April 25th 2016

Elder Bingham and I made up a phrase.

Rip it in half and put a chip on it- giddy up

Pretty good huh? Well this week was just fabulous. Have Elder Estrada as my companion and he is definitely my favorite companion I have had on the mission. Love the guy so much. And the zone is great! And IM OUT OF THE OFFICE!! WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 

Not much more to say! Something cool that happened this week was that I got to bless the Sacrament with my comp in the most awesome ward and I felt so much at peace on Sunday. It was so nice. So nice. I love the Sacrament. I love this ward. I love my comp. And I sure love this Restored Gospel.

This week I am thankful for my fam, for machetes from my perfect mother, for the sacrament, for the package from mimi and papa!!, for my amazing new comp, for personal study and companionship study!, for the power of obedience!, for the Sacrament, for my fam, for the scrips, and the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

Love you all! 

-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!!!

Only had a couple hours to say bye to Robelio and my fam Osorto!!

New Comp!

April 17th 2016 Well uh...

SOO IM OUT OF THE OFFICE! mixed emotions. Very mixed emotions. My heart is kinda sad because Robelio gets baptized this week and Gustavo is so close. And I was 100 percent sure I was dying here. But I wil train Elder Storrs this week which is a whole other story, but allí vamos.

Going back as a ZL to a place called Santa Fe in country! With Elder Estrada. Pretty excited! He is from Guat and super cool so thats good!

This is the talk of the week.!

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1973/04/yellow-canaries-with-gray-on-their-wings?lang=eng

One of the greats by Pres Monson!

This week was a dyc 15 week. I love DyC 15 so much. Love it Love it Love it. Just think of all the things God knows. He is perfect at playing basketball. He knows how to create worlds. He is the perfect painter. He knows how to create humans, He knows all the math equations ever even imagined. ANDDDD the most important thing he tells us is to preach the Gospel. so sweet.

Well everything is so crazy and we have so much to do so I have to go BUT I will let you know next week about the new area! Love y'all!

This week im thankful for changes, for humility, for ALL I LEARNED IN THE OFFICE AND NUEVO LOARQUE, my fam, elder Burnham one of the funniest comps ever haha, elder bingham, elder de la rosa, Gustavo and Waldina and Freddy and Marlin Osorto, all the people I got to meet here, all my friends ever in the entire world, bananas, peanut butter, beans, the opportunity I had to drive in Honduras!, that I finish my mission in a small house with no hot water haha, SVU dynamic duo elder Hill, and the Savior because he makes me stronger! 

-Elder Alec Johnson

April 13th 2016

SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF THE JAZZ MADE IT TO THE PLAYOFFS!!! ALSOOO the mango was the forbidden fruit I decided this week. It couldn´t have been the pineapple because the pineapple grows in it´s own brush/shrub thingy and since mango is the 2^ndbest… It was the mango.

This week was full of little decisions. Small decisions that really can change the day and as Pres. Monson says, even our destiny. It was a good week.:) We had 5/1 at church and it was just a tough, good missionary week. A lot of things happened this week that made me realize that little decisions really do make ALL the difference. And the Lord gives us those decisions to see if we can ´choose the right´. There´s a quote I read by Pres. Monson that says, 

“You do not find truth groveling through error. Truth is found by searching, studying, and living the revealed word of God. We learn truth when we associate with truth. We adopt error when we mingle with error.” 

We all know how we feel when there´s a hard choice before us, maybe it´s not the worst thing we can do, but we choose the wrong. We know how that feels and it stinks when you offend the Spirit by doing that. But we also know what it´s like to make that right decision and immediately after you feel God´s approval and feel joy for choosing the right. There were a couple times where I felt God´s approval after some decision making this week and I just knew He was glad that I did the right. Forgiveness is just great as well. Because I definitely have needed a lot of forgiveness these 21 months. Just fabulous really that we can be forgiven for all the silly and dumb things we humans do. And also how we can forgive people. I love that too. My scrip of the week actually has to do with that. Really cool doctrine how we can retain (“to keep in possession or use”) a remission of our sins.  

Mosiah 4:26

"26 And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants."

