January 6, 2014

Well it's winter if I have ever seen it!! But no matter the
temperature, the work always moves on. Fortunately with the jeep, we
have no excuse to stay home so we get to keep working!!
Yesterday the elders weren't answering so Hermana Lopez and I got to
help shovel the church sidewalk, then after church we drove around
looking for Hispanics that we could help shovel and share the gospel
with. We spent about 3 hours finding/shoveling until we decided to try
and get in with some less active members. We taught some lessons and
then had a really good dinner with la familia uurutia... They made us
waffles because he knew it was my favorite!! And then we had
Guatemalian sopa, it was great (really spicy). We had a really
spiritual lesson with them... She told us about her conversion story.
He was put in jail 3 days before his 18 birthday for something that he
didn't do, but the court has another problem because he wasnt legal...
That's another story... Anyway so he either had to find a way to claim
residency or leave. So pulled out a phone book and tracked down his
father who supposedly lived in Chicago. He called down a list and
finally found him. His father had married, etc. but introduced him to
the church and then he was baptized a few years later. While in
Chicago he met his wife. She was very Lutheran but they got married
and moved out of the city. They had a daughter and he started taking
their daughter to the Mormon church and she would go to hers. Then she
started asking her paster about Mormons and he had nothing but bad
things to say. She was showed a picture of the salt lake temple and
her paster told them that they sacrifice virgins there and since she
only had one daughter she should be very carful and never let them be
alone... Crazy, but she never told her husband any of this so she was
basically freaking out inside for years. When every the missionaries
would come over she would get so mad and Lock herself in her room and
turn the tv up really loud. They moved back to Guatemala and she was
so excited because she didn't think there were Mormons there... Butt
here were and everytime she would pray to Heavenly Father to send her
his servants (people From  the Lutheran church) as she finished Mormon
missionaries would knock her door. Long story short... For 13 years
she never listened. Then after a few experiences she knew it was true
but was too of stubborn to tell her husband so they organized the
baptism and he didn't know until he came to the church.
Now they are he strongest couple in the Rama and work at the temple
every week. They are saving up to serve a mission and they feed us
once every couple weeks!! I love the testimonies of our members!!! It
gives me so much hope for all those people that I never think will get
baptized... The gospel changes lives and god has complete control.
Everything in gods time!
I hope you are all having an amazing week!! I love you so much and am
so grateful for your love, support, and prayers! Let me know if I can
do anything for ya,!

Love Hermana Johnson