Monday, December 30, 2013

Happy New Year.....

The power has gone off twice already while I´ve been emailing and all I´ve been doing is trying to load some pictures on to send them to you. We can´t get it to work, I´m sorry. I´ll send some next week, I will try very hard to do so anyway. 

It was so nice to be able to see you all! Grandma, I´m sorry I couldn't wait to talk to you at dinner, I wish I would've been able to. As our porteño Elder Fiabane would say it would be ¨legit.¨ You´re all amazing and I love you all so much.  

We had a great Christmas. It was hot and snowless, but we had a good one. Spent lunch with the Flía Sayas which was amazing and we couldn't eat it all. Pizza Empanadas and surprisingly good chicken. then on to the Duartes to talk to my amazing family, We had dinner with them the night before, that was also really really good. They don´t get too excited about it until the day of, the people down here, and if they decorate it looks like someone in the states who was too lazy to take it down from the year before. 

Work this week has been tough, yesterday was an adventure and a half and Hermana Allred and I had the most awkward of moments SO MANY TIMES! they just kept coming. We walked for at least three hours strait looking for new people because all of our investigators were dropped or had dropped us the week before. Dogs almost ate us, people opened their doors right before we clapped/knocked, some guy talked our ears off about nothing important, we got rejected by a 10 year old, and chased by a cloud of these crazy huge bugs.

So this country is really fun. We had a power outage in the middle of our writing, and we don´t get a ton of time to do anything cause of the stupid ciesta and the freakin heat. We've been a little on edge with Argentina these days. Especially on p-day, we look forward to it so much cause we get to write and hear from everyone, but it ends up being so stressful cause EVERYONE IS CLOSED FROM 1-6! This would never happen in the states.

Well, I wany to tell Aunt Laura, Aunt Karol, Shelby Jorgensen, Taner Spalding, and Trevor Carter a Happy Birthday. 

Love you all and I´ll have to tell ya´ll more about what´s going on later. Keep Safe, pretty please.

I´m excited to hear from you all again next week. 
Love Hermana A. Johansen

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

pictures :)





Thank you to President Heyman for posting pictures from the mission's Christmas party on his blog. Hermana Johansen is in the front row on the far right at the end.

Merry Christmas!

So I get to talk to you all tomorrow :) and I get to email for a little bit today!! Surprise to me!!

I got my package yesterday. I could've gotten it on my Birthday, but I´m not going to say much about that, poor Hermana Healey would feel so bad. None the less I´m going to open it tomorrow. I've waited this long I can wait till tomorrow. 

News about transfers! I´m still in Bella Vista but I am in Bella Vista 1 instead of 2. Hermana Amanda Allred from SLC is my comp and we are HLCs together. Hermana Healey took over my old area and is working with Hermana Peterson from Twin Falls Idaho and has served in Washington waiting for her Visa for six months. Hermana Lund is over in Reconquista and I highly doubt that I spelled her area right but she is now working as an HLC with Hermana Gimenez de Buenos Aires. We worked in a trio Hermana Allred, Healey and I form Thursday until yesterday.It´s been fun, it´s been really hot, and we´re in the coldest spot in our mission. It´s supposed to be up to 105 on Sunday, and the Air in the apt wasn't working. Turns out all we needed to do was clean the filter. So I did that and we all froze :) I couldn't be happier. 

The Christmas party was a blast and you will never guess who I saw! First off I met someone who knows Steven! Her name´s Hermana Fullmer. She lived in Creek Side, was in his ward and is studying to be a kindergarten teacher. She´s shorter than me and has very pretty red hair and light coloured eyes. She said she talked to him once and he didn't remember who she was, so don´t sweat it if you don´t recognize her description. I told her that he still probably thought she was a sweet girl. SECOND!! I FOUND ELDER COATS!! Actually he came and found me, which was interesting, but I guess when you have four days in a foreign country you´d be happy to see almost anyone form high school. He looks so very different! He´s doing well though and has a good trainer and will be working in Saenz Peña, Chaco which is where my old comp Hna Hernandez is working still as an HLC. 

I really don´t remember much of what happened much this last week. We were working in both areas and I was learning new streets and meeting new faces. I met our investigator Van...... and her family, they have a really interesting story. The Hermanas prayed that day to find someone who needed the Gospel ¨That day¨ and they met them. Turns out that day a friend of theirs had died. But they've come a long way and want to change so much. Van...... has even full out quit smoking. Their family´s cute and I´m excited to work with them.

I love this time of year even though it´s hard to tell that it´s Christmas. Estamos buscando por milagros. I know this gospel is true and was established by Christ himself, and that he was born for a reason, and that reason is us. I will be forever grateful and never be able to fully express how grateful I am for Him and all he´s done for us. 

Love you all! Take care and keep safe. Go play in the snow for me!

Merry Christmas!
Hermana A. Johansen

Monday, December 16, 2013

¿20?

Guess who got a Hamáka for her birthday!!!             

I did :) 

Hermana Lund and I were checking out a little store in our area that looks very american, and I thought I saw a little throw blanket in there that I wanted to get so we made sure to go in and check it out today, the blanket wasn't what I´d expected, but we were looking around and in a little basket in the corner Hermana Lund found my Hammock!! I can´t hang it up in my house or anything but if I'm ever able to I'll give it a shot for sure.

I don´t know where I´ll be going or if I´ll be staying until tomorrow night. If I´m staying we have hopes to either talk from the church or from the Duarte´s computer. I keep trying to think of what time would work the best for everyone so I can get all of you together. We went to our regular cyber today and it was closed! We were all so very scared and I had to try so hard not to cry. It would've been the worst if it were a surprise holiday today and everything was closed. 

We've been on Operation: Save the Rama all week, I can´t tell you more than that but it was very exciting, I've never felt more like I was a super agent on a secret mission to save the world before in my life. Other than that the Vargas family is still so amazing. Beti is still coming to church every week, and the girls come with her. Cat...... was having a hard day and looked really sad. She didn't really want to come to primary, but I gave her a hug and let her sit by me all day. She got feeling better and participated in class. 

