First Week as a Trainer

Hey Family!

What an awesome week here on my mission! On Wednesday I headed to the mission home to have a trainer orientation and to pick up my anak!! My companion is Elder Andrada! He's a stud. He's from Manila and his dad is the mission president over the Laoag mission. Elder Andrada is is a visa waiter and his call is to serve in California San Jose mission. He'll probably be here in the Quezon city mission for 6 months. I was so excited when I met him and got to take him to our area, and let the journey begin!  We got straight to work! There's no time to sit and adjust- the adjustment is the work!  It's been a great week for us here. When we taught our first lesson together, Elder Andrada was so happy that he taught his first lesson in the mission field! haha. It was a cool feeling to see my companion so happy and excited to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people. He has the desire to work and learn, so it's going to be a great transfer with him. 

This week, training, it's been a throwback to when I was getting trained and when I was first in the mission. I can relate to Elder Andrada and his inexperience with the lessons (especially lesson 1) and planning, etc. It's been really fun to help him adjust to missionary life this past week. I've been applying the things that I was taught and helping my anak! It's definitely not easy. It's a lot of pressure actually. I need to be my absolute best at all times!  Luckily, the Lord has really been by my side, guiding me, and helping me be the trainer/ missionary that He wants me to be.

Ever since Elder Andrada has arrived, miracles have occured talaga! I've seen so many blessings in our work this past week, it's incredible! 

We dropped our special 2, Nick and Ervin. Now we have moved on with others and it seems like the Lord has provided for us! We have found so many new investigators who Heavenly Father has put in our path. We are especially excited for Brother Oliver! We taught him on Saturday night, and he told us that he is really interested. The next day he came to church!

I want to share one memorable experience/lesson we had this week with our special 2 brother June. Brother June Barreno is progressing. His wife is no longer less active and she's helping him on his journey to baptism on May 28. On Saturday night we taught him the Word of Wisdom. Even though we made a lesson plan, I was still nervous going into the lesson. I haven't taught WoW many times, so I was really relying on the Spirit. Long story short- the lesson was so powerful and I felt as if the spirit was speaking through me. I truly felt like the tool for the Lord. Half the lesson I didn't even know what I was saying, but brother seemed to understand. 

The problem is Brother June has an addiction to cigarettes. We made a plan for him and committed him to it. He has the desire to quit, and we told him that through prayer and scripture study, he'll overcome his addiction... because nothing is impossible with God!

At the end of the lesson I had the opportunity to give him a priesthood blessing. I don't remember what I said, but I do know that the blessing came from our Heavenly Father. I'll never forget this experience. I know the Lord will bless us and him and that he will be baptized on May 28.

I need your prayers family. Please pray for Brother June Barreno, that he can overcome his addiction and that he'll come to church these next 4 weeks and be baptized!

I'm doing my absolute best to have 2 baptisms in May (goal for the mission). I've been working my hardest doing everything I can. Now I'm just putting my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ. I know he'll provide.  

That's all for this week family. I love y'all!

P.S. I love training!

Love,

Elder Johnson