Long Live Spanglish!

Dear family,

I can´t believe how the time is already flying by- I hear it even picks up speed the further into the mission you are, and the more you understand the language. Speaking of Spanish, it´s going pretty well. The members are starting to realize that I can actually understand them, and they will sometimes even talk to me, and not just Hermana Cano :)  It´s been nice to finally get out of my shell a little bit now that I can speak more, and they´re starting to realize I´m not just a silent gringa. My English is deteriorating, though. In the piso, we speak English off and on so Hermana Cano can practice, and I end up mixing words all day (miembers, leccions, rolling my r's even when I speak English), and I´m only a little over 2 months in! It´s going to be really messy by the time I come home. 

This last week, Victoria (Estela's [the girl baptized last week] mom) was baptized and confirmed, and seeing her in her shop the other day, she was all smiles. Honestly, she´s the happiest I´ve seen her, and she just looks different. I´m including a picture of her- she´s a beautiful Nigerian woman, and the story of how she came to Spain is incredible. So many people immigrate here from Africa, looking for a better life, and they risk  their lives crossing deserts and the sea. Victoria risked it all because she wanted a better life for the baby she was pregnant with (Estela). She has such faith, and I know that she´ll be blessed for all of the good that she does. 

Another miracle happened through Victoria- she listens to the Book of Mormon on CD while she´s working because she can´t read (like many immigrants), and her friend Tina listened with her and asked to come to her baptism. Short story short, we´re teaching her now, and she wants to be baptized. 

Hna. Cano and I sang at Victoria´s baptism, and I sang in church with Elder Fowkes last Sunday during a special missionary program. One man told me it was the best thing he´s heard since he started coming to church. I found out later that it was his first time in church. Just teasing! Anyway, I recorded a practice, and I´ll send it, but know that it was better when we´d worked on it longer.

A big public thank you to the Matt and Brittany Johnsons for the incredible package containing peanut butter! Oh, how I love it! It was super expensive to send, so don´t worry about sending me packages anymore- I feel really bad about it, but just know that I appreciate that peanut butter like it was semi-liquid gold. I´m sending home an envelope today with letters for those who have written me/sent me packages etc, so keep an eye out for that. 

I love Spain and the mission more every day. I love seeing people take their roosters to the park, and elderly men sitting together on benches in the shade. I´m really starting to love (most) Spanish food, and look forward to eating with the members. I´m tired most days, but I always look forward to the next plan we have, and the next person we´ll teach. I love focusing on other people, studying for them, praying for them, and helping them any way we can. Life is so good, and the mission is so good, even on the hard or slow or supressingly hot days. 

Listening to missionaries give their last testimonies at conference before leaving, I kept thinking, 'I´m not ready to do that yet. I don´t want to leave.' Know that I miss you all, but that I´m in the right place, and I´m loving every minute of it. Take care of yourselves, and know you´re in my prayers.

Love, Hermana Johnson

Two Months!

Dear family,

I cannot believe that I´ve been a missionary for two months! (Granted, only the last 3 weeks really count). Still, there are moments in the day where I see my chapa (missionary tag) out of the corner of my eye and realize that I´m really here, and that I´m actually a full-time missionary. I don´t think I ever really foresaw this, but I´d rather be here than anywhere in the world. Sometimes I do miss the family, but I know that it wouldn´t feel right if I was at home now, so give the little ones a hug for me and let them all know I miss them. 

Where to start...I think I already told you about this miracle when we skyped, but right now we´re teaching one of Hna. Cano´s former investigators that fell off the map, and we found him again in the street. He is so good- he has so much faith in Christ, and we´re working toward his baptismal date in June. 

We´re also working with the mom of the girl that was baptized the other week- it´s a little tough because she´s always falling asleep in the lessons, but she´s excited for her baptism, and she knows that the gospel has changed her daughter for the better. It amazes me how much faith these people have when they commit to live the commandments- it´s a lot to ask of them, but they really trust in the Lord and have faith that he´ll fulfill his promises. 

