Monday, May 22, 2017

MOORABBIN - Week 30 - May 21, 2017


Family and friendsss!

Well first off I need to tell you all that President Vidmar CHANGED OUR P-DAYS TO WEDNESDAYS from now on. This will allow us to break up our week so that we can work harder every day. It will be a little weird but I think that it will really help us not lose motivation towards the end of each week :)

This week we found 2 new investigators and it is a miracle because they are both soo keen! We met with Yi (one of our new investigators) earlier this week and he was so curious about the Gospel. He knows almost nothing so we are teaching from the ground up, which is so fun and actually really nice. During our first lesson we introduced baptism and talked a little about it. We told him that Aleita (sister Cahoon's investigator) was getting baptized on Saturday and then he asked us if he could go and watch!! Like ok this has never happened before. Usually we are the ones asking people (begging them sometimes haha) to come and see a baptism but HE ASKED US! so that was awesome!

He came to the baptism and he LOVED it. He said that he felt super good and could feel peace. He said he felt super awesome and could feel the Holy Ghost!! So amazing. Then on the train on the way home we were talking to this girl, and Yi was pretty much telling her all about our church! He was telling her about missionary work and what we do. Sister Fong and I were seriously blown away! He is amazing and we hope we can continue to work with him and help him!

Also this week on Friday night, things got crazy. hahah Sister Fong and I had just finished our companion prayer and I had just gotten into bed when we heard this super weird and really scary noise coming from our living room. Turns out that our heater is suuuuuper old and even though IT WAS COMPLETELY OFF it was making this loud noise. we thought it was going to explode. long story short because our heater is a gas heater we were a little freaked out and called our zone leaders at 11pm. They couldn't figure out what it would be and they called around to some of the other elders who had lived in our flat previously to see if this had happened before. They then finally got back to us and we all felt that it would be better if we stayed the night at another flat because we were all a little worried about what was going on. The zone leaders told us to grab our stuff real quick and after a few phone calls said we could go to the Waverley Sisters' flat for the night. We grabbed our stuff and left to the Waverley sisters' flat right after midnight.

When we got to the flat we realized we didn't bring a few things. We had forgotten towels for our shower, didn't have our toiletries, I didn't bring shoes and Sister Fong didn't bring a shirt for the next day. BUT when we were panicked and were grabbing our things to leave, I made sure to grab the Weet-Bix (yummy cereal) and Sister Fong grabbed her Patriarchal blessing. We made sure to grab what was really important in case our flat exploded and our stuff was lost. #nice. The people from the office came to look at it and they are going to have someone come to check it out and such. but yeah we just can't really use our heater because kinda weird. but yeah they said it is safe but just feels unsafe. they are also looking for a new flat for us. so hopefully in a couple weeks we will be able to move! Yeah so we don't have a washer. We don't have a heater. our water heater sometimes does a mini blow up thing and smells like smoke. yeah I don't know where we live. But  I am happy:) and love being a missionary.

Well yeah that was pretty much our week summed up :) It is has been pretty good and defiantly a little crazy. but I think that is just what a mission is. I have learned a lot about prayer this week as I have been trying to make my personal prayers and our companion prayers more meaningful. When we ask the Lord for help and we ask Him for specific things, He really will answer us and help us out. He will and does answer our prayers EVERY time. 

I love you all and I miss you!
I will talk to you next Wednesday! :)
have a good week.

xoxo,
姐妹
Sister Johnson

 love, Sister Johnson and Sister Fong

 even better jumping picture. oh yes

Sister Fong and I made a pizza and it was so good

 I got a yummy crepe - in front of the City Library

Sister Fong put a leaf in my braid when we were GQ and thought it was super cool. 
She wanted me to wear it for the rest of the day.. haha yeah no.
It is getting to be Fall here.  Here comes the cooler weather.

Monday, May 15, 2017

MOORABBIN - Week 29 - May 14, 2017

Well first off, Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there! I look up to all of you and am forever grateful for your love and support. and HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO MY MOM!! I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you (well quite literally...) but thanks for being my best friend.

This week was quite a long and a little discouraging week. A couple of our investigators dropped us this week which is always so hard. It is hard to not get discouraged when our keen investigators have to drop us and no longer want to talk to us. but it is ok. I am confident that they will come back, just when the timing is right.

Finals are coming up at the universities here, so the rest of our investigators have been pretty busy. It has been a bummer that we haven't been able to meet with them but they are all still doing really good :) ... I hope... haha

Sister Fong and I have set some goals for this transfer and have decided to really work hard and give our all. Even though we haven't been able to see many of the results right away, we have seen miracles this week! 

One miracle was that while we were GQ (side note from Nikky - I asked her what GQ was and it is Golden Question, it used to be referred to as tracking.  They ask the Golden Question - would you like to hear more about Jesus Christ and his plan for you?)  - this week, we got 46 new numbers!  Most of them can't meet until after finals in June, but it was amazing that we were able to find so many prepared people who are willing to meet and learn more.

Skyping home and talking to my family today was a miracle and one of the highlights of the week! I miss you all so much!!

I love being a missionary. I know there is no where else I would rather be right now in my life. I have never felt such happiness in my life, even on weeks that are not so good. I love being in Australia and love (well sort of love) speaking Chinese. 

