A great day in Fortin, and the mission car

Fortin

Area Four

I got transferred. Bummer. I was getting quite attached to the idea of staying in Fortín for another transfer. I quite liked it there. But this is why you never get attached to things so fickle: they don't last. Luckily, they sent me to a good area with a good companion, so I can't complain. Elder Flores seems pretty awesome so far. First Hispanic companion I've had who's taller than me. He's from Peru, likes rock music, knows the area well, and is quite honest. I'm cool with all those attributes.


Okay, just some updates. Carlos scared me this week. He was going to get baptised on Saturday and did not. What happened was, we had our appointment on Tuesday when all the sudden he sent us a text, in all caps, that said he couldn't see us today or any other day this week. That scared me. And he was good to his word until friday when he said that he had to see us and that he really wanted to talk to us about something. That also scared me. Then we talked, and it was usual carlos stuff. He told us that he was sure that 80% of what we say is truth and that he was still working on the other stuff. So Sunday, he did NOT come to Church like he promised. That scared me. Then, in the third hour he sent me a text that said he had been praying a lot and was now really sure that he wants to get baptized. I saw him today. He wanted to say goodbye to me. He gave me a book and said he was still sure that this is the true Church. That guy's getting baptized. Great way to end Fortín, I'll tell you. Absolutely great.

Anyway, I think that it. I've got to unpack and work and get to know my new area abit. Love you all. When I write you next, I'll be five days from the year mark. Think on that. Wow, things are flying. Well, see you in 2!


Love,
Elder Johnson

The New Mandate

Presidente Leyva issued code 0332: NI. Apparently, Mission Mexico Oaxaca is having trouble finding New Investigators. It's mission wide. Everybody is finding like only one or two new investigators per week. That's pretty bad, I won't lie. I can recognize that. Yet I got pretty deceived myself because I have like five potential baptisms on my hands (two that already have dates!). I told myself that I would look for new investigators, but that I couldn't do it at expense of these five people who needed help, time, and patience. That's about when President issued the mandate. He said that he was going to put a mission wide goal of 10 new investigators per week per companionship. 10! When we get four, that's good. Mind all of you from other missions, every mission is different, every group of people is different, and Oaxaca is especially different. It's just how it goes. so don't get caught up on the numbers. 

Point is, I've never found 10 investigators in one week during my whole mission. 8 is my highest. Now I've got to get 10 weekly. Wooh boy, test of faith for sure. But I'm determined to pass. I know President is inspired, I know that there are ten people out there, and I know that I just need to put doubt aside and do it. So that's what I'm going to do this week. Find new investigators. And baptize. Because Carlos will be getting baptized on Saturday. He assures me of it and he's never lied when he assures me of something like that. When he says he is going to Church, he goes. When he says he'll see us, he sees us. When he says he'll read, he reads. So when he says something like, "I'll get baptized this Saturday," for sure, he'll be getting baptized this Saturday. I'm super excited about it. I just hope he stays active.

Isabella is going well too. She accepted a baptismal date for the 28 of July. I'll be having more than one baptism in a month for the first time since February, if all goes as plan. Then again, we know what they say about the plans of mice and men. I guess it's just God's plan that counts. I'm okay with that. 

By the by, transfers are next monday. Guessing really doesn't help or indicate anything, but, my guess is that I stay and Elder Varela goes because Elder Varela has not adjusted well to the altitude of the climate of the city and would be far more at home in the Itsmo or on the Coast. I've told president about this because I try to take good care of my companions. I don't like hearing "Oh que dolor" every morning because of a headache. WE've already been to the doctor twice and called the hermana leyva twice. It worries me.

Things are going great here in the Mission, I won't lie. I hit a little patch of boredom this week, but I shook it off by buying myself a new tie for the first time in my mission. And by searching for new investigators. This week, I'll be baptizing and looking for new investigators. I don't think I'll get bored again. Besides, even if I do, I'll just put my shoulder to the wheel and push along. It's not really a problem to complain about it any way. 

Good for Taggart. I had way too much fun at school too. BYU really is a great place. I'm glad I'll only have three weeks rest inbetween my mission and BYU when I get back. Any more and I'd get bored, any less and I wouldn't have enough time to do everything I wanted.   It is raining less often here but more torrentially when it does rain. I still love the rainy season. I also wanted to comment on your prayer thing. 2 Nephi 32, in the last two verses, states that an evil spirit teaches a man not to prayer. Therefore, if we say, "I'm tired, I'll say a prayer in the morning" or "I'm angry, I don't want to talk to God while angry" or "I don't have time to say a prayer" or any of those other excuses we think of as legitimate to not say a prayer, we are listening to the voice of Satan. He does NOT want us to have a real, personal connection with our Heavenly Father. Heaven Forbid we realize our importance to the Almighty. Heaven forbid we remember all that He's done for us and all that he'll do for us. Heaven forbid we use the power we have in these mortal bodies, the thing Satan lacks and wants, to kneel down, humble ourselves, and invite the Spirit of the Lord to come upon us. And Satan and the Spirit cannot coexist. He will have to leave when our invited guest comes. That's his punishment for rebelling in the first place. So pray. Any, any, absolutely any time you feel you shouldn't pray, that is the time to say a prayer in your heart. Because it is Satan telling you not to, and every time we listen to him, we give him pòwer. That's what I've learned in the mission. To say a lot of prayers.

Well, love you all, I appreciate the emails (especially yours and dads), and I'll see you in two!

Love,

Elder Johnson

That was promising!

Things are good again in Fortín. THey are never not good here honestly. I'm almost to the point of bragging about my area. Everytime I seem to be getting close to a period here when I don't have many investigators and it looks like I'm going to need to put my nose to the grindstone knocking doors, they just give me a reference. It's amazing. And two of the references are really turning out. One, named Isabel, came to Church with us. From the way she talks, she's looking for a Church and this seems to be the right fit. We'll be putting a  baptismal date with her in the next lesson. Then there's Marlena, who we haven't been able to teach for like two weeks because her dad is dying, who recently told us that she's super interested in this whole baptisms for the dead thing. I wonder why. SHe's also looking like the next baptismal date candidate. It's looking more and more like we'll have 3 baptisms in the month of July, which would really be awesome for me. 

Speaking of baptismal candidates, Carlos is still pretty awesome about his new and shiny baptismal date. He's quite ready, already invited his mom, and keeps telling us that he only has like, "one or two more question" which is his way of saying that he really likes what he is hearing and feeling. He admitted to us the other day that he has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and that this religion has the answers to everything. It's a good thing. He also knows a ton of the ward members now. I'm really excited for him because three weeks ago, I was NOT thinking that he would be well on his way to a baptism. 

Other fun news: Guelaguetza started! Guelaguetza is this giant festival that Oaxaca has each summer to celebrate Oaxacan culture. There are dances and food and music and traditional clothing and everything. It takes place in the Zocalo and the auditorium Guelaguetza. Guess what two cultural attractions are in my area? Zocalo and the auditorium Guelaguetza. There are lots of fire works every night now. It lasts until the end of the month. There are a ton of gringos here now too. I feel like I'm in America sometimes. TOO MUCH ENGLISH!!! I'll have to send you fotos sometime when I remember to bring my camera. 

Honestly, I just enjoyed working this week and teaching a lot of lessons. It's good to remember that when we are doing the right thing, we feel right. If we are not, we feel bad. This week I spent a lot of time teaching lessons and doing the right thing (there was even this funny story of when we stopped to help this guy pull his truck out of a ditch. My companion had just bought a fresca and doritos and set them down on the grass to help with the truck. When we finished, we turned around to find that somebody had stolen the fresca. We have officially been robbed for the first time in our collective missions!!! We laughed about it and mostly just felt good for doing a spontaneous act of service). Therefore, we feel good. I hope to keep that up this week. Time seems to be flying by and I really don't want this transfer to end, but, de modos, things will be good afterwords too. It's just what happens. 

