...THE SUN BEGINS TO SET FOR THIS FULL-TIME MISSIONARY

Two days and counting...

February 19, 2013

Dear Family, 

Well, I guess this is it. Kind of strange to think that less than 48 hours from this moment, I'll be on a plane headed back to the U.S. I have to be honest, the stress of leaving has taken it's toll on me. I'm sick. haha Of all the times to be sick... my body had to pick now. I talked to President on the phone last night, and he asked me to wear gloves and a mask to our missionary goodbye meeting tomorrow...Thanks President. haha He's a jokester. :) He also compared my sickness to throwing up at the end of a long race. Ya... it does somewhat feel like that. BUT- I'm praying really hard that I will be better before I get home to you all. 

News this week- Well, actually I can just tell you that when I get home. :) 

I feel like I need to say something inspirational, considering that this is the last email you will get from me as a missionary. But really, I guess it still doesn't really feel real that this whole experience is about to be over. I keep thinking that I'll wake up tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, and do the same thing I've done for the last 19 months. But to everything there is a season, and I guess the sun is setting on this chapter of my life, and will open with a whole new dimension for me. They say that all good things must come to an end, but really- with the eternal eyes that the gospel gives us they don't. It might seem right now that all of this is ending for me, but I know that these experiences and the people I've met here will be a part of my life forever. And the best part is, I don't just have to take them along as a memory- but I know I will see some of them in the near future, and better than that, I'll see them all in the life to come. 

They asked me to write my departing testimony for the news letter this week since I'm going home. I quoted one of my favorite scriptures in James 4:14: "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." I think if I were to summarize the extend of my feelings at this moment, it would be with those exact words. It's beyond comprehension to me how quickly this experience came, and is now vanishing faster than I can grasp it. But really, I know that my life will forever be changed because of the things I have learned here- from the people, from my companions, and from the Lord. Before I made the decision to serve a mission, I feared that maybe the experience would be too hard for me- that maybe I wouldn't be able to handle all that would be required. But now, I have gained a greater sense of confidence, because I see that it was possible, and I was able to faithfully accomplish all with the divine assistance I received from the Lord. I am sad that this chapter of my life is ending, but I know that the Lord guided me here and he can continue to guide me where I need to go even after I return home.

Above all things, I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior. I bear witness of the reality of His atoning sacrifice for us. He loves us, and He calls each of us to accept His gift of repentance and eternal life. It doesn't come free. It comes with our commitment and willingness to sacrifice for it. He has asked us to sacrifice all- mind, heart, and soul. But with the promise that if we do, we can receive "ALL that the Father hath." His all, is a lot more than the all we have to sacrifice. It's quite the exchange rate if we are willing to see with eternal eyes. :)  

I'll end with a scripture in Alma that I'm sure you are all familiar with: 

"Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."- Alma 26:12

The work here isn't done. I feel confident that I am leaving it in the hands of great missionaries who will follow. Today I found out that my 1st greeny, Sister Fox- is going to be training next transfer!!!!!! :) She's going to be so great!! It's my "grandbaby" in the missionfield! How exciting!

Here are some final Pictures in Hungary: 

István and Roxann- István is the one we put on bap. date last week. Roxi wouldn't smile- so I made her. haha 

Goodbye party at the Vaczy's house- one of my favorite families here in Buda 

Andrea and I

One last pic. of my comp. and I in front of parliament 

Okay, I better end soon. I guess I'm struggling bringing this letter to a close since I know it will be my last one... That's alright. It's going to be OK! :) haha I love you all so much! Can't wait to see you this week and hug all your cute faces!!! 

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!! 

Sok szeretettel,

Johnson Tiffany Nővér



One Final Week in Hungary

February 11, 2012 

FAM-BAM!!! 

How's it going!!? So many exciting things happened this past week! We are meeting with so many new people!-A lot of them from English class. But it feels really good to see that all of our finding efforts are really paying off. Also, we finally put someone on bap. date!!! YAY!!! His name is István. His baptism will be in March, so I won't be able to be here for it. But I am so happy that he finally made the commitment to be baptized. He has been meeting with the missionaries since last June, and was talking for a long time about being baptized this following June, as kind of his one year anniversary since meeting the missionaries. Well, this week we had a Zone Training where we talked about putting people on bap. date. One of the missionaries gave a suggestion to say a kneeling prayer with the investigator there in the program, and ask for the spirit to confirm to them that the date we set is the right one. Well, we decided to try this in out program last week with István. We told him that we really felt he could be ready before June, and told him that if he was willing the Lord would help prepare him for that date. He seemed somewhat hesitant, but then at the end of the program we suggested this kneeling prayer with him. :) We told him to ask the Lord if March 30th, the day we had decided on together, was the right day for him to be baptized. So, we all knelt down on the ground together in the small room of the branch house, and István said a heartfelt prayer. The spirit filled the room. I wasn't sure if he would give an immediate answer after we had gotten up from our knees, so I was preparing to tell him to continue to listen for the answer from the spirit. And just then, he smiled and told us that March 30th was the right day. :) How cool!! Prayer really works!! Anyways, I am so happy for him, and so grateful that Heavenly father was willing and able to answer his prayer right there in our lesson. 

Other good news, we met with Andrea this week! :) It's been a while since we've gotten to meet with her. She's been really busy with work and things. But we met with her on Friday, and she made us a delicious dinner. We had a really good program and invited her to start a study journal, where she can write down her thoughts and testimony. She loves journal keeping and seemed really excited about the idea. She also came to church yesterday as well!- and brought with her new the new study journal she had bought, and has already started to fill out! :) 

Sister Peterson have been writing our testimonies and marking all the Books of Mormon (Book of Mormons) we give out. :) This week we gave out 11! :) And got most of their numbers. We've even set up to meet with a couple of them this week! I'm really excited to see what comes of all of them. 

