Week 13- Member Missionaries and Missionaries For Real

Whew another week gone by. I have to be honest- i have no idea what to write about this week because it was just so awesome. But ill do my best. 

On Wednesday we had a lesson with Karina and Noe and Alexa and the rest of the family. One of the counselors to our mission president, President Aguiar came with us to this lesson. This family has been so committed to moving forward and progressing in the Gospel. They havent missed a Sunday of church in 5 weeks and we went into the lesson feeling like we were going to teach the restauration and president aguiar started out with a really cool object lesson and Hermana Barrios and I looked at eachother and said, we need to teach the plan of salvation instead and invite them to be baptized. well we taught them the plan and invited to be baptized. and at the end of the lesson Noe basically said that he would do anything to have his family be together for forever. And so Karina, Noe, and Alexa all committed to be baptized! We are so excited for them.

This week has been kind of crazy because Ismael Alba, a boy from the Branch returned from his mission in Brazil. Not many missionaries go out here and so it was a really big deal and basically like a week long celebration. He got home on Friday and there was a huge party with food and posters and all of that but it was so cool. Everybody was so proud of him and he is so nice. But the coolest thing was that on Sunday, his little sister was getting baptized with two other 8 year old girls. And here when someone is baptized basically the whole branch comes out to support and congratulate. and we invited Karina and her family to come. Well Ismael was baptizing his little sister and you could just feel the power in that room and the beauty of that baptism. I have not been to a baptize for many years, I cant even remember the last one that I have been to. And I forgot what that feels like. Afterwards, Ismael just hugged her and gave her a kiss and that was when it really hit home that this work of salvation and eternal families is so, so important. And I guess that I must not have been the only person that felt that spirit in that room because afterwards I was talking with Alexa and she said I want to be baptized! She said that she felt so much peace and that her family had noticed how much she had changed in the past few weeks and about how good she felt and this whole change has only happened in 5 weeks. This Gospel is real-and it does work. I definitely have a testimony of that. We hope to have that family picking a date this week. they are amazing. And right after that, a little girl who is 8 years old came to us and said that she wanted to be baptized- her friend was one of the girls who had been baptized. So hopefully we can start teaching that family this week. And after that a 15 year old said that she wanted to start taking the lessons as well. So that baptism had some real power to it.

This week the best thing that I learned about God is that even if we are ungrateful and imperfect, he will continue to give blessings to those that you are working with because even if you dont deserve it, the other people do. 

The work is good, God is too.

Hermana J

Week 12- Car Keys and Puddles

It's been another week in life as a missionary. How crazy. This week passed the fastest of all. But it has been fun and busy. 

The investigators have been so amazing and all seem to love coming to church because for the past few weeks they have come pretty faithfully. OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. So Miguel is the 19 year old we are teaching and he is look so so so commited. And this week he really opened up and started asking questions but the best part is is that he didnt understand what faith was and he definitely answered his own question because he has the most faith out of any person ever. He is great. We are also teaching a family and they have a 13 year old daughter named Alexa. And she is a really special person. But the first week that her family came to church she stayed in the car and me and Hma Barrios went out to the car to get her and she did come in and just told me she didnt like church at all and didnt feel comfortable and yesterday we were talking and she told me that she felt really happy there and that she felt super comfortable and then she was also talking to me about a person who got baptized not too long ago that hasnt been coming to church and she is like I tired to get him to come to church but I will invite him to FHE tomorrow! I am seriously amazed at how solid these people are and their desire. 