What is there to talk about that happened this week? Well if all else fails I could tell y'all in a week :) By the way, right in the middle of writing if all else fails everything failed! when it gets really hot here all the power kicks off. We all kinda spazzed for a second. The story of our lives! 

I've got letters coming to people, but they´re going to be late for Christmas, so please don't think that I've forgotten about you! I just am really bad at writing and the post office going on strike doesn't help much either :)

Love you all!! Have a wonderful week and a Merry Christmas!

Hermana A Johansen

Just a couple days left of being a teenager! What better way to spend it than by being a missionary :)

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

My shoes are wet :) AND SO WERE CAT...... AND LUNA!

Today estamos en Corrientes Capital. We got here to work with Hermana Lund´s visa stuff and we lost our bus and have to wait 5 hours to get back to Bella Vista which is two hours away. So We get to go on an adventure today! And here is the only place that I know of where I can buy a Hamaka. I´m so excited! I´m actually just really happy that we get to write today, that´s what I was most worried about. 

Our baptisms went very well. They were successfully baptized and confirmed this weekend. They are very quiet children, they weren't exactly jumping off the walls excited, but for them they were fairly animated :) Hermana Lund and I were so stressed out about it all week, but that´s just how things are when there are baptisms, and were sad to not see their dad there when he said he would be. They were so cute though, and were so happy. Hermana Sayas has to be the best Primary Pres ever, she tried to hard to be sure that all the girls felt welcome and knew that someone really cared about them and the choice they made. 

Transfers are coming up soon! and we don´t talk about them. one: they´re on my birthday, two: we don´t want to be separated!

Jessi!! oh my goodness! I´m so excited for this little boy! I love your conejo! I love those pictures! Especially the one with dad and the girls. 

I´m trying to send letters for Christmas to family and friends, but there is a bit of a dilemma, the post office has been on strike for a good while, and if they get to you it´ll be late. Sorry about that, but it´s more important that they get to ya :)

Love you all! 
Hermana A Johansen

Monday, December 2, 2013

My effects please . . . and my hat

So, hay algunos noticias de este semana:

el Primero:
 Flía ¨malagas¨ Turns out their name is really VARGAS! We were just going by what we heard and didn´t know any different until we started filling out the baptismal records for the girls.  ooops :)

El secundo: 
So I thought yesterday that I was getting so good at dodging
things no less than two hours later Hermana Lund freaked out about something I was right behind her looking at the ground expecting to see something not to step in but no! I look up just in time to smack my nose right in to a metal bar. Somethings never change. I do have a slight mark, but nothing impressive. 

So we have the best district leaders EVER!  Every night that Elder Leon calls us he uses different voices plays a little bit of Mo Tab Christmas music and pretends that it´s him and Elder Fiabani singing it because he knows how much we love it. We are all cleaning the font today after our p-day and our lesson with the Flía Vargas. That Font is SO DIRTY! It hasn't been used in months and the last person to use it didn't drain it. The waters green and I´d swear a small jungle has grown out of it. We would have the option of using the river if it wasn't so dangerous. 

Cat.... is so cute! She will offer to say the prayer at the end of Primary or a lesson and asks us for help. I was helping her at the end of the lesson the other day asked her what she was thankful for and she said that she was thankful for her baptism. So Perfect!

I´m glad everyone had a good thanksgiving. We were in Goya with the Zone and our senior couple made us a full out Thanksgiving dinner for us and we got our t-shirts with my drawing on the front! I´ll send photos soon. 

I can´t believe it´s Diciembre, ya! Man! So crazy. Thanks mom for pointing out how i´m not gonna be a teenager anymore. I´m so excited to be able to talk to everyone so soon. How´s Jessie feeling? Are the girls excited to have a little brother?

Love you Mom, Dad, Steven, Sabrina and Kevin, and everyone else!

Hermana A. Johansen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA LEE!!!

Sunday, December 1, 2013

Vamos hacer la cosa! . . . mañana!

So story goes as follows. Argentina has ridiculous holidays and they
all just happen to pop up on Mondays when we need to write and then
everything is closed and we don´t get to, it nearly killed us
yesterday.

Anyway. Consejo changed to today and I get to write while waiting for
the bus to go back to Bella Vista. But the meeting changed because
Pres. Heyman was invited to go fishing with the stake pres of
Resistencia. I don´t blame him, fishing´s fun, the stake pres is a
rather fine fellow and it´s President Heyman's birthday today so he can do
what ever he wants :) I told him about the cousin of ours that served
with his son, and justo he´s going to talk to him tonight to see if
they know each other. AND are we related to a Kent Johansen from Provo?
President said that he knows him and said that he was distantly related to
me. He´s a Johansen so surprise surprise.

Alright so this week was ridiculous, and all four of us have never
been more insulted more often or more deeply in our lives. The rama
has been going crazy this week and they all think their drowning in
their life jackets cause their chins are getting wet. I´ll have to give
more descriptions on this when I get home, but some people need to
grow up and realize that this work is bigger than them, they need to
make a good place for our investigators to go especially since it´s
their rama and we won´t be there forever. There are still some very
good people here who help us out very much, but recovery work is never
fun. But things with the Flia Malagas is amazing. Beti delt with the
drama on Sunday in a way that was so amazing, we had a lesson with her
about the atonement and it seemed like the drama in Relief society
didn't even faze her. I don´t know exactly what happened in that
class cause Hermana Lund and I are all in Primary, so we´re in the most
protected area of the rama! It´s the best! Cat.... and Loo.... are
prepping for baptism on the 7th of Diciembre, and what better way to
remember Pearl Harbor than to have a baptism to remember the love of
our Savior.

