Ending the transfer with a bang! Green Bay 6/18/18

Hello everyone!

So after much anticipation I have received the news about the last 6 weeks of my mission. *drum roll* I'm staying in Green Bay! Sister Koford is getting 6 weeks shafted to Muskego! And all the STLs are training! So trio life for my last 6 weeks. My new comp is Sister Oborne. She is awesome! It will be a wonderful time. 

SO Tuesday we went on exchanges. I was with Hermana Bennett in GB, we had an awesome time! When we exchanged back we went to an appointment right after. On our way to the next appointment we were driving down main street. As we were stopping at a light it turned green we were speeding up when someone crashed into is from behind sending us into the car in front of us. Thank goodness sister Koford was driving. She pulled over and we went out to see the damage. We were fine just a bit shaken up. The police and a fire truck and an ambulance all came. But we were fine. Our car wasn't as fine though...yeahhhh. Our mission nurse made us go to urgent care to get the all clear...so after going to one in a Walgreens we found one that would take us. What an adventure! 

Other things from this week....the zone leaders have a new greenie! So now there will be 6 missionaries in one ward...ha. 

That's all for this week! If you're bored check out this video we've been obsessed with..its so good!

The Savior Understands Me
http://mediasrv.lds.org/media-services/ML/size/5180492360001/1280/720/1337069

Have an awesome week!!

Love you all!

Sister Johns

When life gets you down, ya know what you gotta do?? Green Bay 6/11/18

Dear everyone,

Wow. What a week. It seemed like 3 weeks long. But it's P-day again! So quick run through of the week:

Monday: So we've been trying to do things other than zone sport...cause we're sick of zone sports. Monday we went to the wildlife sancuary! It was full of geese...so many geese. There were other animals too like possums, snakes, and some turtles. But mostly geese. We had a good time feeding them with the corn people drop haha. That was our P-day fun!

Tuesday: We had district meeting! It was all about member missionary work. From MLC it is going to be a bigger push now. So I am excited about that. We are going to be trying to do this specific member lesson that was presented this week. SO we will see how it goes! Our lesson with Trent fell through so we stopped by several potentials. WE also went to the Sprint store cause our phone was having troubles. We have a good time talking to the people there! They're pretty cool. We decided they need to have a show similar to the office in that Sprint store. It'd be great. We had dinner with they Pypers! I love the Pypers. They are just awesome. Then we went out for ice cream with a less active member in the ward. 

Wednesday: We got to play volleyball in the morning! There is a group of ladies that play every Wednesday morning and most of them aren't members. SO that was fun. I realized just how bad I am at volley ball haha. We were going to have a lesson with Crystal, but I guess she's out of town. SO we ended up having a good chat with the new Relief Society president. Wednesday afternoon was crazy...nothing ever goes as planned haha. Bu we did have dinner with the Behms! They are also awesome. They are so good! A family of girls so I felt at home. :) We had correlation that evening. The Elders weren't there, so that was weird. Since they are zone leaders they were in the UP doing exchanges all week. 

Thursday: We were going to have lunch with a member....but stuff happened and she never showed up. We actually did have a lesson with Trent and it went well! We talked briefly about the restoration and the Book of Mormon. He's a black guy with dreds, he's pretty cool. We just sat outside of his apartment in the grass. Afterwards he said we made a peace circle haha. We had dinner with the Raus. They live about 30 minutes away...it was such a beautiful drive! We love road trips. So funny! So we pull up and--oh they have 3 boys, one's on a mission and they have a bunch of land. SO we pull up and see one of the boys without a shirt on...we're like ahhhhhhh!!! Shirtless Rau boy!! Haha. THEN we get inside and he comes down (with a shirt one this time) and he has a hug gash on the top of his head! They are in the process of trying to find things to stitch him up...so I felt at home haha. But they didn't have all the stuff and they both had to go to his office to get the supplies. Everyone was So calm. They've done this before. Here's the funny part...brother Rau isn't a doctor...he's a dentist! I didn't know that until they left. It was pretty funny. Also we had prepared a message with a story about some boys who'd gotten hurt...how perfect right? Anyways, we also saw Marla that night! Last time before her baptism! We had a real talk about how Saten works hard on people before and after they make good decisions. She teared up (as always) as she said she wasn't doing this on a whim, she was doing this for herself and was completely  committed. ANy fears we had were set at rest. AH! I love Marla. We also exchanged that night with the Manitowoc sisters.

