December 5, 2011

    Well, I will start with a cool experience. We got to see the Christmas devotional here from satellite and had brought three investigators. My comp and I were in the back office watching in English where we had found the computer, heated it up and got it going in English some how.  Then we fixed the climate control so it was nice and cold in there, it was great!!!  As we were watching the devotional so many Christmas memories came back to mind and I was so happy.  We were there and I felt the pure Christmas season.  My comp and I said we could almost see the Christmas lights outside and feel the snow falling because it was so cold in the small office.  When they closed with a prayer we hugged and bowed our heads to our Almighty God and remembered how amazing this time of year is.  We both had desires to just cry on each others shoulders haha!  But we stayed real strong.  When we walked outside back into 80 degree heat with everyone speaking a different language we had to come back to the real world.  For that short period of time I could really feel Christmas and putting up the tree with you and the train and most of all the nativity stable.  The white stable with baby Jesus  and Mary.  It’s amazing the birth of our Lord and Savior.  I’m so glad and grateful for him.  I will never be able to repay him for what he has done for me.
     This weekend we had a baptism of a young lady who’s name is Landi.  She got baptized even though her family is completely disowning her.  But faith triumphs over everything.  I admire her for that.  I did the ordinance and the confirmation.  It was a smooth baptism and the spirit was definitely present.  What a blessing it is to be there so close in that moment.  We have an investigator named Miguel.  He works for the government hacking into computers and banks and  other governments to see how safe their security programs are.   He’s a very smart young man who is 23 years old.  Everything we left him he would actually teach us when we returned the next day and we didn’t have to do anything.  He said before we came back he would read a chapter that we left him once, twice or even three times but he still didn’t know if it was true…I said to myself…“unless the Lord answers him there is no way I will be able to convince him or help him get baptized.”  That night the Lord answered him through a dream with a vision, and an answer to all the prayers he had given.  The next day we walked in and he told us he was ready for his baptism, but he wanted to get rid of some addictions and he wanted to know how to do it!!   We helped him with the Word of Wisdom and in that very instant he grabbed his coffee and Coke a Cola and poured it down the toilet and flushed it.  …yep.. You can say “where is the baptism water??? “ He is way prepared.  He fasted with us Sunday to help him get rid of his addictions and then we played ball with him today. haha He is amazing!!!
     Something I realized today is how much more I am in the world now than I was. Before, in high school, a kid thinks he is pretty cool and thinks he works pretty hard.  He has math homework or science or even the big AP  test or statistics or something…then he may have some sports and think it might even be cool to win a state championship and your homework is to practice everyday on your shot or technique…  You want to know what  my homework is now??? Imagine that a twenty year old kid who you don’t know knocks on your door and tells you to get married…would you do it?  Our homework is to tell people to stop having premarital sex, it’s to tell them to repent, to get married, to get them off drugs. Its to get them to believe in something they have never seen in their lives, like a supreme being who has created the earth and listens to them when they are in a room alone talking in their head saying a prayer.  To get them to ask this being they don’t know and can’t see for forgiveness for all the sins they have committed in their life, from drinking coffee to killing.  Then to get in a pool of water and immerses them until they have gone completely under to free themselves of these sins and be able to have Eternal happiness when they die.  
So they can receive something called the Holy Ghost  that supposedly guides them to do good things and is with them even when no one is around.  To get people to get married in a big white building with a gold figure of a man on top…and then after all of that, get them to do it for the rest of their lives until they pass away.  My homework is the saving of a human soul and if I don’t do my job correctly…they will be condemned along with myself forever and ever.  I won’t just lose a game or get bad grades I will be the reason that someone either suffers for eternity or lives in peace and happiness to one day become a God or Goddess.
    Huh! Well I wonder what I would rather do...or which is the bigger responsibility?  I also wonder WHY DO KIDS NOT GO ON  MISSIONS!!!!
I feel  the pain the apostles feel like Elder Holland.
     Funny story this week --- We ate rocky mountain oysters and all my comps freaked out, haha.  It was way funny but they tasted pretty good.  Elder Williams has received 12 packages from his mom for Christmas not including the one with the Christmas tree and decorations.  I must be getting coal this year.  I think I’ve been bad or something,  haha it’s cool.  I miss you so so much. I love you so much and I pray you all have the best Christmas in the world.
     Shout out to the whole family, you better Christmas it up.  Caroling and everything you could possibly do and if you waste it I will slap you.  Live, live, live it up and don’t waste one second of the celebration of the birth of Christ our Savior!!!  Live it up!!! Hot Chocolate it up!!! And sing and dance and decorate and GIVE AND TESTIFY THAT CHRIST LIVES AND LOVE AND PRAY AND FAST!!!!
(PS: All I ask is a package family)
I love you all so much!!!
Love
Elder Johnston