FAM.......SILLY

So what up fam!

How's everyone doing?? I sure hope that everything is going well with all the new changes! I never thought that I would return to a different house! That's so wild to me! haha. But just so you know, I'm happy with it and I'm excited for you all! and thanks for sending the pics, I wanted to see it super bad!

So this week has been a busy but good week! We are seeing a lot of progression with Wilian so we are super super stoked for him! We actually had a small but really cool experience with him just yesterday....we had an appointment with him at 6:30 at night so we were headed over there. He lives on a super super big hill that we have to climb every time we go there, it really is one of the steepest hills I've ever seen! Anyway, we get to the hill and my companion just starts to run up the hill as fast as he can....so I follow....so we're running up this hill just dead tired and we get to the top and we see him and his cousin Jorge about to turn the corner and head off to hang out with their friends, but we got there just in time to talk with him! We started to ask him a couple things about if he has been reading and if he was still excited to go to church on Sunday, and he told us that he is reading every day and that he really knows that it is true!!!  But the cool part is, is that if we hadn't run up the hill, we wouldn't have seen them and we would have missed an awesome opportunity to help him progress and excite him more to keep praying and go to church! We invited him to Mutual and he says he wants to go super bad...because he doesn't know too many people in the church so he still feels a little uncomfartable when he goes. So my companion and I were thinking of something we could do to help him, so we prayed and were thinking....and the name of Luis came to my mind (he is a priest who has the same age as Wilian)...he is kind of a quiet kid who doesnt talk too much, but I knew we needed to talk to him and get his help with Wilian!! So we went to his house the other night and started talking with him...and then I told him "the Lord needs you right now" and he asks me why. So I told him that we we're teaching a kid with the same age as him and that we needed his help to teach and to help Wilian go to church! And the first thing he says to us is "I don't think I'm the best person to help you guys.....there are a lot more priests that can help you".....so I looked him in the eye ball and testified to him that this is the work of the Lord and that He needs his help right now!  The next thing he says to us was "ok, I'm gonna do it...I'll help!"  We were so excited for him and for Wilian! I just know that he is going to be able to help Wilian so much...just by inviting him to church and helping him to get there!  I really have a big testimony of the need for the members in this work...they make all the difference in just a BAPTISM, and an actual CONVERT to the gospel of Jesus Christ!  They really are necessary in the process of conversion!  This work is pretty cool!!

Also, we had SEMINARIO this week....it's basically like a meeting for leaders and future leaders in the mission and I got invited to go and it was so awesome! I got to learn so many things on how to be an effective leader and help others to be the best that they can be! I learned something super interesting that Presidente Cantú said....he told us "you as a leader are only as good as your district is...or zone...or children" he said that a leader is someone that helps others to be the best that they can be and in the process we become better ourselves! "this is my work and my GLORY....to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" Moses 3:19....Gods glory comes through our progression....or God progresses as we progress!  Cool stuff! God really does want us to progress and that is why he has given us all the material we need to do it....scriptures, manuals, prophets etc....but he doesn't give us all the answers laid out perfect for us....it is our job to read and study and recieve the revelation necessary for us to progress! love it.

But bascically things are going well right now, we are going to be starting off March super well so we are really excited for that! But basically thats all for this week....I love you all more than you know, and I'm super happy for each and every one of you!  Always remember to pray and seek guidance from the Lord!

love you all,

Elder Johnson

GOOD THINGS IS A HAPPENIN'

Family that I love so dearly!!

Sorry for the delay on the letter...sometimes we get bombed with other stuff we need to do on p-days, but it's aight.

But CONGRATS on cheer Court! WHOOO, that's so awesome that you got 3rd place! stuhhoked! haha. And congrats everyone else for being the awesome people that I love so very much! ha. Thanks for being awesome, no joke. I'm so glad to hear that things are going SUPER well back home, just remember that we can always be better!!! That's the beauty of Gods plan....is that we can ALWAYS be better! We need to constantly be kneeling in prayer asking for guidance on what MORE can we do! "Wake up, and do something more than dream of your mansions above"....I really love that hymn a lot...it always reminds that when I'm feeling tired, worn out, or even lazy sometimes....I try to remember that phrase...."WAKE UP!!" haha.

