March 25, 2013

Hey Mom, Wow that’s way cool you and all the other moms got to go talk about your missionaries yesterday, I’m sure that was way fun for everybody. I’ve still been incredibly busy, now I’m just learning to get used to it because almost every week this last month has been crazy. On Wednesday I had to go again to the visa office to give my fingerprints and sign some more papers. The Mexican government office I had to go to is like 2 and a half hours away from my area so its hard having to go there because we always waste like half of the day in the metro and on the bus. On Thursday we had multi-zone conference, it was really good but pretty long too. It was fun to see some of friends from the other zone that we were with. We had a baptism on Saturday. Columba and her niece Fernanda got baptized. They’re both super cool and at first told us they didn’t want to get baptized or anything like that, they just liked listening. They actually got to know the missionaries a long time ago. We did a lesson on the plan of salvation last week and the Spirit was super strong. Then they came last Sunday to Stake Conference with us and hear Elder Cook speak and the day after we visited them and Columba told us, "guess what boys, we’ve decided we’re getting baptized". I was so super happy when she told us that, and yesterday Columba was confirmed and received the Holy Ghost. They’re both super excited about the gospel and have been sharing it with their friends and family, actually they’re going to accompany us tomorrow to visit one of their friends. President Morales called me today and told me that they’re probably going to send another companionship to my district, and that they would get here next week when the cycle ends. We’ve been receiving lots of blessings here and have been having lots of success so they’re going to send another companionship to our ward so we can work even more, I’m pretty excited it will be great to have another companionship here. Hey, was there anything really valuable in the valentine box you sent me? I still haven’t gotten it yet, but I’ll let you know when I do. The Easter box hasn’t gotten here either, when did you send it? I hope you guys have a great time in Vegas and California, I’m not going to lie, I’m pretty jealous but it’s all good, I’ll just go when I’ll be back. Well I got to run I hope you have a great week, be careful, I love you! Elder Johnson Baptism of Columba and Fernanda This is the first deer I have seen in Mexico! Me in front of the Church of Guadalupe At the Plaza, a mall just like at home! Me with Hermano Feliz

March 18, 2013

Hey Mom! Well it sounds like you guys had a pretty fun weekend of baseball in St George. I’m glad you guys got to be in warm weather for a while, it’s actually be really chilly here this week but yesterday and today its been starting to warm up again. It was awesome to see Elder Cook, Elder Maines Elder de Hoyos and Elder Johnson on Saturday. We took a picture with them and got to shake their hands. Elder Johnson thought I was pretty cool because he saw we had the same name. Elder Cook spoke to us in English and then a guy translated for him, and the rest of them spoke Spanish. It was amazing the spirit that was there. Elder Cook talked to us about he we need to overcome ourselves as missionaries and we shouldn’t be afraid to do things that we wouldn’t normally do as ourselves. He also gave us an apostolic promise that no matter what’s going on with our loved ones back home, if we have family problems, our brothers or sisters are going down forbidden paths or whatever is happening, that the Lord will bless us and our loved ones for our service and that everybody will be blessed for this sacrifice that we’re making. He also talked to us about ward builders and that we should always go the extra mile and be missionaries that everybody knows and likes. It was just the missionaries from our mission that were there, it was the first time our whole mission has ever been together during my time here. On Friday we had a baptism. Noemi, a 20 year old girl got baptized. Her uncle is a member and I’ve known her ever since I got to this area, but a couple of weeks ago she had a dream of us missionaries and ever since then we started to teach her and she got baptized on Friday. We also had 4 investigators that came and saw Elder Cook and Stake Conference on Sunday, and we’re hoping that they’ll be able to progress as well. Well this week sorry I don’t have too much time, but I hope you have a great week. Thanks for always keeping me updated and for all the pics and everything. I love you! Elder Johnson The Mexico City Southeast Mission Our Mission with Elder Cook, Elder Maines, Elder de Hoyos and Elder Johnson

