August 20, 2013

We went to the monument of revolution and these are some pics of there. Actually while we were there we went up a tower thing they have and there is a glass elevator and when we started going up my comp and I both got so scared. It was hilarious. We were both sweating and neither one said a word, I’ve always hated heights.

This is of one of the virgins, and it’s made completely out of colored wood chips they glued to the street.

I ran into this barbwire today while I was walking so I thought I’d take a pic real fast, it kind of cut my ear!

Hey Mom! So sorry for writing you so late, its because we´ve been pretty busy the last couple of days. We went to the airport at 6:30 in the morning yesterday to get a new sister, and then we had to train her afterwards on several things that we do in our mission. After that we updated some files in the office and then went to one of the zone´s meetings to talk to all the elders and sisters. Everything is going really good, I’m just worried about our own area right now because we don’t have very many investigators that we´re teaching. We´re going to work super hard this week so we can start having more success in our own area as well. My companion and I get along great, and we have lots of unity which is great because it shows when we´re training new missionaries and teaching investigators. It´ll be really cool to be able to see David Garcia this week, my comp and I are excited to go eat somewhere. The time is going by too fast though. I just can’t believe that my time left in the mission is so short, and did I say that time is going by too fast? I love missionary work and have no doubt that this is the work of the Lord, and the work of Salvation. It’s so worth leaving home for a couple of years so that other people can be together as families for eternity. I love you mom, thanks for everything you always do for me, have an excellent week! Love Elder Johnson

August 13, 2013

Saying Good-bye to some of our Elders

Drinking horchata-it is so good!

A cool museum that we visited.

¡Hola mamà! How’s everybody doing? Well I had changes and I’m actually the new Assistant to the President!! It’s really cool! There are lots of benefits, like my cell phone is touch screen and has a camera, I can drive the mission car and my comp and I can go pretty much where want to, we don’t have to ask permission, the other missionaries have to ask us ha ha! No, but really it’s been really crazy, we have lots of extra work to do but it’s fun and being super busy the time goes by really fast. Yesterday we took some elders to the airport to say bye and today we were with President the whole morning and went to rent a house for a new area that they´re opening. Things are going great here. This week was pretty crazy busy too. On Tuesday well we had the changes meeting and we took all my luggage to our house in my area and then we went to President’s house to eat dinner with him and his family and all the elders who were going home. Then that night we went out to eat tacos with all the Elders going home and said goodbye to everybody. On Wednesday we went to leave some elders at the airport, and then on Thursday morning President showed up at our house and we studied with him and then went to get a contract signed for a house in a new area for some elders and then my comp went back to the offices to get all the things for the new house while I stayed and helped them move their luggage to the house as well. And we`ve just done things like that pretty much the whole week and tried to work and teach the members and investigators in between. It’s been pretty hectic but I like it a lot. On Sundays after going to church and eating, we go to the offices of the mission to receive reports from the zone leaders and then make some reports for President. That night we sleep in the offices where we have our own room and bathroom, but our house where we usually live is in our area. On Monday morning we have a meeting with President to talk about how the mission is doing in general and new things that we`re going to apply as a mission and just things like that. After that we have our P-day as normal until 6pm and then at 7 we went to one of the zones meetings that is struggling to talk to all of the elders and try to get them pumped for the work. My comp and I get along super well, we`ve been friends for a long time and neither one of us can believe that we`re actually comps now. He’s from Aguascalientes, Mexico and goes home in January. I can’t believe I’ve been on the mission for so long now, actually I was talking to one of the secretaries yesterday and he told me he`s going to buy my plane ticket this week to go home. Crazy huh it freaks me out!! Well Mom I got to run plan a training for tomorrow. We`re going to train the zone and district leaders in a mission leadership meeting. I love you, thanks for everything. Elder Johnson

