Howdy!

Howdy!

Life's good here. I can't wait to get out of the MTC and go to work. My Spanish is still awful, but I know more than when I got here for sure. I can share my testimony, try my best, and that's what matters. As for travel plans, we're still not sure how this is going to turn out. We're going to Salt Lake next Tuesday to go get some Visa work done, and usually Visas take about two weeks. Chances are that we'll either be stuck here until we get it, or we'll be temporarily transferred  We thought we were going to get them on time and be sent right to Argentina. It'll be an adventure for sure, we'll see what happens.

We were working on our language computer program (TALL) the other day working on Conditional Nouns and one of them was Sabrian, which I think means ´´they would know," but I doubt you'll have any trouble figuring out that I thought of Sabrina, I almost cried. Steve, I tell your stories all the time, they're probably sick of me telling them about you and Mike.

GUESS WHO I SAW THIS WEEK!! Yup! Colton Purcell! He was on my floor in 18M and I almost missed him. It was one of those crazy random happenstances where my class was on a two minute break, and I was just looking the right way. We all know how fast he moves in his wheel chair, I'm glad I caught him. You Rock Colton! I'm glad I got to see you.

Mikayla! Congrats on your Baptism!!! Mom kinda let the secret slip to me so I've been sitting here all excited for you for as long as I've known. I'm glad Mom, Kevin and Sabrina got to go. I don't even remember how long I've been in on it since days seem to blur together here. WOOO HOOO!! Welcome to the club! :) It's the beginning of the best decisions you'll ever make in your life, I promise, and it only gets better.

Thank you for the package! Oh my dearest Cooper Girls, thank you so very much for the drawings. They're on the wall above my bed with Lexi's. I showed all the girls in my district, they loved them and said that you're all very beautiful. I love you, don't forget it :)  Thanks for the watercolour pencil, I almost did a flip when I saw it. To our Riddle family, thank you so much for your support and the love you send, I appreciate it a ton. I hope Elder Mike's doing alright and staying strong. I can't wait to get the MNL (mission news letter) to hear about all of our missionaries it really gives me a stronger sense of our purpose.

As for the work this last week, Hermana Bateman and I taught the lesson about Baptism and we had a wonderful discussion in our district, and because it's Easter we tied it into the Sacrament a ton. I think that was the best teaching experience we've had while we've been here. Oh! Have I told you that the Second Counselor in my Branch Presidency is the Nephew to President Monson? Well if I didn't I'm telling you now. They're just the sweetest, and some of the most insightful people I've met. haha They want me to sketch them something before I go for them to remember me by, and Mimi's (his wife) so much fun to sing Alto with.

  TRC rocks!  We met with a man named Santiago (James for those of you who don't know) about receiving inspiration and revelation through Church attendance. The people who do TRC are such wonderful individuals, and they help me with my Spanish and strengthen my testimony so much. I go in to teach and end up being taught so much more. Santiago is I think in his early fifties and a cowboy, and has such a good heart. He reminded me of both my cowboy grandpas and my hard core Sanpete guy friends and my college buddy James because of the name who have all been some of the greatest examples to me. I told him and I left the session crying cause I felt such love for him and the people he reminded me of, and the Argentine Cowboys I get to meet in who knows how long.

Our teachers are the best, there are so many amazing testimony builders that happen with all of them that it's difficult to pin point any particular one. But I do have something from personal study that has stuck with me all week. I was reading in 1 Nephi 17:50-51 when Nephi's telling his brothers what's what and says that, "If God had commanded me to do all things I COULD DO THEM." and if He can do anything, how would he not be able to teach me how to build a ship?? It got me thinking, and I said to myself, " I have been called of GOD, therefore, I am perfectly capable of teaching the gospel to those in Argentina because 'Dad' said I can." and that's good enough for me. In our family, for those of you who don't know, we have this little picture book that I found for mother's day called 'Mom Says I Can' about a little boy who's something different everyday. He'll be a fire fighter, a fighter pilot, and so many other things. One day he's walking around the house as himself and his mom asks him who he was that day, and he simply says, "Today I am yours." Now my parents tell me all the time that I can do anything, and I believe them. I have been called to serve a mission, which is difficult in itself, I've been called to serve in a different language, which is so much fun, and my Father in Heaven says I can do this. I then looked to 1 Nephi 3:7 which states that 'the Lord giver no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.' I know I can do this because God says I can, and through our Savior has made it possible to do anything he asks of us. SO COOL!!! AH! It makes me so happy. I love personal study, cause I get to sit there with my Book of Mormon and find things that apply to my life and to those of my investigators. (haha fun fact, reading this encouraged me to look up the Primary song 'Nephi's Courage' in Spanish, and I found it! It made my day. Tell the Primary kids "hi' for me, especially my Lane, Christian, and Mia. Tell the boys that I heard a story about a spider in Brazil that was the size of a toilet seat, they found it and it was hissing at them, probably cause they walked in on it, but STILL it's HHHHUUUUUGGGGEEEE!!!! haha also tell them that hairspray kills spiders.)

Any way There's so much I can't tell you in a letter and I don't have a lot of time to write everything I want to even though it's a novel as it is. We've been given an hour to write to our families since we're allowed to E-MAIL FRIENDS now.

To those who are following my blog, Thanks for reading! That's so cool! You rock.

Anyway, The Church is true! Know it, LIVE it, LOVE IT. That's the way to go. Enjoy Conference! I'm so excited!!
Love you all, tell people hi for me.

Hermana A. Johansen


If you would like to email Hermana A. Johansen please comment on her blog and I will reply with her address. Thanks