Lots to be Thankful For

November 26, 2012

Hey family!! 

A ton is happening!- but I don't have a lot of time to update you on everything. I spent too much time saving and exchanging pictures with Sister Hudspeth, and now we are leaving soon to meet up with everyone at Trófea's for our "thanksgiving feast" that's already prepared for us. haha 

We have been having more programs the last two weeks than I've had my entire mission!! It's so exciting! we had 5 investigators in church this Sunday! And we are hoping for even more to come next week! The church is really growing here in Buda. This Sunday  there actually weren't enough chairs for everyone in the sacrament room! :) All of the missionaries had to sit out in the hall, along with a few members. It made me so happy! The church is really growing here in this country!- and we get to watch it during one of it's most exciting transitioning phases. 

Sister Smith spent the day with us on Thursday- President Smith's wife. I am really impressed with her willingness to come serve alongside us. She is fearless. She even came out streeting. I really admire her bravery and her example. 

I wish I could tell you about all of the amazing investigators we have right now and all of their individual stories.. but I don't have near enough time or a near fast enough typing wpm time. haha But I love them, and I love all of you! and missionary work is the greatest! I promise I will write more next week! 

The gospel is true! I love being a missionary in Hungary! This is the best country in the world!

LOVE YOU!! (SZERETLEK!!!)

-Johnson Nővér 

November 19, 2012 

Hello Family!

Diane!!!- PAIGE IS BEAUTIFUL!!!! I am so excited for you all!!! I love her dark brown hair! That is crazy that Sophie's hair is so blond and hers is so dark. :) I wish I could be there. You'll just have to have a few more children so that I can be there when it happens. :) But I am so excited to come home and meet all of my new nieces. :) You picked a really beautiful name too.. Adelaide. I love that! 

Sister Hudspeth and I had an incredible week!! I'm not sure if you all are praying harder for us or what- but we are having so many amazing things happening lately. First of all, I just want to say that I love the gospel so much! I love the peace that I find through the spirit, I love the joy that comes through service, and the comfort I can receive through prayer. My companion and I are emailing right now at an Internet shop, and the person next to me is listening to the strangest loudest rock music I've ever heard. I'm not even sure how headphones can go so loud without blowing your eardrums out? Don't get me wrong... I still like rock music- but this kind does not invite the spirit at all. I decided to go onto lds.org and listen to some music from the tabernacle choir. I can't even tell you the difference I feel. It's amazing the small things in our everyday lives that can drive the spirit away. I encourage all of you this week to try and think of someway you can invite the spirit more closely, think about those little things in your every-day lives and activities that might be driving the spirit away, and then replace it with something good. :) I know if you do this, you will feel more peace and be filled more fully with the love of God. 

This could have been one of the best weeks (number wise) of my whole mission. I know in the end, the numbers really don't matter-it's the people. But our goals really help to push us to work harder, and this week we exceeded all the goals we set for ourselves. :) And that feels really great.  We taught so many lesson, and even found time to do some more finding. We potentially could have 7 new investigators next week that we have set up with! :) The Lord has really blessed us. 

We had the funnest family home evening with this family from our ward this past week! They are all so awesome!- and just recently baptized not too long ago. Their house is like a mini zoo! It's the coolest thing ever! They love animals. We counted- they have 2-guinea pigs, 3- baby guinea pigs, 3-dogs, 3- turtles, 4- birds, 1- hamster, 1- huge cat, a pregnant bunny, and 3 crazy boys. haha I'm sure dad would love having all those animals in his house. ;) It was so fun though. We taught a visual lesson with cornstarch about testimonies. It was a little messy, but the boys ended up really enjoying it. They told us they were use to cleaning up after messes. :) I hope we can go visit them again soon. 

Zone Conference was this week. We were able to hear from a member of the 70- Kent F. Richards, and his wife. He knew the scriptures left and right! I was amazed. The training was mostly a discussion, and one after another he had us flipping through different scriptures. I hope one day to be that familiar with the word of God. He told us so many wonderful things. But one thing that really hit me powerfully, was he said that we don't have to wait until eternal life to receive "all that the father has." He said it only depends on our worthiness, our readiness, and our capacity to accept it. I thought that was really interesting. We are the ones that keep ourselves back from accepting all the blessings that God wants to give us. 

We also had stake conference! It was so fun seeing everyone from all the cities I've served in in the past. I love meeting with everyone at the stake center here. I imagine its a small glimpse of what heaven will be like, getting to see everyone you love and feeling the spirit together. There's nothing better. :) The Selmeci family was there. :) Levente even wore his "future missionary" name tag Elder Walker gave him at his baptism. They are my favorite people ever. Andrea came too. I think she really enjoyed it. She has a lot of questions, but I think she is beginning to find answers. :)  We were able to hear from another member of the 70. He was from England, and had the most hilarious comments and the coolest accent. He could really stir our emotions too. One second we were laughing almost out of our seats, and the next- the spirit was so strong you could feel it so powerfully almost settle upon the whole room.

Well, I think that is mostly all I have for this week. But I love you all so much! Dad- you asked what I want for Christmas... since I am coming home in a few months there really isn't much I need here right now. But I was thinking one thing that would be really great, would be money to get you all souvenirs. I'd really like to get cool things for everyone before I go home... But there's quite a lot of you, and I'm already quite broke. haha So, that would probably be the best thing you could give me. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful week! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! Talk to you soon! Vigyázzatok magatokra. 

