Last love from Tarawa

dear family,

i have never felt such happiness before in my whole life. The Lord honestly has given me such a blessing to have this beautiful, happy closure to my mission..

..i just can't thank you guys enough for seeing me until the end..I honestly never thought I would be able to finish this mission..there were some trials that literally were close to breaking me, but thanks to your support and love..I've made it..I can't believe it..I've made it.

I have so much to tell you -- but I've got family here I've got to go visit before I come home.. love you all so much. see you in four days!! LOVE YOU!

I will write one more blog post when I get home because there is a lot I want to say!! I just don't have time right now.

love you!! Tiakaboo!!!

sister johnson

my testimony.

if anything has changed about me, it would be my testimony.

i love God.

i love that He speaks through prophets to guide His Church.

i love the Holy Ghost.

i love to feel the calmness and the escape this church brings to me.
i love the repentance process..it changed me.
i love the idea that i will see God...my Father.

i love the idea that families can be together forever.

love you!

ten days,
sister johnson

PS. For those of you who would like to come, Lizzie's homecoming is going to be December 28th at 11:00 am. It will be at the Rock Church in Farmington, Utah. The address is: 272 North Main St. You are welcome to join us after at our home for a brunch. Thank you for your love and support of our sweet Lizzie!!  - Robin (her mom)

picture week...

a betio baptism!

movie night at the chapel! hahaha..we pulled some classic johnny lingo and
Uncle Ben movie's out. 

​this is our chapel..

she is seriously such a LIGHT.

we were eating lunch at a members house and as we were walking out, I saw a girl on a hammock..and right as I passed her, I felt like I should go back and ask her if she wanted to take the lessons..she started laughing and said, "How did you know?" hahaha..she had been wanting lessons for a long time...:)

 she is the sweetest lil investigator in the world.

she made up a song to rememer the names of the books in the book of mormon.

and she keeps her tithing in her homemade scripture case..it was .40 cents.

love her good heart.

sister tiatia and i just sweating like we live on the equator!

I didn't know I was loved....

Yesterday was church for us..and when we got to church, the Bishop asked us to speak during Sacrament Meeting..we happily accepted the opportunity.

My companion got up and told a story about a family in Kiribati.

There was a family living here in Kiribati with a loving father and mother and lots of children. The father loved his children very much, and made sure that His children got the best education they could here on the small island of Tarawa. Thanks to lots of studying, discipline, and encouragement from their Father, they were all able to successfully finished their schooling - up until the last year of high school.

The Father knew that his children were bright, brilliant, they were something special. He knew their potential could far outreach what the schools had taught them. So He thought of a plan. He called His children to meet with Him. And with a loving voice, told them they if they really wanted to succeed..to fulfill their potential..then they would have to go to Fiji -- that's were the best education was. He handed them all one- way tickets..

The children were overjoyed..the chance to go to Fiji! What an opportunity..what a privilege..it's so hard to get to Fiji, not everyone gets the opportunity to go..but as children are to their parents..they were sad to leave their parents.

The Father lovingly told them.. "I love you, I'm sad to see you leave but I know that you've got to leave to reach that potential that I see in you. I've got you a one way ticket to get there..but your responsibility is to get back to me. Go to school, work hard, get a job..and when you've worked long and hard..come back to me..buy a plane ticket with the money that you've earned and come back to me one day."

My companion then transitioned this story as a story of our Eternal Family..and the Father as our Eternal Father. How we had to come to earth, we had to be tested..to reach our full potential. How just like in the story the Father only bought them a one-way ticket..but asked them lovingly to do their part, so that they could again return to their home island.

After that we had a musical number of, "I am a Child of God" The lyrics of that song are just way to good not to write..here's a reminder.

1. I am a child of God,
   And he has sent me here,
   Has given me an earthly home
   With parents kind and dear.
2. I am a child of God,
   And so my needs are great;
   Help me to understand his words
   Before it grows too late.
3. I am a child of God.
   Rich blessings are in store;
   If I but learn to do his will,
   I'll live with him once more.
4. I am a child of God.
   His promises are sure;
   Celestial glory shall be mine
   If I can but endure.
5. Chorus
   Lead me, guide me, walk beside me,
   Help me find the way.
   Teach me all that I must do
   To live with him someday.

After we sung, I got up to speak. I said something like..Good morning brothers and sisters. I think you all know me by now..but if you don't..My name is Sister Johnson..and I'm pretty blessed to have two Fathers. I am the daughter of my Heavenly Father, and I am the daughter of Andrew Norman Johnson. The focus of my talk is about what my Fathers have taught me.
That was all I had planned of my talk..so I just took it for what it was and kept going.."If I was to sum up what my Fathers have taught it me..it would be that I am loved..I didn't know it, but I am loved..."
Mercy. What an overwhelming feeling..to feel loved. There is something so dependable about love..something so comforting..and even though the world is crazy, and even though we don't feel like we should be loved..we are..whether we currently believe it, or we don't..God loves us.That is my testimony. God loves us.

N Aran Iesu au Tia Kamaiu amen. 

"ours"

the things of my soul:

Some images of Kiribati I will never be able to forget.

palm trees plastered against blue skies

the heat of the white sand against my worn crocs

children playing with empty soda can bottles

the way the men carry buckets of water
the way the women carry their children on their backs

I'll never forget the smells of Kiribati..the smell of coconuts, the smell of heat, the smell of sweat, the smell of fish cooking on an open fire...oh the smell of smoke, if smells could stain - I am certain smoke would.. The locals often joke that that is the perfume of Kiribat: open fire smoke..I stand as testament to that..I often come home after long days to smell my clothes..and I am reminded of all the open fire smokes we passed walking home..the smell of all the Kiribati ladies cooking their rice and their fish to feed their families.

