December 17, 2012

(hahahaha you´ll have to put it through a translator) ((I hope you can understand it))

Querido Familia,

Muchísimas gracias por mandarme los correos. Me daba mucho gusto al escuchar de ustedes. Jackie, yo sé que la escuela puede ser difícil a veces, pero realmente vale la pena. La única cosa que le puedo decir es disfrútelo. Bueno, mi carta esta semana al igual será corta porque tenemos muchas cosas que hacer.

La semana pasada yo y el Elder Lopez tuvimos muchas buenas experiencias, y pudimos ver algunos milagros. Habíamos empezado a enseñar a los miembros otra vez las charlas. Eso tiene como fin al ayudar a los miembros a recordar y fortalecer sus testimonios del Evangelio. Al hacer esto, si realmente se conviertan, ellos nos van a apoyar de gran manera a la obra. La Hna Blanca y Manuel siguen animados para sus bautismo. Entrando el año ellos se van a tomar lo mejor decisión posible. Me ha ayudado mucho al ver estos dos progresar. Me ha fortalecido mucho mi testimonio de que Dios está preparando a personas para nosotros, y solamente tenemos que abrir nuestras bocas y seguir el Espíritu. Amo este Evangelio. Sé que es verdadero y que realmente Dios de nuevo está estableciendo Su reino aquí en la tierra. Estamos en los últimos días preparando las personas para la grande y gloriosa venida de Su amado Hijo. Jamás quiero que termine.

Les amo machín a ustedes. Estoy eternamente agradecido por su apoyo y sus oraciones. Me fortalecen día tras día.

Nos pondremos de acuerdo en la semana que entra para la llamada de Navidad. Es posible que marco de la casa de algunos gringos (americanos), viendo que ya estoy de nuevo aquí en La Baja. ¡Que emoción! Por las ultimas 6 semanas de mi misión estaré en Cabo San Lucas 1A.

Hasta Pronto

Con mucho amor, besos y abrazos,

Elder Johnson

December 10, 2012

Dear family,

This is going to be a short letter today.

I love you all. I hope that life is going great back at home. Here in Mazatlan, life couldn´t be better. We are just cruising along. Yesterday Blanca (a different Blanca) came to church with her husband Manuel. The best part about it is that they arrived all on their own. Wow! The ward is fellow-shipping them very well, and I am really excited to see them progress. The hna Blanca recently has undergone chemo therapy, so she lost all of her hair. It is a tough time in her life. We are going to have our Christmas concert this Friday! yay.

Well, sorry it is brief, but I am really stressed out by this computer. I have to press the keys like 3 times before it shows up on the screen. FRUSTRATING. :)

tell Jackie hi.

Love, Elder Johnson

December 3, 2012

Dear Family,

Well, I sure was saddened to hear about the deaths of Aunt Norma and Aunt LaDean. It really is difficult, and even more so in this family centered time of year.

And to answer the multiple questions that Jackie asked,

Q. Skype or phone

A. I think that a phone call would most adequate. Skype would be more of a hassle, and would only last 1 hour as opposed to a phone call which will last 2 hours, and you can´t see me cry... (if it were the case that I should cry) hehehe

Q. I don`t remember if I told you this but if I did, oh well, I am going to tell you again, I am the beehive president for our ward! How exciting is that?

A. Congratulations. That is way super exciting, and a very big responsibility! I am sure that you will do wonderfully.

Q. I wanted to know if you had any ideas for this year’s chocolate house?

A. Well, as for the chocolate house,... I have no idea. You could make Santa´s house, and the barn where he keeps his reindeer. (And maybe the workshop where he makes the toys) I am sure that I will get to see whatever you choose, seeing as how we usually wait like 3 months to eat it! :)

Q. What are you doing in the pictures you sent us?

A. Jackie, you silly sister of mine, I have no clue of which picture you are referring to. :D

Q. Did you get the package the ward sent you.

A. As a matter of fact, I did receive the package this past Saturday! Thank you so so SOOOOO much. I sure did enjoy your letter Jackie. (not to mention all of the candy) You be sure to tell the Robinsons thank-you also.

