When things go downhill, we should always look at it like an adventure! (:

This week has been full of travelling. I love travelling but this week was sooo hectic and not very relaxing. I'm so glad my companion is Korean and knows how to get around; which buses and subways to take! My district missed the bus one night after our zone conference and we kept going back and forth trying to figure out how to get back home. I was really stressed out because we weren't going to make it home in time. It was already 9:30pm and it takes two hours to get back home.. My companion just said, "It's all good! It's just another adventure!" And how right she is. When things go downhill, we should always look at it like an adventure!(:

This week we went to the mission home a lot and got to SLEEP IN BEDS! Oh how I have missed beds. It's not like I hate sleeping on yoh's (basically camping pads) but beds are so much more comfier. We then went on an awesome hike for zone training. The view was awesome! It was really cloudy but you could still see the skyscrapers and the busy city. It was so weird being in nature when the busy city was literally just down the mountain.

This week we also started to do FHE with the branch and it was such a success! We did an activity about families and we used the family proclamation. I testified about how much I loved my family and how I am thankful that families can be together forever. It was in English so the American family that's visiting could understand. But we had a couple of investigators come and even though they couldn't understand what I had said, they said they felt something they never have before. The spirit truly does testify to all!

Thank you for all the emails and letters full of love! I hope everyone has a great week(:

Love you!  Sister April Johnson

p.s. today is my THREE MONTH MARK. Just in case you were wondering.

Pics: on the hike on top of the mountain & one of the American girls that's my new best friend.

She wanted me to marry her son...

So this week has been great! We went farming again and the lady had us cut down HUGE trees. It was so dangerous and NOT okay. The elders almost died! She also had us crush these seed things that go on top of rice and I SWEAR there was mouse poop in it.. So I really pray that we never eat at her house.. I don't want to die. Haha!

This week we got to go to the Temple and I am so blessed to be able to go once a transfer!  It's a small Temple, but it's so beautiful! I got to see Sister Gooch, so temple day was even better!!!

One day we were waiting for the bus and I gave this lady my seat. She was so impressed by my little kindness that she wanted me to marry her son... but after getting to know her a little bit more, she wanted us to meet with her and her daughter to help their lives. So we got her phone number! That was the first number we got in Anseong.. Haha but that just shows you how important it is to always be considerate and serve others!

The missionaries are in charge of the young women and young men group here in our small branch so this week we got to go bowling! So much fun.

I really love Korea and the many opportunities I have here to do missionary work. I am so blessed to be sent to Anseong. I thought I was sent here to help Anseong, but honestly, I was sent here so Anseong could help me.

Have wonderful week and write me!

Sister April Johnson

Korea Seoul South Mission

24-1 Ogeum-dong

Songpa-gu

Seoul, Korea

138-855

We found out that our dad's served together!! Small world, right?!

So I know that my email last week was a bit of a downer. I think it was just a little hard for me to adjust to everything. BUT Korea is awesome and I LOVE it here! Anseong is the best and I love the area, people and my comp!

Cool thing, my companions parents and my parents both served in our same mission. We found out that our dad's served together!! Small world, right?!

This area is great. People have told me that they can tell i'm a Korean American. Don't ask me how, I have no idea how they can tell! But then the foreigners here think Sister Kim and I are from a completely different country. We've had people ask us if we were Nepalese, Vietnamese, and a bunch of other crazy things! It's probably because we're so tan from farming all day. Haha

I love it here. My district is great. One day there were a bunch of children playing in the church parking lot and an Elder said, "Oh my goodness! There are so many baptisms out there!" And you know what?? That's so true. We just have to work hard and get baptizing!(:

I'm so blessed to be in Anseong. I know there is a reason I am here! I am so happy and excited for the many miracles about to come.

Hope you all have a great week!

Sister April Johnson

I had a cow head soup & found a piece of meat with HAIR STILL ON IT.

Before I go off talking about Korea, I have to thank everyone for making my birthday so special! My companions and I celebrated my drinking age by drinking koolaid jammers! Being 21 for two days was awesome(:  haha our last days in the MTC were so sad, but I loved it! The Elders all gave us blessings and it was such a spiritual moment. I miss my MTC district!

We arrived in Korea safely and we spent the night at the mission home, got training and met our comps! Mine is awesome. She's Korean and knows perfect English. She has been out for 10 months! I'm the only one who got a Korean comp. Lucky me! When they were telling us who our comps were, Sister Kim said she wanted me because I had a special spirit about me! That's awesome because I love her so much!

