Warmest Winter I've Ever Had

First Christmas on the mission, check! I loved it and I loved being
able to see your faces through skype, and I wish I could have seen all
of you, but unfortunately time does not allow for that. But it was
wonderful to get to talk to you...only 5 more months till the next
time! 

So Christmas Eve is big for Hispanics, they don't really
celebrate on Christmas Day, but Christmas Eve is an all night fiesta.
Unfortunately as missionaries our fiesta only lasts till 9:30, but it
was still awesome. We went over to the Flores's house, a family in our
ward that is amazing. Hna. Flores is like an adopted mother to me. So
she had us come over early to help her cook, which is not very often
that she'll let you help her cook, and she is an amazing chef so that was
fun, and then we just ate these amazing sandwiches con pollo, way
better than your normal sandwich, and just talked with people up until
we went. It was so much fun just because of the spirit of family and
festivities that was there. 

Then Christmas Day we were with the mission most of the day.  We watched 

Inside Out as a mission, and funny story about that, so there had been a rumor 

going around that we would watch Star Wars, but President had put an end to that. 

Then as we're all sitting there in the theater room in the Visitors Center, the Star
Wars theme music comes on, and the opening credits start rolling. I
almost started crying I was so excited, but then the screen came on
saying "just kidding" and I don't think I've been so let down before
in my life hahaha.

But I've had so many wonderful experiences this week, and I'll share
one with you really quick. On Christmas Eve. I was lying there in bed
just thinking, and I thought about the night, over 2000 years ago,
that a star appeared. I can not imagine the amount of excitement that
surrounded that sign. Or for the Nephites who had suffered persecution
for years, the night was as bright as day. Finally, the sign of the
Savior of the world came. I wondered how I would have felt on that
night. How excited, grateful, amazed, etc, I would have felt. I know
that our Savior did come, and that He came and was crucified so that
we can live again with our families and with Him for eternity. I am
grateful everyday for Him and all that He did and does for me
everyday. Sé que El vive. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas,
and have an amazing new year! Set some nice goals for yourself!

Les quiero mucho,

Hna. Johnson

 Hna Pacheco, yo and Hna Flores on Christmas Eve

 Skype call with the family on Christmas Day!

Christmas is Full of Surprises

Man this week I've learned that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor.
So we're sitting there in transfer meeting and they're announcing all
the companionships in my zone and they get to Glenmont, and they
announce, "Hna. Luna-Chico and Hna. Minguito...and they will be
receiving Hna. Acosta" I'm very certain my "what?!?" was audible to
the entire room. So backtracking a little bit. Hna. Acosta and I were
told by president that we would be staying together for a while, at
least another transfer (6 weeks). We knew we were moving apartments
cause that's what they had told us when we got the phone call on
Saturday night. "Hna Acosta and Johnson you will be moving but staying
in the same ward." No big deal. So we have all our stuff packed and
ready, but no major changes. Literally everyone thought we were
staying together, the ward, the missionaries, ourselves. So needless
to say, we were both incredibly shocked. But...long story short, I
have a new companion!! Her name is Hna. Pacheco and we both came out
together so we are definitely struggling making it through right now.
She and I both finished training, so it's kind of like being a really
nice warm cocoon and then being thrown into Arctic Ocean without a
life vest. A little intimidating, but we'll make it through. She's an
awesome teacher, so I have so much to learn from her.
So I am still in the same area, and funny enough, Hna. Acosta is one of my roommates.
The ward is very confused because we're still both there but not
companions anymore. I hope they catch on soon.


So this week has been a little crazy with moving, and transfers and
all that, but I guess one of my favorite experiences happened
yesterday. Cynthia is the daughter of one of our members and she just
got home this week from her mission. She is amazing, and such an
example to me of being committed to the work. So yesterday she had a
fireside and asked me to bear my testimony. I was sitting there
listening to her as she bore her testimony of this work and it really
hit me in that moment, that this is it. This is the only chance I get
to be a missionary, at least in this sort of way. It was probably the
most motivating thought and experience I've ever had. I want to be
able to stand at that pulpit at the end of these amazing 18 months and
say I tried as hard as I could. I'll be working hard to get there.