I'll never forget watching families sit down to eat..on the concrete floor, sitting crossleged while their fresh food sits in big bowls before them. They use no utensils..and sitting in a circle on the ground their empty bellies are filled again..

Oh Kiribati. Your beauty does not only come from the textures, tastes, smells, and scenery of your island..it comes from you heart.

I will spend the rest of my life teaching and telling people about the love of Kiribati..the extreme Christ-like love that is shown on a day-to-day basis. I was reminded of that this week.

Because of the economic circumstances of the people here they cannot afford the word, "mine." Do you relize how much the word "mine" costs? therefore they do not own anything personally..but the only word their small pockets can buy is the word, "OURS" For that word has no price. If you own something..so do I. If I own something, so do you..This is the connection that literally unites the whole island into one family. Their ability to share and give is what keeps a little tiny island going round.

This week I saw two little girls. Only one girl had a pair of worn flipflops, the other walked barefoot. Minutes later I looked back at these girls, and each girl had one flip flop.. they were holding hands..and they were walking to church...

This simple moments of love I see EVERY. DAY. These people are so good..so much closer to Christ than I have ever seen. I was reading in 2 Nephi and read this beautiful verse in 2 Nephi 26:

30 Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love.

CHARITY IS LOVE.

LOVE IS SHOWN IN SHARING.

I love the advice Sister Tiatia gave me this week: love the land, love the work, and love the Lord.

Amen to that.

Love,
Sister J

Johnson happy hour....

Hello family! 

We followed up on most of our new referrals and about 13 of them are less actives who apparently want the lessons again, and 13 of them we have been able to contact and start lessons with. We've got some really REALLY great investigators..who really want to learn about the gospel. For a while we were really REALLY pushing with about 12 of our investigators who just weren't progressing..and we were pretty sad..but now we've got a whole new pool of people to work with..so things are looking good.

Dad - you have no idea..I am craving food SO MUCH! I keep having dreams about food..and somehow every time I order a subway sandwhich..all of the lettuce and cheese and ham falls out of the sandwhich before I can eat it..man.. I really miss home food!!!!!!

Hope you all have a WONDERFUL week and you always remember that we are a family FOREVER! how lucky are we? Johnson happy hour anyone? Hahaha.

Love you guys..I've got the best family in the world!

Love you! 

little liz

Past white..this field is ready to harvest.

Funny of this week:

This Sunday was the primary presentation..the best line of it was when one of the little sunbeam boys shared how much he loves the prophet, "Brigham YumYum" (Yumyum is a type of Asian noodles here..you can imagine the members response..we were all roaring in laughter..hahaha)

HELLO TO MY WONDERFUL FAMILY.

Ah, it feels so good to talk to you..and to share experiences that I've had..give you a little insight to the world in which I live here on the small island of Tarawa, Kiribati.

What can I type? What can I share? There was so much of the Lord's love in this week of the work. LOVE. The word that can change the world!

On Friday we had a, "Missionary Program" with all the YSA. We met at the chapel and had a little training. The training I gave was about tracting..and I spoke about my sweet Elder Monte J. Brough whose tracting efforts of over fivety years ago is still changing the world. How one Elder in little ol' England changed the life of my grandparents, parents, and myself. I am on a mission now..I am here in Kiribati because of the efforts of tracting..because two missionaries decided to follow the spirit to find my family..AH, I tear up every time I talk about it..just in gratitude..and that work that He did..combined with the missionary work you did Dad in New Zealand..and combined with the work I am doing here..WOW. This missionary work is so powerful and will continue to move on.

After that we went out and tracted from 11:00-6:00 pm. The sun was sadly against us that day..it was fiercly hot..but it didn't get us down. We were able to recieve 26 refferals. BEST DAY EVER!!! Sister Tiatia and I were BEAMING ear to ear. We really have been praying about the direction the Lord has wanted us to take in this area..and we felt this was the biggest answers to our prayers!

What was so incredible to me was that when we tracted we really REALLY saw those who have been prepared by the Lord. One lady said, "I've been waiting a long time to take lessons with missionaries..but my husband has never allowed it until now.." Another man said, "You don't smoke, or drink..right? That's why I support this church..I've thought about joining it for a long time." One young woman said, "I've started lessons with the missionaries before..but quit..this time is different..I want the lessons now." Those were just three that I witnessed..but so many more stories like that from the YSA after our day of tracting.

I don't think the field could be any more white. 

I couldn't give up the opportunity to bear my testimony..something that I have learned is of MORE worth once you share it, give it away, inspire people with it...This work..This work is real. This work is going forth.The Lord is working with Us..He has prepared these people to hear. He is waiting for them to be healed..to trust Him.. The Lord Lives..He lives, He lives.

I love you all with all my heart..but THIS is where I want to be..in the whitest field in the world.

This is my last sprint..my final lap..my head is down..and I'm not looking at that finish line until I see it under my feet. This is the happiest time of my life.

I love you guys more than you know. 

Sister Johnson.

{This Septemeber reached the third year since Elder Brough has passed away...all the gratitude to him for his missionary work and to the Brough family. Sure love you Uncle Monte. }