Week two!

Dear wonderful people,

Wisconsin is starting to look Shire-like! It was overcast these last couple of days and I have loved the rain and fog and mist. :) I can't believe that this is only week two! This week brought the adventure of the area book. We are in the process of going through and contacting people who have taken lessons from the missionaries before. Most people haven't been home though. So that was depressing and disappointing. It took FOREVER to go through it so hopefully our work will start to pay off sometime...but it's all in the Lord's time. I am honestly struggling with that concept. It is hard to have people decline to hear the message of the Gospel when you KNOW that it will help them overcome challenges in their lives and become happier. I also got frustrated with myself quite a bit. I want to do so many things but I just can't (as Marlin would say)!

Funny stuff from this week though.
-We taught the Activity Day girls about budgeting this week. It was an adventure! Just a tip for anyone who wants to keep control of 10-11 year old girls: don't give them jelly beans! It went well though. I'm not sure how much they retained...or even needed the message...but we did our best! One girls was telling us about how she had an action at her school. She used all her fake money to buy a can of Pringles. Now my teacher calls me homeless Clair, she informed us. Haha, I love those girls!

-We used a tiny pan from our kitchen and a random golf ball to teach a family about how commandments can keep us safe. Frying pans! Who knew, right?

-Sister Wright and I decided, after a near fatal experience (for the possum), that possums are the creatures that ROUSs  are based off of. 

We taught a neat lesson to an older gentlemen who is looking for a religion. He grew up Christian but lately studies eastern religions--specifically Buddhism. It was neat to be able to connect to him because I knew a little bit about Buddhism. He told us of many small things that we recognized as the Lord's gentle hand pushing him towards this Gospel. It is so neat to recognize the Lord's hand in our lives.

I hope you all watched the General Women's Broadcast this week! I loved Sister Burton's talk about being a disciple of Christ. I loved reading about the Son's of Helaman this week. They didn't fear death (or in a missionary sense rejection) because they knew that they couldn't fail. They were glad to give liberty to their fathers. In a sense that's what missionary work is. Just some thoughts from this week. 

I hope everyone is doing well! Be safe, enjoy the sunshine, and steer clear of possums. :)

Love you all!

Sister Johns

Green week

Hey all!!

So I am actually in the field this week! And I got called to serve...(drum roll please)...in Waukesha! Funny name, but awesome people. I absolutely love my trainer! It was so nerve racking when all of us from the MTC waited to meet our trainers...but no worries! Sister Wright is wonderful! It was a long day of traveling Wednesday...man it feels like forever ago! But we got to spend the night in the mission home with our wonderful, cute mission president and his wife. My first day in the field was interesting...we took another sister around for most of they day actually because she was going home the next day was wanted to see some people before she left. It was actually super nice because I got to see how a missionary companionship actually works. It has been quite a week! I have a LOT of learning to do. Some highlights:

-Very first place I stopped with my trainer was at a previously set appointment. The man that opened the door informed us that the stench that hit us was not a skunk...but weed. Yeah...delightful. Welcome to Wisconsin apparently!

-Also on my first day we let out a dog of a lady in our ward. Advice for people who take care of tiny dogs: do not try to pick them up when they are terrified and shaking under the bed! You risk getting bitten! So that was fun haha. What a day!

-We met a nice, very talkative old man tracting my very first time. He let us in and actually agreed to learn more about our church! How amazing!!

-We visited a less active family of girls one evening--and it was so much fun haha! As sister Wright explained them, they are a "rick-rawlin' house of sass!" All three girls are 1/2 black, and the mother is white (and very protective of her children). I love them so much! They kept me laughing the whole time! I really connected with the 8 year old daughter--so I am an 8 year old by heart I think. :)

-We had a dinner appointment on St. Patrick's day! I have never eaten so many green things in one sitting haha! Green cabbage, green butter, green juice, green salad, green cake--everything was green! (except the beef and potatoes)

-I had my first strange dinner appointment yesterday. We had a Mexican meal--beans, rice and enchiladas. It was all good until I tried the enchiladas. When we asked her what was in them she replied she had made it up and put fake lobster and cream cheese along with some other stuff--oh and it was topped with salsa. It was a very interesting combo of flavors...I was really just gagging it down. They were such a cute couple though!

I am excited for this transfer. My trainer is also really excited--she has great hopes. So I am hoping that we will have success. It is a little hard though when everyone seems to be in a good place and already comfortable with their own church. But, I have only been here a week! So we will see what next week brings! 1 Nephi 8:12 I think is kind of the "why" of missionary work. We know that the gospel bring us so much happiness and also keeps us safe. And we (hopefully) want to share it with others! So, maybe try to share a part of the gospel with someone this week. I know as you try to do so that the Lord will help and assist you.

Have a wonderful  week!!!

Love,

Sister Johns

Sister KoFord and I when we got to the airport in Wisconsin. We were sooo excited! I actually really miss her. :)

Sister Wright and I

Sister Wright and I. Sunday selfie.

Second week!

Dear people, 

This week was wonderful! I am adjusting to life here at the mtc. On Wednesday we got to welcome all the new missionaries! Telling them welcome to the mtc really does make you feel like you know exactly what you are doing...even if in reality you are still feeling it out haha. The sisters that we thought were coming to our zone didn't end up coming...somehow their report date got put back or something. So we just got to welcome 8 new elders...not as exciting. I am a sister training leader with my companion, if I didn't tell you already. We are getting four sisters this week so that is SO exciting! I had a huge craving for music this week...so that was fun. I had to content myself with singing Disney and Les Mis when I am getting ready for the day...it doesn't quite fill the gap, but I guess that's all I can do right now!