Grandma Lee! We met a guy from Africa! He lives in our area and is
here for work. We met him looking for a less active member. It was the
coolest thing to know, always is when you run into someone not from
Argentina, and you know that the only way you have to communicate is in
a language that you´re both learning. But it was amazing and I thought
of you. I've seen him around and have made it my personal goal to meet
this guy cause he really is so different from everyone else here, and
when you see someone who is different, they really do look different
and you have to ask where their from. Speaking of, and I forgot to
write about this a couple weeks ago, we had a Palestinian in the
Elder´s area who said that he needed four lessons left until Baptism.
We had to ask President. about it, and he said that due to possible safety
issues they couldn't teach him, but it was really cool cause him and
his girlfriend came to Noche de Rama. It was really funny cause the
Elders found out he lived on a street that was in all of our areas and
narrowed it down to the two streets and it was the boundary of the
other sisters and the Elders. They were SO competitive over who´s area
he was in because it was to be decided by the street he lived on.

Well. I love you all! So excited to talk to you in less than a month.
And crazy thought!!! -Cumplé 9 MESES MAÑANA!

Until next week!
Hermana A. Johansen

Monday, November 18, 2013

This week was soooooo fast!!!

This week went by so fast I had to really think hard to try to remember what there was to tell you. there have been some pretty dandy milagros going on here.
First off; The Familia Malagas: mom and dad, Ya.... (15) Se.... (14) Lo..... AKA Luna (12) Cat (9) Ma.. (5) La.. (2) and Bri... (2 meses). Last Sunday, to clarify we walked 30 minutes to go to get them and they were waiting outside their house to walk to the church with us. It´s a 45 minute walk from Barrio Epan to the church. This week they all came again ¡by themselves! and Ya.... and Se... actually came inside this time. Cool thing that happened though was on Wednesday they came to Noche de Rama (our branch´s spin on family night) We had a lesson with them that day, invited them, they weren't sure if they could make it AND THEY ALL CAME! Surprised us like none other but they made it! But funny story, the 5 year old Ma...kind of likes me. He´s a cute little trouble maker. He ran up to me on Wednesday night surprised me with a hug and later held my hand for two seconds and is trying to remember my name. He´s gotten better at understanding the limits and good thing is he minds me when I tell him it´s time to pray, be reverent, or to sing in Sacrament meeting. La. is so cute too, she just looks at you and steals your heart. Be.. would be so baptized next Saturday if only she were married! and if her man wasn't so Catholic! he helps bring then to church which is a blessing for sure for Cat......

We´re to the point of counting down until Christmas. We all forget what month it really is until we pass a store full of Christmas stuff. We found one that is adorable and feels like America. It´s interesting to think of how much God loves me and has sent me down here in a time when I will only miss snow and deal with intense heat once.

We have been looking for service projects and begging our members to let us help with things all the time! They keep telling us that we can´t do things cause we´re sisters. We just tell them that we can do more than they think we can, just let us go get our pants! We haven´t given up, but we have been looking more for small ways to serve people. 

Next Monday I have consejo de los lideres and so I´ll be writing on Tuesday, but I will most likely be printing off on Monday before we head back to Bella Vista.

Love you all!! Stay safe, talk to ya next week.
Hermana A. Johansen



Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Translados.....

So last week we had transfers. AND . . . . . Wait for it . . . . . We´re still in Bella Vista 2!

In-fact there were no changes in Bella Vista, and Hermana Healey was sure she would be sent to Formosa. So if there´s not a mini transfer like there usually could be this'll be the area I've been in the longest. 

We were visiting a reactivated menos activa and as we were sharing a scripture, her drunk nephew and her son come to ask us some "gospel related questions" and her nephew sets his chair down between Hermana Lund and I (we were outside with espacio suficiente, no se preocupe) and we were not happy about that. You DO NOT sit between a companionship!  

Aside from that awkward story we had a milagro happen this week!

We had the Familia Malagas come to church! As a result we had a very rowdy primary and a almost had to teach all of it. Anyway, this family lives the farthest away from the church  in our area, she has 7 kids and one of them is a baby of two months and we all walked to church! We got to their house and they were all ready and waiting for us at 8:15 and we got to the church at 9:00! How would you like to walk for an hour to get to church with 7 kids? I will never complain about living two blocks away from the church. But they were amazing, and for their first time having been in the primary the kids did very well.

El.... didn't come to church this week and we were all pretty bummed. We´re going to have to move her date to the 23, but it'll be alright. The extra week will be good for her. She's a sweet girl and so awesome. I think if Sabrina were down here we´d be taking her to every one of our lessons with El....., She´s a shy one but they would be pretty good friends I´m sure.

Wow! Give Grandma a HUGE hug for me and tell her how much I love her. If she wants 
she's welcome to email me and I could write to her. Gonna miss Grandpa Morgan. 

I got a letter from Sarah!! Made my week and I started crying when the Elders gave her Dear Elders to me. Ya´ll have no idea how much letters from friends really help us out here unless you´ve been out here.

I´m glad the play went well and that Steven had a good birthday . . . Entonces . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVEN!!! 23, Wow, that´s crazy.

Love you all! Talk to ya next week.

Hermana A Johansen

Friday, November 8, 2013

Monday, November 4, 2013

This week in Argentina.....

I love the halloween pictures! Mom, the pumpkin picture was ridiculous,  I didn't know if I should be shocked or laugh so I choose both. WOW! A friend of mine did something really gnarly as a zombie with a zipper on his face. Dad we should try it next year, it should be fun.

The rama drama is just what happens when the branch is still very young and family pride gets in the way of the Lord's work and people have issues with the leaders. I won't go into detail because it's too much and I don't have that kind of time. It makes a tough environment to bring investigators into. El..... couldn't come to church yesterday, she went to el Campo with her family and left before church started. We set a fecha in the primera charla and she has a date for the 16 de Novembre.