August 5, 2013

The Latinoamericano Tower, the tallest tower of all Latin America

¡Hola mamá! How’s everything going? Are ya´ll enjoying the last weeks of summer? I know I’m not, it’s so hot down here! Had kind of a funny experience this week, so all the time the other elders are calling me asking me questions and I’m just pretty used to it but this last week an elder called me and asked me if he could give a blessing to a dog! I asked him if he was kidding and he told me no that a member wanted him to bless their actual dog! Ha ha I told him no and to just a say a prayer for it, I thought it was hilarious that he would call and ask me that. This week we had 3 baptisms. Marsela, Sandra and Benjamin. They are so golden! We actually found them through Ben, he needed an interview done in English for his school so I did it for him. After talking to him for a little bit he told us that he had actually gone on to the church’s website and tried to send in his own referral form so that the missionaries would talk to him. There are some members that live right in front of him and so the fellowship has been great and on Saturday we baptized him, his mom and his grandma. His dad has now been to church twice as well and we´re just starting to teach him too. He´s a stud and I know he´ll be a future missionary and he wants to go study at BYU and everything. Well I have changes tomorrow after being in this area for only 6 weeks! I got to go home and pack right now, I’ll let you know where they send me next week and who my comp is and everything. I´m going to miss Elder Robinson. We get along great, but I’m excited to get a new area as well. So about the phone number for Brother Garcia, would it be ok if I send it to you next week? It’s because I’ll get a new number tomorrow but tell him that sounds great to me to go out to dinner! I´m super excited! Tell him thanks so much. Hey grandma said that Jayce is receiving the missionaries? That is soooo cool! I actually had a dream while I was in the MTC that this would happen. I know God always answers our prayers!!! I´m going to baptize him when I get him if he doesn’t get baptized before! So this last week I finally got Con´s grad invite, it looks pretty good. I like it! On Thursday my comp and I went to eat yogurt at Yogurtland, there is actually one here in the plaza and I was so excited. It was the first time I’ve had frozen yogurt in 2 years. It made me think of you mom and all the times we would go out for yogurt ha ha. Well mom I hope you have a great week. I love you. Thanks so much for all you do for me! Elder Johnson

July 29, 2013

Hey Mom! How’s everybody doing? I can’t believe summer break is more than halfway over. Fiesta Days sounds like it was pretty cool. I`m kind of jealous Con is going to Lake Powell this week, I could definitely use some time in the sun to tan right now. We`ve actually had quite a bit of time in the sun this week, it has hardly rained and we`ve been working like Negros and it has been hot! That’s awesome you guys are still on schedule with D & C, we`re coming along pretty far now! This week the work has gone really good, we should be having a couple baptisms. We`ve got a couple families that are really cool right now that we`re working with. Actually the teenage kids from each family came and played basketball with us today. My comp and I get along really well and we`re both striving to work our own areas as hard as we can as well as help the rest of the zone out. Lately I’ve been able to really see how much I’ve honestly grown in the mission. Its weird to have so many other missionaries asking me for advice when before it always seemed like I was the one asking the others. I love all the changes that the Gospel and repentance help us to make. I know that the Atonement of Christ is the only way we can become happier and be able to examples to everybody else. I love you mom and hope you have a great week, Thanks for everything! Elder Johnson

July 22, 2013

The Pyramids at Teotihuacan

¡Hola Mommy! That sounds way fun you guys got to camping, I’m not going to lie I’m a little jealous, it’s just because I’m sick of living in such a big city with all the traffic and pollution and what not. I almost forgot it was Fiesta Days right now, let me know how the parade and everything goes this week. This week was a super super busy one. Tuesday was the first day with my comp in our area, it was kind of hard because we got lost a lot and I’m still learning all the street names and everything. On Wednesday we had a meeting with the stake president and President Morales to talk about the entire stake and the missionary work for every ward and everything like that. It was a ton of preparation, we had to make a list of all the converts from the last year from the entire stake and see if they were still active, if they had callings or priesthood all the stuff like that for the entire stake! On Thursday we had interviews with president. I went first and then we had to wait for our whole zone to have their interviews it took like 4 hours. It was cool though, we had a pancake breakfast with just us and the zone leaders from another zone in the morning. On Friday a missionary called and said he blew his nose and a bloody worm came out so I had to take him and the worm to the doctor so he could see what was up and yes he has parasites, pinworms to be exact. Poor guy he goes home in like 2 weeks and now can’t eat tacos or anything like that until he´s home. On Saturday my comp and I could finally work a complete day together, and we had to go help with a baptismal service in the morning and there wasn’t water in the font so I had to climb up onto the top of the church and try to fix the water pump and tank. In all it was a pretty crazy week but I truly love all the madness. Today we went to Teotihuacan, it was way fun. I went with 5 other elders, all gringos. I´m the only one that has been before, so it was fun to go with them and see everything. I think its definitely the last time I’ll ever go, President hardly gives permission to go there anymore because it’s so far away but he gave us permission because Elder Ostler is going home in 2 weeks and we all wanted to take him so after giving President a pancake breakfast we asked him permission and he said yes. It was a fun day, I bought some fun souvenirs for everybody. My neck where the collar doesn’t cover is so sunburnt, I have such a bad farmers tan! I took money out yesterday to buy souvenirs today, sorry but I think I’m about set on souvenirs for everybody now. I love you mom, thank you so much for all you´ve always done for me, I honestly don’t know where I’d be without you. Have a great week I love you! Elder Johnson