Happy New Year

Dear family,

still no sign of the package I sent? I sure hope it shows up this week. It was good to see those of you who could make it on skype- especially the nieces and nephews. I definitely miss them more than anything and can´t wait to get back to share my adventures of Spain with them and play with them this summer.

It was a really gratifying week. I don´t know if you´ll remember when I´ve talked about Matthew and Joy and their son Samuel, but they finally let him get baptized. They couldn´t get the water warmer than pool temperature (bad news in December in Huelva), but he came up smiling and gasping and saying, "Estoy bien!" He´s such a good kid.

Mercedes came to church again, and still wants to be baptized this coming Saturday, but it´s been hard to teach all the lessons during the holidays- we´ll see if she can be prepared in time.

Gustavo passed the sacrament for the first time yesterday, and the relief society president told me after that Sandra was crying as she watched. I couldn´t stop smiling at him- he´s still growing so much in the gospel. He invited one of his friends to take the discussions, and his friend said he´d like to, so we´ll meet with them in Valverde this week. Natacha, of course, is doing fantastically and flourishing in young women´s.

I had another lesson in Sherwood forest (sorry to those of you who weren´t on skype- you´ll have to get the story from those that were) on exchanges with my sister training leader. She thought it was such an adventure and bore with me as we taught a lesson in the rain in the woods. She took one or two pictures on her camera, so if she sends them to me I´ll send them your way.

Ana is progressing a bit- she finally read the reading assignment we left, but we´re having a hard time helping her understand a few concepts. Her granddaughter Rocío, though, I feel is just on the point of a big change- she finally gave the prayer without trying to pawn it off on her sister Erica, and was really interested in what she read and was a bit hungrier for more. Keep them in your prayers- they´re also a very good family.

I´m glad that the next holidays I´ll be with the family, but I´m also glad I have this time to teach my more distant brothers and sisters the thing that has shaped my life for the better, and that offers the greatest hope that exists. 

Have a happy new year, family, and thank you for everything!

Love, Hna. Johnson

Feliz Navidad

Dear family,

this past week has definitely been a week of miracles, but I don´t want to tell you all of the stories in this email since I´ll be talking with you on Christmas, and if I haven´t got stories, you´ll all be bored with me repeating how amazing missionary work is.

Just know that these next few days, Hna. Daines and I will be listening the the Messiah incessantly (is that how you spell it? I´ve forgotten), and that I´ve been enjoying opening your letters and pictures every day. I´ll take a picture of the Christmas decorations you´ve sent me so you can see just how much they´ve livened up my piso.

We have good plans for the next few days- we´re not tracting Christmas Eve or Christmas, but several members have invited us to spend time with them, so we´re excited for that. We´ll be with the family of the returned missionary that served with Mark on Christmas Eve, and skping home from Rosamari´s house on Christmas day. Tonight we´re visiting Sandra´s family- unfortunately Juan Carlos says he doesn´t want to listen to the missionary discussions yet. Sandra gave both of us a Christmas present to put under the tree, so there´s that to look forward to, as well as those that I´ve received from home.

It´s such a beautiful time of year. We members of the church promise to remember Christ every Sunday when we take the sacrament, but many don´t have the same opportunity, and now, the whole world lists closer to our Savior. Take this chance to share more of the blessing that we enjoy with those who do not have it, or have left it to the side.

I love you all, and am so grateful you are my family. I hope to see as many of my siblings and nieces and nephews as can make it to Mom and Dad´s house on Christmas.

Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn´t come from a store- maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter! Happy Christmas, Ron. And God bless us every one.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Finding Week

Dear family,

this week we´re having another special goal as a mission- back when I served in Málaga, the goal one week was finding 555 new investigators- this week the goal is 800, and I´m so excited. Hna. Daines and I have been working like the dickens this past week, having a bit more direction. I think we´re finally using the keºy indicators to help us use every minute wisely, and I´ve absolutely loved constant contacting. We used to be more selective, even though we were contacting much of the day, but now we really do talk with everyone and I can´t tell you how good it feels to be putting in 100%. I never knew I was a workaholic- I liked kicking back with a book or a movie, but putting everything I have into something like this is addicting, and challenging and fulfilling. Anyone reading this wondering about going on a mission? My vote is GO.

Gustavo was confirmed this week, and it was so lovely to see the whole family in church again. Keep Juan Carlos in your prayers- I really really want to see this family get sealed in the temple someday. I was so happy when Sandra reached over to touch my arm after the confirmation and say, "Gracias por todo, Hna." And my natural man really wants to claim this family as my success, but I know better, and am so impressed constantly by Sandra, and by the way the Lord helped her come back to church. Am I slightly obsessed with this family? No. I´m very obsessed with them.

It´s also been wonderful to work more with the members here to help them in their missionary work- to rejoice with Pilar and Ma Angeles when they gave a copy of the Book of Mormon to their friends, and to prepare to visit a friend of Rosamari´s with her on Tuesday. The work is growing here so much, and the ward is participating more and more. A cute 14 year old member named Ana came with us to an appointment yesterday, and I think she really liked it- she wants to serve a mission.

We´ve met some fascinating people this week, and I´m excited to tell you about the new investigators the Lord puts in our path next week.

I love Christmas, don´t you? I taught a lesson the principles of the gospel class about the atonement of Christ- what an incredible event! It´s the only thing that makes sense out of all we lose and suffer in this life, and of all the wrong choices we make. Christ is our Mediator, and I love Him more than anything. I´m so grateful I can serve, no matter how inadequate I am.

