July 13th 2015

No group letter today, but some great pictures!

6 de Julio

Well brothers and sisters! How are we? I am just dandy. I dislike my companion because he's not very nice but that's aight. Just because I dislike him doesn't mean I don't love him! Well first off, the Lord must need help on the other side because he took one of the most amazing men this world has ever known. Pres. Boyd K. Packer is a true disciple of Jesus Christ and what a privilege to be able to hear his messages. Reminds me of the Peter after the Lord was resurrected, fearless and valiant.
Also! In a year exactly, I'll be home! Ha! Don't know how/what to feel/think. Well actually I just want a normal comp that works hard like Elder Garcia. I love that man with all my being. Oh! What the flip! President Ferman IS THE GREATEST GUY ON THE FACE OF HONDURAS!!! The mtg we had with him, oh man! I am so pumped!!! He's an answered prayer for sure. The new blog is mhc1518.blogspot.com. I love him! Also the greatest holiday in the history of forever was this past week. Better have enjoyed every second of it oyo?? Man do I miss the 4th of July! But I'm not gonna lie, we were eating at a members house Sunday and well the USA girls game was on andddd I told myself if Patrick watched a whole game, I could take a peak at it...haha And I saw the part where they subbed in Abby Womback and just the whole place went nuts! Showed all the fans and teammates and it really hit me. I'm so proud to be an American. So grateful. But watch out. The Lord blesses his promised land when the people obey his commandments and with what's going on, make sure your family is fastened to the rock of Christ more than ever. Well, I sure do know this church is true with all my heart, soul, body and mind. I invite everyone to pray with a purpose this week. To pray with questions, doubts, worries, and complaints. And be willing and humble enough to listen to the spirit that tells you what you should do. I love y'all!

This week I'm thankful for spending a year with bi-polar companions so that I know what I should do when I meet one, for french toast and bacon, bbq's, loving patient leaders, new prezzy!, basketball, women's soccer, to have passion for things you love, the ability to not be offended and forgive easily, Boyd K. Packer, my Pops, Elder Sollis, photos of Christ, silence, interchanges!, polancho salsa, good health, my best buds that are serving missions!, andddd Mama J! because Mama J rules!
~Elder J

4th of July Honduras style

Ok this is familia tre**! sooo awesome! i love every one of em! so we found O**, the dad, contacting one day and before we contacted I gotta tell you what he did the morning of. He hasn't had a job in a while and the morning he woke up and told his wife ¨today im going to find a job¨ and then in the evening we passed by and he had this feeling to check on the bean field that hes taking care of, and so he went outside and we saw him and we yelled at him to come here, we have a message, etc. and the rest is history! he's working right now in Concordia where we would go sometimes remember? Well he finds gold and silver and is finding a bunch! so pretty cool story. They just need to be married and we have it planned for the 18th.. I love em!

Elder Small and Elder Goodman! They are flip awesome.

5 bucks for a bunch of steak

WE PLAYED BALL BABAYYY

This is our zone!

