Helllllooooooooo
Well the beginning of this week was really good but the middle was pretty tough so for a second it made me forget all the amazing things about the beginning! Satan was being tricky.Â
At the beginning of the week we blitzed an apartment complex (blitz means that the us and the elders we serve with went to the area together to work in unity) it was powerful and super fun! We found 3 people and lots of cats that we are going to visit again on Tuesday.
We had zone conference and interviews with President. We were able to counsel together and consider how we both are going to give it our all for the last bits of our mission! I also had a sweet experience with sister brown where I was able to counsel with her about some things as well. Sister Wayne and I also preformed a musical number together which was fun.
The rest of the week was feezing a rainy, which was kinda tough because we were biking this week but there were tender mercies at every corner. You just have to remember to look for them!
The best part of the week for sure was Sunday! Erica, Latoya, Juan, and Timo all came to church! We had a lesson with Erica right after church and we taught her about God's plan for his children. I kid you not, she seems to just keep getting brighter! She told us she wanted to work towards being baptized on December 2!!! AHHHHHHHH I am so excited I could do a flip! What's even more is that she love the gospel so much that she is trying to get her family to come to church with her and join the lessons. She hasn't had much success but it is such a testimony that when you are introduced to Jesus Christ and His gospel, you change and you immediately want to share it with others. That is how you know the gospel is in your heart and that it cannot be kept in you! (Queue my recent favorite scripture: Jeremiah 20:9)
This week I was studying in Hebrews 11:25 and it spoke to be so strongly! " choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;" this chapter is teaching us what faith is and I love that it is choosing the lasting happiness over the immediate pleasure! A beautiful example of this is our friend Juanita that we have been teaching for a while now with the elders. Juanita is in probably one of the worst family situations ever. Her family hates the church, her husband has turned her kids against her, she is epileptic and rely of her husband so she us unable to leave him even though he is sleeping with another woman. He family forces us to talk to her outside because they do not want Christians in their house. Juanita cannot deny the effect that the gospel has had on her and the peace it has brought into her Chaotic life, so she has chosen to be baptized despite everything working against her. She is getting baptized on Saturday! She lives this scripture beautifully. Her actions have shown that she is willing to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy pleasure FOR A SEASON. Isn't that so true. As disciples of christ we will be persecuted and shamed for following christ, but we are not in it just for a moment, we are in it for the everlasting joy that it brings. As covenant keepers we firmly claim that we do not seek the temporary pleasures of this world, but that we pursue the freedom of Christ's Atonement. We will suffer and we will have to be patient in this life, but that is what faith is. This about what Juanita and Erica and so many others are giving up for the gospel of Jesus christ and ask yourself, "what do I need to give up so that I can be better yoked with the savior and turn away from the temporary pleasures of the world?" It's not going to be easy, I promise you that, but the impact will be enormous.
I love you all so much!
This week cartwheels with kids made me happy!
Sister Johnson