One final thought: patience is an incredible attribute. I don't have nearly enough of it. I seem to think that everything I do is right and everything everybody else does is wrong. And it bothers me. It's so easy to realize my faults every day. I just got to keep telling myself, "patience, patience, patience." With me, with my companion, with everybody. Nobody works at my same pace, whether faster or slower. That's why we need patience. We'll get everybody on the same track that way. I'm sure of it.

Love you all, miss you all, hope it cools down up there like it is down here.

Love,

Elder JOhnson

Weekdays

Dear mom,

So this week had several large highlights.....and not much else. It rained a lot and it's been on the cooler end of things. I guess it's hot over there? Well, maybe if I was still in the coast I'd be able to beat you all out with heat, but I'm in the city and it is the rainy season, so things have been cool here. I love it. My companion hates it. We don't really talk in the morning much, Elder Varela and I, but mostly because we're both tired, personal study should be reverent anyways, and Elder Varela's vocabulary before 11 consists only of "oh que frio." I think it feels just as a perfect spring should feel - although I do acknowledge that July is well outside of what most normal people would consider "spring." That's just how things are down here in Oaxaca.

Anyways, the 4th of July is coming up and I will be celebrating it by.....bringing a cake to a recent convert! Yup, that's right, Michelle (who was baptized in March and is struggling with balancing her school and her religion), was born on the fourth of July. Freedom ring. Other than that, I'll just be doing some normal missionary stuff, trying to find new investigators, something that I failed to do this last week completely. 

Oh, yes, I should get to the highlights, shouldn't I? Navith got baptized!!! And I baptized her! And it was fun. It was a tiny little service because of the strange day and time (Wednesday at 4 - who isn't working at that hour?), but it was nice and Navith enjoyed it. That`s the most important part. She got confirmed this Sunday too, so now we're already in the part of making sure she stays active. It might be a little difficult because she seems kind of resistent to the idea of getting to know the young women. But will figure out a way to make it work. WE've got the Lord.

THe other highlight is that Isai finally came to church! His bosses finally softened their hearts a bit and changed the schedule so that he had mornings off on Sunday. So he came. Late, unshaven, but smiling. It was good. It was a testimony meeting, so I hope that he felt the Spirit. Carlos, unfortunately did not come, but he was thoughtful enough so call us afterwords and assure us that he had wanted to go but couldn't and that he wanted to see us on Tuesday. I'm hoping to put the baptismal date with him tuesday. Actually, I'm hoping Elder Varela will do it. I take pride in the accomplishments of my children.

Other than those, however, it was kind of tough this week. A lot of cancelled appointments and a lot of walking. We (Elder Varela) lost the keys one day. It was tiring, unfruitful work. Which, following God's Laws of patience, probably means I need to learn something new. Go figure. Or, following God's law of happy missionaries, means that I will have a good week this week. Maybe the both. I hope the both. But yeah, things are still good here, still a lot of hope, and Fortin is still the only area that has managed to baptise in each of the last three months. And all are active! Yeah for Fortin!!!

Anyway, love you all and I miss you. Light off some fireworks for me (although I did get to see some last night from the roof of my house - it was election day and Peña Nieto was celebrating his win). Hope you think of me while in Oklahoma. If you really do end up going the first week of August, you will be vacationing right as I hit my one year mark....does that mean I get a vacation too? Kidding! Don't want one. Outside of P-day, of course. THose are essential. Tell Colton to get his butt outside for me. I didn't leave him those frisbee discs for nothing.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Carlos Version 2.0

Dear Mother, Father, and Family,

I'm getting pretty excited about the upcoming year mark. I am officially less than one transfer away from turning the big 12 months in the mission. Not that I want the end to come any faster than it is. I'm actually enjoying my mission more than ever right now, which is saying something. I love my area right now. I love the rainy season. I love working with investigators who feel the Spirit. I love it.

Anyways, let's get business out of the way first: I did, in fact, receive both your package and the pictures from dad. Thank you for all of that. I specificallly enjoyed Tyrel's picture that he colored for me. I have in hung up in my room, between the pictures of Jesus Christ and.....Jesus Christ. Missionaries don't have much variety. By the by, the fact that I hung up pictures should tell you how much I want to stay here in Fortín. You sent me those pictures a billion years ago and I didn't hang them up until right now because this is really the first time that I'm determined to stay for at least 10 more weeks. Fortin is awesome.

Okay, specifically, why I am so happy this week. Carlos had a change of heart. Let me remind you who Carlos is: Carlos  is 22 years old, and a nerd (I say that lovingly). It's the last part that's the problem because he always has a lot of questions about things that are that important for him right now. For example, imagine, when all he needs to focus on right now is reading the Book of Mormon and praying and recognizing your answer, trying to satisfactorily not explain Kolob to him. He just focused on the wrong things. And they confused him....which sent him on a series of radical decisions, including going a spiritual trip with some Christian group and selling all of his religious books, even his Book of Mormon. He absolutely could not accept Joseph Smith, he told us, and he still didn't know how to recognize the Spirit in his life, despite our best efforts to describe it to him. So we pretty much had given him up for dead. And then we met his friend Clarisa.

See, we passed by his house one day and decided to stop by really just to say hi. He is never home, so we weren't expecting much. But then he was home, and he was with a friend, and she had interest in the Church. With left that five minute visit with an appointment for the next day with the two. And we showed up, quite excited to teach our new investigator. We had prepared a lesson especially for our new investigator. If you hadn't noticed, we were pretty preocupied with our new investigator and were not thinking of Carlos for all.

As it turns out, Clarisa is everything Carlos was, times ten. She started out by asking us about Polygamy and taking notes on our answer. She doesn't believe in God, but rather a thing called Ser (Spanish for Be) and refuses to accept "any argument dependent on faith". Yeah, not the world's easiest investigator. I was about ready to just testify, invite her to pray and get out of there when Carlos begain to just trash the arguments of his friend. He went off, lecturing on how you had to "feel" God to know that he is true, and how important faith is, and that in the end, everything really is just simple. He almost couldn't control himself. We ended the lesson and Carlos told us, without invitation, "Elders, I am coming to Church this Sunday. FOR SURE" and he sure did. I don't exactly know what happened in the two weeks without us visiting him between selling his Book of Mormon and demanding a new one, but I like it and I'm pretty sure it has something to do with God and the Holy Ghost. I'm super excited for him and I think I will put a baptismal date with him this week. Cross your fingers.

Love you all, but got to go. See you in 2!

Love,

Elder Johnson

Spirit Week

Dear Mom,

I'm sorry, I confess: I wrote colton first. And now I don't have much time. But I am trying to send you the first pictures of my area that you will have seen as a sort of peace offering! Please forgive me! I'll try to be vivid while writing about my week as well because, to be perfectly honest, it's been a pretty good week.

So the rainy season continues. It doesn't sound like it's been as bad here as it is there. The thing is, here, it is always drizzling. And my companion, from honduras, always seems to be cold because of it. I'm fine. I love it. It reminds me of Minnesota rain, which I sorely miss (after a year in Utah and a year in Oaxaca, I need me a good ole thunderstorm or Tornado). By the way, just so you don't freak out hearing it from some other place, apparently a hurrican hit the coast of Oaxaca, but I'm a long way from the coast of Oaxaca and only heard about it from the news updates that arrive from my cell phone. Regardless, all the missionaries are safe. So don't you worry. This is much like the Earthquake that I didn't feel - I'm either REALLY oblivious in my missionary bubble or God doesn't want me to die. I think it's both.

