End of November

Hi Family,

 

I´m so glad to hear you´re all alive! I told Sister Owens last week that no one emailed me and I said, ´They better all be dead.´ But I didn´t mean it and I´m glad you´re all alive and well! Thanksgiving sounded fun, fight with Grandma Johnson included. Good to hear all the same things are still happening.

 

Let me answer some of your questions. Bowen: 1) Yes, I speak Português. I´m still learning every day, but if you left me on my own I´d be fine. Miracle huh?! 2) gangs...theres gangs and a lot of violence here but its only happens to people who are involved. Its funny you asked because a lot of people have been telling us to be careful because a man and a woman were killed right by our apartment...but they were drinking at 8am (which sadly isn´t too uncommon) and were involved in some drug deal. Plus I´ve got the Lord and if I die...its straight to the Celestial Kingdom baby! 3) No, we don´t have sacrament bread...we have to use Doritos...yes, we have sacrament bread and every Sunday its different, but its not like the sliced bread its more like sub sandwich bread...I don´t know how to describe it...but it renews my covenants! 4) part of my mission is part of the State of Rio but not the city. But my Brazilian family is from Rio and when I come back to visit we´re having a party down there! You´d love this family because its OUR family...complete with a grandma johnson. Jenna: 1) I don´t get really homesick to where I cry or am sad...just when I talk about one of you guys or something funny we do I just say, ´Que saudades!´ Which basically means I miss them. So far so good with homesickness. But I do love you and miss you and sometimes wish I could see what you´re seeing with the girls and HD and all. 2) If you want to Google Earth or whatever you´re doing I think you´d have to look up Vila Velha and I´m in the area of Santa Monica, Araças, Jockey, Coqueiral (where I live)...around there.... :D

 So, Thanksgiving they don´t have. But we were lucky enough to have lunch with my Brazilian Family and she made a chicken...like a turkey and went all out. It was perfect. And we stayed there and ate a little longer than we should have so that was my Thanksgiving present. :D I told Sister Owens the other day that I´m getting to know this area so well that I feel like George Costanza...I know where all the good and bad bathrooms are here. But, I´m still praying I stay for the Christmas transfer.

Mom: Set up Skype because I think whatever area I´m in I can Skype...but I won´t be able to plan the time until Dec. 12th and I know if I´m staying or going. And if you´re sending a package I just need Clean and Clear benzoyl peroxide. I´m emailing a picture so you know which one to buy. Thanks!!!

 

This week I´ve never walked through so much rain in my life. The streets are RIVERS here! I think I´m getting a little cold because of it too. For the most part Sister Owens and I just laugh at how drenched we get...its better than the heat...that I know is coming!

 My elect family is doing great. Geter is the new teacher in Priesthood and Sunday he gave a lesson on the Millenium - his first time! I know right?! Julia, their daughter, gave her first talk in church too! Tonight we´re having Family Night with them. Woo hoo!

 Our other elect family isn´t so elect anymore. We kept trying to visit them but they were never home and when they were home, she´d send her daughter out to say she wasn´t home. So....Friday we called and she said we could pass by 8pm. So, we grabbed Isabella and went to her house 8pm.....yeah.....she moved. There wasn´t a single thing left in her house. First thing Sister Owens said was, ´I think she forgot to give us her new address...´ Hahaha. I think so! Hopefully the missionaries will find her in her new home.

 So, other than that we´re still searching for the people prepared by the Lord to hear and accept the gospel. All this searching and teaching and no results is teaching me to be more bold and testify better. I think being bold is my mission goal, but still be polite and proper...but I think I´m starting to firgure it out. We were teaching a lesson the other day and the man asked what we think of other religions. I said all other religions try to teach good things and from the Bible but they´re lacking all of the truth, which leaves them teaches wrong things and through the restoration we have all the truth again. I think he understands better than a lot of people our message because the people of Brazil are very simple and many aren´t very educated that we have to teach at their level. So, teaching according to the needs of our investigators is priority and I´m learning every day!