Pa...´s doing well, and she really wants to come to church, but she has a tough time because she could have her baby any day now and it´s really difficult to travel. We also found out that she is not married and she can´t read either. We´re still looking for a bed.
We discovered that Argentina has FIREFLIES! We also had the craziest rainstorm on Friday, it was like I took a shower with my clothes on! 
If we saw any miracles they were all little. Our less active, Li..... came to church by herself this week! 
Oh!! and my planner got murdered from the rain storm too. 

We had our first service project!! Vicki was trying to put a fan together and was having a hard time, so she let us help her put it together.
The branch is having a Family Night every week and so we have a constant activity. We were all talking about Halloween and the Elders got us candy and had us ¨dulce o trico.¨
The Prez is great and the elders are wonderful!

¡FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS STEVEN!

love you always

Hermana A. Johansen





Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Happy Halloween.....

I can not believe it is Halloween already!! There is no way.  I reached my 8 month mark yesterday and I couldn't believe that either!!

Anyway. We had a milagro yesterday!!! E.... CAME TO CHURCH!!! She is the first of our investigators to come to church the entire time I've been in Bella Vista 2!! Ironically when we have a blessing that big the entire day on Sunday really bites. No one would listen to us! But as much as our feet hurt and disappointment was knocking at our door we kept our little piece of happiness in our minds and it was all worth it. 

We had to give M..... a break this week, he has ¨Rama drama¨ before he even got into the rama, and did not want to go to church. His niece is a less active and they've had some issues in the past. We haven´t been able to meet with Norma, she and her family went to Buenos Aries this weekend and we weren't able to see them.

We were up in the far corner of our area the other day and decided to go see our investigator P.... F.... We taught her her first lesson a couple weeks ago and haven´t been back because we thought she didn't understand us and felt like we were holding her hostage, but NO! She was listening to us and actually was waiting for us to come get her for church and we forgot that we offered to come get her! I felt awful  BUT she forgave us and wants us to come back and to go to church. But here's the kicker . . . she is about to have a baby any day now, and SHE DOESN'T HAVE A BED! Holy Spaz!! So we're on the look out for a bed so we can help her. She has two other little kids that we actually just found out that they were little girls. It's hard to tell when you have a 2 and 4 yr old running around with short hair and no shirt on. Wooooops. 

Anyway funny things about this little country that I love. The toads miow!! It´s funny and always makes my day. What´s sad though is that you have to be careful where you step or you might stand on one that had been run over and turned into a pancake. Another one: French toast with dulce deleche!! The best ever!

Oh! Primary was fun. We had tons of kids there. A family was visiting from the District Presidency from Goya who happens to have about 10 kids. It was loud, it was great, we talked about temples it was a blast.

Way to go Jessica!! and Colton Coats!!


Love you M,D,S,S,K, Family and friends!

Hermana A. Johansen 

Monday, October 21, 2013

This week from my neck of the woods....more like my side of the river...

Feliz Día De Madre!!! 

Yeah I know it´s in May for us, but it was yesterday for our dear Argentines, so some of our missionaries got to call home yesterday, and I figured that I´d tell you HAPPY MOTHER´S DAY because I could.

Soooooo . . . This week! Guess who got a set of elders, a new branch and district president? Bella VIsta!! The elders are awesome. One of them came to  Resistencia with me, he´s from Buenos Aries and we became friends at the airport, and the other one is from Equador and we went and got our legal papers in Corrientes Capital together. So we're all friends and they´re both very pleased with how much my Spanish has improved. They´re both great and very obedient which is exactly what this town needs at the moment. 

We´re working with N....., M....., E....., and R..... at the moment. N...... is a little difficult because we only get to meet with her once a week and we invited her to church with us this last time and her and M.... have the same fear, that people will look at them funny and ask them what they´re doing there judge them and kick them out. It´s so sad. N....´s had a rough life, and loves to have us over when she can.
M..... PRAYED out loud at the end of the lesson for the first time and he´s been reading the Book of Mormon !!! We were so very happy about it!! He´s about 75 years old and lost his wife 6 years ago.  He has a hard time understanding us, but he likes to have us over, he´s very receptive to the spirit it´s great.
E..... is a sweet 16 year old girl, she is the most receptive of her family and is getting comfortable with us to the point that she gets excited to see us when she sees us in the streets and is commenting more in lessons. 
R.... is about the same, but she´s having a harder time having time for us to come over and teach her something. The other sisters had someone come to church this last Sunday  it was so awesome! the first time any of us have had investigators here while we've been here!

Alright . . questions!
Has anyone heard about Clay and Carli? they told me before I left that they were planning on getting hitched in August, How´s that working out for them? Speaking of marriage, did Hannah and Matt get married? 
How´s Bri doing? What´s her baby boy´s name? 

I love you all and I´ll talk to you later. LOVE YOU MOM AND DAD!!


Love you all! 
Hermana A Johansen

Monday, October 14, 2013

So much to say so little time....again!!!

This week has gone by so very quickly and i don't get to write too much about it today cause we have limited time. The cibers were all closed today until 5 and p-day ends at 6! Thanks to holidays, yipi! yeah, I wasn't all too excited about it but, I knew I would live.

This week . . . hmmm . . . Guess who got to draw the image for our Zone t-shirt! Yup :) It´s been fun. I'll send pictures soon.

We're teaching an amazing lady named N...., We met her on exchanges with Hermana Healey asking what kind of crazy flower we found. We were going to have a lesson with L...., but she blew us off again, so we went to our back up. We went to her house earlier and her son told us to come back around 8 when she'd be home. SHE WAS WAITING FOR US! She met with the elders three years ago, and that didn't go much of anywhere. Since then her father has died and her husband has left her to raise 7 boys on her own. We taught her the plan of salvation and she asked us if we chose to share that with her or if it was just the lecture that we have prepared for everyone. We told her how we prepare every day especially for the people that we go to teach and that we had actually planned to teach her the restoration. Thank heavens I have an amazing companion who suggested to teach something else. I love teaching people and not lessons! 

We also had interviews with President and Hermana Heyman. I loved it.

