Saturday was Baptism Day!!!

The Christmas Tree...

Thanksgiving Week!!!

The work here in Anthem is EXPLODING!! We set a baptismal date this week with a girl that her mom won't let her get baptized. It is an interesting story. I was sitting in Zone meeting the other day and we were talking about how the first thing that we do as missionaries is invite. The whole time I had one of the most strongest impressions to invite xxxx to be baptized. She has been being taught for about a year and a half now and her mom said that she couldn't be baptized until she was 18, so I shrugged it off thinking that it is impossible to get her baptized before she is 18, but the spirit was so strong that I couldn't shrug it off anymore. The Next day we invited her to be baptized on the 21st of January. I felt really strong about that date, and so me and my companion just did it and through our, and her faith I know that she will be ready for that date. It was such an amazing spiritual experience. This is a prime example of how we need to act in faith always, even when we don't see it happening. I have been reading a lot about faith this week and how it is the most essential part of the Gospel. We need to not only believe in something we need to also act on that belief and put it to the test. In Ether 12:6 it says this about acting on faith, "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things: I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen: wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trail of your faith." This has been a great scripture that has brought me great strength in always acting on the promptings of the Holy Ghost, even when you yourself can see the results. You have to act on that faith, and it is only after that "trail of your faith" that you receive a witness of that which you hoped for and did not see. So that was one of the best experiences so far on my mission. So if you could keep her in your prayers and submit her name at the temple that would be awesome!!

The next news is that the xxxx had their baptismal interview yesterday and they are set and ready to go for the 26th!! They are so amazing and special, they are the first people who I have started teaching and get to see them baptized! I have said this before, but I will say it again. There is no better feeling then helping one, in this case two, of Gods children change. This mission has been the best!! I can't believe that it is going by so quickly!

I sent Madie a birthday card and didn't have the chance to send it till Saturday so it will be in the mail this week. Tell her sorry for me it was a busy week and I didn't get the chance until Saturday to do it.

I got the box and it was super nice!! It is always nice to get stuff from home :) I was thinking that it was a package that my companion was expecting for his birthday, but he hasn't got it yet. So if you do send something this week put a nice birthday treat in there for him ;) if you want. I don't really know of anything that I really need, except for ties and shirts. It would be nice if you could send me a Kenny G Christmas. I heard it while I was in the Chiropractors today and really like that good saxophone grooves. It is okay to send because it is spiritually uplifting :) and it hints to Christ :)

So we are going over to our investigators for Thanksgiving, but other than that, that is all that we are doing.

Hope all is well back at da hood

Love,

Elder Johnson

Baptism Update!!

So a little update on our investigators who are getting baptized. They were out of town for the past two weeks and that is always a little bit of a scary thing, but we met with them a couple of days ago and xxxx wasn't there, and xxxx said that he wouldn't be back in time for their interview, and won't be able to meet both of them until Wednesday. SOOOOOOO, because of xxx getting stuck up in the mountains of New Mexico we have to push their date to next Saturday the 26, but that isn't a for sure yet...Don't worry they are still super strong and ARE going to be baptized!!! We just have to drop them to their baptismal date and not push them to it :)

The other investigators, the couple that we taught the Plan of Salvation to is doing good. It was just me and Elder xxxx who didn't teach it with the spirit and so it was a horrible lesson, but Elder xxxxx and another Elder in our district, Elder xxx went over there yesterday (because we were on exchanges) and they talked a bit more about The Book of Mormon and why it is so important. Elder xxxx and I were talking the other day and we found out why the spirit wasn't at our last lesson, and it was because they didn't read the Book of Mormon. The lessons that we have with the first investigators are always spiritual and we were wondering why that was, and it was because they are reading the Book of Mormon with real intent!! So our focus from now on is to make sure our investigators are reading the Book of Mormon!! The Book of Mormon is a convincing evidence that Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith restored the Church, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Gods kingdom once again established on this earth preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah. The Book of Mormon is AMAZING!!!

So Tavi is going to Africa!!! That is amazing!!! He is going to have such a great time!!

Grant is going to the Farmington, New Mexico mission? Wow!! That mission used to be part of our mission until about a year ago. It is a fairly new mission. It has all of the Indian reservations in it so he will have so really fun experiences up there. My mission goes up to Sadona and that touch his mission so that will be cool!

So all has been well up here it is getting a little bit colder, but not Utah cold :) The high for this week is like 75 and it is funny cause everyone is wearing jackets and I keep telling people that it isn't that cold. :)

So the main thing that would be super amazing for Christmas would be ties!! lots and lots of ties!! and of course candy and food would be nice as well.

Well I hope all is well!!

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's latest email!!

So this week has been...cold...yeah...cold...it was a high of about 68 this week and that is a huge difference from the 118 that was happening a couple of months ago :) It is raining right now too...it is funny 68 seems a lot colder than it is in Utah, but I guess I have climatized to the heat here that it seems cold. The good thing is that it is going to be a high of 76 next week, and that is amazing!! The fall and winters here are nice because there isn't snow!!! and it isn't freezing cold here!! I have finally experienced all of what everyone in Arizona is saying about that 3 months out of the year are horrible and all the rest are amazing!! :)

The bike is still doing good and is in full functioning order.

So the investigators that are getting baptized have been out of town for the past couple of weeks hunting. So we have been communicating via text and they are excited for their baptism! Keep praying for them and putting their names in the temple!! They said that they will try to make it down here by the 11th so that we can get them ready for their interview, and for their baptism on the 19th!!! They are reading and praying and are just amazing!! Like I have said before a mission is the best!!!! They say that there is two great joys in this life: Marriage, and a Mission. I haven't experienced the Marriage part yet, but I know that a mission is the greatest joy in my life so far..;) There is nothing better than helping one of God's children change and helping the to know our Heavenly Father's plan for them.

So an update on some of our other investigators. We taught two of them this past Saturday and they let us know about their friend who is also investigating the church, that he was caught by the police for a DUI and he is in jail now. I think that that is such a weird thing because just a couple weeks before he told us that he was going to be moving to the Philippines and now he can't. I think that Lord was keeping him here so that he could learn about the gospel and had some direction in his life. I guess we will see what happened with him. The other investigators we taught and we taught the Plan of Salvation and that could have gone a bit better, but we recommitted them to read the Book of Mormon and they said that they would and so we will be having a lesson this Sunday with them with our ward mission leader in the xxxx ward.

This week was kind of a slow one. Today we are going to the Chiropractor today. Don't worry the Stake President in our Stake is fortunately a Chiropractor so he Does stuff for free for missionaries :) I am just going in for a back adjustment.

So I am not sure that I need much stuff, I do need a new bike helmet because mine melted from the heat here and got warped!!! So that is needed, but other than that I don't really need to much stuff. One of the investigators step-dad is going to give us a bunch of ties so that will be nice. Some more music would be nice as well, but you don't have to. My companion doesn't like Christmas Music, but I don't care I will still play it right after Thanksgiving. :)

So I hope your week goes well!!

Have a good week!!

Love,

Elder Johnson

"Your Sons eat a lot!" From the Ward Mission Leader