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June 12: Sault Ste. Marie!



I love my second area so far! In this email, I will often refer to the city of Sault Ste. Marie (Sue-saint-marie) as the "Soo".

Firstly, my companion is named Elder Fabiano (foh-bi-ah-no), he's from West Jordan Utah and he's awesome. Nothing but great companions so far! He's been out about 10 months. His great Grandpa was Italian so that's where he gets the name, you couldn't tell by looking at his pasty white skin and red hair haha.

It was a pretty long drive from Woodstock to the Soo: 2 hours NE to our exchange point (a little North of Toronto) and then 8 hours North to the Soo. As we drove into Sault Ste. Marie I got a strange feeling. It felt familiar, it felt like I was coming home to some degree. These feelings are not to be confused with home sickness haha. I guess this place just reminds me of Alberta. The mix of deciduous and coniferous trees, the wide roads, the friendly people. It's a very pleasant city, I'm looking forward to spending some time here. My area also includes a branch of about 30 members that congregate 40 minutes away. I haven't visited them yet so I'll report on that later. 

Sault Ste. Marie is an old city which hails a massive steel mill on the out-skirts of town. It's a mid to lower income status type of city. Sadly, the city is slowly dying. In the not so distant past, the city's population was 100 000, but now it's down to about 70 000, largely due to job losses. Unfortunately, the Sault Ste. Marie ward has diminished along with the city. I'm not sure what the Soo's peak sacrament attendance was in the past, but currently, the average sacrament attendance is 60. That's barely enough people to keep a ward organization going. Obviously, we have a lot of work to do!

The ward makeup consists of a bunch of long time seniors members and 3 families with kids. It's a good thing I love old people or I wouldn't be too happy here haha. The church building is very nice and it has a gymnasium! The chapel in my last area didn't have a gym so I am taking advantage of this by playing basketball every morning for exercise. The apartment here is really nice. Elder Fabiano says its by far the nicest missionary apartment he has seen. There's a good chance I'll stay in the Soo for 6 months (it's just what happens in these northern areas) so I'm grateful that the apartment is nice and it's a 2 minute drive to the chapel.

That's Sault Ste. Marie in a nut shell!

We found 1 new investigator and 2 potentials this week which is pretty good. We currently have few investigators and none of them are close to baptism. But that will change soon :) I'm excited to work here, whether we see baptisms here or not, I'm going to serve the Lord by serving the people. The results of my efforts are in the hands of those I work with and ultimately, in the hands of God. All God asks as that I do my best and work with his children one by one. Every single person is so precious. If I leave this area changing just one persons life, I can feel good about that. I am involved in the most important work being done on the earth, building up the kingdom of God. How do we build up the kingdom? Come unto Christ. Whether you build the kingdom on a full-time mission, in your home, or in your ward, we each have a responsibility. It begins with our love for God. I believe if you truly love God and have faith in him, then you will make building up his kingdom a priority. Your capability to build the kingdom is anchored on your personal testimony and progression. If we read the word of God every day, and pray for guidance, God will direct you in building up his kingdom. That's what we do as missionaries. That's what I've done and it works.

I hope you all have a great week and come closer to God! Have fun in Calgary Anna, Lucy, Ezra, Alice, and Goerge!

Elder Johnson

1st pic: "Boardwalk" on the river
2nd pic: "International Bridge"


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