Alicia! 7-29-13 Bellevue, TN

You know, some days you really miss your family a lot. I am grateful that I get to serve and be a missionary, but I really would love to give you all a big hug right now. Laughing and playing and talking together... I really love you all. Thank you for all that you do and for the wonderful people that you are. You have definitely made me the person that I am.

I am excited that you get to go on Trek this week and I am sad to hear about Carrie's family. I got an email from Grandma Janet. She sounded really sad.... Death is such a big part of life and always so difficult for those who are left behind. It really does feel like a lot of people have died since I have been out. It really makes me grateful for the eternal perspective we gain from the gospel of Jesus Christ. In light of upcoming trek: "And should we die before our journey's through, happy day! All is right! We then are free from toil and sorrow too, with the just we shall dwell." I know that God truly has a plan for us. There is a reason and a time for every trial and challenge that we have in this life. "Therefore, cheer up your hearts, and remember that ye are free to act for yourselves- to choose the way of everlasting death or the way of eternal life" (2 Nephi 10:23).

We really do need to have the perspective of "come what may and love it." I love my mission and I do love Nashville, but I am starting to feel ready to move again. We had an exchange this week that was a bit different. Sister Vandenberg and I arranged the exchange and put all of the sisters in the zone in different areas and companionships. While we were praying about it, we felt strongly impressed about where each sister needed to be. And something interesting happened: we felt prompted that we needed to be together and that we needed to whitewash one of the areas. We whitewashed for about 36 hours. It was a really great experience. I felt the fire of a new area and being pushed out of my comfort zone.

It also gave us a chance to look at life from the perspective of "expecting miracles." Many times in life we get very caught up in the mundane, routine aspect of it. We forget that the Lord truly has His hands in the very details of our lives. He will prepare the path before us if we ask and live worthy of it. So the sisters had left us a list of people to try to visit. In each instance, the investigators were not home. Instead, we met the neighbors of these people who showed great interest and need for the gospel. Sister Vandenberg showed me that we need to look at everyone as a child of a Heavenly Father who loves them- and more miraculously as the exact person that we are supposed to be talking to at that moment. "We came thousands of miles away from our home to talk to YOU."

Just think of it! We are representatives of Jesus Christ - each one of us! We took His name upon us at baptism and renew that covenant with Him each week. And if we are really praying and looking for miracles and people to help, the Lord WILL provide the way. He will never leave us alone.

I remembered an experience that I had a year or so ago and for some reason I feel prompted to write it down. My friends and I went to Lava Hot Springs to celebrate a marriage. While on that trip, we decided to float down the creek on tubes. Some of the girls had done it before and knew where the rapids were the most treacherous. We set off with excitement. Being my first time with an experience like this I could not anticipate the will and the way of the water. We began floating down. We remained close together. We passed many rapids with no problems. Then we reached one that was a bit too powerful for my tube. I remember one of my friends lost their tube. I reached out to try and catch it and fell out of my own. I couldn't catch it and found myself stranded in the middle of the rapids. I grasped and clung to a rock and prayed for help. I didn't know what to do. The rocks were close to the surface and there were many. I couldn't stay there forever and in a moment of desperation I let go of the rock I was holding onto and tried to hold myself aright as I passed through the rocks. My legs beat the rocks mercilessly. Eventually, the rapids ended and there was a period of calm. My friends were waiting and reaching for me. I swam toward them with tears streaming down my face from fear and pain. The water was still pulling me but I plunged ahead and made it to safety. After that first trip down the creek, I had NO desire to go down again. The way is treacherous! The water is strong! I could have lost my life! My friends assured me that I COULD do it again. This time, we would wear life jackets and we would hold on to one another. We proceeded to float it again. This time, the danger passed as we stayed together. We were firm and the fear left me.

The gospel is much like this. Sometimes, we throw ourselves unknowingly into paths that are treacherous and merciless. When we lose our tubes, we find ourselves grasping and clinging to hang on. The Savior stands by us as we weather the rocks and the waves of life and when we reach the calm, he sends angels to reach out to us and stop the storm. Our trials teach us to hold on to that which will make us safe and sure. We arm ourselves with righteousness and surround ourselves with that which is good. When the waters threaten to destroy, we are still tossed about, but it is much easier to weather the storm.

