25 November 2013

Hello,

So this week for transfers I am staying here in Vigo with Elder Dougher as my new companion. When I found out I was actually rather surprised, it is definitely not what I expected at all. (*Elder Dougher is an elder already living in their piso who Elder Johnson knows well.) I was sure that I would probably stay because Elder Groves left on Wednesday for Madrid for a doctor's appointment, and I was positive that they wouldn´t whitewash the area.  I was kind of hoping that I would be able to see somewhere new, but at the same time I was almost positive that I was going to be staying here in Vigo. Other than that change, Elder Kinghorn will be receiving a new companion tonight, and Hermana Frost also left Vigo, and Hermana Barbosa (from Barrio 1) will be coming up here. The only other change in the district is that one of the missionaries from Ourense left and the one that stayed will be training. He is currently staying with us until his companion gets here Wednesday morning.  I am sure that there are going to be quite a few cool things that are going to happen. I kind of wish that I could have left. However, I am sure that the Lord has something planned for me here.

So the 17 year old is doing well. He is looking for the truth, so we invited him to pray and read, he is doing both right now but he still hasn´t received an answer about these things. The other man from Africa is doing well, he wants to learn more and we should be inviting him to a date.

So all the other recent converts are still active and M is doing really well. He has invited two people to listen to the missionaries in the past week.

So the trio was kind of difficult, it just got a little complicated because we were trying to visit all of the investigators for both sets of missionaries.

So there actually hasn´t been much rain these days. And it is cold in the morning and in the evenings, but during the afternoon it is pretty pleasant. 

So something really cool this week is that yesterday I was able to eat at the ward mission leader´s house and while I was there they had all their family there to eat with them (at least the ones that live in Vigo), and while I was there it was really cool because it reminded me a lot of an eternal family. It was really cool to have that experience and reminder about eternal families. It was also really cool because both of the grandparents in the family are converts to the church. It also reminded me a lot about our family.

Well, I think that that´s it for now, thanks for everything, and until next week, 

Elder Johnson

Saying farewell to Elder Groves.

Elder Dougher is in the yellow tie and is Elder Johnson's new companion!

18 November 2013

(Newest members of Vigo - taken a few weeks ago.)

Hola,

So this past week was really cool, we were able to have the zone conference, and it turned out to be really great! I was able to be in the hotel with the AP´s (both I know well) which was really cool. So for  the p-day we went to a lighthouse, supposedly where Hercules killed a Giant and put his head underneath the lighthouse. Afterwards we went and played soccer with most of the zone. For the evening some missionaries had interviews with President Jackson, and the rest of us had a testimony meeting and watched the movie of the restoration. It was all very good. The Spirit was very strong there. On Tuesday we had the zone conference, they talked a lot about obedience, about sacrifices, and about diligent work. It was a really good meeting. Since then we have been applying a lot of the things that they have told us and it is working out really well for us. We are getting a lot of new investigators these weeks and the work really seems to be increasing. 

I don´t know how often zone conferences are, before they took place every 3 months, however it was 4 and a half months since the one before.  However, I am almost positive that this last one was my last.

So the picture of us eating the food from the foil took place in our district conference in Santiago. It is a rented building that we used for meetings. We were eating rice with chicken. (*The picture included last week.)

I think it will be great to be able to go with the missionaries on splits when I get home. It will be strange though doing it from a member's perspective.

So for transfers, they are Saturday and I have no idea of what is going to happen. I feel like I could stay and end here, or I could move and go to a completely different place. I am sure that someone(s) in our district and probably in our companionship are going to change. I am rather anxious to find out what happens.

So I finished Christmas shopping today. I hope everybody likes their gifts... (p.s. I learned that the pokemon cards are fakes, but that doesn´t make a difference to a young boy, they still look like normal Pokemon cards, but it´s a disapointment anyway).

Well, I am glad that everything is going well for you guys in Mass. Things are going well here too, we have quite a few new investigators these past few weeks, and most of them are really looking good. I am getting really excited for the area right now.

