FAMILY!WHAT UP!! I can't believe that it is already baby week! That's NUTS! I had serioudly almost forgotten that it was this week that Jess is going to have her baby, it came so dang fast....I feel like Asher was just born yesterday and now I'm going to have another nephew.....WHOOOO! haha. I can't even tell you how excited I am to finally meet Asher and then get to meet the new little guy! By the way.....have you chosen a name yet, or is that still up in the air?? Ah man, I seriously am so excited to meet them...you have no clue!! haha.Also, that's so cool that Derek...ooops, I mean Elder Skousen now....already gave his farewell talk and is off to Spain! That pic that you sent me of him hugging his Mom brought back a bunch of memories and really hit me big time! haha. That's so wierd to think that I'll be hugging everyone again for the first time in 2 full years.....that's so unreal!! SO STOKED! haha. It's cool how many missionaries there are in the family now and how many there will be in the near future! It's just gonna get bigger and better! Good stuff! I'm not gonna lie, it kind of bums me out that I won't see Derek for 4 years because we got super close before I came out, but it's alright, he's in the best possible place he could be right now so that's why I'm so stoked for him!This week for us here in ME HE CO was pretty wild...we were super busy the whole week and we had to do a lot of boring "branch president" stuff as Elder Parkinson says! haha. Right now the branch had a trip planned to go to the temple because there are 2 members of the branch that just got married this week and they were planning on going to the temple this week to get sealed so we were running around doing interviews and what not and renting buses and just a bunch of other stuff....but it seems like they are not going to be able to go because there were some problems with the bus and with the amount of people that were going to go......so they are going to wait a little bit.....I'm not lying when I say that I'm SUPER bummed that they are not going to be able to get sealed this week, but I'm sure that if we keep working and keep looking, we will be able to get things figured out so that they can go to the temple! Gotta keep positive thoughts! Haha. So yeah, that was most of our week and along with a ton of other stuff! haha.We had a pretty cool experience this week though.....so I think I've mentioned Arturo and Armando and about how they are super excited for their baptism...well something really cool happened with them this week, something that we have been working on for around 3 weeks now, and that something is the DAD! haha. We have been really trying to teach their dad because we felt that if they had real support from their dad it would help them so much more to not fear and to be really excited about their baptism and everything....and then something really cool happened this week.....we were there in church waiting for the services to start and then we look in the back of the room and see Arturo and Armando walk in with their mom....and.....THEIR DAD!! WHOOOO! I can't even tell you how happy I was to see that he went with them to church to show them that he supports their decision and that he will be there to help them! But that's not all.....in the classes the dad was actually participating and really feeling the spirit....he was saying that he has been really wanting to change his life around and really start to live like he should...I'm pretty sure he had a really good experience at church! We are hoping that we are going to see some big time progression with him and with his kids now! I am sooo hoping that their whole family will accept the gospel and be able to live it all together because there is nothing that compares to living the gospel with your whole family and just having everyone build eachother up! PRAY FOR THEM PLEASE!So I'm basically super excited right now and really enjoying this time in my mission! I'm trying to be diligent and keep working until the end so that I can be a good example for Elder Parkinson because I see a bunch of potential in him....he is going to be an awesome missionary! But I am super excited to see you all, you guys keep me motivated and make me want to work hard till the end....I appreciate all the support! I love you all so much.Elder Johnsonp.s. I'm sorry that I've been pretty bad with the pics....but here are some of the pics of us.
HEY HEY HEY!
So basically I'm super stoked right now to hear of all the cool things that are always hapenning back home....I'm so excited to hear that the missionary work is progressing so much in the home ward....that I still dont know! haha. But it's so awesome to hear about all the cool experiences that you guys are having as ward missioanries! Oh and I definitely did not know that Chris was baptized on the same day that I came into the mission....thats so gnarly, we have an anniversary in common! haha. Oh and I literally cannot believe that I have completed 2 years in the mission!!!!! Thats so wierd that the 2 years that I have always waited for are done, but the Lord gave me a little more time to be here in the mission, so thats pretty cool! I'm really enjoying this time right now in the mission.....it's the hardest thing EVER, but I've never had to do something that has permitted me to really expand myself and really develop the gifts that God has given me and it's such an experience and the funnest thing I've ever done!