I sent an email to Dad telling him the details on calling home, so get in touch with Mom and Dad to plan, but if all goes well, I will probably be skyping home at 10 am Utah time- let me know if there´s another time that works better by next Monday so we can adust our plans.

I love you all and am grateful for everything you do for me. I´m enjoying opening the 12 days of Christmas package you all put together under Annie´s direction, and finding letters and pictures every morning. It definitely helps a tired girl get up :) You´re in my prayers- I love you!

Love, Hna. Johnson

P.S. Let me know if my Christmas package reached you!

I Done Chipped My Favorite Tooth

Dear family,

yes, I chipped my front tooth- it´s not too bad, but my vanity is wounded- what vanity I had. 

Other sad event this week was the loss of my wallet, which is making things a bit tight financially in our companionship while we wait for the replacement card. I was definitely blessed though. I had taken out a fair amount of money from my personal card to put together a Christmas package for the family, and left the money in the wallet for a day or two before I felt a very specific prompting i should leave the money in the piso. I ignored it for one day, and the next received the same impression. This time I listened and put the money away, laughing a bit to myself thinking, "What, am I going to lose my wallet or something?" ... 

I definitely learned that what is says in Preach my Gospel is true- that God wants to help us in our specific and practical challenges, and I´ve definitely had my testimony in personal revelation strengthened. 

Gustavo was baptized on Sunday, and I was a bit sad that the font water wasn´t warmer than pool temperature (and it´s cold now in Huelva), and that not many members showed up to the baptism. He was very happy though, and gave Gabriel Manotas a huge hug after coming up out of the water, with a big white grin. He brought 5 friends to the baptism, and we´ll see if we can meet with any of them when we go out to Valverde again. Juan Carlos (the dad) told a member that it won´t be too long until he´s baptized too- lets see if we can meet with him with his work schedule how it is!

Sandra received a calling in the church as second counselor in the YW presidency- I raised my hand high to sustain her- I couldn´t contain my happiness. She is so incredible, and I admire her immensely- her decision to come back to church of her own will and to guide her family to Christ as well changed my life as well as those of her family. I´m so happy for them.

I received a package from home this week with pictures of the family (now up on the fridge, like a real home), and a little Christmas tree with ornaments with the faces of every member of the family- I can´t tell you how grateful I am for it. It´s incredible what a little Christmas tree does to help one feel as if it really is Christmas. The package was perfect, mom, thank you. 

I love this season, and I´m grateful I get to spend it this year teaching people of Christ and His restored gospel- make sure you share it with someone- we all need it, and we are the lucky few that have it. Please share it!

I love you all very much.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Pictures: me and the Christmas tree and presents- how lucky I am to have my presents stacked higher than my tree this year! Gustavo´s baptism, and Hna. Daines and I with the primary- no one can play the piano in our ward, so I had to relearn in order to help them with the program.

Hna. Daines

Dear family,

it´s been an interesting week with a new companion and a pretty bad cold. Nothing to worry about. Every person we´ve visited the last two days has tried to cure me with home remedies. Lots of lemon, honey, questionable medicine, herbal tea that I think only passed my gag reflex because I could taste next to nothing. Not better just yet, but one of these things has got to work, right? 

Hna. Daines is a drastic change from Hna. Brown. Hna. Brown was pretty shy about talking to people, and Hna. Daines has no fears, and greets everyone with a booming "Hola!" and speaks up in lessons as well, even if her verb conjugations haven´t gone quite past infinitive yet. She´s got plenty of energy, so I´m sure we´ll get lots of work done. The heavy snoring has been remedied with the purchase of earplugs. 

Things are going well. Gustavo is still preparing for his baptism on the 8th. He still has problems reading the scriptures, since he hates reading, but one night we read a chapter from the Book of Mormon with the whole family (in Alma about the army of Helaman), and I asked him what he thought about it. He said he actually found it interesting and would like to read more. There was a stunned silence and then Sandra said, "BIEN." we got a good laugh out of that little miracle. It was so nice that night- it reminded me of reading the scriptures as a family at home, and I really felt just as if I was at home for a moment. 

We had a lesson on temples one evening, and Juan Carlos (the father) unexpectedly had the day off, so he was there for the entire lesson. Since he´s only been to church once, and hasn´t been able to come to most lessons (but knows the doctrine from his family), I asked him what he sincerely thinks about the church. He said after a few moments thinking about it, "I believe that the church has to be the true church. I believe all of its teachings." I was so shocked to get such a strong answer from him, and so happy- he said we just have to be patient with him because he comes from a strong catholic tradition (in his family), and that even though he believes our teachings, it will take time for him to be baptized. In that lesson, the whole family agreed to have a goal of going to the temple once they´re all baptized and being sealed.

I cannot explain just how transcendently happy this makes me- there isn´t anything to describe it. This is the reason I left home and the people I love- to help others be forever with the people they love. This work is beautiful, and I´m grateful to be a part of it.

Christmas is coming- have you accepted the apostle´s challenge to bring someone to Christ for Christmas? Do it!

All my love, 

Hna. Johnson

Feliz día del pavo!

Dear family,

I am happy to report that I will be staying here in Huelva for at least one more transfer! Hna Brown is leaving to serve in Alicante, and I know it will be so good for her to be with a native companion who came from her group, although her spanish has improved a ton. Hna Daines (who came in Hna. Brown´s group) will be my new companion- she´s a very enthusiastic girl who doesn´t care what others think about her, and I´m sure she´ll help us pick up a bit on contacting, although we´re in a good rhythm again.

