Elder Zachary Taylor Johnson: August 2014

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Week 85, August 25- August 31, 2014

Hey guys im on if theres a chance theres internet! I'll write a good report, Elder Bowen of the 70 is coming today, he'll be here in about an hour at the mission home.

That was it!!!!:(

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Week 84, August 19 - August 24, 2014

It sounds like you guys are doing great, Its been absolutely crazy here! We have to close out and account for all the money we've spent as a mission the past month, by the end of the day tomorrow, as well as deal with all the things going on during ourtransfer week, we have to get the outgoing missionaries to manila and on a plane tomorrow, and handle the incoming missionaries the day after, It really strange to see the sisters we came in with going home, Its strange to think that after just 2 more of these outgoing groups, i'll be next,

We had a great experience in office meeting yesterday, President gave the spiritual thought, it was on Elder Rasmussens conference talk on the Joyful Burden of DIscipleship, he said, with a smile, it was fitting with all the things he's had to deal with in the past 6 weeks as a new mission president, but he got in to sustaining leaders, and tha tas we sustain leaders, we dont just raise our right hand, but we promise to take part of the burden of their position upon ourselves, to lift the hands that hang down and to strengthen the feeble knees, we got talking about this topic and we related sustaining a leader as loving that person enough to help them , and often times we show that love through just a simple suggestion, through giving an answer to a question, no matter how insignificant it may seem, As president was talking I thought about how blessed each of us in the office were to be in the situation to give he and sister that guidance when they need it, I thought of just how lonely leadership can be without being surrounded by those who love you enough to take upon themselves that burden, whether large or small, he thanked us with tears in his eyes for sustaining him the past few weeks, it helped me to see that the Lord places experiences in our lives to help us be fit for the kingdom regardless of our age, age doesn't stop those experiences from coming, and that this experience for president is as much a chance for him to grow as it is each of his missionaries. He's a truly humble man and the result of one who seeks first to be teachable.

Things are going great, Im learning each day, I feel healthy, eating well, putting on weight to try and be able to match tucker, haha, The lord is blessing us abundantly as active administers to the needs of the Philippines San Pablo Mission.

Im getting a ton of computer time, alot of experience in excel, I'd love to work for your company! Im no expert yet, but each day I learn something new about excel, and were running some pretty crazy spread sheets from church headquarters. Its fun to get my game back in photoshop as well, were making maps to each apartment in the mission, Lots of fun projects!

Hey Zach! Its Tucker! Its good to hear from you! Im so excited to see you its unreal!!! Me and my friends have been thinking about making a band :D Stay sweet my man! your amazing! Heres a picture of me and my friend Josh :) (Jake Ostlers brother) we are photoshop pros XD

Bro (Tucker) Im so excited to see you! We'll go ski, disco skate, and whatnot, I think thats all I want to do when I get home, work and hang out with you! haha thats a sweet shirt! The photoshop looks pretty good haha I think I remember that name.. Ostler.. A band is the way to go, chicks dig it :P JOKE! Its all about the music! everyone looks great!

Love you Bro

Week 83, August 11 - August 17, 2014

Hey Family,

It was another crazy week here in the office, Were all over the place, were a moving company and a refrigerator repair shop, were the referral managers as well as budget consultants. Each day I learn something new and sometimes the days just throw a new adventure at you, This week we moved out a whole apartment and loaded it onto our ford ranger, It was a great time to think back to the knots I learned in scouting, We added about 5 feet of vertical height to our truck, but managed to get the whole apartment loaded, and make the 6 hour drive back to the mission home dodging low hanging power lines as we went. IO cant imagine the look on some drivers faces as we barreled down the canyon with 4 mattresses strapped on top of some desks blowing around in the wind. We felt a little bit like the minivan on the movie "Cars" with its hazards on, reving up to pass the big semi truck.

I have to say, Its not the most spiritual thing in the world to lift a fridge from an apartment to our truck, sometimes the spirit dosent whisper to you as strong while your entering travel reimbursements into the computer for the past meeting as when your teaching a lesson, but through it all I know that its still the Lords work.

I think the Lord wants me to gain a better respect of what happens behind the scenes of the church, he's given me a taste of the ministering duties of the church, and now he really wants to help me understand the administering duties, The ones that really aren't to public, the jobs no one really knows that are happening, but really do help the work progress. You always need office Elders, and I'm excited that the Lord wanted me to do that for him, I think there's alot I can learn, there's alot of ways that we can run the mission more effectively, and I know that if I really throw all I have into this position, through prayer and faith god will show those ways to us and we can really make a difference not only as ministers, but as administers in his kingdom.

I got your letters! Thanks for that, Its always fun, each of us in the apartment enjoyed the "hugs" from Bailee and Aimee

I feel healthy safe and blessed

I love you!

Elder Johnson

Yea, how are you guys? were working on filing an insurance claim for a senior couple who got in an accident!

