Spetember 24th

Hola familia,

Como anda todo?

Good news... kinda... I got a phone call the other day... it doesnt make much sense to me but someone from the offices called me and they said that my package has arrived in Argentina, but they arent going to be able to pick it up for 2 to 3 weeks. So... I have a meeting in the office october 5th so I guess ill see if I can pick it up then. I hope it will be there cuz I´m kinda getting tired of it haha. 

This week went better than the last, we are still having a tad bit of trouble but things are going up hill... well they were until we got to church on sunday and there wasnt a single investigator OR recent convert in the gospel principles class. So that is quite a bummer. We are finding some new investigators, so hopefully we will see some success out of that shortly. Also, our stake president told us that we should find anyone who has 2 or more church attendance and invite them to watch general conference. So hopefully we can see some success from that also. I would like to say that my spanish is getting good, because at times, I forget how to say things in english, but maybe that is just cuz I don´t get to hear much english until the end of the day. It just seems that at times I go to say something and I can only remember how to say it in spanish. Also I don´t know if I have said this, but Argentine spanish is super weird, its not even actually called spanish, they call it castillano. So they say things super different than all other south american countries. I think its a little bit of a pride thing but who knows.

Oh yeah! The other day, we were walking in the streets, and there is this huge street called 9 de julio, supposedly its the largest street in the world. and there was a group of protesters from who knows what and then the riot squad came and shut down the street and took on the riot. it was crazy. then some inactive member saw us and came up and talked to us and was telling us that as gringos we need to be careful, then we told him, "Yeah, we know, we live here" then he just said, oh... well be careful anyway haha. But I don´t really know why people freak out. but everyone is scared for us, even though nothing ever happens. My companion and I think that people have tried to rob elders so much in the past that they realize that we are broke gringos who don´t have anything for them so they just leave us alone haha. 

My companion and I were just talking about how being here has made us immune to bad things that happen. Like this riot, or the other day we were walking down the street and there was a police officer beating up a drunk guy. or on the way to church we see a broken window and blood on the sidewalk and just shrug it off, or say, hey Carlos, why are there so many cops outside of your house, oh I don´t know I thought I heard gun shots a few minutes ago. Hahah, but in reality we really are safe here. So no need to worry. 

So as of right now, my companion and I are working with 3 couples who want to get married. The other day we were talking to an investigator and we said that he needed to get married to her or move out before he got baptized, and he said, "I know, I have been thinking about that a lot, and I really want to spend the rest of my life with her.." then my comp and I didn´t know what to say after that cuz we were so excited, so we just looked at each other and did the latin finger snap thing that everyone does here when they are excited. It was a super funny.

Also this sunday my comp and I and a member that helps us a ton spoke about missionary work. I wish I had the knowledge I have now before I went on my mission because it would have made my talk a lot easier. I didn´t plan hardly at all and I just spoke, and ten minutes went by so fast. I felt like a stud. Then after the member and my companion spoke there were people in the chaple crying. I hope that means that we had some pretty good talks. It was a super good sacrament meeting and made up for the fact that we had no investigators in church.  

Well, thats all the news I have for you right now, hopefully one day I will be able to get my package. maybe you want to send me a christmas one right now... haha just kidding. Thank you for your prayers and for all your support. Love you lots!

Love,

Elder Johnson

Pictures

 

September 17th

Family,

Thank you for all the birthday wishes. This past week was pretty rough, but my companion and I had pretty good birthdays. So even though the days were rough, the nights were pretty fun. On my birthday, my companion and I went and got some facturas, its like a breakfast dessert kind of thing, like donuts. Then for lunch we had empanadas, that a member buys for us every thursday, and we also drank an Inca-cola which is a super good soda from peru, it taste like bubble gum. It´s incredible. Then in the night one of the members in our ward bought us a pizza, and some things that kinda were like cake pops. It was super good, cuz I´m always super hungry when we come in at night. Then for my comps birthday it was pretty much the same thing.

