Hey Mom,
It was a bummer that the phone cut out so soon! But I made it safe to taiwan, Im sitting in an airport at an internet kiosk and its just past 6 oclock A.M. on wednesday morning! there are no americans! the keyboard is in Chinese letters, with small american alphabet on each key! We fly to manila in about an hour! It was a crazy day yesterday and I still have another long one in front of me, but i'm more excited than ever! Tell everyone I love them It was really good to hear everyones voice!
With Love from Taiwan,
Elder Johnson
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Week 5 MTC, February 13 - February 19, 2013
Kumusta pamilya ko!
I hope everyone had an amazing Valentines Day! I loved your package! Thanks for all the letters mga kapatid (siblings)! I love you! Everyone in the room ended up with a package, and I honestly don't know how we are going to finish all of the candy!
So..Big news! I have flight plans! We got them on Friday, I leave the MTC at 4:30 on monday February 25th, My flight from SLC leaves at 8:00 and we fly for 2 hours to San Francisco. Our flight leaves San Fran at 12:05 AM on the 26th and then we fly all day, over the International Date Line, and arrive in Taipei Taiwan at 6:15 AM on February 27th! The flight from Taipei leaves at 9:30 AM on the 27th and arrives in Manilla at 11:50 AM after that I take a 2 hour Jeepney Ride to the mission home in San Pablo where I'll interview with President Peterson and then be off to my first area! Its weird to think that i'll lose an entire day of my mission while sitting on a plane!
It's exciting, yet terrifying to have the day be so close. I feel like through the lords help I am prepared spiritually and as a teacher, and I'm working hard on the language, I know i'm doing alright, but I know i'll get there and not understand a word! But I know that in the Lords time through prayer and faith that I'll understand the amazing language that tagalog is. The more I study it, the more I grow to love it. Its a beautiful language, and whats more amazing is that through it, there are 62 million more filipino people that i'm able to share the gospel with. Its truly a blessing.
The hastening of the work is amazing! We do service at 6:00 AM every monday morning, and this monday, we put a third bunk in all the Elders rooms, The MTC is already 1200 missionaries over capacity with another 800 coming this week! The dinner lines ared so long that i've often called it a day and resorted to eating cold cereal! They come on over the intercom and ask missionaries who are done eating to leave the cafiteria because there is absolutely nowhere for anyone to sit! Its hard, and stressful at times, but Its honestly amazing that so many people have that desire to serve a mission!
This is my first e-mail as a 19 year old! I'm finally old enough to go on a mission! My birthday was amazing here at the MTC. We had an early celebration on saturday, because there was no way I could save the amazing buttercream cake from Mom until sunday. We invited everyone from the zone to the picnic tables outside. The weather was beautiful, everyone brought any extra snacks or food they had from packages to the middle of the table, we cut the cake, and tried to light the candle, it was at this point we realized the matches Mom sent were not strike anywhere! haha, so in all the pictures, we acted like the candle was lit, and we sang happy birthday, and afterward I pretended to blow out the candle! It was definitely a birthday to remember. Its amazing how great of friends you can become with people over the few short weeks that your here at the MTC, there's alot of good people here, it's been fun.
Thanks everyone for the birhtday wishes, and Mom Thanks so much for the birthday package! Everyone was exrememly jealous of the burritto from Guals. Everyone who has tried to get a burrito in in the past has had it confiscated! I'm not sure how you did it, but that buritto just might be the only one to pass through the walls of the MTC in a very long time! the tie you got me is by far my favorite tie i've ever owned! thanks sooo much!
I'm so thankful for this gospel. It has blessed my life immensly. I finished the Book of Mormon last week, and I prayed once more to my heavenly father to know if it is true, and I got an overwhelming sense of peace and a confirmation of its truthfulness This gospel is amazing. It brings a happiness that nothing else can. I know that as we seek to be obedient to the things that the lord has commanded us that he will not hesitate to bless us. I know my savior Jesus Christ lives, and i'm thankful for his hand in my life. I can see it every day. I know this gospel is true, every part of it.
I love it, and I love you all
Thanks for all the love and support!
