October 29, 2012

Dear Family, Well, I sure was super excited to get all of your letters. Wow! 4 letters. I sure did feel special. So it snowed in Utah? I´ll bet it got real cold. You know, it is getting pretty cold down here also. I think that it might get down into the 70´s at night. I wake up with the chills every morning. I´m just so used to sleeping with just a sheet. Anyways,... I had NO IDEA that Jackie is learning how to play the flute! That is incredible. I sure hope that that goes well. Ooooo when I was a young little lad... ha ha I sure loved band class. I wish now that I would have stuck with it. And Mr. Glassford. Well, all I can say is good luck. It was a trying class, but I sure learned a lot. And as for Benjamin. Well, if you can share the most important message for two years, I am sure that it will not be too difficult to sell suits and shoes for a couple of months. Ánimo. I am sorry to hear that Dad´s uncle passed away. Life is very unexpected. Well, I would like to tell you about one of the sweetest experiences that I have had on my mission. It sure is going to be engraved in my memories for a long, long time. So to begin, this past Tuesday, Elder Lopez and I went out to work with the desire to find new people, because most of the people that we were visiting had stopped progressing. Well, as we were looking for a person whose name appeared in the list of futures investigators, we met the Hna. Blanca Estela. She invited us into her house, and after coming to know her situation, we shared with her a message that centered in the capability the Jesus has to heal. It was very spiritual, and then she made the comment to us that she has a sister in Monterey whose family are members of the church. She told us that when she was there, she had gone to church, and that she really liked it, but after she moved back home, she lost contact with the church. The lesson was so spiritual, that when we invited her to be baptized, she accepted without any hesitation. During the course of that week, we visited her often, and we made arrangements so that she could come with us to church. That Sunday in church, we arrived a little late, because we had gone with Abraham and Maria to pick up some other investigators, but when we arrived at the chapel she was there, seated near the front. We greeted her and took our seats. At the end of the meeting when we all started going to the classes, I heard a yell. As I turned around, I saw Blanca Estela running over to Abraham and Maria. She hugged and kissed Maria, and then Abraham. It was one of the sweetest things to see as she and Abraham hugged, the both with tears streaming down their faces. I soon found out that she is the sister of Abraham's mother who passed away 7 years ago. It definitely was an unexpected family reunion in the most unlikely of places. I know that God has His hand in all of the things that are going on with His work. The day before, Abraham and Maria had told us that this would be the last Sunday going with us to this ward, because starting next week, they were going to go to the other ward, because it would be more convenient. What are the chances, that the last week that they would be there, we found the long lost Aunt by luck. Blanca Estela was super excited when she found out that Abraham and Maria had been baptized. This is what the Gospel is all about. Reuniting the Family. I love this work so much, and it is these experiences that make it all worth it. Well, I sure hope that your next week will be a good as mine! Ha ha I sure am super excited for this work. The time has never gone faster, and I have never seen so many miracles. I love this work. I love you all. Thank you for all of your support. Love, Elder Johnson

