Mission Field - Letter #25
Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 5:36 AM | 0 comments  
Yeah, I got the picture of Stacey. That's so sweet, I'm so excited for her!
Yeah, it has been pretty cold here. Nothing like home but pretty dang cold. It's got down to like 30s at night and pretty cold during the day but no snow or anything cool like that. Like two days ago it started to warm up again a little bit. It feels really nice right now. Oh man a few days ago it was raining pretty bad and we were out tracting like all day which was really fun I love tracting in the rain so much! Anyway we were out tracting and we had like five people tell us that there was a tornado warning in for Orange Park. Nothing ever happened but I guess just a little bit south of us it was pretty bad and so there was a tornado watch. I was actually kinda bummed, I've never seen a tornado before I was hoping we would see one.
Did you get my pictures? I sent a CD with a bunch of pictures on it a while ago, I don't know how fast the mail is here though. What about my debit card has that come to the house yet? I've been out of money for a while so we just eat a lot of sandwiches and Ramen. We will get more money either on the 31st or on the first so we should be good. I probably could have done a better job budgeting this month but i had to buy more deodorant and soap and stuff that I don't have to buy every month so my money was gone faster. Oh and I had to go to the doctor and pay 10 for co pay and 10 for medicine. I just had an ear infection so the doctor gave me some drops and it's gone now.
Ah man Luis and Doris was super lame. We talked to Luis about giving up drinking and stuff a while ago and he basically told us straight up, no. So we were teaching Doris and hoping that he would come around by her example. They came to church and Luis really liked it but Doris didn't because her 17 month old kid was being bad the whole time. So we went back to teach them and Luis told us that he was ready to change. So we told him, "ok Doris is going to help you, if she finds any beer she is going to throw it out ok?" Yeah good that's good I need help. "Is there any beer in the house right now?" No, there's not we don't have any. We were super stoked for him and for her. Then we took the Zone Leaders over on a trade off one night and had a super sweet lesson with Doris. Just with Doris though because Luis straight up lied to us and there was beer in the fridge and when she went to throw it out, he got super mad and they got in a fight. But Doris was finally getting why she needs to change, why we ask her to read the Book of Mormon and she was really committed to changing. We left feeling pretty good about it but then when me and Elder Williams (the zone leader) got to the apt she texted us asking us not to come back because whenever we come over she and Luis get into a big fight right after we leave.
But it's ok, we baptized part of another family we're teaching yesterday. We baptized the two kids Antonio 19 and Ricardo 14. Their parents are going to get baptized next weekend because they were not married. So they're going to get their marriage license this week, have a wedding, and then get baptized! I'm so excited! I really hope everything works out, I'm still a little nervous just because I've heard weddings are really hard but they are pretty solid, I think it will happen. Especially since their kids got baptized and the spirit was there so strong and they felt it and they know this is what they need to do.
Oh man Maria, the lady we baptized last weekend, yes she does have her kids back! The other day we were over at her house teaching her and she told us that her baby's daddy's mom somehow got a hold of her number and had been calling a lot. The baby's daddy is crazy and I guess he's tried to kidnap the kids before so Maria was kinda freakin out. The Grandma said, "I want to see my grand kids we're going to be at the park at four you guys should come" which was just a ploy to get the kids out. So we called a member to come and pick them all up and get them out of their house before four. Just as we were pulling out of the trailer park, we saw the daddy's truck and he saw us! We booked it to the member's trailer and rushed all the kids inside and called the police. Me and Toney pulled our car around and watched them and made sure nothing happened. The truck pulled up with the dad, another man, another woman, the grandma, and two kids. The grandma got out of the car with one of the kids and knocked on the door. Then she started banging on their door and kicking it and shouting at Maria, "Donde esta Dios ahora, Maria?" They finally left and me and Toney stayed there until the cops got there in case they came back. It was pretty crazy! But everyone is safe and they got a restraining order put on the dad and everything. It's really sad, but I'm really glad that we could be there to help if we needed to.
So yeah crazy week! Police, crazy dads, planning a baptism, planning a wedding, tracting in a tornado watch... Man missionary work is so sweet! If I wasn't a missionary I would have been nervous, but the Lord is watching us and if he needs us to help his children here in Florida we do whatever we can.
I'm glad the house is going good except for the shower heads, that would suck if they have to rip the tile out again. Let me know how it goes and anything else cool that's going on.
Love,
Elder Johnson
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Mission Field - Letter #24
Monday, January 18, 2010 at 9:54 AM | 0 comments  
Oh man that is so sweet that you got to go to Stacey's farewell, I'm way jealous. I'll bet she did awesome, she's just very in control and very prepared for just about anything. I know she's going to make a great missionary! The sister missionaries are always awesome and she's going to be one of the best sister missionaries. Haha tell her parents that of course I remember them I was only at their house like every day over the part of summer I was home. They're a great family, they're all way cool. I miss them a lot.