I´m thankful to stay here for many reasons, but there are a couple of big ones. I´m glad I´ll spend the holidays with people I know and love, and will be able to visit and take care of the people I know will have a hard time this holiday season.

I´m also glad to stay here to work with Sandra´s family- Gustavo wants to wait for his baptism until the 8th so his dad can be there, and we´re pleased as punch. We had a lesson on Joseph Smith, and his testimony of the restored gospel is really growing.

I´m also happy to continue to cultivate this patch of the Lord´s vineyard- the work is growing immensely- we were just one lesson short of the mission standard this past week, where this area has usually only had half that. We met an incredible family this week that has just been waiting to hear about the plan of salvation. We had an amazing first lesson with them and are so excited to see where things go.

This week my testimony has definitely been strengthened that this is the Lord´s work, and when we do it in His way, we will be able to be instruments in His hands.

I´m still enjoying reading the Book of Mormon so much- right now I´m in Alma around chapter 60- there is so much to be learned even from the stories about war in the Book of Mormon. Not only has this strengthened my testimony because no man like Joseph Smith could have invented such a book, but because it teaches eternal principles so clearly, and I feel the truthfulness of the words every time I read it.

I´m grateful to be here. I´m grateful for this work and for the chance I have to be so deeply involved in it. I´m grateful for the people who help us, and the people we teach. I´m grateful for the gospel in my life, and for you as a family for raising me in it and for being examples to me. I´m so grateful that none of us have fallen away, and that I can look forward to an eternity with you so long as I live worthily. I´m grateful for the present moment, and for the good moments to come. Thank you all so much.

Love, 

Hna. Johnson

P.S. Eat a lot of rolls with jam. And potawatami (sp?) jelly.

Natacha's Baptism

Dear family,

this week really was a week of miracles. We were still in rest mode with Hna. Brown´s knee, but the good news is, the doctor thinks the problem can be fixed immediately with a shoe insert. We were still able to teach a good number of lessons, and so many people came to church this week- including many of the less active families we´re working with. The best surprise was seeing Cristiani in church- a woman who hasn´t come to church since nearly a year ago. She´s making huge changes in her life for her son Nikolas, and I´m just as excited for her as I am for Natacha.

Gustavo wasn´t quite prepared for baptism the past week, and likely won´t be ready this week, but I have faith he will be in the weeks to come. Natacha, on the other hand, was more prepared than anyone I¨ve seen so far. 

When we passed over the baptismal interview questions, instead of answering simply yes or no, as the questions require, she would say, "I believe so, because..." and proceed to explain in great detail the doctrine behind the questions. Her responses were impressive and deeply heartfelt. One of my favorites, though, had to be the response to the question, "Have you ever committed a serious crime?" She paused for a moment and said, "Well, yes, once." When our jaws dropped open she finished. "When I was six, I stole a piece of gum." I explained through my laughter that maybe, just maybe with the help of the bishop she can even be cleansed from that sin.

Funny reprise: when a member gave a talk on faith, repentance and baptism at the service, she mentioned that before being baptized, we need to repent of our past sins. Sandra, Natacha´s mom, leaned back in her chair to make eye contact with me and we both mouthed, "Chicle" (gum). 

She was so sweet about the baptism before and after. In her prayers before, she prayed that the day would come quickly. Afterward, she gave a prayer in the principles of the gospel class, and thanked Heavenly Father for providing a way for us to be cleansed from sin in a matter of moments. 

The work is going so well, and it makes me really sad that I´ll likely be leaving this transfer. And on that note, make sure that if you send letters for the next week or so to send them to the mission office. 

Thank you all for your love and support. Make sure to reach out to less active members in your wards- the rescue is just as important as the search. 

Love, Hna. Johnson

Us with Natacha

With Gabriel who served with Mark

Angelica, a ward member

With Gonzalo

With Angelica, one of the elders' investigators

This Week

Dear family,

It´s back to the piso with the knee problem- a little Hna. Coloma replay. Hna. Brown got an MRI this week for her knee, but we won´t know what the problem is until the next Dr. appt., which the mission nurse needs to set up, hopefully this week. Until we know, the Dr. said she should be resting, so we´ve only been able to go out to fixed citas- no tracting for us, which is hard on both of us, especially now that we´re really in the swing of contacting.

I had one funny contacting experience. There was an Ecuadorian woman I wanted to contact on the bus, but she had her back to me. I prayed for a chance to talk with her, and just then saw a spider in her hair. I reached forward to tap her shoulder just as she started talking on the phone. I waited, thinking it´d be a short call, but no, and our bus stop came and went, and she was still talking. As she stepped off on the next bus stop, I got off with her and said, "Um... you have a spider in your hair, do you mind if I take it out?" She nodded, and I caught it, but then she walked away still talking on the phone. I was super disappointed, but then the next day, we saw her in a completely different part of the city and were able to contact her. Whether she becomes an investigator or not, I´m so glad that God answers prayers.

Things are going well with Natacha and Gustavo. We found out Natacha´s dad, who´s also an investigator (although it´s hard to ever see him), couldn´t come yesterday, so we rescheduled her baptism for the 16th with her brother Gustavo. They´re such good kids. We finally got members to take us out and stay for the lesson in Valverde, which is what Sandra needs especially- she´s shy like her kids and really needs some love as a returning member. The members were enchanted with them. We taught tithing this week, using a huge bag of candy to teach it. After we´d finished, I asked them what they thought about the principle. Gustavo, without hesitation said, "Es muy rico." (It´s delicious). What a kid.

