Knock on Wood!

Another incredible week! It has been so fun to be training! I love it!!! I feel like I'm a big sister again (which is something I miss every day!). It also can be stressful....I have never been so tired in my whole life! 

The Holy Ghost

I'm learning more and more about how ESSENTIAL the spirit is for us to learn ANYTHING. I've learned that if you want to have the spirit you gotta

- be worthy (repent often)

-be humble (the spirit always tells me i'm wrong...so I gotta be humble)

-seek it

-recognize it!

When I can't feel the spirit its usually one of these three things, and for our investigators it is exactly the same! For example, we are teaching a man named Armando. He reads the scriptures every day (like 2-3 chapters), prays, and comes to church. He's been doing this for months! Why hasn't he been baptized? He says he doesn't feel God could love him personally. The only way he will every know that God does love him is through the spirit. But, he says he doesn't feel the spirit! All he says he feels is a "peace and calm". Oh brother.  So we have been working with him like CRAZY to help him recognize that "peace and calm" is the spirit! We had a lesson the other day and of course the member started getting in his face about doctrine and talking over him. Things got so tense that finally I had to knock on the table and say, "sorry, but the spirit isn't here so we can't continue. If you would like we can sing a song and invite the spirit back". But nobody else was down so I had to remember the words to I am a Child of God in spanish all by myself. HAHA I really got myself in a hole there. But all worked out, the spirit came, and he definitely started to recognize the spirit!! Score!

So the other night, about an hour before we had to be home, we pulled up to a less actives house to drop in for a visit and I felt like we shouldn't go in. The weird thing is that I could see the family walking around inside...there was no reason to cancel! But we said a prayer asking for guidance on what we should do. I asked, "is there someone in this area who needs a lesson right now?" The spirit dropped a bomb on us! Someone in our area needed a lesson, and we had no idea who it was. We just started driving for home. I turned on a road where I knew a few people and that's when the spirit told us to stop...in front of the house of an active member from the english ward. WHAT? WHY? haha we knocked the door and inside was some relatives of theirs who just got in from MEXICO! We said, "We are here to teach you about your family's church". Sure enough, the family sat down and at the end of the lesson the mom said, "nothing will stop me from being baptized!". 

Knock on Wood!

PABLO IS GETTING BAPTIZED! okay...i'm jixing it. But, we announced it at church, and Pablo was there...so pretty sure he's down! The only thing is he has cancer really bad and he could get sick at any minute and miss his baptism this Saturday! Cancer sucks!!!! But, the coolest thing is that Pablo believes that God will help him figure out the purpose of his struggles if he gets baptized. So much faith!!!

We found a new woman named Maria! She is the cutest. We were trying to contact a referral when across the street we saw this lady saying goodbye to her grown-up kids. As the kids drove away we approached her. She was so surprised to see girl missionaries! After making friends for a minute she invited us in. We taught her about the Book of Mormon and she said it seemed really interesting. 

We came back the next week and Maria welcomed us into her house with so much love!!! She asked if she could feed us anything and we said no. But she went to the kitchen anyway! So we agreed to quesadillas if she would show us how to do it. Long story short we wound up eating:

-4 quesadillas

-a giant bowl of gourmet guacamole

-3 fajitas

-some mexican sausage and egg thing

-pasta

-and nachos.

Not to mention she filled three bags of food for us and the elders, and she has never met them! (Dad...she is literally the girl version of you hahaha) 

 Guess what fam...i ate it all. All the flour, and pasta, and grease...I ate it. And I was so full I dreamed I was pregnant that night. BUT I did it for the GOSPEL!

After she tried to kill us by overfeeding us, we taught her the Restoration. I have never felt the power of the First Vision so strongly. She started CRYING! That has only happened a couple times on my mission! But Maria started crying. She said she hasn't cried over a thing in years, and she isn't even sad! She couldn't figure out what was happening. (cough cough...it's the Holy Gost)

She told us she KNOWS it is true and she will be baptized as soon as possible! We gave her a date for 3 weeks out and she asked if she could be baptized sooner! 

Maria came to church and all was well until....she signed her name on the food calendar. lol.

