in secret but I was snooping in the background. She is truly giving- I can often remember times when she could see that someone was struggling to buy something and she would suddenly ask us to go and do something else so we wouldn't
see her pay the bill. Or not to mention the many children and big kids too who have come home to our house so my mom could take care of them. I know she doesn't want any credit for these things but she is a motivation for me and I hope she is for all of us to look around this week or this month and do some service for someone who needs it. I know and I can promise that it will provide some spiritual healing
that we are all in need of.

Not too much else exciting this week other than the Hermanas that I am with right now had a baptism last night of an investigator Aurelia. Baptisms are awesome- they make you feel really good!

Love you so much. Sorry I wrote you a chapter book!
Hermana J

Got to be in Woodburn for a day this week and this is Alejandra- she was baptized in January. Best person ever and I love her so much,

Week 45- When It Rains It Pours ha

Well this definitely goes down as one of those ridiculously crazy weeks that missions seem to be infamous for. It's a whole new challenge almost daily it feels like. It is exhausting and rewarding
and humbling. I feel frustrated often and struggle at times but I feel like at every small and big trial I am forced to be patient and see the small tender mercies that come after. I wish I was better at recognizing those mercies but what can I say- I am a work in progress. This week we gave Juvenal to the Elders and it was a pretty emotional lesson when we took them to meet him. It was so sad to see him go, and good to hear him say that no matter what happened he would be baptized, that not one thing or person would get in the way of him following what he has come to know is true. Sometimes I get really grateful to God for the small time He gave me with Juvenal. In just over a month and a half God allowed me to feel a love for someone stronger than I have ever felt before, to feel the spirit warm me from head to foot nearly every lesson, he allowed me to see a miracle unfold before my eyes- from saying hello to Juvenal on the street when he told us he lived by "that tree over there", to watching him begin to understand that God really, really loved him, to having him set a date to enter into the waters of baptism because he had come to know Christ and wanted to follow Him, and to finish having that last lesson
I would teach him out in front of his little house. Juvenal was a big answer to a lot of small little prayers. I spent maybe only 30 hours with Juvenal but it made the other thousand hahaof hours being a missionary totally worth it. He will be baptized September 26th. Send your most heartfelt prayers his way, he is definitely the rock and example in his family and is going through a lot right now.

Soooo the crazy of this week is that we got a call from our mission president early in the morning on Friday telling us that Hermana Tuisaula needed to pack her bags because she would be getting emergency transferred because another Hermana had to go home and that I would be in a trio with the sister training leaders that live in our apartment for the rest of the transfer. It was the saddest thing ever because Hermana T and I have really gotten so close during our time together. She never stopped making me laugh. But the good and funny part is that she got transferred to McMinnville :) so I know they will take good care of her there. It has left our area a little disheveled though because we just opened the area a few months ago and they aren't closing it because we have a new Hermana coming in this next transfer...so I am kinda trying to keep the area going on my own and we have to split all the time between the other Hermanas area as well. Plus trying to figure out different teaching styles....safe to say it has been a busy weekend :) but my new companions names are Hermana Holt and Hedges. Hermana Holt is literally 6'3" and she loves giving hugs and I feel like I am hugging the back of her knee caps every time. Hermana Hedges is luckily slightly shorter at a whopping 5' 8" but if I hear one more short joke in the next three weeks I will fly of the handle haha.

Not too much more interesting going on here other than I haveliterally hurt myself so many times this week. I was trying to get a cap off of some hairspray and the cap came off faster than expected and I punched a wall and bruised my hand. Accidentally smashed my head onto the handle in the car and then right after shut a screen door on my foot and cut up my ankle! It has been too funny.

Well I love you so much.
Hermana J

 Too many short jokes!

 Companions

Week 44- Disclaimer: Worst Email Ever

So I am sorry to say that this Email will be sooooo lame because our District Leader got us tickets to go to the FAIR :) So we are just about to head over there for the day and I have no time to Email. 

