Week 91, October 6 - October 12, 2014

Family 

Thanks for the email, everyone seems to be doing well, I like tuckers date, she seems genuine. Your an example of courage to me Tuck, way to just go for it, Maximo looks like a young Johnny Depp, Handsome devil, woof haha I hope you guys had fun.

Wow, I just realized yesterday I only have 12 more letters, 12 more updates, 12 more weeks in the best 2 years. Its really been strange, We've had to do a few drives over the past few days, many to Lucban, and back through Tayabas where I had my first district meeting , I got a few letters from those in past areas in the pouch system talking about how great the blessings of the Lord have been since their conversion to him and his church, and it really got the nostalgia going, I thought of how truly amazing the past 2 years have been, I thought of how many people the Lord has placed in my path that have changed me, and I really thought of how small my roll was in his work, but by really trying to do my part no matter how small it was, how much I have grown. I saw how true the saying by Jeffery R, Holland was in conference, He said 

"A journalist once questioned Mother Teresa of Calcutta about her hopeless task of rescuing the destitute in that city. He said that, statistically speaking, she was accomplishing absolutely nothing. This remarkable little woman shot back that her work was about love, not statistics. Notwithstanding the staggering number beyond her reach, she said she could keep the commandment to love God and her neighbor by serving those within her reach with whatever resources she had. “What we do is nothing but a drop in the ocean,” she would say on another occasion. “But if we didn’t do it, the ocean would be one drop less [than it is].” Soberly, the journalist concluded that Christianity is obviously not a statistical endeavor. He reasoned that if there would be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over the ninety and nine who need no repentance, then apparently God is not overly preoccupied with percentages." 

If we think of how small of a statistical part we all play in our influence on the world at large as one person, the numbers are laughable, so why then with so little physical results do we continue to get the reassurance that God is pleased with the work we are doing? I came to the conclusion that God really dosen't care about how you are emulated in his service, but what he does care about is how his service is emulated in you.

I can bare testimony that his holy arm is manifest in every nation, that the stone cut out of the mountain without hands continues to roll forth, and it will continue to roll forth regardless of our participation or lack there of in it. Its absolutely amazing to see what he is brewing in this amazing land of the Philippines, all we need is the patience to see it all play out. I was reminded of a quote I read by Neal A. Maxwell, He said.

"When the veil which encloses us is no more, time will also be no more, Even now, time is clearly not our natural dimension. Thus it is that we are never really at home in time. Alternately, we find ourselves impatiently wishing to hasten the passage of time or to hold back the dawn. We can do neither, of course. Whereas the bird is at home in the air, we are clearly not at home in time—because we belong to eternity. Time, as much as any one thing, whispers to us that we are strangers here. If time were natural to us, why is it that we have so many clocks and wear wristwatches?"

I've often thought of that, the church here in the Philippines is not perfect, many times things don't function, often I've been in tears as I thought of how much more I thought people could benefit from it if it was perfect, If it did function, if they just did a little bit more, I looked for the bad, but immediately as I changed the way I was looking, as I developed true patience, I understood that It wasn't my church, that it's Gods and that he's been at the head of it longer that anyone else, I began to see the good, I thought of fathers that had been in the bondage of vile sin that had been freed by the atonement in their lives, I thought of priesthood quorums, and of families sealed in the house of the Lord, and all of the hours of service that had been exerted and the many many lives that had been touched by the spirit in the short 50 years the church has been here. 

If we think of statistics, time is often included, we know God is not concerned with it in the slightest bit, We are strangers in it. When faced with problems that seem daunting, Gordon B. Hinkley often said, "Don't worry, things will work themselves out". He had learned patience, 

Patience is what helps us to look at the world with new eyes.it makes the seemingly menial everyday actions of Church membership no longer menial, but exhilarating and preparation for an eternal inheritance, Times of trial only when viewed from beyond the bars of time can be viewed as a blessing. 

I know its true.

Those are just a few thoughts, I've grown to love pondering. 

