Ola
This week flew by so fast. I will start off by talking about Emerson and his family. Emerson and Everton were not baptized this week. We still had to teach them a few things and they didn’t quite feel prepared yet. Hopefully this week they will be able to be baptized. Everton is the most prepared. He is 15 years old and has been waking up early to go to Seminary everyday. He really likes the church and learning more. His friend Jose wants to go to Seminary and go to church but his dad still won’t let him. Jose talks about being baptized though and is just waiting for permission from his dad or until he turns 18 in two years. One really cool experience with their family this week was when we had a lesson with them and President Thomas. It was a little weird at first because it has never happened before to me. It was super spiritual though. The lesson went really well and everyone enjoyed it. President Thomas even called me a few days later to see how the family was doing.
Our other main investigator is Robbie. He is the Indian man who we teach in English. He is doing well. He always wants us to come over and teach him and he is reading the Book of Mormon. Teaching in English is weird. One day about half way through the lesson I switched to Portuguese without realizing it. My companion had to remind me to speak English. Haha. I am also teaching him how to cook food on a small budget because he is still looking for work and doesn’t have much. I showed him the college student’s best friend, Ramen. Haha. I explained to him how to cook Ramen but also to include vegetables and some meat for it to be a little healthy. I will teach him how to cook a few more things this week.
We are still looking for more people to teach. It is always a task to complete as missionaries, but with faith and hard work I know we will find those who are being prepared by the Lord. One thing I really like about this ward is that we have a lot of Family Home Evenings. Members invite us, recent converts, investigator and friends over and we have a message, some games, and food. It is a great way to bring everyone together.
Sunday this week was crazy for me. About 15 or 20 minutes before the meeting started I was asked to give a 10 minute talk. I told them I would although I had nothing prepared. As I started preparing a talk, someone else came up to me to ask me to play the piano. I said I would try. I went over to try to play through the songs once, but before I could even see what all the songs were, the meeting was starting. I had only played through the first song once and I still didn’t have anything prepared for the talk. I did feel the spirit calm me and although my piano playing was nowhere near perfect I was able to play through some songs I have never played through. Because the name is in Portuguese, I didn’t even know what hymn I was playing until I started. I also gave the first talk. It was my first talk in Portuguese and I am so grateful for the spirit and the gift of tongues. It wasn’t perfect and the talk was a little scattered, but I think I said some good things and even started going over time a little bit without realizing it. Haha. It truly is a gift to have the Holy Ghost with us. He can comfort us, guide us, and help us in any situation. We need to live worthy for this gift from God, but when we are worthy He freely gives us all his gifts. We still have to prepare ourselves and practice our talents, and we may not always be perfect, but the Holy Ghost will amplify our efforts and bring happiness, joy and peace into our lives. I love you all!
Chao
Elder Johnson
Monday, March 20, 2017
Monday, March 13, 2017
Ola
This week was awesome. A lot happened but I will start with last p-day. After we used the internet cafe for email, it started pouring rain. Literally like buckets pouring down. I forgot my umbrella so I took the opportunity to literally sing and dance in the rain. It was so much fun just to enjoy the feeling of the rain. I was completely soaked, but feel so good. It reminded me of the Primary song that says “I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.” Like the rain cleans and purifies the earth, the Lord cleans and purifies our soul.
In relation to our investigators, Emerson and Everton will be baptized this Sunday if everything works out! They have strong testimonies, are always going to church, and are excited to be baptized. We are working with the family also, but they aren’t as certain about the church yet, but I think with a little time they will take the steps to come to church and be baptized. It is an amazing, unified family. The lessons with them are so spiritual and fun. They always welcome us in and I can already see a different light and feeling in their home as they are accepting the gospel more and more.