Highlights from the week!

-We found Sister KoFord's favorite ice cream flavor in the vending machines in our residence hall. She went crazy! Then, as a witness of God's tender mercies (1 Nephi 1:20) they served it for dessert one dinner after we had a particularly difficult lesson with an investigator. The Lord loves us!

-We get to keep teaching our favorite investigator, Linda this week! (usually we only get to teach TRCs for one week) She is the ideal investigator. yesterday we prepared a lesson on the commandments for her. We felt pretty prepared actually! But when we started talking to her, she told us about her brother who was involved in gangs and drugs. She had been reminded of him that day and didn't know how he was doing. So we threw our lesson out the window and talked about the peace we can receive through Jesus Christ (John 14:27). We then proceeded to read the Book of Mormon with her. We showed her how she can apply the stories directly to her. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I have seen how it can answer specific questions you have. Try it! Because it works!

-I have been learning the language of the Spirit more this week. I learned that you must trust yourself before you can truly follow the promptings of the Spirit. Many times this week a word or thought would come to my mind in my own words...if I didn't trust myself I wouldn't follow it. But the one time I decided to just DO IT, I realized that those thoughts were from the Holy Ghost. The lesson I started to do that went 10x better than the one previously. 

The MTC president talked to the whole MTC on Sunday. His message centered on the scripture Alma 23:5-8--please study those verses!

6 And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth, through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren, according to the spirit of revelation and of prophecy, and the power of God working miracles in them—yea, I say unto you, as the Lord liveth, as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away.

 I know that what is taught in those verses is true. All I will say is that as members of the church, need to be converted TO THE LORD--or be constantly true to what we know or believe is true. A testimony is vital, but it will not keep us from never falling away.

Sorry for the preaching! I guess I am officially a missionary now! ;P I really got so excited this week during Tuesday’s devotional about being a missionary! I am part of His army now! I are His hands on the earth and I can help invite people to Christ. 

I hope you all have a wonderful week!! I am well and learning lots. Feel free to send me pictures of adventures you're having...it is the closest thing I have to going outside right now. ;)

LOVE YOU!!

Bre

PS the one picture I took this week was of me twirling in my skirt...it is my favorite pastime. :)

First week!

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow...just wow. I don't even know how to describe this week. But just to give a fair warning...I really don't know how this whole weekly email thing is going to go. I might just regurgitate my week. So be prepared! 

Wednesday was a strange day...I was mostly excited to finally be a missionary!! Putting on that badge was awesome...I love my name tag and all it represents. I am so proud yet humbled to be a representative of Jesus Christ. But anyways! The best part of my day was probably meeting Ali unexpectedly (my cousin) before dinner. my companion and I were just about to go into dinner when I saw her...and I just ran up and hugged her! I needed that--just to see someone I knew. The rest of the first day is a blur...I honestly can't remember most of it right now.

But a bit about the MTC! My companion's name is sister KoFord. She is absolutely wonderful! But it has taken us a week to get to know each other. It's crazy how different we are--like she's Slytherin and I'm a Hufflepuff. That's the best way I can describe how different we are. But we get along well together! Just last night we had companion inventory (we just talked about our strengths and weaknesses). We really got to know each other better--my weaknesses are her strengths and vice versa. So I believe that we will rock this whole companion thing. I'm really excited. Our district is awesome! We have two companions of elders and another companionship of sisters. It is a small district, and we get along really well! Everyone really wants to be here and has wonderful insights. I really do think that this district and companion are perfect for me right now.

So the mtc...we study and teach and eat. Then study and teach and study some more. I really don't mind a ton being in a classroom all day...like some people. Sometimes I just stare at the window and really really want to be outside. :P Thursday was such an uncomfortable day...none of us really knew at all what we were doing...teaching was a mess (we taught an investigator that turned out to be a teacher in disguise…yeah it was a pretty nasty shock when we found out). But things can only get better when you are at the bottom! We taught real investigators (that are not teachers, but may be members--we just don’t know) yesterday and that was amazing. It is crazy how much love you can feel for a person you just met. 

Our teacher shared Ether 12:27 with us one day and it really struck me. being a missionary I really realize my weaknesses...but I guess I still expect myself to be perfect. The more I have taught and learned about how to teach, I see my weaknesses even more. but I loved what my teacher said. You see your weaknesses the more you come closer to Christ--kind of like what Barrett said in his homecoming talk. Anyways...just a hopeful thought from this week.

Sunday was such a blessing! We got to walk to the temple--so outside of the mtc! Seriously, things took a 180 turn for the better Sunday. 

So I am doing wonderfully! It really has been a rollercoaster of emotions this week. And this week seems like it went on FOREVER. But hey! It's been a week already!

I love all of you so so so so so so much!!!

Sister Johns

Bre saw her cousin Ali!

Bre and Ali at choir

To the MTC

Farewell

With Elizabeth and Lydia--set apart as a full time missionary

Can't help remembering Brianna as a 3.5 lb infant. Now here she goes off to Wisconsin to serve for 18 months!

Final Lunch at Zupas near the MTC

Near the Provo Temple

Provo Temple

Farewell and Godspeed!

Until we meet again