3 September 2012

Ahh!

Querido phamily,

This has been really really fun. As a note, Paul sent me a picture of our new front lawn. It's pretty! Tons of trees and green and stuff. Looks pretty weird. Haha just kidding.

This SUNDAY WAS AWESOME! the whole ward, well half the active body almost, went to the temple last week. And they came back Sooo happy. It lined up with a testimony meeting too which made for a really powerful meeting. There were a bunch of future saints in the meeting too who were impacted by the testimonies, especially the testimonies of the youth who went. Almost all the youth who went bore testimony of their experiences.

Apart from that, about.. let's see... one friend of a saint came to church and felt really strongly the spirit. She had a few questions like why don't you have pictures in the chapel. Until someone had asked me that a month ago, I hadn't even realized that the churches, especially the catholic, always have pictures in their chapels. That's interesting. Also, there was a young man who has 15 years who was happy to be there and there was another lady with her two kids who we actually didn't get to meet! Mom dad, friends, when you see someone new, always talk with them, make them feel your genuine love, and get them to know the missionaries, another who is an older man who sells stuff here in Tacna and also lives in the jungle of Lima, our gospel principles class teacher who is always on the ball asked him a little about his situation to find out who he was, where from etc, and straightly asked him if he was planning on being baptized here or in Lima. Yesterday was the first time we've seen him so that was just the directness that he needed to know how to do this thing he wants of coming to Christ. She invited him to a family home evening Tuesday with a recent convert Sandra Astete and a few others from her class. 

Apart from those, sister Chita came with two of her kids and she came fasting for her husband who is still not embracing the gospel with all his heart like she is. Her daughter went to Arequipa to see if she could get into a university there, and we were hoping she wouldn't so that when her dad is ready they can all get baptized as a family, and she didn't get in. When they told us we reacted like this YES! oh um... also sad but mostly YES!

In the afternoon we started splits with some members and I went with Osman and we contacted some references of his family. He has been back from the mission for 2 years now, and has been married for 1.5 years. Apart from getting married quickly, he gives a constant example in everything he does. I asked his cousins who he presented to me if they believed that The Lord helps him and they said YES faster than a speeding bullet. Osman was baptized something like 6 years ago, and his strong example helps others to be prepared. We invited them to be baptized with an uncle of theirs and they accepted.

We also went Saturday with Aldo Lopez, a friend of ours, to a friend of his. She is really really awesome. She felt the spirit very strongly and could just tell during the lesson that all we were saying was true. Also accepted a baptismal goal. 

What Roland sent me in a Dear Elder has been excellent. We invite everyone we get to know to be baptized at once. That helps a lot. Not just to let them know how to come unto Christ with clarity, but it helps us to be of purer heart I think. I really like it because you can start in any way. Talk about Christ for 5 seconds, or just say: Hello, we are mormon elders. We have the authority to baptize. Would you like to be baptized? And if its said with a pure heart and the eye single to the glory of God, almost everyone says yes haha. Most will express some reserves after, but its just a great thing to do. It makes me happy for some reason.

I like what Manyan Liendo said: A communist is communist until he becomes a millionaire, and an atheist is an atheist until the plane goes down. That kid is pretty amazing. He is now finishing Jacob and launching into Enos. Enos is the best! We gave him an assignment to look for all the places in the Book of Mormon where it testifies of Christ today. We've just got to find his elusive mother so he can have permission to be baptized.

We asked the landlord of our room to take some names to the temple, and something marvelous happened. of the four we sent, two finally told us that the reason they haven't been baptized yet is not just because her mother has been opposed (even though she has 24 years) but that she has felt addicted to coffee. Also, her mom this week decided to support her in her decision to be baptized out of nowhere.. that was special.

No me alcanca el tiempo por los otros, Chao! [I don't have any more time for the rest, Goodbye!)

Love Elder Johnson

13 August 2012

Dear the family,

Esta semana ha sido una semana hermosisima [This has been a most beautiful week]. We were privileged to presenciate [witness] the baptismal service of our friend Savino Mayta. It was really really especially pretty because we were able to plan with a member of the sumos [High Priests] who sang with his wife and he played guitar a hymn. Also that a there were quite a few people there (after this picture, an activity ended and a bunch of people came). It was also very pretty because afterwards, his two children were able to talk. I was a little unprepared for what they shared. His son, who has 26 years, shared the history of the church in his family. He shared about how his mom was baptized about 30 years ago and how he was baptized 2 years ago and how for a year they were going with their mom and his sister who was baptized at the same time.

They had fallen away from activity a year ago, and like I wrote last week, had decided as a family to come back to the church, even with the Dad who still wasn't a member. He had been thinking that he should be baptized "the day Christ was born, the 25 of December," or that's what they told us. He had held firm that view and thought until last Sunday. Last Sunday was fast Sunday. His daughter had talked to the bishop the week before, and the gospel principles teacher had also mentioned the power of fasting.

His daughter, who is about 30, when she talked at his baptism told of how she had met with the bishop and expressed her desires that in the next trip the ward does to Lima (a 22 hour bus ride) she wants to be sealed with her family. Our marvelous bishop told her how great that idea was, and that it would be important that he can be baptized this month, so that he can complete the one year preparation before the ward trip next August (the whole ward is really excited for the trip of this year, which is going to be the 27 of this month!).

She told us that she became worried, and mentioned to her dad that he should be baptized this month to be able to make the ward trip and be sealed all, he resisted and stayed with the idea of December for his baptism. So, was quite worried. But she remembered the counsel of the bishop and of our gospel principles class teacher. She decided to fast. She said in that baptism that she had never fasted before, and she knew it was going to be hard since at 6 she always gets really hungry. So to keep her fast, she decided to go to sleep. haha. In the morning she said she woke up with a strange sensation. She wasn't hungry, she just felt good. They went to church, they ended their fast, and we went to visit them in the night. That was last Sunday.

While there, just like I wrote last week, we read with him some scriptures, and had planned to invite him to be baptized for the 11 of August.

We read Alma 7 and analyzed it, and the spirit started to work in him. He decided to be baptized and now we know why his daughter was so emotional about that decision. Her fast was answered. They will be able to go to the temple with the ward next year!

Telling that story she got quite emotional and expressed her great great happiness. It was amazing to see that we had been involved in the Lords answering her fast. Good to be worthy of being part of answering a fast.

After his baptism, he invited the 30 or so people who were there to his house to share some food, and they were really worried because there were way way more than they were expecting. But it was somehow more than enough. 

Also, Sunday, we were in the sacrament meeting praying and praying that the Lord could bring his chosen children to church. The two ladies who were going to be baptized next week didn't come for some reason. We have got to find out about how to help them. Anyway, after talking with an investigator who is struggling to get married to be able to make his cohabitation relation after the manner of the Lord and be baptized, we went to the Gospel Principles class. The teacher came up to us excitedly and said: "Elders, this is Sandra, she wants to be baptized." I about fainted.

God answers prayers.

She is the friend of a member. She went to church years ago but never was baptized, and stopped going at some point. But she came yesterday with the desire to change her life once and for all and be baptized. It should be soon her service.

That's all the time I've got.

Love you all,

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

Washington D.C. Temple, Roland Wood and Mark Johnson

June 5, 2010 Barry and Roland Wood.  Mark and Jeff Johnson.