Friday: So I was with sister Bounds all day Friday. The day before the baptism. Aparently we had a lot more to do to plan the baptism than we thought. Cause all the other plans we had fell through and we ended up helping sister Lieberenz prepare for the baptism (she's Marla's good friend from HS). 

Saturday: Marla's baptism!! It was so lovely. She came 45 minutes early haha. She had her other good friend come down from Minnesota. It was quite the programs haha. So we were there setting up. It was about a quarter to 11 (when it was supposed to start) and no one except Marla and her friend Ann were there. Haha, but people did come. Mormon standard time. It was really good though! There was a lot of music. It was so sweet as we started Marla just couldn't believe it was actually happening. When we took her back to the baptismal font she so excited! We had her pause for a minute before she actually went into the font. She was so emotional, it was to tender. When she got out she said, "I did it! I did it!" and she punched her fist into the air! Haha, I love Marla. It was a wonderful time. It took a long time to get everything all cleaned up afterwards, but we did! We had dinner with the Vanderhydens, they are also awesome. WE had a good discussion about The Infinite Atonement, Believing Christ, and Following Christ--so basically a book club. Haha, they are great. We love them.

Sunday: Best part of the week! (besides Marla's baptism of course). Church was really really good. Marla was confirmed and is now officially a member! It was great, after church we were talking to the Elders. We were talking about how it really was a difficult week for us leading up to the baptism. They said yeah it's hard because Marla is different from any one else. She isn't going anywhere! It was so good to hear because it's true. Teaching Marla has been a miracle. She is a miracle. Funny story. So we went and visited a sister from our ward in the hospital. As we were driving away from the hospital we got stuck at a light. Then we realized that brother Behm was next to us! We started talking to him and realized that he was going to go visit the same sister! But he thought that she was at home, he didn't realize that she was in the hospital. So we helped him out. Isn't that great? It made us smile. :) 

There has been a lot on my mind this week. But to everyone who may be struggling, or discouraged, of feeling weak remember the words of Elder Holland (I think this was him), you are doing better than you think you are. I know Heavenly Father is mindful of everyone. I know that he hears and listens to prayers. I know that everything He does is for our good--somehow. I am learning that everything happens for a reason. So take heart! Life is good. Don't forget to laugh this week. And that's all I got this week. ;)

Love you all!

Sister Johns 

Pictures from this week! 

1. MTC district reunited at MLC!! 

2. Green BAY

3. The Behms!

4. and 5 Marla's baptism!

Here's a district picture. Except 3 of the elders are Hmong, the 3 in the back. They are in our ward but not in our district. :)

Green Bay week 4. Green Bay 6/4/18

Helloo everyone!!

So quick run down of the week:

Tuesday:

So Tuesday evening we had a lesson with Marla. She is so awesome. We got there before sister Lieberenz--which never happens! But it was a blessing because she felt like she had to tell us some things when it was just us together. It was very good! When we were all there we went over the baptismal interview questions. She passed with flying colors! She bore the sweetest testimony after each question. Then when we were done she said, "Oh, but there's so much more!" She then proceeded to tell us all about prophets, the Plan of Salvation (including the names of the 3 degrees of glory and the qualifications for each of them, the temple, and serving in the church. Haha! She is definitely ready! She also has a degree in reseach...so she is prepared. :)

Wednesday:

We had a CRAZY morning! We were getting calls from everyone it seemed like. We had to do a quick conference call with the zone leaders and all the district leaders to talk about our goals and readjust one of them. So that was crazy. We also felt like we needed to do an impromptu blitz in our area with the Manitowoc sisters after district meeting. We had district meeting and it was really good! We discussed finding and how we can become better at it. Several people shared D&C 84:88

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

We are working together to share the gospel with all those around us. This is the greatest work there is! It is bring salvation to all those who will head our message. Sometimes I forget just how important this message really is. As I have come to realize the importance of the gospel in my own life, I've felt the urgency to share it with others. And we are not alone in this work. 