The Savior wants to help us. He has given us tools to make sure that we are not unarmed when the storms of life threaten. He promises peace and safety in our walk through life. BUT we must be obedient. We must trust in Him. We must study, pray, partake of the sacrament and keep our covenants. Sometimes, He even blesses us to be the means of bringing others to the safety we know.

Today and throughout this week, will you be someone's angel? Will you reach out to them as they weather the storms they are passing through? We don't know if they are armed with a life jacket- they may need you to anchor them and steady them.

I am grateful for the gospel and for what it has given to me. I know that this work is true. I love you and pray that you have a wonderful week. Continue to remain steadfast and true.

Love you always!

Sister Alicia Johnson

Alicia! 7-22-13 Bellevue, TN

My heart goes out with love to all of those who wrote me this week. I wish over and over again that I could truly convey to you the gratitude and love that I have for each one of you. My sincerest prayers go out to Allen and his family. I know that God loves Carrie and each of her children and her husband. I know that she is still near. The veil is much closer than we think and the angels are around us. "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up" (D&C 84:88). I know that in the midst of our greatest afflictions, the Savior is closer than ever before. He loves us personally and individually.

 

Thank you so much for your emails. This doesn't often happen, but as I was reading through them the Spirit was so powerful it brought me to tears. It is strange to think of being home, because I know that I am where I am supposed to be. I know that God is watching over you. I feel like I have lived this life forever. You all are the same people I loved before, but your growth and the power of your Spirits are changing.

How does obedience bring immediate blessings?

"One way that you are immediately blessed is that you are changed, and change may be the greatest blessing of all. You are the sum total of all that you have thought, done, said, seen, heard and felt in this life and before. You change immediately with each good thought, each good act, every good word changes you for the better. When you willingly obey the principles of the gospel, you are changed by the Spirit of God to become incrementally more like Him. The degree of change with each small act of obedience may be small, but it is real and immediate. The full, cumulative and perfect realizations of this process of change or sanctification happens only over time, but make no mistake that you are always changing, and that the effects of your obedience are immediate, whether for better or for worse, depending upon the voice you chose to follow."

 

Heavenly Father is blessing our family for their willingness to follow the example of our Savior and live the covenants they have made. And therefore, you are changing. Keep it up.

 

This week was one of miracles. It went so quickly that I hardly remember it... We had set a goal of talking to 35 new contacts this week. By Saturday evening, we needed 14 more contacts to reach our goal. With full faith and trust, we set the goal then made plans to accomplish it. We figured the only way it would happen was if we knocked doors on Sunday evening. The Lord kept placing people right in our path. Not only that, he did it in groups. Instead of talking to one person, we would walk into a room of 5 people. By 8:30 we only needed 4 more contacts. We were on our bikes. We started heading back home with the intention of talking to anyone we passed as we went. We biked past a man who was walking across the street. We passed the opportunity. There was a car waiting at the light with their window down with two people in it.... We biked past.... We were pretty ashamed of ourselves for passing up these opportunities so we decided that we would not pass anyone else up. We talked to a man we saw walking his dog. We biked home and made it at exactly 9pm. An incredible realization struck me. The Lord had placed exactly 14 people in our path that day and had we been more in tune and more courageous, we would have accomplished our goal. Needless to say, we were very excited to come back home with 32 total contacts for the week. What a miracle!

 

What opportunities do we pass up because of fear? How often do we let this fear overcome our faith? The Lord trusts that if we ask for something, that we will be willing to take the opportunities that are placed in front of us. He WANTS to bless us! And He wants us to have all the happiness we desire. "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:7).

 

"This may be one of the Savior's commandments that is, even in the hearts of otherwise faithful Latter-Day Saints, almost universally disobeyed, and yet I wonder whether our resistance to this invitation could be any more grievous to the Lord's merciful heart... I am convinced that none of us can appreciate how deeply it wounds the loving heart of the Savior of the world when He finds that His people do not feel confident in His care or secure in His hands" (Elder Jeffery R. Holland).

 

My dear family and friends, the wisest thing we can do is trust in our Savior. Give our will to God. Let Him be in control and know that with each step we take to follow Him the promised blessings of peace and happiness are ours for the taking.

 

Thank you again for your emails. Thank you for your diligence, your prayers, your love and your faith. I love you deeply and sincerely.