We had a miraculous day yesterday- we worked with some less active parents last week, and three less active families came (or at least brought their kids) to church yesterday, after months (or years) of inactivity. Galicia, the primary president, went into happy fits each time we opened the door to bring another kid into the primary, and kissed our cheeks liberally afterward. Also, a really cool Ecuadorian woman (from Guayaquil, Jon!) came from the Elders´area. She´s been to the church in Ecuador before over ten years ago, and has friends that were baptized, but never committed herself. She´s going back to Ecuador this month, but she kept talking about how good she felt in the church- that it was just what she needed, that she was going to follow with it when she went home, and bring her family with her. I´m so happy for her, and for the missionaries who will work with her.

I´m very happy right now, even if we´re not out as much as we´d like. It will be even better when we can really get back to the street and finding. Please reach out to less active members- they need more fellowshipping than investigators, and it´s hard to come back. So, that´s you´re homework.

This church is true- and there isn´t any small part of me that doubts it, or that doubts the existence and divinity of Jesus Christ.

I love you all, and hope all is well with you- thank you for all you do for me.

Love, Hna. Johnson

November

Dear family,

things are going well. Natacha is preparing to be baptized this Saturday, and grins as pleased as punch whenever we bring it up. Gustavo is really progressing- he´s finally reading the Book of Mormon on his own (it´s better when we give him interesting reading assignments instead of expecting start to finish, like Natacha, who´s a reader like me), and praying on his own. Following up on commitments is so important. We´d pretty much grown to expect Natacha to say she´d done her part, and Gustavo to duck behind his Book of Mormon with an embarrassed smile and say he hadn´t. But we asked how their prayers were going and Gustavo surprised us by saying bashfully, "Actually, something interesting happened on Monday." He told us that he was sick and prayed to feel better, and almost immediately, the pain went away. His faith still isn´t quite as strong as Natacha´s, but it´s incredible to watch it grow.

I don´t know if I mentioned it or not, but it´s getting cold here in Spain- who knew? The good news is, they sell freshly roasted chestnuts on nearly every street corner. Have you ever had them? If not, I suggest you have some this Christmas season. Even though Hna. Brown and I still haven´t figured out if you´re supposed to eat the ashy outside or not. We eat it anyway.

There´s not much else to say for this week- we´re working and looking for more investigators, as always. Keep praying for my companion´s knees- they´re getting worse, and we´ll probably have to go to the doctor this week for her. Deja vu! 

Oh, I might be in love with the 3 1/2 year old son of one of the members. His name is Gonzalo, and not only have he and his sister created a theme song for Hna. Brown and I, he calls me "guapa" about every day I see him. The other day he spat in the chapel during a ward activity and I knelt down to tell him that we don´t do that in the Lord´s house. His eyes got big and he held my face very seriously as he said, "But God doesn´t live here. He lives in heaven." I told him God has a lot of houses- in heaven, and on earth, like the chapels and the temples. He looked at me thoughtfully and asked, "Conoces a Dios?" (Do you know God?) I said yes, and he nodded approvingly. "Sí. Eres muy guapa." As if that summed it all up. I´ll attach a picture of him and his sister with the beetle we caught.

I love the mission, even the hard days, and love working with all my heart. I love reading the Book of Mormon, and learn something from nearly every phrase I find. Take care, everyone. Love you all!

Love, Hna. Johnson

Good Morning Huelva

Dear family,

I don´t feel so well just now, so I don´t know that this will be a very long email, but no worries, I´m sure it´ll pass.

Things are going well here. I feel like every day we live our potential a little more fully as a companionship. We talk to people all day and invite everyone to learn about Christ. We´ve definitely been led to some incredible people this week, and I´m pretty excited to see where it will go with them.

Sandra´s family is going well- we´re in a tiny bit of a rut with them, but I think we figured out the problem last night during some companion study, so hopefully we´ll get some more direction on how to address it and help them progress and develop a more personal relationship with Christ. 

The most exciting thing happening right now is the changing attitude of the ward in Huelva. When we first arrived, the members told us lightly that the missionary work was a bit "dormida" (asleep) in Huelva, and it was pretty true. Now that Hna. Brown and I are putting our whole hearts in though, we´ve been seeing more miracles, finding more investigators, including more members in the lessons, and helping the investigators attend church. When we ask members to pray for our investigators, or add more to their already existing lists, they begin to become excited, and talk about how they´ve seen a change in the work here. They´re more interested in us as missionaries, and in our investigators. We couldn´t be more pleased with this change, which makes us just want to work harder.

I´m so glad I´m on the mission right now. Once in a while I´ll think of a song I like, or a book I enjoyed reading, or how nice it is to be with the family, but it never makes me sad, because I know this time is short, and I´m enjoying every instant of it.

Thank you for your prayers and your love. I wouldn´t be who or where I am without you. 

Love, Hna. Johnson

Sunday Will Come

Dear Family,

when I wrote last week, Hna. Brown and I were pretty discouraged. No matter how hard we worked, it didn´t seem like anything pulled through- our progressing investigators had fallen through on coming to church. And as for other investigators... we didn´t have any.

We´re still luchando/tirando, as they say, but we´ve received so many blessings this week. I´m not sure if I ever made mention of it, but a few weeks ago we had to stop teaching the little boy named Samuel (with the less active parents) for some potentially hostile circumstances, and we were so disappointed- he loves the gospel, reads the Book of Mormon on his own and cries when his parents don´t take him to church. Anyway, we met his dad on the street by accident, and he apologized to us and asked us to come back and teach his son. Furthermore, the whole family came to church on Sunday.