Mahal ko kayo!
Elder Johnson
I hope everyone had an amazing Valentines Day! I loved your package! Thanks for all the letters mga kapatid (siblings)! I love you! Everyone in the room ended up with a package, and I honestly don't know how we are going to finish all of the candy!
So..Big news! I have flight plans! We got them on Friday, I leave the MTC at 4:30 on monday February 25th, My flight from SLC leaves at 8:00 and we fly for 2 hours to San Francisco. Our flight leaves San Fran at 12:05 AM on the 26th and then we fly all day, over the International Date Line, and arrive in Taipei Taiwan at 6:15 AM on February 27th! The flight from Taipei leaves at 9:30 AM on the 27th and arrives in Manilla at 11:50 AM after that I take a 2 hour Jeepney Ride to the mission home in San Pablo where I'll interview with President Peterson and then be off to my first area! Its weird to think that i'll lose an entire day of my mission while sitting on a plane!
It's exciting, yet terrifying to have the day be so close. I feel like through the lords help I am prepared spiritually and as a teacher, and I'm working hard on the language, I know i'm doing alright, but I know i'll get there and not understand a word! But I know that in the Lords time through prayer and faith that I'll understand the amazing language that tagalog is. The more I study it, the more I grow to love it. Its a beautiful language, and whats more amazing is that through it, there are 62 million more filipino people that i'm able to share the gospel with. Its truly a blessing.
The hastening of the work is amazing! We do service at 6:00 AM every monday morning, and this monday, we put a third bunk in all the Elders rooms, The MTC is already 1200 missionaries over capacity with another 800 coming this week! The dinner lines ared so long that i've often called it a day and resorted to eating cold cereal! They come on over the intercom and ask missionaries who are done eating to leave the cafiteria because there is absolutely nowhere for anyone to sit! Its hard, and stressful at times, but Its honestly amazing that so many people have that desire to serve a mission!
This is my first e-mail as a 19 year old! I'm finally old enough to go on a mission! My birthday was amazing here at the MTC. We had an early celebration on saturday, because there was no way I could save the amazing buttercream cake from Mom until sunday. We invited everyone from the zone to the picnic tables outside. The weather was beautiful, everyone brought any extra snacks or food they had from packages to the middle of the table, we cut the cake, and tried to light the candle, it was at this point we realized the matches Mom sent were not strike anywhere! haha, so in all the pictures, we acted like the candle was lit, and we sang happy birthday, and afterward I pretended to blow out the candle! It was definitely a birthday to remember. Its amazing how great of friends you can become with people over the few short weeks that your here at the MTC, there's alot of good people here, it's been fun.
Thanks everyone for the birhtday wishes, and Mom Thanks so much for the birthday package! Everyone was exrememly jealous of the burritto from Guals. Everyone who has tried to get a burrito in in the past has had it confiscated! I'm not sure how you did it, but that buritto just might be the only one to pass through the walls of the MTC in a very long time! the tie you got me is by far my favorite tie i've ever owned! thanks sooo much!
I'm so thankful for this gospel. It has blessed my life immensly. I finished the Book of Mormon last week, and I prayed once more to my heavenly father to know if it is true, and I got an overwhelming sense of peace and a confirmation of its truthfulness This gospel is amazing. It brings a happiness that nothing else can. I know that as we seek to be obedient to the things that the lord has commanded us that he will not hesitate to bless us. I know my savior Jesus Christ lives, and i'm thankful for his hand in my life. I can see it every day. I know this gospel is true, every part of it.
I love it, and I love you all
Thanks for all the love and support!
Mahal ko kayo!
Elder Johnson
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Week 4 MTC, February 6 - February 12, 2013
Kamusta pamilya ko!
Another week down here at the MTC, I'll be leaving to the Philippines in 13 days! its crazy how fast the time has gone by. We will get our travel plans on friday, and then get out of here on the 25th. We have been going over Filippino Culture and History, and it has got me so excited to go! The language is coming as a consequence of the many prayers on my behalf. I can honestly feel your prayers working in my life. Thanks so much, it means more than you know!
