December 24, 2012

 

 

 

 

Merry Christmas Eve!

 

I hope that you are all having a wonderful day! And just so you know, I cant wait to talk to you tomorrow! I thought I would do a small rundown of the things I have done this past week. We will see how good my memory is.

 

Monday- We had a great p-day. We went and ate at Olive Garden to celebrate Sis Holyan and I having one year in the field left. It was super good. I have missed eating there! I also got a package from Grandma Johnson with lots of presents in it! I am excited to open all of them tomorrow. We went to FHE and had a great time playing games.

 

Tues- We had district training. We always do role plays of situation that we might come across so we can improve our teaching skills. They have been my least favorite thing to do sense I have been a mission, but they help me the most. We were doing a role play with one of the zone leaders and I just started crying. I mean out of no where crying! It was not good. haha I think I just had a lot of stress or something inside that finally had to be released. It was a good time haha Elder Smoot will never forget me now. We also were taken out to eat by Trish. She is a member of the Davie Ward. I believe she was going to add you on facebook mom. She is in our room mates ward. It was really nice of her to take us all to lunch. She also got us each a Christmas gift. She is an angel. as we were driving around on Tues we saw one of our recent converts, Tavon, who we thought fell off of the face of the earth! We pulled over and talked with him for a bit. Heavenly Father answers our prayers! We had been praying all week that he would return our calls, or send us a text, so that we could come in contact with him. Sure enough we see him walking down the street! blessings :)

 

wed- I got an amazing package from Shine. It was hair product which was much needed! Shes knows me so well! I hope her and Matt are enjoying Hawaii for Christmas!  Also on Wed our recent convert Christopher gave us Christmas presents. He is so sweet. He got us both big stuffed animals. Mine is a bear and Sister Holyan got a turtle. I will send a lot of pics home sometime soon.

 

thurs fri and sat I cant really remember what happened haha. its all in my journal for the most part.

 

sun-church was great! Anderson gave a talk about Christ. it was amazing. you never would of guessed that he was baptized a month ago. Things here are going very well. I am happy happy happy and cant wait to talk to you all tomorrow!

 

loves,

 

sister Johnson

 

xoxoxoxo

 

PS in less than i year i will be home! kinda a big deal!

 

1. me and sister stegelmier

2. one year left

3. me and sonnel at church

4.silver bug

December 17, 2012

 To all Sister Brooke's friends and family . . . . . . .
Thank you so much for loving and supporting her on her mission!  I appreciate all your letters and boxes to her.  She looks so happy in her photos! 
 
FAMILY,

I will prob be calling sometime between 9-10:30 your time. I only have 45min max. Santiago said he would call this week to make sure everything is set up with skype but, maybe you could call him. I am SO SO SO excited to skype with you! Its going to be nothing less than amazing! I will email on the 24th although it prob won't be til around 9 your time that I am emailing. To be honest, I'm not really sure what the 24th day will be like I just know we will find some way to email that day.


Our Christmas party was so much fun! I loved being with all of the missionaries and it was great to see Sister Andrus again! I miss her! She gets to go home in April so that was the last time I will see her most likely until I come home. Last week flew by because we had a busy week. We had some kind of mission meeting almost every day and then we had the party too. I am grateful that it went by fast. I am excited to open the presents on Christmas! Due to the week going by so fast, I am unable to remember a whole lot of what happened. Everyone seems to be doing great.
 
I had a really great experience this week. we went to see our recent convert, Ricardo, and I realized that he is one of the reasons I am out here. I know that I was meant to share my testimony with him and to help him come unto Christ. He's incredible. During the week he invited someone to be baptized and then testified to them. He's so great, and he did all of that before he was confirmed on Sunday! Heavenly Father truly is preparing his children to receive the gospel at this time. Ricardo reminds me some what of Alma. He has experienced such a conversion that all he desires to do now is to help others come unto Christ. Ricardo is a great example to me and I am learning a lot from him.
 
We have been knocking on doors a lot lately. We always do at least one hour a day but, because we need to find people, we have been knocking more than that. I now have callus' on my knuckles. Pretty right? The mission is best thing that has ever happened to me. I am filled with joy each day knowing that I have the opportunity for the rest of my life to share the gospel with all of those that I come in contact with!
 
I love you each so much! I cant wait to talk to you in a week. Like actually talk to you. What a blessing! Best Christmas present ever for sure! I hope you have a great week!

xoxoxo
sister johnson

ps, Sister Holyan and I are definitely sleeping under the Christmas tree all week :)

I LOVE YOU FAMILY! TALK TO YOU SOON! WHOOO!

December 10, 2012

1. ricardo on left, matt on right
2. christopher on the left, was baptized into our branch but he was baptized on the same day as his mom
3 & 4. safety first


Family :)

We go to Nova State University (a collage campus) to email. We use the library there and its about a ten min drive from our house, so not too bad. The new temple that is being built is about 15 min from our house. I haven't seen it lately because we don't really have people out there to visit. I am hoping to see it soon though. I haven't seen Sis Andrus yet I miss her so much. The mission is having a Christmas party on Thursday from 11-3 and I will be able to see her there! I am looking forward to it! We are taking white elephant gifts. I am filling an old pill bottle with m&ms and writing on the outside "mission stress reliever" Sis Holyan is buying donuts and saying on it "donut forget to pray" haha we are nerds. It will be a lot of fun though and I will tell you all about it next week. We have a new roomie! The other sister is training now. I can't believe that there snow there. I don't even know what that is anymore ha. The other day I was dying of heat! It was 90 on Wed! that is unreal! last week i decorated 3 planners for some elders haha the asked me to so i did. they turned out really good! I will have to send one of my old ones home so you can see it! its about the only crafty thing i get to do out here. We biked 8 miles one day this week. It wasn't bad at all and I really enjoyed it. Other than it was super hott but that's normal. One of my recent converts is going to the temple for the first time this week. I am so excited for him. He will be the first of my recent converts to go do baptisms for the dead!

Things here are going very well! It doesn't feel much like Christmas yet but I am very happy and at peace. We were able to have 3 baptisms yesterday! It was such a miracle! We are truly blessed. I would like to share the story behind one of them that got baptized.

