4 April 2012

Dear Family

Paul has been lobbying that I take Econ something... I don't think that's a needed class? I'm not too excited about taking an unneeded class since the last time I did that, even though it was really interesting, the rest of the students were all seniors and juniors, which kind of whipped me a little. haha

I did get the shoes! They are really light weight! Thanks!! I got them 2 weeks ago too.. I just kept forgetting to put that in here. Did the insoles get sent too?

This week was CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome. We enjoyed every single one of the 5 sessions. It was SO cool to listen to those people, to see how their talks worked together on themes, and to hear their passion for the Work.

As you will see in the pictures, I have gotten a Christmas letter! it went all the way to Thailand from the Simmons before getting here. That was cool. Thanks Simmons!

We had a success on the invitation to go to conference of about 1% haha. The good thing is that we invited tons and tons of people. It blows my mind that it was that low though... We shall have to improve that. There is a possibility that quite a few people came that we didn't see though, there were lots and lots of people in the stake center (our chapel is the stake center!) Sunday in the morning, the whole chapel, and the whole cultural room (like a gym) and two more rooms were filled. We watched it in the secretary’s room for lack of TVs.

After one session Saturday, we stopped by an investigator’s home. We talked about her reading of the Book of Mormon, and invited her to be baptized. We were a little late so went running to be able to make it to the conference on time. Running, we passed two big dogs, who decided to make a perfect moment from the Best Two Years [a movie about LDS missionaries] and followed us chasing and barking. Haha. They never bite.. they just like to make noise. One fell on his face though when he decided to bark very close to my leg and I jumped away while running.

Wow. The March Liahona said we should go to conference with a specific question in mind, so I decided to do it. I went Saturday in the morning, and it was answered with such clarity that I was stunned. In the afternoon, I decided to keep looking for answers to the same, and was guided even more. In the Priesthood session, I decided to go with another question. Almost every talk gave part of the answer. Sunday I went with another question, and my questions kept being answered! I was really worried between the sessions of Sunday. I felt a specific impression about a problem we have here in our area... and went to the afternoon session of conference. Almost all the talks gave answers to that question too! I received a specific and direct guide in every single session of the conference. There truly is a God in Israel, who hears our prayers and answers them. All of them.

One great talk was by Elder Hallstrom, who came here with Elder Oaks half a year back. Pretty profound the idea of being active in the church and not in the gospel.

But they were really all great.

I sent a picture with Misty because the Dear Elder that grandma sent me had a question about why it’s the white city. One of the reasons is that the volcano (active I think) is often covered with snow, also, since the volcano has a special type of rock that is used often in the construction of homes. The rock is cut into large bricks that are 20 by 40 by 20 centimeters I think. They are often piled upon each other without mortar and covered with a tin roof in the poorer places. The rock is white/grey and not very dense - so the large bricks are easily handled.

Here, Palm Sunday is a pretty big celebration. I remember something in primary as a kid, but not much. Anyway, at 6:30 we started to hear people walking by and someone singing with a loudspeaker. We looked out some 10 minutes later when it didn't stop, and we saw a HUGE procession of people. Hundreds and hundreds of people must have passed us. We just saw the end of the procession. I think they were heading to the highest hill by our area that is topped by a cross. So that's an interesting fact.

We gotta run early today!

Love Elder Johnson

P.S. Let us study with much care the conference talks!

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