Love the Gospel. Love that I´m not perfect and that it brings me to humility and brings me to my Savior every time I slip up and depend on His perfect Atonement. And then I am able to fully repent, forget, move on with faith and be better the next time. And sometimes I slip up and slip up again but as long as we are trying and giving our all to this restored Gospel and our Master Jesus Christ, that´s all that matters.:)

Oh and ROVELÍO PEOPLE!!! HE RULES. HE JUST RULES. Taught him about the restoration (he is already been to church twice and still haven´t taught him that because he has been gone!) and he accepted everything and then we taught him the Word of Wisdom and he was just like "Well we sometimes drink coffee here but it´s already written and it´s what we need to do so we´re gonna stop." and Elder Burnham and I just like sat there haha he´s ready to roll

This week I am thankful for nights in the hammock just thinking about life and being so grateful to my Father in Heaven for all that he has given me, music and the powerful testimony it gives of this Gospel, Mr. Rovelio and that he is on track to be baptized!. He is so stinkin pilas, for candy (I really do like sweets a lot), a really weird, long, short week, that in 3 months today I will be hugging my sweet dear mother #notbaggyjustafact, for basketball, for being in the office, for the power of love, for the words of Elder Holland, Elder Duncan, Elder Peña, the best dad ever Jeremy Paul, for ties, OH AND FOR THE STINKIN FACT THAT HERMANA PORTILLO GOT BAPTIZED ON SATURDAY WHATTT!!!, the members here, our investigators, when you do a soccer move in the street when a ball comes rolling and all the kids in the street freak out and yell hahaha, anddd I´m thankful because God knows who I am.

Have a greattt week!

-Elder Alec Johnson

99 say whaaaaaaa April 5th 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TUJVLFDfRY

WELL HERES THE LINK FOR US! HAHAHA SO FUNNY. They start talking about people from around the world come to see las alfombras at like 1:37 and then watch the rest hahah too good. Totally got my tongue twisted and couldn´t say a part hahah all the elders made fun of me but we totally look like tourists in the video which stinks because we should never look like that andddd we were giving out tarjetas of the hallelujah campaign sooo we were totally being missionaries for the 50 min we were there… Funny stuff.

First news of this amazing miracle week! This morning while we were reading the scrips right before we left to the office we get a call from a unknown number and it was Emelina!!! We have been trying to call her for weeks but her phone has been off and she called us! And it´s because she has been in this way far away village/town where her fam lives and she has to climb this hill to get service ha! She told us she has been reading the Book of Mormon with her sister Karina and to her mom and she told us she wants to be baptized!! What!? She said with all this stuff that happened with her sister Evelyn she said it´s time..! The thing is there is no church even close where she lives but she said she is coming back to Tegucigalpa soon so heck yes! Like what the heck! So she doesn´t know where she is gonna move but doesn´t even matter! Such a stinkin cool story… Oh and kinda sad is that Evelyn, the one that got chased and stuff moved to Copan and that´s far away but we´re gonna send the reference to the elders out there in San Pedro! That just happened like 3 hours ago!

Sooo this week. First off thanks to Briggy babe for his great talks on the Sacrament. Cool stuff I learned and was able to think about this week.

Another thing I wanted to touch on before talking about conference! Let´s talk about sun-suckers. Now what is a sun-sucker? A sun-sucker is someone who sucks sun out of other people. They do not give confidence to others anddd they (excuse my language) kinda suck. Sun-suckers really are not fun to be around soooo I invite everyone to just let everyone be as they are and just love everyone for who they are and give them confidence! Good job.

Oh and had the best april fools joke to my mother hahhaha ask her about that one.

Ok! So miracles and conference… So last Sunday we were contacting and we knocked on this random door and we found this 65 year old man named Rodelío… HE IS THE MAN! Oh my gosh he´s the coolest guy. He has lived there for 32 years and never talked to missionaries and is jobless right now but he wants to be baptized the 23^rd! We were taught by Pres. Fortuna (WHO NOW IS AN AREA SEVENTY PEOPLE!! WE ALL CALLED IT!!!) to present two baptismal dates so the person could choose which date. We presented for the 16^th and 23^rd and he chose the 23^rd! Then he was all nice and ready early in the morn to go to conference and after his face was just glowing! Just so happy and smiley! And he said, “Aqui me quedo!” which means “I´m staying here!” haha it was great! Now we just gotta teach him all the commandments! He reminds me of Gustavo from La Vega!

