Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Mama Johnson Round 2

Dear Family,

yep, I´m training again! I´ll meet my 2nd hija tomorrow afternoon. All I know is that she´ll be from the U.S., so I won´t be able to rely on a native speaker anymore.. I´m also a little worried because Hna. Coloma keeps praying in companion prayers that I´ll be a better trainer... and I think the only thing she´s complimented me on lately (besides improved Spanish) is that I´m strong enough to carry her on my back when we climb staircases. Hna. Coloma is going to Cádiz, which is flatter than Málaga, so she and President are hoping she can still serve. 

This week went by a lot better. We figured out even better bus routes so we could avoid stairs and hills, and came up with a new solution too (wish we´d discovered it earlier). If I walk about two steps ahead of her, holding on to a short rope, and she holds on to the other end, I´m able to help support her weight so it doesn´t all fall on her knees. We may have forever ruined the dignified image of sister missionaries for Málaga 3, but it is what it is. 

We have one baptismal date right now with Happy, which is going pretty slow, because she likes to talk about her problems, and because it takes time to help her really understand the concepts, but she does have faith, comes to church every Sunday, and has begun praying more sincerely and reverently. 

We´re a little heartsick, because Iuliana from the Romanian family made a miraculous recovery and came home from the hospital... and we just found out that she has a fever again and has gone back. Another heartache with that family is that the parents want us to teach the children, but don´t want them to attend our church, and the older girl Isabel (who´s 9) told us that she knows that ours is the true church, because she´s been to others, and she´s never felt the way she did the one Sunday she attended ours. Keep them in your prayers- hopefully we can help the adults to feel the same. 

We´re still teaching Tina (don´t remember if you remember her), and she´s working on some legal action she needs to take in order to be baptized. And such faith! Even though she knows that she can´t be baptized for a long time, she still comes every Sunday with her daughter Peggy (who´s 7). She told us she´d like Peggy to be baptized when she´s 8, which is in March.

How am I feeling? A little afraid to train again, especially someone who isn´t fluent in Spanish. I´m so glad I get to stay in Málaga for another transfer- I wouldn´t mind staying here my whole mission. I go to Fuengirola tonight for another trainer´s training, and hopefully I can continue to improve as a trainer, as Hna. Coloma prays :) 

Everyone here is struggling with truly difficult trials- like a speaker in church quoted this week "There are three kinds of people. Those passing through a trial, those just finishing a trial, and those about to enter into another trial" . So will you all look for someone who is passing through a trial that you can serve this week? I know you can be an answer to someone´s prayers, and that you´ll find answers to your prayers at the same time. 

I miss each and every one of you, but am grateful every day for the chance I get to serve Jesus Christ, who gave everything for me. I know this is His church, and that He loves each and every one of us and wants us all to return to live with Him, and I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

-Hna. Johnson




No comments:

Post a Comment