AAAAAAAAHHHHHH I just barely realized that I left the house without a TIE!!!!! This has got to be the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened. It was extremely funny though. I felt for my tie and, lo and behold, I had put on the invisible one! I have been walking around looking really awkward with the top button buttoned up, and yet NO TIE. I turned to my companion, and asked him why he had not told me about the tie, and his eyes got the size of golf balls, and then started laughing. What shame.

Anyways, this past week was really quite the adventure. We did divisions, and I got the opportunity to go to Juarez and be with Elder Morrise. He has got to be the most interestingly delightful person I have come to know. He is passionate about music. He is so intense about his music, and sounds and such, that it often times causes somewhat of a distraction for him. He is super intelligent. We are working hard to get the two wards excited for the Christmas Concert that we are arranging. So far everything is going well, but it would be better if we had a better turnout from the wards in the rehearsals.

Do you remember my good friend Elder Tingey? The one who I was with for 6 months... The one from Las Vegas,... The one who has a band, and plays the base guitar, the drums, the normal guitar (I do believe it is called an acoustic guitar), and sings (obviously not all at the same time),.... The one who I sang with in the Christmas Concert last year, and then in the conference in August,.... The one who never changes his contacts,.... Well, anyways he ended his mission 4 weeks ago. I received an e-mail from him! Yay

Well I would like to tell you about a wonderful experience that I had this past week. We had a conference with our zone this past week. It was very good. I was reminded of some things that I have to keep on doing, and many things that I had forgotten and that I must start doing once more. Well, at the end of the conference, we went to the food. We ate with a future missionary named Edwardo. He is the only member in his family. Well, his mother made us food, and sat down to talk with us while we ate. She had talked with the missionaries in many occasions, but then for some reason they stopped passing by. Well, at the end of the food, we asked her if she knew anyone who needed to hear our message in these moments. We received the typical response "nope, I can´t think of anyone" and "the thing is I almost don´t know anyone around here". We sat there, and there were some moments of silence, and then she turned to us and told us that she works in the hospital (in our area) and that she would like for us to visit the people in the hospital! Wow. That is the first time this has happened. She then told us that she is going to ask permission from her boss so that we can enter and share messages with the patients. Elder Lopez and I are really excited to start this. It will be a fantastic way to find new people.

I love you all, and I sure hope that you are all doing wonderful. Have a great week. Be sure to make every day better than its yesterday. Life is great here in the mission (a little hot but oh well) and I would that it might not end.

Love,

Elder Johnson

November 26, 2012

Dear Family,

Thank you so SOOO much for the letters, I sure did enjoy reading them. So, I will start off with a little SUPER depressing information. So 2 weeks ago I received a phone call from Elder Martinez from the offices. He asked me the killer questions. Example "Where is the closest airport to your house?" and "What is the name of your bishop, and/ or stake president?" You know that you do not have a lot of time left when they begin to ask horrible questions like that. Actually, I can count the number of weeks on my hands... 9! I will be returning home the 30 of January of 2013. I should be arriving at the Salt Lake airport... ha ha And actually, I struggled with the names of the Bishop and Stake President, because they changed on me.

Anyway, that is great that you all got to eat delicious food and celebrate Thanksgiving... I, on the other hand, did not! (oh, and by the way, I do believe that someone had a birthday... and an anniversary) But I did make a delicious Apple Pie last Monday! Absolutely scrumptious! The following 4 days were absolutely terrible. I think that I threw out my back or something ... all I know is that I could not stand, sit, or lay down without being in pain. It was one of the most frustrating things. I was not able to sleep good because every little while I was waking up out of pain. Do not get too worried, I am better now, and I sure hope it never comes back.

