Ami ka tem txeu kuza pa fala-nhos

Dear Family,

I thought about writing this email in kreole... i hope you like the subject those of you who understand :) haha But basically It says that i dont have much to say today.

So i will do a regular review of this week. It has been a great week. It had some sadness yesterday though... But basically here is what happened. This week i gave a training in my last district meeting... this week we will not have district meeting because we will have special training from president. But it was a good district meeting i believe... i brought drops and it made everyone happy because the district was a little dead this past week because of some sicknesses but we are getting back on track! 

Next is keny! TXEU tristeza.. So keny is a great investigator. And he had a date for the 26th and was super super prepared. He had a problem with smoking, but we did a fast and he has been reading and started working and it has been going so well. He has been to church but needed to come to church this sunday so that he could be baptized this week. But he didnt come... we still have no idea what happened!!! He had his baptismal interview on saturday and he seemed so excited and happy afterwards. So we think maybe he gave in to temptation and smoked, but we will see this week. It was super sad, but usually when i would be absolutely devasted... i am not. I think it is because i trust in the Lords plan for keny and even though i wont be here for him to be baptized, I know he is in good hands, the lords hand and he has the book of mormon that can help him overcome anything!!!

So yeah.. 

Everyone seems to be expecting an email next monday too... but i dont guarantee anything. I will be in praia with time mostly for my Cabo verdian family.  i will do my best to send you all a line or two.

But starting the last week of my mission i have two thoughts... or maybe one.

As i was praying last night I thought about all my experiences on the mission and i felt a lot of gratitude for the amazing things i have seen and heard and enjoyed and learned! These people are so loving. But i was also thinking about this last week.. At the very beginning of my mission i heard Elder Holland speaking about how we need to be missionaries until the end. He said... We need you sister for the FULL eighteen months... not a week, not a day less. This has always stuck with me. And i intend to finish strong. I have felt the strong influence we have as missionaries and the power and authority we hold to help others come unto christ and i know there are people this last week that need Sister Johnson to continue to endure so they can hear the gospel. So this week... is like any other week... Always in the middle :) I know this is teaching me the principle of enduring to the end which is something we will need to do our whole entire lives! And i will also enjoy this last part.. because enduring is also enjoying! LOVE YOU ALL

until next week.. maybe ;)

Sister Johnson 

OLA

OLA.

This week was amazing.... So many answers... so many great miracles. I cant even describe them all... but i will start with eugenio!

So the story of eugenio starts when he basically contacted us! Sister goncalves said that she was cold as we were walking down the street and asked out loud how long we must suffer this coldness... he answered and said something like until march... PS- it is STILL cold.. (well cold for me who has been in africa for 17 months... for you all back in the states it is a summer vacation)

Back to the story. he then asked us where we were from.. we explained our purpose as missionaries and showed him where to find the church and yeah.. we then called him the next day we were in Palmeira and he happened to be there too and we shared with him the message of the Restoration which changed his life! So he progressed perfectly. Golden investigator. But he had some challenges. 

The main one was that eugenio is military and the military here is like they get drafted and it is super difficult and they dont get very much money and can be transferred to whatever island in like seconds. So basically he told us a week or two before his baptism that he would be doing some testing that week to see who would be transferred to Praia. We happened to be teaching fasting that day and it was perfect. We decided to do a fast all together that he would not be transferred. He has so much faith, he did the fast with us and last week we learned that 13.. THIRTEEN of his group were chosen... but not him :) Fasting is so powerful. I dont know how he didnt get picked, but he didnt and he can stay here to be with his family and also to help grow the church here in Sal. 

He also had a challenge with his father not wanting him to be baptized, but he didnt think twice. And now we are teaching his father and brother too!

So yeah... that is basically my week. I also had a great division on thursday with Sister Cardoso. She is a cabo verdiana from Fogo and we lived in the same house in Santo Antao. She is an AMAZING missionary and sister leader and really helped me to keep on progressing and know what i need to do. Wow... i was super impressed by her abilities to lead and serve. The young generation is so strong. haha

But that is all. i love you all and have a fabulous week doing the work of the Lord. 

Sister Johnson 

Atonement of Jesus Christ

This week has been great!

I will be super short because time is money... haha just kidding.. time is baptisms

kidding again.

But truly today i have little time so i will be quick.

