El Centro

Dear family,

 

well, we got uprooted from our area for the second time this transfer- que locura! We weren´t going to start working in the Centro until the end of the transfer, but the Elders found a piso a couple of weeks early and thought it would be a good idea to just switch now, so here we are! It was tough leaving again- we had three new investigators from scratch, and were really excited to teach them.

 

Fransisco and José are a father and son that I met way back when I was with Hna. Cano. The son is about 30 and has cerebral palsy (but he´s very bright- has a better memory than I do), and we´d see them walking together in la Palmilla a lot. We talked to them, but Fransisco politely turned us away, telling us he didn´t believe anything. Then when we started working in Parque del Sur, we started seeing them more than ever. He started talking to us more, and told us that whenever he thought of us before turning a corner, he´d find us right in his path, and he really felt it was a sign he needed to talk to us. He calls us his angels and practically begs for us to come by to teach. We put it off a while because we couldn´t find a woman to accompany us, but ended up just teaching him on a bench in the street. He´s really receptive and has a lot of questions, and we´re excited for the elders to teach them both.

 

We found the third investigator this way too. We were out teaching them on the bench when a young Romanian woman (love Romanians!) and her five year old son passed by, and slowed down to look at us. She asked us who we were, and what we taught. We explained a little, but Fransisco was the true advocate- telling her that we´re good people who teach true doctrine, and that she should listen to us. She asked us if we could come by to teach. We only had one chance to teach her before handing her over to the Elders, but the lesson was wonderful. When we began explaining about the young boy Joseph Smith who was looking for the truth, she interrupted us to say, "Like me!" I´m excited to hear from the Elders how things go with her.

 

Our new area will be a challenge- it´s a bit more touristy, but we´re willing to work hard. Speaking of, we have a new goal as a mission for this week. The most new investigators that the mission has gained in a week is 236. This week we have a goal of finding 555 new investigators. Please keep us in your prayers so we can reach this goal- Hna. Folsom and I need to find 7 new investigators this week, which will be a bit of a challenge starting off in a new area- still, it´s something that we need in order to work, and moreover, we know that there are people prepared to listen- we just have to find them. Ay, there´s the rub.

 

On a less spiritual note, our piso is very nice, and we finally have a wash line, so I´m officially Spanish now. And we may or may not have a grocery store in our basement. We´re going to the feria for p-day, so I should have some fun pictures for next week. Lots of speculation about what will happen this transfer. Will Hna. Folsom and I keep rockin´it together? Will we both train a newbie? Will I get sent away and leave Hna. Folsom to train? So many possibilities in this crazy mission!

 

I dreamt that Mom decided to store all the books in my library in a tree during my mission, and I couldn´t get her to understand that if she left them out, they´d get ruined by the rain. Take care of my books please, mother :) And Mark, while you´re living at the DI, make sure to pick up any good copies you see. I´ll pay you back in... foot massages?

 

I know that this is the work of the Lord- I´ve seen His hand countless times in just five months of being a missionary. I know that he really is preparing the hearts of the people, and I´m excited to search for the elect this week, and every day of my mission. I love you all and appreciate all you do for me (like the reunion letters :) You´re in my prayers.

 

Love, Hna. Johnson

For Real

Dear Family,

the realignment of the wards has been a little tough- the most difficult was saying goodbye to all- yes, all- of our investigators. 

One family we were really sad to say goodbye to were Uchenna and Ana Maria- she´s from Poland, and he´s from Nigeria, and the have the most beautiful baby I´ve ever seen. Ana Maria is a little skeptical, but she wants to know the truth, and you should have seen how happy she was when we brought her her own Polish copy of the Book of Mormon. Uchenna is ready for it all- his face lights up whenever we teach, and he always tells us excitedly how it all makes sense and fits together. We invited him to be baptized and he responded emphatically, "For real!" Oh, how I´ll miss my Nigerians (you understand, Matt). 

Things are still great with Hna. Folsom- I hope we´ll still be together next transfer, because we get along swimmingly and do the work well together. 

We´re excited to teach one man we keep running into in Parque del Sur- he´s always walking with his son with cerebral palsy leaning on his arm. He tells us he doesn´t believe in God very concretely, but then nods his head thoughtfully and tells us each time that maybe we´ll be able to convince him. 

Well, I´m not quite sure what else to write this week, since we´re starting from scratch and don´t know the people very well. Treading water a little bit over here, but we´re not drowning yet. I´ll just attach some pictures to make up for the empty space :) 

How did the kids like the recordings? Did they turn out alright? 

I love you all, and am praying for you.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Changes

Dear Family,

This week has been a little bit of a nasty one, mostly because things are going so well... and it´s all going to change. I´m pretty sure I´ve expressed just how much I love la Palma and la Palmilla, the two really ghetto neighborhoods in our zone. The ward is splitting in half, using a dry riverbed as the boundary line. Half of our area is in barrio 4 (palma & palmilla), and the other half is in barrio 3 (ciudad jardín and parque del sur), and they´ll be sending us sisters to barrio 3. The other sad thing is that every single one of our investigators lives in la Palma or la Palmilla... so we´ll sort of be starting from scratch.

