Finding JOY in the Little Things

Hello my dearest family!

So I think I'll start this letter off by saying that this week was not easy...but I've never learned so much in my life! We really tried to focus on receiving references this week from the members to find new people to teach....but we went to visit the members and a lot of them weren't there or just couldn't think of anyone! haha. So that wasn't too successful...and so we went to go contact....that didn't go too well either! We would start to contact someone and I would look over at my companion and he was staring up at the sky or a tree....errrrr, sort of frustrating! But I had to be patient with him because he had no clue what he was doing! haha. We didn't see too much success in the numbers this week but I learned a lot and I feel like I have progressed as a missionary and as a person! Also, we had a zone conference this past Saturday, and I felt like you did Mom, when you said that you felt like every word was directed specifically for you, that's exactly how I felt in this conference! Any time we have an opportunity to listen to our leaders in the church...whether it be in General Conference or in a zone conference....the heavens truly open and we have an AWESOME opportunity to receive direct revelation for our own lives and the lives of the people that we are responsible for (family, investogators, etc.)! I was able to learn a lot and I know that as I put into practice the things I learned, that I will receive a greater conviction and testimony of those things and I will be blessed for doing so!  Same goes for you all, as we really try to put into practice the things that we learn, we will begin to see a great change in our hearts and our desires to serve the Lord will grow tremendously!

Right now we don't have too many investigators, but we have plans to find MUCHOS this week!  It's gonna be another week of perserverance, but I know we will begin to see great miracles and have awesome and very spiritual experiences!

I'm truly so thankful for your letters and all the love that I feel as I read them!  It keeps me motivated and lets me know that whatever barrier or trial lies ahead that all will be fine if we truly are doing the Lords work the way He wants us to do it!  I know the baptisms aren't coming right now, but that doesn't mean that we are not seeing great and marvelous miracles here in the mission field!  I have truly found great joy and satisfaction through the little everyday things!  At first I was just waiting for the great and marvelous miracles that often times happen in the mission, that I was missing out on all the small things that bring us great joy and will be memories forever!

Tell everyone that I say hi. Also, tell Derek that first of all he's the man, second that he needs to write me, and third that the volleyball player for Dear Valley that was SICK is in my mission, his name is Elder Livingston, I met him at the conference....haha. he wanted to say whatt upp.

Also, tell that best friend of mine Jenna to write me...I miss that girl and want to hear from her! haha.

Anyway, I love you all and hope all is well at home!

Love, Elder Johnson

Gonna be a week of WORK, WORK, WORK!

WHOAAAA!!! there is so much news I can hardly handle it! haha.

First of all, that is not my sister in that picture!!!!! Where in the world is the time going....it is seriously going so fast its unbelievable!

and WHAT UP TATE!!! that's so exciting that he is going to Manchester England! I'm super stoked to hear that all these people are getting ready to come out and be a part of this AWESOME WORK!!

Also, give my cuz a shoutout!!! WHAT UP DEREK!!  I'm super stoked to hear that you were killin it on the DANCE FLOOR!!!! haha. I really cant even tell you how stoked I am to hear that!

So about Angostura, it's still super super hot here and it is a little bit more desert...there aren't very mountains here and in Rosario there were a bunch, so thats different. And we are pretty close to the ocean, we have a Rancho that is super close and there are a bunch of members that live there! Also, we hitch hike everywhere we go here!! haha. We get a ride from some random person at least 5 times a day...no joke! This area is super huge, and some places we ride our bikes, but not too often because it is too far! And we wash out clothes by hand here! fun fun. And we eat with a different member every day...and we eat a TON here in Angostura! haha. we have air conditioning in the house here!!!!! such a blessing! Also, other news....my companion got super sick and got sent to Culiacan to rest and I have a new companion for a week....he is a "misionero de verano" a summer missionary which means that he is only here for 1 change (6 weeks).  His name is Elder Arias, he is a convert of only 2 MONTHS!!! He is super cool and he wants to work, so right now for a week I'm senior companion...and Elder Arias doesnt know too much of the lessons which means that I'm basically going to be doing everything for the next week in an area that I still don't know very well....errrr, I'm super nervous but I'm excited at the same time because I know that I'm going to learn a ton in this week! Also, we dont have too many investigators which means that we have to find new people! Gonna be a week of WORK WORK WORK!! Pray for me...haha. and about the sacrament meeting under a tree....it's the same branch as the one that meets here in angostura but its so far away and alot of the people dont have cars so we have another sacrament meeting out there! Yesterday we used tortillas for the sacrament bread...that was new! haha. but it was so special to be able to feel the spirit with such a simple sacrament meeting, and I felt so blessed that even in such a small place in the middle of Mexico, he have the Priesthood and we were able to bless and pass the sacrament to each one of the few members that live here! super cool.

Also, send JENNA a birthday shoutout!!! I forgot to put it in my email a little while ago, but it's here now! haha. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNA! love yaaaa!

