Monday, March 30, 2015

Mar 30 - Chincha

Hello All,

[We asked him if the rumors about cat being a delicacy in Chincha are true] Haven't had cat yet but i guess we will just have to see. haha

This week we have been working extra hard to try and find families to teach and baptize. We have found three families which is awesome, but none of them are married and so they need to get married first to fulfill the law of chastity. It is sometimes so frustrating because noone here is married! haha It is hard, but at the same time I'm up for the challenge. :)

[We reported that Dennis got a new calling in the YM organization at church] Good luck dad with your new calling, and I hope that you guys will enjoy your spring break. I would kill to have a spring break right now haha . I will keep going strong and enjoy CONFERENCE! :)

I love you guys soo much and hope that you will continue to do well. Tell everyone that I love them and send photos!

I love you soo much and a lot

Gringo Mike

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Mar 24 - Chincha

Hello All,

This week we had CAMBIOS! and I got transferred and left my área after having 4 and a half months there. Leaving was so difficult, but I am excited to be able to meet more people and help this new área that I have. I am now, like Veronika said, in Chincha. It is my first time outside of Lima. The misión has 6 zones in Lima and 6 in the South. I was in Lurín 1, Pachacamac, El Sol 2, Villa El Salvador and now Pueblo Nuevo 1, Chincha. Here it is soo hot. I thought Villa was hot but here in the south it is scorching. Now I have to wear sunscreen every day or I will be fried to a crisp. haha.  My new companion is named Elder Lalinde and he is from Colombia and he is awesome!!! We are excited to work hard and help this área explode!

This past week we had the baptism of Mariana, and she is progressing soo much. She has already expressed to us the desire that she has to serve a misión to be able to help other people who don't have the góspel. It is amazing the power that the góspel has to change lives. It has been such a testimony builder to see her progress and change into a better person. Amazing!

I am continually see the góspel bless the lives of people everyday. I am so grateful for this time that I have to be able to particpate in this work. 9 months down and 15 to go! I still cant believe how fast the misión is going. It seems like just yesterday i was in the MTC haha.

I hope you guys continue to progress and do well. The dogs look great and I'm sure you guys do too. haha Love you soo much and alot!!

Funny story, apparently there is a popular song here that is called Gringo Mike. haha and so the nicknames just keep piling up. :) Elder Johnson Baby, Gringo Mike who knows whats next? haha. I guess we will have to wait to find out :)

Gringo Mike









Monday, March 23, 2015

Mar 23 - Transferred to Chincha

Dad's note:  We got a Facebook message from a Sister in the ward in Villa el Salvador that Mike is getting transferred to Chincha.  We found that location on a map about 2 hours south of Lima along the coast and will post an update when we get it.  He might not get to write until tomorrow if he is moving today.  We did get these pictures from Facebook on Sunday:





Monday, March 16, 2015

Mar 16 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

This week has been awesome and we are preparing ourselves for the baptism of Mariana. She is the granddaughter of a recent convert and has also been attending mission preparation. She asked us, if I was to serve a mission would I have to postpone my studies? I am so amazed by the power of God to change people. She is not even baptized yet and is making plans to try and serve a mission. The power of God is real!!

This coming week are transfers and we will see what happens. My companion Elder Rosado is going to be transferred to Bolivia either this transfer or the next and so I might be staying in my area for more time. His original mission was Bolivia La Paz, but he had problems with paperwork and so he stayed in Peru for a while. But now he has worked on everything and will be leaving for his mission pretty soon. Looks like I might be spending even more time in Villa El Salvador, 4 and 1-2 months already in my area, but I love the ward and so thats no problem for me! :)

I love you guys soo much and a lot and want you to know that you don't have to worry about me because I'm doing just fine here in villa el salvador. Keep close to God and I know that he will continue to bless your lives.

Love you soo much,

Elder Johnson

Monday, March 9, 2015

Mar 9 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

This week I finally recieved the package from Mary and Brock. I have been having peanut butter and nutella sandwiches all this week! Heaven! :)

This week has been great! This next coming week we have another baptism of Mariana Bustamante. She is the granddaughter of Sabina Chung (Recent Convert baptized in December of last year). We have been really focusing on PF (families where they are all not members). This has been the key for us and we are starting to find a lot more investigators to teach. A lot of times we ask members for referrals of friends while they have beloved family members who dont know anything about the gospel. This is where the people who are truly prepared to recieve the gospel are. We as members need to make an honest effort to first spread the gospel to our families. I love missionary work!!

My prayers are always with you guys and especially with Grandpa at this time. I know that the power of prayer is real and that if we have faith and real intent, God is obligated to give us an answer. It might not be what we want and what we expect, but he always comes through. I hope that you all will continue to press forward in faith and enjoy life.

I love you all soo much!

Elder Johnson


Monday, March 2, 2015

Mar 2 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

This week has been awesome! A birthday in Peru is a little different but it is awesome! :)

We had p day on Monday and so we had water games and ate hot dogs as a zone. It was great to relax and enjoy time with the zone. Also, We were able to have cake with Jhonan our recent convert who had his birthday on Monday too. We enjoyed cake and then shared a message with his whole family. We have plans to go with his family to the temple this coming week to do baptisms for the dead. This is truly the focus in the mission now, to bring people into the temple. I love it!

That is awesome that Jacob and Vanessa are going to BYU! Im not quite sure what I will end up doing but I have still over a year to think about that :) It is also so exciting to hear about them wanting to serve missions. In the mission, it is truly a preparation for the rest of your life. A time to learn and improve spiritually as well as temporally. Such a great opportunity that we have to serve God.

I can't wait for Conference. In the mission all of the gringos are able to watch it in English in a separate room. I can understand the talks in Spanish, but I find that it is just not the same! That is great that family is coming down to watch it with you guys. Tell them that I love them and miss them. :)

Continue enjoying life and living it to the fullest. I sure miss the times that we had hanging out as a family, but I know that in not too long we will be watching MasterChef or Survivor eating Little Caesars pizza haha. I love you guys and pray for you everyday and I hope that you will continue to do well.

Much Love,

Elder Johnson