Dear Everyone!
It was all good to hear from you this week, and I'm glad everyone is doing well. Its good to hear dad is still traveling and Paisley is still tickling Taleya :D. I'm way glad to hear about Chris's papers and I want to know from him when he knows where, better yet send of video. I'm glad to hear about the games thanks to bryndon. I always get a nice laugh out of that one.
This week has been pretty awesome for me. I had the chance to go back to the beloved city of Rivne, the city where I have stayed the longest on my mission! over 6 months there. It was so nice to see familiar faces, however it was sad to see some of those familiar faces inactive... and not coming to church. The district leader and I went on exchanges and TORE up the work there. we found 3 more people who wanted to know more about the gospel, they ended the week with 8 lessons and 6 of those had members present with them. and the girl that Elder Reynolds and I had found is now turning 18 (as far as I understand) and is getting baptized on the 3 of october! I was so happy to see everyone! It was such a great start! we had so much work that we wanted to get done we had to stay another day to get it all done. This last week on the24th was the independence of Ukraine. so everything was all cultured out! the men and women in there vishuvanka's is what they are called! they are pretty much the coolest shirt in the world and I hope to get one before I go. Two of the members that we tried getting them to date one another are now getting married on the 7th of october! that was such awesome news. I ended up singing again with Yulia who invited two of her friends to hear the gospel from us. it was an awesome start to the week! and I loved it. we made it back just in time for branch council on thursday and we talked to the members about the work and where president Klebingat is headed. The branch Presidency was to teach and so I spoke first of the success and where the mission is headed and how much we need them to make all of this work. and then president megega stood and spoke on how we need to knock off having two separate church's. President Klebingat noticed that we had two churches, the missionaries church and the members church... he basically through down telling them that they have to get to know us, find out who we are like it was in the olden times. He then turned to us and told us that "we had better be the Angels that we were called to be". that sunk deep. thats not the first time that I have heard that from members. But the people here really beleive that. they call us angels sent to teach. and when he turned and said that it just totally brought it to perspective. Who we really are, or are supposed to be in there eye's. he continued saying you elders better get rid of whatever you have that is keeping you from being those angels. I was very humbled, not that I have been doing anything wrong but that I never really thought all that much about what the members think of me. who I am to them.
this mission is awesome! the area presidency came out and told us that our mission is the cutting edge of the church, its front lines, we are the ambassadors of heaven. they talked about how if we dont feel adiquate thats good! because you shouldn't. I was like what?! thats silly why should I not feel adiquate. but then I thought. Heavenly Father calls you to something when you dont feel adiquate enough to do it. He calls you in that hour to change yourself for the better, He wants to make us stronger so he will put those weaknesses to the test. He will not settle for weaknesses and we shouldn't either. He wants us to be better so "He will provide a way so that we may accomplish the thing that He hath commanded" ....."be ye perfect, even as I am". you want hot water then you you've gottat turn up the heat as it were. so that you will not be inadiquate, because you learn by doing. so if there is anyone of the family that might be waiting on .... I dont know maybe an elders calling, and doesn't feel adiquate or ready to be one. OFCOURSE you wont feel that way! your just look warm right now! you have never been an Elder so how can you feel adiquate or ready to be one! thats the whole point of becoming one is so you can be a adiquate preisthood holder of our Heavenly Father. However, he has given us a choice... we can allow him to mold us into that perfect being, and do those things that we need to, go to church, scriptures and so on... so that we can recieve the more perfect things that He wants for us....or, we can say "no, we have our own plans". but Honestly if you think about it If we did it our way we would create of ourselves a smudge, He would create a masterpeice, we would create ourselves to be a man, He would create a god. .... so now that its in contrast, you pick! Once you decide to do what you know our Heavenly Father knows you should do and you understand why you should do it. then you put the quote into play "if you know that you know, you are hard to restrain" we are an chosen generation, a peculiar people, a Royal blood line of Heaven. so shape up! there's no room in heaven for people who just want to stay put and say I'm not ready. Heaven is for those who say I'm READY! BRING IT ON!, for those who want to progress! .. so I guess the question is, .. you want to go to heaven? :D I had better hear that EVERYONE is going to church.... if you dont I'm not going to play ANY games when I get back! no one better! you had better be an Elder before I get home or else. :) wow that was kind of fun! but really take it seriously we need to always keep going forward! I love you all and am way excited. I cant believe my 6 months is coming up in less then two weeks... yikes. I dont want to get rid of this missionary life... worrying about everyone else, knowing which irons are the best to use, the ice cold showeres in the morning because our landlord wont pick up the phone. yeah... well stay in contact, as soon as I find my camera chord I'll be sending more pictures but until then I'll leave it up to your imaginations, I'll let you create your own pictures in your heads. I heard that creating or creation is an essence of godliness. by the way i'll be getting my winter stuff this week we think, and I sent pictures of my suit, if you could email mr. mac with the pictures and the reciept that I will send and ask them for another suit they will send one to the house so that I will have it when I get back :D thank you all, and I love you!  cool phrase in Ukrainian (that sounds alot more cool in Ukrainian) I thank you that you are.
Love you

Don't let yesterday hold tomorrow Hostage

Dear Everyone,

Well that was the end of another great week! and we have now started the next. I was in L'viv for most of last week on exchanges, returned for one day, and then off we went on another set exchanges... woof! My companion was a little under the weather so we quarantined him and I went to L'viv with Elder Hubbel. Yeah like the Telescope.