This week Benito was baptized! We are super excited for him! He was so happy the whole day and the whole week actually. I think i talked about Benito in the last email so i dont have much to say just that he got baptized and that our goal now is continued repentance and conversion! 

I would just like to share my testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. wow... we sang a sacramental hymn yesterday that as i played the piano and heard the words i started to cry.. it says basically this that For us, he suffered. I love that Christ did not have any personal motives. His love for us is enough. And i know that this week i have truly felt that the bad thoughts and hurtful feelings have been taken away and cleaned... literally... by the atonement of jesus christ. The power of his atonement is without words and i truly testify that it can clean and cure anything. From the smallest offenses... to the big heartbreaks, he is there to cure us. I know his holy spirit is our guide and comforts us. I am so grateful that he left with us his comfortor. I know Christ lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen,

Sister Johnson 

Leap Year

Dear Family,

Well i will start out with a funny story... that is funny now but in the moment it really wasnt that funny. 

So here in cabo verde, sal... we often have problems with AGUA.. (water). So one morning i woke up and i followed my normal schedule... get dressed to exercise.. do my hair.. and then... go to the bathroom. Well this day i put my long braids in a pony tail down my back... after i finished using the bathroom i turned my head around to get the toilet paper and wacked the scency thing off the top of the toilet with my hair and it just happened to hit the old rusty tube that connects the pipes to the toilet and WAM i feel this hard water splashing on my back.... i got up quickly and tried to turn off the water pipe but the turn off part was rusted too and so i ended up braking it off without turning it off or anything.. so here i am ... standing trying to stop the water from going everywhere with my hands. I end up putting my finger in the right spot to stop the water from getting everywhere...but my bathroom is already a lake. i call my companion to come help and we call some people but no ones phones are on in that moment... we then get super lucky and hear our neighbors leave and we ask them for help and they knew who the house guy was and we got thing settled eventually and they found a way to turn off the water. but yeah! i woke up super fast that day... i usually dont say a word until 9 o clock companion study but that day i was forced to speak. hahaha but now all is good and i got a good working toilet and everything! 

Next.. is some updates on the work here. We are seeing so many miracles. We have taught some lessons that have left impacts on me! 

You all remember Eugenio from last week. He is progressing amazingly. This week he went to church and our lesson in principles of the gospel was about prayer and he bore an amazing testimony of prayer in his life and how since he has started praying he knows that god loves him... we watched as he gained a stronger testimony of prayer in that lesson, the spirit was so strong! He spent the whole day at church and activites. He is super excited for his baptism. He already has plans... once he leaves the army next year... to serve a mission! 

Next is Benito. Remember benito? Yeah well we taught him in january and he was preparing to get baptized but then his work schedule got so busy and he never had time to talk to us. We found him about 2 or 3 weeks ago again and showed him how to put the book of mormon on his telephone. then about a week ago we were in a members house teaching a lesson and he knocks on the door. after the lesson he said he just felt like he should come to the members house in that moment and has been reading\listening to the book of mormon and is in mosiah. He is preparing for baptism in the month of march. it is great when the lord just puts.... literally PUTS people into our hands. 

Lets see.. i think that is it for the stories. This week went by super slow... haha a lot of unplanned things just happened like the water and all and we had a lot of patience builders. but february is almost over and its going to be march soon and march means MIRACLES. It also is march madness... but yeah... i hope this march is a march of miracles and we can have a month of diligence and keep helping others come unto christ. 

I would like to explain something i learned this week in our zone conference as well. We had zone conference and as it is my last i was picked on as i like to say. i got called up to do a practice in front of the zone and it was an interesting one... I was asked to teach my "14 year old rebel son" who had just come up to me and said he doesnt want to go to church anymore... it was an interesting practice but i felt my love for this son during it. I then was asked to teach an investigator who had just told me he didnt read the book of mormon... I realized how my attitude and way of teaching kind of changed. I realized that it really shouldnt. I love these people so much and if i would teach them like a son i think they would feel that love even more. We really need to see people through our heavenly fathers eyes. We are ALL children of a loving heavenly father and a lot of the times our heavenly father puts us in places so that we can bless one of his other children that he loves just as much as he loves us. So i have applied that lately.. teaching people like a parent and seeing them how heavenly father does. And i have felt my love increase for them. 

