July 29th 2013

CHRISTMAS IN JULYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I got your package on friday. Yep. Guess that postal service isn't too slow after all. Sending it 6 months ahead was jumping the gun a bit but if it makes you feel better Sister Moffatt and I sang a Christmas hymn that morning (randomly). :) and it came at the perfect time because I've been antsy to get a package. Annnddd since I was so antsy and 5 months is way too long to wait, I opened it. :) hope that doesn't bother you!! and I love it!! It's so beautiful and soft and very well done, honestly it looks like from the store. I snuggle with it in the mornings during studies :) and I know I'm going to keep it forever--not only as a keepsake from my mission but from my sissy who loves me soo much and that I love and miss dearly. The card was perfect too... you've always had a knack for picking the most fitting cards. I'm not entirely sure what I'm to do with the pendant thingy though so I'm gunna need some instruction on that.

 

I'm so sorry!! I feel really bad for not writing a bigger email today, especially since last week's was small but I focused on writing individual letters today. 

The time is flying by and every week is starting to feel the same. My week really fast though... President and Sister Sartori fly out in a few days and the new one is coming in! We also got a new office couple who are from the Vancouver, Wash area. 

Oh but the biggest focus has been on the Work of Salvation broadcast. We have our own copy so I've watched it like 5 times already. We have really been making a big push to change the missionary culture in our branch to where members and missionaries work together. So far I have seen some little miracles. One of them being that our branch mission leader actually asked me what he could do for us! He was such a big help! and the greatest part was just knowing that he was there for us and to feel supported. Dad and Teresa, I can not tell you how big a different a good ward mission leader can make. 

Love ya! 

Sister Johnson

PS- Russian tidbit. Yesterday was a Russian Orhodox holiday celebrating the baptism of Russia. I didn't know you could baptize a country but I suppose it was done. 

July 22nd 2013

Russian tidbit: There are many people in Samara from Africa. In fact, today I met one from Madagascar. Generally they come here to study. The man we met from Madagascar today said his government sent him here. I'm not entirely sure what that means.

 

An update on the language... I can understand most ideas to the point where I can participate in a relatively advanced conversation with the help of a lot of pretending and guessing. The grammar has started to become more natural and I've become more correct in cases and such. Sister Moffatt and I speak Russian most of the time now and it's come to the point where I actually prefer to speak it. The other day an investigator asked me to pray in English and I could barely do it. By middle of the prayer I was back in Russian. :) It's kind of funny and I'm really grateful for the progress I'm making because the more fluent I become the more I can relate to people and help them. It can get frustrating when I can't understand something that seems to be important or that would give me greater insight to the person's situation but that will just have to come with time. I've really been trying to focus on the culture lately and learning more about how I can better relate to their way of life and way of thinking.

 

I came to a realization a few days ago that has changed my mission. I was reflecting on why I'm here. Why don't I leave? What is keeping me here? Originally, during the first fews weeks it was out of selfishness. Going home would take way too long and be way too much of a hassle. Plus, I knew I would never forgive myself if I didn't finish what I promised the Lord I would do. But what about now? We were walking down the road at dusk with a large dome on our right and a gated field on our left with children in it playing soccer with their fathers on the sidelines. I looked around at the thoroughly Russian scene before me and realized. I love Russia much too much. The thought of leaving it someday made a lump in my throat and my bones freeze for a moment. Then a warmth came from my heart and filled me as that beautiful realization set in. That finally, I'm not here for me, but for them. That finally, love is my only motivation.

 

This week has been crazy with lots of ups and downs. Especially last night! Oh, last night! I have never loved Sister Moffatt so much and I have never prayed so hard! But I don't have any time so talk to you later!

Love you!!
Sister Johnson

July 15th 2013

Hey so this week was great! and weird! as usual! 

I am healthy now, thankfully, but Sister Moffatt crippled herself playing soccor on saturday. Therefore, it was a struggle to get to church once again on sunday with her barely able to walk. The miracle is though, that both this week and last week when I was really sick the tram has come at exactly the right time to pick us up. There's a stop right by our apartment and there's another stop about a 15 min walk away that we normally use because it takes to long for the number 18 tram to come by the one near our apt. I have actually never seen a number 18 go by the stop near us except this sunday and last sunday and both times it has come right as we walk up to the stop. It really was a miracle. Just one of those sweet moments when you look up and say, "thanks Heavenly Father, I didn't really need you to do that but you did anyway cause you're just that kind." 

