Home coming

hey everyone ill see you all in exactly 2 days....if you want to visit me at the airport...ill be in America on Wednesday morning at 830 AM.!!!!!! love you all...see you all soon. 

Elder Johnson 

9 days na lang!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Everyone. 

Just writing because this is most likely the last time ill write to you guys before i see some of you in person again. I have 9 days left before i come home...but next wednesday i will be in the wonderfully cold promised land of America.!!!!!! i cant believe it, but at 830 AM on october 23rd...i will be at the Portland airport. Its a crazy feeling!! Im on my last of everything, tomorrow is my last district meeting and i just finished my last weekly planning i mean its crazy and sunday is most likely my last day proselyting. I cant even believe it...like America serioulsy just feels like a dream to me...like the fact that im leaving here just really seems weird...like i feel as if ive lived here my whole life...i just dont have any parents or anything....its the weirdest feeling. Like that im like RETURNING to AMERICA. It really just doesnt feel like that. I cant exactly describe it...but just like everything about America is forgotten...but just not the little privillages. that i seriously took for granted.  Like dishwashers, and carpet, washers and dryers. I am excited to see you all again and i will see you again. 

well, this is probably the last time ill write...last officail pday in the mission. See you all soon. 

Elder Daniel Forrest Johnson      

Hey Everyone

    I now have my official electronic ticket and flight plans, which means i officially have only a short time of my mission left. I honestly never thought this time would come..even though i knew it would..i almost didnt think it would. Like it was something i would talk about, but it almost feels like a dream, living in America. Like i feel like this is now my home and ive always lived here so its really wierd to think that ill be leaving for my actual home in like 37 days. Its crazy. But, im still doing my best to work hard and change for the best, i truly believe that no matter how little time you have left on your mission you can still change.  .

    I wish i could share with you all the things ive learned from my mission, but of course that would make a few novels. But, a few weeks i wasnt sure if i could really say a mission was the best two years of my life, because there havent been too many super fun times but now, i can say that this has been the best two years. In the words of a good friend. Its been the best two years, for the trials, problems, memories, and the fun times, and the spiritual growth as well as emotional and mental. "Its not only been the best two years of my life, but the best two years for my life." That is so true. I cant express how much my testimony has grown or in what ways ive grown and continue to grow, but i feel ive grown and changed so much. The Lord has really kept me humble and changed my desires for the better. I am so happy i made this choice and im thankful for all the prayers and the support i felt from all of that gave the strength to carry on when sometimes i really didnt think i had the strength. 

Love you all, and i hope all is well, 

Elder Daniel Johnson     

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Hey

    Im so sorry i havent written in a LONG TIME, but i felt liek writing today. Um, the other day i met this lady who  was taught in their church that there is no eternal life. You die, remain as spirit and dont remember anything that happened to you in this life. No family, friends or anything. I was deeply saddened by this doctrine. Eternal life has no purpose for me unless my family and friends are with me and to forget everything that I have learned here in this mortal life proves no point to coming here in the first place.The Lord taught me a great lesson that day about the glorious Plan of Happiness of God revealed in its wonderful fullness through Joseph Smith. I am so thankful that I know where i came from, why i am here and where i will go and what will happen to me after i die. This woman, 58 years old, was happy with the belief that she will never see her  family, or friends or have any memory of the life and moments she had while alive after she dies.It was so sad. That just goes against the nature of God to me. From that lesson i learned to appreciate and am very grateful for that experience.Just wanted to share that with all of you. 

     I know that we will all be resurrected the same as Christ after we die and wil have perfect flawless bodies, and have all the memories of this life we lived down here and all that we did and if we live good righteous lives, we can be with our earthy family and friends as well as our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for eternity :)   

Im so thnankful for the fullness of the Restored Gospel brought back in its fullness through a Prophet of God and that we have living Prophet who leads this church by revelation form God Himself. 

Thanks for reading. 

