MTC - Week 4 - November 23, 2016

On Thursday I was shaving, and my leg was on the wall and slipped. I sliced my dumb leg and it was bleeding everywhere!! Hey but don't worry mom--in our room we have an EMT, a lifeguard, and a CNA so we took care of it! So we didn't really have the right supplies so we ended up using a stack of napkins and taping it to my leg with scotch tape, haha nice.  SO DUMB. But hey, it is good to know that we know what to do now in time of crisis. But yeah the same day I stained my favorite skirt too.. so it was a bummer. Rough day..haha

So this week, we got a challenge from one of our teachers to go into our lessons without notes anymore! We just go in with our Book of Mormon and teach our lessons. It was super scary at first, but we have been able to teach a couple times now without notes and it is so special! We really have to rely on the Spirit and pay attention. I always pray so hard that I will be able to understand and be able to speak well enough for our investigator to understand. It is awesome! During one of our lessons we were talking about the Book of Mormon, and our investigator was asking so many questions!! One question led to another and soon we were talking about the Great Apostasy.

It was so crazy. We hadn't planned on talking about that or anything but through the Gift of Tongues and the Spirit, we were able to help her understand and answer her questions!! It was such a blessing and I felt so amazing after! I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!

Also this week we had a sleepover with some sisters from our zone! It was so fun :) they pulled in some mattresses to our room and we stayed up so late talking and laughing. I am so grateful because Heavenly Father honestly knew that I needed to meet these sisters on my mission. They have helped me soo much and I have learned so much from them too!

Umm yeah so mom ever since the like second night here, I sometimes talk in my sleep.. and the weirdest part is that I usually sleep talk in CHINESE! hahah crazy because I can't speak Chinese when I am awake so I have no idea how I speak when I am asleep??  

So yeah tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I am actually super pumped for it! I think it will be super cool :) I'm mostly excited because we don't have classes! YES!! But it's going to be so special because the whole MTC is going to make around 320,000 meals for the homeless shelters in Utah! How cool! Sister Cahoon and I were actually chosen to be station leaders for the service project! So for the service project there are leaders for each table to make sure the missionaries are making the bags of food correctly. They are going to be there to help guide the missionaries on what to do and be there if they need help. 

Sister Cahoon and I are "supervisors" over the table leaders...haha Yeah it will be really cool :) But the coolest part is that we get to hear from a general authority tomorrow! We don't know who is coming, but it will be so special whoever it is! They are going to be here during the service project too, just walking around so I am so excited! But this year will be the first time that I am not looking forward to Thanksgiving because of the food...because we get to have a sack dinner in our classroom...I mean we don't spend enough time in our classroom already??...lol.

I really love being a missionary! This week I have learned a lot about Faith in Jesus Christ and my testimony has grown sooo much. I have learned that prayers are always answered but they are answered in the Lord's time, not my time. I have learned that in hard times we need to have faith & know that we are never alone. I know that Jesus Christ knows me, loves me and wants to help me. All I have to do is ask. 

love you all

xoxo,

Sister Johnson

Gangsta Class

Shaving accident - nice first aid job

"Family" photo.  Not allowed to touch Elders, 

hence quad and hovering hands.

Halloween Costume - Flower Patch

MTC - Week 3 - November 16, 2016

Ok so this week has been HARD!! It has tested me soo much, but there have been SO MANY blessings! 

Thursday, Friday and Saturday were pretty rough this week... not gonna lie. Sister Cahoon and I were feeling pretty discouraged because our lessons weren't going super well and we felt as though we didn't understand ANY Chinese. 

I had been praying and begging Heavenly Father to help us in our lessons and help me to understand a little Chinese, and I felt as though I wasn't receiving His help. We had class on Friday night and it didn't go well. We both broke down in class and that is when I hit my lowest point on my mission so far. 

Our teacher came over and talked to us and bore his testimony.  He brought the Spirit so strongly and helped me too much! We honestly lucked out with the BEST teachers! But we still came back that night and were bummed.  I was up on my top bunk writing in my journal before lights out.  All of a sudden, I felt like something was very wrong.  I couldn't figure out what it was, but soon felt like I should check on Sister Cahoon below me.  I leaned down to see her and saw that she was having a really hard time. I immediately went down and sat with her on her bed.  I felt impressed to say a prayer with her, and it was a VERY COOL EXPERIENCE.  I said the prayer but I knew that I was not saying my own words.  I felt as thought Heavenly Father was speaking through me directly to Sister Cahoon. Incredible. Honestly, I will never forget it.  We both cried together as the spirit was so strong. I am so GRATEFUL for my companion, and I love her!!

As hard as this week was, it was also super awesome and pretty funny! So in one of our lessons, I was trying to tell our investigator that she could keep the pamphlet we were using. I tried to say "you can HAVE this" but instead I mixed up a word and accidentally said "you can HATE this" ahahah it was soo funny. Our investigator (who is our teacher) tried to stay serious, but laughed out loud and so we all started laughing. It was hilarious! 

