Modern Day Pioneers

Bonjour family & friends!

This week we set a baptismal date with Chantel for August! We are super excited. She is so ready. She is really eager to get baptized because she feels like she can't really progress until she is baptized. At our lesson with her, our member brought another one of his friends that wasn't a member but has met with missionaries before. At the end of the lesson he started asking questions about the Book of Mormon. Before we could even respond, Chantel started testifying for us! It was cool to watch her explain and testify of the Book of Mormon because it really shows that she is truly converted. I'm literally still in shock of how open and receptive she is to the gospel. On Sunday, the lesson in "Amis class" was on tithing. We were a little worried at first because we haven't taught her about it yet. She raised her hand to make a comment and I was just thinking "oh no" what is she going to say. Her comment made my whole day... She said, "it's just really unfortunate for me because I don't have the opportunity to pay tithing because I'm not baptized yet." She knows the blessings she will get as a result of paying tithing so she is eager to be baptized. I have only taught two other people on my mission as receptive as her and ironically they will be getting baptized the same day! It's people like this that give me hope that there are other people prepared to hear the gospel too.

Picnic at the park!

The Elders were on the bus the other week and a lady saw their plaques that said "Jesus-Christ." She was getting off at the next stop so she didn't have much time to talk to them but instead she wrote down her number and said, "Call me!!" They gave us her number because they figured she was a single women so it would be easier if we taught her. We gave her a call and set up rendezvous. We went to her house and her husband and son were there! She has grown up Catholic but right now is looking for a church for her and her family. We invited her to church on Sunday but we waited and she didn't show up. As we were about to sing the closing song she walked in and sat down by me!! She had got a taxi to take her to church but ended up taking her to some random Catholic Church instead so that's why she was late. She turned to me and said, "I promised you I would come, so I am here!" Getting our Amis to actually come to church is always one of the hardest things so it was a miracle that she came. That is when you know that they really do have a desire to hear the gospel. We actually ended up seeing her son later that day who is 10 and he said, "I was a little busy today so I couldn't make it to your church but I will be there next week." He is so cute! I am excited to teach their family again this week and see their testimonies grow.

This week I also had the chance to go back to my last area (Lille) for a day! We had exchanges with the "Sister Training Leaders" so we got to spend the night in my old apartment. It was fun to be back in the City where I started my mission. I was there for so long that it felt like I never left! Unfortunately, I didn't get to see any of my Amis but all is well because Soeur Witham is taking good care of them. I went out on  exchange with Soeur Corneta who is from Switzerland. She is a wonderful example of someone who really has "the pure love of Christ." When she talks to people she shows how much she cares about them and how much she desires for them to have the gospel. People want to listen to hear not necessarily because of what she says but because of WHO she is. She is a person who doesn't just preach the gospel, she lives it. That's something I really want to strive to work on.  I'm grateful for the chance I had to work with and learn from her!

Can't get enough of all the cool buildings here!

I hope everyone had a fun 24 of July! (Aka. Pioneer Day) They obviously don't celebrate it here but I still took a minute to think about what being a pioneer means to me. When I think about pioneers in my life I usually think back to my ancestors who pushed and pulled handcarts across the plains. They made many sacrifices so that their future family could have the blessings of the gospels. The definition of pioneer is,"one who goes before to prepare or open up the way for others to follow.” One of the many things I love about serving in France/Belgium is having the opportunity to meet so many people who are converts to the church. They are the "pioneers" for their future families. They are making choices that are going to completely change the lives of their future family members. They have strong testimonies of the gospel and are willing to make sacrifices for it. They really are the modern day pioneers. I admire their strength and it often makes me reflect on my own testimony of the gospel and what I would sacrifice for it. What are willing to give? What are we willing to sacrifice? What legacy will we leave behind? We all our pioneers in the sense that the choices and paths we choose to take in life we affect those of our future generations. Let's make sure we are making good choices and leaving behind a legacy that our future generations will thank us for. Have a wonderful week!

Love, Soeur Johnson

Hanging with my peeps!

Bonjour Family & Friends!

