Another Transfer! September 14, 2015

Well I am getting transferred!!! kinda. I'm actually opening the new area, like I thought, but I'm getting a companion that has been out for some time. So will see how this goes.. I'm supposedly senior companion which means, (hopefully) I get to drive, which will be nice because it's been almost 8 months of no driving and I swear I'm going to flip out if I don't drive a car... haha So we'll see how this week goes! I am also getting an orthopedic doctor to look at my back. It has been hurting quite a bit this last week, but the past two days I have felt fine.  But I'm still going to get it checked out anyway because there has to be something wrong with it. So I'm determined to finally figure it out. I'm not going to destroy my back just so I can get home and become lazy because I can't do anything. So I'm going to figure it out. But this week has been great! We taught 19 total lessons! We also got 6 new investigators! So that was nice! We have also been dividing up the area for the two companionship's! So we have been staying busy! I'm excited to see how it goes with just two of us now... it will be so different.  We can't teach single ladies anymore, unless we have a member or there's a third male.. so that kinda stinks.  But we will get over it! The strangest experience I have had has either been when a guy told us that we shouldn't be preaching to him because he would school us. He was being nice about saying don't come talk to him. Or the time we knocked on a lady's door and she said 'come in' and she and about 5 others were all sitting around the coffee table smoking weed... haha I don't think she thought it was us.  And the look on their faces was priceless! Those would have to be the strangest experiences.. haha! :) I think the most spiritual experience has been just seeing people start to understand how much sense the gospel makes! It's great for them to see how simple it is and how it just makes plain sense! I think it was cool the other day we were telling a guy about how the spirit feels.  He was like 'oh, well I talked to a Pastor and he said I'm not allowed to feel the spirit unless he puts his hands on me' and we were like 'nawh bro! you can feel the spirit.' So that was pretty cool to explain! Anyway, that has been our week! It's been fun! I'm excited for next week! I love you guys! And miss you a lot!

Love, 

Elder Johnsen

Letter from September 7, 2015

This week we did really good! We had a meeting up in Virginia so we had to drive up Tuesday afternoon and stay the night there for our meeting on Wednesday. It's a little over a 3 hour drive so that was kinda fun. So for two days we didn't really get much done.. But we still did teach 18 total lessons and got 6 new investigators, with 61 invite others. So we didn't hit the standard but we still did a pretty good job. If we had those two days we could have gotten the invite others for the standard. We had exchanges with the Assistance's which went pretty well! I found this quote in this lady's house that I wrote down during the lesson.  I didn't get it at first but it makes a lot of sense! 'It's better to suffer wrong than to do it, and happier to be sometimes cheated than not to trust'. I didn't get it but I do now and it's a really great quote! I love it haha. Also, if you remember last week me talking about our investigator Lucy..? Well great news!!! No I'm kidding, this is actually really funny! So we took the Spanish Missionary's over there to talk to her about the Book of Mormon. Well it went pretty good! We found out she is a Pentecostal Minister and only went to church so she could try and steal some of our church members to go to her church! It was crazy!!! We were stunned, but we had to laugh about it! haha Alright... So to get away form my companions... I do like dad does... "pretend to go to the bathroom."  But mainly I just stay quite and don't really engage in conversation... Because then I say something stupid, and it lets me think about other things.  I haven't really learned how to cook any new meals. We have mainly just suffered through eating the basics... Pasta for lunch, bagel for breakfast... Whatever the members feed us for dinner. I did learn how to cook ranch marinated chicken while on my mission.... and I would say the reason I have gained weight is just by eating so much.. And being in a car all day, instead of me walking around an auto shop all day and working on cars. Instead I'm sitting at a desk and riding around in a car.... Very different. But I do plan to just work it all off when I get back on the wake board back home. That will really kill me and get me into shape. If my back allows me... so we will see! That's pretty much it for our week! I hope everything goes well for you guys back home! :) I love you guys and miss you! 

Elder Johnsen

 

A little P-Day fun at the golf course.  He also sent a few pics of his blistered hands from swinging the clubs.

Pretty cool looking night sky!

 

 

 

Letter from August 31, 2015

This week we went above the standard of excellence again! We raked in 18 total lessons, 100 I/O's and 4 new investigators. So, like always we killed it again. We're going to try for 20 total lessons this next week! So that will be super cool to have happen! We have 5 planned tonight so that would be a great kick start to our week if we could do that! This new teaching way has been helping us a bunch and we have been able to teach way more powerful lessons in 1/4 of the time! The sucky part is that we probably teach upwards of 25 lessons a week, but in order for them to count we have to have a return appointment. So we teach lots of lessons but sometimes the people don't want us to come back.. haha Alright, so the hardest part of any companionship is probably deciding whether to buy separately or together on Monday... Some missionary's spend $60+ on food a week! It's crazy! But then there are others, like me, that spend at most... $15-$20 a week. The people that spend less are the ones you want to buy together with, since it will be cheaper! But the ones that buy a lot, you tell them to go buy it on their own! haha Getting along with companions... hmm... For me I try to make things funny. If your not having fun then your going to have a crappy time and probably won't have a smile on your face. If your happy then everyone is getting along, and there's companionship unity. So I always try to keep things funny in the companionship.  But once I cross a line I have to apologize and make things right, otherwise you won't teach good lessons. I prefer trios! They're the best because you can teach single ladies and less active single wives! You don't have to worry about getting a third male all the time! It is so nice!!! We love it! Well the thing that I think that has changed the most with me is patience... I was honest before I left, I was a hard worker, you know this from what I worked in high school and how many jobs I have had, none of which were easy jobs. Reliability, I was very reliable, but my car was not. But I love my car so I will take the blame for that one.. ;) But I have learned a lot about patience.  I don't get mad instantly after someone does something.  I wait and figure things out. I'm not quick to jump to conclusions and I have learned it a lot, also through waiting to email every week! haha And waiting for letters that don't come!!! haha That's basically it! haha I hope all is well back home! I'm doing great out here! I love it! I miss you guys!

Love,

Elder Johnsen

Michael with his companions, Elder Egbert and Elder Rogers.

 

Enjoying a Sonic Milkshake!

 

We were at the eye doctor for Elder Egbert, he needed to get an eye exam haha

And yes, Elder Rogers is very tall... a staggering 6ft 6inches.  He makes me look small. 

He's pretty funny though! I poke fun at him since he has to duck under everything!

 

District Meeting.