December 12, 2016 Transfer day

Transfer fro Dundee Scotland to Paisley.

December 5th, 2016

Hello!

This week at the beginning was absolutely fantastic, but I may have pushed myself too hard when I feel like I was getting sick. So for the last part of last week I've had a cold. 😰 Which was super duper annoying because we planned on having an awesome week. So last week we got a message from a unknown number and it was a man named Nicolas who met sister missionaries 6 months ago but didn't hear from them since, but he had their number. He then messaged that number 6 months later and really wants to met up. We taught him at the beginning of this week, he's a recovered drug addict and wants to be baptised. Unfortunately he lives in the other wards boundaries, right next to the border. So next week we'll be passing him over to the other missionaries. 

Frank is doing well as well. He has a baptism date for the 18th of December but it's conditional if he can keep the word of wisdom for two weeks or not. He even went to church this Sunday! Michael went to church this Sunday as well, he shared a fantastic experience that he had this week when he felt like he said the first sincere prayer. He said that he asked the basic question are you there and then shortly after he felt this strange comforting peace come over him! He says that he wants to feel that way again. I love it when you can really tell that someone is changing their lives to follow Christ!! He then asked this week why we call members of the church members and not fellow Jesus Followers or something like that???? Some how he thinks Members isn't an appropriate word. What do you guys think?

Apparently there is a live feed of Dundee City Centre online, Sister Truman's mum found it online some where. So if you guys want to be creepy and try to spot the missionaries GQing in City Centre you may. 😂 There is a Christmas market in the City Square and a huge Christmas tree, so much Christmas everywhere and it doesn't really feel like Christmas for us missionaries. Sister Truman and I decorated a 2 ft Christmas tree in our flat and we've had lights up since the end of September. We have as much Christmas and we can get. What makes me most excited about Christmas is to Skype my family and watch those G and PG 13 movies all night!! Missionary work right now seems very slow at the moment because the university students have finals and then are going home for the holidays. Every one else is just stressed about parties and presents. No time for the true meaning of Christmas. 

The Light the World advent calendar is a really awesome way to bring the Christmas Spirit into the holiday season this year. I've been thinking a lot about charity in my mission and I've been trying to find more ways to develop and show Charity to others. Christmas is definitely the time of the year where people show the most charity towards their fellow men. Christ is the best example to showing love to others. He served, blessed, loved, taught, healed and cared for others we can do all of these things in our own way no matter where we are in life. Some times the opportunities to help others and show love come unexpectedly, we must always be praying and be watchful for these moments to come by. It can be towards anyone at any moment, even a small act can make a big difference. I invited everyone to check out light the world calendar and follow in the example of Jesus Christ.

See ya later!

Sister Miranda Johnson

December 11, 2016 Miranda's mom got some more photos.

This is Sister Johnson and her companion Sister Truman from St. George, Utah

More fun photos.

Thanksgiving 2016 Dundee Scotland

The missionaries spent Thanksgiving with one of their newly baptized members at her home.  They had a lot of fun. "And ye must give thanks unto God in the spirit for whatsoever blessing ye are blessed with" (D&C) 🇺🇸🍁🍂

Missionary Mom

Some of the members on facebook Miranda's mom and gave her some photos.  Colleen Brown was recently baptized and here are all the missionaries.  

November 28th 2016

Hiya! This has been a pretty dry week in Dundee, it didn't seem to rain at all when we were out and about. It was so nice. But also it was pretty cold about 0 degrees Celsius or I think 32 degrees Fahrenheit... They say that it doesn't get colder than this in Dundee it just gets wetter... great. 

Last Monday we did the usual P-day stuff shopping, emailing and just needed to relax in the flat for once. That evening there was a ward activity of watching a lds movie, the Cokeville Miracle. It's about this guy that tries to blow up an elementary school with a hundred students in it, and how miracles that happen prevents there being any more deaths than the two perpetrators when the boom goes off. I highly recommend watching it. We were able to bring Frank (an investigator of ours) to the movie and it was really uplifting yet creepy movie. I felt super strange watching a movie when you're a missionary... 

