December 19, 2016 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Helloooooo!!!

So Merry Christmas! 

This week was exciting. Just let me tell you about it! So first of all I rode a moose!!!!!!!! No, I am not kidding, it
actually happened! I don't have the pictures for it yet, so I'll have to send those next week. But it was great, lol. So ya that happened! And yes, we had president's approval. In fact, one of his counelors paid for us to do it, it was even his idea.

Anyways, this week I got to go on exchanges with Sis. Neild, my MTC companion! That was awesome! She is the bestest! While in her area we found a lady named B. That was cool cuz we knocked on her door looking for her roommate who wasn't home. She told us to come back but to talk to her so that was cool! We also have been going caroling as a district in all of our areas. It's been really fun! I still can't sing but that's why we sing in groups so everyone can drown me out.....although..... the first few times we really didn't sound good. One of the times we were singing "Joy to the World" and one of the sisters started it way too high.... so the elders had a hard time singing, as well as myself.... it was pretty bad. But the lady we sang to was a trooper and told us.... more than usual, how good we sounded.... lol too funny!

We also got to do service in my birth area Inlet View! We helped the food bank and Salvation Army hand out food and toys to those who needed it, it was awesome! We basically went shopping with them to get toys for the kids, and food for Christmas dinner, it was super fun. We met lots of cool people!

Anyways, sorry it's short today! I love you all and have a very Merry Christmas this year! Remember the reason for the season. "Without Christmas we would have never had an Easter" that is why we celebrate!
Keep lighting the world and serving the people around you!

Love
Sis. Johnson

Ugly sweaters with ugly cookies lol :)

December 12, 2016 - Oh boy!

Alright!

So this week has been insane! So on Tuesday Sis. Ewing and I were sitting in our car calling a bunch of people who live out in the bush, setting up lessons and such, when we get this text message from Salt Lake. It was a self referral. So we immediately call the referral. Her name is W and she tells us she wants to learn more. She has  already read the entire Book of Mormon. And she knows it is true. She also said her entire family would like
to sit in on the lessons. Like what?!? Talk about miracles! It was pretty awesome!

Feeling festive!

Then Wednesday we sat in a meeting all the day long.... like we are talking from from 10am-6pm. My brain hurt. But for this meeting the STLs from Fairbanks came and spent the night at our apartment, so that was exciting. Their flight was delayed an entire hour and then everything else was thrown off so they didn't end up even getting here until like 12... by then Sis. Ewing and I were asleep so we just left the doors unlocked... I know we are heartless.

The Christmas tree the ward sent.

Then Wednesday there was an emergency transfer so we hosted Sis. Jewel for a day. We went tracting with her and tracted into a part member family who we did not have records for. We just knocked on the door and she was like come into the kitchen I'm cooking and we can talk... we were all super confused, cuz this never happens! Then we talked with her more and found out she's a member. So that was exciting, then on Sunday she brought her husband to church! Wahoo! Awesome sauceness!!! We are eating dinner with them Tuesday...... which I'm super bummed I'm missing cuz we have exchanges.... but Sis. Ewing promised to set up a return appointment.
Anyways I love you all! Stay safe and things!

😊Sis. Johnson
notice how I'm the only one in a coat.... you would think I'd be
better adjusted to the coldness by now

December 5, 2016 - Church over the phone...like what???

Hey friends and family!

So I have been transferred! I got kicked out of Wasilla and put back into Anchorage. Except the southern part of it this time. Sis. Ewing is my new companion. We are serving as STLs (Sister Training Leader) now. Which means I get to go on road trips! Lol jk just exchanges, but I'm excited for that! So Sis. Ewing and I cover the Ocean View Ward and the Bush Branch. We are super busy! The Ocean View Ward is super awesome! And the great thing about this area is the driveways are normal sized! And there are less guard dogs! Yay!

