26 September 2011

Dear Family!

September 26, 2011

Christmas is coming??? Wow... maybe [you could send] more of those stars to put on appointment doors when they aren’t there. That would be great, also an SD-USB converter thing so I can better send y’all pictures. Socks too would be great. My socks are getting holes in them but they are all sun stained from drying in the sun once a week for more than a year after being washed.

I’ll think a little better. By the way we CAN use skype the next Christmas with video chat. We could last christmas and mother’s day but noone told me! The other homework was my release date: 15 Aug 2013 they told me... but it’s really 2012.

This week was great! We worked really hard, but following dad’s counsel we obtained more direction from the Lord. And even though we started the new study plan for the mission which is an extra hour, and feels like much less time to proselyte, it has been so good. We are really becoming much better teachers. I am SO GLAD I COULD BE CALLED TO SERVE A MISSION!

This week we taught a family about the gospel. They didn’t read when we got back and we were quite sad since the only way they can grow in the faith and get closer to Christ is by preparing with keeping commitments. When we expressed that they promised and the next visit they had read and the mom had prayed and asked God if the Book of Mormon is true!

Saturday was a very interesting day. We got to teach in 5 homes! We literally were teaching or traveling to teach the whole day. To teach more we have to teach faster, which shouldn’t be too hard since we taught 5 long lessons. The Moya Llosa family was one. They have such desire to do the right stuff. A month ago when Elder Oaks came, one of the 70s Elder Useda said that Joseph Smith had all the true intention that Moroni 10:4 talks about since in the Joseph Smith History, he says he was looking for the correct church to join it. That was almost exactly what Luis from the family Moya also told us. I hope they pray and ask God if the message we bring is true.

Leaving Priesthood Executive Meeting (and the best one I have participated in ever), we really wanted to find someone before going to the house. We walking and knocked a door, and then his neighbor’s His neighbor is called Barney and he invited us in to talk. He’s a great guy and we answered a few questions and invited him to read and ask also before running back to make it to the house before 9:30 p.m.

Next week is General Conference!!! Elder Ortiz and I are so excited. It’s a little ridiculous. But only every 6 months can you meet people and say that next Sunday, the 12 apostles of the Lord and his prophet too [will speak]! And that if they want to know if Christ really has sent 12 again, they can come and receive a testimony of the Spirit in the very day. We are going to try to invite everyone this week!

A member gave us a reference the other day and I think he wants to marry her in the long run. But anyway, she came to church, and he asked us to teach her about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ right there. So we did and it worked really well, and then she prayed really well. Then afterwards he told us that later she prayed and could just tell that the message comes from God in her prayer.

There is another lady who with her and her unbaptised son are really working to reactivate themselves and another lady with the same circumstance doing the same. I think things are beginning to move here, and I’m sure it’s result of Monday. (did y’all get the letter yet?)

Love Elder Johnson

22 August 2011 Visit from Elder Oaks

Dear family, Que dicho este dia. [This was such a sweet day].  So I have so much to write. First, teaching the week, we found lots of new investigators [investigators]. 22. And of these were two families and one who are THE BEST. When we teach you can feel that they are really special. The wife told us that never before has her husband let any other group of people talk about the bible with them, but he opened the door for us and invited us in! They have been so prepared by angels. When we prayed with the wife, she changed a ton. The reason was that she actually asked with real intention "tell me if this is true!" And now she really feels it. We invited her husband to be baptized and before he could say yes she said "Yo SI!" Que bueno.   ["Me, yes!"  How wonderful!] [The husband is going to take the Book of Mormon to be able to read in work and well it's just awesome. Before she prayed, she said she can feel it's true by the very presence of us. A taste of what always will be when I repent more. But that's not even the best. We've started to teach like that a lot. Just lots of experiences. Really awesome. Thursday we got a call from the assistants [to the Mission President] who informed us that the Zone was going to go to Arequipa Monday because Elder Oaks [one of the twelve apostles] was coming and today we went!!! He shook everyone's hands and with his wife emitted pure love to all. They came with Juan Useda y Donald L Hallstrom, of the seventy and the presidency of the seventy respectively. They talked before. Elder Useda talked about D&C 4:2 and the meaning of heart, and soul, and mind, and strength. I particularly liked mind. He said that we need to make our minds into tools of the Lord. By focusing 100 percent we will be able to do 100 [% of what] the Lord has here for us to do. Elder Donald L Hallstrom spoke of D&C 43:8 and 9 and our responsibility to be edified. If we don't do anything, we won't be edified in the church reunions [meetings] like the Sunday school classes. We can be taught, but it takes our part to be edified. Then he said a measure of discipleship is looking for the law and completing it. He said that we are to refine ourselves by changing and bettering, refining ourself always. He said that Elder Oaks is an incredibly professional man, but that he is also a refined disciple of the Lord.  So then spoke Elder Oaks of the 12 (see Ephesians 2:20 and later in ch 4). He testified of Christ and taught us some principles that we must do to be able to achieve the 400 baptisms per month that Elder Nash profitizied [prophesied] that we can do. Recently in Jesus the Christ for the second time I have been learning about the 12 from His time. The word means one who is sent. Look up the part in the notes of that chapter. With the spiritual outpout that we experienced, I am glad we don't live in a world like that of Mormon 1:14 and that there are people who have gifts like those of time of old. Elder Oaks has been very blessed with these gifts. He said with a boldness that struck to the core. "If you believe these things see that you do them." Mosiah 4:10 We are going to do them and see that we do them. That goes with something he also wanted us to teach the members. They ask us when will there be a temple in southern Peru (the closest is 11 hours from this the most nothernly part of our mission, 18 from Tacna). His answer to this is, pay your tithing and trust in the lord. He told us something very interesting. "In the deciding the things of the church, the Area Presidency has some voice, the Presidency of the 70 has some voice, the 12 have some voice, and the counselors of the Prophet have some voice, but not in where temples go. That is between the Lord and His prophet. The way he said it was also a powerful testification [testimony] of the truthfulness of the divine calling of President Monson [the current prophet]. Elder Oaks made an example of a pen. The ink was the word of God, with which we must be filled, the mechanism that clicks or twists to bring down the point, is obedience to the mission rules and the commandments. When the Lord starts to write with His "pen", He doesn't want it to write its own message, but His, he doesn't want it to say, "No, not now.  I'm tired." or "It's my P day". He wants His pen to do His work. We are the pen. Elder Oaks taught us that we shouldn't say "I have been on my mission for x months" because it isn't our mission. It is the Lord's time and His mission. Well, that's about all folks. Great week coming up-. Love Elder Johnson