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

MTC - Week 1 - November 2, 2016

Ok wow!! This first week has been nuts!! So much has happened and I feel like I've been at the MTC for at least 10 years already!!!!!! Ok so first thanks sooo much for the package of food mom!  So amazing to get a package because it makes the worst days so much better and makes us a little less homesick (but to be honest I honestly don't have much time to be homesick anyways bc this place is CRAZY!!) 

On our second day here at the MTC Sister Cahoon and I had to teach a lesson! Talk about throwing us right in!! So we thought we were kinda prepared but we went to the door, knocked and THEN DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SAY "CAN WE COME INSIDE?" The investigator just stood there looking at us and we just died. We stood there in silence for literally 4 minutes and it was HORRIBLE!! Sister Cahoon and I were dying! hahahah wish you guys could have seen it! It was hilarious and the whole lesson was a train wreck! Turns out teaching in Chinese is so hard!

But even though that lesson was horrible, the gift of tongues is real and on Saturday we taught this investigator again and we were able to understand her and able to communicate with her. SO COOL! Learned so much and I love it!!

I pray sooo much here! Thanks for all your prayers as well! I can honestly feel them and they are helping so much!

So Sundays and Tuesdays are amazing and so spiritual! My whole zone is in the choir and the choir teacher is seriously the funniest and coolest guy! Makes choir practice on Sunday and Tuesdays great! Also we had President Nelson come and speak to us on Tuesday night at our devo and wow he is an incredible man! It was also an experience I will never forget being able to sing at that devo with 1,100 other kids in the choir and listen to an apostle of the church. WOW IT WAS SO POWERFUL!!

Yes but I love it here!! I love my companion, Sister Cahoon! We are very alike and get along really well! My district is amazing and we are already so close! My zone is amazing and God is so real. He knew I needed those girls in my zone to help me and it is amazing. Also love Sister Judd (Branch Presidency first counselor's wife). She has such a special spirit and whenever she hugs me it is like you are hugging me, mom! It is always so comforting! 

Yeah so this week has been amazing. VERY LONG, but incredible. I love my teachers and even though we are in class for AT LEAST 12 hours a day... they make it worth it and holy cow I am learning so much! I kinda know chinese.. lol not really at all but it’s coming.

I am so heartbroken to hear about President Peterson, but if there is anything I know, it is that He is helping sooo many people on the other side who have also passed. He is also helping us on this side because that is what he told me before he passed away. He is an incredible person and he is so close! I can feel him and Alexis and Amanda all the time! It's like I am always getting hugs from them when I am discouraged or frustrated! 

God is real and loves each and every one of his children. He knows us personally and only wants what is best for us. Jesus Christ died for all of us and knows all of our pain and suffering. We can turn to him and use His Atonement anytime and that is sooo comforting. He is our older brother and is on our side fighting with us. LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!!

Love you all! 

XOXO 

Sister Johnson

                                                       

12 Hours a day of learning Mandarin

I love my name tag!!

My new zone

I really can't believe I'm a missionary!!