Getting Things Going in Viru

What's up everybody?  I hope that you all had a good week. I had a good week runnin' the town here in Viru with my new companion, Elder Arevalo.  He is a beast.  I'm still a little bit lost in this area because I only have four weeks here and I already have to lead it and teach my companion where everything is.  We are here for a reason and the Lord will guide us.  We have basically had to start from the bottom and work a ton with the members.  That is something that I have really been able to learn on my mission--that the members are everything!  When we use all of the tools that the Lord has provided for us, we are always a lot more effective and powerful as well.  I will hit you all up with a bigger email next week.  I love you guys and hope that you have a good week.

Capilla abierta (Open chapel)

Fish he ate

Elder Arevalo

Fridge is stocked with Inca Kola (Tanner's favorite)

Elder Johnson


Elder Johnson sent an email to his baseball coach, Alex Hansen last week:

Kaden playing in the Varsity game on Senior Night

May 15, 2017
COACH!
How is it going?  I just wanted to write you really quick and thank you for giving my brother the experience of his life.  As I talked to my family yesterday, that was the first thing that Kaden told me. It truly meant everything to him and I want to thank you for giving him that opportunity.

I also want to thank you for everything that you did for me and taught me during my baseball career. It is amazing to see how much I really learned from sports that I have been able to apply in the service of the Lord.  I know that this gospel is true.  I love my mission.  I love the hard experiences and all of the amazing happy experiences.  It has changed my life.  I hope that everything is going well with your family.  Please send my love and prayers to them.

Thanks again, Coach!  You are the man!

May 17, 2017
Thanks so much and great to hear from you.  Hope all is well with the mission, it sounds like things are going great.  You have always been one of my favorite players and it is great to hear that life is treating you well.

For me, seeing Kaden play in that game was one of the highlights of the year.  It seemed like he was loving it and I was very happy to have a small part in making that happen.

Keep up the good work and may you be blessed for your efforts!

This Is the Way

What's up, everybody?  I hope that you all had a good week.  I had a great week and was able to strengthen my testimony in a lot of ways.  To start out, we had changes again yesterday.  My comp, Elder Ochoa is bouncing to Chimbote!  My new companion's name is Elder Arevalo.  He is from the Jungle in Peru.  I met him when I was in my first area in Chimbote so we will get some work done.  I am really thankful for the short time that I had with Elder Ochoa.  He is the man and taught me so much that has allowed me to get to another level spiritually.

So, this week, I have been humbled by the power of the Book of Mormon and how important it is to have a live and fresh testimony of it so that we can continue through this life with all of the blessings from the fullness of this gospel.  A testimony of the Book of Mormon is a gift that we CAN'T take for granted.  Once we have a testimony, it is necessary that we nourish it and not only read it, but make it part of our lives and apply it's teachings in our life.  I testify that the fullness of the gospel is found inside the Book of Mormon and by making it a part of our lives, we will be heaven's light to those who are in need.

As a missionary, I am saddened to see those who I teach and talk to, reject the Book of Mormon and honestly it makes me even sadder to see someone who has it in their life and then come down to someone's level who doesn't have it in their life.  Yesterday, I had an experience where someone was telling me that it is impossible that the Book of Mormon was true.  He was asking me a ton of questions and was throwing in some daggers while he was at it.  I'm thankful for the testimony that I had in that time to testify of its truth and I know if I didn't make the Book of Mormon a part of my life, everyday, he absolutely would not have been able to feel the spirit that I know he felt.

I testify that in the Book of Mormon we find the fullness of the gospel.  This is the way.  This is the way that the prophets of old taught.  This is the way that prophets gave their lives for and we are blessed to have the opportunity to know and feel of its truth and power.  I promise you all that if you make it part of your life and pray to have a confirmation of the things that you read, God will manifest himself unto you.

I love you guys and hope that you have a good week!

Elder Johnson

A few pictures we found on the mission blog from Multizone Conference recently

Mothers

Hello everybody!  I hope you all had a good week and all of you mothers had a good Mother's Day.  Mothers have such a sacred role and calling here on earth so that God can fulfill his plan to bring to pass the eternal life and immortality of man.  I'm thankful for my mom especially for everything that she has taught me through her Christlike example that she has always given to me.  As I have thought about my mother, these lyrics came to my mind that I want to share with you.

"You raise me up so I can stand on mountains, you raise me up to walk on stormy seas, I am strong when I am on your shoulders, you raise me up, to more than I can be."

My mom has always been there for me for everything and has always taught me to have a positive attitude and trust in my Savior, Jesus Christ at all times.  That is one of the biggest blessings to me.  I have had her support in everything and have been able to feel her love, whether it's on the ball field or if I am here thousands of miles away, the power of my mom's Christlike example has allowed me to continue in the work of the Lord and magnify my calling.  I love you, Mom!

This week I had some really good experiences.  We were able to work a lot with the members and see some huge blessings from that.  We had a lesson with our investigators who's names are Angel and Maribel.  They, like everybody else here, are not married so we taught about the importance of the family and the importance roles parents have in the plan of God inside a marriage relationship.  We had a powerful lesson and invited them to be married on the 23rd of June.  They told us that they are going to give us an answer tonight in a lesson that we will have with them.

It is an honor to be in the service of my Father in Heaven and be an instrument in His hands.  I know this gospel is true and in it we find the greatest happiness.  I love you all and pray you have a good week!

PS MANUEL AND SARA GOT BAPTIZED

Elder Luna, Manuel, Sara, Elder

"Reppin' for my boyz en PERU!"