Next miracle. Mr. Gustavo! This man..! I love him and his family with all my heart. They are the best. By the way it was Freddy’s and Elder Burnham’s bday yesterday so they invited us and the Bishops fam and another fam for the party and it was so great! Perfect for him! But anyways he went to conf on Sunday morn but he wanted to go to the Priesthood Session but since he is in charge of all the power in Teguc and Danli, the lights went out in Danli so he was getting phone calls all day long so he couldn´t go. But we went like at 8:45 because they live right by us and he asked us what the Prophet taught in the Priesthood session and everyone asked why it was so short and why Pres. Monson didn´t talk so much but get this. We told him that basically the prophet said “Be faithful. Be worthy.” And he stopped and thought for a second and then told us a story that he never ever has told anyone.. only his mom when it happened. So years back when he was going through some trials and just wanted answers from God to help guide him what he should do in life he was in an apartment and he prayed and went to bed and shut off the t.v. In the middle of the night he heard the t.v. turn on with all the static and then he said he didn´t know what church but a Christian message turned on and all he heard was “Sea fiel. Sea digno.” “Be faithful. Be worthy.” And that was his answer…! LIKE WHAT THE HECK! HECK YES!! We are just waiting for him to tell us when he wants to get baptized…….! Ah!!

Also called Brayan from Jardines yesterday and he is in stinkin 2^nd Nephi right now! Like so much joy is in my heart for him… I love him so much. When all is said and done if it was only him that the Lord used me to help in these 2 years, I would be content. He´s the greatest.

But about conference… What more can I say? Besides the fact that I just kept crying in the first sesh because of the music and how they would show Pres. Monson and the Quorum of the 12, it was the best. More than anything I was able to strengthen my testimony of the sacredness of their calling and I know with no doubt that God loves us and puts those men at the helm of this church to guide us.

This week was much needed. So thankful for this week. My heart is so full.

I am thankful for the prophet and the messages that were given this week, for protein, for Elder Chavez and Elder Richins, for change, for love, for peace, for THE CHIROPRACTOR WHO IS THE BEST EVER, for the ability to forgive and forget and leave it there, for bdays and cake!, for the Bishop, for new miracles!, for my fam!, for running, for Rodelío, for the prophet Joseph Smith, for pictures of Christ, and for the Atonement… for the Atonement that makes us so much better, that lifts us from the depths of all depths, that literally gives us hope for a better day tomorrow.

Love you allllll!!

-Elder Alec Johnson

March 30th 2016

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_remember-lots-wife/

Talk of the week…! Or more like talk of all talks! If you read just a part of this email just read the talk! Or listen to it! Fav talk in the entire world. Felt like I have read it before butttt I could read it all day, every day. So good.

This week was a toughy! It was just a hard week with a lot of trials. But it ended really well on Sunday when we found a lot of new investigators that are positive. And Sunday and yesterday I just felt at peace and I really needed that. Just felt a lack of something the entire week and then on Sunday night I felt peace and on Monday I felt full. That was my tender mercy for the week. And it´s kinda like Christmas here… It´s easter and Semana Santa here in Central America and nobody goes to church.. #gofigure speaking of Semana Santa…

Sooo on Friday they do the famous alfombras right? Alfombras are when they prepare months making colored saw dust and then in the center or in other places on the street they make amazing art work out of colored sand dust! So on Friday we woke up early and went to see em in the center before we went to the office (once in a lifetime chance here) and before all the people came and it was so cool! And as we were finishing, the national news channel here HCH was there and they asked Elder Burnham if he could say a few words and he declined (because probably Pres wouldn’t have been happy if he saw us on tv at 7 in the morn in the center ha) anddd me being me was like “SURE! WE CAN SHARE OUR TESTIMONY ON TV!” not realizing the consequences.. And so they asked me who I was and what church we were from and how we supported people doing this and I totally got interviewed and testified of Christ on Honduras National TV hahhah and but I told Pres we went to see them after so we´re good haha that was fun.

Nothing much happened this week I can remember. We moved a house for 6 hours Elder Burnham and I because the missionaries had to move because they kinda got stoned and robbed in their area… Like literally the people threw stones at them! Stinkin´nuts. But they are totally fine.

On Easter Sunday in the morning I was able to finish Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage after months of reading it. It was such an amazing experience where I learned so much about who my Savior really is. I wanna keep using it to study because it really is incredible. And on Easter it was kinda tough remembering it was Easter just because there was nobody at church, none of the inv. that we had that said were gonna come came, it was so stinkin hot it´s not even funny, and it was just kinda a tough Easter. But then at night I just felt peace. Wasn´t anything all that special. I just felt good. And I guess that made me ponder about when Christ was resurrected. I bet that day didn´t feel all that spiritual to the apostles. I bet they were sad, upset, heart-broken that morning when they woke up. Then a little later they heard the good news. And it brought them peace. They still had a million things going on through their mind about what to do next, what they just went through with Christ for those years he was with them, I bet a million things were going through their mind. They had every reason to be stressed, confused, impatient, etc. But they felt peace as the Risen Lord showed himself to them. He lived and gave them peace then and He lives and gives peace to all those who seek now.

