October 10, 2011 - Soccer Mondays!

Elder Pitti and I had a good week. We did a lot of work. We got 4 investigators to church! That was awesome! We were way excited!

  On Friday it rained. It was random. We were looking for this one house, so we knocked on the house we thought it was but it wasn’t. But she let us in and we taught her and we got a return appointment. So that was pretty cool. But when we left her house it was raining and hailing, and thundering! haha So we ran across the street and got an investigator and we walked to a member’s house to teach her. It was great because she was willing to go walk in the rain to be taught usually they just say no im busy! But she is great! She told us she didn’t really want to be taught anymore and didn’t feel like being baptized but we read Alma 32 ,27-28 about trying your faith. And we told her that she hasn’t even been to church yet so she can’t say she doesn’t like it. but she loved church! She went to class with the Young Women. And she liked it! And she read like 10 chapters of the Book of Mormon so that was great! So keep her in your prayers please!

  Then we also had another family come to church. We had the Grandma her son and the son’s daughter. They liked church a lot to! And we passed by their house later on Sunday night, and they told us that they felt like their baptismal date is to close and that they don’t know too much. But we just let them know through our testimonies that if they gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and they know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that is sufficient enough to be baptized, and we let them know that they need to pray and keep reading and it changed their mind. So we need to work with them real closely. On Saturday we stopped by to teach them but they left us a note because her little brother got sick so they had to leave. But it was cool because they actually remembered that we were coming and were nice enough to leave a note! Somebody actually noticed! haha A lot of people notice us actually haha. Whenever we walk in the streets all the kids yell "hello"! haha it’s funny and then we yell hello back and ask if the speak English and then they run away! it’s pretty funny

   Today we went to some soccer courts and we played futbol as a Zone it was pretty fun! Our team dominated! We had an Elder from Honduras who is pretty good. I scored some goals for all of you guys! haha But it was fun then of course we went to Mickey Ds after! I got a Big Mac and a sundae! that’s one of the best parts of the weeks. The other part is sharing the Gospel!

  But it was a great week, my testimony of prayer and church was strengthened. I always look forward to going to church after a long hard week and being able to take the Sacrament and start over again, there is no greater feeling.

   I love you guys! Keep our investigators in your prayers! Have a great week!

             les quiero,

                            Elder Johnson

October 3, 2011 - Conference!

We had a good week down here. We found a lot of new investigators this week so that was great! The sector was pretty much dead when I got here. But now we have found some more people to work with! So we are excited. We just have to get the help of the people in the ward, and we will just be dandy!

 Conference was great! I got a bunch of notes! All of the gringos watched it upstairs in English. So we were all eating snacks while we were watching! haha But I loved it! We had an investigator go and it was her first one and she loved it to! We are going to baptize her this weekend. But she is going to get baptized in Curico because that is where she has been going to church.

 I liked the one talk from the second counselor in the Sunday School presidency. He talked about how we need to fix the way we teach so that the Spirit can teach through us. It was great, it is the one thing we are always trying to work on here. We are always trying to become more efficient in our teaching with the Spirit. We teach investigators not lessons is the saying! But it goes along with any calling in the church. We have learned that it is the Spirit who teaches not us. And it is the Spirit that converts the member or the investigator. It was an awesome talk.

  This week we were contacting in this apartment complex area. And we walked by some steps to go up and there was a dog under them barking at us. So we had to jump up the steps so it couldn’t bite our feet! Then we ran up and the dog ran up and I slammed the gate shut! haha it was way close! Then we walked up and found out that it was the wrong stairs! haha so we knocked anyways and they didn’t listen. Then I asked the lady to help us with the dog and she walked down and we walked. Then we went to the next steps, and knocked and we talked to the lady we needed to talk to, then we looked and saw that the dog was sleeping, and we walked down with an eye on the dog, then it woke up! haha So I started to run! haha and the dog started chasing us and barking and I was like uh oh! Its Kobe time! but the dog stopped! it was crazy! I know without a doubt that the Lord was watching over us two missionaries that day.

  Today for P Day we cleaned the house a little bit, then we went and took our suits to get dry cleaned, then we played soccer with our district, then we went to McDonalds! haha I ate a Big Mac, then we came here to internet, we still gotta go buy food for the week! It has been a fun P Day!

 But I’m looking forward to this week. We really gotta find and focus on the people that want to listen to us and follow the example of Jesus Christ. It’s gonna be a great week here in Cancha Rayada Talca!

   les quiero,

                  Elder Johnson

September 26, 2011 - New Week New Sector!

