July 26th, 2017

   This week has been such a difficult one. I have never felt this way in my life. There are many different slang terms that missionaries use like "greenie" for new missionaries, "father" for the person who trained you, "birthplace" for your first area, and many more. One that I get told constantly is that I'm going to die soon, meaning I'm going to be ending my mission. I don't think until yesterday I fully realized how true that is. To end a mission is to have a part of you, I would suggest the majority of you, die. I feel that now so strongly after having my last interview with my mission president. We had a zone training day at president's home while interviews were going and it was an interesting feeling to see all of my close friends talk and train about how we can be better missionaries while I was looking at them thinking this will be the last time I will ever see some of them. Then when everyone left it was just the sister training leaders and us and we had a dinner with President and Sister Gubler and talked about the zone and then had our interviews. When I went in, all we talked about was home. We talked for a long time and he answered my questions and then he said thank you and talked about how he had seen me grow in the past two years and seen my service change me. When he was done I left feeling so sad inside because he made the end feel so real. I now feel the "death" approaching as if I have some sort of terminal illness wishing I could be cured and keep going but knowing it is my time. I have been given so much advice in the past few weeks from everyone I know about finishing a mission strong and about going home strong. It's been helpful and constructive but no one has helped me understand how to cope with the feelings that have now. The feelings that keep welling up and tell me that this will all be over soon and that I'll never be able to have these experiences again. I know going home will bring so much goodness and happiness but my heart feels like I'm dying. When you leave home to go on a mission there is a time you will return home to the same people and same place, but when you leave you mission there will never be a return date as a missionary.


   With all that depressing stuff being said I do feel at peace knowing that God has been happy with the time that I have spent here and the eternal friends I have been able to make. In the course of two years I have learned many lessons which range from small practical cooking tips to how to talk to God and recognize His voice talking back. I know that the lessons I have learned here will be a spring board to propel me forward for the rest of my life. Of all these valuable lessons learned, one that I am most fond of is that I have been able to gain a deep and real relationship with God. I have learned that He is very aware of everyone and His hand is in their life. His love is ever present. As I have served others I have felt God's love for people and it has worked within me to help me do things I couldn't or wouldn't do on my own. I have caught glimpses of the way our Heavenly Father sees His children and this has changed my heart. His love, which to me is made manifest the most through Jesus Christ, is the foundation of my life. His love has changed my desires which has changed my thoughts and my actions. That love He has for me is my testimony and it is the light in me that I will always try and share with others because I have seen that as I have shared that light. It fills others with light and increases mine. I love this gospel and know it is true and that through Jesus Christ we can overcome anything and receive the strength to keep going. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Love,
Elder Johnson

July 29th, 2017

   This week was a good one. It's been difficult at times coping with the knowledge that I'll be leaving so soon. I had my last zone conference which was weird. There were so many missionaries that I knew would be the last time I would ever see them in my whole life. Then after the conference president took the departing missionaries into a room and talked to us about leaving and how to prepare and work on this thing called "my plan." So yeah I'm now sitting here with one Pday left and it's an unbelievable feeling. On Sunday, just to put the last nail in the coffin I was asked to give my farewell talk in the ward... it was the last talk I'll ever give as a missionary. It was a good talk, probably my favorite I have ever given. I was the last speaker and spoke for 25 mins about what I learned on my mission. I got pretty emotional while speaking which doesn't usually happen to me which I think goes to show how weird of a week it has been for me emotionally. I wouldn't say it's killed me work wise in fact we have still worked quite hard and taught a lot but I have felt sad thinking that everything I do is my last time. On the other hand there is still a big part of me that doesn't believe I'm actually going home. Work wise we had a sad teach with Susannah which went well because we pushed for baptism a ton and she understood it a lot better but she isn't going to be able to be baptized in the next few weeks which is sad because I have been teaching her for so long and now it won't be able to happen but she will be baptized. The gospel has changed her a lot and she has grown so much because of it.

   Also had a good exchange with the Brighton elder and had a pleasant surprise at the temple while having exchange review. The worthing elders needed us to do a baptismal interview and afterwards we had a picnic next to a castle just because it's England haha I love my missionaries! They are such a blessings and have taught me so much as I get to spend time around them. Something I love about all missionaries is they have all made such a sacrifice to be on a mission and they all have lessons to teach you. God has blessed us all with talents and abilities and I have learned to learn about other missionaries talents and abilities which has helped me grow so much. This is a lesson I never want to forget. I love my mission.