Leaders of the mission

June 29th, 2015

Well to start off, I woke up with a cockroach on my face so that was terrible. Hahaha. Sooo! We had changes! And I'm with Elder Montero! (Russell Westbrook/Will Smith) Awesome guy. He was my ZL in Toncontin and we always wanted to be comps. Way fun week with him and he knows how to work. He just has one problem that I found out the hard way. If he doesn't eat at 5:00, he gets super mad and irritated...hahaha. But, we're all good! He's awesome, knows how to teach and work with the members and it's awesome because he's the one who changed Campamento a year ago and so we go there and know all the people and are helping them as well because they need it. But man! More than a year I'll have without a gringo companion! Crazy huh? Oh he's from Dominican Republic and his stories are so crazy! And he is neighbors with Prince Royz, Julio Ramero, and Fudracko. They are super famous singers in the Latin world. But so I've had companions from Nicaragua, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, and Dominican Republic. Super interesting to see the different cultures and who they are as a people. Thankful for the chance to learn about so many different cultures, even if it is really hard at times. Oh and just so y'all don't forget it, the USA is the greatest place ever!
We had 8 investigators at church this week and I'm pretty sure we're gonna break the record in July. Have so many great inv. So ya, I don't remember much that happened this week other than President and Hermana Fortuna cried when they were giving their last talks. So I'd like to share what Pres said and a quote from Pres. Boyd K. Packer "...and when He atoned, that settled that. There are so many of us who are thrashing around, as it were with feelings of guilt, not knowing quite how to escape. You escape by accepting the Atonement of Christ, and all that was heartache can turn to beauty and love and eternity. The Atonement is individual, and if you have something that is individual, and if you have something that is bothering you - something so long ago you can hardly remember it - Put the Atonement to work. It will clean it up, and you, as does HE, will remember your sins no more." - Pres. Packer. And then President Fortuna said as he was crying, "We don't care what you've done in the past, we love you. And every day is a new chance to use the Atonement to be better." And then I thought of our Father in Heaven who loves us so much and says the same.
I love you all and gosh dang it have the best 4th of July ever! It's my fav holiday!

I'm thankful for my new comp, new Pres. of ward, Pres. Fortuna and all he did, the chance to have a new Pres. and meet him this week, my ukulele, 'Let Freedom Ring :), andddd EFY music.

June 22nd 2015

Ok so we just got done having our last activity with Pres. and it was soooo sweet. He let us play ball full court and it's been a year since being able to do that and boy am I sure glad I get to play ball after because basketball IS AMAZING... so amazing. But we have changes! Getting a new companion tomorrow morn! Praying it's Elder Hale! Tons of things happened this week. The fam is progressing, we have chosen investigadors, and it's going good. Just stinking hot during the day. Oh! And we finally got the Liahonas and holy flip this conference was so amazing. I love Elder Boyd K. Packer so much. His testimony of the Atonement is so real and powerful so I've been studying that these last 3 days and I love our Prophet and Apostles. How can they not be prophets or apostles? How could someone say the contrario after reading what they say, looking at who they are, and what they have done for this world. "Por sis frutos los conocereis" I think in English it's "by the fruits yea shall know them" Mateo 7. Well I've been studying a little about character and integrity and virtue this week and wanted to quote what Elder Christofferson said. "The bedrock of character is integrity... worthy character will strengthen your capacity to recognize the direction of the spirit and to be obedient to it...Strong character is more important than what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished...your character is being solidified by consistent correct choices...neither Satan nor any other power can weaken or destroy your growing character. Only YOU can do that through disobedience."
Been reading a lot about character and I love these words from an apostle of the Lord. Especially as a missionary, we always need to remember this advice.
Welp. Sitting here waiting for Elder Borge to cut his hair and this week I'm thankful for being with my papas again for 6 weeks and what I was able to learn and how I grew these last days, playing ball full-court!!, all that Pres. Fortuna has done for me and this mission and how much he has influenced and taught me... gonna miss that Dominicano., the opportunity to have a new comp and have new experiences, all the elders that I've learned to love this past year that go home this week, for having 7 at church and the family that is so awesome and not witches, the sacred Atonement of Jesus Christ, His perfect example, Guaimaca, and my Liahona!!!!! Love Y'all!! cheque!
-Elder Alec Johnson

p.s. had a dream that Russell M Nelson came to Honduras, gave a talk, and gave me a hug...
calling it he's gonna be the next prophet!

da** and her kids! shes the one with the flooded house who I love with all my heart! shes sooo funny

elder de la cruz and I with our new raincoats...

