Monday, September 28, 2015


 Blog: Training Again
This week was full of craziness and fun times. Again I don't really
remember the first half of this week. It mostly had to do with finding
because almost all our investigators cancelled on us. Rough, but at
the same time it gave me some time to really think about these people
and their needs. We have two investigators right now who are
struggling, but during the trainers meeting I was able to receive some
awesome revelation for them and am very excited to try that out this
week. Today I don't have a ton of time to email because we are going
to go pear picking with a member, and maybe eat out with a recent
convert. Because it's transfer week! And we are pretty sure that my
companion is out. Also I am training again, which I am very excited
and extremely nervous for. I don't think she will be Japanese this
time around so I am really going to have to step it up, haha. Another
thing that I am so thankful for is this last DCS was the best DCS I
have ever had on my mission! We really got to see some trust from the
members and how much they truly love us and this work. We are very
excited to help strengthen this ward and bring in new souls! I know
once this ward is prepared the people will start flooding in!! Anyways
love you lots, sorry didn't write so much this week. But I hope you
all have a fantastic September, it's almost coming to an end! SO
FAST!! The church is true and I know that Christ is our Savior and
advocate. Sometimes the work no matter where you are, seems like you
are not up to the challenge. But as I was reading online today, on my
iPad, about missionaries all over the world. I realized how MUCH God
is preparing this generation to bring His gospel worldwide to all who
will hearken unto His voice. Sometime it feels overwhelming and we're
just trying to strengthen one or two people, including keeping our
families in the gospel. But I know God blesses those who work in His
efforts, and no effort is wasted. God loves us all and wants us to be
happy. I truly do believe that. I know the church is true. It's here
for us to strengthen those, and we have all made the sacred covenant
to do so. Love you all and hope you have a great week!!

Love,
Sister Johnson

Monday, September 21, 2015


Blog: Multilingual

 I swear I have memory loss because I don't even remember which
miracles happened when or what year it even is. But this week we had
district P-day it was SO FUN!!! We went to this sports center and just
like tried every single thing out. Batting cages, basketball, soccer,
rollerblading, darts, and of course the massage chairs. It was way
fun! And our investigator came too, which was way great because he got
some exposure to members his age, which were the elders.
This week we also had junkai's which is the third time on my mission,
ever! So it was way nice. Everyday is just a miracle party in Kurume.
We talked to so many people and got to do a lot of baptismal invites
and BRT which helped me out a lot! Something way cool that happened
was that we don't have any Japanese book of Mormons right now. So we
grabbed and English, Chinese, and Vietnamese book of Mormons and
prayed asking God if He would lead us to people we could give these
out to. So we set off on our adventure. There came one point where we
prayed and asked which street we should go down. We both felt this one
street and ran into this Chinese girl who took some convincing, but
she did take the Book of Mormon! Then we went down to this other area
to visit a P.I. no luck. But as we were walking we saw this girl pass
by on her bike who didn't look Japanese... probably Vietnamese??? So
we turned around and started to follow her, creepily. But then the
light turned green for her, then red for us. So we were devastated.
But then we saw that she parked at the p.i.'s apartment. Crossed the
street and talked to her, she was.... Filipino, so close! But we
made a time to give her one in Tagalog, so that is cool! Then as were
were going to go house some more we were standing at a stoplight when
a voice came up to us and said, "Hey, where are you from?" We turn
around and it is like this burly Filipino dude who speaks perfect
  Englishstanding next to us on his bike. So we walk and talk with Him.
Apparently lived in Seattle for a long time, came to Japan, and married
a Japanese lady. He was going to go drinking with some friends who
also have Japanese wives (an American and an Englishman) So we told
him about the Book of Mormon gave him an English one, he seemed way
excited and rode off into the dark. It was CRAZY!!! So that was
junkai's (splits) So cool!!
Then we had our activity on Saturday which went super well!!!! A ton
of people came!
Then on Sunday we had our two investigators come to church, and our
mission president. Wait, what?! Ya our mission president called us the
day before and said he had a Sunday off and was just going to come and
be in our ward. So yep, that was exciting. He intimidated one of our
investigators into lying that he reads the Book of Mormon everyday.
Don't think he even knows where his BoM is, haha! But we were able to
make a return appointment which was way cool!!!! Then a previous
missionary from the area came and visited so we actually got to go
visit some less actives with her, which was awesome, because we were
able to make a relationship. Then we went to a concert of a member who
is a professional singer and afterwards she took us around this like
street with a bunch of clubs and bars and introduced us to all her
friends and we invited them all to church! It was way fun, and so odd,
haha! But seriously the best!
Missions are the best!!!! I know God loves each and every one of us
and will always guide us to His truth!! So let's have faith!!! This
church is not only true, but also the only pathway to true happiness.
I hope you all have a lot of happy moments this week!