Joel is awesome. When we first met him he was way drunk and way depressed. He actually lives above Pablo (who ironically just kicked Joel out.) So Joel was about to be homeless when we met him and has about 1,000,000 problems that he will tell anyone about. But, this guy loves God. He has always done his best to keep the commandments and read the Bible. Long story short, he knows the church is true and he CAN'T WAIT to be baptized. The cool part about this story though is the members! Every day Joel sees a member. People have gone to help him find a new home (in our area), negotiate contracts, have a visit, give a blessing, teach about the church....a bunch of members even helped him move on Saturday. Get this- we as missionaries didn't ask for any of it! The members just saw a need, the word spread, and did it!!!

I have heard several times from our investigators "I know the church is true because the members are happy. They practice what they preach." I hope when I come home I can be a good member...I used to be so lame! But how powerful is it to just set a good example and serve. You never know how much of an impact you are having.

It Happened Again

Just thought I would throw in a follow up to last week. This week at church the Sunday School teacher asked me to sing. He had actually translated the entire article of mom's into spanish! So cool! He read the whole thing. And then he made the connection that "Hermana Johnson" is one of the kids from the article and had me sing. Mom I can't tell you how powerful it is! The whole room was in tears! Countless people have told me that the article has had an impact on them. Even my companion had read it before she met me! 

Honestly, these moments are some of the most powerful in my whole mission. I love my family and I miss them like crazy. How unique is it to sit in church and have the talk be about my mom? And then have the speaker look right at me and tell me that this all will be worth it? And then have the whole ward say a prayer for my mom? I feel soooo blessed. Not every missionary gets this. MOM YOU ARE AWESOME! KEEP BEING A MISSIONARY! You ROCK! Thank you for your faith and your willingness to share. If we keep this up, the whole El Paso stake is going to be praying for you!

Love you all!!! xoxox

P.S. Hermana Garcia is complaining that I talk in my sleep...buttt IT'S IN SPANISH! Heck ya. nothing to complain about. that is a straight up WIN