Elder Johnson     

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hey

Hey Everyone,

Im just letting you all the recent changes that have happened. I am now a zone leader in Kalibo, and im in charge of 36 missionaries. This is my 6th area and my 12th companion. So, its way crazy because i never thought i would come here its my first non ilonggo speaking place but surprisingly they can understand it. But, its fun here already, the members are way excited for missionary work and are full of energy and its great lol. So, that way exciting and ive already met some way sweet investigators :) so its way exciting and the apartment is sweet too :) Flushing real toliet and a real shower head too :) and working faucet :) its awesome :) So, so far things are way nice and pretty relaxing too :) The weather has been way cool too, its been raining a lot and so thats nice too :) So things right now are going good. Loving it. A lot more meetings but thats ok lang :)

Ive got 12 weeks left.

Thanks for reading :)

Love,

Elder Johnson   

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Hey

Hey everyone...sorry its been a while since i wrote but ive been getting so many emails its been hard to write. But things are going well here....im still in Estancia but my companion is finally a poly...hes Elder Tafiti from New Zealand but he speaks Samoan and english....he grew up speaking english. So, yah. We also have had a new mission president now for about a month now. President Aquino. President Pagaduans time is up and so its definitely different and itll take some adjusting, but its doable. Also my best friend was just baptized yesterday :) its way cool after all that shes been through in her journey to just entering the gate to salvation, shes finally entered it and i cant wait to see the rest of it and i get to be there too :) Also, my family had a great week last week with going to the family reunion and see all the love of the family members there :) So it was way awesome to recieve such good news...also, i want to thank all the family and the individuals that helped my mom to get back home and just for all the love you showed her. She really needed it and still does.So dont stop. Thanks a ton.

Also, i am very grateful for this wonderful gospel and the pure message of truth that it has. I have taught many, many, many, many people through out the course of my mission and the ones that accept this message ive seen the way it changes them and in turn changes me. This wonderful work requires us to be non hypocritical, always repentant, humble,submissive, teachable, inspired and dependent on the spirit, slow to anger, full of patience and love, stretch ourselves and our faith and have the eternal perspective. And this wonderful gospel in its true restored form shows us how to do that :) With the standard works and the living prophets and apostles, continue to guide us and with the Preisthood authority of God,or the license to do this work, we can change and understand it faster than anywhere else.

the church really is so true and has all the answers to our questions :)

Elder Johnson            

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cool story

  I wanted to share a story with you all this week. So, theres this family we teach and the two boys 12 and newly turned 14 are our investigators. Edgin and Matt, so things were going really good with them in their house and their progression but then the grandma came and starting to really not like us. So one day she was like really fighting with us and so i just straight up told her that we arent here to fight. Her husband wants the boys to listen, and so do they, so if you dont want to, thats fine. But we're sharing to them. And then she became quiet. So, then the Branch President talked with her, because he was working with us, and as he talked, she was still kind of bitter, but then she actually just started to talk with him and, eventually, we were gonna start and we told him, and he asked her to sit down. And she did and she listened too! I was shocked.
  Then the next visit we went, because we were prompted to speak to the husband personally, and addressed the issue of her husbands drinking. And she opened up some more, and then the last visit we spoke on Repentance and the whole house was very sad because the husband has been drinking and so the wife was upset and being very condemning. So, i said a prayer in my heart that we could show them how repentance can help them and make them happy. Then we started to share and i was amazed, by the end of it, they had hope somewhat restored and the whole house was laughing and making jokes and everyone was happy again. It was so cool. I was so shocked. Then we told the husband we would drop by every day and ask him how his drinking is.
 So, last night we dropped by and the tatay (husband or polite term for older man) said he hadnt drank yet and it had been three days :) and the nanay ( same as tatay but for a woman) popped up from washing with a huge smile on her face and said " i wish youd been here last night because he still hasnt drunk" and it was sweet to see how happy this woman was. Just like a straight miracle that shed even let us continue to come in and now how happy she was to actually see us!.  Then we reminded him..."Tay ano ihambal mo so mga friends mo?"  (what will you say to your friends, (when they want you to drink with them)?) and so he said again "kamo lang anay" (you guys only) it was awesome! and we just cheered him on and pointed out to him how happy his wife was too. It was awesome..and the true works of repentance. It was a testimony builder to me of what happens when we follow the spirit and teach people, not lessons :)   Just wanted to share that with you.
God is a God of miracles STILL.

