Upcoming Baptisms

Hey everyone!  Another week has come and gone, time goes so fast!  It is crazy.  I'm so thankful to be here on my mission and witness miracles of the Lord.  I know He knows all of us personally and has a perfect plan for all of us.  I feel really content right now with how things are going in our area.  We are really starting to see results.  We have 3 baptisms planned for February.  Their names are Jairo, Juliani, and Guadalupe.  Pray for them!

This week we had some awesome lessons.  Juliani and her daughter Guadalupe really want to be baptized.  Juliani is married to a man named Yanco.  About two years ago, she got married and she got baptized.  Everything was great until the Sunday following her baptism, the Stake President called and said that there was a problem with the divorce with Yanco and his old wife so Juliani couldn't be confirmed a member of the church.  She got really upset and here we are two years later and nothing has changed because it is super expensive for them to divorce.  On Friday, we had one of the most spiritual lessons with them.  We have been teaching them for about two weeks because their daughter, Guadalupe, wants to be baptized.  We were focusing on her, but we changed the focus and invited Juliani to be baptized the same day as her daughter.  She was surprised, but I know that as I invited her, my words were guided by the spirit.  I felt the spirit so strongly and promised them if they put the Lord first and searched the kingdom of God before the needs of every day live, they would never lack food on the table and they will have opportunities to earn more money.  I am amazed at the truthfulness of this gospel.  This is the work of the Lord.  I'm so humbled to be a representative of Him.

I don't have much more to say this week.  I hope and pray that all of you have a good week.  Do the little things and you will be blessed!  I love you guys!

Mis patas (my buddies/pals)

Elder Johnson

Trabajemos Hoy en la Obra Del Senor

I have been humbled this week to trabajar en la obra del senor!  We saw a lot of miracles this week.  I know that Jesus Christ leads and guides this marvelous missionary work.  This week I had the opportunity to go on interchanges with my old companion, Elder Salazar.  He is the man--we were laughing the whole day.  I wish he was my companion now that I can actually understand him!  I learned a lot from him.  I have been so blessed in my mission to have good leaders to learn from.

Thursday was a really good day.  We had a training with all of the newbs and all of the trainers.  Basically, I just got to chill with my best bros, Elder Stroud, Elder Benitez, and Elder Henao.  The training was unreal though.  President taught the Plan of Salvation and broke it down with sooo much doctrine.  That dude is a wizard.  Seriously, my mind got blown.  I learned so much to help make me a better missionary.

So, last week, I told you a little bit about Jairo.  Last week, on Sunday, he had to go to Chiclayo because something happened to his daughter.  He was there most of the week, but on Thursday he called us right when he got home and told us to go over and visit him.  We went over and taught him the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was such a spiritual experience.  I know, without a doubt in my mind, that the Lord has prepared him to receive His restored gospel.  After we taught everything, he said, "Elderes, I know that what you are telling me is true.  I have never felt a peace like this in my life."  He bore his testimony and told us he wants to be baptized.  We invited him to be baptized on the 4th of February!!  Keep him in your prayers that everything will go through.

Now to end, I want to share something with you that I have been thinking a lot about this whole week.  I was thinking about the introduction of the Book of Mormon and Moroni 10:3-5.  These are two invitations that invite us to ponder the things which we have read. Then it invites us to pray to the Eternal Father, in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and then there is a promise that as we do all of these things with a sincere heart, the truth will be manifested unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost.  This invitation isn't there for those who are hearing about the Book of Mormon for the first time.  This invitation is for everyone and we MUST apply it in our lives daily.  As we do this, there is a guaranteed spiritual experience that will give us protection.  The Book of Mormon is not the key to our religion for no reason!  There is an instant connection to heaven.  I promise all of you as you apply this invitation in your lives daily, the atonement of Jesus Christ will become a bigger part of your life, you will understand it more fully and you will find joy in all things.  I know that the Savior lives.  We live in the last days.  We must prepare ourselves.  We are the army of God and have something that nobody else has.

I love you guys and pray that you all have a good week.  Talk to you next week!

Elder Johnson

Pictures from Elder Johnson's Christmas in Trujillo

We found these pictures on the Mission Blog that Sister Rios does.  It was so fun to scroll through the pictures and see our missionary!  It looks like they had a great time!

"He Trieth Their Patience"

Buenos tardes PE!  I hope that you all had a good week.  My week was awesome!  I want to start out with a scripture that has been on my mind.....Mosiah 23 and it says, "Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people, yea he trieth their patience and their faith."  This verse is talking about the people who followed Alma and had repented of their sins and had been faithful to the Lord, and the Lord allowed them to be oppressed by the Lamanites in fulfillment of a prophecy from Abinadi earlier in Mosiah and to test their patience and faith through trials.

I have been thinking a lot about the importance of patience and faith in the Lord in our lives.  My whole life I have always been super impatient.  It has always been a weakness of mine but I learned a valuable lesson this week.  These past couple weeks it has been super difficult to find new people to teach.  We pray to have the guidance of the Lord to be led to people who have been prepared for the gospel, and we haven't had too much success, I felt stressed, I felt like our work has been unproductive in the aspect of finding, but we have been diligent and have done everything we can to find these people who have been prepared.  Yesterday, we had Stake Conference and while we were sitting in the meeting this guy came up to me and said that there was an investigator from Laureles who wanted to talk to us.  We went to see who it was and it was a guy I had never seen in my life.  He started to talk to us and said that he is going through some hard trials and is looking for God in his lif.e.  He said he felt far away from God and right when he entered the church the Area Seventy gave a talk and talked about what the Jairo was going through. At the end of the meeting he came up to us and said he felt a peace that he has never felt before and that he wants to learn more about our church.

