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