From under the equator!!!!

Well this week Gilmer Zevallos got baptized!!!!

It went well and he has changed many habits. Yesterday we passed by to teach him, normally in his house when his brother in law drank he did too, but now he was outside waiting for us because inside they were drinking.  Also they passed Carnival here and almost everyone put up a Yunza or Humisha, it is a tree with prizes in it, then they get drunk and cut it down and everyone runs to get a prize. Pretty interesting.  

I am great!!!! We have changed this week, I am going to a different zone here in Iquitos called Punchana with Elder Blas, he is Peruvian. I am thankful for all of my blessings and especially for yesterday in the fast and testimony meeting, I got to bare my testimony and I felt the Spirit soooooo strong and I am just so grateful for our Savior, I know that he lives, the Spirit testifies to me of that fact and I know it with all of my soul. I love you all and am thankful for your prayers. 
I love you all, love Elder Joe

Note: Peruvian Carnival - During the latter half of February and the first weeks of March, Peru is alive with carnivals, as the communities prepare for Lent. Lent is a quiet and sober time, but the Carnival period preceding Lent is a very festive time. Parades, dancing, street festivals and huge water fights can be found across the country as people celebrate with abandoned joy.  Although each region has its own variations, they each share the ritual of the Yunza. Yunza is also known as Umisha and Caramonte. Yunza is a tree filled with gifts which is danced around. While participants dance around it, they take a chop at it with an axe or machete. The dance continues until the tree is chopped down and the gifts are shared. The couple that brings the tree down is in charge of organizing the Yunza gifts and feast for the following year.

The Iquitos adaptation of the Carnival season starts with water-balloon fights and concludes in the locally unique tradition of dancing around the Humisha tree on the final night.  As early as four weeks before Carnival you will encounter young people in the streets tossing buckets of water or water balloons at passing cars and motorcycles.  These "water wars" are really a battle of the sexes, with groups of males throwing water at groups of females and visa versa.  In addition to water, they can incorporate flour, talcum powder, achiote (a natural dye), paint, or oil, and you can never be quite sure what exactly was in that balloon! Although these activities are officially against the law, the law is generally ignored by officials. Another Carnival tradition that is peculiar to Iquitos is the Humisha tree.  The Humisha is a palm tree that is placed in a pot, with the leaves being tied together at the top, and the tree is hung with gifts.  The tradition of the Humisha tree is a ritual that has been handed down for many generations in Iquitos.

HOLA FROM UNDER THE EQUATOR!!!

WOW!!!  An uncle again!!!  CONGRATS JARED AND SHEILA!!!! YEAH BABY!!!!!!

I am doing GREAT!!  My testimony is growing and I see the hand of God in many, many ways!

  

Well, this week things have been great!!!!! On Monday we went to play with water again in the Stake Center and someone brought their monkey and we were playing with it.  It whistles when it is happy and it was cool!!!!  We worked all week and on Tuesday we had eight lessons!!!!!  On Wednesday I taught the District meeting and had a work visit in the ZL´s area that went well! On Thursday we had weekly planning and a good day, and on Friday Emilio and Jhonny had their interviews for their baptisms. They passed!!  On Saturday they got baptized!!!! Elder Sanchez got to baptize both of them, and it was awesome!!! There were a lot of members there to support them! On Sunday they both got confirmed and everything is great!!! This Saturday two more, Santiago and Gilmer, will be baptized!!!

Also I got pooped on by a pigeon in the street on Saturday.  I never thought I would be so lucky to have that happen to me..... jajaja  I thought someone had thrown dirt, but it wasn’t dirt. jajaja

Well the book is blue and the church is true!!!! Jesus Christ is the Holy One and our Savior and Redeemer. He Lives!!!!  I love the Gospel!!!!

Hurrah for Israel!  Kia Kaha!  Fidelidad hasta el Fin! 

Love Elder Joe!!!!!

Well this week has gone great! We have been working to find new investigators that will progress to get baptized. We are working hard and I am feeling the Spirit in our lessons. Yesterday was a weird day and we taught a lady that said that she was Catholic, but didn’t know that Jesus had died for our sins.  When she told us that she didn’t remember that He died on the cross, we just looked at each other really surprised... I am sooo thankful for the Gospel and the sure knowledge that I have that Jesus is the Christ and that He paid for my sins. I love you all a ton.  The church is true!!!!

Love Elder Joe Johnson!!!! and proud to be a Johnson 

Also, I’m praying for you!!!

Hola from under the equator!!!

