Querida (Beloved) Familia!!!!!
Hola from under the Equator!!!!
Well this week a lot of things have changed, I am with a latin companion (he grew up in Puerto Rico), I live in a new room, I have a district of 6 not 12, I am seven days older, 3 investigators accepted to be baptized this Saturday, etc...
This week has been good, and our new apartment is cool, it’s bigger!!! It has a patio and two rooms and when you go in the bathroom you can’t touch the walls at all with arms outstretched!!! (In my last room the bathroom was itsy bitsy!!) Also, there is room to put up my hammock from Pucallpa, and it’s the third level of a house.
We are teaching Willian and Mary right now, they are dating and are both going to be baptized this Friday, and Joel will be baptized this Saturday!!
I love the gospel, it is soooooo true!!!
I wish you all a great week!! Kia Kaha!! Fidelidad Hasta el Fin!!!!!
Love Elder Johnson!!!!

Hola, from under the Equator!!!!!!!

Well I’m good, and a little sad because Elder Divis is going to Pucallpa!!!!  I will be staying here with Elder Sanez. It has been a good change and we have learned a lot!!!! I will miss him!

Also Mom I do know Elder Andersen, he is from my group in the CCM and MTC, and he is great! Also my district that grew to 12 last change will only be 6 this change. 

My area is cool, and is a lot of street (surface), compared with other areas which are dirt roads.  There are very few plants here, but practically all of the house plants that people have in the U.S. are what grows here. The other day I found the same plant that we have growing in the doorway (in Utah)!!! The area is surrounded by really big dirt mounds that they call cerros and that are made of dirt and rocks. Also plants don’t grow there, (it’s a desert), and the poorer people live on the sides of them, and paint their houses so it looks a little bit like a pile of Legos.

I love you all!!!!

I know that Thomas Monson is a prophet of God, Joseph Smith Restored the True church of Christ and The Book of Mormon is the truth, and contains what we need to survive the challenges of the world.- Alma 5:43-48

Elder Joe Johnson

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

This week was good and we had seven investigators in the church yesterday, and it was great to see them get there!!! In the mission a while ago we had a capacitation with President Blunck and we learned how we could better serve, with 8 simple lessons. This week I realized that I was only putting in practice a couple of them and so I decided to try and put them all in practice, and the obedience brings forth the blessings!!! The more that I read the scriptures I have found that Faith and Obedience are keys to success. Things are going good here!!! I am still with Elder Divis and we are working hard every day!!! I love the Savior, and know that He lives, I love His restored gospel and the blessings that we receive through it. I love you all. Have a great Week!!!!!

Elder Joe Johnson

Hola!!! from under the Equator!!!!!!

The past week was great!  A lot of dates fell through, but this week will be even better.  I have been learning a ton, I don’t have lots of time, but I love you all and I know that this is the only true and living church on the earth.  

We taught a 20 year old named Fran and while we taught we explained the Priesthood and how important it is, and when we finished explaining that Joseph Smith received the Priesthood, he said, the most important part..., and Elder Divis just smiled and said yep!!! He also told us that he would finish the Book of Mormon in a week. It’s been a week and he’s in Alma, which is pretty good!!!!!! He reads faster than I do!!!  Elder Divis is great, and we help each other.  We grew last week to 10 in the District, and today we get two more!  All of the Zone is my District, it’s fun.

I am grateful to be a member of the Kingdom of God on earth.  I know that the affects of the "Fall of Adam" have been taken care of by the Infinite Atonement. The arms of the Savior are open and He invites each of us to follow Him. Joseph Smith is the prophet of this great and last dispensation. He was the chosen mouthpiece for God to open the Heavens and establish the Church of Jesus Christ once again.

Note: I changed the last part of my email from last week.  It’s better!!!  (So check out the modified #5 and the additional #6)

I love the work!!! and the Gospel!!!!!

Love yall!!!

Elder Gregory Joseph Johnson

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!!!