Mississippi

July 29, 2013

Dear Family and Friends,

     This week has been frustrating but on the bright side the very last person we visit every night makes all the hard work and rejection worth it. It happens every single night without fail! My companions are sister Hogan and Hermana Smith. They really push me but we work together really well. The language is ridiculously hard and I have been so frustrated with it. It is ridiculously hot here but it rains alot. Apparently 100 degrees and 80% humidity is considered a cool summer here. The bugs here are huge and so loud at night you can't hear anything else but the bug noises. There are also bunnies here... they are everywhere. I almost caught one a few nights ago and debated keeping it as a pet. Everyone here drives mustangs  and they all have couches and TV's in their garage.... kinda weird. The most interesting person here is someone who had a dream about the end of the world. He later became a mormon and became a food hoarder. He has buried guns and food and other end of the world supplies all over Tennessee. If you can top that mission story please reply and share your experience. 

     I had my very first baptism on Saturday. She was my very first investigator (the one that is dying of cancer). She called us the night before and asked us if she had missed her baptism. She was bawling and she was so worried she had missed it. She was so relieved when we told her it was the next day.  She is so amazing and I know she doesn't have much time left on this earth but I know she has a strong testimony and she is a very strong member of the church.

     I almost got into a bible bash with someone. It could have easily turned into a bible bash but I think the Lord softened his heart just enough to let him hear our message. We went tracting and we felt prompted to go knock on a certain door and we talked to this girl and her sister inlaw and we gave them a pamphlet then the mom comes home and said they have their own church and right as she was about to close the door her son woke up and he later told us he felt prompted to talk to the missionaries. We  talked with him and as we did his entire family (8 people all came outside and listened to us and that is unheard of here in the south... especially with baptist families.) We gave him a book of mormon and we are going to call him next week to follow up with him. It was amazing experience and it made me realize that even though I don't have tangible proof that this is the true church I KNOW it with all my heart that it is true and that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I know that Christ lives and I have seen his hand in performing amazing miracles here in Mississippi and Tennessee.

    -Hermana Larissa Johnson