Something I loved from my studies this week was a scripture in 1 Nephi
15:11. It says, "if ye will harden not your hearts, and ask me in
faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my
commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you." This
applies to so many aspects of our lives, whether it's growing our own
testimony, answering doubts, learning where we need to go next in
life, or simply who to help that day, I know that if we have anything
that we wish to know, and we have the faith that God will answer us,
He will. He listens to and answers every prayer. So this week I
challenge you to take your concerns to the Lord first. He is the one
who can guide us in the direction we need to go, and He is more than
happy to, we simply need to ask first.


Les quiero muchísimo! Tengan una buena semana y Feliz Navidad!

Hna. Johnson

The Week Everyone Answered Their Phones

Okay so I know it's not quite Christmas yet, but it seems like it'll
be here before we know it. So wow, what a great week. I can't begin to
describe how tired I am, partly because when we serve in the Visitor's
Center our sleeping schedule gets shifted an hour later, so my
internal clock is all messed up right now. But we have been so busy
with the Festival, the time we do have in our area is very limited so
we try to pack in as much as we can, but we have seen so many
miracles in this past week. It seems as if Heavenly Father has just
been handing people into our lap to teach and it's very humbling to
see that. I know that He hears and answers our prayers as we align our
will with His and then look for those answers. We had Stake Conference
this weekend, and so many of the leaders spoke about the importance of
not just DOING what is right, but really letting the Atonement shape
who we are and BECOMING someone better. I've always seen this
principle taught by the Savior in His ministry. We must become
something else. I love this principle of the gospel, and I know that
through Christ and His atonement we can accomplish that little by
little. So in other news, summary of the week: we got a lot of new
investigators, and all of the people we haven't been able to contact
answered their phones! It's really those little miracles that just
make my day. Also we have transfers this week, and Hna Acosta are
staying together! I'm super pumped, one because I get to work with her
for another transfer, and also because I really love the area I'm in
and people I am serving with. We are moving apartments though, so
we've spent a solid amount of the day packing and cleaning! Yah for
P-days haha! But I hope you all have a wonderful week and are enjoying
the Christmas season. It's a chilling 70 degrees over here in
Maryland! I'm not even sure what winter is anymore haha. We'll have a
wonderful week and look for opportunities to serve others in this
wonderful time of year!

Hna Johnson

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Where to begin...this week I have learned so many things, and just a
little background, the past two or three weeks have been very, very
slow in missionary work in our area. Our days have consisted of hours
of tracting and then not being able to find the people again the next
day. Our numbers have been really low and it's been a little
discouraging. Then our two progressing investigators went MIA... So,
We decided to fast on Tuesday so that we could find new people to
teach. It wasn't until this weekend that we really saw the blessings
of that fast and those prayers. Yesterday, Denora, one of our
investigators came to church!! She's been invited so many times by us
and the elders before and she has never come until this week, and she
even went up and bore an amazing testimony of the love that Heavenly
Father has for each of us. Also, one of the less active families we
work a lot with all came! It's the first time one of the daughters has
been in church for a long, long time. We also had a part member family
that just moved in come to church and they are in our area! And the
wife is super interested.


Then the Festival of Lights started. So we are at the Visitors Center
3 nights a week and man it is crazy. There are so many people there
from all around the world every night. I've spoken Russian every
single night I've been there and of course Spanish. I love being in
there. It's such an amazing experience because the people are
literally coming to you, all you have to do is ask the right questions
and follow the Spirit. I've really realized just how much I've learned
in these past 4 months. Since the VC is so crazy, I'm not with Hna.
Acosta half the time. You're with other sisters all the time cause it's
kinda just whoever is available in the moment, and I've really seen
how the Lord qualifies those he calls. I wouldn't be able to do this
on my own if it were not for Jesucristo and His atonement.