Despite the rain (we kept working, only coming home early twice because of rain and my companion feeling sick - where I promptly beat him many times in the Monopoly deal card game that he bought), we had a really good week. Several really good, really Spiritual lessons, the most powerful being that which we had with Isai. Isai is the brother of a pretty awesome convert. He's twenty two years old, speaks really fast, fixates on weird things (if killing bugs is against the 10 commandments, for example), and is my project. I want him to get baptize. I want him to have a testimony. Because he wants to have a testimony. He nearly yelled at me once when I thanked him for being patient with us because he insisted that us coming here was a blessing. He just wants to do the right things, even if he's not very good at it. Problem is, he hasn't been progressing. He seems to have a special mental block for prayer. He almost never does it by himself. So we decided to get back to basics and teach him the Plan of Salvation. It turned into a rocking lesson. We talked about everything, answered doubts, and most importantly, followed the Spirit. Everyone felt it. His sister was in tears. My companion was in tears. I was feeling more reverent than I had in months. It was just one of those times when you know, without a single doubt in your mind, that God is and that He created a perfect plan for us. Perfect in every sense of the word. I couldn't even begin to deny the truthfulness of the Gospel in that moment. It got me on the right track, to say the least. I learned, above all, that I need to stop talking so much and needed to let the Spirit talk a bit. I can't teach MY lessons. I have to let Him teach HIS lessons. So that's what I tried to do.

And it has, relatively, worked. We taught another great plan of salvation lesson with a 29 year old lawyer. He actually started to make a diagram of the Plan as we spoke, under his own free will. With an inactive family and an investigator, we taught the Restoration, focusing specifically on Prophets and the blessing of having a modern-day prophet. We made some good headway with them, though they are still far from Activity. But it's been a great spiritual week. I've been humbled by the power of the Spirit. He really does know a lot more than me. Sometimes, I like to think that I'm pretty smart. I`m not. God is much, much smarter and really always teaching me things I should know. If I ever got around to listening to Him on a consistent basis, I think I'd live a pretty good life. 

The only problem with the week was this: despite the fact that a cool reference showed up to Church, Navith, our scheduled baptism for this week, did not. And she could have. Sounds like she just didn't want to. So we need to talk to her a little bit more and will probably be postponing the date again. That's a bummer, but I'm done just baptizing. I want to start converting. That's my goal. Because converts are awesome. THey have awesome testimonies. I want a testimony like that. Boy oh boy, do I have some work to do.

Okay, really, Mom, I don't need much in my year package. Just memories, music, and fruit certs. Spèaking of music, tell dad to put, really, ALL disney on that mp3 that he might be sending me as well as "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley and all of Israel Ka'amiole (I butchered that, didn't I?) as well. These are things that are permitted. Presidente might be pretty strict in some things, but he likes good music, so I'm fine.

Well, love you all. I'm gonna try to get some real letters off these weeks in the mail, so that'll be my week long project. Love you all and see you in 2 years!

Love,

Elder Johnson

Rainy Season

So it's that time of the week again. Time to hear from Elder Johnson! Yeah! Right? Okay, not so much, but I certainly enjoy it. So let's start with the most surprising fact of the week. There we were, in our nice, two story apartment, waking up on Saturday morning like whatever other morning of he week on the second floor of said apartment. I was trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes when I saw something in the window of our bedroom. THe window looked into the hallway. Inside the house. It was a dog. Now, I'm still  not sure exactly how that dog apparated into our house, but I do know that I have neither the patience or the permission to raise a dog in our house. So we had to get rid of it (it belonged to the neighbors, as one would figure, and now live on the roof, where it barks at us as we do our laundry). It was a fun surprise, I won't lie.

This week has been about training Elder Varela. He is such a new missionary. He gets nervous really easily and any time I give him a part of the lesson to teach, he doesn't really ask the investigator questions or teach. He just kind of testifies. It's great, he got an awesome testimony, but I want him to, you know, teach a little bit more during the lessons. And we've tried to work on that. Unfortunately, when I show him how to do something in companionship study or something like that, he seems to think that he has to do it exactly like me. THat is very not true. I'm not a very good missionary and he should be following the spirit's direction. We´re working on it though. With time, the guy's gonna be great. I mean, he pronounces his double r's like a boss.

My memory card is not working, so I will not be able to send you pictures as I promised. This is mildly concerning. But I'll get it worked out, don't you fret yourself. Anyway, well everything in Fortin kind of stayed the same this week and we didn't have much progress. But we've received some great looking references and we should be in for a big week in the first week of a new transfer. I feel like I have to kick myself into gear again, like I've gotten a little too content for a certain level of focus and work that is a bit underneath what I would call my best. I'll be better this week though. I've only got two years to be my best and I really want to learn how to do it. Well, thank you for all your support (though I haven't gotten your package yet mom). I love you all and hope to hear from you next week. Peace out yall.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Varela

I didn't tell you his name because I hadn't gotten him yet. I actually wrote that last letter while in a threesome with the Elders from Violetas (Two rather friendly guys, Elder Guzman and Elder Maldonado, if you have to ask). Elder Varela is my second child in the mission. He is from Honduras (which I didn't know until I met him - Dang Elder Garcia lied to me) and he's a good kid. He had a REALLY good time in the MTC and he just wants to do the right thing. He's not the clearest of teachers, nor is he the most of assertive of personalities, but with the Holy Ghost's help, he's gonna be a fine missionary. My job is to teach him English.

See, the mission has this really big focuse on Spanish speakers learning English. I think it comes from the First Presidency. So every Spanish speaker gets handed a packet of English where they learn to say things like,"Good Morning, Bishop" and I have to somehow take that and their complete inability to differentiate between t's and d's and somehow make them fluent English speakers. I actually love it. It's so fun to be walking in the rain and then hear from someplace behind a very poorly pronounced version of, "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," which is Elder Varela's favorite hymn. He's awesome. 

Anyway, this week, we put a baptismal date with Navith, Itamar's fourteen year old cousin. She's a little hippie-ish (she greets me with peace signs and listens to Bob Marley and wears peace and love shirts), but she's pretty excited about the Gospel  these days. I think we are just gonna baptize that family one by one. Next up: Saul, the sixteen year old brother of Itamar who just needs to stop taking tests and then he'll be as good as gold. I hope. Lots of hope these days around here. I like it. I just hope that I have enough hope for the bathroom. It's disgusting in there. Got to clean it.

Anyways, I don't have any hugely funny or spiritual stories this week for you. I did manage to convince our ward mission leader to finally put in his papers. He's pretty excited to go serve a mission these days. I've got the real transfers coming up next Monday, so I'll let you know what happens. I'm pretty sure Elder Varela and I are staying put. Remember: I want Kumi Greenhalgh's and Mary's email addresses in order to be able to thank them for boxes and letters. Love you all. Hope it's all swell for summer. I love summer. I miss minnesota summers. Although here in oaxaca, summer is the rainy season, which I also love, so life is just good all around.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Boom! Special Changed

Family....and all,
So, big news this week: They changed my companion! I'm still in Fortin (thank goodness), but President is up to his old tricks. This is like the fourth "special" changes of the transfer (special changes are any other changes that President makes during a transfer that aren't the changes to begin and end a transfer). It seems like President has increased his efforts in the personal war against Gadi missionaries (gadi refers to gadianton, of Book of Mormon fame). He's changing them and lowering them and breaking up bad companionships like nobody's business. In our zone alone (not an especially gadi zone, but we get affected because good missionaries sometimes get sent to be baby sitters to gadi missionaries....or the gadis get sent here to be baby sat), we've lost a zone leader, two new missionaries, and now my companion. It's kinda weird. The good news is that I will not have to baby sit. In fact, I will get to train again, which I love doing. I will be training a Guatemalen, so that will be interesting. I'm gonna develop a strange accent, I think. Should be fun. Though I'll miss Elder Ellsworth. He's my buddy, which, coincedentally enough, is a word he got me to start using. Cool guy. Great missionary. Really got along with him.