Faith

What a week. On Tuesday all of a sudden Hermana Thompson was gone, and Hermana Garcia was here and I had to be in charge and I was like WHOOAAA slow down. I first met Hermana Garcia at a church 45 min out of our area where I was supposed to pick her up. Turns out she speaks English! In fact....mostly english! She just knows spanish cause her DAD is from Guatemala. Anyway...I pick her up, I start driving/ trying to get to know her, and next thing I know we are accidentally driving through the mountains toward Mexico. OOPS lets just say it took us a couple hours of driving "scenic highways" to get back home. So that's pretty much who I am. I'm sure that story doesn't surprise anyone. That wasn't the only time I have goofed this week and it won't be the last. So I have been praying my GUTS OUT that Heavenly Father can some how make me a trainer even though I'm actually Annie Johnson. The only thing I do know how to do is work, so that's what we did as soon as we got home. I think Hermana Garcia has been worn out because we have seriously worked relentlessly! I CAN DO IT We have been working with J (one of our newer investigators) a ton. He has involved himself with the church so much right off the bat! He is at all of the meetings, service projects, and activities! He's sooo awesome...the only thing is that we need to teach him the things to know before he's baptized! Last night we taught him the word of wisdom. When we explained he needs to stop drinking he got very sad and serious. He explained that drinking is his only escape from how lonely he feels. We asked him to pray about it, and after the prayer he was just sobbing. He said he doesn't know if he can stop. Right then I had the prompting to get up and leave! I was like WHAT NO! But that was what the spirit said...so I said we needed to go and we got up and left. (Hna Garcia just followed me...perks of being the trainer?) He was still crying and looked so shocked. I told him to look up a video from Elder Holland and then we left. I felt so bad leaving him like that, but sure enough, ten minutes later, he texted us and said "I CAN DO IT!" I don't know what happened in those ten minutes...but my testimony of the Holy Ghost grew. And I was sure to tell Hrn Garcia that normally we shouldn't just walk out on them...ha. Miracle For the Greenie On Hermana Garcia's first day God gave us a miracle! After teaching what was Hermana G's first lesson ever we were walking back to the car, in the dark, reviewing how the lesson went. I opened what I thought was our car and it turned out to be THE WRONG CAR with a ton of fancy equipment and stuff in it. We shut the doors so fast and started walking to the other end of the block where we had ACTUALLY parked. (anybody who has ever gone anywhere with me has seen me try and get into the wrong car. This is something I really wish I could change about myself. Also I wish I didn't pocket dial people so much...I pocket dial several times a day and have even called President a few time. It's terrible. Anyway.) So we have almost made it down the road back to the car and this lady pops out of the darkness SO MAD. She was DEMANDING to know why we got into that car back there. She was so fired up and was yelling at us to call her daughter (the owner of the car) to verify that we didn't steal anything! I said "Of course, you can use our phone. Sorry it isn't that nice, we are missionaries so...." She stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh i'm so sorry I can't believe I..." And so she went on apologizing. I gave her a big hug to help her calm down. Really she was just a nervous mom! Within seconds she was telling us all about her struggles with life, and God, and purpose. She kept apologizing in between monologues of her life story. She kept saying "why am I telling you this? Why did I chase you?" So of course we told her exactly why....:) I don't know if anything will come of that, but I was SO THANKFUL that God gave hermana Garcia a miracle to get excited about. And I'm thankful that God can use people like me to do the work. Miracle For ME In this past week I have felt so many things change. I have so much more urgency and I'm exhausted all of the time. Above all I have felt my prayers change. I know I can't do this alone...and I know that there is only one person who can really help...so I've been talking to Him A LOT. At church I was sitting in sacrament with Hrn Garcia and J, watching the door for our other 5 investigators who committed to come, but nobody did. I was getting really discouraged. I really just wanted to chill. Just to see my family... and I had the weirdest desire to just sing for a sec! Overall I was kind of losing hope that anything that we are doing is making any difference. I was sitting there praying and searching the scriptures for answers...I felt dumb because I didn't even know what I was praying for! I just needed a boost! Then, one of the high councilmen (who is in our ward) came and pulled me aside. He said he would be speaking in another ward in the next hour and he wanted to use my mom's ensign article. He wanted my permission, and of course I said yes! He then asked if I could sing something so of course I said yes. I hate singing in front of people, and my throat was so sore I was barely talking... but I was pretty desperate for a change of pace, so I said yes. So we sat down in the front row of the meeting...Hermano Escobar (that's his name) began to talk about women of faith. He gave so many great stories and examples of keeping faith through trials. He was crying...everyone was crying...his words of faith were SO POWERFUL. Then he said he would like to close with a story that he read in the Ensign. He had translated Mom's story into Spanish so that he could share it with the ward. He began tearing up as he talked about Mom's faith. He said so many beautiful things about mom that I don't even remember (someone else recorded it so I'll translate it and tell y'all later). But really, it was awesome. It was exactly what I needed to feel close to my family and remember why I am out here working so hard. How did the Lord answer my prayer so perfectly? Then he started talking about the fruits of her faith, her 4 musical kids. My heart flipped upside down...I hadn't put two and two together but I knew he wanted me to sing right then...which meant It couldn't sound bad because he just read, out loud, the lie that my mom put a world wide church magazine about me being a "singer". He said, "One of those children is Hermana Johnson....and she will now sing." This sounds dumb, but standing up to sing was a HUGE spiritual experience for me. I had been sick all week...and I wasn't planning to sing...and I had never sung How Great Thou Art...let alone in Spanish. SO basically the odds were stacked. I did my usual and prayed my guts out. I always say in my head right before I sing "Fear is the opposite of faith". Then, when my heart miraculously stops POUNDING and something, somehow comes out of mouth, I know that Heavenly Father is there. My heart was still pounding as I got up to the first chorus and somehow I felt like God wouldn't help me hit the note...so I didn't haha. I literally pictured in my head the image of Peter sinking and reaching out to the Savior. I felt my self refocus on the Savior...and the whole world stopped! All of the sudden I was having more fun than I ever have had singing! And I didn't feel sick anymore! I felt like I was bearing my testimony! I had no fear! Everyone was crying and I felt like somehow everything that we go through to help people feel the spirit is worth it. But we can only do it through faith. Fear is the Opposite of Faith After I received that PERFECT tender mercy I asked myself, what will the title of my life be? Fear or Faith? I started out my day in fear. Fear that I'm not good enough, that our work isn't paying off, that my family isn't okay....but isn't that silly? I know that God can do ANYTHING. He has a plan! But how is he going to help us if we have fear that He can't do it? Who am I to be "afraid" that God can't bring miracles to the work? Why did Peter start sinking as he walked on the water? Cause He was afraid. If I sink in life it isn't because God wasn't standing right beside me, it's cause I wouldn't reach out in faith. I promise that faith WORKS. It can carry you through anything! Pretty soon we will all be looking back and have the chance to say, Wow...I did a lot of scary stuff. But it was WORTH it cause Heavenly Father did it WITH ME. Mom, don't you think it's worth it? Think of all the people you have helped! Some ward in El Paso was almost entirely moved to tears because of the example you have set! You have taught people all throughout the world how to have faith! What could be a more important calling in life? "And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles util after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God." -Ether 12:18 Love you all!! xoxoxox

