With Her. B

July 31

Well I'm on here early because my companion has to go to Barcelona to pick up her residency card and she leaves at 6 so I'm going to be staying and working with the Hermanas in Ghandia tonight and tomorrow. It's gonna be fun-one of them is in her training and literally got here last week so I'm pumped. But anyways that's why I have to be on so early.

Well. Let's see. So here's the scoop. My companion has been sick with different things every day ALL WEEK so guess how much work we've done? Literally basically nothing. We've been in piso literally all week. And we have nothing. No people. Not a single one. We did weekly planning on Thursday (that's where we go through our new investigators, our other investigators, and our progressing investigators and figure out what exactly each person needs in order to progress towards baptism) and it literally took us probably 20 minutes and all she did was explain the members. Because there is not a single person that we're teaching. I have legit just walked into nothing. So obviously we've gotta find! Which is great I LOVE finding. Honestly truly contacting is one of my absolute favorite things that we do. Except we've been in piso all week not doing missionary work. I hate it. We turned in our numbers yesterday and we found 2 news (one who can't meet till Sunday and the other who will be out of town for the next 3 weeks) and that's it. 

Hermana Bateman is actually really great. We get along marvelously. I was worried, since everything I had heard about her sounded like what Hermana McConkie was like, but they aren't alike at all. They are both described as being kind of harsh and blunt, but Hermana Mcconkie's harsh and blunt is straight up mean and Hermana Bateman's harsh and blunt is just her being sarcastic and joking. Which I think is hilarious. So I'm very grateful haha. I never realized how hard it was with Hermana McConkie until now that I actually have a normal person I'm like "oh wow this is so great!" I feel the difference. I'm less stressed, I'm happier, we can have fun, it's good. 

So the thing with Hermana Bateman though is that she's basically over it. She's given up on finding. She told me it's impossible and that she's used to turning in 0's as numbers because no one's out to contact and blah blah blah. Which isn't true there's tons of people everywhere. She just doesn't like contacting or something. In the times that we have been out on the streets, I've contacted every single person except 2. We just walk and I stop literally every single person who we pass by. If they pass on her side, I'll wait to see if she'll contact them, and then when she doesn't I stop them. I don't mind, because she at least helps during the contact, but it does make it more difficult. And she's SO hard to get out of piso. She always wants to sleep and she takes forever to get out. I have to PULL her. And when we're on the streets she'll just walk into stores without saying anything and start looking around. So, again, I have to pull her out and help her refocus. It's tough. Thankfully she's not mean about it, she puts up with it, it's just hard that I have to be the only one who cares about missionary work over here. 

She has a tricky life backstory. Her mom died 2 years ago, but she (her mom) was a drug addict so really her mom was out of her life 8 years before she died. Her dad remarried a year ago and now there are 12 children in her family. She had depression sophomore and junior year of her life and tried to commit suicide. Her older sister is inactive in the church and her younger brother who is 14 years old left home because he's having a hard time as well. So she's got a tricky life. 

So there ya have it. That's basically my situation over here. And I can't tell Hermana Sperry or our district leader because when they call to do our "how are you all doing what's your goals" talk, of course I'm talking on the phone in the same apartment that she's in. So I can't just be like "we've been in piso all day and never get to do work and we have nothing." It's rough. 

Por lo menos, the members are great. We ate with members every single day this last week. I haven't spent more than 10 euros on food here just cause we never have to cook for ourselves. Except breakfast. So that's a wonderful thing I love that. 

 Our piso is SUPER nice and beautiful. I love it. So that's fun as well.

Our district is great. We have 4 elders and 4 hermanas in our district and all 4 of the elders are latinos. 3 Mexicans and 1 Guatemalan. 2 of the mexicans were raised in the states, but they still speak spanish and everything. And then us 4 hermanas are all americans. It's good. 

Oh also before I forget, where's Jakob Perez on his mission? We have TONS of people from Colombia here so it'd be fun to tell them I have a friend in their country.

So yeah that's all I got. Life is good. :))) So happy to hear from you cute people!!!!!! I love you!!!!!!

Week 24 Valencia!!!

Hello!!!!!

Well everyone guess what! I got transferred! I'm in my second area!!!! I'm having the time of my life over here in a pueblo outside of Valencia!!!! I LOVE it!!!! It's super cute and pretty and tropical with fun palm trees everywhere. I'm a big fan.

 

My new companion is named Hermana Bateman. She's from Idaho woo! She's been on her mission a little bit over a year and goes home in November! So she's old in the mission it's great. This is my companion on the bus with a bucket on her head. At this moment this is the only picture I have with her. Or of her. Haha

Life is good. It's hot and we've got a lot of finding to do over here. I literally walked into nothing. There weren't teaching anyone. So we get to experience the joys of opening an area without actually opening it woop woop! Haha it'll be so great.