I had a really cool oportunity this week. with the hastening of the work, they need new teachers in MTC's around the world, so my teacher, Brother Langer was selected to train on how to teach a grammar lesson. We were just told to come to a different room from where we usually meet. When we walked in, there were 2 TV screens and a large camera, We came to find out that the language lesson we were receiveing was being broadcast live to the MTC in Manilla, Philippines! Brother Langer was able to show the new teachers in the Philippines MTC how to conduct their lessons properly. It got me so excited to go as I listened to them speak and saw their faces. It is hard to believe I'll be there in just a few short days! I've been told that video brodcasts like that don't happen much in the MTC, it was so cool to be a part of it!
On sunday, our lesson was on enduring to the end, It was a great lesson, but the one thing that stuck out to me was when our Branch President said there are a few reasons why people come out on missions, 1) Fear, fear of the world, fear that a girl wont marry you if you don't serve, things like that, 2) Responsibility, they believe its a priesthood responsibility, they feel responsible to do what they're expected to do. 3) Obligation, they feel obliged to serve because they recagnize heavenly father's blessings in their lives. Most missionarys are out beacause of one of these reasons, they embark on a noble cause, and regardless of why your out, it is one of the best decisions you can make. I've seen the impact its had on me in just the last month, but there is something wrong with these three reasons, they all come from the outside, in. There is only one true reason we need to be on missions. Its been repeated multiple times to me this week, that reason is Love. True Christlike love. When a missionary has this love of Christ for those he serves with, but even more so, the investigators he meets, that is when he experiences true success. That really hit me. I need to develop that christlike love for the filippino people. I dont know them yet, but I know that they are children of our Father in Heaven and that they are truly ready to hear this gospel. I feel utterly responsible for them. Its what drives me each day to become better, both as a teacher and in the language. Its a scary thought to think that if I don't give my best effort, If I don't work hard each day, and contact and teach as many people as I can, that someone will suffer. It scares me to think that one of heavenly fathers chideren that he has prepared for me to teach won't hear the gospeol because I wasn't giving 100%. But I know that through prayer to my father in heaven, he will bless me with the strength to give that 100% each day.
This gospel is true, God is our loving father in heaven. Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and he was led by god to establish the church on the earth. The book of mormon is the most correct of any book on earth and I know that if you pray about it god will manifest the truth of it unto you.
Thank you for the love and support!
Mahal ko kayo!
-Elder Johnson
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Week 3 MTC, January 30 - February 5, 2013
Kumusta po kayo pamilya! Ayos?
So were heading in to week 4 here at the MTC, pretty crazy! my time is more than half way over. I'll leave on the 25th of February. We fly to Los Angeles, then to Hong Kong, from Hong Kong to Manila, and then a 2 hour Jeepney ride from the air port to San Pablo. Its so exciting!
I had the amazing experience to sing in the MTC choir at the devotional last tuesday, it was so cool to be a part of something so powerful! There are as many Sisters in the choir as Elders now if you can believe it. The lord is hastening the work! There is a 3rd bunk bed going in to all of the sisters rooms! space is already limited in the residence halls, and the turnover of missionaries is increasing each week. Tomorrow we are getting 1000 new missionaries, but only 400 are leaving, by the summer they expect to have 8000 missionaries in this place which had an origional capacity of just under 3000. How you ask, im simply not sure! but the lord has a plan and I know the MTC can make it happen with a little pananampalataya (faith) :)
Its really cool; to see familiar faces, I always see Nate Lant, and this week I saw Tanner Hancey, Danny Gainer, Nick Gagon, and Brookston Jeppson. Its so great to see all these guys out serving, it inspires me to be better!