We also found a new investigator who has the pinta of being a faithful investigator. He has a pretty sad past, and can´t even get in contact with his wife who left him, or his three adult children. He says he´s really been waiting for something like this. 

Things are going really well with Sandra´s family. We´ve been able to meet with them about three times this week, thanks to a little more help from the members. Natacha is preparing to be baptised November 2, and Gustavo... well, he´s reading from the Book of Mormon at least :)  and really has real intent. They are like a member family already- honestly, when they came to church this Sunday (back to that in a minute), they looked neater and more modest than many of the members, and definitely more reverent. Both Gustavo and Natacha have a really good understanding of what being baptised involves- they recognize that it´s a lifelong commitment, and they want to be sure of their decision before taking it. We have high hopes for them.

Sunday with them was good- we advised everyone that they were coming, so each group (YM/YW/RS) gave them a warm welcome. Despite the normal arguments in Relief Society and the lengthy talk on the evils of pornography during sacrament meeting, they all were happy- they said they felt very accepted- it brought back good memories to Sandra, and both Natacha and Gustavo said it wasn´t as boring as they´d anticipated. 

Just one more thing I want to share from this week. The mission involves such an intense sort of love. It´s the kind of love President Hinckley described when he said that love is an "anxious concern for the well being of another". It´s this anxious concern that drives me out into the street in the morning, and leaves me either exhausted and spent at the end of the day, or awake for hours worrying about these people. When Sandra´s family fell through last week, Hna Brown and I hit a slump that was hard to recover from, and when they came, our joy was so intense it left us breathless. I think so often of how easy missionary work would be if we only sought for numbers and a quantity of baptisms- if we protected ourselves from disappointment by not allowing ourselves to love so deeply. But if we didn´t feel this way, this work would have no heart, and no real purpose.

I have hard days, I have hard weeks, but I would embrace a hard 18 months if I can love and help just one family like this.

I know this is the work of the Lord, and that my love for the people around me is nothing compared with His. "[The Lord] doeth nothing save it be for the benefit of the world; for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him. Wherefore, he commandeth none that they shall not partake of his salvation. Behold, doth he cry unto any saying: depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth..." (2 Nephi 26:24-25) I know Christ lives, and I love Him more than I can say.

Love, Hna. Johnson

P.S. Sorry for such a long letter- just making up for last week :)

Finally Finishing

Dear family,

the big news of the week is that I´m staying with Hna. Brown here in Huelva this transfer, which means that after nearly 7 months as a missionary, I¨m finally going to finish my own training.

Things are... going. This might be a shorter letter home because there isn´t much happening. The Chilean family out in Valverde is progressing a little slowly- partially because we can´t get out to see them much, since it´s 2 hours of travel total, and because the bus schedule is really unreliable. We were stuck there for three hours the other day waiting for a bus that never came- some members had to drive all the way out from Huelva to save us. Hna. Brown and I were pretty disappointed when they didn´t come to church- the night before we´d called them and they assured us they would.

We received what looked like a golden reference from an investigator- a young spanish woman who´d heard about us and really wanted to meet with us. Like we always do when we first teach someone, we asked her what her expectations were from meeting with us. Her response? Learning English. 

Apparently there was also a woman that showed up to the church on a Saturday during a YSA activity, and told them she needed to fill her life spiritually and would come on Sunday. She didn´t show up, and no one asked her for her phone number or address.

On the bright side, Hna. Brown and I receive marriage proposals on a regular basis, so it would appear that I don´t have to worry about being an old maid.

Really though, we are contacting more and trying as best we can to set up appointments. Hna. Brown´s Spanish is improving. We´re reading the Book of Mormon as a mission, and I love what I learn from it every day- I know that it is the most correct book on earth, and that it is the evidence of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Keep us in your prayers.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Your Dad is so Cute!

Dear family,

I just had a wonderful conference weekend with my district. Our timetable was a bit different than yours because of the time difference. We started watching the morning sessions at 6 in the afternoon, and the night sessions from 10 to midnight. (No worries, we had permission to do so). I loved all the conference talks, and in particular Elder Ballard´s about missionary work (giving me courage to open my mouth more) and Elder Scott´s (or was it the other way around? Don´t have my notes with me) about the differences between weakness and rebellion. I´m not too rebellious, so that´s a relief, but I recognize my weaknesses more poignantly each day.

It was also nice to hear and see Dad this weekend (I mean... I had my eyes closed the whole prayer...), and to hear him pray for the missionaries, each one. After the prayer, Hna. Brown blurted out, "Your dad is so cute!" Yes, yes he is.

We began teaching Sandra´s children out in Valverde del Camino, and because of the way our schedule has been, have only taught them once this last week, but hope to visit them 3 times the coming week. The kids are so good- very respectful and interested in what we have to say- particularly the 15 year old daughter. She´s a reader like me, and was so excited when we handed her the Book of Mormon and explained the blessings she´d receive from reading it. I can´t wait to see their faces in church this coming Sunday.

We´ve also started a mission wide goal of reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover before the end of the year, starting today. In just the first few pages, I was taught so much from my study today. I really do love that book. The story of how it came to be revealed and translated by Joseph Smith is incredible- so much so that only the Spirit can truly testify of it´s veracity. One miracle of the Book of Mormon is that just that happens to so many people. In a world of skepticism, we all still have the spark of the light of Christ, and can know good from evil, and people are learning each day that the Book of Mormon comes from God.

Just maybe not too quickly here in Huelva- but we are trying, and it´s amazing how we see the blessings that fall into our hands from obedience and from effort. Hna. Brown and I were marvelling the other day that we honestly don´t see many of the fruits that come directly from our own efforts, but that when we do put our best foot forward, the Lord blesses us indirectly.

