Best Christmas Gift... EVER

Oh what a way to end our Christmas Day... Skyping with our other missionary!! We had one hour to visit with him and he sounds so VERY good and so grown up! I can't believe he is "20" years old! He bore his testimony to us in Spanish and then we had family prayer with him.  We asked if he would say it.. but in English so his brothers could understand!  He had never offered such an amazing prayer.  He has grown and strengthened in his testimony.  He is funny, calm and growing up into the man that his Heavenly Father wants him to become.  I can't even believe that he has one more year left.... or I should say... hard to believe he has been out a year!  He is loving his mission and so wonderful to see his smiling face!!  His knowledge of the gospel is amazing and his council to his brothers was spot on.  It was so nice to hear him telling the boys ... to read their scriptures, have personal prayer and give Tanner advice for his quorum.  And so hard for my mind to not think:  Elder Johnson will be home by next Christmas!!

 

 

Elder Michael Johnson

 

We LOVE Skyping with Elder Johnson

 

FUNNY faces!!

Feliz Navidad

Dear Mother, 

I am doing fantastic! We had a terrible week. These last two weeks have been ridiculously hard. We are struggling to find people to teach but we are talking with EVERYONE. My Spanish has improved so much here we talk to a lot of Hispanics like five or six a day. I don't know what it is but these last two weeks have been the worst weeks in my mission, number wise anyways. But I am doing so great, I am happy as can be. I got y'alls package thank you so much and I got aunt Vicky's she is AMAZING! Its weird but it does not seem like Christmas! We went caroling yesterday and it was 78 degrees and humid and today is poring rain! The ward is fantastic! They made Christmas stockings for us it was super nice of them. I hope y'all are doing well and have a Feliz Navidad!

Love, Elder Michael Johnson

Finding People

Dear mother,
We had a fantastic week! We talked to a ton of people. We set the goal of contacting five people a day. We have been tracting a lot door to door contancting a lot this week. We were knocking in an apartment complex and we knocked on this one door and the nine year old son opened the door and we asked for his parents.  We heard the mom (Krystal) from the back room yell, "Let 'em in!" We told her we were unable to come in because she was alone so she came outside, and started asking us a ton of questions about The Book of Mormon.  She asked us what we believe and as we were answering all of her questions and teaching her the Restoration of the Gospel, she started asking questions about baptism. We invited her to be baptized right there and she accepted! It was amazing! During us teaching her she was like I feel so good about this and she was trying to describe how she felt this warm fuzzy feeling while we were teaching and we were able to testify that she was feeling the holy ghost which is there to testify of truth! She was like WWWOOOAAAHHH its all true then! It was amazing. God really is preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive the gospel.

Turkey Bowl

Dear mother, 
We had a fantastic week. We only have a couple of investigators this week.  We met with this young man named Tony, he is 16.  He has several friends in the church and had a baptismal date at one point. But his mother would not give the church permission to baptize him.  She only speaks spanish, so very few people in the ward can comunicate with her. She is very nice but the language was such barrier.

But we went over there to teach him and his mother came home from work.  As we were teaching him, we began to talk with her and teach her, as well. She asked us several questions and by the end of the lesson she just told us that she is fine with her son being baptized.  She just wants him to know it is a commitment, and that if it is what he wants to do she is fine with it.   But we got permission for him to be baptized and when we told our ward mission leader, he was astonished!! He told bishop in P.E.C. that you need to meet Elder Johnson! I was told that they have been trying to get permision for like four years. It was amazing! 

But we had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We got to participate in the turkey bowl!! I threw a touchdown to end the game!:) 

I am so thankfull this year for the atonement of Jesus Christ! With out it, what I do is meaningless. I love being a missionary!! To be able share this wonderful message with everyone! The gospel is true and I am so thankfull for that witness that I have received from God. I love doing hard things!! And I'm so thankful for the God shapping me into what he needs me to be! I know that this church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, is the true church of Jesus Christ! I love my Savior with all my heart. this week has been absolutely amazing!!

New Area

Everything is going fantastic! We are in a ward and have a meal every day of the week! :O But the men here are super excited and ready to get going. They just got a new bishop and ward mission leader and they are ready and excited to go. It is fantastic here. Our apartment has 2 1/2  baths ...its huge!!!! 

We are opening the area... so we have no investigators but we have been working hard to find some.  We have been visiting a lot of less-actives. Everything is going great! We are just excited to be able to find people to bring unto the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I LOVE YOU!

Yes... we do have a dinner on thanksgiving!

From The Mission President

 

Dear Brother and Sister Johnson:

 

It is my great pleasure to notify you that your son, Elder Michael Johnson, has been called to be a New Missionary Trainer in the North Carolina Raleigh Mission.  He will be training his new companion, Elder Jackson Everett Rose, from Mesa, Arizona.  You can be very proud of him for the fine work he is doing.  We have confidence and faith in his ability to magnify his calling in this new and challenging assignment.

                                                           

As you may well understand, one of the greatest influences on a new missionary is his trainer, who is responsible for teaching him how to do the work he came here to do. These trainers must be obedient, exemplary, dependable, Christ-like missionaries, and they are carefully and prayerfully selected.  We are pleased to have a missionary such as your son to whom we can turn to fill these important responsibilities.

 

We appreciate his dedicated spirit and capable leadership and know that with your letters of encouragement, he will continue to inspire the missionary with whom he labors.

 

 

With our love,

 

Marc A. Bernhisel

Marc A. Bernhisel, President

North Carolina Raleigh Mission

A Raleigh Mother knows a Mother's Heart

I am a member of the church who lives in Raleigh and I was at the missionary transfer meeting yesterday.  I got to see your missionary and took a picture of him with his new companion, Elder Rose, from Mesa, Arizona (I think).  They are serving together in Dunn.  I just wanted to share the photo with you and let you know we are happy to have your missionary serving here in North Carolina!

Susan Evans
Raleigh NC