The missions awesome.

Elder Johnson

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Hey

Hey everyone,

Just wanna tell you some cool experiences or "little miracles" here that have been happeneing.
First if all, with the weather its ALWAYS HOT and in fact i would love to have some cold really cold weather for a change lol. Like seriously, its soooooooo stinking HHOOT, it really is making enduring to the soooo difficult lol the humidity here is killler!!! now im actually very happy for change in weather i miss and i want it....but anyway..so thats the "Update" on the weather. Also, i have a new companion Elder Tafiti hes from New Zealand and hes samoan...its sweet hes also about 6' 3'' so hes quite big...but its cool though. Also, i want to share this other story with you. So, we've been working on this LA (less active) family here and our last visit was quite difficult because brother or the father had quite an attitude of "all is well in zion" and we were trying to get him to church..but he said he had to watch his kid as he slept...so we told him to wake him up and bring him, and well he still refused saying "hindi pwede" or he cant. Then my companion said this analogy of what if Christ came in his second coming and he came here to Estancia...hed probably go to his house which is the church here...and what if that day he came turned out to be sunday and all that were at the church were saved but you and your child werent at church and your family was ...how would feel if they were saved? then he pauses to think and says that wouldnt happen...and other things like "i would be saved also because i told them to go...so i would be saved"....then also he said that "i have the priesthood, so i would know when he would come" so basically it was really bad pride...so i kind of lost my patience at his remarks and told him to read 2 nephi 28:20-25. I suggest you read it too :) So anyway, the following sunday they ALL went to church, all of them, for the first time ever. And that night we visited them and followed with their experience and brother actually told us that he read it and that he learned a lot about what he read and that he had been refreshed about how satan works...also his whole attitude had been changed completely and he was actually back to his normal teachable self. I was speechless at how much those few verses helped him change and it made me even more grateful for the BofM and just how it can help us be aware of Satans attack on our souls. Then we told him that yes there will be many temptations as we try and do good and follow Christ..because we are doing all the things that are taking us from Satan and closer to God. So we committed him to continue and he said he would. It was awesome. So i just wanted to share that with you. Also, im reading this cool book called "Missionary Miracles" and it has been a very humbling book because i hear of people serving in places like Russia, india, and Africa and there situations are even more different than mine. I mean it made me really rethink all the "i have nothing here"  to really like wow, i have a lot more than i thought like nicer apartment and just nicer people and even nicer things...like some of those missionaries literally had nothing at all familiar to them and were living in some really, really poor situations. It was very humbling. So yah, just want to share those experiences with you.
   I love you all and the Lord is still continuing to teach me constantly...i just hope that i will always be teachable and willing to listen to His advice

I hope you are all the same too. A mission really is full of miracles that will shape us forever, its shaped me forever. And i pray i never forget anything thats happened to me.

So thats all :)

thanks for reading and i want you all to know that my mission has flown by so  very fast. I mean i only have 3 transfers left...or 4 and a half months...its crazy. So long still...but so little too.

Anyway, also my batch is the oldest in the mission now...its crazy.

So thats about it.

Elder Johnson

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Fathers!

Happy Fathers Day!!!! to all the fathers out there. I want you all to know that you are very important in your roles in your families and there is much expected of you from God. Also, i want to say Happy Fathers day to my dad and grandpa!! Happy fathers day to you guys. I have learned very much on my mission about the role of a father and the power that he has on his children and wife to bringing them such joy and happiness or to the bringing of saddness and despair. The father really is the pillar of the home and he needs to be that righteously. A righteous father can really do wonders for his family. He really is meant to provide and support and comfort. He comforts his wife and helps her in her struggles, he never dominates, or is cruel, he never uses harsh or angry words, he is never mean and he always outs his family before him. He is full of patience, and willingly sacrifices for his family. He is humble to the Lord and treats his wife as an equal partner who has her own suggestions and he humbly seeks her help with the Lord to raise their family. He is a good example to his children of what they need to do. "For the son doeth nothing of himself but that that he seeth the father do" (John 5:19) He is not hypocritical, but honest in all his deeds and loves all that is good. He loves God first and puts Him first in all things.