The word is I'll finish up my mission here in the office, Im still with Elder Talanoa, He is doing great, Its a blessing to be with him, the Morans are coming along and learning their responsibilities with ease.

I'm happy and healthy. trying to do more to get as big as Tucker, as well as to help ELder Talanoa lose some weight (we even tried bench pressing the bed) we rode bikes this morning around the lake, Thank you for your prayers I can feel them, they strengthen me. 

Im so thankful for all your influences, collectively and individually on me. Our family is litteraly 

the best on earth. Remember that.

I love you all

Elder Johnson ii    

We are going to look at an apartment for some sisters, Im in the middle of my extremely extensive and detailed report of the week, I'll finish it when I get back and email it to you with some really really awesome pictures.

Max keep going, keep enjoying it, dont just endure, but enjoy. Write down all the weird stuff you see, because eventually it dosen't seem weird anymore, I promise. Love each moment, 

I love you both

Elder Johnson

Week 90, September 29 - October 5, 2014

Max is in Taiwan! Thanks for his letter, he looks so happy, our family is so cool!

I cant wait for the snow! 

Its strange, we are in a transfer week again, it happened so fast, I will be staying here in the office as well as Elder Talanoa, he will be training Elder Moran on the finances and I'll keep training Sister Moran on the mission secratary duties. They are from Draper, like a block away from our house, they live off of willow springs drive, Gilly Olsen is in their ward, Its really strange that we didn't know them, they are so nice and its been fun to see them adjusting to mission life.Each transfer day we have seems to come faster and faster, After 6 weeks, we will be the oldest group of missionaries in the mission 

Wow, everyone looks so good! 

So the week went so well we have been slammed with things to do, we had a Mission Leadership Conference, Training of the new office couple and still carrying the load of doing those things we haven't yet taught them, and opening and refurbishing of several apartments in Preparation for transfer day on Thursday. Its been alot, I never really realized how much it takes to keep a mission afloat. Its good when you see that you're doing good. 

The first really great experience we had was in a little town called Victoria Laguna, In it is a small branch of the church that hasn't had missionaries in it for nearly a decade. There were some problems in the past with several different gangs and drug lords causing trouble in the area, so the missionaries were pulled and the Elders from a neighboring city were able to come and try and support it for the past while. President Mangum decided he wants to put missionaries back in, so we went, we looked at several apartments, keep in mind this is a small town that has an economy that runs off the fishermen from the nearby Laguna Lake, so none of them were great, but we went to one more, and it turned out to be a winner, not only because of the quaint little apartment that was rented out to us, but because of the Landlord and his family. He was very kind, and very very wealthy, usually the wealthy tend to shy away from anything that has to do with another religion here in the Philippines, but he seemed very open, and as we were talking about contracts, it led to who would be living there, the missionaries, their job, and why they do it, he  was really impressed at how well our volunteer organization functions. He was excited to have us in his home, he said he was a former government employee along with his wife here in San Pablo, and knew exactly where the church was, we invited him to learn more, and hopefully over the next few visits we can get a book of Mormon in his hands and get that family as the core of this small branch in Victoria

The second came as we attended a baptism of an entire family that came as a result of the newly engaged office referrals program here in San Pablo Mission. The referral system has always been there but no other office Elder wanted to put the effort in, but Elder Talanoa and I hit it hard and got it up and running, It was amazing to see as 7 of them went down into the water, as we watched the restoration DVD, I really reflected on how great of a work this really is, Its amazing, to think that a 14 yar old boy saw god and it started all of this, if its just a story there is no way, in the logic of those who believe that it was such, that that story could spread as it has and change so many peoples lives, its true, theres so much in store, and I 'm so excited to keep seeing it roll forth. Its fun to be a part of.

I love you

Elder Johnson

Week 89, September 22 - September 28, 2014

Family,

I hope you’re well,

Thanks for the update!

Aimee and Cooper! Happy Birthday, man you guys are so big now, I can’t wait to get home and hug you both, I’ll make sure I find some cool things to bring home from here as a present, I hope you have a great day, Know that I miss you and love you both so much.

