December 28, 2015

I loved skyping you guys! It was amazing, I enjoyed it!  Well this will be a short one. We taught a lot but nothing new as of yet! We did baptize Ashley! She is still doing great! And Kim is still doing great! She will be interviewed this week and baptized this Saturday! I did fine on the confirmation, but I was super nervous. haha But I didn't mess up! And the spirit was speaking! We have a few lessons set up this week.  The big ones that you should know about would be the Webbers! They're doing great! Nothing seems to be stopping them! So that's good to see. We're excited for them as well. They are doing great in lessons and love having us over for dinner and a lesson! Otherwise not too bad of a week. Anyway, I love you guys! 

Elder Johnsen

December 21, 2015

Well this week has been a really good one! We have had some really great miracles! We got two new investigators from a member referral and we got 3 new investigators total! We have been killing it this week! We got 4 investigators at church! If you watch the video journals it will explain a lot more about the people and what goes on during the day! I promise it is worth it! So download them! I'll explain a bunch on Skype! So have some questions ready for me so we don't get only through a few then get cut off! That would suck! But we are hoping to have 10 investigators at church next week! Which will be so killer! We have a baptism this weekend! And I will be confirming her in church on Sunday!  I'm so nervous! This will be my first time ever doing something like this! So I have been reading the prayer over and over again in personal study to try and get it down pact! I should be fine though! But you never know! It will be great! We will take lots of pictures! I'm super excited! It will be my first baptism all the way from finding her to baptizing her! I love it!  Kim we didn't meet with last week.. things came up on our end and hers... Which sucks.. But oh well. We picked up two new solid investigators this week! Heather and Craig, they're both member referrals! And then we also got 3 unbaptized youth were hoping to set for the 9th of January today! So that will be exciting! Heather will have to be set later out because she needs to get married, but she came to church and loved it! So she said she is going to bring her kids and her fiance! Anyway my new companion is pretty awesome! I told dad some things about him, but he's pretty sweet otherwise! Another really good companion! I'm happy that I don't have any crappy companions anymore.. The work goes so much better and it goes by way faster too! But anyway! I will see you on Christmas day!! With love,

Elder Johnsen! 

 

I received another surprise text with this picture!  Love it!!

Text said: 'Lovely Elders at Church.  Love to your family.'

 

December 14, 2015

Well this week has been fun! We have been having tons of success! And it feels great!!!! My new companions name is Elder Pitts! He is from Provo, Utah! But he is one country boy! haha We have been getting along to say the least! haha This will be one fun transfer! haha But this week we had a pretty cool miracle! We have been trying to track down this less active part member family for quiet some time and it hasn't worked out the other 1000 times we have stopped by.. But Sunday we felt inspired to stop by so we did, but we tried a different address! And guess what! They were home! And after getting to know her we told her about us teaching Landon and she told us, 'Well I guess it's time that I get back into church and have you guys teach my kids!' So we set up an appointment to teach her two unbaptized youth!!! We are so happy and so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the dad isn't a member but I found out he likes cars.. So I was like 'nice, game on.' Then I found out he races. So I was like 'ok, thats pretty cool!' Then I found out he has a race car. So I was like 'even better...' Then he showed me and I was like 'good gracias, this thing is beautiful!!!!!!!!!'  It's another near pro-mod built camaro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He told me about it.. It's a 72 camaro with a Chevy 355 (lame) and all the hook ups, trans brake, Hurst shifter, co2 shiftnoid, msd ignition, lexan windows, Ford 9inch, Goodyear slicks, it was sweet!!!!!!!!!!! Only problem is... He only runs 1/8 mile... and its slow... He said it's about... 6-7 seconds in the 1/8... But, the chassis is soo set up for something bigger!! I would have a 400 Chevy small block with a set of twins on it:) She would run 7-8 in the quarter!!! :) But he said he doesn't race it because he has kids and so that made sense! haha Anyway! Kim is still Kim and is doing so great!! We are happy for her! She's progressing well! And Ashley is so solid! It's amazing! Her husband got the Priesthood in his ward in Georgia! (He is at Military Basic training) So he can now baptize her! haha So that's exciting! And he will be here on the 15th to take the final lessons with her! Then she will be baptized on the 26th!!! We're so happy!! Anyway! I love you guys!

