Olá!

Well, this is the last email I will be sending here from Brasil. It is a crazy feeling how it passed by so fast. This last week I spent traveling to a couple of different areas. It was great. The best part of the week though is when I went to Fenlly's baptism on Saturday. He is a man that I was teaching in Campo Limpo. He decided to be baptized and I went to baptize him there. We are allowed to visit areas the last weekend of the mission and so it worked out perfectly for me to see them. Sunday was also great because I visited people from Kennedy and from Campo Limpo. I, of course, wanted more time to visit, but it was amazing to have the little bit of time that I did have. I loved to see how much people have grown.

 I have so many stories, but I would like to end this last letter saying that I know that this Church is true. I know that the Lord lives and looks out for all of us. He is always willing to guide us and help us through all of our moments of this life. I have seen His hand many times throughout the mission. I love Brazil. I love the people here. It is hard to say goodbye, but I am grateful for all of the experiences I had and all of the memories I will take with me. In the coming weeks I am excited to see my friends and family and start a new chapter of my life, but I will never forget these two years that I had to serve the Lord and the people of Brazil. They are times that will never be forgotten. I thank all of you for your love, prayers and support. I will see you all soon!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week yet again flew by. I do not have a lot of time today and I don't have a lot to say honestly. Haha. The first part of the week we had our multi zone conferences. It was a lot of fun. We talked about working with the members. A little ironic as a last training as soon I will be on the other side of the training, but it was a great event with everyone. 

The rest of the week I spent on exchanges. I went to another area close by for 4 days. It was a lot of fun. It felt good just to be a normal missionary(kind of). We just went out there and talked to everyone and taught a lot of lessons. I saw that we met so many people that were ready to hear the gospel message. I absolutely loved the experience.

This weekend we also had a baptism! On Sunday before church Erlan was baptized. He is a 22 year old man who has been going to Church the past couple of weeks. He is a great guy and has changed a lot. Each time we taught about a commandment he started living and never went back. I loved to see that change in him and it was a great meeting even though the water heater wasn't working and it was a super cold day. haha

I had an amazing week and I can't wait for this week. We will have one last meeting and then I will be traveling to a couple different areas. It will be a great experience and I can't wait. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

I had a great week. We had a lot of meetings as some missionaries went home and the new missionaries got here. I will explain a little bit about the week. There is nothing too exciting as it was just meetings and then splits.

Tuesday we had our meeting with the new missionaries. This meeting is great. We received a lot of Americans. It is funny to see them all getting on the mission. It is a crazy experience getting here. I like to see how they all learn and grow.

Wednesday was our leadership council. It was a great meeting. We gave a couple of trainings on how to better work with members and made some goals so that we can have a mission of miracles. The mission is getting better and better. The leaders here are great so it was just a fun and exciting meeting.

Friday was our last meeting with the District Leaders. It went super well. We give them some training on their responsibilities. They are great also. I love all the missionaries here.

The next couple of days I spent traveling. I am with two companions now so I am kind of just traveling around to other areas to help out. I went to Osasco which is a city close by. I stayed in one area one day and then another area the next. It was a lot of fun. We taught so many people there as the people are a lot more open than in the center of São Paulo. These last couple of weeks that will be my life. Traveling from area to area every couple of days. It is a great experience to meet new people and new areas. I am so happy to be a missionary. It truly has changed my life. I can't wait for these last couple of weeks. The last sprint is always the best part. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

We had a great week! I don't have a lot of time, but I will talk about some of the best parts.

This week we had a course of self-reliance where we talked about work and education after the mission. They gave us some good guides to look at. The best part was after when we went to the temple with President and Sister Thomas. It was a great experience to be there with them. They are such great people and I am grateful for everything they have taught me.

The other great part this week is that we had a baptism! His name is Pietro. He is 10 years old. His mother and grandmother are members are members, but were not going to church. One day they stopped there to use the restroom and as they were leaving Pietro said that he felt the spirit so strongly on the church grounds and that he never wanted to leave. We have been teaching him for a couple of months and he was baptized on Sunday.

