It has been a few weeks since we have heard from Elder Johnson. We were not sure if he was still on Christmas Island, who his companion was or anything really at all.
We finally received a couple quick emails this week. They are short in content, but we were very grateful to hear from Jeff!
Here are his short emails:
Internet has been down, there is only one computer that we can email off of so I let the newer kids email... so I don't know how often we will be able to email..... the internet browser is too outdated to go to mail at the internet place here... I'm doing amazing! I love you all and Kaleb, happy late birthday. Hopefully you got my letter!
I'm still on Kiritimati... Elder Ellis is my comp... MY OOOOWNN intake!!!!!!!! XD and I am having a blast, a hard time every once in awhile just because I can't email... but I know you guys are okay!
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Monday, June 13, 2016
Handwritten Letters Home
Dear Mom!
I Love You!!!
First off, I love you so much! XD I really appreciate all the love and support you give me every week in your emails, they really help. You are such an amazing person and the BEST mom a teenage boy could ever ask for! You've helped me in ALL the chapters of problems in my life, and for that I am eternally grateful!
Right now I want you to know that the Lord is watching over you and the family, especially while dad and I are gone. I know, at times, things can be difficult to endure, but that is why our brother, Jesus Christ, suffered as much as he did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Not only did he pay the price for the sins of the entire world, he provided us a way to receive comfort through times of hardships, to lighten our loads which are so heavy, to expand our joy and happiness, and to feel loved. Not only by him, but from our Father in Heaven.
There is a scripture that has really helped me while I've been out on my mission are in the Bible. Matthew 11:28-30; "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I love these verses!
We all have to carry some sort of load in this life, for that's life. So why wouldn't we choose to carry the Savior's load whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light? The savior will take our load upon Him, e will still have a load, but it will be light and easy. This allows us to be happy even in the darkest and hardest of times. The trick is, we have to allow the Lord to take the load. For if we don't give your problems to Him, He can't take them, and the load will feel unbearable, heavy, and at times, even impossible to carry. It is my testimony that the Lord really does make all things better, He really is there to yoke himself to all of us.
Something that the choir director in the MTC said is, "I like to think of Christ as a big power bull, tall in stature and very strong. All of us are as calves who are strapped to the yoke, only to be suspended in the air kicking our legs." I know we can get the help we need in this life, but the question is, are we willing to give it to the Savior?
I Love You Mom,
Love your son,
Elder Johnson
DAD,
I love you too!
Hopefully you like this book, I thought of you the most when I decided to make it, because I know how much you like all games! I think you'll like the Kiribati Sorry and the Card Games the best! Sorry if they are kind of confusing, some were kind of difficult to write the rules for!
Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that everything is great and I'm seeing the Lord's hand in so many things that I am doing! I know that he is there through all that I am doing for it truly is his work! I want to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon. When I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time at the beginning of this year, I was so excited to pray to gain a certain solid testimony of the book, so I prayed right there. I prayed and sat and listened... nothing. I was confused as to why I didn't receive an answer... So many people promised that if you read the book, then you pray about it, then you will get an answer. I didn't know why I wasn't getting an answer, then I had the thought to clean the house. So Elder Kennedy and I did, and we went deep, rearranging the furniture, sweeping, mopping, your average "Mom" cleaning. And it took a lot longer than I thought it would, and by the time we were done it was time to go out and teach. It wasn't until the next day that I had a chance to pray and ask again, and when I did, I was surrounded and overwhelmed by the Spirit.
I received my testimony that the book was true! And since the book was true, I gained a firm testimony that Joseph Smith was a man called of God, that he saw God the Father and the Son, that prayers are answered, and all things we teach are true. As I look back on this experience, 1) We are not always going to get an answer right away. 2) It may be because of something in our lives that we need to change in order to more fully invite the spirit, and 3) Cleanliness is next to Godliness!
I know that this church is true 100% without a shadow of doubt in my brain, and I know if we press on in doing what the Lord wants us to do, we will be blessed and we will receive help and we will receive answers to prayers!
I love you dad,
Love your Son,
Elder Johnson
I Love You!!!
First off, I love you so much! XD I really appreciate all the love and support you give me every week in your emails, they really help. You are such an amazing person and the BEST mom a teenage boy could ever ask for! You've helped me in ALL the chapters of problems in my life, and for that I am eternally grateful!
Right now I want you to know that the Lord is watching over you and the family, especially while dad and I are gone. I know, at times, things can be difficult to endure, but that is why our brother, Jesus Christ, suffered as much as he did in the Garden of Gethsemane. Not only did he pay the price for the sins of the entire world, he provided us a way to receive comfort through times of hardships, to lighten our loads which are so heavy, to expand our joy and happiness, and to feel loved. Not only by him, but from our Father in Heaven.
