April 23, 2012 - Chilean Pizza and Polgas!

Hey family! How goes it! 

  Sounds like Leo Carrillo was an epic trip like always! Tons of good memories there!

  We had an epic week also! We have found a bunch of great people!

  We found one lady who is from Washington. She is here teaching English. We found her one day contacting these apartments. It was weird because she opened the door and did the Chilean kiss thing so that caught us by surprise, and then she started talking in English, so I was like whoa whoa whoa. I started trying to spit out some English stuff but just made myself look like a goof. So finally we made another appointment to go back. And we went back and taught the Restoration, and found out that her boyfriend is a less active member, and that they’re getting married next month! So it is great! They are great we just got to get her to read and pray more. But she grew up going to church dances with her friends, and her grandpa is a member and her ancestors are pioneers! They are awesome! Yesterday we shared about the Atonement and it went quite well. So pray for them her name is Jessica and her fiancée is named Jacob!

  And we also found another family. The mom and the dad are both Carabineros, or the Chilean Police so they are sweet and they have little kids.

  And we had a sweet week with Ines. She is an Evangelical, and really active in that church. Elder Robinette and Elder Ellsworth were able to get into their house on a mini exchange and they gave her husband a blessing. And she is reading in the Book of Mormon and praying. And on Sunday with a little  persistence she came to sacrament! So it was sweet! But then one of the sisters took her home after sacrament (whole other story) So I was a little mad because she was gonna stay for the whole church! But o well I hope it goes better the next week!

  And we are teaching Carmen and her family. They are great! The live on top of this hill in the middle of two hills. They are great they like listening to us, but they always travel outside of town to visit family on the weekend, so pray for them that they can find it in themselves to make it to church!

  And Elder Arancibia is great. He’s from La Serena Chile. He’s funny, he’s always eating something. We work great together, and we have seen a bunch of great things happen and it’s only the start of the combio. He’s here for the right reasons and an example for me!

  And we are still on the hunt for a house. We bought a newspaper that says all of the houses and apartments that are for sell, but everything costs a lot here. So hopefully we find a new one sooner than later.

 I’ve been doing some jump roping in the morning, and it’s sweet! It turns you into a stud! O and Elder Rancibia had his birthday this week also. So we bought some delivery pizza! It was great!

 And I got my boxes! They are sweet! Thanks everybody who wrote a letter! I love you all! Those letters keep me animated out here!

This week a 70 is coming to the mission! So we gotta get things ready for that, because they use our chapel to do the conferences in. So it’s gonna be sweet! He’s coming to check up on how we are doing with becoming a Preach My Gospel mission! O and something awesome is happening next month!!!!!!! They are breaking the ground for the temple here! The site is like 20 minutes from our house! SO I hope that we can sing or something for it!!!! So pray for us!!

 We have been waiting for that for like 2 years! So maybe I can see some parts of it being built before I leave!

 Well I love you guys a bunch! Have a stellar week!

Stay stoked!

   Elder Johnson

April 16, 2012 - Fat Ties and Good Byes!

Well exchanges came already! I’m staying and Elder Robinette is going to Chiguayante which is a little to the south like 30 minutes of where we are. My new comp is named... well I forgot already but he’s from Chile in the North part. So it’s gonna be sweet!

 We had a great week! We found some great people! We found this one girl whose name is Maritza. She is Ecuadorian, and everyone said she would never listen to the missionaries because she is Catholic, but we just stayed persistent and now has a baptismal date! So it’s great!

  And this Sunday we got Inty to come to church so it was great! I’m pretty sure he had a great time. The class was perfect for him because it was about prayer. And we’ve been trying to get him to pray so that he could receive an answer. So it’s going good with him. We are planning on baptizing him this week but we’ll see how it goes!

  For our last District Meeting it was great I left really uplifted because everyone commented and pitched in, I just wasn’t standing up their saying stuff, I find that when everyone talks, and just by asking a few simple questions great things come to pass!

 And after District Meeting the Zone Leaders bought this huge bundle of ties. So we had a free grab for like 10 minutes. I got some pretty sweet ties. They are like old school fat ones from like the 70s! They are sweet! And I got some skinny ones. I spent like a half an hour ironing the ties because they were all wrinkled, I got like 60 ties it was sweet! Today I sent a letter to my MTC companion Elder Dotson that is in Rancagua, and I hooked him up with a fatty tie.

  But it’s going great here. We are finding some new people and trying to get people to church so that they can be baptized! We are teaching a lady and her husband their names are Inez and Julio. Julio is blind and has diabetes. So he has like his blood cleaned every other day by this machine, and his wife is nice but grew up in the Evangelical church. She is a little hard headed but we finally got her to commit to going to church this Sunday, because she has read the Book of Mormon, and prayed, and she understands the Restoration. So we are hoping to see some results from that!

