Monday, October 19, 2009
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7:13 PM
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Sister Noriega told us about that! That's so funny! I'm glad you got to talk to her though, she's awesome!
Ok so Monday night the DL calls me and he's like, "Ok I want to do a trade off with you so me and Elder Black can try to get a few last minute baptisms in." I told him that I thought it would be best if me and Black went and saw these people, not Black and a stranger! Plus this was supposed to be the day when we had dinner with the Noriegas for the last time and try to get the Dad baptized. He told me we were doing the trade off anyway. So all of Tuesday I was so mad because I was up tracting into nobody cool up in Palatka while Elder Brown (the DL) was visiting all my investigators. So we switch back Wed. morning and Elder Black took me back to the Noriega's house because Hermana Noriega wanted to tell me something. She told me about how she talked to you on the phone and yes, she gave me a hug from you it was really funny. But then she told us something else important. She told us this story about a young man who fell in love with her when they were younger but the man never told her that. So he just kinda waited for her. I guess he even tried to wait out her and her husband's marriage for a while. So she says, "I don't want that to happen to my daughter so I have to tell you something. She wouldn't admit it because she knows you guys are missionaries and aren't allowed to, but she likes you Elder Johnson. She says that you think you are ugly but she doesn't think so and you are nice too Elder Black, but she likes Elder Johnson." I felt a little bad but me and Elder Black just started laughing! Hermana Noriega is very blunt and straightforward and we just thought it was hilarious! So I told her, "Well, I am a missionary so I'm not thinking about stuff like that for a very long time." trying to tell her, ya know, don't wait for me! But she's like, "Yeah but maybe when you come back with your family you can go with Venezha out to places or go on walks and just see what happens." Oh man it was really funny but really awkward! Especially when we went back later that night to say bye to the rest of the family (Hermana Noriega was the only one home). Oh it's funny.
Anyway I got transferred to Orange Park South area. It's a lot bigger than Crescent City that's for sure. My companion is Elder Perez. He's a lot different than Elder Black. He's very strict about staying focused and stuff. He won't let me talk about music or movies or anything and Elder Black was like, "Ok I missed this movie what happened in this one?" Haha so it's a little different but it's good. My new adress is
2020 Wells Rd #25G
Orange Park, Fl 32073
So, yeah you should send me stuff. I don't know what but stuff. Oh and you should send me a SD card so I can send you the one I have. I have a lot of pics on there and videos that I want to save on a computer or something. So yeah. Ok I have to go but I'll write more about my area next week. I had to tell you about theNoriegas.
Love,
Elder Johnson
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Tuesday, October 13, 2009
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7:27 PM
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Oh my don't worry about it. Grandma has told me that everyone is really busy right now with school and everything so I just figured that everyone was busy. Besides, Austin wrote me an email. It's really no big deal I promise.
We did get transfer calls on Saturday. Me and Elder Black are both leaving Crescent City, they call it a white wash when both the Elders in the area leave so Crescent City is getting white washed. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to serve somewhere else (hopefully that is a little bit bigger) and have a new companion and all that stuff. What I did not expect was how hard it was going to be. We went to church and told everyone that we were leaving and there were quite a few people who were really sad. Venezha Noriega was really sad (I think she has a crush on Elder Black which is really funny) and their parents were out of town so I don't know if they know yet but we're going to see them on Tuesday and I'm betting Hermana Noriega is going to be even more sad. We've gotten really close to that family over these two transfers. There's a lot of other investigators that we are going to miss a lot. We went over to Rosa's mom's house for a birthday party for her little baby brother and we played with Rosa's kids Jose and Brittany and Jenny and Antonio and those kids are really cool and they seem to like us a lot. I didn't think it was going to be this sad to get transfered. Rosa was telling us that she's going to wait for us so we can come back after our mission :)
Conference was so awesome! I loved all of the talks! Especially Holland's talk about the Book of Mormon. Holy cow it was so powerful! We watched it in the church by ourselves since everyone else just watched it on tv at home. I'm really gald that you feel better about your calling. I had a very similar experience to you I think. I was up in Palatka to do a tradeoff with the guys up there to someone who spoke Spanish and I got to go with our Zone Leader Elder Lamborne. He could tell I was pretty bugged the last couple of weeks and he really was able to help me. He told me that I was not happy here on my mission and baptisms and "success" would not make me any happier. He told me that I need to find a way to be happy for myself before I can get to work. He said I need to find that fire, that light in myself before I can let the light shine forth to others. So I've really been trying to do that. I am really trying to just have fun and learn stuff for myself right now and then I will be able to share the stuff that makes me happy with others and then I will have more success. I'm not slacking off or anything, I'm still working hard but I'm just not beating myself up and I'm having fun :) Ah man that's another thing that's hard about transfers. I have to leave my whole district! Lambo and Gaisford and Brown dang that stinks. It's ok though I'm still excited.