Now the Bush Branch is super cool! So in Alaska the bush is like way way way way wwaaaaayyyy out far deep in Alaska. Did I mention it was way out there? It is where all of the native Alaskans (or what many of you might call Eskimos) live. And since they live way out in the boonies there isn't any church buildings out there cuz there aren't

very many members. And the bush covers a very wide area, like the entire outskirts of Alaska if that makes sense. So because of this, to teach people, we call them. We have lessons over skype, email, and the phone.... honestly it's kinda weird... but the spirit is 10 times stronger. It's amazing what the spirit can do! And lessons are awesome! Then when we have church everyone has to call in on a number, kinda like a conference calll. Then they have roll call to see who is there so they can keep attendance. It's awesome! And it makes it so that members can call in from wherever! Cuz like it's just a phone number! So there was a family who was down in St. George Utah who
called in. They were on vacation but still went to their branch cuz he had a calling. It was awesome! The church is so cool!!!

Anchorage has a lot more snow then Wasilla.... which doesn't makes sense to me cuz it's only like 30 min away.... but it does. And it's super cold! Like neg 3 degrees in the afternoon! Like what? Ya super cold! And funny thing about Alaska, when the sky is clear of any clouds or anything it is like 5 degrees colder then when there are
clouds and it's about to snow. It's probs like that everywhere but it's more noticeable in Alaska. Idk why. But ya so that's my week! Pretty great!

So thoughts for the week: I've been thinking a lot about what makes a successful missionary. I've been reading about Abinadi and what made him successful. Cuz he died before he saw the impact he made. So for a moment he didn't see any success from his labors. Which we feel as missionaries sometimes. But I decided that what makes him successful is he did what the lord asked no matter what the circumstances or consequences might be! And because of his obedience he changed Alma's life and the many many people Alma later baptized. What makes a successful missionary? Obedience. What makes a successful member? Obedience. What is the test of life? Well... how obedient will you be. Just do what the Lord asks you to! It turns out better then anything we could ever do anyways. Anyways that's my spie

l. 

I love you all!
Love,
Sis. Johnson

😊

These pictures are some of my favorite peeps in Wasilla and my Wasilla District.

November 28, 2016 - Happy Turkey Day!

Hello so sorry this is going to be short! I ran out of time! But that doesn't mean I don't love you all!

So this week was thanksgiving! Which is always super exciting!  We had three Thanksgiving dinners! By the end of the night Sis. Lake had to roll me out to the car I was so full!!! But good news! One of those was with a family we had tracted into the day before! So that was awesome!

Also super exciting is we got transfer calls...... and sadly I'm being kicked out of Memory Lake :( but the Lord has called me to serve in the Ocean View Ward in South Anchorage, so that's exciting! The people are super nice! I went on exchanges there a few times so I'm excited :) Sis. Lake is going to take super good care of Memory Lake, she is the best!

Anyways love you all! Again sorry it's so short!

Funny story we were tracting and a car pulled up and pulled over... we thought it was the Jehovah Witnesses and they were going to tract the street we were about to, so we were going to try to beat them to the houses...
well it turned out to be a member of our ward just taking her daughter ice skating. lol oopsies haha

November 21, 2016 - It's like 15 degress outside!

Hello everyone!

So in case you are all wondering cuz of facebook and things, yes I am now  20, yes it is weird. Yes I had a great bday! No I don't feel different, I feel the same.... but older lol :)

So this week was exciting. First of all my testimony of exchanges, and greenie fire, and tracting have grown quite a bit! So story time: Wednesday we had exchanges with the STLs (Sister training leaders). I left the area and went to be with Sis. Richards, who is being trained right now, while Sis. Grieve took my spot in Memory Lake with Sis.
Lake. And guess what happened! First of all Sis. Lake is super awesome and such a go getter and gets things done and she's just super great! Second of all, Sis. Grieve is super awesome and is super good at being a missionary. So with the two together, it's like the Avengers missionary style.... but with only two people on the team. (It made more sense in my head, just go with it). So Wednesday, first they tracted down Grey Wolf Street and found 4 new investigators! LIKE WHAT!?!?!? Then they went a part member family that we have been trying to meet with for the past couple weeks now and they let them in and had an amazing lesson with them! And now we are beginning to teach them the lessons. It was craziness! So ya that happened. Sis. Lake is awesome and has really been training me this whole time, we just tell her she's being trained so she feels more comfortable :) which she is almost done with cuz transfers are next week! We find out what will be happening Thanksgiving night! So that's exciting!

