It's a short one

Dear family,

thanks for the cool poem! I have read it before but I cant remember where. I really enjoyed reading it again.

sorry for this short email but we just got a call and we need to go and help some missionaries get to a doctors appointment because they have spent all their money and dont have reserve funds...

on Saturday Claudio is GETTING BAPTIZED! I am really excited for this. He has been progressing alot.

other than that I am feeling alot better. There are still alot of problems and difficulty but I guess I am increasing my capacity to deal with all of it.

Sorry for the uber short email, I wrote Kaitlen and Ryan and then I was going to dedicate the rest of the time to write you guys but now we have to go and help the other Elders.

I love you!

Elder Johns

Scuba Diving Might Become a New Hobby

Dear family,

Thank you for the great letter, it was something that I really needed right now. Alot of times I dont like to say that I am having a hard time because I dont want to compain to you guys about everything hard or difficult about the mission or about what is going on. Last week was fairly hard because I had alot of stress working on me and being in the ciber writing all of you guys just made me feel so homesick. But now I am feeling much better. My companion is a little difficult but great at the same time. He isnt used to being very obedient and complains alot and its hard enough for me myself to be obedient without having to worry about him and have all the stress of taking care of the zone. He doesnt have any problem with doing the work, he is actually a really good teacher and he is able to win the trust of the people we teach really well so I am very thankful for that. And we arent hating each other either but it isnt the most fun relationship but I am trying my best to love him more and more. He isnt the first hard comp I have had so ive been through this before.

My birthday was pretty nice, The stake presidents wife made me some delicious lasagnia and bought me a small cake. And the sister that we ate with on Sunday gave me a huge ice cream cake from Dairy Queen that was super delicious! It was a pretty good birthday but I really missed being with family and friends.

On tuesday we had a super awesome leadership training meeting that really helped me out and answered alot of personal questions I had about how I can get through this current phase of my mission. Then we had a meeting with the Stake President on Wensday morning and we talked about a plan that we have for the zone (the zone covers the whole stake) and we are excited about it because we are going to be better coordinated with the ward leaders. After that meeting we had interviews with President Jordan. He is a really good guy, I have missed seeing him so often since I left the offices.

We did divisions and my companion thought that he was ready to be here in our area by himself but he ended up getting lost and we missed some important appointments. I had a good time with Elder Rosado. He was really into scuba diving before the mission and told me a ton of cool stories. He is from Veracruz (a state in Mexico). Scuba diving and fishing with a harpoon gun might become a new hobby after I get back...

We only saw Claudio one time this week but he is still doing well. We dont have many other investigators that are progressing but we are having success with the less active members. We have started formulating a ward mission plan with the ward mission leader and the bishop that should help us out alot.

um I cant think of much else to say right now. I have been getting fat but I am going to start eating a little healthier.

Thats cool that dad is going to be a seminary teacher! I would love doing that except for the getting up in the morning part. Seminary played a huge role in my life, more than I realized while I was taking it. Basically everything I know about the scriptures I learned in Seminary.

I love y´all and thank you all for your support! have an awesome week! I still havent heard anyhting about my package but I am sure that it will come soon.

con amor,

Elder Johns

Happy Birthday!

hello everyone,

Its my birthday! I am 21 years old. I dont feel much older but being on a mission makes me feel like Im 40 so I guess realizing that Im only 21 makes me feel a little younger!

We went to the beach this morning which was fun. I bought a pineapple coconut drink to enjoy while relaxing on the sand. We got there at 7am so there were only a couple of people jogging on the sand. Its been almost 2 years since we went to Hawaii and being at the beach reminded me a little of that last family vacation.

My new companion is very different from my last companion but we have been getting along. He is from the state of Puebla and he was a really good dancer. He also has the same amount of time in the mission as I do.

We did an exchange with some Elders and I was with an Elder named Elder Harris. He served in the Last Vegas West mission Spanish Speaking for a few months while he waited for his visa and he said that he met Elder (Tucker) Short while he was over there.

A new couple moved into our ward from another state in Mexico. They had been listening to the missionaries over there for a few months and they want to get baptized but they are having problems with getting married.

one of the hermanas that we ate with yesterday gave me an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen!

Claudio and his family didnt show up to church which was kinda dissapointing. We are going to visit them later today to find out what happened.

Thank you for the many birthday wishes! I dont know why it feels so hard to be here on my birthday, its basically just like any other day, but I feel your love through your emails and that makes me feel better. The stake presidents wife said that she was going to make me some lasagnia today so I am looking forward to getting to eat lasagnia. Thanks for the money and for sending me a package as well, I hope that it will make it through the mailing system.

Thats too bad that Abby has been a little difficult this past week, but that view of mount rainer must have been absolutely beautiful.

I love you all and I really really miss you, have a wonderful day!

con amor,

Elder Johns

New Companion

HeLlo FaMiLy,

Another week and another change under my belt! and another companion. Elder Fernandez is going to train in Victoria! He is going to be openning up a second area in the area that I was serving before I got here (Villas 2). I am really excited for him because the members are really awesome over there and help out a ton with missionary work.

My new companion is going to be Elder Villegas, he has around the same amount of time as I do. It is a wierd change because he was a zone leader in his last area but was only there for one transfer. Ive met him before and he is a great guy. later today around 12, 12:30, we are going to the bus station to make the switch so he isnt with me yet. Ive heard that he has trouble sometimes getting along with his companions but Im sure we will learn to work together just fine.

basically the whole zone is changing. all the district leaders were changed and so now we have new ones, and a new area opened up in our as well so now we are 16 missioneros. We are also going to have 5 trainers and 5 new missionaries in our zone which is going to be AWESOME! I dont really know why but I am really excited to have so many new missionaries. I guess I am excited to be able to teach them and take care of them and stuff, I miss training.

Nothing really big happened this past week. We had to clean the house for the missionareis that are going to open the new area and it was suuuuuper messy. The last missionaries that served there left food in the fridge and MILK! It was all moldy and the milk was spoiled and the electricty got cut a week before we got there so the fridge was just a mess. We took it outside and got it all cleaned up though. silly missionaries.

Claudio is progressing really well, he has been going to church and is excited about the gospel. He hasnt done so well with reading every day but it is something new for him that he is learning to do. His dad and his sister were going to go to church as well but something happened to his sisters eyes and his dad ended up staying to take care of her in their house.

There were 14 less active members in church today (and thats just from our half of the ward becasue there are two other missionaries serving in the other half) so we are having good success in motivating the less active members to attend. We still havent been able to get the bishop to call people to teach the family history and temple preparation classes which is a little frusterating, but we have achieved that all the other wards in the stake have the classes every week.

thanks for sending the photos of Tanners wedding! Its so wierd to think that he is married! He has been one of my best buds since as far back as I can remember. I am glad that Colin was able to enjoy his high adventure and thats a little dissapointing that he didn´t get to go all the way to the top but I am sure that it wouldnt have been so pleasent if the crampons (I dunno what a crampon is) wouldnt have functioned.

Thats exciting news about Kaitlyn! she should be reading Preach My Gospel everyday and reading her scriptures to prepare.

I am excited for my birthday (especially because it will be on a Pday). we got permission from PResident to go to the beach as a zone from 7am-9pm on that pday so I am excited. I hope that package for my birthday that you sent me gets here alright.

I LOVE YOU ALL!

ELDER Johns