 We met Ricardo three weeks ago from yesterday. It was a Sunday night and we were out knocking on doors. It was getting close to the end of our harvest and we were walking up the stairs to knock on two doors upstairs. No one answered. As we walked down the stairs, we noticed that one of the doors were open so we started walking over to it and Ricardo walked outside. We blessed him and his uncle and they both immediately accepted baptism. We set return apts and were excited about the baptism date that we had gotten. When we returned to see him later on that week he said that he had been thinking about baptism and that it really was something that he wanted to do. We continued to teach him and he came to church that Sunday. He loved and said he felt at peace. We continued to see him this past week. He had his interview on Friday and everything went very well. He came out excited for his baptism and couldn't wait! We saw him again on Saturday and he had talked to some people and had felt unsure about his baptism. we testified and reviewed verses from 2 Nephi 31. At the end of the lesson he was back on track! Sunday came around and he was again excited for his baptism. During Sunday school we had a small testimony meeting and to my surprise, he got up! he shared a powerful testimony about how he had been talking with his friend last Sunday night and his friend was telling him that he needed to go to church. he had also been having dreams about being with people at church. Only a few min later after he had gotten off the phone with his friend, he felt prompted to step outside. and there Sister Holyan and I were. As he shared this the spirit testified to me that Heavenly Father truly is preparing his children to receive the gospel and that we were sent to that area that night for a reason and that reason was to find Ricardo. His baptismal service was beautiful and the spirit was very strong. A few hours after his baptism he send us a text that said, "I feel so good right now, thank you very much for that opportunity." I couldn't help but to thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me to be able to meet Ricardo and help him receive the blessings that Heavenly Father has been waiting to give him for so many years.

I was reading in the scriptures this morning in Alma 4 where it is talking about Alma's desire to go preach unto his brethren who had fallen away. In verse four it states,"seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them." This verse made me think about the experience we had with Ricardo. On Saturday night he was being tempted and was beginning to doubt. As we shared pure testimony with him, the spirit was again able to testify to him that this is what he needed to do and that he knew it! it brought to his remembrance of the feelings he had received after we left the harvest prayer and after he had attended church.

Johnsons, i love you and i appreciate all that you do for me! you are the best family ever! The mission is the best gift i have ever been given. I wouldn't be out here if it weren't for your love and support. thank you for helping me to be out here and have all of these wonderful, life changing, experiences! i am glad you got my Christmas package! i hope everyone likes what i got them! i cant wait to see everyone on Christmas day! that is going to be the best! i hope you all have a great week! i love love love you and will talk to you soon!

xoxoxoxox
Sister Johnson

December 4, 2012

 

 

 

 

1. Our most recent convert, Tavon, hes 19. Hopefully he will serve a mission! how cool would that be?!

2. Me lighting the tree

3. Crazy crazy Christmas lights, there were SO many

4. Santa baby

 

Hey best family ever,

 

First things always first, I love and miss you all! I hope that your holiday season is going very well and that you are able to feel of my love for you at this time of our distance! There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of each one of you individually and how or what you are doing at the time you come to mind.

 

I am in Nova YSA with Sister Holyan for another transfer! I've been here for quite a while now. I guess I have not finished the work I need to do in this area yet. I love it here though. Being with people my age is so much fun. I love sharing the gospel with others that I can really relate with. Its such a blessing in my life. We are being blessed with so many wonderful people to teach during the Christmas season! We are hoping to have a miracle baptism tomorrow for a young man that we met just a few days ago. His mom is moving on Thursday and he wants her to be there for the baptism so we got special permission for him to be baptized tomorrow! We will see how things work out! There is nothing in this world that brings me greater happiness than to see someone join the church and receive the blessings of the gospel in to their lives. Most of our recent converts are so incredible! They offer rides to our investigators when they themselves have only been baptized for 3 weeks! Its amazing what the gospel of Jesus Christ can do for each one of us in our lives. To see people apply to atonement into their lives has been a wonderful blessing to me. It strengthens my testimony and helps me recognize the love that our Savior has for each one of us. Things here are going very well and I am more than grateful for this opportunity that I have to serve.

 

I have had many challenges this past transfer that have caused me to kneel in sincere prayer every night to ask for guidance and direction. I read a talk by elder Holland just a few weeks ago that really offered peace and comfort to my heart. In this talk he says, "I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy.... How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him?" I know that its through my Savior, Jesus Christ, that I can find peace and comfort during challenging times. He has felt what I have. He knows where I am and what I am doing at all times. Its trough the Savior that we are lifted in times of despair. He leaves an amazing promise at the end of his talk, one that I am especially grateful for. He says,"I PROMISE that because of your faithful response to the call to spread the gospel, He will bind up your broken hearts, dry your tears, and set you and your family free. That is my missionary promise to you and your missionary message to the world." What a powerful statement. I am thankful for the challenges and trails that come my way (maybe not so much in the middle of them) but, as I look back, I realize all of the many many blessings and growing experiences that came as I was passing through a specific trial or challenge. "No matter what trials or challenges we many face in our lives, the Savior and his teachings-the gospel-will help us." (PMG)

 

Each month I get a letter from the Thayne stake just giving me a few updates. This month Pres Hyde wrote and it was so good to hear from him. He shared a lot about Christmas and how important it is to give our hearts. That is what I am striving to do this Christmas season is to give the Savior my heart.

 

I am grateful for all of the support that I receive from everyone back at home. I am the luckiest missionary EVER! I feel your love and it keeps me going! There's nothing like receiving mail from home and loved ones. Family, I love you and pray for you always. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all that you do for me. We are one, without all of you I wouldn't be as strong as I am. I hope that you all have an incredible week! talk to you soon! :)

 

love always, sister johnson

 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

 

 

November 26, 2012

 

 

November 26, 2012

Fam Fam,

Well its been another great week on the mission! Let me tell you all about my Thanksgiving because I know that's what you want to hear about. It was weekly planning (every Thursday we plan for about 3 hours) then we ate Thanksgiving dinner at 5 with princess and her family. They are Hatian. It was mostly American food with a few Hatian things such as rice, cakes, veggies and what not. Then we went to Santiago's later that night for dessert. It was a really great day and went by fast! I didn't eat anything out of the ordinary and really it just felt like we were eating a big meal. It didn't feel like a holiday. I know its just because I wasn't with the family!

We were blessed to have a baptism on Saturday! Tavon is 19 and he is a super funny guy! He is dating our last baptism (Shavelaney). We love them so so much and they have become some of my dearest friends. We had been praying all week that he would have time off work to be able to be baptized. We kept pushing forward and doing our best to stay in contact with him and help him prepare for baptism. Because Heavenly Father loves us SO much, we were able to see him Friday night (miracle #1) and see if he could get work off on Saturday to be baptized which he did (miracle #2) and then Friday night we put together his baptism and he was baptized on Friday and confirmed on Sunday! It was AMAZING! I will send pictures!

Friday night when we were driving home we passed the swap shop which is a place where you can buy stuff for cheap. They have everything there. Its a bunch of booth of people selling things. They also have 10 drive in theaters there. So... as we were driving by at night, we saw Twilight playing on all of the screens! haha it was a reality check. Sometimes I forget that real life is still happening. The moment I saw I felt like I should of been there opening night with Shine haha.That's okay I will watch it with her when I get home!
 

