(Mom and Dad attended the Peruvian festival in Centerville last Friday.  We told Joe something of our visit there and the food we ate, he starts with his response.)  

Well did you like the Bisteck con papas???

How was the hot sauce?  If it was creamy and yellowish it is called Papa ala Huancaina and it is amazing!!!!!

Also the cookies with caramel, aren’t with caramel :) They are called Alfajores and they have Manjar Blanco- from Tarma- it’s a regional thing here, and it is a milk product I think. :) google it :)

Did you try the Chicha Morada??? (the purple corn juice)????

It’s really good, and if it isn’t from the package, if it’s fresh, it is amazing!!!! But it does take a little getting used to.

Well I had a great week this week, we had a lot of lessons that were spiritual, and I saw a lot of miracles. One of them was with Hanibal, we were walking in the street and contacting people, and we came around the corner in his face and started to contact him and he said that he had listened to the missionaries in the Dominican Republic, and that we could visit him.  When we could finally get there he said that he wanted to be baptized but that it would have to wait a little while because he is going to travel in two weeks, but it was still pretty cool to find him the way we did.

We also were working all day on Saturday, and the appointments weren’t home, so we were a little disappointed (jijijaja) and I remembered that the Branch president had given us a list of families to visit, and I could only remember one family’s name. We went to visit them and they introduced us to a family friend that we taught and she accepted to be baptized too!!! It was pretty amazing, and after Elder Peña told me that it was a miracle and that the Lord had blessed us for being obedient.

I love my Savior for all that He has done for me to rescue me. HE IS THE WAY, THE LIGHT, and THE LIFE.  And I am grateful for Him and His love for all of us that made it possible for us to return to Him.  This is HIS church restored on the earth.  I testify of this in His holy name, Amen.

Elder G. Joe Johnson

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

Happy Fourth of July to you!!!!!!!!!! All !!!!!

This week has been good, I have felt the Spirit a lot in our lessons and his guide in the things that I and my companion do every day.

This weekend, on Saturday, we were in the house of Ricardo’s aunt Zadith, she is a member, and he wasn’t there, he was sick so he couldn’t talk to us. We were a little sad, but we found ourselves with his cousin and we taught her and the Spirit was really strong, and she accepted to be baptized!!!  The only problem that she has is assisting the church, and she didn’t assist yesterday which was sad, but in ‘Preach My Gospel’ it says that we shouldn’t get discouraged if someone doesn’t accept what the Spirit teaches to their hearts. But I’m good and my companion too, we are working hard and trying to work smartly, but sometimes things just don’t go according to our plans. 

Last night was cool, someone was lighting off fireworks and I was thinking about all of the fireworks at Weber High that they light off.  It was great!  Happy 4th!!!!

My companion is cool, he reminds me a lot of Elder Aguirre and we get along pretty good, his dad works for the church in Guatemala.

I am still in the NORTE!!!!!!!! (Lima Peru North Mission)  It rocks!!!!!

We also had interviews with President Blunck (New Mission President) on Friday, they went well. He is from Oregon, and his wife is learning Spanish as her mission language!!!!  She can barely talk, but she uses one of the gringo Assistants to the President as her translator. :)  She reminds me a little of my Mom. :)

Well Love you Eternally!!!!!!!

Kia Kaha!!!!

Fidelidad Hasta el FIN!!!!

Elder Joe Johnson!!!!

p.s. I don’t know the direction (New mission home address) yet, but I will tell you next week.

I’m great, and I have a new comp. His name is Elder Alvaro José Peña Flores, Guatemala City, Guatemala and he is 20.

Well, the changes this week were Monday and for this reason I’m writing today on Wednesday!!!

Sorry for the bad grammatical errors, the keyboard is a little messed up, I will try to push the keys harder. ;) -- (Editors note, errors were fixed)

This week President Pérez goes home.  We had the good bye party on Friday for all of the Elders that are leaving, and for them. It was really good, and I hugged him at the end and said I’d miss him, he reminds me a little of G-pa F, really spiritual. Then after, we had cookies and sandwiches, and pop. :)

I am staying in Chinchaysuyo for this change.  Yesterday we taught Dora and Ricardo and they both accepted to be baptized, Dora the 24th and Ricardo the 17th. It was awesome especially for me because the last two weeks we have been working hard and everybody just told us, “no.” So when we were talking to Dora and she told us that she wanted to be baptized I was a little surprised and really happy! We left and went to teach Ricardo and we had to wait a little while for him to come home, and we taught him and he accepted! It was way awesome. Thanks for the prayers!!!!