Thank you all for your encouragement, love and support. I´m doing well, and don´t need anything right now, but I would ask you all to get to know the missionaries in your area, to pray for opportunities to share the gospel, and then do it. I know you´ll see blessings in your lives and the lives of others as you do so- I see it every day, and there´s nothing more beautiful.

All my love, 

Hna. Johnson

With Sara, a young adult so willing to help

Gazpacho en ze Head

Dear family,

I´m doing well, although we still don´t have too much work. We set a plan for every hour, with at least two back up plans, sometimes three, and we go through nearly every hour and plan without too much success. I´m surprised that I´m not more discouraged right now- I know the Lord is helping me with that.

Another thing that helps is that we know that we´re working our hardest. Before, I was a little shy to talk to people in the streets, (which is weird, because I loved it in Málaga), but we had a great zone conference that boosted my courage and faith, and I´ve been loving it again. My favorite contact by far was this thin, older German man named Tobias that looked like he´d just woken up after falling asleep in the 70´s. He speaks German (obviously), Spanish (he´s lived here for 30 years or so) and English (lived in America for 5 years), but all with a thick German accent. He told us, "I am a mess vith oll uf tees languages. You know gazpacho? Es unt gazpacho en ze head!"

Speaking of great quotes, when we visited an old investigator family this week, the little 11 year old girl, Ramona got excited when she heard we were from America- she told us she could say something in English. After a moment of mental preparation she asked, " Do you like... sausages?"

We had a pretty cool miracle this week. The office called us with a media reference- a woman named Sandra had asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon and finding faith in Christ- we called her and set up an appointment to visit her in a pueblo about an hour out from Huelva. She seemed surprised but pleased that we were coming out to deliver the order. Upon meeting her, we found out that she was a (Chilean!) member that hadn´t been to church in many years, and that didn´t know there was a chapel in Huelva. When I asked her to offer the opening prayer, she started to cry, and told us that she´d tried to get in contact with the church again because she´d had a dream of two sister missionaries visiting her, but she hadn´t thought it would really happen- it´s a miracle because we´re the first sister missionaries in Huelva in 10 years. She wants us to start teaching her 14 and 15 year old children the missionary lessons this week (neither they nor her husband are members).

Other little things- it finally began raining in Huelva, and hasn´t really stopped being cloudy and drizzly. The problem is that Spain shuts down at any "extreme" weather- too hot? Everyone´s inside sleeping. Raining? Everyone´s inside sleeping. No one came to English class this week because it was raining. They need to take a lesson from me and just love the rain... and the gospel.

Cool fact- Hna. Sara Brown played against cousins McKale and Alyssa in volleyball and softball- she says she was always jealous of the Blanding teams :)

I heard great news from my old companion Hna. Folsom- the daughters in the part member family we were teaching were baptized on Saturday, and so was Kingsley- don´t remember if you´ll remember that. I have a feeling my whole mission will just be planting seeds and hopefully seeing other people pluck the fruit. As long as it gets plucked, I suppose :)

I hear there are finally sister missionaries in Sandy- I hope when I get home I can go on splits with them- I know I´ll miss being a missionary.

I got the letters and cards from the Paul Johnson reunion and loved every one of them, and got a kick out of the far sider dash. And don´t worry, Mom, I´ll try to get home for the next reunion :)

Everything´s going well- still slow, but like I said, we´re doing our best. Hna. Brown is really frustrated with Spanish- please keep her in your prayers- remember her before me.

I love you all, and I love this work. I know that it is in the Lord´s hands, and that we are only His instruments. We just have to stay in tune so that he can conduct us. Take care!

Love, Hna. Johnson 

PS  Super excited to hear Dad pray in the Saturday session of conference- I miss that man!

Aliens

Dear family,

it´s been a more productive week than the last- I think the work is slowly picking up. We´re teaching Matthew and Joy´s son, who is nine and hasn´t been baptized yet, but he´s accepted a baptismal date for October. He´s a really sweet boy- good to his mom and his little sister, and very bright. It´s a joy to teach him because he really thinks about what we say and it sticks with him... even if he gets distracted when my companion is struggling to find a word in Spanish.

Things are great with Hna. Brown. She´s still frustrated by the language, but we find better ways to help her practice and prepare every day, and the people love her. She really is such a wonderful person, and we find reasons to laugh every day, particularly when people talk about- you guessed it- ALIENS.

We went to visit one of our investigators in her store (where she lives) and met her friend Osa, who sometimes helps in the store. He said he´d met missionaries before, and we clarified a few things that he didn´t know, and taught him more about the Book of Mormon. Then he went off on an alien theory he´d heard about- it was a little blurry, but it involved ancient instructions on how to build WW2 weapons that the Germans used that had been left by the aliens, and how the pyramids were constructed by the aliens, and that Adam and Eve were put here by, yup, aliens, and that outstanding people are aliens and that when the Savior ascended into heaven...

That´s where I had to draw the line and tell him it was not by a tractor beam, and no, He was not an alien. Hna. Brown had a hard time keeping a straight face, I think.

We had a really powerful lesson with the woman who owns the store- Lexi- about the Book of Mormon. It was incredible the way we felt the spirit testifying through us and bearing witness that what we said was true. I know the words we used were given to us, because after the lesson we discussed how we´d each said things the other felt impressed to say. I hope I never forget that feeling.

We have a few new investigators- probably the most promising is Fabiola, a friend of a less active member. We went to visit Cristiani, and she was there. We taught a short lesson because she didn´t have time, but she says she just wants to know what to believe in. She accepted a copy of the Book of Mormon and we´re meeting with her again today.

