This week has been a great week! We picked up 9 new investigators! Which is the most I have ever gotten in a week so far on the mission! So hopefully we can see them progress really well! So being on my mission for a solid 5 months, I know way more than what I knew back home! Before I came out I knew zero about the church. I could just tell you that we don't do harmful things to our body's and we have the book of Mormon. That's about the extent of my knowledge before my mission. Now I know everything! You could ask me anything about the gospel and I will tell you and could even use scriptures to back it up! It's amazing! I study the scriptures differently than most. During the hour of personal study I read just the Book of Mormon. I can read the Book of Mormon in about 60-70 days. Averaging about 7-14 pages a day. I have never actually read the whole book of Mormon so I want to read it multiple times before I get home. So I'm on my second time going through it! The best way I would say for you to study it would be to think of a question you have. Could be anything. And think of that question and read the book of Mormon and highlight anything and everything that answers or helps you with that specific question. Be sure to write your question in the first few blank pages in the book so you don't forget it. And once you finish the Book of Mormon, you should have your question answered and at the end of the books we hand out there's about 14 blank pages. And on those pages you can write the summary and answer of your question. That's the best way I would say anything can do it. We are not required to study the Bible, but I kinda like bashing so I study it every now and then. I use the bible dictionary if there's a word I don't understand. And I have a dictionary to define different parts of the word as well. The topical guide is also huge as well! I have used it so much! before my mission I probably couldn't tell you what a topical guide was or where it was at, same with the bible dictionary. I studied what the word pillar meant in the Book of Mormon. So I highlighted every verse in the BofM and the Bible that said it, and I cross referenced everything and defined it. I also did the same for the word pit. Such a small word, but there are so many things that tie into it. It basically means that if your digging a pit, causing people to do wicked, you will fall into the pit that you dig. So it will come back to bite ya! It's pretty cool! But I would say just to get you studying something, ask a question and highlight the answer to it. I'll send you a couple Book of Mormons and you can all do the same. And I usually say a prayer before getting out of bed, for breakfast, personal study, companionship study, before leaving the house, before going into an investigators house, any time I am talking with someone who is grilling us or bashing I pray to know what to do, for lunch, for dinner, and probably another 5 random times. So a bunch! haha! And yes I'm a much different person! I have changed a bunch! I'm nowhere near the person I was before I left! And I don't think I could ever become that person again!
Anyway, I love you and miss you guys! Enjoy your vacation because I'm enjoying mine more than you guys are! :)
Love,
Elder Johnsen
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