I now have one more companion. We will be together in a trio for my last couple of weeks. I am very excited and am super happy to be working in this great work. I have seen so many miracles and know that God is in control and is guiding so many people to the truth. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week was a lot more normal. We only had one division so the first half of the week we were working together in our area. We had a great district meeting on Wednesday with President that helped us work hard. This area has a lot of buildings which makes it harder to talk to a lot of people on the street, but we saw that as we tried to talk to more people, we were able to find people in our path that were ready to hear the gospel message.

One of these people is Larissa. She has an aunt who is returning to church and when we went to the Aunt's house we met her and taught her the Restoration. It was a fantastic lesson and she has started to read the Book of Mormon. Another person is Angelica. She is living with a family of members while she is studying here in São Paulo. She is a great person who definitely has soooo many questions. It is fun to answer those questions because I have also learned so much as I have tried to respond to her doubts. I find that amazing. We can learn so much as we search and ask God for inspiration.

Our division was a lot of fun. I was with a guy from Minas Gerais. It is a different style. He is a funny guy. We were able to learn a lot together and eat a pizza at the end of the night. I think you all have seen how much pizza we eat. It is soooo good! I will miss the pizza here when I go home.

Sunday was a great day as we had a few people at church and President was there. His testimony in sacrament meeting was great. He is an amazing person and has always inspired me. He talked about grace. I am so grateful for grace. That Christ has the power to qualify us and save us if we repent and follow Him. I have learned so much more about why this power is so important to everyone who lives on this earth. I am grateful for Jesus Christ and for the opportunity to represent Him here in Brasil. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Funny Story - A man got really mad at us this week saying that we kill native Americans because we are missionaries. That was a new one. haha

Olá!

This week was fantastic. Again we had a couple of exchanges so I traveled a little bit. The first couple of days I was in my area with Elder Smith. It was full of miracles! We are finding more people which is exciting for us so that we can teach a lot more. I have seen that if we do our best, God will do the rest. It is not easy, but it is worth it.

The first exchange that I did was in Baronesa, Osasco which is about an hour from here. It is a very different area. A lot more open. It is easy to enter into people's houses. We also did a couple of baptismal interviews. It was great. I met a fantastic family that the other missionaries have prepared. It was amazing to talk to them and see a united family that is so excited to follow the gospel.

The second exchange I did was in the center of São Paulo. It was a lot of fun to work in the city. It is a lot like New York. We took the subway around and there are a lot of buildings. I wish I could have taken a couple of pictures. It has a really big city feel to it. That is good because I like the city, but it is also hard to stop people and talk to them because they are always running. It was a really good exchange though and I am glad that I got to know another missionary and another part of the area.

The last couple of days we worked in the area and are having a great time together. The members here are fantastic. I love the work and am excited to see people preparing to be baptized and show that they want to follow Jesus Christ. It truly is a blessing to be apart of this Church and this work. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week went well. Happy late 4th of July. We celebrated here by eating McDonald's. It was pretty good. This week we had a couple of divisions. The first one was with Paraísopolis again. This time I stayed in my area. It was good. I am in a new area so on these days I have to work hard to have a lot of plans, but it was a good day. I learned a lot and we were able to find a lot of people. This area doesn't have as many people on the road so when there is one it is fun because you basically run after them.

The second division was with Novo Osasco. It is an area I have been in so it was fun to be back there. We had a good day and I saw a few people that I met there which was great. I saw Luan which is a young man that I taught and baptized there and he is doing well. It is nice to see the progress of people after baptism.

We only had one meeting this week. It might be the last meeting that I run as I don't know if I will be assistant next transfer. I really enjoyed the training that we did. I have seen how much I have learned since the first training and now. We were with the new missionaries and it is fun to see them entering. I know that they will do a great job here in the mission. They are always so excited and willing to learn.

