MTC celebrates 50th anniversary - ksl.com

MTC celebrates 50th anniversary - ksl.com

E-Mail, Monday, February 21, 2011 - Finally, some pictures!!!

The Musk Ox Farm

The Musk Oxen

Elder Johnson, the Musk Ox Farmer

Dear Mom:

Thanks for the e-mail. I'll do that thing with the pictures next Monday. I'm running late already and need to finish this project for the Musk-Ox Farm, which President Dance gave me exclusive permission to do. But you will be happy to know that I did take some pictures at the Musk-Ox Farm and am being a little more picture conscious now.

Those D&C movies are good. Watched them all on a P-day a couple P-days ago.

All that stuff is cool about Coach Roach and the Wall's.

Thanks for the V-Day package. It was a nice thought. But I'll be honest: Sweets don't do a thing for me. We get fed like crazy up here. I appreciate the thought, though.  I'm sorry but I'm on a diet and trying to stay fit. If I don't shun sweets like the plague, I'll blow up again.

But, I do know what you can do for me during holidays. This would help me greatly. Whatever the holiday is, you can create something that is in keeping with the holiday, but at the same time has a spiritual message, and then make 20 of them, send them in the mail, and then I can give those to investigators and potentials.

For example, this is what I did for Valentine's Day. I bought a bunch of Whitman's Sampler V-Day heart boxes, wrapped them in red wrapping paper, then I wrote on a little heart stationary note-paper the verse from John 15: As I have loved you, love one another . . . something like that. And then we went to all of our investigators and gave it to them. That type of thing really helps me. You and the girls could do that for every holiday, and it would be a wonderful gift to me and do a lot more for me than candy. Will you do that for now on?

Thank you for everything you do, Mom. I love you.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Hi Dad,

I wish we had more home teachers like you out here. We might be able to activate more of these less-actives. But we do have some solid members with resources and skills. We just had Brother Lentz and his two boys tow an investigator of ours. I'm not afraid to ask members for help--but I try to spread the
service opportunities.

That's really been my focus this past couple of weeks--working with members,
getting them to help spread the Gospel and serving. I've started a lot of
finding programs that I hope will garner more member referrals.

As for your questions:

So how the heck are you doing?

I'm doing great. Feeling great. Man, I wake up every morning at 5:45 AM,
then I get to freaking work, and I don't stop until 10:30 PM. Been losing
weight, playing B-Ball on P-days, which, by the way, I need my B-Ball shoes.
I want to wait and see if they transfer me though first, so don't send them
yet.

We're killing it right now, we are teaching up a storm. I was talking to the Assistants the other day at Zone Conference--we've got the best numbers in the mission right now.  So I'm as happy as can be.

What have you been studying lately?

The New Testament--read through the Pauline Epistles in chronological order
(which I'd recommend you do when you get there) this past week. I'll be done
in three days with the NT, and then I'll re-read Jesus The Christ, and then
D&C.

What book would you be reading right now if you were able to read anything
you wanted and why?

I'd be all over those Finance books, particularly the CFA study manuals and
the modeling books. I really miss finance and numbers. I also miss fiction,
but mainly finance--the scriptures sooth my need for fiction as of now.

But surprisingly enough, I've been working on Excel a lot. President Dance
has given me permission to work on Excel to create forms, models, etc. that
benefit the area. He also gave me permission to create a model for the
Musk-Ox Farm. Oh, and that recording system I created--President Dance loved
it, and he's going to send it to all the missionaries in the mission.

Have a great week. Thanks for the letter. Talk to you later. Tell Marcus I
said Hi, and tell him to write me a letter when he gets a chance.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's e-mail - February 14, 2011 "P-Days"

Hi Mom,

 For your questions - Tell me what you do on your p-days. 

P-Days we bring our laundry to the Atkinson's, who then make sure it gets changed over (only two loads: whites and others); then we go to the Mat-Su college, small, community college like, and e-mail and write our weeklies electronically to President Dance. Then we go to Walmart and do our shopping, and then we eat lunch--sometimes we eat out, sometimes just make something back at home. Then we are free to do whatever until it's time for dinner. During that free time, we will usually go to the stake center and play sports with the other missionaries--mostly basketball. I'm trying to find some cheap b-ball shoes locally, but if I can't this week, I will request that dad send my Nikes from home. But that'll be next week. With Elder Luke we'd go to Hatcher Pass and sled--it's a pretty intense mountain and you drive to the top, sled down, and then drive up again. Got to have two cars to do that with so we do it with the Harman boys usually.

What do you wear?

 We wear our prosyliting clothes (white shirt, suit) in the morning, and then if we're doing an activity that requires gym clothes, etc. then we change.

Where do you go?

See top answer.

Are you brushing your teeth well?

Silly question. I'm 23 years old. I can take of myself by now I hope. But to answer your silly question. Yes, I am brushing and flossing every night and morning.

Are you still comfortable in your clothes or do you wish you had time to get some exercise in?

Oddly stated question. Seems like it has two parts. First part: Yes, I'm comfortable in my clothes. I'll probably need new white shirts and shoes, maybe suit, by my year mark, but so far so good. And I've got the necessary clothing to do everything I'm required--for now. I'll request if needed. 

Part two: No, I don't wish I had time to get some exercise in--because I do have time to get exercise in, and I do exercise daily. I do push-ups and abs every morning, in between my studies--usually hit 300 push-ups. The Zone Leaders have an olympic bench, and I haven't lost my bench much I found out this week. Put up 245 3 times, which ain't too shabby. So I've maintained my strength pretty good. And I look forward to summer so I can do a little running, besides the running I get in on P-day. But I'm eating healthy and feel healthy and have lost weight. I'm at 220 now, compared to 240 when I left. The last half of my mission I'll focus more on working out in the morning, rather than studying. But for now, I've really benefitted from the additional study I've done. My teaching skills are otherworldly. I bring the heat when I teach now.

Sincerely,

Elder Johnson 

Just realized I ended my letter Sincerely to you. Force of habit with my weeklies. Consider this my revised ending.

 

Love,

Elder Johnson