Anyway, the work is going super well right now!! We are super excited for all of our investigators and we are starting to work a lot more with the ward and I feel like we are going to be seeing a lot more progression in these upcoming weeks! We just got to keep working hard, and constantly be finding the people that are ready to hear this gospel....then help them to feel and recognize the sprit, be baptized by someone who really does have the authority of God here on the earth....and then they will have the spirit with them to help others come unto Christ!! WHOO, this work is awesome! It's just like a lot of happiness, true happiness...something that you can't find anywhere else!

We had a super cool experience this week with someone named Emeterio! The name first off is awesome, but moving past that....haha. We were teaching an inactive family as part of the plan 5 5 5...don't know if you've heard of it...or are doing it? But it's cool, and it's inspired! haha. But we were teaching this family, and they have family members that are non-members that we didnt know about at first...but then we were talking with one of the members afterward and they mentioned that there were 2 people living in the house that weren't members, and said that they were interested in the church! This one member had talked with them a little bit and had invited them to talk with us (the missionaries) and they said OK!  We went over the next day and they were there and we had an awesome lesson with everyone! We invited them to come to church and they said they would come....then we invited them to be baptized and they said that they will if they read and pray and feel that it is true! It was super cool to see the success that comes from working with the members!  We just hope that they will make the choice to read and pray!! haha.

Also, we found an AWESOME investigator who just moved into the area a couple weeks ago!  He moved here from a place that is right on the border of Mexico and Arizona to right here in our area to go to school here! He is living with his family (cousins and aunts) who are members of the church, but at the time aren't super super active. But we went with them and taught a lesson...also part of the plan 555....solid plan right?? But we went and taught and they came to church and brought along with them Wilian!  He is 16 years old and just a super awesome kid.  We went back to teach him and he was super stoked to talk with us....we taught an awesome lesson and invited him to be baptized and HE ACCEPTED!  At the end of the lesson...we invited him to say the final prayer and he accepted to do it, we kneeled down and he began to pray.....at the end of the prayer the spirit was so strong in that room it was unbelievable....then he says to us.....can you feel that??  And we said what? He said, I feel really happy and good!! WHATTT!!!!  We felt the spirit so strong!  Then we talked with his cousin (Jorge) who is a convert of about a year who has the priesthood and is a priest, and asked him if he would like to baptize his cousin and he was SO STOKED to do it, and we got the permission of the bishop! So that's going to help Wilian out a ton, just always having that support with him in the house!  So we are really excited for the both of them!  He will be getting baptized on March 3rd! Then Claire on March 5th!  Also, we are hoping that Consuelo and her daughters will be getting baptized this next Saturday!   So we need some serious prayers out here in Culiacan! The Lord is blessing us a lot right now, and I feel like I need to show my gratitude to Him by working even harder!

The Lord loves us, we are all His sons and daughters!  We need to always pray to Him and ask Him to strengthen us in our trials....and if we do, He will always come through!  This work is awesome...I wish I could describe it better, but it truly is just cool! haha.

I love you all a lot!  It's wierd that even though I'm further away from you all than I've ever been and for the longest period of time...I feel like my love has grown so much for each and every single one of you!  Keep grindin it out err day! Love you.

Elder Johnson

MEER........UH.......CULLSS!

FAMILY!!

Hello everyone....so this week was SUPER AWESOME!  Elder Vazquez left the offices and my new companion is Elder Morales!  He is the new Elder that just came into the offices, he has about 3 months in the mission so he is pretty new...but he is super cool!  We were talking the other night and we realized that we have a lot in common so it's really fun to be able to talk with him about all the things that we like to do!  We have been working super hard this week so that we can start to see miracles in the area...and WE SAW MIRACLES!  Cool stuff.  We went with our new investigator Mari and planned out a sweet lesson where we were going to read a chapter in the Book of Mormon with her, so we were super excited to go teach her.  We got there and started to teach and we could feel the spirit...we had planned beforehand that we were going to challenge her to be baptized....and so we were at the end of the chapter and we started to talk a little bit about baptism and we could tell that she still was a little timid on the subject of baptism, but we didn't lose our faith, we knew that we had planned ahead of time to challenge her and that it was inspired of the Lord...so Elder Morales started to talk about the atonement of Jesus Christ and that it is through Him that we can be made clean of our sins....and the only thing that He asks of us in return is that we 1. have faith in Him 2. repent of our sins 3.  be BAPTISED by immersion 4. recieve the Holy Ghost and 5. keep His commandmets FOREVER!  The spirit just filled the room and we knew the we needed to challenge her in that moment....so we challenged her and she accepted to be baptized on the 18 of February!  We are super excited for her!  She just needs to keep reading in the Book of Mormon and gain a stronger testimony of the gospel...and if she does, she is going to be soo awesome in the church!  I know that she really will recieve the most happiness she has ever felt if she will do the simple things that God asks us to do!!