Anyways, other good news: Itamar got baptized! And confirmed! And married in the temple! Kidding! Two out of three! Sometimes I get carried away! But she's awesome, so no (what is spanish doing to me? To try to spell the word "no", I first wrote "now" and then "know" and then I completely panicked and wrote "knwo.") doubt one day she will get married in the temple. Maybe with Elder Jimenez, for whom I had to call President twice so that he could come and do her baptism. Talking to President is not that fun sometimes. I always feel like I'm doing something wrong around him, even if I'm not, much the same way I felt everytime I passed a police officer in my car. Also he speaks really fast and sometimes I don't understand him on the phone. No, I do know (whew! one try) spanish just fine. It's just that I sometimes had problems understanding English speakers on the phone before English and now I have to do it in my second language. It's not fun.

But baptisms are, especially since we did it in conjunction with the baptism of an eight year old kid and his parents brought pizza and cake for us. Also, the zone leaders brought one of their investigators with the promise that we were all going to play soccer with him. So we did. And that was fun until I cut my lip open on Elder Bassets head. So now I am not kissable. Shoot. Not like that's a desirable attribute on your mission anyways, but I did lose it. 

On Tuesday we had a multi-zone conference with President and we spent the hours of 9:30am to 7:30pm sitting in a chapel in our suits learning how to follow the rules, repent of rule breaking, and use the power of the atonement in our lives. President is pretty hardcore sometimes. So is Bruce R. McKonkie, who shared his testimony of Christ and the atonemont with us (thank you modern technology) in that conference two weeks before he died. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever. I had never seen it before. Blew me away. I want to repent of sins I havent even committed right now. Just to get closer to Christ. It was pretty awesome. One of those things that pleasantly reminds you that this is the true Church of Christ. Essentially, it comes down to this: the mission is hard sometimes. You really do miss some things, especially the people and companionships you left behind. But in the Mission, you make the most important companionship so much stronger, that of you and Christ. It lifts you and emboldens you. You may feel alone, but you never feel quite weak. It puts everything in your power to make things change, whether you want to change yourself, change your life, or change somebody else's life. One thing I have learned over the course of my mission is this: There are two types of things in this world: those that act and those that are acted upon (2 Nephi 2:14) and Christ's atonement gives us power to act and to change (2 Nephi 2:26). Therefore, as we grow closer to Christ, we grow closer to our potential to become who we want to be. There are many that say, "I can't do it because I don't know how." This is somebody who has to be acted upon, taught, in order to grow. Others say, "I won't because nobody else will." This is somebody who has to be acted upon, accompanied, in order to achieve. And still other say, "I don't want to do it because I'm scared." Again, this is somebody who has to be acted upon, led, in order to be who they can be. Christ's atonement teaches us to learn for ourselves through prayer and study, teaches us that failing is okay as long as we try again. Christ's atonement teaches us that we will never be alone as long as we keep ourselves clean, that we will not be abandoned except if we abandon Him. Christ's atonement teaches banishes fear and gives us the strength to make weak things become strong. I am so grateful that I do not have to wait for any human on this planet in order to become the Son of God that I want to be. I just need to change myself and use the help the Christ so graciously gave me. It is a precious gift.

I know the church is true. I'm doing awesome here in Fortin. Love you all and I look forward to hearing from you next week (the last Monday before the REAL changes).
Love,
Elder Johnson

Scrapbook Queen

So hey there all. We've got good news here in Fortin. Put another Baptismal date. And she's looking to be super ready for this coming sunday because not only did she come to church, but she also sent us a text afterword thanking us for the wonderful gospel principles class (we taught it because the bishop took our teacher and made him go to temple prep class). She was also very worried that we would stop coming after her baptism, so I'm pretty sure she likes this whole missionary thing and she is definitely thinking about baptism. She's gonna be fine. Her name is Itamar and she is the niece of a super-awesome recent convert named Oliva. I'm super excited about it. It'll be my first baptism since like the beginning of March. Kind of overdue, I think. Nothing like the purity of a baptism to just get you going again.

Outside of that, some funny Mexico news: alright, you should know that everybody here wears shirts written in English. No, they do NOT know how to read english. Yet they wear shirts with English words on them. Sometimes, it is just something something harmless, like a brand name. Other times the results are rather hilarious. Like when we saw a forty-five year old automechanic walking around in a purple muscle shirt (I'm sure modified by him) that boldly stated, "Scrapbook Queen." We wanted to ask for his autograph. Another story: we went to go look for an inactive member one day and we knocked on the door of her housing complex (it was raining pretty hard this day) and an old man answered. He immediately let us in. We thought, "Great, we didn't find Marta, but this guy could be a new investigator." We, the good missionaries that we are, started to contact him. We asked if he had time to talk. He asked us where we would like to talk. We suggested inside. He responded that we were talking out here, weren't we. We responded, a little bit confused, that yes, we were talking out here. We asked him what his beliefs were. He asked us if we believed his dog believed in God. We were confused. He ask us if his dog could think and feel. We responded that yes, the dog could. He told us that of course the dog could think and feel, why would we ever suggest otherwise? We gently explained that we never suggested otherwise and that we were sure that his poor dog had a place in heaven. He asked us if we were Menonites. We said no. He then said, "So I bet you're not Mormons, right?" Well, sir, yes, yes we are the Mormons. He then asked us if we had a telephone. We said we had a cellphone. No, he wanted a telephone. We told him we didn't have one in the house. He asked us if we had a house. We told him that we had just barely told him that we had a house. The conversation continued that way for quite some time. I was really confused. I think he's kind of crazy. But it was funny.

 The final funny Mexico story of the week is when, walking down the street on Sunday, we encountered Mariano. Mariano is a very nice, very catholic, 95 year old man. But he is still alive and kicking. He doesn't hear so well, but he loves talking. We doesn't see so well, but he loves walking around crowded Central Oaxaca. He planched us (read: scolded severely) for working on a Sunday, the Lord's day. It was hilarious coming from him. And he did it very nicely. I love old people. Him and Wilivaldo from Puerto Angel should just ride off into the Sunset together.

Anyway, I want to mention something that dad wrote in his email to me. He talked about how the Sacrament was our way of renewing our baptismal covenant, the only covenant that we renew. I love it. It was already somehting that I was employing in my lesson 3's, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the End. We continually do all parts of it. Often, we think of it as a checklist (missionaries included), "Alright, I've got some faith, I've repented of my most recent sins, guess it's time to get baptized." Or, "Well, now that I've got the Holy Ghost, the only thing I have to worry about is that enduring to the end thing." Well, the truth of it all is this: enduring to the end IS repeated the process over and over and over. We never should stop repenting. It's how we get closer to God. Our faith is constantly being weakened and strengthened. We have to continue nourishing it. And, well, baptism and the Holy Ghost are things we do over and over again in Sacrament meeting. The Sacrament prayers mention that if we keep our baptismal covenant, we will "always have His Spirit" with us. That's eerily similar to the promise of receiving the gift of the holy ghost. Also, the Sacrament is what keeps God forgiving us. We receive a remission of our sins when we are baptized. If we continue repenting and taking the sacrament after, we continue receiving that. It's a wonderful thing. The sacrament is SO important for us and it's something that I never truly understood before. The Sacrament is absolutely ESSENCIAL in our spiritual development and almost nothing about the rest of the three hour block. While the rest is good and spiritually uplifting as well, it doesn't even come close to the importance of those very sacred ten minutes of the Sacrament. Read 3 Nephi 27 19 and think about what the water represents. I always use that in connection with the importance of the sacrament.