So, we are only able to listen to songs sung by the Mormon tabernacle choir. luckily they have some awesome Christmas music :) we've been listening to 'grown up Christmas list' everyday! its normally sung by amy grant so it makes me think of you every time mom. its on the amy grant cd that we always listen to around Christmas. We found a Christmas tree in the mission garage today and I will prob set it up this afternoon! Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a tree!! Because I love 'The Grinch' so much I committed Santiago to watch it for me! haha he went out and bought and said he would tell me all about it after he watched it! its as close as I get to doing the things I love to do around Christmas time!

Today for p-day we are going to the Sawgrass mill which is a super HUGE mall. it will be interesting! I'm still trying to catch up with writing all my friends back! They all wrote me at the same time! Kinzie and her husband and friends are all on a cruise right now. I remember when they booked it! its kinda weird to think how fast time is going! We have transfers coming up on the 6th so next week I wont email until Tues the 4th.
 

It sounds like everyone had a great Thanksgiving with family! I missed everyone so much! but I always do so it was just like every other day. I am happy to hear that grandpa reads and studies the book of Mormon during this time. Its so good to know that he is holding strong to the gospel and progressing!
 

Well, I hope this email finds you all well and happy! Hopefully I will have more interesting things to write next week. We do so much in one day here that I forget what to write because I cant remember everything that happened! I love you all so much! I'm excited to write next week!

love you with my whole heart,

sister johnson

 I LOVE YOU!

Missionaries, we were so close to our goal of 150. We finished with 131 baptisms for November!!! This month of December is a special month as we celebrate the Birth of our Savior. What better gift can we give the Savior than souls baptized unto repentance. What better way to have a “White Christmas” in South Florida, than to have God’s children dressed in white and be baptized in His Son’s name.

November 24, 2012

 

Dear Brother and Sister Johnson:

 

Hello! My name is Santiago Tovar. I'm a member in the Nova YSA Branch. How are you doing!?? I hope you are doing wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving!!! I wanted to send you this email and picture of your daughter! I too served a mission and know how concerned parents could be for their missionaries. I wanted you to know that she had a place to spend this holiday, a place were she was welcomed, a place were she is greatly appreciated for her service, an adopted home per say...

 

We love your daughter! We are so grateful for the sacrifice that you have made in order get her out here. I know how much parents give up, and I too know how much you have gained  and will gain through the Lord's blessings. I want you to know that she is a fantastic missionary, that she works very hard and honors your name by her actions. Im the Branch mission leader, so I have had the great opportunity to work closely with her and can say this with full confidence. Thank you for doing such a outstanding job raising her! We are taking care of your missionary and working hard to help them in the work as well. Sister Johnson has shared with me that her brother is putting his papers soon! Congratulations for that as well!

 

Let me know if you need anything and thank you again!

 

Sincerely,

 

Santiago Tovar

November 19, 2012

Johnson Clan,

Happy Thanksgiving on Thursday! I am so grateful for each one of you that I don't even know where to start! I am not sure yet what we are doing for Thanksgiving, we have had a few invites and so we are just trying to figure out what to do. I will let you know what we decided to do next week :) I wish I was at home with the family for the holidays! Know I will be there in spirit and love you all so much. I wanted to share a spiritual thought first due to the Thanksgiving holiday coming up this week. One of my favorite hymns is 193 it says, "I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me, confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me...I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine...such mercy, such love and devotion can i forget? No, no, i will praise and adore at the mercy seat, until at the glorified throne, i kneel at his feet." Every time I read or sing this hymn, my heart is filled with gratitude as I reflect upon my life and all that I have been given. I know that it is through the tender mercies of my Savior, that I have been given so much. I owe him my life, my whole heart. I am humbled at this opportunity that I have to serve a mission and to share the gospel with others. I have the gospel, I know the truth, I have it all. There are so many people here who don't have anything, they have nothing because they are without the truth, without the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I am honored to be able to share that with them and help them find the happiness that I have found trough the gospel.

There is a senior couple in the mission that has a blog. its www.pierfamily.com. they post on it almost everyday. i am on there :) they post president weekly email, and pictures-they are always taking pictures! i hope you enjoy their blog! it looks really good! thank you mom and bri for sending the letters and drawings in the mail this week! that was a nice surprise! bris school picture turned out so good! shes such a pretty girl! :) I got a flu shot this week. i know you are so proud of me right? its still not my favorite thing ever but its better than getting the flu! did bri ever get my letter with the stickers and seashells? i sure hope so. I've been being super sneaky this week haha i don't know why but i have been pulling pranks and scaring everyone. its been a good time. I got my comp like 4 times this week. Sometimes on purpose other times not. We have this wooden candy box that has a fake mouse attached to the end of it. so when you open the box, the mouse comes up and hits your finger. I went up to my comp this week and was like, do you want some of these chocolates? I forgot we had them. and she yanked open the box, the mouse hit her finger, her food and fork went flying all over the kitchen, and she screamed bloody murder... it was pretty funny. we laugh about it all the time! I got devon and dom (the twins in our branch) with it too. SO SO SO funny! they both screamed and i loved it. I got em good. Sister Holyan and I saw a possum this week. They are ugly things. Just a giant rat, but it was cool to see one. I cant complain. I have been getting letters from all of my girl friends! its so nice to hear from them. they are all doing really well. thats fun that you got to see chey! im glad you run into my friends sometimes! :) I love Christmas and I love giving gifts!
 
We went and saw the mother of two less active YSA last night. She's that one that we made cookies with about a month ago. She had her house decorated very nice for the holidays. She had her tree up already and her apt is just really really nice. it felt  SO good to just sit in a nice home, where the spirit can be felt, and to talk with her and to look at the Christmas tree. I am grateful for times like that. She is a very very giving mother and I pray that her children will come around sometime soon. I told her that she will have to meet you mom. She said we are welcome any time :) I was wondering if and when you send the next package if you can send me my cardigans that are at the shop? I know there's a cream and black stripped one, a white one, a black one, and if there are any others if you could sent them please. We wear them a lot now sense its cooling off in the evening time and we wear them to church and baptisms and meetings. thank you for doing that for me :)
Today for p-day I just want to do nothing. haha. I am pretty tired. being senior comp is very challenging for me. i feel like everything lies on me. i am trying to do my best but it is hard. by the end of the week i am emotionally, mentally, and physically drained. I am learning a lot though and I am very grateful for this opportunity. I think we might go to the mall today though, and to target, and then just rest and write letters. It will be a great day!

Family, I hope that you all have an amazing week. Please know that I pray for you often. I am so grateful for you. There are no words that can express the gratitude that I feel. I love you and of course I miss you always! I look forward to writing you next week! Enjoy it for me and you :)

love love love, sister johnson
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

1. me smashing acorns - its prob one of my favorites things to do here

sorry theres not more pictures! they are not uploading today! i love you and will send more next week! take care! love you!

