Sep 28, 2015

So I'd just like to start off with, I love my companion. He is exactly what I needed at this time. To be honest I don't know if I've had so much fire, been so tired, and have had the spirit guide and help us this much in my mission. Maybe with my son Elder Garcia. Some missionaries don't like the way he is but I love this 24 year old mini Mexicano. He is great and we work HARD. And we pray with all our hearts. And we talk with EVERYONE. And it works! That's the key! And then being humble as a companionship. Loving and being just kind to one another. Got it Carter? ok. "Get it, got it, doubt it!"
So basically we're doing the same thing we did in Capamento with Concordia but here it will work. There's a place called Taulabe that is 30 minutes in bus from Sigua that literally is on the border of our mission line. We're really close to San Pedro Sula and I'm totally living there. But anyways, there are some really good and strong members there and we need only 2 more priesthood holders to start a group! So we're working on that! We worked like animals this entire week. It was really fun! But I guess we've been kinda sick and I am in the same group as Elder Briggs-Babe because they gave me 2 shots right in the bum. haha. And it HURT! But we are all good. It's just because of the cold and rain.
So I'd like to do something a little different and explain what a typical day is like in the life of a Honduras Missionary...cheque!
6:30 - wake up and do some exercise
7:00-8:00- take a shower in the most freezing water known to mankind, eat cereal, oatmeal, or make pancakes, clean up a little bit, iron, get ready to study.
8:00 - Study personal, prayer, study what you need to study
9:00 - Study with companion. When you have comp that actually likes to study, this part of the day is so great. Where you learn a lot together and really feel the spirit of revelation.
10:00-10:30- English and Spanish Study!
10:30-12:00 - Go out, usually go contacting at this time because  a lot of people are on the street, go to Pulperia and buy some 10 cent chips, or do service for someone.
12:00 -1:00 - Lunch with a member.
1:00-9:00 - OK...Contact! Pray! And talk with EVERYONE! Go to our appointments, finding while we teach, walking, talking, going on busses, talking, giving out pamphlets, more appointments, going to another Pulperia to get snack, more walking, and just loving and being grateful every second for the chance to do this.
9:00-10:00 - Dinner, planning, writing, reading
10:00-10:30 - Get dats from the zone and play Uke! Go to bed really tired but really happy because you gave all that day.
And that's my life! It's so wonderful. And every day is so unique and different where I see the Atonement work in so many different ways and am so grateful for the little miracles that happen. I've learned a lot about the power of prayer this week and I encourage all to make your prayer a little more heart-felt and meaningful this week to our Father in Heaven.
I love you all and WATCH CONFERENCE!!!

This week I am so thankful for doctors, for funny things that happen, for bread that didn't taste like soap for the first time in 14 months, cinnamon, having a Mexican cook for me, rest, Pres. Ferman, our district and zone, Briggy Bear and his emails that kill me haha, my fam, that we got sealed together for all time and eternity 16 years ago this week, that my parents had their anniversary (oy oyyy!!), forgiveness, and THE MISSION!!!

-Elder Alec Johnson

Sep 21 2015

We had changes! I was so mad. But I'm good now. Elder Paiz is with Elder Hale in Guaimaca! So happy for them. That Paiz gets to know all my people and Elder Hale is finally relieved. But my comp is Elder Del Rosa! He's 24 from Mexico..really tranquilo and quiet.. but he's cool! With all the comps I've had I'm not complaining one bit. He's been a member for 2 years and has the coolest story! Basically saw an ad on Youtube for a LDS message, looked at it, watched videos all night, chatted with someone online on lds.org, went to church by himself, andddd got baptized in a week. Not bad! Cool testimony builder. But I do miss having a gringo... But it's all good! Tuki got baptized!! Heck Yes!! Got the whole fam going back to church and Tuki GOT BAPTIZED! After tons of missionaries that have passed through, and nobody tried to help them. Sure do love em! But, "see with your heart" experience happened this week because I've felt like we needed to be persistent with Orlando R**, and so we knocked on his door every day this week and we finally found him Sunday! He's back in business! He's just been busy with work but still wants us to come by and visit him and he said he's going to church! Also, with Fam Munoz we're slowly getting there. Want the baptism to be the 10th. They're amazing.

This rain is a killer though. Everyone is getting sick. But we keep on keeping on. 

