DINNER WITH THE CAMACHO'S!

FAMILY HI!

I'm so excited to hear that you got to meet the CAMACHOS!  Don't tell Hno Camacho this, but that's one of my favorite families I've met in my mission...Hno Camacho taught me a lot about the organization of the church and how things run in the church...I learned a lot from that guy and I'm super grateful for everything that he taught me because now, I have to put it all into practice!  haha. But that's way cool that you got to meet them and that you are going to have dinner with them tonight!  Tell them I say hi.  Anyway, I'm glad to know that my suitcase got there safe and sound with all my stuff in it....I kind of sent a lot of stuff home just because I didn't need a lot of it and it was just extra weight.  Oh and about the shoes...I think the ones I have will last for another 4 months or so, I'll be fine with the ones I have.  But thanks for thinking about it. 

So this week was basically the craziest week of my entire life!  I was trying to get to know the area again and meeting the members and just getting myself situated!  But the craziest was definitely on SUNDAY!   I directed/presided my first meeting EVER...so that was pretty cool!  And the wierdest thing of all was when they were passing the sacrament...they came to me first!  hahaha.  That's when it really hit me, I felt so wierd in that moment I can't even begin to describe it!  Also, I did my first interview ever so that was pretty exciting too, but I was super nervous before!  haha.  The members are getting ready to go to the temple this 7th of December so I'm hoping to have more interviews in the near future that way everyone possible in the branch can go to the temple!  But basically things are just way different as branch president...there is a lot more responsibilty and I never realized how much everyone really does look to you for basically whatever decision is being made!  A couple of the member call me "pres" which is pretty funny...at least I find it entertaning! haha.  But yeah, I'm learning a ton about leadership and how perfect the church REALLY is!  I always knew that it was or is, but it never really occured to me that much until now that I have to know how to do everything as well as I can, and really help this branch grow....the church provides the perfect training in every aspect of the work, and if we just put it into practice...it turns out so perfectly!  I have learned most of all to not be so worried in the administrative part but the ministrative part!  We are literally representing Jesus Christ and His church and we need to focus on the people (members) and their personal lives and how we can help them, instead of just worrying so much about all the calendaring and all that good stuff that comes along with it!  haha.  But I'm hoping that I can train the leaders in this branch well enough about how to do just that, so that we can really start to help this branch see some real growth in not just numbers but in our testomonies as well!  That's real growth!  I will be letting you guys know how everything is going here in the branch.   Just know that I'm SUPER stoked to be here right now! 

Anyway, you all really are the best and I'm grateful for you every day of my life!  Thank you for your prayers and all your support...oh, and the packages that you send (I love those)! haha.  The work is progressing, the church is progressing and we need to progress with it!  We need to really be converted to this gospel and really start to work so it can "sound in every ear"!  Be cool, stay cool.

Elder Johnson