We got sent to one of the hardest areas in the mission. An seong. We are opening the mission for sister missionaries. There haven't been sister missionaries here for 24 years!!! We don't have any investigators or anything so we are starting new. And let me tell you, it's SOOOO hard! My self-esteem is really to the ground right now... But I'm slowly learning to love the area. It's hard because it's country so there is no one to talk to! The Lord must really trust us to open this area. A brand new missionary?!? WHY? Haha it's really hard on me and I have never been so homesick! But every day I try my best and that's all the Lord needs. One day I'll understand why I was sent to this area.

My district here is great. I see them all the time. Our service is helping a less active with her farm. It's so fun! Pulling weeds and planting stuff(: I love it! Our ward is TINY. There are about 30 people? It was so small, but I can feel great work coming along with the members. We also teach four English classes a week. It's crazy but fun!

The other day we went out to eat as a district and Sister Kim told me to order this soup with meat in it. I thought it sounded good and she was getting it too. After I started eating it, an Elder told me it was cow head soup. I was a little freaked out, but I kept eating it... THEN I found a piece of meat with HAIR STILL ON IT. I couldn't eat it so I gave it to Sister Kim. She said that's the best part.... UHHH... no. I ate the rest of the soup, but never again will I get that soup.... Haha

Although this area is super hard, I know I was sent here for a reason. Korea is great! Everyone should send me mail, yeah??(:

Have a great week! You are ALL in my prayers.

Sister April Johnson

My AMAZING district and incredible teachers! And a picture of Sister Kim and I after farming.

Oh How blessed i was to be sick! I shook President Uchtdorf's hand!

Oh how great my stay has been at the MTC! We've had THREE apostles come and speak to us in the span of 8 days. Elder Andersen, President Uchtdorf, and Elder Oaks! These past few days have been the BEST. I'm sorry this email is going to be long. There are too many awesome things that happened this week!

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf came Easter morning and his talk was incredible. He spoke about fearing no man. That we should put our worries and fears in His hands. He will strengthen you. He will take care of you. As missionaries, we are the extended arms of the apostles of the world today. We shouldn't let fear get in the way of testifying of Christ.

After Uchtdorf was done speaking, he went around the room shaking a few people's hands. Luckily I was sitting at the end of the aisle and totally got to shake his hand! Basically it was the best day of my life. I may of may not have teared up a little.. But in my defense, EVERYONE was crying! The way he walked around the room shaking people's hands was so Christlike and such a spiritual moment. Everyone in the room was dead silent as he went around. I almost didn't even get to shake his hand. I was going to sing in the choir, but I didn't because I had terrible allergies so I went and sat with my district on the floor of the gym. Oh how blessed I was to be sick! Haha then Elder Dallin H. Oaks came and spoke to us and really gave us a lot to soak in. He talked about three challenges. "We are challenged to change. We are challenged to achieve. We are challenged to become." Having so many apostles right as we leave has been such a blessing! I feel like they're all preparing ME for Korea!

Update on our investigator: These past few lessons have been so great. Our stubborn investigator now prays with us, he even went to church! I think he's agreeing to do all of our commitments because he can feel the spirit so strongly... Or maybe it's just the fact that we're leaving the MTC soon... Who knows?! Haha but our last lesson was on baptism. We invited him to get baptized and he said he would think about it! That is a HUGE step with our investigator. 7 or 8 weeks of teaching him and we finally made progress! At the end of the lesson, I tried to tell him we wouldn't be teaching him anymore because we were moving. But instead of saying we were moving out of the country, I accidentally said we were physically moving our bodies right now! He looked at me like I was crazy... We had a good laugh out of that one. My korean is sooooo good if you couldn't tell.

Wednesday night my district had the privilege to be the example missionaries in front of all the new missionaries that came in that day. I really didn't want to do it since it was going to be in front of 70ish people. But they told us that they hand picked our district for a reason... So of course I had to do it! We got wired with microphones and everything. It ended up not being that bad and I really felt the spirit. When we were done, Sister Gooch and I were talking about how we loved it and how we thought it was so cool that the investigator cried. I then realized that the microphones were still on and everyone in the room heard the entire conversation. We were SO embarrassed! Haha oh well, I leave so soon and it's not like I'll ever see these people again!

I can't believe I go to Korea in THREE DAYS. It really feels like it's a dream. I feel like I'm never leaving the MTC and that my mission is AT the MTC. Haha it's going to be so weird finally making it to Korea. I turn 21 in two days and when I get to Korea I'll be 22! (In Korea, they count being in the womb as a year) So I will literally be 21 for a day or two... How weird!

Thanks for those of you who took the time to read this ridiculous email! Love you all! the next time you hear from me, I'll be in KOREA!

Have a great week!

Sister April Johnson

"FEAR NO MAN. Rise up and become men and women of God!" -Dieter F. Uchtdorf

"Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies."

"We are not here to be thanked; we are here to serve. Always remember who you are and what you are called to do. Never lose sight of your calling." -Dallin H. Oaks