October 22, 2012

Dear Family, Well, I sure was happy to receive your letter. I couldn´t help but get the feeling that still, 2 years later, you are paying for the mistakes once made as a child, and are still repairing the damage. I truly am sorry for many of damage that I caused in my earlier youth. I know that back in those days, I definitely did not think about others as much as I should have. One of the greatest blessings that I have had while serving as a missionary is the opportunity to forget myself and worry about other. Actually I gave a talk on that yesterday. I spoke of how God´s plan is to bring to pass our salvation. That is His work and glory. And seeing how imperfect we are, the only way that we are going to be able to reach Salvation is by helping others. Jesus gave us the perfect example. He did not live his life for himself. Everything he did, he did for us. We can see how true this statement is when we think about the scripture that is in Mosiah 2:17. Imagine it. The only time that we are really happy, and I mean pure happiness and joy, is when we are serving others. That is why God commands us to form families. Being a parent is probably one of the hardest jobs, in which there are few earthly rewards. Loving parents are some of the most selfless people who exist. They live for their children. Grandparents for the grandchildren. This is the great plan of Happiness. That the families can learn of God, and that they can strive to obtain an eternal family. It is hard. IT IS WORTH IT. The things that are really important in this life are never easy. There is nothing more important. There is no offence, no sin, no trial that cannot be overcome through Jesus. This week was great. Elder Lopez and I worked really hard to make every day a productive day, and in the end, we were able to see the results. They were not the results that I was hoping for, but oh well. God has said "your thoughts are not my thoughts, and your ways are not my ways". So this whole week, we have been working hard to help Ernesto and Lupita prepare for their baptism. They showed some excitement, but never put in their part. They stopped reading the Book of Mormon, and Ernesto started drinking again. This greatly saddened us. The problem is he wants to stop drinking, but he does nothing to separate himself from the bad influences or bad "friends". So we were working hard with them, and in the end, I believe that we are going to have to leave them for a little while. They did not come to church yesterday. They are really great people, but if this really is not what they desire, then what good will it do to force it upon them. They have the agency. They can make the choice. I just hope that one day they will decide what is important to them. The Hna. Yahira came to church and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. That was wonderful. She and Abraham and Maria are all doing really great. Abraham is preparing to receive the priesthood. Alan and Nelson are still going to church with their dad too. Actually they are preparing to go to the temple within the next two weeks to do baptisms for the dead. I love this are, and the people here. I love you all. Thank you for your support. I think and pray for you often. Love, Elder Johnson

October 15, 2012

Dear Family, So, I did really leave you all hanging last week. I guess now I must explain myself. It all happened like two weeks ago. It was a Tuesday. I should have known from the start that it was going to be a bad day. While Elder Lopez and I were going to refill the jug of water (because you cannot drink the water from the tap... just in case I had not told you) anyways, I was riding along nonchalantly on my bike, practicing riding with no hand while eating a bowl of cereal. (for future reference, this is not a good idea on a dirt road with pot holes) I hit one of the pot holes, and fell, spilling all of my cereal, and you all know how I feel about my cereal. So that is how my day started off. Then before lunch, we went to see Rogelio at his work. Upon entering, we found ourselves face to face with a member of the Pentecostalism Church. He was friendly,.... at first. He asked us questions such as "What does the name Jesus mean?" :o In the end, we listened as he tried to convince us the God is Spirit, and that the Holy Ghost is the gift of tongues. I had no intention of contending with him, and even less, because we were in the presence of an investigator. It was a very uncomfortable situation. When we left, I sure did not feel warm and fuzzy inside. Then, when the day could not get any worse,.... So we went to lunch, and guess what the Hermana had prepared... MÓLE. Yucky I tell you what móle is so that you can share my opinion. It is chocolate cooked with peppers, and peanuts and bananas, and whatever else that is on hand. It is normally served as a sauce on top of cooked chicken. I definitely was not in the best mood. Then upon leaving the house after eating, I got hit by a car. It was NOT my fault. I was crossing the road, and the lady had a stop sign. She just was not paying any attention to me, and plowed right in to my side. My companion said it was pretty funny to watch. Picture it. A white lanky guy flying into the middle of an intersection. What a day! Anyways, after that we had the baptism of Yahira (picture included). It was very special. In the end, the day was not lost. Thanks to the baptism of Yahira, Abraham and his wife Maria decided to get baptized too the following week (picture also included). God works in mysterious ways. Well, so this past week has been really special. We worked all week supporting Abraham and Maria en their decision to be baptized At first they had their doubts, but then as the time passed, they became more and more excited. After their baptism, one of their family asked them how they felt, their response astounded me. They said "you´ll just have to try it for yourself". YAY They really are super excited. It has been so great to see how far Abraham has come. Just 5 weeks ago, he was the type who would go out and drink beer all the night with his friends. He was always the first to hit the bottle. He has not touched an ounce of liquor since the 16 of September!!!! Wow. It is amazing to see how lives can change. I really hope that they will enter in the temple and be sealed for time and all eternity in 1 years’ time. Also, in their confirmation it was really special. They have 5 years married, and have tried on various occasions to have children. They have had many complications, and that has really saddened the two of them. Well, in both of their blessings that they received upon receiving the Holy Ghost, they were promised children. Wow. That definitely was an answer to their prayers. I love you all. Thank you so much for your support, and your prayers. Till next time,... Love, Elder Johnson

