I saw the sun this week! It was awesome! Also I heard for
the first time this week, the alarm that goes off when someone's sewage tank is
full, and what that smells like. That was not as awesome.
The most spiritual thing this week was the lesson we were
able to have at our bishop's house last night. Bishop Hardy is one of the most
spiritual people I have ever met, and it was so comfortable being in his home
for dinner. After eating, Sis. McFaul and I shared our favorite scriptures that
help us to keep on keeping on when things are really hard. She shared Alma
26:12 and talked about how it is our God that gives us strength and success,
and I shared 2 Nephi 4:19-20 and talked about how especially when we are
travelling through the wilderness and drowning in the sea, our God will always
support us. We talked about a quote by president Hinckley, something like
"Each of us is a product of the lives who have touched ours", and how
by just sharing our experience with the Gospel, we change people's lives. As
missionaries, we get to see the results of a simple kind word, or a kind deed,
or a kind friend, who reaches out to someone else in a time of need and gives
that person a glimpse of Christ through them. That inspires people to search
for more, and that leads them to salvation. We invited bishop's family (and now
I am inviting all of you!) to just share with someone how this Gospel, the
fullness of it, has changed your life and helped you through the hard times. It
was the most amazing lesson I have been a part of on my mission, and I know
great things will come if we will just open our mouths and share how grateful
we are for the knowledge of our Savior!
Ok I'm really sorry to do this, but I'm changing gears, and
we're going to talk about the really gross thing that happened this week. You
have been warned.
Once upon a time, Sister Johnson showed up at a lady's house
and lived in her basement with a sister named McFaul. Every morning in the
shower, Sister Johnson wondered why there was always an inch of water on the
floor of the shower, since the drain was so big. Theoretically, it should have
been able to drain anything. One day she got tired of wondering, and finally
asked Sister McFaul why the shower did not drain fast enough. The answer was
"I don't know, Sister Taylor (the home owner upstairs) just told us that
the drain clogs easily. We can get Draino on Monday". Well, that answer
was fine and all, but it did not solve the problem. So Sister Johnson made her
way to the bathroom, grabbed the plunger and tried the trick her mother had
once taught her about drains. Upon realizing it was probably a bigger problem
than she had expected, Sister Johnson called over Sister McFaul, and with a
flashlight, discovered what looked like a dead mouse stuck in the drain. But lo
and behold, t'was not a dead mouse, but an eternity's worth of disgusting
sisters' hair, that merely smelled like a dead mouse. With a plastic bag for
armour, and 2 plastic forks as weapons, Sister Johnson courageously wrestled the
cat-sized hairball out of the shower drain. And ever after, the shower has
drained correctly, and there has been peace in the land for many moons.
You are all very welcome for that story. It is true. I shall
attach a picture as proof. Because, as my brother Matt once said (well, 400
times said) "no pictures, no proof".
Otherwise, this week was pretty normal! I'm excited for this
area, and am very grateful we don't share a car with anyone because it is far
too cold to ride bikes or walk. I'm bracing for winter. I hope you are all
doing so well! I love you all!
Love,
SIster Johnson
Pics! The hairball, of course.
Also a funny we got at training
Aaaand this is the crazy home of an investigator we have.
Her husband hunts everything, and has to display it. This is a legit mountain
goat in the living room.
And I made stew!
Sarah Nov 14
THIS WEEK WAS AWESOME DO YOU WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT??
Of course you do :)
So last week I was going along and felt really frustrated by
a lot of things and I kind of hated everything. Which was no good. And then I
finally decided to get over it, and Sister McFaul and I talked about everything
and worked everything out, and then we started seeing the most amazing
miracles.