Our other main investigator is Robbie. He is an Indian man who doesn’t speak a lot of Portuguese, so we are teaching him in English! It is a lot of fun but very weird to switch to English. It has been almost as hard as teaching in Portuguese when I first arrived. One crazy thing that happened with Robbie this week is that we had an appointment with him, but he wasn’t in his house. As we walked back to our house, we stopped to talk to a member on the street. As we were talking, Robbie came up behind us. He had been our running and had lost his house key. We helped him explain to his landlord, and she gave us a huge bag of keys (probably about 60) She said to try them and maybe one of them is for his house. We went to Robbie’s home and he pulled out the bag of keys. He chose one and the very first key he tried worked and opened the door. It was a little crazy. I truly know that the Lord was looking out for him. After, we had a great lesson with him talking about the word of wisdom and setting goals for him to follow. He also went to the Stake Conference we had this week, so I translated most of Stake Conference into English. It was a little bit of a challenge but was fun. He hopefully will be baptized in one of the following weeks.
A couple of days this week were great learning experiences for me. Firstly, I had a division with the zone leader, which was great and I learned a lot. Then we had a multi-zone conference and had some great training from our mission president, his wife, the zone leaders and others. It was in the chapel in Cotia so it was also fun to return to my first area. The last day that was great was Stake Conference. It was focused on missionary work. He gave training to the leaders about inviting friends to Family Night, church, etc and all of the talks on Sunday were great. It reminded me that every member is a missionary. Missionary work is not effective without members. Through simple things (such as sharing a video or testimony on social media) every member can make a difference. One interesting thing that President Thomas, the mission president, showed was a talk from Elder Bednar showing that we shouldn’t just pray for people to magically show up for church but that we should go out and do the work. We are all instruments of the Lord. Lets all do are part to spread the gospel and it’s message of hope and love to all the world. I love you all.
Chao
Elder Johnson
This week was awesome. A lot happened but I will start with last p-day. After we used the internet cafe for email, it started pouring rain. Literally like buckets pouring down. I forgot my umbrella so I took the opportunity to literally sing and dance in the rain. It was so much fun just to enjoy the feeling of the rain. I was completely soaked, but feel so good. It reminded me of the Primary song that says “I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.” Like the rain cleans and purifies the earth, the Lord cleans and purifies our soul.
In relation to our investigators, Emerson and Everton will be baptized this Sunday if everything works out! They have strong testimonies, are always going to church, and are excited to be baptized. We are working with the family also, but they aren’t as certain about the church yet, but I think with a little time they will take the steps to come to church and be baptized. It is an amazing, unified family. The lessons with them are so spiritual and fun. They always welcome us in and I can already see a different light and feeling in their home as they are accepting the gospel more and more.
Our other main investigator is Robbie. He is an Indian man who doesn’t speak a lot of Portuguese, so we are teaching him in English! It is a lot of fun but very weird to switch to English. It has been almost as hard as teaching in Portuguese when I first arrived. One crazy thing that happened with Robbie this week is that we had an appointment with him, but he wasn’t in his house. As we walked back to our house, we stopped to talk to a member on the street. As we were talking, Robbie came up behind us. He had been our running and had lost his house key. We helped him explain to his landlord, and she gave us a huge bag of keys (probably about 60) She said to try them and maybe one of them is for his house. We went to Robbie’s home and he pulled out the bag of keys. He chose one and the very first key he tried worked and opened the door. It was a little crazy. I truly know that the Lord was looking out for him. After, we had a great lesson with him talking about the word of wisdom and setting goals for him to follow. He also went to the Stake Conference we had this week, so I translated most of Stake Conference into English. It was a little bit of a challenge but was fun. He hopefully will be baptized in one of the following weeks.
A couple of days this week were great learning experiences for me. Firstly, I had a division with the zone leader, which was great and I learned a lot. Then we had a multi-zone conference and had some great training from our mission president, his wife, the zone leaders and others. It was in the chapel in Cotia so it was also fun to return to my first area. The last day that was great was Stake Conference. It was focused on missionary work. He gave training to the leaders about inviting friends to Family Night, church, etc and all of the talks on Sunday were great. It reminded me that every member is a missionary. Missionary work is not effective without members. Through simple things (such as sharing a video or testimony on social media) every member can make a difference. One interesting thing that President Thomas, the mission president, showed was a talk from Elder Bednar showing that we shouldn’t just pray for people to magically show up for church but that we should go out and do the work. We are all instruments of the Lord. Lets all do are part to spread the gospel and it’s message of hope and love to all the world. I love you all.