In our area we are doing well. We have a couple of people who will be baptized this month. Pietro is a young boy who is super excited. His mom and grandma are returning to church and he said that the only thing that he wants is to be baptized and always go to church. We are also teaching a member's girlfriend. She also said that she has a huge desire to be baptized. I have seen that the Lord is truly preparing people. We have found both of these people and they have the desire even without inviting them. They were amazed when they found out that they could be baptized this month. I am so excited to teach and prepare them.

This area is not as crazy as past areas so I don't have very many stories. The best one from this week is that a guy was saying that Neymar(A Brazillian soccer player) was called by God to win the world cup for Brasil. Sadly, they lost, but maybe his prophecy will come true in 4 years. I was sad that Brasil lost. It was super crazy here every game day. I was happy to see a little bit of the Brazillian spirit. I love the people here and am grateful for all of the experiences I have had here. Thank you all for your love and support.

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week went well! We had a couple of really cool things this week. First off we had a mission tour with Elder Parrella. He is a member of the Area Presidency. I have now had a mission tour with all of the members of the Brazil Presidency. It was a great meeting. He talked a lot about how if we are obedient and have high expectations and work hard that we will see miracles. I know that it is true. This new area is a lot different because it is in a big city and so there are not as many people on the street and people are not as receptive, but we are working hard and I have seen so many miracles. Usually, not a lot happens when we knock on doors or talk with people on the street, but when we do that, people just appear in our path. It is incredible and makes me want to work even harder, because even if everything falls through, I know that if I do my part, God will do His. We are teaching a few people that have a lot of potential.

We also did a couple of exchanges this week. I was able to stay with a new American in the new area here. It was funny because I have only been here for a week, so it was kind of like, well... I will just go out there and get it done. It was a good day. On the other day, I went to the north of São Paulo. It was a good exchange with a missionary that I have known for a while now. I just love working here with everyone. The mission is great.

One crazy thing that has been happening here is World Cup. Brazilians love Copa do Mundo (world cup). For example, today is P-Day. We went to the mall and people were watching there because everything was closed down. Literally every store other than a couple of restaurants. Everyone was in the food court. We can't watch the game so we just were there kind of watching them watch the game. When there was a goal everyone started screaming and jumping up and down. It was so loud. It was awesome. Brazil is doing well. It kind of makes people more receptive because they are super excited. It also is hard during the times of the games because everyone is watching. But we will keep working. It is a fun experience to see their culture here during this time.

I am so grateful for the mission. It is an amazing experience and I will always remember these times here. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

My first week in the new area went super well! We had quite a few meetings, but I was still able to get to know a lot of the people from the new ward. On Tuesday we had transfers so we had a meeting with all of the new missionaries. It is a great meeting because everyone is super excited. We received a lot of Americans this time which was a lot of fun because everyone looks super scared. haha. On Wednesday we had a meeting with all of the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders. I think that it was a great meeting. They are also really excited. It is great to always work with them. President has done a great job with so many missionaries here. Thursday we had a normal workday, but I was a little sick which made it difficult, but it was a lot of fun still. I loved to get out and be in a new area. This area is much different because there are a lot of buildings and almost everyone on the street does not live in the area, but in different places in São Paulo. We are going to try new ways of finding investigators. It will be a new challenge, but it will be fun to try some new ideas.

Friday we met with the district leaders and then with that we finished up our meetings for the week! The rest of the week we worked normally. We were able to teach a few people and we were hoping to take a lot of people to church. This Sunday there were not a lot of people that went, but my companion had baptized 2 people so there were two confirmations which were nice. It was also cool that I sat by the Ketchesons at church. They are from my ward in Orem and they are serving a mission here also! It was a strange feeling, but it was great to see them. We are going to work hard this week to find even more people and take them to church. I think that it will be great to be here and I am excited to end the mission working. I hope to be able to meet some more people this week and tell some more stories. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

So this last week was my last in Campo Limpo. After 9 months in the area, I was transferred. Elder Lucas went home and President wanted to move our area so we are now in Morumbi which is close by the temple here. My new companion is Elder Smith. He is from St. George. I already had met him and have known him for a while. He is a great guy and I am super excited to work with him.