Also, I'm pretty sure the coolest thing ever happened yesterday!!  We went to go visit Claire at her house and she wasn't there...but her dad was across the street unloading a couple things from his work car so we went over and offered our help....and he says to us...."Elders, I want Claire to get baptised, we want her baptismal date to be the 11th of this month.................................................................................................. WHATTTTTT!!!!!!!!!! no way!!!  I can't even tell you how happy I was when he said that to us!!  Do you remember when my call came in the mail??  It was something like that, but even happier!!  I couldn't believe that the Lord just blessed us with that tender mercy in that moment!  I am soooo happy for Claire it's unbelievable!  We have been really working super hard with her  on her goals and making sure that she is doing everything she can to do them....and look what happened!!  I really can't even believe it!  Elder Morales and I are super happy right now and super grateful to the Lord that he has blessed us with the opportunity that we have to teach this AWESOME girl!  I'm dead serious when I say that she is going to be a SICK sister missionary someday!  STOKED!  haha.

Anyway, that's the Miracle of the week...even though there are so many more but I don't have time to tell them all! Just know that the Lord really does bless us when we love his children and do all that we can to help them progress in this life!  "If we do not lose oursleves in the service of others, there is no purpose to this life."  Thomas S. Monson.  love love love it!

I love you all so much and am so glad to hear that everything is doing so awesome!  Wish Court good luck for me at State....and tell Dillon to get off the couch and go read Preach My Gospel or something!!  haha.  I love you all so much!

Elder Johnson

QUE COSAS!

hey hey hey hey hey hey!!!

What's up family! I don't know if you all knew this....but I love you all!

Thank you to everyone who sent a cyber b day shoutout! haha.  It really has been a super good week!  Mariana should be getting baptized this upcoming week, so we're super excited for her!  She has had a couple of doubts and it's been difficult at times, but it's always so awesome to be able to help someone through their doubts, and then just see the light come into them and they understand it!  So we are still working with Mariana, she has been a little bit hard to find this past week or so, but she is still super stoked about her baptism!  Also, we found an AWESOME family this week, their names are Consuelo, Yatsiri and Gisela!  Consuelo is the mom and she has gone to church quite a bit, but has never really wanted to talk with the missionaries, let alone be baptized....but we talked to her this last week at church and she wanted to talk with us, so we went and visited them and taught a little bit....and it was so awesome! They opened up a lot and are a lot more excited!  We are hoping that we will be able to help them to be baptized as a whole family....that would be so awesome! So we're pretty excited about them!  Also, the members are like super stoked right now in these two wards!  We have been going with the members and sharing a message about love and service and they are really excited to do service for all of their neighbors....and throughout the week, the members have been giving us references, instead of us asking for them!! It's so cool to see that the spirit really has touched their hearts and everyone is working together! We are hoping we can see more and more progression with everyone!

As for the offices.....pure stress!! haha. There is so much work that we are doing right now, so I'm trying to learn how to better organize myself so that  I can work a lot more effective and faster here in the offices!  It's been a good learning experience, but not an easy one!  I have been praying a lot for the Lord to help me better organize myself....also that He would give me the ability to be able to think about the offices and about all the needs of my investigators also....and I have seen His help a lot this week!  The spirit really does help us here and the Lord knows what talents we have, we just need to develop them and flourish them!  I hope that I can continue to progress, that way I can be a more effective missionary!!

Also, I received the packages with the gloves and with the sweaters!  Thank you so much by the way!  But still no sign of the other one...I'm sure it will be getting here soon!  No worries!

Tell my boiii trev that I say thanks for the b day shoutout from ARGENTINA! TC.

love you all so much!

Elder Johnson

CUUUHRAAZZZYYY!

sup yo HI!

