Another Week in Paradise!

Kiora, kiora!

It's been a good week and it just flew by.  It's already week 4 of the transfer and I'm afraid I'm going to get transferred.  I just want to finish my mission here but that would be eight and a half months in one area.  I think they probably wouldn't do that.  But I guess I've already learned that the Lord's plan is lots better than mine.  

This week we worked really hard and saw pretty good fruits from our labors.  First though, Monday was so, so fun.  We went bowling with all the sisters and had the best time.  I got 6th out of 8 sisters which is (possibly) respectable.  I'm no good at bowling.  I did get a strike one time, but you know how you have to do good the next time after the strike to get extra points?  I got two gutter balls the next time. :P  But that's ok.  It was still way fun!  Oh, so I think I told you this, but two days before Erena passed away, she told me that she wanted to get me greenstone earrings. (Greenstone is really big New Zealand thing).  But on Monday Sister Welker bought me a pair of greenstone earrings!  I love them! (It was actually a deal. I'm going to buy her sister a greenstone in exchange.  You can't buy a greenstone for yourself.  It has to be a gift.)  But they are from Erena by proxy of Sister Welker.  Isn't that wonderful!  I've been wearing them every day.

But Monday Sister Rudo had us for dinner!  It was her 82nd birthday and so we made her little cards and gave her a scarf.  She loved it!  Then we went to visit her granddaughter, Saskia and had a really good talk.  We were trying to explain to her that she can choose where she goes in life.  It's such liberating doctrine to understand that while we have to live with the consequences of our choices, but we can choose whatever future choices we want.  I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned on my mission so far and how it is teaching me so much spiritually and also emotionally and mentally.  I want to keep growing like that my whole life.  I LOVED General Conference last October and I keep rereading "Yielding our Hearts to God" and "What Lack I Yet?".  I want to continue to give myself to God and let him shape me.  It was a really good lesson.

This week we had a goal to take out lots of members with us and we succeeded!  We took out three people that we never had before.  We took out Brother Kohu (who is a saint) to our less active John.  He joined the church as a kid and has been less active his whole life.  We love him and he's been to church the last three weeks!  We also took out the wonderful primary president in Mount Ward and had the BEST lesson with Harmony about tithing.  She is so, so faithful and loved it and committed to paying.  Sister Theobald (the primary president) had the best experiences to share.  So cool!

Finally, we took Sister Rudo (the one who turned 82) with us.  She is the salt of the earth, let me tell you!  In District Meeting we all had to say a spiritual gift of our companion.  Sister Welker said that I love everyone.  It's a joke now.  Every time we get out of a meeting or lesson or whatever, I say "I just LOVE them!" and then she makes fun of me. :D  I just have figured it out!  The way to be happy in life is to forget about yourself and serve.  We went on two mini exchanges and I got to be with some of my FAVORITE sisters of my whole mission who just needed someone to listen and support them.  They were both so much fun.  But then I was telling Sister Lewis how even though I've lost weight on my mission, I'm worried because it's more important to look beautiful when you go home.  She told me I was silly and that that was a worldy concern.  If I don't worry too much about how I look here, why should I when I go home.  I just have to take care of myself.  But it's like an eternal principle.  If we focus on others instead of ourselves, we are happy!

But we've found some great new investigators this week and they are starting to progress.  We had the coolest miracle though!  We were walking in the rain (miracles always happen in the rain) and visiting people on the Mount Ward List.  I thought that we needed to go to Links Ave. so we did.  We visited Sister Jenkins who we'd never visited before.  While we were there her phone rang and it was her friend who was at her lowest of lows and didn't see the point of living.  Sister Jenkins wanted to go visit her but had to go to work.  We said that we could visit her so we did.  She is this older lady who had her leg amputated last year.  She lives all alone and is in a wheelchair and her daughter won't talk to her ever since her leg was amputated.  She was just sobbing when we got there and we just hugged her and sat with her.  Eventually we were able to talk and tell her how she was important she is and how God loves her.  We are going to start teaching her now. Her name is Jude, by the way!  It was the coolest experience.  I love when I can actually follow the Spirit!

But one more piece of great news:  Ryan and Kirsty have a wedding date . . . November 5th!  They are so darn cute AND Caroline and Alan want to get baptized after they get married.  Caroline texted us last night and said we were the first to know.

I just love all the dear members in these wards.  I could just live here forever.  Maybe I'll move back to Welcome Bay someday. :D  I love this beautiful place.  I love my companion.  I don't love the rain, but she does.  She always says, "Remember Sister Johnson, rain is smiley weather."  I'm just a sunshine girl myself. :D

But I love you all!  The church is way true!

Arohanui,

Sister Clarissa Johnson :D