Loving This!

6.28.10

 

Well no sense in beating around the bush this week...the most exciting news of the week is my brand new trainee. His name is Elder Halvorsen, from Pason Utah *shrug* lol, he has 2 older brothers that served missions (well one is currently serving, better said) and he hasn't ever been to the MTC... Yup, lol. He came straight from Utah to NJ to start a month long mini-mission. So he hasn't really had any spanish teaching in the MTC, nor has he had any Preach my Gospel training in the MTC... Pretty crazy right? The reason why is because his older brother, oddly enough named Elder Halvorsen as well =P, that is currently serving a mission is actually serving his mission right here in NJ. And my trainee Elder Halvorsen starts his mission (called to serve in Chile) 7 days before the older Elder Halvorsen goes home. So, they were able to work out this amazing opportunity to serve a mini-mission here in NJ for 1 month so that the brothers don't go 4 years without seeing each other. So pretty crazy, because my brand new missionary is far more brand new than normal lol... But its going great. There is just sooooo much that I want to teach him...things from PMG, things about spanish and simply how to be a missionary...and there is sooooo little time. Normally transfers last for 6 weeks, but he will only be here with me for one month. So he is on an accelerated course, so to speak, and apparently I am a qualified teacher??? ...I didn't think I was even credentialed lol. He is great though. We get along really well, as does our whole apartment (there is another brand new missionary with us as well). I'd be lying if I said that the training wasn't exhausting, but it is oh so fulfilling as well. Every prayer that he has said since thursday (when I taught him how to pray in spanish) has just been such an amazing progression...and so amazing for me to see as the teacher. I can see how amazing the MTC must be for the teachers there...I very much so feel like an MTC teacher recently, but what an opportunity it has been.

 

Speaking of MTC teachers, I totally thought of Hna. Lambson this last week... We kinda nearly got mauled by this huge pit-bull. Explaining the situation fully is basically impossible without being able to see the scene in which it happened, but it was crazy. It made me think of Hna. Lambson because she always told us old stories of dogs bitting her back when she was in Bolivia. I must admit, it was really freaky...this HUGE pit-bull wanted blood. And when its owner tried to hold it back it was even chompting at his hand. It was pretty crazy. ....I realize that the full severity cannot really be realized without a big explanation, but take my word for it...it was scary.

 

I must admit, it feels as if this last week just flew by... There have been a lot of parties going on in North Newark recently...we actually got intived into one to grab some food by a random guy I say hi to every time I see him. We were on the way home and I said hi like normal and he said, "you guys hungry?" ... "c'mon" ...so he takes us back to this party with the weirdest array of party-goers (like elementary school kids to drunk adults) ...I felt super out of place lol. Everyone was looking at us super weird. Now my companion, who just days before was a normal person back in utah, prolly didn't feel that weird...but I felt super odd lol. The food was really good though. We didn't eat it there, we just took it home. Gotta love them Puerto Ricans :)

 

It has been hot, but we're gettin by. I imagine its kinda heatin up everywhere by now. ...the really annoying thing is that people rarely have air conditioning around here...so you come out of your lessons and walk outside into the 90-95 degree weather and it feels great lol.

 

As for investigators things aren't terrible but could be better... They just kinda need to be prodded into action sadly... All I hope and pray for is that the Spirit will be with us as we teach to do the needed prodding. I know that neither my companion nor I are able to prod...all we can do is let the Spirit work "Spiritual photosynthesis" upon the Light of Christ within our investigators.

 

I hope you are all doing great and absolutely loving summer time...where the livings easy ;) Happy July 4th to everyone! I will be celebrating vicariously through all of you...so make it a good one for me :)

 

Elder Johnson

TRAINING! (for real this time)

6.21.10

 

Well hope everyone had a great week. It has been officially hot here. Yesterday was killer in a suit, and there is a room in our "chapel" that doesn't have working AC ...it was 85 during elders quorum .....with very high humidity!  Ya. But all in all, it was a sweet (or perhaps sweat) week.

 

We had an awesome trip to the temple on wednesday. Lucky for us Penn. Station is right near by so we just take a 'lil train called the path into NYC...its super easy. We walked through time square and all that. An elder and I switched cameras for the whole adventure so there are a lot of random pictures that he got of me...its super fun. I'm plannin on trying to get all those sent home so all can see soon.  Speaking of cool pics, we went to "the wall of fame" earlier today. Basically it is just a ton of grafiti all over this one wall. Some amazing looking stuff, truly artistic. So i've got some cool pics of that as well.

 

By the way...I am soooo interested in the world cup now. Thanks to a lot spanish speaking missionary service lol. But I can't wait to keep up on soccer when I actually can. Its super annoying with the World Cup going on, cuz just like nobody answers doors during the games. However, it makes it pretty easy to begin talking with random people... "Who won today?" ...and they light right up lol.

