.SEVENTY SEMANAS. and Spanglish

it snows in Durango, Mexico!!!!! .....there are so many gnats (mayotes) that it literally looks like snow....and just walking in the street turns me into a semi-truck because we get to a lesson and my shirt and skirt are covered in dead gnats that the front of a semi.....hahahahaha sad truth. but funny.

we are getting random rain storms and i think that is the cause for so many mayotes (mosquitoes and gnats). but the rain storms here are a mixture of water and dirt. its fun..

Manuel and Monica. two different investigators, similar life stories and the same baptism date :)

Manuel is a single dad that has overcome his drug and drinking addiction and is going 2 months strong right now :) his two sons are members and he is excited to follow their examples and be baptized the 25th of July. he says thats he's trying to clean his personal temple so he can be pure enough to enter the temple real one, one day :)

Monica was an investigator for 3 years!!! she is also a single mom. she came back to the church on her own because she has been fighting and conquering the same addictions and now is more prepared to be baptized!! she was scared to set a date and was doubting herself. we helped her see her own faith , strength, and testimony and the Spirit spoke to her and answered her prayer. we invited her to be baptized 25 July (after her saying that she will probably be ready in august or when "the next missionaries" are here) so she was a bit unsure but we invited her to PRAY about it. she prayed and literally felt like God touched her. she knows that she SHOULD be baptized on this day. she told us that she feels like she has already been given so many answers and that now is her time. so she accepted :) she also paid her tithing yesterday :) powerful convert.

love you all!! other experiences but not enough time.

HLJ

¡Maria Concepcion got baptized!!! finally hahaha she was in my last area and when i left she had accepted a baptismal date :)

a skirt i borrowed from my compañion :)

jungle backyard of a member..i LOVE their garden :)

she likes ants on a log :)

Monica is on the left and preparing to be baptized the 25th!!! she literally reminds me of our cousin stephanie and lindsey :)))) sooooo cute and smart!!!!!

making arroz (rice). :)))

the Jauredgi Family!!! sis. Jauredgi had fun making poses for the pictures haha and the after product :) mmmmm. (this was saturday comida (lunch) with members). 

fayuca!!! market contacting with the ward :)) successful :) helping the young women learn how to contact people.

fast offering..we had to make envelopes because there weren't any haha

katty jimenez is an RM that made us the comida yesterday and always comes with us to lessons :) we have great member support!

.WEEK 69.

well didn't leave much time.

we should see baptisms soon :) very strong people who are overcoming strong addictions :)

we contacted and taught a man and His wife who God has prepared. the wife said that her husband never accepts people in their home and has never practiced religion, so it surprised her but let her know just how much they need us and that God knows that and sent us to them.

The husband (Oscar) told us that for things that have passed in his life, he distanced himself from God, but that meeting us is his second chance :)

we read a bit from the Book of Mormon and left them a copy.

Hno. Oscar told us, "this speaks the truth right? like its God talking."  AMEN  Brother Oscar. I KNOW that it is the Word of God, and has power to change the heart of any man that faithfully flips through its pages :)

LOVE YOU ALL!!! READ THE GOOD WORD: LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES.

BYEEEEE

 HLJ

LOVE the Mormon Channel videos, i suggest you all look them up and watch one!! Gods Grace IS real, and we can feel it all we show our faith, Do ALL of our part that we can, and then according to His will, He steps in. 



cool street mural. pretttyyyy.

i just cant help it!"!!!!!!!!! the Lord knows that I love puppies, for that He sent me here.. :)))) hehehe

The Young Womens group in our Ward!! we taught them in church on Sunday, on how they could respond and explain to their friends about baptism and the true church :)

and they also had me say the Young Womens theme in English, because they are learning it, and i couldn't believe that i remembered it! ahah i felt the Spirit so strong reciting it with them in Spanish and then saying it to them in English as the Spirit just filled me!! "AS SISTER in ZION", no matter where you are in the world, we are all "daughters of our Heavenly Father, who love us and WE LOVE HIM". :) its a true statement. 

68 (weeks) and feeling better than great!!!!

