May 25, 2009
Thanks to all the emails I got this last week. I love them so much. So we have a progressing investigator finally! Yay. His name is Alan and he asked his member friend, Brother Fuller, if he could go to church with him this last Easter Sunday. I guess he’s worked with a lot of mormons and has been impressed. He had a life changing experience, or rather a “mighty change of heart” a few years ago and has been searching to devote his life to Christ ever since. Anyways, he’s been reading the Book of Mormon (my testimony of that book grows bigger everyday), and is talking to all his Mormon friends. We asked if he would get baptized if he found out it was true and he said yes. It’s funny because we talked to his Mormon friend and asked if he thought Alan would get baptized and he responded, “Maybe, but it’s going to be a long road for him. Maybe in a couple of years.” But after talking with Alan we’re pretty sure that he’ll be baptized in the next few months if not weeks.

We had the coolest lesson this past week. We had been trying to visit some members, but they weren’t home. As we were about to drive away we saw a woman walking her dog right in front of our car and then that thought comes, “go talk to her.” Nooooo we’re already in the car. It will be so awkward if we just pop out of the car and say, ‘surprise! We’re missionaries!’ But we carefully got out of the car and opened the trunk and grabbed something and casually looked up and saw her and said, “Hey! Can we introduce ourselves?” It was our best attempt at not being awkward…the fact that we both accidentally decided to almost the exact same outfit that day didn’t help but needless to say she let us talk to her. Anyways, all of that is fluff. Her name is Erin and she told us that she was agnostic (like a lot of people here). She believed Christ was a great moral teacher, but not our Savior. The only thing she remembers from her days at church was that if you don’t accept Jesus then you go to hell…Anyways, we taught her about Christ and the plan of Salvation. Because we are down in the bible belt we have to focus most of our time explaining the restoration. Not that I don’t like discussing the restoration, I would much rather talk about Christ. Don’t worry, we talk about Christ over and over again in the lessons, but because people already believe in Christ, their questions are not usually focused around why we need Him and who He is. But with Erin she let us teach all about Him. I felt the spirit so strong. I love that! I love teaching when the other person gets it because the spirit’s presence is so much stronger. It makes me feel like Alma in Alma 7:17 when he says, “And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? …yea, I know that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is in me.”

Anyways, we were trying to explain what the Spirit felt like. I stumbled for the right words, “It feels like, like—” “Like pure love…yeah, I’ve felt that,” Erin said. That’s the best explanation of the Spirit I’ve ever heard. Anyways, after we were done with the lesson she was admiring Simon Dewey’s picture of Christ’s resurrection so we gave it to her. Then we also explained the free DVD about Christ on the back of the picture and she asked if we could give that to her as well. Sigh. It was awesome.

So Carlos…didn’t go to Church. He coiled up again…so we have a plan…stay tuned.

The atonement of Jesus Christ is the most incredible thing. I don’t really have words to explain it, but I recognize the power in my life more than I ever have besides when I was younger. The Lord is willing to give me strength in all areas of my life and I am so grateful for it.

I love you all!
Sister JOhnson