Love,
Elder Johnson

Mother's Day 2017

We were so excited to talk to Elder Johnson on Mother's Day--which was also Greg's birthday!  We scheduled the call for 6:00 pm our time.  We tried to work things out so that we could see and hear him on our TV, but the connection was poor and it was just too slow so we opted to just keep him on the iPad and pass him around so everyone could talk to him for a little bit.  We had a great visit!  He is doing awesome--is super happy and loves his mission so much.  Kaden got a little extra time to chat with him alone because he will soon receive his call and will be gone before our next phone call.  They won't be able to talk to each other again for one year--next Mother's Day when Kaden calls home---unless we can figure out a three way Skype with all of us!

Here are a few pictures from our chat.

Jesucristopak tantanak ushka tukurimui punllakunapi katikkuna

Hey everybody!  I had a good week this week.  I had a lot of cool experiences that testified to me that we truly are guided by the spirit and that the spirit is who teaches people the truth of all things.  In my short time that I have been here in Viru, I have found that the people are very bold with their beliefs.  Everyone says that there is one God and we all serve Him and they don't have time to hear what we have to say.  Honestly, that is one of the saddest things to me.  If only they knew how much we pray to be guided by the spirit to this people and when they reject us they don't know the change that they could have in their lives.

Earlier this week, my companion, Elder Ochoa, and I were walking and we found this lady sitting outside of her house so we went up and talked to her.  We talked to her for a while and then got her to accept us for about five minutes to share a message with her.  She let us in, we shared a quick message and truly I know that the spirit was present.  In that short time that we were blessed with, we were able to create an environment filled with love and the spirit.  As we started asking her questions, she was like, you know what--I respect you guys and what you do, but there is no way that I can accept Joseph Smith and your beliefs and she said that she will never change.  Honestly, I have heard people say that to my face a million times, but it had never hurt as bad as it did.  I learned a great lesson from that.  I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet.  He did more for the world than any other human being aside from Jesus Christ.  I know that he took his testimony with him to his death.  Through experiences getting rejected, I have strengthened my testimony of Jesus Christ and all the servants of him that there has ever been or ever will be.  There hasn't been one that hasn't been rejected or mocked and I know that through these experiences it is an opportunity to be strengthened to keep going and reflect on our Savior, Jesus Christ.

On another note, yesterday, I had one of the most spiritual experiences teaching about 3 Nephi 11.  We have an investigator named Angel and his family.  We read this chapter with them and I honestly have never felt the spirit so strong in this chapter before.  We testified of everything and applied to the lives of their family and how it can bless them.  As we said that, he said that we are angels and that he knows that these things are true.  It was a humbling experience.  I am so thankful for my calling.  There is nothing on the plant that beats it.  There is nothing better than representing my Savior, Jesus Christ and being able to promise blessings to my brothers and sisters.  I know this church is true.

I love you guys and hope that you all have a good week!

Elder Johnson


En espanol a Denise:

Mama!  Me parece que tuvo una buena semana.  Que loco que hablaremos otra vez por skype el domingo!  LOCAZO!  El tiempo pasa tan rapido, la verdad no lo puedo creer aveces!  Jaja pero estoy bien animado para verles y hablar la mejor familia.

Estoy feliz por escuchar que todos estan recibiendo sus llamamientos!  Bueno ma le amo muchisimo, creo que les voy a llamar a las 7 el dia domingo, estaria bien?

VIRU

Hey everybody!  I hope all of you are enjoying this feriado!  I had a really good week.  It was hard saying bye to all of my homies in Laureles.  I met some of my greatest friends and came to love so many people that were there.  Goodbyes are by far the worst part of a mission.  Laureles could easily be compared to Compton, California, so I feel like a G that nothing bad ever happened to me there.  Presidente just shipped me off to the complete opposite of that and now I'm here mobbing in the country of Peru.  I'm really happy and excited about that.  The people here are super humble and a lot more receptive which is really good.  I have already fallen in love with the people and the culture that is here.

So a cool experience that I had this week. On Tuesday, I traveled to my new area with Elder Walker.  We were the only two missionaries on this ghetto bus and when we arrived to Viru they took us to the wrong bus stop and we had no communication with the other missionaries.  We didn't have any numbers or anything. We were chilling in the middle of no where for about an hour just thinking that the Elders would come and pick us up.  Time passed by and nobody showed up so we were like, "let's walk around and try to find a pay phone somewhere."  So, we left hauling our stuff down these dirt roads and we were walking and all of a sudden this girl came running down the street yelling, "Elders! The branch president lives at the corner!"  It wasn't anything too big, but I was amazed by the hand of the Lord in that experience.  I know He was watching over us and guided us at that time.  That was a really humbling experience for me.

Another experience that I had this week was on Wednesday.  I was getting to know my new area.  We were in this super poor part of the area and we were walking around and I saw a lady standing in the doorway.  I felt an impression to go and talk to her, so I did.  I went up to her and gave her a pass along card with a picture of Jesus Christ on it.  I tried to give it to her and she told me no.  She said, "have you ever seen Jesus Christ?"  I said no.  The she said, "then why are you giving me a card about somebody that doesn't exist."  When she said that to me, honestly, it just made me feel bad for her.  I told her, "Hermana, have you ever seen your heart?"  She responded no.  "Then how do you know that you have a heart?"  She said because she can feel it.  After that I was able to bear a simple, but powerful testimony about Jesus Christ-that as we pray and search for Him in our lives we can feel His presence!  As I bore my testimony, I was filled with the spirit and I know that she felt it as well.

I'm thankful for the opportunity to share my testimony everyday.  A testimony is so precious in our lives.  I invite you all to find opportunities to share your testimony this week.  I know as you do and ask the Lord to guide you, you will be blessed with those sacred and special opportunities.  We have something that this world needs.  We need to do everything we can so that families who have been prepared can have the same blessings that we enjoy.

I love you guys and pray you have a good week!

Elder Johnson