 

Hello family! This week has been one of the craziest weeks of my entire life! No joke, with Elder Larkin leaving and me being on my own here in the offices managing all of the money of the mission....I've been a little bit overwhelmed! haha. We also opened up three new areas this week...which means 3 new houses...which means I need to buy stuff for them and make sure they have their deposit and rent and everything! Basically, it's pretty stressful! haha. But I really am loving it, the days go by soo fast!! I can't believe how fast time goes here in the offices.

 

Anyway, Mariana is still way excited! We're still working with Luis Angel....little by little I'm sure he is going to start accepting!  He just really needs to come to church, because he has been to so many of the activities of the church but never has gone to an actual sacrament meeting and I'm positive that would help him so much to realize that it has been the spirit that he has been feeling the whole time and that it is something GOOD and TRUE!!!! I love those small and simple things that help us to find the truth....it just takes a little effort on our part!  We haven't seen Lupita in a little while, we kinda moved on for a little while from her....it's kinda weird, because sometimes the best thing you can do for your investigators...is leave them for a little while....they really need to be able to feel the difference of when we were coming and teaching and they were feeling the spirit...from when we are not there and the spirit is not nearly as strong! We truly are the happiest when we are learning about the gospel and more when we are LIVING it!!! And sometimes, it just takes that realization that the gospel really is what they need in their lives! And Claire´s dad still just isn't budging....I don't know what is up, but I know that girl needs to be baptized! She is so ready it's unbelievable...she just needs the permission from her parents!

I'm hoping this week will be a lot less busy with office work, and more busy with MISSIONARY WORK!!! I really want to get out there and find new people and see miracles and watch peoples lives change instead of looking at a computer screen change all day!! hahahaha.  That's a joke, I love the offices...but it's kinda hard when we get swamped, like this week with other kind of work....haha.  It's just weird because when I was thinking about the mission....before my mission.....I thought that I was not gonna have to worry about any kind of money whatsoever...and now look at me, worrying more about money than I ever have in my entire life...what's up with that!!! haha.  I'm learning a ton though, so that's super good...before the mish, I didnt know too much about money or how to deal with it, but now I feel like I've learned a lot and hope that I can keep learning, that way I can put it into practice after my mission!

I didnt get a chance to take too many photos this week, so I don't think I'll have any, but this upcoming week....I'll try to get some sent!

Also, I got the packages!!!! whooooohooooo! Thank you so much for everything, honestly!

Anyway, I'll catch you all on the flip side....l8r!

Elder Johnson



p.s. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!

The Simple Primary Answers...Are The Key To Everything!

Sup....Suppy!

Can I just tell you how happy all of your letters make me!! I really love them a ton!  I just love love hearing about all these good things that are happening in my family and with all the people that I love!! haha. I can't believe how much the Lord has blessed us! Now, we just need to show our gratitude by giving him more! He wants us to continually be progressing! I learned that a lot this week....have you ever noticed that just when you start to get comfortable with what your doing and you think you've got it done....everything changes!! You've got to really start to stretch your abilities and talents and by doing that, you continually progress! Although at first it really seems super hard and you wonder why the Lord would just take away everything that you had....but it's because he loves us and knows the potential that we have, that we can't see sometimes!! I love this work so much, I love the Lord with all my heart and the fact that he loves me enough to just cut me down sometimes and make me progress more and more! WOW!  The church is true...don't ever forget that, please!!! ha.

Anyway, this week was sooooooo awesome!!!!!!! I really can't even describe how happy I am right now! Every single day that we left to go work this week, WE SAW MIRACLES!! I'm not kidding when I say that I've never felt so much like I've completed my missionary purpose than in this change with Elder Larkin here in the offices! It's so cool, that even though we only have half a day every day to work, we go out and we really make a difference in this world and in the lives of SO many people! I'm so happy to be able to say that I have been able to make a big impact on a lot of peoples lives in this past month and a half, and it is because this truly is the work of the LORD!!!!!!  We carry the true and everlasting Gospel, the one and only thing that can save this world from the commotion and calamity it is in....WE HAVE THAT, and WE TEACH THAT!  There is no place I would rather be and nothing that makes me happier than seeing this gospel change the lives of others...and through that, it changes MINE!! Gods plan truly is perfect, there is no doubt in my mind!