On Tuesday  we had district meeting, in our district this transfer we have the Elders that share the Liff/Dundee 2nd Ward, Elder Wang (District leader) and Elder Charlesworth. Also in our district now we have the Perth Sisters, Sister Dahl and Sister May. Since I followed up trained Sister Dahl she's my step Daughter and Sister May is my step Granddaughter and then the Zone Leaders that are in the Bingham/Dundee 1st Ward. Elder Wang is from Beijing China, and is very Chinese in his mannerisms which made district meeting very interesting... He had us write down our actual key indicators for the previous week on the white board in front of everyone and talk about why they aren't better. I didn't like having everyone's numbers on the board next to each others. Elder Wang keeps talking about Belfast, the last and only area he has served in. He constantly compares the two areas to each other and tells us how much better the missionaries and the work was in Belfast.

That evening we taught Frank in a members home and the spirit was so strong and it felt right having Frank talking to other members and getting out of his tiny flat. If it wasn't for his addictions I believe he could get baptised in two weeks, this coming week Sister Truman and I are going to put all we have into getting him to stop drinking and smoking.

Wednesday was a busy day, saw Micheal, dropped by a less active Michelle and saw the Gilmores. 

Thursday Frank went to lunch with us at Hazel's house and I had my first taste of Haggies. She got it from the butchers on Perth Road and boiled it. It's something made in a sheep's stomach with lungs, intestines and other fun things and mixed in it is oats. I have to say it isn't that bad, she served it with Raddish, Potatos and Gravy. Personally I wouldn't go oh man I want to eat Haggis today! probably never actually, but if some one placed haggis infront of me and it wasn't from a can. I would just eat it. I can't think of anything to compare haggis to but it's just doesn't taste bad. We then saw Micheal again and he says that he believes in god now. He doesn't know how it happened but it's really weird because he feels like he's constantly being watched and it freaks him out. I guess for some one that didn't believe in God before, knowing that some one always has and does watch you is a creepy concept. It makes one have an increase in integrity. I just remembered we had Thanksgiving!! A recent convert in the Bingham Ward Colleen and another guy Kyle hosted a thanksgiving dinner for all of the Missionaries in Dundee. It was really sweet and Colleen attempted to make a thanksgiving feast. She tired her best and that's what counts. Besides from that it didn't really feel like thanksgiving.That evening we were GQing in the dark, and ran into two girls. We taught them about the Holy Ghost in McDonalds and one of them seems really interested in learning about Christianity. Hopefully we'll be able to see them next week. 

Friday was the same old stuff and so was Saturday. It was funny that there was all of these Black Friday Sales things but no thanksgiving. They don't sell pumpkin after Halloween so to make fake pumpkin pie they use sweet potato and it doesn't taste bad at all.

Sunday was church and we were at the building for a total of 6 hours that day. We had ward co-ordination before church and a master teacher class that evening. Micheal didn't make it to church because he felt nervous... he sent us a really troubling text and we thought he decided not to meet with us anymore. Later that day he called and said he wanted to speak to us. We met up with him and as we were walking to where we were going to see him Sister Truman said, that she felt like she was on her way to her boy friend's house and we were about to have 'the talk' to determine if we are going to break up or not. HAHA! It's all good he just apologies for not coming to church. We also taught Frank once again with Tiffany and Josh this time. 

This week was all about expressing and looking for gratitude, I need to be more aware of the blessing the lords as given me. The very fact that I live and have to ability to be happy and sad is something to be grateful for. Despite the trials we experience in this life we are able to endure through many of them with the lord's help. I am grateful for the ways he has provided for me to endure and follow his commandments. I know that he has given me more than I know. Like it says in Alma 34:38 That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessingswhich he doth bestow upon you.

I need to strive to live in thanksgiving daily for all that he has given me and I invite everyone that reads this to be express gratitude for all that you have and are. He has blessed you abundantly, search for these blessing and love what you are so fortunate to have available to you.

I had a fantastic week and hope that everyone else is doing well.