We´ve had some miracles with people approaching us in the street this last week- we greeted one man and he nodded at us thoughtfully- I was torn between talking with him and walking on, since we were late to an appointment. I did the stupid thing and kept walking, but he showed up behind us at the door while we waited for the family to buzz us in and asked who we were and what our church was. He gave us his number and told us he was interested- I´m excited to follow up with him, and the other people we met this week.

Some days are long, and can only be survived with a cup of ice cream, but I love this work, and I testify that it is the work of the Lord, and that I see His hand in each life we meet and know that He loves His children and prepares them to come home to Him. I love Him and couldn´t be happier to serve.

I love you all and have you in my prayers. 

Love, Hna. Johnson

Doing Well in Huel...va

This week I complete 6 months in the mission- I can´t believe it. I remember when my trainer, Hna. Cano told me she´d been out for 9 months, and I thought she was so mature and wise. (She was). Things are a little slow here still. The few investigators we had don´t really want anything at all, but there are a lot of less active members and part member families to work with, and I think that´s where Hna. Brown and I will focus our efforts.

I think it´s felt slower and harder here because I don´t have so many investigators to love, but I´ve decided to focus on the people I do love. To name a few:

There´s Cristal, a single member that begged the bishop to let us come live with her as soon as she knew we were coming, and who invites us to eat each week. She makes a large meal that she can´t eat, being diabetic, and sends what we don´t finish home with us.

Matthew and Joy are a less active Nigerian couple, who are only less active because they don´t have money for the bus to get them to church, but are now getting the help from the ward they need. Matthew speaks like Sir Percy from the Scarlet Pimpernel, but with a Nigerian accent, if that´s possible.

Galicia, Gabriel and Alina are a family from Colombia- and the son served in the same mission as Mark. They´re all very willing to help with missionary work, and all are very kind to us.

Our ward mission leader, Antonio, made sure we had the help we needed to get our gas line working so we didn´t have to take cold showers in the morning, and helps us in finding work and in our confidence.

And of course I love my companion. I feel like I´m being forced to face one of my demons this transfer- envy. Hna. Brown is everything I was jealous of growing up- a cute 4.0 student, who plays every sport, dances, and is a social butterfly. Really, the only solution I¨ve found to envy, surprisingly, is praising her, noting all of her good qualities and building her up in the one area she seems to be lacking (Spanish). Let´s see if I can keep my demons at bay.

Another thing that´s really helped me is focusing on what I have been blessed with- not talents, but the life I¨ve been given. Whenever I start pitying myself, I think of all of your faces and know that I could not have been blessed with a stronger or more loving family. I wouldn´t trade that for any other blessing- what good would any other blessing do me if I didn´t belong with each of you?

I thank you all for your letters and prayers- I love you and appreciate you all more than ever before. Give the kids a hug and a kiss from me and tell them I love them.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Huelva!

Dear family,

I guess I´ll start off introducing my new companion, Hna. Brown. She´s from Fayette, Utah, the youngest of 6, and way cooler than me. She was attending BYU H on a scholarship for softball, and she´s got down every other sport as well. She reminds me a lot of cousin Bedda- even looks a little similar, in my opinion. It was pure inspiration that she got sent here- just now they want to start having a baseball class on Saturday mornings as part of the missionary effort here- and here she is to teach it! They need someone who can play the piano- and here she is to play it! The one thing is she doesn´t know Spanish, but that will come, and I¨m trying to help her as best as I can. We´re friends already and take everything with a laugh. Case in point-

As we step off the bus in Málaga, the Elders greet us and ask whether we want the good news or the bad first. (we´ve had a lot of those moments- good and bad news). Bad news- no electricity. Good news- beds. Bad news- no water. Good news- they brought muffins. The piso really is nice- everything is clean and new... the problem is it´s also very very empty. And we still don´t have hot water (I´m sure other missionaries have it much worse).

Really, the Elders are taking good care of us, and the members even better. They are all so excited for sister missionaries to be here after 10 years, and they just want to help us and serve us. I also really love the closeness of this little ward- they all know and care about each other. This also means there´s more drama, but I´m positive that we´ll enjoy this ward.

The missionaries here are Elder Harman and Nuñez- Elder Harman is a nice boy from Arizona who came in my group, and Elder Nuñez is one of the Marx brothers reincarnated. Seriously. Can´t decide who he is between Chico and Groucho. Hope I can get a picture of him to you soon too- he even looks similar.

In other news, I´ve finally learned the Nigerian snap! Not sure if I´ve talked about this before, but the Nigerians snap off of each others´ middle fingers when they pull their hands away from a handshake, and this really cool Nigerian convert named Prince finally taught me how to do it- I´ll have to show you when I come home.

In closing, I just want to say that I know that what we teach is true- that this is the restored gospel of Jesus Christ- that He lives and is perfect, and so is His gospel. There is no greater blessing than to know Him, and to know what we must do to return to live with Him. I´m so grateful that I¨m here, and that I still have a year left to focus on this work. It is His work.

I love you all and appreciate your support. Take care!

Love, Hna. Johnson

PS Check the new address on the blog since she won't get mail very fast if sent to the mission office.

C/ Isaac Peral 15, 5º C

21002 Huelva

España

The hardest investigators to leave behind

With all her hijas (daughters - trainees)

With Sister Brown and Columbus

Clanging Clock

Dear Family,

 

I knew there were a lot of possibilities for this transfer, but I was pretty sure (about 99%) that I´d stay here with Hna. Folsom and possibly be a trio with a new sister missionary... not to be.