Its been a stellar week here, It went by really fast! Ive learned alot of language, and I am begining to feel confident during lessons. I can bare my testimony and my prayers are becoming more and more sincere as my vocabulary increases. During sacrament meeting here, everyone speaks tagalog. They usually call on 4 to 5 people randomly to give talks in a normal sacrament meeting, but during fast and testimony meeting, theres time for nearly everyone to get up and bare their testimony. It is amazing to hear the progression of the districts who came before us in their language skill. It truly is amazing that missionaries are able to pick it up so quickly. I know that it is truly a gift from our father in heaven. I guess thats what he had in mind when he commanded that every man should hear the gospel in his own tounge! As everyone got up and shared their knowledge of the gospel, not through eloquent statements, but through the simple, yet powerful phrases we know in tagalog, the spirit was so strong. It is funny to think how its not with eloquence, but with simplicity that true conversion happens. Its just as Nephi has said, "I speak to you with the plainness of my heart... for my soul doth delight in plainness". Like Brigham Young said, "the world .. with all its eloquence, sinks into perfect insignificance, when compared to the simple testimony of a servant of the lord." Simplicity brings the spirit, and without the spirit, I as a missionary can't do anything.
Here at the MTC we usually have 3 hours of Language education in the morning, and then 3 hours of fundamentals of teaching in the evening. The fundamentals of Teaching has been a huge blessing in my life.Ive grown so much personally as well as growing in the ways of how to teach. One of the fundamentals of missionary work is revelation through the Book of Mormon. We talked alot about that yesterday. One thing that I have loved over the past few weeks is having time for personal study. I have taken my scripture reading to a level I have never taken it before. It has been so amazing to see what a difference it has made in my life. I have read nearly the whole Book of Mormon over the past few weeks. Im In Ether right now and I hope to finish if soon. What inspired me was a talk given by David A Bednar called "The Character of Christ" in the talk, he challenged us as missionarys to truly feast upon the words of the Book of Mormon. He invited us to read it with a purpose, or a question in mind. He said we should read it cover to cover with any questions we have, marking each verse that we see which is applicable to the problem in mind. I took the invitation, I read with a purpose. I wont say what it is, but I bear my witness that that book has answers that nothing else has. It has brought me great comfort and strength over the past few weeks. I add my witness to the truthfulness of it. If you haven't read it in a while, do it. If you haven't taken Moroni's promise to ask god if it's true, do so. If you have, do it again, it's a good feeling! I know that god answers prayers, and when he answers your prayer through the gift and power of the holy ghost, you will feel a peace and contentment like nothing in this world can bring.
Alam ko po na, totoo ng ebanghelyo. Alam ko po na, totoo ang aklat ni mormon. Alam ko po na mahalaga nagpapabinyag para salvacion. Nagpapasalamat po kami para kay Jesucristo at nagbabayad sala ni Jesucristo. Nagpapasalamat po kami para kay Joseph Smith at alam ko po na, propetabuhay si Thomas S. Monson. Mahal po ako ng Diyos. Sa pangalan ni Jesucristo, Amen
I love this gospel, and I love all of you. Thank you for the love and support.
Mabuhay pamilya,
Elder Johnson
So were heading in to week 4 here at the MTC, pretty crazy! my time is more than half way over. I'll leave on the 25th of February. We fly to Los Angeles, then to Hong Kong, from Hong Kong to Manila, and then a 2 hour Jeepney ride from the air port to San Pablo. Its so exciting!
I had the amazing experience to sing in the MTC choir at the devotional last tuesday, it was so cool to be a part of something so powerful! There are as many Sisters in the choir as Elders now if you can believe it. The lord is hastening the work! There is a 3rd bunk bed going in to all of the sisters rooms! space is already limited in the residence halls, and the turnover of missionaries is increasing each week. Tomorrow we are getting 1000 new missionaries, but only 400 are leaving, by the summer they expect to have 8000 missionaries in this place which had an origional capacity of just under 3000. How you ask, im simply not sure! but the lord has a plan and I know the MTC can make it happen with a little pananampalataya (faith) :)
Its really cool; to see familiar faces, I always see Nate Lant, and this week I saw Tanner Hancey, Danny Gainer, Nick Gagon, and Brookston Jeppson. Its so great to see all these guys out serving, it inspires me to be better!
