Transfer to Camana, Peru! 6/27/11, Zone Leader

Mark's new area:  Porvenir in Camana

Camana

Camana

Querido Familia,

Sorry I couldn't email the last week! I woke up at 12:30 a.m. again to get that call. At 6:00 a.m., I was in the bus terminal and at 7:00 a.m., I was on the road leaving Tacna. By 1:00 p.m., I was in Arequipa and bought another ticket to go to Camaná. My new companion is Elder Hunsaker. I have mentioned him before since he was my Zone Leader in Tacna when I had just barely arrived. He is a great, great missionary and I am very happy to be his companion. A great opportunity to learn a BUNCH.

Our area is called Porvenir, and we are a little branch in the hills of Camana. All of my areas so far have been on the outskirts of whatever city I have been in. It is a seaside city and the valley area is mostly used with farm fields. It is very, very pretty and this afternoon in my preparation time I am planning on going up the hills to the last areas to take pictures. When I got here I was stunned.

Eric I wanted to thank you for being so awesome at writing EVERY Sunday!

The people here are very, very nice, very, very humble, and I am thinking it is a very chosen place, we just need to turn it into a little Zion.

Elder Hunsaker says I have to tell y'all about Victor and Juan. Victor and Juan are the BEST. We contacted Juan about 5 days ago and it was amazing. He is so interested and intelligent. We gave him a pamphlet and made another appoinment. In the second, his brother came out to talk with us too (they have one of those family stores). The third time we came, we asked them about their reading in the pamphlets. They had read them really closely and asked questions about the difference between the baptism of Joseph Smith and the difference between the Melchizedek and Aaronic Priesthoods. It was awesome! We asked Victor if he had prayed and asked God if it was true the message, and he said he did.

He said that when he asked, he felt something really strong, a peace and a feeling very spiritual that it is true. Juan also felt the Spirit (Galations 5:22-23). Very happy, we were. Walking out Elder Hunsaker told me: "up top"

We have some great people and missionaries in this zone!

Love you all!

Elder Johnson

30 May 2011

Dear family,
May 30, 2011
Well. The month of May has passed and we haven't successfully invited anyone to follow Jesus Christ. Christian and Josue want to be baptised but their mom doesn't want them to. Victor is still the best, and wants to go to church forever, but still fears praying and asking God if the Iglesia de JesuCristo de los Santos de los Ultimos Días is true. Gerald has in his mind August [for baptism], which might turn out since he is facing a few struggles with the Commandments, Adela is having lots of marrige struggles and for that doesn't want to continue so much being a part of the church of the father of her daughter. Edwardo is progressing and [his baptism] is a possibility for this Saturday! Also, Jessica is progressing and is a possible baptismal candidate.
This week I have been trying to bring the spirit into the lives of all the people I can possibly give. Well, more the last two days. Thursday and Friday we had a problem. I think we were relying more on our own ability and didn't actually teach anyone in a real lesson. We couldn't invite anyone to learn about Jesus these two days. Later I figured I needed to rely more on God and we were blessed with 4 lessons per day Saturday and Sunday. I want to become a teacher more like Christ. Me falta mucho pero estoy aprendiendo. [I lack a lot, but I'm still learning] With that goal, we met Leo.
Leo is very smart, and said that he is very religious but doesn't asist [attend] any church because feels like they are corrupt and not the most efficient way to follow Christ. Well, we talked a little, and I was definitely feeling the Spirit. We explained very simply about the Great Apostasy and he was totally in agreement with everything. We explained the Restauration [Restoration] and he got a little cold. Leaving, I asked myself  how is it that someone who seems to be pious and realizes the Apostasy can reject the message and the feelings we brought. The first words the Jesus Christ spoke in this dispensation answered my question.
In Jesus The Christ, I read about the Apostasy. James E Talmage definitely felt strongly about it. It is a pretty amazing chapter. Read it! And then read the Chapter of the Resauration [Restoration]. He says that in 1820, for the fourth time, God the Father gave simple testimony of Jesus Christ and that His commandments should be followed. I liked that part.
Sadly the huge dog that lives on our roof fell off today. From the third floor. We hope he can recover, but [he] at least broke his leg. One of the four. And I'm sure he has a concussion. We saw him shaking for the shock and pain right after he fell and before the family took him to the vet.
I have been a little worried about Leguía because now that I feel like those who I contact really have the chance to receive a testimony from the Holy Ghost that we are ministers of Christ, and that still tons reject us... what does that mean for them. I feel like almost all Leguíans pass through life spiritually blind. I want to open their eyes. We pray every day that the Spirit can be poured over our area and prepare the people to hear the gospel.
Lastly, in my studies, I have taken apart Jacob 5: the Lord of the Vineyard. It is pretty awesome. I like especially how much the Lord works for the vineyard and how much He worries about it. Also I like that He planted a tree in a part that was really, really dry and infertile, but knew that the tree could do it [survive and even thrive---I imagine this hits home because of the terrain around Leguia]] and helped the tree a lot. Interestingly, lots of times it repeats that the branches that don't give good fruit are cast off and burned.
A week of lots of work comes.
Love
(firma) [signature]
Elder Johnson