So to all you dads out there. Thanks for all you do and continue doing it.

Elder Johnson

      

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hey

This week was actually a really good week. We had worked really hard the past few weeks and we saw the efforts of a labors this week. We had 69 people at church this week which is really high for the branch were in and we had total, us four missionaries, 7 investigators at church...and we had four with a date for baptism...it was sweet and we also had some people who hadnt been to church in a while come too. Three individuals but most of them were families that had become more complete it was awesome :) and so exciting.It was such a relief to see such wonderful things happen and to have this rest and assurance from all these people that came that were doing good work and God is proud :) The work is hard, but God is in charge, so its always worth it and as long as we seek Him in doing it and doing it compleltey His way it will always turn out good. So, its nice :) I love it and God is so good :)

So thats all.

Elder Johnson        

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Hey

I have great news this week everyone. Here in Estancia, we have been really working. Our focus this week was to find new investigators because we like had none...and we found 14!!! The Lord has been putting people in our paths left and right and its been sweet :) we have found some awesome families that are all former investigators and some many are referals. In fact,we have found so many progressing investigators that the branch president was like wow....thats awesome well have to work with you a lot more because they are all cool he said we have finished the restoration with many of them too. :) we have given four baptismal dates and are going to give more, but we have invited all to be baptized and most have accepted. God is really helping us and ive really had to be listening closely to the spirit this week because sometimes people will pass by us and like ill get a very strong impression to talk to them or like theyll say hi or something and so i get the feeling to continue to talk to them and its great what happens, because we found out they had been taught before. So, i am so grateful for the gift of discernment and how much it has been helping me here in being dilligent in talking to people that normally i would just say a normal hi to, So, its awesome how much more im noticing or recognizing the spirit compared to at first and how almost obvious it is and i love it :)

 So, i know that God is in this work and is really helping us :) many miracles have happened this week.

So its been sweet.

This work is awesome.

Elder Johnson   

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News!

Hey everyone, i want to share with you all a really cool expereince that happened to me last night and strenghened my testimony even more in serving others and the power thereof.
So ok, my week was ok...not much really changes as a missionary but, i wll tell you we have been looking for new investigators like crazy because we dont have too many and so thats been nice and weve been getting referals too. I attended to birthday party of this lady who is 79 but acts like a 30 year old in personality and is about as tall as yoda lol, its awesome.her name is nanay (mom) Cedrine. So that was fun..so its been nice..our new house is a quite humid so thats a little rough but its nothing i cant adjust to lol. But still working hard.  And i want to share an experience with you that happened last night. I was somewhat discouraged after meeting with this less active family and the father and talking to him outside of the house and finding that he wouldnt join the church with like his family because of tradition. And so i told him that we were kind of sad because that means he dosent want to be with his family for all eternity and i felt very much so the love of God for this man and his family and just the sadness that this man wouldnt accept such a wonderful message because of tradition. So, then we went to another house of another less active who has quite a few vises (addictions) and so i was a little saddened from this last family but as i thought, discerned, and listened to this man and the spirit, i actually felt so much better and started to really love this man, and saw his potential. And it led to a very good lesson and i went away feeling much better. It just reminds me of what President Monson said how the happiest people are those who are in the service of others and the most miserable are always thinking of themselves and how that is so very true because well lately ive been feeling so happy simply because i havent been thinking about myself at all. As soon as i do i get frusterated, or mad and the work stops and the area starts to struggle, but if i study,pray and think about the people, everything even though its hard, seems easier and i feel happier and really begin to love the people. Its awesome. I remember President Uchtdorf says "Humilty is not thinking less OF ourselves, but thinking MORE about OTHERS and LESS about ourselves."  Its all so very true and i expereinced it agan last night.

I love this gospel and all that it entails. Kabalo ko guid nga guided guid ind nga simbahan paagi sa mga buhi nga propeta kag mga apostoles. I cannot beleive that i near the sunset of my mission and im actually the longest out in the field in my new district here in Estancia and here in the apartment, and one of the oldest in the zone...its crazy. But the happiness ive been feeling is so hard to describe but oh so wonderful.

