I Don't Know What to Name This!

Hello everyone,

I spend half my email time thinking of a name for my email and I couldn't think of one today.  Time is short.  This morning we got a disappointing email from President Rudd saying that we are having record low baptisms in our mission.  It made me feel bad.  We have two investigators getting baptized this month though.  One is Jayde!  It is real this time.  I'm so, so excited!  She is so good and has so much faith and has changed so much.  The other is a new investigator from China, Natalie.  She came to church and loved it.  She gave us these little green plant hair clips.  Apparently they are super popular in China.  I wish they were popular here.  We decided that we should wear them tracting so we can tell people that faith is like a seed.  Just kidding but it would be fun. 

Speaking of her feeding us, I have a funny and bad story.  At the end of the first lesson she gave us these little, special Asian mooncakes.  We each took like two bites and then I asked her what was in them.  She said one is cappuccino and the other is wine.  Well, Sister Urgel didn't know those words in English so she was about to take another bite.  Luckily we had our awesome member, Christine Xiao, with us.  She distracted Natalie by complimenting her flat and I elbowed Sister Urgel and told her to stop eating it.  It was against the Word of Wisdom.  She stopped and later she told me that she'd thought I was telling her that she was eating too much and that her gluttony was against the Word of Wisdom.  (She is tiny and eats almost nothing.)  I explained that it had wine in it.  So we had to repent when we got back to her flat.  It will interesting to teach her the word of wisdom.

Anyway, Auntie Kei is doing so great.  I just wish she'd get baptized.  We set her for October 17th, but now Ripeka is going to have a big operation on the 19th so she isn't getting baptized after all.  But we are hoping that after the operation she will be ready to pick a day.  She is so, so, so, so good.   She made me cry twice this week.  Well, really, we all cried.  We are just a foursome of criers!  She told me, "Sister Johnson, we often talk about you.  All good things!  We could write a dictionary on all the good qualities you have."  It's not true though.  I could write a bigger dictionary on the qualities SHE has. 

But we had a really, really fast, busy week.  I feel like between meetings and picking people up and studying, we don't have enough time to do missionary work. But we sure go hard during the time we do have. Lots of uni students are too busy studying for exams to talk to us, but we've talked to a lot anyway.  

I just wish everyone would always accept our message, but they don't.  Many of our investigators know it's true but they don't want to change their lives.  It breaks my heart.  But we do all we can and we know that Lord will make up the difference.

Sister Urgel and I have so much fun together!  I just adore her.  It's been so light in the evenings since daylight savings and I love it.

We've taken five different YSA girls out with us this week.  I LOVE taking them out and seeing them testify and ask questions about missionary service.  Of course we tell them that they should serve!  It's the best thing you'll ever do.  Some of them are returned missionaries and I just love them. 

I bore my testimony in church yesterday and I told them how much I loved our ward.  I have a special skill.  I get too attached to people.  I LOVE everyone in our ward.  I know everyone now and I just love everyone.  It's kind of a problem because someday I'll have to leave.  It's a struggle.  

Last night there was a super good fireside at the Visitor Center.  It was the Stake President from Tarunga.  And guess what, it was Elder Fitzpatrick in my MTC District's dad.  So that was cool.  Also, I got to see Sister Ye, my MTC companion last night.  She's doing wonderfully and I just love her.

I wish I could write more.  The church is so true.  The Book of Mormon is so fun to read.  I learn so much.  Read it every day and you'll be happy!

Heaps of love,

Sister Clarissa Johnson