I love you all so much and ate proximo! (until next time) 

Sister Johnson 

Just another week in Sal

Dear Family,

This week has been quite awesome. :)

So basically it all starts with the amazing people we have found each day and how we had a baptism this week... thats always good right?!

SO Nadia. she was the one baptized this week. She is amazing. she invited 43 people to her baptism... not all showed up but many of them did and her foster mom made her a cake and everything. She was so happy the whole day and her friends where so supportive. I am excited to see her progress. she is already a great missionary. i think her baptism was filled with the most people i have seen in my whole mission. and she entered the freezing cold water with no complaints! I dont know why.. maybe because it is february but it is FREEZING here in sal. i wear a jacket constantly and am still cold... haha but its fine. people let us in more easy because they see us suffering.

So yeah... nadia was a door contact. her and her family had already been taught before. we are still working with the mom. her mom works so much to put food on the table and has trouble getting to church but she has desire to change and knows she needs to. and i think the spirit nadia has now will help her mother greatly!

other great miracles is Eugenio!!!! He was in the same hiache ride as us when we returned from Palmeira one day- he is the one who stopped and talked to us and asked where we were from and what we were doing. We told him and he seemed super interested. IN our first lesson we saw how he is super prepared. and he came to church on sunday and has already read 50 pages in the book of mormon. he understood the story of nephi and was already quoting.. i will go and i will do! haha He has a rough story.. when he was born his mom died the same day. his dad kind of blames him for the death and doesnt pay any attention to his son. he says that he joined the army to try and get some attention and now he feels like he is on the right track following the church. during our lesson of the plan of salvation we felt the spirit so strong as we talked about his mom in the spirit world and how she has the opportunity to accept the gospel aswell. he needs to take the first steps! And he is super excited to learn more and prepare for baptism in march. i will keep updates on him.

Next story of the week is pretty funny. So we have a member. Single mom with 4 boys. all under 9 years. haha they are super cute! We went by her house to ask if she could host a lesson in her house later in the day and we called for her... he son walks out and said to us that Tete ( his mom ) was inside and that we should walk in... her youngest son is like 3 or 4. but super intelligent. Here in cabo verde the doors can lock inside AND outside.. before we walked in i noticed the keys where on the outside to lock people in but i didnt pay much attention because we were so excited to see tete. So we walk in and her son Louis closes the door... still we dont think much of it until we dont hear Teteºs voice anywhere.... we then realize that her son had locked us inside... hahahah it was super funny. so we nicely ask him to let us out and finally he does and we go about our work. it was hilarious that this little innocent 4 year old just locks us inside his own house! Great times.

But this week in church we saw a miracle... our frequency DOUBLED! it was amazing. we almost didnt have enough chairs. now we got to keep these people coming and help them be active. it was great to see the differences in just one week. we are really working hand in hand with the branch and the branch president expressed his gratitude to us. Members and missionaries together brings miracles. 

Well that is all.... Hope all is well in america! Cabo verde is doing awesome! 

Sister Johnson 

5,4,3

Dear family,

Well... I will stay in Sal for my last transfer!!!! 5 transfers in santo antao... 4 in praia... and now 3 in sal. 5,4,3... where will be the 2 and the 1... i am not sure. But we will see what life holds for me! Last week i have to admit i was quite depressed thinking i would stay in the same area and not get to know another island or area... BUT today i am super happy and actually super blessed to finish my mission how i always wanted... i remember what i always said in the beginning. That i want to finish my mission training a native portuguese speaking and only have 3 areas... hahaha looks like i got my wish to the point! :) 

This week has been full of miracles and i testify of the power of the priesthood in our lives. We were asked yesterday in our relief society lesson about what are some great benefits to living in this dispensation... Even though we have some crazy trials... WE have the PRIESTHOOD. We have the power to do saving ordinances and make covenants with our father in heaven that bring miraculous blessings :) We are so blessed. I am so blessed because this week a priesthood blessing really changed everything. 

i wont go into a lot of details but i did ask our zone leader for a blessing this week of comfort and counsel. And i recieved some great council and felt the spirit in the sweetest way. This blessing also gave me courage to walk without seeing and have faith in the Lords plan for me. This week i had to walk a lot without seeing and i believe i will continue to do this. I think i always liked to be in control of everything in my life.. it is quite hard not to be in control. And on the mission there are so many things you cant control. So i have really learned i much worry about the things i can control and trust fully in the lord and his work. and exercise faith in him.

