SISTER SARAH JOHNSON - 2/12 - First of all...

First of all, shoutout to my littlest siblings for turning 13 yesterday! Because I love them and I only missed their teenage threshold birthday because I came back out here. Sorry guys. I've got gifts for when you get here though, no worries ;) 

Anyways, it was a good week! We got some good stuff done. 

Sister Hall went away.... A sister in the Ponderosa ward was a visa waiter for Zimbabwe, and she got her Visa on Monday and left on Wednesday! Because who wouldn't want to be in Africa asap? So Sister Hall gets to be over there in Ponderosa now. But not before we had an adventure together. Haha the elders had set up an appointment for us to go see a man named Lance that they met on a blitz last week. They'd given him a book of Mormon and he seemed super interested. But..... our members coming to the lesson found a sticky note and a book of Mormon by the guy's front door right before we showed up for the lesson.... it said "Sorry not for me". Haha I attached a picture, it's the first time I've had a book of Mormon returned to me I think?

Usually people just take them and it slowly eats at their curiosity for 20 years or something. Not for Lance though. We'll get him later. ;) 

Also there are a couple of pictures from the baby shower we kind of became the unofficial general managers for. One is of me and sis Cardon and it shows how tired we both were. It was a nonmember Samoan baby shower, and it was awesome!! But they literally demanded all day from us. It was long. 

OH also we got to go to YWs on Wednesday, and we got to make "bucket lists". We had 5 categories to make plans for, Spiritual, Fun, Personal, Family, and Personal. So I attached a picture of mine because I think they were pretty good goals. :) You're welcome. 

Church was awesome yesterday! Everything was about agency and choices and it was really inspiring. One guy talked about the root word of pesticide, insecticide, herbicide, etc. Cide means to kill or terminate. And then he related it to the word Decide, and how we need to decide what we're doing, and that terminates the other options. So as we choose righteous things, it becomes easier to choose righteous things in the future, because it eliminates the wrong choices we could have made. It was a really cool idea. 

Ummm..... otherwise this week was pretty basic. Schuyler came to church and that was SO GOOD! I think he loved it. Hopefully we get to see him this week, and he'll come again. :) He's seriously so awesome, I'm pumped to share the Gospel with him. 

Anyways, off to shop and play marshmallow dodgeball for reals. 

I love you all! Keep smiling, life is so good :) 

Sister Johnson 

ELDER MATT LEBARON - 2/5 - JPL

Hey guys! So I wanted to at least send something your way his week! First off I met the guy who invented the craft singles you out in your sandwiches, he owns a ton of the company, also he’s a member too! Less active but still a member!

 This pday we got the opportunity to go to JPL (jet propulsion laboratory’s) it’s run by cal tech, but they all work for NASA, we got a private tour, and had the opportunity of walking into the control center where all the space missions are operated. We saw models of all the mars rovers, and got to see the computers that controlled all of the different missions that are currently in operations, so cool! They control Hubble, Kepler, and pretty much any space operation you can think of. There is a member in one of the Pasadena wards that works there and hooked us up. I wish you guys could see it for your self.

The last picture is of me and brother craft. 

 

Anyways have a good week guys! I’ll update you about the

SISTER SARAH JOHNSON - 2/5 - I can hardly believe it is February already,...

I can hardly believe it is February already, and that I have been back on the mission for 2 whole months now! Just one month to go, and I'm sure it's going to fly by. I blinked and this last week just disappeared on me!

I have 2 cute new companions now. Sister Hall and Sister Cardon and I have had a lot of fun going out and talking to people. And of course, there has been a lot of laughter, because missions are boring if you're not laughing. We found 2 new investigators last week! Schuyler (pronounced Skylar) and Tony, and they are both super promising. Schuyler especially was exciting to find though. He came to us as a referral from a friend, and straight up in our first lesson with him, he was all "I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day, and I just opened to a verse (it ended up being 3 Nephi 26:17-21) and it talked about baptism, and I think it's a sign God wants me to be baptized in this church". I admit, that is absolutely the first time I've showed up for a first lesson, and someone had already been reading the Book of Mormon, much less wanted to be baptized. WE ARE SO EXCITED ABOUT IT. We got to teach Schuyler the Restoration of the Gospel that day, and later on we got to share the Plan of Salvation, and it's all just been so fun, because he's actually really into it. Pray for Schuyler, he's super cool! 

I made a transfer goal this transfer, and it's to eat better. And I just wanted to report to you all, that I had fruits and veggies every day in my new area. And Sister Hall has tried everything I've made, and either I'm a pretty alright chef, or she's a really good liar. Here's to 6 more weeks of better eating and food adventures! 

Also this week, we have made contact with a bunch of people who used to have missionaries over, and half of them set up appointments to see us this coming week, so that's been awesome. It's probably been one of the most productive weeks of my whole mission, if I'm honest. We all felt so good about our work this week :). 