Another miracle happened when we were meeting with members to give a lesson on how to invite their friends. At one woman´s house, we told her what we´d be teaching, and she started laughing and shouted into the kitchen, "Hey, Maria! Want to come to church with me?" The woman came into the room and started asking us what we believe about what happens after we die. We taught her the entire plan of salvation, and I think we´ll be teaching her again in the future. 

One thing I´ve seen a lot is how much people truly desire to believe in the plan- it really is so merciful, and almost too good to be true. When we teach the sick that they can have perfected bodies after they die, or that couples can be married forever, or that we can see our loved ones again, their hope is visible in their faces. I haven´t met anyone yet who had major doubts about the doctrine of the gospel- some are just afraid to leave what they have behind, and trust that they´ll be blessed by following Christ, no matter how difficult. The people that do decide to trust are changed, and a new confidence and serenity comes into their lives that you know wasn´t there before. I love this work!

The members here are so wonderful- the ward mission leader is a maquina, and he really pushes us to work with the members to bring others to Christ. Even though a lot of the food is strange, I´m learning to love it (still working on tomatoes). The members always feed us generously, and they always welcome us to teach them and invite them to invite others. 

There´s one family here that reminds me of the Mulcahy´s (the sons at least), and being in their home is so familiar, so it´s always a blessing to eat there. Plus Magdalena makes this delicious dessert called natilla... mm... Anyway, the family lent me their flute to play a musical number this week, and if I get it down, I´ll record it and send it home so you can listen. 

Thank you for sending me emails about how you´re doing, and how your kids are doing, and what Matt is scheming, etc. I love you all, and even though I miss you, and sometimes worry about you, I know I´m in the right place, and I´m doing important work. Take care! I love you!

Love, Sister Johnson

The Street Where I Live

Madre Mia!

Dear family,

even though you probably couldn´t tell, it was so good to talk to so many of you yesterday. Yes, I spent most of the time crying or trying not to cry, but I want you to know I´m doing better than you think. 

Even though I get frustrated with the language a lot, the other missionaries say I have really good pronunciation, and that for being out for only 2 weeks (is it three now?) I´m doing great, and that I´ll have it down pat in a month. And really, i do understand what´s going on in conversations, and can translate for other people pretty well. It´s just when someone asks me a question, I become a deer in headlights.

Fun fact: I´m the first 19 year old sister missionary this area has seen, so I´m something of a celebrity among the member families- a few of them have told me they want to take pictures with me because it marks such a historic moment in our church. The district and zone leaders have told me several times that I´m a maquina- a machine- which is apparently a good thing as a missionary. It just means I work hard. I don´t have many talents yet, but I am trying my best. 

And honestly, I do love the work. There is nothing like seeing the light of the gospel spark behind someone´s eyes. There´s nothing more beautiful than having the answers to someone´s deepest questions, and watching them take it in like parched earth soaking up rain. Nothing. And even though I miss you all, and it´s hard to think about what´s going on at home, I´d rather be here, because I know that this is my one chance to serve my Savior with all my heart, might, mind and strength. I´ve grown to love Jesus Christ in a way I didn´t know was possible, and there is nothing I¨d rather do right now than serve Him. 

The people really are so kind. The members feed us well, and are willing to help with the missionary work. There are definitely some characters in our ward, and I can´t wait to get to know them all better. Even though most of them just talk to Hermana Cano (knowing I probably can´t respond), I know that they´ll warm up to me. The kids already love me because I talk about Babe and Coons and will listen to them prattle about how "cocodrilos y pirañas son peligrosos". If only adults liked those sorts of things. 

Spain really is an incredible place. I love walking down tiny alleyways and seeing clothes hanging out on a line above my head, and little boys playing soccer in the street. I love that almost every store is a bakery or an ice cream shop (if only I had time to stop). I love that "¡Madre mia!" is a legit expression here. Spain is beautiful, and I´m glad that I get to serve here. 

I love you all, and I´m grateful that those who had the chance talked with me on Sunday. I´m so blessed to have you as my family. I´ll be praying for all of you!