 

Mom and Dad, I love you so much. Thank you for the time and effort you put into the emails you send. Thank you for teaching me that I am a daughter of God. Thank you for loving the Savior and the gospel in the way you do. I love you so much!! Have a blessed week. I look forward to the blessings of the next emails.

 

Love you always!!

Sister Alicia Johnson

Alicia! 7-15-13 Bellevue, TN

Hi everyone! Family! Guess what! Yesterday marked eight months that I have been out! I don't know if you are keeping track... but I only have half my mission left... It is going WAY too fast! Especially this week in particular. Last night I was writing in my journal and I couldn't believe how much happened this week. I love missionary work! It is so exciting and thrilling and fun!

 

I am grateful for your emails :) I know I may not always respond to everything that is in them but I LOVE reading them and hearing about all of the going-ons back home. It sounds like there are a lot of changes happening as far as the house is concerned. Good changes too! I won't even recognize the place when I get back! That is crazy! I will miss the tree a lot... But it will be ok. One thing about change- you always adjust way more quickly than you could anticipate. Want to know something crazy?? I have been with Sister Munafo for 8 weeks now. The longest I have had a companion. And I have been in Bellevue for a month! Wow!

 

This week was incredible! We had a zone conference on Tuesday to get to know President Anderson and get some trainings. It is definitely different. I sure miss the McKee family. They had just such a warm and bright presence. But President and Sister Anderson are great. We have a Mission Leader Council this week and Interviews so I will be getting to know him a LOT better.

 

So the weather here is pretty weird. And also it sounds like we live in a jungle. I am pretty sure they are cicadas- they make all these crazy noises at night. It is really cool! Coupled with the warm air, the trees and the lightning bugs. I always feel like I am either at Disneyland or in the jungle. I love it! But I also really miss the mountains... They are in my blood. Nothing beats summers in the mountains :)

 

What I was saying about the weather- it feels like the Lord is really looking out for us. It hasn't been horrifically hot and when it is we always somehow have the car.On Wednesday we were on our bikes all day. That evening we went to institute with some members. This freak lightning storm came out of nowhere and we went driving right through it. The lightning struck a pole right next to our car as we were going by! It was crazy! Then it was this crazy downpour that stopped after about an hour. Weird stuff. Not like Utah.

 

We had a training on Thursday and set a goal to focus on getting 5 new contacts a day. This has pushed us to talk to more people and to be more courageous in opening our mouths. We have seen lots of miracles from it. Suddenly, this place is like Bowling Green. We have found all these different ethnicities of people that don't speak English. Our teaching pool is changing dramatically and it is really exciting! We visited this guy from Nigeria who blessed that Sister Munafo would have 30 children! He is great!

 

M has dropped off the face of the earth... We think he slipped back into some habits and is now embarrassed or overthinking things or something... We send texts with scriptures and he will say thanks- but he won't let us visit to figure out what is going on. I am sure it is just timing. He is in the Lord's hands.

 

We are working with a lot of different people on the scale of progression. This week we found a former investigator that had been visited by missionaries about 6 years ago. 6 years ago, this woman was undergoing some problems in her family and some health issues. The Elders showed up at her door on a particular day when she greatly needed them. They didn't push her into anything but they prayed with her. They kept checking on her and praying with her. Miracles began to happen in her life. She knew it was because of the missionaries. Slowly, they drifted out of her life. And now, this past week, we showed up at her door right when she needed another prayer. And more importantly, she is SEARCHING for TRUTH!!! "As they see their church veering off to the right or to the left of those basic teachings they will begin to search for truth." We challenged her to read from the Book of Mormon again- to take another look at it. We will be meeting with her again this week. Miracles are going to happen!

 

We are also teaching this Vietnamese man with a member who speaks Chinese. I am really grateful for return missionaries.

 

This gospel is true. It is really amazing! It changes lives! I love it and I am so grateful to be serving and giving my all. I love you my wonderful family! Have a great week!!!

 

Love you lots!

Sister Alicia Johnson

Alicia! 7-8-13 Bellevue, TN

Hello! Yes! I got your email! No, I didn't get any pictures... Just one that mom sent of some sleeping people :) I have worked with senior couple missionaries quite a bit! They are the BEST missionaries out here! And they have a variety of assignments. They work in the office doing referrals or finances or housing or car stuff; then there are some that work in the YSA branches doing institute or Less Active work; there are some that are sent to military bases to build relations there; there are all sorts of cool assignments for senior missionaries!

