HOLA!!!

I do know that everything we are taught in the Restored Gospel is true.  Thanks for EVERYTHING!

This week we had a zone conference, and the week went well. We visited 2 elders in our zone to help them in their area.  While I was in the upper area of Magnolias, we had to go up to the last houses on the mountain 2 times.  I think it was the highest up that I have ever gotten in Lima, pretty cool.  Also, the Cerros (hills) have changed color now and are green because it’s misty up there and there are little plants growing. I also ate three lunches that day, man was I stuffed!!!!!

On Saturday we had the baptism of Genesis’ sister Pamela, (Genesis is the wife of one of the families that we baptized a couple months ago), it went very well. During the service they both shared their testimonies and I think that almost everyone in the room had tears in their eyes, it was an awesome feeling of the truthfulness of what they were saying.  They really are converts to the gospel.  On Sunday I got to confirm her, and it went well.  We also talked in sacrament meeting and that went well.  We are working hard to help the families we are teaching be baptized.  I love the work, and I love being a missionary.

Have a great week!

Love Elder Joe!

HEY HEY HEY!!! FROM UNDER THE EQUATOE!!!!

Well the week went well, and I didn’t get to eat *cuy, but that’s ok. (All the cuy’s were still babies so they didn’t do cuy).  I did have pizza and another cake..... so that was good..... and my comp smashed another egg on my head.... TRAITOR!!! Jajaja it’s all good.  (The Peruvian birthday tradition is to make a “cake” on the head).  They also gave me a ‘King Kong’, it’s a dessert here that is made from a hard bread with pineapple jam and date jam and Manjar (caramel) in the middle.  IT IS GOOD!!!!!!!  I will bring one home for you to try!

This week we had a family attend church.  They will be baptized on the 20^th!  This family has prayed and received answers.  There were also 9 investigators there, it was awesome!!!!!!!!!  The work keeps moving forward!!! I love it soooooo much!!!!!!!!

I also felt the Spirit’s influence yesterday in fast and testimony meeting.  I wanted to get up and bear my testimony, but there was a line, and so there wasn’t time at the end.

We are keeping up the work and everything’s going good.  I love the Lord’s work and have seen His hand in many ways, especially changing lives. It truly is a marvelous work and a wonder.  I am thankful for all the blessings that the Lord has given me, I love the gospel!!!!!!  I just feel pushed to finish well, and to do my best until the end.

I love the work!!!!!!!! Endure to the END!!!!! Fidelidad Hasta el FIN!!!!!!

Love,

Elder Joe

*Guinea pigs (called cuy) were originally domesticated for their meat in the Andes. It continues to be a major part of the diet in Peru. Guinea pig meat is high in protein and low in fat and cholesterol, and is described as being similar to rabbit and the dark meat of chicken. The animal may be served fried (chactado or frito), broiled (asado), or roasted (al horno), and in urban restaurants may also be served in a casserole or a fricassee. Peruvians consume an estimated 65 million guinea pigs each year, and the animal is so entrenched in the culture that one famous painting of the Last Supper in the main cathedral in Cusco shows Christ and the twelve disciples dining on guinea pig.

Pres. & Sister Blunck with Missionaries in Lima

Feliz Cumpleaños a ti!!!  Wooooo Hoooooooo!!!

This morning I was given a Peruvian birthday!!!  Which means...... that they smash eggs on your head, and then they put a bunch of flour on top!!!  They have fun with it.  Last year I got out of it, because it was Sunday and nobody knew til the day before. Well, this year they knew, and soooo you can look at the pictures to see what happened.

Today we are planning on going to the center of Lima to a museum or something as a Zone, my comp knows all the info on where we are going.

This week was great!!!  We had the new Elders from the CCM doing the practice proselyting in our zone on Saturday.  We went with them to work in our areas for a day, and I felt like a new Elder again!!!  It was fun to work with them a little, and to remember when I had just barely gotten here and didn’t understand anything that they were saying to me. They found an awesome lady that has passed through a couple of churches, but still has doubts.  So we answered some of her questions, and now Elder Geronimo and I will be passing by to visit her again. 