Friday, August 8, 2014

Week 82, August 4 - August 10, 2014

Family,

You all sound like your doing amazing! I cant wait to see the new colors on the house, The office is great, Its really throwing a whole lot of things at me that I havent been expecting, its helping me to learn everything from first aid to building bunk beds, I learn how to use excel and then the next day how to work with landlords, Its teaching me to be organized, its teaching me how to budget, to really eliminate any prospective wants from true needs, and its teaching me the valuable skill of dropping everything in a busy schedule to heed the promptings of the spirit. We had a wonderful experience last night as we taught a family who had lost more than half of their large time poultry business in the typhoon, on the bright side they had two freezers full of chicken, but they really were struggling and you could tell. but amidst their circumstances they invited the missionarys over to come and eat. We were hesitant as we knew their situation as well as saw the 2 page list of things to do and things to try to learn to manage as the Hansen's (office couple) departure date is coming up, but felt like we needed to go, so we accepted the offer. It was truly amazing to see as we talked about Jesus, how the spirit brought peace into their home and their hearts, They truly believed that god would bless them if they supported his servants regardless of their circumstances, so we did our best to speak words of encouragement, but I know that in that lesson the best communication was not in the words themselves but between our spirit and theirs. The Holy Ghosts influence was behind every word we said, and they felt that, and as they thanked us with moist eyes, It gave me a glimpse of the power of the word of god to heal a wounded soul, how as we speak of the love of Jesus it dosen't always rescue us from the flood but helps us to breath easy once more. It gave me a glimpse of the kind of home teacher I want to be, and the importance of that calling in the church, I learned that it takes alot of faith to drop everything and respond to a spiritual prompting, but as we do we fulfill gods eternal purposes.

The week went well, Im just thankful to be out here learning so much, I feel great, its been fun to help in making the mission more effective, as well as learning how to serve others in whatever capacity god sees fit to give us.

I see the lords hand each day in my life,

I love you all.. a lot

Elder Johnson

SO I got some bad news about pictures, my camera was stolen this week along with all the money in my wallet, I left my bag in the lobby of a chapel here during MLC, and I thought it would be safe there, but I guess even in the lords house you have to exercise care with your valuables, I was shocked and saddened by it. I really dont know what the best thing is to do.. I dont really have anything to send this week..

So there are 6 of us here and then president and his wife, The Assistants are the ones who handle things on more of the training spectrum of missionarys, but everything logistics and financial wise is between the 4 of us, Me and Elder Talanoa, as well as Sister and Elder Hansen the office couple, there technically should be about 6 of us splitting the workload, but President dosent want that may people out of the field. so were doing double time as office elders right now, and the Hansens are leaving so there will be a 3 week gap near October where were doing triple time, the 2 of us, Elder Talanoa and I doing everything there is to do here in the office, as well as training the new office couple on all their responsibilities when they come in. SO right now were learning all sorts of new jobs that the Hansens do along with our regular responsibilities as office Elders. Its super busy, but so fun, and I couldnt have a happier guy than Elder Talanoa to do it with. Every day is an adventure, were driving all over the mission, visitng apartments, fixing lighting, building bunkbeds, moving people from one place to another, at meetings we handle reimbursments and personal orders, we enter in Baptismal Records, we create and send rent checks, as well as handle the tax forms, were the mission accountants at the end of the month, we handle cell phone problems and bills, the list goes on and on, It makes time go by so fast!

Its really fun though, I wish there were more time to teach, but it makes those expereinces that god gives us to do so much sweeter.

Yea, its different for sure, but still fun, were like ministering missionaries. I love it, the new couple is the Morans, They're actually from Draper I believe, Im not sure where though, not in our stake. but they'll be great to work with, I learn alot from observing how the Hansens act, you can learn alot from people older than you.

I gotta run, We'll figure out the camera situation soon.. I love you all so much!

Elder Johnson

Week 81, July 28 - August 3, 2014

Hey guys Im on if you still are, Ill write a good long letter today..

How are you?

good! Things have been crazy, im in the middle of doing office work and trying to email you guys, we really dont get too much of a p-day, but Im learning so much each day, Im driving now here in the Phils. Its a little different, theres really no rules! Me and Elder Talanoa have taken over all of the office duties as the Hansens, the senior couple are heading out. Things are really busy, we dont teach to much, but its good to constantly be thinking of ways we can better serve the other missionaries..

I got your guys letter and pictures, I'll send some a little later, Just know im alive and well, Our tickets are scheduled for a flight out on December 30th Its coming up fast!

Technically, There should be about 6 missionaries at a time there is enough work to do, but its just me and Elder for now, there is another senior couple coming in in September, we share an apartment with the AP's, Its been an interesting change, President Peterson said that I needed to help ELder Farley for the 5 weeks I got with him, but he said before he left that he hand picked me for the office, One of our AP's is my batch, ELder Bodkin, he's a great guy, but I think President foresaw that he would need some help, its been fun to really help him out and have a say in the direction of the mission, Presidnet Mangum is an amazing man, full of humility, he is the perfect example of really working hard at something your whole life and as you stick with it you slowly rise to the top, he runs the mission like a business in a way, and its been really fun to learn how he managed Nuskin so effectively, and how he is applying and teaching us the same principles. Its fun to see him stepping into the role as president as everyone gets adjusted.

Yea the typhoon really got us. It was alot of money to give out, alot of fresh water to buy, We did a few rescue missions to far away places, bringing drinking water and giving money, We went around with president to each of the Zone Interviews and gave each companionship a workshop on Budgeting and Emergency Preparedness, It gave everyone a good scare, some companionships are still withoput power, we were without internet for 2 weeks here in the mission home, and everyone seems to still be recovering slowly each day.

Driving is fun! Its like rally car racing, It'll be fun to come back someday and you can give it a whirl if you want!

Ok LOVE YOU ALL!!