I sent a couple pictures...

The first is one that Sis.P snagged while we were tabling. 

This second is a member we went to visit this week Julianna and her husband (who's name I can't remember at the moment). They are really sweet. I mostly sent it because this is how most all Hungarians "smile" in their pictures and I thought it was really funny. 

The Third one is our homeless friend who is always down in the tunnel where we table. haha He really likes our singing. 

And the last one is how we lots of times teach the Restoration. :)- with cups! It's really fun! I'll have to show you how the whole lesson works when I get home. 

Well anyhow, I hope that you all have a wonderful week! Talk to you next Monday! 

Also, I got the information about the race! I am so stoked!! I haven't been swimming for over a year and a half... so this will be a big change. haha But It's going to be awesome! Dad and Holly- I'm so proud of you getting out there and getting started! 

Love you all lots,

Johnson T. Nővér 

...Two and a half weeks left in Budapest, Hungary

2013.04.01

Dearest family, 

I am SO excited about this family triathlon idea! It's going to be so awesome! We are going to rock that race! haha I'm going to need some help getting ready when I get back. 30 min. of yoga and push-ups in the morning isn't exactly hardcore training for a triathlon, but this will give me something to work towards when I get back. 

This was a great week. Sister Peterson and I spent a lot of time finding, but it turned out to be great! We had an awesome experience on Saturday! Normally we will go tabling under the Margit Bridge. Since Sis.P also likes to sing, lots of times we will sing hymns in between talking to people and handing out fliers. Well, there is a ticket booth under the tunnel where we sing. We've seen the same lady there almost every time we go. We always wave to her, and you can tell that she is listening intently to our songs. We gave her a English class flier a few weeks ago, but this last Saturday after we finished singing she motioned me over to her booth. She said that we sing beautifully and asked what exactly we do there. I explained to her what we do as missionaries- that we talk to people about our church and what we believe...she asked-"and what exactly is it you believe?". I told her we believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior, and in the Book of Mormon. I asked her if she had ever heard of the book of Mormon. Well, long story short, I ended up talking to her for a bit. We gave her a Book of Mormon, and invited her to come to church. She seemed really interested. I'm really hoping we can call and meet with her soon. And it all started from feeling the spirit through music that she heard from a tiny speaker in her ticket booth. :) I really hope that more comes from her. 

As for other news this week. We have a lot of new people we are meeting with. I'm not sure what's going to happen with them yet, but at least sister Peterson will hopefully have a good teaching pool to choose from when I leave the city. 

English class is becoming awesome!! It was something that I didn't really like in the beginning, but now am really starting to get the hang of. Our English class students are so fun! A lot of them are regulars who come every week. We have about over 30 people in the class now every Thursday- which is awesome!! Anyways, the great thing about this Thursday was, that after class we had a ton of people come up and talk with us. :) We ended up setting up programs with 4 new people!! And on the role we send around every time, we always ask who would like to meet with us outside of English class for half English/half gospel lessons. This week all but three people, said that they would like to meet with us outside of the class! How cool is that! 27/30. I'll take it. :) 

Well, I'm still trying to let it sink in that I am leaving soon, but my mind can't really comprehend it. So I figure I just won't think much about it until I'm on the plane there. haha 

I love you all so much! THe church is true. I hope you have a wonderful week! 

Sincerely, 

Sister Tiffany Johnson 

Two More Months...Time is Going By Fast

January 28, 2013
Kedves családom,

You know the points in missionary work when things don't seem to be going quite the way you'd like them to- when results don't really come out the way you plan, or when you start wondering why people have their free agency? haha Ya... that's kind of how I'm feeling right now. We've had a lot of things fall through recently, and a lot of our really solid investigators have left to other places. But no worries... when things fall through that means something great is just around the corner- right? :) So, we have a lot of work to do, and only three more weeks to make it happen. I'm going to need your fasting and prayers. :) 

As for the investigators we are still meeting with, we were able to meet with Dorottya this week. She is so awesome. We taught her the gospel of Jesus Christ lesson. She had so many questions that we didn't have enough time to finish the last 2 steps. She really thinks about everything and wants to be sure that she understands. Her boyfriend from the states who is LDS is coming to visit her in a few weeks, so hopefully we'll be able to meet him. :) She's the one in the picture I sent.

Peterson Nővér, Dorottya and Johnson Nővér

Oh, I also sent a picture of our cabinet full of herbal and fruit tea- Along with our ginormous jar of honey. haha I think I am addicted. I have fruit tea just about every morning. It is delicious. I have Sister Rebecca Johnson to thank for that. ;) haha She's the one that got me hooked on it. But it's amazing. And I'm pretty sure it's been helping my immune system through the winters. 

