It is COLD!!!

ATTENTION FAMILY!

We do not have a ton of time today... we have been instructed to stay inside today and tomorrow, so this will be quick. I think :) I  t is going to be -37 DEGREES!  The only bummer is that we had AWESOME appointments scheduled for tonight!  I am way sad...

I forgot to tell you, I live on the Kirtland site.   I can see the room from our house of where the Savior appeared.   I live in an old historic home.  The man who lived there was John Boynton.  I don't know too much about him... I don't think he did the best things, but it is really awesome living here.   We also get to go on our runs around the Kirtland temple. :)

I have so much to talk about.  This week was AMAZING!  As far as investigators go.... almost everyone is starting to progress.  Bob received a Priesthood blessing.  All the men in the ward were amazed with Bob.  After the blessing, one of them said, "There is no doubt, you are going to be a bishop or a high leader in the church one day."  How cool is that?  Our investigator is amazing and I love him :)  He is all set to go to be baptized on the 25th :) And he is my new best friend.

I went on my first exchange with Sister Nance.  Remember she is my friend on Facebook?  haha.  And I saw her at the MTC?  She is way cute.  We had such a fun day.  It was so funny... we went to go help this guy get his car out of the snow and I stepped back into the snow on the side of the road and it was not just snow.  It was a stream and I fell way deep in the snow and was all wet.  It was not fun.  Then we just continued tracting. brrrrr.  Then our car got stuck in the snow.  It was awesome. 

We also met this really cool guy named Darell.  He is African American and about 6'8".  He is awesome.  So fun to talk to!  He was the one we were meeting with tonight :( 

Then KIA!  She is also African American.  We get along so well.  She likes basketball and x-box...so I said she can come to our house in California and hang with my brothers.  She is really excited. haha.  She said she has always wanted to come to California. ;) 

We also have Laura (who is doing awesome), Colleen, Jason, Latasha (A WHOLE CUTE FAMILY) , more I can't think of this second and now Speedy.  We met Speedy yesterday.  It was hilarious.. we went up to him and talked about the Book of Mormon.  He was so interested!  So was his friend.  While we were talking to his friend, Speedy was calling the number to get a free Book of Mormon! haha.  We were like, we have one right here!  He said, YES!  I will start reading tonight!  Then he said he was going to invite a lot of his friends over to listen to us and also give the other Book of Mormon to his daughter :)  He is SO COOL! 

We have seen so many miracles and we have found so many people within the last couple weeks.  I can't believe how many people we have found who are so ready to hear more.  I can't even remember all of the people.

I also learned so much this week.  I have probably learned more this week than ANY other week on my mission.  I wish I had more time to tell you everything... 

Do you remember in my setting apart blessing it said, I will have a clear sense of the role of the temple in my life and and a deep and abiding love for the temple or something like that?   Well, who knew I would have a leader/ sites director named Elder Sorensen.  I work alongside him.  He LOVES to teach.  He was a mission president twice, a temple sealer, a stake president and bishop multiple times and he is on his 6th mission with his wife.  HE has worked alongside the general authorities and he has a deep love and understanding of the temple.  He spent a few hours this week, even some one on one time teaching me. 

Brother Sorensen said that he can't see me just as a missionary and he can't see any of the sisters as missionaries.  He said that he sees all of us as what we are going to become in the next life.  I will share more next week... so many insights.  It was one of the BEST discussions.  The plan of Salvation came alive. 

Our Heavenly Father was in our spot at one time as well.  He had to go through life.  HE has a Heavenly Father.  We CAN become like Him. :) We were all with Him before this life... that thought has become so much more real this last week.

"At one time we were in the presence of our Eternal Father.  There is not a soul in this world, not one, that has not seen him.  You do not remember it, I do not remember it, but nevertheless there was a time before we ever came into this world when we dwelt in His presence.  We knew what kind of a being he is.  One thing we saw was how glorious He is.  Another thing, how great was his wisdom, His understanding, how wonderful was His power and His inspiration.  And we wanted to be like Him.  Because we wanted to be like him, we are here.  We could not be like him and stay in His presence, because we did not have glorious bodies of flesh and bones.  WE were just spirits, and the spirit does not have flesh and bones.  But we saw Him in his glory and it was made known to us that by keeping his commandments and observing every covenant that would be given to us on this earth, we could come back again into His presence, receiving our bodies in the resurrection --our spirits and bodies being united again, inseparably, never again to be divided." Elder Sorensen  D&C 132 18 and 19.

Well, we have to go now.  The storm is coming!  I love you so much!!  Always and forever.  Have a great week!!  Enjoy the warmth!

Sister Johnson