July 12th, 2017

   This week was quite a spiritual and reflective one. There was a lot happening to be distracted about especially only have a 20 odd days left. I have my assignment to give a farewell talk in my ward next week which is pretty crazy too. But with that I have had very spiritual moments of looking back and feeling a sense of peace and accomplishment. We were able to spend a lot of time with other missionaries as well and I love the relationships I have formed with so many of them. The highlight of the week for sure was Alex.

   Alex's baptism was absolutely amazing!! We had to go the chapel at 6:45 to fill the font and get everything set up. We then went home got dressed up all fancy and headed off to the chapel to see a very happy and glowing Alex and his very nervous mom who had not been to church in a very long time. SO many people came to the baptism including Alex's family which was a big deal. The talks were given by a couple of the young men who he is close with and then he was baptized by THE Marcus Pelham. It was a very spiritual moment and Marcus told us afterward that when they got out of the font Alex said that he couldn't stop smiling and then he gave Marcus a hug and started crying. That was so good to hear. Then came sacrament meeting and his confirmation. The previous bishop who is close with Alex confirmed him and in his blessing said a lot of amazing things including that he will go on a mission. Elder Aguiar and I were jumping for joy. Alex is amazing and I am so blessed to know him. It's so cool how teaching people about the gospel has helped me learn so much about the gospel. It's a very productive cycle that when we learn we are able to teach and when we teach we are learning. And to see someone change and grow helps me change and grow so much too. To see Alex's almost glow on Sunday was such a blessing and an additional confirmation that I am doing the God's work and that he is helping me. This was definitely a high light point for me on my mission. To see a 15 year old who struggles daily to overcome the challenges he faces to then make a huge step towards Christ and commit his life to being His follower. It brings me a deep happiness to see this change happen in people's lives. 

   I love this gospel because it means I can always have peace. There are a lot of things in life that brings us down. I have been able to see these things way too many times in the lives of people I have been around as a missionary. And with the things that brings us down God, who is loving, has given us His Son to find constant peace when it can be so difficult to do on our own. It takes a lot of trust to get that peace from Christ but when we are willing to make changes to our life we can have that peace. It has been so enlightening to directly see that work with people I am close with and then to apply those same principles I teach into my life. It works and I can't live without it.

July 5th, 2017

   Well time is wrapping up and I officially have less than a month. This Sunday was fast and testimony meeting and as I was sitting there thinking and listening to people I realized that it was my last fast Sunday as a missionary. I bore my testimony and said that it was my last fast Sunday and it didn't hit me or feel like that at all. Then yesterday we had MLC where people from all over the mission get together and this time it was at president's home in his backyard. It was a good time but when we were leaving I realized it's going to be the last time I see half of those missionaries ever again for the rest of my life...I still don't feel like I'm leaving and my brain and heart are in constant conflict when I think about it.

   The week itself was pretty amazing. We had such a blast with all the people we are working with. We were able to find a few new people this week but the best things we did were with Susannah and Alex. Susannah is growing in the gospel. She came to church on Sunday and then we took her to the temple visitors center where there was a fireside being held. At the fireside a former temple presidency member gave a lesson on how to study the scriptures. It was so so so good!! And Susannah really seemed to enjoy and received some great ideas on how to improve her scripture study. She really wants to come back to the temple again too.

  With Alex we have been prepping him for his baptism that is going to be happening this Sunday at 9:00 am right before church which starts at 10:00. Our bishop suggested we do a Sunday morning baptism so that's what we are going to do! I'm pretty excited for all of it to go down. We have been Skype teaching him the past couple of nights just to go over things so he is totally ready and his interview is tonight which he is going to pass with flying colors. He is so grown up and mature for a 15 year old. While going over the interview questions we asked if he believed we have a modern day prophet. He said he doesn't know if the Holy Ghost told him that is true yet. Him saying that to me just shows how ready and prepared he is to be baptized because he isn't 100% sure about the doctrine but is willing to act on the faith that he has and make changes in his life that he hopes will lead to a knowledge. I love him!

  A great miracle that happened for me this weekend was a post that Alex Veloso (the 14 yr old I baptized last year) put up on facebook. It was his one year anniversary of his baptism in Sunday he expressed his gratitude for joining the church and he bore a small testimony. To me that is the most amazing thing in the world. To see the gospel have a lasting effect in someone's life, especially a youth who wants to serve a mission!!!! Having a glimpse of how the gospel has impacted someone's life is one of the greatest feelings I have ever experienced.

