Well homies,
It has been another week! Honestly it has flown by, I guess that's what happens when you focus on God and stay busy.
A quick side note before I share an experience or two this week: I love the people of Lenoir so much! I did not think I could fall in love with the people here so quick but I did. They are such incredible people. They are so kind, humble, and God fearing. I want them to have the gospel so bad, but they have to make their own choices. But I know what the gospel of Jesus christ has done for me and I want everybody to have it! One of the reasons the people here are so humble is because they go through some really hard things. I won't give details, but I have met people who are the victims of the horrors of life. It brings me to tears when I think about it. I so badly want to take all their burdens, sins, and trials, and carry them on my own back just so that these people can have a break. My heart breaks for them, I mourn for them, and I cheer with them. I am making this so long because it is the most incredible feeling to love such strangers so much. I grateful to be able to glimpse a small bit of how our savior feels for us, and my love and gratitude for him grows as my love for the people here grows.
What I want to focus on is that God is a God of miracles. I have two quick experiences this week..... I set a goal with my companion to find 5 new people this week to start teaching. In the south, you are lucky to find 1 or 2 a week. However I wasn't ok with that. I didn't want to settle for what was typical, I wanted to set high goals and then reach them.... or get close to reaching them but still do better than I would have. Well by Thursday, I was realizing how crazy my goal really was. But Thursday night, while praying, I promised God that I would give all of my heart, might, mind, strength, and sweat the next day. I promised him that I would knock on every door he led me to and that I would give my all. I told him that if I did this I expected him to provide. I told him that I knew if I gave my all he would send miracles my way. So that is exactly what I did. We went from house to house, apartment to apartment, and trailer to trailer waiting for the lord to lead us somewhere. We knocked on Robert's door, and I can honestly say that I have never met anyone more ready to recieve the gospel of Jesus christ! (1/5). We had plans to go to another neighborhood after, and I felt prompted that we should go down this one street. So I pulled over and we started knocking doors. From that one street, we found 3 more people who invited us back! (4/5) (I need you all to understand that this is unheard of here). After that huge boost, we finished off the day. The next day, we found our 5th new person just in time for the ending of the week. I cannot describe how it worked so perfectly other than that the lord's hand was all over it. He knew I was dedicated and he provided. Now these 5 new people are not all promising, but at least one is. We will try to teach all of them, but if just one will continue on, it will be awesome! What I learned from this alone makes it worth it.
I will share one more quick experience this week. Sister chappell and I were talking one day about the best ways to start teaching someone. She started telling me about the stop smoking program that the church has, and how it is an awesome way to get someone interested in the gospel. Then we went to an apartment complex to start knocking doors. Literally the first door we knocked on, an old lady told us that she wasn't interested in hearing our message, because she already loved God and he wasn't proud of her because she has still been unable to quit smoking! We told her about the program (be a nonsmoker in 7 days) and she was hooked! We are going back next week to start it with her. She is not someone we are teaching yet, but the lord provided a way for us to be in the right place at the right time to help her come closer to him by quiting.
My friends, God provides miracles in lives now and all the time. They are all over, please just start looking for them. Start working hard, having faith, and expecting miracles in return. I promise he will give them to you! Then get on your knees and thank him.... God didn't forget to wake you up this morning, so don't forget to thank him! Everyone look for miracles this week, and let me know what you find!
I don't have anything to google this week, but if you have questions or doubts about the church or the gospel, go to the source... pray about it and do research in divinely appointed sources like scripture, prophets, comeuntochrist.org , and churchofjesuschrist.org. If a rumor was going around about you, you would rather have someone ask you to know the truth than ask the people gossiping about you... do the same thing with the gospel of Jesus christ.
This week getting mail made me happy!
I love you all and pray for you!
Love, Sister Johnson