Dear Family and Friends,
Here are pictures of the Go & Do shirts we got from President
and His wife. We also went to our first quincenera. Vidi Hermosillos....
man are Quincenearas pretty fun. People kept thinking what are these
white girls doing here and their eyes got even bigger when we started
talking to them in spanish. Week of miracles. We were praying and the
name Rosa kept popping into our heads and Hermana Millington asks me if I
knew a Rosa... I told her know and we shrugged it off. Then at the
Quinceneara a member asks us if we will teach a referral named Rosa...
can't get any more straight forward than that... it is pretty much a
referral from God. We are teaching her this week... we are pretty sure
the Lord is putting her in our path.
This week was very eventful. Monday
we went to the Chiropractors again for my back and they are probably
going to refer me back to an orthopedic doctor :( Tuesday we went to the
church for english class and..... we opened the bathroom door and did
our cockroach check (yes, we do have to check for cockroaches here) and
we found glass all over the floor.... someone decided to brake into the
church... what are they going to steal?? Folding chairs???....... ONLY
in MEMPHIS. You don't know sketch unless you have been to Memphis.
Thursday was Zone Conference and we watched Ephraim's Rescue which is an
amazing movie and the elders in our zone did a talent for the talent
show... pretty entertaining.
Friday we went to the Quincenera which is
pretty much as big as a wedding in Mexican culture. Saturday we had a
tornado watch, and a severe thunderstorm warning, and flood warning all
in one day.... our weather radio was going crazy that day. We decided to
stay close to home that day. The thunderstorms were super legit. I had
never seen the sky look so scary though. We were staying safe though. We
also got into a huge bible bash and it was really disappointing to see
that people could be so blind.
We are seeing progress with these families and the gift of
Charity that I have been praying for is starting to come... I feel so
much love for these people and I think they realize that. We prayed very
hard that this week that the Velazcos would come to church this week.
We saw a miracle and we got 5 of the 6 Velazcos there.... their son even
participated in the primary program... they kind of threw him up
there.... ONCE again I helped out with the primary program... I even
added a little extra verse to the end of the last song. This week we
had an amazing week... so many miracles. After zone conference we went
to teach an amazing family. We decided to apply what we had learned and
go into the lesson with complete faith. We SAW miracles. We taught the
Velazco family and the whole family was there and we brought tears to
all of their eyes and we even cried during the lesson. I felt so much
charity and love for this family and the spirit that was felt through
that lesson was undeniable. I KNOW that this is where I am supposed to
be.
This week we read D&C 31 and I really love this chapter. Before my mission I was so afraid to come out and serve. I was pretty shy about talking to new people and I am not a very good public speaker and I would always get really nervous to give talks in Sacrament meeting. I also felt I could never effectively express myself and I was worried about the language barrier when I got called spanish speaking. When I felt the prompting to serve a mission I prayed and told the Lord of these weaknesses and that I didn't think I could do it but I would go where he wanted me to go. I instantly felt that everything would be okay and that I jsut needed to trust him. He told me it didn't matter what my insecurities and weakness are because with the Lord weaknesses become strengths. In D&C 31:3 It says "Lift up your heart and rejoice for the hour of your mission is come: and your tongue will be loosed and you shall declare glad tidings of great joy unto this generation." When I read this it reminded me of why I am here and that even though I am weak the Lord is going to use me and I will be able to do great things. By the small and simple things, great things are possible.
The theme for Zone conference was GO & DO really hit
home. With all my weaknesses I told the Lord I would Go where he wanted
me to go but I didn't fully do what he wanted me to do. I think part of
the DO is not just doing the work but giving your full heart, might,
mind, and strength to DO what the Lord wants us to do. When we watched
Ephraim's Rescue during Zone conference it made me realize I am doing
part of what I need to do but there is still so much more I can do and
there is still so much more I have to offer. President talked about how
there is 30% of the missionaries out here that contribute to a majority
of the baptisms.
I want to be part of that 30% I want to do the very
best I can do and leave my mission with no regrets. I am on the brink of
figuring out what their secret is and I feel like satan has been
attacking me because I am so close. I CAN do this!!! I am DETERMINED to
do this!!! Like it says in 1 Nephi 3:7 "I will go and do the things
which the Lord hath commanded, for I know the Lord giveth no
commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for
them that they may accomplish the thing which he hath commanded them." I
KNOW that the Lord has commanded me to serve a mission and help so many
people. He has called me here. He put specific things in my life to get
me out here to help these people. I can do so much more. I am
determined to do so much more and however long and hard the road I WILL
GO & DO.
Love,
~Hermana Larissa Johnson