Transfer News

Transfer News: Hermana Thompson will be going to Santa Fe in a trio, and Hermana Johnson will be TRAINING 

When I got the training call from the president I literally had to sit down. I am only THREE MONTHS OUT! I was like "are you sure you didn't mean to call Sister Johnson (because there is an english Johnson haha)" but he meant to. I just feel very humbled. There are 20 other qualified Hermanas in the mission and only one new Hermana coming in. Heavenly Father probably told president to give me the greenie cause I have a LOT to learn. Or maybe this is all a sick joke....I don't know. Whatever the reason is, I am SO excited to train. I literally don't know anything and my companion is from Guatamala (probably doesn't speak English) but its all good and soooo exciting. I'm mostly excited because I know that I will have to rely on the Lord a ton and that I will be able to grow my relationship with Him. 

This week has been SOOO awesome. Great way to end my time with Hermana Thompson. Here are the highlights:

-We showed up to D & M's (the couple who has been seeing the missionaries for over 3 years and still hasn't gotten married so they can be baptized) and we were determined to lay down the law. We were fully prepared to tell them that we can't teach them anymore. But then a miracle happened! Daniel told us that they are getting married on the 13th!!! So we threw down the requirements for baptism. We told him he needs to live the Word of Wisdom and do all this other stuff. He walked right outside and threw away his cigarettes...JUST LIKE THAT! It was awesome. He is having tons of withdrawls but has a ton of faith that he will get through it. SO SWEET

-We went to teach or investigator P who is 70 and has cancer. He wants to get baptized but just needs a little push. He also has been super sick so two awesome returned missionaries in our ward gave him a blessing. 

-We met this guy that lives above P. His name is Joel....this guy is AWESOME. Hes sooo buff and scary looking but in our first lesson he was sobbing. Literally doubled over. He has SUCH a hard life...just everything is falling apart. But he loves Heavenly Father and believes that the gospel will heal him. He came to church the next day and loved it. He also took 20 minutes to introduce himself in priesthood...and he always tries to hug us...but ya know. Just technical difficulties.

-Church was amazing. Picture this: on the back bench of the chapel was Joel, me, Pablo, Hermana T, then Armando. All three of our bomb investigators showed up and the best part is they are all neighbors! They didn't even know they were all meeting with the same missionaries! I literally felt like I was in one of those sweet missionary stories where they convert a whole village. But in our story it's just the corner of a random street...and it's just 3 old men. But STILL it was awesome!

-Hermana Thompson had to say goodbye to the ward. We both gave testimonies and everyone was crying. She really is so loved here. I'm going to miss her like crazy!!! We laugh alllll day. We show up to lessons laughing, teach together will all our energy, and then leave laughing. We have SUCH a good time and we have been working so hard. I feel like I've made a best friend but even stronger than that. I'm sure by how it sounds that you might think we are similar and natural friends...but we are actually very different. We have had to work at it at times but, it's working at it that made us so strong! I will miss the times like being in a lesson and knowing the spirit has something to say and then hearing the exact words come out of her mouth. She has taught me to get on my knees for everything. It's not uncommon to hear her crawl into bed after a half hour or hour of praying. I've also learned so much about showing love. She loves EVERYONE and shows so much compassion. I could go on forever, but i'll just say that we have grown to love and trust eachother completely.

-And on a sad note, Gibran moved. He started praying about his baptismal date (yesterday) and that night he got a job offer to go do tile for Denny's restaurants across America with his supppperrr bad influence brother. He thought that was his answer...but we know it was the enemy. He told us that he will "have" to drink in his new job, won't be able to go to church, and won't have time to read. He told us that he KNOWS that he needs to be baptized, but for now he needs to chose money over God. I asked him "could you say that to God's face?" He said no. Then hermana Thompson got really bold and explained that he was taking advantage of Christ's suffering by planning to repent later. Gibran had tears in his eyes. Then his Jehova's Witness brother walked in, who usually is undoing all of the progress we make with Gibran, and said "Gibran you were praying for answers and they knocked on your door. They are your answer. I don't care if you take the job with me...you need to do what's right. The only reason you can't confidently be baptized yet is because you haven't been reading and praying like they told you to. You need to pray again." The conversation went on for another hour. We gave it everything we had to try and help him. 