This week I am thankful for my Risen Lord Jesus Christ, for all the missionary emails I get, for perfect parents who I love so much, for Carter and that he still won´t be able to beat me at Madden or FIFA or 2K when I get back, for protein, for forgiveness, for little things during the day that make one happy, Elder Duncan, las alfombras, for good people, for butter, and forrrrrrrrrrr orange juice!   

-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!!!

All out of wood dust

oh and they totally put a kid on a cross and reacted the crucification on top of a hill. Honduras tradition.

March 21st 2016

SO I FORGOT MY CAMERA SO PHOTOS NEXT TUESDAY!

ITS MY BEAUTIFUL MOTHERS BIRTHDAY TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!! SHES TURNING 29!! LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! MA!

THIS IS MY COMPS BLOGSPOT hes better at explainig things than me:)

http://elderdanielburnham.blogspot.com/2016/03/another-transfer-in-office.html

This week was a good one. It was good because I have felt change and change is good. I have learned so much about humility and what it really means to submit to the will of the Father. We felt like we made some really good contacts last week in the street but when we tried to go to their house a. there was nobody or b. It was the wrong house ha. It´s been kinda a bummer because we haven´t found any really positive new investigators and sometimes when you don´t find positive inv. you get down as a missionary. And what happened with Evelyn and Emelina kinda just threw us off and we´re trying to find people for April. We honestly think Gustavo could be baptized in April but we put some good goals as an office to find new inv. and be more consecrated here in the office. Because to be honest it is so hard in the office to be with 4 diff elders with 4 diff personalities and thoughts and habits and trying to work with one  another and putting goals together so we can become better. Each one of us have to get out of our comfort zones and agree with one another and this week I also was reminded I am not perfect and neither are the people closest to you and people learn, progress, and do things differently than you do. The trick is to accommodate to others and help one another become better and sometimes that means you change what you want and focus on the needs of others so EVERYONE can grow and progress and be happy. :.) Not just one person.

I have such a deep love for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I´m really trying to apply it more by the way I react, think, and feel to situations and people. Sure am thankful for the Spirit and how it teaches me in so many different ways about the Atonement.

In 2 nefi 32:1-5 I was reading and I had the question in my mind how I can feel the spirit more and how can I keep progressing? I am trying to be obedient and better and I just really wanted an answer and I was reading and it was such a machete haha. In verse 1 the Lord asks ME why I am asking this if I already know the answer. And in vs 2-5 I was reminded to really put my whole heart into reading the scriptures. And then to stop worrying about yourself and move on. Be better. Elder Duncan and I talked for a long time about some stuff and he sure has been a huge help on my mission, especially in these last couple weeks and he said a quote that his trainers friend told him and it´s “Accept what is, let go of what was, and have faith in what is to be” Good stuff.

And then in Jacob chapter 5 I love that allegory. And what caught me this time is how obedient the servants were to the master in the very last verses. Reminds me of the early saints and how strictly obedient they were to share the Gospel. 

In other news we saw 2 kids hop on a normal car while it was driving to get a ride and while we were talking about that we didn´t realize the kids in the back of our truck that were also hitching a ride! 

ANDDDD guess what I found out being secretary is really stressful haha.

ALSO JEANCARLO GOT BAPTIZED!! AND FANI FROM THE OTHER ELDERS! YAYY! I WILL SEND PICS NEXT WEEK! 

Gustavo also is such a stud! LOVE FAM OSORTO! HE HAS NO PROBLEMS WITH THE WORD OF WISDOM!

It's SO STINKIN HOT HERE! March 14 2016

This week is what I like to call was a Sagreirdazy Week. (Jake should know what that means right? sounds German.) Sad, great, weird, and crazy. Actually to be honest, craziest week of the miss! But before anything I just have to establish what I am gonna eat when I come home. We will be eating breakfast burritos with ketchup (real ketchup) and franks sauce, every single type of soda that has caffeine in it (and all types of gatorade), and homeade desserts. Done. Complete. Check that off the list. 

OKEY DOKEY. First off. Challenge of the week. In our mission we recieve money every 15 days. And the average amount of money we can spend to have a budget is 6 dollars a day. (not including water and power) Food, transportation, laundry stuff... everything. 6 bucks. The challenge is for you to do it one day this week.. IF you can! If you have a family and stuff totally understand but if you´re all alone and not dating.. Go for it! #topramen

Ok now being serious haha so we´ll start with tuesday and wednesday! OH MY GOODNESS. IVE NEVER BEEN SO TIRED EVER. Taking missionaries to the airport and picking them up for 2 days is crazy. And being the last ones to say goodbye to missionaries is pretty baggy not gonna lie. That was just a story of its own. Oh I forgot monday!