When we were finishing up the proselyting, I invited the Elders that I was with to a mil-hojas (NOTE: Mil hojas means a thousand 'sheets' or 'leaves' (in this case, layers of pastry), and there are almost a thousand South American interpretations of this classic French dessert, the napolean. This dulce de leche variation is quick and easy, looks beautiful, and is simply delicious. Serve it with fresh fruit, or dress it up with a layer or two of pastry cream. Some people like to roll the edges in coconut.  Spread some extra dulce de leche around the the sides to help the coconut stick.)  They thought they were in heaven, especially Elder Alley, from Texas, he just said “Mi Gusta!!!!!” (I like) about three times. It was cool to be with them.

The Lord has given me many blessings and I am happy right now!!! I love the work!!!  How sweet it is!!!

What more can I say?  I’m thankful for the Gospel plan!  I know that we are in the Lord’s hands, we just have to trust in Him!!!!!!!!  This is His work, and we are His servants!!!  I know that this is Christ’s church, and that all of it’s teachings are the Truth.  HE LIVES!!!!

Love Elder Joe!!!

Hola!

Well I think that right now I am on a Spiritual high. We just got back from the Temple.  There wasn’t enough space in the room to do a session, so my comp and I did initiatory work.  We  were going to also do some sealings.  But, they were short a couple of workers to do a couple things so we started doing initiatory, and then while inside we had to wait about 35-40 minutes while the workers helped out in other areas.  It was alot of good thinking time..... I feel wonderful when I’m in the Temple. I love it.

One of the elders of our Zone that was going to train didn’t receive a companion.  So he was with us as a trio.  He went to Iquitos on Sunday, so we are now short 2 missionaries in the Zone, but he was happy to go to Iquitos.

This past week my comp also was a little sick for something he ate and so he was down for a day.

On Friday we had a Zone conference that went really well, the assistants to the President taught us and I learned alot. :)

We have found some new investigators this week, one of them is another family, and one is a Dad that is separated from his family right now.  He told us that he wants to change his life, that he has a problem with alcohol, but that he wants to change. 

I feel very blessed to have such an amazing family in my life and to have the restored gospel as well.  It is interesting to know that we always have the opportunity to choose. We can choose to follow the gospel plan, or we can not, we can choose to obey the commandments, or we can not. God has given us the freedom to choose, and I have chosen to share the Gospel, to do God’s will. It’s amazing to me the blessings that one receives while sharing.  In the world’s view, the more you give means the less you’ve got. With the Lord is the opposite, the more you give, the more you’ve got. But it all depends on us and what we choose. 

Christ lives and hears our prayers!!

Love Elder Joe.

HOLA!!!

This week we have had some fun!!! :) On Monday we went to Chiki’s to eat as a Zone. On Tuesday we had to pick up the Zone Leaders from Moyobamba (the jungle) to sleep over in our room.  On Wednesday we had the Zone Leaders Conference. :) Then, on Thursday night we had to pick up two Elders that are finishing their missions, Elder Moore, and Elder Smith. So all week we have had other people sleeping in our room!  On Thursday we also gave service to a member in the morning, fixing his roof, and on Friday we gave service sanding down a room to be painted. On Saturday we planned for this week and the new changes and yesterday we taught a family that is really awesome!!!!!!!  So our week has been really busy and so many things have been happening that I was going a little crazy this week. :)  But, such is life. The craziness continues as a new week starts and today we have to set up a new area in the zone.   Tomorrow are changes......... I am way excited to work this change and to see what we can do!!!!  I will finish here, but three elders are leaving the zone. :(  So we still have a lot of work to do.  The work is moving along and we are focusing on the families, and working hard to find 4 families that will be baptized.  We are looking for the families that the Lord has prepared for His work.  Families are Forever!!!!

My favorite food if it is food food, is Aji de Gallina, and if it’s a dessert, then alfajores!!!!  And my least favorite would be……...burnt kidney!!!!!

Well, I know that the Lord has formed again on the earth His gospel and I am so excited to be part of this great work!  We have a living Prophet on the earth today, and he is the Lord’s messenger to guide us in our path. I love the gospel and the many blessings that it brings in my life.  I love the Lord and I am happily serving Him.  Life is awesome!!!  I love you all soooooo much!!!!