Peterson and I started a new finding approach. We are now "tunnel singing" under the Margit Bridge. It's been working out pretty well too. Both times we've gone we've had people come right up to the table and ask us questions. We'll sing hymns in both English and Hungarian. It's cool to see that even to the people who we don't stop, at least we brought a smile to their face- even if it's just because they're making fun of us. haha It's amazing how much more willing I am on my mission to look like a crazy person in front of people. We get lots of crazy looks everyday, mostly because of our name tags I think, but I love my name tag!- in that it gives me a reason to put myself out there, talk to anyone, wear a ginormous sleeping-bag for a coat, and sing in tunnels. I am grateful for this time I have to represent Christ, and wear his name on my shirt everyday. I've noticed that it has made me more aware of how I treat others, and what sort of example I am setting. I wouldn't want to be unkind to someone, or be doing something inappropriate, when I know that others can read the name of Jesus Christ on my chest. But I hope that that is something I will take home with me as well. I know that one day I won't get to wear this name badge anymore, but I hope that I will still remember who it is I represent, and who's name I agreed to take upon me.
I really love this gospel. I know that the work right now doesn't seem to be having all the results I would hope for, but I know that we are laying the foundations of a great work, and that the Lord is aware of us. I may not have seen 100 baptisms during my time here, but I know my example is touching hearts, just as so many others have touched mine. I know that the Lord is proud of the effort I have put into my mission, and I know that I will not go home empty handed. My mission has changed me. And if anything, that was what I needed the most.
I love you all so much! I can't wait until I get to run up and hug all your little faces!! :) The gospel is amazing! Living by it's principles makes us happier and makes our lives more full that anything else ever could! 

Sok SOK szeretettel,

Johnson Tiffany Nővér 

January 21, 2013 

HELLOOO Family!! 

You won't believe me, but it didn't even occur to me today until I read your emails, that I only have exactly one month left. I think my heart stopped for a second when I came to that realization. haha

I received my new greeny this past Wednesday, Actually, they want to discourage us from using the term "greeny" haha so... I received my new missionary companion!- Sister Peterson! :)  She is SO FUN! I remember feeling nervous for some reason before the meeting to find out which new sister I was going to train. I guess it's always a little intimidating to train, no matter how many times you've done it. But I remember when they called her name all of my nerves were completely washed away. I really felt that our companionship was inspired. I'm so excited to help her get started! It's a really strange feeling to be in the exact same shoes as my trainer was when she trained me. It was my first transfer, and her last- Just like us! It's amazing how my missionary life has now come full circle. I feel almost like, I would imagine any other older human being feels in the real world... the days seem to be going faster, and somehow I have all these experiences and memories behind me, and I don't even know where the time has gone. Anyhow, the fact is- it's not over yet. I still have a month! :) I'm going to make the most of it I can, and make sure that I get Sister Peterson started on the right foot. 

Johnson Nővér and her new Companion Peterson Nővér

As for our investigators... Andrea's baptism didn't end up happening this past Friday, sadly. She didn't feel ready. She really wants to make sure that she is committed, and doesn't know if she is ready to give up everything for this new lifestyle that the gospel is going to bring. I can't imagine exactly what it must be like as a convert who grew up outside of the church, but I imagine it isn't easy to sacrifice everything and become a member of the church. We want to make sure she has a solid testimony first,  so we told her that she can wait until she feels more ready and that we will help her to feel more prepared. :) She did come to church this Sunday!- and we are going to continue meeting with her. :)  

I'm not sure if you remember me telling you about Géza. We met him from our English Class. He's been meeting with us for the past few months now. He has a ritualistic addiction to coffee... and told us that he normally drinks about 5-7 cups a day!- or close to 50 cups a week!! Pretty crazy. He says it's too hard for him to quit cold-turkey, but he has dropped it down to only one cup a day this week! How awesome is that!? You can see a difference in his face, he looks a little more tired- but I am so proud of him! That is really cool that he is so willing to try and change. Balázs is probably one of our most progressing investigators right now. The only sad thing is, he will be moving to England in about a week so we won't be able to meet with him anymore. Good news is, I found the address and the time the church starts there where he will be. :) So, I really hope he will look it up and start meeting with the missionaries when he gets there. 

Sister Peterson had her first tracting experience this week! One of the senior couples invited us to tract their building- we of course didn't want to turn down an offer like that! We went door to door and Sister Peterson got some practice introducing us and the Book of Mormon. Most of the building was old people who weren't too happy that we woke them up in the middle of the day, but at least she got some experience. My trainer always told me that if streeting and tracting didn't seem to be having much success, at the very least it was humbling us. :) So true. We tried some streeting and tabling too, and did get a couple numbers. My companion has a stellar voice! We are for sure going to be doing some music finding this transfer! I'm so stoked!! 

Well, I love you all tons! I will continue to keep you in my prayers, and give you the updates. :) I hope you have an incredible week! Talk to you soon! 

Sok Szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér 

January 14, 2013

Dear Family,

I'm sorry, my email today is going to be super short. I've been working on my BYU application all day, and actually I had it all finished when I exited out and went back in, and everything I had done was deleted. :P So, I had to write it all over again from scratch. So, I'm basically out of energy from typing today. 

But anyways, let me at least update you with what's happening with transfers. Sister Hardy and I were sure we'd be staying together... but sometimes transfer day can be full of surprises. Turns out Sister Hardy is leaving after only one transfer here, and is going to serve in Dunaújváros with Sister Oberhansly. I will be getting a greeny and training my last transfer. :) It should be really fun. I'm not sure who she is yet... but I'm excited for the opportunity to introduce a new greeny to the country again. 

I'm sad to see Sister Hardy go, but I know she will love Duna, and they are just going to love her there. :)  I really miss that place sometimes. But I've really gained a great love for Buda as well, and I'm happy I will get to "die" here in the city for my last transfer. Well wish me luck! Please continue to pray for me- that helps a lot. 

I'll give you more of an update next week, but for now I hope you all are doing well! Have a wonderful week. Mom, thanks for the pictures!!