This week we have been working a lot trying to find all of the references that were given to us in the activity in the graveyard. We have come across many great families. The majority of them are really prepared to receive our message. Saul is a man who I had contacted in the cemetery. This week we have been teaching him, and he really has been showing positive signs and lots of interest in the church. The only problem is his work. He works as a money collector (I have no idea what it is called in English, but in Spanish it is cobrador). Due to his work, he is rarely home, and he even has to work Sundays. BUMMER! Also we have met this man named Felipe. He is a great guy. He is going through a tough time in his life right now, because 2 months ago, his 20 year old son died in an accident. Gospel means good news, and that is just the message that we bring. Families can be together forever! He was SUPER receptive to our message. Now on to some seriously sad news. This past Sunday, our bikes were stolen. And worst of all, it happened while we were in church. Oh well, I guess I must be grateful to have had them for 4 months.

I love you all. Life is golden down here in Mexico. It is still hot, but it has started showing signs of Fall!

Love Elder Johnson

November 19, 2012

Hey Family,

So this past week has just been a blast. It is incredible So Elder Lopez and I have been working hard to find new people to teach. With the changes that have been made, it has been quite an experience. We have had to start working a lot more with the members. We were working with them before, but now we are almost exclusively working with them. I have thought about this, and it really does make sense. This is the way the Lord wants us to work. Imagine it, the members of the church know many people who are being prepared by God to receive this message. We as missionaries only come in contact with a minuscule portion of people when compared to how many people all of the members come in contact with on a daily basis. When they get the fire of missionary work running through them, they are able to find many chosen people.

So this past Saturday we had a conference with our President of Mission. It was almost all day long. He capacitated us, and showed us what it is that we are doing wrong, and how we need to change to become better missionaries and teachers of the Gospel. One of the things that he stressed upon was the fact that we need to become more affiliated with the scriptures. Also I realized that I have become a little conformist with my teaching. I have begun to push myself once again to always be striving to be better.

After the conference, we had only like 3 hours to work. It was a little bit frustrating because Saturday is supposed to be the day that we have everything ready, and make all of the preparations to bring people to church. So we scrambled out and went and invited all of the people that we could find. We began to get a little down, because we were not finding the people, and then a miracle happened. We got a phone call from one of our investigators, telling us that she had assisted the baptism of her daughter in another ward, and that Sunday she would be going to church to see the confirmation!!!!! YAY

I love this chance that I have to be a missionary. It is so wonderful to be able to help so many people in a significant way. I love you all, and I sure am grateful for all of the help you are giving me.

Love,

Elder Johnson

November 12, 2012

Dear Family,

How was your week? It sounds like it went great from your letter. I sure am a little bit jealous that you all got snow. Here it has just been hot. Actually, it has seemed like it has been getting hotter this past week. You know why?!... Because it has become cooler in the morning and when it warms up, you can feel heat more noticeably Funny huh. You know, I sure am not excited for the cold. I have now decided that I do not like freezing my toes and fingers and noses off! (yes, I do know that we only have one nose) Actually, today at 7:00 in the morning, we went and ran up to the light house. It is like 800 meters up a big hill. Besides the fact that I am out of shape, I could not help but notice how my lungs were stinging as I breathed in the brisk morning air. I can only imagine how it must be with snow. Oh well, tis life.

Anyway, I did not tell you about the awesome activity that we had last week in the graveyard... oooooooOOOoooooo Let me explain. Here in Mexico there is a holiday that is called day of the dead. It is the 2 of November. So, as a mission, we all put together an activity where we along with the members of the church would go to the graveyards and cemeteries and contact the people. It was incredible the success that we had. There must have been thousands of people who passed through the graveyards in those dates. And we were there alongside of the members contacting the people, giving them a message about the Plan of Salvation, and then taking down their information. Hopefully in these coming weeks, we will be able to find many more people to teach.

Oh, and guess what.... The mission has changed greatly in these past few weeks. For questions of safety we are not allowed to knock on doors anymore. We can only work with the referrals that we receive, the information that is in the area book, and contacting people in the street. It has been quite a new experience for me. I realized more and more this past week that I need to confide 100% in the Lord. The work goes along in His time and at His pace.