16 May 2011

Elder Johnson on left at Margarita's baptism (age 81)

This is the House of Israel

Querido Familia [Dear Family],

Another wonderful week has passed and unfortunately it will never come back. But I do know that it was a good one. By the way this computer has google chrome which is making me happy.

So the second picture is of a member's house. So y'all know, it is the House of Israel! Israel lives there. If anyone wants to know where exactly to find the House of Israel, just look up Pueblo Libre Manzana 9 Lote 14 AB Leguía Tacna Tacna Tacna Peru. They are the best there.

So Wednesday I was thinking to myself, how can we contact lots of people at the same time... Thinking about that, we passed La Cachina. It is an area that is left open in the middle of our area.  Every Wednesday it gets filled with a type of market that looks like a huge garage sale, kind of like what they do in the Washington-Lee High School parking lot every once in a while. So when we got there, we heard someone selling mandarins and advertising them with a megaphone thing. So that perked my interest since there were about 200 or 300 people listening in the area. So we contacted the family selling there, and asked if we could use the loudspeaker. I talked just a little to everyone! And ultimately invited all to meet us in the church just a few blocks away.

With that great experience, Thursday it was cold and we were knocking doors returning to the house. We decided to sing to all the people that opened the door: Families can be together forever. It was pretty awesome but a little difficult since I was trying to do it without reading the Spanish words, and translating in my head befuddled the part that says eee ternal pue den ser las fami lias, saying faa milias pue dan ser eee ter nal. Chistoso it was. [It was funny].

Saturday an investigator of the Sisters was baptised! Sister Margarita has 81 years and was really, really determined to be baptized. It was the best, but a little complicated. Since she couldn't really walk, we carried her with three people in white, I actually baptized her but the three of us submerged her. She was sooo soo happy but also quite surprised. I don't think she has submerged herself in water in the past 40 years.

This week we taught Gerald the Word of Wisdom (see Doctrine and Covenants 89). He made a big deal about how hard it would be and how a little bit of alcohol is good for the digestion and all, and then started talking about his history with that ideology and how he started saying: ok just one glass, then just one liter, then just 2 then 3 and basically convinced himself that we shouldn't even drink a little since it leads to a lot Haha. True. So after all that, he said: "Yea, I commit myself to keep this commandment too. Gerald is the best, but has a really hard time going to church! Gr!

Christian and his cousin Josue are doing really well. They feel the spirit. They read the Book of Mormon. They are always excited for our appointments. They are the best! Their friend Victor is also the best. Let it be known that the Book of Mormon is a holy book of scripture. That whoever reads it, thinks about the message to understand, and prays asking the same God of Abraham, of Jacob, of Moses, if it is his word, can know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is. I promise all who do so with faith, a sincere heart and real intention to follow the answer - whatever it may be - will be able to feel and know it is true.

Last Monday- the preparation day (the only day we would be doing this)- we watched a movie that is called "On The Lord's Errand". It is about the Prophet that God has called right now, whose name is Thomas S. Monson. Watching it was the best. Family: watch it. Friends, talk with missionaries and then watch it.

Love Elder Johnson