As always I am incredibly grateful for your love and support and wonderful emails :) I love you all very much! Not going to lie- this past week feels like a blur. We have been working so hard! We have really been working on exact obedience- so to the minute of our schedule to be starting studies and getting out the door. We are out ALL of the time. Very rarely do we even take the full hour for lunch because we have so many other things to take care of. It is crazy because I hit the bed hard and fall asleep instantly because I am SO tired! But because we are working so hard I also have so much energy! It truly is the Lord strengthening me and my companion. She is awesome! So hard working. The poor thing hasn't been sleeping too well this week and yet you would never know because she won't stop working! We are definitely being blessed for our efforts too.
So I think I told you last time, but our area is really huge. We tried to visit as many people and the different cities as we could these past couple of weeks and we drove 750 miles- in two weeks! We only get 1250 for the month so things are definitely going to change soon. We don't have bikes yet... hopefully really soon. But we do have a really nice car! It is a brand new 2013 Ford Cruze. Yep! Brand new! I don't know if they completely thought that one through though- it is white, and we drive on muddy, dirt roads all of the time. Haha! Needless to say, it is filthy now. We are truly blessed to have it though.
As far as teaching goes, we have been working our tails off to find new investigators. We try everyone we can on the ward list. And we have tracted probably a good 10 plus hours this week. I am definitely not as nervous about knocking on random doors or about being rejected. You just expect it. We have a really cool technique that we use to get in homes though- they call it the harvesting technique. You knock and introduce yourselves as representatives of Jesus Christ that have been sent to their home to pray with their family. For how many Christians there are, you still get a lot of rejections, but it is powerful. You bring the spirit very strongly and then you can teach about the Restoration and Book of Mormon. We sure love prayer!
Oh what else... Here is one y'all will like :) We visited a less-active/part member family. They were the greatest ever! She was this little thing with, again, no teeth. She just was super spacey acting. She had a long braid, round glasses, and a patterned dress. We walked in. In her quiet little voice "Do you want to see my house?" Sure! So she shows us around her house. They got the linoleum waxed! They told us that like 12 times... Then she points up to the ceiling "Look we've got satellites!" (it's really a little sun-window). Then her husband, "I can't read and write, but I've got degrees! I've got a stack this high!" (gesturing about four inches). "I'm a fireman!" Oh my goodness! They were the most adorable people! Then we asked what she thought James 1:5 meant. "Exciting!" was her response. And then we asked how she came to know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. "Relief Society" she answered. It was such a funny situation. We seem to be in a lot more funny situations in this area. I really love the people- they are just so different! It really is like I am in a different country all of a sudden. A lot of them come from really sad, humble situations. And yet, the hardest thing is that even in humble circumstances many don't even accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. And then there is the challenge of teaching to their understanding. Even within the branch, they seem to understand the gospel on such a different level than my companion and I do.
Last night, we were in Cadiz. It is about 30 minutes away from Princeton and is where half of the active members live. We were looking up people on the less-active list. We stopped by a man who was born a member but now claims he is agnostic. We were able to talk about building a relationship with God and how to go about doing that. It is by small and simple means that something as "abstract" as God can be brought to a full understanding. Prayer and reading the scriptures. That is how it begins. We just have to trust and have hope that we will receive answers and feel that God is there. I know He manifests himself to those that ask through the power of the Holy Ghost. So many times I have felt the power of God wash over me and work through me because of the Book of Mormon and because of prayer. And amazingly enough, God is logical as well. He speaks to everyone in a way that each individual can understand. I know He is there. I love Him very much. We were able to share all this with this man, P, and we were able to pray with him. When we got back in the car, Sister Hill said that she felt that the Spirit restrained her from praying- that it needed to be me. I know I prayed that he and his family would be sealed together and that he would come to know that God is there for him. I am so grateful for opportunities like this everyday.
You know, life can be really, really hard. What a blessing it is to know that when we do as God commands that we will be much more able to handle whatever comes our way. God is bound by laws. We must be obedient to all He asks and the blessings are sure. I feel that everyday as I work to come closer to Him and work to serve His children. I love Princeton Kentucky. I love my mission. I love my family. I love the gospel.
I pray that you all will have a wonderful week. God is good!
I love you lots!
Sister Alicia Johnson
PS- The Assistants found my scriptures! I will be getting them back sometime this week :) Yay! Also, I remembered one more thing that I would love to have (the list is never-ending, I apologize). It is the gospel art book from the LDS distribution center. Thanks thanks!
I am so excited that everything is going so well for everyone :) Jaron and Taryn! Getting married :) Sounds crazy busy to take care of all of that. Italy! YAY! Exercising! Work! Melanie working at the BART!! WHOOP WHOOP! I love y'all :)
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