One thing in my studies this week that I've seen from the example of Nephi is that it's great to ask questions, to want to learn more about the doctrine of Christ. But like Nephi, we must be DILIGENT in seeking for the answers. That's the part Laman and Lemual didn't understand. Exercising our faith by keeping the commandments, being diligent in doing so, and then come our answers and blessings. Boom shaka laka. I've seen that with our investigators this week and it's beautiful when they understand.

This week I'm thankful for my house, my area, medicine, my new comp, the opportunity to work with new missionaries, my fam, my Heavenly Father, My great Grandpa, stories, history, Doctrine and Covenants, the Bible, Sigua!, the Temple, Everything!! I'm so grateful right now!

-Elder Alec Johnson

the church is true.

New comp!

old dad...

Tuki, Tuki, Tuki!

And then we got a piñata!

We sang for the talent show. Bahahaha

This guy is such a stud! So humble and so awesome he was going to play for the Atlanta Braves.

and these are my gippers! ahaha they were gonna get baptized this week but their parents wont let them.. they are so awesome and have an amazing testimony. they are inv of the hermanas!

9/14/15

WELPPPPP! GREAT WEEK. HAVE A SURPRISE BAPTISM FROM TUKI! HE JUST WENT UP TO US YESTERDAY AND SAID "elders, me quiero bautizar este jueves" ahhaha so it's his bday and his baptism Thursday! So many missionaries have passed with this kid and he knows like all the bible and the lessons.. and he's turning 11.. just never wanted to be baptized until now! love this kid! Well we find out who has changes in1 hour.. we won't leave but if one of us leaves I'm calling president and will let him know that that isn't a good idea. hahah but for real.

In my studies this week Nephi taught me how I can recieve an answer 100% of the time from the Lord... 1 nefi 15:11

 11 Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me infaith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.

1) don't harden heart

2) ask in faith

3) believe that you will recieve

4)DILIGENT IN KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS

If we do those 4 things, we will get an answer. Now it doesnt say WHEN OR HOW but we WILL get an answer. Love you all and familia Munoz is all good, just some problems with keeping the sabbath day.. LOVE YA ALL! WORK HARD THIS WEEK!

THis week I'm thankful for prophets  my compa, pictures, friends, las hermanas, zone conf, all the little miracles weve seen, all of church, the power of prayer, chick fil a sauce, pizza hut, water, the power of a testimony, my mom, my dad, my siblings, the for the strength of youth, anddd the power Christ gives us when we are obedient and thrifty.

oh and also nother shoutout to my COUGGSSS!! WHWOOWOWAODHSHSJNABJFIUBAFDBBIJFBIJ!! RISE AND SHOUTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Elder Alec Johnson

the church is true.

¨And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don´t believe in magic will never find it.¨-Roald Dahl

MATEO 5:14 SOIS LA LUZ DEL MUNDO!!!

My main man Mr. Paiz

We had an ugly tie contest haha, but not Elder Paiz and I 

Zona Siguatepequeeeeee!

7 de Sept 2015

Well I kinda wish I could call my fam and share what happened this week. It literally was up there, if not the highest, with the week in Hawaii, EFY, Going to the Temple, Lake Powell... it beats them all I think.
I'm sending my journal entry's so you can get a tiny glimpse of what happened and how we felt this week. Man in 10 months exactly I'll be home. That really sorta (forgive my language) sucks. This is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life and I never want it to come to and end. So if my family really loves me, this Christmas they'll buy me a ticket to come back to Honduras to see the sealing of familia Munoz next year in Oct/Nov ish... That's the only thing I want. To see them sealed. I'm going to get a night job to pay for that stinking flight.
God lives, this is His church, if you want to leave your thumb-print in the lives of others, forget about yourself and your wants, get to work and serve someone else, and do it without being seen. Be yourself and don't care what others have to say.
I'm so thankful for a Heavenly Father, fasting, familia Medoza and all they do for us, leadership meeting, cake, exercise, the Atonement, the crazy rainy season, my idea of a tajaditas business that I'm going to do, Manual! and the coolest story ever!, that fam Munos is real, andddd for my black pen.
-Elder Alec Matthew Johnson

4 Sept 2015 Viernes
Today was so great. We had a 7 hour leadership mtg today and I am just inspired. To work my tail off. Not holding anything back. To use what I've learned in these 14 months and take it up a notch. Gotta see the notes for future. I love Pres. Ferman. He's fantastic. Also we got back late and it was pouring and I hadn't got a contact and I made that covenant so immediately I got that taxi contact.. ha! What else...saw all my boys today! They are doing great! I love this squad of leaders. Elder Duncan is totally gonna be A.P.