So, I will tell you about a man that we have been teaching for 2 weeks now. His name is Carlos. The manner by which we found him is actually quite interesting. We met his wife one day knocking on doors. She told us that we could drop by in another occasion. The next time we passed by her husband answered the door. At first he was reluctant, but promptly he invited us in, and we shared a message with him. As we began talking with him, we began to take note that he had a very chauvinistic attitude Honestly, at first, I did not fall very well with him because of his personality. We shared a message about the Family and the role of the husband and wife. At the end of the message, we gave him a "Proclamation to the World". The next time that we passed by with him, there was a definite change in his attitude. He told us that he had read the pamphlet, and he had felt that it was true. We also noted a change in his reception towards us. The first time we passed by with him, he was suspicious, and at times he even tried attacking what we were teaching. The following time, he was totally receptive to our whole message, and showed a real desire to change and make the relationship with his wife better. I know that when the people begin to put into practice the concepts and principles of the Gospel, they can see and feel the change in their lives.

Thank you so much for all of you help and support. I love this work, I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary. I know that this Gospel is true. I am so grateful for the chance the God has given me to be able to repent and change. Thanks to Jesus Christ, this is possible, and without him all our efforts would be useless.

I love you all.

Elder Johnson

November 5, 2012

Dear my beloved Family,

 Well, I would just like to let you all know that I love you very much. I had a very weird, and slightly sad dream this morning. I dreamt that I had finished my mission, gone home, and was living a normal life. It was a very depressing dream. I honestly do not want this to ever end. I don´t want life to go on. These have honestly been the most wonderful 21 months of my life. I have now entered into my penultimate transfer. What does that mean? That means, that I will only have two transfers of 6 week left before I get on that plane... :( I feel like this past transfer that I have had with Elder Lopez just flew by. Literally. The changes that came in these transfers were definitely unexpected. I will be staying here in Villa Galaxia with Elder Lopez, but both of the Elders in Juarez (Elder Green and Elder Goates) got taken out. Now I am here with Elder Morrise and Elder Velez. What is more, Elder Webster from my generation is going to come and be in Albatros. Now Elder Livingston, Elder Webster and I are all in the same zone. These are the only elders from my district in the MTC who are still in the mission. I am super excited. It will be like a good little reunion. Oh, and by the way, can I tell you how much cake I have eaten in this past week. It is not a joke, when I say that I have eaten from 5 different cakes. The people here have been so good to me. I sure had a happy birthday. Anyway, I´ll tell you about one of the sad things that happened over the course of this past week. The Hna Blanca Estela has cut her communication with us. It is not by her choice though. Her husband is a super jealous man. I will not lie, I do find it a little hard to love him. His wife is SUPER golden. God has been preparing her, and her husband in being a tripping stone in her path. Aye de aquella personas que hagan eso. Porque no les irá bien. But on the other hand, the baptism of the Hna. Alejandra went well. If I had more time, I would tell you about it. Maybe next week if I remember. I love you all. I wish the best for you. Sorry for the rushed letter.
 Love, Elder Johnson
 p.s. So in 2 days, my good friend Elder Tingey is going home. I remember when we were both so green over a year ago in San Jose. WOW

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.