The joys of a mission are truly wonderful.

No regrets.

Elder Johnson 

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Happy Mothers day

Hey Everyone,

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!!!!!!!!! to all the mothers out there. I hope your day is a speacial one where you feel very loved and appreciated, but i also hope that its not just today that you moms are treated nice and feel loved but every day. There was a brother in our branch that said mothers should have a whole month to themsleves or a whole year because there are still mothers whose mothers day isnt as speacial as it should be. Im sorry i havent written in a while but ive been really busy. But so just to fill all of you in. On may 4 we had a baptism and it was awesome, we completed a famly and broght an aweome mom into the church and shes got a solid testimony of the church and she is doing awesome in her reading of the BOM, so its been sweet. But now ive moved on from Miag-ao and i was transfered to Estancia A which is back to my first zone, and the members are pretty cool, its a branch here. So thats a step up from the group, but just a little. Yesterday was cool because it was mothers day and so they had a whole sacrament where everyone just said good things about thier mothers and it was awesome just to hear the cool stories of ways peoplemothers have effected them. Almost every person went up, it was cool Um i am happy that i was able to leave Miag-ao with no regrets, i worked really hard there and i have no regrets ;) so its awesome. So my new companion is Elder Baccay, who i am following up and he is actually the batch of the missionary i trained , so thats cool. Um hes a very amitious elder who really wanted to work hard and its hard because he has a lot of very good self motivation and its really paying off. Hes super good at the language even though hes tagalog and only out for 3 months, he sounds as if hes been out for like 6-8 months with the language or even a year. So its cool. So so far things are going okay in my new area, but it is quite an adjustment just because of having to move again and to a place so far away. Its 3 and a half hours from iloilo and 2 and half hours fromthe nearest city in Roxas lol...so yah, im in the middle of no where lol. But its ok. lol. Its a new start.

But i think thats about it for highlights, ill write more this next week. 

Its weird though too because i am the oldest missionary (length in field wise) in the apartment and also in the district. I have been out officially 18 months now....thats crazy how fast the time has gone. May is almost half way done with too. I cant beleive it,how fast its gone. Oh well, just means i need to work harder.

Thats it. No regrets.

Elder Johnson  

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Hey Everyone,

Not too much has happened this week. But i do want to say that we got the chance to listen to the Prophet and Apostles this week It was awesome :) I love them all so much. President Monson is an awesome, righteous and jolly man, who loves cracking jokes and is a very obedient follower of the Savior. President Uchtdorf makes God so personal and reassures you always of just how loved you are and President Eyring is always so intune to the spirit and always cries. Elder Bednar is the wise and full of knowledge. Elder Holland is the one that is very bold and throws down in His love and passion for the Savior. Many more still, i dont have time to list them all down. But i do know that they are all  called of God to guide in these last days of turmoil, confusion and strife. I love them and im so thankful for them. They all have such wonderful counsel that is definitely for our day. I am so thankful for a church that i guided by a living God who has given men His power and authority and has personally hand picked them to lead His kingdom at this time. I have learned so much about families and happy homes and marriages from and i look forward to applying it in the future. 

This church is so true. Guided by Christ through revelation and is the exact same church that existed in Christ's time in organization and power. 

Sorry i didnt write much, ill write more next week. 

God is good. 

Elder Johnson         

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Hey y'all

Hey everyone!!

So this week we had a baptism :) it was awesome! It was my companions first baptism and so it was funny because since it was in the ocean, and the waves were particularly high and strong, so he had to immerse the guy like 4 times before it was right. But at least he got it right. Im really learning and the other night something amazing happened i had Mac and Cheese for like the first time since ive been on my mission, let me tell you it was HEAVENLY!!! and then i had chicken nuggets it was awesome :) a truly miraculous dinner. Manna form Heaven :) Then we had an awesome investigator who has a date for next month and she read the pamphlet for the plan of slavation and just like took notes on it and really summarized every section and then had such a good understanding and so like our teaching was just like super easy like we didnt even have to do anyhting. It was funny because if everyone did that that we taught, we wouldnt have nearly as much trouble with understanding or teaching, it was amazing. So shes super cool. So we summarized and clarified and answered the questons she did have, so it was good. It was truly awesome. So, it was exciting. Im sorry theres not much to share but not too much happened, just more little tender mercies from on High, there are many. But hopefully ill have more next week. Working hard though. We have two more baptisms coming up. 

