Huaral // 26 Oct 09
HOLA!!!!!!

I’m in the Field!!! It is awesome!!! My companion is Elder Ruiz from Mazatenango, Guatemala! He is pretty bomb, and we have had success together!!!! Yesterday we committed two people to baptism!!!  The ward here is awesome to missionaries, and really involved in the work!! Elder Ruiz and I have been having fun together, it’s basically proselyting all day long, which is cool!! Yes, I have a pensionista and she makes some pretty good stuff, for breakfast we have warm milk and sugar and rolls with eggs or stuff, its really good, and for dinner we have a Peruvian dish. Lunches here are the biggest meal and we eat with a member. The first day I thought the food was weird, but now I love it!! 

There is a family down here that has a daughter in Layton, her name is Norma Lindeman her family in Perù are really nice!! and they made me mac and cheese!!! :) 

I am having fun trying to understand people but living here helps. Thats cool about the seasons, here it is getting warmer. 

Oh my AREA!!! is Huaral, the whole city!!! We ride in moto taxis a lot, and walk a lot!!! It´s way fun. We talked to a member of the branch and he said the there are 24 different areas here so they can grow almost every fruit!!! 

I will send a cd with pictures in a while, I can’t email pictures but you can email them to me!! :) I can only email my brothers and sisters and parents, but I can receive email from other people!! :) 

I am having joy in the work and many spiritual experiences with the Lamanites. 

I LOVE YOU MORE!!!  Hurra por Israel!!!! KIA KAHA!!!  Oh how I love Perù!!!  

I love you thanks!!!

LOVE, ELDER GREGORY JOSEPH JOHNSON

From Letter, Lima // 14 Oct 09  

Hola!

I had an awesome time at the temple here in Lima today.  I didn’t think that I would get to go because usually your second to last preparation day is for going to immigration, but last night they said that we got to go, woo hoo!

Elder Delgado and I were pretty excited to go.  We rode an ‘auto bus’ to the temple, which is fun, and then when we went through the front doors, all the sounds of the street were left behind.☺ As I was getting ready to go through, I felt the spirit of the people on the other side waiting for their work to be done.  It was so cool! I hadn’t felt that before, so it was way cool.  I’m so glad we have temples, and I love attending them!

19 Oct 09

I also had a cool experience Thursday, thanks to Grandma’s Johnson and Fawson for their testimonies. I also saw Elder D. Todd Christofferson on Saturday.  He talked to all the missionaries in Lima.  I felt bad because I didn’t catch everything in Spanish, but it helped me learn that I need to speak Spanish so other people will understand me.  I love you!  I love this gospel, and I know it is true!  I’m reading in Alma 5, pretty cool!  I’m understanding it!☺

I love you more!

Lim, Peru // 14 Oct 09

I LOVE YOU MORE!!!!! Yes I did see Elder Rich! Tell his mom I gave him a hug for her! I have been loving it in Peru!!!! Elder Delgado and I have been growing closer all the time which is awesome!!!! Proselitismo this week was way cool!!! Oh and guess what?  President and Hermana Perez came last night and talked to us. He is THE MAN, I love him all ready. He talked with all of the elders going to Lima North, and after talking to him we were all smiling from ear to ear! They are really, really nice!!!!  He said that in the North mission he is like the papa and all the elders are his sons :]  It was really cool and now I’m not worried at all about after the CCM. He also said that one of the elders will get to go the the selva or jungle, because there is only one trainer there. I want to go there so bad!!!  But whatever the Lord wants. :] I had a cool time at the temple this morning!!   Thanks for all the prayers and all you do!! I Love you MORE!!!! Kia Kaha en PERÚ!!!

Lima, Peru // 11 Oct 09

Peru is awesome as ever. My Mission means everything to me, this work is of God, but this work is not just what I need, it’s what everyone needs.  It will change hearts and lives, I am here to share it with all the world.  

Yesterday during Proselitismo we did a street contact and I know she felt the Spirit when I shared the First Vision, but in the end she just said, “Yo soy Catalico” or “I am Catholic” and wouldn’t accept a visit from the Missionaries.  When we walked away I felt pretty sad, but all we can do is give people the chance to listen, they always have agency.

I’m so glad for this gospel and for Mom and Dad who raised me on the Gospel and homemade bread.

Love you forever!

Wow!!!! This week has been crazy!!!! So much has happened in so little time, and it didn’t take very much time either! :} 

My Companion is Elder Jose David Delgado Olguera from Tarija, Bolivia. He is really cool.  

