Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Hey Fam!

Sorry I didn't send out an email last week..I was kinda busy kuz we were in a rush to drive all the way down to Topsail Island to see the Atlantic Ocean! Oh man..the water was so gorgeous! It was so blue and green and a lot better than the brown that I'm used to..haha..I've never wanted to swim soo badly in my life!

Well..we moved from Burgaw up to Wallace..so now we actually live in our area! Haha..so that was exciting..we had the place so clean before we moved that we're getting free Andy's burgers sometime pretty soon! Andy's is pretty much as big here in North Carolina as Whataburger is down in Texas!..(but Whataburger is still way better!) haha..but Andy's has this challenge that I wanna take..a 50 oz. burger plus a large drink and fries..and if I eat it all..its free! So I'm definitely gonna have to try that before I come home! So right now..because we just moved up to Wallace..we're tracting a lot and trying to find new people to teach! So far we're doing pretty good! The people up here are so nice! We even taught a minister last week and that seemed to go pretty well! Elder Condie and I are teaching pretty fluently with each other and we're having a lot of fun! I can't believe that it's already week 5 of my first transfer! That's so crazy how fast it has gone so far!

So Ruby finally came to church last Sunday! That's so exciting! But we're not gonna have her baptism this Saturday..we're gonna have it next Saturday because Elder Condie and I wanna go by this week and help her build her testimony of The Restoration of the Gospel..that way she'll be more solid when she is baptised! We're also working with this really sweet lady who works in a Funeral Home..her name is Mona Gore! Its kinda crazy how we met her! It started out because Elder Condie and his old companion gave this other lady named Lydia, a Book of Mormon..and then after teaching her a little bit..she got offended and said she didn't want the book anymore..but the Elders told her to keep it..it was hers to read. So Elder Condie and I are talking with Sister Jeffers one day, and it turns out that her friend Mona was asking her questions about The Book of Mormon because she had a copy that she had received from Lydia! So she had been reading it and became a little curious, and knew that Sister Jeffers was LDS so she started asking her about it! So then we went over to see Mona and we taught her an amazing first lesson and she was so excited and so accepting of our message! She was even taking notes while we were teaching her! lol..but we were able to set a baptismal date for July 25th! So hopefully she's elect and will be there!

Soo..another crazy story..we were riding our bikes down Penderlea Hwy..and we decided to stop by an investigator's trailerhouse named Erik..and he was outside working on someone else's trailer when we saw him..so we started talking with him. We asked if we could talk with him for a little bit and he said "Well..sure if you can walk and talk at the same time..I've gotta be done with this trailer by 8.." So we started talking with us and somehow the topic of trials came up and i was able to share with him 2 Ne 26:24 where it reads "He doeth nothing, save it be for the benefit of the world, for he loveth the world, even that he layeth down his own life that he may draw all men unto him." After I read him that..he stopped and thought for a moment..then he was like "Ya'll wanna go inside and get some ac for a moment?" Haha..so walked over to his trailer..and right when he opened the door..a big wall of smoke came out! So he ran inside and it turns out that he had left the stove on and the entire trailer was full of smoke! He was like "Man..good thing you guys came by!" So then he turns the stove off and then goes and sits down on the couch..with the room still filled with smoke..and was like.."Okay..teach me!" Haha...we were like umm..I dont know if our lungs can take all this smoke..you mind if we teach you outside!?" Haha..so we went behind his trailer and had a really nice sit down lesson in his lawn!

Well..that's pretty much been all that's been goin down in the screets of Nawth Curilina! lol..well I miss y'all and I'm praying for y'all!

Elder Johnson


Elder Henderson holding me up with his finger

Mount Timp

Sis Crowfoot & me

Showing off my photography skills of the Provo temple

Me, Elder Petersen, Elder Steed, and Elder Baron airborne

Sloan and me!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Hey!

I'm really starting to like this place! I love how many fireflies there are out here! Its pretty awesome to be riding my bike at night and having tons of fireflies all over the place! Another thing my companion and I are trying to look out for are carnivorous plants! The venus flytrap only grows in our area..but its extremely rare! Touching it is a $5000 fine! So I have had some pretty amazing experiences this week! I found out that Michael Jordan is originally from Wallace!

So that was pretty cool..but whats even cooler is that I found out that his aunt, is a very active member in our branch! Her name is Sister Jeffers and she is really amazing! She just had a small stroke about 3 weeks ago, before I got there..and my companion was able to give her a priesthood blessing..and it turns out that while he was giving it to her..she was having another small stroke..but she survived! The doctors didn't know how..but she blames it on the blessing! So that is way cool! Then I finally got to meet her on Saturday and she was having a couple of set backs because the hospital gave her the wrong medication..so I got to give her a blessing! It was a way sweet experience and I know that she will be healed! Her faith is really amazing!