Chao
Elder Johnson
 |
| Soaked |
Monday, March 6, 2017
Olá!
This week was great! We have been working really hard here and it has been a lot of fun. The greatest thing that happened with week was with Emerson's family. It is a huge family and we were finally able to teach all of them together. It was such an amazing lesson. We sang some hymns in English and Portuguese and we talked about Moroni 10:3-5. We challenged them all to pray and also to be baptized! They all accepted! Some are more excited than others, but we hope to prepare all of them and hopefully they can all be baptized together!
We also taught some other people this week who went to church with was great. It is always hard at the end of the week waiting to see who shows up and who doesn't. It is amazing when you see someone walk in who you would never have expected.
I was feeling sick this week. I just had a cold or something. It seemed to be going around. As sick as I was feeling I am so happy for the power that I felt also. I was able to still work every day and meet with all the people we needed to. Though I was tired and wanted to just go to bed some days I had help from my companion and definitely from angels who held me up and pushed me forward. There are always people out there for us to find. Who are looking for the truth and to have more happiness and joy in their lives. That is what this gospel is about. The true happiness, peace, and joy that comes from the knowledge that we have a Savior who suffered and died and that he knows us perfectly and is always here to help and guide us. It is amazing knowledge to have. I love you all!
Tchau!
Elder Johnson
This week was great! We have been working really hard here and it has been a lot of fun. The greatest thing that happened with week was with Emerson's family. It is a huge family and we were finally able to teach all of them together. It was such an amazing lesson. We sang some hymns in English and Portuguese and we talked about Moroni 10:3-5. We challenged them all to pray and also to be baptized! They all accepted! Some are more excited than others, but we hope to prepare all of them and hopefully they can all be baptized together!
We also taught some other people this week who went to church with was great. It is always hard at the end of the week waiting to see who shows up and who doesn't. It is amazing when you see someone walk in who you would never have expected.
I was feeling sick this week. I just had a cold or something. It seemed to be going around. As sick as I was feeling I am so happy for the power that I felt also. I was able to still work every day and meet with all the people we needed to. Though I was tired and wanted to just go to bed some days I had help from my companion and definitely from angels who held me up and pushed me forward. There are always people out there for us to find. Who are looking for the truth and to have more happiness and joy in their lives. That is what this gospel is about. The true happiness, peace, and joy that comes from the knowledge that we have a Savior who suffered and died and that he knows us perfectly and is always here to help and guide us. It is amazing knowledge to have. I love you all!
Tchau!
Elder Johnson
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Olá!
This week was great! We have been working a lot here. I am liking my new area. There are not as many hills as Cotia, but we still do walk a lot. We have quite a few members to work with here which is nice. We have also been working on finding new people! It is hard to look for people every day, but I know that there are people out there waiting for us.
Our main investigators are a huge family. It is extremely complicated to try to explain who everyone is, but there are three main young men that are awesome! Two of them are actually with the young men's group on a sort of camping trip but in a hotel. We have been teaching them a few times a week and every time there are more and more people who are interested. It is awesome and we are hoping to baptize all of them. haha
We also taught a few lessons in English this week! We met a guy from India who is learning Portuguese but speaks English well, so we are teaching him. It was extremely hard to switch the lessons to English. It is fun, though, and my companion is learning English so it is good practice for him!
Our time was a little limited today because we went to the Temple, so I will write up more this week, but the Temple was an amazing experience. I love the peace and eternal joy that is found inside the Temple. We should always have the Temple as our focus. Try to go every week if you can. I know you will feel the Spirit so strongly. I miss working in the Temple and the opportunity to go at any time. Here we can go once every three months, and I miss it a lot in the time we can't go. I am grateful I have the opportunity to work with people here on earth also every day :) This truly is the work of the Lord. I love you all!