Picture with me. Its a cloudy day in a sense, but the sun is blasting through the clouds and its rather bright. Your in a couple thousand year old city, old mid evil look with the connecting buildings, the cobble stone streets, and the statues and church's in the town squares. There is a light snow, small snow flakes that are falling everywhere but down... just kind of breezy and getting tossed to a fro. Its Valentines day so everyone looks their best arm in arm. You have your Men and Women walking down the streets in the old traditional clothing selling stuff, and street performers singing their hearts out.... and then you've got us, two missionaries with a desire and a purpose to preach the Good Word. Off we went, visiting a bunch of places and talking to a TON of people! .. I love the Ukrainian language! its absolutely beautiful. My companion on the exchange was Elder Shurtleff, the future AP but he doesn't know that yet ;) He's a little fireball like myself, so when we got somebody who was wanting to take a stab at us we did some serious confounding! The missionaries out in L'viv I would say are some of our best, so District Meeting was great! Elder and Sister Ewart are the senior couple down there running the branch.
We are not in our area enough I don't feel to really do some damage and make a dent, but on our exchanges we find dozens! we found 12 in two days there in L'viv. which really is a big deal for us. You have your fisher's in the West and in Mexico and South America, and you have your Hunters in the Eastern Hemisphere (Jer.16:16) we enjoyed it alot!
I Also, our last night, received a personality test from Elder Ewart! some kind of law enforcement program that he gives to missionaries going home to help out with their "future" companion lol I loved that exchange alot! and considering it was going to be my last in L'viv I better have!
We returned and immediantly went into another exchange which went pretty well. Part of it was in the office because president has us working on something for the mission. we are creating a website for him and so far we have done a pretty stinkin good job. all the pictures, his weekly letters, and other things are going to be available soon as well. Its http://ukrainekievmission.com/. Its not fully up and running yet but soon we will be but you can check it out... hmm well yesterday was a really good Sunday! I love these members here! its really turned into a giant family here this past 4 months. I do not want to come home. Thats going to be a tough flight to take... but I hear other people take it and they live so I think I will be just fine. There is a Tuesday of my life that I never lived through because of the flight over here. I feel like I've stepped into a story book, "..the time {really has} passed away as it were unto us a dream.." and I guess to wake and be able to keep living it is a whole new chapter that I will turn to when I get there. I love you all and am grateful for the emails. I will keep you in all my prayers.

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Старійшина Джонсон

Its always better to fall flat on your face then stand still. At least then you will be a whole body length ahead of where you would be if you just stood

Dear everyone!

Long week! we have just finished the mission Tour and man it was great! My companion and I are way beat and excited its over but more excited to implement those things. We are going to hit the ground running, in fact tonight we are headed back out to L'viv to start up our exchanges with the zone leaders. I think I appreciate dad the flight rearrangement ... I think, I always thought coach was worse than economy. either way I'll be in the same plane no matter where I am sitting... however my flight plans say that its an A330 from Amsterdam. Anyhow so this week was a tough one for us.. at least as far as numbers go, I am always beating myself up about that. Granted we were only in our area 2 days and my comp was sick one of them but its just... disappointing. I know I need to come to an understanding of the facts but it doesn't take away from the feelings that you get when no one you are teaching is really progressing. so yeah.. I DO like helping out other missionaries though and am excited for the upcoming exchanges. My study has been keeping me somewhat sane. Its always nice in the morning to read and be taught things simple or even deep, its an exciting time for me to feel like I'm actually "getting it" because there are some points on the streets where I always end up asking myself "what are we not doing correctly? why aren't people responding to us? I dont get it"

We had a leadership meeting at the end of the week and President blew whatever was left of my mind when he spoke about this exact thing. That it is not WE who run the show, but our Heavenly Father. In fact I'm going to attach the email that he sent us because I thought it was awesome! He helped the mission or perhaps reminded the mission that it is not our work... that we cannot forget from what source or reason we are here in the first place. That its HIS work and HIS glory... Just working harder will not make differences if your not doing what He wants us to do. there is order. Once again, comforting to the soul. I have to go and start transfers with president soon so I will be short, thank you for the emails. Please keep me updated... And yes dad its not that I'm against Florida and going there for school. But cheap prices can also mean cheap education, the other schools I'm looking at are not cheap, and even BYU is not cheap but it has its advantages.. I'm pretty sure I need the ATC again so I will sign up for that shortly I have to do it before the 9th of March and then I have about a month to study for it. I love you all... And I know I dont bear my testimony in all of my letters.. well I do but not in the orthodox sense of "I know that..." or "I want to testify to you..." but just so you know, I believe its true with all my heart.