5 Sept 2015 Sab
Freakin most amazing, spiritual thing happened today guys...God knows and loves every one of his children! His timing is tan perfect! So look. Talked and contacted a house by ours because just felt it. Good and positive guy. That was 2 days ago. Said we could come back tomorrow. Which was yesterday. And this is when we got back from Teguc. real late and it was raining hard. So we showed our faith, went out to teach them and they started letting us in and the power went out.. so we had to leave but the thing is it came back on 5 min. later when were just getting in and so we said we'd just go tomorrow. So today, we said we were gonna go a little earlier, but the practice went late and so we went and got there at 7:00. We walk in, see the guy and his wife and another older man. So start talking, older guy, out of the blue, "guesses" I'm from Utah and then we asked if he was a member and he paused, said he was baptized 17 years ago but left 11 years ago and continued to say how he received a sign from God and he continued saying how today, he prayed and just asked God for a sign. He said he didn't care which church it was, he just needed to get his life back on track...and said how he wasn't planning to visit his daughter today but felt like he should and then we got there!!! I was just dumb-founded. And he said from this day on, he was going to church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He bore his testimony to his daughter and son in law and his daughter had no idea he was a Mormon and they are all for it, for us to tech them and man... the power of fasting and God's timing. My testimony increased so much today. 100x.
Also we took fam Mendosa's dog in a taxi because it followed us all day long. hahaha
Amazing day.

6 de Sept 2015
Ah so you didn't think the week could be better huh? OK 1st, church! Family Muñoz came! And loved all of it! Taki and his mom came! After years!!!! The Hermana's from Sigua call us and tell us Manuel went to church!!! And he's gonna give us all the names of his kids because he wants all of them to be taught!! Freak I don't even know. Then in the night we had a lesson with fam Muñoz with the Poderoso familia/missionaries, Mendoza's and....*mic drops* let's just say the power of the restoration is real and incredible. They are getting baptized the 29th!!!! At the end of the lesson Hermano Juan Jose just said, "I feel so happy and feel so much peace. Thank you so much for coming to our home. But it was in a way so... tender and amazing! And then Hermana Evelya was so quick! She understood it all! Oh forgot! Manual even asked for an interview with the Bishop over in Sigua! Fist time in 11 years!!! Does anybody even understand that this has been the greatest day and week in my life? This church is true! And another thing, the 2 times I've fasted here (in this area) I've just fasted with all my heart to find families that will one day prepare to go into the Temple and that I might see them there as well in the Celestial Kingdom. It's been a different kind of fasting for me and I just know God is helping me out with this one. I'm so blessed to be a part of this grand work and one person really can change eternity for others. "To learn to dance, you have to hear the music."

Leadership meeting

All of us got to Honduras at the same time and we are all zone leaders. Kinda cool. Love these guys.

Found some cool hats.

30 de Ag. 2015

So we're in September. Unbelievable. Haha. No seriously, that freaks me out.
But anyways. Yes! Lake Powell! Hands down, I'm a million times in. So much better than Hawaii. But it needs to literally be the Monday after I get home oyo?

So this week was different. My comp and I were sick half the week so that was rough. But a cool thing happened this week, that I'm just hoping and hoping will turn out to be real. So on Friday, I don't remember what we did but it was a lot of wasted time and I was real upset when we walked in the house in the night because we didn't contact anyone. So I made a promise that day that never again would I enter a house without contacting someone. Never. And so Saturday we did service for a sister and while we were waiting, I was like heck no, and went to contact and we contacted a guy named Juan Jose, who is 23 and he said we could pass by Sunday.. well we called him, and he was all for it. Told us to come over and we went and he is awesome! His wife, a little boy, and him just moved out of his moms house to start his life with his fam and have a little apartment. Elder Paiz and I had one of the strongest 1st lessons of "How to Begin Teaching" with inspired questions and it was amazing. I'm kinda tired of all the fake families that I think are the ones but I will never lose my hope! These are the ones. Familia Munoz. While he prayed, I just kept thinking of how they would be the first time in the Temple. That's all I want to see. All I want. With the other fam I was talking about, we haven't been able to talk to them and they're being strange so that stunk. We'll see though.