I'm trying to think of stuff that you could send. How about some pictures? I don't have any pictures of my family and people ask to see all the time. And maybe like a photo album. I have pictures but they're just sitting on my camera right now and I don't know what to do with them or what's the best way to send them home. Oh and I'm hoping I forgot to pack my black jacket that I was going to bring because I don't have it but I need it I guess it actually gets cold here. I don't know but it's always fun to get mail.
Well I'm gonna go but I'm glad to here things are going well. I'm really excited for transfers and going to all of our investigators and saying good bye. It will be hard but exciting at the same time.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
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2:18 AM
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Oh my gosh homecoming at the Lake why didn't I ever think of that? That would be so much fun! I'm glad he had a good time, but I'm also super jealous that's he's going for backflips! What the heck? That's insane! How was his date? cute? nice? did he kiss her? Haha I need to know this stuff since I can't do it. I need to live vicariously through him (I think that's the right word).
So we had interviews with President Newman on Tuesday. That helped me out so much. I had come to the conclusion that I wasn't having much success because I needed to be more obedient to the mission rules. I told him that and he asked, "Are you a disobedient missionary Elder?" I said, "I don't think so." and he said, "but you must be right since you aren't having success, you must be being disobedient, you must be being selfish, right?" I told him that's basically what I had come to. He then told me not to worry about it. He told me that all the good missionaries go through a time like this where it seems like not a whole lot of success is coming. Yes, I'm going through a lot of mental and physical challenges right now but it's not because I'm being disobedient it's because this is the time where the Lord is pushing me and molding me into what he needs me to become for the rest of my mission. He also told me not to beat up on myself too much. He said, "Wherever it is you're going, you will get exactly where you need to be exactly when you need to get there. The only thing that will slow you down is if you try to walk on that road while beating yourself up. I will tell you if you I see anything you need to be beating yourself up about but other than that, don't worry about it." So I'm trying really hard to be easier on myself and just kinda roll with the punches and let God turn me into what he wants me to be for now.
Oh speaking of which. I translated for some of Sacrament meeting on Sunday! I just did the announcements up until after the sacrament prayers but it was good, I didn't say 100% of what was being said but I got the jist of it. It was pretty fun but really scary. My Spanish is coming along though. A few weeks ago I couldn't have even thought about trying to translate, so it's going good.
So that's what's been going on this week. I'm working on patience and longsuffering and it's going pretty good. I'm trying to just enjoy myself like you keep telling me to do, and I think that in a few more months I'll be able to enjoy every second of my mission so much more!
I love you all I miss you!
Elder Johnson
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
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6:51 AM
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I heard from Grandma Gus that you all went to Lake Powell... again... without me... your oldest child. Just kidding, I'm glad you had fun I am super super jealous though. So is Elder Black, I still can't believe that he lives there I am so jealous that would be so much fun. I'm glad that Ryan and Jill and everyone was there too. Yes I remember Diane! She's so cool! I didn't know she lived out here that would be so cool if I found her in my area one day we could totally convert her ;) That's so funny, yeah there are A LOT of rednecks out here. It makes me laugh. We either get Mexicans, black people, or rednecks here in Crescent City.
That's great that Austin got a date to homecoming I knew he would. Dad told me to write an email to him because he had written me. I thought I did last week did he not get it? I just hit the reply button so he should have got it. I don't have his address because i just hit reply to everyone so if he didn't get it tell him to write me again. The German kids sound pretty cool. I love that about Lake Powell, you can make friends with just about everyone there. It also reminds me of me here trying to learn Spanish. All the kids speak English so they help me when they can but a lot of the parents speak very little English and I speak very little Spanish so it's hard. So I'm glad that you all could communicate and get along well. Fabien may look like me but I'll bet I'm way sexier.