June 28th, 2017

   This week hasn't been anything crazy eventful, but just lots of really fun and also spiritual experiences. We got to help this young couple paint their house. We also got lost looking for a house and ended up wandering through a forest for over an hour.. so that's always exciting. In the mornings we still play tennis for exercise, and I think we are getting pretty good considering we don't hit nearly as many balls over the fence! Haha

   Alex is doing great and is so prepared!! We had a lesson with him and asked him to prepare a part to teach us and his mom and he made these little note cards and they were so well prepared and spiritual! Love that kid. Susannah is doing well and we are hoping to reset a date with her for the end of the month. She is moving a bit slow and steady at the moment. And then we are teaching a Romanian man who is really interested but works on Sundays so we are working with our ward mission leader to find him a new job.

   Something that has struck me this week has been the simplicity of the gospel. It's so interesting how foundational and fundamental the principles of the gospel are. The past couple of weeks, Elder Aguiar and I have spent hours in our studies focused specifically on the Doctrine of Christ. We teach people about these simple steps that will bring them the peace or the happiness or the hope that they are looking for. And yet, we can sit there for hours talking about and learning about how it all works. How does our faith help us? Why do we need baptism? What does the Holy Ghost do for us? There's so much to learn! And yet, at the end of the day, it all comes down to our efforts to follow Jesus Christ.

   I have spent lots of time reflecting lately. It has been quite interesting how much being at the end of my mission has had an effect in the way I think. I hear a lot of people say, "I found myself on my mission." I don't understand that phrase at all because I'm always right here. Haha but as I look back through my journal or pictures I see that a lot of growth has taken place. In someways it's very hard to tell if I have grown a lot but in others it's more apparent. I love my mission and can't believe I only have 5 weeks left...

 chocolate meringue cookies

 made savory pancakes with scrambled eggs and cheese

hay fever has been beating the crap out of me lately...

June 21st, 2017

What a crazy week!

   So Elder Christofferson came to our mission on Saturday and it was unlike any mission conference I have ever experienced. It was in Stains which is an hour and a bit drive on a good day and we had the Guernsey Elders staying with us too so there were 5 of us and we had to leave at 6 to make it to the chapel and have a good seat. The conference was normal to start. President and Sister Gubler bore their testimonies, then an area 70 spoke, and then Sister Christofferson (she was my favourite). They were all pretty short talks. Then Elder Christofferson got up said a few words then opened up the room to a Q&A. No one knew it was going to be a Q&A so no one had time to prepare questions which made it suck at points because some missionaries asked terrible questions to an Apostle. Questions like how can we follow the Spirit or how can we be consecrated. These questions received a very text book answer that President Gubler,  general conference, and the scriptures has taught us 100 times. It was as if people wanted him to give a different answer then what we have already been taught. But some good questions were asked one being how can we "pray always" when we are trying to listen or speak. Christofferson explained what it means to have a prayer in your heart as Christ taught us. He explained this means to always have the desire to know the will of the Lord and to obey. Something I loved is he answered every question (other than two) using the Book of Mormon. He would listen to the question, give a remark about the question, open a scripture and teach a principle from it, then give a personal experience regarding the principle taught by the scripture. It was a really cool teaching pattern I noticed. I asked a question that was a bit eye brow raising for President Gubler but made Christofferson laugh. It was, "How can we and how have you handled receiving council or direction from a leader that you don't agree with?"  He laughed and then said well I better not answer this. The Stains Stake President was invited to answer it and gave a really sincere answer about us praying in humility and always seeking for clarification from the Spirit. It's usually pride that causes us to feel like a leader is wrong. Then Christofferson spoke. He taught that leaders are not perfect and will give imperfect council but usually mistakes of leaders are not material meaning they have no lasting matter. If they are they can push the question up all the way up to the prophet. They usually get the unanswerable questions. For us we shouldn't bother. If it is a mistake by a leader don't get offended and be patient. He was really funny and open about his answer. The conference was a good all in all and he ended by giving us an apostolic blessing which was interesting and very unique. I loved it!

   We taught Alex this week while I was on exchange with Elder Cloward who is one of my best friends. It was so good to be able to randomly be with him again because he is serving on an island called Guernsey but because of the conference he had to come a day early. Alex is doing great but we had to push the date back so we could get all the family to come so now he is getting baptized on the 9th of July!! He is solid though!

