Hey all you people! 

This week was pretty good, filled with cleaning, which will be what today mostly consists of as well! Ya for cleaning in the cold!!! It`ll be great once it actually is clean. Anyways, this week we went to district meeting and it was awesome we learned about being the best missionary we could be and we took the Christ like attribute test which was SUCH an eye opener. If your a missionary or not a missionary go to the PMG chapter 6 to the end and it has like a Christ-like attributes test. It is interesting to check the results. I sure learned a lot. This week was mostly spend doing the regular things such as finding, planning, and our various activities. And we had a few miracles and challenges as well.

We taught one of our investigators who used to have a baptismal date and last week challenged him to pray if God was there or not. He said he did and didn`t get an answer but it was okay because he already knew God was there. Then after the lesson he said he actually didn`t ask because he was afraid he wouldn`t get an answer. So we will have to see how that goes. 

And our other investigator wasn`t able to meet because she got sick. But she said she is reading the Book of Mormon little by little.

Then we had a cool miracle yesterday we were out dendouing, we took a train to go visit a less active and shared a short message and he didn`t want to pray at the end. Which was a bit awkward then I prayed in English (because he is American) and that prayer was awkward too because I forgot how to pray in english! Haha! So we started to dendo and it was WAY cold and rainy, but we talked to everyone, and we met this way cool girl named Mao. She was 14 (she looked 20) and we shared a quick message about the purpose of life and made a return appointment, she was way cool! Overall it was a pretty good week. Nothing too out of the crazy and normal, which is nice sometimes. 

I hope you are all having a great January, time is flying by so quickly!!!

Love,

Sister Johnson

A member (Nakagawa shimai) cut Lai shimais hair after church on Sunday

Shout out to hermana debuck, and all you other Star Wars fans!!

We found this good English sign and took a junkai picture! Me and whitworth shimai. I am pretty sure this quote is from mulan.

Hello everybody!
This week was way busy and so great! And as usual I only remember the
second half of it, haha! Let's see on Monday we went to visit Brian
who didn't end up being there, but then we housed the rest of his
apartment and talked to like 10 more foreigners some said they might
come to church, it was really weird. I'm not used to foreigners. Then
we dropped off some presents to the people who invited us over to eat
at their house and share a message and I could really feel that their
felt our appreciation even though as missionaries we cant do much for
them.
Then we had another lesson with our investigator yuuji-san. And we
asked him if he has ever prayed and asked if there was a God before.
He said he hasn't and said he will try it. So we will see how that
goes.
Then we got to go up to Sasebo and junkai with the sisters up there
which was awesome! We talked to some pretty awesome people and taught
a lesson to their investigator who is getting baptized next week! She
was so cool, super ready! Then we started to house. And in Sasebo the
hills are pretty intense, but we just kept going from door to door,
and soon we found ourselves at the top of this mountain, and we just
looked out and it was beautiful! We found the ocean too! It was so
pretty! Then as we were climbing down we ran into this 91 year old
woman climbing down this ridiculous mountain. So we talked and climbed
down with her. Gave her a pamphlet on the gospel of Jesus Christ told
her to share it with her family and we parted ways.
#thingsyouonlyexperienceinJapan
And we met some awesome families and made return appointments.
Then we had our activity on Saturday which was way fun, I was just
mostly just playing ping pong with the kodomo eikaiwa kids while
Sister Lai taught her Chinese class. Then that night we knocked that
last door and made a return appointment, went back the next day and it
was kind of a weird visit so not sure if we are going back. But so
blessed that a member came with us!
Then on Sunday Miyuki-san came to church with Hara-shimai! And we got
to teach her a lesson! The whole thing went down kind of weird.
Hara-shimai got injured from work because a child threw a toy at her
face. So she couldn't see out of her left eye. So she asked Miyuki to
drive her to church. We taught her and she still wants baptism, but
maybe doesn't want to become Christian yet, but she wants to try and
read the book or Mormon. And she has been praying and feeling like
when she prays someone is coming closer to her and watching over her.
She is so amazing!! Please pray for her whenever you have the chance!
Or right now! Then we had the opportunity to help a member clean her
house and man we cleaned it good. It looked completely different after
we were done. It was such a good week!! And today emailing is a little
late, i apologize, but we had a huge mochi suki (where you make rice
cakes) with the ward so that was awesome!
I love Japan and the mission! It is so great! I know this church is
true and that we can receive revelation through scripture reading!

Love,
Sister Johnson

These weird industrial houses we found housing. Yes, those boxes are homes.

Us at the top of the mountain!!!

We found the ocean too! It looks like Christ descending from the heavens!!

Making the mochi

Using the Hammer. Look at Lai shimai, workin' so hard.

Kurume primary mochi suki!!!! (nakazono, adachi family, maki family, kamakura family, hiyama kyoudai, akiyama kyoudai, kawanami family, mimaki shimai, ogata-shimais friend)!!!!!

Here is a cute extra picture for you. Hana-chan and Sa-chan making
mochi :) So cute!

