August 11, 2014
Dear Friends and Family,
One
thing I learned this week is as goes your mission so goes your life... if you
goof around on your mission then you will do that when you get home as well
whereas if you work hard and rely on the spirit you will be a lot more
successful and well off after your mission.
I definitely have a huge respect
for missionaries now and what they go through... a lot of the times people just
ignore the missionaries or think we're not going to be here very long so they
don't see a point in getting to know us but really missionaries know a lot
about the ward and what the needs are and its so neat to get to see everything
of how the ward works, who helps who, which members are missionary minded, you
learn a lot more about the ward. It is really cool and you also have a lot of
opportunities to serve. When people are too embarrassed to ask their visiting
teachers or home teachers or even members of the relief society for help they
turn to the missionaries.
It's cool to see how much people rely on the
missionaries. It's just like that talk in General Conference a bit ago... if
anyone has any problem.... ask the missionaries...they can help you. And
we literally can... I can't tell you how many times people just open up and
tell us their problems and out of everyone they could tell the missionaries
don't judge. We understand the atonement is real. We understand that people
aren't perfect and we understand the most important thing about the gospel.
Christ suffered so there is hope for us. Change is always possible.
We are here
to serve one another and as missionaries we do just that... we serve our fellow
brothers and sisters because that is what Christ would do. What is the
celestial kingdom going to be like if we don't bring our friends and family
with us? EMPTY. That is why I am doing this work. To bring other people the
same glory I hope to receive so that one day in heaven we will both be
able to say we helped each other get there. I love this gospel with all my
heart and even though I am in the bible belt and hear a lot of anti I cannot
deny what I know to be true.
I KNOW this church is true. I KNOW that God lives
and is here helping us in his work. I KNOW he loves us and is with us even
during trials. I KNOW that prayer keeps us away from sin. I KNOW that the
blessings of the temple bring so much joy. It brings tears to my eyes every
time I see someone I love going to the temple. I KNOW this IS the Lord's work
and I am extremely grateful to be a part of that.
Love,
~Hermana
Larissa Johnson