The joys of a mission. 

Elder Johnson     

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hey :)

Hey everyone, 

This last week i hadnt seen too many miracles, but this week was just the opposite :) 

All of the people that have baptismal dates are really progressing and going closer to Christ :) and its awesome to really see all the light that has come to their lives. That is truly the coolest thing to see, the way that this Gospel can change a person, it can change their desires and hearts, and you literally see this light that comes to them and its awesome! I know that that is because of a persons coming unto Christ and repenting and doing their best to follow Him:) "True doctrine understood, changes behavior. The study of the gospel, can change a persons behavior, quicker than the study of behavior can change behavior" -Boyd K. Packer. That statement is true. There are so many good things that have been happening, with less active members coming to church and having desires to serve missions and wanting to work with us, and people having their minds and hearts softened, it just strengthens my testimony that this work and this church really is living and so very true. Its been hard and challenging, but God is really over this wonderful work and He really does guide it, with His Prophets and apostles and continuous revelation :)  Just want to share something i wrote with all y'all. 

A mission is hard, incredibly hard, it makes you doubt everything you think you are, and throws you in some really big waves, many times you feel you get close to drowning and your your just overwhelmed and you yell i cant do this, im too weak! and then you want to sink in despair but then as you say a simple prayer, you realize that youve reached the shore, safe and sound and its a new day, and you look up to God and say thank you. 

God is good. Amo ni ang only nga matuod nga simbahan sa bilog nga kalibutan.  Kag ginaguide guid siya sang Diyos.  

Amo lang na! (thats it)

Elder Johnson 

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Hey Everyone!!!

I wanna apologize that i havent been writing as much as i should, but its been pretty hard because ive been busy...however, i am still doing my best to work hard and learn all i can to help all people. I really have gained a desire to learn and read that i really havent had since ive been on my mission :) 

Um this week has been exceptionally hot, its been 37 everyday or in Fahrenheit, 98.6 every single day, plus the normal 70% humidity, so its been super, super hot, i feel like i cant get enough water lol, but no worries, the Lord gives me strength. Um this week we went a pretty new investigator who randomly expressed to us that she had the desire to be baptized and wanted to read the BoM cover to cover!! We were shocked, but super excited, she has come to church twice now and her daughter and husband are both members and so we're super happy at her desire and so we gave her a date for May :) And we have an investigator who is progressing great still :) and his baptism is coming up. so were so happy :) 

 I have been very humbled this past 5 weeks in many different ways, but i am so grateful for it :) One motto on my mission is never be afraid of embarrassment, as long as it is for your good. And its been rough because i am still not a great teacher, i still have soo much to work on and improve, but that's ok, because as long as i try my VERY best to serve the Lord the way He wants me to, every day, He will be glad of my service to Him. So, i have grown even more fond of prayer and just the fact that you can talk to God anywhere and He always listens. I know that He does and He is so very aware of our lives. Every single detail and thought and hurt and fear, He knows it all and loves to help us. I have learned even more that i am definitely not a perfect teacher, or a perfect anything and sometimes, even though we're trying our best, things still wont work out, but the Lord sometimes just does things not because we deserve it, but maybe to just see if we'll continue to do what we've been doing, so He can really bless us. Even though i am aware of my many faults, i have learned to not let that control what i do. Just give it to God and do your best, and have trust in Him, that He'll do the rest. Because of Christ, He can make up for our faults. "And if men come unto me i will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weaknesses that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will i make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27) I testify that that is true. I know it now  more than ever :)  God truly is so good and nothing really is impossible with Him. 

