My Visa is READY!

  My visa is ready but I don't know when I will actually be leaving for Brazil. I'll keep you posted and I've heard I can call you from the airport- we'll see.
     We have been going to the temple on our P-day- Wednesday's. We eat breakfast there, it is so good.  We have also been playing volleyball alot.  Me and elder Pettit (who is about as tall as me) make a pretty good team. He has "mad hops" as Bowen would say.  The Elders have finally figured out that I am a pretty good setter, so now they pass it to me to set them up for a spike. It has been fun.
     Thank you to Cindy, Eryn and my cousins Bridon and Danner for writing to me. By the way, Bridon and Danner you guys have great handwriting. Thanks also to Jenna for keeping up my blog.
     Russell M. Nielson came and spoke to us about obedience. Elder Anderson and Elder Nielson have both told us that we have the ability to call down the powers of heaven because of our callings as missionaries.
     Apparently the week before I got here Elder Scott came and blessed everyone here with the gift of tongues, so I guess I "missed the boat" on that one. Please pray for me to received it.
     I can't believe I have been here a month. I get scared when I think about going to Brazil, but I can't wait for the real work to begin. I can't wait to actually be teaching Real Brazilian people this wonderful gospel! So Amazing!

 Love you all, Kelsi

Almost there...

Kelsi's still waiting on her Visa. We can track it online and it's been in "Receiving" these last few weeks. Well, it finally moved to "Processing" !! We've heard it only takes a week or two from this point so hopefully we'll get the good news soon. Here she comes Brazil!

Another from May 4th, 2011

Sorry my email was so scattered and messy. We only get a half hour and a big red timer counts down on the corner of the screen. It’s very stressful.   J

   The MTC is amazing. Everyone is so friendly and loving. It’s Zion. My companion is Sister Dunow like I said, plus the other 2 sisters and 6 other Elders. We all get along great. Me and Elder Pettit quote movies all day too. Sunday we had mission conference with our MTC Presidency and a devotional that night. Both so uplifting. Between those we had Sacrament Meeting with our Branch (all Portugues speaking, but not all Brazil – some Mozambique (jealous!) and some Portugal.) I bore my testimony is Portugues. It was nerve racking, but great. Its really easy to face your fears here because everyone is doing it.

   Last night we had a devotional from Stanley G. Ellis of the seventy. Another great talk. On Sundays we get to watch a church movie. Sister Dunow and I watched the Testament – so good! But boy are the Elders 19! Everytime theres a kiss they: “Wooooo!” and whistle. So immature. Elders….

   Anyways. This letter is jumbled and crazy too. Sorry, We are way too busy to be homesick here – until I sit down to read your emails. I just think about how cute my neices are. Aw! I wanna punch ‘em. I have the sisters saying that now. Ha.

   Oh, We had our first TRC yesterday. We had to contact people in Portugues as they sat in ‘living rooms’ that are decorated for that purpose. Then we had to teach one of them the 1^st lesson. Me and Sister Dunow did pretty great. Our first contact was a couple that had to be in their 80’s and the man spoke Portugues in his weak, soft voice – so cute!

   Anyways, I’m learning a TON! Super busy and life is amazing as a full time servant of the Lord!

Love,                                                                                                  

Sister Kelsi Johnson   

From Sister Johnson on May 4th, 2011

I can email my immediate family...so that is you! If you could take my missionary email off the blog that would be great because I'm not allowed to email anyone outside of my immediate family. Also my missionary MTC address is: (add this to the blog)

Sister Kelsi Kate Johnson

MTC Mailbox #281

BRA-VIT 0625

2005 N. 900 E.

Provo, UT 84604-1793

And I've only gotten an email from mom and Sister Christensen. Sister's Christensens was about a full page and mom's was an eighth of that...pretty much to tell me dad was painting my room for his den. So sweet. :)

Anyway. It's amazing here. Everyone is so darn nice! And I'm already learning Portuguese. I can pray, say my tesimony and contact people already. I've only been here a week! Our teachers Irma Gonzales and Irmoa Jones only speak Portuguese so they use a LOT of hand signals, but it's a good way to learn. Also, missionaries in Brazil are called Sisters because if we go by Irma they think we are nuns. :/ So you can change that on the blog as well....

The day before I got the the MTC, Dallin H Oaks had just spoken at the Devotional on Tuesday. Bummed I missed that but we got to hear from Stanley G Ellis last night. Every talk and conference and devotional we've had is so uplifting and amazing I love it! My companiera is Sister Dunow. She is awesome. And we live with Sister Rounds and Sister Smart that are in our district. We have a lot of fun quoting movies like "O Brother Where Art Thou" and "Pure Luck" Who would have thunk it!?

Anyways. I'm running out of time. Tell mom and dad I'll write them a plain old letter.

I love to hear about Lynlee. She is so darn cute. I need pictures!!! Tell her I love her, I love her more. No way man. I do and you do! Woo hoo! FOR ME! And give Ellee a big fat kiss! Love you guys!!!!
Oh! And tell mom and everyone DearElders and mail is the best for the MTC right now because I can only check my email once a week for a half hour and that just is not enough time! So, love all ya'll!

Tchau! Sister Kelsi Johnson

First Letter Home

April 28, 2011
Querida familia! (Dear Family)


   Well, it is day 2 of the MTC and its amazing and overwhelming. But, overwhelming in the best sense! Like the temple. There is so much to learn so fast, but everyone loves you and wants you to succeed. Our mission president told us to write and tell you four things: 
1) Im here
2) I have food (good food!)
3) I love my companion
4) I love you all!
   
   And - guess what?! Its all true. My companion is Sister Dunow (do know). She is awesome. She'll start singing a song and I'll finish it. 
Everyone is so amazing here. I'm surprised the Lord hasn't translated it - probably because we have a work to do - and a lot of it. The Elders are insanely nice to us Sisters and if they don't open the door or something we politely remind them and they hop right to it! 
  
 Tell everyone I'm sorry if I don't write back. It's crazy here at the beginning. For instance, our 4 hour instruction class is only in portugues. Literally. We can speak English but our teacher speaks full on portugues, but we'll learn much better this way! Everyone, including leaders here, hear we are going to Brazil and tell us they're praying for our Visas. So thats nice. No one in our district is supposed to be in Provo - but you know there's a reason we are. 
  
 Tell D Macky Mo the food is good! Last night for dinner we had "Salisbury Steak" and an Elder from Idaho said, " Ah roast beef. They trick me every time." So that was funny. But the cafeteria is under construction so we get to choose from 1 meal instead of 3. Plus salads, wraps and cereal.


   So just pray, pray, pray I can receive the gift of tongues! I'll need it. The only thing I can think of to send me is pictures to put up of you guys. My room is bare! Anyways, sorry its not a lot. I love you all so, so, so much!!! 
                                                            Love, Sister Kelsi Johnson