OH what a week! Oshkosh 6/19/17

Dear all,

 This week was full of opposites haha: sunny and rainy, inspiring and trying, eventful and slow. But all in all it was a really good week. I learned several things this week in regards to faith, goals, and giving my all to this work. So yeah, highlights!

-We found a family from Pakistan who speaks little English. We were trying to contact a member but ran into them. They invited us in and all the mom could say was "how are you?". We couldn't communicate very well but it was neat to meet them! On our way out we ran into the YSA sisters. They told us how they found a lady just then who was very interested in learning more about the gospel. They also told us how they were focusing on setting high goals in faith and praying specifically for things. They were seeing amazing results. So sister Webb and I have been doing our best to implement that this past week. And we found that when we were focused on our goal and did our best to talk to everyone that we were able to find people to teach. It was amazing to see how the Lord blessed us this week.

-Tuesday we had a lesson with the Hunsaker family (a young couple with the cutest little black boy EVER). They weren't home so we stopped to talk to their neighbors (who live above them in a the house). The guy was reluctant to talk at first but as we continued to talk he opened up and actually invited us into his house to meet with wife. We learned that the Hunsakers had been talking to them about church and they were interested in learning more. So we taught them about the Restoration with the Hunsakers there (they joined later). 

-So once upon a time we were visiting with our adopted mother and recent convert, Mitro, when the sky got suddenly super dark. Then all at once the wind picked up and it started to POUR. There were sheets and sheets of rain! It was so crazy! Mirto wanted us to go home, so she sent us out...little does she understand that missionaries get to work RAIN or shine haha. But tracting we found was a but helpless...one house we stopped at the mother wasn't home and the boy didn't invite us in. The whole house was just staring at two short, drenched girls at the door haha. We were quite the sight!

-We were able to do a lot of tracting and finding this week due to it being summer and everyone was out of town. So that was honestly hard. It isn't that fun to go tracting for a large majority of the day. I reminded myself and was reminded by other little things that I am out here serving because I love the Lord and I know that the Gospel is true. 

-We met with a cute old couple from Puerto Ricoin our ward this week. They are both hard of hearing so it was funny to have a conversation with them both...and she wouldn't stop talking haha. 

-One morning we were tracting and started talking to a black lady named Cheryl. We found out that she has been looking for a church to attend for a while but just hasn't found one yet. She has an inquisitive boy who wants to learn more about God, so we shared Joseph Smith's story. She recognized that our meeting was meant to be because she usually isn't out at that time of day--she has migraines so is usually in bed. The Lord truly is leading His work. She wasn't able to come to church, but we will be meeting with her later this week.

So it was a full week although plans fell through right and left. I learned the importance of giving this work my all. It's much like a cross-country race. During the race you get to a point where you want to give up and just going forward seems too difficult. But if you focus on the end you are able to get back up and endure. When life gets rough--first find something to laugh about--but then look to Christ. Doctrine and Covenants 6:36 "Look unto me in every thought. Doubt not, fear not." I know that giving my all to the Lord's work is worth every day I spend out here. I know that this church is directed by the Lord. 

Hope you all have a blessed week! 

Sister Brianna Johns 

Rain videos!

https://youtu.be/Mafz6i2P-Y4 

https://youtu.be/9xGwFYJmwzk

Miracles and tears. Oshkosh 6/12/17

Hey all!

This week Wisconsin decided to slowly boil everyone. So that's been fun haha. But this week was crazy! Sister Kowallis and I ran around Tuesday like "chickens with our head cut off" (as sister Wright would've said). Then Wednesday brought transfers...and I've been trying to adjust to a new area ever since. I saw so many miracles this week though, or at least I've had time to reflect on all the miracles I've seen in Waukesha. I've seen how I have come to sincerely love the ward there--they are amazing people! And I've seen how the Lord really does bless you when you are diligent and hard working. So highlights!

-First off JEROME. So Tuesday we had a lesson with Jerome in the morning at a sweet members home. We had an awesome lesson on Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. First he told us how some of his friends confronted him about meeting with the Mormons. But he explained that every step people take to try to dissuade him, will only make him more set on finding out the truth for himself. Yeah, he is so amazing! We were able to answer his questions about "Mr Smith." So near the end of the lesson he said that he was going to pray about this--he had questions answered so now he could pray. We didn't even ask him to! Then I asked him to be baptized...the long and short of his answer was he would as long as he got an answer to his prayer. And we set a date with him for July 15. Talking with him and seeing his real intent filled with so much joy. After he prayed I dropped and sad news--that I was leaving. His response: What? Well, I guess I understand, but...yuck! Aw, Jerome! He asked me my first name then started calling me Bre--man! My heart just melted. He is an amazing man and I feel privileged to have met and taught him.

-The sister that hosted our lesson with Jerome learned that I love Indian food...sooo she took us out for some. Bless her! It was sooo good. :) Almost as good as yours, mom! (not quite though:)

-Also on Tuesday we got to take out a brand new sister for a couple of hours. It was so fun! It was crazy to see how much I have learned in only 3 months. 