So thought of the week: we have been teaching one of our families in the ward a lot about faith, cuz that's something he said he struggles with. So my thoughts on faith: it's like a muscle. The more you use it the stronger it'll become, the less you use it the weaker it'll be. I realize that Pres. Hinkley said something very similar. But it is
super true!  Alma 32:21 explains it perfectly. What would be the point of all this if we didn't have faith? We don't know the meaning of all things. But the Lord has given us prophets, the scriptures, the Holy Ghost, and all these amazing other things that help strengthen our knowledge and faith. In the movie "The Testaments" it says "you can't see me but you know I am here". Well my dear friends. you can't see me! But you know I'm alive! You read my emails and you saw and knew me before my mission. Same with Heavenly Father. You read his scriptures
and words from the prophets, and you saw and knew him before you were born. You know all of this! You just need to trust him.

I love you all so super duper oober much! And thanks for all the happy birthday wishes! I really enjoyed them!
Love,
Sis. Johnson :D

😊look at these road signs! Aren't they funny? Alaska sure has a sense of humor! :)

November 14, 2016 - Sick Baptism!

Heyllo you guys!

So this week was super duper exciting!!! First of all last Monday was craziness! Sis. Lake and I had to fill out a police report that ourwallets got stolen (not that the police could do anything but our president said that it'll help if I get pulled over and don't have a license yet) but it took a long time! Also that night we had a family home
evening lesson with one of the families in our Ward . They invited a less active family, a non member family, and one of our investigators. Then said go at it sisters! Lol no pressure our anything! So we played charades but with the Book of Mormon stories. It was boys agains girls. And I'll tell you what, it was hilarious!!! But we did that to introduce everyone to the Book of Mormon then we went in and talked about what the BOM was about and why it was so important. We invited everyone in the room, including the members (cuz even those who have prayed could always use a reaffirmation of if it's truthfulness) to pray about the Book of Mormon and to read it. Everyone accepted, the non member family even took their own copies so that was cool! And the less active family, after we left cuz of our curfew, talked to the family in our ward about their desire to go to the temple. So that was awesome!

Also this week we had a lesson with our new investigator, at the same members house (they are just on fire right now!) and we talked about the plan of salvation. He loved it! And he said he has been praying about the Book of Mormon. And he has come to church every week so far and he plans to come again next week! Also sis. G came with us to another less active members house and we talked about the temple. She wants to go but she has some reservations towards it. Sis. Lake and I didn't even say anything! Sis. G bore her testimony of the temple and told her awesome story about her experience of the temple (her and her hubby have an amazing temple
story!) and sis. G calmed all of her fears and right then and there this sister calls to set up an appointment with the bishop so she can talk to him. It was awesome! Members are ssssoooooo important you guys! Like it's ridiculously awesome how important you are! You make more of an impact then missionaries ever could!

This week I also got sick... so yippee for that. We had to stay in all Thursday. It was the worst. But I'm better now so that's good.

Also this week we had........... A BAPTISM!!!!! She was baptized nov 11 at 5 pm Friday night! It was awesome! There were so many people there to support her! The spirit was super strong! And when she was confirmed Sunday her sister came (who we are also teaching) and is was her first time coming to an actual sacrament meeting and it happened to be during the primary program which she loved! She had the biggest smile on her face the entire time! So whoot whooot!!  Fist pump ✊ !!!!