I truly feel like I'm progressing every single day, not only as a missionary but as a person! It so cool to see how much the Lord is shaping me here and to see the person that I'm becoming! This work truly is difficult at times, and not difficult as in manual labor, its all mental!  It's just a mental battle sometimes to get out and get to work, but when we do and when we do it with a willing heart and a desire to serve the Lord, He blesses us with the some of the greatest joy we can possibly feel in this life! It truly is an eternal joy, something that is undeniable and contagious! love it. My love for this work and my love for the Savior has grown so much and continues to grow every time we have the opportunity to teach one of Gods children the truly and ever lasting Gospel and watch it bless their lives! It truly is my love for God and his Son Jesus Christ that gets me up every day and gives me a desire to work, and that love for God should guide us to put our lives more in harmony with His teachings and to live the way that He desires!

I love you all so much and I'm thankful for each and every one of you!

love, Elder Johnson

p.s. a couple pics from Rosario...

TRANSFERRED TO A NEW AREA...ANGOSTURA

Hello my dearest family that I love so dearly!

So first of all....WHERE DID YOU FIND THAT PICTURE????? I was laughing so hard when I saw that! haha.  (I sent him an old funny picture from when he was about 11 or 12 years old)

NEWSSS.....I got changed to a different area today! I just arrived here in a little RANCHITO neamed Angostura.....it is super close to the city Guasave! It's more in the north of Sinaloa...I have been traveling ALL day! haha. But this area seems super sweet...I have a new companion named Elder Fernandez, he is from Uraguay and he's a champ, I'm super excited to work with him! We have 2 little branches in this area so we are going to be going to 2 different sacrament meetings....but check this out....one of the sacrament meetings....is beneath a GIANT TREE!! There is just a little table for the sacrament and a small podium for the speaker!! I'm so stoked to see how it is...that is seriously like my dream, is to have a sacrament meeting like that! haha.

Anyway, cool story that happened yesterday in my last Sunday in Rosario.....so we were in the "chapel" getting ready for church and a guy walks in that nobody knows and asks if this was the Mormon church and we said yes....then he continued to tell us that he Apostolica and that his church was closed so he decided to come to ours...kinda random. But he sat in on our sacrament meeting...which was super spiritual for some reason, and he felt the spirit super strong! We finished the first meeting and we were about to seperate for other classes but he asked us if he could share something....SUPER random! haha. So we let him share what he wanted to say and he gets up and starts to tell us how in his church he would tell all the people that he hates the Mormons and that basically he wanted us all dead.....but then he started to cry and said that he felt something different being in our church and he apologized a ton to all of the members! He went on to say how he feels that this is the true church and that he is going to continue coming here!!! WHATTTT???? All the members afterward were super friendly to him and we felt the spirit SO strong in the church that day! This experience honestly was UNREAL!  I really think he could be our next branch president...but we'll see!

So about this Quinn Shuler situation...I knew him, that's super wild and super sad. It just makes me so grateful that our loving Heavenly Father loves us enough to give us basic instrucctions on how to find happiness and stay away from the evil things of this world that bring nothing but sadness...my prayers will include that family.

We are going to see miracles this change...I can feel it!!  With diligence comes blessings.

love love love you all,
Elder Johnson

DESIRE LEADS TO ACTION!

Suppy yo yo fam!

 

Soo things are going just swell here! We are in Mazatlan right now, because we completed our goal for baptisms as a zone, so we are here in Mazatlan celebrating!!  We played FUTBOL in the morning and right now we are about to go BOWLING!!  Whatt uppp!  So stoked!  We have a bunch of lanes rented out for 4 hours and we can just keeping playing for however long we want!  This is a day well needed...haha!

 

Anyway, my new comp Elder Lopez just recieved word not too long ago that his girlyfriend back home isn't feeling it anymore....errr.  He's super sad all the time and it is all he thinks and talks about!  It is super hard for him right now, but I'm trying to animate him and get him excited to be here...because it's affecting the work right now....pray for him, pray for Rosario! WE NEED A MIRACLE!!  And I know they are waiting (the miracles),  I can feel it!  All we need to do is get out there and work and really search for the "chosen ones" haha.  I have learned the importance of a willing heart and mind these past few weeks...it really does affect a lot of what we do and HOW we do it!  There are missionaries that work just to be able to say that they left the house and did something...but then there are missionaries who leave the house with an attitude of really wanting to find the people that are waiting and ultimately build the kingdom of God here on the earth!  This desire to find people and help them enter into their path to eternal life is my true desire, and I am going to do ALL that I can to make sure that my desire leads me to action!!  Super stoked right now to get out and work!!

 

The hand is doing well, there is still a little bit of swelling where they stitched underneath but it is doing fine!  It is not affecting my ability to work, so thats all that matters! And also, our converts have not come to church since Elder Ball left.....we visit them all the time and get them excited to come to church, and then they don't come....pretty disappointing and very sad, but we are doing all we can to help them!

 

I'm super excited to hear that everyone is doing super well at home....especially Court and Dillon in school! Keep up the hard work in school you two!! There really is no greater satisfaction than working hard and seeing the results of your hard work later, and you WILL SEE RESULTS!  Keep up with the FHE, I know sometimes the schedule gets pretty crazy, but if we can really focus our priorities on what the Lord wants for our family...there will be a way!! Do all you can to strengthen the fam spiritually and help eachother to grow in unity, there's  nothing more important you can do!

 

I love you all more than you know, and I pray that the Lord blesses each and every one of you on your journey to becoming more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!

 

con mas amor que pueden imaginar,

 

Elder Johnson