This week started off with an awesome miracle.. We were standing by an elevator waiting to go up and we looked over and this lady was just staring at our plaques. We turned to hear and asked, "Have you seen plaques like this before?" She looked a little closer and said, "Oh yes, oh yes, you are the Mormons!" We started talking with her and she explained that she was Christian too. She has actually met with the missionaries before in Paris. Then she starts talking about how much she absolutely loves the Book of Mormon! She starts telling us how important the book is and how it really helps bring people to Christ. She started talking about how it teaches people to have good values. I felt like we were the ami and she was the missionary! Come to find out, she actually is a "preacher" and she recommends to her congregation and her friends to read the Book of Mormon because it will help them understand the life of Christ better. She told us that she uses it to help her teach and preach. (We are hoping that she isn't preaching too much false doctrine with the Book of Mormon.) She is from Congo and she said that when people had questions about things in the Bible she would tell them to go read the Book of Mormon. She seems like a really sweet lady, with a lot of faith in God. She told us that she recently moved from Paris and her Book of Mormon got left there so she doesn't have one anymore. We told her we could bring one by for her! She was really excited. She obviously doesn't really understand the restoration of the gospel (we are going to work on that) but it's a good start that she has a testimony of the Book of Mormon!

Contacting around Castles

We had another great lesson with our ami Chantel. She is progressing so well! We taught her the Plan of Salvation and she understood way more than we thought she would. The Holy Ghost has no doubt been the "teacher" because it would be hard to understand some of these concepts when you hear them for the first time. She started asking about what she needed to do to be baptized. We asked her if she wanted to set a date but she said "not yet." This next week we asked her to pray to know what date would be best. She is such a miracle. She showed up to church literally one week after missionaries were put back into Brussels. If she showed up a couple weeks early she would have probably come to church once and never had the chance to met with the missionaries. I am grateful the Lord put her in our path, at the perfect time. The people here are so prepared!

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir came to Brussels this past week and we were able to go watch them perform!! It was such an amazing night. They ended by singing "Come, Come ye Saints" and "How firm a foundation." Needless to say, there were lots of tears... (Well, I didn't cry but my companion cried enough for the both of us) They really did such a wonderful job. It reminded me of home a little bit so I think that's one of the reasons I liked it so much. There were a quite a few people from Utah because they were the family members of the people singing in the choir. While we were walking there people from the other side of the street would look at us and yell, "Sisters!" and starting waving! It was fun because usually when people yell at us here from across the street it's not usually a good thing.. I also was able to see members from my old ward in Lille because some of them came up for the concert. I am really glad that we had the chance to go. It was such a fun night!!

My favorite part of the week was of course "hanging out with my peeps!" My Uncle Randy and Aunt Tricia made the trip up to Brussels to take us out to dinner. It was fun to see them and chat for a bit! The next day they picked us up and went with us to church. I couldn't think of a better way to end the week!!

Church with my peeps!

Scripture of the week: Alma 44:3-4
"But now, ye behold that the Lord is with us..Now ye see that this is the true faith of God; yea, ye see that God will support, and keep, and preserve us, so long as we are faithful unto him, and unto our faith, and our religion; and never will the Lord suffer that we shall be destroyed except we should fall into transgression and deny our faith."

Life is great here in Belgium. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Love, Soeur Johnson 

Answers to Prayers

Bonjour family & friends!

This past week we did a lot of contacting but at first it didn't result in anybody that was really interested.. So on Sunday we decided to fast to find new Amis.  We decided that we would fast and then work extra hard this next week. On the day of our fast a woman walked into church right before it started. All because a member invited his neighbor to come to church and she did! She has actually been searching for a religion her whole life but hasn't found one that she feels like is for her. She is searching for "inner peace." We had a lesson with her and taught her about the restoration. She actually had started reading the Book of Mormon before we came because she wanted to be "prepared" for our lesson. She asked great questions and was really interested. It was definitely a tender mercy! We are really excited to continue teaching her and see how she progresses.

On the way home on the mettro a lady accidentally bumped into my bag and said "sorry." My first reaction was, "you speak English? Where are you from?" We started talking and she ended up being from Greece. She asked where we were from and what we were doing here. We were more than happy to explain that we are missionaries and that we are here to share an unique message that is centered on Jesus Christ. She asked us what the difference is between our church and other churches. I absolutely love when people ask that question! We immediately introduced the Book of Mormon and she was really intrigued. We basically explained the entire restoration and then she had to get off the mettro! We didn't have a chance to get her number but we were able to give her a Book of Mormon. She was one of the most spiritually prepared people that I have met on my mission. I am just hoping that one day she will have the opportunities to meet the missionaries again!

On Tuesday, we had such a fun day! Soeur Proudfoot (one of the missionaries that I used to live with) came to visit and we were able to go to lunch with her and her family! It was so fun catching up on life. That afternoon, we went up to the church because we had interviews with President and Soeur Babin. Every time I have the chance to talk with them, I become more and more grateful to have such a great mission President. They always have such great advice and know exactly what to say!

