January 27, 2009

well as it says transfers are going on, and quess where i'm headed. i'm moving pretty far, well actually, i'm staying here another transfer, i'm also staying with elder Salisbury again as well, so we are now each other longest companion. so that's a little exciting. as far as i know theres not any big news on transfers this time. i also mailed pictures home monday , so you should be getting them soon. I also survived boot camp, elder salisbury got injured though. a lot missionaries live in the same complex we were at and every mourning play basketball. he and someone else collided and he was the one that got hurt, he shoulder is just pretty sure. other than that were fine. yeah so i heard the super bowl is this week, i heard it's the Cardinals and Steelers. boot camp was pretty intersting, espically because we were in the city, so that was a big change. the two training assiants were elder Hatch and Hancock. they were pretty fun. we also were there with the a.p's as well, so that was very differnt. we worked with a lot of members up there and had pretty busy schedule. i'm still feeling tired from it. other than that not to much exciting news for you this week. oh yes here's a funny story for you. at boot camp one night, i took off my watch and set it down, went to bed and when i went to put on the next day, i couldn't find it. all four of us looked everywhere and still could not, so finallywhen we came back we stopped at walmart, and i bought a new watch. then when i was unpacking that night, i found it in the bottom of my bag. so i now of two watches. well i'm glad that things are going well on on end. that was awesome what you told me about with the spirit beingso strong in that room. well i hope that everything keeps going well on your end. things have been going great here. i'll talk to you later

January 21, 2009

hey everyone.this week has been another trial filled week. we had many appointments set up and one two were there. but last night was intersting though. evrything was falling through, and i wasn't feeling the greatest, and was bitterly cold again, we get back check the mail and there was the letter. i opened saw the card, and i was thinking this is random, i opened the card saw the pitcure of kate, and then i saw grace's pitcure and my companion heard me gasp and saw the pitcure as well. the rest of the night went very well after that. so i did get it, and thanks for letting me know. i also called president millburn and let him now as well. he also started talking about how amazing it is how a baby can be born so early and know with the miracle of modern science they can live. i still have a long way to catch up with elder salisbury and his neices and nephews. he has 16, but he is also the second youngest of ten. wow, i've never even heard of gout. i'm not even sure what it is, but your description helped a bit. monday we had zone confernce excpet this time it was on a much smaller scale. it was just our zone but it was still fun and a good learning experience. then today we are headed up to richmond for what is called missionary boot camp. it's a new thing that has started. we work in an area meant to help train missionaries. so that should be intersting i'll let you know about how it went next week. well i'm glad that everything turned out all right at maggie moo's, sounds like that was really scary. but glad that everyone is okay. oh yes we woke up to snow yesterday. so that was fun. I have some pitcures of it. i don't know if it was enough to cancel school or not, but it was on the ground, so that was an intesting suprise. well i'm glad that everything is going good right now. hope everything keeps improving. talk to you next week

January 14, 2009

i'm glad things are starting to sound better. that's great. things have been crazy here, friday is sounding like it's going to be bitterly cold, high in the twenties here. i alos called pres. millburn last wensday after emails just to let him know what is going on. yeah so last week everytime the phone rang my heart stopped for a second until i saw who it was, but it's been good. i've done pretty well at not thinking about it but at times it came up. but i am glad things are improving there. things have been going well here, the scary thing is were getting close to the end of the transfer here. i'm getting a little nervous. but it sure has flown by. we had a pretty funny story on thursday, we feel bad though. we had a dinner appointment with a member and we showed up about five minutes early and bro. jones was outside. we said hi, he saw and said, elders your early. it turns out we wrote down the wrong time, it was at 5:30 instead of five. so it was sad, but they fine with it. nothing to exciting really happened to let you know about but things have been going fairly well, we had interviews yesterday with pres. millburn and he told us he is pleased with what has been happening here. it was good to hear it from someone. things have been intersting though.i can't belive that chad is already in his last transfer. it was almost a year ago i entered the mtc. it's crazy. i can't believe how the time flies. but i'm loving it here. i'm really enjoying it. well not sure on much else to say but i like the potiential names from by next niece, hope and grace are nice ones. well talk care.

ps from January 7, 2009

oh yes one last thing a while ago in a zone confernce president millburn told us that, "when oppistion comes it is a blessing and that we should welcome it as friend." oppistion truly does strengthen you. i noticed that a lot last week. we had plenty of oppistion thrown at us but then we had a huge spiritual experinece with the baptism. it was great. trials do truly strengthen you, that;s why it's a good thing.that's all for now. hope this helps.

January 7 2009

well as it says it is really wet here. we just getting pounded by rain. i was nervous we were going to losepower so we couldn't email. but it's calmed down now. man that is scary with Tiff, i hope everything goes well with that. we have a had a very up and down week with trials and blessings. friday we had alot of disappoints only one out of five our appointments went through, but it was an awesome lesson, and that was from what i heard what a very spiritual lesson. i was on exchanges though at the time so details are a little skecty. but earlier that day we were at a pizza hut and us and a group of missionaries sung there. so that was pretty fun. we also went to the far reaches of our area and we made it two a town that splits us and another area. we were talking and said you know what would be funny is if we saw the other missionaries here. then less than a minute later we both stopped and looked at each other. they were there as well. it was funny. saturday we had an amazing baptism for trisha. the spirit was strong there. the cool thing about it is that two sets off missionaries were there with investigators and they felt it as well. in fact our zone leaders there invetsigator was someone they talked to five minutes before the baptism. we also had the Assaints to the president make a suprise quest appearance as well, so that made it a little nerve wracking. but after the baptism all of us got up and sung Joseph smiths first prayer. that was amazing. so it was a great week atleast for us.well i hope things keep getting better there. i have faith that blessings really do help. oh here's something funny here about snow. whenever snow gets in the forecast people panic and buy as much milk, eggs, and bread as they possibly can. and if an inch of snow is on the ground anywhere school is cancelled. so just pretty funny. but i will be praying that everything goes well. oh yes i also heard that the colts lost and but heard that the dolphins are doing really well. well that's all. talk to you later

