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

26 March 2012

Dear Family,

This week was quite gratifying.

News point: our elders quorum president is called Erni. hahaha.

The Dear Elders I got were very fun to read! I was amazed by what Grandpa said about the studies about the Book of Mormon. Ancient drawings that detail Ether, the legends that remain of the visit of Christ here, and grammatical delicacies not possible to have been made without the inspiration of God.

I got one [DearElder] from Kirsten! That gives me her address again. I shall have to see what to do to finish a series of letters. I’m going particularly slow :( Trying to get it out.

We invited some 300 people to the conference. We are so excited about the coming conference that we are doing all possible to help other people get there. I wish I had words cutting and powerful, like a two bladed sword so all could realize what I'm talking about. One problem that limits the understanding of many is that there is another church that will have some sort of celebration for the "real birthday" of Christ, and they are working pretty hard as a congregation to invite all (the 5th of April....) and many confuse us with them when we invite them. They don't typically have a very happy conception of those misunderstandings. But it is good that their invitations will help some have more faith in Christ.

I was teaching the class of Gospel Principles yesterday in church and the topic that corresponded (I think) was The Priesthood. We had a good discussion and the sister Palomino, who is awesome, said the prayer and asked that the Lord bless us to be able to teach so that she could come to know better the true church. Towards the end she also asked about what are the organizations of the priesthood. That’s next week, but because of the general conference I’m not sure if we will be able to teach it (the bishop said we are going to skip that class), so we explained it yesterday with her question. We talked about the Aaronic Priesthood and Melchezidek Priesthood, about the responsibilities of each, about blessings and ordinances (which went along with the plan of this week) and she asked if she could share a story. Last week she came to church and asked for a blessing for her baby, who was super sick. After receiving the blessing for her baby, she had to go with a family member to get medicine and go to the hospital, but that the really high fever went down. When they got to the hospital they said that they would have to take out a blood sample from her baby to diagnose the problem, but when they did so, he was totally clean [healed]. She said that in that moment, she was so surprised and in awe, and said: "hay tanto poder en las bendiciones." [There is so much power in the (priesthood) blessings]. It was pretty awesome to be in the class at that moment. Santiago 5:14-15, DyC 84:20.

 14 Is any ^asick among you? let him call for the ^belders of the church; and let them ^cpray over him, ^danointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

 15 And the ^aprayer of ^bfaith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be ^cforgiven him.  (James 5:14-15)

Michael Huamani, we visited and his grandpa came in. His grandpa is the source of the problems. I’ve been reading the Old Testament about the blessings of the Lord for the obedient, and the Book of Mormon, which makes the point clearer than the blue sky, and have been feeling how true it is. Anyway, he came and said he was baptized a 8 years ago. And said that when he did so, everything went wrong and he decided to go back to his old ways, and things were better. The old man didn’t realize, but we understood by the few clues that slipped out that he had ceased to keep the commandments. And then everything went wrong, and then he repented and stopped breaking so many commandments, but also left the church of the Lord. For not having success in his enterprises, he says the church isn’t true, and that his grandchild shouldn’t be baptized. He was also a little drunk at the time. It’s frustrating. The word and promise hasn’t changed Alma 36: 1-3 and so many other times in the Book of Mormon.

 1 My ^ason, give ear to my words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.

 2 I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our fathers; for they were in ^abondage, and none could ^bdeliver them except it was the ^cGod of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.

 3 And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their ^atrust in God shall be supported in their ^btrials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be ^clifted up at the last day. (Alma 36: 1-3)

At church, a young man showed up of some 25 years [of age]. He was with his cousin and we got to meet him and tomorrow we are going by. It’s interesting how the last two times we have fasted, someone unexpected came to church all by himself.

Right now the lady of the internet place (who is member) put on Come thou Fount by the Mormon tabernacle! so good.

We had a family home evening with a family. That was great Saturday! The family was obviously converted and when the mom testified about the Book of Mormon, she got all excited explaining how she applies 1 Nephi to her life. The Lord really wrote that book well putting just the right person in the right places so that when he wrote his story it would make a powerful beginning to an immensely powerful book. The investigators there knew us already, since we visited once the husband/ son of the mom. They met us when we looked for him but couldn't find him, and have already gone to church before and have read parts of the Book of Mormon. Anyway it was a highly ideal situation, where the members excitedly present the missionaries and testify in the lesson. Their daughter/grand-daughter was sick and went to the hospital instead of church, but next week I’m pretty sure they shall be there!

What was I going to write....

This morning I woke up with a ton of energy. I have made myself the habit of singing a few lines of "Called to Serve" at the second beep of the alarm every morning as I get off my bunk bed and we go to pray to dedicate our day to the Lord. This morning, I realized I had had a notable dream.

Love Elder Johnson