Okay. Week of finding the elect. 

So the sister Marta that we left a Book of Mormon with, didnt read. Said that she didnt have to, because God already told her that it wasnt true. 

Well, all I could feel in that lesson was a calm assurance. I know she will have her chance, and change her heart and God will help her see the truthfullness of it all. I know my dream was revelation, and that if she reads it she WILL KNOW that the book is true, and scripture from God. 

We found the Pulido Gomez Family. 

The mom told us that when she saw us in the street she thought to herself, "these are Daughters of God, and they are going to talk to me." Well good thing we listened to the Spirit and talked to her!  :)

Shes SO good :)

We taught her with ALL of her kids (teenagers and adults) and invited them to baptism in the first lesson, because it was so powerful. The mom was crying and told us that if we bring her children to the Lord, she will accept that they all get baptized.

We went back in the week and taught her husband, and he was just as powerful. 

Their son went to mutual with two friends and the parents came to church yesterday. (it was "too early" for the rest to wake up) haha

In Gospel Principles class we were talking about sacrifices and blessings; Luz (the wife) commented that she told her boss that Sundays are for the Lord and she wont work those days. He told his employees to be more like her. hahaha

so cute :)

i love this family and am so blessed to watch them become an  eternal one :) 

(two other invests. came to church and are overcaoming hard things in life to progress to baptism :)

Ate a fruit named IGO. it was good. shown in the puppy sticking out his tounge pic.

"..God is shaping and directing you every single day to ends more glorious than you can know!" 

Romans 8:28

love you all!!

HLJ

the usual dogs pics hehe ..he gave me the tounge :(

the wall said "I heart Gomez Palacio" the town im in

and a companionship pic :)) my companion is so cute!!

 

another market contacting activity!!!! i love seeing the wards and members learning how to share the gospel with their fellow men :) so cute. hard. but thats how the Atonement was :) worth it. they are learning and exceling with perseverance :)

the little boy with the list is a recent convert that was taking down references :)

i dont think you can tell, but that was me yesterday, soaked haha. it randomly pours here..makes it fun.

and a memeber sent us a message saying "thank you sisters for letting me participate in blessings" :)) awwww also a convert. he stopped by for the Fam. Pulido Gomez yesterday and brought them to church for us :))) it was beautiful. #memebersandmissionaries haha hashtag.

 

 

 

67 best weeks of my life :))

So i spent my time this week writing a personal letter to Daddy Roger. 

Worth it.

The week was great, as always :)

14 lessons with members!!! woo hoo :) 22 new investigators!! woo hoo

wow. lots of area means lots of work. 

Contacted and taught a very strong-faithed and strong-talking woman named Martha, my companion was frightened a bit but I loved her :) haha she will be a powerful member ;)

we challenged her to read the Book of Mormon and she told us that if the Spirit tells her its not true she will have to destroy it, and I said "ok."

I know it to be the word of God and she will too.

I had a dream last night that she read it all and knew it to be true. :)

we will see tomorrow!!!!

love you all!!!!

with Faith we can work MIRACLES.

lets go.

BYE

hermana johnson

theres a horse and donkey living near our house. the donkey is named Ponchito

this Primary class was learning about misisonary work and invited us to talk to them :) the little girl in the front with her arms out wide shouted "whiskeyy!" hahaha oh boy.

.Semana 66.

THIS WEEK.

MISIÓN TORREÓN, MÉXICO.

DE LA AGENDA DE HNA. JOHNSON.

