Pictures

December 30, 2013

Well, i don`t have too much to say, since we only talked a few days ago, but I wanna share a great experience that happened the other day. So my zone, is really big. like really big. Every transfer we have to do divisions with the district leaders of our zone. So we decided that we were going to start with the area farthest away first so that we could get the longest travel over with quickly. So its 3 hours in bus, we were on our way out there when the asistants to the president called us and told us that we needed to be in the mission offices the next day at 9 in the morning for a special meeting. which is another 2 hour drive from our area. So anyway we were already 2 hours to the area. so we kept going. my companion and the other elder went back to our area and me and the Elder from the other stayed there and worked. Then we had to get a bus that was supposed to get there at 8:45... it didn`t show up until about 9:30. So me and the Elder were on the bus, talking the whole time and then we get to a city and the bus stops to let people off. (we were talking in english the whole time) Then some guy leans over and in english says, "Do you know where we are?" So you all know, when people talk to me in english it drives me insane. Without being prideful, If we talk in spanish wepre both going to understand a lot better than if we talk in english. So I answered him then turned my head to kind of turn him away. But he kept talking... asking questions about the travel time... Then he said, "You guys are mormon right? I live 2 blocks from a Mormon church." "Oh yeah? have you ever gone inside?" I asked him, then he says, "No... but I`ve always had desires to learn more about Joseph Smith." So we started teaching him about the restoration of the church. He told us lots of experiences he has had with one of his coworkers who is mormon and she always tells him things but he never went. So we gave him a book of mormon, wrote down his address and sent it to the missionaries from where he lives. Right as we pulled in to the city where we live, we felt that we should invite him to be baptized. so we did. and he accepted :) It was just an awesome experience, to know that even through all the confusion and changes of plans that the Lord is always preparing people in our paths and has a purpose for everything. For that reason its very important that we are always listening to our thoughts and feelings so that when we are impressed to talk to someone, we do it! I know that as we read and pray every day we prepare ourselves to do the Lord`s work. I know that He hears our prayers and responds to them through the scriptures. I love you so much, andhope all of you can set a goal to help at least 1 person in the year of 2014 to know the gospel. Its a simple task, that can bless the lives of millions! One person can do big things. Love, Elder Johnson

December 9, 2013

This week went pretty well, we are still working a little bit with the man who is trying to quit smoking and drinking. His mom has been taking the lessons and commitments very well, and this sunday she had her first big trial of faith. She had to decide if she was going to work or if she was going to go to church so that she could continue preparing for her baptism. We taught her a lot and promised her a lot of blessings, and my companions and I felt impressed to promise her that if she decided to leave this job that she only has on sundays that the Lord would bless her with another job. She tolds us that she had a lot of desires to go to church, but that she couldn`t just give up her job like that. So she didn`t go to church on sunday, and afterwards we went to go visit her later that night. We got to her house, and didn`t even say a word before she said, "You know what, I should have gone to church. Everything has gone terribly wrong today, and I didn`t even show up to work on time, I`m pretty sure that was God`s way of telling me that I should have at least gone to church before going to work. I`ve decided though that, I`m not going to work there anymore.. I`m going to church!" It`s been a great week, we´ve been working well with the members too, and we also helped a lady named Isabel, who is a members niece to go to church. She`s got 3 kids and is married and she told us that she wants God to be more known in her family, and that she wants to be an example for her children, this saturday we met her, and on sunday she was at church. I know that as we better understand the doctrine, and why we do the things the Lord commands us to do, that we are more diligent and more faithful as disciples of the Lord. We must always look for the reason the Lord wants us to do things, not just do them cuz he says so. I love you so much, I know that reading and praying nightly as a family will bless you and can make any family become more united. I`ve seen it, and know its possible. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. :) Love, Elder Johnson

December 2, 2013

This week has been a crazy one. This transfer has been like a crazy rollercoaster ride. Great things happen but then they just fall away. Or we`re having a hard time, and then miracles happen. This week we have been spending a lot of time with a guy named Martin who is trying to stop smoking and drinking. He`s going really slowly, and we`re debating on how much more time e should stay with him. We are working with his mom too, and she is showing a lot of desires, and is progressing quite a bit. We had the great opportunity to take her to a baptism on sunday night. Just like the promise in doctrine and covenants, the spirit of the Lord was surely manifest in the ordinance, and she felt it. She said afterwards that it was a very beautiful thing, and that now she needed to start preparing for her own baptism. We loved hearing htose words come out of her mouth haha. So as for that we`re still working really hard on finding the escogidos. I`m studying a lot of portuguese and spanish so I can be trilengual when i get home and score a super good job haha. Things are going pretty crazy here. It`s getting really hot and I`m really grateful for arizona summers now. I can`t stand sweating so much. It kills me! But now that we have a pool at home, I`ll just get home take off my suit and jump in haha. so make sure the pool is nice and clean when I get home, cuz I`m going to have to go through 2 summers in a row. I`m going to need it! I love you all, have a great week, don`t forget to read and pray every day! It`s how we find our answers :) Love, Elder Johnson