It's been kind of cool to be in this particular tri-panionship. I've been out what, 17 months now? And Sister Cardon has been out 6, and Sister Hall has been out about 5. They call me the Senior companion (which I guess is accurate because sometimes I feel like I"m 80 years old out here). But as a senior companion in my last transfer, I've really focused a lot on what I have to offer these sisters here from my experience as a missionary, and what I have to offer the people here in Dishman Mica and Bowdish before I head back home for real. It's been really inspiring and motivational, and I've found a lot of purpose and happiness in looking at things that way. It's made me pick out my talents as a missionary, and actually use them, and work on my weaknesses. It's just been really cool. It's amazing to figure out how to use the Atonement of Jesus Christ in my everyday life. I'm not perfect at it by all means, but I think I'm starting to get it. It's really just about developing all the good things we like in ourselves, and slowly cutting out the things we don't really like in ourselves. But mostly it's a focus on the good things :) because God loves us no matter what. And when we understand that He really does love us, we naturally want to become better. IT"S AMAZING OK. THE GOSPEL IS TRUE. 

Here are some pics from the week! 

The first is Sister Carson. She emptied her pockets to find the house key. This picture documents the things missionaries carry in their coat pockets. Can you spot the key? Haha 

 Also I got to see the Hermanas again! I bought an hermana tag so I can blend in with them now;) 

 

 We've also been updating our digital area book. Someone wrote this on a record where elders didn't report any lessons. Bad missionaries >:(

 Aaaand here are the three of us chilling at the family history center, because we were slackers this week and have no pictures of our adventures together. 

Anyways, I love you all so much! Keep your chins up, life is so good. :) 

Sister Johnson

SISTER SARAH JOHNSON - 1/29 - Hello friends and family! :D

I have some news for you! 

I am being transferred! 

Back to where I came from!

And elders are taking over Grangeville! 

So I'm going to go be in a tri-panionship again, this time in the Dishman Mica and Bowdish wards in Spokane East. My new companions will be Sister Cardon and Sister Hall, and it's going to be one crazy adventure. I don't know my address yet... but I'll be living literally down the street from the mission office, so anyone who wants to send me mail, the mission office will probably be just as fast as sending things directly to me :). 

This last week had some good highlights in it. 

Monday was a bummer because the elders all the way in Orofino had an early dinner scheduled, so there would be no point to driving 4 hours round trip to see them for an hour. Oh well. So we stayed home and pretty much did nothing for pday, which was kinda nice too I guess. 

We got to finally sit down and teach Janet a lesson on Wednesday!! She and Cowboy are our favorite people, they are just so awesome. She came to Grangeville, and we got to share the Plan of Salvation with her. She really liked it :). And then on Sunday after church, Cowboy came to the regional conference broadcast with Brother Knutzen, and we got to teach him the Plan of Salvation too! Now they're both on the same lesson. They are literally the sweetest people. And Cowboy, without us bringing it up, said he will get baptized into this church because the scriptures say to, and he wants to!! The elders sweeping us out better take good care of them, and go to Elk City all the time to see them, because I'm going to come back and haunt them if they don't. These people are golden!

We actually got to go back out to Elk City on Thursday :). I just love Elk City. If I could serve just in Elk City, I would be so happy. The people out there are just a different kind of fantastic from city folks. They're a trip. I love them all so much. Brother Knutzen even fed us grilled cheese sandwiches, and Cowboy shared elk burger with us. Everyone was just so nice. We also got to take lots of pictures, I'll have to send some :). 

Otherwise this week consisted of a lot of Chocolate Dyno-Bites cereal, packing, cheering up some elders, and seeing everyone to say goodbye. Grangeville is sad to see sisters go... but we keep telling them the elders are going to be awesome! 

So here come my 14th and 15th companions in 13 transfers. Am I the crazy sister? Probably. But who doesn't like a grand adventure, right? Maybe I'll hold the mission record for "most companions" haha. 

Anyways, I love you all! Keep smiling and sharing your light with the world :). 

Here are some pictures, 

 

 

one's of the snowplow who basically saved our life by plowing in front of us the whole way to Elk City :D. 

 

Also a picture of us with Cowboy, Janet, and Brother Knutzen :).

 

 Of course you all needed a car selfie. 

 

 

And a pic of the scenery :) we have one of the most beautiful areas. 

 

 Me and Sister Sonenstahl and the sweet icicles that hang all along the highway to Elk City 

 

 

 And a picture from last night when we went to see Ryan and Quentin, a couple of our investigators in White Bird. Ryan is the one without the face mask haha. 

 

 And a picture of us and the Elk City Tank. 

 

 

And of me with all the turkeys by Bro Knutzen's house haha. 

 

 

Sorry here are some more pictures off of Sister Sonenstahl's camera :)

We did a puzzle over the last week, and it kept us sane. Isn't it awesome? It's 1500 pieces :D 

 

 

 

And a picture of Jammie and Pete, some of our favorite recent converts :)) 

 

 

 

And a picture of our district at Sis Sonenstahl's last district meeting ever! :'(

 

 

Sister Johnson