Week 6

Hey! 

This week was another fast week and a great one! We got noew teachers that speak almost no English and it is so fun trying to communicate with them sometimes. It really helps listening to the spanish to get used to hearing it. These teachers are just so funny! It was definetly good to get some new teachers. We have six which is twice as many. Because there are like no missionaries here. Only 25 i think in the entire CCM. It is so weird. It is so small here i am glad i didnt have to go to provo.

This sunday was our first sunday in all spanish and it went alright. i couldnt really understand the translated devotional from last tuesday in the Devotional at provo. But funny thing is Elder Virga the guy that knows Taylor say her in the video when they where singing. I probabaly  wouldve notcied but i didnt think about it. I hope she is doing ok with that language!

This week we also got to do some street contacting and we actually got this guy named Isaacs information and he seemed interested because we talked for a while. He actually knew english better but i would only talk to him in spanish because i need as much practice as i can get. Only one more week and i will finally be in the field! I like it here at the CCM but it gets kinda tiring just sitting down learnig all day everyday. I have come so far i feel. I can teach decently in spanish but i am sure that i make a decent amoount of grammar mistakes. As long as they get what i am saying! One of the lessons we had with an investigator had to be lead by the spirit. Because neither my companion or i could understand what she was reallly saying But after the lesson we said we couldnt understand her and our teacher who was the investigator said we replied perfectly for everything. It was interesting. I thought my companion understood but i guess he didnt either.

Haha Idaho just sounds weird. Where at in Idaho? Im not sure i would want to live there. I guess i can think about it. I mean i am going to go to BYU Idaho when i am going home and that will be fun. Just keep me updated on all that stuff.

So next week i wont be able to email cause i think the day we are supposed to have p day is the transfer day and we have a ton of stuff to do. So the next email you get will be about my first week in the field! Hopefully i have some cool stories for you guys!

I am so excited for the field though. And this week we get to get our buss cards and go proselite in a park somewhere for an hour or so. It will be interesting but i am excited. Also we get to go on splits with missionaries that have been in  the field for half the day. Super excited!

I feel like there isnt much to talk about sometimes when i am writing because it is really repetive here.

Ya i still want work out bands. ive been doing push ups and situps but bands would be nice. Unless you guys have already sent the package. 

So there are these really amazing scripture cases that i can get i am not completely sure how yet but they are leather and you have them custom made and you can get som really cool scirpture story pictures on them. Ill get a picture of some and send them to you. The only down side is is they are 50 bucks. So im not sure i will get them.

So this week has also been a little weird. I feel like i have forgotten what it is like to be home. My mind just feels so clear it is crazy. I like having a schedule and doing stuff. It is just awesome. Ive only been here 5 weeks and i feel like i would be alot different in terms of motivation. These two years are going to be life changing and i can tell. I cant wait to be bringing happiness i feel into the lives of other. i hope i can use my story and my experience with being truly converted to the gospel. I feel like that is why i was called here. I am noticing more things that the Lords hands have been apart of in my life before i was even converted. He was always there. I know he was. I didnt notice it when it happened but i remember hearing something in my thoughts that would be someting like you are going to go back. I dont know what the exact words where but it is cool to think about. I am definetly supposed to be here now. Things just worked out so well for the Lords hand not to be in it. Once i am in the field i am going to try to lose myself and be the best representative of Jesus Christ that i can be. These peoples Eternity is in my hands.

I love hearing everything from you guys! And keep up the letter! they are awesome to get during the week!

I love You all and miss you all! Good Luck with everything!

Love Elder Justin Johnson

Week 5

Hey!

Im actually doing suprisingly good! Yesterday i was just thinking and i was wondering how i have almost no stress. The spirit is truly a comforter. I wish i had more experiences with the spirit in my life. I need to get more in tune with the spirit. Or just recognize what the spirit tells me.

It is funny that you asked about dreams. Send a couple on email and a couple in the mail. cause the mail does take a while to get here. I have had some interesting ones that kinda made one day hard. Ill tell you about one of them. I dont know how to explain it but there was some dark think floating around and it flew at me and it would just hold me down and it was hard to break free. But once i did i felt free. I dont know how to explain it. But that night i also prayed that i would be able to get past some off the stuff of my past that keeps coming to mind.. Because there is alot of time to just think here and sometimes my mind wanders alot. And it is really distracting. But i think i am doing alot better. 

What i mean by my District need work is a couple of the Elders just talk so much crap behind peoples back and it can be reeally frustrating. And something just isnt right about our district. One of our teaches pulled me out of class this week and talked to me for a while about how i can try and help the district become close to God. Apparently i am one of the anchors in my District.  I hope i can help them. I be parying alot because we only have 2 more weeks. My companion has still been having alot of problems. It is highly likely he wont be able to serve the full 2 years. I feel so bad. I hope he can get through it. They just wont give him the medicine he needs for IDK why. But he has had the issues and they probably should have been sorted out before but was not able to be done.