Last thursday Sister Moffatt and I both got wedding proposals. It was my first time here, not Sister Moffatt's... haha :) I laugh but it's actually pretty annoying when men get weird and keep calling us. We just want to work! We're on a mission to get AWAY from men. Not here to get married, thank you. On that note, I can't tell you how many times a day we get told to get a husband by random strangers on the street. I just want to shake them and say "that's not all there is to life!" I mean... it kind of is.. but it's not!         Rant over. 

Sister Lund (MTC comp) is in Samara! She got moved to Bezi, my old area! It's so good to see her again and now she's teaching all the people Sister Clyde and I taught and found which is cool. I trust her. Especially with dear Erina. I told you a little bit about Erina and Anya when we skyped on Mothers' Day. That was around when we first started teaching them. Erina is the mom who had an internet relationship with a man in America (she's also pregnant now so that may have changed) and Anya is the daughter who is a singer. There's also a younger daughter but sadly I can't remember her name because I only met her a couple times. Anyway, we gave them the Book of Mormon on a sunday and they were into Alma by tuesday! They read it all together and finished it soon thereafter. Welllll guess what I learned this saturday!! Erina knows the Book of Mormon is true and has a strong testimony of it's ability to answer life questions. She also has expressed a desire to get baptized. :) It's so hard not to be with them right now and I was really worried about them last week because I saw them randomly on the street in my area (another miracle!) but Sister Clyde had said that they had just wanted to be friends and that they probably weren't going anywhere in the gospel. So, needless to say, I was sooo excited to hear the news on saturday that Erina wants to be baptized. I just hope and pray that she continues to gain a testimony of everything else and that she is willing to change her life. I love her and her little family so much! 

I love how my mission is teaching me to more fully appreciate and understand the simple things in the Gospel like faith, repentance, baptism, gift of the Holy Ghost, other covenants and commandments... learning how to live it and how to help others live it. 

Well I guess that's just about it! Talk to you next week & I love you all. 

Sister Johnson

July 8th 2013

"Serving God and our fellow men will challenge us and transform us into something greater than we ever thought possible... Perhaps it is true that we are weak. Perhaps we are not wise or mighty. But when God works through us, no one and nothing can stand against us." 

 --President Uchtdorf, "Four Titles" April 2013 General Conference

Hey! So transfers are this week and looks like I'm staying in Avrora with Sister Moffatt! :) Lot's of people are getting switched around this cycle but we're staying together, which is great because we have big plans for these next six weeks. It's our time, I can feel it. It's sad though that I had to start off the cylce sick. Yesterday I got the flu and a 101 degree fever. Pretty much came at the worst time since it was the last sunday for a lot of the elders Sister Moffatt was close to and all of the elders going home go to the Avrora branch for their last sunday. So we went for Correlation meeting and the first two hours of church but I couldn't make it after that. But I was so glad I went because Emma came to church!! She's an inactive that we meet with every other week. She's been to the temple and everything, it's just hard for her to get to church because she's old and can't walk. Brother Vinegrad is willing to bring her to church every week and always asks her but I think she gets embarrassed by the hassle of it all. But she was there and it made me so happy to see her and to sit next to her. Also rewarding was to find that the other inactive in our area that we visit, Olga, brought a friend with her to church! and we hope to meet with her soon. 

Other events this week... Svetlana was baptized! She was the assisstant's investigator that was sceduled to be baptized with Tolia last week. And she received the Holy Ghost yesterday (another reason I had to be at church). 

On the Fourth of July we celebrated with a cultural activity and went to Stalin's bunker (I find that patriotic in a round about way). It was a pretty small museum type place with a little tour into the 12-story down bunker where there was a small office and a large confrence room. You will see pictures eventually. I loved the history of it all. :) 

Well this is it for this week. I'm still a bit fuzzy in the head from being sick and all but I hope you have a great week! Love you all. 