The last week was full of a lot of meetings. We had a couple meetings for Elder Lucas as he was going home and we had two multizone conferences with an Area Seventy. It was fantastic. I really liked the Seventy who came. His name is Elder Carboni. He has so much knowledge about the scriptures as his background is being in charge of seminaries and institutes. It was great to be able to ask him questions and he taught us many things about repentance and the need to change. I really enjoyed the things that I learned at all of the meetings this week.

We were working hard this last week to try and leave the area progressing. Veronica's family is doing well. They went to a stake couple dance which they really liked. They are sad that I am going to be leaving, but I know that they will continue to learn and grow with the new missionaries there. Gabriella was confirmed this Sunday. It is great to see all of these new people at church. I was able to bear one last testimony as I was invited by the bishop to do so. It was great to look out and see all of the wonderful people who have helped me so much. I am grateful that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ. I truly know that this is His Church. It is amazing to have this knowledge and share it with others.

I would like to end by saying Happy Father's day to my incredible dad. He has always supported me and taught me throughout my entire life. I am so grateful for him and his influence. I love you, dad! I would also like to wish a happy birthday to my sister, Sabrina. I remember all of the moments that we have had growing up together. She is a wonderful sister and a wonderful mother as well. I love you so much!

Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

I had a great week. I titled this email paradise because I went to paraísopolis again. The translation is close to paradise. It was very interesting. It is a huge area where people just build all sorts of houses there. You see all sorts of things there because there are a lot of drugs and parties. It is sad to see the state that some people live in. It makes me want to help them so much. During the day it is a lot more normal. There are a lot of people to teach which is great.

I was there for two days and the rest of the week I was in my area. It was a good week. We were teaching Veronica's family a lot and they are doing great. They are reading the Book of Mormon and are extremely happy as they are finding peace in their lives. We also taught a couple of other families this week and had a few people at church so it was a great week to teach and find people who have a lot more interest. We are hoping to have a great week as it is the last full week of my companion. Next week we will have a lot of meetings so this is basically his last week of working every day on the street. It has been great being with him so we want to make the most out of the last part of his mission.

One great thing that I learned this week is the power of testimonies. President Thomas tells us to always testify the things that we know to be true. I have been trying to do that. Veronica told us this week that the thing that always stays with her is when we say, "I know that the Book of Mormon is true". It is something so simple, but so powerful. We should always testify what we know. It doesn't have to be with poetic words and eloquence, but it can be a simple testimony of things that we believe in. When we speak from the heart, the spirit testifies and people are touched. I am so grateful for the knowledge of the restored gospel. I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us. This truly is His work. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week went very well! It was a pretty normal week. On Tuesday we had a flu shot and I went to the federal police because all Americans have to for visa procedures. We only had one other meeting this week! It was a meeting with the new missionaries. It is weird that it was the last training that I will give with Elder Lucas because he will be heading home. We did all of these trainings 6 times together. I will do all of them one or two more times. I have seen that the Lord has helped so much with all of these meetings and I have learned so much.

One other great day this week is that on Saturday we had an activity with our ward. We organized all of the investigators that the missionaries taught in the past and we sent out the members to visit them with a little present that had the Book of Mormon and an Ensign. We also had a lunch. It was great. Everyone was super excited and we are going to teach a lot of new people because of it!

Sunday was fantastic also because we had lunch with Mateus because it was his birthday! He turned 20. He is a great guy and we have come to be close friends. After, we watched the Restoration film with a family that we are teaching. They felt the spirit strongly so it was a great day and it seems like they are progressing a lot. We are especially excited for them! I am so happy when people accept and are willing to follow Christ. It is a great time to be a missionary. There are so many people who are ready to hear the gospel message. I am grateful to be here and I can't wait to keep working until the end of the mission. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week flew by and I don't have a whole lot to say about what happened because it was pretty normal. We have been working quite a bit to find new investigators to teach. It has been a little hard since we have been in the area for so long and many times we talk with the same people on the street, so now we are trying new ways to find people. The ward is extremely excited and we are too. We are going to do a couple of activities this week to invite a lot of new people to come to church and be taught. We are also going to do an English class and also go out with all the members to make new contacts and visit old investigators. It will be an exciting week.