True life Mason! Nov. 14th

Hi family,

 I guess I´ll still email you guys today...even though the only person to email me was my sweet grandma Bowen. (I hope nothing horrible happened or I´ll feel really bad). Anyways. I still love you all...for now. ;)

 So, this week was adventurous. I think my new favorite thing to do is find people to teach. We came across a lot of crazies this week and a lot of good people to teach as well, but the crazies seem to always stick out more.

 We went to the police station to return an ID Card we found on the street and ended up talking to a cop in the office for 2 hours. His name is Luis Manuel de Vilaça. He sang us gospel songs and told us how much he loved his kids and wants to meet a good woman of the gospel. When he started to sing, he told us he wasn´t embarassed and just belted it...he actually sang really well, but it was hard not to laugh at the whole situation. So...that was fun.

 DAD! I have the best story for you! I know a Mason! I true life Mason. He´s in our Ward. His name is Dimas. We had lunch at their house Saturday and it was the best lunch conversation I´ve ever had. Dimas and Ivone are so funny and so cool. They are a couple in our ward, I think they´re in their mid fifties. As we were eating and cracking up because I asked Dimas if he wanted to be the President of a Mission and he said, `No. I want to be Presidente of the Church´ And then he began to tell us his ideas..´if I were President of the Church...´  Super funny. Then his wife, Ivone said, ´Did you know we´re not sealed in the temple? And its not because we haven´t had the chance. Dimas doesn´t want to get sealed.` All of us laughing, I told him if they´re not sealed he can´t be a God one day, he´ll just be an angel and Dimas replied, ´An angel REALLY cool.` Hahaah. We were laughing so hard. Then Ivone began to tell us about a wedding they went to that was a Mason wedding and Dimas was dressed in his Mason clothes (don´t know what those are) and had a sword and Ivone just laughed and laughed the whole reception. She said she knows all the Mason secrets because Dimas talks in his sleep and answers her questions. How hilarious is that!?! Surreal?! I told Dimas my dad loves studying about the Free Masons and our forefathers and Dimas thinks dad is a Mason now. But he told us a few things about them. He said all the things we´ve heard about Masons and the Church is true. And that they only do good things. And a lot of their ceremonies are a lot like the temple. But the whole not wanting to be sealed thing is just Dimas. Ivone said when he dies she´s just going to get sealed to someone else and lock him out of the Celestial Kingdom. I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. So...I know a Mason.

 We found a few great families we´re teaching and praying that they are the elect of the Lord. A few of our progressing investigators have dengue...so that´s putting things off course...dang dengue! I guess now is the season of dengue. Fun, fun. But, we´re just working hard and trying to follow every whispering of the Spirit. Super simple things like, knock here. Talk to them. And it seems to be working. I love being this close to the Spirit!

 Other than that life is good. It was cool and rainy this week. My umbrella broke so Saturday I got drenched, but Presidente and Sister Araújo had an extra they gave me of an Elder that left it. Miracles happen!!!

 Today our Zone is Hiking Morro do Moreno (Hill of the Brown Man, I think?) Hopefully its worth it. I just wanted to sleep at home, but Sister Owens wants to go....so, I´m learning every day how to be a better wife and mother. Good thing. I think I really needed it! Love you Guys!

November 7, 2011

Helllooo everyone!

 

I realize that a new baby was born but you can still send a quick email! Haha. Just kidding. I got the picture that Jenna sent me of baby Hayven. He looks like Bowen...I think. So cute. I can´t believe I have a nephew!!! Woo hoo! I´m so glad that Lynlee still remembers and loves me ... it makes an aunt happy. I also got a letter from Tommy and his family. It is so good to hear about them. I KNOW Bridon and Talon are GROWING...grandma sent me a picture back in September and it was ridiculous! It´ll be crazy when I get back. Its funny to hear about the cold there...what is cold? Haha. These past few days haven´t been too bad it was pretty cool and windy but I know the heat is coming. Its gonna be weird to have a hot Christmas - but hey, whatcha gonna do!