 And we are teaching a lady named Jessica. She is a lawyer and the family friend of a great family in our ward. Last night we had a little party for Elder Robinettes birthday at their house and Jessica showed up. She is super Catholic and still believes in the Santos and stuff. But the Dad of the family Brother Marin let her know how it is, and told her that she isn’t doing her part to find out if these things are true. So I’m pretty sure she knows what she is doing and understands everything we have told her. I think she just might have a little trouble letting that stuff go. So pray for her!

  It’s getting colder here for sure! I bought myself a scarf! haha I never have worn one before but I have heard that they are great! And our house is freezing and the other day we saw some mice or rats in our house so we are looking for a new house so we can get out of that place!

  But I’m loving it its gona be a great exchange I’m gonna learn some Chilean slang hopefully! haha

 But enjoy Leo Carrillo! Catch a wave for me and roast a marshmallow also! I love you guys a ton!

  Elder Johnson

April 9, 2012 - El Conejito con un poco de frio!

The last week of the exchange is already here! It goes by so fast.

  But it was a great week though! We are spending a lot of time finding people because no one is sticking to it. So we had some good experiences with that this week.

  We got into a house with 3 college students, and we ended up talking about the Plan of Salvation and answering one of their questions one of which was... do you guys believe in Aliens, and believe that they can come to earth? So that was weird. And then we found a super Evangelical lady, and a deaf older lady who couldn’t understand us and we couldn’t understand her. But things are looking up because we made this map with the Bishop with all of the less active families in our ward. So we are gonna clean that list out and while we are at it we are gonna baptize all of the incomplete families and their kids that aren’t baptized. We haven’t really had that much success yet but we are getting started so well see how it goes!

 We are teaching an Ecuadorian kid named Inty. He’s doing good. He really understands what we teach and wants to find out if the Book of Mormon is true. And he lives with members so it’s great! We just gotta get him and the family to church because they are less active. And they sell Ecuadorian jackets and beanies and scarfs that they make. So they have to work a lot in order to sell a lot. But we have them committed to going this Sunday. So pray for Inty that he can become converted to the gospel and get a strong testimony quick!

 On Saturday we were knocking doors and some drunk guys stopped us and we started talking. Everyone gets drunk for the holidays down here. They call Easter La Semana Santa. So we started talking and then as we were leaving one of the guys shirt said.... Strangers have the best candy, so I said hey I like your t-shirt man, and he said what does it say so I told him what it said in Spanish and English and then he just starts yelling I LOVE CANDY! haha it was so funny, he was like a kind of bigger guy too.

 And for Pday today I had to do another Chilean I D so we got that done early. We got up early and got the papers done and photo copies, and then took it to the Government office. And then after we went and played soccer for a little bit then we watched Cars 2! Because we reached our baptismal goal, so that was sweet! We watched it in Mexican Spanish not normal Spanish. That was one of the settings on it. I liked it a lot, I’m sure it would of been better in English hearing the normal voices but I can’t complain, I liked it!   And then we ate some Mexican food and got ripped off but it was good.

On Thursday I did a mini combio with Elder Lopez because I had to do some baptismal interviews. It was great he’s a good missionary this is his first exchange in the mission. We taught some lessons and I did some interviews and then we ended the night with some churrascos and french fries! Can’t beat that it was good.

  O and our land lady is crazy! She is kicking us out pretty much. They made like a side garage connected to our house for their car and they have 2 lights plugged into our house, and they had all of their power tools plugged into it so we had to pay the electric bill. And in the morning for workouts I do jumping jacks and jumping exercises and she came over and knocked on the door and said we can’t do that anymore because they can hear it. But their house is like 25 yards away from ours. So right now we are looking for a new house. And plus our house is like a refrigerator its freezing in there and it’s still not even winter!

 But that’s about it it’s gonna be a great week. We are having some surprise activity tomorrow for district Class, that the Zone Leaders are putting together so that’ll be sweet. And I’m almost positive I will stay this exchange. But that’s about it for now! It’s getting colder so the winter is near!

 O and Elder Arroyo who was in the office got sent to Talca in Maule to open a sector and now Elder Egan is in the office so that was cool. There is gonna be a bunch of exchanges this exchange because a bunch of people have been in their sectors for 4 combios, so it’s gonna be crazy!

  I love all of you guys a ton! Have a fantastic week!

    Elder Johnson

April 2, 2012 - Chilean Zoo!