So we had a pretty ridiculously kind of funny day on Saturday. We were in Amity at a lesson with Gustavo and when we went to leave we were going to give Gustavo cupcakes for his little brothers birthday and my comp put her bag in the car and then shut the door and gave Gustavo the cupcakes then we went to say bye and she goes to open the door and goes um OH NO. Somehow she locked the doors on accident so we were there locked out of our car, on the rainiest day of the winter. ha well then I tried to look for the phone so that we could call the District Leader and we couldnt find that so we just assumed it was in the car with the keys. So Gustavo called the DL's and they came and couldnt get the door open so we had to call the mission office and have them bring us the spare keys. So all in all we waited for 3 hours, 1 hour of that in the rain before our investigator saw us outside and took us in haha. Well when we finally got the door open we still couldnt find the phone and we looked and looked and couldnt find anything. So we said a little prayer and we both knew, the phone was definitely in the ditch filled with water next to where the car was parked. So Hma. Barrios held one hand and i fished around the water with the other- and out came our phone that had soaked for about 4 hours. So there was that. It wouldnt have been so bad if it wasnt transfer weeked because President kept trying to call us because my comp was called as a Sister TRaining Leader and we didnt even know until Sunday at church! haha well win some you lose some. 

This week I have done a lot of thinking about God and the relationship that we have with him. The words of the song Come Thou Fount have played over and over again, "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love, Take my heart Oh take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above." I think it is amazing that we have the opportunity to have a relationship with someone so much bigger than us and how much we are prone to wander. How much we take advantage of the privlege. This week I have come to realize how blessed we are. We were in a lesson with a single mom and two young girls. Gustavo was with us and asked one of the young girls if she knew who God was. She said no. And he told her to kneel down and he would show her. So we all knelt and he said a prayer. I dont know how profound that moment was for that little girl but I do know how profound it was for me. We need to use that gift of communication taht he has given us. I know that with all my heart. 

The last cutest thing ever this week, a 5 year old told me that she saw an angel that told her that one day she was going to be a missionary and teach people good things. This is a good work. 

"God gave us the gift of life, we owe God our best performance." -Del Smith

Nos vemos

Hma Johnson

Me, disappointed at loosing Sister Barrios

Week 11-Cake Babies and Exchanges

Well family. Another week down here in good ole Oregon. You know when you are in the real world and you have Christmas and everything and then like after the new years you are like everything is so boring? Well I have been waiting for that but it just wont come. Especially because a lot of Latinos celebrate January 6th. I dont know if Aunt Pam remembers but I remember when I was little she bought a cake with a baby hidden in it and I got the baby and I was so excited- I still have that baby! Well I found out what that was all about this week because my comp and I have eaten about a total of 8 "Roscas" which is this huge bread thing and I hate bread more than anything now haha but whoever gets the baby has to be the one to make Tamales for the next party. Out of the millions of pieces of bread we ate, I only got the baby once. But I hope I dont have to make Tamales because I have a feeling no one will want to eat them. Because cooking is hard. 

This week was such a good one because we got to go on exchanges for my first time... and before it I was pretty much like I hate exchanges, i know it because I just love my comp so much and there is nothing she cant teach me so I dont want to do it. Well God put me in my place because Exchanges were pretty much the absolute best. Of course I missed Barrios but it was a night full of just stunning things. First off I was with Sister Christiansen here in MAC. And she is an English speaking missionary and we dont teach in English. So fresh out for the first time I was really obligated to listen to what these people were saying because I had to translate for her. And all the people that we went to see understood English but just couldnt speak it so I couldnt just like make something up because they would have totally known that I was lying. And somehow, I understood and could respond but the bigger miracle is what happens when you actually, really listen to what a person is saying. The love comes so quickly for these people and their lives and their struggles. And you start to care and want to help so much. It starts to make you realize what is so awesome about missionary work. There is one woman named Cony who has two kids and her husband is in Mexico and cant come back right now. Money is scarce and she is so tired because she works and works. The missionaries have tried to teach many times long before I got here. The progress is slow and sometimes nonexistent. Well while I was translating I started to feel a love for her that surprised me because frankly, before I had never really focused on her because I was always playing with her kids or just not really intent. And then when I was the only person that she could count on in that moment to speak to her and teach her, I think that I had the opportunity to feel just a small amount of the love that Jesus Christ has for her. And it brought tears to my eyes and when I told her of the love that Jesus Christ must have for her she began to cry too. She is an amazing woman and I hope that she finds peace in this Gospel. The funny thing about exchanges is that we were driving down this road and I was just telling Sister C that we dont walk around that part at night because a lot of homeless people live around there and it is dangerous. We passed a man walking on that VERY street and she goes, Pull over we need to tlak to him!" I was like have you not been listening to me at all?!? haha so we got out and tlaked to a man named Phillip. He looked a little sketch if you ask me but it turns out that he is an aerospace engineer who has been to 54 deifferent countries. we talked to him and set up an appointment and then a few minutes later we got a call from the elders saying they had just pulled over and talked to a guy because they had felt like they needed to and they said his name was phillip and that he had said that it must be missionary night. haha such a cool thing. I am mostly just glad we didnt get jumped. 