MUCH LOVE,

Johnson Nővér 

January 7, 2013

Dear Family,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! We had a great week this week. Andrea's baptism is coming up on the 18th! I'm so excited for her. The A.P's also have a baptism this weekend. She's asked Elder Walker and I to sing. As for our investigators- We have been meeting with an investigator named Balázs for the last couple weeks, who we found from English class. He seems like a sad person most of the time. Since the first time we met with him, he never seemed to excited about life or really very optimistic about things. But he has now come to church twice, and is really taking hold of everything we are teaching him. In the lesson we had with him on Friday, we invited a member to come with us. The member was perfect for him, and they seemed to click instantly. But I think the best part about the program was, that even from the moment he walked in the door, I could see a difference on his face. He seemed to be brighter! His countenance had literally changed, and you could see that he was happier than the first couple times we met with him. He told us that there are some things he's been holding onto in his life that he is finally starting to be able to let go of. He says that repentance and the things we are teaching him are really making a difference. I believe it! After he left the program, that was the first thing that Sister Hardy and I mentioned to each other. He is being changed by the gospel! And it's because he is reading the Book of Mormon and acting on our commitments. :) Our message is a message of joy, and it is evidence in the lives of those who live it! I am so grateful that I am able to be a witness of the power the atonement in the hearts of our investigators. It's the greatest reward we could receive. 

We also met with a girl name Dorottya yesterday. Sister Hudspeth and I met with her last transfer, but she has been gone visiting America for the last couple weeks. She is so awesome though. Her boyfriend's family lives in America, and they are all Mormon. Which lead her to have a lot of questions about the church. She goes to church with them every time she visits, and a few weeks ago she came to our ward- which is how we met her. But she is now reading her own Hungarian version of the Book of Mormon, and we were able to teach her the full restoration yesterday. She has a bazillion questions!-which is so awesome! And the best thing about it, is there are answers to all of them! :) We are meeting again this Saturday.

Well, I got my flight plans this morning. Kind of weird to think that my time is coming to an end here. It's sad, and a little nerve-racking to think of starting life in the real world soon. But I know there will be opportunities for missionary service even at home. I'm grateful for these extra 5 weeks I have been given to make a difference here. I'm going to try and make the very most of each day I have left. :) 

I love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!!

Lots of Love, 

Sister Johnson 

For Unto You is Born A Savior Which is Christ the Lord

Merry Christmas...and may God Bless us; Everyone!

December 31, 2012

Dear Family,

It was so good talking to you all on Christmas!!! It almost felt as if we had just talked yesterday. I miss you all tons, and it was so fun to see all your faces and hear about how things are going.  

This week was pretty good, not a lot to report after talking to you all. We had a wonderful Christmas. Christmas Eve we spent with one of the member families here. They are the best! They fed us lunch, and then we played games and decorated cookies together that we later took with us caroling. We went to midnight mass at St. István's Bazilika. I'll try and send a picture of my comp. and I. Don't worry- President gave us permission. :) Now, we are just getting adjusted back into the everyday working schedule. We had a lot of good programs, but also it's hard to meet with people during this time of year., most of them are busy or out of town. But we did have an awesome miracle happen on Friday! We set up to meet with one of our investigators, and he forgot to call and cancel- so we were dogged. But as we were sitting there trying to decide how to fill that time, a lady, Kata, walked in and asked us what she needed to do to be baptized. I thought she must be kidding at first. But after a few minutes, when I realized she was serious, and we were like- let's go talk upstairs and talk! So we met with her, and talked about the restoration. Turns out she met with some missionaries once in London where she works when a friend invited her over. She really liked them, and felt they had a great spirit. From that she decided she wanted to look up the church when she got back to Hungary. So she wants to be baptized! So crazy. We still have a lot to teach her, but she came to church on Sunday, and really liked it! :)  We're going to start meeting with her as much as we can. :)  I've heard stories like this where people just walk right in and say they want to be baptized... but this is the first time I've actually experienced it. God is so awesome!! He's always willing to give tender mercies :)

Well, everything else is going really good. It's still freezing, but we're staying pretty warm tabling in tunnels and trying to have as many programs as possible. I wear my sleeping bag of a coat everywhere i go, so that keeps me warm too. So all is well. We don't have new year's off so we'll probably just wake up at 11:58 and countdown or something. New Years is sure a party here in the mission field. haha

Well, I better get going. But I love you all tons!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Sok Szeretettel,

Sister Tiffany Johnson 

December 17, 2012

Dear Family, 

Thanks so much for all your emails! I always love getting pictures and seeing how much everyone is growing and things are changing! I can't wait to Skype with you all next week! Sister Hardy and I are planning to skype the evening of Christmas day, probably around 4:30pm our time. I haven't looked up what time that's going to be in Boston or Japan, but in Utah I think it should be around 8:30am. :) We should still get to email again on Monday (Christmas Eve), so let me know if that will work for all of you. :) I'm not really sure if there is anyway we could all talk at the same time... I haven't really used skype for a while- but that would be super awesome if we can. 

Well, It's been a good week. We have a huge choir concert coming up this Tuesday that we've been practicing a lot for. We are going to be singing 18 songs!! Our choir director is pretty crazy. haha But she's awesome. We might have a 3 hour concert though... we'll see. We also had our Christmas party this weekend. It was a really great turn out. Lots of members brought family members and friends that aren't members yet. So it was fun getting to meet a lot of new people. Maybe we will be able to meet with a couple of them! :) We probably have one of the coolest wards of all time here. We met with a lot of really great people too. We have a couple really solid investigators, who really seem to be progressing. But they seem to be having a hard time making the jump to baptism. It's hard to watch people who have a testimony, that they see the Lord's hand in their lives, and yet- they don't feel ready to make the commitment. I know that if they knew how many amazing blessing await them, they would want to jump in the water right now! haha But for now we have to be patient, and encourage them that they are on the right path. There is a lot to learn in the gospel. Because I was born in the church I've never had to experience all these things that adult converts feel. I'm sure it is a big change for them, and quite a daunting commitment. But I really admire all of them for their faith and willingness to act. 

