True Happiness Serving the Lord

Dad,

That is a pretty crazy week with a ton of stuff happening all at once!! It is way weird for me to think that there is another graduated class after me now... it doesn't feel that long ago that I graduated....

Yeah, it is crazy about Elder Seguine getting married, that was as big of shock as anything to hear, but get this.. Elder Openshaw who left 2 weeks ago is engaged and is getting married in July! HOLY talk about fast!!!

I will definitely pray for you guys, just remember the only way to receive true happiness is to continue to do our best in the church and all things, I would like to challenge you specifically to read the working with ward and stake leaders section in the Preach my Gospel book, I think it will really help to know what kind of responsibilities church members have!

Funniest thing was probably yesterday, my lower back was sore so I tried to pop it by leaning off the edge of the Bouia which is their little houses that look kind of like forts in a way, and as I sat up a fart snuck out! XD Elder Hunter just started dying... so did I it was pretty funny!

We have about ten investigators we are teaching, but they are all really close to baptism.  We've gone, I'm not even joking, to every single house in Banana and our area of work, our area is so darn small.  But we will keep praying and looking! XD As of this Saturday we have 3 baptisms set up we are pretty excited! One being Kitaa. And last Saturday, Teauatai the lady I asked you to pray about a few weeks ago!!

(I asked about the well they dug out last week.)

We only dug about 5 feet, it wasn't deep at all, but the ground was waaay hard, and that is what made it difficult!! It took us 3 hours of non-stop digging, only taking short couple minute breaks.

(I asked what his Sunday meetings were like.)

Sundays meetings are backwards, which is good, because even the most faithful members are an hour late and they all say Te Tai Ni Kiribati or Kiribati time! Our church building is under a huge Mwaneaba made out of coconut trees, which is like a huge pavilion! It's pretty dang cool!  For the most part they are similar to what we have at home, other than the occasional killing of a centipede, chasing out a dog, or a kid walking to the edge and peeing right next to all of us! XD

I love you dad,

Love your son,

Elder Johnson

P.S.  sorry I'm early we are going fishing with President Weir in a little bit and I won't have very much time later, if any at all...

Mom,

It honestly really freaks me out to know that there is already another graduated class after me....  I feel so freaking old it is ridiculous!!!!! hahaha

I am so glad to hear that Tommy is heading back out this August! Is he still going to Russia??? I really hope so!

I am so proud of you reading in the Book of Mormon everyday, I truly have a testimony that reading every single day will bless us beyond anything that we can possibly imagine.  There is a scripture that I love in Alma chapter 31 verse five it says that the Lord's word is more powerful than the blade of a sword, I know that to be true, I know that we can conquer anything that the devil throws at us!!

So I brought my preach my Gospel to tell you about my baptisms... buuuuuuut I left it at the house when we went to the internet place...... So I will let you know by next time!!

We get about 270 Australian dollars every month... It's pretty good, except at times it goes faster when the Freighter comes in because there is a lot better food at JMB like fresh fruit and stuff and it is pretty dang expensive....

I love you so much mom,

Love your son,

Elder Johnson

P.S I am waaaaaaay happy, things are going so great, the only problem is we are running out of people to teach... so pray that we will find more, because I already told Dad, but Elder Hunter and I have gone to every single house in Banana and that is not a lie.... hahah

Oh also don't do anything about it but my sunglasses got stolen last week.... luckily they are old so it is not that big of a deal, but I just thought Iwould let you know! (The poor guy that stole Jeff's glasses was in for a big surprise since they were prescription glasses and Jeff is blind as a bat!)

(We received a letter from Jeff's companion Elder Hunter.  It made us happy to see what a great guy Jeff is with right now!)

HELLO JOHNSON FAM!!

This is Elder Hunter.  I have come to realize that I have been a very ungrateful Elder.  You guys have sent out so many packages and Elder Johnson has been very nice to share with me.  The spoon/forks that you guys sent out are suuuupperrr convenient.  I've absolutely loved all of the food that you guys have sent out as well.  I realized though this week that I haven't even said thank you!  Hahaha forgive me for the late thank you but just wanted you guys to know that I am very appreciative!

Elder Johnson is awesome.  You guys did well haha.  Super easy to get along with and we are having an absolute blast out here in Banana.  We have also had some good success which has been very nice!

Anyways just wanted to thanks for everything.  Hope you guys have a fantastic Sabbath!

Elder Hunter  

Birthday Celebration and Other Good Times in Banana

Little Gifts for the Kiribati kids!

Jeff sent us a quick email mid week apologizing for not sending any letters last week.  They planned on sending them from the hotel after hanging out with the YSA, but the internet was not working when they got back.  He made up for it this week by sending a ton of pictures!

Mom,

Volleyball with the YSA for Jeff's Birthday

That sounds like it has been a pretty eventful last week,  again, I am so sorry that I didn't have the chance to email last week.... We really did try... BUT it was still a really fun day! We went and we played cards, and volley ball with the YSA it was a lot of fun!!!

