Bonjour family and friends!
Time flies when your having fun. This past week I hit my 6 month mark! It's crazy to think that I am already 1/3 of the way done with my mission. It has been a totally different experience than I could have ever imagined. There has been a lot of hard days but also a lot of really good days. Overall, it has been such a great learning experience. There are things that I have learned by serving a mission that I couldn't have learned any other way.
The six things I learned in 6 months.
1. When in doubt..pray it out -My testimony of prayer has increased so much. I have learned what it truly means to "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart." I have never had to pray so fervently in my life. I have realized that prayer should become our first response no matter the situation. I totally agree with President Hinckley when he says, "I don't know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work." There is not much I can do for those I love when I am half way around the world except to pray, trust that Heavenly Father hears my prayers & then go out and do his work.
2. Conversion vs. Testimony- I have quickly realized that there is a big difference between having a testimony and being truly converted. I had a testimony before I came on my mission but my mission has helped me to become more converted. A testimony are the things we know to be true but conversion is turning away from sin and staying true to what we know. There is a difference between knowing things are true and actually doing them. Conversion is a quest of a lifetime but something we should all strive to be better at. No doubt, I have been my first "convert" on my mission. It has helped me become more converted than probably any of my Amis have become.
3. "He makes weak things strong"- If you don't think you have any weaknesses, go on a mission. You will quickly learn that you have more weakness than you ever even knew! It's been a humbling and cool experience to see how the Lord has shown me my weaknesses and then has helped me to make them strengths. Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." If we humble ourselves he will use our weaknesses and shape us into someone better.
4. "Opposition in all things"- The most common question we get is, "How could there be a God if so many bad things are happening in the world?" It's interesting because before my mission I had a similar question. I had a really hard time understanding why so many terrible things happen to such great people. As my understanding of the plan of salvation has increased my testimony of why opposition is necessary has strengthened. We have been giving the precious gift of agency. How we use our agency makes ALL the difference. There are a lot of bad things that happen to people in the world as a result of other peoples agency. God can't control how people use their agency but he definitely will make the best out of the situation of those that have been affected by the bad choices of others. He will "consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." There are other things in life such as sicknesses that have nothing to do with free agency. These situations are hard to explain. Understanding the plan of salvation can bring great comfort in moments of great difficulty. What we do know is "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." The good and the bad things in life help us gain experience and progress. The purpose of our life on earth is to gain experience and without opposition we wouldn't be able to progress like we need to.
5. "I need thee every hour"- The one of the most important things I have learned is that I'm not capable of doing this work on my own. I truly need divine intervention to help me accomplish the tasks that I am asked to do. I am grateful I can rely on the enabling power of the atonement (grace) to help strengthen me to accomplish things beyond my own capacity. Grace can help lift and carry us through the times we need it most. It's comforting to know that we have access to that power no matter where we are or what we are doing. "We truly need Him every hour, whether they be hours of sunshine or of rain."-President Monson
6. Count your blessings- No matter our circumstances we can always find things to be grateful for. President Lorenzo Snow said, "We have every reason to rejoice and to be full of joy and satisfaction, notwithstanding the difficulties that surround us." We have been given so many blessings! We find so much more joy in life when we learn to appreciate and focus on our blessings.
This week we had a lesson with Isabelle and her two girls. (The last minute miracle from last week) we taught them in the park near our house. She used to be atheist but now she has technically converted to Catholicism. It is more like she believes in God now and the most popular religion here is obviously Catholicism so she just calls herself Catholic. She thinks all religions are good because it is all the same God. We started teaching her the restoration but we had to hurry through it because it started to rain. She made us get out our umbrellas so the Books of Mormon wouldn't get wet..haha. She absolutely loved the story of Joseph Smith. She has a really strong testimony of prayer and that it works. She kept testifying to us of all the miracles she has seen because of prayer. It was such a cool experience!
There has been a big emphasis lately with reaching out and helping the refugee situation. It has become a huge problem here in France because there are so many refugees. On Saturday we had a stake service project and we traveled up to Dunquere to work in a refugee camp. It was a pretty humbling experience to see where these people have to live. They live in temporary houses made out of plywood. It's just a square room and they sleep on the floor. They seemed to vary in sized but generally they seemed to be 7x7ft rooms. There were even tents set up on the gravel that people live in. The saddest part is that these refugees are actually living in what would be considered one of the "better" places that they have for refugees. It was a good reminder that we have much to be grateful for and that we need to reach out and help those in need.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve a mission. Church is true! All is well. Have a wonderful week!
