Cambios, cambios, cambios

I remember before my mission when change was a little nerve racking,
but always really exciting. Then I served a mission....

So we normally get transfer calls on Saturday. The zone leaders call
and say that President still is making final decisions. So we get the
call last night and learn that...I am leaving?? Needless to say we are
both very surprised, since my companion leaves in two weeks and I just
spent the past transfer preparing to take over the area. Apparently
the Lord is trying to teach me a lot about faith this transfer haha.
So that's a real bummer. I love this area, and was so excited to keep
working here for a while. It's such a fun city and the people in the
branch here are just the best. I'm gonna miss them a lot. We'll find
out where I am going and who is coming here tonight, so I won't have
that info until next week. But it's been an awesome transfer in
Annapolis and with Hermana Tuttle. Who knows, maybe I'll come back
later in my mission! Other than that, we've had another kind of weird
week where none of our normal people were available, but we met lots
of new ones which is always fun! One of my favorite people we have
worked with these past two weeks is a less active girl named Ester.
She is from El Salvador and is about my age and has the cutest
daughter, Mackenzie. She was baptized a few years ago, but because of
 some decisions, has felt too guilty to come back to church. We met her
two weeks ago, and on Wednesday, while I was on exchanges with Sister
Routt (an English sister) I got to teach about the power of repentance
and the atonement. It was such an awesome lesson and the spirit was so
strong. That chica is so awesome and honestly a spiritual powerhouse.
She wants to do what is right and is willing to go through the
difficult process of repentance to get the Spirit again. She came to
church and is taking the necessary steps to get back to the Savior. I
love her and am going to miss working with her. This week we also
invited half the world to church. Or so it seems. We had so many
people who said they would come, or try to come. Sadly, not many of
them could make it, but we were so happy to see the ones that could.
Church is truly a wonderful place and the spirit we feel there is what
allows us to get through the week. Well, I can't think of too much
more to say. My comp and I are still a little shell shocked with the
changes that will be happening. There will probably be two new sisters
coming into the area. So Hermana Tuttle has the challenge of teaching
them the area in two weeks! I'm sure she will need your prayers. Other
than that, les quiero mucho! Gracias por todo su apoyo y su ayuda!

Con amor,

Hermana Yonson

Joaquín proud to be from Ecuador

 Gorgeous sunset off the Naval Academy Bridge

"No thanks, I'm waiting on the aliens"

 

Muy buenos días familia!

Missions are like this weird time warp where time goes by both really slowly and insanely fast at the same time. Like each day feels pretty normal, but the weeks just fly. By the time I email out again, I'll be letting you know who my new comp is gonna be! 

In general, there isn't too much to report on this week. We've had another weird week. We taught un montón of first lessons to people who weren't really interested. Our regular people are still being really difficult to get in contact with, but we are finding new ones everyday. It almost feels like we're just sifting though the masses to meet those people who are being prepared by Heavenly Father to accept the gospel. We have definitely faced some opposition and it has been really hard on my companion. She goes home next month, and it's been difficult for her to see the area progress really well and then kind of reset itself. But it's in those difficult times that we have to stay the most optimistic va? The blessing from it all though is that I have been able to go to bed smiling every night because of the blessings that we have seen each day, whether it was finding a less active member in the street who came from El Salvador and doesn't know where the church is, or as simple as someone offering us water in this heat and humidity. The greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that you did all you could with the time the Lord gave you. 

I wanted to share an analogy that one of the young men shared on Sunday. He is about to go on his mission to Chile, so he wanted to give a farewell talk in the Spanish branch. He talked about a fisherman who had found a pearl and placed it under his bed. Years passed and he forgot about the pearl. One day, his home caught fire, and when some men were going through the wreckage they came across the pearl. The pearl was valued at billions of dollars and was the largest and most valuable pearl to date. And this fisherman had completely forgotten he even owned it! Ali'i compared that pearl the atonement of our Savior. We cannot comprehend the blessings that accepting the atonement could bring to us and yet, how many of us simply let those blessings sit under our beds? It can likewise be compared to the gospel. We are so blessed to have the fullness of the gospel, and so we need to share it with others! The gospel can bless no one, including ourselves, if it is simple collecting dust. It was a great analogy and there are so many lessons from it! Pues, eso es todo que pensaba en compartir hoy día. Les quiero muchísimo y les invitan que comparten la perla que es el evangelio restaurado! De esta manera podemos vivir el evangelio en su plenitud. Me encanta ser misionera y gracias por todo su apoyo! Hasta la próxima semana!

Hermana Yonson

Intercambios, Helado y Peses

Primero, congrats to my awesome hermano Caleb!!! He will be going to
the MTC this week and I couldn't be more proud! Even though I'm kinda
bummed I won't see him for another 2 years.