Anyways, we had a good time blitzing for a few hours and getting to know the sisters more. They really appreciated it. We had a busy evening with a dinner appointment and correlation. At the dinner we tracted into them and shared a quick message like we usually do with someone we just met. It was fun for them! 

Thursday:

Was weekly planning day. We needed it! It just seems like there is so much to do and so little time. We did get in contact with a lady named Lori who is a member and wants to return to church. We've been trying to get in contact with her for a while. So that was good. We has dinner with a member family who lives about 30 minutes away. Their home is soooo beautiful! IT is so green. They have a cute little garden, chickens, a few cows, and some horses. It was so beautiful. We had to rush out because we drove to Nennah that night. We have MLC the next day. We stayed in the Winnebago sisters apartment with 2 other sets of sisters. Slumber party! 

Friday:

So MLC was held in the Oshkosh building. It was so weird to go back to somewhere I've served before! We went to McDonalds for breakfast. I was standing in line deciding what to order when behind me I saw Mirto! A recent convert who lives in Oshkosh! AHH!! It was sooo good to see her! We both about cried haha. It was so fun. After that we went to MLC (mission leadership council). It was a big deal cause all the district leaders came as well--that usually doesn't happen. There was a couple guys from Salt Lake who went out with several missionaries that week. They talked to us a lot about how we can improve our missionary work in our mission. It was really neat to hear his insights! It motivated me to work harder--but not just harder, smarter. So that lasted ALL day. WE got back around 8 then exchanged with the Spanish sister at 8:30. I was SOOO tired. But it was fun talking to them about what I'd learned that day!

Saturday:

I got to be in several lessons that were all in Spanish. I tried to dust off my mediocre (at best) Spanish skills. But I could say much haha. It was fun though! The sisters are so good at Spanish! It was fun. Then as we drove to the church to exchange back it started to down pour! So Sister Koford and I took off our shoes and ran and jumped in all the puddles! It was the best. Best part of the week. :)

Sunday:

Church is always the best. WE had our investigator Crystal come to church with her 7 year old daughter Miracle. They are black and she is sooo cute and sassy. Haha, she almost come home with us! SO we didn't have dinner that night and were kinda super sad because we were fasting and so starving. But just as we were about to go home we get a text from brother Mills, our ward mission leader inviting us over for dinner. Blessings! We also celebrated Gayle's graduation from HS (she is sister Lieberenz daughter). So fun stuff.

That's about all I've got! It was a short week because of Memorial day last week. So that was kinda weird. But it was good! 

Hope you all have an amazing week!

Love,

Sister Johns

Green Bay 5/29/18

Door County

Dear everyone,

Hello!! Happy late memorial day!! Our P-day is today because of that. Hope you all had a wonderful memorial day! We sure did. 🇺🇸 it's so wonderful to take a day to remember those who have served our country. We got to drive out to Kewanee, which is about 45 minutes away from where we live. It's in the edge of out area. We looked the road trip! It was SO beautiful to take a drive in the country. We saw the green rolling hills and so many farms with red barns. AH! It was so beautiful. It was a perfect way to spend memorial day! We went out there to contact a HQ referral that hadn't been contacted in over a year! We met the old man and found out that he was a veteran. At first he didn't have time to talk, but 45 minutes later we left. We got to show him about the Book of Mormon. So awesome! So yeah, that was our memorial day.

What else happened this week...

Oh another miracle. So we are helping Marla to prepare for baptism. She is super prepared! She has a very close friend in our ward. So we already taught her about the word of wisdom and she agreed to give up coffee. This week we learned that Marla smokes...BUT wait there's more to the story. Sister Lieberenz however knew this, and prayed that Marla would feel sick at the thought of smoking. SO when we found out that Marla smokes we also found out that she feels sick eveytime she thinks about smoking. Sister Lieberenz's prayer was answered. Miracles happen!! 

Another funny story. We went with Marla and sister Lieberenz to a baptism in Sturgeon Bay. It was so nice. Afterwards (sister Lieberenz drove) we started driving the wrong way. Marla then says soooo we are kidnapping you and taking you around Door County! Hahaha, it was so much fun. It is sooooo beautiful! I am beginning to loooove the flatness and green here. We went all the way up to Fish Creek. The little towns are so cute. It was a blast.  