Other than that, life has been pretty normal. The usual. Working hard. We had 9, thats right 9, investigators at church. I wish that yall could meet every single one of them because each are unique in a certain way and fabulous. 

Our district is also pretty small now because two elders went home this week. That is just about the saddest thing ever. Especially because we are all friends and this work is hard but when missionaries go home early is just kinda makes you want to cry a little bit. 

Thats all I guess.

Oh wait I lied! I have a big surprise for dad- you are gonna be so jealous. Hermana WEst got us tickets the the Aerospace Museum today and it was totally rad. I will send pics. 

Loves! 

Hma J

Sister Barrios, Gustavo, and Sister Johnson

Week 10- Pack Your Suitcases and Flickering Candles

Well it is so amazing what you can do in 1 day when you arent on Pinterest. ha but really. 

This week was absolutely the craziest. Of course it was New Years and we keep doing the same things but you wake up and you go to bed and everything in between is just a huge blur. But it is so great to be with the best people with so many different cultures. One investigator from Columbia was telling us about New Years in Columbia because Latinos celebrate it huge but she said that everyone would pack their suitcases and put like their swimsuits and sunglasses and then walk around the neighborhood and tell everyone goodbye because the New Year is like going on a trip! haha so funny. She did it here too, I wonder what the neighbors thought. 

This has been a crazy spiritual week, honest. First off one of our investigators got a Hernia on CHristmas Eve so we went to visit her and she couldnt even get up or anything so we asked her if she would like to recieve a blessing. And she said she would so the Elders came over to her house as well as Gustavo ( the one you met at Christmas Ma and Dad) and it was the first time Gustavo gave a blessing since he got his Priesthood and afterwards Maria said that she felt hot all over from the inside. And we were like THAT IS THE SPIRIT!!! It was so awesome. WE have high hopes for her. Anyways after MAria, it seemed like just about everyone we knew started getting sick one way or another. Miguel, a super great investigator went to the hospital for dehydration and didnt tell us and walked to our appointment a few hours after he got released! That just tells you how awesome he is. And a girl from the ward, Cathy got the flu at Boot CAmp last week because she is going into the Navy and then it turned into Pneumonia so we spent a little time in the hospital last night so her mom could get something to eat. She is a trooper, and graduated even with the flu the whole time. That is kinda the spirit that all the members have. There is a family that all but one daughter who we are taching now got baptized last year and they are the most amazing family ever. Their conversion is just amazing. But I talked to them like for real and it was so weird to know what they were saying! woot woot. But they are amazing. 

There is this really really really amazing family that we are teaching right now. The grandma is a member but the family isnt. And we were preparing a lesson for them the other morning but we were trying to like practice it out and nothing was coming! Like both my companion and I could not find the words to say. It was so surreal. And so we were like, we are not supposed to teach this. And so we went into the lesson knowing we wanted to talk about how the Gospel Blesses FAmilies but not much else. And what happened was sp crazy. I started crying because there is a teenage girl who connected really well with me and I have so much hope for her. She has so much potential and is so special and I was telling her mom this because I felt like I needed to and the Spirit was SO crazy strong. They are a very special family and I know they have so much in their future. 

