17 January 2011

Dear Family

Muralkjfsa you are all skiing?? I wanna. Oh well. I very very much like being here too. This week has been interesting. Miguel, from last week, had some doubts about getting baptized. He went to the Noche Missional [Missionary night] this Friday, and while there, Elder Hernandez pointed out the painting of Jesus Christ being baptized that was in the same room. Miguel was surprised that we baptize like that (banging head on keyboard) and when Elder Hernandez asked how he felt about being baptized like that, he said he was ready!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The 29th will be his goal. Ademas [Furthermore] we have a plethora of other possible people.. All we need to do is let the Holy Ghost testify to them, and help them recognize [the truth].

We taught a lesson to a group of ladies once they finished a class of learning how to write for the day. One of the practice sentences in the goverment issued writing books was "Rotilde does not let her children take drugs." Pretty prevelant propaganda in the books.

Another person, really a friend of a member, passed by this members house after we contacted her (as told by the member) and demanded our phone number and address and email address and everything because she has to be baptized. I really hope we can finaly find her.

Elder Hernandez is getting used to Peru. They speak a little different in Guatemala. For example, here, "que chevere" means more or less "cool". But for him it means "What Hotdog". In addition, some of the normal semi slang terms that could be used in church here, are offensive words.

Unfortunately, he his suffering a bit of pain due to something going on with his stomach. Today we are going to buy meds for that. The pain is degrading his ability to work every minute of the day. Which reminds me...

Along with the picture of the scripture, I wanted to send back 2 Nephi 25:29. I am reading the Libro de Mormon [the Book of Mormon] for the second time since leaving now and well, this time I will understand the first half. I liked this scripture a lot, because it reminded me that we [I] need to work with all my heart, might, mind, and strength. (see DyC 4:2)

Y'all went to the Salt Lake Temple?? I have been wanting to go soo bad. Really what we need in Arequipa is a temple, so we can go on P days. The closest is in Lima, an hour and a half in airplane. Mom and Dad did y'all get to go in?

On Thursday we had a Zone Conference. It was awesome. Between 1:30 p.m. and 8:40 p.m., and in the words of my long lost friend, Elder Badjinski ( wow... forgot how to spell his name even!) It was a spiritual feast! He is in Ecuador now.

I left with so much excitement to get to work that 2 hours later when we went to bed I couldn't sleep. The hardest will be managing all the appointments that will come when we start doing all the contacting we should be doing, but that's fine. Splits [That's where a the missionary goes with a member of the church and his companion goes with another member of the church. That way, they can contact twice as many people].

Yesterday we were contacting on the edge of a large field with sheep and cows. We talked with one lady who was wearing the most incredible clothes. Remember the Peruvian culture thing we went to last summer [at the Indian Museum in downtown D.C.]? She was like that, but MORE colorful. I wanted so bad to take a picture of her, the background and everything but alas didn't have my camera. It was way cool.

Also a little bit before, and a little after I almost got eaten by a huge dog, we knocked a door. A 12 year old girl came out and when she saw us, called her dad. Her dad came, and she came to watch. He started to try to confuse us... Started talking about a lot of confusing things in the Bible, and actually contradicted himself about 4 times... I didnt feel good talking to him at all and was a little sad how closed he was... I tried to help him be a little open, but nothing. Interestng how you can study the Bible for a really long time (him 25 years) and be so disbelieving, and more, confused. The invitation in the final two paragraphs of the introduction [to the Book of Mormon] is to the whole world. If they read the Book of Mormon, and reflect on it, and pray and ask to know if it is true, they can know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. A fufillment of a promise: I wasn't confudido [confused].

In this transfer, my goal is to become the missionary I should be.

Love Elder Johnson

10 January 2011

Dear Family,

Wow did my letter from November really just get there??? Tha'ts ridiculous. I'm sending another today.. my second. Y'all can expect it around June I guess. It should actually be faster... it was waiting in the house of the Zone Leaders for about a month I think (frustration).

Eric, I laughed reading your Dear Elder I got this week. Mom, Christmas here definitely was different than yours. Did they do a lot for New Years too?

Right so my new companion is Elder Hernandez. He is from Guatemala. Speaks ridiculously way fast. I understand about 50 percent of his sentences, although almost 100 percent of the sentences of people from Peru.

He is also way, way prepared which makes sense, since I have only 2.16 transfers in the mission. Before his mission he was second counselor of the Elders Quorum, Ward mission leader (I think..) and was going out with the missionaries every day. He has three plans to work with the ward. We have started to implement the first, having a big activity with a different orginization each week. This week is Young Men. Tomorrow we are gunna split up with about 10 of them and go proselyte the whole area.

Elder Hernandez is really excited to start having success with these plans, which they were doing in his ward before and had a lot of success. The others are that we have a 4 or so families each week with whom we visit their friends, family and neighbors who aren't members. And the last is similar to this one and the first, working with organizations to receive lots of references. His plans are basically the plans I had but much more developed!

I am still in the same area, Augusto Freyre of the Hunter area slash stake in the city of Arequipa, Peru. We are about the most southern end of the city and valley before the hills start back up again. At night we get a great view of millions of street lights all throughout Arequipa stretching far, far, far away, and in the day, the imposing triple threat of the three Volcanoes that head Arequipa. (Only one is active... the missionaries will be visiting the other two)

New responsibilities are.. everything. Before, basically Elder Orihuela did everything. Now I have a companion who doesn't necessarily know what we need to do. It's hard, but interesting. He is learning fast. Also, he's learning how to speak more like a Peruvian so I can understand him.

We are starting to work with the Ward (see the three plans). We met with the bishop (who was an assitant to the president in his time) and he burned us a little for not having worked with the ward the past 12 weeks, but he is gunna help us change all that. Apparently about 24 weeks ago, work with the ward more or less stopped. I am glad they were doing a lot before. ╩It's gunna be more easy to start up again than start brand new with them.

Next week we have talks in church again.

This week we have worked a lot harder than any of the weeks before, but still nos falta mucho [we lack much]. There are 7 people who have a date to be baptised, but... since none of them went to church yesterday... we shall see. I hope they can.

Miracle: Miguel. Miguel is a joven [young man] of 14 years old. We met with him in the store of a member and set a date to go to his house. There we talked with them and they really knew for themselves ( his parents too) that they should be baptised. Our next visit he had read all of the Restoration pamphlet, answered the questions in the back, had found a Book of Mormon in his house, and was way way excited to keep learning. He is awesome! I hope we don't do anything wrong with him.

Miracle: Shan. Shan was a contact in the Mansion area. In the contact he agreed that if he received an answer to his prayer if he should be baptised, he would do it the 22 of January. Second visit we found out yes he recieved his answer and that basically his life has changed way for the better since his prayer.

Miracle.. ah don't have time

Love Elder Johnson.