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.