First Baptism

Well, my week was amazing!!  I got special permission to go to Jose's baptism! MY FIRST ONE!!! It was amazing and he was soooo happy to be able to come into the waters of baptism! He just had a huge smile on his face the whole time!

First Transfer

I am in WALLACE, NC! It's like 30 minutes away from Clinton, NC.  I'm in another Spanish/English area and it is a branch, as well. My new companion is Elder Baroteran. He is an amazing missionary from Tijuana, Mexico! My week has been amazing though! I'm trying to get use to the area and the members here, but all is well! I have not gotten the packages yet:( hopefully today!!

   So, this week we were out following up on some less-active members, when this lady we were talking to pointed us across the street to a neighbor. We went over there and there were two ladies from Honduras talking on the porch.  So, we introduced ourselves and they invited us to sit down with them. We began teaching the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   Then I proceeded to shared the First Vision.  One of the ladies broke down into tears and when Elder Barroteran testified to what I said she was like, "I know its true as well!" It was amazing start to my week!  We are teaching her again tomorrow!! 

Love, Elder Johnson

He also got this e-mail from a family he was teaching:

Elder Johnson! This is Yahairia and Jose. We were just wondering how everything was going. Brother Eskelson told us your new location was Wallace! You're so close! :) Well, Jose's baptism is this Saturday! Unfortunately, I'm not getting baptize this Saturday but I will soon! His Uncle Orlando is doing him the favor in baptizing him. By the way we have a cellphone now! Keep in touch! May God Bless You ! <3

Michael responded:  I'm soo sad I wont be there for that!!!! 

  

I sent Michael this picture and his response is below:

Holy Cow!! I love dad's facial hair, mom you have lost some weight, Justin is probably the best looking one there!!  Cody looks sooo much older and like a missionary!! Just is extremely tall!!! Tanner looks amazing as well! Matthew!!!! 

Second Area-Wallace, Duplin County, North Carolina

The town of Wallace was first known as Duplin Crossroads and was incorporated into existence in 1873. Later in 1899, the town fathers decided to adopt the new name, Wallace, to honor Stephen D. Wallace, an official of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad.

Wallace is Duplin County's largest population and retail trade center serving over 50,000 people in a surrounding three county area. The population of Wallace in 2003 was 3,384 people.

Wallace is proud of their progressive nature which has helped to bring Interstate 40, improved highways and roads as well as an Industrial Park for future business growth. Wallace is also in the process of upgrading their sewage plant capabilities and is home to a city-run library, recreation department, airport and an 18-hole golf course.

Wallace is governed by a mayor, five councilmen, and council-city manager as their main form of government.

Pre-schools are available for children ages 3 and 4 in Wallace and our public schools offer modern facilities and excellent administration, faculty and staff. Wallace Elementary School serves students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Charity Middle School reaches the sixth through eighth grade ranges and the Wallace-Rose High School educates grades nine through twelve. The Duplin County Education Foundation raises funds to foster, promote and encourage educational opportunities and programs within our public schools for which funding is not available. Three private schools are also located within eighteen miles of Wallace.

Wallace has an active Chamber of Commerce which meets the second Thursday of every month. Wallace 100 Committee, Inc. (chartered by the Chamber) promotes the welfare of trade, manufacturing, industrial and agricultural interest of the town and surrounding area. SouthPark, a new industrial park, is open near I-40 in Wallace. Low tax rates are an incentive to industry and business considering the Wallace area. Textiles, garment sewing, poultry processing, frozen foods and swine production are all prospering industries in the area. The downtown business district thrives in Wallace as does the stretch of business along Highway 117. The Wallace Airport, Henderson Field, serves to make Wallace more accessible. The airport offers a 4,000 foot paved and lighted runway with a navigational beacon.

