Blog: iPad is Here!

So this week was both crazy an pretty uneventful. The crazy news is, WE GOT OUR IPADS! It`s official! Now that I have one though I have no idea how to use it. Really I didn`t even know how to turn it on. One of the elders sitting next to me had to help me. It`s been really weird having one, but now that`s it has been a couple of days I am kind of getting used to it. I watch I`m a Mormons almost all the time. We had two days in a row of training on Tuesday ans Wednesday which was crazy and fun. Glad we finally have iPads, it`s really crazy to see how the Lord is hastening his work. Also on the second day of training we got street contact training. And it was way awesome, and also super weird because I went on splits with an elder and another companionship of elder and sister. It was waaay weird! But fun, I learned a lot :)

This week was also pretty hard as well though. Recently we made goals as a zone to find a lot more new investigators. And my companion and I haven`t been able to find at all in the last couple of weeks. I was getting very frustrated and feeling lots of inadequacies. I was praying everyday trying to go out with the faith, hope, and expectation that we would find a new investigator. But it never seemed to work out. And when your on a mission these small times of trial get blown out of proportion in your mind, so of course my next thought was that I would have no success as a missionary. Haha, maybe not that far, but it was trying indeed. And I felt like no matter how hard I tried I was seeing no results in return. My prayers always seemed to be said out of frustration. Then I talked with my companion and she told me that God is preparing us for something better. Then the same day I read a talk about weakness vs. sin out of the April liahona. And it made me realize that although my prayers started out in frustration, they slowly started becoming prayers of humility. Realizing that in no way could I do this on my own and I needed my Savior`s help. And I also realized that without these trails I would not progress and not be prepared for the better things the Lord had in store for me. So I followed President Monson's advice and prayed for strength to match my trials not trials to match my strength. And have I seen miracles, yes. Are they of the magnitude of what I expected, no. Are they better though, yes. If I saw crazy miracles everyday then I can almost guarantee that my faith would weaken and I would depend on my own abilities. And I also probably needed a nap, which I will take today. Yay, P-day! Anyways that is what I learned today. Missions are hard, but I am being prepared for something bigger which IS something bigger than just this mission. And that is building the kingdom of God. And serving here in Japan is just the beginning. Sometimes it will have to be taken hour by hour, but I know with help and direction from the Lord I will come out victorious in the end!

So yep this week consisted of trials and iPads. It was crazy! I still can`t believe they are here. I know that this church is true and that the work is being hastened. I know that through our trials we are strengthened when we find our weakness to overcome, and that we don`t have to do it alone. I love you all, have a good last week of April!

Love,

Sister Johnson

 Us on splits when the sisters came to stay at our apartment between
trainings!

New iPads!!!