Well, I really love you all. Sorry I don't have a lot of time to write today. The concert should be fun. I will try and record some of it for you. There's a song we are doing from the sound of music- the "DO RE MI" song. I'm going to play the part of Maria, and all the other missionaries are going to be the "children". haha When Réka first asked me to do it, I thought it sounded ridiculous. But actually it's going to be really hilarious. There's going to be interaction in the audience. It should be funny. haha 

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful week! Mom, I did get your package!! I set the "tree" up on the wall. :) It looks so great! You are so crafty!! I'll try and send a picture of it. Also thanks for your email. :) You always have such insightful thoughts. Diane, Your girls are so adorable!! Sophie is getting so big!! She is going to be gorgeous when she grows up! :) I totally remember that Christmas! That was probably one of my most favorite childhood memories! :) We had a lot of fun together. Princess- the pictures look so great! I love Tala's outfit! haha she doesn't really like getting her picture taken... she doesn't look very happy in some of them. But she's super cute. I can't wait to see all my nieces in person!!

K, I really should go. Love you all tons! Talk to you next week!

Lots of love, 

Sister Tiffany L. Johnson 

Sister Hardy, Betti and Sister Johnson

December 10, 2012

Dearest Family,

This week has been busy, but incredible. My new companion is great! Sister Hardy and I already get along so well!- It feels as if we have been friends for forever. :) 

Let me tell you about this amazing thing that happened to us this week! So, maybe you remember me telling you about Szani. He is a member here in Buda, who was baptized back in March. His son was baptized just a few months ago, but his wife Betti has been a little more hesitant about accepting everything... or at least a little slower. I've been hoping and praying to be able to meet with her since I came to the city. Szani is one of my favorite people, and I thought it would be so neat to be able to meet with her as well. They are really busy, so we haven't been able to schedule any times to meet with them. Well, finally last Sunday, Betti (Szani's wife) came up and asked if we were free to meet this week! I said of course! We scheduled and met on Tuesday. We talked with her about the Book of Mormon, and Sunday we gave her a reading assignment before we came over. She kept her commitment and had read everything we asked her to. We talked a lot about her experience and thoughts about the church. She had all positive things to say about it, and when we asked if she had ever thought about being baptized, she said that she was thinking a lot about it. :) We then asked if she had ever prayed about the Book of Mormon. She told us she had never tried. So together we read the promise from Moroni in the last chapter of the book, and she committed to pray about it before we met again on Friday. 

Well, when we came back to visit with her on Friday, and followed up on her commitment to pray, she told us that she had. She expressed to us the feelings that she had, and the answer she felt like she received that is was true. :) We asked her again if she was willing to be baptized. This time she gave a resounding yes!! :) We asked if she had thought or prayed about a specific date. This is when we were both caught completely off guard... A baptism had been scheduled for another family on December 8th, she said she knew it was short notice, but asked if there was any way she could possibly be baptized the following day!! "TOMORROW?!" we were completely blown away. haha I had a bajillion thoughts running through my mind in that moment- my first was that she has only met with the missionaries twice, my second was that she has been going to church every week since March. So, I pulled out the baptismal questions and we went through them together one by one. She seemed to have a great understanding already of all the lessons. We taught her in that hour basically all the lessons, and reviewed the things that maybe she hadn't learned or had a hard time understanding. By the end, we both felt like maybe she could actually be ready. I spent a good part of the rest of the day, making a thousand phone calls- to the bishop, the A.P.s, the ward mission leader, the district leader, and back to Betti. Eventually, we found out the 2pm baptism would not work for her family, so we scheduled it for 5pm and prepared a whole new program. Somehow, with the help of the ward mission leader and everyone else, we were able to pull everything together. Betti of course "passed" the interview, and the baptism went through the following day. :) It was a miracle. It's humbling to know that the Lord really prepared her. We did very little, but simply help make it possible. She was confirmed yesterday in Sacrament meeting, and her husband Szani was able to perform all the ordinances. I felt so happy for her! And you could see that she was just glowing. :) Now they will be able to prepare to go to the temple and be sealed as an eternal family!! We are going over this week to meet with her again. We will review all of the lessons with her from the beginning. I feel so blessed that the Lord allowed us to be a part in her conversion. 

Well, all is going well here. I'm SO excited for Christmas!! It is starting to get pretty chilly here. Last week in English class, we taught all of our students Christmas words in English and then sang silent night together. :) It made me so happy! I love this time of year! I'm not even sure that the exact day of Christmas is my favorite... I just love all the days leading up to it! The music, the snow, the lights, the friendly people, the love in the air! haha It's just great. I miss you all tons! It will be so fun to talk with you and see all my new nieces on skype! 

Anyways, I love this work. I know this church is true. I'm so grateful for this time of year, when we get to remember and celebrate our Savior. I know Him. And I know He knows me personally. I know He lives, and I know that he lived. I'm so grateful for His life, for His example, and for His love. I am so grateful that I have had this time, and have this time, to come to know Him better. My mission has brought me closer to Him than any other singular event I have been through in my life. I know we are the happiest when we have His spirit with us. 

Take care! Thank you for all of your support and prayers in my behalf. Hope to hear from you all soon!!

