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
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