Converting Columbus: July 9th, 2013 - Almost one month in the field!!! :)

Hey all!

First off, Happy Birthday to my amazing brother Braden who I love and miss dearly! I hope you had a fabulous birthday!! :)

So this week has been awesome!

Scripture of the Week
Moroni 8:25-26
"25 And the first fruits of repentance is baptism; and baptism cometh by faith unto the fulfilling the commandments; and the fulfilling the commandments bringeth a remission of sins;
26 And the remission of sin bringeth meekness and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God."

I came across this scripture while reading the Book of Mormon this week and I just loved it so much! It is truly inspiring because it sums up the whole process of conversion right there and what we need to strive for continuously. It is so inspiring and it meant so much to me as I strive to become better and grow more! :)

Quote of the Week
"There is neither man or woman in this church who is not on a mission. That mission will last as long as they live, and it is to do good, to promote righteousness, to teach the principles of truth, and to prevail upon themselves and everybody around them to live those principles that they may obtain eternal life."

This quote is awesome because it talks about how each and every one of us is always on a mission. We always have the duty and responsibility to spread the gospel and be an example as a member and a representative of this church.

Highlights of the Week
1. We met with Destiny twice and she is amazing! She is right on track for her baptism on the 20th of July and I am so lucky to be a part of it! Things are going well and she is continuing to grow so strong in this gospel already and we have only known her 3 weeks! :)

2. Our dinner appointment on Saturday fell through so we decided to go out to eat at Bob Evans which is like a breakfast place. We were there waiting for our food when this guy comes up and just sits right next to us. He asked us about the Book of Mormon and then started laughing and said he was member of a ward next to us. We chatted for a bit and he was so awesome and then he bought our dinner and left with his family. It was so nice and I really appreciated his excitement and that he was willing to just buy our dinner randomly. I guess just one of the perks of being a missionary! :)

3. We helped a less active member pack some clothes up because she is moving in December and it was awesome! She is so sweet and ready to come back to church. Each time we meet with her she becomes more solid in her resolve to come back to the gospel and this week she promised she would come to church which so exciting and I love her! :)

4. On the night of July 3rd, our city had a fireworks show and we didn't think we would be able to watch them because we have to be in our apartment by 9:00 and in bed by 10:30 but they did them at about 10:00 and they were right outside our front window. We had like the best view and it was awesome! The show lasted like 15 minutes which was great and I loved every second of it! :) Fireworks are an incredible boost of excitement and gratitude.

5. Sister Mitchell was invited to go to a training meeting last Tuesday because she is a Sister Training Leader which is like the equivalent of a zone leader but they are only over sisters. But I wasn't invited so I went to work at the mission office for the day but it was awesome! I never realized how much work it takes to keep mission running smoothly and there are only 2 senior couples in charge of like all of it. I definitely learned a new appreciation for all their hard work and the fact that that is why we can be successful as missionaries.

6. Last highlight is that we had a district fun day last Monday during our P-day. We had a little barbecue in the woods and it was so relaxing and nice. I almost felt like a normal person for a few hours which was surprisingly peaceful.

Funny Story
So the other day, we ate dinner at a member's house. There little boy who is like 6 was so afraid of us. He wouldn't look at us or anything and it took his parents forever to get him to come down for dinner. It was the weirdest thing because I am not used to be disliked because I am a missionary. But then halfway through dinner, he turned right around and was joking with us and wouldn't stop talking to us. He was a little smitten by us and our attention and during dessert, he sat right next to me and watched me eat for like 5 minutes. It was a little creepy but mostly just funny and he started crying when we left because he wanted us to stay.

Miracle of the Week
So we had been having some troubles with finding new investigators and not having any success or progress. We were trying so hard to keep our spirits up and work harder to be our best but it wasn't really working. Finally yesterday we had a breakthrough. We didn't necessarily get tons of investigators or high numbers in lessons and appointments, we just just had a great day. We finally stopped focusing on the people as numbers and just worried about helping them in any way we could. We had specific people we planned to visit rather than tracting aimlessly and we just had positive attitudes all day. We met a lot of awesome people and some of them were very open and willing to hear more and meet with us again. It was an amazing day and I am so grateful for the Lord watching over and blessing us for our hard work. He tested us for a bit and then blessed us with what we needed right when we needed it to help us learn and grow and continue to be better and work harder.

I am so excited to keep learning and growing and I am amazed with how much I have learned already! My testimony is so much stronger and I love bearing it every single chance I get! It's truly amazing and I am grateful for my Heavenly Father, the Spirit, and Jesus Christ-my Savior and Redeemer!! :)

This Church is true and I love it! I love serving the Lord with all my heart, might, mind and strength!!! :) I love and miss you all!! Lovin' life and Livin' my dreams!!! :)

Love, Sister Britni Johnson