Not much else happened because we were sick, but just wanted to bear my testimony about the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I know it with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. And thanks to him we now have the priesthood keys on this earth. I personally think without a basic testimony of that knowledge we cannot use the Atonement of Jesus Christ as it can and should be used. Without those priesthood keys, there is no effect to our Baptism. Without those keys we wouldn't be able to participate in the sacrament every week and learn more about the Savior and His sacred sacrifice. I have my testimony of Jesus Chirst and His atonement because of the restoration. I know the Prophet Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son and nothing in this world can take away my conviction that he was the prophet of the restoration.

I love my mission. I love this work.
This week I'm thankful for meta-knights and their shop, for rest, the rain, wood carvings, my ma, my comp, Elder Andrade and district meetings, the Bible, the Book of Mormon, church, the spirit and his role in teaching, funny dinners, beans, rice, and tortillas, andddd a fridge!

-Elder Alec Johnson

THE CHURCH IS TRUE

I LOVE SIGUA!!!

This is our church...covered in MANGOS

THE DISTRICT SIGUA 

las hermanas had a baptism.. really awesome. 

TUKEYYYY

My main right hand man Elder Paiz

We went on a zone hike to help with the unity

Ag 23, 2015

So this week was one of the most rewarding and spiritual weeks of my life. One where Satan worked hard as well. So on Wed. we were on interchanges and I was with Elder Nauas who's a mini missionary, and so we were contacting a great part of the neighborhood, just door after door, lots of positive contacts. And then we hit the last door. A MASSIVE house with tons of stuff. So the guy opens the gate door, we start talking and at first I thought he'd just be another one of those guys that says he has his religion and all that. But then, he goes off saying all these things, all these questions and doubts he has, and how he's just confused and wants to know the truth. And Boom. We shared a little about the restoration and after he just said, "ok, you guys are coming to my house tomorrow and I'm sitting my wife and kids down and you're going to teach us." And it honestly was one of the most spiritual, tender moments I've ever had in my life. And so the next day we went and it was REAL! We taught the family and he doesn't have a lot of religious background and he understood everything. But the wife had a lot of great questions and it was so powerful. He had to go to Roatan (ya, I know) for work so they couldn't go to church, but they want to go, said they were going to pray and read the Book of Mormon and we're going over Tuesday. This familia Ro** is a miracle. And exact obedience brings miracles.

So if that just didn't make the best week ever, we had the chance to shake hands with and hear from a living Apostle of the Lord! And it was in the Cañada! So I got to pass by La Vega and see my old home! We heard from Elder Duncan as well and man, was it a great meeting. We shook hands with President Nelson and man his eyes just glow! But I'll just share a couple quotes he shared.
"It's a JOY to be with you." "Master the language of the scriptures" oh and this was pretty crazy, in a chapel of just missionaries he said we could think about marriage and said "the plan of salvation is a plan of happiness. And true happiness is only found in marriage." And then he gave us a warning and a promise "To make sure we found someone who loves God more than you. Because if she/he does, your love for each other will increase and increase as years go on." And then he said, "Just be wise. Make sure someone is worthy of you." Great advice for future.
"The Lord is not pleased with the fact that there are more men with out the Priesthood than with the Priesthood in the church." "You are the hope for praying wives and children." "The mission is an exercise in obedience." "The last dispensation in which we are in, is not only on this earth." "I'm not asking for converts or baptisms, I'm asking you to prepare these people for the Temple."

It was just GREAT! He was hilarious and so happy and it just felt right being with him. Also President Duncan's talk was so powerful! He's amazing! But then he extended an apostles blessing upon us and invoked a blessing that "we would be true disciples of Christ, being an attraction to the people." Blessed our families they they will be drawn closer to the gospel because of us and if they are sick of some-sort that they would be healed according to the Lord's will. And then blessed us we would continue being missionaries after our mission.
Amazing week, and pretty tough.

I'm grateful for my family and the plan of happiness, memories and time spent with them, grateful for an apostle of the Lord that was able to come visit us, Pres. Ferman and Pres. Bowler (mission pres in Tegue), Or** R and his fam, tender mercies, the fruits in Guaimaca, seeing all my friends, Pres. Mendoza and his elders quorum, class prayer, my journals, our district and zone, the Atonement, that water came after 6 days, and a loving Heavenly Father.

-Elder Alec Johnson

Sacerdocio

wa wa Wendy's

Our main trouble makin man J**

our REAL MAIN man PRESIDENTEEE ZUNIGAAAA he's a beast

Found another monkey

My comp being old

The posterity!

MY MAIN SPEEDMAN ELDER HALEEEEEEE