June 15th

So there's a million things I wanna say but to start off, it's mango season and it's the greatest season of my life! We just eat and eat mango's! It's incredible. OK so this week was nuts. Our "chosen" family we found out does witchcraft, our baptisms almost fell through, we went to Talanga @ 7:00 to baptize Jose when there was basically rivers instead of streets because it's the rainy season. And the power went out, to coming back home Sunday morning and looking for David at a neighbor's house so he could get conferred, to the husband of Dania letting us marry them so she can get baptized, getting yelled at by woman in the ward because she was getting married the same day as our baptism, realizing that gossip and judging people is the great stumbling block that prevents us from loving one another and the stumbling block to bring new people to the church, and finally.... FINDING THE FAMILY THAT IS READY TO BE BAPTIZED AFTER !! MONTHS OF SEARCHING FOR THEM!!!! (and they're not witches!) This week was pack full of miracles and full of crazy stuff. Oh, as well! We're on track this month, and we have all the people to break the baptism record in our zone Talanga! Our missionaries are so great! It's been some crazy couple of days. But I've been reading 'Jesus the Christ' and first off...this book is incredible. I've learned soooo much in such little time thanks to this book. And thought of how hard Satan tried to tempt the Savior. Can we even imagine how Satan must have tried his all, his absolute best in trying to make the Savior mess up? Because if he would have made him slip up, he wins and everyone becomes miserable like him. I'm more than sure that Satan did everything to try to get him to slip up. But the beautiful thing is, Christ didn't give in. Not once. That gives me a lot of hope and an urge to be better because if Satan threw everything he could have and didn't succeed, it's the same with us. Satan will throw all that he can but if we are founded on that rock of Christ and depend on Him, we will be safe. Because the Lord knows how it feels. So just remember to secure yourself even more on that rock. Do it today. Do what need to be done to be safe and secure in the future. Oh and check out my 2 new fav scrips, along with Matthew 5:14, 3 Nephi 18:24, and Moroni 7:44-48.
"But as it is written, eye hath seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." - 1 Cor. 2:9
"Behold all ye that kindle fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks, walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks which ye have kindled.." - 2 Nephi 7:11

This week I'm thankful for mangos, the rainy season, the new fam, a house to live in, my ward in Sunstone, interchanges with Elder Corey, when there's water, the Book of Mormon, Jesus the Christ, Mariah y David, Deal or No Deal, that it's cold, Elder Wallentnies old boots.

~Elder Alec Johnson

INTERCHANGES WITH ELDER COREY!! LOVE THIS MAN SO MUCH! MOST HUMBLE AND PATIENT MAN ON THE FACE OF THE PLANET HE LIVES IN WESTPOINT UTAH!

MY MAIN MAN JO**! such an amazing man who wants to go on the mission sooo bad! such a cool baptism even if we were SOAKED

this is hermans da** house and it got flooded! really scary but now its better they got more dirt from a neighbor and did some stuff so it wont happen again! but man you guys have no idea how lucky we got it in the states. no clue. 

RIOS O CALLES?

June 8th, 2015

This week was a crazy one! And super long and short at the same time. The Temple with Pres. was super spiritual and really cool. Had an experience that hit me real good that the line between good and evil, light and darkness, heaven and hell is so thin. So delicate. And it really is so easy to say what is evil is good, and break the Lord's commandments and standards he has set. And with the world supporting every bad decision, it's easy to get caught up in those worldly things. It's easy to fall in the hands of that great Satan, who only wants us to be miserable because the plan he gives us is an easy one, full of moments of pleasures of sinning. But what Christ and His Atonement has to offer is a lifetime and eternity of Joy and Happiness. Nothing that Satan has to offer is even comparable to the Joy I feel when I obey the commandments and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a missionary, one has the opportunity to see all the evil this world has to offer and then the light our Savior has to offer to us. Really crazy experience that happened.
Oh and FATHER! HAPPY B-DAY YA OLD MAN! I know you don't like all the jazz that comes with a birthday so I'll just say thanks for being the perfect example of someone who is real, humble, and knows how to work hard. Sure do love ya. And on your b-day we had a baptism! It was pretty nuts and unexpected! Ha! We baptized Hermano Miguel who is 81 years old and just as funny as can be. He had planned to baptized a couple weeks ago but never dropped coffee and went on a trip to Ju**. But we found him on Thursday, found out he hasn't been drinking, and boom! Baptism on Saturday! Really funny but great experience. We had interchanges on Friday and I went to Campamento to verify fechas with Elder Gonzalez and guess what.. we found the family we tried looking for when I was there for 12 weeks! They are so amazing. They went to church and want to get married, want to get baptized and the guy even said, "I've always wanted to go to your church! Because it's different from all the rest!" Oh. And they live across from of our house! But I'm glad we were able to find a chosen family in Campamento, even if it was a little late. And Herman Op** is so stinking' awesome. She filled out all the questionnaire on the back of the pamphlet of lesson/and word of wisdom and I never have seen that from someone on my mission. Woman with so much faith.