Other than that we ran into a lady smoking on the street and she was talking to us about how she is looking for a Church and about how she would love to talk with us. So we are going to jump oon that haha

And finally I guess this was just a crying week because Gustavo who is a member that was baptized by the first spanish sister missionaries in this area last year announced that he was going on a mission in testimony meeting yesterday. He is the strongest person I know and his faith is a huge example for us. 

Funniest things this week: Me trying to bear my testimony in Spanish because I told Gustavo I would if he did. My comp started laughing because she was translating for the English speakers. hahaha and we were in a meeting the other day and one of the other elders who hasnt been out very long either was trying to explain and investigtor and says "ella es un como (she is a, like)  uhhh flickering candle" and we all started laughing and he was like "you know, she burns so bright and then a little wind comes along and it just flickers away!" I dont know if that is as funny in writing as it was in person, but we died laughing. And the last funniest thing was we went over to dinner at a members and a bunch of kids were playing in the living room and we asked waht they were doing and they had a bunch of monopoly money and were throwing it in the air and said, "we are making it rain!" kids these days. 

Thats all family. I love you. 

Hermana J

Week 9- Feliz Navidad

Well oh my goodness, Merry Christmas. This has been the best week- and a hard one also. But I got to talk to the Fam so I am just going to repeat some things that I told them. But first I have to say thanks so much to my momma and dad and to Mimi and Aunt Pam and Lizzy of course for all they did for Christmas and everybody else who helped make this just about the best Christmas in the world. You have no idea how much it meant to me and my companion.

So for Christmas day we spent it with the West's and they are just the best. They feed us and clothe us and lecture us- all the good stuff haha but it was a great day. They cooked twice baked potatoes in my honor and I loved them ahaa you can take the girl out of Idaho but you cant take the Idaho out of the girl. And shoot what else? We watched Ephraims rescue and ate SO MUCH CANDY! Christmas Eve was so awesome too- we spent it with an investigator who I just know will take the lessons consistently when her husband will let her but her husband doesnt really think much of mormons so we just teach her English. But she got us these water bottles that fold up and it was just the best. I almost cried. 

This week we moved a whole family of recent converts from a house they were living in to a new one. This was a REALLY sobering experience because they have 4 kids and this house that they were leaving in was full of mold- you could see it everywhere and it was all over their stuff and the kids have asthma so they were coughing up blood and things. It was so so terrible. It makes your heart break in half. But it felt so good to see their new, healthy house and how happy they were to be moving. 

On Sunday 4 investigators came to church!!!!!! FOUR!!!!!  

And the only other thing of really is that this week we got the opportunity to sing to a man named James Larocca. I dont know if any of you have ever heard of him but he is an artist from here in Oregon who was diagnosed with Multiple sclerosis almost ten years ago. You can google more about him but we were able to sing Be Still My Soul to him and he said that it meant so much to him and so now he will be taking the discussions from the English elders and so that is just so awesome. 

BEing a misisonary is some good stuff. I promise I will havea really good letter next week because I will take notes- I cant remmeber what happens! 

Week 8-He is the Gift, We are The Hands

Well this email is going to be short because we are going to Forest Grove today to sing in a concert so I need to hurry! But Merry Christmas everybody! I miss you but to be honest, Christmas is the BEST time to be a missionary and I LOOOOOVE it. 

This week was a little harder than the one before but still so good. The good is that the branch is awesome and so good to our investigators. We had an investigator come to church on Sunday! and we had two more come to our branch party and the branch just loves them to pieces. It is great. We also got a referral from a member that turned out to be really promising. His name is Fernando, he is taking the discussions and he could be the onelast Melchezidek priesthood holder to make our branch a ward! This is just so awesome.

