January 16th 2013

Sooo this letter will be kind of random because I've been jotting things down that I forgot to tell you last week.
First off, thanks for sending me Katie and Justin's emails. My whole district is jealous of all the Dear Elders I get...I've gotten like 15 this last week. But could you also send me Brian's (Elder Peterson's)? Just copy and paste them from his blog, I'd love to hear about what's going on in Samara :) A little more about my companion Cectpa Lund... She's from American Fork, was into band and was a drum major, went to BYU studying music education, and lately has started to remind me of Ashley Parsons. Random. But um since she's from Utah and went to BYU she knows like everyone. We see one of her friends at least twice a day, usually more. Which is fun. Oh and I saw Teddi last week right after she got here. I wrote a blog post about it so I won't bother further illustration other than it was awesome. I've seen here a couple times since then.. a lot on sunday and I got a picture of her and me and Sister Chamberlain. I sent a picture. Which reminds me, last week the picture I sent of the large group in front of the temple is the group of us here going to Samara. I'll be sending a picture of my district at some point. And if you don't know what a district is here at the MTC (I didn't) it's who I spend every hour of my time here with. We're in the same class and have the same schedule and us girls are in the same room. So we're with each other every second, but I love them. Which is good because it would be terrible here if I didn't. I honestly never anticipated loving them so much but they've become a second family to me, like the branch kind of did. I wish I could tell you everything about all of them but I don't have a lot of time. Maybe I'll write you it.
Mom, you were worried (a bit) that I would gain weight here--not so. I literally eat as much as I can every meal and I still have been loosing. Maybe it's the stress, maybe it's because we work out everyday, maybe it's because we don't eat as often but it's weird. I've started to encorporate dessert into my diet. It helps hold me over to the next meal. I haven't gotten to the point where I hate the food yet, which is good but I've got plenty of time to get there. We're the last twelve weekers. (I'm not sure if I've told you that) The next group coming in will be here in a week or so and will leave the same time as us. We'll just have a bit more of a head start with the language. We're doing really well with Russian but it doesn't really feel like it because we have so much more to learn and we have to know it now so that we can teach. We finished teaching Roman. He committed to baptism (woo hoo)! and guess what! he's our teacher!! Did not see that coming. His real name is Brother Seitz. He's from Utah and went to the Baltics on his mission. He's an awesome teacher but at first Cectpa Lund and I were really weirded out. Roman was teaching us and he wasn't Roman anymore, he was someone else... we realized how much we had grown to love Roman because of how much we missed him!
I'm a slow typer and I don't have any more time but one more thing-- last night Elder Holland spoke at devotional!!! They never tell us who's speaking at devotional so it was a surprise. Best surprise ever though, it was amazing. He spoke about a lot of the same things he did when he came on thanksgiving. So if you can in any way get a hold of the MTC devotional entitled "For Such a Time as This" WATCH IT and show your seminary kids mom.
Love you guys!! thanks for the letters and late happy birthday mom!

Cectpa Johnson

PS. On the curb right when I got here the first day I met an Elder Ashton going to Samara! haha I thought that was an interesting coincidence. He's in the other district though so I don't see him often.

A Pre-companion Reunion

Seeing Teddi Today was wonderful!

 We had just got back from the temple (it's huge by-the-way) and were eating lunch in the cafeteria. I was sitting by the window where the Russian speakers always sit (Russian speakers call it the iron curtain) watching every single missionary walk by, I inspected each name tag for an orange dot, referred to as a dork dot, meaning that its your first day (sometimes the MTC is a bit like a high school.)

When we were walking back from the temple one of the curb workers told us that over 100 new sisters were coming in today! I thought for sure I'd never find her so i -drumming my fingers anxiously, So excited I could jump right out of my skin!- said a little prayer and a few minutes later there she goes walking by!
I recognized her from her funky black cardigan. I let out a yell/scream and threw my half eaten apple (who knows where) as I ran up and out the door. My companion quickly rushed after me trying to keep within the sight and sound rule. I yelled name while side stepping on-coming traffic, frantically trying to get her attention before they whisked her away. She couldn't hear me, probably wasn't used to being called Sister Dyer yet. :)
Finally , I caught her in the bookstore, casually tapped her on the shoulder "Excuse me Sister." She turned around and then came an explosion of hugs, tears, and excitement, with shrapnel of love showering innocent bystanders.