I miss you & love you all.
Have a good week!

xoxo,
姐妹
Sister Johnson


Feels Like Home

She Loves Rootbeer, first time she found it in Australia

Zone Picture with President and Sister Vidmar
Maroondah Zone

Best Mother's Day gift ever.  She looked so good
and sounded great.

Monday, May 8, 2017

MOORABBIN - Week 28 - May 7, 2017

Hey family & friends!

Wow so yes I know that last week I told you all that this transfer I would continue serving in Moorabbin with Sister Li, but we got a call the night before transfer day and found out that Sister Li was actually being transferred!! President Vidmar found out last minute that a Chinese Sister was coming and pulled Sister Li to another area to train her. My new companion is SISTER FONG from American Fork Utah! She is the cutest and we get along great!  She even know a family who are friends of ours - small world.

This week, having an American companion has been a huge blessing. I have only been out for a transfer longer than she has so neither of us are fluent in Chinese (..yet). So teaching and doing phone calls this week has been super scary. During our lessons I have prayed SO intensely that I would be able to understand our investigators and know what they are saying. AND every single one of our lessons this week, I truly relied on the Spirit to help me out and wow the GIFT OF TONGUES IS REAL. It is amazing that during our lessons, somehow I am able to understand what is being said and I am able to answer their questions! 

We made a goal as a companionship to really work hard this week to get more investigators and hopefully set some baptismal dates. I am really excited to get out and work with Sister Fong. I have already seen some miracles working with her and I can't wait to see more this week. 

I am so grateful for the gospel in my life. I am so grateful to be a missionary! I love you all and most of all I am so grateful for your constant love and support. This church is true! 
oh and I CANNOT WAIT TO SKYPE HOME THIS WEEK.

xoxo,
姐妹
Sister Johnson

New Campion - Sister Fong from the next town over
American Fork

Sister Fong hit her 5 months - good reason to order Pizza

Cupcakes of their District Leader's Birthday and
they frosted the cupcakes while on the train.

Melbourne at Night


Monday, May 1, 2017

MOORABBIN - Week 27 - April 30, 2017

Wow what a week I have had! This week has honestly been a week of miracles!!

I hit my 6 month mark this week and oh my goodness where does time go? 
Also today is the first day of a new transfer! I am staying in Moorabbin with Sister Li. :)

So last pday we had our zone p-day and we went to Brighton Beach. We were able to walk along the beach, take heaps of pictures and see all the famous colored houses on the beach. SO FUN! I love my MCC (Melbourne City Chinese) zone family.

This week our investigator JEFF GOT BAPTIZED!! Holy cow I can't even tell you how amazing he is! Right after he got baptized he bore his testimony and oh my goodness he is so strong. He talked about how the church feels like a second home to him and how he always feels so welcome. I know this is true from personal experience so hearing him also testify of it made me happier than I know how to write. Also at the baptism me and my MTC companion Sister Cahoon sang "I Know that my Redeemer Lives" (yes this makes 2 baptisms that I have sang at.. I know you are surprised mom.. so am I...) but wow when we were singing the Spirit was overwhelming. It was something I will never forget and I am so grateful I was able to sing along side my best friend Sister Cahoon.

Also this weekend we were able to participate in a mini mission! We had two 16 year old sisters with us for the weekend to see how missionary work is and what you do as a missionary! Sister McFadden and Sister Hope served with Sister Li and I and it was so fun! They are both so cute and were so brave! When I was 16 there is no way I would have gone up to someone on the street and started talking to them. They both taught me so much and it was awesome to be able to learn from them.

Last night we had a fireside at the end of the mini mission experience and during the fireside the Spirit was so powerful and I think I really felt/realized for the first time that there is NO WHERE ELSE I would rather be right now than serving the Lord here in Melbourne. This week I have felt true happiness and joy that comes from being a missionary. There are SO many days on a mission that are discouraging and hard, but weeks like this week are what make all the hard days worth it. I wouldn't trade my mission experience for anything.

It is starting to get soo cold here in Melbourne! For some reason when I got my mission call to Australia I thought I wouldn't have a winter & wouldn't ever be cold.. but boy was I wrong. It is only fall here and it is already pretty cold. I don't know what I am going to do in a couple months when it is actually winter! but THANK YOU MOM for making me bring so many tights! I know I said I would never wear them, but thank you for packing them for me anyways because they have SAVED ME this week. 

This week has been absolutely amazing and I have witnessed so many miracles with our investigators and in our area! I have been able to see the Lord's hand so many times in this area and this past transfer. I am excited to be able to stay in Moorabbin and continue to learn from Sister Li. The Lord knows us all personally and knows what we need in order to grow, learn and become more like Him. I love being a missionary!

I love you all! Thank you for the continued love, support and prayers. I would not be here without all of you.  Have a good week!

xoxo,
姐妹
Sister Johnson

Alyssa Loves the Beach, and being a
Missionary too of course!!

At Brighton Beach with Sister Li


Companion Sister Li from China

Cute Beach Shacks on Brighton Beach


Investigator Jeff on his Special Baptism Day

English Mini Missions with Sister McFadden
and Sister Hope from the Ward

Getting a bit nippy in Melbourne - oh boy
and it's only Fall there.  You wouldn't
know she was born and raised in Utah and
went to school in Rexburg, but she does hate the cold.