Love you

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Старійшина Джонсон

so be opinionated, Your opinions are always right

Dear everyone,

I apologize for my inconsistency in writing you this week. We are on Mission Tour right now and things have been difficulty amazing! WOW! what an Area President will do to you on a round of zone conferences! We were in Odessa for our first one, and it was awesome! It was like sitting in a spiritual Hot Tub for 5 hours. Hand was going as fast as I could to make it look readable, my brain was about to pop as he expounded some of the most simple doctrine, all the while I'm trying to hold tears back... not for the fact that I wanted to be tough but so that I could see him and see what he was writing down. I felt so drained afterward. kinda of puts it into perspective, that Moses was knocked flat for a few hours after talking with Heavenly Father... man this business (I mean that in the most Ukrainian sense) is a tiring one!

President Klebingats talk took me a while.. in fact it took me three times to listen to it, and now tomorrow a fourth, that I finally came to an understanding of what exactly he was trying to talk about. It was really exciting because I had been studying the exact same topic recently however, as was obviously made existent after his talk, I did it with a lesser knowledge of what was needed to actually feel as uplifted as he made us feel. And then Sister Klebingat got up and bore a VERY powerful testimony, one that I felt was very... hmm... rare. As she began to brake down, she and president Klebingat showed a side of themselves that, until that point was non existent to the missionaries. She didn't say many words at all. at least it felt that way compared to the Spirit that was there.. She didn't say much, but there were still many words said. Then it was followed by a powerful Likening of scripture to us and our companionships. President Schwitzer and his wife are something else, and I have felt VERY privileged to work right beside them during this Mission Tour. I'm dead tired, Its throwing our schedule off like mad but I honestly am not caring all that much.. I should though.

Thank you mom for trying to keep me focused. I would let you know thought that it will not be hard, This month is going by so fast it is scaring me.. .this week is already flying on by. Tonight we are headed to L'viv on a train to do it one last time but we are all very excited to teach to the missionaries out there! yes we Assistants had a part in the whole shindig as well. By the way I sang again today, it was really cool, President had asked for a musical number for every conference... Joseph Smith's first prayer was sung. I feel really out of it right now and am at a loss to say. I do however have a request though. if at all possible upon my arrival could you please atleast find a place that sells electric converters. I have some things like a shaver and stuff that will not work unless I have a converter. one that converts into European electricity. I am happy for everything that is going on at home, I'm excited to still be serving a mission... I'm scared to death of Florida... well atleast in a sense of the unknown. I love you all and hope that you would pass my love to everyone else.
Love you

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P.S. If Grandma says anything about it not being the picture that she wanted I'm going to fall into depression.. I have been working on that since sept. lol
Старійшина Джонсон

When you see a man at the top of a mountain, you know he didn't fall there

Dear Everyone!!!
wow.. what a week! I'm glad that I was able to hear from some of you this week. Thank you dad for the pictures! that was really cool. WOW shaleena "is all grown up... and savin China!" (what movie?) its good to know everything is working out for them down there. Thank you Taleya for finally writing me! goodness! lol and thanks for what you wrote. In fact you kind of inspired me to write a little bit this week about whats been going down in my head. but before I put you all to sleep I just want to say that this last week it was -24 degree's outside... and this week its going to get to -32 WOOF! that's like -24 or -25 or something. we had finally a week in our Area and we have been struggling.. one being nobody wants to stop and talk to us in that kind of weather... and unfortunately tracting is always through the door. Its pretty funny the word for missionary in Russian is close to the word Police .. and if you put a nice 4 inch thick piece of door in the middle of you and the person your trying to talk to who will not open up the door because they want to know who it is first... things can get a little difficult. I've learned alot this week.. and to move on to what I wanted to talk about today... I have been really "hoping" for the best.

