Well, I don’t know who will read this letter, but I hope it will help YOU.

I am a missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and right now I am living in Perú serving God for two years of my life. I would like to explain a few truths about life that I have encountered recently;

First- God lives. He is our Father in Heaven and He loves each and every one of us. Because he loves us he desires our happiness in every way possible. He will help us in whatever way he can, and he understands us - imagine it the Creator, the God of Heaven and Earth wants to help you succeed and he will do everything in his infinite power to help you. Because he loves you.   

Second- God loves us. Our Heavenly Father loves us perfectly, which means that no matter what we do, good or bad, he is there for us with loving arms outstretched to embrace us and help us to be happy again. Also, the reality is that to really be happy again we need his help and that comes through his only son in the flesh, Jesus Christ. 

Third- He sent Jesus Christ to save us. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World because he about two thousand years ago in a garden called Gethsemane suffered for yours and mine and all of our sins, sufferings, afflictions, and diseases. He paid the price for the bad things that you and I do every day in every way.  No man can or ever will understand that, but He did do it, for us. He is the middle man in our Salvation, and he also loves us infinitely. 

Fourth- Faith is necessary. We need to believe that these things are true, because if they are your life has meaning, and if they aren’t then it doesn’t. Faith is also more than only saying I believe in God, it is saying, “I will act on my belief in God.”

Fifth- The action is Repentance. Repentance is basically to stop doing bad things, but it entails praying fervently to God and asking forgiveness and then not going back to what we were doing, it is a permanent change for good. It brings joy and peace and let’s us feel the love of God more easily and do what we should, because when are humble enough to repent, we are humble enough to listen to His guiding Spirit.

Sixth- We are guided to make covenants, or promises, with Him. The first of these covenants is baptism. The importance of these covenants is so that we can receive blessings and progress to become more Christ-like, also they are to help us learn to be obedient. When we obey God and keep our covenants He can bless us, (and He DOES bless us), these blessings although not usually gold or a new Mercedes-Benz, are what we need and deserve, what God sees fit.

I know that living in obedience to God brings forth His blessings for us and they are so worth it. I am grateful to God for what He has given me; a family united eternally, freedom, hope, love, and more than all else, the gift of His Son Jesus the Christ. I love God, He does Live. I know God loves us each and every one and desires our happiness.

Love Elder Joe :)

Hola from under the Equator!!!

Things are looking up it’s a great day to be UP (do you remember that book, oh the places you’ll go?)  I just thought about the message that it sends - it’s like the gospel and it’s message of hope through the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Well, this week I have had many experiences and I have learned the importance of endurance I think. Enduring to the end, reading the scriptures every day and praying with purpose are so important for our personal salvation and for learning about the gospel, and it blesses the lives of others so much when we do it.

I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and am so thankful for my fathers that taught me the right from the wrong.  Our Heavenly Father does the same, but if we don’t read His words or follow what the prophets tell us, how will we know what to do??? I hope the Conference was great for you all and, if you missed a part, you can find it on the church website. We will get to watch Conference this coming week for church like we would have done last Sunday. I can’t wait to watch it!!! I love the gospel of Jesus Christ. I love it!!!!!

The other day I was reading in the Liahona from June 2010 and there was an article about the importance of the words of the living prophets because in the church we don’t only have the scriptures, but we have someone that God has provided to tell us what we need to do right now! Thomas Monson is that living prophet today for us, I know he is a prophet of God.

 Also, something that you can do with the scriptures is put the word Temple when it talks about a mountain, you will come to some new conclusions. It is great!!!

I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored on the earth once more. I know it. I love our Savior and what he has done for us, paying for our sins with his blood.

I love this gospel and I love all of you. Hope you have a great week!!!

Forever Strong, Fidelidad hasta el fin!!!

Elder Joe Johnson

Hola Hola!!  From under the Equator!!!

Elder Calle went to the jungle!!! To Pucallpa!!!  In my first area when I was there!!

And I have a new comp!!  His name is Elder Dustin Jack Divis, from Colville, Washington!!  I never thought that I would be with a gringo, but stranger things have happened!!!  He is great!!!  We are about the same height and he’s blond. 

He speaks pretty good Spanish for just leaving the CCM. It was funny when they told us that we would be together, because I have never heard of two gringos being together here, but it’s great, we talk in Spanish all of the time so that he can get better.

On Friday we had a lesson with the mom of a recent member named Vilma and Elder Divis invited her to be baptized and she accepted, but told us in December, and then we invited her to pray with us and ask if these things were true and when she did so the Spirit was in the room with us and we invited her to be baptized the 23 of October and she said that would be fine. It was great!!!

Also, Saturday Elder Divis baptized Amparo Utrilla!!!  On Saturday we had filled up the font and everything was ready, but the people to be baptized weren’t there and we were a little worried because it was a half hour late and Amparo hadn’t gotten there.  So we went upstairs in the church to pray, and when we came down from talking with God, He had done miracles, she was waiting for us in the chapel!!!  It went well and on Sunday she got confirmed!

