August 9th Birthday Party for Juan!

Hey family!

 Just wanted ya'll to know that I miss you and love you! LIie down here in the bayou is great - we have been teaching and serving a lot! I've also been getting to know the people in the Spanish congregation better since we work with both English and Spanish now. On Tuesday night, we had a small birthday party for this man Juan who is pretty much the most amazing guy ever, but his family is down in Mexico and we didn't want him to be all alone on his birthday. So we played a few games and had birthday cake and ice cream and it was awesome. This man has a rock solid testimony of Jesus Christ and he has really helped me to be strong, so it was nice to do something for him in return. Attached is a picture of all of the Spanish missionaries with Juan. So much fun!

I love you all tons! Hope life is great!

-Sister Chausow

Also, here's a picture of Mission Leader Council, it's the meeting where all the zone leaders and all the sister training leaders get together with President and Sister Wall and the Assistants and talk about what's working well in the mission, what's not, and what President wants us to focus on during Zone Training Meetings and during our studies and exchanges. It's an amazing meeting, I just love President and Sister wall!

And I love you more! Hugs!!!

                                                                                 

Burrito anyone????

A picture of Elder Bennett, an elder in my district, eating an

"illegal burrito." He put it away in like 5 minutes. The expression on

the guy's face sitting behind him says it all bahahaha.

Hey family! 

It's been a crazy week! We did lots of service (paint removal and repainting the guard rails at one of the parks in Baton Rouge. Super fun and super sweaty!) Here's some highlights that I included in my letter to my mission president:

In Matthew 13:31-32, I found a parable that I had heard half of over and over and over, but some how, the end always gets lost and I've never heard it before. And it is seriously the coolest thing ever. I'm so glad I found it when I did because I was able to share it with Hermana Nielson and I think it helped her a little bit. The verses read:

"Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof."

I feel like this totally applies to me as a missionary and to all of us as children of God. We are given experiences, we study, we learn and grow, and even if we start with a lot of weaknesses and faults, as we nurture and take care of our spirits and bodies, we can help others find rest, just like the tree provided a safe haven for the birds. I just loved finding my purpose embedded in scripture in a different way, and maybe it's a stretch, but my new vision for myself is to grow and nurture my body and spirit so that I can better help others find peace and rest through my service and through the principles that I have to share. 

Miracle this week was teaching "M" and her brother and her husband. They are super prepared, the Lord/her sister sent them to us via media referral, and we taught her the restoration on Saturday and her whole family came to church on Sunday! It is the first time I have ever had an investigator at church, let alone three investigators (M, her husband, and her brother). R and M's kids loved primary and after we teach the adults the rest of the restoration, we are going to teach the kids about the restoration using the cup tower method, which will be awesome. Our ward is getting really excited about this family, and want to do whatever it takes to help them out, which is super cool. I guess once we found some people on our own, just like in Preach My Gospel the ward is getting fired up and will hopefully be more supportive of missionary work going forward.

We are really trying to teach shorter lessons but it's not something that either of us have mastered yet. There is so much content in each lesson that it is hard to not over whelm people by teaching a ton in one lesson. At the same time, it's hard to not make it so people feel like we leave them hanging and not give them enough information for it to make sense. It's a balancing act, and we will figure it out :)

I am still studying the pamphlets. They are really helped me with teaching in Spanish because they are so simple and easy for me to understand and easy for me to use as a model for my own teaching. Plus, we are going to use the pictures in the pamphlets a lot with M because she is a very visual person. Thank heaven for pamphlets!!!

We work to include the Book of Mormon in every lesson that we teach. Sister S is a really good example of this. We went on exchanges this week and one of my favorite things that I learned from her was to study for the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes every day but as you read, look for things that will help those you teach that day. I know that's kind of a duh thing, but I think I lost track of it as I got caught up in all the Spanish stuff. Sister S is a great missionary and she has progressed a lot since I last went on exchanges with her. 

We haven't been able to follow up with a ton of people with regards to whether they are reading the Book of Mormon, but we have plans to do so, and I am excited to invite M and her family to start reading when we see them on Wednesday.

Hey Mom and Dad!

Hello to my two favorite people in the world!

