20 August 2012

Dear family,

AAHHHHHHH this week has been pretty great. We didn't do splits with the missionaries because we decided to take a week to focus on our area, so that the example could be a little better, and it worked excellently. We raised almost all of our records as companions, we found more in one week than I've ever found in the mission, we had 8 investigators in sacrament meeting, and an excellent coordination with the ward leaders to help them all feel great and at home there (all the investigators were grabbed and loved immediately after the prayer and taken to their classes). That was way cool. To make that happen we wrote on some little sticky notes a little note to the leaders of each organization about the investigators who were there for their classes, and gave those to the brother who is secretary, who passed it to them. 

We had a little miracle with the family Chita. I don't know if you remember that, but we had a while ago a really cool family who we were teaching, but the dad never wanted to come down from the second floor or talk with us, nothing. We were planning one night and the thought came that we should go back to them to find them. So we passed by unannounced one afternoon, and we found the mom, a few of the sons, and all at once the dad drives out of the driveway! (they have a wall between the lawn and the driveway, and the street -- which is a really rare feature, even rarer than having a car even though he isn't a taxi driver ---- He didn't stop to talk, but we passed a few mintutes with the mom making plans to pass by his bookstore to get to know him, and he got back with his daughter! He parked outside and walked past us and we were able to talk with him! We did our best to get his confidence and we agreed to visit him with his wife Sunday.

Sunday I went in splits with Hermano Dueñas. It was a very, very spiritual lesson. First Hermano Dueñas shared his whole conversion story. He also was Catholic 20 years ago, and he shared about how much he was able to change his life becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. He bore testimony as a father, who let the gospel into his house, and I bore testimony as a son, who grew up with the gospel in the house. He was touched, and promised that before we meet again, he will KNOW that the Book of Mormon is true.

I can't write even the hundreth part of what happened this week.

This morning, reading Words of Mormon as part of my Book of Mormon estudio [study] for the 8th time in the mission I FINALLY understood how the whole 116 pages and the small plates and large plates thing works. Haha. Took me long enough. I thought I understood before, but now I really do. 

Love Elder Johnson

23 July 2012

Dear Family and Friends,

First, I got some GREAT NEWS THIS WEEK!!!!!

I wanted to let you know about how Brother Cabrera is doing! GREAT!

The Elders in Porvenir told me (the other day we got together for a meeting as zone leaders). They said he is working a ton in the work of the Lord, that his wife is the president of the Young Women, and they go in his car to reactivate with the Elders all the time. They are so happy and lots of their family members are being baptized.

Also, at last, the branch president, President Hilaccama, has been released after 15 years as Branch President. What a long calling for him. (haha) But he did so much work in that time. The new Branch President is our beloved Brother Cabrera! with 4.5 months as member they called him into the branch presidency :))))) I was so happy to hear that he is now working so hard too. He’s getting used to interviews, to activation, to all the work that is now asked of him, but they are happy, especially since so many are coming to church from his family! This month it looks like there will be 15 baptisms in the Branch! With all the activation, it’s growing a ton! That's soooo great to hear, no? I'm so happy for them.

This week has been really special. We had a mission spin (how do you say gira misional en ingles?) a mission tour or mission visit? from a member of the first Quorum of the 70: Elder Uceda. It was marvelous. First he came to Tacna, and the zones from Mollendo, Tacna, Ilo, and Moquegua came all [there’s a spanish-ism] to a meeting house in our zone here in Zone Alameda. We had a meeting with him from 2:45 to 7 and we were so amazed at how he taught. He taught us about something pretty simple, the obedience to the missionary handbook, and the standards that are in it contained, especially: Stay Together. He also talked about not Tuteando. No idea how to say that in ingles, but basically it’s a grammatical form that doesn’t really exist in English, apart from the closest thing which would be thee and thy.... but anyway, in spanish, it’s used to talk to people informally. Like as if the two are "bro´s" haha. Anyway, in Peru it is the way they normally talk to show more friendship. Elder Uceda came and talked about how we should never use that tense, because it detracts from the calling (I imagine the only one understanding this is mom... and Elder Johnson2 [speaking of Paul, who is currently in the MTC learning spanish, and a number of other spanish speakers who will read this letter]. Anyway, it was so powerful when he said: You have to be different. You are missionaries. He taught us about DyC 36:2 and told us to read it like this: And I will put my hand on thee by the hand of my servant President Hall. Wow that was an impressive application.

Next, we had a meeting with all the zone leaders in Arequipa with him and the President. He took another 2 hours out of his schedule to teach us about the process of the conversion. He talked about his personal conversion to the Church. He was a young person of 18 years and he met the missionaries and they gave him a Book of Mormon. He talked about how they both were from the United States (in that time there were very few members who were Peruvians) and one spoke very well, and the other hardly could speak spanish. He remembered thinking, this missionary must really believe what he is telling me, whatever it is, it must be true. He started reading it that night and read all night. He said he didn’t have hunger or thirst in that time and he just wanted to read, because it made him feel good and feel the love of God. The next day he told the missionaries that he wanted to be baptized. His first Tuesday after his baptism he went to mutual [a class at church for the youth]. He felt good, he felt like he belonged. His brothers who were a little more social than he went off immediately with some friends, and he, shy, stayed back. People were shuffling to and fro and they were talking and busy and he was standing there without knowing anybody... He started to feel uncomfortable... So, he started to read the announcement board... Still nobody came.. So, he kept reading. He read the whole thing, and nobody came over to talk to him, he looked around, everybody already knew each other... so he read the board again. The second time, the third, the fourth, the fifth.. nobody talked to him. He started to feel bad, he started thinking, “I should go home. I can go home, and I can be a good member of the church, but at home, I’ll read this book that makes me happy when I read it at home and I’ll do all God wants me to at home because I’m not wanted here I won’t come back. He looked to the door and started moving to go, and a young women leaves a classroom between him and the door. Shy, he looks down and doesn’t say anything. She says: Hello. He doesn’t say anything, She says, "Here’s a candy for you" He feebly looks up but says confused "No I don’t like candy" so she took his arm and walked him right into the room with the other young people, and presented him to them all. He said "Then I sat down, and stayed, and I’m still here"

Can you imagine what would have happened if that young women hadn’t been moved upon by the spirit to walk out? or if she had been shy about making friends with Elder Uceda? Wow.... it is quite a thing to think about. It’s really important to make friends with those who don’t have friends in the church.

Something that really impacted me was how he talked about the process of the conversion to the Church and the Gospel. He talked about all the complex things that are part of the missionary department, and all the staff and the MTCs of the world, the coordination, the part the Twelve [apostles] play, all the work they do, but that all comes down to the moment that 2 missionaries are in front of and investigator, and they are in front of the Book of Mormon, and God. Wow. It’s true.

An update on Renzol Vallejos! He’s doing great! He’s the one who showed up in church last week. He came yesterday too and is preparing for his baptism this Saturday! He got an answer to his prayer and is just anxious to learn all he can. He is great. Also, for the week after there is a man who is solid whose children prayed and asked the Lord if they should reactivate themselves and if the church really was true a few weeks ago. He decided to guide his family back to the church being baptized as they have been! The ward is getting animated too with some of the new things we are doing to get just great relations with them. I’m really enjoying my time with Elder Jones!

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