Week 88, September 15 - September 21, 2014

Hey Mom, 

Were off to manage some things with a landlord at a faraway apartment, I'll try and e-mail when I get back!

Get me an update on you guys,

Love You!

Elder Johnson

Later that night....

Family,

Thanks for the update, you all sound like your doing well, Tucker's job sounds great, i'm a fan of sushi, we'll have to go when I get back, everyone else sounds busy as ever, but busy is good, I can see the Lords hand in the life of the Johnson family, thanks for your prayers for me, I can feel that blessing in my life.

Last week I sent a photo of a little lady in a green blouse standing behind me here in the office. That was Sister Hansen she and Elder Hansen have been the office couple here in San Pablo, and they left this week, They have trained us well for the task at hand over the next 3 weeks, the new couple the Morans (from Draper 16th Ward) arrive on the 29th, so until then we are doing a 4 man job with 2 of us, and once the new couple do arrive, we have the responsibility to train them on their responsibilities as mission and financial secretary. It has been a little crazy trying to handle everything the past few days, and I know there will be alot more adventures to come over the next week as we try and hold down the fort. Its been fun to see how the Lord has blessed us to be able to remember it all, each night as we plan we ask the Lord that the Holy Ghost might bring to our remembrance the things that we must do, and he answers that every time, we get down a solid list of things we know we have to do, and afterwards really just sit quietly and wait for the spirit to come and let us know what else he has for us to do. Every night in that silence thoughts and impressions come to our minds of something we really need to do, often times something that in the business of the day has slipped our minds, and then we go out each day and ask the Lord to help us in our efforts to get those things that we've planned for done. 

It has involved some late nights, but somehow with his help we manage to get it all done, Like yesterday, It was a jammed pack day, we had taught some lessons to a few less active families here right after church, we came back and attended the weekly office meeting with President, which is always a good experience, we touched base with him and the assistants, on where people were going and what was happening this week, we worked out the logistics and saw how we could help one another and afterward really cracked down on the office work that needed to be done, and slowly but surely knocked off everything from the list, and when we looked at the clock it was later than we'd thought, We didn't realize how tired we were until we had to make the walk back home, but we came to appreciate the tender mercies of the Lord, It just so happens that here in the Philippines, each Barangay, or neighborhood has a shuttle and volunteer night guards and drivers for emergency response, but more often than not that shuttle is used to give a lift home to those who have had a little too much to drink and really shouldn't drive their motorcycles back to the house, so there they were at the end of the road just talking in the back of their little shuttle cab, we said good evening, and I dont know why, whether we appeared as if we were drunk or they were just feeling nice, they asked where we were going and offered us a ride. It was such a simple thing, but it made us so happy, it filled us with more energy, it honestly helped me wake up again at 6:30 because I remembered that the Lord blessed us, he'd given us that blessing after we'd done our part, so it makes you want to continually do your part, and it makes you think what your missing out on if you don't do your part. But he really helps us when we strive to accomplish his purposes.

I love my companion, he is so awesome, such a hard worker, and so nice, he's always smiling and just willing to help, he loves the people even those that are hard to love, and he is the epitome of change that the mission can bring to someone as well as the blessings that follow dedicated service. I learn alot from him each day not only about love, but about cars, computers, construction, he's a do it all guy and has alot to offer. The assistants are great, they really are working hard to get the area here in Alaminos rolling, its a really tough area, its not too often that doors are slammed or curses said against you here in the Phils. but here in Alaminos the people can be hard, but god has prepared those souls to accept the gospel, or accept it once more and return to the truths they love. Its always a continuous upward movement. I enjoy every second I get with President and hi wife, they fed us chicken quesadillas the other night, its the first one i've had in almost two years, and it was fantastic. I learn alot from them, President is so business oriented, he has been really successful in that regard. he really trusts the system and is not afraid to "growl" at some people as he calls it to enforce the system. But he shows forth so much love, and its unconditional. 

The other night we were waiting for something in the car, the sun was going down and we saw a group of kids, it looked like they were starting something, so we got out and walked over to the group and all the sudden they formed a line across the road, so we just joined them as one of them counted, 1,2,3, go, and we started running down the road in a race, we got to the end and just collapsed and laughed with them, and as I looked out at the sky at the sunset, with the silhouette of the concrete houses and palm trees in front, I thought of how much i'll miss this place, Time goes fast, and if you let it so does the growth in the love we can each have for our fellow men. I love the Philippines, I love the people and I am grateful for the time god's given me to take care of them and do my small part as best as I can. Its been the best choice i've ever made.

So things are going great, The gospel is as true as ever, and I know that there are blessings in both ministering and administering to others needs and were doing alot of both right now here in the office.

I love you

Elder Johnson

Office Elders!

Week 87, September 8 - September 14, 2014

Hey there Mom, Were off tomorrow morning to an island to move a senior couple back to the mainland :)

 so I wont catch you guys to go back and forth, i'd love some pics, and i'll e-mail you all when I get back tomorrow evening, I love you!

Elder Johnson ii

So i've prayed alot about it, USU or BYU, and Ive decided I want to try to get into BYU. I know my GPA isn't that impressive but I was thinking I would be an RM, and could get a good ecclesiastical endorsement from both President Peterson and President Mangum and try for the 2015 Summer semester, it's less competitive, and once you're in, you're in, I wrestled with it in my prayers, BYU or USU, but as I asked about BYU, I just got this prompting saying "Its my school", It felt right. So I'd like to work, and work hard when I get home to provide myself with what I need for a year. I eventually want to try to get in to the University of Minnesotas MHA program, and eventually their internship, It really seems like it gives some great opportunities to its graduates, 

Would it make sense to take a few classes at UVU to help bump up that GPA before I tried to get into the Y? 

For Dad, What would be a good undergraduate degree to help me get into the MHA program at Minnesota? could I work with you and live in Provo while taking those classes at the same time or would I have to look for other job opportunities?

I think the truck will be hard to give up, it's a classic, but its the perfect highschool car, I think if I was going to Provo, and back too often it wouldn't make it, I really want to look into maybe an older subaru, something that would last quite a while and be economical to get me where I need to go. The money we get from selling it we could just apply to that.. It will be pretty hard..but It seems best, and it will be close, just within the ward.. Man there are some good memories of that truck..

Its a sad day :/

Max is going to nebraska, thats pretty cool! He's going to do so well.

Hey Mom, I gotta run out really fast and do some errands here, were coming back, I just wrote max, I'm wiring you guys an update, hopefully dad can get some input in on the going home process, Just wait for that update,

I love you!

Elder Johnson

Week 86, September 1 - September 7, 2014

Hey Mom, Im thinking about you, we have to run, but i'll email a full detailed letter later, I love you, Im safe and healthy :) 

Love

Elder Johnson

That was it AGAIN!!:(

I said..

NOOOOOOOO!!! I've been waiting all week for your letter:( PLEASE email your mommy;) I love you!!

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!!!!:(

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!

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