Snail Mail Letter, probably about 4/1/12

Dear Family,


Lined paper!  Fun, no? I like writing on lined paper a lot more than those papers with squares that I've sent you.  Right now, my writing my be extra hard to read since I'm taking advantage of a 40 minutes ride in the bus/van to get some thoughts/experiences down.  This bus is a little bigger than the [Toyota] Sienna that we have [in Arlington].  The roof is raised and we are currently driving through the water/sewage that is left over from when the drains overflowed yesterday and the day before in the rain.  I think that they are one system--storm drains and drains from the bathroom, although maybe they are by our house in Virginia too. . . I really don't know.  Whenever I dreamed of touring the storm drains in the park behind our house [in Virginia], I imagined them as separate and clean.


This morning for exercise, we ran to the hills at one side of our area.  With google earth, it should be pretty easy to find the spot though I don't know if you can get to know the streets with street views--I suspect not.  If you can find Tingo, pretty much from the big intersection of Tingo where the street curves into Hunter until the street Brasilia, bordered also by the farms on the Misty side and the farms/river on the away from Misty side. (Misty is the volcano in the middle [he drew a bumpy landscape with an arrow pointing to "Misty".]


There are about 500 members on the ward's records.  We had some 150-200 in church at the ward conference on March 11, 2012.  There was a choir!  Accompanied by a pianist!!!  It was so much prettier to sing with a piano.  I would like to be able to play it, but I don't know well enough.  The pianist was a visiting from another ward just to play in the conference.  I'm definitely looking forward to General Conference!  I don't know if this letter will get there before conference though.  I suspect not.


Anyway, last time I was in Hunter in the ward a few minutes walk from Hunter (Agosto Freyre) there wasn't much green at all.  Due to the rain, the hills have gained a nice coat of green!  I like it.


As for our investigators, we need to do something to be able to find all those people who are being prepared.  Keep praying so that we can find them all!


Well, this letter is taking forever.


We just finished playing football and soccer.  It's important to play together in order to build unity in the zone.  The zone is passing a particularly hard month.  We've got to work much harder this month of April.  We are hoping that from tomorrow, we can get perfect.


In writing this letter, I find myself with perfect health, not a problem in the world.  I DID get the shoes you all sent me.  I think y'all had to send them in two different boxes?  They got here re-boxed in boxes from the mission, I think.


Just today I heard how Paul is going to the Arizona-Tempe mission (spanish speaking)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And this is so excellent!


I hope all the months left can be really good missionary preparation there!  And while I'm here and Paul there, I hope to get all the letters of Paul!  Has he ever read the Book of Mormon alone?  He should make that a priority definitely to start feasting every day from the words of Christ, for they will tell us all the things that we must do.  That's so exciting that he will be able to start the absolute best two years of his lifetime so far.


Anyway, I close for now till next Monday in my letter. I hope this week we can find each and every chosen child so they can see the conference.


Love,


Elder Johnson

25 July 2011 Super Week

Elder Johnson and Elder Hunsaker on hillside in Camana

Dear the family!

Ok, so a lot happened this week. I AM feeling better with the cold almost perfect.

We met up with a former investigator this week who is named Sledgehammer. No joke. He is Adventist and didn't really want to believe anything, but it was interesting. His friends just call him the Hammer. By the way, the recent convert Nails will be coming back soon!

In our room we noticed that there is one calendar that has the seventh day as Sunday, and one as Saturday. Brings up an interesting series of questions.

Friday we got fried bananas for lunch with rice, cooked onions and a meat thing that is called Arroz a la Cubana. I mention it since mom sent me a picture of something like that from her trip to Honduras. Very good it turned out. Lomo Saltado is even more tasty if someone wants to try Peruvian food I'm sure you can look up a recipe online. maybe even in English.

Well, Armando and Vanessa, the young couple who are awesome have been having some problems progressing mostly due to their son, who is 1 1/2 years old. He is the most mischevious child ever and spends most the lessons taking our scriptures and giving them to his parents, and then returning them, riding his toy car around the room, and throwing toys. The only respite is when he gets hungry and goes to his mom. One time he mistakenly went to his dad during a lesson. Hahaha so funny. But they actually do learn dispite all the noise made by their son and we always can feel the spirit. Armando is a professional soccer player.

Christus in Camana

Elder Hunsaker and I have designated this week as Super Week since it is his last. I will be trying sooo hard to make it his best. It's definitely kind of weird to be with someone in their last week, having about 53 more weeks left for me. It's definitely freaking me out that I have so little time. About to finish a year, I feel like I should know more and be more repented. So that's the big job for the next two weeks.

This week will be the zone conference. Part of my awesome new set of responsibilities will be to give a 17 minute training about how to do Ward Council and Executive Council better.... now that I think about it,  I should have asked for suggestions last week... for next time it'll be. But 17 minutes isn't much compared to the 70 minute ones I did weekly as District Leader so I'm not worried about time so much as content.

In Peru there is a lot of neighborhood unity. They throw block parties in celebration of their neighborhood anniversary every year, and those in my area have all been in the past weeks. It's cool. A mariachi type band comes and plays ALL DAY and the alcohol definitely gets pumping. There was a cock fight last night in one of the parties, but I think that was just a private party.

Verdant Valley in Camana (maybe this is at the chapel?)

This morning Elder Hunsaker and I were enjoying very much some Mormon Tabernacle Choir, so much. He is a cool person. From Logan and so funny. I think I have not gone a single waking hour without laughing in our time together. He also watched Star Trek, Star Wars, and StarGate... which makes his way nerdier than me. ehem cough.

Looks like that's it for today. I feel like this week will be great. The changes [transfers] are coming with the end of the week, and we are forseeing many many changes in the zone, but almost the most sure thing ever said that I won't have a change [transfer]. Which is wonderful, cuz we need to keep working hard in Branch Porvenir. Yesterday a total of more than 50 people came [to church]!!! That's the most we've had since the Branch Conference! I felt like I had to shake someone's hand and be very happy about it in church. When I did I noticed that she was VERY unhappy, but later when she saw me the look on her face said "Thank you for being the person I needed to be nice to me in that moment!" That was cool.

Love

Elder Johnson

P.S. I'm going to write a letter and send a card, but keep the ones [pictures] I email so they can be there just in case I lose a card.