Sok Szeretettel,

Sister Tiffany Johnson 

December 3, 2012

Kedves családom,

Well, it's already another transfer. Sister Hudspeth seems pretty excited to be going home, and we've had a pretty good last week to celebrate. We have some of the coolest investigators probably of all time. OH!- but before I start talking about that, I should probably tell you what's happening with transfers. Well-- you guessed it... I'm staying here in Buda. My new companion will be Sister Hardy. She was actually companions with my greeny, Sister Fox, in the MTC. It should be really fun. I've heard a lot of really great things about her, and she is adorable- so I'm guessing we'll have a lot of fun together. :) Sister Kramer trained her, and I love Sister Kramer! So i'm really excited for her to get here. I'll be breaking her into Budapest right away, with 4 programs in a row on transfer day! haha Hope she's excited. :)

I don't know if you remember me telling you about Rozália... but her baptism was actually this weekend! :) It was really great. 2 other people were baptized as well. She asked me to sing at the baptism. :) So I sang "Savior, Redeemer of My Soul," and Elder Decker played the piano for me. It was so great to see her make the commitment to be baptized, she was so excited about it too. She's going to be an awesome member. Her Husband and daughter came also. When I asked her husband what he felt about the experience, he told me that he cried. :) He's come to church a couple times with her now, maybe he will become interested in taking the lessons as well. 

Lajos came to church for the first time! I think it was all really new for him- but hopefully he had a great time. Andrea is the coolest! She came as well with her friend Judit. We are actually having lunch with both of them today, for Sister Hudspeth's goodbye lunch. We are also teaching a new investigator named István, he is a referral from one of the members. He's one of the nicest guys ever, and seems really accepting of everything. Detti- his member friend, is so awesome at bearing testimony and helping in our lessons. Members really are the best, and we have some of the coolest members here in Buda. The sacrament room is beginning to be a tight squeeze. I'm interested to see what they will do in the next few months with the ward. I guess they could split it, or find a new building? But it's really exciting to see that the work is really progressing! Zsolt has a bap. date now!- January 26th! So hopefully we can help him feel ready by that date. :) 

Well, Sorry this email is super boring. I just read back through it and almost fell asleep. But writing these emails every week can be exhausting! I really wish I could fill you in on every detail... but my journal will do that for you later. :) I love you all lots! Grandma and Grandpa, I got your package with the peanut butter and chocolate!! Thank you so much! My companion was really grateful too. :) Alan, congratulations of finishing the iron man! That is awesome! I'm really proud of you! Maybe one day I will be that cool. Also, Holly I hope you are feeling better soon. And Kassie, if you are reading this, I love your face!!! Please write me if you have some time! I want to hear what is happening with you! Anyways, Take care! Talk to you next Monday. 

Lots of Love,

Johnson T. Nővér 

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

2012 October in Budapest

October 29, 2012

Sziasztok Mindenki!!

Great news!!! The Selmeci family is getting baptized tomorrow!!!
President has given us permission to go! :) Attila and Zsuzsa are
getting married today so they can be baptized tomorrow! I wish I could
go to both the wedding and the baptism, but I am grateful President
has granted me permission to be there for their baptism. They are the
most amazing family! It's been such a miracle watching them grow in
their testimonies. I AM SO EXCITED!!! They are going to be such an
awesome addition to the church here! And maybe little Levente will
serve a mission one day! :) I will be sure to send some pictures next
week and tell you all about it.

As for other news... We met with Peti from Dunaújváros this Friday.
I'm not sure if you remember him. But we met with he and his mom for a
while in Duna. He came to church quite a few times. Well, He moved
here to Budapest for school, and I invited him to the Halloween party
we had this weekend! :) He came, and we set up to meet with him again
this week!

Zsolt came to church again this Sunday! Also, Gábor's friend Zoli is
awesome! We watched the Restoration video with him this past week, and
asked if he would be willing to get baptized when he recieves a
witness that these things are true. His answer was "Természetesen!"
haha or "naturally!" He seems to be really prepared. We're hoping he
will come to church with us next week.

Well, Sister Hudspeth is great! We are having a really fun time
together. Her first name is Joy, and she really lives up to her name!
:) We are always finding little things to laugh about and she brings a
lot of energy and excitement to the work here.
Anyways, I love you all!! Feel free to write letters anytime! :) I
feel like people may have forgotten me since I've been gone for so
long. haha

Diane!- I'm so excited for my new niece!! I wish you all the best luck
with everything! Sorry I can't be there, but just know I love you so
much and I'm so excited to come visit all your children when I get
back!

Vigyázzatok magatokra!

Sok sok szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér

October 22, 2012

Dear Family,

Well, it's official- I've decided I'm going to extend. :) Which is
really strange... considering my whole life I never thought I wanted
to serve a mission. But this has been the best thing I've ever done.
And as much as I would love to come back in January and see you all, I
feel like there is still work I need to do here. I've talked to
President about it. My new return date will be February 28th. I know
that 6 weeks really doesn't make all that much difference in the long
run after I get home, and there is so much I can help to accomplish
here in that time. Plus, time seems to be flying so fast anyway- I
know February will come around in no time.

Anyways, Transfer calls came today! Lots of crazy things are
happening. First of all, Sister MacKay is leaving to serve in Solnok.

