June 13, 2011

This picture came from Elder Erhard's parents. Mark's on the left, Elder Erhard is next,, his companion, and then Elder Mateus.

Jessica Silva and Edwardo Palomino baptism along with Mark and Elder Mateus

Dear Family and friends,

We learned a ton this week. We had an interesting curve of results graphed by time that showed lots of faith at the start, and then a large drop, and a huge rise Sunday. We need to try to not have these drops. Sunday we found 4 new people to teach and [it] was basically the best. This week we have been inviting everyone [to learn about the church].

This process of inviting many more people has helped me a lot. I feel like I'm talking to them with a real goal of the conversation, to help them repent and make covenants with God. In the course of the week, we invited 62 people to be baptized [on] the 25 of June or the 2 of July. About 11 of them we will continue looking for, although all said yes. We invite so many people because we know that they need it and that by the means of preparing for the 25th or the 2nd, reading the Book of Mormon every day, pondering the message, and praying and asking God if it is true, could be one of the greatest blessings for them in their life, and for all their descendents. Inviting so many times per day also makes you think a lot about how to be more like the prophets and apostles.

So this week we had the great blessing of baptizing Jessica Silva and Edwardo Palomino. Brother Palomino asked me to baptize him and Sister Silva asked the second counselor of the bishopric. It was a really awesome baptismal service. The primary sang, two sisters from the Relief Society sang too, Elder Mateus directed, and the spirit was very strong. The wife of a contact from a few days ago came too and she even invited a few members to her future baptism. It was very wonderful. Every Saturday I want to do that. We had arrived in the early morning to fill up the baptismal font and try to warm it up a little, trying everything from heating up buckets on the stove and pouring them in, to putting an iron in a pot and floating it in the water, but entering [the font] it was quite frigid. Nevertheless, Sister Silva and Brother Palomino bravely entered (after overcomming the shock)

Last night we were walking back to the house and a man called us out and asked if we remembered him. We went over and remembering him started to begin to talk. Three men passed us and both Elder Mateus and I felt that it was the time to go. Three seconds later the guy who called us said, "Careful, they are thieves, and we saw that one had a metal pole, the other a knife, and the other something else. Unfortunately as we abruptly left, they heard the remark and turned heel and started arguing. Turning the corner a police truck passed us and we flagged them, sending them to try to do something for the man we know and his friend. I'm glad we knew we had to leave right then and weren't in the area even one second more...

Stake conference was yesterday! The Temple presidents came from Lima and were the best. We had brought an investigator named Jesus who wanted to talk to them. Wow, very cool. They talked about temples. Haha but also about the reality that they [temples] are the House of the Lord, Houses of Miracles. And about the 5 things that we must do to live with God again.

Wow I just received 17 Dear Elders. Muchos [many] thank yous for the packages and letters from family and friends!

I think I shall be writing a letter today, and I will take my shoes to be re-soled so that I have two working pairs. It costs about 20 soles for gringos, probably about 10 for latinos. I'll send my compañion in front.

Love Elder Johnson

24 May 2011: Snail mail letter posted around 3/21/11 and received on 5/20/11

Dear family,
3/21/11

Well, I figured I really, really need to write another letter.  It's hard to find time and I suspect this one will take two p-days, but it's o.k., since I've bought all the things I'll need for the month (soap, shampoo etc.).  Well, this is my first letter from Tacna and I guess it would be great to describe how it is in my second area.  Excellent.  There seems to be a lot more people being prepared here.  After a few weeks, I kind of stopped noticing how poor many of the people are, but it's amazing.

In some of my photos sent by email, ya'll will notice that much of my area here is similar to the part of Augusto Freyre that was called, La Mansion.  The walls are often made of a material of woven reed like plants.  Others of an adobe type brick.  Not sure if it is a composite, but at least [they] are formed of mud.  The nicer structures that aren't in Leguia strictly, are of cinderblocks.  Roofs normally are the wavy sheets of metal or plaster.  In Leguia, the cinderblocks are often below a layer of cement, which is smoothed and sometimes painted.

We were eating breakfast with a member (a well-off member) and he asked us more or less how much do homes cost in the states.  I didn't know what to say exactly, since so much depends on where, but we said $400,000.  He told us thats more than the average Peruvian family makes in 3-4 generations.  That shocked me quite a bit.  I asked how much houses cost here and he said a Michael Jackson mansion would be about $100,000.

Our area, I think y'all know is the last area in Peru.  It goes to Chile and the ocean.  From the south end, we can actually see the ocean!  A bunch of busses go down through our area to the beach and to Chile.

Elder Mateus is a good elder.  He likes to laugh and smile.  He wants to go to Argentina after his mission to meet up with his "future wife" who is writing him [from] there. I don't know why, maybe the fact that we learn to always be with someone, or maybe because we have completely bumped up the law of chastity requirements, to exclude talking flirtatiously, or maybe I'm just dissolusioned since one young lady asked me to take her back to Virginia.  But, where was I?  Oh well.