September 17, 2012

Dear Family, So, how are you all doing? I feel like just yesterday was Monday, and now a whole week has passed by. The precious time that I have to serve the Lord is passing by rapidly. I don't ever want it to end. Well, in this week, we have had many awesome experiences. One of those that really sticks out to me is what happened when I went on divisions with Elder Goates. Elder Lazaro and I had decided to stop visiting the Hna. Maria, because we had two weeks visiting her, and she had not come to church. She was reading and praying, but for some reason or another, she did not come to church. Well, we went to visit her, and the purpose of our visit was to tell her that we would not be visiting her anymore. Well, when we first started up the lesson, she started to tell us that she could never baptize herself in our church. She put up the "excuse" that she has lots of faith in the Virgin Guadalupe. Well, we started to ask her specific questions, trying to get to the root of the problem, and after a few questions, we discovered that another religion had passed by her house and that they had offended her for her supposed faith. So, then when we began talking about the subject, she made the comment to us that she had noticed the difference in the way that we preached compared to the other "missionaries". She told us that every time that we pass by, she feels good. She feels peace, tranquility, and the love of God. (Imagine that,.... this is what she felt when we were reprimanding her for not going to church) We then testified to her that these were the feelings of the spirit. She then told us, out of the blue, that she would be going to church this upcoming Sunday. AND SHE CAME!!! Two weeks of inviting her, and she finally understood the importance of going to church. She actually came earlier than we did. She also told us that she felt really good in the church, and that she was making preparations to go to the stake conference this up-coming week. God has a plan for each of us, his children. Through this plan, He is working to bring us back to His presence. Sometimes we do not understand the why. Why the things happen the way they do. Or the when, but God has everything worked out, and we just have to be in tune to the Holy Ghost so that we might do His will, and not ours. So, Elder Lazaro and I have really had some great opportunities to grow and develop unity over the course of the past week. I was reading a letter from Elder (Kyle) Turner, the other day, and he made the comment that he was going to have 7 1/2 months with the same companion. He related how they were best friends, and that they were seeing miracles in their area. I am 100% sure that it is because of their unity as a companionship. It is amazing to see how, when a companionship is unified in purpose and obedience, miracles happen. This is what we are working on, Elder Lazaro and I. I have 4 months left in the mission. It is possible that I could have 1 more companion. Imagine the miracles that will happen. I am really super excited. I love this work. There is NOTHING better. Take care at home. Love, Elder Johnson

September 10, 2012

Dear Family, Thank you so much for the letter. I´ll tell you, I had no idea that it is labor day. I guess that I was completely oblivious. I don´t even remember the holidays anymore. Even though I do not remember the holidays, I do remember all of the tasks that we had to do on Labor Day. Great fun! I wish you all good luck. So here is a question... Has Jackie started school? How are you doing in Jr. High? I sure hope that you are having lots of fun, and making many new friends. Mother now is taking her very own personal vacation? Ooooh, how fun. I sure hope that she enjoys every moment. Benny-boy wants to go out to California? WHAT? Now why in the world would he do that... ;) Well, anyways, I am just rambling. So this past week, we had some very wonderful experiences. We had several spiritual experiences that have to do with praying specifically. The first happened on Saturday, in the baptism we had. In the morning, we specifically prayed that everything would go well, and above all, that we could bring someone special to view the baptism. The baptism was to start at 5 with a movie so that everyone who came late wouldn´t miss anything, and at 6 we were going to see the baptism. We were there at 5, and nothing. Nobody. I could feel inside of my mind, doubt starting to creep in and try destroy my faith. I made another prayer. At 5:30 came the ward mission leader. But not yet arrived Alan and Nelson (those who were to be baptized). Then, when the time came, came an investigator and her mom and her niece. I felt very sad to think that it was possible that they had sacrificed to come and see the baptism, and that those who were to be baptized were not even here. At this time of great alarm, Nelson and Alan entered, and in a few minutes came many others. In the end, it was a great baptismal service and all present felt the Spirit. I am grateful to my Heavenly Father, who has blessed us so greatly on this occasion. Upon leaving the baptism it was 8:15, and we were very tired, but we decided to test our faith and find miracles. We went out to invite everyone to the chapel. That was when we found Roger, an investigator who we had not seen since the first week. We invited them to the chapel, and we arranged a ride in that moment. On Sunday he came, along with a brother in law. I know God has blessed us, and when we ask for His help and then do all within our power, He pours the blessings of heaven upon us. We also had a great conference with President this past Tuesday. Maybe someday I’ll tell you about it, but right now, I don´t have time. Love, Elder Johnson p.s. Be sure to tell Mother that I love her tonight when you talk to her.

