Beautiful Rewards

August 11, 2014

I feel like God has really been rewarding me this week.  Just lots of love and lots of appreciation.  It’s really cool to see things now, that it is God thanking me.  That when someone thanks me, it is them thanking God, and God thanking me.  It’s such a sweet experience to be here. Indescribably sweet.  

This is a snippet from an email I received this week from Xiomy, the hija [daughter] de Guisselle from Talara. Could you just die?

el 26 de Julio fernando, kris y yo fuimos al templo de guayaquil en ecuador y fue lo maximo, una experiencia maravillosa, hice obra vicaria por los fallecidos! que felicidad! pero me he puesto la meta que la proxima que vaya al templo lo hare tambien por mi familia que ha fallecido.  [Google translated it for me:  I told you that on July 26 Ferdinand, Kris and I went to the temple of Guayaquil in Ecuador and was the maximum, a wonderful experience, I vicarious work for the dead! that happiness! but I have set the goal to go to the next temple will do it also for my family who has passed away, look at this photo is attached of the Temple!]

What a rockstar, right?  Love her.

This week, Maricarmen POR FIN [at last] accepted a baptismal date.  She will get baptized this Saturday.  She is a ten-year-old girl.  But get this.  Her entire family has been baptized except for her.  Her older brother is serving a mission, her dad and sister got baptized a year ago, and her mom got baptized a couple months ago.  But she just, wouldn’t.  We couldn’t get through to her, and she like refuses to answer questions.  But the brother is getting home in 13 months, and they all are going to get sealed together then.  And so they would have had to put it off to wait the year for her. I just don’t get that age group at all.  Well, we went over this week, visiting her convert family, like we do, and she told us she wanted to be baptized.  And we were like, good girl!!  I was thinking about it though, and we didn’t do anything for that decision.  I was thinking, what could have happened?  And I realized, it had to have been the angels.  We have been working a lot harder on family history, really trying to help everyone do it.  And I thought, it must be them. Because we are doing our best to help them, so of course they would be doing their best to help us.  That’s the only answer.  So I think this is a great deal.  We try to help them, and then they help us.  And they do our work a lot better than we do, obviously.  So, it’s a great deal in my opinion.  They will help the people we love a lot more than we could.  

Being a missionary is the very best thing ever.  I feel literal heartbreak to be leaving. But I was talking to God last night, and I said, I know I will have chances to serve you still after, but it just won’t be the same. And He responded, that’s the point babe. My life is still in His hands. 

I will write you a great testimony or something next week. But for now, can you pray for Micaela Bastidas?

I love you guys!!!

Hermana Johnson