But...I did it! I have officially made it one year in the mission!
It's weird, and an oddly anti climatic day because you kinda are just
doing what you've always been doing, but it's cool to be able to look
at where you were and where you are now. Sometimes, we don't quite
realize all the progress we've made since we've been making it
gradually. But it's there!
So I spent my one year mark, which was Friday, on exchanges with
Hermana Mecham, one of my friends from DC North! Since Hermana Tuttle and I are the only
sisters in the district, and live in a two man apartment, it was really
nice to see a familiar face, ask how everyone is doing, and learn lots
from her! She is an awesome hermana. We got some ice cream to
celebrate my year mark occasion :) we also now have an unintentional
pet! We came home for dinner Friday night and Hermana Mecham comes out
of the bathroom and says, "Hermana Johnson, we have fish." We had left
our apartment unlocked for a bit so the elders could drop off some
office chairs cause they were visiting our upstairs neighbor. Poor
choice. The zone leaders and our district leader decided to fill up
our bathtub with goldfish. They left some nice sticky notes around
telling us we are now "fishermen" just like the original 12 apostles.
Sadly only one is still living, and we are anxiously seeking an owner
since we are definitely not allowed to have any pets in the apartment.
Hna Mecham and I were dying laughing.
Other than that our week has been kinda off. We have taught SO many
street lessons, but have barely been able to see the people we
normally work with haha. But we had an awesome first lesson with this
lady named Marisol last night. She is from Honduras, and has had a lot
of friends who have been members, but never has gone to a church
herself. I love teaching Hondurans, one cause they're great, and two,
cause the church is so strong there. People always come here and tell
us of how impressed they were by the members there. But we taught
about the Restoration of the gospel, and the spirit was really strong.
Nothing too exciting, but as a missionary, really a great lesson with
the spirit is all you can ask for!
Just like the members of Honduras, I encourage all of you to be good
examples to those around you. You never know how many people are
watching, so let them know you're a member, and then live up to the
reputation! You will help so many missionaries down the road by being
an example and inviting others to come to church.
Les quiero muchísimo! Y espero que tengan buenas semanas donde sea que
se encuentren. Yo sé que Nuestro Padre Celestial nos ama, y que
Jesucristo vive! Hasta la próxima semana!

Hermana Yonson

Downtown Annapolis

 Fishing fishies the next morning

 Ice cream!

Un Año Ya

In all honesty I had completely forgotten that I will hit my year my
year mark this week until I looked at a calendar this morning. I'm
really not sure how that happened, but I am grateful for every day of
this past year. It has been the fastest, most difficult, and easily
most rewarding year of my life. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
So this week has just flown by and as usual, a lot has happened. One
of my favorite things this week is we got to do service! People never
let us do service cause we are girls in skirts, but this one family let
us help them remodel their basement and service really just makes the
world a better place. We also had the presidente de estaca come
yesterday and talk about the Church's new website, JustServe. It shows
people service opportunities to serve in your surrounding community
and we get to use it as missionaries! It's really neat, check it out.
My favorite lesson from the week was with Juan Daniel, our
investigator on baptismal date. He still hasn't gotten Sundays off so
we are working with that, but we finally taught him the restoration.
Like I mentioned last time, he had been taught the other lessons, and
even committed to baptism, but hadn't been taught the restoration, so
we did that. It was probably one of my favorite restoration lessons
ever! He has been so prepared by Heavenly Father for the gospel right
now, after the lesson we were talking about what he was thinking with
all this new information. He said he felt something but couldn't quite
explain it. Not confused, but like the wheels were all turning and it
was all falling in place. It was amazing to see the effect that the
Spirit had and that it was able to help him recognize the truthfulness
of our words. He is now reading the Book of Mormon and praying about
it for himself.
Well, I know my mom is expecting some neat, 12 things I've learned in
the past twelve months or something creative like that, but for the
sake of your time and mine, I think I'll just bear my testimony (sorry
mom). Bring on the Spanglish.
I know that God loves us. He is our Father in Heaven and He sent us
each here for a purpose. He has a perfect plan for each one of us to
return to live with Him again. I know He still speaks to us today. He
is not as far as He seems; He is in every detail of our lives.
Likewise, I know that Jesucristo is our Savior and Redeemer. I know He
lived, suffered, died, and resurrected all for us. There is nothing He
did not overcome. I know that He loves us so much that He restored His
church and gospel once again on the earth through a young prophet
named Joseph Smith and because of that, we have all the blessings and
ordinances of the fullness of the gospel. The Bible and the Book of
Mormon are truly the words of God and the guides to eternal life. If
we have faith, repent, are baptized and receive the gift of the Holy
Ghost, and endure to the end we can have the blessings of eternal life
with our loved ones and our Heavenly Family. We were sent to this
earth to be victorious just our Savior was before us. I testify that
He lives.