CONFERENCE!!!  Wow!!! This conference was great!!!  I loved all of it, my favorites, though, were probably Elder Holland’s and President Monson’s talks. :} The spirit was really strong during Elder Holland’s which was cool!!!! 

All is good here, I can’t wait to send you pictures of everything!!!! 

I went to the Temple today with Elder Delgado and listened to the whole thing in Español, and the cool thing was, I think I got about 80 to 85 percent of what was said!!!!! :}  Also I had been praying to gain a stronger testimony of the importance of temples, and while I was there to day, it came! I know that temples are important and God answers our prayers!!! I know this church is true and that Joseph Smith did see God the Father and Jesus Christ !!! 

I’m learning!!!!! Thanks for the prayers!!!!! They help!!! 

Tell everybody happy Birthday for me!!!!! 

I’m praying for you to!!!!!! I can’t wait for proselitismo this week!! It will be really fun!!! 

I Love You More!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxox

Lima, Peru // 03 Oct 09


Dear Families,

A new group arrived day before yesterday and yesterday.  Your sons have been wonderful hosts and guides helping the new ones learn ¨the ropes.¨ We appreciate and love every one of them.  This photo shows them with their new companion in their slightly altered District.


With love,    
Hna. Groberg, CCM de Lima, Perú  

Lima, Peru // 30 Sept 09 
HEY HEY HEY... HOLA HOLA HOLA!!!!! :]

Well I have had a pretty good day today, we went with Presidente y Hermana Groberg to get pizza and to see some sights in Lima and look at a cathedral!!! It was way cool, but first thing this morning I said goodbye to Elder Rojas, it was sad, but it’s OK because the next time I see him I will be able to communicate better with him, no matter when that is. :} But after that we went to INTERPOL to get immigration stuff, and then went and got pizza from Pizza Hut, the Peruvians like pizza!! 

Then after that we went to a little park place in town that had a bunch of really old olive trees that were planted when the Spanish first got here. They were really cool and Presidente talked to us about them and about the Garden of Gethsemane. 

Then we went to the center of Lima to a cathedral and visited the "catacombs" underneath. There were a ton of bones down there, they said the estimate was about 25,000 people were buried there, crazy! There were piles of bones. 

Then we went and took pictures by the "white house of Peru" which is where the president lives. Then we went to these little shops and I got a bag that I needed and a jersey and a hat for about 28 soles, so like 10 dollars. 

It was really cool and then we came back to our new companions. I am going right now to play futbol with him so I got to go. But this week has been great so far and I can’t wait for your letters, please send more!!! They are better than candy!! 

I Love You More!!!!! :] Thanks for the prayers!!!!! Oh and I go out on proselitismo 2 more times at the CCM, and I can´t wait!!!! 

Love ya!!! Elder Johnson

From Letter // 27 Sept 09

Wow!  Cool things happen in Peru!  Yesterday we went out to do more “Proselitismo” which I was excited for, and I got to teach someone about the Restoration in Spanish!

We went out to the are (Habich) in the same bus as last week.  It’s orange and white, and all the writing and decoration on the inside is in Chinese, talk about an ‘import’, and the seats are neon.  We also get a ‘Sublime’ candy bar, similar to a Mr. Goodbar, which is awesome, buy anyways so we got there and Elder Rojas and I went out on the same place as last week.  None of the people we talked to last week were home, so we went to a couple of other peoples houses and taught them the lessons.  In the street in between houses there was a man that started talking to us, and I didn’t understand anything he said, and as we were walking away, the Elder that was with us (who knows very little english) said, “A bunch of lies”, indicating what the man had said wasn’t true.  I just laughed and told him that I didn’t understand anyways.  The thing that was really cool though was the difference between that man and the man at the next house we went to.

We knocked on his door and he was up on the next level looking out a window and told us we could come in.  His wife is a less-active member and so he knows a little about the church.  We started the lesson with a prayer and then proceeded to teach him and the spirit was so strong there, especially during the part about the First Vision.  Then we gave him “The Restoration” pamphlet and he was so excited.  I never thought anyone would be that excited over a pamphlet, but he was.  I don’t think I would have wanted to be anywhere but there at that moment.  It was really cool.  And then we left and went to one other house before going back to the chapel for the ride home.  It was a really good day!

Today has also been really good, we had fast and testimony meeting today because next week is General Conference.  We get to watch it over satellite, so for conference I know exactly where you’ll be too.

This week my companion, Elder Rojas, leaves, so I get a new companion which I’m kind of excited for, but I’ll miss Elder Rojas!