September 3, 2012

Dear Family, Hello, how are you all doing? It was really good to hear from you all. I am going to tell you all about some of the experiences that I have had over the course of these past few weeks in Mazatlan. First I would like to elaborate on the weather here. Supposedly, according to the people here, it was really hot right before I got here. All I can really say is that it has been raining. LOTS. I love it. It just starts pouring. The first time, all of my books and pamphlets got wet, including my journal… L But since then, I have been more prepared. I have all of the contents of my backpack wrapped up in plastic bags. I will try to include some pictures of when it rained! I love the rain, mainly because of the brief relief that it provides from the intense heat. It is crazy when we ride our bikes through it, because the water is so high that when we pedal, our feet get soaked on the downwards stroke. Guess what? All of the irrigating that we did for those years has finally paid off. Here on the mission the baptismal fonts don`t drain just naturally. I have had to work a lot with pumps. I finally have had the opportunity to put that knowledge to use. We have to prime them and all sorts of good stuff. Who would have thought that it would pay off like that. It is honestly a whole lot better than bailing the water out with buckets. So, I have been really stressed out for these past few days. I did divisions with the other Elders in our District this past week. I went with Elder Goates to his area, and his companion, Elder , went to mine. During these divisions Elder Goates told me that Elder is really struggling right now. (I do not know if I mentioned it, but this is the first transfer in the field for Elder , he just arrived from the MTC) On various occasions, he has told his companion that he wants to go home. He has lost all desire to be here on the mission. This really has been worrying me. This Gospel is not one of obligation. Even God, the creator of the Heavens and the Earth, respects our Agency. So if he doesn’t want to be here, no one is going to force him. This next Tuesday, we are going to have interviews with President. We`ll see what is going to happen. I try to always be happy and animated, so that maybe it will be contagious. All that I can do now is pray for him. To talk a little about the people that we have in teaching right now, there is Lupita and Ernesto; Alàn and Nelson; Gisel, Lisbeth, and Andrea; Hno and Hna Laguna; Alejandra. We really have just been seeing miracles these past few weeks. There are so many people who have started progressing. Lupita and Ernesto have been taught for 5 months now, but the recently have started to progress. The Hno Ernesto has stopped drinking for 2 weeks now! JThat is a major plus. Alàn and Nelson are the sons of Samuel, and if everything goes well they are going to be baptized this next Saturday. YAY! Gisel and her daughters we found two weeks ago knocking on doors. She is super golden. She told us that she went the Mormon Church when she was younger, and her children keep pressuring her to take them. I am super excited for them. Hno Laguna is the classic grouchy grandpa. It is fantastic. He behaves himself with us, because we fall well with him (or in other terms, we get along great). Every lesson is filled with tears and laughter. He tells us about his life and all of the things that passed to him. We really have been struggling with him, because he doesn`t believe in God. Also he is the second old person who has buffed and shined my shoes while I have been a missionary. That was a very sweet experience. It really reminds me of the Saviors’ example. I love you all. Elder Johnson