Anyway, I´m staying healthy, safe and happy. I love hearing from you every week. Funny fact. The family of my Zone leader Elder Gallardo just moved to Nephi, we couldn't help but to laugh about that the other day.

I'm glad everyone´s doing well! Kevin! Way to go with Football Bud!!!! YIIJJAAA!!!! ( <-- to be said in Spanish) I am so excited to hear from Colton! I can only see him spazzing out in his little chair with excitement, I bet he did so well and made everyone cry! The primary sounds like you´re having a blast.   

Love you Family and friends. Will someone get a hold of Sarah for me and let her know that she can email me? Pretty please? 
OH AND WHEN IT SNOWS! please send me a picture, I won't get homesick :) I promise. 

Love you all!
Chao!
Hermana A. Johansen

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

So much to say, so little time....

 I had leadership conference yesterday in Resistencia. Hermana Allred and I went and our comps stayed home and had a P-day together.

Mom I am so excited for your primary! Ya´ll are going full out on this! I had to brag about this to our Zone leaders and las otro hermanas. I´m so glad my little idea is helping out so much. Keep me posted, I love hearing about it. I could still be here in November, Hermana Lund still has her training, but here that doesn't mean anything is set. Missionaries can change comps in the middle of their training. 

First off: Marci. Thank you for your email. I do believe that you have never told me your story of how you gained your testimony. I don´t know if I have told you this before, but you going on a mission actually influenced me to make the decision to prepare for mine. I never thought that Sisters could serve missions, and always thought that it was for the Elders because it was always geared to the boys in primary. I had no idea. When you went it opened up a new door for me. I don´t think I can ever express to you how thankful I am that you chose to serve, because you did I was ready for the age change and to serve in Ohio and here in Argentina. Mike, who would've thought your influence would continue so much in this mission 18 years after you left. :)  Thanks for telling me that Marci, it´s really amazing to see the hand of the Lord in every decision we make in our lives. 
I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU AND YOUR LITTLE BOY!! this is going to be so much fun. It´s so crazy that you´re a mom! I love you and hope you´re safe, happy and healthy :)

Conference was amazing! I loved it! I understood quite a bit of what we watched in Spanish  None of our investigators came which was not very happy, but I loved it. We watched it with the Familia Duarte on Sunday. I can´t wait to be able to read it! Will you send me an English Copy? I love the Spanish and all, but I know I will get more out of it when I can hear their voices in my head. Did you know that ELDER SCOTT SERVED IN ARGENTINA!! AND THAT HE TRANSLATED HIS OWN TALK FOR CONFERENCE????!!!! SOOOOO COOOOL!! As you can see my mind is blown.

The work is good here, we´re working out some kinks in the branch and so it´s a little slow, BUT it´s coming along. We ran into a lady the other day who reads the BOOK OF MORMON!!  She was waiting for the coli and she looked sad and I just felt like I needed to talk to her. Turns out she wasn't sad, just tired from work. She was a very nice lady in fact  She asked us who we were and what we were doing, we told her, and she said that she met the Elders once, and they gave her a ¨bible¨ I was a little shocked, ¨¿Ellos le dio una Biblia? ¿enserio?¨ So I grabbed a Book of Mormon out of my bag and asked her if that was it. She said yes and that HER FAMILY READS IT, AND THEY APLY IT TO THEIR LIVES! and that´s not all, she then goes on to tell us about a verse that she loves in Nefi of how God is our support. We have plans to find her and her family as soon as we can!

Anyway, that´s our week. I´m glad everyone is doing well! Family! Keep safe, stay happy and share your testimony at all times (and when necessary use words ;)

HI, everyone else! Have the best week of your entire lives you little Later-Day Saints you!
(I tried to look at my tag to make sure I got the grammar right and then realized ¨Oh wait! Its in Spanish.¨ sometimes I´m a smart one:) 


Le Quiero!! Chao!!

Hermana A Johasen

Monday, September 30, 2013

IT'S A GIRL!!!

Guess who's a momma!! hahaha yeah . . . I´m training. her name's Hermana Lund, she´s adorable, blonde blue eyed from SLC Utah, and directly from the MTC! Never been more nervous for anything in my life!! I've also never understood so much Spanish before! The first companion has such an impact on a missionary. I will be forever grateful for my 4 wonderful trainers (S. Stoddard, J. Palmer, and K. Neslen de los Estados y M. Torres aqua en Argentina) I hope that I will be able to help my little ones the way they've all helped me.  I must have been a real handful to need four trainers, and two run troughs of the 12 week program, I guess I´d better be good at it by now.

I also have the calling in the mission as a Sister Training Leader which is a lot like a District leader for the sisters. We go on exchanges and all that to help las hermanas strengthen their areas and see if there is anything they need that they don´t want to tell the Elders. It's pretty cool.

Primary was fun this week. We learned about how much Christ loves them, and when they were talking with the angels when Christ came to the Americas. The wife of the branch President came in to visit us, it was so nice to have someone there who knew the primary songs in Spanish  it's harder than most people think it is. I love my primary kids! I have the Address for you! Hermana Sayas loved the idea! you should have seen her face when I told her! She lit up like a little kid at Christmas.
I really like this idea. Have Steven or someone help you there with the lenguage incase en algun momento hay no mas hermanas de los Estados aqua en Bella Vista y ellos no puede entender sus palabras ;)

L..... (our strongest investigator this week) didn't go to church and neither did F...., That just shattered our hearts into little tiny pieces. It's really hard to find people here that will stick with it. Neither of our companion ships have been able to have success in getting people to church. We've been doing what we can, but they aren't realizing the importance. There are ways that we can improve, and we´ll do our best this week, but ya know it is all up to them. We've been focusing on being patient in this area, it's tough and all we can do is rely on the Lord for perseverance. 


People miss me? That's nice of them :) Tell them hi for me and that I live. 

Love you all!
Hasta la proxima semana!

Hermana A. Johansen

Monday, September 23, 2013

¡Soldadas del Señor en Bella Vista!

