I'll Stay Where You Want Me To Stay, Dear Lord

Kiora, kiora!

This has been quite the rollercoaster of a week, but as you can see from my title, I'm still here in the blessed land of Tauranga.  It was transfer week so that's why it was so crazy, but good.  So I came in with Sister Aloka.  She was in my district in the MTC but she had been visa waiting before that in the Marshall Islands.  Anyway, she has finished.  Missions are the worst because your favorite friends keep going home.  So rude. :P  But we were in a trio for most of the week because we had Sister Aloka's companion, Sister Fina'i, with us.  We mostly worked in our area, but they have this great investigator getting baptized this coming Saturday so we got to go visit him. 

But it was just so good for us all to be together.  We kind of discovered that all three of us are fabulously excellent at being too hard on ourselves.  We have been trying to help each other to be kinder to ourselves and more confident.  It was just a really, really Spirit-filled few days.  It was sad though, because we had to say goodbye to Sister Toaripi, Sister Machen, and Elder Fameitau on Thursday.  Now I have been in Tauranga the longest.  Elder Fameitau was so jealous of me getting to stay.  I couldn't believe that I did but I know that the Lord needs me here!  I can't wait for the coming transfer to work so hard and give my all to the Lord. 

But our investigators are doing really well and so are our less actives especially!  It's just so fun to see and help people come back to church.  A lot of them have been busy watching General Conference which is so great! Also, we are excited to baptize our hearts out (hopefully) in the coming transfer.  Sharee is on fire!  We had a "cottage evening" that wasn't at a cottage, but at the BEACH!  We had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows and it was so fun.  But Sharee and her whole family came. 

We have really been focusing on Chasidy lately!  She has been struggling so much.  Opposition is so, so real!  But she is definitely making progress and promised to come to church on Sunday.  She is such a powerful, elect daughter of God.  She has such a strong testimony and she knows what she needs to do.  I just get so invested and I care so much about these people.  The longer I know them, the more I love them.

But the highlight of the week was definitely General Conference!!!!  So, so, so, so, so, so good.  I feel like I was just hanging on every word.  It was all just talking right to me.  I am so grateful to be a member of this true church of Jesus Christ.  I just love my Savior and feel like I am getting closer and closer to him.  I have been thinking a lot about the principle of repentance and then it was talked about so much in Conference.  I love the connection between repentance and joy.  Repentance is not the back-up plan. Repentance is the plan.  And it's a perfect plan.  The more we repent and change and become better through Jesus Christ, the more joy we can feel!

So, unfortunately, my companion had a lot of computer problems and so I'm really short on time.  I've had the most spiritual couple of weeks and I wish I could adequately describe how I feel.  I just know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is real and so is Jesus Christ.  I'm so blessed!

We have three brand new missionaries in our district now. :D  Sister Welker isn't the youngest anymore.  Also, Elder Bowman who double covered here before is now the new assistant!  Crazy!  I am so old.  Haha

But I just feel all this urgency to do the Lord's work.  I love the hymn "The Time is Far Spent" and it's even written by my favorite, Eliza R. Snow.  We have to make the very most of the time we have been blessed with to do God's work.  I love you all so much!

Arohanui,

Sister Johnson :D