Nan is engaged!? What the heck? To who? So they are getting married before I get home huh? Holy crap! If I talk to her I would need her email too. Ah man this is so weird, I don't feel old enough to have married friends! That's so cool though I'm way excited for her. They are mad at me aren't they, Nan and Stacey? I wouldn't blame them if they are. I feel like I'm missing so much and they are my best friends. I want so bad to be able to be there and to be able to support them with everything that is going on, but I'm here. And if I want to do all that I can while I'm here I need to be here 100%. I can't be here 100% if I'm constantly thinking and worrying about them. I need to focus. I need to be here. So I'm really sorry if everyone is mad at me especially Nan and Stacey and like I said I wouldn't blame them, but it's something I need to do.
I'm really excited to see what's going on at the house. How long have people been there working? That will be really weird to come home and have my house be all different haha. So we had another baptism yesterday. One of our members has been watching like four kids for a lady for six months. Her kids were taken from her and she moved up to Delaware to try and like put her life in order. I guess she was mixed up in drugs and drinking and all kinds of crazy stuff and so her kids have been living with one of the members here for the past six months. She finally came home not too long ago and she's changed her life around and is working really hard to be able to keep her kids with her now. She's so fixed everything in her life 180 degrees and so the member really wanted us to teach her, so we did and she got baptized yesterday. Ah man I love being a missionary. This woman has a brand new start now and she will be sweet! We also got Luis and Doris to come to church (the ones who never kept appointments). I think Doris liked it except her 17 month old baby was being a pain. I don't know about Luis though, they just booked out of there right after sacrament meeting and we haven't talked to them about it yet. I guess we'll see. We're also working with a family from Mexico that just showed up to church last week. I guess the son was living in Utah for a while with his aunt and he went to temple square and talked with the sister missionaries there. He came back and told his family that they need to go to the Mormon church so they came and now we're teaching them. They seem way cool, the husband is a little skeptical I think still. They know it's good, they know the church teaches good things, but they haven't prayed to know if this is THE church. Once they do that, I know they will be good. Also, they need to get married which is weird, I've never done a wedding before but it looks like it's going to happen, I don't know when yet but we're working on it with the bishop. I'm way excited for them. Oh it's so sweet!
I still feel like I have no idea what I'm doing most of the time but somehow the Lord is still allowing us to have success. Every day I see more and more how this is his work and we only play a very small part. I can work and work and try to do all I can, but in the end, it's all up to Him. Ah I love it! It's like, it doesn't matter how short I fall or how much I don't speak Spanish :) but if the Lord is ready for them to be baptized, he makes it happen. We are just tools working in his hands. And it's like you said, as He uses us, we become better and better people at the same time and we progress and develop. Thank you for your prayers and your support. I love you guys.
Love,
Elder Johnson
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Mission Field-Letter #23
Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9:45 PM | 0 comments  
Happy Birthday!!!!! I know it's late but yeah...
Oh man I'm sorry I forgot how much you don't know about missions. Doesn't Dad help? The white handbook says that we "must sleep in the same room but not in the same bed" (yes it really does say that). We are in a four man so Toney is my companion, and then Jackson and Zabriskie are our roommates too. We all just have our four mattresses on the floor in the front room and we use the bedrooms to do our studies and planning and stuff. But yeah Zabriskie is gone which is kinda sad, we all love Zabriskie he's way cool. Jackson's new companion is Elder Harding from Canada so that's fun. He asks me weird stuff like, "where's the washroom at?" haha we give him crap about Canada all the time but he's cool about it. He doesn't say eh but he does say aboot sometimes. He's been out for about a year I think he's the oldest out of all of us in the apt.
New Year's eve was lame, we just went to bed at like 10:30 just like any other night. Ugh I still haven't burned a tie, I know I'm lame but Black didn't burn his tie until after his year mark so I'm sure it will happen eventually. Oh my gosh that dang family is being weird. The husband is a dead beat. We dominated him with the spirit and he knows that he needs to change, the spirit told him that he needs to change and he knows it, but he still refused. I'm really worried for him. The Lord has a way of humbling us until we are ready to change, his wife has told us that she is thinking about leaving him, he'll lose his son, he's out of work, I just wonder how much he needs to be humbled until he will actually change. The wife and her three kids were going to come to church yesterday but her littlest kid 17months old fell and hit his head and had to go and get stitches. Ugh it's crazy with these people! It's ok though we'll get them baptized eventually. At least the wife and her 8 year old son. She also has a 6 year old, get this named Austin Cole Beavis, and then the 17 month old boy. But guess what happened! So there's this guy named Marcos who we met a long long time ago, ok maybe like a month and a half ago but we met him a while ago and taught him and he accepted a baptism date. We've tried to go back and visit him like a million times but he's always been gone or leaving to work. Finally we got to talk to him on Saturday night and we asked him if we could come back Sunday. We brought the Zone Leaders over on Sunday at 9 and he got interviewed and then he got baptized at 12. We didn't teach him anything accept a little about the restoration but he's been reading the Book of Mormon and he knew it was true and he wanted to get baptized! It was crazy!