Its been a stellar week here, It went by really fast! Ive learned alot of language, and I am begining to feel confident during lessons. I can bare my testimony and my prayers are becoming more and more sincere as my vocabulary increases. During sacrament meeting here, everyone speaks tagalog. They usually call on 4 to 5 people randomly to give talks in a normal sacrament meeting, but during fast and testimony meeting, theres time for nearly everyone to get up and bare their testimony. It is amazing to hear the progression of the districts who came before us in their language skill. It truly is amazing that missionaries are able to pick it up so quickly. I know that it is truly a gift from our father in heaven. I guess thats what he had in mind when he commanded that every man should hear the gospel in his own tounge! As everyone got up and shared their knowledge of the gospel, not through eloquent statements, but through the simple, yet powerful phrases we know in tagalog, the spirit was so strong. It is funny to think how its not with eloquence, but with simplicity that true conversion happens. Its just as Nephi has said, "I speak to you with the plainness of my heart... for my soul doth delight in plainness". Like Brigham Young said, "the world .. with all its eloquence, sinks into perfect insignificance, when compared to the simple testimony of a servant of the lord." Simplicity brings the spirit, and without the spirit, I as a missionary can't do anything.
Here at the MTC we usually have 3 hours of Language education in the morning, and then 3 hours of fundamentals of teaching in the evening. The fundamentals of Teaching has been a huge blessing in my life.Ive grown so much personally as well as growing in the ways of how to teach. One of the fundamentals of missionary work is revelation through the Book of Mormon. We talked alot about that yesterday. One thing that I have loved over the past few weeks is having time for personal study. I have taken my scripture reading to a level I have never taken it before. It has been so amazing to see what a difference it has made in my life. I have read nearly the whole Book of Mormon over the past few weeks. Im In Ether right now and I hope to finish if soon. What inspired me was a talk given by David A Bednar called "The Character of Christ" in the talk, he challenged us as missionarys to truly feast upon the words of the Book of Mormon. He invited us to read it with a purpose, or a question in mind. He said we should read it cover to cover with any questions we have, marking each verse that we see which is applicable to the problem in mind. I took the invitation, I read with a purpose. I wont say what it is, but I bear my witness that that book has answers that nothing else has. It has brought me great comfort and strength over the past few weeks. I add my witness to the truthfulness of it. If you haven't read it in a while, do it. If you haven't taken Moroni's promise to ask god if it's true, do so. If you have, do it again, it's a good feeling! I know that god answers prayers, and when he answers your prayer through the gift and power of the holy ghost, you will feel a peace and contentment like nothing in this world can bring.
Alam ko po na, totoo ng ebanghelyo. Alam ko po na, totoo ang aklat ni mormon. Alam ko po na mahalaga nagpapabinyag para salvacion. Nagpapasalamat po kami para kay Jesucristo at nagbabayad sala ni Jesucristo. Nagpapasalamat po kami para kay Joseph Smith at alam ko po na, propetabuhay si Thomas S. Monson. Mahal po ako ng Diyos. Sa pangalan ni Jesucristo, Amen
I love this gospel, and I love all of you. Thank you for the love and support.
Mabuhay pamilya,
Elder Johnson
Week 2 MTC, January 23 - January 29, 2013
Kamusta po tayo pamilya ninyo!
So I really cant believe its been another week, the time is flying here at the MTC! I just got back from a temple session with the amazing elders in my district. Its a great blessing to go there once a week. I know that that is a huge reason that the language is coming. I've felt everyones prayers, Its amazing to see what happens when you have a little faith and some people who support you.
In other news, I found my favorite game.. four square! yea, its the same four square they play at elamentary schools, but here in the MTC during gym time, four square is not for the faint of heart. It started to get competitive when a new batch of Elders arrived here fresh from Japan, they hardly speak any english, but they definitely know how to play four square. They'll hit the ball so it comes off of their hand with enough spin to bury it in your square if your too far away, but if you come too close, their not afraid to punch the ball right into your chest! it's crazy! but i'm getting better at it each day.
