Life

Dear Dad and Mom

THANK YOU SOOOO much for what you have done for me. I'm working SOO hard, it brings me to tears at night sometimes, but I have been blessed and know alot. we are speaking our language %100
right now before we leave. holy cow dad I only have 3 weeks left :S its going to be worth it though. I have pictures to send I hope you got my letter. I also sent moms package off. I know things are tight but if you want a set of Ukrainian scriptures with names engraved I can do it for like 12 bucks. or the t-shirt. you will have to have mom send you pictures. we get huge discounts on the things here being missionaries. dont worry dad I wont come home, I may not want to after being there for so long :D miss you guys though. being right at the foot of the wasatch I always think of home when I look at the mountains.  oh hey guess who came to our divotional??? ELDER HOLLAND!!!!! he RARELY comes to the MTC I was so stoked to listen to him. also this week in our Zone leaders meeting with the branch presidency they asked me while we were talking " oh by the way we cant be here today so you will be the presiding authority, and we need you to teach priesthood! ............(my reaction) ooooookay I was SOO caught off gaurd but I guess with the church just kind of begining in ukraine, things like this happen. missionaries are called to be branch president, just made me think of my patriarical blessing again... crazy week. still trying to work with my companion. tough, my teachers say I have alot of patience that he still lives in his own teenage world. also been kind of a tough week though what with Taleya leaving today. well hey I do get to call you in the airport when I leave I wanted to let you know that. so try to be with everyone when I do. whats your phone number by the way??? I cant remember it. Love you dad gotta email mom... you know how she gets :D
Elder Johnson

Stories for Mom same day!!!  :D

lol a few more funny times this week, Elder Angerhofer and Elder Wilson were teaching there progressive investigator this week. the investigator told him that he had already been baptized, and instead of trying to tell him the importance of THIS baptism, he very boldly tried to say that that baptizm was invalid. and what it translated out to say was your batptizm was handicapped hahaha man I love it! those elders are awesome! Our investigator is doing AMAZING! well one of them. He has come to church, read the book, prayed and this week we are comitting him to be baptized, he just has to stop living with his girlfriend lol yeah that will be fun :D yeah... darn I will have to check my journal and write you about the week because I only remember a few things.... I didn't get any mail from you this week... OOOOOOHHH GUESS WHAT?! I wrote grandma and commited her to go to church! guess what she did!? haha she wrote back and said she did, I'm going to commit her to read this week in addition to going to church, I got a really bad feeling last week about her, there isn't all the time in the world for her to lolly gag around I KNOW grandpa wants to be with her in the eternities! so we need to git her into shape to spiritualy lol I hope it helps, I Also have a letter for skyler!  but I do not know his address, kinda "throwing down the gaunlet" but I feel like it will be good. so I will write again today. miss you hope all is well!  Love you mom hope you like your gift. p.s. give me the heads up when you want me to start sending tapes.
Elder Johnson.

Thankful

Dear Mom and Dad,
Thank you for the email and dad thanks for the Dear Elder. I'm writing everyone today awsell, well you and those whom sent letters. Taleya is sick??? hmmm yeah that parasite scenario is possible. ... but I'm no doctor. thats horrible! I'll email her and let her know I'm thinking about her, I put her name in the temple today, I just felt worried about her and that I should.  please dont worry about the money, I am frying my brain with how much I have commited myself to studying and getting this language down. on the 12 is when we do SYL for the next two years (speak your language) kind of worried but we can carry on conversations easily between our district. we got our new district in this last week. I like being able to serve so many Elders as a Zone leader. I sent you a mother's day card I hoped you like it. I came up with it all by myself :D yeah my account is in the whole but dont worry, I'm working hard and I know that the blessing will be coming in for you all and me. I have some interesting stories about the Ukraine and there beliefs, I have to get used to wearing my CTR ring on the left hand. I guess right hand means your married. :S who knew, whenever a black cat crosses your path you wait until someone else crosses or you hold onto a button on you clothing as you walk lol there was a missionary around mothers day last year who was in Ukraine and was jumped by a mob there, a letter from his mom fell out as they were beating on him, the letter talked about the persicution of the saints, all types they had to go through. she also said in the letter that he would have to go through some aswell well long story short the leader of there mob read this and stepped out, said he couldn't do this anymore, knowing he was hurting a disciple of Jesus Christ. kind of a cool story. oh last year there was a Ukrainian man who went at this Elder with a razor blade and his companion broke his hand on the mans face because of how many times he hit him and then totally "spartan kicked him" off the bus lol  yeah but those are my interesting stories for the week... atleast the ones that would make sense to you, there are some Language ones but I only have 10 minutes so I'll send it in a letter. I love you both so much and mom I still have your package waiting for you :D I cant wait to get out there OHHHH did you send my immunization records yet??? if not PLEASE do. I love you both so much...  dad I'm so glad the job is starting to pump on all cylinders, I cant thank you and mom both enough for the person you both helped mold me into, yes mom I have learned from you both so much and it has proved itself thus far, My companion and I still have some problems but I'm trying to be better about it... however I think it takes two to tengo, I pray for it often. well I'm runnin low and want to Email Taleya, cant wait till the feild where I get an hour to email home YES! :D love you
Elder Johnson

Mission and Life

Holy COW! ok I'm going to print off your email and respond in a letter because I cant put the Ukrainian Characters in the email well maybe let me know if you can see this. ф я ч д о ю б р к з й I mean I'm going to send the letter anyways! wow I thought you were going to be in the Florida Longer  I have a mothers day package for you but no money to send it. And I'm afraid they have taken out the 12 dollars and sent my account in the whole because I dont really have ANY money in it any more :S but as soon as you send it I will send you your mothers day gift lol kind of an odd little exchange anyways I'm sorry mom I'll look at your email first next week but just know you will be my biggest letter :D love you I'll send you the letter today you should get it in a couple days love you
Elder Johnson