Love,
Sister Johnson


District p-day! (back left: elder connet, elder miyanishi, elder
fukuda, elder seable, sister crump, healey, parmley, inamasu-san
(investigator), sister kawahara, me!) LOVE YOU!!!

Us at the shokuji with these fantastic members!! (right to left: Nihara-kyoudai, me, Healey, Inamasu-san, kinjou, the Mori family, Nihara-shimai, Parmley) Seriously the greatest!

Monday, September 14, 2015


 Blog: Jelly Fish and Chicken Parts

So this week was just nuts. But what is new.
So first I am going to talk about our dinner appointments, because
food is very important to me. And I have to tell you what I ate! So we
had a recent convert and an eternal investigator take us out to eat
this week. We went to a fancy Chinese restaurant and I ate jelly
fish!! It was actually quite good. Then we went to a yakitori place
(it's like a place that just grills all kinds of meat and puts them on
a stick) and I had chicken cartilage, skin, and liver. I was not
really a fan of those ones. But he fed us regular meet as well, which
was just so good!
So this week for miracles. So basically it was miracle Sunday. There
were like new people walking in every 10 minutes. And I know because
everyone would turn their head right when someone walked in. So at
first our investigator did not show up, but then when I texted him he
said he'd be right over! Then this family that the other sisters met
came! It was SO amazing! Then a lady they met housing came as well!
Then a members wife's non-member's mom came too! It was just a way
weird experience! A fantastically weirdly spiritual experience! So
basically Kurume is going to explode into a million members, so I hope
you're all prepared! Let's get this show on the road!! But yes, I also
wanted to share this seemingly small miracle but my mind is still
blown as to how it all happened. So, some background, when I take off
my name tag at the end of the day I always put it on my desk. So this
last week we rode to the church and unbeknownst to me I had left the
apartment without my name tag on. But when we were getting into the
building I stuck my hand in my pocket and felt something and it was my
name tag!!! WHAT?! My mind was blown! So basically it was like Jesus
turning water into wine, like such a small thing but you just can't
figure out how it happened because it is like basically impossible!
But that's the thing I guess, nothing is impossible with God! It was
sweet.
We got to meet some awesome people this week, we meet some really
weird ones as well. Like this guy who tried to tell us he was a
prophet. Asked us to write something on a piece of paper outside so
that he couldn't see. So i write "Jesus is the Christ" and crumpled it
up. Then we went back in and he went into his house and prayed and
then came out and basically almost got it. Still don't know how.
Because first he doesn't speak English, and I don't think he knows
Jesus is the Christ. So yep, still trying to figure out that black
magic, but it wasn't really as scary as it was weird. Then we went and
talked to this grandma who invited us to her bar on fast Sunday. So we
told her we don't drink alcohol, coffee, or water (at the time) she
was very surprised to say the least. But a very nice lady :). I am not
sure why we keep meeting this random nice, and weird strangers who
aren't really all that interested in the gospel. But maybe God is
preparing us for some crazy strangers who ARE ready to hear the
gospel! It's gonna be great, stay tuned.
Our investigators Inamasu and Yamamoto are doing quite good.
Yamamoto-san's husband is still opposed, so if you could keep her in
your prayers that both their hearts will be softened that would be
great! Inamasu will be starting the lessons this week, so we are very
excited :)! Let's see some miracles!!! It's going to be awesome! I am
way excited and love missionary work! The church is SO true and it
helps me through all hard and awesome experiences. I am so glad we can
feel joy in it's purest form because of our Savior who loves us,
sacrificed for us, and continues to strengthen us. This week I really
want to focus on my Savior more! Hope you all keep a thoughtful prayer
of thanks towards Him as well! LOVE YOU ALL!!!
Sister Johnson

This lady we met, while looking at my photo album asked if she
could put some of them in her homemade shrine. So Maddie and Hannah!
Congrats! You made the wall of nakamichi-san's shrine!!

Me, Healey, Crump, Parmley, and Yamaguchi-san eating at the fancy 12 course chinese restaurant, eating jellyfish!!

Us at the shokuji with these fantastic members!! (right to left: Nihara-kyoudai, me, Healey, Inamasu-san, kinjou, the Mori family, Nihara-shimai, Parmley) Seriously the greatest!

Wednesday, September 9, 2015


Blog:Typhoon
Okay this week was awesome and full of miracles!!!! And lots of other
stuff as well.