This last week I also had the chance to do divisions with Elder Eggers. He was in the office a little while so we have gotten to know each other. It was a lot of fun and it was a very effective day. A sad moment from this week is that we were teaching Fran who is an older lady and she was ready for baptism. She even stopped drinking coffee and was excited to invite all of her friends. One day we saw her on the street and it seemed like she was avoiding us. We went and talked to her, but she said that she was giving up. She doesn't want to go to church anymore and doesn't want to be taught. It was super sad to see because she is such a sweet lady and was changing her life. We saw a huge difference in her life. We think that her friends told her a lot of negative things about the church and for that she doesn't want to go anymore. I hope that she returns one day. We are going to still try to visit her and some members will go there also. It is sad when someone is so close, but they decide not to follow. We  I know that the Lord loves her and wants her to follow Him and so I hope that she remembers the things we taught her and that it blesses her and helps her have the desire in the future to follow.

We have also been teaching a great family, but this week they were not able to go to church because they had to visit a family member on the other side of the city. We were super sad, but then in the afternoon they called us and said that they felt that they needed to go to church, so they found a church there and went to a self-reliance course that was going on after the meetings there. It is amazing that their hearts were touched and they decided to go, even if it were just a random meeting that was going on in the church. I hope that the Lord continues to guide them and that they continue to follow.

I have seen the difference that the Lord makes in our lives. When we follow the Savior, though it may be difficult, we always become better. I have seen that in my life especially on the mission. I am grateful that the Lord has changed my life and I hope that I can continue changing to be more like Jesus Christ. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

We had a lot of meetings this week, but it was great! On Monday we had our weekly meeting with President. We planned out the rest of the meetings for this week and the rest of the day we were preparing for the week. On Tuesday we had a meeting with all of the new missionaries. It was great. The missionaries are always so excited to start the mission so it is one of my favorite trainings.

On Wednesday we had a meeting with all the Zone Leaders in the mission. It was a really great meeting also. Thursday was a normal day for us and then on Friday, we had one last meeting with all the District Leaders. I really enjoyed the meetings this last week. They helped me a lot and I feel like it was a great week to start our transfer.

On Sunday we had the confirmations of Lana and Rayssa. It was fantastic. I loved seeing them there and they even took a friend so it was a great sacrament meeting on Sunday. After we had the opportunity to talk with our families. It was amazing. I loved seeing everyone. It felt like the time went by so fast, but I love my family and am so grateful for the technology we have to be able to talk on other sides of the world. I would also love to say that I am so grateful for my mother. She has always helped me so much. I have learned so many lessons from her of faith, hope, charity and all other attributes of Christ. She has always been an example to me and I am so grateful to be her son. I love you, mom!

It has been really crazy today, and my time is up, but thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

 Olá!

This week was fantastic! It was the last week of our transfer and we were trying to work really hard. This transfer has been difficult because we feel like we have worked so hard, but there has not been a lot of progress. These last couple of weeks we have seen a lot of miracles though. We have found a lot more people who seem to want to hear about the message and follow Jesus Christ. This week two of these people were baptized! Lana and Rayssa are two little sisters who we met a couple of weeks ago. They are 10 and 9 years old and they have been going to Church and were so excited for their baptism.

On Sunday we got to their house and Lana and Rayssa were ready to go at 8:30. They had woken up at 7 and got ready all by themselves. They were even using little hairbands that some members gave them. They went to Church and were so happy. We also had some other investigators at church and it was an amazing fast and testimony meeting. I heard some of the most touching testimonies I have ever heard. It also helped so many of our investigators feel the Spirit.

