Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! It feels wierd that I have already been here a whole week. I'm glad to hear that Derek's Visa has been approved so he can go straight to the Brazil MTC, I saw a picture of it a few days ago and it looks great. I haven't heard anything about my Visa yet, but I can probably make some time to stop by the Travel Office to ask them if they know the status of my Visa.

I've learned a LOT of Spanish in the past week. Its getting a little easier to understand, but I'm going to have to start working alot harder to learn Spanish because I've already relearned most of the vocabulary that I learned in Spanish 3 a few years ago. We have started to say all of our prayers in Spanish and I bore my testimony in Spanish on Fast Sunday so I am getting alot better at expressing what I want to say in Spanish. My companion has come a long way too, which is nice because he can say sometings when we are teaching our progressing investigator. We've learned alot about teaching, but it is really hard to apply it when we have to talk in Spanish. Its good though because it really motivates us to keep working hard to learn how to teach in Spanish.

It sounds like you had a fun New Years Eve! Thats nice that you were able to get an Abbysitter so you could go to the party. I bet Colin had a lot of fun at his first New Years Eve dance, I remember that those were the best. Our district got together in the Residence Hall and had a mini New Years celebration at 10:00 because that meant it was New Years somewhere.

Its hard to be here, but I really enjoy learning and making good habits. I didn't know that I could be this productive or this organized, and I kind of like it haha. We get to go to the gym about everyday, and 4 square is the big thing here whihc is alot mroe intense than it sounds. Some of these guys have played it ever since they got here and they've got some crazy skills. I enjoy being the District Leader because they have leadership training and I have learned some good stuff in them. I also really enjoyed going to the temple this morning.

I hope all is well and I hope that Ryan made it to BYU alright! I love you all so much and I miss you alot!

Con Amor,

Elder Johns