The best thing that happened this week is that we went over to teach an investgator and she had two friends over and so we were teaching them all and just chatting and getting to know them. And we were reading the intro to the book of Mormon and the best thing to happen ever was that her friend, Maria was SO interested. and she has a lot of kids. And when we gave our investigator the challenge to read Moroni 10. Maria asked if we had another BoM around. And we were like UH.....definitely. So we have just been so blessed with so many new investigators. 

And I think I said this last week, but I am so grateful for what BYDC taught me because there are so many kids around here struggling and my companion and I spent a lot of time trying to help them get through school and gain a testimony at the same time. I lvoe them so much. 

So many good things have happened but I dont have much time so I love you all and have the best Christmas week. 

And if you havent already, watch the video He is the Gift because we watch it about once a day and recommend it to everyone and it makes me cry, Everytime. 

Hma J

Week 7 - Rain and Rainbows

Well I am so grateful because so many people emailed me this week and I love hearing from people- it really keeps me going, but SO MUCH HAPPENED this week and so I am going to just say everything in one really big email and if I dont get to you this week I am really sorry. But on that note I would KILL for some handwritten letters from you guys! From EVERYONE please, Erin let everybody know that I really really would love some. Thanks so much for all the support. 

Okay um first off I just owe one really big apology to everybody who heard me be bummed about Oregon for the past 6 months because OREGON IS PERFECT. And no I am not just saying that. I cant really explain fully how good God is but I know that he is incredibly loving- and he has given me so many many blessings. And also I really think that all those years of BYDC was for here because so many kids here are struggling with drugs and bad homes and I am really hoping all that time will help me help them. I love the people here so much. 

So I will start from the beginning. We flew into Portland on Tuesday and Hermana Gifford got air sick because it was a really rough flight and so she threw up ha and then I was still sick and then Hermana Phelps got sick because Hermana Gifford got sick and so we didnt really want to eat too much. But we got picked up by the Lewis' and they drove us to the mission home in Newberg. Oregon is so green and so WET. like I havent seen one patch of dry cement since I got here but it is so beautiful. Just a million trees and rolling hills and it is always misty and foggy. Well then they took us to the mission home and we were standing there meeting people and then President Samuelian walked up and shook my hand. i am not going to have enough time to explain how amazing President is but when I shook his hand and he looked at me with the eyes that go straight to your soul- I knew that I was supposed to be here. It felt like home and so peaceful. I dont know how to explain how President is but picture like Dumbledore but Mormon and with the kindest voice ever. And he has the most faith and is more in tune with the Spirit than any other person I have ever seen. Like he says things about people and they look at him in shock because they have no idea how he knows that. Well then we went out with the missionaries that were there for transfers and so I went with Hermana Barrios (the best) and Hermana McCright and we went to dinner with a lady who is getting baptized in January and guess what she fed us?!? GRASSHOPPERS! haha who knew in Oregon. Well it was a really good night out and the people there were the best. And we got to sleep in the Presidents house that night which is the best house and then the next day the other missionaries came from Provo. Well Wednesday we had a day with the President and his wife (kindest, sweetest little thing ever) and they took us to the Rock out on the coast of Oregon that is like the symbol of our mission and this is where the first miracle of my mission happened.

So out on the coast there was a hurricane warning or something and so the windows of the restraunts and things were boarded up and the rain was coming down in waves. The lady at the restraunt said she hadnt seen it rain that hard in Oregon in a long time. Well the President wanted to take us out on the beach to do this really special thing with us but we couldnt if it was raining. So he knew what the weather was supposed to be like but him and the AP's were praying the day away that we would have  a chance. Well we just went in the restraunt and were talking there and then no joke, the waves calmed and there was a sliver that opened up in the clouds and the sun came through and all the rest of the sky stayed dark and it stopped raining. So we went to the beach and did a thing that I am not going to say much about because it was pretty powerful and as soon as we finished, it started to rain again. The storm was calmed. It is amazing. PRAYER WORKS. 