Its been a great week, full of adventures, the Hansen’s have left so the craziness continues, Its just Elder Talanoa and I swimming in the ocean of organization and tidal wave of tasks that it take to stay on top of the 4 man job as just 2 Elders, but the Lord has helped us, and amidst all the office work we managed to get in some proselyting as well.

Dad you asked about my companion, His Name is Elder Sione Filia Talanoa, He is full Tongan, of Royal Tongan bloodline I might add, but grew up in Utah until the age of 5 and then moved to Australia where he went to school, he played Rugby and was very sought after and eventualy went on to play professionally one year in Japan, before he left on the mission he was presented a 200,000 U.S. dollar per season contract with a professional team in Australia but turned it down because he knew he’d made a covenant with god to come out on the mission, he is 300 pounds of pure muscle and can run a sub 12 second 100 yard dash, He’s so nice, and has the biggest desire to help others, he’s been in the office awhile now, 6 months, and he might go 7 to help in the training of the new couple, the Moran’s , who just arrived today. Transfer week is upon us so were just not sure whats going to happen. He leaves in April, so he’ll get a good few months out in the field before the end comes.

Man it comes quick, the weeks are flying.You asked about our proselyting time, its been very limited lately as we’ve been swallowed up in things to do since the other couple left, but I think in 2 weeks we’ll be back to normal, and oh how I want to be, Imiss going out and talking with others, There’s nothing like it, and this last 6 months, that’s the good time of the mission, you finally feel comfortable with it all, Its been fun, and the office has been great, but I hope I get that last 6 weeks as a normal proselyting missionary to leave it all out on the field.

This week our great experience came as we visited a less active family, tha Carandangs who really want to make it back to the temple. It is honestly amazing how spiritually mature this couple is, they are both in their 60’s and have been members since the early 80’s, but had a time where they just fell away, but through an inspired left turn, and being in a place where we normally wouldn’t go, at a time that really wasn’t common for anyone to be outside, they were outside and we saw them and are helping them in that process to come back. This week they weren’t able to attend church, as we visited them later that night there was a solemnity in the air, we asked how their week was and they said that there niece had just died in childbirth, and neither the baby nor mother made it, we stayed silent for a moment and soaked it in, and then asked about what the plans were moving forward. They said to us that they would happily be the speakers at her funeral and that they weren’t able to attend church earlier so they could attend to the legal matters, as well as healing their family members because of the death. Nanay said, you know, everyone in my family calls me a p[positive thinker, but I know its just the gospel in my life. I feel at peace, she said, I know that if it wasn’t for the gospel I wouldn’t have made it through this trial,It seems like the trials have doubled since we came back to church just a few weeks ago, but  I know god wants us to grow, so he really has given us a lot to grow from these past few weeks.  She burned with testimony. It made me think about their situation, there is a whole lot of real world problems going on  in their lives aside from the death in the family, but she continued in faith and commited to come to church this week, her outlook on life, and death is completely different because of the gospel, she has been changed by her testimony of Jesus and his atonement,  I was glad that our visit was able to help each one of us in the room to be edified.

As I look at the Philippines, I see so much good, god has created in the short span of 50 years priesthood men and women, It is truly amazing, he can take what the world calls a foreign faith, plant it in foreign soil and in such a short span of time, using the extremely limited capacity of mortal man,  produce such tremendous fruit, It’s his work, It continues to roll forth, the lords hand is brewing over the Philippines, Time is so worldly, and as we glimpse into the future, I can see this land and all others on this earth and others coming to thrive and develop because of the gospel of Jesus Christ, because of his church, and the life changing power it has.

So that’s the week, I know the gospels true, remember that.

I love you, You deserve longer letters,

Dad, Im excited to talk to everyone I can about being a health care executive. Thanks for being my number 1 fan always.

Mom, I love you

Tuck, Bay, Aimee, Coop, Keep doing what your doing, be good, and get ready to be amazing missionaries some day.

Max, thanks for serving the Lord, it means the world to me.

Love you all forever

Elder Johnson ii

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!!!!:(