Elder Johnson
This week was great! We have been working a lot here. I am liking my new area. There are not as many hills as Cotia, but we still do walk a lot. We have quite a few members to work with here which is nice. We have also been working on finding new people! It is hard to look for people every day, but I know that there are people out there waiting for us.
Our main investigators are a huge family. It is extremely complicated to try to explain who everyone is, but there are three main young men that are awesome! Two of them are actually with the young men's group on a sort of camping trip but in a hotel. We have been teaching them a few times a week and every time there are more and more people who are interested. It is awesome and we are hoping to baptize all of them. haha
We also taught a few lessons in English this week! We met a guy from India who is learning Portuguese but speaks English well, so we are teaching him. It was extremely hard to switch the lessons to English. It is fun, though, and my companion is learning English so it is good practice for him!
Our time was a little limited today because we went to the Temple, so I will write up more this week, but the Temple was an amazing experience. I love the peace and eternal joy that is found inside the Temple. We should always have the Temple as our focus. Try to go every week if you can. I know you will feel the Spirit so strongly. I miss working in the Temple and the opportunity to go at any time. Here we can go once every three months, and I miss it a lot in the time we can't go. I am grateful I have the opportunity to work with people here on earth also every day :) This truly is the work of the Lord. I love you all!
Elder Johnson
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| My new companion, Elder Do Carmo. |
Monday, February 20, 2017
Olá!
This was my first week in the Raposo Travares Ward. It was really great! It is different than Cotia, but I am enjoying it. We still walk quite a bit and there are still quite a few mountains, but it is easier to go to the Chapel because we don't have to take the bus. It makes it a lot easier for members and investigators to go to church also. It feels like a really strong community here.
My new companion is great. He is Brazilian and he is a very loving guy. He knows quite a bit of English which is nice. He practices English and I practice Portuguese! He is a great missionary also. He truly knows how to connect with people and put a smile on anyone's face. I am learning a lot from him which is great!
This week we went straight to work. It was a lot of fun to just get into it and it helped with the transition. We found some great new people and are working with some people that he found before also. The best people are a couple of youth that we are teaching. The other missionaries here had a baptism one night and we invited a couple of young guys on the street to go and watch it. We didn't really think they would show up, but that night they were at the baptism! They really enjoyed it and went to Church on Sunday also!!!!! We will work with them more this week and hopefully, they will be baptized soon!
As I start learning this area more I will have a lot more stories to tell and a lot more people to talk about. I just love that I have been so welcomed here. The light of the gospel is the same light in the entire world. The Church is true. 100%. It changes people and makes them better. I love the light of Christ. It is in each and every one of us. We can all share our light through our testimonies and love for one another. I love you all and thank you all for everything you have done!
Elder Johnson
This was my first week in the Raposo Travares Ward. It was really great! It is different than Cotia, but I am enjoying it. We still walk quite a bit and there are still quite a few mountains, but it is easier to go to the Chapel because we don't have to take the bus. It makes it a lot easier for members and investigators to go to church also. It feels like a really strong community here.
My new companion is great. He is Brazilian and he is a very loving guy. He knows quite a bit of English which is nice. He practices English and I practice Portuguese! He is a great missionary also. He truly knows how to connect with people and put a smile on anyone's face. I am learning a lot from him which is great!
This week we went straight to work. It was a lot of fun to just get into it and it helped with the transition. We found some great new people and are working with some people that he found before also. The best people are a couple of youth that we are teaching. The other missionaries here had a baptism one night and we invited a couple of young guys on the street to go and watch it. We didn't really think they would show up, but that night they were at the baptism! They really enjoyed it and went to Church on Sunday also!!!!! We will work with them more this week and hopefully, they will be baptized soon!
As I start learning this area more I will have a lot more stories to tell and a lot more people to talk about. I just love that I have been so welcomed here. The light of the gospel is the same light in the entire world. The Church is true. 100%. It changes people and makes them better. I love the light of Christ. It is in each and every one of us. We can all share our light through our testimonies and love for one another. I love you all and thank you all for everything you have done!
