Travel Plans

So, yesterday we got travel plans :) I found out ill be going to Salt Lake City to San Fransico and then to Tokyo and then to Manilla and then to Iloilo. I have to wake up at 5, but that dosent bother me too much. Im so exited because ive never been to Tokyo, so its crazy cool. I mean yah there'll be a lot of jet lag but oh well. Super exciting. So anyway, i dont have much time, but i was letting oyu know. I have 10 more days and then im gone. So yah got my travel plans and i cant wait.

Elder Johnson

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kumusta!!

Maligayang Pasco everyone :)

I  hope everything is good at home and i hope you all had a great Christmas (Pasco)  Things are pretty crazy here. We had another apostle come...it was Elder Bednar and it was really cool ...he probably gave one of the best or the best talks at the MTC ever!!! He was so insightful , it was crazy. I learned soo much and we were all enlightened. Well in two weekscome monday i leave for the Philippines and im so excited. I get my travel plans on thursday and its so awesome...i cant beleive it, it's come so fast. I've beenlearning a lot thouhg . So, today we had Sacrament with all the MTC  and we had the sacrament passed to 2200 missionaries..it was cool and very different. Elder Bednar was the main speaker and so that was cool. It was really exciting. So last night we had a devotional as well...well sort of...it was more like a little play of the Christmas story and then we watched a christmas story like based on the life of Scrooge and it was one i hadnt seen before and so that was awesome and it was a really chill night and we had really good like frosting popcorn and it was just really chill and it was awesome to see a non religious movie for once..thats like the first time in like 7 weeks lol. Im glad you're all reading this ( i honestly didnt think that many people would, so that is great.) Anyway, we cant call today because there are just too many missionaries and so they allowed us to email when its not our pday, so that was nice. Sorry this isnt too detailed pero, i dont have too much to say...its hard to say everythng that happens here at the MTC. Although i will say i got a few presents form my family and even friends and so thats been really cool. I have sooooooo much candy i cant even eat it lol. Soooo much pero, i guess thats the belssings of being a missionary :) I cant wait for thursday dahil (because) that means 1 and a half weeks left at the MTC :) So, the presents were pretty cool and i liked them all..they can definatley come in handy here on my mission, and everyone was jealouse of the present my mom got me :) I have had a better idea of the Christmas spirit and it's been really eye opening to experience Christmas without all the gifts and stuff...well anyway hope things are going good.

Elder Johnson

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Kumusta mga tao sa mundo

Week five had been finished here at the MTC and that means i only have 3.5 more weeks here...cra cra iyan!!! So, we finished with all the grammar we can learn here...we just need to continue speaking it more. So, the language is actually going very well and ive been seeing many miracles. One being how easy it is to translate all of or most of my emails and conversations into tagalog while im typing them and another how weird it is to pray in english...i mean i almost dont like to do it anymore. Also, same with singing in english...its soooo wierd!! Pero, (but) it's cool though. There have been some really cool things happening and I'm definatley seeing a lot of miracles. Just like withing our district individual people and within my self. The Lord is truly helping us grow up and truly morphing our mga puso (hearts), Last night i actually taught wihgout my notebook and formed the sentences in my head, thanks to the help of ang Espitu Santo and kaloob ng mga wiika lol (gift of tounges) So that's been pretty sweet also. I just cant beleive how far im come on so many different leveles...ive learned so much and its been very enlightening and inspring...i thnk its all been happenig because of all my prayers and yours :) so thank you for your paryers, they are really helping me out. I hope things are going mabuti down there at mahl ko kayo. I thank you all for the letters and the things you send me, they really do make things better for me. This work is truly miraculous and very much totoo, Im seeing the lord hand in my life and it's really cool to see how the Savior changes people. Ang simbahan ito ay totoo. Mahal ko kayo.

Ingat po,

E

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Kumusta!!

Wow, can you beleive I've been here for 5 weeks already thats crazy!!! um the language is coming along great finally...now that im applying myself and working harder. We're working on the first vision and i have a third of it memerized. Um, Im finding out a lot about the Philippines. Like we have to take this malaria pill that makes your hair thin and could make you go bald but it grows back. Also, the dont use toilet paper, they use this hose with water to rinse and or possibly just your hand with soap... yah really gross...anyway um also i found out that you are pretty much drenched the whole time in sweat and when you wash yuor clothes, they are washed by hand and might not even dry because of the humidity. So...it'll be interesting. Pero (but) each island is much different and literally each person comes back with a different like dialect or way of speaking. Also, they have really cool stuff to buy there, which, i will buy lol and send if i can. Things are ssuupperr cheap down there too like crazy. So yah. I found out that missionaries actually get nicer houses like cement and some have mattresses instead of like a dirty floord and a hut..so thats nice. So, it'll be intersting um it's been a struggle with one of my companions pero, were getting a long much better ngyaon (now). Thanks for checking up on the blog...my nanay (mom) keeps letting me know. I'll try to write every week, pero, its mahirap (hard) sometimes pero i try. Anyway gotta go. Mahal po ako kayo. Merry Christmas :)