 This week was SUPER SLOW and we were super discouraged, just walking all day, knocking doors, no one wanting to talk to us...NO ONE! But, we fasted Saturday to Sunday and I know this week we´re going to meet the Lord´s elect! I KNOW IT! The Lord sees our efforts even when they bring no fruits. I love Sundays on a mission, they are the best thing ever. Especially when you´re fasting. Taking the Sacrament is really like being re-baptized. I also bore my testimony in my new ´Home Ward´. They´re all so excited I stayed again and me too! And with Sister Owens! Its the best thing EVER!!! We have so much fun preaching the gospel together!

 We´re teaching a few great people. We still have the elect family of Adriana and her son Igor (15) and daughter Dayane (8). We stopped by the other day and Adriana wasn´t there and we were just going to leave and come back another day, but Igor said, ´You guys don´t want to come in and pray?`  SO CUTE. So, obviously, we went in and taught him and Dayane about when Jesus visited the Americas and blessed the children. We´re also teaching the husband of a member and he´s preparing to be baptized. It is going to be really hard for him because he smokes, drinks a lot and never really learned anything about religion so we´re taking it really slow with him. But him and his family are so special, I´ve never felt so much love that I wanted something so much for someone as I do this family.

 Sister Owens and I also had a very special day with Carol...she was a 14 year old girl that got baptized two transfers ago. She did visits with us for a whole day and we learned so much about her. She bore her testimony in one lesson about how terrible her life was before the gospel. And it really was terrible. Her cousin that she lives with is horrible to her and Carol said she didn´t want to live anymore, that her life didn´t have purpose...and then she said we knocked on her door and taught her about the gospel and she started going to church and she was happy and she had friends and a new mom and it changed everything. Well, the end of that lesson EVERYONE was crying...including the investigator. It made me realized even more why I´m here and what a sacred work I am involved in. I wouldn´t trade it for ANYTHING...even the hard times.

 So, I got my Christmas package!!!! Thank you so so so so so much! We put up all of our decorations and I didn´t open a single present and I won´t until Christmas day! Are you guys setting up Skype so I can talk to you? I hope so! I´m so excited for Christmas in BRAZIL!!! Woo hoo! Thank you for my cards, the pictures (that are now always with me in my Português Livro de Mórmon), the presents, candy, PEANUT BUTTER, love and everything that you sent! A package means so much to a missionary! I LOVE YOU GUYS!

 

Feliz Dia das Bruxas! 10/31

Oi Família!

 

So, let me start off by trying to answer your questions. Yes, they technically have ´Halloween´ here and its called Dia das Bruxas (Day of the Witches) way cooler title than Halloween I think....but no one does anything. I think its just a thing they adopted because its such a big deal in The States. Answer to some of grandmas questions - they have McDonalds here but not as many as we have and its really expensive. A Big Mac Meal is like $12 or R$20 they also have a place called Bobs thats fast food, but its also expensive. We eat with members every single day and I´m not sure if its being a missionary or being a missionary in Brazil, but I think they think we are starving because they just force the food down us every day at lunch. I will eat to the point where you´re eating and throwing up at the same time and the members will still say, `You didn´t eat anything. Did you not like it? Do you want me to fry you an egg?´ I don´t know why they think we will eat more than them. Its really funny. We don´t really COOK that much because I will not use a gas powered stove - I´m too scared - and we don´t have very much time. I usually just snack on crackers and yogurt and the amazing fruits they have here that we don´t have in The States. Hope that answers your questions!

 

Yes, I got the photos of Lynlee and Ellee. SO cute!!! Love the spaghetti. I can´t believe how big they are getting! I only have one picture of Liv that grandma Bowen took in our pool. I printed it and put it in my Hymn Book of Art along with some of Lynlee and Ellee. I can´t believe I have a nephew coming!!! Woo hoo!!! Tell me how everything goes and send PICTURES for goodness sakes!!!