Also Elder Turpin and Elder Larson in our district were teaching their investigator, and were talking about how Joseph Smith saw an angel, but because they said the word a little wrong, they said "Joseph Smith saw a DEAD BODY" hahah when they came back and told this to us we were laughing soooo hard!!! What makes the story funnier is that while teaching the lesson, one of the elders waved his arms like wings while saying it.. SOO FUNNY!! So yes Chinese is hard because if you say a word a little wrong.. it could mean something totally different! But it is hilarious! Teaching is awesome! :)

For all my Rexburg friends.. I SAW NOAH STEVENS!! He is at the MTC for the next couple weeks because he has been reassigned to serve in California! So crazy and I was so confused when I first saw him!! But yeah it makes me so happy to see him because I always hear someone yell "Hey Alyssa!!" and it is always him! Makes me smile! Hahah! .. for those of you who don't know Noah, he is one of my good friends from college! He was serving in St. George and while he was there got another mission call to serve in California! So it's awesome because now I see him in the lunch room and in the halls all the time! :)  

Also this week we think we found lice in our classroom...yeah actually not funny, but kinda.  One of the sisters found it in a baggie and then she threw the baggie across the room so everyone started freaking out. Then we went crazy and the Asian sisters in our district went crazy and IMMEDIATELY started deep cleaning our room. They got all the cleaning supplies out and started vacuuming and spraying the disinfectant everywhere and dusting!! Sister Cahoon and I were laughing soo hard and were just filming the whole thing!  

Devotional on Tuesday we got to hear from Elder Gary E. Stevenson and his wife and it was AWESOME!! They talked so much about the gift of tongues and HOLY COW DID I NEED THAT THIS WEEK!! It is so awesome and we have lucked out here, because we have heard from 2 apostles already!! YES!

Ok so this week has had its ups and downs.. but I have honestly learned so much! I read D&C 31:3 this week and wow that scripture spoke right to me. I loved it!! 

        Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come; and your tongue shall be loosed, and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation.

Thank you so much for the emails, letters and prayers this week! You are all amazing and I love you! I love being a missionary and I know that no matter how hard it is, this is exactly where I am supposed to be! I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a representative of my Savior Jesus Christ!

Sister Cahoon and I with my good friend, Noah

MTC - Week 2 - November 9, 2016

Wow! Ok.. so this week has been awesome!! But I have decided that it is like a roller coaster here! You feel like every single emotion every single day!! It's the craziest thing!! But it is also the best thing ever!! 

So everyone is getting sick here!! Its a horrible cough and cold! It's mad.. but almost all the sisters in my district (keep in mind that all the girls in my district share a room with me..) are sick!! And one of the elders is sick and I sit right by him in our classroom! So yeah Sister Cahoon and I are drinking "Emergency" to try and fight it off and surprisingly we have! So lets hope we can stay strong and not get sick.. :) 

Also our teachers have come in the past couple days and have asked the people who are sick in our district these weird questions about their eyes hurting and questioning them a lot.. then when we ask them why or about it they get all weird and say don't worry about it. So is there something going on in the outside world with sickness or something? We know nothing in here.. so what is going on?

So this week we had our first Fast Sunday and holy moly. We fasted for EVER and I honestly have never been so hungry in my life. WOW. it was kind of funny because we all got to see the "HANGRY" side of everyone and now we look back and laugh :)

So yeah the food here is still gross.. and I'm already so sick of it. MOM-- I am so sorry that I always complained about having roast and potatoes every Sunday... or complained about your cooking.. I WOULD GIVE ANYTHING FOR ONE OF YOUR HOME COOKED MEALS RIGHT NOW!! so please forgive.

Oh, so yeah remember how I told you about me and Sister Cahoon's first lessons and how they were a train wreck.. so yeah. Our "investigator" that we were teaching.. is now our TEACHER!! oh my gosh. talk about embarrassing. She walked in and we died laughing because our lessons were sooo bad!! hhahahaahaha.... 

For our Devotional we got to hear from Sister Jenny Oaks Baker and she was really good! Her family all played songs and it was very powerful! She is amazing at the violin! Our second Devotional this week we heard from Sister Joy D. Jones (General Primary President) and her husband and they were AMAZING. Loved it!

ALSO Sister Cahoon and I got an assignment in our Branch!! They call it an assignment instead of a calling because we are called to be full time missionaries.. but our assignment is MUSIC CORDINATOR!! Mom -- the music callings are following meeeeee. I died laughing. 

So Sister Cahoon and I got 2 new investigators this week! We taught one of them yesterday (our teacher pretending to be an investigator) and hahaha we did really well and could feel the spirit and the gift of tongues until.. the end. Oh my gosh. The investigator asked where we were going after our lesson with him and so I said "home" but I said the tone/word a little wrong and accidentally said "foot"... He tried to hold it in, but busted up laughing and so Sister Cahoon and I died laughing too.. ahhaha It was sooo embarrassing but hilarious! SO FUN TEACHING HERE AND SO MANY GOOD MEMORIES!

Weird thing---I woke up one morning and I have a black eye!! I honestly don't know how I got it or anything! Weird!! But everyone thinks Sister Cahoon beat me up or something so its hilarious.. but yeah everyone looks at me all weird in the halls and everything.. ?? I don't know!! 

But yeah my teachers are great and I learn so my here! I love in my Patriarchal Blessing where it says "I will never tire of testifying of Christ" because that is how I feel! I love testifying and telling people about what I know is true! Even though my testimony in Chinese is a bit rough.. it is amazing that I can still bring the spirit soo strong. 

I thought I knew about the power of prayer before I came on my mission.. but boy was I wrong. I have learned sooo much more here about prayer and that God honestly hears and answers all of our prayers!! So thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers! I can feel them and I am so blessed! 

Well I love you all and thank you to everyone who has emailed me! It is sooo awesome to hear from you! I love it more than you guys know!! Have a good week!!

xoxo

Sister Johnson

MTC Assignment - Music Coordinator

Sister Johnson & Sister Cahoon

Woke up with a mysterious black-eye