Love, Sister Johnson

(ps. Picture is of Estela´s baptism, with Victoria her mother who has a baptismal date later this month, and Elder Fowkes, the district leader) 

Malaga III

Dearest family,

 

my first area is Malaga III! It´s beautiful here- tons of old apartment buildings and little alleyways where kids play soccer together. It´s just what I would have imagined it to be. Everyone here has a little dog, or birds, or both. Most people are polite, even if they aren´t particularly friendly. I´ve already had a fair amount of typical Spanish food from the members- some of it I´ve loved, and some takes some real fortitude to get down and keep down. I am trying to eat everything though, mom, don´t worry... which actually is a problem- I always feel like I´m starving, and I know if I don´t watch myself, I´m going to get very, very fat.

 

My companion is Hermana Cano- she´s from a town near Cadiz, so she has a really thick Andaluz accent, which was hard for me to understand at first- much like a Chilean accent on steroids. I´m getting better at understanding, though, and the other day at church I gave the prayer, and the members said I´m starting to get an Andaluz accent too. Sister Cano is compacted energy- she´s a little intimidating that way, but she´s such a great missionary. She really cares about the people and uses time wisely.

 

Missionary work isn´t quite what I expected. I don´t think I could put my finger on what is different exactly, but I know I felt surprised when I really got started. The schedule in this mission is different from most people for sure. We study a little in the mornings, proselyte, then come back to our piso from 2-5:30 to study because everyone is napping then, and when we get further into the summer, it will be too hot to be outside.

 

Most of the people we´ve taught this week are Nigerians, and half of the lessons have been in English. A mother and daughter that we´re teaching already have a baptismal date, and their willingness to commit to live the commandments astounds me, and I know that people would not be making such difficult changes if they weren´t doing it for the Lord.

 

We´re also teaching a man who was a pentacostal preacher, and I love seeing the light that comes into his eyes when we answer his questions with the gospel. He told us that he´s been taught by a lot of preachers and missionaries, and that our gospel is different because we actually care about his concerns.

 

One... fun... story happened when we were teaching in one of the more "chunga" (ghetto) areas. We were teaching one woman in her piso, but there were four other men there, all talking and eating together. I thought about inviting them to listen, as it advises in Preach My Gospel, but I decided they were too busy, and that we´d just annoy them by inviting them, so I let it be. Then in the middle of the lesson, one of the men came over and asked, "Is Jesus just for one person?" We were stunned for a second then answered, "No, He´s for everyone." He raised his voice, "Then why are you only teaching His gospel to one person? Don´t I need it too?" I felt so guilty for ignoring my impression to invite him earlier, and I really learned my lesson. My companion thought he was kidding, because all the other men were laughing at the conversation from the table, but we invited him to listen at the next appointment. He was there listening the next time we came, and seemed sincerely interested in what we had to say.

 

The ward here is wonderful- and it was a relief when we had a family home evening with an Argentinian family and I understood every word they said. Oh, it was heaven.

 

So, next week is mother´s day, and I get to Skype home on Sunday. I´m going to try to do it at 4 o´clock here from a member´s home, which I think is 8 in the morning in Sandy, but I´m really not sure. I don´t know if I have a skype account, so I¨m going to use my companion´s, which I´ll send to you in another email, mom and dad. I think I have about an hour to talk, and the more of my family I get to see the better.

 

I´ve been more homesick here than I was in the MTC, but it´s not so bad that I´m depressed or can´t concentrate. Still keep me in your prayers so I can do what I´ve been sent here to do. I really do want to be a good missionary, but I know I need the Lord´s help.

 

Those who sent me an email this week: thank you- I love to hear how your families are doing. I can´t wait to talk to any and all of you who can make it to Skype on Sunday morning. Dad, make sure you send me an email with your skype account so if you have trouble finding my comp´s account, I can try to find yours. Maybe you should be on your email then so I can email you if I have problems.

 

I love you all- you´re in my prayers always.

 

Love, Sister Johnson

Malaga!