Lunch with Emily-Jane!!

The STL's came up to help us find new people teach. One of the STL's was sick so my last companion (Soeur Witham) came in her place! We went out contacting all day together. As usual, we saw so many miracles! It was so fun to be together. We ended up finding 3 new Amis and talking with a lot of other great people. Our prayers/fast were definitely answered this week!

District meeting with Président!

The Lord promises that he always hears and answers our prayers. However, we must have faith and do our part to make those things happen. I love the scripture in Mosiah 9:18 that says, "And God did hear our cries and did answer our prayers; and we did go forth in his might.." It would have been really hard for God to answer our prayers to find "new Amis" if we didn't "go forth" and do anything about it. Not always are ours prayers answered so immediately and with very little effort on our part such as when we had a new ami just walk into church. (I think that was a special circumstance because he knew we needed a tender mercy) Most of the time prayers are not answered as quickly or in the way we think or want them to be. However, they are always answered! In 3 Nephi It says, "for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him." He knows what we need but we still have to do our part and go forth and act in faith. Prayer can sometimes seem like a simple thing but it really is so powerful. My favorite scripture about prayer is in 1st Nephi when he prayed because they were in the middle of the ocean and there was a big storm. The first thing Nephi did was kneel down and Saha prayer. 1 Nephi 18:21 "And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord; and after I had prayed the winds did cease, and the storm did cease, and there was a great calm." Prayer can help calm the winds and the storms that come into our lives. We will all have "storms" that come into our lives but it's up to us to choose if we will rely on the Lord and use the power of prayer to help bring us feelings of peace in times of great difficulty.

I'm grateful for all the experiences I am having on my mission and the life lessons I am learning along the way. All is well. L'église est vrai! (Church is true)

Love, Sœur Johnson

Rough days & Rats..

Bonjour family and friends!

This week had a rough start but ended great! On Monday, we were at someone's house teaching a lesson. I was in the middle of talking and I felt something in my shoe. I looked down and there was a RAT trying to climb in my shoe! Let's just say that I really wanted to freak out but I tried to keep as calm as possible. I kicked the thing off of me and we continued on with the lesson. My first thoughts were 1) If we have another lesson we are teaching at the Church and not that house. 2) My mom would be so proud of me for not having a total mental breakdown. This was a very minor experience compared to what other missionaries have to deal with in other countries but that's for sure the last time I want to have an experience like that. I thought that I would avoid situations like being sent to France but I guess not! Good thing there were lots of miracles to make up for a not so good start to the week!

On Wednesday, we were having a bit of a rough day because nobody seemed to want to listen but we had a really strong desire to find some people to teach. We started walking down the street and the only person on the whole road was sitting on a bench. We approached her and came to found out that she was American! She has friends who are LDS and she lived by LDS church building in Colorado. She does a lot of genealogy with the church so she knows a lot about who we are. She said she has even talked with the missionaries before! She believes in God and seems open to all religions. We talked with her for awhile about a lot of different things. Before we left we asked to say a pray with her. She volunteered to say it so we let her! Her prayer was literally so beautiful. She prayed that we could continue to have smiles on our faces so that others could see the joy that God has brought us. She prayed for our families as we are far away from them doing the Lords work. She prayed for us that we would be able to find people that want to hear our message and that they would be able to recognize us as servants of God. After we prayed, the next person we talked to was interested and we scheduled a lesson for next week! What a miracle. As we walked down the street she yelled, "Don't worry, I will continue praying for your mothers..." What a total sweetheart! There are such good people in the world.