Mom, you sound like you are being a perfect missionary with your friend KB at work and she sounds awesome. I think the only next thing is to go with the Missionaries to her house!!!! I love visits with members. Its so much better. I´m glad to hear you and Dallin are studying together and I hope he gets his Patriarchal Blessing soon. That would help so much. It is really essential for a mission...I´m learning. Sister Nicascio is so funny. She is in the tribe Manasses and she keeps telling me she wants to be in the tribe of King Benjamin because she loves him from the Book of Mormon. I keep telling her they´re different people - but, what can you do. She is so hilarious. I love being with a person who only has 2 years in the church. We´ve learned so much together!!!

So it is HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT here. I can´t even describe it and it was only 32 degrees Celsius yesterday...its only the beginning. Blech. But even at night it started to rain and we were walking to a members house it seemed even hotter. It reminded me of dad. Every morning when he used to take me to school on his way to work and it was cloudy and rainy he said, ´I loved days like this on my mission because the clouds keep the warmth in the air.´ Well, I don´t love days like that on my mission. :D Haha. 

So, transfers are tomorrow and I´m staying again! I don´t know how I feel because I think, definitely I will be transfered next time which is right before Christmas...but what´re you gonna do? Follow the Spirit! Sister Owens is staying too and Sister Nicascio got transfered. Another 6 weeks of adapting, teaching and learning from new experiences. Wahoo! Missions are so weird. But AMAZING.

So, the crowning moment! Geter got baptized! Family complete! At the end he thanked me for being persistent. Haha. Bishop said they could go through the temple in one year...I´ll be just finishing my mission. How perfect! I can just see him baptizing his son in two years and going through the temple and being sealed to his family FOREVER! I love this work that I have the priviledge of being involved in. I´m growing and learning so much...even when I don´t know it. I passed my 6 month anniversary this week...one more year focused only on the work of the Lord! I better take advantage.

This week was full of trials and challenges, more than the other weeks if you can believe it...but it sufficeth me to say to you that you don´t need to worry about me because I KNOW that I have angels watching over me and taking care of me. Its undescribable the miracles that happen when you are an instrument in the Lord´s hands.

I hope everyone is doing good and excited for Christmas! I am! We have a phrase here to have a White Christmas...people dressed in white to get baptized!

Thanks AGAIN for all your love, support and your prayers. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!!

Sister Kelsi Kate Johnson

What the ???? !!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

We had a Super P Day and got to watch RIO!

Thanks for all of your emails! They were all really great to get! I printed out the good stuff and I´ll be putting it in my hymn book of art!!! Love the pictures Jenna, the girls are getting so darn cute and all the stories I hear about them are hilarious! I need to hear more about this personality that Ellee has! 
Mom, so my package. The only other things I can think of is a journal, peanut butter and I need pictures of Arizona...especially if you can find the ones of us at Fossil Springs on the computer. People always ask me what Arizona is like and all I can say is hot. I got nothing. :D My hand is fine. Sister Owens makes fun of me and says I have leprousy...but its all good. For Christmas when I call, I don´t know anything. All I know is we go to a members house and I guess you guys call me...but last year Sister Owens Skyp´d her family...which would be cool...but when I know, you´ll know. :D
This week was kind of slow. We´re still working with all of our investigators. Adriana is still elect and we´re going to start teaching her kids too. I love how perfect the gospel is and how it applies to everyone because its the gospel of the Lord! I´ve been learning a lot about the Children of Isreal, strangely enough, mainly because the Patriarch is in our Ward and he´s obsessed with Israel. If we have a lesson about charity, he teaches about Israel, if we have a lesson about honesty, he teaches about Israel...this week was special because the lesson was on...I don´t know how to say it in English...the reuniting of Israel? Coligação in Português. So this morning I read about Moses and the Children of Israel. Its so cool to learn about the deeper principles of the gospel...especially because we teach so simply every day. Sometimes its just nice to read Jesus The Christ and go deep. :D Patriarch Wilson says, The greatest proof that God lives is: ISRAEL! Hahahaha. Anyways....
Me and Sister Nicáscio got into a huge fight...I hit the wall a few times...I think I have a bit of Bowen in me...but being servants of the Lord we repented and forgave each other the next day. I decided what my problem is. I´ve discovered how important my mission is and how much it means to me, it´s really sacred to me and to see her just pack her bags and want to leave (because she did it again) makes me so sad, to just give up...but I figured it out, its her way to throw a fit (she packs her bags, I punched a wall). This might not be very missionary like to write home about but I´m trying to be real. But seriously. All is well now and I KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that I am learning how to have a better marriage and better family with this companionship. I´m learning more about patience and humility than I could ever learn another way. 
Something funny, that´s also not very missionary like, but it brightens up my day sometimes is Sister Nicáscio learned how to say, ´What the hell´ from an investigator that heard it in a song. We told her what it meant and she knows its not good, but she likes to say it and its always at the perfect time. Like when Sister Owens walks way ahead of us she´ll say ´Sister Owens. What the hell?´ Its terrible, but really funny.
Okay, sorry, enough of that. Everything is going good so far. I´m healthy, wealthy and wise and learning so much. I literally would not trade my mission for ANYTHING!!!! Everything people have said about missions I´m starting to understand. Its so true. The Best Two Years....but that doesn´t even begin to describe it! 
Thanks Carolee for writing me too! Its good to hear about your family. Bailee is dating? I can´t believe it!! She better not be married before I get home....we´ll see! Talon will find something he likes to do..I still don´t know what I like to do..besides preach the gospel of course! 
Dalls, get my email right! I need to hear from you too! Keep going to mission prep, even though you feel like the outcast. I felt like the outcast too. I went for a year and was the only girl, ever. Talk about outcast, always talking about Elders and the priesthood! Hahaha. No, but you´ll learn a lot! I was bummed that they didn´t put that new teacher in sooner!!! Cheer up Dals. 3 years isn´t that bad...especially when you´re on your mission. You won´t even be thinking about it...you´ll be way too busy! Just work on becoming a better you/future missionary every day! I love you and I miss you, but we´ve got a work to do!!!

