Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Hello Family!

Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow! 🦃 I am so thankful for all of your love and support:) I was pondering last night on all the reasons I'm grateful for my mission, and my goodness! This mission has changed my eternities! It's changed the way I think, the way I serve, the way I spend my time, the way I view others, my testimony of Jesus Christ, my love for the Book of Mormon, my vision of what I can do and become, and so much more!

We had a great week with Jennifer and Luke:) On Saturday night we had our legendary Manhattan 2nd Ward Pie Night! Everyone brings a pie (classified as anything with a crust - pizza pies, meat pies, dessert pies) and there's a contest and prizes. It was super fun and both Jennifer and Luke came. They loved it and were able to meet tons of members and eat tons of pie:)

At church on Sunday Jennifer, Luke, and Heather all came! It was a great service and Sister Randall spoke in Sacrament:) Sadly Luke didn't feel too well, so after sacrament they left. But he came even though he felt sick so that was awesome! Heather stayed the whole time and really enjoyed it! She asked for a Doctrine and Convenants and a Pearl of Great Price this week, so she is just reading away with everything!

Last night we had a lesson with Jennifer and Luke and two priesthood holders from the ward that they know, Brother Strong and Brother Ingersoll, came to give her a priesthood blessing. It was such an amazing experience and a perfect blessing for her. She's been going through a lot of medical problems in the last year and also just the changes she is making in her life are challenging at times! So she was able to receive a blessing of healing, but also of comfort, strength, and guidance which was just what she needed. We could feel the Spirit so strong and she could as well. She absolutely loved it, and they are still pushing through strong for their December 2nd baptism date:)

Exciting missionary news from this week is that the Lord is continuing to hasten his work. We received Smartphones! No more old slidey phones for us:) It's very exciting, also very different, but humbling as well. Right now it's an area phone, but in the near future missionaries will just come out with a phone instead of a tablet. Quite exciting! It's been amazing to only use technology to do missionary work. It helps give you a different perspective on technology use:) 

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and for this time I have to share the glad tidings of the gospel with others! What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season?:)

Love, Sister Johnson  

1-2. I had to send these pigeon pictures because I thought they were so funny! There are so many pigeons in New York! Sometimes they're gross and annoying, but sometimes it's so funny to watch them. I just thought they sparatic flying pigeons was a perfect capture of what it's like with them all around.

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Who are you thankful for and why?:) Thanksgiving activity we did this week in Central Park.

New York city at night with all the lights is my favorite:) This doesn't truly capture the beauty of it, so you will just have to come experience it some day!

Our new Smartphone update!

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Seeing New Doors Open :)

Hello Family!

We had a great week! Jennifer is doing so well! She was at the hospital for a few days so she missed church, but she took her Book of Mormon with her and has been reading:) After telling her the promise from President Monson about how as we read the Book of Mormon daily will "we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives" she's been making it a priority to read every day! So instead of being on her phone in the morning or on the train she reads the Book of Mormon! She's up to 1 Nephi 14 and it's amazing to see how happy she is! 

We had a lesson with her last night and taught about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We were talking about how she's already been showing faith and she's been repenting as she changes and she thought that was so cool! She caught right on to our mission motto of Repentance is Cool! As we talked about baptism and the Holy Ghost and how it washes away all out sins and we can have the Spirit with us always she was basically jumping in her seat and she said "Oh my goodness I'm so excited already! Stop talking about it!" We set a baptism date with one of her sons as well who came to church with her and also went to mutual this week. We are so excited for them and it's been truly amazing to see how the Gospel is changing her and to see the amazing amount of joy it is bringing her! 