August 27, 2012

Dear Family, Hello, how are you all doing? It was really good to hear from you all. I am going to tell you all about some of the experiences that I have had over the course of these past few weeks in Mazatlan. First I would like to elaborate on the weather here. Supposedly, according to the people here, it was really hot right before I got here. All I can really say is that it has been raining. LOTS. I love it. It just starts pouring. The first time, all of my books and pamphlets got wet, including my journal… L But since then, I have been more prepared. I have all of the contents of my backpack wrapped up in plastic bags. I will try to include some pictures of when it rained! I love the rain, mainly because of the brief relief that it provides from the intense heat. It is crazy when we ride our bikes through it, because the water is so high that when we pedal, our feet get soaked on the downwards stroke. Guess what? All of the irrigating that we did for those years has finally paid off. Here on the mission the baptismal fonts don`t drain just naturally. I have had to work a lot with pumps. I finally have had the opportunity to put that knowledge to use. We have to prime them and all sorts of good stuff. Who would have thought that it would pay off like that. It is honestly a whole lot better than bailing the water out with buckets. So, I have been really stressed out for these past few days. I did divisions with the other Elders in our District this past week. I went with Elder Goates to his area, and his companion, Elder Green, went to mine. During these divisions Elder Goates told me that Elder Green is really struggling right now. (I do not know if I mentioned it, but this is the first transfer in the field for Elder Green, he just arrived from the MTC) On various occasions, he has told his companion that he wants to go home. He has lost all desire to be here on the mission. This really has been worrying me. This Gospel is not one of obligation. Even God, the creator of the Heavens and the Earth, respects our Agency. So if he doesn’t want to be here, no one is going to force him. This next Tuesday, we are going to have interviews with President. We`ll see what is going to happen. I try to always be happy and animated, so that maybe it will be contagious. All that I can do now is pray for him. To talk a little about the people that we have in teaching right now, there is Lupita and Ernesto; Alàn and Nelson; Gisel, Lisbeth, and Andrea; Hno and Hna Laguna; Alejandra. We really have just been seeing miracles these past few weeks. There are so many people who have started progressing. Lupita and Ernesto have been taught for 5 months now, but the recently have started to progress. The Hno Ernesto has stopped drinking for 2 weeks now! J That is a major plus. Alàn and Nelson are the sons of Samuel, and if everything goes well they are going to be baptized this next Saturday. YAY! Gisel and her daughters we found two weeks ago knocking on doors. She is super golden. She told us that she went the Mormon Church when she was younger, and her children keep pressuring her to take them. I am super excited for them. Hno Laguna is the classic grouchy grandpa. It is fantastic. He behaves himself with us, because we fall well with him (or in other terms, we get along great). Every lesson is filled with tears and laughter. He tells us about his life and all of the things that passed to him. We really have been struggling with him, because he doesn`t believe in God. Also he is the second old person who has buffed and shined my shoes while I have been a missionary. That was a very sweet experience. It really reminds me of the Saviors’ example. I love you all. Elder Johnson

August 20, 2012

Hello, Well, in this past week, I have had many wonderful experiences. Due to the fact that I receiveth not, a letter from my family, I will just hope that everything is doing great up at home. Did you all go to Bryndin’s Wedding? Did he really get married? Wow Well, next week you will have to fill me in on everything. In this week, Elder Lazaro and I went around getting to know the area. It was really great, and a little bit weird at the same time, because I had visited many of the members here before, while doing divisions. It really is super funny, when my companion was introducing me to the people, and they just kept staring at me, and then they would say "for some reason, you look familiar".. ha ha ha Yep, never a normal day. So, the first big news is BICICLES! Yep, you don’t have to tell me. I spelled it wrong. Oh well. Anyways, all I have to say about that is Ouch. My legs are tired and sore, and to top it all off, the seat on the bike is horrible. Haha :) I am just waiting until my back-side gets used to the beating. To make it worse, about half the streets in our area, are made of dirt, and they are either with pot-holes or have huge boulders in the middle of them. Anyways, my time is running out very rapidly. This past week was quite amazing, because I could take part in the conversion process of my companion. He explained to me early on in the week that he didn’t know if he had really received an answer that this was true. So, all that week, he was pretty shook up. I offered the best help that I could, but the conversion is a solitary process. We prayed often for him, and then this past Sunday we had a super spiritual experience that I really don’t have time to explain right now, so I´ll just tell you the result. My companion sat across from me yesterday, and explained with tears in his eyes, that he had finally figured out how to recognize the Spirit. He then explained how God had answered him. It was quite interesting because I realized that God answers everybody differently. According to their needs. I know God lives. I know he hears my prayers. He answers them. He helps me when it seems like there is no hope. He accompanies me when no one else will. I love Him, and I know that He loves me. He is my Father. Love, Elder Johnson