This Sunday we will not be watching General Conference because there are elections here and we cant have meetings with any church or other group, we can’t even meet with anyone. :(

I know God lives and that he listens to his children. He loves us no matter what we do.

I love you all tons!!!

Love Elder Johnson!!!

Hola from under the equator!!!

Well there will be a few changes!!!

I am going to stay here in Wiesse, and Elder Calle is going to Pucallpa!!! In the same area where I was!!! Centenario-Primavera!!!

Also I am going to have another son!!! I am Training again! It is going to be great!!!

I will stay as District Leader and they are dividing the zone, so it will only be Wiesse zone and Wiesse district jajaja. It’s going to be a great change!

Also this week I baptized Bertha!!!  She has changed a ton. At first she told us that she wasn’t going to get baptized on Monday, and we talked and invited her to pray about what she should do, and when we passed again on Tuesday she was crying while reading in the Book of Mormon when we knocked on her door.  She told us that she would be baptized and that she was ready to change her life!!!

Also, well lots more has passed too, I am great, and I wish you all a great week!!!

I love you all and am learning the importance of reading the scriptures and following their counsel. READ the scriptures!!!  They will change your life!!!

I love you all tons!!!

Fidelidad Hasta el Fin!!!

Elder Joe Johnson

Hola from under the equator!!!

These two weeks have been really good and I have learned and progressed in many ways. On Sunday we had Stake Conference and two families went to the conference!!!!

It was great and they did it in two sessions because there are lots of members and the building is a little small, we got to assist both of the sessions and they were great, the Spirit was there with us. This week I have been working with many different comps, because my comp and some other Elders had a capacitation in the mission offices. It’s the same one that I had a little while ago about the 8 Simplified lessons. It is great, and uses a lot of Preach My Gospel and the scriptures.  Putting in practice the things we learned there has helped in the lessons that we teach, and more investigators are gaining better and stronger testimonies with the 8 things we learned.  

Also this Saturday Bertha is getting baptized!!!!!!!

I am really good and I love the work, and the Scriptures!!! I love you all!!!

Have an amazing weekend, I will write on Monday!!!

Elder Joe Johnson

Hola!

This week we had a baptism on Saturday that completed the Salgado Family, Elder Calle baptized Jesus Granda at 5:45 on Saturday and it went well!!!

I have felt the Spirit this week and I am soooo excited for tomorrow because we are going to the Temple!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like my area because lots of members assist church every week, and the ward mission leader is great and really animated.

Sunday we were in church and the Stake President taught the Gospel Principles class about faith. It rocked!!! He had some really good examples that he shared, and then at the end he invited me to the front and asked an investigator, that was there for his first time, if he saw something different in my eyes that he didn’t see in other youth of the street. He said “si” and then he explained that the more faith that we have and the more we follow the Savior, the more we look like him, it reminded me of the song, “Have you received His image in your countenance…”  and the Scripture Alma 5:14.  

Answers to a few questions:

How big is your area?  — It is big, about twenty blocks by forty! It is only half of the Weisse Ward.   

How many missionaries in your district? — 10;  Your Zone? — We were 18, but two got taken out so now we are 16.

How often do you have district meeting and zone conferences?  — District Meeting every Wednesday, and as a Zone once every month and a half.

I know the work is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elder Johnson

Buenos Dias!!!!!!! Hola!!! From under the equator!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I am doing amazing!!!!!!!! I have seen miracles this week.

On Monday we taught Bertha about the Book of Mormon for the second time and invited her to read and to pray about it (which we had done before, but she hadn’t done it). When we passed on Tuesday she told us that she hadn’t read because she didn’t have time, so we invited her again to read and pray, and we passed on Wednesday to see how she was and we got there and sat down on the couch and she told us all excited that she had to tell us something.  So she started by telling us that she had read in the morning, and that she had gotten up early and had read all of the introduction and the testimony of Joseph Smith and that she had gotten to 1 Nephi and didn’t have too much time left, so she decided to open the book and to read what she found. When she opened the book (she opened to 3 Nephi 11) she started to read how Jesus came down in the middle of some people and started to let them touch His wounds in His hands and His side and that he taught about baptism and how we should be baptized in lots of water and in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. She told us “Jesus is talking right here and He talks about baptism and I want to be baptized like it says here”.  She also explained that he was teaching his “doctrine.”   Elder Calle and I just looked at her and smiled saying yeah it’s true and testifying that it is true and the Spirit was so strong there. I am so grateful for the moments when I can be a tool in the Lord’s hands to bring His children to know the truth. I love this work and know that it is true.  
I also love all of you!  Hope you have a great week and take luck!!!!!

Elder Joe Johnson