This week was reallllllly a bummer. Juvenal called us on Friday and cancelled our lesson and told us he would be at church on Sunday but then he didn't come and we tried to call him but he didn't answer so we decided to ask the Bishop and Ward Mission Leader to go over and visit them- turns out that his wife, Maria is really mad that sisters are coming to visit him and so we are giving Juvenal to the Elders- his baptism is in just three weeks. It is a comfort to me that it is all the same work. The Elder that will get Juvenal has been in this area for over a year and keeps saying that he knows he is supposed to do something here but he just doesn't know what- I think seeing Juvenal enter the waters of Baptism is probably his thing. God works in mysterious ways. It is hard but it is obviously what is supposed to happen. Pray. So. Much. For. Juvenal. That he will make it even though he doesn't have a lot of family support. 

A boy from a less active family we have been visiting got baptized on Saturday. That was really awesome :) His name is Stephen and he loves Harry Potter as much as Hermana Tuisaula and I do so you know we just love him so much. 

Welp... The church is true and the book is blue! 

I pinky promise a better, more spiritually uplifting email next week. 

Love you, Hermana Johnson

Week 43-We Have A Runner

It was a week of a lot of ups and downs, as always.

We have to start with the funny this week. Last Monday we met a woman who told us the earth was her religion. She believed in the trees. Ha so awesome. She just wanted to put "good vibes" into the world.
Honestly some things I feel you would only hear in Oregon. Then right after that we saw Patrica one of our investigators who was Facetiming her brother in Mexico. She wanted us to talk to him and so we did say hi and she started trying to hook us up with him and he told us we had beautiful smiles. Patricia then told us he might kidnap us to Mexico but not to worry because he would help with the cleaning and become a man of God. So if I go missing, start looking in Vera Cruz :) then later in the week we went to go visit another investigator and she saw us pull up through her window and she left the house and started running (hence the title) SHE LITERALLY RAN AWAY FROM US! It was so funny and slightly tragic haha. I got really sick after dinner one night and we were kind of far from home so we decided to stop at a Walgreens for the bathroom and I went in and asked if they could unlock the door and they called a code 77 over the intercom and someone had to escort me- I was so embarrassed! Too funny :)

It was also a transfer week like I said last week. I am so mad I missed that transfer meeting because guess what? President introduced in front of everyone that Hermana Barrios (my mom that left the
mission three months ago) is ENGAGED to an ELDER from our MISSION. And also a lot of other crazy things happened but that was the main one. Gustavo also was there and he leaves on his mission in a week so I am sad I didn't get to see him one last time but I know he will be so good.

It has been a really rough week for Juvenal. Maria, his wife, has decided to stop studying with us. She actually has gotten really angry and said that the Book of Mormon is an abomination and everything. I
have no idea what happened- a week ago everything was fine but we are going to continue working for her. Pray for her please, a lot, everyday. Juvenal really wants that eternal family that we all keep
talking about. But   despite all of that Juvenal still wants to continue forward on his personal path and has decided to be baptized September 26th. It's been a tearful week in that situation. But I guess when you know the Gospels true, you have been comforted and happy because of it, you just have to follow what God asks you to do. At least that is how Juvenal sees it.

Honestly this week was hard. We did a lot of tracting and when we weren't tracting all of our investigators hit a bump of some sort, sometimes big bumps. But I watched a video the other day that talked about a gardener who had just bought a new farm which had a Currant bush growing on it that had grown really tall but wasn't producing any fruit. The gardener came around and cut down the currant bush almost to the stump and the gardener could imagine the stump crying to him and saying "why would he cut me down? I was growing so big and was taller than all the other trees and he cut me down." But the gardener didn't want him to be as tall as the other bushes, he just wanted the
bush to produce fruit. Then after a bit of time the bush grew more beautiful than before and produced delicious fruit. Then the currant bush understood why the gardener cut him down. God is the same.
Sometimes he cuts us down to the very roots so that when we begin to grow again we become who he intends us to be and we fulfill our potential, even if it's not what we wanted at first or if we don't
understand why he wouldn't just let us float around at 6 feet tall. He does love us though and he intends us to be the best we can be.