November 12, 2012

Dear Family,

Everything is going to amazing. We had a challenging week but we were blessed with so many miracles this weekend! God truly does watch over us and blesses us after our trials of faith! We had a big group of polys take us our for breakfast! That was a lot of fun! there was a couple from Star valley that came to church yesterday! the Bradshaws. They are going on a cruise and just came to the closest chapel! crazy huh? He came into the bank all the time to make deposits. I walked into the chapel and was like... that's a super familiar face! Who is that?! haha it was cool! well family! I hope you have a great week! I love you all so much! stay strong!  will write more next week!

xoxoxoxo sister johnson

November 5, 2012

Family,
How's it going?! So to answer your question yes I can skype on Christmas as long as there's a member here that lets me use their computer. (I'm sure there is)I was thinking you could just go over to Katie's and use her comp. because we aren't allowed to talk for too long. I know there is a time limit. Which is sad but  I will take what I can get :)
Thank you for sending the package! we love love love the cookies! those mixes are super easy to make and they taste SO good! tell Bri thank you for the soup! i am excited to make it too! i am sure it will be really yummy :) and as always thank you for the starburst and gummy bears- they are my favorite! i was thinking about the ward Christmas dinner last year and how Ben and i came up and surprised you for it! That was a lot of fun! I love thinking about good times like that because i know there is so many more ahead! I am glad you got to go to Utah mom! it sounds like you had a really good time! thank you for emailing a few pics! everyone looks the same for the most part, which is good! :) I miss eating at Kneaders- that place had the best breads ever (well Mrs Powells still makes awesome cinnamon rolls just saying) The angel Moroni was put on the temple last week! it looks amazing! its so beautiful! i will see if i can send i few pics sometime soon! on Halloween we had to be home by 8 instead of 9. so we had an extra hour that night to rest! haha. its going to be interesting to see what happens with elections this week. everyone is talking about it right now! we had a baptism fall through this week which was sad. hopefully she will get baptized next Sunday! last night we went to a pot luck at 6:30. it was a lot of fun! we had a few recent converts there so it was good helping them get to know more branch members. then right after there was a CES fireside that was really good as well! i really enjoyed last night! last Monday when we went to the beach we ate lunch at a pizza place right on the beach. Sister Holyan and I also got matching sweat pants! i wanted to buy something for everyone and sent it home! i will next year before i come home :) i love Sister Holyan! we get along so well and we have so much fun! we basically laugh all day! today for p-day I think we might go for a bike ride at a nature center! if we do i will def send pics next week! well family, thank you for always writing me and letting me know how you are doing! its the best thing ever to hear from you! especially when i get a letter or mail unexpected! it always makes my day! i love you all! i hit my 5 month mark tomorrow! yaya! time is going by so fast! i look forward to hearing from you next week! i love you!

love love love, sister johnson


xoxoxoxoxo

October 29, 2012

(Sorry, photos are not uploading the last two weeks.  I will try to fix this problem!  Tami)

Hey Family,

This past week was full of change and adventure. The wind and rain hasn't been too bad.. We have gotten wet a few times and almost blew away once but besides that we are good :) and we are safe! You never have to worry about me, I am in good hands! It makes for some good memories.  My new companion is Sister Corey Holyan she is from a reservation in north Arizona. She is a native American! I love her! We already get along really well and i know that we are going to see a lot of miracles this transfer! We actually entered the MTC together but she is a Spanish speaking sister so out here she is a transfer behind me, which makes me senior comp. Its definitely a new experience to be over the area and everything else. I have received so much guidance and direction this past week and have found so much comfort in sharing the gospel with others. Sister andrus was the only one to move out of our apt. I miss her! I didn't realize how much she taught me until she left! That's okay I will see her again sometime soon :) On transfer day we loaded up the car with her bags and bike and drove there and put it into her new car with her new comp! Transfers are amazing. It is definitely a nerve racking experience though. You sit and stare at the screen and the APs announce your new comp or the new area that you are going too. Once your name appears and you find out the change that will be taking place its not so bad! Oh, I have been driving! yep that's right, I have been driving in the crazy Florida traffic! haha its actually not bad at all. It felt weird the first few days of driving just cuz I haven't driven for 4+ months! Which brings me to my next news... next week I will hit 5 months! Can you believe it? I sure cant! The months just fly by out here! Which i am grateful for! It would be very challenging if it didn't. I am not sure what to write in this email... i am just trying to recoup from last week.

The other day we were walking in a trailer park (that is prob the size of the entire valley, its huge haha) and we saw these three young people walking toward us. I recognized the girl because we had prayed with her before. So we walked up to her and her two guy friends and said hi and then asked the guys (paul and dakota) if we could walk with them to their house and pray with them as well. they said yes. paul is 20 and dakota is 18 i think... anyways we get to there house and i say the prayer. the spirit was really strong and my heart was very tender as i offered the prayer. after i was done and we all opened our eyes, paul was wiping tears from his face and expressed gratitude for the prayer. we invited them to be baptized and they now have a date for nov 11. These YSA out here have had rough, really rough lives. As I prayed my heart ached for the things that they bad been through and the lives that they were living. The blessings I promised them in the prayer can only be found through following the example of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful to have to gospel in my life and to know what I know! The gospel brings me the greatest joy and happiness.

Another experience we had that following day is when we stopped and talked to three girls all young womens age. The one was dressed like and looked like a boy. and the other two were twin sisters. they had piercings and looked very lost. We left a prayer with them and again, my heart was tender as we prayed with these three very special daughters of our Heavenly Father. I looked at them and saw the potential that they have. And thought to myself, "they should be going to mutual tonight, they should be striving to receive their young womens medallion... they should be surrounded by people who LOVE THEM AND SHOW IT!" After we were done talking with them I thought a lot about my experience in young womens and just how much is has meant to me over the years. Mom, thank you for helping me with all of the projects and for helping me receive the blessings that come from doing the young womens program. And to my young women leaders I am very grateful for as well. " ...we believe as we come to accept and act upon these values we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation." (YW theme) As I have been able to go though the temple and have many spiritual experiences sense, I relate a good portion of these blessings to the young womens program! I am so grateful for all that I am blessed with! My heart is constantly full of gratitude for the life I have and for the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope this letter finds you all well. I love and miss each one of you all the time. You are always in my prayers. Thank you for helping me have this opportunity to serve our Savior, Jesus Christ, and to gain a greater knowledge of my purpose in life. I know that there is great strength that comes from reading the scriptures. let me know where you are reading :) i love to hear about it! i hope everyone has an awesome Halloween! its one of my favorite holidays! you will have to send me lots of pics :)!  please let me know if there is anything i can do for you from here! We are going to the beach today for p-day I will send pictures next week! Well let me rephrase that, we are going to go walk on the pier at the Hollywood beach today! :) haha well family, i love you, i miss you, and i look forward to hear from you next week! take care! talk to you soon!