We slept in the mission home again and then it was transfer day! Ok so lots of stuff happened this day but I will just say the important stuff. Hermana BARRIOS is my companion and she is absolutely perfect. She reminds me so much of Xiomara. She is originally from Mexico but moved to Arizona when she was young and so we talk mostly in Spanish. Which isnt going so bad. She is the best person really the best. She has a great sense of humor and we get along so well but she is so powerful. She talks to everybody all the time and just comes right out and says hey, wanna hear about Jesus Christ. Oh you dont? Well let me tell you about him. I love her I love her. And we have the best area in all of the world no joke. We are in McMinnville which is about 30 minutes away from Newberg and since we are so close we get to take our investigators to the temple and we got to do it once this week so I have been to the temple three times since I have been here. How lucky! Well Mac is this adorable little town with the cutest people and the best just everything. We teach only one person in English. It is little Mexico here, hardly anyone speaks English, all the stores are in Spanish, the entire town is basically all Latinos. I have never had more Tamales in my life. There is this one couple in the ward, the West's, who are our second parents out here. No joke. I cant even explain how funny and great they are but they take so good care of us. I know that if Mom knew how good they treat us she would just give them a million kisses. They make us feel like we have a home and make sure we dont lose ANY weight. haha but I already know where their candy drawer is and if we knock when we come over they get mad. We get Christmas with them and also they said they would tag me in pics on Facebook so you will get more updates from them. But they are just home. I am grateful for them. 

Well now that you have the down low I will tell you a few amazing stories. First, we went to a lesson the other day with a lady named Rosa and Rosa wasnt there. So we were leaving and this little lady was walking by so Hma Barrios stopped and said hey. Well she was like Venga come to mi casa and so we went inside and we just walked into one giant Catholic nativity. There was pictures of Jesus everywhere and like shrines but it was so cool. It was actually pretty beautiful and so she is a really faithful little thing. And her husband just passed away so we started teaching her about the Plan of salvation and we got a return appointment! So we will visit her this week. And then another time Hma Barrios showed me a list she had of potential investigators and we said a prayer and she asked me which person I felt that we needed to visit. I picked a name and so off we went. Well we were on our way and she said we need to stop! So we pulled over and she said this guy, Rafael, lives here and we havent been able to find him but I feel liek we should go see if he is home. So we were walking to his house where we ran into Eva, who is an investigator that they had lost touch with and we set an appointment with her, the Rafael was home so we set an appointment with him, and then when we were leaving we saw an old contact named Jose and set an appointment with him so in total we got 5 new investigators this week! God is so good to us and I know this success isnt usual and so we are just really blessed. 

And finally investigator of the week goes to San Juana. She is the absolute best. She is this really, really nice woman with 3 kids and they started teaching her before i came but she has been looking for a church for her fmaily to attend but said that none of them felt right when she went to them but that when the missionaries came into her home she could just feel them. So they had taught her a few lessons before and we went over to her house and Hma Barrios and I both really felt like we should ask her to be baptized and so I did and she said YES! Probably in January will be her baptism and there is still a lot to teach her but we are also hoping that we can teach her whole family soon. 

All in all this is the most beautiful place in the whole world and God is so good. I know that he knows everything, our emotions and desires and strenghts and weaknesses and he gives us blessing after blessing. I love the Savior, that he has prepared the way for his work to go forth.

Mi Espanol es mejor cual es bien porque yo estaba muy preocupado que sera imposible para mi aprender el idioma y hablar con las personas pero yo entiendo mucho y todas las lecciones yo se que cosas estamos hablando acerca. Estoy muy feliz. Las personas aqui son mejor. 

I love you all so so much. Be good, be happy, be well. 

Hma. J

Katelyn on the Coast viewing the Rock

 Sister Barrios and Sister Johnson

Katelyn at the Portland Temple

 Portland Temple