Anyway, got to go, Things are awesome here and the investigators are super. Big ole conference tomorrow and I don't really know why. Talk to y'all next week

See ya in two years!

Elder Johnson

I just talked to you

So, i just talked to you the other day. I don't really know what to say because not much has happened except a little more rain (that we worked through), me getting my packages and eating A LOT of candy, and Church, where we suddenly realized that we have a lot of work to do before the activity this  coming Saturday. I have to decorate a freaking Event salon in orderly to properly teach about the afterlife. Man, I wish the obra misional wouldn't depend so much on my creativity. That's always a bad thing. 

Anyways, so this week is about doing your best. In Puerto, I never really felt that good enough. It didn't matter if I was teaching 22 lessons a week or struggling to find a single new investigator, I never felt content with the day's work. Now I do. I recognize I have improvement to do, and I make plans to go and do it, but it doesn't shake the good feeling that I have. That's because these days I am doing my best in everything I do, not just in some aspects. If we strive in everything, whether it is planning, organizing, being enthusiastic, or following the rules, we will feel better, no matter the results. I like being happy as I fall exhausted into bed. So i'm gonna try to keep it up this week. I'm gonna keep going. It's a nice way to live. Exhausted, yet satisfied. I think that's one of the things that the mission has taught me. Being tired isn't so bad. Yeah, you can't keep your thoughts straight, but you feel good. And that's the far more important thing.

Okay, quick favor: I'd like kumi Greenhalgh's email address. She has sent me to packages now, and I think I owe her some sort of thank you. She is definitely one of the coolest people on the planet. Fer sure. Yup.

PUes, I love you all and I'll write next week, with a whole week's worth of fun activities to share with you all. Look forward to it. Please. Bye.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Mother's Day

Okay, so I should probably fill you in on how my first week in Fortin went. It was fun. I like it here. I love having a ward with real leaders and real sacrament meetings. Specifics: I spent most of the week getting to know the ward and the investigators. Back in Puerto, when I had to beg and grovel and essentially sell my soul for a reference (kidding: not that bad. There just weren't references to give), I was quite surprised when members just willingly gave us names and directions (I was also surprised that the city has street names because puerto does not). The food here is delicious. We already have some potential baptisms. There are people who speak fluent English in my ward. We have a ward mission leader (he's bald, but you can't win em all). And I sometimes feel like I'm back in America, the shops and steets are so nice. I am in the central part of the city this time round and it is my favorite looking area by far so far. We'll see how the work turns out, but I think good. After my crises with putting up low numbers despite lots of work the last two transfers, this transfer I've decided just to try my best and whatever happens happens., I'm just going to try to do good. 

The highlight of the week was a family home evening with a less active-recent convert pairing of two sisters. We made philly cheese steak sandwiches with them, they gave us pineapple mangos (just as delicious as they sound) and we watched a movie. It was a fun night and what do ya know, the next day they were at church. It was fun. I'm having fun again. And working hard. And being obedient. It is on the far side of great. 

I'll fill you in on more thursday, so stay tooned!

Love,

Elder Johnson

My Mother's Day gift from Riley (at 5:15)

Back at Hogwarts

Transfer time! They moved me. I won't draw that part out. Now, to explain to where they moved me. Hmmmm......remember a place called Bosque? The place where I spent the first 4 and a half months of my mission? Yeah, so Bosque was a ward in a stake called Amapolas. It's the smallest stake of the four city stakes (Monte Alban, Atoyac, Mitla, and Amapolas). And I got put back in it, in the ward of Fortin. So I'm in the city again, which means that the reason that I didn't write on Monday was as simple as the fact that I was on a bus for 12 straight hours. Didn't have time. So I'm writing today.

Okay, so now to what's going on with me. I'm happy to be out of Puerto. I wish the best for that little branch and I hope the best for Elder Perez and Elder Edwards, the Elders currently there, but as for me, I know this is God blessing me and telling me, "Hey, I helped you out. Now get to work" which is exactly what I plan to do. But, some bright spots in a pretty quiet week: We put our first baptismal date in five weeks. Maria, the President's niece, asked us some baptismal questions and so we decided to talk about baptism with her. She's nervous about things still, but I think she is looking for a church and this seems like the one she wants right now. So there's hope. She's already been to church once. She only needs to start going consistently now and listen to the missionaries a bit more. Other good thing: the youth activity. It went GREAT! Everybody come, like 11 youth in total (that's like literally half the active part of the branch), plus the Rodas family. And then we went to Pochutla and they had a ton of people there too!!! So it went great. Everybody had a good time, I took some pictures of my Puerto converts (finally) and there was some really good Coconut water. Success. HOpe the family home evening goes equally well in my absence.

I guess I should tell you about my new companion too. His name is Elder Ellsworth and he's still pretty new to the mission. His spanish is good for a newbie, but not up to independent level yet. We're still trying to figure out the area together. He's from Arizona and seems like a pretty chill guy. I'm looking forward to this transfer a lot. I've only taught a couple of lessons so far, but I've already found some potential baptisms amongst our investigators. Definitely not Puerto Angel. Lastly: City food is MUCH better than coast food. Just letting you know. And the catholic churches here are huge. 

Well, got to go, but I love you and we will get the phonecall worked out Monday, I promise. I'm still a district leader, but my district is just me and the zone leaders, so I've got a good flow of information. WE'll be fine. See you next week!


Love,
Elder Johnson

Where Riley lives

Riley building a store

Riley eating an iguana taco

Two Decades Worth of Life

So, I've been alive for awhile. When I was born, fanny-packs were in. Now.....fanny-packs are still "in" if you ask the unusually large population of hippies that we can find here in Puerto Angel. But yup, in the mission, I'm still not even nine months old and even if I was, it wouldn't matter because one fact never changes here in Oaxaca: you always work your butt off because this is the Lord's time, not yours. It's something I struggle to remember sometimes, but when the Lord blesses you magnificently, the first thing you should is thank Him with words and the second is thank Him with Actions: I'll be working this last week of the transfer. 

To explain: We've had kind of a tough transfer. We've worked a lot, Elder Perez and I, and it  just hasn't netted us very big results. We've been confused, angry, exhausted, sad, motivated, determined, defeated, and lively at various points during the last five weeks, but I, personally (okay, with a little help from my President), came to a conclusion that made this week better. The Lord doesn't really have it in mind that we put a lot of baptismal dates or that a lot of investigators come to Church or that we find a lot of new people. He just wants us to help the branch in whatever way we can. So that is what we've tried to do this week. We concentrated on two things: activities and inactive members. We planned two branch activities for the first time since a disastrous branch activity in the first week of the transfer (only Branch President and Alan showed up on time. We showed up late. Nobody else came). We've been hyping and organizing them all week and right now I'm going to go print out invitations to give to everybody. The first activity is a soccer/volleyball/basketball game that we are going to do with the youth of Pochutla. The don't have the infamous "Churchball" here in Mexico, but I'm gonna do my best to start it. The youth seem ecstatic. THe second activity is a Family HOme Evening as a Branch. We are assigning every organization something and giving them plenty of advance in order to get them preparing. We're hoping for a better showing this time. So that's the activities section of our weeks work. On to the inactives!

