August 22, 2016

This week was an interesting one for sure! My companion went home, as we all know, so I went to be with another missionary for 10 days named Elder Nipko! He is sweet! He was my zone leader while I was in New Bern and we have been in the same zone for the past year on my mission. So I know him pretty well! He’s a really cool guy from Ephraim Utah! I have learned a lot from him! And since we weren't in my area I don’t have much to say about my area. We got transfer calls. I’m getting a companion I already know really well! His name is Elder Fererro! He is so funny and knows a lot of church doctrine so I will be picking his brain a bit and talking a lot with him. He was being trained in New Bern while I was there, so it will also be cool to see how much he has changed.

Since there’s not much to say about my area, this week I have been studying some really cool things. I have been reading the Doctrine and Covenants backwards, to count down my days but also because I have never actually read through it all the way and I have learned so much! Currently, in one of the Books of Mormon I’m also reading and trying to finish before I go home, I am highlighting all the travels throughout the Book of Mormon and making maps of what all is going on. I’m a visual learner and so this is really helping me a lot to kinda see what all is happening throughout each chapter. Along with that I am reading the D&C and I have been learning tons from that as well! Tomorrow I will be reading about eternal marriage in the 132 section, so I will enjoy reading about how that all came to be. I loved what was in section 138. It was a vision a previous latter day prophet had, and man it was a really good chapter. I learned so much from it! Lots about the spirit world and what all happened when Christ was gone for 3 days. Also, my patriarchal blessing talks about Joseph and Ephraim, and since I pretty much have no idea who they are, I figured I needed to read about them and see who they are. Well, after reading and studying A LOT about them I ended up starting to make a genealogy family tree of the family of Abraham and Sarah! So I have dived into this way more than I originally thought! haha And I know there are family trees elsewhere I could get, but I'm making this one for myself. And I have run out of post it notes trying to organize this whole thing... so I will be transferring it over to a blank white paper once I get back to my original apartment. But I have been learning a lot about this whole family! haha So that's what I have been studying every morning the past few weeks! It’s a lot but I love it and I’m actually staying awake a lot more because I’m actually involved in the study and I’m writing things down and making different things. One hour goes by way too fast! haha But I love all of you and hope you guys have a great week! Keep doing what’s right and the Lord will bless you! 

Love,

Elder Johnsen