October 21, 2013
Dear Family and Friends,
This week was the best week of the mission!!! The members in the
branch are amazing. We went out with the members to visit 5 less active
families this week and we got one of the families to come back to
church. It was amazing not only for us but the member that came with us
as well. When they walked into sacrament meeting the member looked at us
with a big grin on her face. It is an amazing feeling to have someone
coming back to church. My companion is great. This week was probably one
of the most spiritual in my mission. I received so much inspiration
through my studies this week and it is definitely going to help our
teaching this week.
Our car got hit on Tuesday..... :( It was a perfect
day. We had met every single one of our goals that day, we spoke spanish
all day long, and I was pretty much talking the entire lesson in
spanish I wouldn't let Hermana Warner get a word in... and it was the
perfect day and we could really feel the Lord working through us. When
we went to dinner with that member in Memphis and came out and the car
had been hit. It could have easily ruined the day and even the amazing
week we had been having. I unlocked the car and look up the door was
smashed in and the window was completely shattered. I seriously gasped.
Apparently it was loud enough for someone across the street to hear and I
heard a man's voice shout "Don't panic, I called the cops." ..... I
started panicking. I had never been the "driver" in an accident and even
though I wasn't driving I was still responisible for the mission car
and the damage and I was worried it would go on my record and I wouldn't
be able to drive on my mission. I seriously was panicking. We got the
member and she came out into the rain with us and we got the accident
packet in the glove box and I was just so nervous because it was a
mission car. That man was the one who backed into our car and he had
been waiting for the cops for an hour and then 30 minutes later a cop
pulls up and is smoking something and says theres nothing he can do.
Only in Memphis does your car get hit when you park it on the
street. Memphis is the crime capital of the country and I was actually
pretty suprised the driver stayed for an hour after he hit our car. I
called our vehicle coordinator and I was feeling so guilty even though
it wasn't my fault in the slightest. He said to just drive it home and
it just so happened he was going to be in Memphis the next morning for
specialized training so we could talk to him then. I can't even tell you
how many looks we got as we drove through Memphis with a shattered
window. It's the norm in Memphis but we still got a lot of weird
looks..... I was frustrated because of the other persons stupidity but
now looking back, satan was just trying to stop the work and the Lord
had already planned another way for us to accomplish what we needed to.
So now that our car is in the shop we had to go on BIKE WEEK :( No me
gusta!!!! I wasn't very happy. But now looking back, the Lord had
prepared the way for us to do so much work. The Lord provided us with
rides to visit all of our investigators that live 20 miles out. (BTW I
saw a cotton field... I truly am in the south). A member gave us a ride
to meet with the less actives that live miles and miles away and would
be too far for us to bike. The Lord prepared a way for us to meet with a
less active that had been praying that the missionaries would come and
give her the spiritual uplifting she needed.
This week I have never felt
the spirit so strong!!! As we met with an investigator we felt inspired
to read a chapter in the book of mormon with her and when we read it
she started to cry (we had that effect on 5 other people this week). We
were teaching with Hermana Hunt and the investigator asked us how we
knew to share exactly what she needed to hear at that very moment.
Hermana Hunt testified to her that as missionaries we are called by God
to receive that revelation and inspiration to help people and that our
duty is to help bring people closer to Christ. This week has been
incredible and even though we were on bike week again we taught some of
the best lessons we have ever taught and left an impression on the
people. During this week I kept getting the feeling that there is no
where else in the world that I would rather be than here serving a
mission and sharing the gospel with God's children. I have experienced
true joy this week and I have felt God's love for me and received
inspiration for the things that I need to do to better help the people
here. I love the work and I am so grateful for the relationship I have
developed with God since I have decided to serve a mission.
~Hermana Larissa Johnson