Love Joe

Hello from under the equator and in PERÚUUUU

This week went well and we had an awesome baptism. Her name is Mabel.  A couple of months ago her foot got run over by a motocar, so she is using crutches still and the water was really really cold!!!!! I baptized her, so we entered the water and we were both a little chilly.  When I baptized her, her foot left the water.  We had to do it again, so we put a chair in the font and she sat on it, and when I went to baptize her, she didn’t even go under...…  Sooo, I kneeled down in the water and she sat on the steps of the font and she was baptized!!!  It was awesome!!!!!  Third time was the charm...... :)  Then she shared her testimony and couldn’t get it all out because she said that she felt a peace inside, and then just started to cry.  That moment was soooooo special and the whole room was quiet. Awesome!!!

We have also found two families this week that are great!!!! One of the other families that we are teaching accepted to be baptized on the 23rd!!!  The work is progressing!!!!

My companion and I cover more than one ward, but we don’t work there always, just with references.

I have seen Elder Wood, from North Ogden, in my area a couple of times.  He looks good!

Our visit to Parque de la Imaginacion was awesome!  There was an earthquake room that shakes, a giant piano, a big bubble maker, an electric chair that works, a human gyro, a room that rolls and makes you dizzy, a giant human heart that lights up, and a couple of other things.  The photo’s I sent are from the Imagination Park.

I know that this is our Savior’s church and that He is at the wheel today, guiding and directing us.  I love the work and am excited to endure to the end!!!!!!

Also I found out that I will be finishing the mission here in my area right now!!!! And it is fine by me!!!

Happy 4th of  JULYYYYY

Love, Joe

HOLA!!! From under the equator!!!

Thank you for the photo’s and emails.  I also read one of the Hymns not long ago, “Like Ten Thousand Legions Marching” (#253), very awesome. But your song is sweet too!!! (# 325)  I was reading in the book of ancestors stories that was made for me, and there are some awesome stories in there.  They had such faith in the Lord!!!  We also need to have that faith to follow in their footsteps!  There was a quote that I read once that said that we receive as inheritance our name and that to live up to what we receive, we need to make it our own, or something like that, (it was a tradition by me) :)  Thanks for the inheritance!!!  I’m making it my own!!!

This week has gone well and I am trying to work my hardest here.  I know that there are lives and futures to change.  We had one baptism!!!  Mirko got baptized, and we were waiting for him at 6 in the chapel, when the baptism should have started.  But he didn’t show up at 6 or 7 so we were a little worried.  So we offered a prayer, and he got there!!! Just goes to show that when we do our part, and then put our faith in the Lord, He will never abandon us. Also, we are teaching a family that is awesome!!!!!  On Friday we talked with the father, Rudy, and he told us that he had prayed and that he had received his answer.  So we invited him to be baptized and he told us that he had an addiction to playing cards.  So we are working with him to help him beat the impulses that he has.  They also came as a family to church!!!  It was awesome!!!

The other two people that were to be baptized are waiting a little bit longer. Mabel will be baptized on Saturday, and Betty will be changing a few things in her life that are out of order and will be baptized at the end of July.

Winter in Lima is just a little cold and it mists a lot!  In Lima we can’t use the motocars, so we walk a lot!  We do exchanges if there are members to go with.  Right now we haven’t done it often, but are trying to.

Today we are going to the Imagination Park, or Parque de la Imaginacion, here in Lima.  I will send you pics this next week.

I know that God is our Father and that Jesus is the Christ, the Savior of mankind.  I also know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. Thomas Monson is a prophet of the Lord, and is guiding us today. I also know that this is the only true gospel on the Earth!!!  I know that these things are true.

Have an amazing week!!!  Hurrah for Israel!  Kia Kaha!

Love

Elder GREGORY JOSEPH JOHNSON aka Joe  :)

Hola from under the equator!

Well things are going great here in the work.  I am way excited for all the things going on here and there!!!