-Wednesday I had to say bye to sister Kowallis...it was sad. But it has been fun getting to know sister Webb. Oshkosh is very different--well, the scenery isn't but the people are. :) I am excited to get to know the people in Oshkosh better and love them as much as I love the people in Waukesha. 

-SO funny story of the week. Once upon a time we thought that we had to die of heat in our apartment because we had no AC. Then all of the sudden I realized where it was! Praise the Lord we DO have AC. Moral of the story: always check out the big box behind the couch. :P

-Also we have a pet gorilla in our apartment and his job is to guard the door while we sleep. His name is Enrique. :)

So yeah, this week has been hopping. I have looooved Waukesha and am excited for Oshkosh (plus it's fun to say). I have realized coming to a new area how weak I really am. I don't know how to help these people or where to go to find those that are prepared. But I do know that the Lord knows. And He will bless us with success when He sees fit. All we need to do is our very best--and keep trying. I love the Scripture on Doctrine and Covenants 123:17:

17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

So don't give up on whatever  your are working toward. He knows you and loves you. You just might have to endure a little until the sun comes out. Anyways, love you all!! Have a blessed week and don't forget to laugh. :)

Sister Brianna Johns

TRANSFERRED. Waukesha 6/5/17

Dear all,

I'M GETTING TRANSFERRED! It didn't seem real until I found out where I'm going. I'm going to Oshkosh and my comp is sister Webb--we came out together, but not in the same district. I didn't know her super well, but it should be good! I will be the senior companion, which is weird. And nerve-racking! So that's the news. Other-wise it was a really good week, but very long for some reason. I can't believe a week ago it was Memorial Day haha. High-lights!

-Have I told you about our new ward mission leader? Brother Larson is awesome. He is super new to his calling and wants to magnify it to the best of his ability. He is going to be an amazing ward mission leader. We had a good correlation with him and the elders in our ward Wednesday night. Also on Sunday no one told the missionaries there wasn't any ward council...so we all set up chairs and waited until church started. Brother Larson was sad that a couple of us were leaving. He's so nice! 

-We had an awesome lesson with Jerome--the black guy we tracted into on Memorial Day. He seems like an honest seeker of truth, so he is totally open to learning more. He gave the opening prayer in our lesson Thursday--which has never happened before. He started to read the Book of Mormon we left him and had questions about Joseph Smith. We brought an awesome sister from the ward with us who bore her powerful testimony at the end of our lesson. She used to be a Catholic so she related to him well. I really felt the urge to invite him to be baptized, so I did at the end. He was really thoughtful then said, I want to do what's right. So he didn't agree to a date, but maybe soon he will! We are super pumped about him. My favorite line he said was what he told his friend about his actions, "was God taking a nap?" Haha, he is just wonderful. 

-We've been doing our best to talk to everyone and the result was several surprise encounters haha. We think people realize we are walking up to them, but when we start talking a couple people jumped a mile! Hahaha! We even made a poor lady scream as we walked up to help her unload her groceries. Welp, we are trying!

-We discovered several people in the ward have moved in, so we decided to go visit them. But one lady said they moved a long time ago and please take her off our list! "The 'guys' stopped by last night and scared the living daylights out of us." Haha, so apparently scaring people is a thing haha.

-We are working with a recent convert, Sandy. She is super nice and loves our visits. She is struggling with her testimony though, it's still a tiny sapling, just a sprout (movie anyone?). She's been getting bombarded with anti-material too, so it's been hard for her. We are trying to help her. It just reminded me of the need, as missionaries, to baptize converts. We are here to help people come closer to Christ and develop a testimony of the Book of Mormon. She is wonderful though, sad to say goodbye.

-We had dinner with the Hassells on Sunday--they're so awesome! She is a Disney princess sister Wright decided. I love their family and girls (and the one little boy of course). It was so fun to go over for dinner. :)

So yeah, this week was good! There was one point during the week that I felt super happy. I realized that there is no other place I'd rather be than on a mission. So I guess when I feel comfortable enough to finally feel like that I know I will get transferred. I've been thinking a lot about Ether 12:4 lately, and it seems to sum up what I've learned recently. 

4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.

I've learned that faith in Christ is a deep abiding trust, which I may have mentioned already (sorry for the repeat). But as I've felt myself really trusting in Christ's power and strength, I see that I can do things I never could've done other wise. And as I have tried to turn outward and really loose myself in this work, I develop that trust. I am led to do good works and glorify God. So make sure you are leading with the faith you do have. :) I am excited for my next adventure in Oshkosh!

Have a blessed week and don't forget to be grateful. Love you all!

Sister Brianna Johns

sun, rain, and snakes. Waukesha 5/29/17

Dear lovely people,

Happy late Memorial Day! It isa bit strange to have P-day on a Tuesday haha. I have neglected to write my words of the week for a while, so today it's sleepy. Wisconsin seemed sleepy this week. But we saw a lot of little miracles this week, so it was a wonderful week.

