whatta week

 Our baptism! Both ladies baptized. Wonderful, wonderful day for them. 

 "The Miracle Family" 

 This is my sister, for reals, my sister.

We had a chapel being dedicated and had a huge huge event. This is me and my dear President and his wife at the event. We were guests of honor and 

got to wear flower crowns! Best ever!

I can't wait to tell you this story.

It started about a month ago.

For our ward we do this activity every Tuesday called, "The Rescue". What we do is all the members from our ward come and we divide into groups and then go visit the less actives. It has been SO powerful for our ward since we have a lllooottt of less actives. Anyway. Us sisters go to a couple houses every time and we ended up in the home of Mauri (the Father). We got into the house, sat down, and asked if we could do anything to help because He hadn't been coming to church for a while...to be exact, twenty years. 

He told us that he had found another faith - he was content in the catholic religion now, so you guys have your religion, and we'll have ours. He was polite but firm. We left, but continued to go back to the house. And here is where the miracle starts...we starting teaching his son with the help of the sisters from Temaiku. His son was baptized. Then we started teaching his wife. All our lessons we had just with the wife - just grateful that Mauri let us teach with her. At one of our lessons right before we started I popped my head out the door and in the shyest voice just asked, "Ko kukurei n ongo ara rongorongo?" Are you happy to hear our message too? He agreed and we all sat down as a family. We taught the lesson and afterward asked if there was anything they wanted to share. We started with the younger son who bore testimony to his mom that this was the truth. Then the mom told us she was grateful for the lesson and then it was Mauri's turn to share. I can't remember exactly what he said, it was more of the feeling that was powerful, but he started to tear up and cry and said, "My faith has always been in this church." He continued to share why he had left the church so long ago. As a child he did not go to school and therefore did not learn to read...he was embarassed as they would ask him to read in church and hated that feeling that he couldn't read, and because of that left to go to the Catholic church, where only the Pastor reads the scriptures. The spirit was so thick. At the end, as tears were still coming down his face he said so slowly as to drag his feelings, really pull them from his soul he said, "This church is wonderful."

And yesterday his wife was baptized, which completes the family of Mauri. All members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

His little daughter is only seven..so we are preparing Mauri to baptize her in March. This is a miracle family. And they really are my family. Sister 'Alafoki got sick so I just went with Sister McDaniel to teach lesson with them. When we got there, he said to us, cancel the lesson! We're going to go to see sister Alafoki! He then sat us down and the man that once had barely welcomed us into his house told me (and Sister McDaniel) "You have no family here, if you are sick..call us...if you need food..tell us...if you are tired, sleep here...We are your family here." It was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said. To top off their goodness and charity Mauri does not have work..they have no income..but EVERY lesson, they insist on feeding us. Insist. And I am pretty sure that food money - wherever they get it - instead of going to them, goes to us.

And this is my miracle family. What joy the gospel brings. I bear testimony that the Heavenly Father is aware of us, so very aware of us..and his purpose..is to help us return to Him. He lives.

I love you my sweet family.
Sister Johnson