   Susannah just got back from Brazil and after talking to her we are going to have to push her date back again but she is still good. The work has been a lot of fun and we are working loads with less-actives too. There is a man named Paul who is single and in his 50s who is so good to the missionaries. Because he doesn't really have family we went over to his house and made him dinner for Father's Day. It was so good to be with him!

   After the conference, Elder Sullivan who was serving on Guernsey went into a tri with us and his companions went back to the island. He went home on Tuesday and he couldn't fly back for just a few days so we got to keep him. It was cool to talk to him about going home and so weird that I will be there in 6 weeks. Oh how time flies. On his last night we didn't have a DA so I marinated some chicken and we bought a little disposable BBQ and made rice and mac salad and we had a picnic BBQ in the park for him. It was so much fun. I love serving through food!!

Well the mission is going so good and I am already starting to miss it. I can't believe it's my last transfer. I am so glad that I get to stay here with Aguiar and I feel so good that I get to keep serving the people here in Haywards Heath for my last little bit. I love it here and love being able to serve. Elder Christofferson in his apostolic blessing blessed us that if we are unsure about how God feels about us and our efforts as missionaries that we will be able to know clearly. As I have been pondering that I have felt more and more that the Lord is pleased with where I am at and what I am doing. I truly love this work.

June 14th, 2017

  This week was a blast! Some highlights we had from this week was Elder Aguiar had a procedure that is a temporary fix to his situation. He essentially got it drained and now he is back to being a normal human being haha he was in a lot of pain that day but he is fine now! On the work side of things Susannah is still in Brazil and will be till the the 20th. Alex got permission from his dad to be baptized so we had a lesson and talked all about baptism and the importance of it and then set a baptismal date for the 25th of June which is two weeks away!!! Alex was excited and wasn't nervous at all. His mom on the other hand seemed nervous so we asked her why and she said it was because now this means Alex is eventually going to have to go on a mission haha she loves her son and is very supportive! And Alex is such an amazing young man. We had the lesson in a park and afterwards we taught Alex how to do a backflip so he was literally so happy he was doing backflips haha. 


  Me and Elder Aguiar have been doing so well and have been full of excitement for the work! A few missionaries who go home the same time I do have been getting really trunky and dying hard. I always joke with them that my trick has been that I have always been trunky. But the closer I get to the end I think the less I want to go home. I have an ever growing appreciation for the blessing a mission is. We are given an opportunity to serve full time and we receive so much in return. I love the people I have been able to meet, the friendships I have formed, and the ability to make friends quickly with anyone that missionaries seem to have. I love how close I have come to God and how my understanding of Him has become much more clear. I love being a missionary for Jesus Christ. An example to illustrate my point is something that happened to us the other night. We had a spare 45 min in the evening and because things didn't go to plan as they never do so we thought of who we could visit. The name of a part member family we hadn't seen at church for a few weeks popped into our minds so we went to visit them. The mom was suffering from some pretty serious health issues and we were able to talk with her and make her laugh. After a little bit of conversation she opened up to us about some things that had been weighing on her. We weren't really able to help her at all with them but we were able to tell her we loved her and her family and we were always there for her and that most especially God was here for her. There was such a strong feeling of God's love as we talked and she thanks us so much. We drove away feeling so uplifted and happy when we hadn't done anything. I love that feeling so much.

Alex!!

I wood burned this for a member with Papa P's wood burner

 Young Men

 Brighton

June 7th, 2017

   This week was quite eventful! On Thursday we had a long zone conference where 5 zones (100 missionaries) gathered together and we were taught by President Kearon who is one of the 7 presidents of the 70. He just got called so this was his last speaking assignment as the Europe area president. He is an English convert and has spoke in conference a few times. He is such a genuine man and really connected with me. I loved how unorthodox he was in the way he spoke and even the things he taught us. They were real life things that really help. Something he said that I loved is, "Sometimes it's not useful to bathe in our own culture." Meaning mission and church culture. He laced all of his teaching with gratitude for our missionary service. He did such a good job at conveying his gratitude for the sacrifice that we have made as missionaries and for trials that we go through. He told us to not worry so much about ourselves and our abilities but just to work hard. I loved hearing him talk! A cool thing too is he invited Elder Aguiar and I up to the stand and we did a role play to him in front of all the missionaries and that was pretty fun! Haha the next day we had MLC with President Kearon as well. He gave us a lot of good training. It's weird to think that I will only have one more MLC. Time is almost gone... 