So I don't know if i told you guys about Mariana....but she is so awesome!! This week, we really started to teach her and watch her progress in this gospel, and I'm happy to say that she has progressed SOO much!! Right now, we are teaching Luis Angel and Mariana, they just got marrried and they are super cool! Anyway, we went to go teach them this the other day, and when we arrived...she was just SO happy to see us and she just looked so much different. So we started to talk and teach a little bit...and we found out that Luis Angel isn't all that interested because his whole family is Christian and they want to continue in their church, which yes, is very sad...but then Mariana was just like....I know I need to continue learning and talking with you guys, because I feel the NECESSITY to keep moving forward with this and be baptized in this church!!! WHATT!!!  She has been reading and praying and she has a testimony that everything is true!! It really shows the importance of READING and PRAYING and GOING TO CHURCH!!!!!!!  The simple primary answers to everything.....are the KEY to everything!!!! haha. Sometimes we forget about those small things, but it really is what makes a difference in the lives of the people that don't even know anything about this gospel....so WHY CANT IT BE FOR US TOO?? We need to continually we striving to be better and always do the¨"small and simple things" so that "great things are brought to pass" Alma 37: 6-7.  Mariana will be getting baptized on the 28th of January!! I'm so excited for her and couldn't be more grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity I had to find her and teach her!  love love love it!

You all better know that I love you...because it's true, I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH IT'S UNBELIEVABLE!!  Keep progressing, and keep being awesome!  Tell Tate that I love him, and am so proud of all that he is doing and is going to do, you're one of my best friends Tate and I really do love you man!!  Go kill it in Inglatera (England in spanish) haha.

con muchor amor y cariño

Elder Johnson

 

Gnars. Bars.

Whats up my family!

So things are going super super well here right now!!

Elder Larkin and I are just killin it out here! I really have never felt so united with someone before, like companion wise! He really is one of my best friends and I love him!  Anyway, Lupita didn't get baptized this week because we haven't been able to find her this whole week and get her excited.....or even just talk to her! haha. But thats ok, she just gets a little nervous sometimes when it comes to the whole baptism thing! But we did find some super super sweet investigators who are just super stoked about the church! Their names are Luis Angel and Marianna....they are both 19 years old and they just got MARRIED! haha. They actually got married on Christmas day, which is super cool and we went and taught Luis Angel and he was just super happy, because he knew that God was happy that he was completing with the commandments! And so we taught him and it was awesome and then we went back a few days later and found his wife....Marianna!  She is super awesome, she has family that are members and she has been to church a couple of times and she says that she really likes the church and wants to learn more and keep going! suuhweeet! Also, Luis Angel´s best friend is on a mission in Chile right now so he has been to church and he goes to mutual every single thursday here! They both really like the church a lot, the only problem is....the mom of Luis Angel isn't too fond of them going to church and the whole deal.... but thats ok!  I know the Lord can soften her heart if we pray a lot and have enough faith! We are hoping a lot that they will continue to progress and be able to go to church and then.....GET BAPTIZED!  Elder Larkin and I are really excited to teach them about the temples and that they can be sealed together for eternity!!!!!!  Also, Claire is still doing super well! Her dad said that she will probably be able to be baptized in these next weeks...so we'll see what happens with that, but we are really excited for her, because she has such a strong testimony and wants to be baptized SO bad! 

 

This change has gone by soo fast it's unbelievable! I can't believe that Elder Larkin is going to be leaving in like a week!  I'm kinda sad, just because we are like best friends and I love working with him...but thats ok!  He's gonna go kill it in another area and my companion and I are gonna kill it here! So no big deal!

 

Right now in the offices, we have been super busy!! We had a couple elders in here this week....one broke his foot and the other has super bad back problems and can hardly walk, so he was getting some x rays and stuffs like that! It's weird to think that I'm gonna be on my own in here in the offices doing my work as the financial secretary in just 1 week! I have a feeling that I'm gonna be having to call Elder Larkin to ask him a few questions if I get lost! hahaha. I feel like I've got almost everything down pretty well, so we'll see! haha.

 

But other than that, this week has been pretty calm!  I am learning so much it's crazy! I can feel my testimony growing every single day, and I know the Lord is just preparing me more and more every single day to be a better person and become more like His Son! lovin it!

 

Anyway, the mission is the greatest thing in the whole world! Dillon and Jared......you better be getting yourselves ready to get out here and teach the Gospel! haha. I love you all so much, keep up all the good work back at home, and know that I love each and errrr one of you!

 

l8r sk8r,

 

Elder Johnson