Anyways so that was pretty much my week! Hope you all had a great week! I love you all! Make good choice! Remember who you are and what you stand for! Don't do drugs!!!!

Love,
Sis. Johnson
😊
Now remember I was sick, so excuse the puffy face in the photos!

November 7, 2016 - Wacky Week? Day? Idk

Hello everyone!

So craziness has happened this week..... well more like yesterday lol. So it was a very typical Sunday, just like any Sunday. We go to Ward Council, we squeeze in an hour of studies, we go to church. You know, the norm. When we get inside the church we pick a seat and start visiting with some of the ward members already there. Then RG walks in, now RG is a less active who we have been visiting with, almost on a weekly basis. She hasn't been to church in years! It was awesome to see her! She sat with us. Then DD walks in. Another less active that we have been working with. Then Sis.G  walks in, ANOTHER less active lady we have been working with! And Sis.G hasn't been to church for at least 40 years!!! And then ML and his son walk in! (Out investigator and upstairs neighbor). Sis. Lake and I are just baffled! Tickled pink! Jumping for joy! And they all said they had a great experience. And the testimonies born by the ward were so powerful! The spirit was super strong.

After sacrament meeting a few of them left. Sis.G stayed though, so we were on our way to show her where the gospel principles class was when Sis. Hafen (one of our ward members) pulls us aside and asks us to sub for like 5 min for a teacher who needed to be set a part to her new calling. So we take Sis.G to the gospel principles class and leave her in the trusting hands of our ward missionary leader. While in there I see a bunch of other families who don't normally come or who only come occasionally. It was awesome!

Anyways, then we go teach this Sunday school class. It was a class of four crazy 17 year old teenage boys. Sis. Lake took the reigns on that one and she did fantastic! We taught them on the importance of testimonies. And committed them all to read preach my gospel three times a week (we had to compromise from everyday). And what was supposed to be only 5 minutes turned into all of Sunday School! But for not planning anything it went pretty well. Then we dashed out of there to go find Sis. G to show her where Relief Society is but we were stopped by Sis. B and she asked us to come into YW to talk about missionary work for the first 10 min of class. We said yes but we needed to go find Sis.G so we said we would be in there asap.

Well, by then the Sunday School class is empty so we speed walk to Relief Society where some of our awesome members took Sis.G. She was well taken care of. Then we go to YW and share this awesome thought about missionary work. Again without preparing anything. But the Lord was definitely in charge so of course it turned out pretty good.

Now on our way back to Relief Society we are once again stopped by Bro. G who had brought a friend  to church named J. We didn't notice him in sacrament meeting but if we had made it to gospel principles we would have seen him. So we finally got to meet J And J had sssoooo many questions. We exchanged digits and set up an appointment to meet with him so we could answer all of his questions. He was super excited to be there and kept explaining how glad he was that he came. He kept saying that the church has a good feeling about it and how much he loved Sunday School and how he didn't know there was a premortal life and what the Holy Ghost was. He is super cool and we are super excited to begin teaching him!

Then  we finally made it to Relief Society where we missed the beginning of the lesson but Sis.G was very content so all was well! But ya, best day of church ever!!! 

But you guys, you must understand, none of that would have ever happened without the help from the ward members! This ward is awesome! The power of prayer and hard work and faith is so powerful! The Lord is definitely  guiding, directing, and inspiring this work. He knows who is ready. And he knows what to do to help them! I'm feeling your prayers up here in good ole Alaska! So keep them coming! I have no doubt that those prayers are what helped us have so many people at church yesterday so thank you all so very much! I know without a shadow of a doubt that this church is true! It's not a belief anymore, it is knowledge. I know that as we live the principles and standards and commandments of the church it will bless your life! Cuz it has truly blessed mine! Anyways I love you all! And hope you all had a great week!
Love
Sis. Johnson

P.s. Oh and my wallet got stolen... which is a bummer, but also good cuz I needed a new temple recommend anyways, I accidentally washed my last one lol

😊