February 20, 2017

Hello everyone!

The week as been a very positive week over what has been happening this month. The people seemed to become more open now that the year has begun to get back to normal and it's getting warmer too! Remember when I say warmer it's not warm, it's just not as freezing.

We worked so hard lately and I know the Lord knows our sacrifices, the blessings have been coming to us abundantly lately. Aairon the 10 year old boy we've been teaching forever, now has a date for the 11th of March!! I'm so excited for him, he's excited too. I don't think it's just the Baptism part that he's excited about maybe the massive Costco Cake that Sister Sharky promised him, after he agreed to be baptised of course. We don't bribe people to make convanents. 

Graham has been consistantly a pain these past few months and we came to the concultion that we need to drop him. I can't say I'm that disappointed and sad, he's made missionary work here unenjoyable, stressful and unhappy. I don't like dropping people, but if they refuse to keep commitments and progress there is nothing more that can be done for him.

There is another old man Patrick that has been texting us every day non-stop demanding that we see him and met with him. He text stuff like "Where are you?", even at 9 o'clock at night he sends "Meet me now". And then he accuses us for not having faith. Patrick was only taught by us once, we told him finally that he makes us feel uncomfortable with his messages and that we would still welcome him at our church services if he's interested. He continued to message us with increasingly abusive messages until we blocked his number. I'm a little bit concerned to see him again in the street, but it'll only be in public so he can't do anything.

Really besides from those two men, the people in Ayr were mostly pretty nice this week. We had long spiritual conversations with people on the street, where they told us about their struggles in life and we spoke to them about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then ended with a Prayer with them. Most of the people weren't interested with meeting up with us, but at least they had a positive up-lifiting experience with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint Missionaries. 

We finally saw the Kennedy's this week, they are the less active family that lives next door to the Church. They are moving soon because of the abuse they recieve from their neighbours. Sister Lawson knows them well and she said that their is a difference in their home. The Spirit is present. Brother Kennedy has been starting to read and study the book of Mormon lately. They said the prompting to just move away came from God while they were praying about their problems.

On Saturday the Edinburgh STLSTL Sister Paxman came with the Glasgow STL Sister Esplin and had exchanges with us in our area. I got to be with Sister Paxman and she's my favourite Sister Missionary in this mission. I really enjoyed spending the day with her, I drove the Glasgow STL's car around. Funny thing about that car is that it's the same car that I had in Perth but got moved to the Glasgow STL's car. So yeah I drove my old car around and we got lost and ended up going to Annesland on our way back from Barassie. I felt so bad for wasting time, I'm really appreciative now for not having a car in this area. We had lunch with Sister Kerr, while Sister Lawson and Esplin were at lunch with Sister Burn. I love the Family! Hope and Isabel was there and we taught them the Plan of Salvation, they are less active so re-learning the lessons and asking deeper questions about it really helps them strengthen their testimony. It was a precious moment talking about Eternal Families, Isabel has been through two rough marriage. She's grateful for them though because of her children she received. In order to be sealed to her children, she need to be sealed also to her children's father. The daughter Hope, testified to her that even though she needs to be sealed to her father only if the father is worthy enough to stand besided them they don't need to be with him also for all eternity. Hope has found in her heart a belief that if he is worthy to be beside her mother he must have changed mightly through the atonement. Isabel agreed that even though it's hard to forgive him of the abuse he's caused her, it's nor her place to with hold temple blessings from him. Only the Lord can judge.

I loved this week and hope for better weeks to come.

Hope that everyone else is doing well,

Cya

Letter to Mum.

Hello Mum,

I'll be looking forward to reading a new book. Mum you have NO IDEA how much I long to pick up a book and read it. It's seriously killing me just being able to read lds books. 😥 First thing I'm going to do when I get home, after sleeping and talking to you guys. Is find a place of solitude and warmth, and read a whole entire novel. I'm itiching to read Lord of the Rings or Fablehaven, because it's opposite to what I've been reading for the last 18 months. I really didn't appreciate reading that much before my mission and didn't really understand how important it was to me. After I read that novel, I'm going to get my Biology textbook and study it. Then I'm grab my trumpet and practice, then I'll go for a run alone, then I'll  listen to music or go to a concert with Chantel, then I'll go to a Mexican restrauant with the family, then I'm going fishing with Dad, then I'm going to diet like none other, then I'll get a job, then I'll sort out how to do math and school again. And during some point I'm going to some how get to St George and bask in the sunlight, aborbing so much Vitimine c and d

Is it bad that I already have a ton of stuff I'm itching to do when I get home?

Besides from missing all of those things it's been a good week, as you saw from my email. I'll write a letter to you again some time, but I don't have that much more to say. I hope that you'll listen to my thoughts and ideas, that you didn't just brush everything aside that I thought long and hard about. I hope you take me seriously like the adult I'm becoming, know that I do see the world as well and has some wisdom and experience of my own, no matter how small it may be.

Love you

Sister Johnson,