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December 11, 2017 - There is good people on every street, in every town

Hello,

I'd like to share an experience from this week to demonstrate why I chose to write the title for this email.

On Saturday my companion and I went street contacting in downtown Sarnia. Sarnia is a small city (70 000) so main street is basically a couple of blocks of shops and restaurants. It is definitely not buzzing with people but there is enough people to talk to to make our time worth while. We went out sharing the Light the World Christmas card. About the 5th person we contacted we began to have a good conversation. 

He was a young guy, he looked about my age and was taking a break outside smoking a vape. He was a warm friendly guy and was amazed to hear what we did as missionaries because he never new people like us existed in the world. He genuinely applauded us for our service and said we are like God's angels watching the streets. He even said he wished he could do something like us to make a difference in the world. Such spiritual maturity was quite amazing to see in a 19 year old. He also told me that he could tell I had an "old soul" which I thought was very cool. He was visiting family in Sarnia and is a student in Toronto going into business. As we talked with him he was very open and interested about our beliefs and practices. He has a belief in God but like many people, was never taught how to recognize the Holy Ghost and grow his faith. We talked about the restoration and the Book of Mormon, the pre-earth life, the last days and the second coming and other things for about 45 mins. He said that our conversation had already made a big difference in his life. Eventually his mom and his sister came out of the theater and so he had to go, but before he left I pulled out a Book of Mormon, placed it in his hands and said, "This is the reason I am out here doing this." He said he was honored to receive it, we gave him our card and then he went on his way.

In hindsight, I could have looked at him standing there and thought, it's just another person. He's probably not spiritual anyway. I could've said a quick hello and just walked passed him. I am so glad I didn't make that mistake. Our conversation was so refreshing, one of the best street contacts I have had on my mission. All three of us involved in that conversion were greatly blessed by it I'm sure. I don't know what Chris is going to do differently because of our interaction, but I am confident he will never forget it. It feels really good to know that I fulfilled my purpose to be at the right place at the right time in order to make a difference in someone's life. As we walked back to our car I felt the assurance that the lord was pleased with the work my companion had accomplished together with His divine help. 

Missionary work is just the best!

I hope you all have a wonderful December month and enjoy the Christmas season. I encourage you to be especially aware of and thoughtful toward those who are going through difficulties at this time. Everybody needs to receive a gift at Christmas time, there is no better gift you can give than your love. 

It's a great time to be alive! Merry Christmassssss!

Elder Johnson

-Pic: Finally got a little bit of some snow here! It also got down to -6 today...it's been very mild otherwise.


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