   As far as teaching goes we had a great week! A less-active we have been working with finally came to church for the first time in a long time. I think the key was I cooked him dinner! Sunday we messed up with our coordination and we accidentally planned 3 dinner appointments after church. One at 2:00 the next at 3:30 and the last at 6:00. Two of them were the same meal too haha. I was so painfully full of food. But an amazing miracle happened at the last DA. It was with the part-member family we are teaching Jenny the mum and Alex the son who is 15. Alex lives with his dad on Sundays so he hasn't been able to come to church because his dad is against it but we have been praying loads that his dad's heart will be softened so that when Alex asks if he can be baptized he will say yes. Well at dinner Alex told us that his dad gave him permission to be baptiszd!!!!!!!!!!!! How crazy is that. This brought so much joy to us and showed us that prayers really are answered! We are meeting with them this week to set a date.

   Me and Elder Aguiar are doing so good and having loads of fun. Yesterday we ran another zone training/interview day at President Gubler's home. We trained them on some of the things President Kearon taught like not worrying about yourself and working hard then in unity working with members. I made lunch as always and I'm getting better and better at making food for 30 people. I hope that skill comes in handy one day. Maybe when I'm a grandpa and I have all the family over haha 

   Something I am always so grateful for on my mission is the opportunity I have to study the scriptures for such a long time with no other obligations getting in the way. And then having the rest of the day to apply what I have learned. This pattern of learning about Christ from the scriptures then applying that into how we act is such a powerful pattern that has filled my life with the love of Christ and helped bring a change into me heart. I love this gospel.

May 31st, 2017

Once again, as always, it's such a blessing to be a missionary. I love it!! Lots of ups and downs and lots of things to learn and lots of miracles, and it's just such a cool experience.

This week, we have seen so many tender mercies and progressive steps with the people we are working with. Members, non members, former members, all of the above. It's such a cool experience to see how the gospel can just bless everybody.

There is this really young part-member couple we love to meet with who made us this "american night" meal and it was so good. We had curly fries and burgers and then rocky road cheesecake, and they had gone to the store and bought some American candy like Hershey's and lucky charms for us to take away.

One of my favourite days this week is a chance we had to go out teaching with our favourite member, and we brought along our 15 year old friend who isn't a member, although some of his family is. And we went and taught a few lessons, and he absolutely killed it! He did so good! He bore such a strong testimony of Joseph Smith and his experience, and how the spirit had played a role in his life personally. It honestly just warms your heart seeing that in the people you're working with. Plus he rolled up in a shirt and tie!

The best lesson we had this week was with a part member family who we teach regularly and who are progressing so well. I feel God has for them so strongly when we teach them. My favourite member went teaching with us too and something I love about him is he is so funny and slightly inappropriate but so spiritual. Before the lesson he is talking about farts and we are all laughing super hard then 2 minutes later he is testifying of the power of the Holy Ghost and how it plays a major part in our lives. I have learned a ton from him about the importance of being true to yourself. It may not be doctrine but I think the spirit will flow more naturally when you are being completely yourself. This is something that I love by and because of it I have been able to develop so many strong relationships with the people I have met on my mission.

May 24th, 2017

   Mission life is going really well. Just got a call from an Elder crying because him and his companion are really struggling and that is always hard to deal with. Comp issues are so difficult to deal with as a zone leader because there is never a magic solution to people's problems. The only way a companionship can love each other and get along is through hard work and effort put into the relationship. So I've found it most effective to just listen to missionaries who are struggling tell them I love them and they need to keep trying and then tell them I'll call them again to see how they are doing. This seems to help people a lot and listen to other people's problems has taught me a lot about myself and why I have had certain struggles with companions. I find it almost always comes down to pride. Pride of not wanting to be wrong or not wanting to change usually. It's funny too how it's so easy to see pride in other people's companionships but much harder to see it in yourself. Thats the tough thing about pride. That's also another reason I love Elder Aguiar is because he is such a humble person and so whenever there is a problem between us i am able to see my pride so much easier because I know he doesn't have any haha

   The work is still going pretty slow. Susannah is so hard to teach. The doctrine just doesn't go in her mind or heart and she really struggles to feel things. I'm not sure if she ever feels guilt or remorse or even fear... it's crazy. This weekend she went to a big London hospital to get her heart checked because she has been having troubles and she got diagnosed with this heart beat disorder that is nicknamed sudden death syndrome. She seemed completely unfazed by this news that she could randomly die at any moment. Maybe she is just optimistic or maybe she feels nothing... IDK and it's so hard because she is so open and so willing to keep all commitments. We taught her the Word of Wisdom and she didn't even bat an eye. She is very logical and everything for her needs to make sense not in a stubborn or prideful way but just because that's how things click for her so we have tried teaching more doctrinally and less feely. It's weird though. Any suggestions?

