Blog: Merry Christmas

So this week we get to email at a seven eleven because the wifi t our
church isn't working. Yay! Haha well anyways this week was kind of
crazy because it's transfer week and the week before Christmas and
just so much craziness! but last week on pday we ended up going to
like a zoo where you could go in and pet some of the animals which was
way fun! I will attach some pictures. Then on Tuesday we had district
meeting and some dendou. Then I don't remember much about the rest of
the week honestly. These last couple of days have been so crAzy that I
just can't remember. So you ar probably wondering what happened this
week, alright I will tell you. It is transfer week and I am
staying!!!! Yay!! however, Kurume is becoming a two man so we are
shutting down the other area! We were so surprised! We found out on
Saturday and on Sunday I just felt so stressed out! But I was able to
feel the peace of my Savior who overcame all things. And I am still
depending on Him so much now, but I know that He loves me and that I
can do all things through Christ. The King of kings, Lord of lords. He
who overcame death both spiritually and physically. And I feel so
comforted to have someone like that by my side. When things feel
overwhelming or that we need strengthening we always know there is
somebody we can depend on. And I am so glad I have never had to go a
time without that comfort.
And on Monday we had a really cool experience where we helped a member
move. And she was telling us about her conversion story. Basically she
was the daughter of a monk who found the church while training to be a
priestess and she joined and was disowned by her family. But she
worked hard and served a mission! She is seriously such an example to
me. We went to her families shrine to help pack her things to move her
closer to the city, and we met her dad who was once so hantai (opposed) and he
has accepted the church as a good thing and loves members and
missionaries and brought us in for tea and was showing us his cool
books and took some pictures in the shrines. She herself cannot
believe how much her father and family have changed. Once demanding
she come home from the MTC, now inviting missionaries into his home. I
know this church really changes lives and that we can find them and
help them.
We also had a cool experience with meeting this girl named haruna at
the train station. She had met bair shimai on splits, and the STL
accidentally called her, but set up an appointment with us, and we met
her and she was so cool!! we have another meeting with her to give her
a tour of the church. I hope she feels that this gospel can bless and
help her life. I am so excited! Thank you for all your prayers. I hope
you have a merry Christmas!!!! My next pday will be Christmas and I
will be spending it skyping my family! So I hope you all have a great
time with your families!!! Think of Christ and ponder, like d. Todd
christofferson said, as if you were there that silent, holy night
standing next to the baby Jesus. What gift would you bring? What would
you say if you stood next to the Savior of the world? I think that on
that night even for just five seconds the whole world was silent. I
hope I am here for when he comes again, my Savior and King.
I love you all so much!!! Happy 2016 Christmas!!! Make it more
meaningful than last year!!!

Johnson shimai

Us at Riyo shimais house! Ozaki shimai, me, Bair, mccuen, Ali, keiko,
parmley, and Riyo in front!!! Chilling at her new bachelorette pad!!!

We found this little guy housing. Yes, we did pet him... With a piece of paper.

Our district with the Kangaroos

The cute little monkeys that climb all over you!! And steal your things!!

Bair shimai and I wish a capybara

Blog : No Time

This week don't have a lot of time to email because we are going to a bio park in sasebo :)

I will send pictures next week!

This last week we had some miracles!

One of our investigators Yuuji made a baptismal date! For Valentine's Day.

He was an investigator that came up to us in eikaiwa and asked if we could teach hi how to pray. And he has been praying! His prayers have gotten so much better! He is so awesome! He is stressed about his test and is having a hard time right now, but I know the gospel can help him! We also had another investigator who was struggling with prayer working his way up, so that's good. The power of prayer is so important! I a currently working on prayers of mighty faith, like alma. Haha, key word, working on it. But I am so grateful for this time to really exercise my faith!

One of the really cool experiences I had was that we were getting ready for our activity and I felt that should do some phone dendou. I said a prayer and felt like I should look up a specific name, Akira, it wasn't there, but as I was looking in the A's I kept coming back to this one name. And they answered and we were able to set up a return appointment! It was so cool! 

The power of prayer works!

Sorry no time this week!!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!

SISTER JONSON

Blog:Thanks

This week was pretty crazy and interesting. It was also THANKSGIVING!!! Yay, I hope you all stuffed yourselves with turkey and gave so much thanks for all the many blessings that we have. To start off I would like to say somethings I am thankful for.

1. I am thankful for this opportunity to be on a mission and grow and learn in ways that I never could`ve at home.

2. I am thankful to be part of a ward. Both on the mission and at home. Everyone is so loving towards me and each other and it is great to see the hand of God work through the people around us. And also giving us a change to serve those around us.