Hey how goes it!

  General Conference was fantastic! We all watched it up stairs in the Stake building with all of the English missionaries. And we were able to eat snacks the whole time. And Sister Humphrey made cinnamon rolls it was delicious!

 I got a bunch of notes so it was great. I loved Priesthood session it really animated me!

  This week we found some great people. We got a reference for an Ecuadorian kid who lives with a bunch of members! His name is Inty! And some missionaries worked with him before but now he is listening more, and he wants to know if the Book of Mormon is true! So that’s sweet, and he made it to a couple talks of General Conference. We are gonna have a huge Family Night at their house with a bunch of people so it’s gonna be great! I think we are gonna watch the restoration the long version, so I’m excited for that.

  This week on Tuesday we had District Class, and President Humphrey showed up all of a sudden. And he shared a couple of words so it was cool. It was because we almost broke the record of the most baptisms in the Concepcion Zone ever. But then he came to my District class so it was a little intimidating, and I had to show an example in front of him. But it went great we were all edified together! And I brought some Alfajores of Animo. I bought a pack of the little Chilean Cakes in the Store and wrote Alfajores de Animo on a piece of paper and taped it on the front of the box and busted them out in District Class and they all got stoked, and then I passed them out. So it was sweet. We had a great week.

  Today for P Day we went to the Concepcion Zoo! It was suh weet! There were Tigers, Lions,  Bears, birds, ducks, Llamas and all kinds of animals it was sweet. I got some sweet footage, but the computer isn’t working great so I’ll get it on next time. But I bought some trucker hats, they are sweet!

 Being here in Concepcion I’ve done a bunch of service! I love it! Last week I worked on 2 roofs, and this week I hauled sheet metal up a hill for a roof, and hauled buckets of dirt for an hour to fill in a front porch. So it’s sweet. It always feels good to get the blood pumping, and to share some love. They are always real grateful for the help.

  But I’m still trying to get the sector down. It’s kind of been hit or miss. Some days we get a bunch of lessons in and have some good success but then the next day we spend walking around because everything falls. But I’ve learned just to keep up the faith that everything will work out for the better and to stay animated about everything. I don’t think a reason exists to inanimate yourself. So its a constant battle here. I learn more and more about myself and how things should work and what works best.

  So I’m looking forward to another great week, we have a couple of baptismal prospects so we should see some good things by the end of the month.

  Well I love you guys and hope you all have a great week!

Les quiero,

   Elder Johnson

March 26, 2012 - Searching for Gold!

Check it out General Conference is almost here! Can’t you just smell it in the air!

  We had another great week! We have been searching for new investigators because when I got here they had 1 investigator. So now we have found 15 new people but about 5 of them are showing some potential.

  Last night we knocked this door, and a boy answered it and his dad was behind him and he said come on in! So we got in and started talking and teaching the Restoration. And as luck would have it he was an Evangelical. And he said he found God 5 years ago, because he was doing drugs and drinking and not spending time with the family. So usually those people don’t want anything to do with us and their hearts are usually closed off. And that was what was coming to my mind, and so the thought of inviting him to baptism was leaving my mind, but I felt like it needed to be done against all those odds, and he accepted! He said if the Lord tells him this is what he needs to do he will do it! So that was way cool, I am so grateful that I followed that prompting, because the lesson was dying off because his daughter was running around but  now he knows why we are here, and he felt the Spirit as we testified of these things.

  And we found a couple other people who accepted baptismal dates so things are really looking up here!  This week I did my first baptismal interviews. I interviewed this family of 3. They were great, they had real strong testimonies of the Gospel, I could really feel the Spirit while I interviewed them! It was cool because the interviews are one on one, so you really get to see what the Gospel has done for them in their lives and you get to feel their testimonies!  I asked the dad about the Temple and he said, yep we have plans to go there in a year! So it was incredible. I was a little scared at first since it was the 1st ones, but once we felt the Spirit it just changed everything! So that was a great experience.

  Today for P Day we played soccer at the church then some Elders had to get their haircuts then we ate some Churrascos. Those are like chopped up steak sandwiches with avacado tomatoe and cheese they are delicious! Then we came to internet.

  But everything is going great it has been dry and windy for the past couple of days. And super cold in our house in the mornings. I think that the walls are just made out of dry wall. Haha But that’s all right it’s all about the Chilean Mission experience, those are things you never forget.

  And on Friday we had this capacitation for the Leaders of the mission. It was sweet I learned a bunch of stuff about why we really are leaders and stuff it got me super animated!

  And I am so excited for conference this weekend! It’s gonna be epic!