As we said goodbye you could see the pain in his eyes. It was so sad to see him allowing himself to make this choice. He asked "will God ever find me again?". We said, "That's not how the gospel works. The question is, will you ever find God again.". </3 (that's the best I can do for a heart break emoji)

So, the point is....don't mess with God's plan. Read the scriptures, come to church, and say your prayers like you are supposed to. If we get too far away from him we find ourselves in the midst of darkness, torn between temporary happiness and eternal happiness. That's a scary place to be!

Thanks for all of the love and support! I pray for you guys daily!!! Have an awesome week and enjoy the snoooowwwwww

xoxoxox

I Read The Book Of Mormon Yesterday!

I really did. Our mission President asked us to stay in all day and read the Book of Mormon front to back. It took 18.5 hours. 6:30am to 2:00am. We sat all day and read as fast as we could! I only got up to grab a snack and one other 15 minute break. But it was SO WORTH IT!

Honestly, if anyone wants to learn about God and how to find true, lasting happiness, just read it! A few of our investigators are SO CLOSE to baptism, and it is all thanks to the power of the Book of Mormon! Part of the reason why it is so powerful is because it takes action on our part to open and read. When we put for that action we are showing faith that God is there...we are inviting Him to teach us. I know, with everything in my heart, that whoever reads the Book of Mormon with full intention to act on it's words will receive an answer from the Spirit telling them that it is true. And when you feel that it is true, act on it's teachings! If you have anything hard, confusing, painful, incomplete, or difficult happening in your life I PROMISE that the Book of Mormon is better than any medicine, therapy, product, solution, compass, or vent session. I'm putting my name on that promise because I know that it is the truth. 

God wants to be in your life. He has a plan for YOU that will give you nothing but pure joy in this life and the life to come. I know that it is possible to feel like you are in the arms of Jesus Christ. I know what it feels like for Him to take away your guilt and give you a new start! And I know that all of this comes from action. Read it, pray about it, and don't give up or give in until your Father in Heaven tells you that it is true or false. I PROMISE that you will find what you are looking for!

This week really has been amazing. We worked SO hard on our investigators. 3 of them are supposed to get baptized this week and I honestly have never fought face to face with Satan so hard! They are all under attack like nothing I've ever seen before. Pray for Gibran, Daniel, and Pablo. These guys are so important to God. He NEEDS them in His kingdom. No wonder the enemy is working so hard on them! (If the gospel wasn't the way to be close to God, why would Satan care? Just another reason why I know that this is God's work.)

This week was full of growth for me. We had a couple exchanges and I learned a lot about being bold and listening to the spirit. I'm glad that missions are so long because I have SO FAR to go. 

This is potentially my last week with Hermana Thompson. Transfers are on Monday and I really have no idea what is going to happen! I'll more than likely get an AP call. (kidding) Stay tuned!!!

Hermana Johnson xoxox

PS. Read the Book of Mormon. 

Christmas Miracles!!!!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we didn't have a lot of plans because our investigators had plans with their families. So, we got a few members together and went caroling during the day. It was really fun to visit our investigators and sing for them. Then we went to a rest home and sang for the sweetest people in the world. We had a referral for a very sick man at the rest home so we visited him first. He couldn't talk at all, but he nodded saying that we could sing. After we sang we stood by his bed and talked about Jesus Christ and God's love for him. It took all he had, and made him cough a lot, but he said a very sincere "thank you". It took so much for him to just say thank you, and it taught me more than I have ever learned about the importance of gratitude.

 Later that night, we went to A's house (our super sweet old man investigator who is the literal light of my life) and he had us sing to and teach his whole extended family who was visiting from Juarez. Several of them asked how they can join us for lessons weekly and we helped them get information on how to take the lessons. It was a literal dream come true to teach a whole room of people who were absolutely loving it. After, they all got in family groups and had us pray for them. So sweet. 