Yo sé que Dios nos conoce. Que El es nuestro Padre Celestial y que El
nos mandó aquí por un propósito. Tiene un plan perfecto por cada uno
de nosotros que regresamos a vivir en Su presencia. Sé que El nos
habla hoy en día. No esta tan lejos como pensamos; está en cada
detalle de nuestras vidas. También, sé que Jesucristo es nuestro
Salvador y Redentor. Sé que vivió, sufrió, murió y se resucitó por
nosotros. El superó todo. Yo sé que El nos ama tanto que El restauró
Su iglesia y evangelio por medio de un profeta que se llamaba José
Smith, y debido a eso tenemos las bendiciones y ordenanzas de la
plenitud del evangelio. La Biblia y el Libro de Mormon son las
palabras de Dios y nuestra guía hacia la vida eterna. Si tenemos fe,
nos arrepentimos, nos bautizamos y recibimos el don del Espíritu
Santo, y perseveramos hasta el fin tendremos las bendiciones de la
vida eterna con nuestros seres queridos y nuestra familia celestial.
Yo testificó que El Salvador vive.

Hermana Yonson

Awful quality but this is the bridge I drive over ever time to church.

 The branch president's daughter's baptism.  We played 3 musical numbers

Annapolis

 

I'm not quite sure what else to title this, so there you go haha. But this has been a week of many, many lessons learned, and some awesome experiences! But before I get to that, overall the area is really starting to grow on me. I'm telling you all, you need to do a quick Google search of Annapolis. It is the coolest town! We're going downtown a little later today to really discover it some more, so I'll have more pictures to send later on. The people here are awesome and it is a privilege to work in this area. My comp is awesome. She has really been helping me with street contacting, since it's something a little out of my comfort zone, but is very successful here. And of course it always just makes you love people a little more haha.

One awesome lesson, and also really funny lesson, we had this week was with a guy named Juan Daniel. He is around 20ish and the previous sisters had been trying to work with his mom. He is super nice and has been present in the lessons, and so when we caught him at home we thought, hey why not teach him on his own. We set up on his back porch, talked about the gospel of Jesus Christ, which he basically taught himself. Honestly the gospel just clicked with him. And when we talked about the step of baptism he told us he has never been baptized. Actually no one in his family had. It just hadn't felt right yet. The spirit was strong, and he is now preparing to be baptized on September 10. We are super excited to keep working with the family. The funny part is later on when my companion realized he has never been taught about the restoration even though he has a Book of Mormon....just goes to show we missionaries are not immune to human error haha. Needless to say, we know what we will be teaching next time. 

Now on to the lessons learned. There have been 2 very overwhelming themes this past week for me. They just keep coming up whether at church, in my studies, or from lessons. The first is about faith. I have really been striving to understand faith better because I feel like I have just a very basic concept of what it is, and it is so misunderstood by the world. Faith does not mean merely a belief in Christ. It means acting on that belief. We believe the sun will come up in the morning, so we set our alarms for 6:30, knowing it will be there. The faith part is not knowing the sun will be there, it is setting the alarm. Equally with faith in Christ, our faith is shown as we take action to come closer to Him. We read our scriptures, say our prayers, and go to church, because we know we will come closer to Him through keeping His commandments. The second theme of the week has been mental illness. The branch here has suffered a lot because of mental illness, and they devoted the past Sunday to the topic. I have learned that sometimes, for those who suffer with depression and other illnesses, faith is a much, much harder concept. Sometimes you don't even have the light to walk towards, you just have to walk. It's like setting the alarm continually for 6:30, but the sun doesn't come up. However, as we learn, we have faith when we, "hope for things which are not seen, which are true." Alma 32:21. I know that even if you are not sure if those steps are in the right direction, there are unseen angels guiding your feet. It is not something to be taken lightly, and I encourage you, that if you suffer, or know someone who suffers, seek help, from a friend, a parent, a bishop. Whoever it may be, because someday the sun will rise when you wake up for that alarm, and you will be glad you kept setting it. 

Again, this is a longer letter, so I apologize to all the missionaries with limited time. Pero les quiero muchísimo y yo quiero agregar mi testimonio que yo sé que esta es la iglesia de Jesucristo. Que fue restaurada otra vez por medio del profeta José Smith, y que Jesucristo dirige la iglesia hoy en día. Él nos ama. Que les tengan una buena semana y que vean la mano de Dios en sus vidas. Está allí!

Hermana Johnson 

We got to go to a nice Mexican birthday party and meet some awesome people!

 

To the Ocean!

Buenos días gente!