Thanks for all your reading :) 

Elder Johnson

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Hey

Hey i just realised that my dads birthday wish was the worng age...so im sorry dad....pero, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! your turning 52 if i remember right. So happy birthday and i hope its a good one, theres not much to say this week. Just learning a lot form my companion and i feel like hes really the one training me lol . But i hope you are all noticing the good things in your lives and the little tender mercies of the Lord. Always pray for it, because they are out there if we just ask for help to see them :) 

Sorry its so short, but thats it. 

Elder Johnson   

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hey everyone :)

This week id like to wish my old man a happy birthday.....so  

Happy BIRTHDAY DAD!!!  Youve reached half a century lol jk jk..(just kidding) I hope your birthday will be fun and exciting :) 

Also, my new companion who i am actually training is Elder De LA Vega from Bacolod and he 23 years old, so its pretty cool. Hes way cool and its been fun so far, hes a super motivated and enlightened missionary and so its cool because we have been throwing down here in Miag-ao. So its been great, and even though its tough training because i have no idea what im doing, we have a booklet to help and of course personal revelation :) So, im thinking itll go great though because hes way cool and pisan (hard working) so thanks for ll of you that read these and i will see you all shortly, 9 months left..its quite scary..itll be over all too soon, but im glad im training because we now have fresh MTC spirit in this companionship and its great because its waht we need :) 

So its going good and still fun. 

Loving the mission, glad theres still time :) 

Elder Johnson

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hey

Hey everyone, i dont have much to say this week, but i will say first of all. Im training a new missionary :) im so excited. I wont know who he in until friday...but its exciting and were getting 6 new missionaries in our district because 3 new areas are opening, so thats super exciting. Also, i have 9 months left in my mission. I cant believe it..wheres the time gone? So due to the fact that next week is vaentines day...i want to share with you all three gifts that God has given us to show He loves us.

1. THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. This is defined as the plan of God to help His children have peace in this life and in the life to come. Thats pretty cool no? and this plan is central to Christs atonement. 

2. Repentance :) this is the gift through which we can return to God when we die ;) and its how we become more perfect people and grow closer to God, pretty cool gift if you ask me.

3. The most important, He gave His son to show us that He loves us. Jesus Christ scrificed himself for our sorrows and pains and sins, so that we could repent and we could have peace in this life and in the next. Without Him we truly can do nothing.

So, if any of you are feeling lonely this valnetines day, just think, even if im single and have no one special right now. God loves me and He has given His son to us to prove it. :) God loves us all and is so very mindful of us. This gospel is so true, so awesome.

Happy Valnetines Day :)

Elder Johnson     

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hey Everyone

Hey everyone i hope your 2013 has started off as a good year for this january, and i hope your february will be just as good :) Not too much has happened these few weeks but we have found a few awesome investigators which have some awesome potential and so thats nice. Also, i continue to be inspired everyday and really have gained a desire to learn and aquire knowledge both spiritually and wordly...but right now i cant gain too much worldly so im working on spiritual :) and theres still so much to learn...but its been way good just to learn by the spirit and get an understanding according to the spirit, it really makes learning fly and become so much better. So im excited about that also, im learning a lot of new recipes to cook so when i go back home ill have some awesome filippino food to bring with me :) 

Ill share with you all though something i am really grateful on my mission. My mission has been really hard, of course, but the hardest thing for me has been the having to face any problem head on. There is no mom to help me out, everything i figure out has to be with God and through prayer, and its been tough but i am so grateful for it, because it has been a motivater to me to continue to progress always forced me to grow up, but its cool because as i pray about about the problem and trust in the Lord, He always helps me overcome it and then he also heals me and gives me the strength to continue on, its been crazy, every bad belief ive ever had every like "bad trait" ive had that i didnt like   and i hid, ive had to face whether with companions or just with certain experiences and its had to be me and God only, so it was hard, but He always helped me and strengthened me and healed me of that bad thing that i didnt like, which is so cool and idont understand how. My confidence has gone up so very much since ive been out and its awesome. I feel so good all the time and happy. How blessed we are to be in the true restored church of Jesus Christ, with all the blessings, gifts and true contineous knowledge that come with it. 

This church is so very true and wonderful. 

Elder Johnson     

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God is good.