 

President Andersen just got here this week. He actually was originally called as a missionary in another mission and when they sent the release notice to President McKee they called him as a mission president instead of a regular missionary. We had transfers on Tuesday and we have a whole new district. I have a new second companion! My Sister Trainer Leader companion is Sister Vandenberg. I served in her district when I was in Princeton. I sure love her a lot and I am very excited to serve with her! She is in Green Hills now. My old area :)

 

On Wednesday we were trying to help the Sisters get settled into their area so we went to the mission office to get some supplies. We got to say goodbye to the McKee's one last time... They will be very missed. I really love them a lot. I am grateful that they are in Pocatello so that I can actually go see them some after the mission. Yay!

 

Yesterday, we met President Andersen and Sister Andersen as we were walking through the church building. It is pretty neat to be in Nashville near the mission leadership. Kind of in the hub of it all. I am excited to see what comes of this new change. President Andersen is really a neat person! I love him and his wife a lot already. You can't go wrong when you have Utah State as a common bond ;)

 

It sounds like everyone had a really fun week! We experienced a whole different world here in Nashville. The past few days it has been raining like crazy! I haven't ever been in rain like this before. It was really fun :) We didn't have a car either, so we were out walking with our umbrellas in it trying to find people to teach. The 4th of July was raining a lot too. Apparently, Nashville has one of the best firework shows in the nation. We took this opportunity to find people by going downtown with a survey to get referrals. Fortunately and unfortunately, it was pouring rain. So there weren't as many people as there would have been and we were a bit soggy. But in 2 hours, Sister Munafo and I had 40 surveys filled out. Cool! We got to go to a member's house for dinner and have bbq food too. Good times! Love holidays!

 

So, M was supposed to be baptized on Saturday but on Monday he told us he wasn't ready. He still wanted to meet with us though. He has made some amazing progress and changes in his life- but we continue to face opposition. He didn't come to church yesterday... We are not sure what is up, but we are doing our best to work through it. It will be right in the end :)

 

We had an amazing experience the other day with a member. We went to find a referral. We pulled into the lot. The member that was with us had a sudden pain in her leg so she stayed in the car. I saw a man sitting across the lot and had the impression we needed to talk to him. We talked to the referral first- who wasn't interested- and we made our way over to the man. He had gone inside. So we knocked on his door. He opened. He looked a bit upset. We started sharing about the Book of Mormon and asked about his beliefs and his family. He said that there were some difficult things happening in his life right then. We took the opportunity to pray with him. As I prayed, I felt the Spirit working through me witnessing of God's love for this man. After the prayer, I looked up and the man was crying. We set a time to go back and visit again. I don't know why, but I have a strong impression that we may have saved that man's life that night. I don't know what he has been going through, but the Lord is very aware of him. He is very aware of all of us. He knows what we need and He will do all that He can to help us. We were sent at that moment to be the Lord's hands and loving arms of mercy and peace. When we got back into the car, the member said that she felt the same pull we had. She also felt impressed that for some reason, she wasn't meant to talk to him at that time with us. It needed to be us.

 

I am so grateful for the small and simple miracles that the Lord allows us to be a part of day to day. So many times, we are walking around, unsure of who needs us at the time, unsure if our efforts matter at all. I know that the Lord is aware. I am grateful for His guidance and His presence. I don't know what I would do without the Spirit. The Spirit is the true master in this work. I want to do everything I can to be worthy of that Spirit.

 

I love you all so much! I am eternally grateful for all that you have done and continue to do for me. I know that God lives and that He loves us. I pray that you all have a blessed week. I pray that you will stay in tune to the Spirit this week- it is possible that the Lord needs YOU to be His hands this week. Reach out to those around you. YOU could be the difference in someone's day.

 

I love you so much!

Sister Alicia Johnson

Last night walking home. We had to climb this intense hill... You can't really tell from the picture but it felt like it was a 90 degree angle!

 A pretty flower we found walking in the rain trying to cut across a field.