And then after this transfer, there´s a good chance they´ll send us closer to the coast to work where the elders are working now, which I´m a little upset about, because it´s a very ritzy, touristy area, and I much prefer my beloved ´hood. 

Still getting along great with Hna. Folsom, although I can say now with assurety (is that a word?) that she is not like Amanda N. I feel like my spanish is deteriorating a tiny bit now that I´m not conversing with a native companion all day, but I´m sure we´ll figure out a good study pattern together. 

I made recordings for the nieces and nephews who wrote me on my birthday (all but Jon´s kids, I think- I´ll have to make theirs next pday), so make sure you get those from dad (Lintons, Blodgetts, Farners, Cheneys... any Johnsons besides Jon?). 

Sorry I´ve been bad at responding to letters recently- we´ve got a lot on our shoulders here, and so even on pdays I find I don´t really have time to write. Training is going much better this time around- partly because there are no culture-communication barriers. We work pretty well as a team, and it´s definitely a different experience having a non-native companion.

What´s most interesting is when we teach people in Spanish when they´re learning Spanish too, and it´s the only common language we have (like some new Romanians) or when English is the common language, but they´re learning that (a new investigator from Poland.) We never know quite what to expect and frequently order copies of the Book of Mormon in 3 or 4 different languages. 

I better head on out, but just know that you´re all in my thoughts and prayers. I dreamt the other night of my first afternoon back home- I know it´s going to be wonderful- especially to see all the nieces and nephews. Love you all!

Love, Hna. Johnson

Drum Roll Please

Dear Family,

meet Hermana Folsom! She´s from Seattle, 19 years old, good Spanish vocabulary (even if the grammar needs a bit of polish), bold, cheerful, smart. She´s pretty much awesome. She kind of reminds me of Amanda Nordhagen, just a bit less mature. She´s so full of energy and excited for the work, and I have a feeling this will be the start of a great transfer and a beautiful friendship. Also, we have matching watches. Pretty sure we were supposed to be companions. 

I´m a little worried for what will happen this transfer because the ward boundaries are changing, and unless we have one foot in each ward, we´re going to lose half of our area. I might drop dead if we lose la Palmilla, but I´ll be sad losing any of it because we know so many good people from both sides of the river, and have met so many that are prepared that we just have to start teaching.

So far that´s been a strength for our companionship- we talk to everyone naturally and invite everyone to learn more. People have even stopped us on the street a lot this week to ask us about what we believe. Granted, one was a group of gypsies that the Romanians said have tried to rob them before... but everyone needs the gospel, right? :) Got to love la Palmilla. 

I really have had such a good week, and training is going better this time around- partially because I´m training a good ol´ American girl, and partially because I have a better idea of what I´m doing. We´re learning a lot from our companion studies and really preparing ourselves for our investigators the best we can.

The Romanians are doing well- all 3 kids older than 8 are practically begging to be baptized... now we just need the parents to give them permission (and realize that they want to be baptized too). We´re going to have a lesson with all the adults this Wednesday, so keep us in your prayers so we can really touch the hearts of this beautiful family.

Happy is unpredictable still, but we´re going forward slowly and surely.

Tina and Peggy are great- we´re excited to teach them more this week.

Some names to look for in future emails- Enrique, Rosa, Estefanía. So excited to be a part of this great work!

I better be heading, but I want you all to know that I´m really growing and trying to improve as a missionary. This work really is the work of the Lord, and I see His hand in it each and every day. I love you all and invite you to step in and experience the joy of inviting others to come to Christ. 

All my love, 
Hna. Johnson

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

Taxi!

Dear Family,

this week has been really difficult, but it was a sort of difficult that I wasn´t expecting. I told you last week about how Hna. Coloma has problems with her knees and that we went to the hospital and everything. Well, she´s had to rest in the piso every morning, and we don´t get out to work until the last half of the day after mediodía, and then we rely on rides from the members, strategic bus riding, piggyback rides (only when there are stairs) and the occasional taxi. Sounds nice, right? Not so. 

The last time she was sick (only for an afternoon), I was able to really study, and I loved it. But being in the piso all morning every morning this week has been tortuous. Why? Because I know all the people in our area that need our help. There are so many less active members that are losing faith and need rescuing, and so many people who are just waiting to hear the good news... and I´ve been trapped in the apartment, unable to do anything. It´s a different sort of anguish than I´ve ever experienced, and one that I don´t want to repeat.

As for Hna. Coloma, President Deere will probably send her to a flatter area for one transfer to see if it will help her knees at all. If not, she might have to go home, which is a shame, because she really wants to serve.