Bitter Sweet Week

Dearest Mother,

  I am getting transfered tomorrow we just found it this week! I was sad at first because we have several people who are progressing towards baptism. I will not be here for those, so I was sad, I felt like I failed as a missionary.   I felt as if I had not brought anyone closer to Jesus Christ! But that changed so quickly, as I started to count all my many blessing!!  then began to focus on this week, I've had the best week in my mission so far! We had five investigators at church this last Sunday and we taught a LOT of lessons this week! We also have found four new investigators! One of those who came to church was Perry, he is amazing and when he came into the gospel principles class we were teaching after sacrament he said, "I know this is the true Church of God!  I have been searching for it my whole life and know I have found it, and NO one is going to tell me other wise!" He was balling his eyes out as he said this and his baptism is on August 10th.  Jose and Yohira also came to church and loved it as well they were only able to stay for sacrament but we are going to go and teach them tonight!

   We also have re-activated the Core family and they were sooo sad to hear I was getting transferred to another area.   We have gotten so close to this family and I hope that they will stay active, that his two boys will serve missions for The Lord.

 

Why Serve a Mission...Well said!!

Prepare now to go on a mission. It will not be a burden. It will not be a waste of time. It will be a great opportunity and a great challenge. It will do something for you that nothing else will do for you. It will sharpen your skills. It will train you in leadership. It will bring testimony and conviction into your heart. You will bless the lives of others as you bless your own. It will bring you nearer to God and to His Divine Son as you bear witness and testimony of Him. Your knowledge of the gospel will strengthen and deepen. Your love for your fellowman will increase. Your fears will fade as you stand boldly in testimony of the truth.- Gordon B. Hinckley

”I am called of God. My authority is above that of the kings of the earth. By revelation I have been selected as a personal representative of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Master and he has chosen me to represent him. To stand in his place, to say and do what he himself would say and do if he personally were ministering to the very people to whom he has sent me. My voice is his voice, and my acts are his acts; my words are his words and my doctrine is his doctrine. My commission is to do what he wants done. To say what he wants said. To be a living modern witness in word and deed of the divinity of his great and marvelous latter-day work.”- Bruce R. McConkie.

"Young people need to commit themselves early in life to the idea of a mission. That way, when they get older and begin to face some of the world's temptations, those temptations will be less likely to penetrate their hearts or minds. They will resist the temptations because they are focused on becoming a servant of the Lord." - M. Russell Ballard

"I would ask that your faith and prayers continue to be offered in behalf of those areas where our influence is limited and where we are not allowed to share the gospel freely at this time. Miracles can occur as we do so." - Thomas Monson

“My beloved brethren, you and I, today and always, are to bless all peoples in all the nations of the earth. You and I, today and always, are to bear witness of Jesus Christ and declare the message of the Restoration. You and I, today and always, are to invite all to receive the ordinances of salvation. Proclaiming the gospel is not a part-time priesthood obligation. It is not simply an activity in which we engage for a limited time or an assignment we must complete as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Rather, missionary work is a manifestation of our spiritual identity and heritage. We were foreordained in the premortal existence and born into mortality to fulfill the covenant and promise God made to Abraham. We are here upon the earth at this time to magnify the priesthood and to preach the gospel. That is who we are, and that is why we are here – today and always.” - David Bednar

Teaching Many about Jesus Christ

So, my week has been amazing, as always! We have been working extremely hard and God has been leading us to many! We have taught a lot of lessons this week and are hoping to keep that up! We taught a lady [just so you know who i am talking about, she is the one that doesnt go to a church just reads the bible] again this week and she has been reading out of the Book of Mormon and making comparisons with it and the bible. She already believes it is true scripture from God!! She is doing so well and we teach her agian tomorrow! We will be teaching about the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ on the earth! She is going to love it!!

    We are also working with this man who hasn't be baptized any religion. Last time we met with him was a week ago, and he just went into the hospital. We were unable to meet with him for a couple of weeks. But that week when we taught him, we taught him the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ.  When, we were talking about how all Joseph Smith wanted to know was which of the churches on the earth was true, he was like thats all I have ever wanted to know my WHOLE life! He went on tell us that he never was baptized any religion because he did not believe any of them were true, he felt they did things contrary to the Bible.  So, we went on the explain that after reading in the Bible, in James 1:5, that Joseph Smith desided to take his question to God.  We explained that as Joseph Smith was praying that God the Father and His son, Jesus Christ apperared to him and told him that, "none of the churches on the earth were true". He was like, "I knew it"!  Right after that we told him that God and Jesus Christ then called Joseph Smith to be a prophet and that through him that the true church of God would be re-establish through him. We then testified that the Book of Mormon is the evidence of this truth and that everyone who reads and prays about it will come to find out the truth for themselves! He was so excited and said, this is what I have been looking for my whole life!! We then left him with some information on the Plan of Salvation and set up a return appointment. But because of his trip to the hospital we were unable to meet up with him till this last week.  But he was soo happy to see us and had been reading in the Book of Mormon and was like, "this is all true!" He then taught us about the Plan of Salvation, we were so impressed!  He was like this just makes so much sense!! It was an amazing week!! I'm just happy that I can be an instrument in the hands of my Father in heaven.  That I can help some of his sons and daughters to come unto him more-fully! I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ's Church again on the earth today. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I know.