This week . . . Where to start? Hmmm . . . I´ll figure it out, da me uno momento. :)

PRIMARY! Mom i´m going to copy you in saying that man, I LOVE MY CALLING! BOTH OF THEM! Being a missionary and in the primary is pretty fantastic and very satisfying. The activity we had about la Obra Misional was a success. We had five kids come :) I have pictures, but the ones that other Hermanas have are better. We have them their callings the Sunday before and had them open them with their families. We had the  USA New York, New York mission, Brazil Sao Paoulo mission, and the Argentina, Buenos Aires Sur mission. We were going to have them split into groups but there weren´t enough to do that. We were in the ¨CCM¨ (Centro de Capacitacion Misional) where we had classes and learned how to fold a church shirt and tie a tie (which I can still do like a boss!) We studied language (how to say I am a child of God in English) and practiced inviting someone to church. The ¨Elders¨ invited Hermana Healey to church, and I was C....´s companion and we invited her parents to church.(It was so cute! President Gimenez almost cried!!) She´s this perfect little TINY four year old girl with the smallest voice and she has all of our hearts wrapped around her finger. After, we all went out with missionary supplies and invited the people who lived close to the Chapel to church the next Sunday.  Very successful I´d say. 

And there´s more to this story! C.... and R... wore their badges to church :) if that didn´t make me happy I don´t know what would. And C..... bore her testimony in primary, she wanted me to help her but her little spirit could convert lead to gold in a split second.

We found a 29 year old named F...... He´s AWESOME!! He plays the Accordion and actually is reading and praying!! AND AND AND he asks us questions, and not the usual questions about the US or missionary life, legit questions about the gospel! He really wants to learn from us and I really hope he progresses, if he doesn´t I think that´d break my heart.  He has amazing potential to be a very strong priesthood holder! Pres. Gimenez went with us to teach him and they´ve got a really good relationship going on, oh how I hope and pray that this works out!

We went back to President´s family after the lesson, they were waiting in the plaza and once R.... and C....  saw us they came running with big old smiles and everything. Those two are so much fun, they´re shy at first, but when you open them up they´re little balls of fire.

For real transfers are this week!! Ah! I´m losing my mind (mas o menos) I have a feeling that I´m going to be staying in Bella Vista con Hermana Hernandez, but ya never know, I´ve never been in an area for two full transfers, sure I only have 7 months in the mission, but ya know I´m not used to staying in one spot for very long. 

Have I told you how much I love personal study time? If I haven´t I´ll tell you what I love it a lot, I can´t get enough of it. I´m stuck in 1 Nephi as of late cause I´m really trying to feast my scriptures, and I´ve learned a ton. Like how the Lord protects his missionaries, and the importants of prayer. Sometimes it´s so obvious to see the commandments laced in the stories, I found at least three in a row mentioned when Nephi was building a boat and his brothers were giving him grief. The gospel´s amazing, it´s as simple as that, and oh boy is it ever true.

That´s my week in a nut shell. We´ll talk to ya later! Love you all! Hope you´re all doing well, can´t wait to hear from you next week.

Hermana A Johansen

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

¡Conferencia de las Hermanas!

I love my mission! (if you can remember how I sometimes sing my words, that is how this expression is supposed to be read.)
We had our Conferencia de las hermanas yesterday! The first in the history of the mission! We had about 46 Hermanas there. They went all out, they had table clothes and everything. The Office elders served us salads in their pink ties. haha it was so cute, I felt spoiled. The Stake president of Resistencia was there with his wife and they spoke to us for a little bit. I loved being back in Resistencia and catching up on what´s going on in Barrio 3. Anyway. Presidente Heyman talked to us about the Holy Ghost and the rolls we have as sisters and the special gifts we have in this work. Hermana Heyman told us how much she loves us and how grateful she is to have all of us here, then she taught us how to fold origami roses. AND then when we were taking pictures President Heyman walks in with an armful of Roses!! The really nice kind! They´re white with the red tips, Ya know? I cried like a baby yesterday, it was so great. President said ¨I´m the only man who can give you a rose on your mission. It´s like a dad telling his little girl that he´s the only man she can love until she finds that special someone. Gave me the giggles. Then he went to give Hermana Heymnan her rose, made the move to kiss her and she couldn't help but to laugh, and he had to give it another try, with success this time. I love seeing married people who remind me of mom and dad, it reminds me what I´m here for. 

So there´s my cheesy story for the week. This week was great we worked hard, and honestly it was one of those weeks where a lot happened and I don´t remember a ton of it, but I feel like it was a good week with a lot of good work inside. 


Primary this week was awesome. We only had four kids this week because of the rain, and our teacher forgot her manual  As a result it was my turn to improvise. We ended up teaching the Gospel of Christ (lesson 3) with a drawing that I learned in Ohio and accompanied it with Article of faith 4. It was successful and they were very attentive. I taught both hours and lead the music. In other words it was the Sunday of Hermana Johansen, being the teacher, music director, and part of the presidency. We gave out their little white pieces of paper folded to look like the letters we get with our callings for our mission inside for the activity this week. They all took them home and opened them with their families. Very successful I think. Each child will be called to a mission. They have three ¨missions¨ for the activity.  There´s the Argentina, Buenos Aires Sur mission,  Brazil, Sao Paolo mission, and the New York, New York mission. I´m so excited it´ll be great fun. 


Anyway, that´s my week in a nutshell! Love you all! 


Laura :D I got your letter! I will do my best to write back to you, it´ll take a while, but I´ll do my best! Love you and miss your face!! :D


Andrew Got his call to MEXICO!  Sanpete´s gonna be the home of the gringos that rocks!



Love you all!

Hermana A Johansen

Monday, September 16, 2013

History in the making........

