Family!
This week has
been great! Full of more and more things to learn and grow from. Six months down,
I have grown, changed, and learned so much. I am still the same Cole as I
was when I left, but I have a new light to me and I am trying to just
improve myself everyday. I am really focusing on the life of the Savior, Jesus
Christ, how he lived, how he loved, and how he reached out to everyone. In
a talk that I read in the MTC called, "The Charatcer of Christ," it talks about
how Christ always turned outward in love and compassion to others in need and
never turned inward and was selfish. I have truly come to know that some of the
happiest times I have had on my mission have come from giving love and service
to everyone I come in contact with. I have a goal in my planner everyday to
serve at least 2 different people. I have a 1. and a 2. written on the page and
at the end of the day I am accountable to myself and write my acts of service
in for the day. As I do this, I am blessed. I am blessed to serve these Korean
people everyday.
Transfer calls came!
I am staying in my same area! I'm pumped. I am getting a new companion. My time
with my Korean comp is over. I am grateful for all I learned. I really learned
so much. It's really interesting how the Lord really gives us what we need and He
knows exactly when we need it. I have gained a testimony of that this week.
This week we have
visited a lot of members and have spent a lot of time on the street. In each of
the member visits I could feel the gift of tongues being given to me by the
Lord. I was just opening my mouth and things were just coming out. It was such
an amazing experience. Also, I gave a lesson at English class on Friday night
to a big group of people, and I talked about prayer and how if we exercise faith
in Jesus Christ we can receive answers to our prayers. I spent a lot of time
preparing for that lesson, and while I was giving it, the Spirit was testifying
so strong to the things I was saying. I felt the love of Christ and the gift of
tongues being given to me. It was a cool experience.
These past few weeks I
have continued studying about the prophet Joseph Smith. I know that he restored
this Gospel. I have lived it my whole life and the happiness of which I have
obtained from it is so unexplainable. I am so thankful that through the Gospel
of Jesus Christ I can be made clean from sin, experience happiness and live
with my family for eternity. There is no other church on the earth or gospel which allows families to be together forever.
As I have studied
about the experience of which Joseph had, I have strengthened my testimony on
the power of prayer. First, in Joseph
Smith's account of the First Vision, he tells us that had a question that he
was inquiring of the Lord. Second, he tells us he knelt down in a silent
place, then he exerted all his power upon the heavens and prayed VOCALLY from
the desires of his heart.
There really isn't any other method by which we can obtain answers to our prayers than this. Some of my most spiritual moments on my mission have been on my knees in a vocal prayer to God. When we need answers, we can kneel in prayer. "Spiritual questions deserve spiritual answers," one of my favorite quotes by Elder Neil L. Anderson. I am so grateful for my Savior. I'm growing and trying to improve myself like the Savior. This Gospel is Happiness. It has been hard for me to gain a knowledge of everything, but I am grateful for a lifetime to learn. I am also grateful to know that God knows and loves me.
Hope all is well. I
love, miss, and pray for everyone daily. The work is moving forward. Still
working hard trying to find investigators. Miracle.... Three of my old
investigators came to church this week. My very first person I found here in Korea, Dennis (his English name) came to church. Elder Skinner contacted him
and he finally decided to come. I am grateful for the small tender mercies in
which the Lord provides me with everyday. Keeping investigators and
consistently meeting with them can be hard at times, but I am keeping a good attitude
and pushing forward.
Love you all!
Elder Johnson