Miércoles, 10 Junio: Happy Birthday to me!!! We dropped Hna. Reyes off at the mission office and received a birthday package!!! whoo hoo :) who knew that the perfect timing would be 3 months after, thanks Whitney :) (im wearing the shirt and loving the flipbook). BEST MOMENT, hearing "¡Hermana JOhnson!" and seeing Hno. Oscar!!!!!!!! He and his mom were dropping off one of the Sister missionaries who was also returning home. Seeing Hno. Oscar after being baptized and telling me that he is now 2nd counselor in the Young Mens program and that his mom plans to be baptized in July!!!! my heart :)))) was filled :)))) tender mercies from the Lord. Also, seeing off Hna. Leaitaua and just listening to her sharing me inspired words that I needed to feel animated (?) and at peace with everything :)

Viernes, 12 Junio: We are getting to know the WHOLE Martinez family :) Hna. Rita is an investigator that we found 2 weeks ago. In this week, through her, we were able to meet and teach her daughter Karen and her children, her daughter Blanca and her husband Aaron and 2 babies (one is also named Aaron and has down syndrome and is THE CUTEST baby), her niece Rosario and her 2 daughters, her husband Reyes, son Omar and his friend Orlando. Well its not a coincidence that their Aunt Carmen who is a member moved in with them all and has been accompanying us in the lessons :) we hope to get the ward involved this week and see miracles happen with this great family :) ........just remebering the tight hug from Rita last night as she thanked me after our lesson ..and knowing that it was more of a "thank you for spreading the gospel to all of my children".

This is exactly what our Father in Heaven wants. I cant even imagine how tight the hug will be in HIS arms in the day of Returning back to Him :) wow. I want to keep working and being worthy to have that moment :) 

Or even the same moment with my father in the airport..i think it will be pretty close to the same ;) (awwwwww ok. i wont think that far into the future. haha love you!)--HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!! I LOVE YOU. YOU ARE THE BEST FATHER IN THE WORLD. but really. im a lucky lady. :)

Domingo, 14 Junio: quote.."if you magnify your calling, the Spirit will magnify you." 

"Is it not worth it, facing rejection..the same rejection that our Savior faced?"

"We serve to be prefected." (servimos para perfeccionarnos) 

After our meal with Fam. Garcias Velez (a really cute young married couple with a baby boy) they were talking about how they both work and are barely home and dont even know their neighbors. I told them, "lets go get to know them!" and we challenged them to introduce us to their neighbors. Result: one new really cute family and one Family Home Evening this next weekend, and one new family where the dad is in bed rest with a bunch of ugly stuck poked in his body because he had an accident a work..and works in construction. Through Members and Missionaries working together, the Lord works miracles. We hope to see them in the coming week :)

LOVE YOU ALL.

Mosiah 26: 18, 20, 24 (love.)

Hna. JOhnson

 

her first day in the field in the mission offices!! so cute :)

our zone

the list of meals haha random.

 

 

 

 

Week 65: The last 12 weeks and the first 12 weeks...

Ok. Dont have time. 

And dont have pictures.

Forgive me!!!

Im training again. 

WHOO HOO :))))

My last 12 weeks will be the first 12 weeks of Hna. Lopez. from Cancun..ooooohhhh! I know have my house there ;)

When I was told last night that I will be training again, and like that last time with only 2 weeks in my area, I was actually filled with such a strong spiritual confirmation and such happiness!! I know that this will really help me to finish STRONG (Daddy Roger ;) and to keep learning and bettering (is that a word?) myself and my work.

Hna. Lopez is an excellent missionary!! She is SO cute and I am so grateful to be training someone so humble and full of life and desires to work, like it was with Hna. Moguel :)

i love you all!!!!

lots of stories next week.

LOTS of work for this week.

(my companion lost the map...two of them..im learning from scratch haha and now have the best companion to work with me :)

We are still in a trio until Hna. Reyes leaves wednesday. 

its interesting...accommodating with someone who has just gotten to the finish and someone who is finishing. a bit tricky but not impossible haha 

all is good. Im excited for this week and the next 12 :))

love you all!!!!!!!!!

"love isnt a situation of contemplation" its service. its actions. -pdt. Ramos

LOVE YOU ALL.