After Church, we got everything ready for the baptism. We went and picked up the girls and a lot of members went also. It was an amazingly sweet baptism. The messages were great. Another little girl that is a member bore her testimony. She was so nervous, but she bore a sweet and powerful testimony. The Spirit was so strong during the entire meeting and especially when they were baptized. After the baptism, Lana came up and told me and Elder Lucas, "I will never forget you".  It was such an amazing moment. They come from difficult families and I have seen that through their faith, they have changed their lives. We were only tools in the hands of the Lord. I know that He is the one that makes these miracles happen and I know I will never forget these precious moments and these amazing daughters of God.

I know that this is the work of the Lord. I have never had such a strong testimony of that. I know that this is His Church. He leads us and guides us. I am so grateful for these experiences that I am having. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Lana and Rayssa

Kentucky in Brazil!

We didn't see the movie, just the poster!

The Food Group to rule them all.

Olá!

I had a crazy week. Last Tuesday I went with President to a zone meeting. It went very well, but from there I went straight to a division in Paraísopolis. It is a large favela here. I think I have talked about it in the past. I was there from Tuesday until Friday. There are so many people there. You go down all of these little streets and there are limitless houses. It was a lot of fun to work a couple of days in a new area. It was also crazy because the area is crazy and you see some weird things. After the division, I stayed in my area on Friday. We have been working with a lot of great people. We have been teaching Roberta's sister which has been really cool. Roberta is a recent convert and her family is starting to come to church. We have also been teaching a young man named Samuel. He would have been baptized this week, but he needs a little more time to understand everything so he will probably be baptized this week!

On Saturday I went to another division in Portal which is a close by area. We worked a lot in some new buildings that the government built for the people here. There are so many people out on the streets and the missionaries have gotten to know everyone there. It was fun to see so many different areas this week. On Sunday we were working hard to take a lot of people to church and it was fantastic! We were able to take 10 people to church! It was a miracle and was amazing to see so many people there on Sunday. One of the biggest miracles is that on Friday we were eating at a restaurant and someone came up to talk to us. She asked if we were missionaries and if our church has a group for youth. We told her that the church has a lot of youth and she got excited and said that she wanted to take her daughter there. On Sunday we called them and she said that she was getting ready to go to church. She, her husband and her daughter went to church. They loved it and we are going to teach them tonight.

We are very excited to work with so many great people. We are hoping that we have a few baptisms this weekend. I know that the Lord is helping and guiding us. It is a blessing to be a missionary. I am seeing my faith grow and I know that this is the Church of Jesus Christ and that He is guiding all of us. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week flew by super fast. On Monday we found a lot of people when we started teaching a huge family. There are a lot of small streets here where people are always outside. We started teaching a family and a bunch of the kids that are always in the street. It is a lot of fun as it seems like we are teaching an entire primary. We worked with them during the week and a few of them went to Church!

On a couple of the other days, we went with President to help him do meetings with each of the zones. I went with him to the center of the city one day and then the other day I stayed with the executive secretary in my area. It was a great day. We taught a lot of people. A member took us to a churrascaria this week. It is like Tucanos in Utah. It was fantastic. Brazillian barbeque is so delicious.

It has been a little hard because we are teaching a lot of people, but not many want to accept and change their lives. It is extremely hard when they see that sin is normal in the world. We will keep looking and helping people and I know that we will find people and that through Jesus Christ they will change their lives. I have seen that many times we need to have faith in God and in His timing. Even when it is hard, we need to keep working. It is in these moments that our faith grows and miracles happen. In one meeting this transfer someone said that faith is like a muscle. If we put it in a jar and forget about it and then go back to use it every once and a while we won't have any faith left. We always need to exercise our faith and in the times when we need it, we will have it and God will be there to strengthen us even more. I am grateful for the difficulties that we have. I have learned to have more faith and I am sure that the Lord is preparing people and we will have many miracles in the coming weeks. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week was yet again another week of meetings. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had our multi-zone conferences. Each day had 3 of our 6 zones. We were responsible for getting it all setup and conducting. It went really well. We learned a lot. In the morning President invited some members from other wards who served missions to train us on how to teach and other teaching techniques. It was fantastic. I learned so much. In the afternoon I gave a training on inviting people to read The Book of Mormon. I feel like it went really well. We do the training in three separate groups so I gave the training six times, but each time felt even better and better. Practice helps a lot.