She saw a recent convert in the ward receive the gift of the Holy Ghost on her first Sunday at church so we asked her about her feelings. As she explained it she said, "it was like he had a new purpose and a new life that day. It's like the saying when one door closes another door opens, and I feel like that moment is when the door opened for him. I wanted that for me but I didn't tell you that, but now that I can have that, I'm so excited!" Thank you for all the prayers for her, they are definitely blessing her:) 

The funny of the week comes from our Art Tours at the Lincoln Square Chapel. As we were going along we got to the painting "Come Forth" about the Title of Liberty. I said "This is a painting of Captain America. . . I mean Captain Moroni!!" I don't know why, but Captain America just came out of my mouth instead of Captain Moroni! Haha! Luckily we were giving the tour to a member so he just laughed and said "Captain Moroni is just as cool as Captain America!" Oh boy;)

Miracles are happening, and the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ really can and does change lives! I'm seeing it now and it's amazing:)

Love, Sister Johnson 

1. On our way to zone conference:)

2. This elevator had a bench! What?! I've never seen that in my whole life, but it was so nice:)

3-4. We got to do service with a bunch of missionaries and members raking leaves in Central Park! Such a fun day and memory:)

5. Family History APF

6-8. Today for our Preparation day adventure we went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Oh my goodness it was amazing! So touching to see all that happened and see how united everyone was and how quick people were in responding to these tragic attacks. I love New York and america:)

9. World trade Center

On our way to zone conference:)

This elevator had a bench! What?! I've never seen that in my whole life, but it was so nice:)

We got to do service with a bunch of missionaries and members raking leaves in Central Park! Such a fun day and memory:)

Today for our Preparation day adventure we went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Oh my goodness it was amazing! So touching to see all that happened and see how united everyone was and how quick people were in responding to these tragic attacks. I love New York and america:)

World trade center

 

 Family History APF

Overcome with the Spirit

Hello Family!

We had a wonderful week, and it all started with us setting a baptism date for Jennifer!!! Wahoo! We had a super great lesson, and we could really feel the Spirit. We extended the baptism date for December 2nd and Jennifer was so excited!! She couldn't stop smiling and the way she described it to us was that she felt like she was eating a sourpatch kid. Her jaw hurt from smiling so much haha! It was so cute:) (Please keep Jennifer in your prayers!)

And THEN (it gets better), she came to church on Sunday and brought her 14 year old son! They got to Sacrament a little late but right in time for the last speaker. He started speaking and it was literally the most perfect talk for Jennifer! It was about why we go to church and the Spirit was so strong it made her cry. Then while adjusting the microphone he said "Sorry Brothers and Sisters, I don't feel very good." and then he PASSED OUT which made Jennifer cry even more!! The Bishopric caught him and laid him down, and 5 or 6 nurses from the ward ran up. He was fine and we sang a song while he recovered, and then he finished his talk sitting down haha! It was terrifying in the moment, but pretty funny afterwards:) The member of the bishopric made a little comment to all visitors that this doesn't normally happen, but sometimes the Spirit is so strong that people are just overcome with the Spirit;)

We are seeing amazing miracles in our mission and in our zone! As a mission and zone we have a goal for every companionship to have a White Christmas! Last month the zone I am now in had 11 baptisms! So we're excited for these next two months of the year with the baptism dates we have:) The Lord is truly blessing us as a mission and it's so humbling and special to serve the Lord in this great work at this time! I love you all! Thanks for your support and prayers:)

Make it a great week!

Love, Sister Johnson

p.s. funny story. We just got back to our apartment and the subway was seriously packed!! We had to squeeze ourselves in and I was stuck under someone's arm. I had to keep my head bent down so I could fit under his arm so my head was basically on Sister Randall's shoulder. It was so funny! At no other time can you be so close to complete strangers and it's fine. Only in the subways is that normal and socially okay haha!

Nuts 4 Nuts. This is literally the best thing ever. Cinnamon roasted nuts, and when you buy them they are nice and warm! They have them on lots of street corners so they're perfect for a little treat as you go:)

For Halloween we thought we would dress up as each other... ;) 

We buy our groceries and then have to carry them home on the trains and buses. City life is so different! I love it:)

At The MET

This is at our ward Halloween Party!