Hola!!!!!!! from Under the EQUATOR!!!

Well I got to baptize Hermana Dora Rojas on Saturday!!!!!! It was awesome!!! We got to the church on Saturday to help fill the Baptismal Font and the valve that lets out the water was open, but it’s outside and they had recently painted over it, so we couldn’t open the lid to turn it off. We tried about 15 times before we could finally lift it out, the lid weighs about fifty pounds and is cement and we found out that to lift it up we had to pull together and at the same time on the two handles. We finally got it out and then we found out that the water wasn’t filling very fast so we got out the hose to help fill it up. So, needless to say we started late, and at the same time the Branch was having an activity so all of the people were there to participate, and it went good. The water was really cold, and she was really nervous. But she told us after, that when she left the water she was at peace, in the exact moment when she left the water. She will be a great member here and a strength too.

This week was good, and yesterday we found a man selling cheese in the street and we started talking to him, and he let us taste his cheese, and it had a little of the taste of cheese curds from Beaver, it was pretty good. :) 

Also in the Branch party we did a little skit that was pretty good, but I won’t tell you about it because I will do it after the mission! :)

Well this week was testimony building, and I’m glad that I had so many opportunities to learn. I am also grateful that I have the gospel, I am glad that I have to live the true Gospel of Jesus Christ like it was taught by Christ himself. I love the feelings of the Spirit that fill my heart when I read the scriptures, pray, and participate in these things. I also am grateful for the love of an eternal family and I am starting to understand the ties between Heaven and Earth, like Elder John Groberg says in ¨The Other Side of Heaven¨, they make ¨all the difference.¨ I love The Work. I’m good, really good.

Love you all, Eternally.

Elder Joe Johnson

Hola!!!!!! From under the Equator!!!!!!!

Wow! sounds like your week has pretty full!!!!

I loved the pictures, the youth Spectacular looked great!!!

I wish I could have been there, to enter the temple with James too, send them my Congrats!

This week was good, I felt the Spirit guide me and also the reason why I didn’t write yesterday is because today we went to the temple!!!!!!! wooooooohhoooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!! 

It was great, we woke up at 4:15 am to get there in time for the first session, and it was really good, I got to sit there at the end and just feel the Spirit and to thank God for the opportunity to enter the Temple after 10 months. It felt soooo good. :)

Let me emphasize this again, I LOVE THE TEMPLE!!!!!!!!

Well, I have also had a good week. We taught a family yesterday that isn’t married and they have one son, and the wife, Isolina, wants to be baptized, so we talked with them and explained the importance of marriage- but we will see what happens with them.

Also this Saturday Dora is going to be baptized, and she is way excited, she has already read to Alma 17 in the Book of Mormon and she loves the scriptures!!! Every time we talk with her I see how prepared she is and how the Spirit has testified to her of the truth.

Well, I love this gospel, I know that IT IS TRUE.  This morning I felt again the Spirit testify to me that it is true. I also finished the Book of Mormon this week, and I know that this Book is true, it was written by Prophets of God under the direction of the Spirit. I love this work and I also love our Savior and know he loves me. 

READ the Book of Mormon, 

PRAY about what you read,

FOLLOW what the Spirit tells you to do.

Love you Infinitely,

Elder JOE 

(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!!!!!!