I'm not going in order of the week, but I had my first district meeting in Green Bay. It was fun! Afterwards we went out to lunch with the Manitowoc sisters. 

What else happened...oh! So Saturday after our adventure in Door County we had to do some weekly planning. After we realized that we hadn't eaten anything but cheese curds all day (squeaky cheese). So we were starving. And all we felt like was pizza. So we were going to go to Costco cause we could get it by the slice. But it was closed! We are sooooo sad. So we just kept driving cause we had to get to an appointment. Then sister Kodord felt like we should go down town and turned down a street. Then low and behold we found Palitos! Pizza by the slice! Heavenly Father is mindful of everyone. It was a good dinner. :) 

Fun finding story. So lately we've been pretty busy. So we haven't had a lot of time to go tracking. But we do our best to talk to everyone and find on the way. We've found that this is a lot more productive than simply tracting. So one time this week we had about 15 minutes before we had to go to an appointment so we decided to knock a few doors of this apartment complex we found. Before we got there however I saw a door to a house that had a poster of toy story on the inside of the screen door. So obviously I wanted to knock it. So we did. And we found this lady who wasn't super interested in religion. But we somehow got her talking and found out that they don't party, drink, or any of that stuff! We were amazed! So we shared our testimonies and set up a return appointment. It took all of the 15 minutes we had. I love being placed where the Lord needs us to be. 

Anyways. Thabks for putting us with This random email haha. This week I've been focusing charity and how that is the center of the gospel. Taken from a recent general conference talk:

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “The first great commandment of all eternity is to love God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength—that’s the first great commandment. But the first great truth of all eternity is that God loves us with all of His heart, might, mind, and strength. That love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life.” 

Love is at the center of the gospel. We can receive the gift of charity if we pray for it. At a dinner appointment this week one member talked about the scripture Mornoni 7:47. In it it says possessed. When we usually think of that word it has a negative connotation to it. But think about it. What if we were possessed with charity. It would move us, take possession of our thoughts, desires, and actions. How wonderful would that be?? I hope that this week we can all be a little bit more kind and loving and tolerant of those around us. That is what Jesus Christ would do if He were here. 

Love you all!

Sister Johns

Baptism by FIRE. Green Bay 5/21/18

Dear Lovely People,

Wow! What a CRAZY week!! This first full week of being a sister training leader has been absolutely crazy. But also wonderful, exciting, and full of learning opportunities. Sister Koford made the comment that I'm being baptized by fire this week as a brand new STL haha. SO...

Monday we had interviews with President. It was much needed! I have grown to love and respect President Williams. He is so loving and good. We also had a zone BBQ! It was super fun! We made brauts and had watermelon. I brought my slackline! It was fun to meet and hang out with everyone in our zone. Our zone by the way includes the UP (upper Michigan). So fun stuff!

Tuesday we had zone conference! I have never been so nervous for a zone conference my whole mission haha--which makes sense since this is the first time I've gotten to give a training. Sister Koford and I gave a training on the Holy Ghost. And it was very led by the Holy Ghost. I learned a lot by preparing and giving the training. We also had trainings on Revelation by President, Meekness by the zone leaders, and ministering by Sister Williams. The topics were largely taken from general conference talks, which was awesome. We also received our smart phones! SO crazy! So that was exciting. I learned that I am faster at texting with the old slider phones now...so that's fun. But biggest pro is we get to see and send emojis! Haha, jk. It really is exciting to see how the Lord hastens His work. And I think that receiving smart phones is one way that He is hastening His work. Tuesday I also went on my first exchange! And I took over the area! So that was nerve wracking...but I survived! And I only got lost a couple of times. So blessings!! I was with Sister Bounds, who has actually served in Green Bay. So she knew the people and that helped a lot. It was a good day!

