SISTER JOHNSON'S APRIL 27 E-MAIL

SAYING GOODBYE TO BERKELEY

AND SISTER SMITH

Sister Smith and Sister Johnson

Roomies w/Sister Smith

District activity last P-day at this really cool boardwalk in Berkeley. Everyone on it was fishing. One of the best districts I've been in! I love them all!

 Had to eat at my fav place in Berkeley on last time

Lots of Goodbyes

Berkeley Singles Ward with J****

Most recent Service project

Plus These Guys literally went Home!

AND SAYING HELLO TO 

SISTER HOUSEKEEPER

AND THE OAKLAND 9TH WARD!!!!

She's a Greenie!

Salutations!

So many wonderful things have happened this past week!! First off, we got to have lessons with all the amazing people we've been teaching in Berkeley before I left on Wednesday. I seriously love all of them to death and they are angels. I will attach pictures of all of them! 

Also, on Wednesday I met my new companion named Sister Houskeeper! We are serving together in the Oakland 9th ward and so far we LOVE it! It is an amazing ward and I am so lucky I get to be with Sister Houskeeper because she's awesome. She's learning so quickly, is so fun and outgoing and is doing so wonderful. She makes my job as a trainer super easy so I'm really blessed. Heavenly Father has spoiled me my whole mission with so many wonderful companions. Seriously I don't understand it. 

We've already seen so many awesome things happen in the past almost week that we've been together! A few neat things that have happened: on Thursday we met our investigator named D*** who is Korean. He is a super nice guy and expressed to us how he wants to have a better life and feels this feeling inside that makes him want to know more about Jesus Christ. He has a lot fears though with God and Jesus because he says he does things he knows he shouldn't like smoke and drink, so he's scared of Them. The member we brought with us though, Sister L******  (super funny because she's really blunt and bold) just told him, "Ya need to forget all that. Just forget that and stop freakin' out. The whole point of the Gospel is to become clean so stop worrying so much." Haha, it might sound lame reading it but experiencing it was the funniest thing ever. And if it was another person, they might have been offended, but it was exactly what D*** needed to hear. After she said that he was like, "Really?? Oh thank you so much!!!" And kept thanking her and was so happy haha. So it was pretty great. 

Also at the Visitors' Center we met two people from Vietnam, one of which met with missionaries when he lived there many years ago. Anyways, they were outside taking model shots (haha) and we started talking to them and he said he loves missionaries and loves how he feels talking to us. So we brought them in the Visitors' Center, gave them a tour and by the end he really wanted to meet with missionaries again. And guess what? He lives in our area so we get to teach him! Yay!!! We also had many other cool experiences and other people we are excited to meet with and teach. :)

But, the biggest miracle of all.........yesterday after church Sister Houskeeper and I went to the Visitors' Center to pick something up, and Sister Smith (my last companion) saw us and ran up to me to tell me that J*** (our investigator in Berkeley) has decided she wants to be baptized!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You might not realize how big of a miracle this is but it is HUGE miracle!!!! We haven't been teaching her for that long (since January) but we've talked about baptism a lot with her and over these past months it has been amazing to see how much she has grown and gained a testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. And she is SO prepared for this. I can't even begin to describe how amazing she is. Seriously - at the beginning she had zero interest in being baptized and just wanted to learn more. But because she had an open heart, the Spirit was able to touch it. Not only that but she is just a wonderful person. So open-minded, funny, smart, humble, sweet, loving, confident, curious, and an angel sent from Heaven. I can't describe how happy I am for her. Also, E*** ****, who is also going to be baptized in a few weeks, is also an angel. At the end of my last lesson with her - and I tell you this not to boast but to help you understand how sweet of an angel she is - she said the closing prayer and in it thanked Heavenly Father for sending me to her and she starting crying and after the prayer kept crying and I gave her a hug and she thanked me for everything. I knew she was the sweetest person on Earth but didn't know I had that impact on her. I was like what in the world??! Is this really happening?? I was touched. It is all these wonderful people and moments like that that help me to see why Heavenly Father sent me on a mission.

Well, I love you all and thank you for everything. Your prayers work because I've seen so many miracles happen on my mission and know I will see so many more these last few months I am here. I can't wait and am so excited for everything else that's about to happen. :)

Love you!

Sister Johnson

SISTER JOHNSON'S APRIL 20, 2015 E-MAIL

TRAINING A GREENIE!