So good to hear from both of y'all! Thanks so SO much for the awesome package with pictures and the cute clothes and the candy for Sister Marks. She loved it! And so did I! I'm so thankful that I have such a supportive family :) I'm doing well with Sister Marks, and it's really fun/challenging to teach in Spanish. I was wondering if you could send me a Spanish mini Preach My Gospel ("Predicad mi evangelio") and a Spanish dictionary por favor? It would really help me a lot. I am trying to study the lessons in Spanish and really practice and put myself out there in order to teach more effectively and with the Spirit in Spanish. It's tricky, but it's going to be worth it. Now I wish I would've paid more attention in all those Spanish classes I've taken haha.

This week was awesome. We taught 20 lessons for the first time on my whole mission! Wahoo! And it didn't even feel like that many, but we had two days when we taught 5 people on each day, and the rest of the week just carried on as usual. It was so cool. Also, I got to go on exchanges with Sister Tuft which is always super cool. She is seriously the best. I hope I get to serve with her eventually!

Please pray for "A", she is this new investigator we have. She has a lot of problems in her life, and we asked if we could teach her how to find comfort. Also, please pray for Brother T, that his heart can be softened and we can teach him about how to use the Atonement to help him quit smoking. He has tried to quit so many times, and now he is 66 years old and doesn't think he can ever quit for good. But I know he can, because I've come to know, see, and feel the power of the infinite atonement. And I want so badly help him access this power if he has even a twig of faith, like Elder Eyring said. And lastly, please pray for "H" - it turns out that she has read some of the Book of Mormon on her own since we last saw her, more than we asked her to, and she feels good while she reads it! Which is a big sign for her - she loves the Bible and feels good as she reads it, so the fact that she feel the same as she reads the Book of Mormon is a big deal. But she said she felt a little guilty studying the BoM instead of the Bible, but we told her to study them both, that you can never have too much of the word of God. :) And lastly, please pray that "C" will continue reading the Book of Mormon and progress in her desire to be baptized. She goes to the Spanish branch and she is the greatest. She has gone from not wanting to even touch the Book of Mormon to reading it and testing us when she has questions. Seriously, so cool. And please pray that she can get her papers worked out so that she can get a job and stay in the US. She is allowed to be here but there is some complication with actually getting a green card.

Anyways, I just love you both so much. A scripture that has been my motto this week is Joshua 3:5 - "Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." I love this because I am on this quest to really sanctify and purify myself - my Christ-like attribute for the month is virtue. And I know that if I want the Spirit as my constant companion, to see miracles, and to really help myself and the work in this area to move forward, I must leave behind the little things that "poke" at my Spirit. I am so excited for the rest of this transfer and for the transfer to come - I 'm excited to grow, to learn about the gospel, to learn Spanish, and to help both the Spanish and the English speaking people in the area to come unto Christ, enter into the gate, and make and keep sacred covenants with Heavenly Father. This work is amazing, and I'm so thankful that I get to be a part of it!

Love, Johanna

August 12th Happy Day!

Hey family!

 Love you and miss you all as usual! Glad to hear that things are going well in the various parts of the country. I love getting your emails and letters. Thanks for keeping me going!

So I didn't get transferred but I did kind of. I am now part of a "zebra companionship" - my companion is Hermana Marks and together we are going to split our time between the BR 2nd ward (where I've been serving for the last three months) and the BR 5th branch (the Spanish branch where Hermana Marks has been serving for 8-ish months). We are still the Sister Training Leaders, so we get to work in that assignment still as well, and pretty much we've been running running running trying to figure out how we are going to manage our new responsibilities. President Wall does this great thing where he gives someone an assignment and lets them figure it out themselves. The most direction he gave us is "Consult with your zone and district leaders." And of course when we did their eyes kind of glazed over haha. The good news is that Sister Marks is super fun and funny - she keeps my laughing which I definitely need to keep me sane. She is also super loving towards the people and really really hard working and I'm excited to pick up the pace. And we share clothes so that's just an added bonus. :) She has been out for a little over a year (goes home in December) and we are working on our Spanish together. President made this random comment to me when I saw him the day after transfer meeting - "How's it going with Sister Marks? Hopefully it's getting you ready to train a Spanish sister." And then he walked away. And I about had a heart attack and had to have Sister Marks call an ambulence. But then I decided that I will just focus on the now and we will worry about training and speaking Spanish full time when that day comes. For now, just keep going one day at a time!

