Feliz Navidad and Happy new year!
It was fun to Skype! I got an email saying they saw my picture on Instagram of us Skyping... hmmm. :)
The rest of Christmas was way fun. We went to the visitor center and all the seniors were eating a big Christmas dinner. We decided to have a little as our appetizer. It was delicious, but we were on our way to a members home. I am really glad we ate at the visitor center because it was a normal Christmas dinner, but we both felt so sick after the members home. They didn't have a Christmas dinner, but they put all the food on our plate and were waiting for us to finish.... I tried so hard, but I could not finish the food. Then we went back to the visitor center and had a talent show. That was hilarious! A lot of the sisters did some weird things for their talents... with singing really bad, interpretive dancing with shaving cream and all that. So funny... Everyone told us that we HAD to do something...so Kolton, the joke you told me when we were Skyping... that was our talent. About 30 people fell for it :) So thanks bud :) Then we watched Christmas for a Dollar, but it was 9:00, so we had to go home and did not finish it. :/
So me and Sister Wygant stopped by someone's house who wasn't home the day after Christmas, so we went to the neighbors home. We heard him hustling to the door and he opened the door saying, "well hello there!". He said it all flirty.... I definitely think he thought we were someone else. After he saw it was 2 girls wearing skirts and tags, he was very embarrassed. He was dripping wet and in a very tiny towel. It was a little awkward. I was trying really hard not to be rude and laugh. He told us he was expecting someone and he started to slowly close the door... Sister Wygant didn't think it was that funny haha. She didn't say a word. I just told him he should come to Kirtland and that we were missionaries... he kept apologizing and his face was so red. ha ha. Good times.
Oh, I forgot to tell you. We went to the bishop's house and we acted out the Nativity scene... and guess what? I got to fulfill my role! I was Mary :) There was a less-active there who said, "She needs a baby! " And she put her cute, cute baby on my lap and we had to tell her I couldn't hold it. I was so sad :( I miss holding babies. But it was really fun.
We also had a referral come in this week. We went over to her house and she told us to come back in a little bit because she was on the phone, so we went and ate dinner and then went back to her house. When we went back, she said "so how can I help you?" We told her who we were and she said, "get in here. I have been expecting you." So we go inside and she starts to cry! She said, "My mom just died, I know who you are. I used to meet with the missionaries in 2008. I know this whole routine, but I feel like I need this more than ever. I need the missionaries to teach me again." We just looked at each other, so happy. I told her she would see her mom again and that her mom is in the Spirit World. She said that that was what she needed to hear and she continued to cry. We are going back tomorrow to teach her. Her boyfriend also used to live in Laguna Hills. He said that we can't convert him, but he might listen, so we will see :) haha
Bob is doing great. He is still getting baptized on January 5th. We had a powerful lesson with him at President Stacey's house (in the mission presidency). Bob is so ready to get baptized. He agrees and understands everything. We kept thinking that he was on a spiritual high though and that he needs to have a more solid foundation. We can all have a testimony, but a testimony really isn't enough. We explained this to him and how just like the primary song, we need to be built upon a rock and not the sand. We do that with continuous effort.
It's like a doctor. He/she goes to school and has to do a lot of prerequisites, then he has to qualify for med school, then he goes to med school and he doesn't stop and say, "Hey I'm done now. I understand how to be a doctor." Those are all prerequisites to help him while he is a doctor. That is the same concept with our testimonies. It is just a prerequisite. It is not the destination. As a doctor graduates and starts his practice, he is applying the things that he learned in medical school every day. He is continuing to practice and gain more knowledge and strengthening his understanding.
If he didn't practice, he would forget all the things he learned. We need to constantly be applying the things that we have learned. We need to renew our testimonies, so that when a trial or a hard time comes our way, we will be ready and prepared.
There will always be trials in our lives... I know how important it is to strengthen our understanding of this gospel, so that when those trials come, our faith won't shake. I still feel like I have such a long way to go. I will never have a perfect understanding during this life, but we can all try our best to deepen our understanding.
"Conversion is an offering of self, of love, and of loyalty we give to God in gratitude for the gift of testimony."
I know this gospel is true. A testimony is a gift of God. I am so grateful we can all have one and I am so grateful for my parents testimonies. It has strengthen mine so much. :)
Love you and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Sister Kelsi Denae Johnson
ps- guess what? The Poulos are about to leave their missions. They are taking us to Chick-fil-a and Gelato today.... dun dun dun
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