Pasig Week 20

We've just been working hard this week. Missionary work is my life! I love it.

We had a great zone training on Tuesday. President has focused on striving to really help each companionship in every zone to have at least 1 baptism every month. Our workshop was on finding and using a new tool- the MY FAMILY booklet. Talking, testifiying, and finding families is what we do 24/7 now. There's no stopping. It's been effective. We don't go somewhere without opening our mouth, to literally everyone. Miracles have occurred in our area because of it.

Ryan Gutierrez is preparing to be baptized this Saturday. We need your prayers family. Heavenly Father has already tested our faith by giving us challenges with him. He's not making this baptism easy. We are working for it haha.

I'm in the mode where if I'm not teaching the restored gospel to people, I feel that I'm not fulfilling my calling. I couldn't be happier with my companion. We are really striving to help these wonderful recent converts, investigators, and less actives here in Pasig. 

I love y'all! Have a great week! 

Love, 

Elder Johnson

Pasig Week 19

Magandang hapon!!

We just got done with a successful service project with one of the members in our ward! We built him a new gate for his house. It was fun!

I loved this week, mostly because of how many times we were led by the Spirit in our work. 

Elder Montera and I couldn't be happier. It's frustrating somedays when we don't even want to go home- we run out of time! On Saturday we taught the most lessons in one day than ever before, 10! It's was a miracle. We just had such a successful week and have found so many new potential investigators like the Ramirez family who came to church on Sunday. It's such a joyful feeling when we are able to listen and teach by the spirit. This week, we had countless lessons that were powerful, but the sad part is, unfortunately almost all of the people ignore and don't follow the spirit that they feel. That's whats hard. But needless to say, everyone has their agency, and at least we as missionaries raised a voice of warning. That's what my companion and I have been doing, really teaching repentance. It's been awesome.

Some of these less active members that we've been teaching forever (Real, Escobanes, Aneban family) , we have done everything, taught everything, and still nothing. It's hard when they don't follow the commandments. It makes us sad, it really does. I have really come to know that Heavenly Father will bless us,"if we but have faith" (Ether 12 in the Book of Mormon). It's just having the trust and faith in Christ, that's what we need to be successful in life.

Ryan and Edgar are doing well! They continue to progress and follow the commandments. We are hoping that they will both be baptized the Jan 28, but we aren't sure. We need your prayers! Pray that Edgar's dad will allow him to baptized and that Ryan will continue to live Gospel and avoid the worldly temptations of being a teenager! :) 

I love y'all!!

Love,
Elder Johnson

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year...2017!!!

It was another happy and successful New Years here in the Philippines! I can't believe this year I'll be coming home, but I'm so glad that I still have many months to serve the Lord as a full-time missionary! 

We ate a ton this week. Members are too kind haha.

We are doing well, still teaching the Restored Gospel to our fellow brothers and sisters here in Pasig. I'm gonna send a lot of pictures so y'all can see what I've been up to :)

I love you all!

I hope y'all are excited for this new year! It's great to be a member of the true church and to have the gospel in our lives! Be grateful!! 

Love,

Elder Johnson

 Choir at Eastwood Mall :)

 Christmas Conference 2016

 We had a gift exchange with the zone. For New Years we had to be home by 5, so we balled up the kids at our apartment!! Check out the shirt me and my comp made :) esteeg

I'm staying in Pasig!

It was so wonderful seeing all your beautiful faces over Skype! I miss y'all so much and I thank y'all for the support and prayers. You all motivate me to be the best missionary that I can be. I loved talking to y'all, and I'm so grateful to have such an amazing family. It makes me so happy :) 

Guess what? I'm staying another transfer in Pasig pala! Crazy no? I wasn't expecting that, but the Lord needs me here, so I will go and do what He has commanded! 

Love,

Elder Johnson

Maligayang Pasko

Maligayang Pasko!
 

I hope y'all are doing as well as I am here!! 

We are busy today so I just wanted to let everyone know that I'm still alive and loving every single day of my mission. :) We had a successful baptism on Saturday with kuya Aljon and Dave Borja Espinas! They're cute, and we're happy for them. We know one day they'll grow up and serve the Lord as a missionary and become leaders in the church.

We sang at Eastwood mall on Friday. It was awesome. We all sounded really good! It was a cool experience for sure, a different way to shine the light! 

