My Experience Brought Tears to My Eyes

Malo Malo!  Happy Sunday for you guys!  I hope that church was really good for you.  It's been a great p day so far.  We had DLC this morning and our district is smashing the zone so that makes me really happy-- seeing that the missionaries in my district are really good!  Sounds like everyone is having themselves a good week which is good to hear.  I'm so pumped for Brandon!!!!!  WHOOOOOOOO!  What a blessing man, that is awesome!  Hopefully he can be that example for his brothers aye, man, that'd be heaps cool!

Elder Johnson's cousin Brandon was baptized on August 2 in Kansas cousins: Brayton, Brandon, Chris and Aunt Debbi

Sister Sumsion, Brother Allam, Brandon, Sister Currie and Sister Sommer (these awesome sisters and this awesome member of their ward really have helped Debbi and her family so much!  Such a blessing)

This was a really good week.  Full of miracles.  I am staying in the area for another 6 weeks.  That's great!  I'm still with the toko Elder Peihopa.  I'm really excited to be able to continue teaching those that are preparing for baptism at the end of the month.  Sister Kelly is now in my district--she just got back from Whangarei so that's pretty cool.  Our district is definitely the cool one :-)  Wow, what a great week for us.  We were able to accomplish so much.  On Friday, we were able to set Erina and her younger sister Eden for the 30th of this month.  That will be so amazing!  From meeting her 18 weeks ago at the grocery store checkout and then having her baptized!  She's doing really good.  She still has a few concerns, but Jane is really helping her out and letting her know that it is really important.  She'll do great!

We had another good experience this week.  Elder Peihopa and I went on trade offs with some youth in our ward who are preparing for missions.  It was really good.  They went and met with Jyshiah and her sisters.  While he was there, he invited their mom to be baptized as well!  So, they are planning on being baptized on the 30th this month!  WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!  I was so pumped for Elder Peihopa and being bold with mom.  Such a stud!

An experience that I had this week brought tears to my eyes.  One of the most amazing things I have witnessed in my life!  So, the Samoan girls that Elder Fell and I used to teach--they weren't allowed to be baptized because the girls' dad, well--his brother is a minister for the Pentacostal church.  So, part of the Samoan culture is whatever the older brother says, is like whatever dad says, so all of the siblings are now less active members going to their brother's church and supporting him there.  The girls' dad (he's less active) he's a big man--pretty intimidating dude and he doesn't know any English and I don't know much Samoan.  We have been picking the girls up for church and I guess last week when they got dropped off, the older brother was there and asked where the heck they had been.  The dad said they have been going to the church with Sione Sani (me).  I know his brother from my last area and he didn't like me too much (ha).  Anyways, the brother raised got mad and said that his nieces were not to attend the momonga church.  Man, I was so upset and discouraged because I really care about those girls and their dad was fearing his brother and his culture rather than his own kids!  So, what we did, is we got one of the most amazing members I have met.  He's Samoan as well.  We went over to see the girls Saturday night and we asked, in our prayer, that the Spirit would soften the father's heart.  Man, it was awesome!  Brother Fesili (the member with us) just jumped right in.  Right when the girls' dad opened the door he was speaking to him and introducing himself in Samoan.  So, to make a long story short....they were speaking and the father told Brother Fesili the same story about his brother and blah blah blah (ha).  So respecting him, we were going to come pop by every now and then and see them, but as we were leaving, Brother Fesili asked if we could say goodbye to the girls.  When the girls came to say goodbye they were smiling and happy to see us.  Their father just started bawling.  This massive as Samoan guy was crying.  He asked his girls if they wanted to go to the Mormon Church and they said yes!  The dad gave us full permission to teach them and get them to church!  Man, what a blessing!  I could not believe the Spirit.  It was so strong.  It melted his heart.  Brother Fesili helped us so much!  I'm so grateful for that.

That experience that night is what it is all about.  It's when you forget about yourself completely, you forget about fear, you forget about doubt and you go and see the girls who are guarded by a massive father because you felt the Spirit prompt you!  It's the same Spirit that told Nephi to go back and get the plates, the same that told Samuel the Lamanite to go back to the city, it's no different!  I'm so grateful for the week that we were able to have.  I love this work and this Gospel!  I'm so thankful for such an amazing family!  I love you guys!  I hope you are doing great!!

Ofa atu!

Elder Johnson