May 16, 2011

Dear Family,

     Mom, you sound like you’re so busy!  What happened to taking it easy?  haha  It’s ok though because you will be  blessed for doing the Lords work and magnifying your calling.
     Well, this week has been horrible for my companion and I, well mostly for him! It wasn’t his week.  He started out  sick on Tuesday … 1st day of work and was sick until Friday…   Saturday we finally go out to work but first passed by for some beds for the other companions.  We are carrying the beds and my companion falls in a hole in the road.  One of those big drain holes that goes down to the sewage and the water drains down.   He almost broke his leg but all is good now.  So basically we have been in the house all week.
     Before I forget -  Happy Birthday to Grandpa, Ava and Dylan
     I forgot to tell you some stuff last week.  I talked with this lady named Horte.  She has had a really bad five months.  Like two of her cousins died, and her father and son got hit by a car.  She is a member but inactive.  It is truly amazing how we can be instruments in the hands of the Lord here in the mission.  I talked with her calmly about the situation and she was crying her eyes out.  I taught her about the plan of salvation.  It was truly one of my most spiritual moments in the mission.  The things I said and the experience     really was directed by the lord.
     We also got to travel to Villahermosa to hear an Apostle, Quinten L. Cook this week.
     Today was the zone activity and we played……SOCCER again haha but I am getting pretty good.  I hit one in the goal with my head and did the same thing to someone else, I passed to him and I hit another one in as well,  I am getting better finally.  It’s fun
I love you tons and I’ll talk to you later.
Love Elder Johnston
PS:  I am sending pictures of the zone activity and the guy I baptized the day I talked to you His name is Rodrigo.

May 2, 2011

Dear Family,

     Well, not much to say here on my end.  I can’t believe that I have already missed a St. George trip.  The truth, I think is that it was harder on  me than Christmas was and Thanksgiving.  Haha It was a hard week not to think about all the fun you were having.  But on the same note, I was learning a lot this week.  I am in a process of learning.  I love to learn now.  It is an attribute that I have added to myself in the mission, the ability to learn.  And what a blessing it is to grow and learn from experiences.  I love everything that I am doing here.
     I received a package from our ward, the young men and Tyson Sorensen.   So you can tell them thanks and I am already starting to write them back,  Tell them,  Thank You !!! for everything and I am trying to get back to them as soon as possible, and thanks for the snacks I loved them!!!!
     Well, we have been baptizing every week down here which is really good.  We have been working really hard especially this week.  We have so much to do and people to see and I just love the work.  It is always a test to see if we can reach the goals that we are setting.  I love it!!
     Well, since I will talk to you guys soon I will leave this how it is and talk to you in a week.  I love you all so much and I hope all the cards get to everyone without any problems.
     Love you tons and here are some pictures.  What I do is send you pics from my comps camera so that you can save them as well.
Love
Elder Johnston
   