Later on, one of our brand new investigators told us we could go sing for her neighbor that night at 7. So, of course, we went back. We sang for their whole family and taught a lesson about Christmas and Jesus Christ. It was so incredible! We asked them if they knew anyone who would like a visit and they pointed out two houses on the street. We went to the first house to find a huge family gathering! They invited us in and we sang to and taught a lesson to over 20 people! We left them with a prayer, and then that lady personally walked us to another neighbor. This neighbor had an even bigger family!!!  They invited us right in and we taught over 30 people about Jesus Christ and left them with a prayer. It was crazy. People were videoing the whole thing as Hermana T and I just stood in the middle of the room with our scriptures open. So crazy. Then that neighbor sent us to another neighbor's house and the night went on with caroling and tons of teaching. By the end of the night we had taught over 75 non members, in spanish, full lessons about Jesus Christ. 

After that we literally ran down the road skipping and freaking out cause we had literally had the best night of missionary life EVER.

Christmas

First of all, thank you EVERYONE for your gifts and cards. I have never felt more loved!!!! I have the best family ever! 

After presents we went to church where we sang a song and got more presents! haha I can't imagine being in a better ward. The best part is that they are beginning to trust us a lot! Several people  have been offering up names of their non-member family members, and others have been getting really involved with our investigators and befriending them. So cool. LOVE THIS WARD.

It was super fun to talk to my fam on Christmas! You guys all look so good and happy:) After I turned off the computer I felt more motivated and excited to missionary work than ever. So, we went and visited a referral from the bishop. A woman in our ward boundaries was dying of old age and her nice (who is a member) flew into town from AZ and had called our bishop to see if the missionaries could come and visit. We went over and were blown away. I have never seen someone so close to death....it was really eye opening. Several couples and children were gathered around this sweet lady's bed. She had flours on her chest and everyone was crying. We sang several Christmas songs for the family and they all were hugging and swaying. It was such a tender moment. The woman who had invited us over asked us to sing I Am A Child Of God, and to explain what we believe. That's when we realized that we were in a room of non-members! As we did so the spirit came into the room SO STRONG. 

As we were leaving a man came and hugged us...oops....and said he is very impressed and wants to be part of our church. MIRACLE! He is so excited to take the lessons and become a member...and he doesn't even know anything about the gospel besides how it makes him feel. So cool.

Then....MORE MIRACLES!!! sorry this is long....haha...but the night just got BETTER! As we left the house we asked if there was anyone else who we could go visit. The woman referred us to her neighbor who is an old man sick in bed. She called her 20ish son and his girlfriend to walk us across the street and introduce us. This young couple was so sweet and willing to serve. We were really, really impressed as they knocked on the neighbor's door, introduced themselves and us, and then came in with us to visit the man who was sick. The man was very sick and disfigured and had a hard time talking. His wife has him all set up in a hospital bed and everything. We weren't sure if he even wanted us there...or if he even spoke spanish...but we started singing anyway. All of the sudden his face LIT UP! he started dancing around (which looked more like thrashing haha) and trying to sing! We sang song after song! He was so so happy to sing and dance with us. The young couple didn't want to sing but they videoed and danced too. I couldn't believe how much happiness was in the room! We left him with a message and a prayer, and as we walked out the couple really opened up about their journey with God. The boy told me that his friend was Mormon and passed away, but this friend of his was always so happy. They asked if we could teach them about the church and pray over their relationship. SO COOL! I can already picture them at the temple!

So, after such a great weekend I'm sorry to say that the call home didn't even make me a little homesick. I know exactly where I am supposed to be and I am so thankful that I got to be a representative of Jesus Christ for Christmas!!! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!!

Scripture of the week: 

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." -Alma 26:12

Hope everyone enjoys their vacations!!! Go out and serve!!! Love you! xoxoxoxoxox

Poco a Poco

This week in El Paso has been incredible!!!

We started out the week by hearing from a member of the 70, Elder Pearson. He really got us excited about the work. He reminded me that the gospel isn't just for "some people". It is for EVERYBODY! We are all God's children and he has restored the true church of Jesus Christ for ALL OF US.

The Gospel is the Medicine!

 So, that night after the meeting we showed up at an appointment and the guy wasn't there. We were so bummed out. We knocked on his door, the windows, the garage...nothing. Then I remembered that we had met someone the week before who lived on the same road as our canceled appointment!

