Lima, Peru // 30 Sept 09 
HEY HEY HEY... HOLA HOLA HOLA!!!!! :]

Well I have had a pretty good day today, we went with Presidente y Hermana Groberg to get pizza and to see some sights in Lima and look at a cathedral!!! It was way cool, but first thing this morning I said goodbye to Elder Rojas, it was sad, but it’s OK because the next time I see him I will be able to communicate better with him, no matter when that is. :} But after that we went to INTERPOL to get immigration stuff, and then went and got pizza from Pizza Hut, the Peruvians like pizza!! 

Then after that we went to a little park place in town that had a bunch of really old olive trees that were planted when the Spanish first got here. They were really cool and Presidente talked to us about them and about the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Then we went to the center of Lima to a cathedral and visited the "catacombs" underneath. There were a ton of bones down there, they said the estimate was about 25,000 people were buried there, crazy! There were piles of bones. 

Then we went and took pictures by the "white house of Peru" which is where the president lives. Then we went to these little shops and I got a bag that I needed and a jersey and a hat for about 28 soles, so like 10 dollars. 

It was really cool and then we came back to our new companions. I am going right now to play futbol with him so I got to go. But this week has been great so far and I can’t wait for your letters, please send more!!! They are better than candy!! 

I Love You More!!!!! :] Thanks for the prayers!!!!! Oh and I go out on proselitismo 2 more times at the CCM, and I can´t wait!!!! 

Love ya!!! Elder Johnson

From Letter // 27 Sept 09

Wow!  Cool things happen in Peru!  Yesterday we went out to do more “Proselitismo” which I was excited for, and I got to teach someone about the Restoration in Spanish!

We went out to the are (Habich) in the same bus as last week.  It’s orange and white, and all the writing and decoration on the inside is in Chinese, talk about an ‘import’, and the seats are neon.  We also get a ‘Sublime’ candy bar, similar to a Mr. Goodbar, which is awesome, buy anyways so we got there and Elder Rojas and I went out on the same place as last week.  None of the people we talked to last week were home, so we went to a couple of other peoples houses and taught them the lessons.  In the street in between houses there was a man that started talking to us, and I didn’t understand anything he said, and as we were walking away, the Elder that was with us (who knows very little english) said, “A bunch of lies”, indicating what the man had said wasn’t true.  I just laughed and told him that I didn’t understand anyways.  The thing that was really cool though was the difference between that man and the man at the next house we went to.

We knocked on his door and he was up on the next level looking out a window and told us we could come in.  His wife is a less-active member and so he knows a little about the church.  We started the lesson with a prayer and then proceeded to teach him and the spirit was so strong there, especially during the part about the First Vision.  Then we gave him “The Restoration” pamphlet and he was so excited.  I never thought anyone would be that excited over a pamphlet, but he was.  I don’t think I would have wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment.  It was really cool.  And then we left and went to one other house before going back to the chapel for the ride home.  It was a really good day!

Today has also been really good, we had fast and testimony meeting today because next week is General Conference.  We get to watch it over satellite, so for conference I know exactly where you’ll be too.

This week my companion, Elder Rojas, leaves, so I get a new companion which I’m kind of excited for, but I’ll miss Elder Rojas!

I have also been studying in the Book of Mormon this week in Alma 32, and various other places.  Everyday I read the Book of Mormon in Spanish for 45 minutes, it helps a lot with pronunciation, speed, and comprehension.

The church is true!  I love this gospel!  I love our Savior!  And I LOVE you!  (More)

Much love,

Elder Gregory Joseph Johnson

Lima, Peru // 23 Sept 09

Hey!!!!!! How are ya´ll !!!!!!!! Thanks for all the emails!!!!! I Love you more!!! and miss you!!! :} Peru is starting to get warmer, wore a suit jacket today and it was way hot :} But it´s all good! That´s what I get for living in paradise!! :} hehe We went to the temple today and I listened to the session in español and I only understood a little bit, but thats ok because I didn´t think I would and then I did. :} Thanks for being such a great family and supporting me!!!!! I love our Savior and know I am supposed to be a missionary!!!

From Letter // 20 Sept 09

Mi Familia! Hola! Down here the mountains are BIG. When the “mist” breaks, you can actually see them, and they are really big. There is no snowboarding, and the mountains are brown, because they don’t grow trees, just stubble. Lima itself is really big, about 6 SLC’s together, plus the population is about tripled in each of those.

Yesterday, Elder Rojas and I went and did “proselitismo”, which is where the CCM drives you an hour away to a stake center, and drops you off and they give you a member of the church, (in our case it was a missionary in the Peru Lima Central Mission). You go for four hours and visit less active members and invite them to church. Then you meet at a park, they take away your “member”, (or in our case missionary), and have you street contact for two hours. Honestly, it was really cool and we had a really good time going “two by two” and “preaching my gospel”. I used the scripture in Nephi where he says, “I will go and do”, and committed a lady to go and do like Nephi and go to church.

The rest of the week has been really good as well. We had a good time at the Temple and then today, we had a special fireside just for Perú from SLC with Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf.

I am getting used to the food here, rice with every meal, and every once in a while ice cream! Mmm!

I love you More!!! :} (And don’t you forget it!)

A note about the CCM:

Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin their service in one of about 16 Missionary Training Centers (MTC's) in the world.

The Lima-Peru Missionary Training Center (CCM) was dedicated on August 27, 1998 by Élder Russell M. Nelson. It is the third largest MTC in capacity. Every 21 days groups of missionaries begin or end their training at the CCM. The administration, teachers and leaders provide the best care to every missionary who enters training.

The normal duration of stay for the Latin American missionaries is 21 days. While for the missionaries who need to learn Spanish, the stay varies between 42 and 64 days. During this stay, the missionaries develop a greater love and understanding of the scriptures and doctrines of the Church, as well as learn the Spanish language.

