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Thursday, August 29, 2013

oh well! That´s the life of...

As for this week, it was pretty good. Hermana Ceccon had a great birthday! ...we only ate like 10 cakes and pies...okay it was 5 but still! After that she had some problems with her arm and had to use a sling for several days! we were stuck in the house a for a while which wasn´t very fun, but I was able to leave and do some missionary work while she was resting. I left with the F* and she asked ME if we could knock doors and talk to people. It was pretty great to say the least....to see how animated she was to work! We were able to extend and have someone accept a baptism date, and it was such a blessing because we´ve been having problems seeing an acceptance. Oh well! That´s the life of God´s miracles!

We received a reference from Hermana Dodds..and as we were looking for it we were stopped by a woman in the street. She asked us why we haven´t visited her....apparently the missionaries before were men and so they could never enter, but now there´s the sisters! She was very excited and we were able to make an appointment and everything!
As we left this same street we came across two men and a woman cleaning up a whole sidewalk of plants. We immediately got to work. And as we began talking we began teaching. Number wise it didn´t count as a lesson, and we weren´t able to enter in the house still, but I know that the next time we´ll be able to. They were able to acknowledge us as servants of the Lord as we set aside everything to serve and teach them. Nails? Oh well! That´s the life of a hard worker!

We have seen an unbelievable amount of miracles in the lives of familia Legit this past week. They´re like our mission family. We always teach F**, because he´s preparing for his baptism, but one day we were able to have a talk with just the mom. And it helped my testimony grow sooo much! What incredible miracles we received this week. ...and although we have been congratulated for our numbers, all of the miracles we receive really don´t reflect in that way. oh well! That´s the life of a blessed missionary! 

Also, yesterday in church I forgot to read that the song had three flats and started playing the song normally....when I finally played through the introduction and no one started singing I realized what i´d done......and of course, being the classic Alex that I am, I busted up laughing in front of the whole world. How embarrassing! But if sure helped lighten everyone up! oh well! That´s the life of a missionary piano player! 

Well, this is my life....as it comes and goes, but every moment is a moment of joy. Love you all and I´m always praying for you!

Love,
Hermana Alex Johnson

                                    
    Hermana Johnson leading the music in Church (Thanks to Hermana Sandra!)


6 Months?? Missionary say whaaa?!

Apparently, as I have recently been informed, I was called to Jury Duty. Unfortunately I´m ....well I´m kind of camping in Chile. Oh bummer. 

I was HAPPY to hear that you all are enjoying YOUR camping experience ...oh how I miss washington weather....how beautiful it is! And the photos of yakima!!! ....man! You´ll have to soak it all in for me.

     I really can´t believe that I have six months in my mission already. It makes me just so ....happy....and sad....and excited...and I don´t even know!! weird that´s all. It´s just weird. But I´m happy to know I still have a year left, and I´m sure taking advantage of it. Hermana Ceccon, my twin, is teaching me lots. We´re working almost flawlessly....and I´m a little nervous to have a change of companion, because I´m almost positive that we´re gonna see changes this time. But it´s okay. I know that the Lord will take care of me and he knows what I need to learn next. 

    Someone followed us home this week....we were planning and someone yelled halo!! ...which is what we do when there isn´t a doorbell, and there was some guy who wanted to talk. Of course, being slightly idiotic we opened the gate, went out and talked to him for a bit....but after a little while it became absolutely clear that he followed us home. we called some members and nothing happened, but it was a little bit of a scary situation. Oh well. God protected us! ....and we had potato chips and chocolate to snack on with my bed in front of the door for the nerves haha. 

    We thought outside of the box this week as a companionship. We had some extra success too! One of the lessons we had with F* was helping him understand the different laws of the church....and the next day we wanted to reaaalllly help him. So we made a board game. I´ll send photos, but it was super cool! 

    Also this week in church we had some amazing success, we have Felipe progressing, the mother always comes to church when she doesn't have to work now and the ward is helping us more and more. We had 6 less active families...at LEAST...that came to church on Sunday. ...less active families that stopped coming to church for at least 5 months...to 20 years. It was amazing to see them there and the in their eyes...and that of the ward as well!!! 

    we had our first door slam!!! We were contacting a reference and she wasn´t very receptive at all so we tried to give her a card is all...and she said no.. But I at least wanted to ask her what her name was to see if it was HER that was the reference, or the mom...well. She yelled hever name and slammed to door. Veerrryyy firmly. I kind of laughed.....yikes! She´s gonna be needing the gospel eventually....
     I´m praying for you all. ....In less than I month I´m gonna have to wear maaajjooor sunblock....I´m hoping I survive. But, just in case, I still want to be buried with my cars stuff......hehe. 

I LOVE YOU ALL. ...and I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!! 
Love always,
Hermana Alex Johnson
"This is how we DO IT. THE GAME."

Hermana Ceccon gets Birthday breakfast in bed!

Hermana Johnson studying

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

A Carnet, an Owl, and the Bus.

This week was good, but disappointing. We didn´t have too much success regarding our numbers. We had too many short days, some extra rain, and I had to take out my carnet. (A carnet is like a one year visa... missionaries enter into the country and get their tourist visa for a few months then get their one year visa/carnet)

I have lots of ...stuff in my nose, my throat, and my head. ...and my boots....they´re done. They´ve seen their day. I´m using clarks, but it doesn´t help too much with the cold...and August is the coldest that it gets here. On the brightside less than a month left and then it starts to heat up a little bit......on the other side I´m gonna die in the summer haha. But I´m happy. SUPER happy, to be more specific. I can´t believe I almost have 6 months in my mission already!! I can hardly believe it for reals!! And how happy I was to hear that Hannah got to go through the temple, that you guys are all enjoying your summer and you're all happy....working, and a little stressed, but together and happy. Soak in some sun for me at the lake will ya haha!!!