Right now we're working with a really sweet lady named Ruby, who lives with Peter. Her original date for baptism was this Saturday..but she wasn't able to make it to church yesterday because of her diabetes..so we're gonna have to push the date back a week..but she is really excited about being baptised! She loves the Lord and wants to do everything she can to please him!

We also met this way cool family this week named the Eakins! I have never seen anyone else so prepared to hear the gospel! They loved our message of the restoration because before we had even taught them, they had already recognized the great apostacy after Christ came to this earth! So they have been looking for a church that kinda taught this..which is why they had been going to a Methodist church..but they still don't even like that church! So we're way excited to be teaching them and we're gonna try to get them to church this week! They even know exactly where the church is! And the wife already has 2 friends that are members so things are looking pretty great! They are way sweet people! After our lesson..they offered to cook dinner for us someday! Haha..it was lots of fun teaching them and I'm looking forward to our next appointment.

So I'm already discovering that snakes and turtles are common here in North Carolina! While riding my bike..we came across this 4 ft black snake just slithering down the middle of the road! I would've caught it..but mom always taught me not to mess with snakes if Ii didn't know what they were. I found out later that they're called "black racers" and they are non-venomous and not really agressive! Soo..next time I'll catch it and have a really great picture! Haha..

Well our mission president, President Wallis will be headed back to Cincinatti in 2 weeks..which is kind've a bummer! I like him a lot! But he'll be replaced and I don't even know who the new president will be..I keep forgetting his name..but I'll let y'all know! Well I love and miss y'all! Hope y'all are doin well! Please pray for Ruby! Her diabetes has been really crazy lately and its the only thing keeping her from being baptised!

Love Elder Johnson

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Hey Y'all!

North Carolina is great! Its great being back in the humidity! I feel like I can breathe again! I'm having a lot of fun teaching and the people here are really nice! I'm in a small branch of about 50 active members right now..its the Wallace branch. Wallace is a small town about 2 hours southeast of Raleigh and it seems like everyone we've taught so far is over 60 and African American lol..we even had some lady tell us that Martin Luther King Jr was a prophet and that we were wrong for saying that he wasn't! lol..but the area for the branch is much bigger than the town of Wallace. Its about 30 miles long and 30 miles wide and extremely rural! The branch building could seriously fit inside the chapel back in Houston! But I am still having lots of fun and getting pretty good at riding my bike and contacting! My dad's (trainer's) name is Elder Condie. He was a bmx racer from Ceder City, Utah! He's got some pretty sweet pictures of him in some races getting some pretty sweet air! But as a missionary, he is very strong in prayer and definitely knows his scriptures! We get along really well and I'm really glad to have him as my companion!

Haha..so there's a less active member named Peter. Peter is QUITE the character..very sarcastic and kinda crazy..lol..he rides around on this sweet blue chopper motorcycle with flame details on it...the only thing is that its a mini-bike and he pulls his dog behind it in a little cart! And he actually rides this thing around town! Well one day while we were driving back from an appointment, we saw him on the side of the road fishing in a creek...except he wasn't just fishing..he was catching! Everytime he dropped his line in..he'd pull up either a baby bass or a catfish! So we were talking to him and he mentions "Oh by the way..watch out for water moccossins.." Then literally 45 seconds later..Elder Condie points to a tree and says.."What kinda snake is that!?" I look and there's a 3 foot long cottonmouth just napping..in a tree!! I have never seen a water moccossin in a tree before! So..Peter being Peter..goes and picks up the first thing he can find..which of course was a pee bottle..and hits the snake with it! It was pretty sweet! My companion got it on video, I'll have to send it next time! haha..

Well last night..we got a media referal to go see this guy named Chris..and that was pretty interesting.. Chris had been to our church before when he was living in Memphis..and claims to have read ALL 4 of the standard works! But he was kinda crazy..haha..he was having problems because he keeps having these "visions"..he says he would write down the thing he'd see till he told his minister in the Methodist church about them and they kicked him out of the church and then people came into his house and stole his writings! But he's been really confused lately because he can't figure out what his visions mean and he wanted our help..he said something about the end of the world being 1265 days after July 11th..haha..but we gave him a Book of Mormon to read and pray about and also committed him to baptism and to come to church! So hopefully we can help him out over time..

Well that's all that's happened so far! I miss y'all tons!