Wednesday we had an awesome day finishing our exchange! WE taught our investigator Marla, who is getting ready to be baptized. She is sooo sweet and SUPER excited for this next step in her journey. We taught her about the Word of Wisdom which she had heard of before. Quitting coffee is going to be a struggle, but she is all in! SO wonderful! We got to talk to some other cool people. It is soooo awesome to see how the Lord places people in your path. All we have to do is have the courage to open our mouths and testify of what we know. After we exchanged back sister Koford and I went to stop by a HQ referral that we'd met last week. His name is John funny enough. SO we got to stop by and meet a different John...who is drunk. But we start talking to him and end up meeting his friend named Bill (who wasn't drunk fortunately!). Bill we found out has been studying different religions for along time BUT hasn't studied Mormons yet. It was definitely NOT a coincidence that we came by that day. We talked for about an hour just on their front porch. By the end we smelt like beer and smoke, but we knew that we were an answer to a prayer. I just love being a missionary!! Also we didn't end up eating dinner until like 9 at night cause we had to do some paper work haha. 

Thursday we had a normal day! It was so fun! We had a lesson with a semi-active member named Caitlyn. She has a crazy dog who is so cute. But during the prayer she came up and licked my right on the mouth haha! Anyways, we did some weekly planning and also had a dinner appointment. I love getting to know the members here! Another cool story, we went to contact this referral we received for a less active member who just moved into our area. But we were having troubles finding her address. So we end up knocking on the wrong apartment. WE met this lady named Barbie and her boyfriend. They kindly directed us to the right apartment. As we were going back to our car we felt like we needed to give Barbie a card. So we go back and talk to her. We ended up learning that she just has surgery and was interested in learning more about God! Blessings!!

Friday we had exchanges again with the other sisters in our zone. The Spanish sisters in Green Bay. I got to go with Hermana Bennett and Koplin and work with them (they are in a trio right now). It was so fun doing Spanish work for a day! Also kinda frustrating cause we'd knock on a door and I would want to talk to them but I couldn't cause I don't speak Spanish. Even at our dinner appointment I could kinda make out what they were saying, but I could reply very well cause...yeah. But I loved it! We had a good time.

Saturday we had our return appointment with Bill--and guess what?? He was actually there! He listened attentively and is very interested in reading the Book of Mormon. John, his drunk friend was there along with his girlfriend (John's). I love teaching and testifying about The Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith. It is so powerful! I love it. At the end of the lesson He go to leave and Bill says, so can we meet again sometime? AH! So excited. :) WE found out later that sister Bounds was sick. And all of our plans for the day had just fallen through...God is so good haha. So we decided to take a road trip to Manitowoc! Sister Koford took sister Crockett out to work and I stayed with Sister Bounds. It was fun! The drive was so lovely. It is soooo green now! I am learning to love and appreciate the beauty of Wisconsin--even the flatness. 

Sunday was lovely! We had a nice church service. Hilkiah came to church! He is this awesome black guy who in our investigator. But we cancelled our appointment. SO it was my first time meeting him! We also found out that Marla hasn't drank coffee for 5 days! It was such good news! Cause we were honestly a little worried about her. But she is doing awesome. Blessings! We also had our return appointment with Barbie that afternoon. IN the morning we were planning on what we'd teach her. And somehow we found this video about life after death. We were initially thinking about teaching the Restoration, but some how we decided on that video. So as we are talking with her she tells us that she has been married 4 times. And out of those 4 times, so of her husbands have died. The last time was fairly recent and she is still struggling with it. It was truly inspired to share the video we did. I love how the Lord is able to work through us as imperfect as we are! AH! It made me so happy. 

Anyways, sorry for the novel. But this was a crazy week and I wanted to share everything that happened! This week I have had to face some of my fears. As I have struggled to do what the Lord has called me to do I have learned some very vital lessons. I have learned that "whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day." (Alma 36:3) When we do put our full trust in God and Jesus Christ that He will help us to accomplish all the He needs us do to. But it required us putting our faith, trust into action. I also came across this quote which I thought was perfect for this week.

"As we make Christ the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of our convictions"

~ President Thomas S. Monson

I know that this is true! I know that Joseph Smith was called to be a prophet of God and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I love it! 

Have an amazing week! And don't forget to take a second to slow down and recognize how the Lord is helping and blessing you from day to day.

Love,

Sister Johns