SO monday Fam. Osorto threw me a bday party! It was just the sweetest thing ever! They werent gonna be in town Friday so they made sandwiches and brought a cake from Choluteca and it was just the greatest! I love that fam! He is so getting baptized... 

Then thursday.. not sure what happened. 

Friday... oh Friday.. I felt like it was gonna be a great bday because instead of the alarm I got woken up to 3 men screaming happy bday haha and thennn the office missionaries bought doughnuts and we did that in the office and it was just a great day. And then things kinda got sad... we got a call from Jeancarlo´s aunt saying the mom didnt give him permission to get baptized and she told us how he was balling because he wanted to so bad and we were like.. "dang it" but we were ok because we knew with time she´d give him permission. Then no joke, an hour later we get a call from Emelina crying telling us that 2 guys followed her sister Evelyn to the house and to work and tried beating her up and apparently they have them mistaken with other girls that used to live in the apartment they live in and so it was being watched and so they couldnt live there. So she told us how they were gonna grab all their stuff the next day with their uncle and move away and that was like blow to the stomach.. Because Evelyn accepted a date for baptism the 26 and It was so sad because all these trials came to them all at once when we started teaching them. But we have been calling them and sending them messages and they are so grateful for the Book of Mormon and have been reading it and Emelina said she still wants to come to the church and is gonna find a way to do it. So we will see what happens..:( pray for them please! And so then we were kinda in sad spirits but we had an interview with Jose David for his baptism and he passed! Listo. And as soon as we were leaving their house we get a call and guess what..! The mom gave Jeancarlo permission! YEAYYYYY! So his baptism will be next week because the mom wanted to be there. YES! But it was definitely an unforgetable bday!

Then Saturday.. oh Saturday haha. Good day to start. Good Pday me and elder Burnham went to Mayoreo to get some stuff and look around, went back and then we get a call and Pres asked us if we could go pick up an Elder that is sick and take him to the house and if something happened to take him to the hospital.. We do that and the Elder is way sick. Something with his lungs and his muscles contracting on them so he cant breathe. We take him to the house all is good, go fill up the font, come back, are about to leave again and his comp starts talking in a loud voice for me to come and I go and theres the elder not breathing at all! And his comp tells me to help him and he started giving him a type of CPR but it was different and then like after a minute he starts breathing again and then like after a minute he stops breaathing and this happened for like 10 minutes! And his comp told us this has been happeneing the last 2 nights and so he kinda knew what was happening but still! And during this time we´re screaming at the elders to call Pres and then Elder Bingham and Elder De la Rosa get the truck ready and when I tried to pick him up my back sorta made a noise and it hurts really bad but tomorrow I'm going to the Chiro but then we took him to the car and they took him to the hospital and a got a policeman to lead the way and got him there and the doctors dont know what it is. Pres just gave the confirmation that he has to go home:( really sad. But hes doing a little better.. Pray for him pleaseee! Then Elder Burnham and I went to the baptism and Jose David almost was lost and they couldnt find him (remember he's deaf) but then he showed up and it was so funny because he was like pointing at his wrist where a watch would be saying he didnt realize what time it was. BUT THAT BAPTISM WAS SO SPIRITUAL! ONE OF THE COOLEST I'VE BEEN A PART OF! The ward has a goal to learn sign language by the end of the year. And then Sunday was good and we found positive investigators.:) Crazy week. Sorry not too spiritual but cool thing is we said a prayer when we got to the church because of the Elder and for the fact that Jose David wasn´t found and all worked out after we said that prayer. Love the Gospel. Love repentance. Love it all.

THis week I am thankful for my fam. for prayers, for ibuprofen, for hard times and good times, for my comp. for laughter, for ICE CREAM I LOVE ICE CREAM, for the power of the fast, for great friends and family members who email me what I need to read always, for forgiveness and for forgiving yourself, for my Heavenly Father, for toothpaste, for dove soap, for the fact that it's so hot I like cold showers now, and for my Savior and Redeemer... For Him who lives. 

Keep on keepin on!!

-Elder Alec Johnson

the church is true.

FAM OSORTO!! FREDDY!!

THAT guy who baptized him is an angel from Heaven for that fam. MEMBERS AND MISSIONARIES MUST WORK TOGETHER!

Matching ties! Elder Burnham is da man!