I'm so excited, like the giddy kind that makes you start laughing randomly just because you're happy kind of excited, that she's here. Teddilynn is Sister Dyer now and she'll never the same Teddi again. That's the truth and it's a beautiful truth.

January 9th 2013

Woo hoo it's my first Pday! :) and I just wrote you so I'm not sure what to say so I'll just start where I left off. Sunday was great--as expected. All the Olders told us that if we could just survive to Sunday we would be fine. The Olders are the Russian speaking missionaries here who have been here for a while--9 weeks to be exact. They' are all-knowing. So whenever I have a question about the MTC or Russian, I ask them. There are two Older Elders from Washington, Elder Fernandez is from the Tri-Cities and his mom works for Hanford doing ecological restoration, which is really cool since that's like my top career choice as of now. They also lived in Ukraine for 6 years while she worked at Chernoble (not sure how to spell that). Super cool! Then there's another Older Elder from Yakima... Speaking of which... I met four sisters yesterday at devotional who are going to the Kennewick mission. And one of them is from Alaska and met Elder J. Allen Dyer there! :) I love meeting so many new people and seeing how we're all connected. I met someone from Samara yesterday and Cectpa Lund and I chatted with him for a while. He said that everyone there is so excited to get Sisters, especially the women because they can hug us. lol that's a good sign I guess! Then we also met two people from Rostov (4 people in my district are going to Rostov) and they came to our class and told us more about it.
I have seen Aubrey twice since I've got here. That's always exciting.. the first time I saw her I just about cried lol but it's also kind of weird to see someone from the outside world. And yes--this is a completely different world here at the MTC, with it's own language, culture, and traditions. Aubrey is doing well although she did get that nasty sickness that went around right before we got here. Apparently it was a bad flu that makes grown men want to crawl into a hole and die. Exaggeration maybe, but the result is we can't shake hands, instead we do an awkward elbow bump. I've got a cold but it's not debilitating in any way. Just a stuffy nose.
Russian is coming. The things that were hard for us on day one are now almost second nature. Since we are planning lessons like every day for Roman, most things we learn are gospel related so that we can know what we're saying to him. Which is great, but I think it's ironic that I know the words for Redeemer, Atonement, and restored but I don't know how to say things like food or bathroom. Roman is doing very well. So well that it's unreal. Like unrealistic. We gave our third lesson to him on Monday about the restoration of the Gospel and our teacher told us afterwards told us that he was expecting us to ask him again if he would be baptized and if we had he would have said yes. That was very very exciting to Cectpa Lund and I but also frustrated because we were so close! We literally told him that "God restored the Gospel so that you could be baptized." our next sentence should have been and easily could have been an invitation for him to be baptized. Ah well you can't go back. We just plan on doing better tonight when we see him again. You might be wondering why we (or missionaries in general) ask investigators to get baptized so soon. I've also wondered that a lot before I got here and it's been interesting to learn why. There are two main reasons that I've heard of so far. One of them being a teaching tool. When you ask them to be baptized right off, it shows you as the missionary the investigators main concern. What is their biggest objection (I guess you could say) to the church? For Roman, his concern was that he had already been baptized into the Orthodox church when he was a baby. He didn't know how or why he would be baptized to two churches, which is how we knew that he needed to be taught about the restoration of the Gospel and the priesthood. Another reason to ask them right off the bat is so that they will know exactly what your purpose is when you meet with them-- to bring them to Christ.
I love my companion. We're perfect for each other, which sounds weird maybe. The best I can explain it is that we're on the same page... spiritually and emotionally. And we have  fun. We laugh a ton! Which is partially due to the Elders in our district, especially Elder Jenkins, He's one of those people you just look at and laugh.
The pictures I'm sending are from our temple walk on Sunday. We get to go to the temple today, which is a real blessing because it's been closed the last few weeks. I'm really looking forward to it because it feels like forever since I've been AANNNDDD our teacher Brother Richardson gave us sisters some names to do from his family!! Can't wait to do a labor of love for the family members of someone I've truly come to respect, appreciate and well, love.
I hope this letter has been somewhat cohesive and that you're getting the just of what's going on with me. You'd think a half hour to write would be enough time but it really isn't. I might send more in letter form. :) Love you guys! and keep sending letters!
Cectpa Johnson

