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.