When we arrived in Argentina in July 2011, we had 25 Hermanas in 4 1/2 provinces of Argentina. Today, after the mission division, we have 46 Hermanas and 19 on their way here next week...and 39 still yet to come!!! So, we thought it was time to get them all together. We did a lot of planning and preparing. President and Sister Fernandez from the Resistencia Stake helped us out. Sister Fernandez was an "Hermana" a few years back in Buenos Aires.
It was a good first and historic Hermanas' Conference.
                                                                                         The Heyman's Mission, President Heyman



Monday, September 9, 2013

Life as a Missionary continues....

How can there be so much to say, but when you go to say it you can´t think of it? I have no idea! 

What is going on with our country?!?!?!?  I have a lot of friends who´ll be out there facing some serious danger, and that kinda really worries me. Oh U.S. please stay safe, I want to come back to you and know you´re still in one piece in a year.


I am not a very lovely soprano. I´ve learned how to be a soprano as of late due to my companions. Viki wanted me to sing a song in English I tried my hardest to do so, but I couldn't remember the words in English to save my life! We all got a good laugh at that.

That´s great about Colton! Way to go Elder!! So excited for you!!  Oh my goodness a Cooper brother, that makes me so happy! 

The primary here is a blast. We had our first real sharing time yesterday about los mandamientos and we sang songs and stuff like that. We also gave out the first assignments for who will be sharing a scripture, compartiendo su testimonio, and praying next week. We have ten kids in our primary, and the president has been a member for six months. She really accepts my suggestions with an open heart and is very good at understanding and helping me when I don´t have my words right in the primary, she´s amazing! We´re having an activity this Friday with them about missionary work. Thanks for your help mom :) I want to send pictures . . . . but . . . . I have sad news . . . . I think my camera died. It doesn't want to turn on anymore. I tried to turn it on yesterday and it wouldn't work for me.  Which is really sad cause I want pictures of Bella Vista! It´s lovely, I am in fact right on the river which is evil when it´s really hot, cause there are all kinds of boats out there, and I have to try really hard to stay focused, but I manage. There´s a lady that we´re teaching named Ramona who´s husband is a fisherman, she has met with the missionaries before, and heard from someone else of some other religion that she needed to be baptized in the River or in a pond, she did not want that! . 

Have you heard anything from Sarah, Kiley or Laura? I haven´t heard anything from them in the longest time. Laura wrote to me while I was in Ohio. I haven´t heard from Sarah since the MTC, she was in my dream the other night about signing up for art classes, Allred was helping us find the best classes for various mediums and I almost cried when I woke up. Speaking of Allred, him and his wife are expecting a new little one, how are things with them? 

I love personal study time! I can´t get enough of it. I was reading about the Atonement today and felt so AWESOME! I couldn´t help but to think, why don´t people just TRY to understand how amazing this really is? Why don´t they just do it? The agency of other people can be so irritating sometimes, but what can ya do? Love em I guess, that´s all we can do.

Anyway, had a good week! Hope you did too! Love you all, please be safe, especially you Dad :) Love ya!

Talk to ya next week!

Hermana A. Johansen








Sunday, September 8, 2013

A gift from Argentina :)

Thank you to Hermana Vicki for sending the video of  Hermana Johansen.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Fairview and Little People church ;)

¡HOLA! ¡HOLA! HOLA!

¡Bienvenido a la distrito de Goya! Estoy sirviendo en la lugar de Bella Vista, Corrientes. Tenemos un rama en este area, y tenemos lo mejor Presidente con una familia rey linda. Le amos nuestra rama y estamos muy animado a trabajar con los miembros. Tengo un nuevo compañera, obvio, pero ella es de diez! Ella es de Guatemala, se llama Hna Hernandez. Ella tiene 6 meses en la mision como yo pero ella llego aqua ese semana pasada. Somos dos compañerismas en Bella Vista. Tenemos Hnas Allred, y Healey. Los dos de Lago Salada, Utah! Nuestro mision especial aqua es encontrar se llama, SMAPIs, son Hombres quien tiene el sacerdocio, son activo, tiene llamamiento y ¿pagar? Diezmo. Encontrando personas como asi es rey deficil en las calles, entonces necesitamos trabajar a ful con los miembros! (Porque hay como 1 hombre por cada 6 hermanas en la rama, y solomente casi 25% de la rama es activo) ¡TRABAJAMOS CON URGENCIA! ¡VAMOS!

Hey, Steven, remember those moments when I would ask you what Nosortos meant OR that one time when you ever so kindly volunteered me to speak in our little branch in Ephraim  Haha yeah, those were good times. The Lord has been so good to me in the last two months to help me with ese idioma, es loco! Now it´s to the point that I can understand most of what people are talking about, what´s funny is I can tell when they´re saying that my native comp can speak so much better than I can. It´s a little frustrating but I just need to take a deep breath and relax. Then I tell them I've really only been speaking Spanish for two months, then they´re a little nicer to me :) 

So . . . I am currently stationed en Bella Vista which directly translates to Beautiful View, another word for Beautiful is Fair. so . . . LOGICALLY . . .I´m In Fairview :D ¡CHISTOSO! Mi encanta.

President Heyman told us in the meeting this last week in our branch that because we´re in a branch the missionaries could take part in callings if needed, and then we go buscar por our replacements. YOU´LL NEVER GUESS WHERE I´M SERVING!!!! Mom, we have the same calling! Because I have the most experience with the primary I get to organize and teach them how to do sharing time and a lot of the songs. I AM SO EXCITED! Pretty pretty please send me some ideas of how to work with my 10 primary children. This is going to be so much fun. The Primary President is a convert of 6 MONTHS! and is amazing. (Que paso con nuestro barrio and the llamamiento de Correstor? that´s crazy, mom, who´s working with the music? it´s crazy important to have that llamamiento, they don´t have enough people who know the songs or how to work with music enough to have someone do that here, come on 4th Ward!)

I don't know how things are going in Barrio 3 anymore and it has been driving me crazy, I hope things are working out with my people there. We made our own Titles of Liberty in my last Family Home Evening with Marisol, Ezekiel, Horacio and Martin.