January 8th 2013

Honestly, all I've really been able to think about here is Russian and the work. It takes up every thought in my mind and every place in my heart. My family and friends and the experiences I've had are a part of that work., obviously., but I think of nothing else. I'm already starting to lose myself in the work and it's the best think I have ever done. It is one of the most important things I will ever do, but nothing else I will ever do will be more important -- Elder Holland said so -- I believe it with my whole being.

If anyone was to witness even a glimpse of what I have seen or feel an ounce of what I have felt in these past five days their lives would be changed forever, as has mine. I am humbled that I, out of all that have ever lived, was set apart to labor in this glorious work, which is a work of love. And I know that whoever you are, missionary or not, if you give your whole self to the Lord, He will show you miracles and bless your life much more than you can ever imagine.

I was in a mission conference listening and i realized that I was having a hard time believing that people could really, truly change. How can I go on a mission, to Russia of all places, where everyone drinks and porn is everywhere? How could I teach people the Atonement when my faith in it was not complete? I wrote this question down, pleading with the Lord to help me. The next talk was my answer. Pres Brown (the MTC pres) gave a wonderful sermon about the fulness and completeness of the Atonement. It pierced my heart, even so much that it changed me.
I have a greater faith, even that I know that the Atonement is real. That anyone can change. All they have to do is rely on the Savior. I know that is real now. It is real for me. It is real for you. And nothing we could ever do would or could be too bad or go too deep.

The Atonement, Christ's sacrifice for us, is more powerful than any sin. I pray that you can have faith, courage and wisdom as you press forward in your missions. Give your whole self to the Lord; give your whole life to the Lord and He will make it whole.

Love,
CeCTPA Johnson

Letters have been adjusted to keep a certain amount private to family. Thanks!

January One

It's a new year and I'm off to meet my fate--a three month sentence at the compound Missionary Training Center. Just kidding of course, I've heard it's a great place and I'm determined to love it.
Originally, I wanted to fly there (faster, easier, and much more exhilarating than driving). But now I'm kind of glad we drove. The passenger side is a 10 hour motion picture of the country I call home. A thin layer of snow creates a blank page on which grass, sage, rocks and tall pines lay their mark.Goodbyes come easily to me and I could easily rush to Utah without a backwards glance. But I can can hear my future homesick, lonely self beckoning me to soak in every bit of this wintery composition, so I am.

I won't really be gone too long but leaving gives me a chance to look at all I will have left behind. I truly am so blessed!

Miracle of the day: The roads were dry and we made it to Utah safe and sound. :)

The Temple

I've attended approximately 1,080 sunday services, a relatively equal amount of home evenings, 700 seminary classes, 300 mutuals, 22 general conferences, and countless other church activities where I have learned, taught, prayed, studied, sang, and danced. I've served and have served in return. I have sinned and been redeemed. I've feasted on the good word of Christ, and, of course, my fair share of "nourishing and strengthening" refreshments.

At the age of 21 I considered myself a seasoned member of the Christ’s church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- a whole world in which I felt I had coarse knowledge of all there was to know and I was determined to spend the rest of my mortal existence examining it with a finer lens. Connecting dots, filling in spaces.

In one temple session, all of that changed.

No, not changed, expanded. 