Hey Everyone out there, 

How is all that cold weather? imiss it, but thanks fully in my new area, its been nice and really windy, so we havent had too much heat. :) its been wayyyyyy nice :) 

I just want to let you know how good God really is. I have felt His love so much lately i cant even express it, for others and myself, it has been truly awesome. All the new people weve been meeting, all the new lives weve been helping, all the new desires i have been getting and been really treasuring. I am truly on fire here more than i have ever been in any area :) and loving it more too. I feel so happy all the time and im glad that i choose to be happy. That is what is important , choosing to be happy, every day no matter what comes our way, "come what may and love it" i have learned the power of choice on my mission and i never want to forget it. I also know that we are loved by a truly loving Heavenly Father and a loving older Brother, Jesus Christ who can change literally change our heart if we will but let him and he can truly transform us. He is aware of my goals that i have as a person for when i come back from my mission, but im also glad that i am willing to change and morph to the plan he has for me to be a better person, because he wants my goals to happen with his. So i have been so grateful for His help with me and the change i have felt in my life through him. 

He truly is so very good. May we always be thankful to God for the wonderful blessing of His son, Jesus Christ, through which we can change. 

Sorry its short, 

The church is sooo very true. 

Elder Johnson   

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HAPPY NEW YEARS and Miag-ao

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!! 2013 now crazy  So im out of the office now :) finally, and my new area is WAY cool, WAY pretty...its called Miag-ao (me-ug-ow) to help you with pronunciation and its actually got a little bit of a different dialect here called Karaya, but its only a little bit, and i understand most of what people say to me so no worries mom. But our house is right next to the beach, and its awesome because when you go to the CR (bathroom) you can her the waves, its way cool :)....also here the church is not a ward, its not even a branch, here its a group, which every sunday we meet in this members house that has a "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" SIGN on the side of the house lol. Then its a tiny tiny room. like maybe the size of a very small one room apartment kitchen. With about 10- 13 people that came including us missionaries and two fans. But its still pretty cool though, just because its so small, there is lots and lots of potential and the actual church building they have too in Tiloas (cho-loss) for the branch is about the size of an american chapel gym, just the gym...maybe a little bigger. So its crazy how small the buildings are here, but thats ok, cause its cool. They have no men to pass the sacrament in our group or at least no YM so the missionaries do it, and it brings me back to the time when i was a priest. and then they have this little tiny electric keyboard where they play hymns. Then the primary room is outside as a little bamboo hut with straw for a roof and maybe like 2 or 3 kids in the class and four teachers. Church is only two hours simply because we dont have enough people for relief society and Priesthood, so i hope i explained this well enough for you to understand the humbling situation and the craziness of whats happening here. Its crazy humbling, but also a very unique experience that im grateful for because ill never experience this, being in a group again, but im excited to be here and really help, because there is A LOT needed :) and so far the members i know are way cool :) they are very nice. 

Ive already seen how the people here need me, one man who looks very much like my dad, but much thinner, that ive met, is paralyzed and has to pee in a bag, his wife is a member but hes not, but only because he cant walk and maybe just a few more things i havent figured out yet. But, as we were teaching this man, he would randomly start to cry, and push in his side during the lesson, due to the pain he felt, and wed be silent, but then wed have to continue to not make it not be super awkward, and as i watched this man, i almost started crying because of the pain you could tell he was in, which i had never experienced, but you could tell it really, really hurt, i was very impacted by this man, and he has been getting better like i guess his legs are coming back. So it was good to hear. Also, another lady started crying too because of the trials she had gone through with her husband and so we were comforting her, but i am amazed how already ive seen so many deeply humble or lost people that are on the way back to God, and im excited to be able to be an instrument in helping them. My last area really 100% percent prepared me to come to this area, i have the confidence and everything i could possibly need to help this area. I am really driven and im very excited to be here. And have this brand new area to add to the things i learned in my last area, and really build the church here. its a way good way to start out the new year, i have a whole new belief system, new goals, new area, new chance to become an even better person than i was, also a better chance to serve. The Lord really gave me the desires that He knew i would need to be in this area. Im so grateful to Him for that. 

I hope your new years was good and happy. The Lord is so very, very good. 

Elder Johnson  

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