Currently, the CCM can train up to 152 missionaries every 21 days. The campus includes 3 buildings, beautiful gardens and 3 fields for sports and physical activity.

Great blessings come as the Missionaries learn how to teach the gospel in Spanish and assist in the establishment of the Church and Kingdom of God.

Hola Family!!!!

Hows it going?????? Peru is fun/humid :} jajaja it really is humid here, and it´s the winter, kinda crazy. All the Peruvians wear jackets and scarves, and all the Americans wear white short sleeved shirts. They all think it’s cold, it’s really only about 70 degrees. :}

My companion is Elder Elvis Arturo Rojas, and he is the coolest Peruvian here! We get along great. :} He comes from a small family in Trujillo, I think, and he hadn’t been to the Temple yet, so when we went today for Preparacion day I got to be his escort, it was really cool. The Temple is pretty inside, and the session was in Español so I got a headset that I used for part of it. It was way cool though! Getting there was crazy though, the people here honk a ton and drive insane!!!! It’s like video game driving, they just honk and keep driving and the other guy stops or gets hit, wow! It was cool though.

I have been doing good, and I taught one of my teachers yesterday in Spanish and did ok, I just need more vocabulary and it would have been great. Also, one of teachers Hermana Arriaga says “hi”. I think i’m getting used to the food here, lots of rice with everything, and soup and interesting flavored juices for every meal, except breakfast, which is 2 rolls, cereal, and eggs usually. It’s ok, but I miss apple pie bars and cinnamon rolls, mmmmmm. They do have pizza down here though, Dominoes and stuff,mmmm mmm. At the 3 week mark Presidente and Hermana Groberg take the norte Americanos to see Lima and a cathedral and then to pizza!!!! mmmmm jaja oh well. Well time is out so I LOVE YOU MORE!!!!!!!!!!

Love Elder Gregory Joseph Johnson :}

Dear Families,

I am sending you this photo of your sons with their district companions so you can think of them here at the Lima CCM. Each one is kneeling in front of his assigned Latin companion. As you can imagine, the Spanish is picking up at hiperspeed in the environment of immersion. We currently have 67 missionaries at the training center, 26 of whom are North Americans. We LOVE them. We always pray for you, their families, as we pray for them.

Love, Hermana Groberg, wife of the President.

Lima, Peru // 10 Sept 09

Hola mi Familia!!!! ¿Como estan? Gracias por las cartes!!! I love the letters you have sent me, thanks for all you do!!! Peru is very humid and everything sticks to me; my clothes, paper, the air, in Lima it doesn´t rain it mists. :} The Peruvian people are very nice and welcoming, everyone we have met has been so nice.

My companion’s name is Elder Elvis Arturo Paredes Rojas, he is really nice and I can’t understand almost anything he says, but that will change.

We drove through Lima last night and it took about an hour to get from the airport to the CCM, on our way we saw the Temple, and KFC, and Pizzahut Mmmmmm. The CCM down here is nicer than the Provo MTC because there are always hot showers that you don´t have to wait for, and the grounds are really beautiful.

In the papers they gave us they said not to send packages because the importing taxes are expensive, so I will find out for sure and tell you later what is up with that. They said to send money instead, because I can buy almost anything I want. Say Hello to all the family and Grandma´s :} My address is:

Elder Johnson Peru Lima North

Av. Melgarejo 159

Urb. Campo Verde

La Molina, Lima, Perú

Use this for four weeks and then use my mission address so that letters will get to me faster. I love you more than you love me!!!!!!!!!! Know that I´m safe and Happy, also I have only had one meal here, and the cereal is not! the same, no sugar... lol :} I love you, I have p-days on Wednesdays.

Love you!!! :}

(Note: Both Dad and Mom got quick phone calls from Joe while he waited at the airport in SLC on Wednesday, 09/09. He sounded good and said he was happy and excited. We shared ‘loves’ and he was on his way!)

Hey!!!!!! I Love You!!!!! More!!!!!!!!!!! I miss you all! I'm so glad that things went well with Lydia, and am glad Annie is good as well. I'm good here at the MTC and am having a good time with my comps, we have a lot of good times. Yesterday we taught a lesson at the Teaching Resource Center down here and it was really good, we had the spirit with us and the lesson went really well, we were teaching a couple that had both served missions so they had some really good feedback. :] The food is ok down here, but nothing close to Moms. I am in the same room as Scott just on the next level up, so I have seen him a couple of times, he's doing well. I'm glad to hear that grandma J's stuff got fixed, tell her I love her!!! and also that grandma F has been up, tell her I love her too!

Basically everyone in my district is sick except for my companionship, so we are really lucky! Every week day except P-days we have gym which really rocks, because we get to let out our energy. :] Thanks for the love!! Thanks for all the prayers and letters and packages you have sent me!!! They rock to get! :] I went to the Provo Temple this morning and had a really good session and then ate breakfast in the cafeteria, it was really good and filling. Yum :] Also, one of my teachers went into labor yesterday and it was over a month early so please pray for her and her baby, and put her name in the temple, her name is Stacie Kozlowski aka Hermana K. Thanks! The last two weeks has seemed like forever, but also it has flown past, which is a kind of weird feeling! Tell all the family I love them especially the niños. :] Take luck! and Kia Kaha!!! Love You More!!!!

Elder Johnson (the younger) :]

My flight leaves on september 9th at 9:50 am and connects in Peru @ 10:50 pm so an all day flight with no layovers Woot!!!!! I'm excited and I love You More!!!!

Notes from other letters to Mom and Dad: “I’m excited! I know I’m where I’m supposed to be and that our Heavenly Father loves me. My testimony is growing.”