August 13, 2012

Dearest loved ones, Well, before I start with anything, I would like to ask if you all sent me a letter,... because you know what? I did not receive one. Not ONE! I am pretty sure that it is not your fault, because I usually receive a letter about my financials, but I didn´t even receive one of those. Who knows? I was pretty bummed out. Anyways, to cut to the chase,... I am a little lot a bit sad. Transfers. Elder Johnson goes to Mazatlan,... AGAIN! I am now in the area Villa Galaxia, which is the area where my district leader was when I was in Mazatlan the first time. So yeah, I have done many divisions in this area, and I know the members here surprisingly well. It is going to be a very interesting experience. I was really sad, because I had to leave the area of Infonavit C. By far, one of my most favorite areas. I love that area, I love those members, and those investigators. To top it all off, I had the coolest district in the whole Mission. We had a whole bunch of oldies. Elder Cardenas and Hna. Mendez are going to be returning to their house in two days from now. Elder Muñoz and Hna Luna have one last transfer, and then there was me and my companion Elder Toomey. He really is such a great guy for putting up with all of us oldies, and all of our teasing. Someday I will have to send some photos of all of us. We had some real district unity. I now have to focus so that this district will be just as unified and cool. It will be hard, but if I think that it is impossible, it will be. It all depends in the attitude that I have. My companion now is Elder Lazaro from Vera Cruz. It is super awesome, because he is my first Mexican companion to have almost my same build. He is skinny and tall. I think that he actually is taller than I am. Moving on. This past week was great. Elder Toomey and I had our first and last baptisms together. The Hna. Lorena and her son Gabriel got baptized this past Saturday. It really was such a wonderful event. I have such hopes for them. I sure wish to see them enter the temple within one year from now, together with the husband. It would be such a wonderful thing. Also, David and his whole family came to church this past Sunday today goodbye to me. I really was super happy, and yet super sad at the same time. I sure do hope that they keep on progressing in the Gospel. It worried me that we had three weeks inviting me, and nothing. Then, when I leave, they go all out of their way making many sacrifices to come. I sure hope that they paid attention to what they felt in the church, and that the desire is born within them that they might keep coming. It was very sad saying good bye to everyone. It would be best if I were not to dwell on it. One day I will see these my friends again. I love you all. I am so thankful for your support. I think about you often, and I do pray for you. Be safe. DDD. (Don´t do drugs) Love, Elder Johnson

August 20, 2012

Hello, Well, in this past week, I have had many wonderful experiences. Due to the fact that I receiveth not, a letter from my family, I will just hope that everything is doing great up at home. Did you all go to Bryndin’s Wedding? Did he really get married? Wow Well, next week you will have to fill me in on everything. In this week, Elder Lazaro and I went around getting to know the area. It was really great, and a little bit weird at the same time, because I had visited many of the members here before, while doing divisions. It really is super funny, when my companion was introducing me to the people, and they just kept staring at me, and then they would say "for some reason, you look familiar".. hahaha Yep, never a normal day. So, the first big news is BICICLES! Yep, you don’t have to tell me. I spelled it wrong. Oh well. Anyways, all I have to say about that is Ouch. My legs are tired and sore, and to top it all off, the seat on the bike is horrible. Haha :) I am just waiting until my back-side gets used to the beating. To make it worse, about half the streets in our area, are made of dirt, and they are either with pot-holes or have huge boulders in the middle of them. Anyways, my time is running out very rapidly. This past week was quite amazing, because I could take part in the conversion process of my companion. He explained to me early on in the week that he didn’t know if he had really received an answer that this was true. So, all that week, he was pretty shook up. I offered the best help that I could, but the conversion is a solitary process. We prayed often for him, and then this past Sunday we had a super spiritual experience that I really don’t have time to explain right now, so I´ll just tell you the result. My companion sat across from me yesterday, and explained with tears in his eyes, that he had finally figured out how to recognize the Spirit. He then explained how God had answered him. It was quite interesting because I realized that God answers everybody differently. According to their needs. I know God lives. I know he hears my prayers. He answers them. He helps me when it seems like there is no hope. He accompanies me when no one else will. I love Him, and I know that He loves me. He is my Father. Love, Elder Johnson