August 25, 2014

Elder Johnson teaching a Knight!

 

Hey Kimbo!!!
How is everything going?? Man sounds like all sorts of stuff is going on at home! So who is Ty living with now? Where is he living? Send me some pics of this chick he is dating so that I can see whether I approve of her or not! haha And jeez if she is willing to get him some arrows, tell her to get him some XT Hunters 400 spine arrows:) Jeez it is so weird hearing about people getting married that are my age.. Lexi, Mac and I am sure there will be many more soon! That is too bad that Elder Perkins got written off, I am sure that was pretty tough on him. I have only seen him one time since we got here in March. He is a great kid and I really like him, but I haven't been around him like at all since we have been in the field. Wow I cant believe you and Daddy have been married for 24 years!! Happy anniversary!!! What are you guys going to do for your trip in November? I hope he is taking you to do something to spoil you soon!! Man Ty is getting freaking old too! 22 that seems so old to me for some reason. I will have to ask him about this muchacha he is dating and try to see if he will spill the beans and tell me if he really likes her or not. Is she a cute girl? Or does mommy just like her because she is bubbly?;) So was the Yard sale for Jarrett and Jenna to raise money for them and the medical bills they have now? I’m so glad she pulled through. It would kill me to hear something so sad like that happen to such a great kid. Selective obedience sounds like it is a great topic for a lesson and I am sure there is a lot to learn from that in your lesson yesterday. Obedience is definitely one of the biggest things we learn here on the mission. Pres Maluenda is huge on obedience and this is such an obedient mission down here. Pres Maluenda just so you know will probably be an apostle some day. That guy is soo inspired and I swear when you have interviews with that guy Jesus is standing behind you holding flip cards for him because he will ask you a question about the one thing you need or the one thing you are a little disobedient about or something and it is just mind blowing every time. Anyways, we had two families of 4 at church yesterday!! The one family is the family that we are going to baptize this next Sunday, the other family we met on Saturday when we were just walking down the road and he went to get in is car and I just yelled "Hola Buenas Tardes" and then it led into a lesson later that night and said he had some Mormon friends in Utah but hadn't ever been invited to church before so he came and brought his family too, he has two girls one 14 and one 16 and his wife. We had fasted Saturday because we hadn't had much success all week and then we found them and another lady that is going to be baptized in two weeks and one other guy that we have started teaching now! I have gained such a strong testimony about fasting lately and the power behind it. I am yet to have fasted during the mission and not see a miracle happen during my fast. Things down here are going good though, it has been hard dealing with my comp a little bit but I have just been trying to be an example for him and he has been changing a being better lately. He is listening to music on Youtube right now which is a no no... so we might have to talk about that but he is getting better slowly and he told me the other day that he will try changing for me because I haven't been on his back but just been being an example for him. Next week is transfers because Pres Maluenda has a meeting the next week so this transfer is a 5 week transfer and the next transfer will be a 7 week transfer to get us back on track. I hope you have a great week kimbo, I love you so much and I will try getting a letter sent out to you today. Sorry I have been really bad with sending letters lately!

Love, Elder Johnson

August 18, 2014

Hey Kimbo how is everything going? Sounds like that fireside was pretty good, I am glad Brockles went to that with you! We ask those questions almost every time we knock on a door or talk with someone. We do it to kinda see what their background is like to find a need and to teach to the need. Jeez that thing about Jenna is crazy.. That is so sad, my heart dropped when I was reading it because I thought she actually had passed away till I got to the end. I hope everything is going okay with her now, I will definitely keep them in my prayers. Will she always have to keep that pace maker thing in her? Like will this thing be a lifelong thing? I am glad Brocks party went well, I am sure he was happy that everything went well and he had lots of kids over. What all did they do? Just a BBQ and then a movie on the projector? I got some pics of the bow hunt, looks like it was a success! Ha-ha Who is Colt going to stay with down at Dixie? Do you know what his plans are at all? He emailed me for a little bit but I haven’t heard from him for like the past month. I can’t believe school is starting already!! Time is going by so fast!! I can’t believe I have already been gone 6 months! We are still working with the Conde family, the fam of 6 and things are going well for them, the husband isn’t as interested as the wife and is quite as solid, but we were teaching them about the plan of salvation the other day and the wife started asking us about temples and about be sealed to your family. So we explained to her how all that works and when you can go to the temple, then she asked the question what if just the wife wants to be sealed in the temple with her family, can she do that? And we were just like freak.. She is thinking about what would happen if her husband doesn’t want that. We explained that and how the husband and she would be sealed together in the temple with her children. So then she was like okay well I need to have a sit down with my husband then! haha She is such a cool lady and wants to go to the temple pretty badly!! So hopefully the dad of the fam will soften his heart and we can help him understand the importance of the things we teach them. I also confirmed Kimberly, the daughter of this family, yesterday which is something I haven’t done in Spanish yet and it went great. Things are going pretty good here, this area is super hard to find people willing to listen to us and I have had a couple doors actually slammed in my face. Just last night was one of the hardest slams I have had so far! haha she chucked the door from a ways back and all I had said was "Buenas tardes" then she said don’t say anythings and boom!! haha its all good though. I burnt a tie earlier this week, it is what you do at your 6 month mark here, then at your year mark you burn a shirt then your sister mark you burn a pair of pants and at your 2 year mark a suit!! It is a pretty fun tradition they do down here. Other than that not a whole lot has been going on this week. We aren’t having too much success right now but we do have a boss family are teaching right now. Well I hope you have a great week Kimbo, I love you so much!!  Sorry I don’t have much to write today but I will send some pics!

