June 15th, 2020

Hey everybody!

It has been an exciting and busy week for us. I'm still adjusting to things and it's so weird not to know everyone in the ward. That's one of the things I miss about church. But it's a good area and I have a good feeling about things. There were some ok cool moments from this last week.

A girl named Sidney got baptized this week! It was interesting because she wanted more than 10 people there and that could only happen if we did it outside. So, we arranged to do the service in a member's backyard and use their pool. She is so amazing and was glowing. There were some beautiful messages shared and the spirit was really strong. She got baptized by the bishop's son, who she is really close friends with, which was pretty cool.

We had an interesting experience with someone while we were teaching Sidney's final lesson before her baptism. We did it outside in a pavillion and a woman was there at the park bench. We ended up talking to her a bit and talking about God's plan, faith, and we gave her the Book of Mormon. We asked her to text us if she was interested in talking more and to let us know how she is doing. It was kind of weird and we were only able to say so much to her, but her heart has definitely been softened a little bit and has been brought a little closer to Christ.

We're teaching a man named Jerry and he is amazing! He's an older man and has been taught by the missionaries for awhile. Sister Dorton was able to get him on date and we're working on getting him ready. He keeps on trying and has a desire to come closer to God. We are so proud of the progress he is making and love helping him feel God's love for him.

Over the weekend, we were able to be a part of service activity with the food pantry H2O. We were able to give boxes of food out to people in need and we it was so great to interact with the people there. We were there for so long though! But it was worth it, because they were so grateful to have us there and were happy to have us help.

My new favorite service is going to horses for healing. It's a horse therapy place where we go and help the groundskeeper with a bunch of stuff. It's a lot of work, but I really like it. I feel like I'm accomplishing things and I love being around horses!

I've been pondering a lot about humility this week. Honestly, it's an interesting concept that many people have a hard time with. I think to often we confuse self-deprecation with humility. Being humble does not mean we put ourselves down and minimize our efforts. Humility is loving ourselves and valuing what God has given us. The key to it is not comparing it to anyone else's. As soon as we look at ourselves compared to others, better or worse, we let pride slip in and we are valuing ourselves in terms of the world rather than God. When we take time to appreciate what we have, who we are, and what we are trying to become, we can find more love and peace in ourselves. It's not easy and we will slip up sometimes, but thankfully, we have the Atonement to make amends and continue forward.

Love,

Sister Savannah Johanson