Sister Johnson is excited to have a companion from Australia

June 5th, 2017 Paisley Australia

Hello! 

I can't believe I've been on my mission for over a year! Time is starting to move quickly on my mission and I'm afraid I'll be home before I know it. Paisley is full of so many different characters, it kinda makes Finding on the street fun. The weather this week started off Sunny and warm, not it's rainy and cloud. Sister Ligertwood is a pretty fun companion, we do a lot of good work together. I'm excited to spend a transfer with her.

So on Tuesday I had the chance to go to the baptism of my investigator Daniel in Ayr, it's only at 30 minute train ride and I only needed permission from my zone leaders. Daniel was pretty cool to teach because we met him and three weeks later was baptized. We had no problems with the process of him preparing for baptism, he just did what we asked him to do because he had faith and trust to receive the promised blessings. Daniel felt the spirit and recognized it. His parents also came to the Baptism and wanted to take Sister Parker and me out to lunch, before they are so grateful for making Daniel the happiest he's ever been in 10 years. Seeing people change their lives like this makes all this hard work worth it in the end.

A funny thing happened on the train when we were traveling home. A woman had a bottle with fizzy stuff, she shook it for some reason and liquid burst out of the bottle and hit the window next to her, on the ceiling and on the window on the other side of the train. pretty impressive, I must say.

We were basically trying to build up our teaching pool this week and met a lot of random people​​. They aren't too promising but, hey it's a teaching pool kinda. Man called Moses from somewhere in South America, he just moved to Paisley and we see him every day. He's Catholic but interested in learning about our church so we give him unplanned street lessons every other day. Lucky for him he just got a flat down the road from us so we can see him even more often. 😉 We met a man called Raj from India my first day here and tried to teach him twice but he couldn't understand a word, I'm not too sure if it's the gospel he's interested in. A polish young man, Kasper, texted us on our way back from the baptism, I'll add one of the text messages in a picture. But basically he saw "passion in my eyes" and wanted to get ice-cream with me, Sister Ligertwood texted for me and told him sure but I'll need to bring a friend and we are missionaries. So we did get ice-cream and told him next time could we teach him about our Church and he said yes. 

 

Met the members on Sunday and it was really weird how this church building is exactly the same as the Ayr building. So many noisy children here, it feels kinda like my home ward during sacrament meeting.  I was forced to give the first testimony is fast and testimony meeting and introduce myself. Not too fun, I do bare my testimony is sacrament meeting most months. But it was uncomfortable doing it my first day and to be the first person. 😣

Street Buskers in Paisley

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The day before they left, the Sisters had their last baptism in Ayr. What a special person that was baptized. Baptism of Daniel McMillan tonight, and Sister Johnson was able to return to the Ward!

Delighted to meet our new missionary companionships... Sister Ligertwood and Johnson and Elder Kitchen and Wayment... Paisley Ward is blessed to have you all....

Transfer Day to Paisley

Hello everyone!! 

So today was moves day and now I'm in Paisley! With Sister Ligertwood, She's from Australia! Today we bonded about the Wiggles...

I'm so excited to be here, it's only a 30 minute drive away from Ayr and in the same Stake. Reminds me of when I was in Perth then moved to Dundee, not very far away but it's a completely different experience. Sister Ligertwood showed me around Paisley. I really enjoyed the Robert Snow Baptist Memorial Church and the Paisley Abby. It's a really Cool Abby and has a long history all the way back in the 1100 ish time. My last week in Ayr wasn't anything too exciting. We had a "movie night" with our recent converts in the church on Monday. When we chapped in the evening, Sister Parker and I knocked in the Posh part of Ayr. Saw some really pretty old homes, I have some pictures but I forgot to bring a cord to plug in my camera. Oh well... next week you can see some. Some many activities we planned with our recent converts this week, there was also a Book of Mormon reading class we're starting to teach on the opposite week of Games night. Chris, Daniel and Neil came to it. On Friday there was a BBQ at the Stake President's home, Daniel went to it as well. I had fun playing a game of Rounders (like baseball) with the members. Sadly Daniel was suppose to get baptized on Saturday but he couldn't because he pushed himself going to the BBQ, (he has a really bad back). We are hoping that he can be baptized on Tuesday, I really hope I can come. We'll see... Daniel has such a wonderful future in the church, he keeps telling us that we've changed his life, and we definitely couldn't have. It was Christ the whole time.

Our tattoo Artist friend, James took us out for dinner on Saturday. At a place called the Smoking Goat, it's a cool bar that has some pretty decent Mexican Food. 

I had a really big experience in Ayr, the last six months there I couldn't put any one word to it. It was life changing and a huge growing point for me as a person and Missionary. It was definately not a nice rosy walk in a park, in reality it was more like a hike through a jungle. Some times being chased by tigers, seeing beautiful waterfalls, climbing through thick vines and getting stuck in the mud. So many different challenges and ended on a really positive note though. For missionary work though I feel like I've accomplished everything I could and was ready to move on. Now I only have 4 more transfers left of my mission, including this new one I'm beginning in Paisley. I could possibly finish my mission in this Area, we'll see.

Have a good week,

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