I did it

 seriously is this not Sarah Jane Johnson in a Kiribati version? I swear I've seen you make this face before Sarah! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this week we taught on the top of one of our investigators roof..images i will never forget.

 my little kids in my ward, THEY LOVE ME AND I LOVE THEM. seriously..i'm gettin smushed in this picture.

I'm totally from Kiribati because I MADE THIS MAT! Don't believe me? No it's for reals. I watched the man cut the branch from the coconut tree, and I weaved it up all nice. 

Family. I did it.

Remember last week I was feeling all dreary? I fought it, and GREW!

On Sunday we were walking to church and I was feeling a little blue. Heavenly Father is really teaching me about patience -- and right now it is evident by everything that I would want, I don't have. I will never taste a ham sandwich, or feel carpet under my feet. I will never get goosebumps, or stop sweating for another year...I was getting all down about all the things I didn't have..and THEN I changed...it was when we sang the opening hymn..

We were sitting in the front row because our investigator was receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost that day..and the sweet people - remember how they have no pianos? So sometimes the tune is a little, or a lot, off...and these saints started to sing..and their voices all combined off tune, on tune, ah, but it didn't matter because EVERYONE was singing with their WHOLE voice. I seriously couldn't hear myself singing so I started to sing louder, and louder and I really couldn't even hear myself..and I thought, you know what Sister J? Yes, there is a lot of things I don't have..but something I do have is being able to sing in church and not even hear my own voice.

Second experience.

I was sitting in church and my sweet investigator put her head on my shoulder..as touching as it was, I knew she had lice, and was starting to feel a little worried about myself, and if I would get lice too..so on so forth and then I thought, and why am I thinking about myself? So what if I get lice? And so I fought the urge to be concerned about myself and I stroked her hair and gave her all the love in the world.
 

And this is what I've learned. We don't trust enough the promise that the Lord gives to us, "If you lose your life, you will find it." Lose your opinions, your desires, your habits, lose your perception that you are something great, or something little...just lose it all and trust that Heavenly Father will take better care of us then we could ourselves. So this is my commitment to you back at home and to our Father in Heaven. Trust the promise. 

More news: This week was a lot lot better than last week. It wasn't any easier..it was just that I used my spritual workout muscles and got a little stronger. Often times I think, "If i quit when I'm tired, I will only stay at the same level..but if I push just a little more...yepp that's when the muscles come." weird, but true. We hit 42 lessons this week. FORTY TWO. Do you know how much work that is?! Mercy!!!!!!! I am so tired today! My senior companion is SUCH a hard worker, and I am so happy to follow her in her decisions -- to go to one more backup lesson before heading home, to have spontaneous lessons - just all these things that require discipline and work. Sometimes I get intimidated by the Sacred calling of being a missionary..but after almost six months, I'm starting to get it. I spent so much time being down on myself...but I think I'm finally starting to look up :)

And man alive...talk about simplyfiing Christmas...it is SIMPLE here. True story. I sang a solo at the ward christmas party. True story. For christmas all the members were given a roll of dental floss...and mercy how they loved it. That was their christmas..a roll of dental floss..man I love these people. I love how simple. there isn't any fancy foods, fancy decorations, fancy anything..but just Christmas. It's SO WEIRD that it's Christmas..it really doesn't feel like Christmas..hahaha it was so funny, I suggested we cut out snowflakes to decorate our house..and my Kiribati companion was like, "What's snowflakes?" Hahaha!

Love you All,
Sister Johnson