So yeah, that's my update on the companion situation. We got three new missionaries in our district, including a new district and I absolutely love our district. Instead of district meeting we've begun calling it family meeting and I just have so much fun when I'm with them, and it's like the good clean, uplifting fun that makes you want to be a better person. I just love it. The only problem is that Elder King, who just got transferred to Plaquemine, is a Sharks fan, and I still have beef with the Sharks for stealing Anti Niemmi, but I'm also working on the Christ-like attribute of forgiveness so hopefully I can work through it :) LOL!

Please continue praying for Sarah. She AND her husband (woo hoo!) were going to come volunteer at Bishop's Storehouse with us, but because we received some bad information, things got mixed up and we were unable to get them a ride. Hopefully we didn't totally lose their trust. We are going to try to see them tomorrow and I really really really hope that we can actually teach them about the Restoration. Up to this point, we've talked about God in general, and we've been answering her questions about Mormons. But I really want her to be able to take the steps to the temple so her and her amazing husband and her super cute kids can be sealed int he temple. They are already amazing and I want so badly for them to have more! And hopefully they can come to church soon so they can feel the Spirit and feel of the love that is there.

K, love you all tons! Thanks for being such a great example to me!

-Love, Sister Chausow

Talohhhhfa!

Hey family!

Talohfa is "hello" in Samoan, which I learned from my District Leader who is from American Samoa. And he is getting trasnferred! And my companion is going home! And so is another elder in my district! And I am staying in South BR for another transfer. I didn't get a phone call last night so that might mean that I am no longer a Sister Trainer Leader, but I think the Lord is going to leave me in this calling until I like it, so I guess I better change my attitude quick haha.

So yeah, it was a huge relief to find out that I'm staying. My companion is done with her mission, so if I'd have gotten transferred, that would've mean they would've "whitewashed" the area, and that requires a whoooooole lot of work to make sure the area is ready for two new people. But since I'm staying, I'm learning that keeping up with paper work and the administrative part of being a missionary every day is a TON easier than trying to catch up at the end of a transfer like I've been doing for the last week. Line upon line, right?

Highlights of the week include:

A missionary musical fireside on Sunday night that the Spanish Branch sisters put together. I played the piano for two ladies in our ward who sung a duet and I also played the piano for the missionary choir number/congregational closing song (Ye Elders of Israel!). I was super nervous, but it turned out ok, AND we had an investigator and her two friends show up to check out the "Mormon music night." HOORAY!!! And the fireside was pretty much just teaching the first lesson/discussion from preach my gospel through music, scripture, narration, and video clips. It was awesome, I know I felt the Spirit as we were watching a Bible clip about the Savior. I know that my Savior lives, I know that He loves me and He understands me perfectly as well as every single person I come in contact with. I think before the mission I knew OF Jesus Christ but at the fireside, I came to realize that I am coming to actually KNOW Jesus Christ as I am in His service and trying to do what He would do if He were here.

The other highlight of the week so far was the sacrament. I think as I've come to understand the sacrament better I've come to feel closer to Him too. I had no idea that our sins can literally be washed clean each week if we prepare for and partake of the sacrament worthily. There is so much power in that ordinance, and I will forever be thankful to an MTC teacher and President Wall for helping me truly understand the cleansing and healing power of the sacrament. Repentance is like bagging up the trash and putting it in the garbage can, and the sacrament is like when the garbage truck actually comes and takes all the trash away. Seriously, every Sunday is like the best day ever for me now because I love taking the sacrament. I love reading Alma 22:15 or D&C 45:3-5 because they help me feel the Spirit and understand what I'm doing or verbalize what I'm feeling as I eat the bread and drink the water.

I love this gospel and I'm so glad I'm here, serving my heart out, making lots of mistakes, having lots of awkward moments. Because really no mistake or awkaward moment is a bad thing if we repent, change, and move forward. I love being a missionary. It's the hardest thing, but it's also the most satisfying. Who knew that putting yourself second to service would actually make you happier than you ever were before? This gospel is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet, and there is Godly power in the pages of the Book of Mormon. I know it and I can't deny it.

I love you all and miss you tons!

-Sister Chausow

July 27 Miracles and Tender Mercies

Hey Daddy!