Tender Mercy on the Road

We are traveling today through Wyoming and knew it was Elder Johnson's e-mail day.  I think I've missed one day since he has been out, but on this day...we had no Internet service.  As we are driving, we keep checking our phones to see if we had service,to no avail. For around an hour and half we had nothing then all of a sudden the Internet came on line, about 15 minutes after Michael had sent his e-mail.  I got to reply and e-mail back and forth for about 45 minutes...and had the feeling to say I love you, that I didn't know how much longer I would have Internet service.  With-in the next few minutes, my Internet went out for about another hour or so.

Coincidence or Tender Mercy?  I firmly believe that was a sweet Tender Mercy from my Heavenly Father to remind me that I'm his daughter, he knows me and is fully aware of my circumstances. Today was a gentle reminder that I am loved by a Heavenly Father... In this I have no doubt!

Michael's Mom

Testimony of Christ's True Church

We found this new lady that doesnt belong to any church because she says none of them actually believe in the Bible!! So she just reads the Bible everyday and studies it like no other! She has investigated every church except ours and has been a catholic for a while. She said that she left it because she feels their doctrine is corrupted! She is not a part of any church... We knocked on her door the other day, she let us in and was talking about all the doctrine she has found in the bible and whether or not our church believes in it! Well after a lot of questions, she has come to the conclusion that we are the most accurate church to Christ's true church here upon the earth today. It truly amazes me how if your not clouded by the doctrines and opinions of man, you can find the truth soooo easily. It just proves Joseph Smith's statement when he was asked, "What separated the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other church." His statement was, "We are the only church that actually believes in the Bible".  It was just a testimony builder to me that this is Christ's true church on the earth today! I'm thankful for the knowledge that I have and know to be true.

The Lord is ALWAYS in Charge

This week has been a good one! I can not complain! We are seeing miracles almost daily and everything seems to be going good! We had some amazing experiences this week and it all started last Monday after emailing. I forgot my wallet and did not even realize it until we got to Wal-mart, so Elder Eskelsen just did all his shopping and we went back to the apartment after looking for my wallet for a minute or two ...I finally found it.  Elder Eskelsen realized he forgot his pictures he  printed off at Wal-Mart, so we headed back and I did my shopping while he found his pictures. So we left again, then we realized that we forgot air freshener. So, we headed back for a third time! We have never gone to Wal-Mart for a second time let a lone a third!  So, we went back in and we went to the aisle with the air freshener.  We found an investigator we were teaching, who we lost contact with when she went into the hospital.  She had a new phone and she moved, so we had no clue where she went but we found her at Wal-Mart.  It is funny how we had to go to Wal-Mart three times to do it! She was so happy to see us, and we are now able to teach her again! God works in mysterious ways!

We were also able to teach another couple this week. We taught them twice. First time was the Plan of Salvation.  They loved it!  We just testified that they were children of God, that he loves them and is aware of them, and  that he knows everything they are going through. We also taught them the law of chasity and they agreed to live it! It was a good lesson and the spirit was very strong. The second time we taught them the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of Wisdom and it was an amazing lesson. We had the help of an amazing member and they both accepted the word of wisdom and agreed to live it, in fact both of them already didn't like tea and coffee. That was a miracle in and of itself! They are both doing extremely well and both have found out the truth for themselves from God!!

We also ran out of miles so we did a lot of biking! We were able to talk to a lot of people. I am hopeful that something good comes out of it! It has been a good week and I'm thankful for that!!