  O and about the earthquake! It was funny because we were in a lesson yesterday and I was praying to start it out, and towards the end of the prayer it started shaking so it gave me a laugh, I thought the guy was gonna get up and say something about how it’s a sign or something but he was cool. His girlfriend came running out scared. But it was like 30 seconds long, it was the biggest one I’ve felt so far! So maybe there is some bigger ones coming in the future! And I heard there was one in Mexico were Elder Olson is!

  But that’s it I love you guys and have a great time watching conference! Take lots of notes! Have a great week!

    les quiero muchisimo!

                                 Elder Johnson

March 19, 2012 - Chilean Bonanza!

How about it! Another week has come and gone! But it was a great one that’s for sure!  It was jam packed with the Spirit, and awesome learning experiences!

 Tuesday we had District Class which went great! I shared about how we have been set apart for 2 years and how we need to take advantage of every opportunity to share the Gospel! We all left animated. Then Wednesday Elder Glazier from the office came and worked with us. Because Elder Luco had to go to Santiago to get his knee checked on.  So with Elder Glazier we taught one lesson then we had to go to the office to prepare the materials for all of the Zones. So it took a while, and we had to drop the van off with the Clawsons, the Senior couple. And after we walked home. It was a little sketchy because it was 1 at night walking through the streets of Concepcion. You always hear a lot of stories, but we arrived at the house without a scratch. So we finally got to bed at 1:30ish, then we had to wake up early to get the chapel ready for the conference. Because the chapel we use for conference is the chapel we go to. So we set up chairs had to go on a treasure hunt to find the microphone, and DVDs. It was quite the adventure putting all of that together. We missed the beginning of the conference but we got a good part of it.

  Conference was great though! The traveling assistants talked about how we need to bring the Spirit into the lesson and how we need to invite the person to baptism when the Spirit is strongest! It was sweet. And the other assistants talked about how we need to show love for our investigators by making good plans for them. So it was great. And then President Humphrey talked about how we need to make more sacrifices for our investigators, and put more work into them. It was a great talk. And then the Area Mission doctors came. Elder Welch talked about health in the mission, and Sister Memet talked about how we can take care of stress and use it to our advantage it was cool. And we also got a flu shot!

 Then after that I went on a mini combio with Elder Glazier. Elder Robinette worked with Elder Fullmer one of the traveling assistants. So Elder Glazier and I we went to the office to do some paper work stuff, then we went and taught Franklin an Ecuadorian. We put a baptismal date with him and talked about baptism with him. It was a great lesson. Elder Glazier is a funny dude. He’s from Northern California, and he’s a big dude. He’s super funny! He always has some funny comment or thing to say, he’s a great missionary. Then we went back to the office to finish things up, then we went home. Then we had to wake up at 6:00 to go pick up Elder Arroyo and Elder Luco from the terminal. So we got a little bit of sleep. Then we went back to the apartment and slept for a couple minutes then woke up again and took a shower then we went to the office and did some studies, and we did a practice lesson for one of their investigators. So it was a great mini combio. We have some great missionaries in our District.

 Elder Arroyo the other office Elder reminds me of Julius Aiono, because he’s a big guy who likes to have fun and really animated, but he’s Mexican not Samoan haha.

  Then on Friday we went on another mini combio with the Zone Leaders because they had to interview Luis for his baptism! So I went to Laguna Redonda with Elder Brule. And we worked there. We taught a couple of lessons, and did some contacts. We taught this one lesson to one of their investigators who has been battling between us and the Jehovah Witness. So we went over there and showed some scriptures about how contention is not of God and helped her realize that they are saying bad things about our church, and we helped her realize how the good things come from God with the scriptures, and she accepted to be baptized after that! It was so intense! You could have cut the Spirit in that lesson with a butter knife! And then she got baptized the next day! Her name is Marta and she is like 70ish, so that was a great experience.

  Then Saturday we went to their chapel to get the baptismal font going, and then we switched back. But we also had to prep our baptismal font, for the baptism of Luis! And then we had to prepare for our Ward talent night! So it was a cool day. The baptism started an hour late but he got baptized! It was great Luis is 18 and he’s from Ecuador but here working. He is really humble, and was ready to be baptized. A week ago we asked him to pray to ask when he should be baptized, then we called him the next day and he said, well I’m ready to be baptized this week! So that was way cool!

 Then after the baptism was the Talent Show. We did 2 skits the first one was sweet.