Well, this week three couples got married!!! de verdad!!! WWWOWOOOHHHOOO!!!!! We have worked for about two months with this and it finally passed!!!

On Monday we played Futbol and on Tuesday we had a normal day of work, on Wednesday we had a Zone Conference with the three Zones in Iquitos with Presidente Blunck, and I had to do a Capacitation.....it went well and a couple Elders told me that they felt the Spirit during it, COOL because I was way way way WAY nervous, I don’t know why, but I was, so I was happy when it was over. :)

On Thursday we had planning and on Friday I went to the area of Elder Charca to do a work visit with him. It went well! On Saturday we had the wedding!!!

First, we went to the stake center and no one was there! So we went to their houses to tell them to go to the chapel fast because they were starting. One of the couples had already gone, but the other that we passed by said that their witnesses couldn’t get there to the chapel. This is a BIG problem because it they don’t go then you can’t get married here.

So we went to the house of the witnesses, praying all the way, and when we got there we explained what would happen if they didn’t go and they said that they would go!!!  When we got to the chapel again, everything was good and they were all there!!  WOOT!!! The Lord helped us sooo much with this!!! 

The Gospel of our Savior has been Restored!!! Joseph Smith was called of God and Thomas Monson is the Lord’s mouthpiece on the earth today.

Jesus Christ is the Savior, he is the Light and the Life of the World!!! HE LIVES, I KNOW IT!!!! Entienden? HE lives.

Well, great week, miracles happen.  I love you all!!! A ton!!!

Love Elder Joe!!!!

This week passed well, and we have been inviting a lot of people to be baptized.  Normally they turn us down, but we always teach them and try to help them understand the necessity of being baptized and the blessings that they will receive when they make this important step in their lives. This past week for p-day we played Futbol and messed around a little, then we went home and slept and then worked. On Tuesday we had our District Conference and on Thursday the ZL got back from Lima and I got letters from Grandma-J, Josh and a package from Emily. WOOT Thanks for all of the love. I loved the picture from Josh and Amberly with the little guys.

On Saturday Elder Samayoa visited me and we invited three people to be baptized. They all said yes to be baptized, but not on specific dates.

So we will keep working with them and finding new people to teach.

One of the things that passed this week is that we taught John Pastor and he told us that he had prayed and had received his answer. Yeah!!!

The church is SOOO true.The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives our lives purpose and helps us to return to our Fathers presence. I love you soooo much. 

Elder Joe

P.S. It is hot right now, and we are going to the stadium of Iquitos to play Futbol.

Hola from under the Equator and in the jungle!!!!

Thanks for the packages that you have sent me and all that you do for me!!!! I love you all!!

Transfers were last week, and I am staying in the same place for another change.  I am doing good, and the work is going good.

This week we were going to have a Massive Marriage, but it got canceled for the city council. This meant that we had to go and tell the couples that they would not be getting married on Friday.  There were some problems, but we were able to help two of the couples from our area settle their problems.  God helped the other one overcome their problems and everything is OK.  They will be preparing to get married on the 12th of February. We also found some great people yesterday and they are sure to progress, one of them is Royter, the brother of another investigator.  He assisted yesterday and we taught him in the afternoon, and he is really willing to receive the gospel! He has been prepared and we will be teaching him on Tuesday to invite him to be baptized!!!!

We taught Grecia, the cousin of a sister that is here from Lima, and we felt the Spirit strongly as we taught her.

I have also been reading in the Ensign from conference and there are amazing things there! I love the conferences!

Love you all and I know that the Gospel is true!!! Love you allll!!!

Love Joe

Hola! From under the Equator!!!

Recently, I have gained a large interest and passion in the Holy Scriptures.  I have felt many times that the topics and doctrines that they teach and that I am reading, apply directly to me and my life.  As I have studied, I have found a way to spread out my time so that I can study what I really need and what I would like to learn.  Every day as a missionary I have an hour in the morning set apart to study the Scriptures, and I have learned something very important about this time.  I can use it for what it is meant, and gain knowledge and experience, or I can waste it very easily and do other things that appear to be “important”, but aren’t the “most important” things.  I have learned from this that, to gain the knowledge that I desire, it is of utmost importance that I apply myself and that I focus on what is most important. 

Well, this week Rusbel Shapiama got baptized!!! WOOTTTTT!!!

It went well except we didn’t have water, so we started to fill up the font in our other ward and then one of the members said he knew how to fix the pump.  So he did, and we were able to fill up the font and Rusbel got baptized!!!!

Also, sorry for not writing more, there isn’t any more time. I love you all!!! The gospel is true!!!!!

Love Elder Joe!!!