Tuesday, March 22, 2011

February 14, 2011

February 14, 2011

Dear Family,

     Mom I would love to be your Valentine!!  I have sent stories to everyone this week so I hope that you can all read them together at family home evening!
   Thanks for the package and thank Rachel for the letter and also, thank the Fallon Wards, Brother Barton, Bishop Johnson, Dad and Aaron for the cards.  Thanks a ton!!
     Also, could you send me the date of everyone’s birthday.  I would very much appreciate it.
     I haven’t sent anything home yet but I plan to soon.
       So, anyway, I had my interview with my mission president this week.  We talked a for while about a lot of different stuff.  Actually Elder Marin and I picked him up from another church and took him to ours for the interview.  So we are special!
     In the interview he said that I really need to work hard in the language this week because the next transfer  I will be staying here… but…Elder Marin will be going to Villahermosa and …
     I may be training a new elder!!!
Okay! I was way pumped and I’m ready! I can’t wait to train someone!  I feel so ready.  The only problem I have with the language is the grammar, I can communicate fine it just isn’t correct.  Oh, it’s hard but I am so ready.  I feel like I already have a year under my belt or something! hahaha  It’s way good.  First transfer of my companion and I could be training someone!!!  How sweet if that, huh!!!!
    So Mom here is a story for you.  You can read it out loud for family home evening.
   (1)  One day Elder Marin and I we walking in Esperanza which is a really poor place.  When it rains just a little all the houses flood.  They are dirt streets, always muddy and almost never dry.  Rats, like really, really big rats are in the houses and streets.  It is just really poor all around.
    So we are walking and we pass this lady with these grocery bags.  She is carrying a ton.  We walk a block and see a kid about 5 or 6 years old standing on the curb with a ton more groceries with no one around him….  It was weird and the lady was walking toward him.
    We walked on and contacted a person up ahead.  During this contact  I noticed that the lady was the mother of the kid and was carrying half of the bags a block and returning for the kid and the other bags over and over and over.  I recognized the name of the store on the bags and realized that it was about a mile away.
     After the contact I ran over and asked if she could use some help…she looked at me funny and said sure…  We grabbed all the bags and carried them to her house about a mile away.  I could tell that her arms were being rubbed raw by the bags and she wanted to cry.  She was very thankful.
     At her house we told her that we were missionaries, she said I know, I am a Jehovah Witness….
     We invited her to listen to how we can better our lives through Christ and she accepted, she was happy about it actually.
     It just goes to show that every heart can change we just need to keep our eyes open for the opportunity to help someone even if it is something so small, you never know when it can change someone’s life.
     She accepted a baptismal date and it is crazy because she lives with two other Jehovah Witnesses who are anti-Mormon, but she wanted to hear what we have to say.
      Always remember what Christ would do for his children in the darkness!

(Dad)
     Really Tyler!!!!ha ha Tell him he is doing to die!!  You need to be a real stud to handle Mexico!!   Tell him that he will not see a hot shower for 2 years, but it’s the most amazing experience of your life!!!
     Well, dad I love you tons and here is your story for the week to share at family home evening.
 (2)    We have been teaching this lady for about 3 weeks now and she hasn’t excepted a baptismal date yet.  We had been praying for her a ton and working really hard with her.  Her name is Maria Baragon.  She is “good people” and a real good person.
     The other day we were planning and we decided to plan for her specifically.  In a part for our lesson I wrote down the words…  I promise if you go to church with this question about the church in your head you will receive an answer to your prayers.
     So we go and teach the lesson.  The time before we had set a goal for her baptism with her, which was the 19th of February.  She wasn’t real sure about it but agreed.
     We walk in and the first thing she says is that she is not real sure about this date and needs more time. We started teaching and explaining why she was still trying to get out of baptism and then I felt the spirit.  I told her your story and how you waited 25 years to be baptized and how that 25 years was wasted and might as well had been trash.  I told her you regretted it and it wasn’t until after you were baptized that you realized it.  I told her all your story  and she listened very carefully.  The spirit was stronger and stronger.  My companion shared a scripture about this  and then I shared our promise for her.  Which was the answer she received in church.
     She said ok I have a question for you.  Do you tell the Bishop or people in church about my problems and needs because every week I go to church they teach to me and my problems seem to get better.   Long story short we said no that this is an answer from God.
     Then her husband walked in and first thing she said is, “I am going to be baptized on the 19th!!!
     It was amazing and come to find out she has had the missionaries over for ten years learning.  It was your story dad that converted her!!  Good job!!
P.S.  You should write all your story and send it to me.

(Loni)
Dear Juan!!!!  Aka Best Bud

What’s going on?  Is today Vday?  I have all my days mixed up because I am doing work down here in Mexico.  This week, I think, has been the best week yet in Mexico!  Oh my gosh I have seen many, many miracles and have tons of stories just from this week.
     First thanks for my calendar!! I love the crap out of it!! It’s perfect for my desk.  I actually sent you an email last week about your pictures and lots of sentimental stuff in it but you didn’t get it so I guess there is a reason for that.  Sorry bud but it was way good!
     So I am giving everyone a story this week and you can all read your story for family home evening.
(3)   Okay, so this week I went to Villahermosa to do some paper work to become a real Mexican. On the way back from the bus station I was with my companion in a taxi.  We were talking and then I realized there was a lady in the front seat.  I spoke to them and said, “hola como estmaos, caul es su nombres… many things in Spanish and then the guy turned to the lady and translated it into English. I was like what?????   Come to find out they lived in Atlanta Georgia  and just moved here.  His wife didn’t even know any Spanish at all!!!   So I was like oh me too!!!  To make her feel better…we talked and I started talking to her in English…the thing was - I couldn’t speak English!!!!!!!!! For real Loni!! I was trying to think of the words and couldn’t do it.  It was so bad!  I said like every other word in Spanish and was talking really slow!!!  Oh, it was really bad!!  I told her that we need to chat and asked if I could visit with them and they said Yes!!  I think baptism baby!!!
     So that’s one story.  It is really funny but scary to know that I don’t know English or Spanish now!!!  Haha  pray for me for real!!!!
     Well, thanks for the letters, photos, and the package.  I love them so much you have no idea! Seriously!
     I hope that everything is good over there.  That’s crazy that Senior night is already here.  It seems like yesterday, no?  Oh dang ,well wish them all good luck for me.  Tell Hadley I miss him and I want the best for him.
I hope everything is good with you and I love you tons.  Can’t wait to get your package and I think I will get it next month so we will see.  Varmus a ver no?
     I will write your class a letter if you want just let me know what it is about.

Love Elder Johnston

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