Love, Soeur Johnson
Time flies when your having fun. This past week I hit my 6 month mark! It's crazy to think that I am already 1/3 of the way done with my mission. It has been a totally different experience than I could have ever imagined. There has been a lot of hard days but also a lot of really good days. Overall, it has been such a great learning experience. There are things that I have learned by serving a mission that I couldn't have learned any other way.
The six things I learned in 6 months.
1. When in doubt..pray it out -My testimony of prayer has increased so much. I have learned what it truly means to "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart." I have never had to pray so fervently in my life. I have realized that prayer should become our first response no matter the situation. I totally agree with President Hinckley when he says, "I don't know how to get anything done except getting on my knees and pleading for help and then getting on my feet and going to work." There is not much I can do for those I love when I am half way around the world except to pray, trust that Heavenly Father hears my prayers & then go out and do his work.
2. Conversion vs. Testimony- I have quickly realized that there is a big difference between having a testimony and being truly converted. I had a testimony before I came on my mission but my mission has helped me to become more converted. A testimony are the things we know to be true but conversion is turning away from sin and staying true to what we know. There is a difference between knowing things are true and actually doing them. Conversion is a quest of a lifetime but something we should all strive to be better at. No doubt, I have been my first "convert" on my mission. It has helped me become more converted than probably any of my Amis have become.
3. "He makes weak things strong"- If you don't think you have any weaknesses, go on a mission. You will quickly learn that you have more weakness than you ever even knew! It's been a humbling and cool experience to see how the Lord has shown me my weaknesses and then has helped me to make them strengths. Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." If we humble ourselves he will use our weaknesses and shape us into someone better.
4. "Opposition in all things"- The most common question we get is, "How could there be a God if so many bad things are happening in the world?" It's interesting because before my mission I had a similar question. I had a really hard time understanding why so many terrible things happen to such great people. As my understanding of the plan of salvation has increased my testimony of why opposition is necessary has strengthened. We have been giving the precious gift of agency. How we use our agency makes ALL the difference. There are a lot of bad things that happen to people in the world as a result of other peoples agency. God can't control how people use their agency but he definitely will make the best out of the situation of those that have been affected by the bad choices of others. He will "consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain." There are other things in life such as sicknesses that have nothing to do with free agency. These situations are hard to explain. Understanding the plan of salvation can bring great comfort in moments of great difficulty. What we do know is "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." The good and the bad things in life help us gain experience and progress. The purpose of our life on earth is to gain experience and without opposition we wouldn't be able to progress like we need to.
5. "I need thee every hour"- The one of the most important things I have learned is that I'm not capable of doing this work on my own. I truly need divine intervention to help me accomplish the tasks that I am asked to do. I am grateful I can rely on the enabling power of the atonement (grace) to help strengthen me to accomplish things beyond my own capacity. Grace can help lift and carry us through the times we need it most. It's comforting to know that we have access to that power no matter where we are or what we are doing. "We truly need Him every hour, whether they be hours of sunshine or of rain."-President Monson
6. Count your blessings- No matter our circumstances we can always find things to be grateful for. President Lorenzo Snow said, "We have every reason to rejoice and to be full of joy and satisfaction, notwithstanding the difficulties that surround us." We have been given so many blessings! We find so much more joy in life when we learn to appreciate and focus on our blessings.
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| Lunch at the only place that has real Mexican food in Lille! |
This week we had a lesson with Isabelle and her two girls. (The last minute miracle from last week) we taught them in the park near our house. She used to be atheist but now she has technically converted to Catholicism. It is more like she believes in God now and the most popular religion here is obviously Catholicism so she just calls herself Catholic. She thinks all religions are good because it is all the same God. We started teaching her the restoration but we had to hurry through it because it started to rain. She made us get out our umbrellas so the Books of Mormon wouldn't get wet..haha. She absolutely loved the story of Joseph Smith. She has a really strong testimony of prayer and that it works. She kept testifying to us of all the miracles she has seen because of prayer. It was such a cool experience!
 |
| Helping at the Refugee camp! |
There has been a big emphasis lately with reaching out and helping the refugee situation. It has become a huge problem here in France because there are so many refugees. On Saturday we had a stake service project and we traveled up to Dunquere to work in a refugee camp. It was a pretty humbling experience to see where these people have to live. They live in temporary houses made out of plywood. It's just a square room and they sleep on the floor. They seemed to vary in sized but generally they seemed to be 7x7ft rooms. There were even tents set up on the gravel that people live in. The saddest part is that these refugees are actually living in what would be considered one of the "better" places that they have for refugees. It was a good reminder that we have much to be grateful for and that we need to reach out and help those in need.
I am grateful to have the opportunity to serve a mission. Church is true! All is well. Have a wonderful week!
Love, Soeur Johnson
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