Elder Johnson
Monday, February 13, 2017
Olá!
This last week went really well. We just kept working on finding new people and we found some great new people who have amazing potential. One great thing that happened is that we decided to knock doors on one street. In all reality, you usually clap outside the house, but at the very first house we went to there was a person who was extremely interested in the Church! It was an amazing lesson and I feel like we were truly guided to her. We also were stopped in the street by a man who said he was a member but has been less active for many years. We passed by his house another day and had an amazing lesson. He has had some difficulties in his life and really wants to change and find peace and happiness. I felt the Spirit so strongly talking about The Book of Mormon and the love that Christ has for him. His wife is not a member so we are also teaching her which is great for both of them!
This week we have transfers. I will be leaving my area here in Cotia. It is a little weird to be leaving it behind. I have been here my entire mission. It feels like another home. You meet so many people who become like family. They help you through every day and every week. The area is just so familiar and comfortable. I like knowing where I am and how to get everywhere. It will be hard to start over again, but I know I will make more friends and will be able to help the lives of many more. The decisions that are made in regards to transfers are definitely inspired. I have faith that there are people that are waiting for me and I hope that new missionaries will help this area that I leave behind and will continue the work of the Lord. This is truly the Lord's work. As missionaries, we are just His hands here, but His Spirit is truly what inspires and changes lives. Sorry for the short email. I will have a lot more to say after this week of changes, but I love you all. Thank you for all the support and prayers!
Elder Johnson
This last week went really well. We just kept working on finding new people and we found some great new people who have amazing potential. One great thing that happened is that we decided to knock doors on one street. In all reality, you usually clap outside the house, but at the very first house we went to there was a person who was extremely interested in the Church! It was an amazing lesson and I feel like we were truly guided to her. We also were stopped in the street by a man who said he was a member but has been less active for many years. We passed by his house another day and had an amazing lesson. He has had some difficulties in his life and really wants to change and find peace and happiness. I felt the Spirit so strongly talking about The Book of Mormon and the love that Christ has for him. His wife is not a member so we are also teaching her which is great for both of them!
This week we have transfers. I will be leaving my area here in Cotia. It is a little weird to be leaving it behind. I have been here my entire mission. It feels like another home. You meet so many people who become like family. They help you through every day and every week. The area is just so familiar and comfortable. I like knowing where I am and how to get everywhere. It will be hard to start over again, but I know I will make more friends and will be able to help the lives of many more. The decisions that are made in regards to transfers are definitely inspired. I have faith that there are people that are waiting for me and I hope that new missionaries will help this area that I leave behind and will continue the work of the Lord. This is truly the Lord's work. As missionaries, we are just His hands here, but His Spirit is truly what inspires and changes lives. Sorry for the short email. I will have a lot more to say after this week of changes, but I love you all. Thank you for all the support and prayers!
Elder Johnson
Monday, February 6, 2017
Olá!
This week went by super fast. We were preparing all week to try to make sure that Sabrina's baptism happened. Everything worked out and she was baptized on Saturday night and confirmed on Sunday. It was such a cool experience. I was able to baptize and confirm her. It is such a great feeling to be able to help with all steps of the process. The Spirit definitely does the heavy lifting in regards to conversion, but I am glad that I could help with finding her, teaching her, inviting her to be baptized, and then eventually baptizing her. To see how much someone changes and grows in such a short amount of time is an absolute miracle. It was an honor to help her and her family and I hope that she will continue to grow in her faith and be a light to all those around her. Baptism is just a step, but it is a big one in regards to the blessings that she and her family will receive.