About a week ago we visited Familia ***, and L* had a poster of girls in a bra...that his friend made for him out of a joke from a bra and underwear catalog....but he put it on his wall! So when he wasn´t there, we took it down and put up a poster that we wrote and with a scripture...cool right!? Yes. And it´s still there. 

Everyone here tells me how gringos are cold...and the truth is that it´s pretty true. But I´m gonna show them that I´m different. I´ve already heard that I AM...but what happens with a lot of the gringos here is that they get home from their mission and they don´t WRITE all the people they have on facebook....I know that it´s gonna be a big task when I get home but I´m telling you right now that when I get home from my mission I will not FORGET the people here. That I will write them a bunch and that they will remember that not ALLL gringos are cold. I´ll show them....

I took out my carnet and had to wake up at 4 in the morning...that wasn´t very fun. And I was in lines, or in the cold till 3 in the afternoon...also not very fun. But I have my carnet till August 8th....and Hermana Ceccon too!!! So that´s pretty cool. We´re determined to finish our missions together. I remember thinking, when I was little, that there was someone in the world like me...that spoke another language and blah blah blah...but I never thought I´d find that person. Well! I´ve found her. Hermana Ceccon is definitely my sister ....from Argentina. There´s just toooo many details that are the same. Even that of our FAMILY. It´s so cool. I can´t wait for you guys to meet her! 

Yesterday we were headed to church and a lady stopped us on our way. I thought she was going to ask us for money, but to my surprise she asked us for a flyer or a card. We gave her one and then before we could say anything she asked us when our church started...I told her like...now! Her eyes got really big and she told us she would be right back!  She ran off to buy some bread. While I was playing piano I prayed desperately that she WOULD come and that she would feel something different in her heart. During the sacrament meeting, lo and behold she appears! I continued to pray for her with all my heart, and afterwards we took her information as a reference for the elders, but she explained that she had been her before and had felt something different. How amazing to see how blessed we were...immediately! 

We are working more and more with references in our mission, or trying to. Hermana Ceccon and I had good success with our lessons this last week, but our mission is focusing on references contacted as well as contacts....and we lacked TOO MUCH in both. So we followed some advice mom sent me. We went and bought a cute little stuffed owl...and named him Robby. Referencia búho. We put some pins in him and we passed him off to a family. Through relief society he will visit many family´s and each time he enters into a house, he must leave with at least ONE reference...a family that we can visit. So far it´s working. People that don´t even have Robby are becoming more excited to find us family´s to visit! 

We left the church one day and for some reason we left the church differently. We left through the back door and traveled in a road that we literally never use....we realized we had to head back for something forgotten, but started back the way that we usually take. We discovered that a bus crashed with a van...and the whole street was in scraps, people were on the floor, and it was a mess...and then we realized that it had JUST happened...and if we would have walked the way we usually go, we would have been there. I know the Lord is with us and absolutely he is PROTECTING us. 

Well there´s some tid bits of this week! I´m happy, you guys are happy, and that´s the LIFE. 

Hermana Alex Johnson


"It´s only a weed if you think of it like that!!....and cause mom told me so!"

"A lot of rain, but a little sun to make our day!"




Wednesday, August 7, 2013

A Slow Week

....guess what I forgot to check...the size of the clarks haha. BUT next week. I´ve been using my BOOTS so often that I didn´t even think about it. I have yet to receive a package, but we didn´t get mail this last week so hopefully tomorrow!! (We just heard that there is a postal workers strike in Chile... so she may NEVER get her package )I don´t have any idea about the flights. MY plan is to lengthen my mission one month. Till september. So it would be like the middle of september. around there...I´m not positive...Hermana Ceccon and I talked and we REALLY want to leave together. Her mom speaks some english! And I´m teaching hermana Ceccon so it would be super cool to leave chile together with them. There´s so much to do when you get here...in like a year. But that´s besides the point. I¨m giving you LONG term notice haha. Thanks for helping me with my money!! 

Well as for what happened this week...not much. F* and R* were confirmed, we had A LOT of less actives in church again this week, including all of Familia Legit (P*, R*, L*, and F*) If they keep coming with F* and become active again, and F* keeps reading he´ll be able to get baptized!! 

We started teaching Lesson 5 with F* and R*. It´s practically my first time teaching this lesson so there´s some spanish I need to learn, but it´s super fun. 

Hermana Ceccon and I fasted with F*, R*, and Familia Legit. ...I don´t think I have ever been so hungry haha. But it was cool to be able to do it with all of them and see how strong they were!!! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DADDY!!! HAPPPPPYYYY BIRTHDAY!! I love him and am super happy for him. Hoping he had a great birthday and that he fly fished ALLLL day long.

Tell Ella congrats on her babysitting job! I´m so proud of her ...wow how fast my sisters are growing. PAH! 

....well. That´s my week. I know it´s not much of a letter, but we had a pretty chill week. The last week was CRAY so I guess we just slowed down a bit. We did great with contacts this week, and we´re making more and more goals. There are literally streets I´ve never seen before in our sector....and I smell baptisms!!! WAHOOOO! 

I love you all and enjoy THE HEAT!! Soak it in baby. 
Love always, 
Hermana Alex Johnson

Not sure where these came from but Cars is still a favorite of Alex's!

Making Pizza with an awesome family!

Thats one HUGE rolling pin!

Best Pizza in Chile!

Faux sewing

goofy hermanas!

Birthday wishes for Dad...

and more

Helping with some awesome service... air power!