Last week we were walking up the road and saw an old man (P) working on his car battery. We walked up and started talking to him. He said he has cancer and is going through a lot of pain and struggles. He said he has already talked to Mormon missionaries before and he needed to go inside because it was too cold out for him. Sister Thompson read him a scripture about the healing power of Christ, but he was still being a grump so we left. Well, P popped into my mind after this appointment canceled. Sis. Thompson looked at me like I was crazy...and I felt kind of crazy...we knew that P was a grump and not interested. But, we knocked on his door and were surprised to see his face light up! He invited us right in! He told us all about his struggles. He has so many health problems. The guy has almost died FOUR TIMES! He started crying....he said that when he saw us walking up to his car last week he thought to himself, "Are those angels?". He continued to tell us, with tears streaming down his face, that he believes we are angels come to help him. He asked us why he has so many trials, and why he has been given so many chances to live? "What have I done wrong? What is God trying to tell me?" 

We told him that he didn't do anything wrong, and that he is a son of God. As he began to realize his true identity his tears continued to come. He spread out a blanket on the ground, we all got on our knees, and he prayed to his Heavenly Father for the first time. The prayer was so unbelievably beautiful. The spirit was SO strong I can't even describe it. 

We went back later in the week. We walked in to find a book of Mormon on his table. The missionaries had given it to him 30 years ago. Don't tell me that God doesn't prepare people to hear this message....The gospel is TRUE and He wants ALL of us to have it!

Heavenly Father Hears our Prayers!

This week we talked to everybody we possibly could. Turns out a lot of people "already know the word" and "got saved a few years ago" and "don't know anybody who could use anymore happiness"....uh-huh.....anyway. We talked to 53 people who weren't interested. At the end of a really long, but really fun day of getting shut down (i'm serious it was actually fun and happy....don't know how but missionary life is just awesome) Hermana Thompson thought of a woman who she met knocking doors the week before I got here. 

When Hermana T and her old companion knocked on L's door, L asked them to come back later because she was about to have a baby that week! L's name came into Hermana Thompsons head so we went to her house and knocked on the door. L invited us right in! We met her three month old baby and one of her 4 young sons. She told us that she has been really struggling after this pregnancy. We sat down and began teaching her the same thing we taught P, that she is a precious daughter of Heavenly Father and he LOVES her. We asked her if she has ever prayed. This is what she said:

Several years ago her son broke his arm. The doctor re-set it and said that he would be in a lot of pain for the first day. That night her son was crying in pain. He couldn't sleep, and neither could she. She prayed to God and asked him to help her son to sleep. Immediately her son stopped crying and fell asleep. She looked over to his bed as she drifted to sleep and saw two arms, dressed in a white tunic, wrapped around her sleeping son. She rolled over in bed, full of peace and amazement...trying to figure out if she was dreaming or not...and saw the refection of a face in the window. She described it as a glorious face. 

We were amazed by her story. The spirit was so strong as she told it, so we knew it was true. We invited her to pray again, out loud, but she was very nervous. We opened a pamphlet to a page that had a simple guide on how to pray. She bowed her head and offered a beautiful prayer. The spirit filled the room. After she closed the prayer we sat in silence. She was holding her baby close and kissing her. Nobody wanted to break the spirit. 

Hearing someone pray to Heavenly Father, after learning who he really is and how much he wants to listen to us, is the best experience in the world. 

She opened her eyes, and closed the pamplet. On the front cover of the pamplet is a picture of Jesus Christ coming out of the tomb. His arms, clothed in a white tunic, are extended outward. She paused as she saw it, "Those are the arms...I'm certain those are them!" 

Then she said again, "I know because that is the face I saw! I saw his long hair, and his beard, and that face! That is him!"

"Do you know who that is?" We asked. She didn't. We explained who Jesus Christ is, and that he is her Savior, brother, and friend. (I don't know what really happened that night when she prayed, but I believe that whether she dreamed it or really saw what she says she did was an answer from God.)

She has set a goal to be baptized and wants to learn all she can to prepare.

Poco a Poco (little by little)

G is progressing really quickly. He has started to recognize the spirit as an answer to his prayers. It is really interesting teaching a Jehova's Witness. They have a lot of beliefs that don't line up with ours, so we just have to slowly and gently teach him the truth with a lot of love. We had a lesson on Jesus Christ last night. We showed him the "Because of Him" video from last Christmas. G said something like, "I knew most of that...nothing new...but when I saw the baby Jesus, I felt something. I'm not sure why, maybe I never pictured  him as a helpless baby because we don't celebrate christmas. But that is really special...he was just a helpless baby." 