Hna. JOhnson

.week 64.

ok. quick review.

well from the last week and last area there are two things i wanted to share and forgot to..

my last week in Jardines, we were focusing on talking to everybody and contacted a cute young couple that we planned on visiting in the week. we passed by their house for the appointment and an older woman answered the door. i recognized her face and realized that it was another contact that we had made in the week and just so happend to be the mom of the husband we contacted. we taught almost everyone from their family and the mom told us she knows its a sign from the Lord because we found them all in different occasiones and different places. they all accpeted to be baptized in the first lesson we gave (i hope everything is going good for them).

the other story is about Luz Maria. not sure if you remeber the foto i sent of us with her. well there was about one week that we kept calling and passing by and couldnt find her. we finally contacted her one day and she told us that she went in for a check up at the hospital and they found that she has cancer. <it was a pretty strong thing to hear from someone we care about so much. she is SO strong in her faith and kept saying how she trust in Gods will, and just worries for her kids. She questioned why God would let this happend to them when she is trying to get closer to Him! through the example of Christ in the garden of Getsemene and explaining the Atonement we helped her find peace and hope. I know that God wasnt punishing her for getting closer to Him. Oppocision will always come, and these are things that we all agreed to before this life! I know that God was blessing her and helping her as He sent us to her in this moment very hard moment of her life. I could not have felt more greatful to the Lord for the opportunity to be His servant in helping her see Him in her life and not loose her faith. 

I loved reading the talk on Atonement dad! thanks for sending it! (reading part for part each morning in my person study haha)

well this week was great.

talking to everyone, trying to get the map of the area in my head...its some 22 colonials (towns-neighborhoods) and we walk it all..oh yeah :)

we had 234 contacts and 18 new investigatores for the week. With meeting and finding lots of new people we hope to find the elect :)

today i got my "three month left call"! ahhhhh! haha i was washing my clothes out back. the secretary of the mission called and asked me to read two scriptures: D&C 88:84 and Moroni 9:6. she then commented lots of stuff about me and the time ive had being a Representative of Jesus Christ and my diligence. and then she asked me what airport is closest to my house...hahaha WOW. yeah. they are buying the ticket. I told them Dulles. Normally the sisters cry when they get this call..haha i didnt. i think the secretary was haha. I know what things are to come, but i stil have so much precious time to get lost in the work.

love you all!

love your nieghbor ;)

be good. 

be true.

be Christian.

be Mormon.

;)
haha 

PAZ.

Hermana JOHnson

 

blurry, but they are baby puupies!! im allowed to hold them :)))

our walk to church (and in the distant a cute recent convert family riding their bikes to church :) --when people ride bikes with more than 1 person, or as a family, it means there is someone sitting on the handle bars and someone sitting on a piece of wood or something behind the seat.

its been a year since sitting on a swing..it was lovely :) (at the house of a member who made us lunch :)

we were walking in the street basically from one end of our area to the other..which is a longgg distance, and saying how hungry we were haha. well god answers the littlest of prayers. there was a cute older couple outside of a tienda (market shop) who were smiling and pointing at us, so we thought..lets go contact them haha they happened to be members of the church from another ward and gave us each a box of little desert treats that they make and sell!!! haha i told my companion that it was God saying, "I answered your prayer, you got what you need, now get to work." hahaha

 

 

 

 

 

Week 63

umm. we had transfers today (4 week transfers) and i got transferred.

Im in Gomez Palacio. So I have now been in all three parts of the mission (Torreon, Durango, y Gomez). 

I am in a trio right now, but one of the Sisters returns home in two weeks (the 6 week transfers) so we will see what happens with me and my other compañion in two weeks :)

well quickly form the week.....

we tried contacting EVERYONE, and had 167 contacts from the week (people that we go up to and talk to and invite them to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ).

Arrived to our lesson with Hno. Antonio y Pamela, and Bishop was there visiting him with his first counselor (woohoo for ward support). 

Hno. Antonio told us that we arent wasting our time teaching him. He said that he knows we arent there for chance or for whatever, but that we have a purpose and now he has more answers then before. 