Sister Johnson

June 24th 2013

First a few random points I jotted down:

How many people are in Walla Walla? and in Washington? People ask and generally know population sizes around here and I'm tired of telling them I don't know. 

Russians don't have answering machines. period. at all. I've never been asked to leave a message at the beep.

They are very open about money. It's not considered rude for a complete stranger to ask you how much you get paid or how much you pay for your apartment. 

I've been told there's a movie that's come out in America called "The Saratov Approach" which is about the missionaries who got kidnapped like 10 or so years back in Saratov here in our mission. It actually happened in Ingles, the same area that the two missionaries got kicked out of for accidentally walking onto a military base a couple months ago. Anyway, you might want to check that movie out...or maybe not mom if she would get scared.... just to be clear, I am perfectly safe here. :)

So guess what? Tolia is getting baptized!! :) Okay, you don't know who that is so let me explain. He's not our investigator but he's basically my best Russian friend. I met him like my third week in. He's this 24 year old gentle giant. Well, he's normal sized, but he's like a little kid, so sweet and innocent, and he talks nice and slow. When he was born the doctor did something to his head and he has like a hand print there. Apparently this made is so that he can't talk very well... which is alright by me! This is probably why we are such good friends, for a while he was the only one I could understand! :) and he's patient with me when I take forever to respond or don't know a word. His greatest desire is to have a huge, happy family. When I showed him my pictures he stopped at the one of Michael and Emma's wedding, pointed and grandpa and said "someday I'm going to be him and these will be all my kids." I thought that was pretty sweet, and quite out of the ordinary for a 24 year old Russian man. He'll be a great dad too.. the other day we were waiting for the bus with a member and her daughter. The daughter started crying and fussing because she wanted something. Tolia just looks at her then I see a light bulb go off in his brain. He then goes and buys a big bottle of water, almost a big as the little girl and hands it to her. He's also bought me and my companion flowers a couple times and gave me a Stephanie Myers book when I left Bezi. That will be nice to keep my Russian after the mission! After family his second love is the garden at his dochi/nature in general. One time he made sister Clyde and I walk for ten minutes out of the branch building to show us a tree. There many other occasions like that like showing me caterpillars and flowers and pictures of the mountains and the river. I'm glad he's finally getting baptized. They were starting to get worried that he would be an eternal investigator because he had heard all the lessons and was always hanging out with the missionaries. He loves the missionaries. And they wanted to make sure he was getting baptized for the right reasons. I think he's good though. He and I have had a lot of good talks, all centered around why baptism is important and how it will bless his life. Pray for him and that everything will follow through for this Saturday when he's planning to be baptized!

There was supposed to be two baptisms this Saturday, Tolia and one of the assistant's investigators but she just randomly called them and said that she couldn't withstand temptation and she couldn't meet with them anymore. The Elders explained to her that things get really hard right before the baptism and that it would get better as she received the Holy Ghost but I'm not sure if she will be coming back. Hopefully she does! Satan has been having a hay-day with our mission. Baptisms in the past months have really slowed down. I think it's worrying president because we had a big mission-wide fast last week. We all fasted for 24 hours (probably my first full 24) and President had us all on the phone line and broke the fast for us with a prayer. It was really cool and we hope to see the blessings follow. 

This week has also been kind of a tough week for me and Sister Moffatt. We both haven't been feeling well. I have a head ache and stomach bug but it's not bad enough to stay in so we are both exhausted. Saturday was Sister Moffatt's birthday though so that was fun! Sort of... haha I made crepes in the morning and we had McDonald's for lunch as a special treat and she opened up a package from her parents and one from the YW in her ward with tons of candy in it. By the way. I tried an American snickers again from that package... it. was. gross. SOO gross. In Russia they have what is called Super Snickers and at first when I got here I was like hey, it tastes like a snickers... but in comparison, it's like night and day. At some point I will send you some super snickers and you will know for yourself. Anyway, that day was just a little crazy because Sis. Moffatt lost here bank card and we had to get money to pay rent. eekk but everything worked out. We had a lesson that night with our investigator Dima. He's interested in the Book of Mormon but I think he's more interested in Sis. Moffatt to be honest. He brought her a cake, juice and a gift for her birthday haha then a lonnnngggg goodbye handshake. He's a good guy, just likes to talk a lot and doesn't want to hear the lessons, just ask a bunch of questions that don't matter like how old Adam was and stuff. 