So on thursday my companion and i had a great companionship study. we happened to pick a very inspired activity in preach my gospel that we both needed. We read in john 15 together and this chapter mentioned love... i realized the perfect question i needed to ask my companion... i asked her how she shows her love... And then i got more specific and asked how she shows her love for her family. And during our conversation i realized that we both needed to look at each other as the savior sees us. and we do that serving. I expressed to her some experiences i have had in the past few weeks and how in the beginning it was very hard to serve her... but then i began having fun doing it and now i see her how the savior sees her and i love her. i asked her to start to do the same... a little selfish invite... but guess what.. IT WORKED :) And we both began opening up... i told her how i was exactly like her at the beginning of my mission... Poor sister zimbelman. haha And how i did not like companionship study... i hated it actually. and how i did certain things that she does but how it wasnt fun. and once i decided to change i had a great time! And then my companion also opened up and expressed some of her difficulties and i kind of just laughed  and said... "its normal" and i think she needed to realize that shes not alone in her feelings. haha. 

So now my companion is the best thing that has ever happened to cabo verde :) Well we still are working through things but we are getting there and we trust each other.. i think one thing is incredible... the spirit guides us in all we do. I did not know what to say or do for a while... but i just remembered all the things i have learned on my mission and i just opened my mouth and the words came. 

We need to always be worthy of this spirit. The holy ghost is one of our most precious gifts on the earth today. And we partake of the sacrament each week to remember our covenants with our heavenly father and recieve more of this spirit. I am so grateful for the sacrament. We can truly be healed, cleansed, purified because of the Atonement of jesus christ and we must remember him always and formally promise this as we take the sacrament. I testify that as we keep the sabbath day holy we can see great differences in our sacrament experience. 

We have been working with a young lady to be baptized this week and i think all will go through smoothly! We have found a new family in Palmeira (paradise) and also a new investigator there that seems super interested. So we will be making some good useful trips to palmeira this week with hopes they all come to church on sunday :) and then get baptized in march! haha Love you all.

Sister Johnson 

Not My Will, But Thine Be Done

Ola Familia,

So this week I went to Praia for the leadership council. It was incredible and it was something i needed a lot. We talked about how to be a leader. And i repented a lot of how i need to be a better leader. The theme of the council was our focuses for the month of february. It was about the doctrine of jesus christ! Wow :) it was so inspiring. I learned about how important it is that we teach the WHY. How many times as a kid did i ask Why mom... but why dad... haha we all do this as kids. If we just walked into the house of an investigator and began teaching the law of chastity they would ask... why. Well this is why we dont just start with that. we give them the plan of salvation. and the gospel of jesus christ and we teach them WHY. Because we all want to return and live with our heavenly father and become like him. We all want eternal life. 

I learned that this applys to all circumstances... not just investigators. Many times with my companions i will say How we need to do things... and they will just do it. But sometimes they even ask why and dont want to do things the way i have been taught to do them. So then i realized i had forgotten to teach the why. Why i am obedient. Why we do things the way we do. And so that was my goal this week. We cant just skip the why. It is a valuable lesson with children as well. haha... so i will apply this in my life FOREVER. I hope my kids always want to be obedient though. I was such an obedient child... right mom and dad?? So i think i will be blessed ;)

But anyway this week.. well.. I learned a lot about the atonement of jesus christ. The way i have learned more about it is applying it even more than i have before. I have learned the TRUE significance of the words... Not my will, But thine be done. I thought i knew the significance... i thought i understood. But this week it has been even more evident what these words mean. 

I have always wanted to be obedient to the mission rules and do what i am asked with joy. But i want nothing more to be transferred back to Praia and spend my last transfer there :) But what i have decided is whatever comes... i will love it. I know i can probably ask my heavenly father to send me where i want to be. he loves me enough. But i know i will go where i need to go. And i have decided that instead of having fear and anxiety about where i will spend my last transfer i will enjoy the will of the lord. he knows me better and will help me become exactly what i need to become. :) 

I love you all. Have a wonderful week. And i thank you all for the inspiring words of encouragement i have recieved! 

Fica Dreto

Baptism of Antonio

Plane ride from Praia