Hey Mom and Dad and Family!
Sorry I didn't email yesterday. So that flu strain that has been going on around the country finally got me. I was in bed all day yesterday and have been taking it easy today. Lots of fun!
I love your emails this week! Mom you look so pretty in your picture! And I love the funnies you sent :) Dad I am sorry it snowed again... bother! At least that meant you could watch the Oscars. Sounds lovely :) And Cameron's farewell sounds like it went great! I am glad so many people love that little guy. He is going to do the best ever!
Not gonna lie, this transfer has been and will be a challenging one.... Having an international companion sounded so exciting and like so much fun! But we are SO different. She does so many things that I have a hard time understanding and I'm sure she feels the same. There is so much adjusting to do- the Lord is really watching me stretch this time. He knew it would be this way or else I wouldn't be here, right? I am in a VERY challenging area on top of that. And now I have the flu :) Always the optimist ;) I find myself praying more than I ever have and praying more sincerely than I ever have. Sometimes it takes a ten minute prayer before my heart is soft enough to allow myself to not go crazy. Regardless of the challenges, I have become much better at talking to people. On Friday, I went on my first exchange with Sister Rativukivuki from Fiji (she just went home today... sniff...). It was THE BEST DAY EVER!!! We were talking to people every minute. We didn't even stay in for the full hour for lunch or for dinner. We just went and went and went. At one point we went to a former investigators apartment. A girl came to the door right as we arrived. We started talking to her and got her information. She said we could come back. We were talking about families when her neighbor's door opened. This little Nepalese girl invited us in. We started teaching lesson one. She doesn't speak English very fluently, but her ten year old daughter speaks great English and great Nepalese. After about 20 minutes, she asked if she could be baptized in our church! Crazy right?! Then she said that her cousins all needed to be baptized as well. The Spirit was awesome! There has already been some opposition, but they love having us over so we hope to see a lot of progress from this sweet little family. After we left that apartment, we went across to another apartment. Right then a man pulled up on his bike. He is from Burma. He said, "Come back and teach my family tomorrow!" They are the cutest little family too. There is this grandma that just loves us. In fact that is about all she can say ;) "I like Jesus. Love you two." And then she hugs us. It's cute :) They have four little kids. The six year old speaks the best English so he said that he would have a friend come over to translate. So we are teaching a family from Burma and a family from Nepal. There is a whole community of Nepalese people and they are all related. They are so humble too. And they want to learn more. Language seems to be the biggest barrier. And the New Life Baptist church with their big buses....
PLEASE keep praying for me.... I have to learn to love my companion and I have to learn to love this area and this ward. That will be the miracle for this transfer. It is so different. "In the strength of the Lord I can do all things."
I love you so much Mom, Dad and family. More than you know. The challenges of missionary work really just make me want to run up and let you give me a big hug for ten minutes. It feels like I have been out for a lifetime. I miss you and love you and pray for you. Keep being amazing.
Love you always,
Sister Alicia Johnson
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