 

I´m training again, and opening an area in the city of Huelva. Here are some things President Deere told me about it: It´s on the Atlantic Coast, very close to Portugal. Christopher Colombus may have sailed from the city. There are about 200,000 people in the city. It´s the strawberry capitol of Spain, and possibly Europe. My district will consist of me, my hija, and a companionship of Elders.

 

Here are some things the members have told me about it: There are mosquitos the size of planes. I´m being sent to outer darkness. I´ll never get another bad transfer after this. And "only you would get sent out there, Hna. Johnson".

 

The funny thing is, as soon as I heard the name Huelva, I remembered my first time in the mission home (a greenie of 1 or 2 weeks), and looking at the mission board. I saw that there were no missionaries below the caption of Huelva, and asked President Deere why that was. I remember him telling me that the area had seen little success, and that they´d had to close it, but might reopen it one day.

 

Even though I´m a bit daunted, I think I´m ready for another adventure. I know that I´m teaching and testifying of the truth, and every day I´m more sure of it. Having that knowledge makes me very nearly fearless, and even though I know tough days are ahead, I just want to share what I know with the people I meet and invite them all to enjoy the same happiness I do. Whether they accept it or not will have to be their decision, but I hope I never tire of telling the good news to everyone.

 

I´m sad to leave my area behind- even sadder than I previously expected. Good things are happening here- we´re working on reactivating a family of 8 kids, and inviting the members that were too young at the time to be baptized- the daughter of the oldest daughter (about 25 years old) accepted, and I see such good things ahead of her.

 

Palma is making progress, slowly but surely, and she has a very strong testimony of the gospel. I don´t have any doubts that once she resolves the few problems she has, she´ll be a strong follower of Jesus Christ.

 

Uchena and Ana Maria that we left behind in La Palmilla both accepted baptism! The Elders in that area are working with the Polish consolate to try to work through the legal system so they can be married. It was good news to hear just before leaving the area.

 

I love each person I´ve met so much- investigators, active members, and less active members alike, and I know that Hna. Folsom and Hna. Nielsen will take good care of the people here.

 

I´m glad you all enjoyed the family reunion, and I can´t wait to watch the film festival myself when I come home in just a little over a year! Know that I love you all and you´re in my prayers.

 

Congratulations Annie & Nate! (Are you really having another boy, Brittany?! Ah well, the world needs more Elders!)

 

Love, Hna. Johnson

 

P.S. I chopped my hair.

555+!!

Dear family,

 

this week we reached our goal as a mission of finding 555 new investigators- the final total was 558- just barely made it! The first few days were pretty tough for Hna. Folsom and I. Whitewashing is pretty hard, it turns out, and the first 3 days we found no one, and taught very little. We just kept pushing through despite the discouragement, and were blessed with 10 new investigators by the end of the week! It really was such a miraculous week.

 

One of our new investigators is a Nigerian named Kingsley. We got on the wrong bus late one night, and moreover got off on the wrong stop- both of us being a bit unfamiliar with the area. Almost immediately, we ran into Kingsley, who was taught by the missionaries about 4 years ago, and somehow got lost in the shuffle (we can understand that pretty well right now). It´s incredible how the Lord uses our weaknesses and our mistakes to bring about His purposes.

 

We also began teaching a part member family. The mother (Estrella) has 8 children, and years ago, the oldest 7 were baptized, and all but 1 has fallen away from the church. 3 of the daughters live near their mother (one of them being the youngest that was never baptized), and they all have good memories of the church and want us to come by and teach them again (along with Estrella´s granddaughters). It´s so sad to me to see people who have turned away from the truth after having found it- much worse than those who never knew it. I keep thinking this week about the importance of strengthening recent converts and less active members, and want to invite all of you to do what you can this week to do just that, because there is no sense in building up the kingdom when what has already been constructed is crumbling down.

 

I´ve been loving teaching Palma- not sure if I´ve mentioned her or not. She´s a 30 something year old Spaniard that has been investigating the church since January or February, and you can really see the changes it´s bringing into her life. She´s so much happier, confident and at peace now, and you should see the way her mind is waking up to all of the truths of the gospel. She´s so hungry for all of it, and it´s really a joy to teach her. There´s a few stumbling blocks between her and baptism, like tobacco, but she´s really progressing, and we´re hoping she can be baptized this next month.

 

It´s still been difficult to leave all of the people to the Elders. Our recent converts ask us why the missionaries don´t come by to visit them anymore, and some have disappeared. I don´t blame the Elders- they´ve had a lot added onto their area, so they´re drowning in their work, but I worry so much about these people. We offer to help, but for now they haven´t accepted it. Maybe they can´t since they´re in another area.

 

One of the worst moments was when the Elders asked us to call the Romanians to set up an appointment with them, thinking it was better coming from us. When Costel answered the phone, he was crying, and told me that Iuliana was in the hospital, with just a few hours left to live. She died on Thursday, and we went to the funeral on Saturday. I hated that we hadn´t been there for the family during the last few weeks Iuliana had on this earth. It makes me sick to think of it, and to think that the girls went without support for weeks just because of circumstances.

 

The difficult things have definitely been trusting the people to other missionaries.

 

Other than worrying about my old area, I´m doing well. My companion and I are getting a lot of work done, and we love meeting and teaching new people. I can´t wait to hear how the reunion went- I hope you´ll make a little film for me, Dad. I love you all, and am happy to hear Alisa is still in the trial for now.

 

Love, Hna. Johnson