" To say that you know it, but to actually accept it are two different actions." -Bishop Rios

Hna. Maria Socorro telling us that she will just stop drinking coffee without a problem because she wants to be clean to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. she told us that she has to make sacrifices in order to be firm in her faith :) (she also said this about going to church and visiting her sick mother after the services)

Hno. Dante trying to make visits with us in the week, but the appts. we invited him to, nobody was there..and his saying "i wanted to be a missionary, and here i am." haha still happy and animated as ever :) (strongest convert ever). Oh, and also seeing him bless the Sacrament :)

"obedience is the most powerful tool that we have in order to be happy." (Relief Society class)

"the first step to perfection is recognizing your errors."(Relief Society class)

We had a great Ward Council and meeted with the Relief Society President to plan new things!

Im excited for that ward and wish them the best :)

Now im excited to see what Philedelphia 2 brings me :)

Love you

bye

Hna. JOhnson

 PS

Welp. We are hitting the summer months again, but the really strong ones. Everyone says that these parts are the hottest in Mexico, because we are really close the the sun and basically in deserts. I have started putting sunscreen in my hair parts with q-tips...thats how serious it is. haha but im not getting burned and obviously using sunscreen everyday (dont worry mom).

PPS who knows when ill get mail because in my old area we were going to have our conference with pdt. this week and now in my new area they already had the conf..hahaha how sad. oh well.

love you all

me and Hna. Cano, shes in my generation of missioanries. 14 months!! woah.

me and babay. Hna. Moguel :)) awwww. she was the best compañion. Such a wonderful expereince training...even though i think she trained me :)) 

welp. that day came today. haha two pics from the week...

we were teaching one cute older sister and her 2 grandchildren, she should be baptized this 13th of june!!!! well her granddaughter had us in barbie form ;)

and sis. cory rios..she funny and great :)

Week 62, not much new.

haha i like rhyming now. (how do you spell rhyming?)

well i think my body´s getting tired..im falling asleep in prayers..and thats while I´M the one giving them...im also dozing off when im in the middle of writing teaching forms (registros de enseñanza)..(all of this at night in the middle of our daily planning, right before we go to bed). 

haha but my Spirit is bright!!!

Just a couple of notes from the week, from the Weekling Missionary Planner of Sister Johnson....

-14 Mayo 2015, Got bit by a pit bull. After already petting him and being told that he doesnt bite. Didnt cry. 

-15 Mayo 2015, The Lord knows. His timing and reasons are perfect. In the area where we planned to work all morning, something happened with a group of men and gun shots and there were a lot of police. and then the appointment we had feel through but as we were walking away from the house, a man who was hiding ran into the same house shouting for them to open the door. I know we are protected as missionaries, and although Im in a place with worldly danger, I know I have Heavenly Help :)

- 16 Mayo 2015, Hna Marta (investigator): "Said my prayer and asked God to know if I should unite myself and my family with this church and that same night I was able to sleep in complete peace. I felt so good! It makes me feel better when i listen to you guys praying than when i say my Rosario." (her Catholic Prayers)

Hna. Carolina: "I have so many days without being able to sleep and the night that i prayed I slept the whole night. I felt SO at peace." 

The Power of Prayer :)

-17 Mayo 2015, Ward Conference. We normally dont have a piano player, and Im normally sitting with my companion and investigators (and really dont feel good enough to play the piano). This time the Spirit was burning inside of me to offer to play for the congregation. With the final hymn i rushed over to the chorister and asked if she wanted me to accompany her, and she was so thrilled :) We finished the Conference Sacrament meeting with "Placentero nos es trabajar" (we dont have it in English, i think). and with the piano it was powerful :) definitely added a Spirit. Learning to be more confident with my God given gifts :) (but still needing piano practice haha)

well i love you all!!!!!!!

Isaias 53:2..Jesus was a plainly man, for that his Representatives must be too. (living the effects of the mission haha) BUT some how all returned missionaries come back beautiful and bright :)

LES AMO MUCHOOOOOO.

Hermana JOhnons

oops.

 

my bebe :)) shes so great. and likes sponge bob (sorry mom)

Hna Rita!!!! she made us tamales because she knows i love them :)) awwww. we love tamales..haha

 

 

 

Semana 61...almost done?!

¡¡¡¡AHHHH!!!! no. I still have time.

haha but after our Skype sesh i really am feeling the reality of coming in on three months left :( awwwhhhaha. ok. ya.

