11 June 2012

Dear Family,

13 June 2012

This week we had the baptism of the family Delgado! Jonathan y Diana! That was such a great experience. They really felt the spirit in this week and have been able to be prepared by us and more by the Lord. They also got to be confirmed by us in the Ward Conference. I visited them in splits just before their baptismal interviews, and we reviewed everything. Jonathan said how a friend had criticized him for taking the decision to be baptized, but he had born testimony and that had quieted his friend. They are such a cool family.

This week has been fun, I learned so much. Elder Beletanga and I have personalities that work really interestingly together. He is really awesome. And Ecuatoriano who just loves to work. His legs (which are about 75% the length of mine) have a way to move so fast that I sometimes have to run to keep pace, but that’s perfect for me. Walking slowly just kills me.

I spent my birthday in Arequipa. The President planned conveniently the Zone Leader’s conference for my birthday so I got cake and everything. (just kidding that was a coincidence, but a great one. 

Thanks SO Much for all y’all sent me, I can’t wait to make that cake... the brown sugar will be a hard thing to find on the ingredients list. [I sent him ingredients for my chocolate chip cookies. . . but figured he could find brown sugar there. . . drat.]

I have really restricted time today... for something that happened. On the way here we passed a lady who was at the point of crying. We stopped and turned around and started talking with her. There are so many problems that come from living together. Elder Beletanga has an interesting way of seeing it. He says: Living together is like saying, "We don’t know if it will go well, so let’s fornicate, and if it goes well... we´ll make a home." He tells me how he feels particularly strongly about it, and seeing and talking with so many people who have fallen into that trap, I know that it is a wo of the people. It generates broken homes, disorder, men with children in all parts of the city, broken hearts, feelings of helplessness, and despair, as does all sin. Mosiah 2:41 gives us a vision of how the Lord wants our lives to be and the way to achieve it. Also Alma 36:1-3 and Mosiah 2: 22-24. Lets work so that everyone knows how to avoid these consequences! Almost everyone just does it because the rest do.

Love Elder Johnson