This week we also went and saw one of the less actives our relief society president wanted us to go visit. Without us even asking, she immediately started opening up to us about how she feels that she is blocking blessings from coming into her life and her family's life because she doesn't pay tithing. She doesn't feel worthy to come to church because she knows she is breaking one of the Lord's commandment. She really does have such strong faith and knows paying her tithing is the right thing to do. She says every time she goes to pay it that something else always comes up and she ends up having to use the money for other things. I was reminded a couple weeks ago that as a missionary we are given the ability to promise blessings. Sometimes it makes me nervous to promise blessings that I don't know how exactly will happen...I guess those are the times I need to work on having more faith! But we both felt good about  promising her that if she pays her tithing first before everything else that she will see the blessings in her life and feel the happiness that obedience brings. I promised her that as she pays her tithing that she will still be able to pay for the other things she needs. We shared a story with her from the life of a Elder Oaks. As a young kid he began to realize that their family did not have very much money. He asked his widowed mother why she paid so much of her earnings to tithing. She responded, "I cannot [raise you children] without the blessings of the Lord, and I obtain those blessings by paying an honest tithing. When I pay my tithing, I have the Lord’s promise that he will bless us, and we must have those blessings if we are to get along.” I love this story because it is so true! We cannot afford to withhold the blessings the Lord has to offer. If we are obedient, he will bless us. I invited her to pick a day that she will designate as the day she will start paying her tithing. By the end of the lesson she said she would come to church with us on Sunday and even go talk to the bishop! At the end of the lesson I sat there and reflected on the conversation. It amazed me that this lady, who is at least 35 years older than us, was taking advice and counsel from two 20 year old girls, who in all honestly, have never been in a situation where paying our tithing might result in us going hungry, or not being able to pay the bills. It was a great testimony building experience for me, not only about tithing, but the great calling it is to be a missionary! As a missionary you're a representative of Jesus Christ and therefore have to act in such a way. It was a good reminder to me that I need to work hard everyday to become a better disciple & representative of him.

Part of missionary work is strengthening the members we already have in the church. There is little point in bringing new members into the church if we can't keep the ones we already have. There are always members that need strengthening! President Hinckley said that every member needs three things: a friend, a responsibility, and nurturing with “the good word of God." Each of us is capable of being a friend and reaching out to those around us. You never know how much of a difference you can make in others by simply reaching out and being a friend! The other day we read a teaching record where the lady hadn't come to church in over 20 years and was going through a really hard time in her life. The relief society president sent her a birthday card and she was so touched that the next Sunday she came to church. It was just a little reminder that there were people that cared about her. It was a small act of kindness but it ended up making a big difference! We can all do a little better at reaching out and being a friend to those around us. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Love, Soeur Johnson

Brussels is Back!!

Brussels is back!

When we arrived in Brussels the wonderful senior couple (Elder & Sister Slaughter) were waiting at the train station to take our luggage! We were both really grateful because we had 3 bags each so it makes it a little difficult to travel. They took our bags back to the apartment and we took the mettro. Our apartment is in a really great neighborhood and is a lot bigger than my other apartment! Before we could get settled in we had to spend a little time cleaning because it has been awhile since the last time it has been cleaned. We quickly discovered that there are 6 area books and over 1000 teaching records. To put that is perspective.. My last area had 1 area book and maybe 100 teaching records. In other words, there is lots and lots of work to do here! One of us started organizing the area books and the other person started making calls to the most recent Amis. We were able to schedule 4 lessons within the next two days! We even had some people who didn't answer at first but actually called us back! That's a total miracle in the mission field. We have started calling Brussels the "promise land!"

Brussels is back!!

Our first lesson was with a lady who is from Nigeria. We taught her in English because she doesn't speak French as well. She is in Belgium working so that she can send money home to her family. The missionaries had just started meeting with her right before they had to leave so she hasn't really been taught very much. We introduced the Book of Mormon and invited her to read it. She started asking why there are so many different churches and that lead us right into explaining the great apostasy and the restoration of the gospel. I was in the middle of explaining the great apostasy when she interrupted and said, "I can tell you are "well traveled" because of your broken English..." I literally didn't even know what to say back to her! My companion just replied, "Wow, you are very observant!" We both had to try to keep ourselves from laughing. I think it was supposed to be a compliment but it definitely wasn't... I just tried to focus on the part where she said I'm "well traveled." It makes me feel better about her "compliment!"

Belgium is surprisingly more different than France! It's a very international city. There are so many different languages spoken. We went to the grocery store the first day and we heard at least 3 different languages. When we have gone contacting we have ended up talking with people in English way more than I ever have before. Brussels is actually split into two different missions! The Paris mission and the Netherlands mission. We are both able to travel anywhere in Brussels so we technically end up crossing into each others mission boundaries. However, if we find anybody that speaks English or Dutch as their first language we have to give them to the other mission.

Our ward is a French and Spanish ward! The other ward that meets in our building is an English and Dutch ward. I literally felt that I was in America when I walked in and everyone was speaking English! They actually are in a totally different stake and even mission but we both go to the same church building. Most of the English ward is from America so they told us they will help look out for us if we need anything. Our ward is super great! They haven't had missionaries for a couple months so they are excited to do missionary work. There are a lot of part-member families that they want us to work with. The Relief Society President invited us over for lunch and went over a list of all the people we needed to visit. (She also made sure to address important things like finding the best gaufres & frites etc.) There is so much potential here and we are so excited to really start getting to work this next week!