There is a scripture that has really helped me while I've been out on my mission are in the Bible. Matthew 11:28-30; "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I love these verses!
We all have to carry some sort of load in this life, for that's life. So why wouldn't we choose to carry the Savior's load whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light? The savior will take our load upon Him, e will still have a load, but it will be light and easy. This allows us to be happy even in the darkest and hardest of times. The trick is, we have to allow the Lord to take the load. For if we don't give your problems to Him, He can't take them, and the load will feel unbearable, heavy, and at times, even impossible to carry. It is my testimony that the Lord really does make all things better, He really is there to yoke himself to all of us.
Something that the choir director in the MTC said is, "I like to think of Christ as a big power bull, tall in stature and very strong. All of us are as calves who are strapped to the yoke, only to be suspended in the air kicking our legs." I know we can get the help we need in this life, but the question is, are we willing to give it to the Savior?
I Love You Mom,
Love your son,
Elder Johnson
DAD,
I love you too!
Hopefully you like this book, I thought of you the most when I decided to make it, because I know how much you like all games! I think you'll like the Kiribati Sorry and the Card Games the best! Sorry if they are kind of confusing, some were kind of difficult to write the rules for!
Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that everything is great and I'm seeing the Lord's hand in so many things that I am doing! I know that he is there through all that I am doing for it truly is his work! I want to share my testimony of the Book of Mormon. When I finished the Book of Mormon for the first time at the beginning of this year, I was so excited to pray to gain a certain solid testimony of the book, so I prayed right there. I prayed and sat and listened... nothing. I was confused as to why I didn't receive an answer... So many people promised that if you read the book, then you pray about it, then you will get an answer. I didn't know why I wasn't getting an answer, then I had the thought to clean the house. So Elder Kennedy and I did, and we went deep, rearranging the furniture, sweeping, mopping, your average "Mom" cleaning. And it took a lot longer than I thought it would, and by the time we were done it was time to go out and teach. It wasn't until the next day that I had a chance to pray and ask again, and when I did, I was surrounded and overwhelmed by the Spirit.
I received my testimony that the book was true! And since the book was true, I gained a firm testimony that Joseph Smith was a man called of God, that he saw God the Father and the Son, that prayers are answered, and all things we teach are true. As I look back on this experience, 1) We are not always going to get an answer right away. 2) It may be because of something in our lives that we need to change in order to more fully invite the spirit, and 3) Cleanliness is next to Godliness!
I know that this church is true 100% without a shadow of doubt in my brain, and I know if we press on in doing what the Lord wants us to do, we will be blessed and we will receive help and we will receive answers to prayers!
I love you dad,
Love your Son,
Elder Johnson
Monday, June 6, 2016
Short and Sweet- Transfers coming up
Dear Mom,
I looooove Elder Hunter!!! but do you want to know what we found out when President Weir was here?? He is going to become District Leader when Elder Miller leaves and guess who my companion is going to be???? Elder Ellis from my intake!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love that kid so much!!!!! I am sad to see Hunter leave but Way pumped to see Ellis! XD
I am so happy to hear Tommy is still going to Russia!
Okay you're a punk for ordering new sunglasses... but thank you! hahah I still laugh at who ever stole them I can see them passing around saying look if you put these on you won't be able to see!!!! hahaha
I am going to try to activate my card today but on a safer computer I'm pretty sure I got my pin down! that was pretty sneaky!
I love you so much mom,
keep up all the amazing things you do because you are the best mom in the whole wide world!!
Elder Johnson
Dad,
This week has been absolutely insane!!! And it sounds like that is was pretty insane for you guys as well!!! hahah
I think the most spiritual thing that happened was one of two things definitely when President Weir came that man is insane, last P-day he talked to us about goal planning and how when he sold helicopters into the middle east he had a team of three, one of which spent the previous 14 years and sold 7 helicopters which isn't too bad with how expensive they were, he talked about developing a vision and you want to know what his vision was...... 525 helicopters sold into the middle east...... He then told us..." Of course we didn't quite make that goal..... we exceeded it just a little bit and actually sold 625" He then went on to tell us a ton of other things that could help us become better missionaries like focusing on specific investigators, it was like the sermon on the mount it was so insane!
I also had a really amazing study by applying what I learned from him, I decided to focus my studies 100% on one of our investigators, and I learned so many different ways on how to teach different lessons it was amazing!
Fishing kind of sucked... I had a migraine and nobody caught anything! hahah
There is one investigator who has gained his testimony but keeps telling us that he needs to make sure it's okay that he does certain things with his catholic leaders.... I'm just nervous because our first few lessons with him were soooo amazing, full of the Spirit and he knows they are true, but he is now making comments such as ti te ongora they are just to listen to right?? sooo
His name is Tiebu or Jeff in English!
I love you dad,
Love your son,
Elder Johnson
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