I'm getting a new companion here in Buda... Sister Hudspeth! haha My
ősi in the MTC. She was in the group ahead of me, and will be "dying"
after this next transfer (or for those of you who don't know the
mission slang- she only has one transfer left in the mission). haha
She told me last transfer on transfer day that she wanted to end her
mission here in Buda with me. I didn't think it would actually happen
since we both are so old in the mission...  but it's happening. haha
She is such a sweet person, and really hilarious and full of energy.
We served together for a day on splits back when I was serving in
Kispest. I think we are going to have a lot of fun this next transfer.
We are going to end her mission on a high note!- that's for sure. :)

As for what's happening here in Buda... The work is going really well.
All together this transfer we have gotten 18 new investigators! :)
Last week we were able to reach our super standard goals. It was
Sister MacKay's first time getting it! :) So I was glad we were able
to have a successful last week here for her. Andrea came to church
again! She even brought a friend with her this time! :) I think they
both really enjoyed church, and actually we set up a time to meet with
her friend next week too! Zsolt came to church for his first time! And
we have another investigator Gábor who shared a Book of Mormon with his friend.
They both came to a program with us last week, and his friend said he
has been reading from the book everyday, and loves it! Basically, he
already believes it's true! It's amazing. Referrals are the best thing
ever!! I love when people share the gospel with their friends. :)

Well, I think that's about all the new information I have for this
week. Life is good. It's starting to get cold. :) I really love you
all! Hope that all is well on the other side of the world. Talk to you
soon!

Sok Szeretettel,

Johnson Nővér

October 15, 2012

Dearest Family,

The best thing ever happened today!! Attila from Duna was in town. We happened to be at the branch house today when he called and asked if we had a few minutes to meet with him. We said of course and that we were just at the church house. He told us he'd be there in 15 minutes. It was so good to see him! I love their family SO MUCH (as I'm sure I've already told you a million times). Anyway, he told me a personal experience about how he gained his own personal testimony of the priesthood power! I could feel my eyes beginning to fill with tears as one of my investigators bore to me their own personal testimony. He told me that Zsuzsa and him are getting married!!- So that they can be baptized! How cool is that!? :) They are going to be an eternal family!!!!!!! I could not be happier than I am at this moment. I know now that my mission has meant something to someone, and that I was able to be an instrument in helping this family change their lives forever! They are incredible. I know that their whole family will be blessed because the gospel is now in their lives, and because their parents, Zsuzsa and Attila, are such great examples to their children and are making such great decisions. I was so happy that Attila thought to come visit me and that he was so excited to tell me about all the wonderful things happening with their family. :) 

I also got a call from the Elders in Duna last Friday. Jorge's baptism was planned to be in the next few weeks, but they haven't had the opportunity to meet with him lately. They thought maybe he had disappeared, and I couldn't understand why, when he was so solid while we were meeting with him there. They just found out though that he has been in the hospital the last few weeks. He seems to be doing better. But it looks like his baptism will be pushed back a bit. He still wants to be baptized though, and the Elders have begun meeting with him again. :)

The Opera was so great! We actually didn't see an opera- haha we saw a ballet. But it was incredible! They didn't talk the entire time- except there was one small part where a narrator said a few lines in Hungarian. But it was so fun! I was so glad that President gave us permission to go. The opera house here is beautiful! We got to sit in some of the coolest seats too in one of those little booths! I think Sister MacKay enjoyed her birthday. She was so excited to open her presents from her family- we woke up and opened them right at 630 in the morning. :) It was a really fun day. 

Okay, so Andrea, who got the pass-along card in her mailbox, is so AWESOME! She came to conference, and to church this past Sunday, and we are meeting with her again this week! She says she has been reading from the Book of Mormon everyday and she has been trying to pray the way we showed her. :) There are so many great miracles happening here in the city! Transfers are next week- can you believe it?! I've been thinking a lot about whether I want to extend or not. My original date to come home is January 17th- if I extend I will stay until the 28th of February. I don't see any major plans being effected if I stay one more month, (only that I'd miss Valentines day) haha but I really feel like I could do a lot of good here in my last transfer. So, I've been feeling a lot like I might stay. But it's not for sure yet. I'm still thinking and praying a lot about it. I told President I would give him an answer in the next week though... So, if any of you can think of any reason why that would be a horrible idea... let me know. haha 

We are still meeting with and finding a lot of new investigators. We had a ton of great lessons this week, so I'm really excited about all the new people we are meeting with. I'll keep you updated on their progression. The baptism for the 2 little boys this weekend went really great. They are adorable. And one of them, Peti, when he walked through the door looked at us with the biggest smile and said he's been waiting for this day for a long time. :) It's so cool to see people be baptized. There is nothing else in the world like helping another receive the blessings that come form the gospel. 

I love you all so much! I hope that you are all doing well. Thanks for all your support and prayers. 

Sincerely and With Love,

Sister Tiffany Johnson 

October 10, 2012 

Dear Family,

This week has been awesome. Today is sister MacKay's birthday so we asked President for permission to switch our P-day to Wednesday. We got tickets to the opera for tonight! I can't wait!! 

Tiffany, Sister MacKay and her Family while visiting Hungary

We have a whole new pool of investigators! It's really exciting! So far this week we have 5 new investigators and counting! :) I have to tell you the coolest thing that happened!

So, from that old area book I've been telling you about... we found a name with no phone number, but with an address. I thought maybe we could go by and try and look it up. So we headed out there and finally found the building. The name was no longer on the bell, but we tried the doors it said he might live at... no answer. Well, on our way out we got the idea to at least put pass-along cards in all the mailboxes. So we did. About a week later we got a call from this random number. It was a woman who told us she had received a card in her mailbox about our church. She said that she was catholic, but had heard a little about the Mormons, and knew some people who were Mormon, and would be interested in learning more. :) SO we set up with her!! She came to meet with us last Friday! We had an awesome lesson with her and taught the whole restoration. She is such a cute girl!  She's 38, really pretty, and really stylish and nice! She was really interested in everything we were telling her, and agreed to read the Book of Mormon. She even came to Conference on Sunday, and said she had read the chapter we assigned her and has been reading every night! She seemed to really enjoy the conference talks and we are going to be meeting with her again this week. :) How amazing is that that the Lord led us to her! I had no idea that anything would come from us going to that apartment that day. But she seems so prepared! I'm so happy she decided to call us!