How is it already August?? I don't know how this happens. Well this is
probably not going to be too long of an email either since we just
transferred on Wednesday, but I am now here in Annapolis! It's pretty
darn strange because I feel like I'm in a mission all on my own.
Heavenly Father definitely doesn't like keeping me in my comfort zone
haha. The Annapolis stake used to be part of the Baltimore, MD mission
until July, so half the missionaries here are from the Baltimore
mission and half of us are from DC North which makes merging things a
little interesting since every mission has its differences, but it
will just take a little time. I'll second what my friend Elder King said in
one of his emails that the week after transfers always seems pretty
long. I can't believe it hasn't even been a week! It feels like I've
already been here for at least a month or so, but then I realize I
barely know any of the people still haha. I've had a couple
missionaries ask about how the transfer was, and I feel like I can
best describe it by saying that I feel like I started my mission all
over again! Haha I've been out almost a year and now I get to be a
greenie again! But to tell you a little about my area, we live right
by the water and it is gorgeous! I love being able to see the ocean
and drive over all these bridges everyday. Kinda reminds me of Cape
Cod a lot. We're also right next door to the Naval Academy so that's
pretty cool. The area itself is super different than my last one.
Hispanics are the minority here, so I have to get used to seeing
caucasians again haha. It's also a lot wealthier of an area, and it's
the first time I've worked in a branch (what we call our congregations
when they are a little smaller than a usual group). I think my
companion, Hermana Tuttle, said is best when she said that in a branch
you really feel like you are making a huge difference. It's pretty fun
and the people are so nice! I know I'm going to love it here. Oh and
it rains a ton! I'll send a video to demonstrate. Other news, I have
my first gringa companion! She is super nice and I'm excited to work
with her. She goes home in 2 months and so I'll probably be the one
sending her off, but she's been doing great work in this area and will
finish with a lot of success. Other than that, not too much has
happened. Saying goodbye to Landover Hills was definitely one of those
harder goodbyes, but I know I'll get to visit them someday. This week
I have definitely see the influence of the Atonement in my life. I
love the principle of the enabling power of the atonement.  It doesn't
just cover our sins, but helps us day to day to overcome the little
challenges. Not only did Christ suffer the big stuff, but he "hath
descended below them all" DyC 122:8. That includes the little things!
I am so grateful for that so that He, Jesus Christ, can help me
through my daily challenges. Pues, les quiero muchísimo! Y gracias por
todas sus oraciones. Ojalá que tengan una linda semana y que sientan
la Expiación en su vida diaria! Con amor,

Hermana Yonson

Saying goodbye to Oneyna, Alex and Matthew

 And Judy and her boys!  I'm gonna miss them!

 Welcome to Annapolis!

The End of an Era

Well transfer calls came...

And I am saying goodbye to my beloved Landover Hills. I really think
the goodbyes keep getting harder and harder. I'm not quite sure where
I will be going or who I will be with yet, so you'll all have to stay
tuned for next week to learn that. But this week has been a great one.
Obviously with lots of challenges, but I have learned so much and had
so many wonderful experiences as well. We got a new ward mission
leader and he is amazing. He is a returned missionary himself from
many years ago, and when he met with us on Wednesday he continually
expressed his love for us and the work we are doing. Then he said
something that I'm pretty sure I will make my motto for the rest of my
mission. He was holding our progress record and said, "Ahora, su
felicidad es esto." Or your happiness is this now. It really struck a
chord with me. It's true, my happiness is this, these people, this
area, their progression towards conversion. It's what I do and love
every single day. I feel so grateful for that opportunity to have this
happiness. It really is a greater joy than I have ever known. And
although I am so sad to be leaving this area, it has definitely been
my favorite so far, and I know no where else will be quite the same
(partially because I don't feel like I'm in America haha) but I know
Heavenly Father has other things for me to learn elsewhere, and I know
that I will find even more people to love and teach! I don't know that
I have too much else to say and I know if I start going into specific
experiences this email will take about 3 years to read, but I know
that the Lord has blessed me immensely, both in this area and in this
week. I have been able to feel the spirit working through me and
testifying to these people of the truthfulness and simplicity of the
gospel. I am so sad to be leaving Sister Rivas, but also so excited
that she will be taking over the area. I know it's in good hands :)
sorry this is kinda short mom. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say
next week. But until then, espero que tengan una linda semana! Yo sé
que todavía tengo mucho de aprender, pero no hay una feliz andas más
grande que está que tengo ahora. Mi felicidad ES esto! Sé que cuando
realmente vivimos el evangelio con todo nuestro corazón, tenemos un
gozo natural. Jesucristo vino para que tengamos gozo! Les quiero mucho
y les invito que agradezca al Señor por el gozo que tienen en sus
vidas! Hasta la próxima semana y por favor oren por este área!

Hermana Yonson

Why I Believe with Judy! And lots of sisters

 We went to DC for the sunrise

 DC