 I loved hearing that you are having a blast with John and that the Wyoming trip went awesome! So so great! This week I am just going to enclose a copy of my President's letter since I am really crunched for time. But I love you and miss you tons! Your letter this last week was truly inspired (with the advice to get up on time because I love God) and I'm so thankful that I have a father who holds and honors the Melchizedek priesthood!

Love,

-Johanna

 Dear Pres. Wall-

 I have come to learn through the scriptures and experience that serving others is an act of faith that allows the enabling power of the atonement to strengthen us beyond our normal capacities. The Savior said that it is when we lose ourselves in His work that we come to find ourselves. 

 I just want to say that although yesterday was a rough day of sorts, it was also amazing, because just like you said, I found Christ in the lows. Elder O'Donnell gave me an amazing blessing and so although yesterday wasn't super fun, I felt the spiritual hugs coming that we've talked about before.

I have been learning a lot from the Book of Mormon this week. Most notably, I've learned that scripture is easier to understand if you receive your own revelation. Nephi is only able to explain Isaiah super well to his brothers because he's already had his own vision confirming and expounding on what Isaiah wrote. I think that everyone would love and understand Isaiah the way Nephi did, if we could all see in vision what Nephi saw. And learning this strengthened my desire and need to receive personal revelation everyday. 

If you ask Sister Palmer, I get some weird promptings that are (hopefully) the Spirit, but we follow them in faith and later we have greater understanding. It's an interesting pattern that is used by the Master Teacher to help us walk by faith and not by sight. Nephi might've grown up reading Isaiah, but he probably didn't understand it or could explain it that well until he received personal revelation that clarified and was tailored to him and his needs. And I know that the same thing can happen for me - the stories I've read all my life can/have been illuminated as I've received revelation and studied for those whom I so dearly want to serve.

Companionship unity is great, I really do love Sister Palmer. Thank you a million times for putting us together! I've learned so much for her, and she's pushed me in the ways that I've needed. We complement each other really well, and I rejoice in the fact that I got to learn from her before she goes home. 

District unity will hopefully be strengthened today during our Plaquemine P-Day. We are all going down to Plaquemine to play frisbee in the field by the branch building, and hopefully show Plaquemine that we care about them and don't want to force them to come up to BR all the time. I'm excited and looking forward to today, even though it means that we don't get to take naps. :)

As far as miracles and tender mercies go, Kenny got baptized!!!! I've never felt so happy in my entire life. Having my first baptism (even though it wasn't really mine - I only taught him the first lesson and soft committed him to be baptized and then I got transferred, and really he was so prepared that any missionary could've helped him to get baptized) helped me realized that this work is not about numbers. It's about sacred promises with God. And that is so cool. 

Also, as we were walking out of the apartment to go to church, the sky was super dark and it looked like a thunderstorm was coming (I love the rain and thunderstorms!) and I said to Sister Palmer, "I hope it's going to rain!" and right then the first drops of a good little storm started falling and I laughed and cried because I knew that my Father in Heaven heard me, loved me, and cared enough about me to send me something that I love. And also, He knew what was going to happen that morning, and He prepared a rainstorm for me to help me feel happy. How nice is that? That the Master of the Universe would take the time to prepare and send a small storm for one of His obscure daughters just to help her feel better. It boggles my mind.

I've struggled with my teaching for the first time during my mission and it's been great to be humbled. We had a couple of lessons that we've walked out of where I've just been like, "What just happened? Why did we do what we did? We just confused them, not helped them" And it hurts because I'm truly coming to love the people we teach and I want only to help to progress. We've also struggled to teach shorter lessons, but we ALWAYS use the Book of Mormon, and sometimes we use the pamphlets. I love studying the pamphlets with a specific lens - it really helps me to get more out of them. For example, did you know how much you can learn about obedience and keeping the commandments from the Restoration Pamphlet? A ton! I'm excited to continue studying the pamphlets this way. 

K, I'm super excited for Zone Conference tomorrow! I love learning from you and your wife, I love learning from the assistants, but mostly I love learning from the Holy Ghost and that is who really teaches when you and Sister Wall and the assistants teach. Thank you for being worthy enough to teach by the Spirit and help me to know what God would have me do to be a better servant.

-Sister Chausow