I love you so much!
Hermana J

Week 42- Russian Baptist Missionaries

This was a really great week. It's the end of the transfer and one of the hermanas who lives with us, Hermana Aubrey, is going home this week. She is one of my Sister Training Leaders. She is so sweet and I am going to miss her so much. Hermana Meise is also going home. Basically most of the mission is. This is the biggest transfer in OSM history- 1/3 of the mission will be new missionaries 1/3 will be training those new missionaries and 1/3 is basically the rest of the Spanish missionaries because there are not many Spanish missionaries coming in. President keeps saying that the way that these new missionaries are trained and accepted into the mission will change everything-basically the destiny of the mission. It is true though-these new missionaries don't know anything about being a missionary and we are the only ones who can teach them. If we mess up, generations will suffer! Am I sounding a little panicky? Probably. Haha mostly just because all the Hermanas who came in with me are now the oldest Spanish sisters in the mission except for one who came in a few transfers before us! What if we mess them up?! We have no idea what we are doing!!! :) :) we were just talking the other day about how we are a bunch of kids running around trying to do adult things :) good thing the Lord qualifies the called.

On Monday I was on exchanges with Hermana Aubrey and we went to visit Maggie- the less active who we found by accident tracting out our little trailer park. We have been visiting for about a month or so now and we just go by on Monday nights- talk about things and share a message and invite her to do things. You know, missionary stuff. Well when we first started meeting with her you could tell she had been down and out for awhile. You could feel it when you walked in her home and honestly she didn't have much hope. She had been through a lot and told us that she had lost her faith- she felt that Christ had abandoned her. So she quit praying for fear that he wouldn't answer her prayers and that she would be even more disappointed. It was so sad especially since she has a 4 year old daughter named Zoe who is the cutessssst thing in the world (except Isaac). Well you could definitely see some change happening in the past couple weeks as she began to pray again and read the scriptures. Last week we invited her to fast. When we walked into her house on Monday the entire atmosphere of the house was completely different. Then she began to tell us that she had fasted and that she had received a promotion at work that she had been hoping for for a long time, she had found a house to buy that was near to Zoe's dad so she could see him more, and the most important part is that she felt GOD ANSWERED HER PRAYERS!!! It was just one of the many blessing this transfer to see a change happen so drastic in just 6 weeks. Isn't it crazy how fast God comes back when we ask Him to?

A little bit later in the week the funniest thing happened. We had  like 20 minutes left before we needed to be home and we decided to go visit an old investigator from the area book. She lives in a small circle where it is near impossible to find parking so we parked in front of a house at the end of the circle and two girls were standing outside of the house we had parked in front of. We got out and asked them if it was OK if we parked there for like 20 minutes. They said it was fine and then asked us what we were doing. Then we started telling them all about missionary life and everything. Then they were like, "oh my gosh! We are missionaries too! Come in!" We were so confused but you know we were going to go in that house :) so we headed on in and it turns out that they were Russian Baptist Missionaries who had done missionary work in Mexico, all around the U.S., Ukraine and everything! Haha two of the girls were born in Russia and didn't move here until they were 8, one had just arrived from Ukraine, and the other one was born here but her parents came from Russia. We met the parents of the two from Russia and they only spoke Russian. I was thinking about Lindsay the whole time! Anyways they asked us if they could sing us some Christian songs and one was in English and one in Russian and they were actually really good. We talked with them for a while about beliefs and everything and one of the girls said, "I just really love getting together with other Christians, it seems like we all just lift each other up." I think it's so interesting, how much Christ brings people together. He does bring happiness and love to those who believe on Him. It is so contagious. Something I have also found out is that now because I know Spanish I expect to be able to understand every foreign language and I actually don't at all. Dang it.

Really the best part of the week happened yesterday- we got to go to the temple :) and guess who came? Juvenal! Yayyyyy. And also a recently re-activated family that we have been working with who are planning on going to the temple to be sealed at the end of this year. They have been members for over 10 years and I guess it is finally just their time. But it was so great. We talked all about families and prophets and also about what happens in the temple. At one point Hermana Tuisaula asked Juvenal how he was liking it and he started to cry. He told us that he was going to go in one day because he could only imagine how beautiful it is inside. We rode in a different car than him and he rode with the ward mission leader who told us that on the way Juvenal was bearing his testimony. I love him so so much. Keep his wife Maria in your prayers though. She is a little more skeptical and I know it's really hard for Juvenal. He wants her to love it like he does. I am grateful for temples though and the fact that God loves us enough that this isn't the end, that families are forever, that death has no victory. I have to share what probably everyone know is my favorite scripture.