So also, this last week, we received an email from our president, and it was a plan that he had made through revelation on how to work better with the memebrs of the church. Cuz like President Hinckley said, "the best way to do this work is through the members." So my companion and I have been having a little bit of a rough patch. We are really low on investigators right now, and the ones that we do have can only meet once a week. So we decided that we were going to put this plan into full force asap. What the plan is, is that the members make a list of names, then the pray with us to know who is ready to talk to the missionaries. After that we make plans with them so that they can do missionary work with them, and then they will introduce them to us, rather then us asking them for help with our investigators. So far we have done it with  about 8 families or so, and the names are coming in fast. We are pretty sure that we are going to have a ton of success here in the next week or 2. Also, it has been super cool to see that through this plan we have been gaining a lot of respect from the families. A lot of the families in the ward we didnt know to well, because my companion and I haven´t been here super long. But we have really noticed how much more excited people are to help us, when they actually know us. So it has been nice to also see that we are gaining relationships and trust here in the ward. We really think it is going to bring a lot of success.

Also, today is transfer day... and my companion and I are staying together haha. So we are really excited for another 6 weeks to put this plan in full effect and see the miracles that will come out of it. Also, I´m not sure if my package has come in yet. They haven´t told us anyhting, so my companion and I are going to go to the offices today and see if it is there. I don´t have a ton to write this week, there aren´t a ton of updates, except for the fact that we saw a walmart the otherday when we were going to the stadium for the celebration, and I forgot to tell you that last week :p It was super exciting to see a walmart haha. Oh and also, we had dinner with a family, and they invited a mexican guy, and he brought spicy chilli powder and we added it to the super weird spinach tarta that we ate. It was super good. He also said he is going to invite us over one day and make us some mexican food. I´m super excited for that haha. It´s been way too long. I also found out this week, that there are a TON of elders here in this mission from Arizona. Like 5 from mesa a few from other places too, and one from snowflake. Maybe one day I´ll have a companion from Az then we can be good friends after the mission too. But who knows! That is pretty much all I have to say from my boring week. I hope everything is super exciting there as its getting cooler going into the winter, just remember that I´m dying of high heats and humidity over here!

Love you all!
Elder Justin Brent Johnson

September 10

Sunday Spetember 9th the Buenos Aires Temple was rededicated.  The day before there was a Cultural Celebration.  President Erying, Elder Christofferson, and Elder Ballard were there as a part of the rededication.  Some of what Justin is talking about is the events that took place this weekend.


Buenos Dias!

How is everyone? Thank you for all the birthday wishes... I can`t really believe that in 3 days Im going to be 20. It doesn´t make it look any better when you put it on a cake that I can´t eat either :p The good news is that I thought I got fatter while I was here... but I just weighed myself and im 68 kilograms.. if our math is correct that means im 149. Which means I´ve actually lost weight since I´ve been here. Which also means that I can keep drinking coke and Pepsi :). Mom, I still haven´t got my package. On Friday there was a package that came but it didn´t have a name on it. Inside there were some warheads some other candy and some cd´s from like the 17 miracles soundtrack. I don´t think it was mine, but if that was mine let me know in the next email and I will get a hold of the offices. If thats not what you put in then I will just keep waiting for it :).