Every one is getting excited for the holiday! I'm mostly excited that D and M finally have time off to plan their wedding! I can't wait....we have a wedding on Jan 13 and a baptism on Jan 17! D is so ready and can't wait to finally get baptized. Keep him and his fiance in your prayers!!!

Couple weeks ago we went to find a woman who was baptized but never comes to church. We knocked on the door and a 16 year old girl answered. We asked her if she knew the woman we were looking for. She said, "ya that's my mom, but something happened and we won't see her for a long time." 

We went back this week and found out that her mom is actually in jail, She and her three younger siblings are cared for by her dad and his sister who recently moved in. She is a very serious girl and her siblings are much more care-free. You can tell that she is in so much pain and is just trying to keep the family together while their mom is gone. We had a really awesome talk and she said she would love it if we came and taught her and her siblings the gospel! I know that if anything can ease her burdens it is the gospel! (oh ya...none of them are baptized...muahahahaha) 

Other Updates

We are loving the holdiay season. It's so awesome.

I've eaten 900,000,000 tamales and none of them are as good as Estela's. 

I asked my neighbor if I could sit on his bike and take a picture...so here is a picture of me sitting on Samuel's bike. HAHAHAHA now we just need to teach Sam the gospel. 

I love you all!!! <3

xoxoxoxox

A rough timer pic of us eating tamales and canned food 

"everyone's houses have these annoying projected lights on them. So ugly...but they made for a funny pic"

I Just Have To Talk About The Savior Because Christmas!

This week we knocked on someone's door and talked to him about Christ. He didn't believe, and he didn't want to believe. We left his doorstep in tears thinking about how tragic it would be to not know you have a Savior. All he knows is the craziness of the holiday season and a world that is cruel, unforgiving, and unfair. 

Christmas isn't about toys, bonuses, wish-lists, or time-off. It's a celebration of the most important event in the history of the world! Christmas is a time to think about the birth of Jesus Christ. 

This event was so important that every prophet in the Bible and the Book of Mormon testified of his coming and his mission. One of my favorite prophesies of His birth is in Nephi's vision:

"And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the son of the Eternal Father!" 

Alma said: "For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all--for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." -Alma 7:7

So why is this the most important event of them all? Because of the life that Jesus lived. He was born so that he could live, and then die, for us all. 

"Yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who SHALL COME. Yea, remember that He shall come to redeem the world."

When Christ was on the earth he taught, lead, healed, and loved the people. And then, he died for them...and for us...and for every person who has ever lived or will live. He felt every pain, and suffered every sadness. But, I know, that this wasn't the end. He overcame death and was resurrected! HE LIVES. He lives so that he can teach us, lead us, heal us, and love us. He is our Savior. He really did come to redeem the world. HE is the WAY. He is everything. 

"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me. Behold I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin. Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved." -Jesus Christ (3 Ne 14, 21-22)

The invitation to COME is for all of us. He has given us a gift of peace, hope, and healing that is free for the taking. All we have to do is COME. 

So how do we COME?

 -It all starts with faith. We get faith through the scriptures, prayer, and attending His church to be nourished.

 -Then we repent. Repentance isn't bad, or hard. The word "repentance" could be replaced with "Seeking Christ's love", "Running to His arms", "Becoming more like God", or "Coming to Him". It is an action that we do to show Christ that we want to feel the power of his atonement. We want to come to him. 

-We also witness and testify of Christ through our baptismal coveneants. Whether it is the fist act of being baptized or partaking of the sacrament each week, all is an opportunity to come closer to him. 

-Then we recieve, honor, and protect the gift of the Holy Ghost, who tells us all things that Christ would have us do. 

-And finally, we endure by continuing to come to him through faith and repentance. 

This season is a time we have to think about the miracle of Christ's birth. If he wasn't born we would have nobody to run to, nobody would understand us, nobody would be able to make us clean, and at the last day nobody would be there to be our advocate to the Father. 

My invitation to my family is to not spend this season as the sad man who we met on his doorstep. Don't forget the reality of Christ. Don't forget His birth. And, don't forget to COME.

"Come, my bretheren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. 

Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness. 

Behold, my beloved bretheren, remember the words of your God; pray unto him continually by day, and give thanks unto his holy name by night. Let your hearts rejoice."