Another amazing thing about the MTC is that everything you do has the potential to be an amazing spiritual experience. The other night, Elder Holmes, one of our zone leaders came into our room and asked Elder Botkin for a blessing. Elder Holmes has had some trouble with his right shoulder in the past, and the other day in gym, he dislocated it. Its hardly weight baring and he's in a sling. This is crushing because he only has 2 weeks until he is supposed to be on a plane to Manila. Elder Holmes casts a big shadow, there must have been 20 guys with their handsd in the circle. Elder Bodkin gave a beautiful blessing, and blessed Elder holmes with strength, and that through his faith, his shoulder would heal. When the blessing was over, the spirit was so strong. We stood together and said a prayer. After the prayer, Chase Hansen, the freshman quarterback at the University of Utah (he lives on our floor) shared the story of how he had broken his collerbone at the begining of his senior season. He explained how he didnt know how this could happen to him. He was so upset with Heavenly Father, but he prayed that his collarbone would heal. The bone was broken in half, it was sompletely shattered, the doctors said there was no way he would be back, but he set a goal to play in 4 weeks. He did his part with therapy and workouts, but put his trust fully in the lord. at week 3 he went in to the doctors office and they did a test to see how far it had come. Without a brace of any kind, Chase passed all the tests for his clearance to play. The doctors were astonished, they had never seen anything like it, they took another x-ray, and at a stage where most people cant bear weight on their collarbone, his had miraculously formed a calcium ring strong enough to heal his collarbone. It was an amazing story. He had fully trusted heavenly father, and in turn, the lord had blessed him. Football is a great game, but Missionary work is the lords game, and he needs all his players healthy, both spiritually, and physically. I have no doubt that as Elder Holmes puts all of his faith in heavenly father and acts upon that faith, that god will make him whole. He wants Elder Holmes to serve, just as he wants all of us to serve. This mission is amazing. It has already blessed my life and i've only been here two weeks. God is our loving father in heaven, and he wants us to have success in this life. He has miriacles waitng for all of us, but he can only give them to us as we exercise faith in him...
Its taken a little while to get into the schedule of the MTC. There is adjustments you have to make each day. The days are long, but the weeks are short, We study, and study, and then eat, and then study again, but I can see myself begining to change. Its hard, but nothing that is easy is ever worth it. As i seek for my father in heavens help I can see myself learning the language, and It is crazy to think that in just 26 days i'll be on my way to the Philippines!
I appreciate all the love and support!
Mahal po ako tayo!
-Elder Johnson
Week 1 MTC, January 16 - January 22, 2013
Hey Mom,
So I made it! i'm alive and well. The MTC is great, about 5 minutes after you dropped me off, I had someone yelling at me in tagaog, I walked in to a computer lab to do an orientation and I heard not 1 word of english!, my teacher is Brother Langer. He served his mission in manilla, for every 3 hour period that he teaches us in class, we hear about 2 words of english. I am completely immersed in tagalog. It is such a blessing, but it can be frustrating at times too. I know that the lord will bless me as i put in the workin trying to learn it.
The mission is hard. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but these past few days have been some of the most emotionally, and physically draining ever! The MTC is a crazy place, \for every frustrating experience, the lord has blessed me with a good one. We are already teaching discussions in tagalog to an investigator. His name is Daniel Cook. He dosen't speak a word of english! We were in class two days when Brother Langer explained to us that we would be teaching a real investigator. It was quite the shock! Me and my kasama (companion), Elder Diamse went over the basics we had learned in class that day, We learned basic phrases and how to introduce ourselves, but alot of it was just reading straight from Preach my Gospel as well as the phrase books we have. It was really a learning experience being one on one with an investigator. Its so frustrating, because I know what to say to him, and when I cant say it in tagalog, I feel so helpless, I feel like I have this happiness that i'm trying to share with him, and I can't. after that first discussion, Elder Diamse and I decided to rededicate ousrselves to study. We started praying in tagalog, baring testimony to one another, speaking it at lunch, as well as speaking it to others. We went into the second discussion a little bit better prepared. I felt better about how we taught, but it still wasnt what we wanted as a companionship. So yesterday, we went and taught him for a third time. but there was a kicker. After only 5 days of learning the language, we had to teach out of what knowledge we had in our heads. No notes of any kind. I was worried, we had studied hard, but I didnt know how I would don it on my own, but then I realized, I wasnt on my own. So I turned to the lord. I knelt down and offered a prayer in tagalog, I knew that with the lord, and some pananampalataya (faith) I could do it. I knew that it would be a good lesson. We taught Daniel the importance of heavenly fathers plan, and how baptism is the first step to eternal life. We invited him to pray about being baptized, and asked if we could come back.