love love love, sister johnson

XOXOXOXOXO

October 23, 2012

 
Johnson Clan,

We have transfers tomorrow and i found out that i am staying but, sister andrus, my comp, is being transferred. i am a little nervous because i don't feel ready to take over an area but i know that the Lord will help me. i have so much to tell you from this past week and such a short amount of time to share it! Dad, last week you were talking about how you worked in the office. There was a missionary here that created a comp program called establishing Zion and so we do everything electronically. That's why there are only senior couple that work in the office. its an amazing program and i guess we are the only mission that uses it. we are super blessed here. this weekend we also had stake conference! it was so good! Elder Choi from the quorum of the seventy came and spoke. His son is companions with Nate in Australia right now, small world right? So i went and shook Elder Choi's hand and talked with him for a bit. He gave powerful talks (there was a youth session that we got to go to) and i learned a lot from him. we also found out some amazing news about our mission. This is what President Anderson said in our e-mail this morning, "We just got word last week that the Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission is the highest baptizing Mission in the United States and Canada. This hasn’t happened out of the Utah Missions in a long time I am told. What an honor to know that you missionaries are working so hard and reaping such great miracles in finding the elect of God. I wasn’t going to announce this because we shouldn’t compare with others, but General Authorities are telling other leaders and I rather you hear it from me. Remember God’s hand is in this work and he has poured out his Spirit to make us instruments in His hands. You are amazing missionaries and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of your Mission." i was really excited when we heard that news! i am so blessed to be in this mission! i love it here! i love the people, the missionaries, everything! On Saturday night, our friend Jaeuk, hes from Korea, taught us how to make sushi! it was really fun and super yummy. i didn't like it at first but it has grown on me and i like sushi. weird huh? there are these twin brothers in our branch named Dom and Devon and they are artists. they painted me a beautiful painting of a temple. its the salt lake city and fort lauderdale temple compinded! haha they are really creative! will be sending the pic so that you can see it! i will also be sending the painting home sometime...
We meet people all the time out here who don't have parents, don't know where there parents are, only have one parent.... its extremely sad. I am so grateful for all of you and the love and support that you offer me. i know that our family life can be really tough at times but i would take that any day over not having anyone. I love each one of you and i know that through Jesus Christ, our family can continue to grow in love for one another and that we will be able to become more unified! i have the best family ever and i cant thank you enough for all that you bless me with! on a spiritual note...

hymn 277 says " as i search the holy scriptures, help me ponder and obey. In thy word is life eternal; may thy light show me the way." I have developed a deep love for the scriptures sense i have been out here. I especially love reading from the Book of Mormon. I am taught daily from the spirit as a study and think about the things that i am reading! i know that the Book of Mormon offers guidance and direction in our lives to help us know how we can become better. In Alma 37:37 it states, "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings and he will direct thee for good..." as a have combined prayer with my studies, i have been able to receive direction while i have been out here. weather it be direction from my mission or for the future. I know that we can receive personal revelation. it is one of the greatest blessings we have been given. I know that Heavenly Father hears and answers each one of our sincere prayers. we met a member of the family ward the other day who has two children who are YSA age who are less active. she desires more than anything for her children to become active and to follow Jesus Christ. She invited us over yesterday and we made cookies with her and got to know her less active daughter. as we left i recognized her pure desire for her children to have the blessings of the gospel. i know without a doubt that Heavenly Father hears her desperate cry for her children. And i know that her prayers will be answered. Heavenly Father knows each one of us individually. He know what we need. "He has given us everything that we love. Every crazy color, every feeling, emotion...everything that inspires us comes directly from Him." I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who helps me find happiness in each and everyday! "The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever." (alma 37:46)
I love you family! thank you for the emails, letters, packages, love, and support. I couldn't do it without you and i mean it! i am forever grateful for the example that you set for me and the encouragement that you offer to me! i look forward to hearing from you! i hope that you have an amazing week! i cant believe that it snowed!!! its so hott here. i sweat, sweat, and sweat some more! although the mornings have been getting a little bit cooler which is really nice. sister andrus and i walk every morning! Well take care family! I will e-mail you next week!!
I LOVE YOU!
xoxoxo sister johnson