Sok Szeretettel,

Sister Tiffany Johnson 

November 12, 2012

Fam-bam!! :) 

I hope that everyone is doing great! Dustin! Welcome Home! Sorry I'm not there... but congratulations on your 2 faithful years of service! That is awesome! Crazy how quickly the time passes huh?! 

I'm trying really hard right now to think of what exciting news I can update you on from this week... but all of our days seem to  mesh together in my head and I can't think of anything. haha Right now we are meeting with a ton of new people. Some of them, quite interesting. :) There is one new guy we met with this week who believes aliens are in control of us, this sweet but little crazy old lady who I don't think had any idea what we were talking about but at least we were able to be a service to her, we met a drunk Spaniard while streeting by the Danub river who had met the missionaries back in his homeland- he was a character. We also ate some bean soup with beans the size of golf balls! I have no idea where she found them, but it was definitely unique. We also had lots of really funny moments. Sister Hudspeth slipped on a disgusting puddle of who knows what, and when she stood up she threw her backpack on the ground and made a quick turn to see how much of it had ended up on her skirt. A bicyclist coming by just barely missed her, and as he road by he shouted at her "You look very nice!" in English. haha It was a classic moment. 

As for the work. It's going well. Sister Hudspeth and I had a ton of programs this week. We ended up getting Super Standard again. :) But while we have a lot of people to meet with, we are lacking in serious progressing investigators. Andrea and Zsolt are  still doing really great. They both came to church on Sunday. Zsolt came even though he had worked all night until 5am! We called and woke him up at 9 and he decided to make it. :) They both came to the baptisms that were held this weekend too. 5 people were baptized. One of them was Szani's little boy Dávid! Szani was baptized just back in March. He received the Aaronic priesthood just a few weeks ago, and was able to baptize his son. :) Szani has also become a really great friend to Zsolt. He makes him feel really welcomed at church and helps us out a lot in our lessons. Just a few weeks ago he also went to the temple for the first time. He told us that while he was there a miracle happened!- While the Hungarians were doing baptisms in the Temple in Frankfurt Germany- Thomas S. Monson came walking in! He said that the prophet came and talked to them and told them what an important work they were doing and left them all with a blessing. What a cool experience for your first time visiting the temple! I hope one day I can bump into President Monson! 

Next week for Zone Conference, one of the members of the 70 is coming to visit us! :) It should be a special experience. Oh!- Roszália, the Elder's investigator who I told you about... The one who tried to give it all up because she thought we were the flds church- She's getting baptized now on December 8th! :) She asked me to sing at her baptism. We did meet with Andrea's friend Judit. :) She is really awesome. And has a ton of questions and lots of reasons for investigating the church. I hope that we can help answer all her questions and show her how the gospel can bless her life. 

Well I love you all! Dad and Diane!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I hope you both had a wonderful day! Diane!- I'm so excited for you to have your baby!! I hope that you are doing well, and that things are going smoothly. I can't even imagine what its like to have a child. haha You are my hero. :) Maybe one day I'll be as awesome as you. Well take care. Have a wonderful week and I'll talk to you soon!

Sending my love,

Sister Johnson 

November 5, 2012

Hello All!!!

It's been such an amazing week! Lots to update you on... I'm trying to think where to start. Well first of all, Sister Hudspeth and I are having a blast! It's still crazy to think she's going home after this transfer. It's weird to be serving again with a missionary who's "dying." Everyday I'm reminded how many more days I still have left. haha But I'm grateful I still have some more time in the field. 

TUESDAY!!!!!!!- Tuesday was THE bEsT DaY eVEr!!!!!!!!!!!! The family we taught in Duna was baptized! They are incredible, and it was such an amazing experience to be there with them for it. Sister Fox and I clasped hands as we watched each of them go under the water. We laughed together as our eyes filled up with tears of joy. I can't really explain to you the feelings I had as I watch each of them enter the water in their white suits- but my mind filled with the memories of all the transfers I spent in that city. There were so many days where we prayed for the Lord to bless us with success, and help lead us to people who were ready for the gospel. There were so many moments during those transfers that sometimes I wondered if God was listening, or we were doing any good at all. But seeing this family being baptized this week filled up all those empty spaces in my heart. I felt so much joy! And all those moments of doubt and discouragement were filled with so many feelings of love and joy for this family and to the Lord for allowing us to be a part of their conversion. Ever since the beginning Zsuzsa has been interested in the temples. They have such a great goal as a family to enter the temple a year from now to be sealed. I know that they are going to remain strong to achieve that goal. They have 3 more children besides Levente who are older. I pray that one day they all will also accept the gospel! I love them all so much! They will be a part of my life forever! 

Levente who was just baptized. :) I love this picture!

As for this city... things are going well. There will actually be a baptism this weekend for Dávid. I think I told you about him. He is Szani's son. They are one of my favorite families in the ward! I'm really excited for them. Andrea is doing so well! I think she really believes it all. It's just a big commitment for her to make, so she wants to make sure she is committed first. I love her though! She is super sweet, and really trying to do what is right! I really pray that she will have the courage to find all the answers she is searching for. Zsolt is also progressing really well! He's come to church the last few weeks and we had a really great lesson with him last week. We had to pass Chris over to the Pest Sisters because they are in the international ward, where he can go to church in English. But he is great. I heard that this past week he went to a baptism with them! :) I hope great things for him. 

Well, sorry, not a ton of time to write. But I love you all! DIANE!!- HAPPY BIRTHDAY! And good luck with the new baby!! I can't wait to hear about everything! DAD!- I hope you have a great birthday too! I love you all and will hopefully have more exciting news for next week!

Sok Szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér