semana something!‏

Ahhhh people! wow! hi everyone! sorry bout last week the MTC said our miss pres would let us call so don't call at the airport but thattt was a lie.. hahah everyone in the other MTC's got to but we didn't, so that was a kinda a bummer. Um ok! So I'm in La Vega! ABOUT 10 MIN FROM MAIN city of Teg. and I only have 40 min of email every Monday at 10.. ha! but I can write letters every night after planning! So I'll just say that the MTC was stinkin' easy and I have no clue why I ever complained about that place bahahah boy do I miss my district! My comp is Elder Borge and he is an awesome worker! Great missionary! Buttt he only speaks Spanish so its pretty hard! From Nicaragua! Oh also, I'm the 1st gringo in this area for like over a year.. haha so idk what that means but I haven't been robbed yet! Or been asked to get married! its so crazy here but so awesome! These weekly emails will be short because I'd rather spend time doing personal emails with the fam. But one last thing! Laman and Lemuel make me so mad because they had their family and STILL complained about everything.. Boy was I spoiled. FAMILY IS EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. I'm trying hard to not think about home but sometimes its so hard. Oh mom, can I get yoyo string, peace myramid, and more ties in the next package as well? gracias! oh and the people here.. so amazing. I love them so much and we are teaching so much! I wish I could describe the experiences and miracles here.. I'll have a lot to say in 2 years! That's the only thing that helps me through the day when I feel hopeless. Teaching others. They also say how good my Spanish is every day but I feel like its so bad but then I realize I've been here for like 6 days haha I love you guys! 

this week I'm thankful for my family, tortillas, mashed potatoes, water, new families, the plan of salvation, eternal families, and pics!

 

HE MADE IT!!

We didn't hear from Elder Johnson, but we know that he's in Honduras because President Fortuna's wife posted pictures of him this morning!!

 

semana 5: last semana in the ccm! I KNOW CCM SPANISH

familia! como estan! What a week! What a ride! Last pday in the CCM and it is muy weird. 

Ok to start off Elder Macfarlane or MacDaddy and I got switched back to the CCM haha. BUT. we got the same room as our 1st roomates and best friends Elder Miles anElder McLain! We love those guys! And we got moved to the 3rd floor which is way nicer! But um Pres Cox is finally back! Boy was it nice seeing him again! He's like the greatest pump up speaker ever. No joke. Like Elder Holland good. He's absolutely terrifying but the most lovable guy ever. He's gonna be a general authority one day. I know it. But Elder MacFarlane got called as a district leader and I got called as a zone leader! So that's been fun! It's not crazy busy but I still feel inadequate for it. Love helping people that need it though! Both Latinos and Nortos! We also got a new teacher and I love her so much! Oh but before I go into the awesome stuff I gotta tell this story hahahahaah

So we got the newbies Wednesday in our room and we had this idea (this was before I got called as a ZL) well actually Elder Miles did but we needed to have some fun that was simple and so we decided to have a couple elders in our room talking to the newbies about how their first day was and who they were and stuff and then during the middle of it, Elder Miles would start acting like a monkey slowly and then we'd all start doing it in the room and then we got sorta a lot, like 30 or 35 of other elders to wait  outside for the start and they would come in acting like monkeys and so it sorta happened, and IT WAS CRAZY! hahahah One of the funniest things that ever happened.. just like 50 elders in this room acting like monkeys for the newbies. It was great. But I had no idea it was gonna be that loud and that crazy or I don't think we would done it.. haha I laughed forever.

Ok so this is the last week! Wow. um I'd just like to say that the gift of tongues is real. We teach lessons every day sometimes 3 lessons to investigators and I just can't believe where it is at right now. We could go on and on for hours in Spanish about the gospel but we have to cut it to 20 min. The only way we can talk like that in Spanish and remember all the vocab and tenses and everything is from the spirit. There's no other explanation. It's amazing. That has really helped me everyday because I get so pumped teaching a fake investigator that is our teacher and were teaching her/him about the gospel and they are asking questions and we are bearing witness and asking them to be baptized and change, and man my soul is just FILLED with joy. I can't even describe it. I AM A BAPTIZING MISSIONARY. Pres Cox gave us the greatest speech ever about that and holy smokes am I ready to roll. I wanna get everybody in the whole world baptized so they can go to the Temple with their family! It's all about the temple! if only people knew how amazing the blessings and importance of the temple are! But my message this week is simple.

 el evangelio de jesucristo es verdad. yo se que dios es real y el nos ama. el es nuestro amoroso padre celestial. cuando nosotros creemos y tiene fae en jesucristo y su expiacion, vida es mejor. esta es simple.

I hate writing in Spanish cause the buttons on the keyboard are crazy but just know that although this language is difficult, we can give lessons on any topic in preach my gospel. Because of the gift of tongues and because of the spirit. Because of Him, I can do anything. And because of Him, YOU can do anything. I can't wait to be teaching in 5 days. So excited. Love you my family. And I also wanted to say how much I love my district family. These elders are my brothers and I can't even imagine that I'm gonna leave them in 5 days.. I wish I could describe each and every one of them to you, but just know they are amazing.

con amor,

elder johsnon

This week I'm thankful for the rain..;) for candy, a toothbrush, Presidente Cox, my district.., bands, prayer, teaching, songs, come thou fount, sunday school,  Alma, meetings, devotion, letters, work, Herriman High, sophomore year, Will Barker, blankets, the CCM

Oh also people tell me I look like 40 or 25 years old hahaha. And will you check my bank account to make sure everything is good? Bought some stuff with my card soo ya. gracias! oh and I didn't get any letters besides Abby's that she sent 4 weeks ago.. and I got it last night haha So I'll get them in the mission probably! but I can't answer peoples emails so please write letters so I can write cortas! Also papa Tracy look up this scrip. d y c 138:55-56

Quote of the week from Elder MacFarlanes cousin who is 10 and in an immersed Spanish program:

"no creo que voya sobre vivir con estas locos personas"

I can't believe you're going to live about/with those crazy people.

 

v       

Elder Johnson's advice...

{Yesterday we got to go back and forth a little through e-mail with Elder Johnson. His brother asked for his advice on a big decision he had to make for this year, and this was his response. Great for all of us!}

"Tell him to go to the Lord right now, and tell him you made a decision, and ask Him if it's the right one. He will get an answer. Also tell him to read his patriarchal blessing. Tell him I love him and whatever he does just remember what I said in the letter you're about to get here in a couple days."

Semana 4 la sopa

Boy..! haha missions are so great. So stinkin hard but so stinkin wonderful. 

This was THE hardest week yet but by far the most wonderful! Lemme 1st express my love and thanks for my companion Elder MacFarlane. There’s a reason I’m with this elder and boy there is no one else that I'm supposed to be companions with. He’s like Mackay Keech but not. idk. He’s just so stinkin awesome! Got some good stories to share!

Soooo half of our district including Elder MacFarlane and I got pretty sick this week.. Like bad. So those pounds I gained are definitely gone haha. But we're perfectly fine now and all good! But Saturday was the worst day and I gave Elder MacFarlane my first ever priesthood blessing and he gave me his first ever. And boy. The Priesthood is so real. And so powerful. I was kinda nervous and a little scared because I didn’t know what I was gonna say so right before, I cleared my mind and as soon as I started talking thoughts and impressions came to me directly from our Father in Heaven. They were special and sacred and there is no way I can deny the power of the Priesthood. Just with that simple blessing. He also said things to me that I needed exactly to hear. Ah so amazing.

Reminds me of what Elder Bednar talked about. He said that Christ’s whole ministry and whole doctrine was ´one by one´ and that’s the Priesthood! To serve others, one by one. Because God cares about EVERY SINGLE ONE OF HIS CHILDREN.

And with that.. coolest story. So Sat. morn was REALLY bad for me with being sick and so I was pretty out of it and left the key to our room in the room and we locked it in there. And so coming to change for deportes I realized what I did and so we had to go to the Temple and find the worker that had an extra key to our room. But before we left I had an impression to take a Book of Mormon with me. And so I did, and so we got the guy, and then this girl came up to me and Elder Pugh (because Elder MacFarlane was really sick in the bathroom) and she had a friend with her that was investigating the church and in broken Spanish I talked to him about the book, that it was another testament of Christ, asked him why he was interested, got his name and number for the missionaries, and challenged him to read the intro that night and pray to God if it was true. He said yeah! And so I gave him the book and we went on our way. Hold up for a sec because I gotta tell one more story that happened on Friday and then connect it all!

Ok I’m so pumped to tell this story. So when the newbies got here 2 weeks ago (woa 2 weeks..) there was this Latino I saw and said hi to cuz we were welcoming everyone and then I see this kid. And I’m like "I know him" I know this kid! And so from everyday on for a week we say hi to each other and yadda yadda. Oh and his name is Elder Rodriguez and he’s from Tegucigalpa. So this past Wed at the end of lunch he told me to come over and I can barely understand him but another Latino was trying to translate and he basically said that "he knows me from the pre-mortal life" and I was like WHAT. And I was trying to say yo tambien, yo tambien but we had to go so at dinner he got someone that speaks Spanish and English and I think Elder Rodriguez didn’t think I understood but I did and so this elder that was translating was like you’ll never believe this.. And I was like no. I feel exactly the same. We knew each other before this life. YOU GUYS HES MY BROTHER! And yesterday I just found out that he is serving in Comayaguela for 2 months because his visa for Mexico isn't here yet! No way to describe how I feel. And so all this happened at the end of the week. During the week.. I’ll just say it. It was terrible. Being sick, homesick, Spanish was REALLY struggling it was just bad. And then all this stuff happens.. At the end. And we watched a video on the Atonement by Elder Holland and holy smokes did it blow me away. He is amazing. He said 3 things that I love more than anything concerning Christ and the Atonement. 

"Salvation is not a cheap experience. IT WAS NOT EASY. Why would WE think it’d be easy if it NEVER WAS EASY for Him."

Talking to mission presidents, he said concerning missionaries, if they asked why it was so hard "someone a lot greater asked the Father that same question a very long time ago."

"Stand tall when you feel you are having no success, for the greatest missionary is beside you"

Ah. Just gives me the chills.

And so of course I was balling because all of it and just made me realize why I'm here. And also we watched the Joseph Smith movie on Sunday and Joseph Smith is my role model. I will defend him to my very last breath. That man is and was a prophet and so help me, I will say that until I die. He restored this Gospel and went through things that I could only imagine. This is the Lords church and I am so glad a 14 year old boy had the guts to ask a question to God the Father. And so with that I challenge every one that reads this to get on your knees and find out for yourself if Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, restored the Gospel and the priesthood on this earth, and translated the Book of Mormon. 

Faith precedes the miracle.

Saturday we taught a lesson and I was conjugating and talking in Español like nothing I thought I could do. All those miracles happened this weekend.  And then our teacher told us out of a year and a half teaching we are one of 3 districts to be this good at Spanish in just 4 weeks. The Lord is there people. Use Him. 

All of it amazes me. It’s hard but it’s worth it! So this week remember to just keep going! Don’t stop! Love you all!

-Elder Johnson

This week I'm thankful for a body, eyes, ears, Elder Holland, Joseph Smith, my ability to see and smell, the ability to get better, exact obedience, letters, candy, The Book of Mormon, my Savior, pictures, stories, and loyalty. 

Weekly quote from Elder MacFarlane

"Ya back in the day I turned 10 bucks into 1,000 on online poker once" 

hahaha

Also. Fam. Buy food storage. D and C 29

Um so I'm out in 2 weeks! Mom, you probably can send letters to my mission home now so ya!

Semana 3: Semana 3!!!‏

If I only had time to explain the craziest week of my life in 40 minutes… Well I guess I'll try! Just wow. If you’re wondering if God is there or not, he is. Just trust me. And then read the Book of Mormon, any verse, and then pray... and then you won’t have to trust me because he will answer your prayers!

 Ok so first.. I wish I could explain the growth and experiences I’ve been going through this week. I can’t fully describe these feelings because it’s just what happens on the mission. Can’t describe it. Got to go on one to know what it feels like! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CANDY AND STUFF!! But although I love candy, those letters are the greatest thing in the entire world. Man so much happened since last Monday..

Ok so Tuesday morn at 5am all the 6 weekers and Latinos left for their missions and that kinda stunk cuz we didn’t get a lot of sleep. But remember that Latino that said I’m beautiful? Ya I gave him a tie and he gave me a tie and it was way cool. Awesome guy. Also, everyone says that the food in Honduras is so great. So I’m way excited for that. Also should probably say I’ve gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks.. hahaha and I’m getting a whole lot stronger.. Pretty sure it has to do with the promise somewhere in the d and c about going on a mission.. Like I did 160 pushups in 20 minutes and I’ve never been able to do 30 hahah its sweet! But anyways ummmm ya, so I haven’t lived in the MTC for like 9 days now....

6 of us live in the house next door to the Temple with another 12 from different districts! It’s crazy awesome. So look up online and see where the Temple is and see the CCM and then look at that gas station on google maps that is right in between, because that’s where all the stories are. Ah only 30 minutes.. ok but I'll talk about that in a sec!

We went to the market on Tuesday in a huge bus and its a whole different world there. This is such a nice part of Guatemala. But okay I bought a hammock that’s stinkin’ sweet for 20 bucks and a sweet Barcelona jersey for like 5 bucks. Thought I'd like to tell you that. But that wasn’t even the great part! So it's kinda like the swap meet in Hawaii but it's underground and dark and a billion people and everyone is talking in Spanish that they definitely do not teach at the CCM haha! So we had plan of salvation folletos and 1 libro de mormon to place. So we go walking and I was kinda nervous at first but then I was like woa woa woa.. I have been called of God to preach His gospel.. this is why I’m here. So next lady I see. She’s sitting down and we kinda talk to her and I barely understand her, or what she’s saying, but I tell her we have a message about Jesus Christ, would you like to hear more.. in Spanish and I ask if she would like to have this BOM to come to closer to God and she said something that I didn't understand and didn't take it but she did take a plan of salvation pamphlet.. The story has more to it. Also have tons of pics I'll send in 3 weeks and Elder Bergstrom got a pic of us talking to that lady. It’s so cool. But so we move on and we place another folleto to a guy that had a family and his name was Jesus and he was awesome. Just worked there at the market. And then we placed a BOM to a woman I bought that jersey from. And so a couple minutes later Elder Fackrell came up to me and was like "did you guys give a lady a pamphlet over there?" and he then said that he was watching her for a while and she didn’t put it down! She kept reading it! And it brought more joy than I’ve ever felt before! Like it was so amazing! Idk where she is but she just read a tiny portion of where we came from, why we're here, and that families can be together forever! That can pierce anyone’s heart. So then we went to Wendy’s and it was amazing. Got to move on cuz no time.

So ya, we don’t live in the CCM anymore haha it's so great! We live about 4 min away and there’s like 5 guards the whole way that talk in their microphone to each other when we go. Not gonna lie, it's way cool. The room is tinier than tiny and we have 5 guys in a room and it smells terrible but it's like an apartment so there is a bottom and that’s where families stay to go to the temple. So cool. Met this kid named Nefi one morning (there’s just people that come and go all the time its confusing to all of us haha) and he was cool. So we walk back and forth from the CCM about 4 times a day because morn, deportes, and evening. So we try to talk and place BOMs every time but it's hard cuz everyone walks fast. But we’ve had a couple talking’s to. I’ll share one crazy one with you. So there are these 4 guys sitting there and we go up to em and they say hola elderes! And tell us to sit down and then we realize that these guys are drunker than drunk. And so we talk to em for about 20 min and it's really hard to understand these guys and Elder McNeily has taken 5 years of Spanish so he really is almost fluent in it, and so these guys basically just wanted to prove us wrong and Bible bash so it was hard. But it was a good experience. But these guys were so drunk one of em just got up and started peeing on the tree next to us and he was really considerate because he had his back to us but then another guy got up and peed on a pole right by the busy road and right in front of us. Way weird. But we were able to bear our testimony and one took a plan of salvation folletos. 

Ok I really have no time. So this week we heard from Elder Bednar Christmas devotional of last year and it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. All of you. Go look it up. And also Elder Macfarlane and I taught the entire first discussion in Spanish this week. Definitely was the Lord blessing me with the gift of tongues because the next day he humbled me and Spanish was a whole different language again. But I have the first vision memorized and baptismal prayer and questions and I’m working a lot on other things. Also, on page 200 in the Libro de Mormon and ever since I’ve started reading, I haven’t been stressed. I’ve felt pressured but now I just have faith that it will come. It would be a lie to say I don’t get discouraged because I do a lot but that’s ok. It’s different than what it was 2 weeks or a week ago! It’s so cool. 

Ok there’s about 100 other things I want to and could talk about, but as a district we sang in sacrament and I had to talk in Spanish and give a talk in sacrament as well, even though I bore my testimony the week before! haha! That’s another amazing experience. Also heard from one of the 70 yesterday. Wish I had time to talk about that.

Remember. You are a force to act. NOT be acted upon. Satan will tell you otherwise. Also! Teach everyone you see! Wish I woulda done that!

Also, need Mimi’s address because I don’t have it memorized.. Sorry! Sent letters this week to Sissa because our address I can no longer use! And you should get a letter probably in 3 days right before you leave cuz i sent it last week! 

I’m thankful this week for hymns, ties, new home, new teacher, pruebas, hair, pillows, hammocks, family, don de lenguas, pictures, letters, Joseph Smith, apostles, ability to change.

There’s more. So much more. But I guess ill tell you in 2! haha! Love you all! Thanks for everything! 

-Elder Johnson

Semana 2: Weeks turn into days, days turn into weeks‏

Wowww! So today was unexpected. Not our p-day but we get to email today because our p-day got switched to tomorrow because a wave of missionaries is leaving tomorrow, so we get to go to downtown Guatemala tomorrow and won’t have time for email.. so yea! That means it’ll be a week and a half before I get to email again \; But before I forget, I make a list throughout the week of what I forgot to say, so these things I need to take care of first.

-1st day all of us got a buzz cut so that’s why in the pics you saw that.

-Also 1st day we got our cameras taken away because you can’t take pics of the CCM but don’t worry we get them back tomorrow for the market. 

-idk if you've sent a package but I wouldn't send one until like 2 weeks in case I forgot stuff.. I forgot to mention I need black dockers, 2 more ties, an SD card full of family pics so I can look at on the cameras, my other consecrated oil on my key-chain, LOTS OF CANDY, and a bungee for working out! Gracias!

-Forget to say that I saw Bro Wiseman at church at my farewell and was way pumped about that

-Forget to say that our first Sunday hymn was how great thou art so you can bet I was crying

-Will you send Pres Cottle’s blessing notes to me por favor?

And that’s it for last week!

Ok so explanation of my title.. it’s exactly what it sounds like. Every day is the same 16 hour day of learning and forgetting but then remembering Spanish, but then all of a sudden I've been here two weeks! Honestly, I have no idea how it works, but I'm trying to work as hard as I can with my Espanol. I forget that I've only been here like 12 days and just get so mad and down because I don’t know as much Spanish as other people do.. but there’s a cool story with that that happened yesterday.. and Saturday night. 

So yesterday was fast Sunday and Saturday was the hardest day since the first 2 days. Just got thinking and we talked to the Latinos en la noche and honestly I had no idea how to say any Spanish and I couldn't remember anything. I got so mad and down on myself. It was a pretty low day. But then Elder Miles (read about him later in the letter) showed me this scrip and its Matthew 14:29-33. I would write it all but I have no time. EVERYONE READ IT. Literally think that changed my life. Sunday morn I was okay but still kinda in the dumps even after the night before and then testimony meeting happened.. I can’t describe the spirit and sacredness of that meeting. There’s just no way. But a lot of Latinos went up and did theirs and I couldn't really understand at all but the spirit was getting strong and then this kid that is 23 went up and literally is the most gringo one here. Like, he barely knows any Spanish. But he works his bum off. And so he started off with a simple testimony in Spanish that all the nortos know and then he ended in English and it just made me realize that, ya know what? It doesn't matter. The spirit is the spirit. He is the teacher. Not us. And mom it made me realize, I can do hard things. And then right after him, this Latino went up that you can tell is poorer than poor. His suit tie and countenance just told the story of how humble he is. And I cried and I cried. Because he baring his testimony made me go back to why I came out here in the first place. Because these people and people all over the world need to know that GOD LOVES THEM FOR WHO THEY ARE AND HE IS PROUD OF THEM. Then I got up and bore a simple testimony in Spanish which was really cool. And from then on, sure I sometimes joke about not learning Spanish with the elders but im not worried. I’m stopping comparing myself with others, and with my faith and hard work, I’ll eventually get it. The Lord promises me that. Oh and with that I also keep getting these people saying to read the BOM in Spanish and you’ll know the language and so that’s what im doing! 25 pages a day and all out loud! Don’t know most of the stuff but me and Elder Bergstrom in my district have decided to do that! It takes like an hour to read 15 pages so its tough goal but this one I want more than anything.

Sunday night we had a devotional replay from Elder Christofferson and I received a lot of inspiration! YIELD YOUR HEART TO GOD. Different for everyone, but same message.

Um, just a basic day here we wake up at 6:30 shower and get ready have breakfast at 7:30, go have personal study and language study from 8-10, which is the greatest part of the day, and then we study the language with our teachers and do grammar until lunch at like 12:45. Then more language stuff and we teach a lesson either in the morn or night to our investigator which is very hard but then deportes is amazing and its from 4-6 and then we teach and learn and go to bed at 10:30 Kinda sums it up, but I got to go! 

Quote from one of our roommates that’s so hilarious and so weird his name is Elder Miles and he’s my fav. He literally is a ghost hunter and he has these freaky stories that are way weird but that’s how you get through each day here I guess. Gotta be kinda weird and laugh a lot or you get thinking too much and nobody likes that. That’s why I love our district so much. We all help each other soooooo much. They really are like my family. But anyway, here it is

"Don’t short sell yourself, you’re pretty valuable. Like I would pay you 35 bucks to have a conversation with you for 2 hours" 

haha!

This week I'm thankful for email, my body, the Temple, Spanish, Elder McNeil, Sis Savage, Joseph Smith, fans, p-days, letters, love, my mission, lights, Eerkes gifts of journals, internet, English, candy, the District, THE MOST AMAZING GUATEMALIAN TEACHER/FRIEND IN THE WORLD, sleep, basketball, shoes, watches, water, laughter, riddles, Cart-man, good friends, testimonies, ties, Peter, movies, hearts, and the book ‘Our Search For Happiness’.

"Daily decisions determine destiny"

-Thomas S Monson

Con Amor,

Elder Johnson