That's my life. I'm in a very good place with the missionary work and I'm loving it.

Here is some of beautiful England

Almost got into a car crash but that's pretty standard on some of these roads haha

May 17th, 2017

   This week was scary... so Elder Aguiar has had some health issues that he has had for over two months but he never told anyone. Finally he told me and I told him he needs to tell the mission president. He said no because he didn't think it was a big deal so I called the mission president myself and told him. President Gubler told us to schedule a doctors appointment and that appointment happened on Thursday. We get into the GP and the doctor checks Elder Aguiar out behind the curtain. I could hear everything and the doctor says pretty quickly and definitely that he has a hernia. He said it seems stuck as well Aguiar will have to go immediately to the surgeons to get the bit of bowel that is sticking out to get pushed back in or he may need immediate surgery. That was so freaky. he gave us a letter and told us to go to A&E. we rushed to A&E both scared because surgery means he will have to go home off his mission. When we parked the car Elder Aguiar asked for a blessing so we both got into the back seat and I gave him a blessing. It was SO powerful and we could both feel God's love for us so strongly and we were filled with peace. We got into A&E and they said they can't take us to the surgeons immediately because he has to see a doctor there first. It was a good thing we did because this doctor said it wasn't a hernia but it maybe something worse or something much less worse. He wasn't sure which it was, whether it was the result of something cancerous or if it was something called a hydra-seal. It wasn't very helpful to use the word cancer so Aguiar was even more scared at this point. Well after about 4 hours of being in the hospital the doctor sent us home with an ultrasound appointment for early the next morning. Elder Aguiar didn't sleep very well knowing that his chances of going home were very very high but he still had the peace from the blessing known everything would be ok. We get into the ultra sound the next morning and they confirm that there is no cancer but in fact it is a hydra-seal. The doctor then set a follow up appointment with a specialist that probably won't happen for about 3 months because the NHS is slow but the end result is Elder Aguiar doesn't need surgery and is staying in his mission. Well at least until he sees he specialist because he still may need surgery. But all is well now. That was a scary experience and I am so sick of being in hospitals for my companions haha

   This week, we had the fanciest Dinner Appointment with a member that I think I've ever had in my life... our friend Paul spent two days on this meal for us. First thing you've got to know, his house is literally a museum. My guess is that ever 6 inches of his house averages 2 antique items of some kind. Like vases, dishes, fancy canes and old school jewelry boxes. And it's spotless. It's unreal! So, just the table set up was crazy. (Plus he's British and those accents just make you feel like you need to eat properly). After he taught us how to use our six different utensils, he gave us this super fancy smoked salmon appetizer. For the main course we had stuffed lamb hearts with delightful parsnips and red cabbage and all this stuff. SO GOOD. and then for dessert, Eaton-Mess, the best thing England has created. The best part though, was the whole time we got him to tell us stories about him and the Queen!! Aha he literally had tea with her and the Duke of Edinborough - just the three of them! And he goes to her private birthday party every year. It doesn't get more British than that. So that was fun!

   On a more spiritual note, missionary work is fantastic. It's such a learning process, no matter what point of your mission you're at. This week, that young Hindi family decided to stop investigating. Also, my favourite people ever, who we were getting really tight with and who were progressing so well, just got a little busy and seem to put their search on the back burner. We hope to see them this week though! Pray for them :) the rest of our friends are doing awesome! It's so great to get to share the gospel.

   One of the lessons I've most learned is that we just need to live in the moment. There's a season for everything! Sometimes I get caught up in thinking about the future, life after a mission, or sometimes just overthinking appointments we have later on in the week. But I've started to learn that we have the best experience and have the most fun doing it as we just buckle down and be wherever we are in the moment. It's the whole "Take it one day at a time and just make it the best day of your life" kinda attitude. Yesterday, we had a lot of time to go and knock some doors, which was great, and Elder Aguiar and I made it the most fun thing! We were both super happy and just having a good time, and it felt like people were a lot more willing to talk to us to! When we live in the moment instead of breezing through the motions looking for tomorrow or next month, that's where we start to find joy in the journey.