We have been working hard and had a great week!  This week we have three baptisms planned, and we are looking for more people that have been prepared to hear the gospel message. I love the work!!!  I am doing great, don’t worry about me at all, I am happy as a lark!!!  We are teaching some good families and we are hoping that one of them can get married this month, and that another one can be baptized, because they are already married.

Betty will be baptized on Saturday!!!  And she is inviting all of her family to go to church with her!!!  AWESOME!!!  We also have two other investigators that will be baptized on Saturday!!! Coolio!!!

Today we went to the Temple and it was great to feel the wonderful spirit there, I love our family and am so glad that it is an eternal one!!!  It just reaffirmed my testimony of eternal families and renewed my desire to have an eternal family someday. I love the Temple!!!

I know the Gospel is true and has been RESTORED!!!  The book of Mormon is God’s word!!!  The Temple is God’s house!!!

Thank you for your kindnesses!!!

I love you sooo much!!!  A ton!!!

Love Elder Joe

Hola!!!  From under the equator!!!

Well this week we have been working hard.  On Sunday a whole family we are working with went to church!!!  It was cool!!!  Also Betty, the mom of one of the brides from the massive marriage went to church, and SHE IS GOING TO GET BAPTIZED!!!!! WWWoooot!  Raul didn’t get there, but we are still working with him so that he can convert to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  We are still having awesome experiences and working... DURO!!!! (HARD!!!!) 

“In the gospel of Jesus Christ you have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that.  When disappointment and discouragement strike --and they will--you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened, we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection (see 2 Kgs. 6:16-17).

They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham's seed.”

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Awesome Quote!!!!!!!!!!!  I’ve got horses and chariots of fire with the angels of heaven at the reins to my aid. I think I’m in really good hands. :)  I know that we are in the last days, but we don’t have to fear, if we are ready for the Battle.

My love to all the family and friends from the ward, I’m doing great thanks to all their prayers. I love the opportunities and experiences that I am having and the testimony that I am gaining. I know that the scriptures are true!!!  I know that this is our Lord and Saviors gospel!!! He is the Holy One. I’m not the great one, the Lord is, and I’m just His servant.

Love you a ton!!!

Elder Joe!

Hola!!!! From under the equator!!!!!

Well, this week we had changes, but I was not changed!!!!! Wooohooooooo we got two new elders in the zone and we are happy with that. On Wednesday we had a zone leader council and it went well, we learned some new things, and we made a couple of new goals as a mission.  Also, Sister Blunck talked a little bit about the importance not only of what we do, but of who we become in the mission and in our lives.  I started thinking about when I was little and mom and dad asked me what I wanted to be.  I told them “an honest man”.  Well, it is still true.  I want to be an honest man in all I do, including being honest to God, and thanking Him for all that He has given me.  It was cool for me to remember that far back, and to think about who I am and who I have been and who I can be in the future.

On Thursday we taught Raul, and we read about Alma the Younger’s conversion with him. It was a cool lesson and we could see that he started thinking because of it.  Then that same night, he sent a text to our phone that said that he wanted to prepare himself for the last judgement and that he wanted us to pass by and tell him when he could be baptized.  We were just looking at each other like “wow, the Lord is amazing.…”  Raul has a lot to change, but he can do it and we are here to help him.

Yesterday we made banana chocolate chip cookies for breakfast!!!! Mmmm with milk.  Also Yesterday was the elections here, so we couldn’t teach lessons in the morning or anything.  So we watched Legacy.... :) We also found an awesome family contacting in the street!!!!! 

The work is progressing, and no hand can stop it from doing so.  I know that this is the true gospel of the Savior Jesus Christ, and that His will is that all of His children can return to His presence and have joy.  I love the work, and I love seeing the miracles it produces.  I love you all!!!! Have a great week!!!!

Love Elder Joe!!!!

Hola!

The pictures are of the zone a couple of weeks ago, the baptism on Friday, and a Procession that passed by our house with smoke and music.

Sounds like you all had a good week, a peaceful week, I did too.  I have felt the Spirit and am excited for this new month and this new change.  The whole zone is staying in place with only one change, Elder Garcia is going to Pucallpa and we are also growing.  We will have a new area opened this change.