We've been working with like four inactives the last couple of weeks. They haven't been coming to Church, but, to be fair, nobody visits them and we only did when we were sick of getting rejected during door contacts. This week, they became our priority because, to be perfectly blunt, we don't have any investigators. So we visited them multiple times. This strategy netted us our lowest numbers since my first transfer in the mission. But the blessings came yesterday when we nearly hit the fourty person mark in Sacrament meeting and the only people I've baptized (three VERY timid youth) all gave excellent talks. We almost cried in happiness. It really is true; once you get your will in line with the Lord's, everything just starts to work out. Let's here it for a more prayerful and spiritually sensitive week six!

Okay, as a birthday gift to all you, I'm sending you fotos finally!!! THese fotos include me eating my first Iguana tamale (yes, I've eaten an animal that looks like a dragon. Predator points for me), the pictures of the first baptism I ever had way back from my Bosque days that I never sent you (remember Julio German? Yup, finally found that memory card), me building a store by hand, a family home evening where I learned to cook kentucky fried chicken, and pictures from my college days that I found on that very same memory card just to remind you all that yes, a long time ago, I was a real boy. 

I just want to add that the tyrel story of the week really, really touched me, especially when Dad wrote, "I will never hold the Priesthood." It just hit me how special it was that I have it and that I have the duty to properly uphold it for the sake and benefit of people like Tryel who are denied the opportunity. I can bless, administer, preach, teach, heal, baptize, and receive revelation, that precious communication between us and the God who knows and loves us all perfectly, if I but uphold my priesthood worthily. It is an utter shame when somebody willingly chooses to reject that gift when there are millions in the world without the chance to receive it right now. The other thing that hit me was how precious the Savior's sacrifice for our family. Tryel will not and cannot do those precious ordinances of Salvation while on this earth, but thanks to Christ, he does not have to. He is saved, as an innocent child, and all we have to do is care as much as we can for him physically and teach him what we know. Finally, it's such a blessing to have him as my little brother. The example that he sets is without match. I wish I could love as much as that little boy, but I don't think it's possible. He just outloves us without even really trying. I think sometimes that it's his super Autism power. Man, I miss him. 

Anyway, loves ya all. I'm doing great right now and I'll send word whether I stay or go, hopefully next monday. Buh-bye!

Elder Johnson

Ending with a Bang!

Dear Mother, hey, SURPRISE! I'm writing earlier this week. Because we didn't go play basketball like we usually do. We'll see if I survive the week without my weekly dose of basketball, but we wanted to clean the house a little bit better and actually be around when the garbage truck passed by. So now I have time to write earlier. Also, just an Elder Johnson-ism: I will have two years until I have one year and one year until I have zero. Counting down months just makes things go slower.

 Anyway, this week did not start off too hot. I did have to give my first zone training conference on how to use the scriptures on Tuesday, but in order to do that, we had to go to Huatulco, which is an hour and a half away. So that killed a lot of our Tuesday. Wednesday was just straight up not that fruitful. THursday, I came down with a stomach infection (I think from all the fish that I eat here. I no longer hate fish because I don't like the flavor, but I am certainly sick of it. More salsa please). We tried to make the most of our time in the house, planning future lessons, talking about how to find new investigators, you know, stuff like that, but we couldn't fill up all the hours. So I ended up explaining the plot to the entire star wars saga using the star wars playing cards that I can't remember if I received them from you or the Greenhalghs. The end of the week, thankfully ended well. Friday, we at least accomplished, finding a new investigator and teaching Antonio and Arsenia (who did NOT come to church - we will be talking about this with them tomorrow, thank you very much). Saturday was straight up spectacular, finding new investigators, teaching member lessons and ARMANDO PRAYED!!!! Hallelujah!!!

! Okay, maybe a little side note: So, in the beginning of my last transfer, I baptized three kids: Adriana, Ricardo, and Angelica. All are still active, thank you very much, because we still go to visit them. Armando is their cousin who lives with them. All are pretty timid people, but Ricardo and the gang at least say yes when we ask them to do things like come to church and read the Book of Mormon. Armando does not. He is the "stinker" of the group. He does not go to school, he flicks paper at his cousins while they listen to us, he gives us short, one word answers if we ask him a question, and so on and so forth. We had pretty much given up on him, but we still invited him to the lessons because that's what good missionaries do (Preach My Gospel says that we should invite everyone to the lessons). And this is why you listen to Preach My Gospel: Armando, every time we invited him, would never respond. He sometimes would just get up and leave. But he always came back, sit himself a few meters aways from the group, and kind of listen. When we started with the compromises, he would say no and leave. Always. But in this last lesson, several things changed: First, we didn't have to invite. When Ricardo and Angelica came to listen, Armando went and got his chair and purposefully put it right behind his cousins (not several meters away). Then, we taught. When we got to the compromises, we asked Armando if he wanted to read the Book of Mormon too. Instead of saying no and leaving, he didn't respond. I asked if just reading a half a chapter for a week would be fine. He said it would. My companion asked him if he would actually read. He said yes. Then we got to the closing prayer. Hardly daring to breathe, we asked Armando if he would like to say the prayer. He said he didn't know how. We gave him the guide. And he DID IT!!! It's hard to get Ricardo and Angelica to pray and they're baptized and come to church every week (by they way, they are giving their first talks this Sunday. We will be helping them). So major progress with Armando. Saturday was easily the best day we've had all transfer. We were so happy we went and bought Tlayudas and a cokon (read: large coke) for dinner.

 So the Spirit works with everyone, even rebellious 14 year olds. I still don't exactly understand why the Lord is not giving us many results here in Puerto Angel, but I learned something very important this week: Everybody hears the Spirit. It's the missionary's job to bring it. I know I'm doing a good work here and that my offering is being accepted. There's really nothing else to say except I've got to get out, get working, and get progressing again. Day after day. It's what the mission is and what life should be.

 Well, the business stuff. Nope, really don't have any requests for my box. Just pictures and family updates and fruit certs. If you don't have pictures, go on the computer and print off old ones from Facebook and whatever files dad still has on there. Please. I love my pictures. Drunk people have all the same motivations to un-drunk (I think there are like three AA chapter in PUerto Angel alone) except, as I may have stated before, I'm pretty sure working is more of a way to fill time than to earn money because everybody seems to spend most of their days in hammocks and yet still have money to buy alcohol and tlayudas. Go figure. Mother's Day is May 10 and the only problem with figuring out the phone call is that I have transfers April 30 and there is a good chance I will be leaving Puerto Angel, which means that whatever preparations I do here could very well be null and void by the time the phonecall rolls around. Love you all. God is real. He blesses us and knows us better than we know us.

 Keep it classy. Love, Elder Johnson

 P.S. My drunk story was a joke story. And wish Kumi happy birthday for me (I am with you with the coolest person on the planet thing). And there had better be a trampoline for me when I get back ;)

Peace out, girl scouts

Hey, better late than never, right mom? Sorry that this has taken so long to get to you. We had a freak blowout tire in our return from Pochutla on our P-day and it restricted us from getting to the internet in time. But here we are again. Week 3 in Puerto Angel, transfer 2 down. And well, it was a week of work. Every week here is a week of work. We just work, all the time. We walk up and down the hills, we sweat a lot, we talk to a lot of new people, we help at every opportunity we get, and we work. What God wants to give us in terms of physical results is His decision. Our responsability is just to keep trying to do His will. So we work. With smiles and with faith. By the by, I totally turned 8 months in the mission this week. Only 2 years left to go, right?

Anyway, so on to how I'm doing. I'm tired. But that probably has something to do with winning our intense four person game of 21 on a last second for the second week in a row. I'm feeling it. Maybe because playoff time is just around the corner. Who knows. I sport my Jazz shirt at all times that I can these days to show that I'm thinking about them when I am not thinking about the investigators. Wow, being a missionary really has changed me. I've tempered my Jazz obsession for the Lord. This is what we call "building your mansion in Heaven," right?