3. I am thankful for all my companions up until now. Each teaching me such great things, and each being such a friend to me. I can never thank God enough for giving me great companions to help me both learn and to learn so much from. And people who became some of my greatest friends :)

4. I am grateful for the Christmas season. How lights just warm up any kind of atmosphere. The light of Christ is evident even in the small things.

5. I am grateful for friends who care, including my best friend and Savior Jesus Christ. Who whether I'm in a good mood or a crummy one is always willing to listen to every complaint and cry I have. And all my joy and pleas as well. And to all my other wonderful friends who do the same :)

6. I am grateful for every good influence through leaders, friends, and family that has been such a great example to me. FromSunday school teachers, to district leaders. Your effort was not wasted on this one.

7. I am so grateful for my family. Sometimes we`re crazy, or incredibly lazy. But we always stick together, and we`ve had a good time doing it. I know they will always be there for me and support me in my righteous decisions, and sometimes even in my dumb ones. I know that families are eternal, that my family was given to me for a specific reason. And I love them so very much. 

8. I am so grateful for a knowledge of this gospel. Without it I now I would be lost. Even with it we can get lost. But Christ will always come to get us, and take us back into his loving arms. This gospel changes lives, as it has with everyone that`s out on a mission, and everyone that is back home. Past, present, future. He loves us all and I know that I am incredibly blessed to know even what I know and have the opportunity through prayer, scripture study, church, temples to learn more about his eternal purpose to bring me joy and eternal life.

This Gospel is so true, and I see it in all the things the Lord does for me daily. So grateful, but I can never be grateful enough to my Lord and Savior who cares so much for me and for everyone that I see. I can never count the infinite blessings I have, but I am glad God gave me the chance to at least feel as grateful as I can. It brings me so much joy. I hope you can all feel so now as well, especially in this holiday season, but most importantly year round.

LOVE YOU ALL HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Felt like I was going to end it there, then I forgot I never said anything about this week, haha! So every day kind of felt like a separate week. We started off p-day with an investigator who took us to some really cool shrines. Then he had a problem with work so he was driving us around places. We prayed and his problem was solved. The power of prayer works.

Then on Tuesday we had a surprise birthday party for one of the members in our ward. She seemed really happy, and a lot of members showed up to be supportive it was awesome!

Then On Wednesday we had a pretty awesome miracle. One of our previous investigators who was too busy to meet called and asked us to meet at the church. So we went and gave her a present from a previous missionary who just finished her mission. And she told us she was coming to church on Sunday!!! It was such a miracle! And on Sunday she came and we had such a spiritual lesson about baptism and preparing her for baptism. She said she wants to try and learn more, so we are excited to help her!

Then on Thursday we had an awesome meeting with our mission president who talked about faith. And this morning I was reading about Alma and the Zoramites and what great faith Alma had. He prayed with such great faith and saw miracles. Sometimes I forget that the Lord can do all. I`m pretty sure you all know what I am talking about. And everytime I repent and think that I have limited myself with my lack of faith, it is sometimes painful to think about that I don't always trust in God so willingly. But the mission has taught me so much about faith and trust in God. He truly loves us and will allow miracles to happen by our hands if we trust in Him. And I have seen some awesome miracles because of faith. This week included. 

On Saturday we also had a really fun musical talent show thing. There are some really talented people in our ward. Let me tell ya. It was so fun! We even got to participate and do a cover dance from Hercules. Shout out to Emma, Melissa, Maddie, Hannah, and Jill. High school lip-sync champions! It was so fun, and everyone really enjoyed it.

We had a few people cancel on lessons, but through that we were able to meet some more awesome and prepared people. God prepares people everyday if we but have the faith to go and meet them. I know that God only wants us to see miracles daily. So that we can partake of His joy and blessings. 

So grateful to be grateful!!! So many things to be grateful for!!! Hope you all had the best thanksgiving and can`t even believetomorrow is December and Christmas is coming up!!! Love you all so much! Thanks for all the prayers in my behalf!

Love,

ジョンソン姉妹

Us at the kawanamis, I love this family. They always feed us until
we die, but it's so good!

Us at the kawanamis again. Now you see why I love this family so much!

Best district ever at special training helping Kurume sisters practice for their music number! Bair, me, Parmley, McCuen, Akahori, Ketch, Hunsaker, Hayashi, Means, Seable

Our thanksgiving eikaiwa! Yay tradition! Me, Akiyama, new guy, bair, airi, yasuko, tomo, hatta, ali, Godfather, haiya, kinjou, betty, megumi, masuyaha, parmley, mccuen, me

Us at Megumi's suprise party. after everyone had left, haha! Bair, Imamura-shimai, Megumi, Yamamoto-san, Parmley, Me, and Mccuen shimai