Letter December 17, 2009

Hey fam,
I just wanted to let you know my feelings about this work and what the Savior means to me. This has been a unique experience and one that I am not regretting. It has been full of ups and downs but it's amazing to see the Lord's hand in everything. Some nights when we plan for the next day we have no idea what to do but we are almost always led to know where to go. The spirit is truly behind us, just like it says without the spirit, you cannot teach. I said this many times and probably anyone who has served can say the same thing. The time has flown by, I'm not sure it has for you, but it has to me. I do not regret this decision but I'm so thankful for it.
I have truly seen the confusion among the people out there, I can understand why Joseph Smith was so confused at all the churches. I can clearly see the fruits of the great apostasy, but above all, I know that Christ's church has been restored in its fulness. I can truly testify to that. I know by the Holy Ghost that these things are true and I know the Book of Mormon is true. It clearly teaches of Christ and it is the fruit of a prophet. I now have an understanding of Moroni's challenge. I know this to be true.
I know that Jesus Christ lives and that he is truly God's son. It's only through him we can be saved. I now know the power of his Atonement and I am so grateful for that. He truly knows what each of us need and he wants to help. All that is unfair about life can be made right through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. "The Son of man hat descended below them all. Art though greater than He?" D&C 123:8, means a lot to me. He is truly in our trials. Opposition truly does strengthen us. It is for our good.
I know I am meant to be here. For I have been called of God to labor among his children here in Virginia. I would like to close with a scripture in 3 Nephi 5:13. "Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I have been called of him to declare his word among his people, that they might have Everlasting Life." Thank you for helping me prepare for this. I am truly thankful.

Your Son, Elder Steven Johnson

December 17, 2009

well, i'm not getting transferred. i'm staying with elder salibury once again. so that's pretty exciting. were getting along well. yeah, we bought a little 2 inch tall wire tree so we have something to put our presents under. so it's been intesting. no big changes for me this transfer. the first time no changes for me at all. yes, i have got your package. in fact i got it last thursday. so it was very fast this time. i don't know when i'll be calling yet, still need to figure that out but it will be in the morning i belive. i'll write when we figure that out. i stil have the phone card from mothers day, so no worries. well we've ben just getting rain here. the weathers been crazy though. one day it will be low forties and then the next in almost 70. makes its hard to know what to plan for. yesterday we made plans to go bike tracting. we woke up to find out it was raining. i think i'll be emailing on thurday i believe it's open but if not oh well. i will either just write or talk to you the next day. oh yeah i forgot to tell you this but last fast sunday i taught the lesson in priesthood. that was fun. it was on richard g. scott talk about honoring the priesthood and use it well. it was a silent rebuking in it but more of reminder was still a good talk. had a lot to do with respecting the daughters of God. thers not to much i know to talk about other than they called two traveling assiants in the mission, mostly those to help train those in the mission, one of the a.p.'s stepped dwon to help train the traveling ones. then one of my old zone leaders was made an A.P. so that was fun to hear. but other than that not to much i can think of to tell you. oh yeas last friday had a not so pleasant experince. we had a branch christmas activity and alot of good food. but at the end i was helping take the tables down and were i had the crown put on was feeling a little werid. and then five minutes later it popped off. it turned out the dentist had a bad batch of cement. but it was an easy fix, in and out in fiev minutes. so no worry. we had an intestring sacramnet meeting on sunday. one of the talks was a brother fly and he talked alot about the econmic cirsis but then tied into the christmas story. so it was an intesting talk he even made a joke about his wife saying, he's going to a give a doom and gloom talk during christmas. it was pretty funny. i don't know if you heard about the trial here involving some missionaries you served here three years ago but i'm sure you've heard something. i've know about that for a while but didn't want to worry anyone about it so i have said anything. but i'm glad that the guy was found guilty, just is a very sad story involving them. but the cool part is that elder hiebrink, ended up coming back out. well enough of that story but things have been going well here. i'll get to talk to you next week. happy holidays.

December 10, 2008

well sounds like that was a very exciting week for you. yeah today is actually warm. it's been bitter cold and then last night we had a heat wave move in with thunderstorms so may be a stormy day today. i'll probably be getting my package off today so you should get it soon. and it's for the whole family, so just giving you the heads up. now about the phone call, i don't think i'll be able to call on chrismas eve, because it's designated in a letter christmas day. i can talk for about forty minutes just like mothers day. so i don't know, but i will see. yeah, well I might have some news next week. transfers are coming up. well this week was good. we had a member who invited there friends to be taught. the lesson went very well. so we hopefully will be teaching them again this week. then friday i got everything finished at the dentist, but my companion had his root canal. he was not looking forward to that. but he turned out fine. yesterday was an amzing day, first off we had zone confernce. so i got to see alot of familar faces. but what was the coolest is that we had this little video that showed everyone in the mission. it had there pitcure and then someones elses showed up. so it was fun. oh yes make sure your sitting down for this. the lunch there was chili over fritos, and i loved it. it was yummy. so theres a new food that i like. after zone confernce we had an amazing lesson with deneen once again. she is very much prepared. she is the first one who has read every reading assignment we have left. most takes once or twice asking them too. it's amazing. she like an inch away from being set. but she is praying about being baptized. so that's some good news. well i'll be sure to let you know, whether through email, or i'll write to let you know about calling home. well talk to you soon. not sure what else to say though.