Back to Elder Johnson's life. So we've sort of kind of been obsessed with finding new investigators these past couple of weeks. Aside from one awesome couple (Antonio and Arsenia, who, although they haven't come to church yet, show all the signs of being converts), our investigators don't really want to progress. And, unfortunately, we cannot take their agency away from them because that why we fought against Satan so long ago in the first place. Funny how we fought so hard for it and now it's the thing that damages us. Bummer. But I guess God's got it all worked out, so I'll just trust in Him.

So we've mostly been working with contacting and trying to help the recent converts and inactive members come to Church. This is a surprising dificult task in Puerto Angel. We're a tiny branch of like 20-30 people and a bajillion inactives, but the inactive just refuse to come to Church. I don't know why. It frustrates me. We went to an inactive family's house the other day (trying to follow the General Conference advice that helping the inactives is a very important task) and the hermana that we found there answered "I don't remember" to the question "What's your name?" That's when we figured she didn't really want to talk to us.

But on to happier things! So we helped a drunk change his life this week. We were walking in the street (going to a recent convert's house who had recently taken to alcohol again, as a matter of fact) when Arturo greeted us. I have now been in Puerto for over 2 months and a day has not gone by when I have not seen Arturo. Also, I have never seen Arturo not drunk. At times, I wonder if he really drinks and if it isn't actually just his real personality, but then I see the alcohol bottle in his hand. He is always drunk. The other drunks of Puerto Angel I've seen sober. Not Arturo. That man's liver hates him. Luckily, he's a really nice drunk. Anyway, so he greeted us. He likes to ask us for our pamphlet and only God knows why because he doesn't know how to read. But he always asks. At this point, we've given him every pamphlet we own. So we didn't want to give him one on this occasion. The conversation went something like this:
"Hey, give me one of your little books!"
"NO because you're drunk."
"But I want one!"
"Then you need to stop drinking."
"I'm going quit drinking!"
"Good. When are you going to quit?"
"Tomorrow!!!"
"Then we'll give you a book tomorrow."
"Okay!!!!!!"

Folks, this is why you never put off for tomorrow what you can do today. That's really the coolest thing that happened this week, other than God answering a few prayers, chastising me in several ways, and teaching me a bit of humility. I'm not His best servant, but we're learning. Anyway, got to go, but I love you all and I hope you celebrate Easter just as happily as you should. Peace out, girl scouts
Love,
Elder Johnson

Post Conference

So, I'm coming off a nice little vacation. Conference, as you know, comes in two hour sessions with two hours of breaks inbetween. To get from Puerto Angel to Huatulco (where they showed conference), it is two hours. Lets do the math: two hours to get there (8-10), session (10-12), break/lunch (12-2), session (2-4), break/more food (4-6), priesthood session 6-8 and not enough time to get home. So we stayed in Huatulco, in our zone leaders house, with me sleeping on an air mattress (fond memories of camping with the entire family). Then, more conference. We didn't get home until 8 pm on Sunday, which did not give us enough time to do much proselytizing. And guess what? Today is P day. I have a full 2 and a half day vacation, filled with spiritually edifying moments. It's been exactly what I need.

Don't worry much about me and my area. Really, I shouldn't complain: if there's not much work in missionary work, then the thing to do is go and find more work. So that's what we are doing and going to do. I we have a few encouraging things: first, we have a lovely young couple who shows all the signs of actually do the neccessary things to experience conversion. They are reading the Book of Mormon, saying prayers, recognizing the Holy Ghost, giving us references, and leaving the alcohol behind. They are my hope right now, although we've got a couple other investigators doing well as well. For example, we have Floriza, who has read like half the Book of Mormon and really knows it's true, but has yet to go to Church and therefore does not know for sure if this is the right Church. We'll get her with time, just you watch. Another encouraging thing: the members are working with us again. Branch President Juan and Elders Quorum President Hmo Rodas are both working with us two times a week. We might not have very many baptismal dates, but things are looking up in Puerto Angel.

So, things I learned from Conference: Priesthood holders are not better than other men, but they should act better. Priesthood is not so much a blessing as a commision. We have a divine duty to do the will of the Lord and unfortunately, many modern priesthood holders (myself included) do not have that mindset. We seem to think that the Church is fine when it is convenient. Sometimes, it is more convenient for some people than for others, but that doesn't change the flaw in the mindset. We need to put God first, and that means sacrificing more time, more energy, and more everything in the service of our fellows, inactive, active, and non-member. This duty is sacred, but slightly less sacred than the duty of raising a family. I just want to thank you, mom and dad, personally for having the inspiration to follow all of the prophetic counsel we received this weekend well before it was actually given. During every talk on the family, I was able to sit there and think of all the times in my life when my mom or dad taught me that specific principle in word and in deed.

It was a good conference, but I think what stuck with me most was what President Monson said in his closing words on Sunday. He said (more or less) that he hopes that everybody leaves this conference better people than when they came into the conference. That means the Prophet of God hope for an inmediate and direct application of what we learned. That means goal setting and changing. Changing is hard, folks. I know. But we've got to do it to become better people and to follow our Prophet truly.

By the by, I also wanted to say that I literally laughed out loud (I lol'ed) reading your Tyrel/bowling story. I love Tyrel stories with all my heart. It's one of the reasons you are the best mom ever. You send me tryel stories that I can't properly explain to my companion in Spanish because you just can't fully communicate who Tryel is or how special he is sometimes. I love that kid. Other thing: my pants size has not changed, but I don't remember what it is. And it's kind of awkward to check in a public internet. Finally, I have a request, if it's possible. I wouldn't mind getting an mp3 for my year mark in August. If you don't want to risk sending one, I can live without it, but it's my small request. We can listen to Disney, BYU Vocal Point, classical, anything Church related (from Motab to soundtracks like music from The Singles Ward), Christmas, Alex Boye, and more. It's worth having one, I've decided, and I've also decided to swallow my pride and ask for one after point blank refusing to take one on my mission with me despite Dad's best efforts. Sorry dad, I was hard headed. I'm trying to change, believe me.
Anyway, I love y'all and we are going to get to work again!
Love, Elder Johnson

EARTHQUAKE!!!!!!! I think?

So I'm good. I wasn't even aware there was an earthquake until like 2 hours after when our zone leaders called us, very worried, and asked us if we were okay. Yup and I'll tell you why in the same manner that the Puertans explained it to us: the earthquakes that do damage here are like this ^ v. The one we experienced went like this < >. Didn't even feel it and very few of the residents of Puerto Angel felt it either. However, it did kill our water for like two days, which was a little bothersome because I hate showering out of a bucket (when you sweat ALL day and shower out of a bucket, you just are never clean) and it may have affected our electricity, which we lost for like half a day yesterday but has already come back. Everybody here in the coast is fine, but I don't know about the city of Oaxaca. You just don't really communicate with the city when you get stuck in the coast. We are quite literally trapped in Paradise.

Anyway, big, big news of the week, guys: SPANISH PLAYING CARDS ONLY HAVE 40 CARDS!!!!! It really weirds me out. Instead of having A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K it goes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12. I know. Beats me too. I guess 7 really did eight nine (HAH! get it? Although it doesn't fully explain the mysterious absence of 8. Maybe it ran away? I'll have Cam Jan and Scooby-Do go investigate). So yeah, just so you are all a little more culturally aware, spanish playing cards have only 40 cards. Don't you forget it either.