Thanks everyone for your love and support! You will never know how much it means to me! (unless you served a mission...then maybe).
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!!
Sister Kelsi Kate Johnson
P.S. for Lynlee: Love you. Love you more. You do. I do. Woohoo!!! 
P.S.S. JENNA. In those pictures I got in my package...what is the one with Lynlee on the elephant crying and Jared sleeping or something...I need to hear this story!
LOVE YOU!

 Every missionaries secret  :0)

My Desk vs...

My companions desk.

October 10, 2011 with Pictures!

Hi Family!
It was so good to get all your emails this week! Especially Bowen´s! It´s so good to hear from you, even though I know you are busy getting ready to have another baby!!! Woo hoo! I like Hayden Mac or is it Hayven Mac...either way...I like Mac better. But if its Heyven Dallin it would be HD and that is also Harley Davidson...soooo hmmmm. :D Holy crap. I can´t believe it about Layla, that is terrible! And yes, Jenna, I saw a newspaper about Steve Jobs. Its weird when I see stuff like that in passing and realize how detatched I am from the world. A member of our ward told me yesterday that a bunch of gays protested outside of BYU - what horror! Its funny in Brazil when you talk about the goings on of the world every one just says, ´Jesus is coming´. I love it! 
So. This week. We got a reference from a member of the most elect woman I´ve ever met. Her name is Adriana. She has a son thats 15 and a daughter that´s 8. We taught her Saturday and she accepted being baptized the 29th of this month. She came to church Sunday. Loved it (even with the class being about the Gathering of Israel). We taught her about the BofM Sunday and she´s already begging to feed us lunch. We told her that if a members lunch ever fell through we´d call her. She´s super excited and super awesome. My testimony of references is growing. We spent about 3 days knocking doors this week, in the hot sun, and NO ONE wanted to hear our message. But one reference, from one memeber and we have a baptism! Give references to the missionaries!!!!
It rained about 4 days out of 7 last week. It was really great, and cool, because summer is coming and its getting HOT! But I fell twice. First time was just funny. Second time, I caught myself with my hand and I have some weird blister infection...but its getting better! No worries! 
Its funny. You know how you have some days when you just can´t talk? It happens the same with me in Português. I was talking to a lady on the street the other day about our message of the restored gospel and she said, ´He´s the only way.` - - - pause - - - com in Português means with, we have two saying here. ´Com liçensa´ is like ´excuse me´ and ´Com certesa´ is like ´exactly´ or ´of course´ - - - I meant to say ´Com certesa´ but instead I said ´com liçensa´. Sister Owens and Sister Nicàscio were a little ways away cracking up as I tried to finish my contact without laughing. So funny. But, my Português is improving every day. I had a lady the other day that thought I was from Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil! Always a confidence boost!!!
I´m having a great time here this transfer. We´re learing to have fun and be joyful as we work hard! I love it! So many funny experiences and so many miracles too. Its amazing to see as a missionary how fast and easily our prayers are answered. Especially with lunch. It seems like every day I pray for something to eat...our members made it! Heavenly Father wants his missionaries fed good! But with summer coming I´ll have to eat less so I can walk in the sun and function. But its going to be awesome!!!
Thanks for your emails and your love and your prayers! I love you all so so so so much! You´re the best family ever. Isabella bore her testimony yesterday that she has the best family ever and I wanted to get up and say, Correction. I have the best family ever...but I figured it would ruin the Spirit. 