This week's been so good. I've just been reading through the Book of Mormon and am at the part where the Nephites are starting to be all wicked and prideful and the Lamanites are being good. And it was interesting for me to see how the wickedness spread. It's so important to stay strong and not give into peer pressure when there are bad things around us. There are so many things we can learn from these situations. I love it.

The mission life is great! I love it!!!! 

Love you all!

Love,

Hermana Johnson

Week 22, 21, 20, 19

Wooo last week of this transfer!!!! Transfers are 6 weeks long and every transfer something crazy changes (like you get a new companion or you move to a different part of Spain) or it all stays the same! I find out this Saturday what's gonna happen so I'll let you all know!!!!

This week has been really fun. It's been hot hot hot and we've been running literally everywhere. So the good news is I'm in great shape yay! Hahaha

Anyways update on Alberto. We were teaching him and he literally said, "I KNOW IT'S TRUE!!!!" That's the GREATEST moment, when people recognize that they've recieved an answer. So he'll be baptized! The only question now is if he'll be baptized here in Spain or in Germany. We shall see! But he's a miracle and we're so grateful.

Also this week I had an intercambio with Hermana Barlow! That's where we trade companions for 24 hours so we can learn more from new people. And it was literally a PARTY. We were in her area and there's a family who lives in her area who I absolutely LOVE and it was such a tender mercy because they invited us over to have lunch with them without even realizing that I was with Hermana Barlow. It's something small, but I had been hoping I'd get to see them and it was just so comforting to be around them at the end of a little bit of a stressful week. So I was so grateful. Heavenly Father takes care of us in the little things. :)) 

Also today for preparation day we went to the Palma Cathedral. It's this famous Cathedral that overlooks the ocean and it's absolutely beautiful. It was a super chill, super fun day. I love Spain and playing tourist in Spain. It's my favorite thing:))

Life is good friends! This week in my studies I've been focusing a lot on being happy no matter what and I learned a lot. I've got a better picture now of what it means to be on "el camino de Dios" (the path of God). We get on His path by doing the things that we're supposed to (keeping the commandments, loving, serving, repenting) and then it's like we're putting ourselves in His hands and everything else that happens around that is for our good and is meant to help us and we can trust in God and allow ourselves to be joyful because we know that He's got us. I love it.

The mission is the greatest thing!!! I love you all tons! Keep on enjoyin summer:)))

Love,

Mandi

Pictures: 1. Hermana McConkie and I infront of the cathedral!

2. Hermana Barlow and I with a cute African family that they're teaching! Actually fun story with them: the dad is a member, but they're not married so the wife can't get baptized until they get married and THEY'RE GETTING MARRIED IN AUGUST AND SHE'LL BE ABLE TO GET BAPTIZED!!!!!!!! AYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!! So happy!!!!!! We love them hahaha

Week 21

 Woops I forgot to write this so I'm gonna make it short and sweet:))

We're SUPER pumped because remember Christian and Alberto who I talked about last week? THEY BOTH GOT A JOB!!!! And it's a job that'll take them to Germany...but not until August!!! So we can still teach them!!! It's a HUGE miracle and we're honestly so excited. They're our most promising investigators right now so it's so good. :))

Also we have someone named Jondr who is 17 years old who we contacted on the street! He came to sports two weeks in a row and actually came to church yesterday for the first time!!!! It was funny too cause he texted us after and said "Anytime you want me to accompany you to save the people, I can." And we just DIED laughing. He's great. So we're super pumped about him.

Also this week we had Zone Conference!!!!! It's my favorite thing. We really focused on the basics, on love and on prayer. It's so important when we pray to really take some time to let Heavenly Father talk to us and to write down the things that He says. I've started doing that and I'm noticing my prayers have become SO much more meaningful. :)) It's the best.

Well I love you people! Happy summer times!!!! 

Your favorite Hermana,

Hermana Johnson

pictures: 1. This was our view as we taught someone named Edrysse. It's amazing:))

2. We hit 5 months this week! All 5 of us:))) Happy days!!!

Week 20

 Holaa!!!!!

Feliz dia de independencia!!!!!!! HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!!! We have seen a lot of Spanish people walking around with American flag shirts, it's actually hilarious. So that's fun. Today the Hutchings (a senior couple who are serving here) had all the missionaries over for a BBQ! I had a burger and ribs and all my favorite American foods! What a happy time:)))

In other news, we have two new investigators named Christian and Alberto who are really great. They've actually come to church the past two weeks and that's how we met them and started teaching them! They're both in a really tough spot without jobs and are really just pushin through right now but I am so impressed with their attitudes. Both of them have expressed to us how their faith in God has helped them push through and they're still so grateful for all the things that they have been given because they know people have it worse than they do. 