 

We had a sweet all mission conference too...it was way fun. It is always nice to see all the missionaries you know (and at this point I actually know a lot as opposed to before when I felt like I knew nobody).

 

Well some cool news, very similar to the news from 6 weeks ago (lol), I am going to be training this transfer. I'm super excited. I should be meeting my new missionary tomorrow morning. Hopefully I can be what he needs me to be.  Another Elder in my apartment will be training also, so I am really looking forward to this transfer.  

 

As for investigators this last week things have been kinda haulted...kind of a bummer. But we're gonna be kickin it into high gear this next transfer. I'm expecting so at least. There are just so many investigators that either need to make the changes now or we need to let them go. Its a tough time, especially when they are people you have grown to love so much. But all will be well. One cool thing is that we set a new baptismal date this last week...with Oscar Mejia...he's way awesome, from Nicaragua. He truly wants to change. So we are very excited to help him do so :)

 

I have decided that I love teaching...I got to teach the youth class this last Sunday and just really have a great time up in front of everyone teaching and seeing their faces light up when they like the lesson. ...I'd still be way down with teaching history in high school lol...after a long and lucritive career in whatever other field I end up selecting :) ....good plan right? lol

 

Anyways hope all you had great fathers days...it was a lil crazy here (just meant more drunk people than normal out on the roads). Made it a 'lil tough to do the work at night but its all good. Hope you all have a great week this week too.

Thanks so much for being so awesome :)

Elder Johnson

 

June 14th, 2010

Hello everybody. It has been another week out here in the Garden State...and oddly enough it has been raining. Raining and warm...I am not the biggest fan. But all is well.

 

Well yesterday was some sort of show your Puerto Rican pride day...and it was insane! Normally PR's have their "tricked out" honda civics blasting some good ole "Hasta Bajo" by Don Omar (worth checking out if you like hip hop) with all the windows down as they roll around North Newark....but it was soooooo much worse yesterday. So many mufflers and hispanic rap and horns and puerto rican flags and spanglish. Really crazy and quite the show.

 

Cool lil story... we knocked into a WWII vet the other day! How intense is that? Like there cant be that many left. He was an awesome guy and was willing to just talk--gotta love old people right?  I guess there is the off chance that he was just a 'lil senile and he didn't serve in WWII, but he knew his stuff about the war and I totally trusted him. What an opportunity though-- sit back and talk with someone who fought for our freedom from the Nazi Regime. He had a lot of trouble hearing me though so we didn't exactly get to teach him much...*shrug*

 

Also, ran into another crazy guy the other day. He contacted us to say that he respects what we do and we got to talking a bit. Turns out that he is the son of an old mob boss. ...like his dad gave him a gun when he was 12 and told him to shoot anyone who came up the stairs-- "just pull the trigger till no more bullets come out" status...whoa.  He said his 1st "job" was when he was 17 and he made millions, was provided a house, 2 Cadillacs, a gas account (never had to pay for gas) and accounts with a few restaurants (never had to pay to eat). ...and when he did "jobs" and got arrested "they" made the evidence disappear. Yeah, crazy stuff. He goes on to say how he got out of that lifestyle after doing time in prison.  And because of that, hitmen have tried to kill him 3 times...shotgun, short-range pistol and running him over with a car. He showed us the bullet scars. It was just crazy...but he feels like hitmen dont just mess up and thinks it was divine intervention that saved him each of the three times.  He said he'd take a free Book of Mormon =D

 

    .....oh the crazy people we meet here in north newark.

 

I'm super pumped for this week...mainly cuz of the fact that 1 of our 2x a year New York trips is going to happen this wednesday. I'm really excited just cuz its fun to go and rejuvinating to go to the temple. And I must admit we feel super cool rollin around NYC in suits and ties...and minus the name tag, we are up and coming businessmen lol. hey I can dream.... Also we have a sweet all mission conference which should be fun.  Last time we had one of those was around Christmas time. This one is to prepare us for absorbing half of the Cherry Hill mission. It should be some good stuff :) And transfers are again coming up...it is always an interesting and exciting thing to have transfers.

 

As for investigators... things are going pretty well but progression has been kinda hindered for some. One of them were going to get married this Saturday and baptized on the 27th, but now they got in an argument and she doesn't even know where he is. We were planning on going to city hall to get the marriage license tomorrow =s ...but Jose (our x-drunkard came to church and is just super exciting as an investigator) we just need to help him see that there is no need to wait a year to get baptized...its simply the door to the path of eternal happiness.

 

How crazy is it that I have almost been gone for 1 year? ...July 1st is the official date that I went into the MTC and June 29th is the morning that I left Cali. ...and I swear it still feels like just the other day that I was talking with Alec out in front of my house the night before I left... So weird.

 

Anyways, hope you are all doing great and planning on a great summer!

Love,

Elder Johnson