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

Serve companion with love

Dear Family,

note. This is more personal than usual and i dont have much time because i am in Praia for mission leadership conference so i am sending it to the family and you can decide what to put in the general email. But thank you all for your kind words of comfort and strength. i will work to apply what you all have learned in the past to what i am going through right now to be happy and successful. but truly i love you all and thanks SO much!!!!

this week i do not have pictures but i will send them next week. We had the great opportunity to baptize antonio this week!!!! yayaya He is someone i believe has been little spoken about so i will tell a bit about him now. 

antonio is from Guinea bissao... i love baptizing people from other countries in africa that dont have missionaries right now because you see how the lord is truly doing his great and eternal work. Antonio moved her about 8 years ago i think for work. he left all his family in guinea. he works here in sal as a car driver for those tourist who go to santa maria. we found him as a contact. It was quite funny because when i and sister park contacted him about 2 and a half months ago he had a bracelet that said his name... so instead of asking i just noticed the bracelet and said ªAntonio.. you are a child of godª My comp looked at me all weird and wondered how i knew... i decided to mess around with her and say it was inspiration and i have no idea how that name was just put in my head.... it was great for a while hahahaha but i finallytold her eventually how i knew. But anyway as we contacted him he told us the wrong zone of where he lived by accident and we gave him as a referral to the other missionaries. well it took them some good time to finally contact him but after about a month they did and they gave him back to us as a referral with having taught him the first lesson saying as we usually do that HE IS GOLD. So we teach him and he comes to church every single week. And his work schedule was super difficult so we had to move the date back to a farther day... but it worked out and hes baptized.

On the day of his interview this week i was on a division and we went to our paradise on the other side of the island.. Palmeira. Well we got into a lesson with some ex jehovah witnesses who read the book of mormon and i think looked up some anti mormon things and we eventually had to just escape from the lesson because we were SUPER late for the interview. So we wait and wait for a car to take us back and our phone... DIES. so better yet we have no way to contact antonio and tell him to wait for us... anyway... we just pray. so we get to the chapel and the elders are there... but no antonio. and no way to call him. So we do some good investigating all the seminary kids to see if they have the same charger for our phone. one did! BUT it didnt work for some reason. we then remember the president of the branch is upstairs and we run to him... and he has the same phone and the charger works!!! as the phone is coming back to life... right in the moment... antonio CALLS. and better yet... HE is at the chapel. we get SO excited. it was truly a miracle because before hand he said how he had work at night and it had to be in the hour... but somehow the lord softened his bosses heart and it all worked out.

Ok enough stories... the real reason i am writing you all

So yes. My mission is at a rough point. I feel like waking up each morning is just hoping i wont be degraded by my companion and that she will be in a good mood and not judge my portuguese or my way of teaching or ignore me when i ask questions. I pray a lot... a lot. But anyway on friday we had a good companionship inventory and it was nice. i got told i am a dictator and i am a power hungry leader... so i stopped offering to help or give suggestions to my companion and things have been better. Its like the apostasy... when the people reject the prophet and guide.. the lord takes him away.. when the companion rejects your guidance.. you take away for some time until they are ready for the Restoration. But anyway.... its been rough.

On sunday i was feeling down and my companion was sleeping... i couldnt get her to do much so i told her she had 20 minutes... during this time i read glorious conference talks. As i read what lack i yet... i felt the spirit SUPER strong. Strong to ask the question. I silently told myself i would and that i hoped as i knelted down to pray the inspired question to ask my heavenly father would come to me and i would understand the answer perfectly... so after i read the talk i knelt down to pray. I asked in a quiet voice... What can i do to be happy.

I then waited for the answer and a few thoughts entered into my mind.... I began praying in a quiet voice again and said to heavenly father... I felt that i need to Serve my companion.. WITH JOY and clean the dishes. As i said clean the dishes i laughed... a good good laugh. Me and heavenly father. i dont think anyone else will understand the moment we had but my soul felt full of joy and relief. i know my father in heaven loves me and that he is constantly looking to help us and guide us. he knows what i need at this time even when it is just clean the dishes. and he knows how to make me laugh and just be happy. I got up and cleaned the dishes and felt better.

My companion has not changed. But i  know i have been serving her a lot. she doesnt notice of course.. but i have. the thing that lacked was the joy doing it. i will serve with a attitude of ingratitude... but now i am trying to serve with joy. 

I love you all and thank you for all you do for me

SIster Johnson