Sister Johnson: 6/16/25
Hello🎶Hello🎶Hello🎶
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> Had car troubles 🥲🚙 BUT MIRACLES!!
Car was being dumb. It would take a while to start every time after filling up the tank. Which scared me pretty good a few times let me tell you😂 After a while the check engine light came on too, and so eventually we decided to take it in. Spent the buku bucks. AND GUESS WHAT?? Whatever they did, did not fix the problem. Check engine light was still on. Would still be sad after putting gas in🤦 And then soon enough she just died on me. THANKFULLY it was in my driveway and not somewhere else. Strangely, instead of feeling very stressed about it, I just felt peace. Like I knew everything was going to be ok. I didn't know what we were going to do. But do you ever have one of those moments? Where you are on the verge of getting upset about something, but the spirit just takes you a step back and says "Hey, I know this kinda sucks. But right now you can make a choice. You can choose to be stressed and upset. Or you can choose to look at the bigger picture and realize that these things really aren't that important in the grand scheme of things. You can decide to have faith and trust that things will work out, even if they aren't convenient." I decided to choose the latter, and when I did I was gifted that feeling of peace. Later that day I was in a meeting with my SMA's and told them about all of this and asked them to pray for the situation. They told me about an Elder in the Mapleton Zone who is a car mechanic! That is his service mission is to work on cars! So they gave me his number and I texted him. He came out and looked at it and figured out what the problem was. We were able to jump start the car and get it to a shop to get it fixed (All it needed was a new battery cuz the one it had was apparently reaalllly old.) Viola. I know God is in the details. And when you have faith, you can be blessed with peace in stressful circumstances. And really! the things of this world will pass, car troubles, earthly possessions, all of it. Look above, think celestial! And you can find that otherworldly peace.
> Fasting from sugar and my body is rebelling🥲😭
Our mission is doing a 40-day-fast that all of us have been encouraged to take part in. I decided to fast from sugar. I thought "Oh! this will be good for me! I've been meaning to do this anyways!" little did I know I would be sacrificing a lot more than I originally thought. ... So apparently sugar withdrawals are a thing?!?!? Who knew?Not me. Maybe a week ago I found I was feeling SUPER TIRED. All the time. One day it was so bad that I took naps three separate times and felt groggy all in between. Not to mention the nausea and cotton brain. I'll be honest, I was kinda freaked out. I'M TWENTY YEARS OLD! WHY AM I FEELING SO TIRED RIGHT NOW. I was so scared that something was seriously wrong with me. That little voice in the back of my head said "maybe it has to do with the sugar fast?" But I brushed that aside thinking it was pretty stupid. I kept praying and asking Heavenly Father why this was happening to me, what was wrong with me? Eventually after telling my mom about all of this and mentioning maybe it was the sugar, she looked it up! and lo and behold!
So yeah. Two things I learned from this experience:
1. Trust your instincts. That thought you keep having? There's a good chance it's the spirit trying to tell you something. We have been blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost as our constant companion. So if we are living a good life and trying our best to keep the commandments, we can be confident that the spirit is guiding us. Even if we don't always recognize it.
2. God loves me🥲 and He understands the difficulties we experience. He knows how much we can give and doesn't expect more from us than we are physically/emotionally/spiritually able to give. Do what you can, and trust that God loves you and accepts your offering. However little it may seem to you.
> VIRTUE?💪🤍
What is virtue? Really?? I've been asking this recently as I have studied President Nelson's recent talk. He makes some pretty cool promises if we can have more charity and virtue in our lives. Virtue has always been kinda vague in my mind and so this was the kicker to finally put some thought into it. From His talk I quote:
"Now, let us speak of virtue. The Lord tells us to garnish our thoughts unceasingly with virtue. Imagine the boost you will receive to any positive thought when you enhance it with virtue. Virtue makes everything better and happier! On the other hand, imagine what will happen when you add virtue to an impure thought, a cruel thought, or a depressing thought. Virtue will drive away those thoughts. Virtue will free you from anxious, troublesome thoughts."
So pretty cool promises right? But here's my question for you. What is a virtuous thought?? I can tell what isn't a virtuous thought, anything unclean or evil I guess. But if virtue is just the absence of unclean or unrighteous things how do you "add" a virtuous thought??? It makes me believe that virtue has more substance than just abstinence from wicked things. That it is something positive rather than negative. It's an active trait rather than a reactive trait. Does that make any sense at all?? I've studied this recently and found some ideas. But I'm curious what you all think about this. So please! Feel free to email me back and let me know your thoughts on what virtue is. What is a virtuous thought? I want to know what you all think! You can also take this as an invitation to study virtue:)
> I love the Book of mormon:) It's true
> Been doing lots of crafting lately :) And drawing and writing. I'm getting so close to being done with my quilt!!! tis exciting:)
> Tomorrow is my one year anniversary🫢 thats nutso. It was last fathers day that I was set apart. Last night I sat on our roof with my dad and siblings and watched the springville city firework show.🎇🎆 I remember doing the exact same thing a year ago and thinking it might be one of the last few days with my family in a year and a half. I felt so blessed. And I felt that way again last night. It made me feel pretty nostalgic and reflective. I couldn't help but wonder how a year ago Josie would feel about where I am now. I definitely did not expect my mission to turn out this way. I didn't know how hard it would be sometimes. But I had faith in whatever would happen. I had faith that Christ could get me through it all, that he would give me the power to walk on the water. Sometimes I find myself thinking and feeling like I failed at that. But despite everything, despite all my imperfections, I can at least say that I haven't given up. I am still a missionary for my Savior Jesus Christ and I try my best to serve Him every day. I'm giving him all my loaves and fishes. My widow's mite. My all. I still don't know exactly why I'm here now instead of in Washington. But I have faith:) And that was what got me here in the first place. So even if she was a little naive, I say thank you to a year ago Josie. Without her faith and her love for Christ, I wouldn't be the Sister Johnson I am right now. And I know that my testimony has grown so much this year. I have a stronger testimony of the restoration of the gospel. Of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that he saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as a fourteen year old boy. I know that they knew his name and loved him and that they answered his earnest prayer. I know that we can follow his example and receive answers to our own questions. I know that he translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God and that it is true. The spirit has witnessed to me of it's truthfulness, its goodness, and the light that it brings to me when I read its words and stories. I know more of Christ's pure love for me and for all of his children. And I have been blessed to feel a part of his love for others. I know about the infinite power of Jesus Christ's Atonement and have experienced it. I know that making and keeping covenants is the way God has planned for us to come back to Him, and that we can do it! My testimony has grown in these ways and in so many other small ways too. Thank you all for your support and love throughout this year!<3 Six months left! Let's do this!!!
- Sister Josie Johnson ☀️🥜🏨🪽🐚🌺🎻🥸💌🖤🐬❣️
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