So the first half of this week consisted of a dinner appointment with
a newly returned couple from their mission in Nagoya. And they
basically set up this way cool activity for us, which is going so
well! We had ballet class taught by one of the sisters. And man am I
rusty. Then on Tuesday we had a typhoon! It was pretty awesome we like
put down these heavy duty shutters over all our windows. It was pretty
legit. But most of the really terrible parts happened during the night
and I slept through most of it. Then in the morning it was still
pretty windy and crazy rain, so we weren't able to go to district
meeting and stayed inside until  that night and then went out and
dendoued. It was pretty exciting. Only a little bit of water leaked in
through one corner of our futon room. But it is all good now. Very
exciting.
Then on Friday we had the coolest miracle! I am COMPLETELY sold on
members being present during lessons. Not that I wasn't before, but
you just gotta hear about this experience I am going to tell. Okay
here it goes. So we had another member as a joint, but she called
about an hour before telling us that her grandson was in the hospital
and she couldn't come. So we started calling everyone. And we thought
of this one lady who the investigator didn't know super well, but when
we called her she could do it, and that was good enough for us. So the
lesson was on forgiveness and the Savior because that is what she is
struggling with right now. And as we are teaching her the member bore
her testimony about how her son had died and how she really had to
depend on the Lord and that was what made the atonement real for her.
And she said that the atonement is to strengthen us in times of
weakness, and that includes when we feel like we can't forgive others.
And she asked our investigator, "you are suffering, right?" And our
investigator just broke down crying, the spirit was SO strong. And she
told our investigator to just let it go, little by little if that is
all we can do at the time, but to have confidence in the saving power
of the atonement. It. Was. Amazing!! I can't describe it, the spirit
was just so strong and we could all feel it so powerfully. Members are
just amazing. And it is just amazing to me how by small means indeed
the Lord brings about his work. Which brings me to another miracle.
So this was last night while we were dendouing. It was about 6 or 7
and we were housing because apartments were still pretty empty, and we
weren't really getting anywhere.We came to this one area where there
was some pretty dingy apartments, but it was still a bit early to
dendou them so we decided we would return once it got later. So we
prayed and felt like this one direction, found an apartment tat wasn't
locked. Prayed and didn't feel like it was the one for that time. So
we kept walking. Found this like tunnel of bats (just like a regular
skinny street with bats flying everywhere) which was WAY cool, has
nothing really to do with the story, but just thought i would help
with the imagery. Then we knocked on some doors of these fancier
looking apartments. No luck. My companion asked if we should just go
back to the apartments we saw earlier, but for whatever reason i
wanted to do the bigger ones we could currently see. So we prayed
again and asked if we should go to one of the three bigger, kind of
sketchy apartments (since they usually are not locked so we can
actually get in) so we felt  that one of them would be good and as we
walked to it we saw that it was locked. I was a little bummed out. But
usually when God leads me somewhere, he brings me there so I can see
other apartments or something and go towards those. So I saw these
kind of bigger looking apartments and we walked towards those. When we
arrived I realized it was the same bigger apartments next to the dingy
apartments we decided to return to that night, the ones my companion
suggested we go to earlier. So we walked up the stairs to the first
door, which is vacant. Then as we walk up to the next door this lady
walks up the stairs and asks what we are doing. So we tell her who we
are and as she is smoking and blowing puffs in our face she explains
how she is Buddhist and that we should learn more about Japanese
culture and started explaining about some Buddhist beliefs. So at this
point I'm like "Oh, great." But then she tells us to come into her
house so she can explain Japanese culture to us. I was very surprised,
she did like a 180 flip all of a sudden. So we walk in and she gives
us milk and shows us a shrine that she made and told us that she loves
like all people of all countries and thinks that we are all just the
same. And that she would love to hear about America, and our beliefs,
and about English. And she was just like waaaaay cool!!! She wants to
take us hiking into the mountains, so maybe in the next couple of
P-days you will get a picture of me in the mountains. But she was the
NICEST! Like my dendou Mom, it was SO cool. And she was telling us
that if we had arrive like a minute earlier  we would not have even
met her. And I was just thinking of the path we took to get to her
house, and I was like, "Lady, you don't even know." So yep, got to see
the Lords hand very strongly this week. So amazing how through small
things really honest to goodness crazy amazing things happen!! Like a
joint falling through or walking towards an apartment finding out that
it is locked. God is amazing and loves all of us and plays a role in
our lives DAILY!!! I know this to be true, and that he is at the helm
of this work leading us towards eternal life. The church is true
without a doubt and I am so grateful that I have this knowledge! LOVE
YOU ALL!!


Us at the ballet class activity

District meeting after the typoon. Riding back on the train. (miyanishi chourou, me, parmley, healey, crump, connet chourou)

Watermelon chocolate we got from a member... good in a weird way.

Us with the Iida-fufu at their house after a shokuji (meal)
 
 Small video clip of the typhoon!


                                         Us pulling down our heavy duty shutters before the typhoon.