Jessie´s due on Sabrina´s Birthday :D ¡QUE LOCO! Marci you've got to be the cutest pregnant lady ever! :D I´m so excited to have little ones to come back to! Only they won't be so little, they´ll be almost huge by the time I see them. 

Sounds like you´re all having fun! I love you all and pray for you every day, I try not to dream about ya´ll but you know how it goes, I just can´t help it, they´re involuntary and vivid! It was crazy last night I had a dream I was talking to the mom of one of my friends back home and I couldn't speak English to her!! I apologized and had to translate everything from Spanish to English IN MY DREAM! You know you´re learning a language when you have to do that! My Spanish still isn't that fantastic.

Anyway, my time is up. I love you all and hope for the best. Mom, I hope this was long enough for you, I´m glad you liked my joke :) I haven´t had the chance to tease you much lately and I missed it.

Steven, Gracias por su carta, estoy muy agradecida que tengo un Hermano como usted. One day I´ll be able to remember all sorts of words fast enough to write a letter to you in Spanish in good timing and with good grammar. but it´s a start. I´m excited for you in your calling! that´s so cool! It´s in the single´s ward right? You´ll do so good! Tell me how it goes, ya?

Dad, I hope you´re doing well and keeping safe. I pray for you everyday, and everyone who sees the photo I have of you and mom says that you two are so cute and that you look like an actor. I enjoy talking about you and mom, I kinda brag about you sometimes. Love ya :) Thank you for being who you are, loving my momma, and being a worthy priesthood holder in our home, it helps me know what it is we´re trying to help this branch accomplish here. 

Love you all! Tell people hi and hug friends and family for me :)

Hermana A, Johansen

Mini Transfers......



I Spy?



 We had mini transfers, my new companion is Hermana Hernandez from Guatemala (Guatapeor) My new area is Bella Vista, Corrientes.


Monday, August 26, 2013

Crazy week.......

This week has been crazy! Preparing for a baptism and the first week of transfers at the same time is always interesting. We haven't met a lot of new people this week, cause we've been trying to hold on to everyone.

Sofia's baptism was a success! Martin baptized her, and it was amazing! Her family was there and she was so happy! There are many milagros que podemos ver even in the tough weeks.

Marisol is amazing as always, but were comp'n at the bit here with her need to be married. She wants to be baptized so bad, but has been putting off the marriage . . . were going to be working on this really hard if shes going to be baptized this weekend.

Emmanuel the little brother to Horacio was at the baptism and at church! There is a ton of hope for this kid. Were really excited.

Matias is having a hard time this week. He's got some opposition from his family, and hasn't made it to any meeting, not even Charlas.

Mom, you were right. They're called Panchas, they're really good hot dogs that they have here, and they put little baby fries on the top. They are really good!

Thanks Aleen and Jacob for the letters! and KC Karol and the kids for the Dear Elder letter!

Good luck with School! and Work. Mom I have a scripture for you :) 2 Nephi 3:25 line 2.

Love you all!!

Hermana A. Johansen


                                

Monday, August 19, 2013

New Companion....

Hey everybody!

This week has been insane. Hermana Torres left and My new companion is . . . . drum roll . . . Hermana Quick from the state of Washington! We met in the MTC funny enough. She has one more transfer in Argentina than I do, and speaks very good Spanish. It has been so hard not to result to English. I knew this would be a struggle  but I know she can help me with so much especially with how to study Spanish  She has great passion for the work and wants to be very obedient, and knows how to still enjoy her time.
I know the area better than I thought I did, which was a relief. I think I am shocking a lot of our families here with how much I am talking now. More of my personality is coming out now that I have to speak. This week was a little difficult, I can feel the weight on my shoulders a lot easier now, but I know how to make it light and that's all that matters, that I know where I can put my strength.
Our barrio is very patient with us and is very kind and understanding, because they know that I still don't understand everything.
Our dear Sofia is going to be baptized this weekend! she has been counting the days! She is very faithful and something that is super cool is that she conducts FHE with her Sister Nadia, niece Mia and her little brother. We had quite the experience this last time. Her sister Eliana suddenly left the house around 8:30 without telling anyone. You never leave and walk the streets alone here, EVER! Nadia was so scared and crying, I would too if Sabrina suddenly left with a back pack full of clothes and told no one. I asked Sofia if she would like to give a prayer, and we all got on our knees. Eliana walked through the door 20 minutes later. ¡Que un Milagro! Sofia got to see the love of the Lord through an answer to her prayer.
Martin and Horacio went to the temple in Paraguay this last weekend and Loved it! Esequiel was ordained to the office of a priest and will take part in the Sacrament next Sunday.

Mom, Dad, Sabrina Steven Kevin, and family and friends Love you all! HI ERIK AND EMILY! :D Wow there are a TON of people who are all married! dang! Crazy.

Love you all,
Hermana A. Johansen

Thanks to Hermana Quick we have a picture :)

Monday, August 12, 2013

Changes......

Hola,

Changes are this week. My companion Hermana Torres is going home and I will get a new companion on Thursday. Transfers here we go!!!  All of our investigators love Hermana Torres and are very sad to see her leave. She´s amazingly personable and can turn anything into a teaching situation, I have a lot to learn, and don´t know what I am going to do with out her. 

The family Hermana Stone and I found haven´t made much progress this week, they haven't made it to church and they are never there when we stop by. Broke my heart.
We do have new investigators, Matias, Sofia and Eliana. Matias is a lot like our recent convert Horacio, and soaks all of it in. He has a date for 7 September. Sofia is all set for the 24th, she´s nine years old in a part member family and knows everything, she could teach me if she wanted to! Eliana is a dear sweet lady about 38 yrs and feels so lonely  She faces a lot of trials in life and loves our visits.

I did get my dearelder letters. It takes about 2 weeks for them to get here. I love to have those letters, enjoy being able to read them any time I have a minute. Please send me more:) 

Love you all!! Wish you the best!

Hermana A. Johansen