 

Love, tu misionero mas guapo

August 11, 2104

How is everything going? Well to start with the letter thing from Brooke... I have no idea what the heck that was? I know there is an Elder Pedersen but I have never met him. He is living with my last comp from what I hear so he must have gotten the address off of the letter that she sent when I left and my last comp had seen a pic of her so that is probably why he said he knew what she looked like or something? I haven't ever met the kid though and from what I hear he is a weirdo and always does this kind of stuff. I guess he has gotten elders girlfriends email from letters in the mail and will try to start writing them without his comp even knowing? Weird dude.. Anyways the deck looks awesome! And something else that caught my eye in those pictures is a big bath tub under the patio? I am sure Brockles is excited for this party he is going to have? Hopefully he doesn't get caught making out on the side of the house again! hahaha Send me lots of pictures though of the party and everything! I did see the yellow door, it is pretty yellow if you ask me!;) No it all looks good! Everything is getting changed up it sounds like at home! That is super cool to hear about Nick getting baptized, but what the freak is the deal with the missionaries? What were they doing? Something Elder Shumway and I came to a conclusion with is, Elders from UT always get sent outside of UT because they know how things work, people from other little places that go on missions get sent to UT so that they can see how things are supposed to be done and then when they return home they can try to run things like they should be ran. But that case sounds like it is just common sense, I sure hope they get jacked for that by someone because that is ridiculous. 
Well this week though was pretty good, we are having a super hard time finding new people to teach here in Brownsville though, our area isn't by our apartments, that area is super nice but that is actually the area of the Elders we live with. Our area is more towards the border, there are some nice areas and some pretty ghetto. Not many people are willing to listen to us here, one house we knocked on this older guy opened the door and says "WHY YOU HIT MY DOOR? I DON’T LIKE YOU!" then BOOM, shut the door, it was kinda funny though because the guy had a super strong accent and he said that in English. I did baptize a 14 yr old girl yesterday though that was supposed to be baptized a few weeks ago then backed out, so when I got here I told my comp I wanted to go back to her and we talked to her and then yesterday we had a great baptism for her! Also her mom has come to church with her the last two weeks and the whole family (family of 6) came to  church yesterday. After the baptism we sat down in the church with the whole family and talked to them about being baptized and now they have a date to all be baptized on the 31st of Aug. I am super excited for this family, they are what we call "temple builders" because they have a huge house and are very well off so when they pay tithing they will be "building temples!!" They are a cool family and I hope everything goes well with them these next few weeks. Things with my comp are alright, he is just a disobedient missionary at times and gets mad when we try to talk to him about it or anything. But who cares, I just tell him anyways because I don't really see us being really good pals when we get home;) Well the only other thing I can think of that happened this week is I was on exchanges with our District leader Elder Latanzio, he is from Argentina. and we were just driving down a road and we got this impression to stop and knock on this random door, it is the only door we knocked on the whole street and he came out and was like “dudes what’s up?” and told us the night before he had talked to his Gma saying he needs God more in his life and he steps out where he can look and see the sky and looks up and says “well thanks God for sending me my answer!” We just looked at each other and were like no way! We sat down with him and had a great lesson with him and he wants to get baptized on the 31st of Aug also. It was in Elder Latanzios area though and on Saturday that guy fed them and had another lesson with them and everything. Awesome guy and it was an awesome experience. But I hope every I hope you have a great week Kimbo, and I hope everything is going great? Anything new going on at home? I will write you a letter today and try to get it sent out, love you Mommy!
Love, Elder Johnson