Love,

Elder Johnsen! 

December 7, 2015

Well this week was AH-mazing! We have been having so much success!!!! We love it out here! It is sad to say though that... Elder Unutoa will be leaving and I will be staying... But I'm excited to carry out the work here! It's been very fun! I'm excited to be here for 6 months! haha This is the longest I have been in an area! Well this week we had 2 investigators at church which was great! And we have 4 set with a date! It's so exciting! We had a miracle this week! We got a head quarter referral and she basically said 'I want to be baptized, when can I get in the water?!' So we met up with her and set her with a date! Then gave her a church tour and taught her another lesson a few days later and then she showed up to church!!!! I was so happy!!!! Her name is Ashley! Her husband was just baptized so she wants to be baptized! So we're excited about that!! :) Then we met with Kim twice this last week! It was so nice! She is so ready to get baptized! She has already picked out who she wants to baptize her! Which will be her husband, of course! But we are so happy for her! While we were at her house we also got to get an in depth lesson of how to skin a deer! Her husband had a deer to gut and clean so I recorded the whole thing! haha So if you stumble across that video.. I'm sorry. haha It was really cool though! haha But we have been having fun! We also got to finally teach Chris's wife! She might be a very solid investigator, if we can get Chris to be a little more motivated... So hopefully we can see the progress in that area! :) Otherwise, this area is really about to take off! I hope to have so many appointments that we need a car to get to all of them! haha Maybe that will convince President to get us a car! :) Anyway! I love you all and hope you guys have a good week! :)

Love,

Elder Johnsen! :) 

 

 

Just a few pictures that were sent to me via text this week.  I love getting these little random texts from people in North Carolina!!  They make me so happy!!

 Michael and his companion, Elder Unutoa, helping someone with Christmas Decorations.  They must have fed them.  It looks like he is eating in the top picture.

 I got this one today from the member that fed these handsome Missionaries.  I know Michael is really going to miss this companion.  They get along so well!

I never would have thought to take a picture of a Missionary we had over for dinner and send it to their moms, until I sent my kiddo on his mission.  Now I send text pictures to Mom's whenever I can.  So make a Missionary Mom's day!  When you see a Missionary, at the grocery store, at a restaurant, shopping at Walmart, anywhere!, take a picture and send it to the mom that is missing her kiddo.

 

 

November 30, 2015

Today is just about ten months!!! That's so exciting!!!!!!!!!! Time is flying out here!  Before you know it I will be skyping you, then I will be celebrating New Years, then my one year and then I'm on the down hill slope!!! Thats so crazy!!!!!!!!!!

Well this week has been a good one! We didn't get to go to Kim's for Thanksgiving because she ended up getting sick. but she did reschedule on the spot and we will be going over on Wednesday for some dinner as well! So we're excited! And she came to church this week! It was so exciting!!!!!!!!! We are so happy for her and how she is starting to progress so well! I love seeing progression!!! It's amazing! We have a big problem with trying to meet with people.. It sucks.. Like we are crappy at trying to get return appointments.. We haven't met with Jennifer in two weeks! But yet she comes to church? Super weird.. So we're working on that as well.. We need to be meeting more with our investigators.. and try to set more people with a baptismal date. So I will keep you informed on how that's going! Otherwise not much happened this week. Nothing super cool or rad. But we did visit and set up lots of appointments with less actives and perspective Elders! So we're hoping to see a high number in how many less actives we teach this week! We have a goal of teaching ten lessons this week! So I hope we can get it!! I want it so bad! haha I also got to meet a 32nd degree Scottish Mason this week! He's less active for some, I guess, big reasons to him.. But to us, we feel like he just didn't have a firm testimony in Joseph Smith. Which is too bad.. So maybe we can work with him, but he made it pretty clear that he wasn't coming back.. Said he loves the church, but can't get over this thing. So hopefully he can figure it out! haha! Anyway I love you guys and hope you guys have a good week!

Love,

Elder Johnsen