March 11, 2013

Hey Mom! How's everything going? That's crazy its already baseball season. Send me some action shots of Con and Brock and everything else from the Sunshine Tournament. I'm sick about Connor's back though, I hope he can still have a great year, what will he have to do to get it all better when the season's over? I saw your sharing time idea it looks way cool, I'm glad it went so well. I'm glad you're finally getting some more sun in Utah, its been really hot again here this week. That's awesome you got to go to Miss Spanish Fork and everything. Well here's the weekly update on everything that's happening in Xochitenco... The apartment I'm in now is a lot nicer than the last one, we have a little kitchen and a tile floor. We still have to light the boiler every morning, that's how about every house here is. Sometimes the water tank on our roof runs out and we have to go downstairs and turn the pump on so that the tank on top fills up again. There's no water pressure here so that's why the water tanks are always on top of the roof I think. Is Austin in the South or the East mission? That would be way cool if we were in the same mission. Where is President Crickmore from? I'll be fine staying in my mission or going to open up the Chalco mission, I'll be happy to do whatever President and Lord want me to do. This week has been another hectic week. I was on division from Monday night to Thursday with another missionary from my district. They have a couple that wants to get baptized but isn't married and to get married you have to have a birth certificate and the hermana doesn't have one and she's from another state so another elder and I went clear to the center of DF Thursday morning to try and get her certificate but we ended up not being able to but we were able to get it sent from her state and it should get here in like 10 days. It was confusing because I don't know a thing about how Mexico's government is set up. When we left the government office there were some guys outside that offered us pirated documents, I honestly wanted to do it but the other missionaries told me not to. I guess it's probably best to do it the right way, even though the black market birth certificate would have been way faster. My comp and I were going to have a baptism this week as well, but the hermano couldn't pass his interview because of some serious past sins. It was really sad and I got kind of frustrated but I think all of this is happening because the Lord wants me to learn patience. Quentin L Cook is going to speak to our whole mission on Saturday, and then on Sunday he's actually going to be visiting the stake I'm in, so I'm one of the few missionaries that will get to see him twice. He's coming with Elder Johnson (cool name huh?) of the 70. I'll let you know how it goes. Well I got to go and prepare my district class, I hope you guys have a great week in St. George and everything. Be sure to send me lots of pics and let me know how everything goes. I love you! Elder Johnson

March 4, 2013

Hey Mom! How’s everything going? It sounds like you guys have had quite a wild winter, but is it getting warmer now? It’s actually been pretty cold here this week, I had to sleep with an extra blanket a couple nights and have been working in sweater almost everyday this week. Wow that’s awesome there are so many people we know getting their calls right now. The work is growing a ton. You were right, President told us in our leadership meeting on Tuesday that they’re going to split our mission in July. Three of the zones of the southeast, including the one I’m in right now will stay in our mission, and then 2 other zones from the south mission will be added here as well. Four of the other zones from our mission will be split off and will become the Mexico Chalco mission. The Chalco`s new mission president is American, but I can’t remember his name. I think it would be fun to be one of the elders that open up the new mission, but it just depends on what zone I’m in come July when the new mission and everything starts. It’ll be hard though to not see lots of the elders here who are my friends anymore when half of them will be in the other mission. On Friday a sister gave us a soup, but it had chicken gizzard in it, and just the sight of it grosses me out. I was really worried I was going to have to eat it because the sister was in the kitchen with us, but finally she stepped out of the door for a split second and when she did I threw the gizzard in my companions bowl and just said "I love you" ha it was super funny! On Wednesday I had to go and renew my visa, it’s hard to believe I’ve been in Mexico for 1 year now; the time has gone by pretty fast. This week was really loco, I had a leadership meeting on Tuesday, had to go to the other side of Distrito Federal on Wednesday to renew my visa, we’ve been working like Negros here (yeah that’s a saying in Spanish I love it) with the investigators and less actives, we had 2 other zone meetings this week and I did a couple of baptismal interviews. Also starting tonight, I’m going to do divisiones with one of the companionships in my district and I won’t get back into my area until Wednesday night. We’re working incredibly hard and I’ve been super busy with so many things but I love it. I always remember that everything we do is all worth it when I see people coming to Christ and making huge changes in their lives, like getting baptized. I still haven’t gotten the valentines package yet, and I didn’t see it in the mission office on Wednesday but I’ll let you know when I do. Yeah you’re right Easter is a pretty crazy time here because the whole week before is the Semana Santa. There’s basically something different that they do every day of the week until Easter Sunday. Elder Quentin L Cook is going to be visiting our mission on the 16th this month, I think it’s the first time an apostle has visited the Southeast mission since it started 2 years ago. Hey what’s the idea that you’re going to do with the teddy bear and the atonement? That sounds way cool let me know how it goes. I’m glad that you’re finally feeling better; I was worried and praying about you. I can’t believe that it’s already baseball season now. Keep me updated on how Connor and Brock are doing. I hope you all have a great week, I love you! Elder Johnson