All right, so the truth of why I'm writing about spanish playing cards and scooby do is because this week was a little depressing in Puerto Angel. We worked, Elder Perez and I. We really wanted to work too because I'm the first companion Elder Perez has had who is not dead (dead missionaries are those who no longer work, who stay in their houses, talk to the girlfriends, and have their personal movie collections). So we visited and visited and really tried hard to help these people out but these are the results: Two former Alcoholics drinking again, stumbling upon an investigator listening to a missionary from a different church, zero investigators in church, and a pathetic sacrament meeting with a depressed branch president. Puerto Angel is suffering right now and I want to help it out so bad. We're are going to find new people this week, I promise you, me, Puerto Angel, and God that. I think I've been a little bit timid in calling people to repentance as well, which is something that I plan on changing. Not being overbearing is important, but we can't forget about being bold. Somebody in the MTC (translation: a seventy or Jeffrey R Holland) told me that those who are afrain to call people to repentance love themselves more than their friends or investigators. It's very true. If I want to help these people, I have to tell them a little more how it is.

As for box stuff, I really just need baptismal pants, a baptismal tie (for that baptism that I know is somewhere here in Puerto Angel!), pictures, and a car. Because Elder Perez and I are sick of all these hills we have to climb here in Puerto Angel. Kidding, but seriously. I did really enjoy that 52 card thing you sent for Valentine's Day. It's so weird, you think before the mission that the box stuff you look forward to will be the cookies and candies, but man, now I just go straight for the pictures. I also could use like a bajillion bottles of raid because I am ready to take my war against ants outside. I am constantly fighting against ants, and I can never fully win. If I fight them out of the kitchen, they go into the bathroom. If I fight them out of the bathroom, they go to the kitchen. If I fight them out of both, they go to my desk. I hate ants! But I'll get over it.

Anyway, I really don't have much to say. I hope you are all doing well and tell Grandma Dora that I am praying for her and that I love her. Tell Dad thank you for all the inspirational things he sends me and the constant letters though I don't ever write him back. And tell yourself that you are the best mom in the world and I will tell you exactly why in 2 years when I get home. Bye ýall (yeah, I just put a spanish accent mark on a southern contraction that doesn't tecnically exists. What you gonna do bout it?).
Love, Elder Johnson

P.S. Don't actually send me a gabajillion bottles of Raid. Don't actually send me any because I can buy them here. And I do look forward to the other stuff in the boxes as well, just the pictures a little bit more.

It's been a busy week in the life of the first counselor in the branch presidency.
Kidding! I'm not actually the first counselor. I just do all his jobs. I had to conduct my very first sacrament meeting this sunday and I also had to count tithing with the President because there was literally nobody else. I was worried though, about breaking rules. I don't think un-set apart missionaries should be doing at least the tithing thing. But oh well - it's over and done. It was at least a learning experience.

This is also the hallowed week of the transfers. I'm staying here in Puerto Angel, but Elder Luna is leaving. He's off to the city to train. I will stop training/being trained for the first time since I arrived in Mexico. I will continue being District Leader. It was pretty much what I expected and it's a good thing because we are starting to find a bunch of young couples with baptismal potention. Also, more kids are coming out of the woodwork to become baptismal candidates as well. It's been awhile without baptisms for me, but I'm thinking this week or the next we´ll have one or two here in Puerto Angel. And there's always Luis Enrique, who just needs to get over being part of the "system."

By the by, I realized something about my letters: I have a tendency to forget all of my cool/funny stories from the beginning of the week and only tell you all about the end, which is actually pretty slow. I'm going to try to change that, though maybe not this week because I'm drawing blanks right now.

Hmm, the week. It's been a week, that's for sure. It's hard to recall the cool stories. We played electricians twice as Elder Luna and I installed an outlet in the house of an eternal investigator and fixed a blown fuse in the house of a new investigator. A former drug attic told us of a story of a guy who was in a coma and had a dream of going to heaven and passing three degrees of "heaven" (yeah we capitalized on the Plan of Salvation set up). One of our investigators and one of our converts fell off the wagon, unfortunately, and started drinking again. Together. Ooops. That was a bad match. Such is the life of Puerto Angel: No priesthood because the men of this town are caught by the plague of alcohol. We'll overcome the plague eventually, just you wait.

Anyway, next week will be a more exciting addition of "Elder Johnson goes to the Beach," I promise. I trying to refocus myself a little bit right now and I hope it shows in next week's letter. Just hope you all know how much you mean to me and that I look up to you and you motivate me to be my best. I'll write again next monday!
Love,
Elder Johnson

Two Facts Vital to Your Salvation

So, we just got taught a lesson in humility by a drunk man last night (please, read the following story in tones of heavy sarcasm). We were on our way home to go study Spanish and English a bit when we saw a man singing and dancing quite alone in the middle of the street. We thought there was a chance he was inebrieated and resolved not to talk to him, which of course meant that he immediately spotted us and demanded our attention. He quizzed us on our Bible knowledge to make sure that we weren't lying to the people we are teaching. We learned quickly that, contrary to popular belief, we don't know everything. First he asked us this, "What is the name of the Mount of Olives?" Us, a tadbit unsure, answered with what we had learned, "Señor, we're pretty sure that the name of the mount of Olives is the Mount of Olives." This was not the right answer and he got a little angry with us. After trying to leave, he caught up with us and asked us, "How many books are in the Bible?" We were absolutely clueless with this question and told him so. He called us liars and idiots and told us to go back to the United States because we can't teach if we don't know how many books the Bible has. We asked him, very kindly, if he could tell us. He replied that he didn't know either. So we left, humbled, by this kind man who took time out of his busy night to teach us valuable spiritual lessons. Next time, we will take the secret way to the house, under the only mango tree that doesn't have ripe mangos right now.
Dont worry mom, the drunks arent dangerous because they aren't capable of walking quickly and we are masters of the "missionary pace." We generally don't have experiences like that, but every once and a while they are unavoidable. As are the scorpions in the bathroom. Don't worry about those either: I already have my bottle of Raid Max and my companion knows how to take off their stings, which is why we brought a scorpion with us in the hour and a half ride to Huatulco in a cramped taxi. They are harmless without the sting and rather docile. I am also wise enough not to get close to them. Tarantulas are not deadly and are not in the house. You just have to watch were you step at night. I should probably talk about something spiritually uplifting to make you feel better now.

So, we've had this investigator named Luis Enrique since before I arrived in Puerto Angel. He's a student at the local college and is very willing to get baptized. The only reason he hadn't was because he wanted his parent (who live in the city of Oaxaca) to attend. Now, however, he says he'll get baptized with or without them. Here's the thing: despite his progression and the time we've had him, I did not meet him until Saturday. Everytime that we visited with him, I was doing divisions with another missionary. Just my luck. Anyway, on Saturday, we talked and he told us that he still wants to get baptized, but he didn't really want to be a member of the church (I know, a little weird). We got to talking about this and he shared with us his two big doubts: first, being part of the church "system." Second, tithing. We didn't have time to answer his doubts then, but we invited to come to the district conference (a district is like a branch but it's for small stakes. Instead of a stake we have a district and instead of wards we have branches). He did and guess what the two main topics were: The blessings of serving in callings and going to the temple (being part of the "system") and the blessings of tithing. Wow, God is watching out for our investigators. We talked to him a bit in the ride back (in the back of a truck with 9 people. Welcome to Mexico) (Also, without the scorpion, which had been captured by the youth of district Huatulco), and he told us that he loved the conference. I'm thinking he's feeling a little less doubtful for his baptism now. It's good to receive divine intervention from time to time. Always look for the hand of the Lord in your lives because it is there. Anyways, I've got to go now.

Dad, happy belated birthday. Sorry I can't do much for you right now, but I am memorizing one of the poems you've given me this week in tribute to all the things you've taught me over the course of my life. Hope you are doing great and know that I'm thinking of all of you. Love you! Bye!
Elder Johnson


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