Dear family,

 

I get to write you to let you know that I made it safely to my mission area. I still don't know my assignment- I'll find out in about two hours, but I know it isn't very distant from Malaga. We took a high speed train from Madrid to Malaga this morning- and the countryside was beyond beautiful. There were small castles on several hills that we passed, and beautiful little villages with red tiled roofs and white walls. The fields were so green, and there were olive tree groves and herds of sheep everywhere. Honestly, I couldn't dream up a more beautiful landscape.

 

I had two letters from the Blodgetts waiting for me when I got here, with drawings from both Addie and Laura- thank you, girls! I'll send you back something as soon as I can.

 

My mission president is so kind- I only had one short interview with him since there are so many missionaries to get through, but he was very genuine and caring. I get my trainer this afternoon. I'm pretty nervous for that. I'm nervous just to begin real missionary work- I definitely don't feel capable yet.

 

The good news is I got to eat a chocolate filled croissant. That's always a plus.

 

Speaking of, I have a feeling that another croissant is calling my name.

 

I love you all and will write you again as soon as I can- take care!

 

Love, Sister Johnson

Leaving the Madrid MTC

Dear family,

I have approximately zero minutes to write this email, but I thought I´d try to get something to you as promised. It´s been a good, albeit difficult, week. My district sang the Jordan High Seminary theme song ¨Fear Not¨. Elder Malan (who went to Jordan) sang the beginning and end duets with me, and the other loud voice you´ll hear when the men sing is Elder Sharp ;)

I´m really sad to leave this district too, but not quite so sad because I´ve had less time to grow close to them, and more than half of them are coming to Malaga with me. Hopefully I´ll get to see them all in the field  at some point.

I love you all and have been thinking of you- especially my little nieces and nephews. I miss them most of all. Please remind them that I love them. I´ll let you know where my assignment is on my next p-day... not sure when that will be. I´m sorry I couldn´t write much. Just know that I love you and my prayers are with you!

Love, Sister Johnson

https://soundcloud.com/rais1954/kirsten-district-singing

Week 6

Dear family,

I can´t believe I´ll be leaving the CCM in just one week. It really took some time to adjust to this place, but I know I´ll miss it. It´s been wonderful to live on the temple grounds and to be surrounded by good missionaries. The Madrid temple is lovely- especially inside- so much marble, beautiful painted details, and an incredible celestial room. I´m sad that today was probably the last time I had the chance to do a session there (in Spanish, too), but I am grateful I did get that opportunity, and so grateful for temples and for what they mean.

The language is coming- a little too slowly for my taste, but it is coming. Our teacher, Brother Lopez, told Sister Thompson and I that it takes most people about 6 months to become fluent in the field in his experience, but he feels pretty confident that my companion and I will have it down in maybe a little more than 6 weeks, which is so comforting to hear.

We proselyted at a beautiful park last Saturday, and it was incredible to talk with people on the street about their beliefs and about our gospel, and not only be able to communicate my thoughts and understand theirs, but to truly feel the love the Lord has for each of His children. I was temporarily companions with Sister Grant, who´s going to Malaga as well- she doesn´t know much Spanish still, so I did most of the talking, but she´s a wonderful missionary, and I´m glad I got to know her better.

The Prado last Thursday was lovely- I loved the paintings, and was excited to see Las Meninas since I studied it during my last humanities class, but my favorite were the sculptures by far.

Thank you to Mom and McKale, who have sent me letters here. I´ve been meaning to write back, but I really just don´t have time. Just know that I really appreciate it.

So Tuesday is the day that we leave for our areas, and we find out where we´re assigned on Monday. I´m pretty sure I´ll have time to tell you where I´m going on Monday night, so watch for my email.

I´m so glad to hear that Alisa´s brain MRIs were clear- I can rest easier now.

I feel bad that my letters are so short, but I really have so little to tell right now- I´m sure I´ll have much more to write when I´m actually serving. Thank you for your emails, Mom and Dad- it´s so good to hear news from home.

I would love if you could send pictures of each of my siblings with their families. Letters are always nice too J I have some harder days, but I know that if I do my best, they´ll be for my good. I´m really learning to rely on the Lord, and I´m working on trusting Him more. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Give my nieces and nephews a hug for me- I miss them more than anything. Let them know I love getting drawings and letters from them.

I love you all!!