He said he would love that. It was my turn to offer the prayer. I was still a little shaky on the wording, but the most amazing thing happened. Through the gift of tounges, the lord helped me to remember the word I was to say. Never have the words of a prayer come to me like they did in that lesson, regardless of the language I gave it in. It was amazing.. truly amazing.
I appreciate the support from home! I love getting letters, they really give you a pick me up after a long and frustrating day of learning tagalog! I know that as we pray to the lord, and live in righteousness, he will grant us the desires of our hearts. I love this gospel and im thankful for the chance I have to wake up each morning and feel of my saviors love for me.
Remember obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles. I need a miriacle if I have any hope of learning this language by February 25th!
I love you and hope to hear from you soon!
Mahal Kita Tayo (I love you all),
Elder Johnson
So I made it! i'm alive and well. The MTC is great, about 5 minutes after you dropped me off, I had someone yelling at me in tagaog, I walked in to a computer lab to do an orientation and I heard not 1 word of english!, my teacher is Brother Langer. He served his mission in manilla, for every 3 hour period that he teaches us in class, we hear about 2 words of english. I am completely immersed in tagalog. It is such a blessing, but it can be frustrating at times too. I know that the lord will bless me as i put in the workin trying to learn it.
The mission is hard. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but these past few days have been some of the most emotionally, and physically draining ever! The MTC is a crazy place, \for every frustrating experience, the lord has blessed me with a good one. We are already teaching discussions in tagalog to an investigator. His name is Daniel Cook. He dosen't speak a word of english! We were in class two days when Brother Langer explained to us that we would be teaching a real investigator. It was quite the shock! Me and my kasama (companion), Elder Diamse went over the basics we had learned in class that day, We learned basic phrases and how to introduce ourselves, but alot of it was just reading straight from Preach my Gospel as well as the phrase books we have. It was really a learning experience being one on one with an investigator. Its so frustrating, because I know what to say to him, and when I cant say it in tagalog, I feel so helpless, I feel like I have this happiness that i'm trying to share with him, and I can't. after that first discussion, Elder Diamse and I decided to rededicate ousrselves to study. We started praying in tagalog, baring testimony to one another, speaking it at lunch, as well as speaking it to others. We went into the second discussion a little bit better prepared. I felt better about how we taught, but it still wasnt what we wanted as a companionship. So yesterday, we went and taught him for a third time. but there was a kicker. After only 5 days of learning the language, we had to teach out of what knowledge we had in our heads. No notes of any kind. I was worried, we had studied hard, but I didnt know how I would don it on my own, but then I realized, I wasnt on my own. So I turned to the lord. I knelt down and offered a prayer in tagalog, I knew that with the lord, and some pananampalataya (faith) I could do it. I knew that it would be a good lesson. We taught Daniel the importance of heavenly fathers plan, and how baptism is the first step to eternal life. We invited him to pray about being baptized, and asked if we could come back.
He said he would love that. It was my turn to offer the prayer. I was still a little shaky on the wording, but the most amazing thing happened. Through the gift of tounges, the lord helped me to remember the word I was to say. Never have the words of a prayer come to me like they did in that lesson, regardless of the language I gave it in. It was amazing.. truly amazing.
I appreciate the support from home! I love getting letters, they really give you a pick me up after a long and frustrating day of learning tagalog! I know that as we pray to the lord, and live in righteousness, he will grant us the desires of our hearts. I love this gospel and im thankful for the chance I have to wake up each morning and feel of my saviors love for me.
Remember obedience brings blessings, but exact obedience brings miracles. I need a miriacle if I have any hope of learning this language by February 25th!
I love you and hope to hear from you soon!
Mahal Kita Tayo (I love you all),
Elder Johnson
Zach is set apart
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