HIGHER EDUCATION

Elder Jake Johnston Update Jan 25, 2013
Jake left to begin his career in higher education on January 5, 2013 traveling to Utah State University in Logan Utah. Both Jakes dad and sister attended USU as well so he has begun his jouney in becoming an "Aggie".

Arriving in mid winter has been a shock due to temperatures below zero for most of the time he has been in Logan to date. It is certainly an extreme from his time in Mexico. Two or three of the missionaries that served in Villahermosa are also in the Logan area. He is enjoying the new sights and experiences and has adjusted well from missionary life. He is pursuing a degree in Business Finance.

Homecoming

October 15, 2012

Jake is Home...
He arrived at the Reno airport at 3:18 PM which was 8 minutes early and amazing considering that he had three different flights. He had not slept for over 48 hours as he had to travel to make the flight which required being at the airport at 5 AM. He arrived literally with only the clothes on his back with his original two suitcases which only contained mission materials; books etc; a few keepsakes and a couple of soccer jerseys. He wore out 4 pairs of shoes in two years and had to buy new ones before he traveled home. The only remnant of the plethora of clothing he took was his original belt which was in three pieces....funny for sure. He was both dazed and amazed coming down the airport hallway and had trouble remembering the English language he left with. He is grateful; skinny; humble and still as funny as ever. He calls everyone "Elder" (just the men of course) and then corrects himself and he can't say the word "cinnamon" if his life depended on it...pretty funny!!! He thinks its weird to see houses with doors on them and every mirror he sees he comments about how big it is. Showers and hot water are his two favorite things right now and he puts chili peppers on everything he eats.  He has a new appreciation for his life and has lots of captivating stories of all types. He is looking forward to getting reacquainted with everyone and knows he will see many when he speaks this Sunday. His family is very happy he is home and the time demands for his attention has begun in earnest. 

The Conversion

October 8, 2012

Dear Mom & Family

Well I'm baffled right now.. out of words to say. After all this time the primary thing I have learned, and the most important that I could share with you, is something so small and so simple, yet so powerful, like a sword that pierces the heart and drops a seed in the center, my testimony of the Christ. I know He lives and He will forever be my King and my Lord. I know this Church is true. I have learned to leave the testimony of my mom and dad and walk alone being truly converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ the son of God. I now have found the burning Nucleus in my chest that screams 2 Nephi 22:2 !!! I love you so much mother and I want you to know how proud I am of you. I know the process of the conversion that has passed through you in this past two years and I'm so proud of the daughter of God you have become. I love you and the Lord is so pleased with all your efforts to declare good tidings among my siblings and me... and how much your testimony has grown. I know you are not the same. I thank you for your support and for your prayers. I have needed them and I have felt them. I love you mom and in a week I will see you. Just don't wear make up because I don't want you or my sisters to stain my clothes when we are all crying hahaha!!!  I love you. Take care mom and soon we will rejoice together. The Lord has lots of plans for you, so prepare yourself. I probably won't be coming home with many souvenirs because I'm in a place where I cant really buy any and I don't have money. Don't worry though the best souvenir of all is my testimony and the conversion of my soul forever. Stay safe.
Love Elder Johnston
Love you forever; like you for always; forever and ever my mommy you'll be...

Noticero

Jake will be returning from his mission in Villahermosa Mexico on Monday October 15 arriving at the Reno airport at 3:30 PM. All those who would like to see Jake are invited to welcome him home.

On Sunday October 21 he will be speaking in Sacrament meeting at 10 AM at the Tolas Place Chapel. We invite all who would like to attend to come and hear of his adventures in Mexico.

The Promise

October 1, 2012

Dear Dad; Mom & Family

I’m scared I’ll have a heart attack with all the surprises I feel are coming when I get back. I love you all so much. idk.. Sometimes I wonder why is it that the lord decided to bless me so much in my life and keeps blessing me so much. Sometimes I don’t understand it. All I know is he really loves us all allot. I had my last interview with my president this week. He really loves me and I really love him. He is a great man and I have learned so much from him. I will forever be in debt to him. He really is an inspired man of God. I have felt that I have never had an interview by the Lord himself until my interview last Friday with my president. It was very moving and we both cried like little babies. Never have I felt the spirit so strongly nor have I received so clearly the revelations that have been revealed to me as I did that day. He shared with me sacred guidance that I will need and that I am now excited to complete. I love you tons dad. I am excited to come back. I have never experienced anything like this in my whole life and even though it was so hard, it was so worth it. I love it so much and I will miss every second of it.. That’s why I need to enjoy the taste of it now so that when I get back I can rejoice in the words of the Lord that say: “Ye have been faithful, enter into the joy of thy Lord”.
I love you all tons. I know that I have such little time left but I have big things planned, to finish with a bang. When I finished my last track race in the high school, when we broke the record, I remember throwing up and having nothing left to give, completely drained of all of my energy. That’s how I promise to finish the mission.. With everything.
Love
Elder Johnston