April 25, 2011

Dear Family,

     Well, here I am in Mexico still, if you were wondering.  Writing you from the same old cubical as normal, paying this Mexican lady to use the internet….hmmmmm I can’t believe that you are all down -  well up  in St. George without me.  It’s horrible thinking about it.  I have been waiting all week to hear all about it.
     I am really really glad our whole family can be together this week having a good time enjoying the love you have for one another. It truly is amazing to see how much joy we can have from the family.  One thing that I have learned is that it is the family that everything is centered around.  You can ask anyone in the world about their family and they will have something to tell you no matter if their family is the most amazing in the world like mine, or that they don’t have one.  People will always have something to relate or talk about when you bring up family.  I have learned that testifying about my family is what I am best at. haha!  We have a little bit of everything in our family and I’m glad.  I have learned something from everyone in my family and apply it in my life to make myself a better person.  I hope and pray that you can all  make this time that you have together an amazing experience.  I wish you all could know some of the things I see here about family.  The family is a blessing from God and the sad part is that a lot of people abuse the blessings that we have.  That is why this week I pray that no one there will abuse, waste, or take away from the time you have together to love every moment with each other.  If you could see what I see everyday I know you wouldn’t waste one moment.  It really breaks my heart to see 9 year old girls washing the family’s clothes all day because their mom is too lazy or when I see bare footprints in the sand of a small boy because his dad can’t afford to buy him shoes but has enough money to get drunk every night.  We don’t know how great we have it.  I have been blessed to see these things and learn from them and I hope that all of you can remember what we have.
     So how was the Easter Sunday for everyone??  I hope it was great.  I hope we all took the time to remember the Savior and what he sacrificed for his family.  The perfect example.  Our older brother who died for us, for our sins.  This week has been a week of reflection for me.  I have really been thinking about the sacrifice of our Lord.  I remember thinking this week, as we were knocking on this back door, about what we say when we contact someone, then the lady yelled from the other side of the door,  “Who is it?“  We responded, “ We are representatives of Jesus Christ can we share a message with you?”   She responds, “I don’t have time!”
     Now this is the point; I was thinking how can anyone reject Jesus Christ like that as if Jesus Christ is waiting outside your door, waiting for you to open the door and invite him in….why would you say no to Jesus Christ?   I just didn’t get it.  Why would someone say NO to our Savior?  … Well, first what does Savior mean?  Someone who could can give you salvation… I didn’t get why someone would say no to salvation.  Salvation is the ultimate goal right?  We go to church, we pray, we keep the commandments…all so we can someday receive our salvation and live with our families forever!  We were lost and our Brother was loving enough to save us.  Now we are on our own terms, to be saved or not, for our own sins.  Well, we will sin and so He gave us a way to be saved; Faith, Repentance, Baptism, the Holy Ghost and then live out our lives worthily…
     So why isn’t that good enough for us. idk, maybe we are just to lazy, maybe we don’t have enough money to go to church, maybe the football game is on, maybe we are about to go out with our friends…or maybe we are just to lazy to get off our butts walk to the door and let the Lord save us!!!!
     I have learned so much here in the mission.  I have learned that it is ONLY through the guidelines of our Savior that we can be saved with our family.  That is the most important thing I know.
     So I want you all, for this reason, to remember Jesus in everything you do.  I will tell you all my favorite law of heaven  -   With everything we do, we either receive blessings or no.  So watch what you do this week, because I know that if we all remember Jesus Christ we will all have a good week- every week.
     I wish I could be there with you all this week.  I wish could be having a great time with you all, but I will be having a better time you just don’t know it !!haha
     I pray for you all every second of everyday.  I hope you get as much fun as possible out of this week that you have together.
   I love you and I will be praying that you have a great time this week.
Love
Elder Johnston

April 18, 2011

Dear Family,

     Well, good news I sent a package today.  It has some of my books, some toys from Mexico and a memory card and coke bottle you will really like.  The man helping me said it would break but I snuck it in anyway.   I also ha ve a lot of letters in there and you need to distribute them for me.  I hope you can handle that, Thanks!!
     This week we had changes.  I didn’t get moved but now we only have one area again and 2 more missionaries are coming back into our house.  It’s all good but the sad thing is that we left about 16 baptisms in that ward.  My comp and I… you can imagine how depressed we are but I know it’s the Lord’s will not mine.  I just worked my hardest and hope and pray that it’s the right thing and ask if there is anything more.  When I find out what that thing is …I do it… that’s how it is in the mission.
     Well, we went to the light house today and I bought some cool stuff from a kid.  Nothing to amazing over here.  Just working like always.  I can’t wait to talk to you and I will be talking to you from the same house as last time haha!!  Cool huh?  Twice from the same house.  My other mom wants to talk to you as well.
     I love you all and hope all is well.  If you need anything let me know and I’ll see how I can help you or if you want some advice.  Keep working hard physically and spiritually.  Remember true doctrine understood is what changes hearts ….  Not applications.
Love
Elder Johnston