Elder Johnson's Weekly Word: Hola!

Hey there family and friends! All your prayers have made a huge difference! Something that we have been praying for and working towards for the whole time that we have been here has been getting our investigators out to church. Last week we had success, and we had success again this week! And this time it was Karina! Karina is an elect daughter of God. Holy Cow. We have had some amazing experiences as we have taught her. Well really we don't have to do any teaching since she reads the pamphlet, and then we come and before we get the chance to teach anything she is already teaching it to us.

The true miracle this week though was that she and Zulma and the whole family came to an activity that we had on Saturday! When they got there things were still being set up and the food was still being prepared. But that didn't matter to them. René (Karina's husband) and Cornelio (family friend who lives with them) both immediately began to help set up tables and chairs, and without us knowing Karina jumped into the kitchen where no one spoke Spanish and she really doesn't know English at all, and she began to help. The sisters loved her! They were bragging about how amazing she was in the kitchen the whole time! That made us feel sooo good that she was accepted immediately. And I have to say that she really is a great cook. We ate with her twice this week. The first time we ate empanadas, and then yesterday we ate turtle! I'll show the pictures later.

After having such a good experience at the activity we were super anxious to see if René and Cornelio would come to church. They did! And we had the best Gospel Principles class that we have ever had! We had a class of 9 people and we were missing some of the usual participants! Yesterday we were pleased to hear that René and Cornelio are planning on coming again! We are hopefully going to start to teach them this week. :)

One thing that I learned this week that has made a huge impact on how I do missionary work is what the work urgency means.

In the NCRM we have a card called Super Trust, and one of the points of Super Trust says, "As representatives of Jesus Christ and His church, we have a sense of urgency to share the message of the restoration and the atonement, which will change people's lives." When we have the light of the gospel to be able to truly see who people are, it becomes very easy to converse with them. It brings down many barriers that would normally keep us from connecting with others. But even then we get stuck in what President Bernhisel calls "chummy talk." If we talk for 30 minutes with someone and get to know them and become their friend, then that is great! However, as missionaries we have been called to something else. We do need to get to know people, so we may be a source of light with the gospel. If we do not have the desire in our hearts to know someone, and know their hearts, and then to share truth that can touch their heart, then we will never get to it!

That's what urgency is. Getting to the point. Jumping right into teaching the gospel. Don't hesitate! And as we have tried to do that this week, our lessons have gone so much better and have been filled with the spirit.
I know that the gospel is what will bless the lives of everyone more than anything else! I am so grateful for it.

I love you all! And I hope you enjoyed your memorial day weekend as much as I did! :D

Les quiero,

Elder Johnson

At the activity: Kamila, René jr, Elder Swinney, Cornelio, Me