And what will happen to me next transfer, you ask? No guarantees, but I have a fairly good guess. Pres. Deere wrote me today and said he often thinks, "I wish Hna. Johnson could have a 'normal' mission where she has a senior companion that allows her to adjust and learn and grow up in the mission', but it´s not to be." We learn several things here: (1) that I´ll likely be training again, or at least have an equally young companion, and (2) that President Deere wishes I would just adjust and learn and grow up already ;) 

Still we´ve seen miracles this week. Since we haven´t been able to get out much, we´ve really learned to treasure the time we can share the gospel with others. We´ve been talking to everyone- bus drivers, the bus passengers as a whole, taxi drivers, construction workers, elderly people in the park... everyone, everyone, everyone, and it feels really good. As of yet, we´ve seen only small results, but I know we´re doing good things. We met a Nigerian named James Bond. That´s pretty miraculous.

I think I´ve talked about Happy a little bit before... but I´m not positive. Anyhow, she´s a beautiful Nigerian woman who has seen more anguish in her 25 years of life than any centurian, I´d wager. We came to church once before, and we taught her one lesson, but then she disappeared for weeks. She reemerged this past week, living at Victoria´s house (Nigerian recent convert), and came to church. We taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ, and before we´d even finished explaining baptism, she asked us if she could be baptized. She tells us each time we see her how much she wants to follow Christ, and how she wants to do it the rest of her life. She´s planning on being baptized the 26th of July, and I´m so excited for her, and excited to keep teaching her because I know she really needs the peace the gospel brings. 

I´m excited for the coming week- we´re going to try to find a member Hna. Coloma can stay with in the mornings while I go on intercambios with an Hermana that´s serving in a trio right now (an American that came last transfer). I´m a little worried about the ward split that´s going to happen in the coming month or two, because I´ll be sad to stop working with any of the members and investigators I know. I do know that I´ll love the people wherever I go, and that is a blessing. 

I wanted to send recordings for the nieces and nephews that wrote me on my birthday, but I forgot to bring the device with me to the locutorio, so I hope I can do that soon. I got a package from the Blodgetts- thank you so much for all that you sent, and especially for the cards and notes. I also got the pictures and letters from the Cheneys and would write you personally, but I just don´t have time. Oh, and the most recent newsletter was hilarious- keep them coming, pretty please. Know that I loved all you´ve done for me, and that I appreciate it all more than you know. 

I miss you family, but I´m grateful I get another week serving the Lord. Take care, and keep me posted.

Love, Hna. Johnson

Everybody's Got a Water Buffalo

Dear Family,

the rest of my birthday last week was really nice. We ate with a member family who live right on the beach, and after homemade pizza, they surprised me with a beautiful (and incredibly delicious) cake with the inscription, "Feliz Cumple, Hna". While I´m on the topic of food, we ate Paella with another member family, and I ate octopus (add it to the list). It was kind of rubbery, as one might expect from octopus tentacles, but all in all pretty good :) 

I loved watching the missionary conference this week- it really gave me and my companion a lot of ideas on how we can better serve and work with the members. We´ve been putting our ideas into practice, and already there´s a connection between us and many of the members that wasn´t there before. On that subject, take care of the missionaries in your areas and help them where you can. 

We had a really good activity at a member´s home on the beach as well. We had lunch on her roof with some recent converts and less active members (none of our investigators could come)- and this is also where all the animal head photos in this email are coming from.  I got to help make the paella, including pulling off the heads and legs and shells of the shrimp. Good fun, good fun. (Also, you can see me rocking the new chacos- yeah, buddy!)

We´ve had a setback this week- Hna. Coloma´s knees are really giving her problems. She has chronic pain there, but it´s been really bad the last few days, so we´ve been instructed to rest up in the mornings, and then have her stay with a member in the evenings while I go on exchanges with Hna. Clark- a new missionary from Utah, with little Spanish experience... this could get really interesting :) She´s also asked President Deere to be put in an area with less hills and stairs this next transfer, so I´ll probably be staying here in Málaga, possibly training again. We´ll see. 

I´m glad I´ll be sticking around longer- I love the members here, and the people we meet every day. We met a really kind Chilean man on the same street where the Romanians live. We met him one day, and the next day when we passed by, he invited us into his store and shared a panini he´d just made, and cold glasses of water. I keep waiting to hear him say, "Hello, my name is Indigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Because he is that man in the flesh, I´m telling you. We´ll see how it goes with him. 

We haven´t seen the Romanians as much this week. Iulianna is still alive, but she´s weaker, and no longer talks much. They were so happy when we visited her in the hospital again this week. We´re planning on giving the kids the primary songs on cds this week- I know they´re going to love them. Still trying to teach them about the Holy Ghost...

Well, I better get going, but know that I love you all and am grateful for each and every one of you.

Love, Hna. Johnson