We have been having success and on Saturday we had five baptisms!!!!!! Three of them are sisters.  Their brother got baptized a month and a half ago, and they told us that they wanted to be baptized, so they did.  Also their two neighbors told us the same thing, and their parents gave them permission.  Although the parents don’t really want anything, we will keep working with them so that they also can be baptized.  My policy for a while has been that I don’t baptize children without parents or unless they literally tell me “I want to be baptized.”   The Lord talked about those pure of heart that wanted to follow Him without a doubting heart, that they are blessed.  All five of them that were baptized are soooo excited to follow the gospel.  They are great examples for their parents. They also shared their testimonies in the Baptismal service and it was great!!!!!!

I have seen soooo many things this week and I don’t even know where to start to tell you all about it. :)  On Monday we made cookies as a zone and we were there alllll day because the oven was soooo slow!!!!!!  But it helped us to bond as a zone, and now we are all focusing on the investigators that will be baptized in June.  This month as a zone we had 24 people that were baptized and confirmed.  It has been awesome to see the zone work hard, and I am happy with what we have done.  This month will also be awesome!!!  I can’t wait.

I am really happy here and loving the work!!!!!  I feel the Spirit pushing me onward in the work, and I can’t go backwards, only onward ever onward!!!!!!  I love the Lord!!!!!  I love the Mish!!!!!!

Love you sooooo much.

Love YA!

Elder JOE

Hola! From under the equator and in Lima,

To all my family and cousins, Hi and I love you!  Especially the cousins who are in mission preparation, read The Standard of Truth, it is awesome.

This week has been really great and I have felt a great spirit in all the lessons and meetings that we have had. Well, Monday we cleaned the apartment a bit and slept a bit. On Tuesday we taught a family that wants to be married and we took out the trash.  They changed their attitudes, they were amazed that we would serve like that. It was cool to see the ¨Ammon Principle¨ in effect. On Wednesday we had a conference with President Blunck about the Fundamental Principles of Teaching.  That went well.  On Friday we taught another family that is married and the wife and grandma that live there attended church on Sunday!!!! On Saturday we had the baptisms of Jose and Genesis, and Anabel and Elmer!!!!! I felt the Spirit during the Baptismal Service.  These four shared their testimonies at the end.  It was awesome!!!!!  There were a lot of members there and afterwards they had a reception for them!!!! AWESOME!!!!!!!  They also got confirmed yesterday, and they are all really happy with everything.   Awesome week!!!!

We also found a family that was having a lot of problems in the moment that we knocked on their door.  They let us in, the Spirit was strong and they accepted to be baptized in June!!!!!!

Our investigators are progressing really good!  My companion is great!  One of the Seventy said that we are importers of heavenly peace to the world, and that we should share it with all.  I try to scatter sunshine along my way.  I love the work and I love the Lord.

I know that Jesus is the Holy One, I love His gospel and am thankful for the unselfish sacrifice of His blood.  I know the gospel is true.

Have an amazing week!!!!!!!!!

Fidelidad Hasta El Fin!!!!!!

I love you a ton!!!!

Elder Joe Johnson

I love going to the temple, because I feel peace when I am there. My companion and I are  having a great time and we are working way hard. I am having some of the best experiences of my life!!!!  I’m learning lots, trying to progress and become what God wants me to be.

In Lima we went to the catacombs (Museo San Francisco - Monastery and Museum), and saw everything. Afterwards we ate McDonald’s - so good jaja (wasn’t 2 years ago but now!).

On Saturday two couples got married, and next Saturday they will be getting baptized!!!!!! We all were there in the Town Hall park, basically, and they had to get there early at 8 am because they had to do some papers and they close the doors at 11 am.  Well, we were there waiting and we were soooo nervous because they got there at 10:50 and 10:55 am.  We were so stressed, but they got there!!!  Answers to our prayers!!!  Also they went to stake conference yesterday, and they are really changing a lot!!!  Stake Conference was great!