Elder Johnson  

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Kumusta

Kumusta,

So the MTC is pretty exciting i guess...a lot of the same stuff everyday but thanks to thanksgiving things were a lot funner and more relaxed for a day. Tod R. Callister and Russell M. Nelson have came and spoke to us on devitonals. And on Chrsitmas there is a rumor that the prophet will come and speak which is exciting. So, there has been a lot of growing and it's been kinda hard just cuz i have two comapnions now. So, it's alrite. The schedule comes pretty easy now and i thiank you all for your letters, they really mean the world to me just cause it's like one of the only excitng things that happens on a daily basis. We always do the same thing except for holidays and sundays and so it's nice to hear from you all in your life. So, please keep them coming, you all are awesome and i hope you ikeep checking my blog. i'll update is as often as i can. I am enjoying the language and am growing a lot. Also, teacjing a lot and i canrt wait to get in the feild though. They are decorated Christmasy now and the lights just look beautiful!! ill have to show them to you guys, so thats excitng cause it just makes the MTC more lively and exciting. So, thats cool. Taking as many pictures as i can and ill try to post them...hindi ko alam if ill b able to but ill try. Keep the letters or email coming. Mahal po tayo all and im thinking about you all.  

Ingat,

Elder Johnson

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Kumusta

Kumusta,

Well, This is pretty much my first week done at the MTC. Things are going pretty good, i enjoy the language and my companion is pretty cool. He's Elder Schrader and my roomies are pretty cool too. They are Elder Dixon and Elder Linell they're are going to the Pilippines also. But, Im the only one going to the Iloilo in my room, there is surprisingly a lot of people going to the Pilippines, more than i expcted. The MTC is pretty exciting and i got to say my first companion prayer in Tagalog as well as personal prayer. It a totally unreal experience just speaking another language. Me and Schrader also taught our first "investigator" and that was really, really hard. Cause it pretty much all went over my head thankfully Elder Schrader understood things I didnt and so that helped. It's been crazy though cause in class we hardly even speak English ecspeacially on the first day, but now im actually starting to understand things and Im amazed at how much im beginning to understand and alos how much i have left to learn. They move really fast in here though, so that's kinda crazy. The schedule was one of the hardest parts i think, but thankfully since I'm asking the lord for help, I'm adjusting pretty quick. It's an interesting experience living with 6 other people in a small confined space, espeacially when theres only 4 closetes but, it's cool and not that hard. I also speak the language as much as i can and that's fun too. We teach the "investigator" again today but, this time I'm better prepared to take the lesson on. Her name is Michelle Noma. So, it's been an interesting experience but fun and motivating. It's definatley unreal to speak another language though, just mkaes me feel so defenseless when i dont understand. Well, gotta go.

Ingat,

Elder Johnson

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Called to Serve!

Kumusta!
  I got my mission call on June 21, 2011 and I've been waiting for a long, slow 6 months. I was called to the Philippines Iloilo Mission and get to speak Tagalog. The missions only 15 months old, so it's pretty new. I originally wanted to go to Africa, but i would've never guessed the Lord would want me in the Philippines.When I found out I was going to Iloilo, I pronounced it (ill-oil-o) and I thought, where the heck is that? and I've never even heard of that language...i felt like Elder Groberg in "The Other Side of Heaven." My mom was so ecstatic she couldn't even contain herself and she called like everybody we knew. And started looking up the Philippines and anything to do with them!! I soon learned it was (eelo-eelo). I am so excited to go. I report to the Provo MTC on November 9th!!!! I have already been learning the language and it's a lot of fun :) I have come to know that a mission is where I should be and where all men 19-25 should be. The Lord needs missionaries to build His kingdom and we should be honored that He asks us to help. We are the tools in His hands.
  I wanna say Salamat to all those who helped and supported me. I couldn't have done this without you. All the work and support I've felt has been unbelievable. I ask God to bless you for your support and I know He will. I'm so thankful to all of you. I also wanna thank Preston Bahr for helping me create a profile on here and make it look so awesome. Salamat Elder Bahr! I'll see you all in two years and I hope to hear from some of you in letters or email.