So this week was pretty crazy. We tried to work hard, but there wasn´t a lot of work to do haha. We have been trying to find new investigators but they are never home when we go to visit them. So we have a few people were trying to find but we just keep checking at the wrong times. But on thursday, we went to the mission offices, which is 30 minutes by subway, then 45 minutes by train, and when we got there we had a short meeting with Pres. Gullbrandsen and then we went another hour and a half or so to the buenos aires west mission office to wait for Pres Eyering Elder Ballard and Elder Christoffersen to arrive. After an hour of reading in the scriptures (without talking to ANYONE...I thought I was going to die.) they finally came in.It was more of a fireside, a lot different than when we met with Elder Ballard in Fresno. It was still good though. Elder Christoffersen spoke first. He served his mission in Cordoba Argentina, and served as a mission President in Mexico. So he spoke to us in spanish. Something really cool that he talked about was that some of us will have 2 mission presidents (for me 3) and that we should take every piece of advice they give us to heart, cuz it will help us for the rest of our lives. Then Elder BAllard got up and spoke. He talked about his grandpa, who was an apostole, who opened up southamerica for missionary work. When he first came here, there were 4 members... and they were all German. The first missionary lesson in south america was in Argentina... in German.... haha. So that`s how it all started. Now, there are 3,400,000 members. He gave an analogy in the sacrament meeting before he left in 1926 and said, "The missionary work in South America will not grow like a sunflower, very quickly and just die, but like an acorn, and grow into a mighty and sturdy oak." It was super cool to think of the missionary work that we are doing here like that. No matter how rough it is or how slow it is goign. We have been promised that it will grow strong and sturdy. Then President Eyering got up, he was all over the place... haha. But something he shared that was super awesome was that a few days ago, his daughter just had a baby. The problem is, she was only 6 months pregnant, and the baby is only 1 pound 9 ounces. They don´t know if it will live, but the story he told, was that his daughter and her husband sent him a picture. They are both standing over the baby in the little box thing, and they have super big smiles on their faces. They we´re smiling, because they know that whatever happens, they will still get to be with her after this life as an eternal family. He then talked about when we really understand what in means to know that God loves us, and that he really is our Heavenly Father. That we will never look into the future with fear. We will have a smile on our face and be excited to bring on the new day, no matter what is happening.

Then on saturday, we went to the stadium of Independiente...(my team, 1. because my dad (elder stocking) and his dad (elder Rose) are from Independiente and its just in the blood, and 2. because they are the devils so it kinda makes me feel like im supporting ASU still haha) but that was super cool to be there. We got there at 4 and the celebration started at 7. We thought we were going to practice, but we just stood on the field for like an hour and did nothing. then they had us sit down in the stands haha so it was kinda lame. But then it started and they did a ton of dnaces from Argentina, and they gave the Apostoles ponchos, and they spoke in them haha, then they showed some videos about missionary work and we marched on the field singing called to serve (which is 4 verses in spanish) Oh yeah, and the whole program was done by the youth. and they had to stages in the middle and the apostles were like in the box seats. So we all marched in singing and lined up all around the stage. then after we sang all the youth stood up and sang I hope they call me on a mission. It was super AWESOMEEE!!!! then we did a mash-up the primary sang I am a child of God and called to serve. It was super cool. I bet its on you tube somewhere (celebracion del Templo de Buenos Aries...maybe?) so after that we didn´t get home until like 11:30.... I know I know... Like 7 months ago that would be super early... BUT I WAS DYING FOR SLEEP. Not only that but we hadn´t eaten since 4 so we stopped and got some food first so we didn´t get to bed until like 12. What a joke!

The temple rededication on sunday was at 9 12 or 3 so we went to the 9 o clock one so we could get some work done after. we woke up at 630 like always, and we went and I could barely stay awake.. It was super difficult. But I managed it for the most part. (except the closing prayer) Elder Ballard spoke in the redidcation and said until the temple was built in sao paulo brazil, all of south america went to Mesa Arizona to go to the temple. I was thinking about how on the corners of the temple it has the pioneers. That is super cool to think about. I don´t know why they did that, more than likely for the pioneers that came to Salt Lake, but I think secretly it was a sign, that the families of south America would do the same so their families could be together forever. It is super cool now to know that Argentina finally has a temple again. Soon they will have 2. It´s a super great blessing to have a temple so close at home and now I know lots of families are going to have great opportunities here in Buenos Aires and all of Argentina.

So thats my week, this sunday is transfer calls, more than likely I´ll be staying here with Elder stocking, but we´ll see. Thanks again for all the birthday wishes. I love you all a ton, can´t wait to hear how soccer and baseball seasons go for the boys! Don´t forget to read your scriptures and say your prayers every night!!!