I think I've commented on the studying I'm doing of Jesus the Christ.  In my last interview with the mission president, be brought up a good point, to be like Him, I have to study how He was.  In His divine and perfect role, He went through many, many trials.  His life was very, very, very difficult, but He found strength, constantly learned in His youth, and learned to teach at a young age.  He learned to value the spiritual things above the physical things, and searched after those things.  Diligently seeking and finding He increased in faith and knowledge.  Late in life, when times were hard, he could rely on what He had learned and the faith he had gained from before.  All that searching resulted in a relationship with the Holy Ghost and with God that allowed him to be  able to know how to deal with the world threats and assaults and teaching situations and everything later.  Through that and his general understanding, He was able to personalize every moment at teaching.  Interestingly, a part of His teachings were to people who rejected the teaching or principle.  I was thinking about that, not sure if I should teach in the same way.  The mission president indicated that I should. I guess it's all about faith whether or not I really believe that as a representative of Christ.  The problem is that we could spend all our time visiting all the people we know, trying to convince people who don't want to progress or we could spend that time looking for people who've been prepared.  The only thing that makes that hard is knowing who to visit.  Really, it's the hardest thing right now.  That and knowing who of the contacts we should get an appointments with.  I'm probably having this trouble because I don't know by the spirit like Christ [did], immediately what each person will do.   Writing this is helping me a lot analyze the way I'm working. . . I'm planning to be fasting and praying a ton this week to be able to grow in my understanding of these principles.  Also, now that I'm a district leader, I can do companion exchanges with the zone leaders regularly.  All the zone leaders are great and I'll be able to learn a ton from them in this [next] six weeks.  I just want to see lots of people in our area follow the example of Jesus Christ and strive to give up sins and be great children of God!

One big problem we face is the constant abuse the people receive from the Jehovah's Witnesses.  O.k.  I shouldn't really say abuse, but if there were no JW's, the people would be a lot more receptive.  Many ask us, or think we are, of that religion.  Plus, they are extremely unreceptive talking to the Witnesses.  It seems almost that they are kind of like Jesus.  From what I've gathered, they don't believe in jesus Christ, or rather in terms on earth but only on His name from before, which they don't know is the same person. 

The family we live with (the Gamboas) are pretty great.  Their daughter in law and son also live here and she runs a pastry supply chain between the cities of IL TACNA and MOCEGUA.  This is wonderful because they are always generous and there also happens to be some that is about to expire regularly.  Since they can't sell it, we get to eat it!  Right now there's a fruit cake sitting on my desk.  Also for special occasions they pull out some treats.  The company's aptly Peruvian exclusive name is Bimbo.  I'm not sure what it's called in the States.  Axel, the 17 year old son, who just walked in for a second is the bomb.  His church calling is seminary teacher [for those of you who don't know, this is a four year course of study of the Old Testament, New Testament, Book of Mormon, and Church History for high school students.  It is usually held daily before school in most areas of the world].

The ward here is interesting.  I guess I never got to analyze anything to do with the activity of the leaders of Arlington ward. . . I just knew that we got home taught and (sometimes) I home taught too.  Now that I'm kind of a part of that [leadership], it feels like no one does their home teaching!  I think few people visit some, and most, none.  I don't really know what's up with that but as someone trying to help people join the ward I count it to be ideal, and to know the new people will be visited diligently.  We need as a ward more time spent on callings, less at the work place ahh.

Well.  Family thank you so much for writing me so much and sorry I don't get to write too much.  But I love you all and by the rate time is going, I'll be back in a jiffy.  Paul, study hard at BYU.

Love,

Elder Johnson

9 May 2011

Paccai

Elder Johnson and Elder Mateus in Tacna

Dear Home,

How is everyone! We are very good here in Tacna. It has been a particularly great day since I got to call y'all! It was such a pleasure. I am going to try to speak with slightly improved grammer also [left uncorrected from a sense of irony].

So this morning I woke up at 6:15 a.m. and did a little bit of cardiovascular and read a little of the scriptures about the 2000 Stripling Warriors to prepare myself to pray with my companion. Next stop was the shower and getting ready really fast to call. EJ phoned home. Later we studied the scriptures. Part of my particular calling is to prepare a District Meeting (meeting of about 6-8 missionaries) in which I usually teach about 45 minutes and we do practices. So this morning I prepared a little for that upcoming weekly meeting, and felt really good doing it. I think it's going to turn out well.

Then Elder Mateus and I studied together a bit and departed to come here! From all of our zone, only one missionary had a transfer, Elder Hunsaker went to Camaná.