I wasn't going to say this in this letter but, tracting is not really getting better for me. I'm actually having a really hard time right now. I feel like I'm never being led by the Spirit as to where to go or what to say because we never have any successful lessons, even with our investigators. They all are either not home, too busy, or just don't want to listen to us. So we say, "well we know that if you read out of the Book of Mormon every day you're life will be blessed." and that's all great and fine but it's not very convincing when that's all we have time to say to them. We know it's true but they don't, and we can't ever teach them about it because they never have time to talk about it so it just never gets done. Then we don't feel the Spirit, they don't feel it, and it just feels like a waste of a lot of time. This whole week has just been filled with days like that, one investigator or street tracted at a time. I'm trying to better recognize the Spirit so I can know where to go to find people who are prepared to hear and what to say to people when I find them better, and I've read that section in Preach my gospel about how to recognize and listen to promptings of the spirit probably 100 times and I still am not seeing anything different. I don't know what else to do. I have an interview with President Newman on Tuesday so I'm going to talk to him about it and hopefully he'll be able help me. I don't want to make you worried or anything with this, I'll figure it out eventually, but I write to tell you how I'm doing and right now I'm really struggling. So please pray for me.
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Wednesday, September 16, 2009
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8:33 PM
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 Elder Johnson at Zone Conference! I did not know this was happening, because my letters have been very short. I found out from another blog that there where new pictures posted! Of course I did not waste any time, checked out the Florida Jacksonville Mission blog and found my awesome missionary son. He is so handsome! I am one proud mama!
Ok, so I know he was just in this picture by accident, but a mom (who never gets pictures) can not be to picky! Look for Elder Johnson in the very back of the crowd, and obviously busy figuring out where he is going to go do his speed tracting! Good luck Elder, we love you!
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Monday, September 14, 2009
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8:27 PM
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Ok I know this is short but I've had it with this computer. That's good that things are going at least a little bit better with the new ward and everything. You got that calling for a reason you are supposed to be there. It will be fine. I'm glad that Lauren is doing better too.
I'm doing better with tracting. It's definitely teaching me patience. I know that as we keep working hard we will find the people who are ready. And every day I become more and more confident and comfortable talking to new people. A lot of them don't listen but it doesn't bother me as much anymore because I know what I'm doing is right and it's up to them whether or not they want to accept it. I think that's what was bugging me before. I thought, " nobody is listening to me so maybe I'm doing something wrong." I'm not excusing myself and I'm working to get better every day, but I'm realizing that in the end it's up to them whether or not they want to accept this message. So things are looking up. We're good, we're having fun, it's awesome.
Love you all,
Elder Johnson
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Monday, September 7, 2009
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8:57 AM
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Oh my gosh guess what I saw at Wal-Mart! I saw an ad for The Beatles Rock Band!! Holy cow holy cow santa vaca! Anyway, I'm so excited about Lauren's baptism! I'm so sad that I can't be there but I was thinking about her. I can't get on facebook though to see pictures. I saw the ones on the email though that's awesome! That's weird that she has been scared of our house but I'm sure the Holy Ghost is now helping her with comfort.
I'll bet a lot of people are out of town for the weekend so I'm sure that the ward will get better. This branch that I'm in right now has nobody. Men have to bless the sacrament every week (one is English one in Spanish) and I think there are two young men who pass the sacrament and then maybe two more young men. Our branch is so small that they only built part of a building for us. It's kinda funny looking but it's still nice and it works. As far as a calling goes I'm confident that if the Lord needs you in with the young women he will put you in there but if he doesn't then he doesn't and everything will work out for what is best for you.
Ok what the heck is wrong with that girl? She doorbell ditched him to say maybe next time? That's stupid if you don't go with someone you don't tell them like that you just tell them face to face! Did she say why she won't go with him this time? Ugh girls are dumb and so is this stupid Utah-ask-them-to-the-dance crap. She shouldn't have done it like that. But it's ok there are plenty of fish in the sea. I'm sure Austin has a list of girls that he could take. It's just a process of elimination until he finds a good one.
That's funny that you asked about tracting this week. I'm actually having a really hard time with tracting this week. We walk around for hours and hours going to thousands of houses and we will actually get to talk to maybe five people and of those five maybe one of them takes our message seriously. The rest just aren't home, don't answer, or tell us to buzz off. "Sera bautizada en la iglesia de jesucristo?" "No, soy Catolico!" People are scared and religion is a very touchy subject and I shouldn't complain but it's hard. It's hard to walk around all day in the humidity and the sun and feel like you're getting nowhere. But that's part of being a missionary I guess. I am getting better at Spanish though. Elder Black even trusts me enough to talk to people by myself now. I finished reading the whole book of Mormon in Spanish on Saturday so I'm learning a lot very quickly. I may even translate in Sacrament next fast-Sunday we'll see that just seems too scary.
Miss you tons! I'm so glad things are going good with school and everything!
Te quiero mucho!
Love,
Elder Johnson
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