To prepare for the baptism we had divisions so that the District Leader could do the interview. We also made sure she understood all the lessons and didn't have any questions. We invited people from the ward to the baptism and got some short talks set up. The day of the baptism we cleaned out the baptism font and had to wait a while to fill it up. The water wasn't the warmest, but still, beats getting baptized in a river. Haha. There were not a whole lot of people at the baptism, but it was still super nice. We sang some hymns and the bishop gave a great talk. We then had the baptism which she wanted in English, so my first baptism in Brasil was in English! Haha. It was a little different, but she really wanted to be baptized in English, so it was her choice. My companion translated for her family so they understood, so it was kind of in English and Portuguese. After, a member brought cake and it was like a small little party. The next day I was able to confirm her. It was one of the first blessings I have given in Portuguese also. It was a little hard, but I felt the Spirit and feel like I said things that made sense. We also introduced her to a lot of the people in the ward, so she has a lot of friends and people that helped her here. It truly was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
There was not a whole lot more that happened this week. We are just working every day. It is hot some days and raining other days, but the work always moves forward. We did get our new daily schedule. I haven't taken a long look at it yet, but I the biggest change is that we will be getting up at 7, not 6:30 and will return to our house by 10. I like the new schedule. I will look at it more to know exactly what I should be doing, but it looks good!
I know that this truly is the work of the Lord. So many miracles happened for one person to be baptized, and as I look back on the entire story it is crazy how much the Lord directs our paths. He truly cares about every one of us. He puts us in the direction of His lost sheep and we just need to follow the Spirit to do our part to bring them back into the fold. The worth of souls is truly great in the sight of God. One person is so important to Him. We search for the one that is ready and willing to accept Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that the Lord put Sabrina in our path and that he prepared her to truly accept Jesus Christ and take an amazing step in her life. Thank you all for the prayers and love.
Amo vocês!
Elder Johnson
This week went by super fast. We were preparing all week to try to make sure that Sabrina's baptism happened. Everything worked out and she was baptized on Saturday night and confirmed on Sunday. It was such a cool experience. I was able to baptize and confirm her. It is such a great feeling to be able to help with all steps of the process. The Spirit definitely does the heavy lifting in regards to conversion, but I am glad that I could help with finding her, teaching her, inviting her to be baptized, and then eventually baptizing her. To see how much someone changes and grows in such a short amount of time is an absolute miracle. It was an honor to help her and her family and I hope that she will continue to grow in her faith and be a light to all those around her. Baptism is just a step, but it is a big one in regards to the blessings that she and her family will receive.
To prepare for the baptism we had divisions so that the District Leader could do the interview. We also made sure she understood all the lessons and didn't have any questions. We invited people from the ward to the baptism and got some short talks set up. The day of the baptism we cleaned out the baptism font and had to wait a while to fill it up. The water wasn't the warmest, but still, beats getting baptized in a river. Haha. There were not a whole lot of people at the baptism, but it was still super nice. We sang some hymns and the bishop gave a great talk. We then had the baptism which she wanted in English, so my first baptism in Brasil was in English! Haha. It was a little different, but she really wanted to be baptized in English, so it was her choice. My companion translated for her family so they understood, so it was kind of in English and Portuguese. After, a member brought cake and it was like a small little party. The next day I was able to confirm her. It was one of the first blessings I have given in Portuguese also. It was a little hard, but I felt the Spirit and feel like I said things that made sense. We also introduced her to a lot of the people in the ward, so she has a lot of friends and people that helped her here. It truly was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
There was not a whole lot more that happened this week. We are just working every day. It is hot some days and raining other days, but the work always moves forward. We did get our new daily schedule. I haven't taken a long look at it yet, but I the biggest change is that we will be getting up at 7, not 6:30 and will return to our house by 10. I like the new schedule. I will look at it more to know exactly what I should be doing, but it looks good!
I know that this truly is the work of the Lord. So many miracles happened for one person to be baptized, and as I look back on the entire story it is crazy how much the Lord directs our paths. He truly cares about every one of us. He puts us in the direction of His lost sheep and we just need to follow the Spirit to do our part to bring them back into the fold. The worth of souls is truly great in the sight of God. One person is so important to Him. We search for the one that is ready and willing to accept Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that the Lord put Sabrina in our path and that he prepared her to truly accept Jesus Christ and take an amazing step in her life. Thank you all for the prayers and love.
Amo vocês!
Elder Johnson
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