Monday, August 25, 2014

WALK and WALK and WALK

The whole 6 months to sexy thing obviously didn’t work and so now it is onto the 6 weeks to sexy and the Lord is providing a way for us to get skinny... WALKING! Having a car has its definite perks but staying in shape by walking everywhere is definitely not one of them. We have been waking up at 6 every morning the past two weeks and running and doing other work outs and also praying to lose weight (missions are not the place to get skinny) and so this week when we had to save A TON of miles to get to some of ours amis we decided we would spend the whole day without a car and in Toul. This means.... WALKING! And walking we did! It is a good thing that just last week I threw out all of my flats that I walked holes through and put on my sturdier ones. Wednesday we walked for 7 hours!! We only took a break for lunch and dinner and those two hours were HEAVEN!! On our day of walking we were able to see some cool things like the first tree house in France I have ever seen! 




I am trying to think of everything that happened this week and all I can really think of is that we prayed a lot to have someone to teach and then we did literally EVERYTHING that we could. And I mean everything! We walked around the same streets hour after hour and day after day and really dug deep for that motivation but I think that God had mercy on us and by Friday things were good again! We just have to keep going sometimes when going is not what we want to do! 

Slauco’s parents are still skyping the elders in Romania and it is tooooo cool! They will be going back to Spain soon and so I decided to try to teach them in Spanish using the planner that my sister gave me... they had a hard time understanding but oh well! 

Teaching Spanish people in Spanish.
Soeur Nielson and I realized that we are horrrrrible of taking photos and so while waiting for Slauco Sunday night for our lesson we decided to have a selfie photo shoot.... we are not the prettiest missionaries but definitely some of the happiest! We had waaay too much fun taking really ugly pictures and then have his parents look at us like we are weird Americans. 









This week was a good one and I am happy! We are working hard and seeing miracles and learning patience! 

I love and miss you all!! My birthday is September 12 just so you all know! 

Love 

Soeur Emily Johns

Tahitian Chinese Food

Saying bye to Moon


Toul Cathedrale




Matching the trash can


Monday, August 18, 2014

SKYPE!

I don’t know if my life is getting more boring as a missionary or if I am just getting more used to all of these incredible things happening. As I look back at the week that we had I can’t think of TOOOO many exciting things to write about. Even though my weekly emails are getting more and more boring, just know that my journals are filling up and that I am on my 5th and will have 6 before I go home. You can ALL read those after I get home and edit them. ;)

Well this week we played a lot with the Benoit kids and I remember when French kids scared the crap out of me! I couldn’t understand ANYTHING that they said and they couldn’t understand ANYTHING that I said but now those kids are my favorite people to hang out with. It doesn’t hurt that they play with my hair! Mine and all of their birthdays are in September and so we are planning a secret birthday party for us! The girls are both 8 and older and aren’t baptized but teach the best FHE lessons ever!! We made them zucchini cake this week but we didn’t tell them what was inside... PRICELESS! Now they will want to eat zucchini all day every day! 




There is an inactive family that lives about an hour away called the Zavadas. The parents and 3 oldest kids are all baptized but the youngest is 18 and hasn’t been baptized. We don’t know the last time they have been to church or had contact with the church so we loaded the car with snacks and blankets and good old David Osmond and were off! They had no idea we were coming but the kids were all home and we just hung out and became friends!! The youngest girl is SUPER shy but somehow my not being shy and her being shy worked and we hit it off! The parents weren’t home but were at a family friends for dinner.... The family Back who we just happened to also be eating dinner with! So in one day we met an entire family and it was soo fun! Sunday when we went to church and the dad and youngest child were both there MIRACLE!! And she is an artist and drew us pictures. White tigers are STILL my favorite just so you know! 


We had our last district meeting of my 11th transfer! I will be staying in Toul and so will Soeur Nielson so it is official that I will be ending my mission here with her!! I am really happy because we are seeing really cool things and I am honored to be a part of it! 





Slauco is an all-star missionary and always brings random Romanians with him to church. Most of the time they don’t speak ANY French but sit with a smile anyway! Well his mom turns out to be interested but we speak ZERO Romanian and Slauco doesn’t know enough to teach her... So once again we arranged to do skype with elders in Romania! I am still the only missionary to have done this and now I have done it 2 times! I don’t know if other missionaries just stick to French people that they can teach or if they just don’t know it is possible but it is sooo cool!! It really is SOO important to learn the gospel in your own language to be able to understand and THANK GOODNESS for skype!! 



Things are really good here and I am happy to spend my last 6 weeks on my mission here with these people! I have such a love for everyone here! I am the happiest of my life and I know it is because of this mission that I am able to serve!! Thank you all AGAIN for all of your love and support!! My birthday is in less than 4 weeks and I get home in 6! 

I love you all!!

Soeur Emily Johns



Monday, August 11, 2014

More pictures from "Going HOME"

Surviving Trains!

With Soeur Wade

Emily with Ursua and Mataele

Vampire Diaries Club without Wade


Macaroons in Rennes


Car Ride


In the back seat


At the Dagry's



Emily and 'Clement'

Clement's door

With Sophie






Train Food (Their Life)




McDonald's drive threw

Getting stuck in the rain

Slauco in the rain





With the Back's and their family

Toul


Warheads






First Kinder Egg in France