October 15, 2012

Hey Family-

So I thought that i would answer your questions first and then tell you about my awesome week!
 -What did you do the last couple of p-days? last couple of pdays we have just relaxed, made cookies, written letters, and last pday we went to the mall. no i didn't buy anything haha. that's prob the first time i have ever been to a mall and not gotten anything! i was proud of myself!
-  Bri learned about the Bermuda Triangle in school this week.  It is south of Florida.  She thought of you!
    It is a dangerous place, on an island.  Many people have died there.I'm not sure what island you are talking about... the keys? it is a pretty dangerous place down there that's why the sisters don't have an area there. i would like to visit there someday. i have heard it is soo pretty and i want to see the 7 mile bridge  
-  Do you ride your bike very much?  Are you still walking as much? we never bike. our area cover a whole stake so its huge! none of our investigators live near our apt so its almost impossible for us to bike and get anything done. we haven't had to walk as much lately because we are planning out our miles more wisely now! every time we drive by where we would walk 6 miles a day i am very grateful for a car! 
-  Are you still learning some spanish? a little bit, but not as much. i can testify and have a very small small convo in spanish.
-  The yogurt looks very good.... the yogurt is super yummy. we go once a week!
-  Do you read your scriptures? i read my scriptures every day for 30min. sometimes when i have more time i read for longer. i love the book of mormon so much. it has changed who i am and i know that it the word of God! how is your studying and reading going? where are you at right now?
-  Tell your companion Hi from us!! sister andrus says hello! :)
-  Have you seen anymore spiders or lizards? we see them all the time 24/7 they are just part of living here i guess haha
-   How was bowling? bowling was a blast! we had a lot of fun and i wish we had time and money to go more often! i bowled a 90ish and then i cant remember the other ones. we played about three games and then went and ate at olive garden! my favorite!
-  did you know we love you? yes i know you love me! and i love you all sooo much!
-  Bri wants to know if you get any candy?  or food from people you like? mmm not really the only thing we get from people is water which is nice because its always so hott outside
-  Is there a Deseret Book there? sadly, no :(
Thank you for asking all the questions! I had fun answering them and it gave me something to write about! I am so glad that I have my cook book! i have some friends from here adding me on facebook so when you get the time can you please add them.  for pday today, we are going to crystals! i am so excited! we are just going to hang out! i am excited for you to meet her someday! she can out with us this week and she is an amazing missionary! its hard to believe that she was baptized only two weeks ago! shes basically been a member for a while now though! her dad came to church with her on Sunday and we are so excited for her family! i would love to hear more about how the temple was. i am sure it was a wonderful experience. i had a dream about grandma the other night but when i woke up i couldn't remember what had happened. i want to thank you all for the prayers that you send my way. i feel your prayers and there are many blessings that are happening and i know its from your faith and your prayers on my behalf.
We have had another incredible week. i love being a missionary! i love love love it! serving others is the best thing ever! now i know why when people say when you are feeling down you should go serve! i know that's true. when i have hard days and i go out and serve, i come home so happy and grateful for all that i have been given. peoples living conditions here are really sad. there is the nice part of Florida but my comp and i work in the less rich areas. people here are more kind and humble. everyday i am just so grateful for the gospel, my family, my home, and my friends. i don't know how some people live the way they live. But i know that the gospel of Jesus Christ can and will change their lives forever and i feel so blessed to share what i know and have with them. thank you for all that you do for me. your love and support is much appreciated! i love you so so so much and cant even begin to express my gratitude to you for all that you do for me.also, next week is transfers so i will be emailing on tues. this transfer was 5 weeks instead of 6 because they are making it so the creole elders aren't coming in mid transfer.
we had a baptism on Sunday! it was amazing! Anderson is a great guy and he has a lot going for him! it was an answer to my prayers that he was baptized! we taught him for about three weeks. he comes to church every Sunday and is very active in all of the activities! i am excited for him and looking forward to seeing him progression in the gospel!
well fam, sorry this is a crazy, and shortish letter. if there's one thing that i want you to get from this letter its that i love you. i really do. i feel so blessed to be out here and to be having this experience. the mission is helping me become who i need to be for me, for all of you, and for my future family. the lord is shaping me into who he expects me to be. sometimes is painful, I'm not going to lie, but its always worth it for me. I know that Jesus Christ lives. He lives and extends his love and mercy to us on a daily basis as we turn to him for guidance and direction. I know the plan of salvation is real. it is what we are here for, its our plan. i love the temple and i cant wait to go back! (the temple here is progressing so fast i most def will prob be able to go before i come home) i know that our family is forever as we continue to do our best! i love you all and cant wait to hear from you next week!
all of my love xoxox, sister johnson

October 8, 2012

 

 

Well as always I have so much to say and so little time to say it. I was happy to get emails this week! I love hearing how the families past week went and what everyone has been up to! and my favorite thing is to hear how everyone is doing! My heart is filled with excitement for the work after listening to conference! It was amazing! My favorite talk was by Elder Holland. I have been studying John 21 for about a month now. And to hear that talk was the cherry on top. Every day I think about the things said in that chapter and the many different lessons that are taught. I have promised myself and the Lord, ever sinse I started studying it about I month ago, that I will feed his sheep. I will share His gospel, and I will devote my life to serving His children. I could go on days and days about how much I loved conference! I was blown away to hear the new of 18 and 19 year old young men and women being able to serve! That is wonderful news! and a testimony to me of the rising generations! I am excited for these young people to serve. I know like I am talking like a am old or something ha. but I feel old now. I am going to be an old sister when all the 19 year olds start coming in! :) but I am so happy for them!

 

Mom, you won't believe what happened! so last week I told you I was staying dry.... Monday night it rained so hard! and there wasn't any close parking in our apt complex so we had to park far away from our apt. needless to say, we got soaked! i was laughing because all i could think about is how just a few hours earlier i had told you it didn't rain that often. then on tues we got soaked again when we were out harvesting/tracting. we had a member with us and not a inch of our body was dry! it happens.... i guess i shouldn't of said anything haha.

 

Sister Anderson (presidents wife) came out with us one evening for about two hours! it was a wonderful experience! i learned a lot from her and we were able to teach two really spiritual lessons! sister anderson is very soft spoken but she speaks with power and love. last month our mission broke our record of 141 baptisms and we baptized 143! so excited! that many more people of come unto Jesus Christ and are now receiving the blessings that come through his atonement. I have seen so many blessings from serving a mission and i have only been out here for four months! Grandma Johnson told me that she goes to church every Sunday! that is an improvement! Grandpa is going through the temple! i couldn't be more excited for him! i KNOW that he is going to have a wonderful, and spiritual experience! I've gained a stronger testimony and a grater understanding for my purpose in life. i am being so blessed! and i know that all of you are too! Heavenly Father loves each one of us! he will never forget us! there is a song that i love- you should look it up :) its on mormonchannel.org. and in the search box you type in, "have i done any good in the world today" its sooo good! I've always enjoyed that hymn and now i love it even more! let me know what you think! i had a great study on life after death this week! D&C 138 is full of treasures! i know that from studying this section i gained a greater knowledge of the plan of salvation and more peace had yet again been brought to my heart concerning the loss of our loved ones.(the purple flowers at conference made me think of grandma and you mom! they were so pretty) the stake sends out a monthly letter that updates on things going on in the valley. its always nice to get them! also, i got a letter from Katie yesterday! she is so awesome! i loved her homemade card and the bookmarks that she sent from the YSA class that her and Allen teach! my comp is slowly getting better. she finally got some antibiotics to help her get rid of her cough. we had to stay home another day this week... and yet again i had lots of time to study, ponder, watch church movies, take a bath, and bake! it was a good day, just a long one. well for the miracle of the week (there were many) last Sunday a girl named Cristal went to the family ward where our branch presidents wife attends church. sister Williams spoke with Cristal and got all of her information and gave it to us. so we followed up with her a few days later. Cristal is 18. before she moved her she was attending an LDS church with friends for about two years. she has an incredible testimony and has read the BOM more than once. she has the purest heart and is so powerful in spirit! she was waiting until she was 18 to get baptized to respect her parents. she moved here right after she turned 18 and hadn't gone to church for about a year. she kept receiving promptings to look up where the nearest chapel was so she could go this past Sunday. she found one, went, met sister Williams, and because of all of this, she was baptized Sunday (yesterday) before conference. it was amazing! she has truly been prepared by the hand of our Heavenly Father to be baptized at this time of her life. she has strengthened me in so many ways in just the few short days that i have known her. i feel like i have known her my whole life and she is an incredible daughter of God! i hope she serves a mission... but she has a missionary... so we will see what happens. dont worry, i will tell you her whole story when i get home! haha her family was able to come to the baptism and they LOVED it! hopefully they can be baptized soon too! Cristal is going to change lives! she has already changed mine! i love being a missionary here in Florida! i am excited for jacob to now have the opportunity to serve as soon as he wants to.  Heavenly Father will help him too! he just needs positive support. everything else like the truck, and work, and school will work itself out! he needs to get out here! i sent him an email. hopefully he is getting them. i never hear back haha. thank you for sending my recipe book mom :) i am looking forward to getting it! thank you family for all of the love and encouragment that you send me! i am so happy! i feel so blessed to be able to serve a mission. to serve my Savior and to help other come unto christ. i hope that all of you have a fantastic week! i love you, i pray for you, and i am always thinking of you!

