Transfers

Man, time goes by so quick on email! 

I got some good emails in personally, so nothing too long for everyone -- but hey guess what? I got transferred! Remember how I just got transferred? Yepp -- getting transfered again. This mission is pretty spontanous with the transfers...they told Sister Lavulavu she is  gonna work on Christmas Island, and a couple days later she is gone! So I'm with Sister Alafoki from Tonga. Hahahahahahahaha. We are moving zones, and white washing again..and mercy our area? Takes 10 minutes to drive though..it's huge! Well, huge if you are sisters walking by foot...but I'm not sure how email will go because I move zones, and it's all new...but I will let you know. I'm working in an area called Bairiki. Hahah, so sorry, must run but I'll email you next week!

loves,
liz

Life in Kiribati...

FAAAAMEELEIA! In Kiribati family is: Utu. Short and sweet. (Pronounced like you-sue..kinda)

I feel like I have so many experiences and stories to tell you and I'm trying to cram them all through this little funnel and let you see a glimpse of Kiribati, but forgive me if I do it injustice!

First thing is absolutely first. Some honesty about bad days. I've read a lot of missionary letters..some bore you to tears, and some bring you to tears but what I really respect from my cousins, friends and other missionaries are some good honesty about bad days because being on a mission, they are inevitable. I know that Dad and Mom and Criss keep asking about them, but I've never really sent emails home about them..but it's because having a "bad day" on the mission field is simply that I did something that does not allow the Holy Ghost to be with me, to teach with me, to work with me..and the day goes to wreck. Bad days are the days that I don't have courage to look my flaws square in the eyes. Bad days are when I choose to focus on how this mission is changing me and my life, rather than how it's changing my investigators lives. Bad days are days that are focused on me: either because I'm thinking of myself, or because the Lord is teaching me things I need to work on about myself.

I think the hardest day of my mission was a day that I couldn't figure out why I was here in Kiribati, I had only been on island for about two weeks and couldn't speak to anyone, didn't understand anyone, I was struggling to find foods to eat (before mom's package came) -- just mission blues, I'll tell you that. I lazily walked to our lessons, didn't contribute to any of the lessons and when we got home from a long day of work and Sister Lavulavu sat me down and said, "I have a question for you. You don't have to answer...well yes you do..Sister Johnson," and then the tone of the next question is what really stung, she asked...pretty hesitantly.. "do you even want to be here?" And when the words came out of her mouth..it stung my heart..and honestly didn't know the answer to her question. Did I want to be here?... The Lord answered my question because shortly after I got very sick and flew to Fiji and had two solid weeks to think about that question. And because of how sick I was Sister Cassita asked me if I wanted to go be honorably released from my mission or if I felt strong enough to finish my mission...and I was so close to quitting. So close to blaming it on being sick and leaving..coming home to America...so close, so scared of the living conditions, so scared of the language, so scared of everything I didn't have out here, but I choose to keep going with my mission.. And choosing to come back to Kiribati -- was the bravest decision I have ever made. 

It was brave because Kiribati is poor. I know you guys know this, but I'm telling you: It is poor. One of the poorest countries in the world. So poor that there is only one store on the entire island that sells loaves of bread, so poor that they don't even sell water bottles, so poor that 70% of what they eat is food that they can catch. At one of our investigators home, their roof is held up by two crutches dug into the sand. I don't talk a lot about things other than spiritual things because I guess living here is something that I'm still dealing with, but the Lord has blessed the missionaries in Kiribati. As missionaries we are taken care of, physically, financially, spiritually, and temporarily. We are safe. We are fed. We are well. We have soap, we have toilets that work, we have a brand new fridge -- and food in that fridge -- our next door neighbor is a policeman so we are safe, the Lord always blesses us with food...I guess I just don't want you guys to worry about me. I know you do already, so that's why I don't like telling you how I really am doing..so I hope that was what you guys meant with questions about bad days, I don't really know what you mean..but maybe that helped a little.

I think about you guys a lot, you know that? Every time I log off my email, and walk away from the computer I think..."Did I tell them enough, do they know how much I love them? Did I praise my parents for raising me right, and thank my siblings for the support and strength they are?" Out here, I don't have much..and so right now, you guys mean everything to me. Literally everything. So I just pray that any blessing that I get from serving goes to you guys. The Lord has carved out my heart a little deeper to love you guys a lot more...so please know I just want you to know that I love you and all I want is to do good and honor the Johnson family in Kiribati. Please forgive me if I don't directly respond back to your emails, if I don't answer your questions, or if you feel excluded from what's really happening in my life...please forgive me. I just love you guys so much.

That was a lot. Last thought I have for you is to tell you how truly truly happy I am out here. I could go into details about HOW happy I am, but we'll save that for another day.

Your truly,

Sister Johnson

 Here is our baptism from two weeks ago. They were my first official baptism here on the islands, it is two sisters!! We taught them everyday for almost three weeks, and had them baptized! And the person that baptized them was a less active that we reactivated, so it was a good day as a missionary!

Sister Lavulavu and I before our baptism with Nei. She's 12 years old, 

and slowly we are completing her family!!!!

General Conference

Dearest Family,

GENERAL CONFERENCE. I guess my spiritual thought this week doesn't come from me, but from the reality that this church is the church declared by the Apostle Paul, "One Lord. One Faith. One Baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." This church is true!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of the ways I know it is by watching general conference. Wasn't it cute when Elder S. Gifford Nielson got so excited about his exclamation points? I was loving it. And I respect so much the vulnerability of President Jeffery R. Holland to speak about depression..and Elder Dube's talk! Ah. 

We had two investigators come watch general conference with us. The first a little girl named: Nei Reea. She's 12 years old and will be getting baptized soon! We're so excited about her! And the other: Moteaki..he's around 65, and he came and watched it! And then at our lesson bore his testimony that he knows that President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet called of God. The gospel feels so good!

Make it a great week!

Love, Sister J

the Atonement...

Last night Bishop invited us to come to his house for dinner. Sister Lavulavu and I are new to the area so we wanted to prepare a special spiritual thought for them and I've just got to tell you about it. After reading in John about the account of Jesus washing the apostles feet we decided that we would wash their feet..so before dinner we started our spiritual thought. We had Bishop's wife come sit on a chair and as Sister Lavulavu read the whole account of Jesus washing his apostles feet I washed her feet.

And I felt that much closer to the Savior.

Nobody can afford shoes here, so you can imagine the average Kiribati feet. Dirt and toenails that are falling off, with scabs and scars and open wounds on their feet. And I thought that that must have been how the apostles feet were too. And I could understand why Peter would say: "Thou shalt never wash my feet." Embarrassed that the Savior would see his dirt. Embarassed that the King of Kings would bow below to wash him. But the lesson I took away from this is really a lesson about the Atonement. Do we have the humility to let Jesus see our dirt? Bishop's wife was so embarrassed that a guest at her home would wash her dirty feet...and I can understand that, but I am so grateful that I truly walked in his footsteps this week to come to understand our Savior a little bit more...but it's not just a story about feet, or the Atonement, it's a lesson on baptism, because with that water and towel, Jesus can erase our sins -- or our dirt. He said himself to Peter: "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me."

It's my testimony that the greatest of us all has already washed our feet -- that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be cleansed every whit. I love you, my sweet family, so much.

sister j

PS. I AM HEALTHY as can be. stronger than ever. more motivated. working hard. laughing...lots of laughing.