We had a little miracle yesterday. We got sooo lost trying to get to a member's house. We accidentally took the tram all the way to Bezi and we didn't have money to get back! At this point, Sis. Moffatt had basically lost it and is crying so we go sit on a stair well and think things over. It would take about 2 hours to walk back through the elders area. Not obedient and not effective but it would save poor Sis. Moffatt's pride so we set out. We get like 5 minutes past the tram stop when a drunk man starts getting a little weird and a little to close. I reach in one of the side pockets of my purse for my pepper spray (I never usually think to go for that) but instead I find in my pocket 1100 rubles!! More than enough money to get back home! :) 

I'm out of time. Thanks family for telling me all about the family reunion!! and thanks Chantal for the pictures! :) Love you guys!!

June 10th 2013

Hello! Another week in paradise... seriously! We live super close to the Volga so we've been spending a few nights there contacting. It's so beautiful!! I would send you pictures but I was using Sister Clyde's card reader all this time so now you might not get pictures for a while. We've been meeting quite a few amazing people, but we haven't gained very many investigators from those people quite yet. One woman we met the other day and it was her birthday so I was like, hey! I have a present for you and gave her a Finding Faith in Christ DVD. She was so excited.. haha little does she know that those are always free. We also met a lot of nice people knocking, which is strange because I'm used to angry folks answering the door and yelling us out, practically dragging us out of the complex by the ear. But with Sister Moffatt it's different. If you heard her voice, you would understand. No one can say no to it...okay, they do.. but it's like kicking a little, fluffy kitty cat, you just don't do it. We had a cool experience last night knocking. We were knocking with a member, Galeena, she's a ward missionary that's been wanting to work with us for a while but the sisters before us advised us not to use her for some reason. Well yesterday I unknowingly sat next to her in sacrament meeting and then when I figured out who she was I invited her to come with us. Sister Moffatt wasn't necessarily happy about that but it's the woman's calling for heaven's sake. Anyway, so we're knocking with her and was kind of frustrating because knocked into a few people with potential who seemed interested but Galeena was driving them off a bit. It wasn't really her fault, members just don't always understand how to do missionary work. Like how we generally like to get to know them first before we invite them to come to church or listen to us. Finally we get to what we decided was the last podyez (stairway) and we get to the last floor and are about to knock on the last door. I'm standing there and the thought comes into my mind. Hey, this is Galeena's calling. She is called from God to help us and just as much as I believe in my calling, I should believe in hers. I thought, there must be some reason why she is here with us right now. So I said a little, sincere prayer saying, Heavenly Father, I know there is someone in this building that needs Galeena's help, please help us to find that person. Then after we rang we waited, then a woman yelled through the door like they often do, "who's there?" Sister Moffatt answered that we were missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The woman yelled again, what?? Then Galeena answers saying the same thing and we hear the keys unlocking the door and it opens slightly, enough to see and old woman in a wheelchair. She was gruff and she and Galeena had some sort of exchange that sounded like fighting to me but it seems like people are fighting a lot to me here so that's not very abnormal. Then after a few minutes we start to see the door open ever so slightly a little bit more and the longer we are there the more it opens and she hands us her trash so we can take it out for her (never have I seen a Russian ask for help like that) and Galeena starts to explain the Relief Society and inviting her to church. Next thing I know we're in this woman's house and remained there for the next hour talking with this woman, who's name, ironically, is also Galeena. They are also the same age. They really hit it off and we got to know all about her life and the situation she's in now. She loved the pamphlet we gave her of the restoration, mostly because of the picture of Jesus on the front, which she kissed. I know that my prayer was answered that night and I know that both Galeena's needed each-other in a way that Sister Moffatt and I could not fulfill.  In this past week I've really learned the power of prayer, especially ones given out of the moment that they are needed. This week we visited another older woman who we met on the street named Annatonina. When we first met her she was very alive and friendly, gave us her address and invited us over anytime. We went the next day and finally found her after a good hour of walking and searching. She hardly remembered us and seemed very sullen, but she was also sweet. She lives alone, widowed at a young age. She explained how she grew up basically atheist in the Soviet era, knows very little about God and is only acquainted with religion by what she has observed around her. She told us of how her husband died after installing the roof right above where she sat. He decided to go out to the balcony for a smoke break when he tripped and fell, hitting his head on the step. She pointed the scene out to us from where we sat and showed us a picture of him, one of the only things occupying the empty shelf in a fairly empty and dimly lit room. How sad I felt. How much despair and lack of hope. How much love I felt for this woman so alone. We asked if we could leave with a prayer and she agreed, sitting at the edge of her seat, listening to every word Sister Moffatt uttered in prayer. I sat listening as well and prayed a prayer of my own, Heavenly Father, please help this woman feel the Spirit, help her to feel you here. At the end of the prayer she opened her eyes, clutched her heart and leaned back letting out a big breath. In that moment I knew that once again my prayer had been answered. She kissed our cheeks and asked us to return.