Blog: New Year Part 2

Hello everybody! I feel like it has been so long since I have had the
opportunity to sit down and tell you about things that are happening
right now in the mission. But I actually do have some time today. So
sit down, get some hot chocolate. It's been a good week.
First of all I would like to thank all the members, friends, and
family that sent me letters, packages, prayers, love and faith. It is
always nice to get a touch of home away from home during the holidays.
And with every letter that I read I truly did feel the love and spirit
from each one of you. So this is a little shout out for all you
wonderful children of God! Thank you so much!
As I have reflected on this last year I think a lot of thoughts spun
through my mind since it will be the only entire year of my life being
a full time missionary. And I thought about all the people I had the
opportunity to meet, befriend, and love. And oh how the love of God
filled my soul. Every doubt that Satan tries to put into the heads of
God's faithful servants seemed to vanish as I felt probably what was
just a small fraction of the love Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus
Christ have for me. Oh it is wonderful, wonderful to me.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. It's 2016!!!!
I can't even believe it!!!! It's literally beyond my comprehension.
Anyways, this week was really good. Even though I just emailed last
Friday, it was kind of a short bara bara email (I can't think of the
English word). But basically this week we ate... and ate and ate and
ate, SO MUCH FOOD!!!! It was very delicious, but I think I will need
to be doing some more biking for a while. As some of you may not know
in Japan new years is like Christmas. People are not super inclined to
listen to us very often. So the ward members got together and made an
eating schedule for us so we wouldn't have to be out so often. And
some of them fell through which gave us some time to go out and
dendou, which I was actually grateful for since it had been what I was
praying for. But eventually we found ourselves having time to dendou
on New Years Day night. Literally nobody listened to us. But we kept
knocking doors, praying, knowing God would lead us to someone who
would hear our message. We were walking around having no idea nor
promptings on where to knock. When we found ourselves right back where
we started so I looked at the apartment and noticed some lights on so
we started up the stairs to the first door. We knock and wait and hear
footsteps coming. And who comes out of the door, but lo and behold
Brian (we're pretty sure that's his name). An american guy from Iowa.
Who was also very surprised to see us. Said his past girlfriend was
Mormon and after talking with him for a bit said we could come back
and talk with him on Monday. He said he probably won't change
religions, but maybe the Lord has other plans. But it was such a
beautiful night where we were able to feel the blessings of God. It
was amazing!
Then this last Saturday we had another amazing miracle. A member had
invited her friend to have a New Year party with us at the church.
When they came over we just chatted and things and got talking about
prayer. The previous day the two of them went to visit her friend,
Miyuki-sans, grandma. They got lost and didn't know where to go. So
Hara-shimai stopped and suggested that they say a prayer. They prayed
and literally a few minutes later found the house. As we talked about
this experience my companion, in all her awesomeness, shared her
experience about her brother and grandma who had passed away and the
great blessings about the temple. Then Miyuki-san opened up about her
grandpa and how she felt she had been selfish towards him her whole
life and how much she loved him. The spirit was so strong. She was
crying, I was crying, my companion was crying. Not that the spirit is
indicated by crying, but it was so amazing to see the spirit help her
open up so she could hear and accept the message. We all looked
fantastic. And we taught her about baptism, eternal families, and she
said she wants to learn more about our church and that she had been
studying religion lately. Hara-shimai was shocked and had no idea. It
is amazing to see the Lord prepare people to hear this message! She is
so prepared by the Lord, and I can feel the Lords love for her and her
grandpas love for her as well. I know she felt the spirit so strongly
and that God really needs her to hear this message. Because it CAN
help people and it WILL bless their lives if they only let it.
The gospel is so true and I can see it changing me and those around me
everyday. Glad we have the knowledge that we do and the opportunity to
share it. I love my Savior and am getting to know Him better day by
day.
Hope you had a happy new year and a merry Christmas!!!!

Love,

Sister Johnson

Blog: Happy New Year 2016

I have like no time today! It is new years in Japan and we are going
to go to this giant shrine with a friend of ours and it is gonna be
crazy crowded! Just want to let you know that Christmas was so fun and
new years has been such a blessing.
One of the things I have appreciated most this Christmas season is I
think it is the Christmas where I have felt closest to the Savior in
my entire life. I am not sure a year ago if I knew what my life was
going to be like at the end of 2015, but it is far better than
anything I could've imagined.
I love Japan. I love being on a mission. And I love my Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
On Christmas Eve I read some of the experiences from the quorum of the
12 apostles on the LDS website. And as I was reading one in particular
touched me. I really felt that the Lord was talking to and watching
over me that Christmas Eve as I was trying to watch over His children
in Kurume Japan.
The Lord never forgets nor forsakes us. In good times and in bad. He
merely prompts us to find happiness and joy in the only way we really
can. I am so grateful I can know about this church. And have had an
opportunity to serve for the year 2015, it was a great one. I met so
many wonderful people. And have received so many wonderful blessings.
Merry Christmas でした
。そうして Happy New Years!!!!!
I love you all and hope you had a wonderful holiday season!!!
Sister Johnson

Spent new years eve with this great kid! Jenga to the next level! (Kamakura Itsuki)

We went to an old shrine in Kurume. These trees are 800 years old! (Me, Iida-shimai, and Lai shimai)

Lai shimai and I on Christmas!! Yay malls!

Not sure if I sent this picture or not. But we ate at the dendou shuunins house for Christmas. His family is adorable!

Their baby whom I love :)

The concert we went to on Christmas Day!! Ogata shimai!