August 4, 2014

Hi Kimbo!
Well I am down here in the very tip of Texas now!! I am in a place called Brownsville, and our area goes right to the border! My comp is Elder Curtis, he is an alright kid and we have been getting along okay.  With the cards I am not sure if I will ever get them because they decided Monday right after I got done emailing to take all the missionaries out of La Joya so there isn't anyone at that apartment anymore. They took us all out because of the crazy bishop, but that couple we married on Saturday and that were going to get baptized Sunday but bishop stopped the baptism, we were able to baptize  Monday night before we left the area:) They were a super cool family and I will send you pics of them. I should also be baptizing again this next Sunday, there was a girl that was going to be baptized a couple weeks ago here but then backed out so I talked to her on Wednesday after I got here and now she is going to be baptized on Sunday:) She is a 15 yr old girl and her mom came to church yesterday too and we taught a lesson about temples and she wants to get married in a temple one day now so we explained well you have to be baptized first! On sundays we got to a small English ward at 9 then after that we go to our Spanish branch. It is super tiny and the branch building doesn't even look like it would be somewhere where the church meets, it is kinda cool to have such a small branch. Everything is going good here, how is everything at home? No I don't have time for a dentist visit here on the mission, soo shoot sorry kimbo:) but really I wont be able to go to the dentist I am pretty sure during the mission, I haven't ever heard of anyone going to the dentist. Well I hope you have a great week Kimbo, I love you!
Love, Elder Johnson

 This is where we live, right on the border!

 We had a wedding then a baptism with this awesome family!!

July 28, 2014

Hey Kimbo, How is everything going at home? How is my mommy doing? Sounds like you guys had a fun, busy week. I always loved the time around the 24th of July. Yeah I haven’t heard back from Josey yet so hopefully she writes me soon, Kenzie writes me something short almost every week so she hasn’t been too bad at writing me. But jeezo this week I guess nobody likes me;) I just got letters from you, Gma, Brooke, Chase and that’s about it! But that’s alright, as long as I get a letter from my mommy! That is crazy about the fireworks at Olson’s!! Something always crazy has to happen when we are doing something with them! Haha! Who has Ty been hanging out with lately? So what is the deck going to look like? You will have to send me some pics when it gets built. Well yesterday when we met with bishop like we always do every Sunday before church, (this being the first time we have really talked to him since he screamed at us) he sat us down and basically lectured us for an entire hour about missionary work and about how missionary work should be done in his eyes. He wrote out a 4 page paper that he was sending to the first presidency in Salt Lake that talked about how he has a request about how missionary work needs to change in the area of La Joya, and that missionaries should no longer look for people to teach or bring new people to church, but to do 100% Home teaching? Yeah... He is crazy... I am here to baptize! haha But Saturday we had a wedding and married a couple then yesterday we were going to baptize them but then bishop STOPPED the baptism! I don’t know if I have been so mad before here on the mission. He grabbed them after church when we were talking to other members and pulled them into his office and basically told them they can’t be baptized this week when they are so freakin ready to be dunked! So now they are getting baptized next Sunday which really sucks... Porque ya me voy! I am leaving this area! I am glad I am leaving though because everything with bishop has been super difficult. I am upset I won’t be the one to baptize the couple because they really wanted me to be the one to baptize them, but I am glad that I am leaving this area. I love the members here but I am ready to head somewhere new. I will find out later today where I am going, but as of right now all I know is that I am leaving the area. I will let you know next week what my address is and where I am. But I have been packing my bags all morning and I leave first thing tomorrow morning! I am hoping I stay down here on the border somewhere pero quien sabe! I hope you have a great week Mommy, I hope everything is going great at home and that they finish the deck soon! Te amo mucho!!

Love, Elder Johnson

July 21, 2014

Elder Johnson right on the border of USA and Mexico, next to the Rio Grand River

It rains hard in Texas!!