Another week and a new sector! We had a good week Elder Pitti and I! We are planning on having a baptism this Saturday before conference! The sector that I am in now is a big one. Just about as big as my first sector I was in in Curico! So we do a lot of walking! It’s hot now to! We are kind of in the desert here. So we can spend most of the day in just a shirt! No more umbrellas or jackets! haha
  The ward I’m in is great we get a lot of help from them. We have found a lot of new investigators this week so that is great! We are hoping to find more this week since we will have more time. The girl who we are going to baptize on Saturday goes to church in Curico were I was. haha so that’s pretty funny!
  On Saturday we went to this house to teach a lesson, and we were inside talking to them, and all of a sudden the power went out in all of Chile!  it was crazy! So we waited outside for a little bit, then we left, and we went to this reference that we got from a family. And we knocked on the door and she came outside and it was this old lady. It was pitch black you couldn’t see anything but she let us in. And we taught her about baptism and the Holy Ghost by candle light, and she committed to the 22nd of October, and she committed to going to church the next day! She can barely walk it hurts her legs real bad but she came to all of church! that was a miracle, she really felt the Spirit she is a trooper. She liked all of it too!   So that was one of the coolest things that happened here so far.
 Today for P Day the Talca Centro Zone and Elder Daines, Elder Chilcote and Elder Pitti and I from our zone we all went to the Cerro de La Virgen to fly volantines! They are kites. It took about 45 minutes walking through the city, and a little bit walking up the hill, it was really cool! I meant to take pictures but the brand new batteries that I bought this morning somehow died right when I put them in the camera! haha just my luck. But the kites that they use here are old fashioned it is just a couple of wood sticks and tissue paper But somehow it works and they fly them like 300 feet in the air! Only one Elder was able to get his to go high, there wasn’t that much wind though either. but it still was way fun! I got mine kind of going but only like 30 feet. But it was a fun activity!
 I also did a mini combi this week with Elder Daines. He is the Zone Leader here we were both in Curico my first 3 combios so that is pretty cool. But I came to their sector, and worked there for the day. it was fun we found a couple new investigators, and taught a couple lessons. The other zone leaders from Talca Centro live there to. Elder Glass and Elder Zepeda. They are cool, we played basketball in the morning on Friday.
  But that’s about it, we had a good week! Loving it here! Elder Pitti and I are keeping the Lords work moving here in Cancha Rayada!
            Thanks for the prayers and the support!
      les quiero,
                      Elder Johnson

Elder Pitti & I

September 19, 2011 - Cancha Rayada!

A picture of most of our sector

We had a good week, it was hard to teach a lot because it was the biggest holiday in Chile this week! It was there Independence Day this weekend. The last 2 nights our neighbors had music blasting till 5 in the morning! It was crazy! they go all out here! We ate a lot of empanadas and soda! haha
  Our ward had a ward party and Elder Wixom and I we dressed up like Huasos! Those are Chilean cowboys! haha I took and old blanket we had in the house and I cut it into a poncho to wear and I bought a Huaso hat for 1.500 pesos, like 3 bucks! We took pictures as Huasos in District class and everybody gave me a hard time because  my poncho looked like carpet! But I thought it was sweet looking! haha And everyone thought we were pretty cool at the ward party! We had P Day on Saturday and are allowed to write a little bit today on Monday.
 For Pday we went up to the hills with a couple youth to go cut some branches that they use to decorate, they have like yellow flowers on them, that was pretty cool. Then after we caught a bus to Tome and we played Ultimate Frisbee with the zone on the beach! Then after we came back to our sector and we played soccer with a couple of little kids, one is Juan who we baptized and the other was Juampi the son of Bernarda who we are working with right now.
  Bernarda is doing great! She is one of our best investigators. She has strengthened her testimony a lot. On Friday we stopped by her house to teach her and we asked her how she was doing. We talked to her, and we read a couple of scriptures to strengthen her faith and to keep her going, the spirit was so strong there. Now she is happy she feels way better and is excited to be baptized with her son Juampi in a couple weeks! So we are way excited about that!
 On Friday we had a Zone Conference in Concepcion, and Elder Richards of the 70 came! He talked to us about The Holy Ghost and how it does everything, and that how we need to become better teachers, and teach more simply. It was great he is just full of the Spirit and Faith. He is great, I got a bunch of notes from that conference! And it pumped us up to work harder and to have faith in the Lord and the miracles that he can work through us. It was great.
  And this morning we received transfers, and I’m going to Talca! haha into one sector and off to another! It’s called Cancha Rayada! My companion is named Elder Piti, he’s from Panama! haha I’m stoked he is starting his 3rd transfer, so we are both a little new it’s gonna be great! So today I said bye to everyone at the ward party, and they were all sad to see me go after being here for one transfer, they all thought Elder Wixom was leaving because he has been here for 6 months! But Elder Wixom is going to be District Leader and Train here! He’s excited! He’s a stud of a missionary, I’ve learned a lot from him.
  And since they all found out I was leaving the Bishop had me come up on the stage and say bye then everyone started shouting "baile baile baile"! So they made me put on the poncho and hat and I danced the Cueca! haha it was pretty funny. I didn’t know what I was doing up there haha it’s a real cool dance though! It’s what the Chilean cowboys dance. It looks like what the Roosters do when they try to get the attention of a hen, it’s really cool.
  That was our week pretty much! Haha a lot of music and culture, and the Gospel! You can’t beat that!
  I love you guys and thanks for everything, and especially the prayers! Tell Grandpa J Feliz Cumpleaños from Chile y que espero que loscumpla sus años feliz!
  con mucho cariño,
                             Elder Johnson

Me at the beach in Tome!