They also both committed to being baptized, but the tricky thing is that they may be moving to Germany next week...so it all depends on that haha. Christian speaks straight Italian also so guess who is learning to speak Spatalian? THIS GIRL!!!!! haha it's so fun. They're similar enough that it works out haha.

Hm what else. For some reason I'm just having the hardest time remembering everything that happened this week haha. Oh so another thing that we do is have "sports" every Saturday morning. So all the missionaries go and we literally invite EVERYONE. Last Saturday my companion and I had invited a 17 yr old boy that we met on the street and he came! He's from Venezuela and LOVED it. So that was super fun and now we're gonna try to teach him. 

SO I hear that everyone's getting married and going on missions and things at home. How exciting!!!! Congratulations all you cute people! 

Also this week I've been studying Captain Moroni. There's a verse in Alma 47 (or somethin like that) that says that if everyone was like Moroni, the devil would have no power over the children of men (or something like that haha). But how great! Let's all try to be like Moroni!!! So I've been studying him a little bit more and trying to figure out his character and things that I can improve on to be more like him. Something that I really loved is that he is SERVICE MINDED. He leads by example and serves with Christlike love. I love that. He's such a good example. 

Life is good! It's been fun being here during tourist season. Especially during church we always get people from the US who are visiting Palma. It's like a little piece of home to get to talk to people in English who actually have an American accent hahaha. 

I love being a missionary!!!! It's seriously the best. :)))

Love you all!!!

Love,

Hermana Johnson

Week 19

 Holaaa!!!!!

Well this was my first week with my new companion and also my first week out of training! My companion's name is Hermana McConkie. She's from Vernal, Utah and has red hair! She's super cute and a great missionary, she's been on her mission for a year now. So it's fun.

Life is good here in Palma! We've been CRAZY busy this week. We've had visit after visit after visit with people and it's been amazing to see how many people just kinda pop up when my companion came here. It was kinda a testimony builder to me that we are called to specific places for a specific reason to help the people here. And there are people who are prepared and ready to hear from me and Hermana McConkie specifically. So how fun is that! 

So this weekend we had district conference. It's just church but longer haha. It's the same thing as stake conference but we aren't big enough over here to be a stake. But it was fun because President Dayton and H. Dayton came and spoke and Elder Dini Ciacci of the area seventy came and spoke! It was really great and JAN HAAS CAME and LOVED it!!!!!!

So back story on Jan Haas. So earlier this week, Hermana McConkie and I went to KFC and we were just chillin, enjoying our chicken and American fries, and the man sitting at the table next to us (Jan haas) turned to us and was like (in English) "hi, sorry to interrupt, but I've seen missionaries like you before and wondered if you had any information on homeless shelters around here." So apparently he's from Colombia and has only been in Palma for about a month and came here and felt really bad for all the homeless people that he sees everywhere and wants to help them! So we talked to him and explained a little more about what we do as missionaries and such. And then invited him to come to district conference with us! Which he accepted! 

And he LOVED it! There was a meeting on Saturday and a meeting on Sunday, and after the Saturday meeting, he was like "I have to come tomorrow when is it and where is it?" And he came! And then afterwords he texted us and was so grateful that we invited him. He told us that the messages really touched him and have made him rethink the course of his life. So we are SO excited about him. We're meeting with him today actually to talk about the restoration of the gospel. Yay for KFC miracles!!!!

So that's really been the highlight of my week. Today for preparation day we went to Valldemosa. It's the CUTEST little old town you've ever seen and it's up kinda high on a mountain. I loved LOVED it. It reminded me of Italy actually which was so fun.

Life is good! I continue to love it! And oh my goodness the SPANISH this week has just flown. I don't know what it is but I can speak Spanish now! I'm at the point where I know I don't speak or understand perfectly, but I have enough confidence in my ability where I have no problem going up to people and talking to them in Spanish. Some accents are harder to understand than others, but at this point I can fluidly carry on a conversation where I am understanding and am understood. So that's fun who knew that'd ever happen! haha

The church is true everyone! Earlier this week we met a cute lady on the street who we're going to visit on Wednesday and as we were talking to her, she was really curious about us as missionaries and what we do and how long we serve and all that. And at one point I told her "we wouldn't do this if we didn't believe so strongly in this gospel." and the spirit confirmed so strongly that YES this is the work of the Lord and I'm bringing people unto Christ! We always say that, but it's real! There really is a church of Jesus Christ on this earth where a true and living prophet recieves revalation for God's children just like in Bible times. I love it. Blessings blessings. :)

Well I sure love you all!!!! I hope everyone's enjoying their summer and are planning trips to Spain ;) 

Love!

Hermana Johnson

Pictures: 1- me and Hermana Barlow (my love!)

2- We all went to Valldemosa!

3- My companion and I and Jan Haas at district conference! We had just given him that pamphlet hahah