Belgium gaufres!

Today we explored the Grand Place in Brussels and of course had a gaufres. I feel so grateful to have the opportunity to serve here and to serve these people. On Sunday when we bore our testimonies we shared the scripture in Alma that says, "For behold, angels are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word." The people here in Brussels are definitely being prepared! I started reading the Book of Mormon over again this week. I love the faith that Nephi shows when he was asked to go back to Jerusalem to get the plates. "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." We can always count on the Lord to prepare a way to accomplish the things he asks of us. I have gained a strong testimony on my mission that the Lord definitely qualifies those he calls. There will be lots of things in life that we feel like we are not "capable" of doing on our own. It's a good thing that in this life we are never alone! He is always there to help us and guide us. He will give us strength and ability beyond our own to accomplish the things he asks of us. I'm excited to see all the things here that we will be able to accomplish with the Lord's help!

Love, Soeur Johnson

Transfers & Temples!

Bonjour family and friends!

This has been quite an exciting week!! This past weekend we got our transfer calls... I better not pack my winter coat because on Wednesday, I will be transferred up to BRUSSELS!! (don't stress mom) We will be the first missionaries back in Brussels since everything happened. There hasn't been any missionaries there for over 3 months so we will have to do a lot of "finding" to build up our Amis because we are not going to have any. The Stake President has been requesting missionaries because he said the area and the ward really need them. I'm excited to see all the miracles we are going to have! I couldn't think of an area that needs the gospel more than Brussels right now. I feel at peace because I find comfort in the Lords promise that,"I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." No doubt, he fulfilled this promise with the other missionaries as well. This is going to be such a fun adventure. I love being a missionary!

This week I had my last lesson with Bertrand and Frederick. We told them that because it was my last lesson we would teach about one of my favorite topics... So we taught them about temples! It's definitely something they didn't know about before but they seemed to like it. It was cute because their son who is 18 months wouldn't stop crying...but when I brought out a picture of the temple he stopped crying and started pointing at in. He has some learning difficulties so he hasn't learned how to speak or walk yet. Ironically, one of the only words he can say is "Mormon." We taught them about how families can be together forever because of the temple! I'm looking forward to seeing them "twice in white" (baptism & temple). We were all pretty sad that I wouldn't be here for their baptism but because Brussels is close enough to Lille I will be able to go to their baptism in August!

Bertrand, Frederick & Gabor!

We also were able to visit the family that is from Ecuador that we taught last week. This time we were able to go with one of our members who spoke Spanish. That made things a WHOLE lot easier! We were able to talk about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the little 9 year girl had lots of good questions. At the end, she said she wants to be baptized! They are going to set a date next week and teach the rest of the missionary lessons. The sweetest thing was that the mom said that they have been really missing the "word of God" in their home so she felt like she was sent "angels."

On Sunday we were able to have dinner with an American family that just moved into the ward. It was so weird to have an American meal and actually speak English at the dinner table! It was definitely refreshing. We have actually heard a lot of English lately because people are coming in from all over the world for the Euro 2k16 soccer games. It's weird to hear people all the mettro and actually understand everything they are saying! It was Father's Day when we had dinner at their house so we shared a message about the important of building our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

Going to miss these girls!

The relationships that we develop in this life will be one of the only things we can take with us in the life to come. Therefore, we should try to do all we can in this life to develop and strengthen our relationships with the people we love. President Hinckley said, "Nothing you have is more precious. … When all is said and done, it is this family relationship which we will take with us into the life beyond.” One of the most important relationships we can have is our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Unfortunately, it's often the relationship we neglect the most. We need to set aside time everyday to build our relationship with him and the other people we love. He is also the greatest example of a father we could ask for. I love this quote by President Packer, "Of all the other titles that He could have used, He chose to be called “Father.” His use of the name “Father” is a lesson for all as we come to understand what it is that matters most in this life." I really do believe that being a "Father" is the most important "title" any man can obtain in this life. Happy Father's Day!

Love, Soeur Johnson

When it rains, it pours!

Bonjour family & friends!

Wow, I have never seen it rain quite like it rained here last week! We were already outside when it started raining so we got caught right in the storm. We only had one umbrella so half our bodies were kinda dry and the other half of us was totally drenched. It rained so much that everything started flooding. We walked down into the mettro and it had about 2 inches of standing water. Let's just say it wasn't the best day for street contacting but there were lots of opportunities for service! There were people slipping, grocery bags breaking, and umbrellas flying everywhere! It wasn't so fun the next morning when we woke up sick but it definitely was fun in the moment!!