The world in which I knew became exponentially greater, as if my my whole life I had been looking up at the starry night sky, and then was given a telescope, even one of Hubble-like caliber. And just like stars in heaven, all of the teachings and covenants in the temple and all the blessings that are promised therein are as simple as a single bright light in a dark sky, and as glorious and breathtakingly beautiful as the cosmos.

Having received my endowment, I have felt the joy and peace of a more fully consecrated life. Nothing else that I have done so far has helped me prepared more for a mission. In the temple, those things that don’t matter no longer have a place in your mind. And those things that do matter settle deep into your heart.

I’m grateful for a temple so close and for the means the Lord has provided me that I can go so often. 

Hallelujah! and Merry Christmas!! :)

He Will Help You: 9 ways I can tell He's got my back.

The months previous to getting my call were some of the most difficult months of my life in terms of temptation. Never had the assaults of the Devil been so forceful and persistent than they have since I decided to go on a mission. After a while I got tired and discouraged. A dust of fear and doubt started to settle on my heart and everything felt fuzzy and unclear. Thankfully, I woke up and shook myself off.

I realized that just as Satan is anxious to bring you down, Heavenly Father is equally (if not more) ready to lift you up.  He and His Son, Jesus Christ, they love you. And the Atonement is real. It's there to help you defeat doubt, sin, and any influence the Devil might have on your life.

Here are some ways that Heavenly Father has helped me to rise from the dust and embrace my calling.
They are simple things but they let me know that he is there and cares.

1. He always, always answers my prayers! Always has, but lately it's been real quick, as if to say that He's right there and I'm never on hold.
For example, yesterday I asked to feel His confidence in me and a confirmation that Russia is the right mission for me. Within a few minutes I read my answers. In an article I read that the church was officially recognized in Russia the same year I was born. Which doesn't mean anything really. But to me it was Heavenly Father telling me that I was born to do this. I was born to serve in Russia. Then I opened my scriptures and literally read the words, "I trust you."
No one can tell me that was a coincidence.

2. Even when I'm not talking directly to God, He's still listening, He's still there. At work I was thinking about someone who I cared about very much that I felt had betrayed me. Just then I passed a couple of elderly woman telling her friend, "Oh well, life goes on. You just got to keep living and everything will work out."

3. At the church bookstore in Tri-Cities one of the ladies that worked there asked me where I was called to serve.
Russia.
Oh! We have a CD of Russian hymns that we got at a convention a few weeks ago! Here, take it, for free.
:)

4. At school I was worried that I wouldn't get to take a mission prep class at home. Meanwhile back in the branch they had voted for mission prep as their new lesson plan for institute.

5.  I was worried about money. My dad already works too much and when he told me he would probably have to take an extra load on to pay for my mission it felt like someone punched me in the gut and the heart at the exact same time. My mom called me and told me that one of his big accounts randomly gave him a $400/mo raise. Missions cost $400/mo. I don't know what happened since then though, I think my parent's finances are still pretty tight but I know that God is in control. He was telling me not to worry.

6. God gave me one of my best friends to travel the mission journey with me! We started our papers on the same Sunday (on accident) and she entered her papers only one week after me! Our experiences have been very different but she has been one of the biggest blessings. It's nice to have a pre-companion! 

7. She and I go to temple prep together. I love temple prep with the Truscotts. They themselves are so reminiscent of the temple: clean, simple, elegant and timeless, gentle yet powerful, piercing and relevant.

8. I am surrounded by missionaries, mission leaders, and fellow mission preparers which basically consists of like half of my friends in the branch, my dad, and all the missionaries in Walla Walla. Since I never really prepared to go on a mission I really have to catch up on all the little rules and details I had overlooked before. At every turn I have someone who can help me with those things!

9. Before I got my call I had never known anyone or even heard of anyone who has gone to Russia, now it seems like everyone has or at least knows someone who has and are dying to tell me all about it. I love it. I love all the advice and I'll take all I can get!

I'm am totally humbled and grateful for all the ways Heavenly Father is helping me every day. I truly could not do it with out Him.