Thanks everyone! LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!!
Sister Kelsi Kate Johnson

October 3rd, 2011

Hello everyone! How are you? 
(side note, the s and the e on the computer are not really working so if I miss a letter its one of those) :)

First, Conference was amazing right?! Yes, I got to watch all of the sessions and all in Português - it was so good. A lot about families and the Atonement and really, those are the to central points of this gospel. Families Forever and The Atonement. Did Jeffrey R Holland talk during Priesthood because I didn´t see him during the other sessions - sad, but all of them are great! What happened to Robert D Hales, it looks like him and Richard G Scott traded places. I love the spiritually fulfilling experience that conference is!

So, this week was a lot like last week. Lots of ups and downs, but thanks to my Heavenly Father I have a new perspective attitude and I´m doing my best through the hard times and I know I will be a better wife, daughter, sister, aunt and mom because of it! 
I carry a picture of my family in my scriptures and when we eat with members or teach invetigators sometimes they want to see my family, so I always have it. 3 times now, women have called dad ´´gatão´´ or ´´bonitão´´  They use gato here as like he´s hot and bonito is handsome - but when they use âo ending its like saying ´really really´ . . . so congrats mom . . . your husband is really good looking. I just wish they´d tell you and not me because I never know what to say....thank you? Haha.
We have an investigator that sells coconut water. Literally. They have stands here that sell you juice straight from the coconut. After our lesson she just cut open a coconut, poured it into a cup and gave it to me. I didn´t like it that much, but how cool is that?! I LOVE BRAZIL!
Sister Nicáscio did a contact the other day and after saying bye she told the lady, ´em nome de Jesus Cristo, amem.´ We have a LOT of hilarious experiences like that everyday. Its really funny. Me and Sister Owens currently can´t get through a hymn without cracking up....I don´t even know why! Ah, missions.
We had an awesome Sisters Training with the APs and Pres and Sis Araújo. It was really good. A cool thing that Pres said was I will not receive any blessings from my mission until I get home, because all the blessings I receive here will be for the work of the Lord. I though that was really cool. Also, afterwards...let me tell you how awesome of a mission dad I have. I was having a hard time that day and weeks ... as you all know ... so I asked Pres to give me a blessing. He led me into his office told me to sit down, asked my full name and blessed me with exactly what I was needing blessings for! I grew an even bigger testimony of the servants of God and how He will inspire them to help others in their time of need. 
Other than that the work keeps moving. We´re teaching a lot of husbands of members still and its going great. Its awesome because they already have a base of the gospel, Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. The work keeps moving onward and I´m so thankful everyday that I am a part of it! You can imagine my smile in conference everytime somebody mentioned missionaries! Just to the The Prophet of the Lord is praying for ME! What an honor! My goal is to do all I can to make my Father in Heaven proud...and my family at home of course!

Thanks for your love and support! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! 
LOVE LOVE LOVE,
Kelsi Kate Johnson