We had a super awesome experience this week and kinda funny also! haha. JOSE GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY! WHOOOO! We were super excited for him that he finally made the decision to be baptized because he was just super scared of not knowing enough and not being able to read well enough and a bunch of other things, but he finally found the courage to just trust in God and trust that he had recieved an answer from the Holy Ghost that all that we had taught him was true! But it was the funniest thing because right when him and his family had gotten to the church for his baptismal service he went to the bathroom.....and you know how the doors into the font are in the bathroom? Well he was going to come out of the bathroom and he heard us talking on the other side of the wall because we were in the room where the batismal font is and so him, not really knowing how to get around the chapel, just opens the door into the font and sees us on the other side and doesn't pay attention that there is a HUGE pool of water in front of him, starts to walk down the steps into the water!!! hahahahahaha. Then he realized that he was in water and just ran out of the font and we were telling him the whole time that he was just so excited to be baptized that he didn't want to wait for anyone....he went straight to the font!! haha. Also, there was a little girl that got baptized in the same baptismal service, but when she got baptized we had to do it 3 times because there was always something that came out of the water, but when Jose got baptized, we only had to do it 1 time.....but then he was telling us that is was 2 because of the first intent on his own!! hahaha. It was honestly one of the funniest things I've ever seen in my life!! I'll have to tell you more when I'm with you because it was seriously soo funny! But all in all, the baptismal service turned out great and he was super happy afterward.....he was actually talking to Elder Parkinson afterward while they were changing and Elder Parkinson asked him how he felt and he told him kind of emotionally that he knew that he did the right thing!! WHOO! He is going to be such an awesome part of our branch so we are super excited for him! Then after the baptismal service we were talking to the uncle of Arturo and Armando and he was telling us that he had talked to them the other day and that they were super excited about their baptism on the 23rd, so we were also super super happy about that! Oh, also funny thing that happened.....the jumpsuit of Jose did not fit him at all and so he just wore it as if they were pants and just turned his almost all white shirt inside out, but it was really funny because his shirt says "VOY CON TODO" which is translated "I'M GOING WITH EVERYTHING" and it was kind of visible....you'll be able to see it in the pics....but it was just super funny because it totally applied to his baptism! hahaha. It really was probably the best/funniest baptismal services of my mission!
Ok, so I've got news now......you remember about my hand?? Well, it is going to be operated on the 30th of this month. They are going to cut it back open and clean it out so that if there is any infected stuff in there, it wont affect me in the future, and so it doesn't look like another knuckle! haha. But I just wanted you guys to know right now so that you don't worry, because it's not going to be a huge operation but I will possibly be coming home with my hand in a bandage haha. So I'll be in Culiacan the 29th and then the 30th will be the surgery and then for a few days I'll be resting and letting it heal and then the 3rd, I'll be coming home normal at the same time. I will still have the stitches in when I get home so we will get someone to take them out when it is completely healed, but that shouldn't be too big of a problem. So that's my big news this week! haha.
I love you guys a ton, I'm happy for you and I'm SUPER excited to see you again! WHOOOOOO!! haha. But until then, I'll still be here in ME HE CO working until the last day! love you all.
Elder Johnson
FAMILY!Hey everyone! That's so cool to see the pics of the wedding and hear that it went so well!! I can't believe that Robert is married, it seems like time just doesn't exist anymore! haha. But it's really good to hear that it went well and that everyone had a good time! Also, it's really funny to hear that everyone is talking about how I have less than a month left.....sometimes it still hasn't sunk in that it's so close, but than sometimes it hits me and I try to work a little harder so that I get everything out of it! It's even crazier to think that if that change wouldn't have been made...I would be finishing my mission in a week! WHAT!!! haha. But I'm honsetly so excited to see everyone!So this week was super awesome, there were so many good things that happened and we saw quite a few miracles! First of all, JOSE IS SO STOKED FOR HIS BAPTISM! Oh and big news........JOSE AND SOFIA GOT MARRIED ON FRIDAY!!!! WHOO! They are progressing so much and they are both so happy! Jose also went to church this week and in the middle of church he handed me his envelope with his tithing!! He looked so happy that and so willing to do the will of God and I was so happy for him...I know that all those prayers from back home are helping him!! He is going to be baptized this Saturday and we are way excited for him! Also, Armando went to church with his mom and he was so happy to be there.....his mom actually shared something really cool with us about Armando, she was telling us that in the morning he was still asleep when she was about ready to go to church and he woke up randomly just in time and saw that she was going to church and popped out of bed and told her that he wanted to go with her even if he couldn't eat breakfast, he wanted to be in church with his family!! It's so cool how much we can learn from children and their willingness to do Gods will! Also, in church we had a total of 54 people, but that's not the best part.....in the Rosales part we usually only have like 12 or 15 and I have been really wanting to get it up to above 30 and this week in Rosales we had 32 people in Rosales!!! WHOO! We are really excited about the progression in the branch and we are hoping that we can continue to progress! Oh and Arturo and Armando will be getting baptized on the 16th so pray for them that they will have the courage to take this step!Well family, I love you, I miss you and I kind of can't wait to see you! I'm not getting too trunky, we are still working super hard and like you said....I honestly don't have time to get trunky anyway so I'm not too worried about it! haha. I love you all and I hope you all have a good week!Elder Johnson