We had another lesson with Bertrand & Frederick! (The ones that are getting baptized)  We taught them about the 10 commandments and keeping the Sabbath Day Holy. I walked out of the lesson just feeling so grateful that I have the opportunity to teach them. They were telling us how they want to make their baptism the beginning of a "new life." They said that after they come up out of the water they don't want to touch a pack of cigarettes again. They said they want to have a changed life. They really just have the sweetest testimonies! I have noticed that as their testimonies begin to grown and strengthen that Satan has began to work twice as hard. They have had a lot of challenges come up in the last couple weeks but they continue to have such great attitudes. On Sunday they were supposed to come to church but their car broke down. They usually drop off their 18 month old son at their parents house so that they can watch him during church. They didn't have any way to get him there so Frederick (the mom) stayed home with him but Bertrand decided not to let anything stop him from coming to church. He took the mettro and came for sacrament. It ended up being fast and testimony meeting! It couldn't have been more perfect. He said he was really touched by people's sincerity. A lot of people bore their testimonies about trials and how the gospel has helped them get through hard times! The scriptures promise us that if we.."Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good." We can be reassured that God will not always remove our burdens from us but he will always make them be for our benefit.

ice cream is always a good idea!

We had the absolute coolest experience "porting!" We went to visit one of the Amis but she ended up not being home. We had extra time so we just decided to go porting at one of the streets by her house. We were at a house that was about half way down the street and a woman answered the door. We started explaining who we were and why we were there. Her response was, "I know, I actually talked with your other colleagues last week." Apparently, the other sisters contacted her and her husband on the street the week before! They talked to them for like 30 minutes and then gave them a brochure. I asked her what she thought and she said she actually really liked it and wants us to come back! There is no way that could be just by "coincidence" that of all the people we talk with and all the doors we knock on we happen to come across her within a week of her being introduced to the gospel on the street. I'm excited to have a lesson with her and meet her family!

This week we also started teaching an Ami who is from Ecuador. She has two young girls and an older son. I was sitting in the lesson wishing that I had paid attention in high school Spanish class... She was trying to speak French but it was definitely a mix of Spanish as well. We brought them all Books of Mormon and started teaching them about the restoration. I just thought about what an amazing blessing the gospel is for families as we all sat around in a circle with our Books of Mormon in all different languages opened!

We had such a cool miracle happen at church. At the end of church some random lady came walking into the building. Some members starting talking to her and realized she wasn't a member so they introduced her to us. She explained to us that 35 years ago she met the missionaries and they gave her a Book of Mormon. She started reading a little bit of it and realized that it had the "same spirit as the Bible." She said that she studies languages and has gone to Jerusalem a couple times. She said that the writing in the Book of Mormon is very similar to other ancient writings she has read there. We explained that the Book of Mormon was written by ancient prophets in the Americas. She said, "There is no doubt that this book is sacred so I knew I couldn't get rid of it. It has been on my shelf all these years because I have never known what to do with it." She doesn't live very far away from the church and she always thought the building was beautiful but had never gone in. She was cleaning out her house because she is moving and came across the Book of Mormon. She decided that she didn't have space for it but didn't want to just throw it away so she brought it to the church to return it. We tried so many times to get her to keep it or trade us for a newer version but she wouldn't! We also tried to get her number or address but she said she wasn't interested right now but maybe in a "couple of years." The ending of the story is pretty sad but it still was a really cool experience! I pray that missionaries will one day knock on her door again and that then she will be prepared to hear the gospel.

35 year old Livre de Mormon!

All these miracles made me think about the scripture in Alma 26:30... "30 And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some. 31 Now behold, we can look forth and see the fruits of our labors; and are they few? I say unto you, Nay, they are many; yea, and we can witness of their sincerity, because of their love towards their brethren and also towards us." In missionary work and in life, we don't always immediately see the "fruits of our labor." Sometimes it's hard to know if the things we are doing actually matter or are making a difference. Most of the time we will never know how big of a difference we have made or how many lives we have touched. God asks each of us to be his "instrument" and to follow the promptings of the spirit. Sometimes we may never know why we were prompted to do certain things because the results aren't immediate. I think sometimes parents who have children who have "wandered" may feel that the "fruits of their labors" were few. However, He promises that if you,"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." When it comes to saving souls; whether it is missionary work, raising kids, or reaching out to those who have wandered, our labors are never wasted! Have a wonderful week.

Love, Soeur Johnson