5 March 2012

Dear Family,

5 March 2012

We just passed a week of feeling like better missionaries. Haha I was just reading the Dear Elder about my common spelling mistakes [from Mom]. Today I´m gonna hit "check spelling" so that it doesn't leave here so bad. Pretty embarrassing, my English, but that’s fine.

The Stake President asked me out of the blue how to say "te voy a matar" in English "I kill you?". I told him "I am going to kill you.... why?" He said he was laughing and laughing about a youtube video he saw about a ventriloquist who kept saying that and the translation of that is "te voy a matar". He got a good laugh out of that, and a BYU movie that is a parody of a popular song.. we were going to see the second... but decided to delay that till we are on our time [after the mission].

Today we are going to have a barbecue with the President again! This time I think we shall not come back to shower.. haha, les conté del ultimo mes no? [I told you about last month, right?]

Sunday we were fasting and I studied Isaiah 58. I liked it a lot. Sunday, a young person who we had contacted came to church! That was a surprise. His family are less active members. We shall see. Appointment is Wednesday.

You all reminded me of the small teaching we had with the Israelite pastor who was watching and waiting over his drunk band mate as he undrunked himself when I was reading the Dear Elder where Eric said it was probably the wildest thing ever (haha) and I called him. He said he is in Juliaca (part of the adjacent mission) working a gig there for this week but that he is going to come back next week and would love to be able to talk when he gets back in the next week. we are gonna see. It would be so awesome.

I just read about Haystacks in the Dear Elder [tortilla chips, refried beans, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, salsa].. mmmmmm I would LOVE some, but it’s all good. Our pensioner [landlady] asked us what was new of the food when we got here, and I said, "todo!" (everything)! haha I showed her the bread in my hand and said "This doesn’t exist there" and the plate either, and the salsa, and the juice, and the everything. The only thing that’s the same is the rice... but that too is a species that is distinct from the rice I grew up with. The sister makes really good tasting rice. She throws.. something I don’t know what but something in there to make it tasty. They have a rice maker that is, but huge. (that’s a spanish phrase that means really, really big, "but huge" -- did they say that in Honduras? Es, pero gigante!) [yes, they did--with gestures and facial expressions to accompany the exaggeration!]

We worked a little this week passing out invitations to the President’s mission preparation class. I read the letter and there was an awesome quote by Elder Ballard. Here is a feeble translation, but for the apostolic rhetoric, and for all, read the talk! it’s in the Liahona of November 2002 page 47 in spanish....

“What we need now is the greatest generation of missionaries that has ever existed in the history of the Church. We need worthy, trained, and spiritually vigorous missionaries, who, like the 2000 stripling warriors of Helaman, are extremely valiant in courage, and strength of activity, and that are in all moments faithful to whatever thing that is trusted in them (Alma 53:20).

But look up the talk Paul!

We are planning that seed of the idea that we had last week. We want to place an invitation to General Conference in every home in our area... since before it was 2 areas... it’s going to be a little of a challenge, but I think we shall do it at the same time as we do our morning exercises, running. That should work well.

We were a little discouraged one day because lots of people were rejecting us outright, and we decided to keep on talking to everyone! We talked to a lady about how today the Lord is restoring everything, and she was basically stunned that today He has sent 12 disciples and prophets just like He did 2000 years ago. I like it so much when the people give an ear to what we are saying. It’s really stunning. I continue to be amazed by the little reading in Our Heritage that I have been able to do.

Love Elder Johnson