 HER FIRST "CHILD" ON HER MISSION?  HAHA!  ITS WHAT THEY SAY WHEN YOU GET TO TRAIN A NEWBIE.  MAYBE THE GREENIE'S MOM WILL SEND HER A PACKAGE LIKE THIS!

Hello Mother!

This email is going to be super short because we have a ton of stuff to do today! Transfers are tomorrow, and last week I got the exciting news that I will be having my first child in the mission! I will be moving to the Oakland 9th ward and will be training a new missionary! I'm so excited!!!! And I'm super stoked to be in Oakland 9 (it's one of the coveted wards in the mission...hehe). It's full of all the wonderful, interesting and unique souls in the heart of Oakland. And even better, I will be in the same ward as President and Sister Meredith, the assistants, and a few other senior couple missionaries whom I love. So it's going to be an adventure! It's bittersweet to be leaving Berkeley because all of the miracles that have been happening lately and all the people I love. But, what can ya do. :) 

Anywho just want to let you know! I will try and get back on later today to finish emailing but don't know if I'll be able to.

Love you all!!!

Sister Johnson

SISTER JOHNSON'S APRIL 13, 2015 E-MAIL

ANOTHER DAY IN

PARADISE!!!

Berkeley ward playing bubble soccer.........we really wanted to play! At least we got to watch! It was quite the epic event!

We made fish a few weeks back...just thought I would send you a pic so that you know I'm eating well and can cook. So yummy!

These super cute and yummy jello-thingies that this lady makes! Met her when I was on exchanges with Sister Martinez :)

Zone Activity last week - we played capture the flag. My team won. Models. 

Hello Mommy!

Wow! It's so exciting to hear about everything going on. Good stuff!! Everything here is just wonderful and dandy. So many miracles all the time. Not to mention the weather is perfect and it looks and feels like paradise every day. :)

Some wonderful things that happened last week:

A member from the Berkeley Family Ward (who has us over for dinner sometimes and who we do service for) is hosting a foreign exchange student from Japan, here to learn English. Her name is A** and she is here for 4 months. A few weeks ago, we met her and Sister Coe (the member) mainly had us over to help her with her English (but secretly she wanted us to meet A** to invite her to church and what not). So she started coming to church with us and has made friends with a few of our members who served their missions in Japan. She even watched General Conference in Japanese. :) Anywho, long story short, she is the sweetest and most pure-hearted person ever, and recently as she's been able to learn more from being at church, she's now really interested in learning for herself about what we believe. She has no religious background at all, but after our first visit, she already believes in God and says "I love learning about Jesus!" I am just so excited about her and she is seriously an angel sent from Heaven. 

Our other investigators are also angels. One, E*** J**, is Korean and also SOO sweet and pure and ready for the Gospel. She accepts everything and has so much faith, which she says is crazy because it is completely different from how she was before. She is getting baptized on May 9th. :) J***, another who is progressing and one of the most amazing people ever, just never ceases to amaze us with her faith and diligence in learning about the Gospel. She went to conference in Salt Lake and loved it. We also added another investigator last week - a girl named J****** who is from China and goes back in a few weeks for the summer. She is also really interested and so sweet. I'm just amazed lately at all these wonderful souls that Heavenly Father is dropping into our lives. Each one of them are so humble. I've learned on my mission that humility is everything.

Something else I love about my mission is that I get to teach people from all over the world. Our recent convert Th*** is from Brazil, E** J** from Korea, A** from Japan, J***** and M******(another recent convert) from China, and so many others from different places. This is really the coolest place. 

Recently I've been working a lot on how to yield my heart more to Heavenly Father. Being a missionary is one of the best things ever but it's not always easy because you aren't allowed to be selfish haha. You have to give you're whole heart and soul to the Lord, which is difficult to do every single day. But lately I've been able to see very clearly that when I do, He lets miracles happen that I know couldn't happen otherwise. He is so good to me and strengthens me every single day I'm out here. I've just been reflecting a lot recently on my mission and sometimes it blows my mind to think all of that's happened, how much Heavenly Father has spoiled me and all the miracles He's let me witness. I'm just very grateful lately for everything. I wish I could be more specific but I don't have time right now to be haha.

I love you!!!!! Thank you for the wonderful email and for always being amazing.

Love,

Sister Johnson