-I got to go an exchanges with sister Giles finally! We didn't get to go last transfer, so it was so nice to go this week. She is so wonderful. I learned how to dance in the rain properly while tracting and met the nice new office missionaries (a cute older couple from Cali).

-I learned again that sister Kowallis has no fear. We were park contacting and saw this big black guy on a bench and I might've been very tempted to pass by him. But sister Kowallis went right up and introduced herself. He was well built, covered in tatoos, smoking a massive cigar, and had a beer can....but looks can be deceiving. He basically vented his frustrations about religion and church and God to us while we patiently listened and tried to understand his concerns. Sister Kowallis then introduced the Book of Mormon and answered some of his questions. As he was spouting off his concerns I felt the strongest urge to give him the Book of Mormon--it really does answer all of the doubts he had. He accepted it! So moral of the story...don't let looks deceive you and never doubt the power of the Book of Mormon.

-We met another black guy--this time a super sweet older gentlemen--named Jerome. He looooves his family and gladly told us all about them. He accepted a Book of Mormon and said he actually would read it. :)

-We finally had a lesson with this lady named Meaghan. She is agnostic, but we had a pretty neat lesson where she really opened up. We talked about faith and how we all need to experiment on the word in order to know if it is true. She is awesome, but super busy.

-For all of you who hate snakes you may want to just skip this part haha. We met a guy who had a 15 ft long python in his apartment. Yeah. It was in this huge display case under his TV. It was crazy! He also breeds snakes...so we got to see little baby pythons! Not gunna lie, they were pretty cute.

So all in all it was a really good week. This week I was trying to focus on recognizing promptings from the Spirit. By the end of the week I recognized that I often argue with myself on whether or not to do things--talk to big black guys or not haha. I realized that I, more often than not, am arguing with the Spirit. Never do that. Always be a "first responder" as talked about in General Conference. Anyways, God is good. I hope you all have a blessed week!

love,

Sister Johns

Three months down! Waukesha 5/22/17

Dear all,

So Wisconsin went through a hot flash this week...it was pretty hot and humid for a couple of days. But now the rain is back, so who knows what we will have tomorrow! I still think that I like dry heat better, I'm not into this stifling humidity stuff. But anyways, this week was really good! We are actually finding people to teach, so that is super exciting. Highlights:

-Fun fact about Sister Kowallis, she hates the rain...a lot. So Monday when it started pouring...she wasn't a happy camper. And we were planning on tracting after dinner. Thankfully the rain subsided after dinner--tender mercies from the Lord!

-So this week we decided to get to know everyone in the ward...and there are a lot of people we don't know. SO we ran around kingdom come trying to meet a ton of people. A lot didn't answer their phones or weren't home. But we did meet some pretty awesome people. While contacting people on Tuesday we ran into several people walking by and taught them about the Book of Mormon. It was neat to see how the Lord can plant people in our path that are ready or willing to listen to our message.

-Wednesday we stopped by Alyssa's apartment. She is a lady that seemed interested but hadn't gotten a set appointment with yet. We met her fiancé and talked to him about the first vision and the Book of Mormon. It was amazing how strong the Spirit was when we testified of that Joseph Smith was a prophet and the Book of Mormon is true. Later this week she said she wasn't interested in learning more...but her fiancé does have a Book of Mormon, so...

-Thursday we had mission tour! We got to listen to Elder Wilford W. Anderson of the seventy and his wife, along with President and sister Williams. It was amazing. The primary subject was faith, and I learned a lot about what faith is and how we can strengthen our faith. To strengthen our faith, we need to center it on Christ, align our will with God's will, and get to work. I am learning about how faith is a deep abiding trust in Christ. This trust and love should lead and motivate us to follow Him.

-We had an awesome lesson with a wonderful less active member named Scott. He is a talker, but he was focused when we talked to him about the temple. He was baptized when he was young and hasn't really had any contact with the church other than that. So he is learning a lot. He agreed that he wanted to work towards going to the temple and said he would talk to his non-member wife about coming to church. It was so neat to see him desire something and commit to act on it.

-We ran into one of the Elders' investigators Saturday! He is really into history, and basically gave us a history lesson on the early church. Then he proceeded to explain how our church is established on a nonsense. That didn't go down well with sister Kowallis. But she politely explained it otherwise and talked to him about how he could experiment on the word (Alma 32:28). He actually liked that, which was saying something because he is almost atheist.

-So in our quest to get to know our ward, we invited a less active family to church on Saturday. The girl we talked to actually showed up at church with her non-member friend! We don't know if she has been baptized (we don't have her records), so we are so excited to start teach her.

I felt like I saw a lot of miracles this week. We are starting to find people to teach and get to know other people in the ward. I realized that desire is everything. We are commanded to seek the Kingdom of God first and then (and only then) will the things we seek be added unto us (3 Nephi 13:33). We need to desire this and then God will bless us. Just something that I've been thinking about this past week.

Anyways, I hope you all have a great week! Find something to laugh about. :)

Love you!!

Sister Johns