"And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ.
He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death. Even this mortal shall put on immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption..." Mosiah 16:7-10

I love y'all so much :) have a good week!
Hermana Johnson

 the gargoyle house

Chicharones (dried pig skin) that we are eating 

Week 41- Come To Churchhhh

It was a really good week here in the OSM. I think sometimes I sit down to write every week and I don't know what to say because I feel like we do the same things week after week. But really I think that is just me forgetting that every miracle, no matter how small, is still a miracle. And each day as a missionary is a blessing. 

We have been teaching a few young guys that are here working in Oregon for the summer but they are originally from California. They go home in two weeks and we will hopefully get the missionaries over there on their way. But we had a really great lesson with them this week. Their names are Joel and Armando. Armando has a new daughter and doesn't believe at all really in God but especially in an after life. Joel is a little bit more of a believer. We began to teach the Plan of Salvation to them and when we began to tell them that ya, there is life after death and even more important that there is a place prepared for all of God's children not just Heaven and then Fire and Brimstone, Joel began to smile from ear to ear. And he said, " I am not scared anymore." And Armando didn't say too much. But we invited them to pray and ask if really all the things we taught them were true and I know that if Armando really does do that, he won't be scared anymore as well. When Joel finally found the truth that really God loves us and takes care of us, it was a sweet moment. How scary it must have been for him all this time thinking that he could only look forward to eternal torment. God loves us a lot, and I know that he wouldn't want any of us to suffer eternally for our mistakes. It's just not Him. He loves us too much. 

Juvenal came to church yesterday for the first time and he said he LOVED it!!!! :) :) Literally we love him SOOO MUCH! 

Other than that I was reading this really cool scripture this week and have been thinking a lot about it and just wanted to share it with you. I love this scripture so much. He helps us conquer anything this world throws at us. 

Psalms 23 

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Sorry I don't have much else to write about this week but I love y'all so much :)

Hermana Johnson

Week 40- God has a sense of humor, I think?

Welp this week has been interesting. We have done TONS of finding because we don't really have tons of people to teach. I am going to use a quote from one of my friends to sum this up "So long story short I love tracting about as much as I love cockroaches. I hate cockroaches."

haha I just thought that was really clever of her. I don't really hate it THAT bad but it definitely becomes pretty torturous after the 4th day. 

The reason for the title is because my long and arduous battle with parking lots continues as I totally backed into a car in a parking lot of an apartment yesterday. (sorry dad) buuuut I am only sharing this with the world because God gave us a great miracle out of a tragic situation. We were knocking the doors of the apartment complex to find the owner of the other car to exchange information. Well when we finally found the owner it was a really sweet middle aged mexicana (really had to stretch the spanish vocab to find out insurance info) but as we were sorting everything out she asked us if we were the people that could help her find peace in her life. She even said, "That's what you do isn't it?" And we were sort of surprised but said yes! thats exactly what we do. We got to share with her a little bit of the plan of salvation when she shared with us that her son had been killed in Mexico only about 3 years ago and then we set up a lesson to come see her next Sunday. She was super understanding and willing to listen. So we were grateful for the rainbow after the rain. 

This week our investigator Apryl excepted a baptismal date of August 29th. she is 17 years old and so funny and sassy. Plus her hair is sooooo long and beautiful. she will definitely have to put it back for the baptism or she will have to go under a million times- i dont think they will get all the hair under :) 

Juvenal and Maria are still doing awesome! I love them so much. We taught them the Word of Wisdom and they were like, Well of course we will live it. Can we just talk more about the Book of Mormon? We know that's the important part haha! Then Juvenal called last night and asked us if we were still good for the lesson today and if he needed to read anything more than the chapter and pamphlet we left him haha. they are so great. Maria has been progressing a little slower but she has finally started reading the Book of Mormon as well so we are seeing good things :)

I love you all so much! 

Talk to you next week, hermana Johnson

Halfway dinner