Also Ambassador Night was really neat! The wife of he Russian
ambassador loves me and required that I tell her my first name. It was
such an honor to be around so many leaders, and just have the chance to
represent the church to so many countries. I love this mission!


Well my challenge this week is to share the new video that the church
has put out, A Savior is Born. It reminds us that He came and gave His
life for all of us. He is everything. I know that He lives with all my
heart and I love being able to testify of that every day. Well, enjoy
the snow for me!

Hermana Johnson

Lights!

 Our Christmas decorations.  Hna Acosta hasn't put up a stocking yet.

The Olympic runner from Sri Lanka I met last night.

A Savior is Born

Christmas Music and Holiday Traffic

Well, happy late Thanksgiving!! I hope you all stuffed your faces like
we did. (Mom you're going to have a hissy fit cause I didn't take a
single picture so I apologize). So the beginning of the week was just
a pretty average week. A little slow, a lot of tracting, but we found
some solid new people to teach so shout out for new investigators!
Then Thanksgiving was on Thursday and, man, holidays on a mission are
weird. Hna. Acosta and I thought we were going to have a ton of down
time for studying, making food, and all that fun good stuff, because
we had a service activity in the morning and then didn't have dinner
until 7, but some prayers were answered and we were actually only at
our apartment for about 30 minutes the entire day. I love the members
in this ward and how much they love and care for the missionaries.
They are so concerned about our well being and it's such a blessing to
serve with them. We had dinner with 3 different families and then of
course everyone gives you their leftovers so let's just say we have A
LOT of food haha. Well Festival of Lights starts tomorrow, and we'll
be helping out in the Visitors Center 3 nights every week, which is
going to be a ton of fun. Not only do we get to feel the Spirit that
is there, but the Visitors Center has a goal to receive 2000 referrals
this month from the Festival. It'll be an amazing thing to be a part
of. Well, in other exciting news, Denora, the mom of Rene, our recent
convert, came to the Visitors Center with her two sons and we taught
her about the Plan of Salvation (God's plan for each of us in this
life). She said that she wants to enter into the temple someday, and
that she would like to be baptized!! Heavenly Father truly prepares
people to receive His gospel and I am so excited to see her receive
those blessings in her home.

In other news, I finished the Book of Mormon this morning, for the
last time in English for a while because I'll be reading in Spanish
from now on. I just want to add my testimony to so many others than I
know that the Book of Mormon is true. It is the word of God and it is
the most true book of any on this earth. Through it and the Bible we
have the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that God lives
and that His Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died so that each one of
us can, through Him, gain peace in this life and in the life to come.
He is my Loving Older Brother, and He is my Savior. Yo sé que El vive.
Y sé que el Libro de Mormón trae más a una vida de una persona que
cualquier otra cosa. Esta es la iglesia verdadera. Y digo esto en el
nombre de Jesucristo.

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! Enjoy the Christmas
season and remember the reason that we have all that we do. Hasta la
próxima semana!

Hermana Johnson

Where Did November Go?

Familia y amigos!

Not gonna lie, this has definitely been one of my longer weeks on a
mission. Hna Acosta and I are both in agreement there. It's been a
great week, just long. So I guess I'll start off with, I hit my 3
month mark this week!! Also, last P-Day we had a taco party at our
apartment, and the rest of this week has just been full of good food.
We had pupusas twice this week, so I'm a happy missionary. (Pupusas
are this El Salvadorean food. It's like a really thick tortilla
filled with cheese and pork and has all these toppings...sooo good).


