March 9, 2011

Its going great here. Yesterday for the tuesday night devotional Brother and Sister Richards of the 2nd quorum of the 70 spoke. It was good. Sister Richards talked about how we should have happiness and joy flowing out of our pockets and planners. It was good, and i think it is so true. Brother Richards talked about how we need to teach with the spirit, and if we arent teaching with the spirit we arent teaching truth and we shouldnt teach. His talk was also very good, and i definetely can apply it to my mission. We emphasize teaching the investigator not the lesson. and teaching to the investigators needs is done by the spirit. On sunday the provo temple Pres. spoke. He was awesome he told us a story about a couple missionaries who were trackting  in Japan in the 1950's. He said they knocked on a door and a japanese man answered and he said he was a pilot who attacked pearlharbor in WWll. He said he got done bombing pearlm harbor and he was headed back when all of a sudden he sawe a big white building in Hawaii. He said he had one bomb left and some ammunition, so he flew down on it and clicked the trigger to drop his bobm, but it didnt drop. so he flew back around and he firred his machine gun but it didnt fire. so the pilot was mad and felt his honor had been crushed. So he flew away and he pulled the trigger again while he qwas flying over the ocean and his bomb dropped, then he firred his guns and they firred. So he went to turn around to go shoot the temple but his plane would not turn. I couldnt beleieve this story when he told it. so this little story proves even more that Heavenly father and jesus CXhrist live, and that Jesus Christ watches over his Temples. HE also said that Jesus Christ has walked every hall, and into every room of each of His Temples. Isnt that great, we are so lucky to have temples on this earth where we can perform sacred ordinances, and do missionary work for people who have passed on. My love for temples and there purpose has grown while being here, and i know that it is a place where we need to be. 

 This week we worked a little bit more on spanish. Its going all right, but it has its struggling points. we started teaching the first lesson in spanish. We just gotta memorize some more phrases for each principal and well be good. Its fun though. i cant wait for the day when i start speaking spanish,and i dont even think about it! ur teachers have challenges us to give an account of our days work when we are saying our prayers. because when you do this you notice things that you may need to work on, and it helps you become more obedient and diligent in your work, because you know that every night youy are going to talk with Heavenly Father, and tell him how things went. I challenge all of you to do this , and see what happens after a few days!

   So everything is going good here, i am half way through my stay, so sooner than later ill be in Chile. I hope everything is gooing good back at home and I Love You All! keep up the good work!
Love,
Elder Johnson

                                                                                                                                          

March 2, 2011

It’s going good here.  We've started the second lesson.  Me and Elder Dotson are working a lot better now.  We’re like a well tuned machine.  We can feel the spirit a lot more now while we are teaching.  Spanish is going good.  I’ve memorized the Purpose and the First Vision in Español.  And I’ve memorized another verse 2^nd Nephi 31:20 and my Mission scripture too.  This week we’re trying to work on more Spanish.  Last week we had a lot of spiritual lessons which was good though.  But we have this thing every Saturday called the TRC.  When we go there we do two or three contacts, and we teach the last person.  Volunteers from BYU usually come and that’s who we talk to.  Last week on Saturday we did our two contacts in Spanish.  My testimony has grown a lot here especially concerning the Saviors atonement.  Heavenly Fathers plan of happiness would not be made possible without it.  And because of it he took upon himself everyone that has been, is, and ever will be afflictions, sorrow, pain, and sins.  It’s so great that we have the opportunity to use this in our life.  And I hope you guys know, and I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know each and everyone of us by name, and they know what we are going through.  And at any time you have the opportunity to pray to him and tell him what’s on your mind.  And I know this is true with all of my heart, and I pray about it every day.

I just made a March madness bracket for our zone.  Elder Dotson, and Elder Oberg helped out.  We are just going to play during gym time.  Just to have some fun, and grow closer together.

Yesterday I gave a little lesson “pep talk” to my district we had to move dorm buildings because they are turning ours into classrooms, and other barbershop, tailor, stuff on the bottom floor.  So yesterday we moved and we could of just moved our stuff in and gotten dress and went to class and studied, but they all wanted to stay and study in the dorm.  I told them we should get dressed, but I didn’t really enforce it.  I probably should of said more.  So after the big devotional we have on Tuesdays, and the testimony meeting with our district, and after we planned, I gave them the scripture D&C 60:13 and talked about obedience, and using every moment to study and become better in the gospel.  And I know I’m not the best at it, and I can improve but I just wanted them to think about it. 