Sounds like you are staying busy at home! That is cool that those kids came and stayed with you guys from Ty’s mission. I hope I am able to do that too when I get home. That is funny about the rain, I will send you some picks about the rain actually, you wouldn’t believe the rain storms that hit down here!! They are something I have never seen before! They hit and they rain so unbelievably hard!! I got sent to work in this little area right right right on the border this last week and I have some pics I will send home of me right on the border! But they sent me and 3 other elders to work it just for the day, and it started raining so hard out of nowhere and we had walked a couple miles from the car already so we just kept working in the rain and I am pretty sure people thought we were absolutely crazy but that’s alright:) It was fun though and I took a bunch of pics of me swimming in the river that I will send:) The bishop here is still pretty angry with us and we have no idea what is going to happen with transfers this  next week, We had interviews with pres this last week, we have them every other transfer and I talked to him about bishop a little bit because he had already heard about what happened and he gave me a lot of good advice. Just basically to love him though. Pres Maluenda is awesome, and I am learning to try to have that Christ like love for everyone. He told me to just love bishop and to do whatever I can for him even though he just gets mad at us for it. It is crazy how fast time is flying right now but things are going good and wow the mission is an amazing thing. Things are hard sometimes but other times things are great but I am learning so much and I am so thankful for the experiences I am having. I am learning so much about the gospel and so much about life. I really do love my mission even though sometimes I don’t know if I love it or not. I hope you have a great week Kimbo, I am so thankful to have such an amazing mom. Te amo mucho!

Love, Elder Johnson

July 14, 2014

Jeez that is too bad about June and about Brother Lewis.. That is sad to hear. I hope their families are doing alright. I haven’t gotten to talk to Shumway much. He just called me once to talk to me is all (even though we aren’t supposed to call out of out zone) haha I have shared your story about your conversion story and with grandmas conversion already a few times. I am so grateful for the impact it has had in my life!!  Something crazy happened this week.. We were supposed to have a baptism yesterday and we told the bishop about it and he started calling us freaking out about it, so we had to go to his house Saturday night to talk him about it and he went absolutely insane!! He was nose to nose with my comp and another elder I live with just screaming as loud as he could, because he thinks he needs to have interviews before baptisms, when he has no keys to do that. We have the right to do the interview and they don’t have to be interviewed by anyone else. He has already stopped a few baptisms because he grabs them during church and tells them to come into his office the tells them they aren’t ready to be baptized. SO it just stops everything with the baptism, so we told him we are going to have a baptism tomorrow and he freaked because he said they guy getting baptized isn’t ready, then just went off about how the missionaries just want baptize everyone and that none of the members like us, when really this ward absolutely runs on the missionaries. They always call us to come over and always want us to come over a couple times a week, and many of them feed us every single week. They members LOVE the missionaries here and half of the active members would not go to church without the missionaries. And bishop screamed at us for a good hour then his 25 yr old son that is the elders quorum pres had to step in and push him back and to stop. He then called the stake pres when we were walking out the door to set up a meeting with him first thing in the morning and he said he will have new homes for us soon and it was just crazy. His wife loves us and feeds us every Monday night and she was about in tears because of what her husband was doing and she couldn’t stop him, and it was just a crazy event. Either the bishop will be released soon most likely or Pres Maluenda is going to take the missionaries out of the area for a while to show him how big of an impact they make to his ward. So we will see what happens, so I will probably be moved this next transfer most likely! Other than that the work is great and we should be having another baptism soon that is a J dub. She is an awesome investigator! We have a couple other really solid investigators too so the work is great, but we will see if we get shipped out of here soon or not, I hope we stay at least for a few more weeks at least so we can baptize these people. We are going to play soccer with the ward today, and then basketball later with the zone most likely. Also we saw a car wreck with the border patrol was chasing them and they ran a red light and hit a car, and the car that was getting chased rolled a bunch of times and slammed into a palm tree in front of Burger King. They were running because they had 200 lbs of marijuana in the car and they had just crossed the border! The people running though were all killed in the wreck, seeing some pretty crazy things down here!
We cant drink the water at our apt, we cant drink any tap water anywhere near hear, just bottles and the big jugs we fill up each week. Usually it is the water in the valley, which is the places down here by the border that you cant drink the water, which is where I will spend a lot of my mission most likely, if you go up north to Corpus then you can drink the water but we cant drink it at all down here. Anyways everything is going well, how is everything at home? What have you been up to lately Kimbo? Well have a great week, Te Amo mucho!
Love, Elder Johnson