SO many family and people that still need to be helped and lead to Eternal Glory :)

Lots of people were out of town in los Ranchos (basically farms) for the weekend seeing their families and mothers for the special day :) so i expect more progressing stories from them all in the following week!

We contacted and met a girl on the street and even taught her right in the moment. Janet. SO cute :) I hope she keeps investigating the church and that the missionaries in her area find her. How lovely it is that the Lord allowed us to have that moment so she could come to know of the gospel. She told us that she stopped going to her Catholic church and doesnt practice it for some personal reasons. We discussed the importance of organized religion, shared scriptures and even prayed. All in the street (let me tell you, definitely not my first time). But how many college aged kids do that?? Just get randomly stopped in the street and start talking about Christ and the importance of life and then show their faith by calling upon God in the moment? I vow to be more like her when I get back :) She thanked God in her prayer for finding us and that we helped her to find the right path again :) 

We have Metas de Excelencia (Excelence Goals) as a mission and this month me and my companion are focusing on have 3 people with baptismal dates at the end of each week. What happens is we invite by the Spirit and almost in every first lesson, and have about 10 people by Saturday, but then Sunday comes and they have to attend church to keep working towards the same goal and date that we set...so not everyone comes and then we are left with very few. This week Maria Concepcion came to church with her 2 grandchildren and is still working toward getting baptized June 13th. So we faulted (its a word?) 2 more people with dates and goals. Well of course the Lord led us to these preapred people. 

In that day we ending up finding a big family of less active members and investigadores. The father and some of the children are not baptized, and the rest have stopped coming to church. We taught them and the Spirit was so strong guiding the lesson :) The mom (Josefina) said that she would change her day off from Saturday to Sunday in order to go to church and the father  (Leobrardo) accepted to be baptized June 20th!

Another lesson we had was with Karolina. Single mom, pregnant, with two adorable children and still working 10 hr days with 4 months left in her pregnancy. We taught her about prophets and how the Lord is the same "yesterday, today, and for always" and how thats the same with His church, the oraganization, and the people He calls to lead us. We tuaght her how we having a living prophet today, President Monson, and how he sent us here to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to her. We invited her to baptism and her reaction was so cute :) She responded with such faith saying that if she prays and knows its the will of God she will do it. 

She was so shocked and amazed at things that she was just starting to learn and said that she will definitely pray to know if Pdt. Monson is a profet and if she should be baptized the 20th of June :)

I know that God lives and that He works miracles. We need to have faith and we need to live it. It doesnt have a "shelf life", in that way its not vaild. If we want to see Him working in our lives, we need to work Him into our live :)

Mormon 9:18-21

I know we will be seeing miracles in the area and in the ward, maybe the fruits of our labores will be seen in June,  but for now we keep working and pushing for changes :)

Love you all!

HLJ

 

 

dont really have too many fotos. we had a zone conference. 

foto with glasses and then without.. ;) haha oh and foto bomb from our district Leader Elder Gomez.

anddddd picture with Luz Maria!!!! her family will be Celestial :))

she makes these chocolates and sell them. the ones she gave us were for mothers day and say "madre" or "mama" 

:)) ¡mi mama mexicana! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

¡Week 60!

im not writing because i will see you all this week :) and for the others there are pics and captions from my week :)

LOVE YOU!

LOVE GOD :)

Love, Hermana jOhnson

Alondrita and her puppy Princess!!

we are teaching this beautiful family :) some are less actives some arent members. this week they showed great faith and fasted with us so that they could find new work or a solution in their current jobs to go to church on Sundays! 

Pamela (we are teaching her dad and HE CAME TO CHURCH THIS SUNDAY), she was my companion for the WHOLE DAY on Friday :)) she has sent her papers in for the mission and is waiting for her call. she shared her testimony in church on sunday and said how great of an experience and preparation it was to have me as her "first companion" and that she is very tried from the day but full of strength for the next week haha the she learned how important it is to follow the Spirit and allow it to be your guide. :)

another day, another companion, another puppy :)

 heres your mooon pic mom :) its huge here!