November 3, 2014
Friends and Family,
We got to carve pumpkins on p-day with all the sisters in our area. The weather here is wonderful and thank goodness it hasn't gotten too cold yet. This week we were still trying to pass the kidney stone and we got to celebrate my birthday... the big 22!
I didn't have any pain so that was definitely a blessing.. on Halloween I had surgery and we have been stuck in the apartment ever since... well me at least... my companion gets to go on splits and get out every once in a while. She is taking good care of me. We had the mission Presidents wife come to the hospital with us while I had my surgery. It was nice to have someone there when your mom can't be so it was the next best thing. It was great to talk to her and get to know her better. I go back in for another surgery on Wednesday morning but after that I should be fine and back to normal. I finally be able to finish my mission strong.
On the bright side we have gotten to study a lot and we got 2 investigators to church so that was definitely a huge blessing! We taught the most amazing lesson on my birthday. We contacted a referral, Diana and she was awesome. She agreed to be baptized on November 29th and as we taught the first lesson you could feel that she is honestly seeking for the truth. It is amazing how the Lord puts people in your path and also leads you to specific people. Everyone we talked to that day I got to share something I had learned during studies that day with each of them. I know the Lord is always preparing people to hear the gospel we just have to look for them, put our fears aside and go talk to them. As Jeffrey R. Holland says: "An invitation that is born out of love will never be seen as offensive or judgmental."
I have learned through this challenge that the Lord does bless us even in our trials. There are things he wants us to learn but he is still going to provide us with comfort and help through it. He loves us and he will not abandon us... we just can't abandon him. I KNOW that to be true. I am so excited to finish this month strong. We have seen miracles this last transfer and we are going to continue to see miracles until I leave. This church IS a church of miracles. I KNOW that the Lord does bless us for our efforts even though it may not always be in the form of a baptism. I LOVE this gospel and I LOVE our savior and how through his matchless gift we can reach our divine potential. We have him here to help lift, encourage, inspire, and bless us.
Love,
~Hermana Larissa Johnson
See ya in a month.