The rest of the week we worked together in our area. It was great. We have been very tired with all of these meetings so we prayed, fasted and went to work. We have not been finding a lot of people that were progressing and wanting to go to church, but this week we were able to teach a lot of new people and found so many people that are ready to hear our message. It was miracle after miracle and while we were teaching, the spirit was so strong. I remember one family that we found that everything just clicked. They felt the Spirit and will be baptized here in a few weeks. Kimberly has been progressing a lot also. Her aunt still has not let her be baptized, but I feel like it will all work out soon.

This week we had stake conference. We were able to take a few people as it was far away. A lot of recent converts went as well so it was great to see them there. One recent convert is even singing in the choir. We didn't know until we got there and looked up and saw her. It is great to see the changes in the lives of those we have taught. I really enjoyed stake conference here and with all of these meetings I have felt the Spirit testifying to me that this is the work of the Lord and I am excited to keep working. I know that the Lord lives. He has helped us so much these weeks and I hope to keep working so that He can bless us even more. Thank you all for your love and support.

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week went by super fast and I feel that I don't have many things to say as the week was full of meetings, but I will explain a little about what we did. On Tuesday we had a meeting with the new missionaries. They are great. That meeting is always exciting. On Wednesday we had a meeting with the leadership of the mission. It was fantastic. President talked about our purpose of why we are here. Why the work is so important. It showed me that the work we do has eternal consequences and that we can help others change their lives through Jesus Christ. Thursday we had a meeting with the District Leaders. It was a good meeting where we explain to them their responsibilities.

That was all of the meetings and then on Friday and Saturday, we were in our area. Actually, I went on an exchange to my old area Novo Osasco! It was a lot of fun. It is weird going back to a place you have already been. I was able to see a lot of people I had met there including Luan! It was great to see him again. He is doing great and has been going to Church, seminary and has been learning a lot. That exchange was great and then on Saturday Elder Lucas and I were together. We invited a lot of people to go to Church and also had an açaí that day which was great because I have not had açaí in so long. Açaí is a fruit that they make into an ice cream and put fruit and other stuff on top. It is so good.

On Sunday Kimberly went to Church which was great. She has been learning so much. She thinks that she is still not ready to be baptized and needs to learn more, but she knows so much already and we explained that her baptism will help her learn more and grow. She is super excited, but also nervous. It has been hard for her because so many people tell her that she is making the wrong choice. The great thing is that she is listening to the Spirit. She said that she received an answer from God and that she won't give up. I think that it is true that there is so much opposition in the Church because that is how it was in the life of Jesus Christ. His ministry was not easy, so neither is ours. The amazing promise though is that we will not be left alone. Christ will always lift us up and help us in all things that we do. I am so grateful for that promise.

As one last story of the week, last night we got a call from a sister who did not have enough money to check in her bags at the airport. It was 3 am and there was no way to send her money other than getting in a car and going there. We talked to President and he sent me and Elder Smith(the executive secretary) in an Uber there and back to help her out. It was tiring, but she was able to check in her luggage and get on her flight. We got back at around 7 and had a meeting with President. We then just got back from going to Wendy's with him. There are only two wendy's here. It is more of an upscale hamburger place here. It was super good. It was great to eat a frosty again. :) It was a fantastic week. We are going to have more meetings this week, but I am happy to be in the work of the Lord. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Here is one of me and a couple of good friends I have made here on the mission

Olá!