Oh how I treasure moments like these with these precious babooski. 

I want to tell you more about experiences I've had with investigators... mom kinda reminded me that I haven't been but somehow I feel like I'll jinx it if I tell you about good things we have going on. Now that I'm not in Bezi anymore I can tell you about them but I'll have to save that for next week. I love you guys and I think about you all the time! Especially lately as I have been reading the conference talks and being reminded of all the things that you are going through and words that might inspire you. I would share it with you but I can't cover it all so I guess I'll just say read the conference talks again!! or listen to them!! :)

June 3rd 2013

Hey... So how about I never leave? How about I just stay on a mission forever?

I love my new area and my new companion. Like I said last week, I'm in Avrora which is right next to Bezi where I used to be. Sister Clyde and I took a taxi over with all my luggage and we forgot our phone so it was quite the stressful adventure to find the sisters' apartment! Especially when their dom-a-phone and door bell didn't work! We live on the ninth floor in a cozy kvarteera (apt) with three little balconies that overlook a courtyard of trees. The trees give off puff of cotton that fill the air and fall like snow, but in a floating way that sometimes feels eerie and other times mystical when the sun's shining. We need to get curtains though because the sun comes us at 3:45 am. I know this because it wakes me up every time. 

The area is much more Urban and rich. Everyone so educated and fashionable, it's weird. And there are much larger and newer domes. And stores with big boats and brown sugar. We've only met with a few investigators so far so I'm not fully acquainted with everyone yet, but church was yesterday! The branch is huge!! At least it feel like it to me. There was around 60-70 people there, some families but mostly adults. President and Sister Sartori were also there so that was a treat, especially since they were in Bezi last week so I caught them two weeks in a row. The new president, President Schuab, is getting surgery, or has already I think. He had a cancerous tumor around his throat. :/ They said he should be fine and should be coming at the time he was to come in late June but they pushed it back to the Sartori's are staying here until August!! I hope President Schuab is okay! 

My new district is also quite a bit larger. It used to be just three sets of missionaries and now there's five. Because we are close to the office we have the assistants and the training sisters in our district. The training sisters are a new thing they've started in our mission. I think it's like what Teddi's been doing in the states but they go on exchanges with all the sisters in the mission and are like zone leaders in that they go to a bunch of meetings and stuff. So they called Sister Pierce and Sister Scoville this cycle to start that off. I've worked with both of them before since Sister Scoville trained Sister Lund and Sister Pierce stayed with us for a visa trip. It's really weird having a new companion. The process is basically the same as leaving Sister Lund. At first I'm open to the idea of changing things up and then I realize/remember how awesome my companion is and how much I love them and then I get really sad and then we sit on the idea for a while that we're splitting and then we travel to our next destination and meet our new companion and then all of the sudden I get this feeling down deep in my gut... like that we're not companions. I no longer feel like the old comp is my comp therefore making the transition completely natural. Anyway, Sister Moffat is really great. Very sweet but also very sincere and real. Our teaching methods are also very similar so I'm excited to work with her. It's also great to be in a companionship where it's even. I'm no longer being trained!!! WOooo. 

Love you all and think about you often. Until next week! 

сестра джонсон