I love my companionship with Elder Montera. We work really well together and are constantly striving to follow the Spirit. That's one thing I've been constantly trying to work on, always being worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It's been a goal of mine that I've set since Elder Bowen's visit last week.

We are being helped by our Young Men President who continues to give us referrals. As of now most of our progressing investigators are young men. It's been a blast working with them and relating to them as well. We already seen a change in their attitude and the way they act. It's awesome. I testify that the Gospel changes people. Through Christ's Atonement we can be made perfect.

I love y'all so much! Talk to y'all in a week!! :)

Love,

Elder Johnson

Pasig Week 15

Family,

We just came from the  Manila Temple, so we're feelin' good right now! Nothing better than being in the House of the Lord. 

This week was nice, it really was. The past few days, I've seen the miracles that the Lord has blessed us with. As a missionary, I've realized that God works in small and simple ways. He loves us and is aware of all His children.

We had a week full of meetings! The first was on Tuesday with our New Leaders Training meeting, then on Wednesday we had our zone training! Saturday we had our ward Christmas party. Mission tour yesterday was awesome! Elder and Sister Bowen visited our mission. He is the President of the Area Seventy here in the Philippines. Many, many things learned and spirit felt, but I'll share the highlight. Elder Bowen focused on helping us understand who we are. Because of the things he talked about - Abrahamic covenant, covenants in general, I came to a better understanding of who I am as a child of God and how blessed I am to be a member of the church. It was so amazing, because of yesterday, because I now am reminded of who I am, the covenants I've made, and I am a different person. Like Elder Bowen said, "We as Priesthood holders know that there are certain things that we cannot do." This meeting (if you remembered last year with Elder Andersen) has changed me as a missionary, and the way I will continue to act. 

Elder Montera and I are filling up our 4 month projection, although we lost a few projections for January. Heavenly Father has blessed us with many people to teach. It's been crazy noticing the small miracles with our work this week.  It's so cool, I love it. 

We have a baptism on Saturday so we're excited. It's the baptism of part member kids, kuya Dale and Aljon :)

Love y'all,

Elder Johnson

Pasig Week 14

Magandang December family!

It's been another great week for us here in Pasig!!

On Tuesday I went on exchanges with the new missionary from Idaho (we are kabahays) and guess what- he knows very well the Crofts family! haha. His name is Elder Moffett, and he's doing well, adjusting to the mission life etc. But we had an awesome time together. It was a blast to work with a new American who had the same struggles as I did last year haha. I was able to teach him and help him on how to be a successful missionary. The cool thing is that he already has it down. He knows the most important thing is to have the Spirit and serve God the best we can :). My goal before I leave my mission/hopefully I'll have the opportunity to train an American!

On Wednesday we got the zone together and did some service for a Barangay. It went well. It was good bonding time with the missionaries here in Pasig.  We're looking to also do another service at an Elderly person's home later this month.

So, on Thursday began the wonderful new Christmas initiative of..#LIGHTTHEWORLD!!  It's been awesome these past 5 days introducing this to members, less actives, and recent converts. It's such a perfect finding tool that we must take advantage of in order to spread this Gospel to the world. It's been fun getting the people excited to do the things like Jesus Christ did. It feels good to serve others, no? I hope you all are doing this! Light the world! If you haven't started, get started today! 

We had MLC on Friday. It was a little different, but still okay. We just felt a lack of power/strong spirit from the workshops and from the other leaders, but it's okay because Elder Montera and I are excited to help our zone at zone training tomorrow by explaining the 4 month projection- the way to baptize weekly! (This is something that was introduced dati, but hasn't been explained on how to use it effectively)

It's been a huge improvement since my new companion has arrived. Our baptism projections have spiraled up! We are looking at weekly baptisms starting in January. It's been a miracle to see what's been happening with our area. Now, from the things we learned from the AP's, we are excited to teach our zone and continue to be an "example of the believers."

We are excited for our baptism on December 17, and for the baptisms in January. Just continue to pray for our progressing investigators! (Ryan Gutierrez, Angelica, Borja kids, Wendy Santos)

Elder Montera and I are learning together. It's been so fun working with him. He's so magaling. We really have recognized when the Spirit is present with us during our lessons, or not. But the times that it has this week, man it's powerful! I testify that missionary work can only be done God's way!

P.s. My pday is next Wednesday so talk to y'all then :).. temple trip kasi!! 

Love y'all,

Elder Johnson