November 18, 2013

This week was pretty exciting. We had quite a bit of miracles and saw a lot of progression here in the area. My companion and I realized, that if we are going to find the people that God is preparing for us, that we literally need to talk to EVERYONE. When our appointments fall through, or we don`t have anything to do, we literally have been talking to EVERYONE in our sight. We saw the blessings from doing so, and saw that the Lord now has more trust in us when on sunday, a member comes up to us and says "Hey elders, we found a guy outside of the hospital that stopped us and said he wants to change his life. Come with us and we`ll present him to you." So we went and talked to this man and he told us that he has had a really hard life, and result of that is that he goes to alcohal and drugs to solve his problems. So we talked to him for a bit and explained to him the importance of baptism, and invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized. He accepted, and we are now goign to start working with him to leave his addictions behind, and follow his savior! Also, this week ELDER HOLLAND came to our mission for a mission conference! Well it was with all the buenos aires missions! But still, it was so awesome! It was like a dream come true to be able to see him in person and hear his voice. Like I told dad, I`ve never been so excited to hear someone yell. haha. It was really cool. The thing that most hit me was when he said that he really believes that were are the people who are most prayed for in the entire planet. He also said that we are Apostolic in this moment. The most powerful thing was when he said, "You guys are doing the same thing I do every day! From the minute I wake up in the morning until the minute I go to bed, I`m trying to figure out how I can save a human soul!" Just imagine that in Elder Holland`s yelling with the spirit voice!! SUPER POWERFUL :) It really helped em to understand the importance of my calling. I know that everyday, I need to be thinking in the same thing. Not only as a missionary, but always, for my entire life! I love this gospel, and I know that it`s true. I know that this is the only place where we can find true hapiness! The way the Lord gives it to us, is through His scriptures! I love you all! Have a great week! READ AND PRAY EVERY DAY!!!! Love, Elder Always Tired.

November 5, 2013

Bueno, I don`t have a ton to write about this week. Last week was pretty boring, other than the fact that some guy came up to me, saluted and walked away. It was pretty interesting. The things you see in buenos aires... But, I got transfered finally. I´m going to miss my other area, A LOT, but i needed a change. I`m in a city called parque patricios, and my companion is elder nureñas. He`s from Peru. We are white washing an area, which means they take both the missionaries out and put 2 new ones in. It`s going to be pretty interesting seeing that they didn`t leave us with anything at all to know who the investigators are, who are the leaders of the ward, we don`t even know what are areas limits are. I don`t even know what part of the city im supposed to work in haha. But will see what happens. theres always miracles that happen when you have no idea what you`re doing, but work your hardest anyway. Soo... We`re going to work hard anyway :) That`s pretty muich all I have to say for this week. Sorry its pretty boring, but I`ll let you guys in on some good stuff next week... hopefully haha. Don`t forget to read and pray every day! Love, ELder Johnson

October 28, 2013

Welllll.. This week was pretty nuts! So... We are still working with those 3 girls, their names are Melina, Yamalie, and Neda. We have been working really hard with them to help them to progress to a baptismal date. A week ago from saturday we had put the goal for them to get baptized on saturday the 26th. They were at mutual on the 19th and had a great time and really made friends with all the kids and enjoyed it a lot. So sunday, the 20th, we wake up (and that was mothers day here in Argentina) And we`re awake for 5 minutes and we get a message saying they weren´t going to go to church because they were going to travel. So that day started off pretty... well, not so great. haha. So we talked to them on monday and started talking about baptism again... cuz thats what we do as missionaries :) We told them that if they really wanted to go to church that they needed to talk to their mom and help her understand the importance of it and tell them that they really want to go! The next day we talked to them and they told us their mom said that they would go sunday no matter what! Then, We helped them make more friends and kept teaching them, and thursday we got a message from them asking if we were going to go visit them cuz they wanted us to teach them more! So of course we went! We were about to go there and we called to tell them we were outside, and the mom answered, she`s a less active member. She told us that she wanted to talk to us at her work place to get things straight for sunday. So, a little startled, but anxious, we went quickly to her work. When we got there she came down and told us that her daughters wanted to get baptized this weekend and that they we`re all going to go to church! Needless to say, we were completely in agreement :) So friday we had a ward activity and we watched a movie and they went to that. Then sunday comes around. We went to their house and walked to church with all of them. We talked to them all after the first two meetings and the oldest didn`t feel ready to get baptized. We prayed with her and shared scriptures and everything, but she just felt like she needed to wait more time. So after sacrament meeting, we went down to prepare everything for her sisters, and the other 6 people that we`re getting baptized from the other ward. While my companion and I were changing in the bathroom, we come out to see that she was in a white tunica and had talked with the some of the sister missionaries, and they helped her to feel what she need to feel, and she felt completely ready to take the step with her sisters! It was a great day! So many people were able to make a covenant with our Heavenly Father, and take a necesarry step to return to his presence. I know that as we read and pray we will be able to feel the things the Lord wants us to feel. As we seek dilligently the answers we need, he will help us to know which path we need to take. I`m so grateful for the opportunity to be a servant in the Lord`s hands and I know that he desires that every single one of us will be willing to do what He asks of us, and share what we have with everyone. Love you tons! Thanks for all your prayers every day! Love, Elder Johnson