On Thursday night during planning, I made a joke looking at the
potential investigator list (this list of all the people that missionaries have
talked to and thought might be promising), when I saw this name "Connie
& Fam", and said "Maybe all the Connies are prepared, lets go try
her (because we're already teaching a Connie). We traveled down this dark,
dirt, pot hole riddled road to this creepy trailer park. But sister McFaul felt
like we should keep going, so we did. And then we found Connie and Rita, her
daughter, and they are both so, so prepared to hear the gospel. And they were
so happy we came to help them. And we all cried and we felt so blessed to have
found them, especially since we'd almost turned back. It was a "fourth
floor, last door" moment. :)
AND THEN that night, the elders called us and had set up a
lesson for a part member family out in our area for us. Boom, there was another
investigator.
AND THEEEENNNN the next morning, we thought "lets go
try this potential, Katrina. Since our recent convert's name is Katrina, and
all the Connies are prepared, maybe all the Katrinas are prepared too."
And you know what happened? She let us in and we taught the Restoration and she
invited us back this week. #blessings
AND THEN we went to see our recent convert, Katrina, on
Sunday night. We started out kind of bummed because they'd invited this part
member family to eat dinner with us, and they last minute couldn't come because
it was their mother in law's birthday. BUT Katrina comes and gets the door and
says "So we have someone for you to teach!" and we were like
"what? no way!" and then she introduced us to Travis, who is one of
her long long time good friends who's looking for solid beliefs and for change.
And he soaked in the restoration and is excited to read the Book of Mormon and
find out the truth for himself.
We are literally beside ourselves with happiness, it has
been the most amazing weekend of my life, and we can hardly believe we've been
so blessed.
It just goes to show that Heavenly Father really knows what
he is doing, and He really does prepare and take care of all his children. All
of these people have crazy past stories, and they're all in such different
places. And yet, all of them have come to want this same thing: the gospel. And
they've all been prepared to hear it. :)
I love being a missionary. This week has been miraculous and
I'm pumped to be here with Sister McFaul. She's amazing. Woah I'm just so
happy.
I hope you all have an amazing week! :) Love you all!
Sister Johnson
Sarah Nov 21
Hello again! :)
This week was really great! We got to go to the temple on
Tuesday with a whole bunch of ladies from the ward, and it was beautiful. I
love the Spokane temple, it's so little :).
Then Thursday we had interviews with President and Sister
Dymock, which is always lovely. They just know how to inspire and uplift
everyone, and I loved talking to them.
Oh! And last P-day we went shopping at Value Village
(basically a nicer Goodwill), and I finally got some winter boots and some
fleece leggings! Yay for warmth!
This week we also were invited by President to try to meet
with every single active member of the ward and share the Church's new
Christmas Initiative with them before December 1. We are just a tad stressed
about it, but we're doing our best! So far we've met with.... exactly 4
families. But that's ok because our ward mission leader is going to help!
Speaking of which, the teaser video for the Christmas thing is out, and you
should all go watch it and start planning on those 25 days of service! The full
video will be out the day after Thanksgiving, and it's so fantastic! We got to
preview it a few weeks ago, it made me cry. #LighttheWorld :) mormon.org/downloads
We had stake conference this week too! And Elder Massimo De
Feo of the seventy came and spoke to us all about missionary work. A few things
that really stuck out to me was when he said "The way we define people
will be the way we treat them", and talked about how his daughter on her
mission in France called investigators friends, instead of investigators. It
was a really cool shift in perspective. Also another paradigm shift was about
how Satan is happy when we are more comfortable in meetings than we are
inviting people to church. We are not a threat to him when we're in meetings.
"Inviting the one is more important than any meeting in the church"
is a direct quote from Elder De Feo. It was a good reminder than as comfortable
as it is to study and discuss and plan with missionaries, it's more important
to get out and do the work we are discussing, because Satan is all too happy
when we just discuss. It made me recommit to working hard, which was
great!
Also, in case you all wanted an update, Sister McFaul and I
have been invited to 7 Thanksgiving dinners, and they're all with this crazy
enthusiastic holiday people. I am going to be nice and plump this season.
Woot!
I love you all! I hope all is well, and Happy Thanksgiving!
:)
Love,
Sister Johnson
Also here are some cute pics from this week. :D
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