Time is kind of weird now, I don´t really want to go back home because I don´t know what it is going to be like, however whenever people talk about time or future events, it is always present that I will not be here for some, or that I do not have much time left. Honestly though I felt like it was going to be a little harder to stay focused, but I have found it easy so far.

Well, I think that that is about all for now, thanks for everything and until next week,

Elder Johnson

11 November 2013

The Vigo Elders

(picture lifted from Elder Groves blog)

I don't know where they are or what they are eating, I'll have to ask in the next letter.

Hola,

So this past week was kind of slow. We didn´t have a lot of things to do, however I still felt like we were running everywhere. Right now I feel really tired and am excited to have a p-day today. So we are in A Coruña right now for the zone conference, we have the entire zone getting together  for p-day, and then tomorrow we are going to be having the zone conference. Personally, I am really excited it will finally be some time where I don´t have to worry about anything, so today I can just relax and de-stress.

I don´t have as much time so the message may be a little bit shorter than usual. 

So this week we taught a 17 year old kid that wants to know if there is a God. It is really cool because it reminds me a lot of Joseph Smith when he wanted to find the trut. He also is looking for the true church if there is a God. It was a really cool experience and a really cool lesson that we had with him. We invited him to pray, and when I called him last night he said that he is praying, but that he hasn´t received an answer yet to his prayers, but that he will keep trying. It was just really cool for me to see that there are some people that want to find the truth and that are willing to get closer to God, because it seems that a lot of times that we, as missionaries, have to awaken the hibernating desires to know if there is a God.

So something else that happened this week is the District Conference, it was really cool. The meetings all have an increased focus on missionary work, and on the importance of the help of the members in the mission work. It is really cool to see the progress of the members in the work.

So it´s about time to wrap up now, but things are going well,  I am really excited for the meetings today and tomorrow, I think that they are going to be really edifying. Well, that´s about it for now, thanks for everything, until next week,

Elder Johnson

4 November 2013

  

 Elder Johnson and Elder Groves having some fun!

(Thanks to Hna Piscoya for her pictures on facebook.)

Hello,

So this week went well, we had three baptisms here in Vigo this past weekend. The service went very well, and it was really cool to be able to see all those people make those changes in their lives. It was also an interesting baptism because all of the people that were baptized spoke Portuguese as their native language. Our investigator from Angola was able to sort things out in his life, so he was also able to get baptized this past Saturday, He was really excited and gave a great testimony in the service. This past week we also found an investigator from Ghana that we are teaching, he came to church on Sunday, and seems pretty excited to learn more. I think that the best part of finding these people is that there are two members from Africa, that speak different languages than most of the branch, and they therefore found it difficult to fit in and have friends, however, with our now recent convert, and with our new investigator, it looks like we may have just found a good friend for each of them to help them out in the future. It makes me very excited to be able to help in more than one way, and it is awesome to see how perfect the Lord is in everything that he does. 

So this week we have a zone meeting, a District Conference, and then next week we have a zone conference, so these next few days are going to be filled with a lot of traveling. 

So the majority of our investigators are starting to progress well and show potential for entering into the covenant of baptism, so I am really excited for these next few weeks, there is going to be a lot of success here in Vigo.

So I brought my camera cord... and I forgot my camera, so I am hoping that next week I will be able to send some more pictures, sorry.

So the mission is doing well, we are getting better, and President is doing a great job of helping out the mission. It is really cool to be a missionary right now.

Well, something cool that happened this past week is that I was able to hear the testimonies of a few people as they talked about the power that priesthood blessings have had in their lives. They bore testimony about the powerful Spirit that they felt and the change that it had in their lives. It was something really cool to be able to hear about, because I know that many times we don´t see or recognize the difference that we have had in the life of another person. Sometimes, down the road we are able to listen to the testimonies of those people as the tell us how we helped them in an important moment, etc. However, many times we do not. Therefore, we just have to press forward doing good works, and trust that the Lord is able to help people through us and that he is able to make a difference in the lives of others.

Thanks again for everything!

Elder Johnson

The Elders of Vigo enjoying dinner with a wonderful member!