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