 

My birthday was absolutely amazing, Elder Hunter surprised me by paying a lady in our branch to bake me a cake, and it was real too!!!! I started off the day by cooking us chocolate chip pancakes, cheesy scrambled eggs, shredded coconut, milk and an orange!!!! So awesome! Then we had a service set up and we dug a mwanibwa or a well for a widow in our branch. Let me tell you what, it was probably one of the hardest services I've done!!  After we went home, ate some cake, showered, changed, and went to our lessons.  Then for dinner, not only was there shark, there was lobster, octopus, cake, raw fish, rice and this pumpkin mash stuff!! They went all out for my birthday!!! I loved it!

 

That is so funny about dad popping a tire, and let him know that I am worthy of a beard too one day, because I changed the tire on Elder Miller's van when it blew.... ahhahaha XD

 

Package was AMAZING I loved it!! hahah I found another brand that does water proof bags Patagonia.  Also do you remember that trail mix from Costco? I think it is that has dried strawberries, pineapple, mango, apples and stuff in it I honestly want anything with fruit! hahaha

 

I love you so much mom, and I appreciate all that you do for me at all times!!!

Love your son,

Elder Johnson

Dad,

It sounds like everything is going pretty great at home! I've noticed that you left out the story of the car tire popping ahaahahah that is so funny!!!!! My birthday went awesome!! I already sent mom most of the details, but I ate shark, lobster, octopus, raw fish, cake.  That family went above and beyond to make that a special day for me!

 

Funniest thing that happened this week..... I don't know.... there are so many funny things that happen while I am with Elder Hunter.... But the funniest thing is we finished the Mwanibwa that we started a week ago, and the guy who was cleaning it out pulled out 2 live crabs!  The Widow's son who is 3 to 5 grabbed the spade and chases/sneaks around until he smashed them to pieces!! hahahah XD

Digging a Mwanibwa- (Well)

 

Golden investigator........ has evolved into a member! and yes I just used a Pokemon reference! hahah

 

One is Kitaa (guitar in Kiribati) we can't really tell if he is that into lessons or not... other than that all of our other investigators are really solid!

 

There is a rumor, not confirmed yet, that after this transfer now that Elder hunter and I are staying so we think I am staying at least until end of august early September!

 

I love you dad,'

Love your son,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson is having a great time with Elder Hunter!

Birthday Breakfast

Elder Hunter paid a member to bake Jeff a cake for his birthday!

Birthday dinner- Shark, Lobster, Octopus, Raw Fish, Pumpkin Mash and Rice!

Baptism

MacGyver Fix on the Mission Bike 

New Christmas Island District- (He didn't send names)

How many other missions have a rat kill rate of the Kiribati Islands?

Wedding Day

I love that Jeff has grown up, but is the same kid he has always been!

Heaven on Earth

Mother's Day Letters Before the Call

Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy freaking MOTHER'S DAY!!!!!!!

First off I want to thank you and let you know how much I appreciate you and all the things that you have done for me.  If it were not for your love, support, help, understanding and all other amazing characteristics that you have I would not be the person that I am today!!!

I know that you are sad that we won't get to talk, trust me I am too! BUT I also know that all things happen for a reason, this is a trial that is going to help us grow some way, and we may not understand how as of right now, but later down the road, we will look back and be grateful for this trial.  And at least that the connection is good enough that we can email!!!  (We were able to talk to Jeff after all!  They got the internet connection working and we had a great conversation with him!)

I want you to know that you are the absolute BEST mom a kid could ever ask for! No matter what, you have always been strong even through my ugly teenage years!! hahah  You are the ONLY person that I would ever want to be my mom. 

I love you with all of my heart! don't worry about me I am healthy I am happy and I am going to have the best week of my life! We have so many amazing things set up for this week! We have a baptism with I do dare say my golden investigator, I am going to eat shark for my birthday, and the YSA is putting a dinner together the day before my birthday so we can party! hahah

I thank God every day for such an amazing mom as you, and I want you to know that I appreciate all that you have ever done what you do now, and all those things that you will do.  Every time I think of that Mom talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, I think of you!

I love you, you are pretty darn close to the perfect mom,

Love your ever so grateful son,

Elder Johnson

Dad,

Let's just say this sucks, but there is a reason for it!!

Funniest thing that happened this week is probably yesterday, we got a fifteen year old member to come with us as a member present, who is also fifteen years old, and as we were all riding our bikes the kid Teangaua, kept egging us on and telling us that our bikes were slow, so Elder Hunter takes off and he is screaming, and he pulls ahead of this kid, but then his bike chain falls off!! hahah so funny!!

Bike ride to our area is literal buokonikai or forest for a straight 20 minutes, we don't pass any houses so how we do our studies is an hour of personal an hour of companion, an hour of language then an hour of lunch/ then we head to our area to work for the day. 

I love you dad,

Love your son,

Elder Johnson

Elder Osborne 

On Splits with Elder Osborne, Elder Johnson's first companion in the MTC.

Baby Coconut Crab

Mai (Breadfruit) Jeff loves this stuff!

WWE Kiribati Style

Tiim and Nakaroro

Tiim and Nakaroro

Some of the Awesome YSA

Elder Hunter eating octopus for the first time.