 

with all of my love, sister johnson

                                 I LOVE MY FAMILY 

October 1, 2012 Great Day!

 

 

Hello Family,

 

Well, another week has gone by very quickly for me! I hope that it has done the same for you! Happy 1st of October! Its crazy to think that its already that time of the year! It feels like just yesterday that I was filling out my papers... time is going by fast for me! I am finally hitting that point in my mission where i love it! i love everything about it! I love the people, the different cultures, the heat... you name it - i love it! That's great that all the boys got to go camping! memorable experiences like that are the best! i still remember a lot of young women's and girls camp! i cherish those experiences!  I love, love, loved the relief society broadcast! the talks were incredible and the spirit was so strong! everything here is two hours later so it did start at eight. I had a long day on Saturday and that was a great day to end it! and on top of that, i got my package from you that night!!  I love the FL cookie cutter! sooo cute! My roommates wanted to make cookies right then! haha. The jar definitely reminds me of you! I'm glad we both have one :) the pictures that you sent were soo good! i miss everyone but when i see pics i feel like i was there for all the fun! Devry is adorable! I was laughing so hard when you said that she doesn't like to take the helmet off! that is so funny! shes just a fireball fulll of energy! i look forward to seeing pics of what you are working on for emma! its going to look fabulous!! for sure!

 

Your prayers are being answered mom because I am doing very well and I am more than happy! Life for me now is different but, the same! I love sharing the restored gospel with others! Makes me wonder why I never did it before! well i am ashamed of what i eat haha... we don't get fed by any member because we are in ysa. so whenever we are home i cook. but when we are out... we eat fast food. most wendys.... haha its terrible! i am looking forward to having time to cook and eat when i get home! i am more than warm here! its still in the high 80's most of the time! i stay dry for the most part because it usually rains in the morning or at night! i will send pics in my coat the next time it pours haha! i talk to amazing people everyday! i haven't had any bad experiences with people yet. everyone here is very nice and loves jesus. so its all good! :) one of my favorite things about being here is meeting people from all over! there are so many different cultures here and i love it! one min we will be talking to some one from jamaica the next min  we are talking with someone from haiti and the next min we are talking to someone from the domincan republic! its the coolest thing ever! one of our recent converts, robert,  hes this big hatian. (ive sent pics) but hes been here for a while so he kinda acts american but still has his other ways! its always fun talking with him!

 

my comp has been sick almost all week. she has a super bad cough but they are having her wait a little bit longer before she goes in to the DR. So one day we didn't go out hardly at all. i enjoyed it. i studied a lot, took a bath, studied some more and watched lots of church movies! and she slept... like all day and night. ha. she is doing a little bit better now. it was her 1 year mark on the 28th so we went and got frozen yogurt for lunch! yummy!! one of the movies i watched was about pres monson!  l loved it! i learned that he became a bishop when he was 22. that was mind blowing! Grandma johnson sent me a package this week too! i am so blessed to have so much support from all of you! i appreciate it more than words can describe! it always give me that extra boost!

 

In my patriartical blessing it talks about how i need to study the gifts and blessings given to Abraham, issac and jacob because they can be mine... so i was studying and came across some amazing things! I read that its the tribe of ephriams privilege to bear the message of the restoration of the gospel to the world and to gather scattered israel. i am so grateful for the opportunity that i have to serve a mission. this truly is the best experience i have ever had. i have found so much peace and comfort and i have learned a lot about myself and the plan that heavenly father has for me! and each one of us! i am beyond excited for grandpa to go through the temple! i cant wait to hear all about it! i love hearing that everyone is doing well! its music to my ears! and we all know how much i love music! i cant wait to write you all again next week! stay strong! i love you! i love you! i love you!!

 

love always, sister johnson

 

"Our strength to endure faithfully depends upon recognizing, remembering, and holding sacred that which we receive from above." - elder paul b pieper

 

p.s.s. elder joshua call from SV is in my district. super funny. we are always talking about SV and all the good times! i just new of him in high school.. he seems cool...

 

p.s.s.s I LOVE AND MISS YOU ALL! YOU ARE THE BEST! XOXOXO

 

1.yogurt for comps 1 year

2. madeline did a hatian braid in my hair

3. elder joshua call

September 24, 2012

Johnson Clan-

It sounds like everyone had a eventful week! So did I, as always!

I am coming up on my 4 months out here! super crazy! time is going by really fast and i am loving the mission life! i am so excited for the R.S. broadcast on Saturday! then we can talk about it the next week :)

I got a letter from Kirsten last week and i was so excited! god answers prayers! she is the R.S. pres in her ward! I'm so happy for her! we had a baptism on Sunday! it went so well! Wesley is 18 and he should be on American idol! his voice is amazing! we have him sing for us every time we go over to teach him! a lot of the branch members came to the baptism and its always nice to have support there for them! yesterday was a great day! i love Sundays! they have always been and will always be my favorite day of the week! speaking of American idol... when does david artchletas cd come out? tell me all about it ! i cant wait to hear it when i get home haha. and the million other songs that come out within the year and half that i am gone. we go to a place ac called yogurt land every week and they are always playing music. i love music! and sense i have been out here i absolutely love the hymns! i have a new fav every day it seems like. one of our investigators who really wants to get baptized cant be baptized because he practices voodoo. it sounds worse than it really is i promise. he says he has good spirits and he has to take them back to the temple where he got them... which is in Haiti.... and hes not going there for a year. its crazy the lives that people have. its makes me ever so grateful for mine!

well on a spiritual side i can across a few things that i would like to share with you that i learned and was reminded of this week. A lot of our investigators talk about how hard life is and express there worry of challenges that they are facing. i have been reflecting on life and the hard things that we all go through. But i have something that they don't (at least not yet) i have a knowledge of the restored gospel and the mercy that the Savior is always ready to extend to us. in Alma 38:5 it says "...i would that ye should REMEMBER that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials and your troubles and your afflictions and ye shall be lifted up at the last day." what a promise! i know that as we "... call upon the name of the Lord, and keep his commandments.." we will be saved. we will be comforted! i love love love reading ensign conference addition talks. i find so much guidance and i cant wait for this upcoming conference. Elder Neil Anderson has said that, "by His grace He will do for you what you cannot do for yourself." I know that Heavenly Father will help up through are hard times. He will carry us through our troubles and he most definitely will lift us up from our afflictions! He loves us! i sit and ponder about that all the time. Heavenly Father loves us. individually. He is going to help us when we need it and when we don't need it! i love the many many things i am learning while i am out here.