So probably one of my favorite experiences from this week, and my
mission in general, happened on Friday night. We had an activity with
the youth where we went on splits with them to a members home to teach
the Restoration. So there were 3 young women and 2 of them are
sisters, who speak zero English, are super shy, and have only been
members of the church for a year. Of course Hna. Acosta put me with
them hahaha. Then we went to a house where the parents are active
members, but the kids aren't. So the lesson had even more sentido. On
top of that, the kids of the family really only speak English. Talk
about language barriers haha. So I was pretty nervous. I've never
taught a lesson on my own, and especially not in both English and
Spanish, so I said multiple prayers in the car. We got into the lesson
and it was the mom and two of her kids who usually never come
downstairs when the missionaries are there. Right away blessings. The
two sisters have amazing testimonies and I feel so blessed that I got
to hear them bear their testimonies, and then hear the thoughts and
testimonies of the family as well. The lesson went great, and I felt
so blessed to have been given the ability by my Heavenly Father to do
something both way out of my comfort zone and my skill level. The
power of prayer is real!


I'm gonna steal a spiritual thought from a friend of mine in Tonga
(thanks Sis. Pinnock!). She said that the Lord doesn't call us because
it's logical. It is not logical for me to be here, speaking Spanish.
It isn't logical. That applies to so many of our other callings as
well. The Lord never calls us because it is logical, He calls us
because He knows what we can accomplish through
His Atonement. We each have callings in this life, and if we turn
ourselves and dedicate our work to Him, He can do far more with it
than we ever could. I know this to be true.
Pasen buenas semanas! Les quiero mucho! Y gracias por todo que hagan!

Hermana Johnson

Siempre Aprendiendo (Always Learning)

Well this week has been a week of lessons. Lots of lessons. The new
transfer started and so like we both expected, Hermana Acosta and I
are together for another transfer. We are both super excited to
work our tails off and see just now much we can help the area pick up
again before the Festival of Lights starts here at the Temple Visitor's
Center. It's gonna be exciting just to see how many miracles the next
2-3 weeks will bring. So like the subject says, this week I have
learned so much. We had 3 really rough lessons that taught me so much.
It's funny how much more we learn from the difficult experiences, but
I guess that's why they're there, so we can learn.

So I'll tell you about the first one. We have been meeting with this
girl who was baptized into the church as a niña, but she hasn't been
to church for a long time. We've always just barely missed her when
we've tried to meet with her, but this time we finally had an
appointment and she was really excited! So we sit down and start
talking to her about what the previous Elders had talked to her about,
why she hasn't been to church, etc. And she was super open with us.
She has such a strong testimony of our Savior and the role He has in
her life, but she just really struggles with believing in prophets and
the Book of Mormon. We extended the invitation to her to really read
it, and pray about it. Because really, what better answer can you get
than one from Heavenly Father himself? But she pushed it aside and
said she was happy with what she had, and then breaks it to us that
she is being baptized into another church. My heart just broke. She
has the truth and the path to eternal happiness right in front of her,
but she can't see it yet. I know Hna. Acosta and I tried our very best
in that lesson. The Spirit was speaking so strongly through us, but it
just wasn't enough for her.

It's hard to leave those kind of lessons, but you learn so much about
how agency works. Our Heavenly Father always knows what is best for
us, and that is this gospel, but He still allows us to make our own
choices, no matter how much they hurt Him. He loves us so dearly that
He sent His Only Begotten Son, Jesucristo, to the world. And
Jesucristo loves us so much that He suffered not just for our sins,
but for our trials, our sickness, and our afflictions. He knows how we
feel every second of the day. I testify that He lives, and that He
really did overcome our pains and sins on that day in the Garden of
Gethsemane and on the cross. He overcame physical death when He was
resurrected on the third day so that we can one day live with Him
again if we follow His gospel and endure to end. I love Him. Yo sé que
El vive. Él es todo.

Hermana Bree

P.S. Also there is a video that I want you to go watch. It makes me cry every time, and I want you to watch it in Spanish because for me it has so much power in that language. It is called Gracias a Él  from mormon.org.

 (And here is the English version for non-Spanish speakers)

And finally, pictures!!

The gorgeous temple

I found O'Fallon Street!