This week went great. It has been raining a lot. It makes it a lot harder to talk to people on the street, but we were still able to meet and teach some people. One day this week I did an exchange in paraísopolis which is one of the largest favelas in Brazil. A favela is an area where people just start build up houses. I will try to send a picture. It was pretty crazy. There are so many people there. Everyone is super welcoming. It is extremely easy to teach people, but it is hard for them to progress and go to church because of the poverty and sin that surround them. I really enjoyed the experience though that we had to meet some people and hopefully bring a little bit of light into their lives.

Conference was amazing! Everyone here is super excited about Elder Soares. He is Brazillian. I watched conference in President Thomas' house on Saturday which was a lot of fun. I think all of the changes are extremely inspired. We saw a lot of these changes on the mission in the past also. Focussing less on numbers and more on people and true conversion.  I really liked President Nelson's talk and also Elder Uchtdorf's talk. There were so many good talks though. I just loved the focus on us being more like Christ and receiving revelation for ourselves. I think it is great advice to everyone to stay optimistic, but also watch your step in the world. We also must always stay united and help others. I hope to be able to use what I learned this weekend in my life and in my mission. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Olá!

This week we did more exchanged which was a lot of fun. The first couple of days I was with Elder Garcia who is from Argentina. I stayed in my area and we had a couple of great days. We met a lot of new people which was nice because when you are in an area for a long time you sometimes start to lose faith and think that you already have spoken with everyone, but that is not the case. There are still a lot of people here. We also went to district meeting together. President showed up as a suprise and it was the day that I gave a training to the district. I wasn't nervous as I usually have to give training in front of the mission and president and I enjoyed that it was a smaller group. I felt that it was a great meeting. President also brought chocalate covered strawberries which was a bonus.

After the first division we spent a day together in the area. It was nice. We made a cake for the girl who was baptized last Sunday since it was her birthday. She was confirmed yesterday which was special to see also. On Friday we decided to do a division with Elder Benedito who was my trainer! I went to his area and it was awesome. It was so much fun to be with him again. He is a great person and taught me so much so I felt like I was being trained again. We remembered a lot of old stories from the beggining of the mission and the day was full of things to do. He will go home in about a month so it was great to be able to be with him before he leaves.

On Saturday we were together again in the area and usually we use Saturday to invite everyone to go to church, so we were running around that day. It was great. On Sunday we had many investigators there and it was a fantastic meeting. Kimberly has been learning a lot. She gets so excited every time we give her a new pamphlet. She has been studying a lot and will be baptized next week!

I am having a great time on the mission. It has been raining a lot. There was a huge storm a couple of days ago that even destroyed some houses because of how strong it was. We are safe and happy though and I am excited for another week here in São Paulo! Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

Cake for new baptism.

Just soda!!!

My trainer! (middle)

Olá!

This week went great. I may or may not have accidentally flooded the church. We were filling up the baptismal font and I forgot to turn of the water. Luckily I remembered before anyone came up and told us that it was overflowing. It wasn't a lot of water, so we were able to clean it up fast. I guess I wanted to be like Noah in the days of old, just without the ark. The baptism went great. It was a young girl named Lismaeli. Her family was baptized a few months ago and we started teaching her a couple of weeks ago. It was also her birthday so it was an incredibly special day.

The rest of the week was pretty normal. There was one day that was the day of rejection. Everyone rejected us. Everything fell through and it was a rough day. We were able to teach a few people, but the first person didn't even want us to pray, the second didn't want us to come back, and the rest were already going to different churches. There was even a person on the street who, when we said "Olá!", started yelling swear words at us and said "don't you have anything better to do??". We laughed it off, but it shows you that missionary work is not easy. It is hard to walk everyday in the sun and sometimes not have results. I am grateful for these days because I know that Jesus Christ suffered a lot more for me and so many people rejected Him. If He was rejected, we will also sometimes be rejected. I hope to follow His example and never give up and always forgive. I know that there are still so many people out there that need our message and we will keep working so that they can hear what we have to say. Through the difficulties, Christ will be with us always and I know that He is preparing so many people here in our area. I hope to be worthy to find them. Thank you all for your love and prayers!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson

We really do have plenty of food!

SEE!!!!