This week we have had a lot of cool experiences, we found some guy that had found a Book of Mormon in the street and had read part of it and he knew about Jose Smith.  So we have an appointment to explain to him all about the Book of Mormon on Sunday.  We also have found a lot of families that are awesome. We have 9 people with baptism dates and two of them are the families that got married on Saturday. The work is going forward!!!!!

We have had some cool contacts with families, and we found a family in 2 contacts. First we found the wife, she told her husband that we were going to pass by on Tuesday. Then, yesterday we contacted the husband, he told us that he will also wait for us on Tuesday. It was cool because he told us that his wife had talked about us, and that she wanted him to listen too. 

I love the gospel and I am thankful for all your prayers!

I love you all sooo much!!!!!

Hurrah for Israel!

Elder Joe

Well, things are great! I already told you all about my week in the phone call on Sunday, so I’m not too worried about telling you too much.  But I think that I could share my testimony. I am so thankful for our Savior, to think that God sent his own Son, one of His own to break the chains of the Fall, and to rescue us all, is something so big. Today I asked a contact what he thought of what Christ had done, and if he would do the same and he just looked at me like “I don’t know if I could.”  But God did know that He could do it, and that He was the only one.

Today I was also thinking about the Creation and how it came about, God actually created it all!!!!! He is The CREATOR!!!!  And this world is awesome. We also got to go to the temple today and it was an awesome experience and I learned a lot there, and felt the Spirit  soooo strong! I love the temple!!! Well, I love the gospel and am thankful for the opportunity that I have to teach it. I love it so much. I also love all you FAMILIA JOHNSON!!!!!

FIDELIDAD HASTA EL FIN!!!!

Love Elder JOE

I will answer questions on Sunday. I love you all sooo much. We are teaching some families and one of the Dad’s told us that he has received an answer to his prayers. The other has felt the Spirit in church and he shared his testimony on Sunday.

Love you all,

Joe

Hola!

This week was amazing!  I am settling back in Lima.  It is cooler than the selva (jungle), and I feel soooo goood!!!!  I am getting used to it again.  I am serving now in the Los Pinos Ward, and Independencia Stake, as a Zone Leader.  My new companion is Elder Erick Abraham Gerónimo Ajanel, from Guatemala, Antigua.  The members here are amazing!

This week we have had some cool experiences.  We contacted a family in the street on Tuesday, and we taught them on Saturday.  They accepted to be baptized, but they need to be married first, so they put the goal of getting married on May 14^th.  They attended church on Sunday!!!!  We had another family attend that will be married on May 14^th also.  All four of them will be getting baptized on the same day!  Awesome investigators.  We also had a baptism on Saturday that went well, and everything is just great!!!!   

I know that Jesus lives.  I know it!  I hope you had a Happy Easter!

Love Joe

HOLA !!!! From under the Equator and in the Jungle!!!!! Well, not for long, this week will be  changes and I am going to Lima. But it’s all good, it doesn’t matter where I’m at, I am still the Lord’s servant, and will keep on working hard. They told us yesterday that Elder Blas is staying here and that I’m going to Lima.  But now the changes are a little different, they just tell us what side of the mission we are in, so I am in for a surprise!!!!! jajaja Well that’s ok! It will make life interesting.

This week has been really good. We started off the week with 8 lessons on Tuesday, which was awesome and that kind of continued all week long, it has been a great week!!!!  Francisca got baptized and confirmed and that went really well.  Her son is the Ward mission leader and he got to baptize her.  They were way happy.

We also taught an atheist and invited him to pray and ask if God exists, and he agreed to do it.  We found out that one of our investigators that is 87 got hit by lightning a year ago and she lived through it, she is awesome.

The work is GREAT!!!!! It is progressing like the Lord wants it to!!!!!  We get lots of member referrals, and had a lot more than usual this week!  Also, we tract almost every day.

We get some fresh fruit and I love MANGOES!!!!! They are really, really good!!!!

Christ does live, I love what it talks about in the Liahona this month!!!!!! Live the Scriptures!!!!!!  (that was an error, I meant ‘love’ but ‘live’ is cool too!)

I love the work, I live the work, I dream the work, IT IS MY PASSION.

Well, Happy Easter Too !!!!!!!!

Love Elder Joe