Family, i love you so much. I have never been so grateful for each one of you. The support and love that you have shown me and continue to show me is something that i am forever grateful for! I hope that you all have a wonderful week! i love you and i pray for all of you everyday! i know that God answers my prayers and that you are all doing well. The spirit confirms that to me on a daily basis! I look forward to hearing for you next week :)! LOVE YOU LOTS!

love, sister johnson

p.s. i have 6 pages away from being done with the BOM again! whooo! Moroni 7 is one of my fav chapters ever! let me know what you think of it!! and i love you :)

1. Wesley is in the middle

2. slug bug

3. love my comp

September 18, 2012

Family,

 

We got the transfer call last night and...... I am staying in nova YSA and..... my comp is too!! We are really happy and super excited to have another transfer together! i forgot my camera cord so i will be send pics in the mail this week! I am beyond happy for grandpa to go through the temple! This is incredible news!  Its so crazy for me to think that its fall there, everything looks and feels the same here all the time. I've decided that I'm totally okay with that because then I feel like I'm not missing out on anything back home. I think it would be a little bit harder if it felt like fall here right now! We had a zone training this past week and it was really good! It gave us all that boost we needed! We had a small testimony at the end of it and it was prob the most spiritual testimony meeting I have every been at! The spirit was so strong! It was amazing! We also got zone t-shirts! They are pretty cool I will have to send a pic of one! Since I am staying in ysa and no one feeds us, I need to have a few cooking ideas haha. I've been studying Christlike attributes lately. Its been a great thing to study. I have a lot of work cut out for me that's for sure! Tues was the best day because we had a super good teaching day and then I got your package and like 3 letters! It was the best! Storms here are pretty out of control! The thunder pretty much shakes the apt. The storms come and go really fast though. We call it the wall of rain. The other day I was quoting the movie the 'proposal' on one of my favorites, and then I remembered that you me and grandma went to that at the movie theater! Good times for sure! One of the things I've learned since I have been out here is that when someone offers you help, water, or whatever, we accept! God blesses those who serve. So when we let someone serve us, we are helping them receive blessings! When I first got here, I would always say no to help no no no. But then Sister Andrus helped me realize that we need to accept the help when it is presented to us! I read an AMAZING talk in the conference Ensign. Its called 'the why of the priesthood' by Pres Uchtorf. That's how we teach out here. We call it the Why, What, How. We increase their desires, tell them what to do, ask them to keep commitments! Its inspired! I had two really great experiences this week. We were harvesting and we knocking into a mom and her two sons. She let us in and I began to say the harvest blessing (which is just saying a prayer) and I was given the things to say. When we opened our eyes, tears were running down this mothers face. She expressed her gratitude for the prayer I had offered and that I said exactly when she needed to hear. I was so grateful at the moment to have been able to be worthy of the spirit and to have him guide my words! That exact experience happened two more times throughout the week. I know that its because I made a goal to improve my harvest blessings. The Lord helped me improve so that I could better serve him and his children.

It is a challenging decision to make a step into something new and to leave your old life behind to more fully follow the example of Christ. Thank you for having the courage and strength and the desire to do so. 

 

Oh the title of this email. ha. I have had the song 'we built this city on rock n roll' in my head for about a month now! I find myself singing it every morning when I am getting ready! Its super random! I love you all so much! It makes me happy to hear that everything is going well! Please tell Gina Sheri and Dana thanks for all the letters and emails! I will get around to writing them back asap! I'm really grateful for all of the support I get! It helps me in ways I cant even describe!  i love you i love you i love you! I hope that you have a great week!  LOVE YOU!

 

xoxoxo sister johnson

September 10, 2012

 

 

To Sister Brooke's Friends -- she needs more of your mailing addresses in order to return a letter to you.  She can't e-mail you back.  Please send her a letter with your address.  She loves hearing from you!!  Thanks so much for your support!  

Sister Brooke Johnson

Florida Fort Lauderdale Mission

7951 SW 6th Street, Suite 110

Ft. Lauderdale, FL  33324-3211

 

Family,

 

This past week has just flown by! We have transfers next week so I will be emailing on Tues again! I cant believe I have already hit my 3 month mark! I absolutely love being a missionary and I love being here! Last night we got to go to the CES fireside that Elder Holland spoke at! it was INCREDIBLE! He knows his stuff! He was just talking about not 'checking out religion at the door' and holding to our standards! he also talked about attack Babylon on fleeing no more! you should listen to it if you get the time! it was super good! 

 My comp is so awesome! Shes from north cali in a town called ukiah! She's the baby of two sisters and one bro. Her dad is the bishop in her ward. She's been going to BYU-I (we're pretty sure we've seen each other) and shes studying humanities! She'll go back when she gets home in April! shes a lot like me. we get along really well! I'm a little nervous for transfers next week cuz i know i could be leaving... or my comp could be leaving and i would have to take over the area...! yikes! I am excited to let you know what happens though! Mother, i miss your cinnamon rolls and jam and all that yummy stuff! I'm pretty sure i talk about your cinnamon at least once a week ha. I have been practicing the piano a little bit here and there! its all coming back to me! which makes me super happy! i will continue to practice when i get a little bit of time to do so! I'm super excited that conference is coming up! i cant wait! its going to be amazing as always! i am ready to hear from all of them! Ive been reading talks from last conference and they just keep getting better and better as i read! School starts at BYU-I today... its crazy to think that I would prob be starting school right now!

I love Elder Scott and the way he talks about his wife. She was an incredible woman! that's for sure! I love how the gospel helps me want to be a better person and a better member of the church! I want more than anything to be who God wants me to be! I pray that he will continue to refine me for the rest of my life so that I can be ready for when Christ comes again! I was reading in 3 Nephi 21:29 and I love how at the end of the verse it says, "and i will be their reward!" Christ is our reward. Exaltation is our reward! I am going to do what ever it takes to make it there! I want nothing more than to be with my family, loved ones, and friends living with our Savior, Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father for all eternity! I cant wait! Ive had some great studies on Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. and about the Abrahamic covenant! Its amazing the faith and pure desires of these men and the blessings that they have brought about for all of us!

Last p-day we went bowling and to Olive Garden! I was in heaven! Its was a blast!

Life is great and we are blessed with so many things! please send pic when you get the time! and i cant believe that everyone has started school! that's exciting! time just keeps on moving! please let me know if there is anything i can do for anyone from here! i love you all so much!!! xoxo

 

love sister johnson

 

I LOVE YOU!!