President has wanted us to have our own goals and what not so that we can be ready for not just the rest of our mission but for our lifes! I have thought about after the mission and I'm not sure what to expect or to what environment I will be going home to but I have really been seeing that I'm strongly hoping that everything will be alright. hope is a big thing! hope is the definition of faith! according to alma. "therefore if ye have faith, ye hope.." I notice I have alot of those small hopes, you know those ones we have about hoping the everything will be alright, that the family will be happy, that I'll get to work on time or study. those things that are in proximity to a few days or weeks or even years away. I have not Idea what to expect there in Florida and I guess thats one of my proximate hopes now, that everything will be just grand. Here on the mission I find that alot of those things that dont happen, that disappoint me, are the debri of those hopes that never came through. I read up a little bit in the scriptures about hope, and its purpose and how can hope of all things fail, but in the scriptures it talks about an even greater kind of hope, a total or ultimate hope. This hope is eternal, and connected to Jesus Christ and the blessings of the Great Atonement, blessing resulting in everyone being resurrected and the opportunity that there by provided for us to practice repentance, making possible what the scriptures call "a perfect Brightness of Hope" 2 nephi 31:20. even Moroni told us what we should hope for" behold I say unot you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ". so real hope is not associated with those things with an end, but rather with things immortal and Eternal! and of course it has to be intertwined with the doctrine of Christ. especially Faith and patience. faith, hope and charity and patience. I have learned that you have to take care and .. build those qualities, whereas doubt and dispare like weeds or dandelions need little encouragement in order to sprout and spread. It stinks but dispare comes so naturally to the natural man, but patience helps us to deal more evenly with the unevenness of life's experiences. Its kind of like our Anchor, I heard a song recently about the Gospel being the anchor of our souls, and then in Hebrews I found it talking about it "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul..." its cool to think about because it really is, and our faith and the companionship of the Holy Ghost help us retain it. but in contrast, if you look at life without viewing the prospect of immortality it kind of kills hope, and not only that but accountability. those small hopes we have are very vulnerable to all the unexpected. there are lots of things in the world that have a great sense of despair. even those who might be spiritually safe, or at least feel that way they can sense that there is that "chill". speaking of this we had a J-dub convention in our city! oi!!!! so upsetting! another group of people believing they have the way to God! rather create one path to God then except the one He has given and laid before them. but like Elder Maxwell said "secular knowledge doesn't pretend to give us the answers to the great why's anymore than you or I would read a phone directory in search of a plot."

As long as we have hope, ultimate hope our ship is safe and secure. thats why its so important that have that ultimate hope because when hope is stripped away thats when Paul says then comes the tendency to "eat drink and be merry" reasoning that" for tomorrow we die" driven by a stupid conclusion that "when a man is dead" that is the end thereof. as much as I have not liked the opposing forces or storms on my mission there will be some usefulness in them. Events will help draw attention to Gods higher ways and His kingdom. but its in His own time that He brings about His purposes. because God wants us to come home after having become more like Him and His Son, kind of the development process I guess you could say is showing unto us our weaknesses. So I figure if we have that Ultimate Hope we will be submissive because, as its says in the scriptures, with His help those weaknesses can even become strengths. that has been a giant kick in the pants on the mission finding out how incredibly inadequate I really am. and on top of that its not an easy thing to be shown ones weaknesses, however as I have learned it really is part of coming unto Christ and its way important, as important as it is painful, and believe it or not, it is part of Gods plan of happiness. Something that President said a while back is that "by pressing forward hopefully, we can, repeatedly and joyfully, stand on what was yesterdays distant horizons, which helps us find hope in our own experiences. Granted those with true hope still see their personal circumstances shaken at times - like a kaleidoscope. Yet with and "eye of faith" even in their changed proximate circumstances they still see Divine design." its been way tough out here, feeling that my one "shovel" or whatever in the field of 1000 acres is going to do anything for anybody. but if there is one thing that I have learned its that we may not be able to fix the whole world, but we can strive to fix what may be missing or wrong in us and thus making the world a little better. a book I read once said that "its not our part to master all the tides of the world, but to do what is in us for the succour of those years wherein we are set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live after may have clean earth to till. what weather they shall have is not our to rule" I know that we can do something for those generations looking up to us in years for "clean earth to till" whatever we can do in, in Pauls' words we can "plow in hope" not looking back, refusing to let yesterday hold tomorrow hostage. I suppose you could say this is a part of my testimony.. that I'm sharing with you. having that hope that Heavenly Father see's us much more than we are, and having faith, patience, and charity to get to that point is really life's journey. I pray and "hope" yours is going well. that your finding joy in the journey... because I sure am! :D hmm... wow that turned out pretty nice.. I might use this in a talk sometime! way to go Taleya, nice move... keep writing! and I want more pictures from everyone!!! thank you Uncle Kelly, you are pretty consistent :D

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Старійшина Джонсон

by the way,

I am the only one going home on that flight.. from Kyiv! so I'm going to be a loner the whole way home and still do not have the chance to fly on a 747 :(.. so I guess it doesn't really matter where I sit, as long as I'm by the window.. which I am. :D so you can do whatever you want now with my ticket.. just keep me on the window :D

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Старійшина Джонсон