SISTER SARAH JOHNSON - 6/20 - Hello all you cute people!

It's been quite the week, for sure. Complete with 2 mini exchanges with the YSA sisters, interviews with President Dymock, having family night with Anastasia and Johnothon, learning to make tamales, a taco social, and a new investigator! Things are good in Plummer this week :). 

So.... I guess I"ll start with the family night, because it was super cute! We did this "stepping stones to Jesus" kind of Gospel lesson, using Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End as steps to get to Jesus on the other side of the room. It kept Anastasia's kids pretty involved, and it was really simple and fun. And we got to eat some really, really good Mexican food. Let me tell you, I have gained weight in Plummer solely because Anastasia cooks food fit for the Celestial Kingdom. I am not even kidding. No regrets. 

Tuesday we got to go out with a girl from our Branch, TaShanna! She drove us all over Tensed and Tekoa, and we got to meet some really good people. We even made cookies to take to some of her neighbors. :) We met a guy who lives in the old Sanders store way out in the middle of nowhere, and he was the sweetest old guy. We'll have to go back and see if he's interested in learning more about the Gospel.... he insists he's Catholic, but so was my dad, so I don't take that as a very good excuse ;) haha. 

On Thursday we got to teach Johnothon the Plan of Salvation, which is absolutely my favorite lesson to share. There's so much to it, but I love the hope it gives people. Johnothon said he loves how our church just really aims at helping and building families, and it all about how it can help that unit to get back to Heavenly Father, instead of how families can help the church grow. It was a really cool lesson. He seems to be understanding pretty well, and Anastasia loves having us over all the time, which is really nice. 

FRIDAY I LEARNED HOW TO MAKE TAMALES, PEOPLE. There's one bucket list item I can cross off. Sister Nance and I went over to help make them for the taco social on Saturday night, and we had a lot of fun just talking and making tamales. Anastasia and Johnothon both asked some really good questions, and we had a good Gospel discussion going :). And they even gave me their secret ingredient.... and now I can be a tamale pro almost as good as Anastasia someday! She made me promise to make them sometime on my mission, and to never give away the secret ingredient... sorry guys. But I'll make you all tamales someday :). 

Saturday I went on a mini exchange with Sister Nickle, and we got to help Melody paint some shelves for her new craft shed. Melody is this super eccentric lady who is very passionate about her crafts.... but we had fun! Haha it's good to have weird things to do on exchanges sometimes. After Sister Hartman got back home, we went out to the taco social for the Plummer Branch, and it was a success! Anastasia brought her family, plus her nephew and his family, and it was really nice :). She brought some of the tamales, and they were gone so fast. It's hard to pass up a good tamale. 

SUNDAY we had a little miracle! Anastasia had said we could come over Sunday morning and they'd steam us a fresh batch of tamales for ourselves to have, so we planned on studying a little before, and then following her family to church. During my studies I found this short little story in an older Ensign about the sacrament (here is the link! it's good!  https://www.lds.org/ensign/2015/12/the-last-sacrament-cup?lang=eng ), and I really wanted to be able to share it with Anastasia and Johnothon before church, even though there wouldn't be a lot of time. So I brought the Ensign with me, even though we got to her house a little after 1:45. Turns out, she had felt so sad and lonely, and said she felt like her light was gone, and she just couldn't face going to church. I pulled out my little article and read it to her, and at the end said 'I don't think its a coincidence that I would find this during my studies and think of you", and within 5 minutes we were out the door heading to church with her whole family. The whole way to church I just prayed we would be able to get there in time for Anastasia to take the sacrament, because that's what she really needed to feel ready for her next week. And just as we walked into the church building, the sacrament bread started being passed. We made it with seconds to spare. Guys, the Spirit works in funny little ways, and you just have to roll with it! I am definitely a witness that God takes us at our weakest points, and turns that around for both our good and the good of others. It's incredible that everything just worked out, and she felt 100% better after church was over. I love this work! 

Oh! And yesterday I found a kindred spirit, and a new investigator! Sister Williams in our Branch is basically the older Jennika, and we get along so, so well. I just love her already. And she has a grandson who is 9 who wants to be baptized so badly! So we taught him the Gospel yesterday with his 2 little brothers using the same lesson we shared with Anastasia's kids. It was super cute and surprisingly spiritual for being with a 6, 7, and 9 year old. He is solid, I'm so pumped to teach him. At the end we admittedly played their favorite game with them, which was like this war game with all these plastic guns. Haha it was the most fun of the day, and they thought we were pretty cool playing with them. Sister Williams took a picture of us, but we're still waiting on her to send it. I"ll have to send it when we get it :). 

Anyways, we're going to the temple today! Thats why pday was moved.... sorry! But I hope you all have a fantastic week :) I sure love you guys. 

Sister Johnson 

Here are some pictures! I don't really know what happened... but all my pictures from like, my whole mission got deleted on my memory stick.... so that kind of stinks. But here are a couple! One of a sign on our Tuesday adventures,

 one of Ana's kids with my name tags on, and Allison is the baby who crashed the picture :).

 And then a picture after we painted at Melody's :).