If you havent sent it yet make sure on the music player or whatever there is ALOT of just gospel music or classical music. And of course Lindsey Stirling.

So these last 2 weeks have just flown by. Like So fast. It is awesome though becasue it can get really repetetive here. The days are long but the weeks are short.  Only 2 weeks then i will be in the FIELD! That is just so crazy! Yesterday we tried to do some street contacting outside the CCM. Lets just say REJECTED. Haha like 7 times. We didnt even get to talk to anyone. Oh well it was fun. 

Move to Idoaho? Why? that just seems weird. I guess St. Anthony is really close! I was going to move there anyways. Well not move there but go to school at BYU Idaho. St. Anthony is like 30 minutes away from BYU. So i think that would be super fun to take a quad up with me. haha idk that is a while away! It is funny i have only been here a week and i already have a good idea what i want to do when i get back. 

What else was this week.... Oh ya i bought a cool hand made bag and some hand made gloves for like 15 bucks. I feel so bad for spending money out here it is so weird. Everyone else in my district just blows money everywhere. Its funny. I will try to spend as little as i can. This week i am going to be buying some body wash, deoderent, fash wash because my face gets oily here cause of the humidity, and some sweat pants! I totally for get to bring sweats. I hope that is fine if i get some!

I am so glad that i have this oppurtunity to be out here! Thank you so much for the help. This has been the best decision i have made in my life. I miss you and and Love you all sooo much!

James good luck with the new schooling and get done with it! Just keep up the motivation while doing the online school. It can  be tough but i know you can do it. Stay an example to all your friends and recognize the spirit in you life. That it something that i wish i couldve been worthy for more. The companionship of the spirit is so comforting. Pray for everything and always give thanks to everything our Father in heaven blesses us with. 

Zanna good luck with school and all the extra things you do like piano and singing. I wish i wouldve stuck with piano. Stay an example to all your friends and always strive for more.

All of you keep up the good work of studying the scripture and preach my gospel. Such a blessing ins our live to have these tools.

All of you study 1 nephi 13. This chapter is amazingly cool. Read the summary of it then read very carefully. It is about Christopher Columbos and the pilgrims after him. These thing where revealed to nephi way before they actually happend. Verses i think 17 to 20 talk about the revolutionary war. And how we only won because the power of god. This is incredible. You may already knw about it but i didnt. Look up a study guide for that chapter too if you want.

Anyways again i love you all and miss you so much!

Love Elder Justin Johnson

Week 4

This week has flown by. Ive learned so much. But i feel so far away from being ready for the field. I am already half way through the CCM! How does the first transfer go? I feel like the trainer has alot of work to do to help.

Seriously it is the Spurs and the Heat, I dont like either of those teams at all. But i guess i would pick the Spurs just because i dont want the Heat to win.

It is getting cold here! It so fun walking down the streets and standing out. It is going to be so fun in the field. At first i was hesitant about heading to the Ghetto part of Santiago or Flightay. I have no idea how to spell it. But i am super excited to give people there the amazing blessing i have in my  life. I also heard today the my mission does alot of community service work. This is going to be such a fun mssion an i can already see how it is going to fly by. It is fliying by for me in the CCM and it apparenently flies by faster in the field!

Today i get to go to the temple again. I wish i could could everyweek. The Temple is so amazing. This week will be a spanish session but we will have headphones. 

It is so interesting just being tired all the time. Literally we are all sooooo tired yet have so much energy. The spirit must be really tiring. haha. So I learned this week that in my mission i will be able to listen to Lindsey Stirling. So i asked mom if she would send me like a small mp3 player and a speaker to hook it up too. I think mom has an ipod shuffle somewhere and that would work perfectly. James has one that works really well and i think it was pretty cheap. So could you help mom with that? and when you ship it just send it to the package address and i think you have it. You can also but insurance on it so if it gets stolen or doesnt make it you get reimbured for it.

There wont be any pictures this week because we have email first and i try not to use my camera when it isnt pday. Im trying for exact obedience. I am so glad i made the decision to serve. it is the best ddecision i have mad in my life and it will be the most life changing experience.

Caleb Gracie Mirabel and paris are going to be so much bigger when i get home! I wonder if they will even remeber me? Thanks for the picture!

Anyways i love hearing about everything!!

LOVE

Elder Justin Bateman Johnson

Week 3

SO i have been here for 2 weeks and i already know what i wann do when i get back. I wanna go to BYU I and start towards something. I am not positive yet. Ive been talking alot with the Elder i met at the airport and he says he loves it. I feel like that is what i should do. So Ill need to have you guys apply me there and see if i get in. He said it is really easy to get into to Idaho. Dont worry about it at all. That is a ways in the future. Just have to do it the december before i get back. And if i dont get in i can do a semester at CGCC and transfer easily. Alos BYU is really cheap so i will work the summer i get back and probabaly have what i need to pay for it. I can also apply for grants and stuff. My mind is jsut so clear here without all the disrtactions.