Sweet Cece's frozen yogurt... Mmmm... :)

 Right before it starting raining on us again. The same field we were trying to cut across. Turns out that there was a creek that became a river on the other end so we had to backtrack and go all the way around back to the roads. We were only a bit late for our appointment...

Alicia! 7-1-13 Bellevue, TN

HELLOOOOOO FAMILIA!!

 

Can you believe we made it through another month?! Time is flying by incredibly quickly! Where does it go?? And things change so rapidly! It is amazing! I love your emails :) I am sad Mel cannot email... But I love her lots and lots!!! And I love the pictures from Jackson! Yay! Good ol' Jackson Hole. So many fun memories! Although, I don't quite remember the memory of a stick fight with Dad and Zach... missed out on that one.

 

As per usual, things are happening around here! So we got transfer calls on Saturday evening and I have been very blessed to stay with Sister Munafo in Bellevue. I don't know what my problem is- but every time it gets close to transfers I think I am ready to move on. I want things to change. I am grateful that the Lord is letting me not get my way and stay here. I feel in my heart that this may be one of my favorite transfers. It is funny, we are right next to my last area and yet it is a completely different world here. It goes to show how much of a difference the unity in a ward can make. Yesterday, I was wrapped in a warm cocoon of love from the bishop and members of the ward. If anyone has figured out how to make missionaries and members one, it is the Bellevue ward. They have been begging for sister missionaries too- so they are excited to have us.

 

Even more amazing is the miracle of Matt. While on exchanges a week and a half ago, Sister Munafo and Sister Bundy were looking for an address that didn't exist. They began pushing their bikes up a hill when Matt walked out the door and asked if they needed help. He said that he had been searching for truth. In fact, not two days earlier, he had been praying specifically for someone to be sent to guide him. Lo and behold, two angels of the Lord came and brought him the news of the gospel. His spirit, his heart and his mind were open. He is getting baptized this Saturday. He has already been welcomed into the ward with a warm embrace. I am so happy for him and the steps that he is taking! What a miracle that one by one the Lord is gathering his chosen people together. He has been preparing Matt for years for this time when he would be ready to receive the gospel and the Lord's messengers. And now, Matt is studying each and every day from the scriptures. He is learning and experiencing the joy of the restored gospel for himself. I am so grateful for the Lord in entrusting his children to our care. I am so happy!

 

Saturday evening another miracle occurred. We attended a farewell fireside for the McKee family with our investigator, Matt. We walked into the doors and there was my other miracle baptism- Cheryl!!! It made me want to cry I was so happy to see her! She has done incredibly well in the past few months. In fact, her daughter and three grandkids have all been baptized. Her son, Cody, is going to be baptized sometime this month. I wish I could express the joy within my heart!!! To think that I had a part to play in Cheryl coming into the gospel. She is a light and an example to me and feels like a second mother. I love her so much! Members of the Greenhills ward came up to me and expressed their gratitude for my service in the ward. It was thrilling and almost overwhelming to see that, somehow, the Lord has allowed me to have an impact. The Spirit will use the skills and talents that we have to influence others for good. NEVER think that what you are doing (if you are living a righteous, covenant-keeping life) that you are not effecting lives. You are! We are all children of God with the divine potential to become like him. We can live lives like the Savior and touch those around us with His divine love. I am SO grateful for that knowledge! I am so grateful to be a missionary! I am so grateful to already be witnessing the fruits of our labors here in the Lord's vineyard. Can you believe that I have been a part of 13 baptisms...? Jon, Jenn, Corey, Briana, Frankie, Denisa, Cheryl, Cheryl's 3 grandkids and 2 children, and Matt. Oh! And not to mention Cheryl also did baptisms for her deceased relatives and one of her daughters that passed on. AND Sister Thatcher's aunt and uncle are preparing to go through the temple. Not to mention the Driskills who were reactivated in Bowling Green.

 

I feel like Alma "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever." I know that the Lord blesses us as we are obedient and serve with ALL. More miracles have occurred than I possibly realized- and it has been worth every hard minute of pain, sorrow, rejection and hurt. This is the Atonement of Jesus Christ in action. I know this gospel is true. I love you and I am eternally grateful for your support and your prayers. Keep praying! Never stop praying!

 

I love you! Have an amazing week!

 

Love you always,

Sister Alicia Johnson