I have also been studying in the Book of Mormon this week in Alma 32, and various other places.  Everyday I read the Book of Mormon in Spanish for 45 minutes, it helps a lot with pronunciation, speed, and comprehension.

The church is true!  I love this gospel!  I love our Savior!  And I LOVE you!  (More)

Much love,

Elder Gregory Joseph Johnson

Lima, Peru // 23 Sept 09

Hey!!!!!! How are ya´ll !!!!!!!! Thanks for all the emails!!!!! I Love you more!!! and miss you!!! :} Peru is starting to get warmer, wore a suit jacket today and it was way hot :} But it´s all good! That´s what I get for living in paradise!! :} hehe We went to the temple today and I listened to the session in español and I only understood a little bit, but thats ok because I didn´t think I would and then I did. :} Thanks for being such a great family and supporting me!!!!! I love our Savior and know I am supposed to be a missionary!!!

From Letter // 20 Sept 09

Mi Familia! Hola! Down here the mountains are BIG. When the “mist” breaks, you can actually see them, and they are really big. There is no snowboarding, and the mountains are brown, because they don’t grow trees, just stubble. Lima itself is really big, about 6 SLC’s together, plus the population is about tripled in each of those.

Yesterday, Elder Rojas and I went and did “proselitismo”, which is where the CCM drives you an hour away to a stake center, and drops you off and they give you a member of the church, (in our case it was a missionary in the Peru Lima Central Mission). You go for four hours and visit less active members and invite them to church. Then you meet at a park, they take away your “member”, (or in our case missionary), and have you street contact for two hours. Honestly, it was really cool and we had a really good time going “two by two” and “preaching my gospel”. I used the scripture in Nephi where he says, “I will go and do”, and committed a lady to go and do like Nephi and go to church.

The rest of the week has been really good as well. We had a good time at the Temple and then today, we had a special fireside just for Perú from SLC with Elder Holland and President Uchtdorf.

I am getting used to the food here, rice with every meal, and every once in a while ice cream! Mmm!

I love you More!!! :} (And don’t you forget it!)

A note about the CCM:

Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin their service in one of about 16 Missionary Training Centers (MTC's) in the world.

The Lima-Peru Missionary Training Center (CCM) was dedicated on August 27, 1998 by Élder Russell M. Nelson. It is the third largest MTC in capacity. Every 21 days groups of missionaries begin or end their training at the CCM. The administration, teachers and leaders provide the best care to every missionary who enters training.

The normal duration of stay for the Latin American missionaries is 21 days. While for the missionaries who need to learn Spanish, the stay varies between 42 and 64 days. During this stay, the missionaries develop a greater love and understanding of the scriptures and doctrines of the Church, as well as learn the Spanish language.

Currently, the CCM can train up to 152 missionaries every 21 days. The campus includes 3 buildings, beautiful gardens and 3 fields for sports and physical activity.

Great blessings come as the Missionaries learn how to teach the gospel in Spanish and assist in the establishment of the Church and Kingdom of God.

Hola Family!!!!

Hows it going?????? Peru is fun/humid :} jajaja it really is humid here, and it´s the winter, kinda crazy. All the Peruvians wear jackets and scarves, and all the Americans wear white short sleeved shirts. They all think it’s cold, it’s really only about 70 degrees. :}

My companion is Elder Elvis Arturo Rojas, and he is the coolest Peruvian here! We get along great. :} He comes from a small family in Trujillo, I think, and he hadn’t been to the Temple yet, so when we went today for Preparacion day I got to be his escort, it was really cool. The Temple is pretty inside, and the session was in Español so I got a headset that I used for part of it. It was way cool though! Getting there was crazy though, the people here honk a ton and drive insane!!!! It’s like video game driving, they just honk and keep driving and the other guy stops or gets hit, wow! It was cool though.

I have been doing good, and I taught one of my teachers yesterday in Spanish and did ok, I just need more vocabulary and it would have been great. Also, one of teachers Hermana Arriaga says “hi”. I think i’m getting used to the food here, lots of rice with everything, and soup and interesting flavored juices for every meal, except breakfast, which is 2 rolls, cereal, and eggs usually. It’s ok, but I miss apple pie bars and cinnamon rolls, mmmmmm. They do have pizza down here though, Dominoes and stuff,mmmm mmm. At the 3 week mark Presidente and Hermana Groberg take the norte Americanos to see Lima and a cathedral and then to pizza!!!! mmmmm jaja oh well. Well time is out so I LOVE YOU MORE!!!!!!!!!!

Love Elder Gregory Joseph Johnson :}