We did some studying I’ve been a little sick.  So I had a little trouble staying awake, but I still studied a little bit.  We had a lesson today Enos.  He prayed his heart out to be forgiven of his sins and because of his faith he was.  He prayed for the Nephites (inactive members) and the Lamanites also (his enemies).  He was a good guy.  We can all relate to him because we all use the atonement and I know that if we can have great faith we can move mountains.  This week we strived to do more in class concerning the Spanish aspect.  We’ve tried to learn more for our TRC task.  We have to talk about familias en español.  Ask if can help them move and show them how to pray and ask them to pray.  So we’ve been studying a lot lately.  It’s good.  We try to speak only Spanish at lunch.  Me and Elder Dotson did some tutoring today for Spanish with two separate teachers and Hermaño A taught us about ser and estar.  And Hermaño Russell taught us how to make good plans for studying stuff about our investigators, and how to translate sentences that pertain to things that we have to say.  Today it rained a little bit.  Tomorrow is fresh Friday so we just wear slacks and a sweet tie.  My team in the March madness tournament won our two games.  I have Elder Hatch and Elder Oberg.  Elder Oberg can shoot 3’s all day and Elder Hatch is a good point guard.  It was a good time for everyone in our zone.  Elder Cooper just got a nerf bball hoop so shoot for prayer.  It’s pretty fun and we play pig sometimes, it’s fun.  Elder Dotson my companero is pretty funny we always quote movies and he farts a lot.  It’s funny.  We are a lot a like.  Tomorrow morning and on pday we do ab ripper X and P90X.  It’s pretty fun.  Tomorrow morning we have gym at 7:30.  And for breakfast I get a pizza bagel.  They are delicious.  The other day they had bratwurst it was delicious.  Sorry this is all sporadic I am just trying to get you guys a letter.  I love you all! 

Love, Elder Johnson

February 23, 2011

It’s going great here the spirit is very strong.  Everyone is always happy here because of it.  Class is going great, I learned a lot of Spanish but I’ve still got a long way to go.  I can really tell that the gift of tongues is working.  Me and my new companion Elder Dotson are getting a long well.  We’ve taught the first lesson which is the Restoration about six times and we are doing pretty good.  But there’s always room for improvement.  Now we just started working on the Plan of Salvation lesson.  The second lesson.  After we teach this lesson for a couple weeks then we’ll have to teach the first lesson in Spanish. 

I’m the District Leader now Elder Pilj, and our old District Leader Elder Tanner left yesterday to go to the Guatemala MTC.  They are pretty excited.  He was a good DL.  But I didn’t think I would qualify for the DL because I’m not a scriptorian or anything of that matter really.  But I know it will help me grow and become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.  On the 15^th we had Brother Pearson of the 70 or something speak to us at the devotional.  He was a good speaker.  He spoke very boldly, and put us all in our place.  He told us we needed to forget ourselves and become a disciple of Christ.  He encouraged us to be and extraordinary missionary, not an ordinary missionary.  He said people won’t remember ordinary missionaries.  He also told us to not act like a missionary, not to do missionary things if that makes sense.  He told us to do stuff that a disciple of Christ would do.  We needed to be the message.  One of the other things he said was that if you have a problem, to look in the mirror and you’ll see the problem.  He was a great speaker one of the best I heard by far.  It showed me I have a lot of stuff to work on.

On our first week here our Branch Pres, Pres. Nelson told us what is the greatest gift that we have.  And it was charity.  He challenged us to pray for charity.  I have prayed for it every night, and day.  Because if you have charity towards others they will see that and want to listen to you.  Charity also encompasses lots of other things like love, compassion, meekness, long suffering, kindness.  I am really working hard to bring this into my life as being a disciple of Jesus Christ.  It may take a while but I know that it is something we must all have.  Pres Eyring said that it took him 2 years to accomplish this, I sure hope it doesn’t take that long but I know it will come through faith.

I’ve been playing basketball at gym time then I’ll go run a mile and lift weights or something.  They have like a little track up above that takes 10 laps to equal a mile but usually I just play basketball.  Our whole zone is pretty good.  We have one guy that can shoot 3’s from downtown and make them all the time and there’s another guy who has good ball handling skills, and crosses you up then drives to the hoop every time.  He’s really good.  And he can dunk pretty much and he’s like 5’ 10”.

The food is pretty good.  A lot of the times I’ll eat a salad that they make.  They are pretty good but they make all kinds of stuff.  On Sunday’s and Wednesday’s are ice cream days.  Wednesday is the day they bring out the good ice cream when all the new missionaries come.  They have this one kind called graham canyon.  It tastes like graham crackers and it has some chocolate candy in it.  They I put a big scoop of hot fudge on it.  But on Sunday they only have vanilla, chocolate and strawberry but they have a bunch of m&m’s, oreos, brownies and hot fudge and marshmallow you can put on it it’s pretty good.  My roommates give me a hard time when I wear my Kobe shirt but it’s all out of fun.

It’s kind of weird weather one day it’s snowing and cold and the next couple of days its like low 50’s high 40’s.  One time we got done planning at 9:30 pm and me and Elder Dotson walked outside and it was like a crazy blizzard.  So we ran to our dorms.  It was cool I’ve never seen it snow before.

Every Sunday after sacrament at 2:45 we do a Temple walk I have some pictures and we just hang out for like an hour or so it’s pretty cool.  Our dorm is right next to the cafeteria so that’s pretty cool but our classroom is kinda far and the gym. 

On Tuesdays in the morning we have service.  Sometimes we vacuum a couple of floors, but one time me and Elder Cooper had to do bathrooms.  It was alright but it was cramped and we had to spray some stainless steel cleaner and we got kinda of light headed.  On that day and on Friday we have gym in the morning we go to the side place and get breakfast.  We get to choose 4 items they have all kinds of soda, chocolate milk, milk, cereal, bagels, donuts, and fruit.  I usually get a lemonade, apple & banana & bagel.  But if I’m feelin it I’ll get a milk and cereal or chocolate milk and cereal.