After that experience, it really made me think. There is no way that that was coincidence that he showed up right in time to listen to this general authority to talk about everything that he was going through. I know that  we came in contact with him as a blessing of our PATIENCE and FAITH in the Lord. For not stopping when we felt discouraged and for continuing in prayer and faith.

 I know that God knows us perfectly and that He is with us in everything that we go through. It is up to us to except Him. God is a God that possesses all knowledge, understanding, love and compassion. Counsel with Him daily and ask for His guidance, be patient and faithful and it is my testimony you will see the hand of the Lord more fully in your lives.

Elder Johnson

Feliz Ano Nuevo

What's up everybody!  I hope that you all had a good week and a good new year.  It's pretty weird being here where it is blazing hot for the holidays...it's cooler when there is snow.  Anyways, first things first, I gotta give a birthday shout out to my beautiful mother today!  I'm so thankful for my mom and all that she does for me and the Christlike example that she has always set for me.  The best way to teach is by example and that is something that I have always had from my mom.  I love you, Mom, and hope you have a good day! (From Denise's personal email:  Happy Birthday, Mom!  I have been wondering what you guys did today since the temple closed --we typically go and do baptisms as a family on my birthday--I hope you know that I love you so much.  I'm so blessed to have you and your example in my life.  I always reflect on the times I would see you reading your scriptures and always magnifying your calling.  You are amazing!)

This week was pretty slow.  All of the kids just got out to school so they're on vacation and stuff.  They are either gone or drunk out of their minds so we didn't have much success this week.  The people here go HAM with "grandpa's old cough medicine"--it's pretty funny, but I still had a good week.  Something I love about the mission is there is always something to learn no matter the circumstances of the week.

This week, I have been thinking a lot about something the man, Benny Weese, said in one of his emails when he was on the mish.  He said, "God has the ability to move mountains, but He chooses to move us."  I know that is true.  I know that when we give ourselves to God, He will help us through our challenges and everything that we go through.  In this new year, I want to invite all of you to make the Lord a bigger part of your lives.  I know that God knows you perfectly.  Make Him a part of all of your New Year's resolutions and as you work for all of your goals you will be blessed.  In this new year, I have a goal to be more Christlike and apply the atonement of Jesus Christ in every aspect of my life.

Anyways, I don't have much this week, I want to let you all know that I love you so much.  I know that Jesus Christ lives.  I know that we have two witnesses of His life in the Bible and the Book of Mormon and through the scriptures we can find the mysteries of God to help us along the way in this crazy life that we live.  I love you guys and hope that you all have a good spiritual filled week and year.

Familia Azabache with Elder Johnson and Elder Luna

Elder Johnson, Elder Rodriguez and Elder Cruz at Incan ruins

Elder Rodriguez and Elder Johnson-Incan Ruins

Elder Johnson

Merry Christmas!

We got to Skype with Elder Johnson on Christmas Day!  It was so great to see him and talk with him.  He was able to talk with us for an hour.  We all talked together for a few minutes and then we had our individual time for about 5 minutes in a separate room with the iPad.  He is doing so great--he loves his mission and is so humbled.  He recognizes daily his many blessings.  It's always hard to say goodbye when we are done----here's to 5 more months!

On the 26th, he didn't write a big email to everyone.  He did write us all brief emails...we are looking forward to hearing from him today!

Pictures from our visit:

Elder Johnson and Brother Blas

Ho, Ho, HOOOOH MY GOSH!

Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord, for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.  Zechariah 2:6

Ho, ho, hOOOH MY GOSH!  Santa Claus is coming to town!  WHOOOOO!  I can't believe that this Sunday is Christmas.  This Christmas season has definitely been different because I went from going penguin status in tons of snow straight into el horno de afliccion ha ha ha.  It's super hot here and the Peruvian people don't get too hyped about the holidays, but aside from the atmosphere, this Christmas season has been super special.  I have really been able to focus on our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Not only His birth, but His infinite atonement, which is the greatest gift that any of us will ever receive in our lives.

I have really learned as we come to understand the atonement, we find ourselves more focused on other people and serving them.  I'm so thankful for the atonement and the change that has taken place in me as I have been here on my mission.  I have a testimony of the atonement and of Jesus Christ that I could never deny.  To me that is the greatest gift I will ever receive.

I want to share my favorite quote with you which has been my main focus this Christmas season:

"The key to our greatness is to remember our nothingness without Christ and His atonement."

I hope that this quote has the same impact on you as it has on me.  I know I am nothing without Christ and His atonement. I know that through humility and recognizing our nothingness without Christ, we will more fully understand the atonement and be greater instruments in the hands of the Lord to bring others unto the Lord, Jesus Christ.

Anyways, this is all I've got for today!  I am so excited to talk to you guys on Sunday.  I can't even imagine talking to my family and hearing their voices, ha!  I'm so thankful for my family.  I know that this experience being away from them has really made me recognize how blessed I am to have the family I have.  I'm soooo hyped to talk to you guys on Skype.  NOS VEMOS EN DOMINGO! LOS AMO BASTANTE!

Feliz Navidad

Elder Johnson