I realized, eating the chocolate from the last package I received, that I absolutely love peanut butter cups. I didn't know how good they were but I just really, really enjoyed them. Also my companion [enjoyed them]. I had a possible idea for the upcoming pesky birthday topic, a tripodcito. like the baby tiny 5-inch tall one we have at home. Now that I got my camera back from the repair shop, I am not too keen on placing it on places to leave it on 10 second delay and run to be in the picture, on the other hand, with a little baby tripod, it would be facilito [easy] and segurisimo [very secure].

Oh in the picture there is this weird thing that I'm holding in my hand. That is a Paccai (pakaye). It is a strange looking thing that from the outside looks like a huge bean, but you split it in half and find a soft white material, kind of like a wet cottonish textured fruit. Very interesting and kind of good.

There is a certain part of Preach My Gospel that the President wants us all to know by memory. A little later my companion and I got a gift of a really, really tasty fruitcake from the family Gamboa! We decided (Elder Mateus and I) that as soon as he finished memorizing it, we would eat! Finally after much effort and study, today he finished memorizing all of it! Unfortunately he didn't end up liking the fruit cake... but that is a.o.k. for me!

Yes, so I am thinking that the next few weeks will be great.

Love Elder Johnson

18 April 2011

Dear Family!

Yesterday a ton of people bought crosses made of palm fronds and little palm bouquets. That was a good business to be in yesterday, apart from the whole breaking the sabbath thing. 

This week I went in divisions [splits] with the Zone Leaders! I went to the area Granados with Elder Hunsaker and it was quite awesome. I learned a lot, a lot, and have been working in accordance with these things. The zone leaders are pretty great. Elder Hunsaker and Elder Huaccaychuco have been zone leaders now 8 months! They started when they had 1 year and now are just short of going home. Speaking of which, I feel like I am almost about to complete a year. Sooo crazy that I feel that way. It feels like I don't have any time to learn and do all I want to be able to! To the future missionaries: Prepare yourselves all you can before [your mission], starting months before!

Well, one thing that we struggled with this week was contacts. For the first time since Christmas (I think), we went though a week without talking with more than 200 new people. 196 was the final sum, and it was a great coincidence. Right after all the mission had reported all their numbers of the week, the mission offices called the zone

leaders, and they [called] the distric leaders, and they [called the members of] the districts, to comunicate that all those who had talked with fewer than 200 new people, would be spending their preparation day talking with people and looking for new investigators. So by a margin of 4 we lost P day. But it's fine.  There really should be something to see for a week spent almost dragging our feet. So the goal for today is to talk to 125 people! We will have a ton of extra time since the first planned appointments are at 6, when preparation day normally ends and normal proceedings proceed.

Sunday I felt really, really great leaving the chapel! We definitely were tools in the hands of the Lord to work His work in those hours. First, I prepared myself to take the sacrament in the morning before leaving. I think it was the reason for the awesomeness of the time. So getting there we met a friend of a member who was a full of desires to learn more and really enjoyed the proceedings. We also found Silvana, and young investigator who was completely, completely inspired by the excellent  Young Women's secretary. Go Young Women's secretary of Leguía! Later we met a woman who told us she wanted to reactivate herself and always come [to church]. She has a son who wants to be baptized. After the meetings we were able to coordinate with the ward leaders for visits of the recent converts, which is going to help them so much.

A checkup: Ximenna and Maritsa are doing great! The are coming every Sunday. They even went out to buy dresses to wear to church in (which is a big thing here, we are not rich) Ivan also is doing well. He went to conference and enjoyed it but did not go to church yesterday (noooo!) Junior also didn't... I am a little worried he is planning on just going to church with his girlfriend....

We met a lady named Marta Castro. She is Catholic, like almost all, but hasn't gone in forever, and wants to reform her relation with God. When we knocked on her gigantic door, she just let us in! (if y'all haven't noticed, it is my favorite when they do that, always makes me happy) Even though her children were playing poker, and listening to loud music, she wanted to listen, so she turned off the music, and unfortunately the children dispersed instead of listening. She and her husband paid a ton of attention and learned until something mysteriously grave happened in the other room and they had to attend to that. We had to leave without finishing but she did comment that she felt that she had been prepared to receive us and that no way would she normally invite us in. That was the best part!

Cindy is struggling. She isn't coming to church, and not reading, but she DID start to pray! She also said that she will only progress and do the commitments if I come to the lessons. That was a result of the companion interchange. When Elder Huaccaychuco went with Elder Mateus, she thought I had gone back to the States and she freaked out a little... but basically that wants to say [means] that although [its] heartbreaking and she feels bad and wants to repent of all the sins she frequently does, and become good and clean, she might not be able to at the moment. We shall see.

The April Liahona [http://lds.org/liahona/2011/04?lang=eng] is absolutely the best. It has completely changed a part of my mentality and this change has helped me a TON. I don't know if the Liahona has the same articles as the Ensign, but I hope y'all can read what I got to. It should right?

Well folks. that's about all I have time for. Till next week!

Love Elder Johnson