I know that God’s church has been restored on the earth.

Love Ya!!!!!!!!

PS. Joe says that Elder Ruiz (his trainer) is now his Zone Leader.

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

Wow, sounds like a full week!!!

I’m an Uncle again!!!!!!!!

Woohooooooo!!!!!!!!

I just wish I could be there to smell “heaven”. He’s a cute little guy, I like his name but I think Rock-cito would be more appropriate. :)

Well happy late birthday to the ‘twins’, and happy birthday today!!!!!

Today for P-day we went to the center of Lima to see some sites, and we went to the catacombs again, and then to buy some stuff. I took pictures and bought a couple things. Also this week has been interesting and I have learned lots of things about where we should put our trust, In THE LORD. If we try doing things our way we have problems, we make mistakes and then afterward we wonder why the Lord didn’t help us when we were doing the right things. But, if we do it the Lord’s way he sends His spirit to be with us and it becomes our guide and our companion, and those we teach feel His presence.  I’m trying to be an instrument in the Lord’s hands and to follow His influence.

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of the Living God, that he did see what he says he saw in the Sacred Grove, God and His Son. “I’m trying to be like Jesus” in all that I do and say, and I know that Jesus is our Savior. I know He loves us so much that He died for us, that He died for me. I’m trying to really understand what this means for me and all of us, but I also know that He washes away our sins with the sacrifice that He made and I love Him for what He did.

Love you all.

Elder Joe Johnson 

Wow! Great photos!!

I never knew about that big room upstairs! (Refering to the scale model of the Salt Lake Temple)

COOL!!!!!!

Well this week I have felt the Spirit so many times, and in ways that I needed to feel it. One of them was when we were studying in the morning one day about the Joseph Smith Story, It Happened!

Also when we were teaching Isolina, she wants to be baptized, but her boyfriend doesn’t want to get married or separate, and we taught her.  Elder Vasquez said after that, the Spirit was the most strong he has felt since leaving the temple, it was really strong.

I’m good, I love you all, have a great day!!!!

Elder Johnson!!

Sorry I didn’t write to all, I have to go!!!!!

Love you!!!!!!

Hello.... I hear this word a lot here, because everyone has studied English in school and they only remember one word... Hello.  jajaja it’s true!!

I’m good. My Comp. is good. The weather is a little humid and cloudy, but it doesn’t ever rain here, it only mists. Sometimes it mists strong until the ground is wet, and today is one of these. But it never, never, never rains. :) 

This past week on Saturday we had three baptisms!!!!!!

They went really well and Elder Vasquez baptized Manuel Benitez.  I got to baptize the two sisters of Hayceli- Mardeli and Marvita Valverde. The water was really cold, (again) and we were all cold afterward, but it was really great.

We also taught a member family with one of their neighbors in their house and they didn’t have wedding rings so we gave them our “Anillos de Unidad” that we made from zip ties I had. (We had made these rings as a companionship to remind us to be united on Thursday, and we found a better use for them) :)

I am also getting used to gray skies all the time, and less fried bananas, Lima is a lot different from the Jungle, and I have to get used to it.

I am also preparing to send letters today!!!  I hope they make it!!!!!

Say hi to everyone!!!

I love you ETERNALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Gregory Joseph Johnson

Hola!

Last night we watched ¨Finding Faith in Christ¨, and testified that Christ is our Savior to a family where the mom is a temple worker, and the dad drinks and lots of missionaries have taught him, but he hasn’t changed too much. Also, we taught a little about the Plan because his mom died last week. We testified of the love of God for all of us. It was really spiritual and way good.

We also taught the sister of Hayceli that got baptized last week and we read 3 Nephi 11 and asked her “if Jesus was here, what would you ask from him?”, and she said “to be saved.”  We then explained to her from the gospel index that Hosanna means “save us” or a plea for the salvation, and then we explained to her that baptism lets us be saved, and she said that she would be baptized!!! Coolio!!!!!

We also had Interviews with President Pérez, (the last one) :( sad day..... I asked him how he felt, and he told me not to remind him that he is going home. jajajaja I love him as my president!! He is so great!

We live ten or fifteen minutes walking distance from the chapel, and the entrance of the apartment is a little messy, but the apartment is possibly the best of my mission. :) It’s pretty good. 

Thanks for the emails!!!!  I’m great!!!!!! My Comp ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are learning and becoming a team. I love you soo much!!!!!!!!

This week was great!!!! 

Christ lives! and paid for our errors.

Love ya!!!!

Elder Johnson