October 8, 2012

Dear Family, I am rushed for time. I will owe you a really long and proper letter next week. I have so many things to tell you about, but time just is not my friend right now. For instance, I had the WORST day of my mission last Tuesday but in the end, it all turned out for the better. Catchy? If I were to tell you that I got hit by a car would that make it even catchier? I tell you all about it.... next week! I just want you all to know that this church is true. President Thomas S. Monson is a prophet. He has all of the keys and authority to receive revelation for the human race. WOW. What a responsibility. I love this Gospel. It is like a fire in my heart. I love the Mercy of God, and how He always makes things work out for our benefit. He knows each and every one of us. He knows our very desires. The only way to return to Him is to give our BEST effort. I know that I am not perfect, and that just increases my love for the Gospel. God has given us a second chance. Due to the great and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we will live again, and we can be made clean. I love him, just as I love all of you. I wish you all the best week. Love, Elder Johnson

October 1, 2012

Good Morning Family, How has your week been coming along? Mine has been quite interesting. Let me tell you a little about it. Well right now, we have some very promising investigators. My companion and I are just super excited!!! I´ll tell you first about Hna. Yahira. She is a super awesome lady who we have been teaching for the past three weeks. She has a son named Diego, and is separated from her husband. She is going to be baptized tomrrow at 7:00. Yayyyy! Her mother is a recent convert of about 3 months. Their story really is a special one. She (Yahira) came to know the gospel thanks to her brother (Alan Jones). He has been a member for about 3 years, and is currently serving as a missionary in the eastern states of America. He gave his sister a book of Gospel Principles to read like a year ago, when she lived in San Lucas. She read it, and when she moved here to Mazatlan she began to listen to the missionaries and take the lessons. I love thinking about the story of this family, because it really makes me feel the spirit, and understand the importance of families. Alan left to serve a mission 5 months ago. (oh, and a little bit of background information, I met Alan Jones when I was in Mazatlan for the first time... small world) When he departed, he was the only member in his family. 2 months after he entered into the MTC in Utah, his mother got baptized, and now his sister is going to follow her example. They have the goal to be sealed for eternity once Alan returns home from his mission. I can only imagine how he must feel. It must be such a joy to know that you have the hope to be sealed together with your family returning from the mission. It is a blessing that often times I have taken for granted. I believe that they should write down their conversion story. Yesterday in church they talked about keeping records (Journals) of the things that happen in our lives. I am now beginning to understand the importance of this. In 50 years in would be wonderful for the future generations of this family to look back and see how their family came to know the Gospel. I really love this work. I love these people. There is nothing that gives me more joy and happiness than helping these blessed people here to realize and appreciate the sacrifice the Christ did for us. Oh, and so here is an exciting event that has occurred in this past week. I did divisions with Elder Livingston from my generation. He is here in Mazatlan as our Zone Leader, and we got to do divisions. I had not seen him for a good 6 months. No we have 4 months left, and it was very special to see how we both had changed since we were in the MTC so long ago. That has been quite the experience. Anyways, I love you all. I must be going, because there are many things to do. Be Happy! Love, Elder Johnson

September 24, 2012

So, real fast... Transfers were today. Elder Lazaro went to Del Fuerte. Elder Lopez came in his place. We are excited. Okay um... yesterday we had a stake conference. A member of the 70 came, and President Cantu also. It was very spiritual. So, I am just going to send some key words that will tell you a little about my week. Excitement Exercise Sore Pain Heat/Humidity Zone Meeting Desire Interviews with President. Correction Conference Family’s Jesus Christ Unbelievable Happiness Lesson in the Chapel Strong witness of the Spirit Disobedience Sadness Lack of Unity Obedience Happy Smile Joy Respect Love I love this gospel. I love this chance that I have to be a missionary. Time is short..... in many aspects. It is time to get to work, while it is still day, because the night comes in the which no work can be performed. I love you all. I pray for you often. Love Elder Johnson p.s. Next week I´ll write more.