Love,
Elder Johnson

September 3

This week was incredibly insane...

So on wednesday we had a training meeting with the President, and something we do a lot here, especially cuz Ushaiah (the souther tip of south america) is part of our mission. We do mission conference calls and President talks to us. So as President walks in he is on the phone and the assistants have set up a conference call, so we started off with a prayer and he starts with his call. and he then tells the entire mission that everyone companionship has someone in their area who can be baptized this saturday, confirmed sunday and go to the temple rededication on sunday the 9th. So this is on wednesday, and me and my companion have been teaching this girl who went to the temple and so we thought for sure it was her. so Thursday night we have a meeting with her and we invited her to be baptized this weekend, and she told us she wasn´t ready. We worked really hard with her and taught the importance of it and about how much of a blessing it would be to go to the temple dedication, but the answer stayed the same. so now we have friday and saturday morning to find someone in our area who is ready to be baptized on saturday night. On friday, our district leader did exchanges though, and we had an appointment with Blanca (that same girl that night) and so they went to the appointment and I was with another Elder and we talked to their "prepared" investigator. He told us no... so we get home and call the other elders to find out that Blanca had cancelled the appointment. so now neither of us have a baptism for saturday and at this point we are all kinda just feeling like we have failed to fulfill our President´s promise. So the next morning we called again. and we asked our district leader if I was supposed to do the training program since we were on an exchange, and he said no.. right now I want you to go through the area book (which has a list of all the people who have been taught in like the last 5 years) and find all those who have attended church 3 or more times, then pray about which one is ready to be baptized tonight. So thats what we did. and only 2 were still living in this area that I was in. So we prayed, and chose one. And as we were walking we came in contact with her aunt who she lives with. which is obviously not coincidence. So we found out that she was at work, and so we went and asked if we could talk with her for about 5 minutes. So she came out, and 5 minutes became about 30 haha and after a lot of spiritual questions and waiting. She agreed to talk to the zone leaders (who would give the baptismal interview).

So at this time it was when we were switching back to our normal areas. Super excited for their area, but bummed for ours we call and find out where we are meeting, to hear that they had also found someone who was ready. The went through the list of formers and found a 10 year old girl who´s Grandma was recently baptized, but the parents told the elders (about8 months ago) that if they came back they wouldn´t let the girl go to church anymore either. (she hasn´t been for a while) but they went and talked to her and the Grandma and the parents and invited her to be baptized at 7 pm (5hrs later) and they gave permission. That is easily called a miracle.

So thats how crazy my weekend was. I think my companion and I have walked more in the pass 3 days than we normally do in one week. But it was well worth it. I´m just happy that its p'day and I get to rest a little bit haha.

The computer place we´re at isn´t letting me upload any pictures... so I´m sorry, but you´re going to have to wait another week. I still haven´t got the package yet but I could possibly hear something about it today. who knows. also me and my companion have super close birthdays. he turns 20 on the 15th of september. so we´re just casually bringing it up to members telling them that we have close birthdays haha.

Todo bien aqui en Argentina, espero que todo esta bien alla. Gracìas por las oraciones y por todo que hacen para mi. Nunca Olviden que para recibir bendiciones primero viene el sacrificio. Yo sè que el Libro de Mormon es verdadero y que por medio de la expiacion de Jesucristo, podemos vivir con Èl y nuestro Padre Celestial para siempre. Estoy agredicido por todos las cosas que Dios me da y por los milagros que hemos visto aqui en este semana pasada. Les amo con todo de me corazon!

Elder Johnson

Translation of the last paragraph:

All good here in Argentina, I hope all is well there. Thanks for the prayers and for all you do for me. Never forget that first come to receive blessings sacrifice. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can live with Him and our Heavenly Father forever. I agredicido by all the things God gives me and the miracles we've seen here in this last week. I love you with all of my heart!