As for other things that are happening. Chris came to Conference with us and listened in English! He seems to be progressing really well! He is one of the coolest people I know. This new man, Zsolt, also came to conference. We met him while we were tabling. He came right up and asked if we were Mormon missionaries. We said, "yes" of course, and he said that his family had met with the missionaries about 5 years ago. We've been meeting with him again, and he said that he will come to church with us this Sunday!

This weekend we are having a baptism. Two little boys from the ward- 8 and 9 years old. Their mother is a member, but because Peti is 9, we have been teaching them as missionaries. They are really cute kids. Also!- I got to see the Selmeci Family again this weekend! They came to Conference at Tihány tér! It was so good to see them! They are doing so great! I may have already told you- but Levente, their son, is now on baptism date as well!! They could possibly be the best thing that's happened on my mission. I wish you all could meet them! They are the most incredible people! They are going to be such a solid addition to the church. I can't wait till their baptism in November. :)

By the way, speaking of Conference... How crazy is it that boys can go on missions at 18 and girls at 19!!! That would have been nice to know about 4 years ago... haha oh well. I think this is really going to make the work explode!  Oh, MICHELE!!!! I got your package! You are so sweet to think of me and my companion. I am so grateful for all the packages and letters I receive from you! The sweater is adorable I've already worn it a bunch. I really appreciate it! Tell Mykah congratulations for me! I can't believe she is getting married! You should definitely send me an invitation! :) Hope you are all well!

Anyhow, I love you all tons! Thanks for everything! Have a wonderful week!

Sok Szeretettel,
Johnson Nővér 

Johnson Nővér and MacKay Nővér 

Oct. 1, 2012

Hey Everyone!!

We have been doing a ton of finding this week! One thing we do a lot of here is tabling. I sent a couple picture of the awesome places we table. There are the most beautiful views here in the city! We even tried a new way of finding... Chalk!! haha We drew the plan of salvation on the side walk, and in one of the pictures I sent we drew a big world and wrote "why are we here?" It got a lot of peoples' attention actually! I really like chalking. We get to talk to people, and play with chalk! What could be better?! :) 

Chalking in Buda and look at the View!

Last Sunday I forgot to tell you that Attila and Zsuzsa were here in Buda visiting Attila's mom who lives here. They decided to come to our ward here on Sunday to visit me! :) They stayed for Sunday school too. The lessons were so perfect for them, and it was so great to get to see them again! They are doing so great! Levente, their son, is now on bap. date as well!! :) I sent a picture of all of them with the tie I bought for Levente to wear at church. He didn't have any, and his dad's ties were too big. haha I miss their family so much. But it makes me feel great to see that they are all still doing so well, and continuing to prepare for baptism. 

Attila, Zsuzsa and their son Levente come to visit me in Buda

We have a new investigator!! His name is Chris!! He's the coolest guy ever!! He is the one in the picture with Sister MacKay and I. I love him so much! We met him on the bridge while tabling for one of my first times here. He loves God and he loves the bible! Between our first and second meeting with him he had read the Book of Mormon all the way up to Alma! He says he's been comparing prophecies in the Bible with the prophecies in the Book of Mormon, and so far they all match up. haha He really has a desire to believe. He calls God "papa-God." and he always says the most heartfelt prayers. It's really amazing. He doesn't speak Hungarian, he's only lived here for about 2 years. But he speaks perfect English, and really loves meeting with us. We are going to invite him to come to general conference with us. :)

Sister MacKay, Chris and Sister Johnson

I don't really have a lot of news this week. Mostly we've just been tabling and streeting a lot. But we have met quite a few interesting people. Last night we were mobbed by a teenage group of Jehovah's Witnesses. haha That was fun. There were about 15 of them. They were really nice though. We talked a little with each other, and they asked us a few questions about our beliefs. We ended up exchanging cards. I gave her one of ours, and she gave me one of theirs. :) Also, we ran into a Chinese family from Chandler, AZ here on vacation with their 3 kids- all Mormons! One of the daughters actually had just gotten baptized last week! It's always fun running into LDS people from America here. Oh ya, we even tried some musical finding!  Sis.MacKay played the flute, 2 of the members came with us, one of them played the violin and I helped sing with the other. That was really fun. Now we have lots of new people to call! We've already set up with a few of them for this week!- So I'll keep you updated with what comes of it.

Oh, ALSO... there is this awesome family we are teaching!!- Szani (Sunny) is married to Betti and they have 3 boys. Szani is such a smiley nice man! He was baptized recently in March and is working on converting his family too. Their son Dávid is 9 and hopefully will be getting baptized soon. He is one of the smartest most well-behaved little boys I've ever met. He sometimes seems like a 30 year old in a little kids body! In our last lesson with him, he took notes! haha And after church when I set up a program with Szani to come over this week, Dávid pulled out his little electronic daily planner to make sure he was "free" the day and the time we planned for, haha. I'm really excited about their family. I hope we can help Betti and David become active members. :)

Well, I love you all lots!  This weekend is general conference!! I can't wait! This is my 3rd general conference since I've come on my mission and will be my last here in the country. I do miss the Conference Center though! I realize what an amazing blessing it is to get to go there and be in the presence of so many of God's chosen servants. Next week is Sister MacKay's birthday, and we received permission to go to the OPERA!!! I've never been to an opera! I'm so excited. It's going to be on Wednesday next week though, so we won't be emailing next week until then- we are switching our p-day to the 10th. Just thought I'd let you know so that you wouldn't freak out when you didn't get an email from me next Monday. :)

ANYWAYS, love you all TONS!!

Sok Sok Szeretettel,
Sister Tiffany Johnson