Jan 26 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

Mom you got released!! It is so true about what you said not being able to control your emotions. If you remember during my farewell, after my talk I couldn't look up because I was crying. I didn't know why either! haha It is amazing the different ways the spirit communicates with us. 

This week has been awesome! We are continuing to work hard and invite people to come unto Christ. We have a baptism this coming week. His name is Maicol and he turned 10 today! It is crazy the spirit that he has and how mature he is. He is almost half way through the Book of Mormon already and he reads soo much. It is amazing to see the difference in people after the light goes off in their brain. Or, better said, when the spirit touches their hearts and they are converted.

I have really started to appreciate all of the clean things in the US. For example our house. We never had too many problems with bugs or insects. Today, we were cleaning our apartment and there was a teapot that had been here for a really long time. I decided to open it and it was milk that had been there since before i arrived (at least 5 months). And inside was about a million worms. The picture that is attached is the lid. SO GROSS!!!

Everything is good here in Peru! I will continue to work hard and do everything I can to save these people. It is so amazing to have the authority as missionaries to invite people to be baptized. I have been blessed by the spirit and am so glad I'm here. In the mission, there are experiences that you just can't have anywhere else. I am so blessed! :)

I love you all so much and keep doing well! 

Much Love,

Elder Johnson

Jan 19 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

This week has been a week full of funny experiences. Man, there sure are some crazy people here! haha

For example, yesterday we had a lesson with a less active. He has been baptized for about 20 years and has become inactive. We started the lesson off well and then it turned into him giving us a history lesson. Why do we attend church? He responds about how he studies a lot and how going to church is dangerous and he could die on the way. Also, he let me know that he knows English and started to give me a history of Jorge Washington (George Washington haha). I had to bite my tongue during the lesson to not just start laughing. Good times! haha. Another experience was also one person who insisted that Apostasy (like the great apostasy) was an apostle. ..... Gotta love it haha never gets old :)

We have been working hard in Villa el Salvador and doing really well. We have 2 baptisms ready for the 31st and another for the 7th. We will also help some people organize a wedding so that they can be baptized. Lots and lots of work to be done. :)

I haven't received any packages as of late, but we will see if i get any tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

I love you guys so much and hope that you are all doing well. I have been in the mission for 7 months now! Crazy. It will be weird when I'm not the newbie anymore but the veteran. Transfers are Feb. 9 and I hope that I will be able to stay here in Villa but more than likely I will be leaving. We will just have to see. I'll keep you guys posted. :)

Much Love,

Elder Johnson

Jan 12 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

Another week in Villa el Salvador!

It has been good here. This week I had to give a talk in church. I was thinking about what I could talk about and I decided to talk about covenants. Moses 1:39 says that Gods work and glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. This is only possible through covenants that we make with God and keeping them. As missionaries our only duty is to help people make covenants and keep them so that they can be with their families forever in the kingdom of God. Talk about pressure haha.

This past week I had an intercambio (interchange) with Elder Paravicini. It was so weird to be back with my first companion and trainer. It was a great day and we found new investigators and had baptism date and everything. It is awesome to have him back again in the same ward. In the picture we decided to make the cookie mix and microwave them haha. We had two big cookies and it actually worked out fine. It was a lot better than doing them over the stove top. haha.

We are getting a new mission president and he is the person that you found in the newspaper. We found this out this past week. It will be interesting how many changes he will make and what will happen. Fingers crossed that we can play SOCCER! haha

It is weird to think that my birthday is only next month. We will see what kind of gifts I will get haha. For example, last week I sent you a picture of my Christmas present. Underwear and a t shirt hahahah. It was one of the funniest moments so far in the missh. haha Never will forget it!

I love you guys so much! Only 18 months left to go ;). I cant wait to see you all in person again. I would kill to sit down on the couch and watch Survivor eating Pizza from little Caesar's. hahaha. But I guess I'm doing things that are a little more important than that. That will have to wait:)

Keep doing well and tell Sara to email me! :) I don't have her email address and so if you could have her send me something that would be awesome!

Love you guys!!!

Elder Johnson

Jan 5 - Villa el Salvador

Hello All,

This week has been crazy and awesome! Me and my new companion are ready to work in this area and bring to pass the work of salvation.

I have been thinking about why missionary is so hard. As a zone we watched a video about the Atonement and Missionary Work. The answer is that salvation was never easy. It is not just some game, we are talking about our personal salvation. If it wasnt easy for Jesus, why would it be easy for us. This video has completely changed my outlook on life and missionary work.

With the new transfers guess who is my district leader.... Elder Paravicini (My trainer!). We are going to go on a interchange this next week and it will be so weird to be teaching with him again. Father and son united again haha.

I'm so grateful for this mission. It has shaped me and made me the person who I am now. I now have such a different outlook on everything. If I cant play soccer after the mission so be it. There are things that are more important than soccer. Before that was all that I wanted to do, but now I want to get as much education that I can and be able to provide for my own family. Also, a goal to make a lot of money so I will be able to flip houses with you mom when you retire :)

I love you guys so much and there is not a day that goes by that I dont think about you guys. The basement looks awesome! It will be so interesting to see how many things change when I get back haha. Keep doing well and continuing in the gospel. I know that you guys will be able to continually feel the love that God has for you. I love you soo much and a lot ;)

Much Love,
Elder Johnson

John and Patty with Elder Paravincini

Another convert family with Elder Paravincini

With Elder Rosado

Mike's Christmas present