This week I'm thankful for the Temple, repentance, my dad and his example, our zone, mangos, that the rainy season is staring, trials in our companionship, music, sleep, soft blanket, my pillow, that the Lord is so merciful, that I'm me, the commandments, Miguelito and his baptism, our investigators, that my little watch lasted 11 months before he retired, that it's been 11 months, that it's June, Cart-man, Sav, and Luke, and The Atonement.

-Elder Johnson

oh Marvin... Marvin, Marvin, Marvin hahahaha this kid can punch hard

gotta see my wonderful fam of less actives in Campamento!! they are my favorite people ever

somehow I never get off the ground in these pics...

love this elder and he goes home in 2 weeks.. I honestly cant believe it 

sighting of Russell Westbrook in Honduras?? my man Elder Montero!

zona talanga o sea zona de animo milagros fe y obediencia! o sea zona hermosa! 

June 1st, 2015

Wow! What happened with May? We're in June!
Well this week was just full of miracles, just full! We had 6 people in church and they are all so excited to be baptized and we found them all this past week..! Oh and I heard about Elder Perry. What an amazing man. He had a special place in my heart because he liked sports and was super tall and I for sure thought he was going to be the next prophet. I don't remember anything about him being sick or having health problems so it was a shock to me. But what a life he lived! I have such a strong testimony of the living prophet and his apostles. We had our last zone conference with President and it was amazing. So great. Weird that he'll actually be gone in 3 weeks. Can't see it yet.
But ok, wanted to talk a little bit on a way cool thing that happened on Friday. So one of our districts has been having a little hard time with finding and just have had a tough time with some things. So Elder Borge and I went to Talanga and we split up because Talanga is divided in 2, Jordan and Talanga. So I went with the Hermanas and Elders of Talanga, and Elder Borge went with the Hermanas and Elders of Jordan to check on people that are going to be baptized and to put more dates with those that are struggling. So the ward mission leader and I went with the Hermanas first and we gave a guy a blessing because he was super sick but wants to go to church and change his life. It was a really humbling experience because yesterday they told me he was all good and went to church! After that we went to these two investigators... oh dang! They are amazingggg! Really in these 11 months I've been here, I don't know if I've seen that much faith in an investigator before. One wants to go on a mission and he's 18 and the other would be baptized today if she could. But their date was the 27th, but we got them fired up for the 13th instead. And then, I went with the elders and we had a great lesson and put more dates and they all went to church yesterday! So that was just a shortened version of a miracle day for me. One of the greatest days I've had on the mission. But we get to go to Tegucigalpa tonight! Because we're going the Temple with President Fortuna for our leadership meeting!!!! Whoo! So we're staying the night with the secratarios. But just a great week and this one will be even better. Crazy to think it'll be a year this week since graduation...unreal. Like I honestly can't believe it.

This week I'm thankful for a clean house, being a representative of Jesus Christ and being set apart from one who hold the keys to do it, the Priesthood, blessings, the Book of Mormon!, strawberry-banana cheramuscas, the new family we found, how much the Lord has blessed us this week, vaseline, sleep, that there's no time to be sad or mad because this life is too short anddddd the POWER OF FAITH!!!

Faith = Determination
"What are you willing to do to convince the Lord and show your Faith?" ~Pres. Fortuna

-Elder Alec Johnson

A Hank Smith smelfie with my madre of the mission!