  This is what happened. We had a couple in the ward help us, and so the skit was that the husband was a really jealous guy, and he told his wife to not let anyone in the house. And he went to work. And then Elder Arroyo was a lawyer and he knocked on the door and offered his services as a lawyer, and she said no no don’t come in my husband is really jealous, and then there was a knock at the door and she told him to hide, then Elder Glazier shows up selling knives and said that these are the best knives ever! And she said no I can’t my husband is really jealous, and then there was another knock at the door. And she said hide! And it was Elder Robinette and I and we were missionaries and we said we had the truth and we are here to share it! But then there was another knock at the door and she told us to hide and her husband came to the door. And he sat down and started to sniff and he would sniff his shirt then the air and he said that isn’t my perfume! Who is in here! You are cheating on me I want a divorce, and then elder Arroyo pops out and says I’m the best Lawyer there is! And the husband gets mad and say where’s a knife! I want to cut him! And Elder Galzier pops out and says I sell the best knives there is! And the husband freaks out even more! And says Ï want to know the truth and we pop out and say we have the truth! And that was the end of it. The whole ward was cracking up so that was good.

 Then our other skit was the one where one person is the head and the arms are another person. And Elder Robinette and I were the heads and Elder Glazier was the arms of Elder Robinette and Elder Arroyo was the arms of me. And we acted out a typical missionary morning. We lifted weights, shaved ate, brushed our teeth, cleaned our ears, it was funny by the end there was shaving cream all over our faces, and we ate completos so Elder Arroyo jammed  it into my face so it was great everyone was laughing so that was good.

 And then the Ecuadorians did an act where the played pan flutes!" It was so sweet! It was like Indian music. They had like Eagle Sounds and bird sounds and they were jamming on their pan flutes they had big ones and little ones! It was way cool I took a video.

  But that was our week! Jam packed of everything! And it started to rain today, so the rainy season is closing in!

  Have a good week everyone!

                les quiero,

                                Elder Johnson

March 12, 2012 - Big City Style can I get a yayyay!

Hey family! What’s new!

So it was a pretty epic week! This place is huge and we get lost easily! Elder Robinette has only been here for one transfer, so he’s just as lost as I am almost. But we make a good team. Our sector is like huge apartment buildings and all of the government and office buildings and stores. But we have some sweet hills that are in our sector that have normal houses and humbler people so I like that! But my first District class was cool. I studied the night before and all morning, thinking about what I could talk about. So I talked about how we need to teach short powerful lessons. It’s something I like to do because some missionaries get into the house and end up teaching for 45 minutes and saying everything they need to hear. But I like to go in with a plan, and a commitment that they can keep, and then leave. No more than 20 minutes. It’s a ton more efficient.  And it’s one thing that me and Elder Robinette need to work on. Because he is the opposite of that, he is a great teacher, he teaches really simply though. So that’s one of our goals we got.  I did my first mini transfer with Elder Ellsworth. He is in our District. He’s from St George. And he’s training for the first time he is a great missionary, I learned a lot from him. He has about 3 transfers less than me. But a true stud. We found some people, and one was a lady that lost her son about 12 years ago. And we shared Alma 40 that talks about the Spirit world. And we told her that that is where your son is right now, and we testified of that and shared personal stories. And we invited her to baptism, but she didn’t budge. She said she was going to remain Catholic. So that was a pretty intense experience because she was so ready to hear the gospel, but then the aspect of free agency comes in. But later on though things could change you never know!  But it was a great mini transfer. I was also able to pick up the box you sent me! The ties are sweet and the Padres hat is all time!  But we spent the week looking for new people, getting lost in the city, and teaching lessons for references.  So it’s pretty cool. This morning I wrote some letters to some recent converts I have in Penco and sent them over there. And we went to the office and talked with some missionaries, and all of that good stuff.  And then we ate some Subway! Yep Subway! Can you believe it! It was pretty good, brought back some good memories. And now we are in Full Planet the Internet place here in Concepcion.  Our Zone Leaders are sweet. Their names are Elder Brule from Canada and Elder Jack from Colorado! They are funny and have tons of energy!  Great leaders though.  And the other Elders in my District are the office Elders. Elder Arroyo and Elder Glazier. They are the ones that take care of all of the materials and baptismal records. They are studs. Elder Glazier is from the Clear Lake area up in Northern California, and Elder Arroyo grew up in Mexico but moved to Arizona I think, so his English is pretty funny he sounds like a gangster!  But that’s about it. Oh and we live with 2 other Elders from the other Zone. Elder Raleyea and Elder Benitez. Elder Raleyea is from Utah and Elder Benitez is from Paraguay! They are cool.  Our house is small and of course a little on the dirty side! But hey it’s got a roof!  And I got top bunk. So that’s life down here just living it up!

Love you guys have a great week!

  les quiero mucho!

              Elder Johnson