Oh man this whole less active work is teaching me a lot. I've had to do a lot of repenting lately. We just had a meeting for the leadership in the ward with the bishop basically trying to fire up everybody to do their jobs and fellowship people and help us get the less actives active again. I didn't realize what a stewardship I had as just a member of the church over other people. I felt horrible! I was a home teacher and the Family Home Evening Group leader in my singles ward at school and I don't even know any of the girls names that I was over. I just thought ok this is something I have to do once a month or once a week and then it's over. I didn't realize what responsibility I had to help these people and I did a horrible job. I don't even know any body's name that I home taught and the only people I know from my FHE group is Kestri's apt. So yeah I had to do some serious repenting. I'm going to do much better when I get home.
Haha it sounds like you had an awesome birthday! I'm so glad I know how much you love your bday. Fossils, the Solar System, Bill Cosby, that's funny! Do they even know who Bill Cosby is? I'm so glad that you had a good day! I wish I could have been there to see what crazy things you did and watch dad just roll his eyes. haha good times. I'm sorry I didn't send anything, I know I suck. I'm going to do the CD picture thing today at Walmart I promise. Could you send me some pictures too? The house, the family, whatever. Grandma Nettie sent me this huge photo album and I was so excited and I flipped through it and there were only 7 pictures in it! Haha I loved it and I was really happy to get those pictures but it just faked me out a little bit.
Guess whose birthday it is tomorrow? Will you tell Natalie that I said happy birthday? Oh sweet thank you for the debit card. Yeah I should be fine for now with my pross money. But when you send some shirts do you think you could send some socks too? I've done so good all 6 months not losing any socks but all of a sudden I'm missing a ton, I have no idea what happened. Ugh also will you get Stacey's email address for me? I lost it I thought it was on this mail thing but it's gone now but I do want to write her before she goes to the MTC. You've been talking to her mom? She's way cool! She's really funny and really sarcastic just like Stacey it's really fun to talk to her. Yeah I know she's not LDS but her Dad is, I'm not sure about Shelby. So yeah every member a missionary you should get her baptized! I know you will feel the joy that Ammon felt when he brought his bretheren to the waters of baptism as you see her prepare herself for baptism. I'm going to ask you how she's doing and how she's progressing next week ok? By then I want her to have read a little bit out of the Book of Mormon and prayed and asked God if it's true. Will you make sure that happens before next week? haha commitment pattern in Preach my Gospel is sweet :) but seriously you really should that would be really awesome. I'm sure she has a lot of questions especially now that her daughter is giving up 18 months of her life for this cause. I love you all!
Elder Johnson
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Mission Field - Letter #22
Monday, January 4, 2010 at 3:52 PM | 0 comments  
Happy New Year! Oh bump day like bump hump and slump. Bump day is cool I guess I need a good bump but hump and slump, that can't happen to me. I'm so scared that it will but I don't want it to. No, I didn't get to burn a tie on the 1st we were really busy but I think I'm going to try and do it tonight. I'll be sure to get a video of it. Um I don't need new shirts desperately I can wait until they get a new shipment. And short sleeve is fine I already have two long sleeves that are still good so yeah short sleeve is good.
As far as when the family goes to the temple I don't know if I can go with them. I guess it depends on where I'm at in a year. I think you have to get permission from President Newman to do stuff like that too. I don't know we'll see what happens I guess. But if we do go we go to the Orlando Temple where we went to do the baptisms for the dead. Did i tell you that happened? I sent a picture of it but I don't know if it got sent.
We are teaching a few other people. Nobody is really cooperating with us though haha. One family is pretty sweet, at least the wife is. The husband told us that he really wants to change and get baptized and all that stuff and he was really excited for our return appointment. His wife told us that all day he was like, " the missionaries are coming over today!" like a little kid but every time we have an appointment with them they aren't there. We come back like the next day and see them when we don't have an appointment with them. It's really weird, we need to be able to sit down and talk with them. Especially with the husband. He told us that he stopped drinking but his wife says otherwise. Like I guess he's really bad, like she thinks he has liver problems because he drinks all the time, passes out when he's supposed to be watching their 17 month old baby and he throws up all the time. It's a good thing that she told us because if she didn't we would have just thought that he was good. It's a really bad situation. He can change but he has to want to first and I'm not sure if he wants to.
So our new goal for the year is really weird. It's 3050 but it's broken up into two parts. 1300 baptisms and 1750 people reactivated. I'm down with the baptisms but the reactivation is weird. We've started doing some reactivation work and it is basically home teaching. We like go and teach them, kinda and it's more like a "oh hi you already got baptized, let's be friends!...so... you should come back to church." I guess I just don't understand why the missionaries are doing this. I need to change my attitude real quick because this is what the Lord told President Newman to do but as of right now, I'm not really converted to it, this seems like the ward's job, not ours. Another thing I'm struggling with is this next transfer coming up. My roommate Elder Zabriskie is getting transferred but Elder Jackson is staying. Also Elder Toney and I are staying together here. It will be good. I'm glad things are going good there. Sorry I'm running out of time but tell Natalie I said hi if you talk to her again and Nan. Have fun at school and stuff.
Love you,
Elder Johnson
Oh crap my debit card is not working. Could you have them send me a new one or something. I think the magnet strip is bad.
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