The Beauty Of An Eternal Perspective

September 24, 2012

Dear Familia

I love you all so much and I thank you so much for teaching me correct principles and the things I should know and do to have a great and wonderful life.!! I truly do love life so much. It is so beautiful and remarkable to be able to live with an eternal perspective. I love it. I had a very spiritual week. I have never felt so close to the Lord in all my life. Each week I feel more convinced of that. Actually this week we went to His sacred House. We went to the Temple Friday here in Villa. The missionary’s have that chance to be able to go and visit the Lord in his House every Friday. A luxury I have not had until now. We saw people that I knew in Mina who taught us allot and I really enjoyed my time talking with them. One of the men said that I should get married within three months after my mission.... haha…that really made me laugh as you can imagine.
We took 10 investigators to church this week. The Lord has seven that will be baptized here this Saturday and 5 more on the 13th of October... I will not leave Mexico without baptizing my last day in the mission even if I have to baptize a cat my last day I will do it!!! ha-ha
Well its really amazing what’s happening. Actually we are getting someone married this week and I have lots of papers and stuff to complete on that. Then president called and said that we are splitting the Ward here and they will place two more elders here so I have to start making divisions and do a slide show presentation on how we will divide the area plus much more. Basically I have been charged with organizing all of it. It will be a fun roller coaster ride and on top of it all I also have to go find a new house for the other missionary’s in another town before tomorrow plus at 7 PM we have a family home evening with a family of 5 that’s going to be baptized that I cannot miss because they are really important so basically, long story short.... its a normal day in the mission!!! Any questions? hahaha
Dad
Thank you for teaching me to love learning. I don’t know if you realize that you are responsible for that but I am so grateful for that gift from you.

Well I must go for now but know that I love you all tons. Stay safe; stay happy.
love
Elder Johnston

Viva Mexico ! ! !

September 17, 2012

Dear Mom; Dad & Family

Well this week was really good. We are having so much success and I have never felt closer to the Lord my God than I do right now. I look at other missionaries and other kids and even baby’s and think to myself about how far I have come yet I have so much farther still to go. I’m so happy the Lord’s plan for our progress is eternal and not just for a short period of mortal time. I love you all so much and I love the Church and the Gospel. I really do love it and what is more important is that I know it is true. I know it with all my heart.
I am happy to hear that you had a good week and that dad is happy and healthy.. How young are you guys again? Haha,,,Well right now we are teaching a family of five and the daughter is 14 and just had a baby.. They are really excited to get baptized. The mom is Indian from here and speaks Cholo, a dialect I learned in Palenque and when I got to their place I could tell by her accent. I have no idea how to spell the accent that she spoke, Cholo, so I just started saying the little words I know in Cholo and she laughed and from then on we were really good buddy’s and now she wants to get baptized. We set baptismal dates with another two families of three people. There is also a family of six we are teaching and another family of seven that came to a church activity. There is also another couple we are going to get married so they can get baptized. There is also another family that has a very different make up including a brother; sister; cousin; and nephew who all also accepted invitations to be baptized... Lots of “exito“, now we just have to prepare them and help them go to church. We have so many people we just have to get them all to church. We have over 48 people that we are teaching and I think we will have allot more before I leave here. It is really amazing the power of God!!
I love you all so much and I hope all is going well with you all. Another interesting thing I did this week was celebrate the Independence of Mexico which is the same day as dads birthday September 16th, so we had a party for the ward saturday where like 200+ people came. They asked me to do the “grito“... or the “yell” of Mexico... its the famous VIVEEE MEXICOOOOO... Well I did it and everyone really loved it and got a huge laugh out of my efforts to make it sound authentic.
I’m good and just trying to be more than I ever have been in my whole life. Ten percent of the things in life just happen to you and the other 90 percent you decide what happens... I’m making the choices now. I love life and love that I am an eternal identity of God.
Love you all tons …see you soon
Love
Elder Johnston