This is what Elder Lawson's blog said about the Lazy Mountain Hike

It was a funny week! Well yesterday came along and Elder Johnson and Elder Tonga wanted to go on a hike before transfers so we went up lazy mountain again... except this time 1/4 of the way up it started pouring and getting misty and just so so so muddy! so we kept going and by the time we got to the top the trail was soaked! SO CRAZY! So we started down and by 10 min into it we had all fallen on our butts multiple times! Elder johnson ate it hard and banged up his knee pretty good but he is doing fine! So we tried the slide down the mountain approach and Elder Johnson went first and he got booking down on his butt and it scraped up his hands pretty good! so then we went off the train and just walked through all the tall weeds and bushes... it scraped up our legs a little but was a lot safer than going on the trail! We finally got to the bottom and had to change REALLY fast and head to pick up our new companions.

Elder Lawson

Elder Johnson's July 19, 2011 E-Mail

Hi Mom,

Each week I attach my weekly to the President to your e-mails. If you read these, you will be completely filled in on all the progress the area is making.  You need to read the Weeklies that I attach.  (except he never attaches them)  Attached are the last month of weeklies that President Beesley received.

Jake Babcock is a great source of information. You can call him. He'd be happy to talk to you and tell you everything he knows. He can describe in great detail my new companion, past companions, things going on, etc.

District Leaders are responsible for district meetings and accounting for the numbers of the district each Sunday night. District meetings are usually taught following a series of lessons from a Simplified Curriculum that have been given by the Brethren. Our mission president follows this too, so all of our meetings follow the same outline, same scriptures, same role plays, same questions, same everything. We know the Simplified Curriculum back, right, up, down, with/without clothes, with/without make-up, right-profile, left, shifted 360 degrees and back to 180; we can recite it in our sleep; we're reminded of it every waking moment of our missionary lives. In short, we're bored of it. At least I am. So, I've decided to spice up District Meetings up a bit. I'll send you the recording I took of our last district meeting. You'll get to hear the entire thing. I'll need to download it onto the computer.

First off, the hierarchy of the district is typically:

                        DISTRICT LEADER

                                        | 

                                        |

                                        |

                                MINIONS

No one else has a responsibility. So, I've decided to spice it up. I've called, after much prayer and consideration, a District Chef, District Services/Activities Coordinator, District Photographer/Music Coordinator, District Mediator and District Auditor. The responsibilities of each calling have been set out and determined by the body of the district. Checks and Balances were established. We don't want any King Noah episodes. The language of each responsibility will be typed after I finish this letter to you. I'll send you what I have later.

We did a hike last P-Day. The mountain hiked was called Lazy Mountain. There's nothing lazy about this mountain. It was the most difficult hike I've ever been on. Pictures of this event will come next week. The trail went straight up the mountain, no switch-backs, nothing. No railing, no stairs, no support. When you get to the top, it's pretty cool, but we were in a cloud and couldn't see anything. On the way down, it began raining very hard. The trail back down is compact ground. The rain made it like wet clay, slick as can be. I fell. And fell. I fell so many times I was tired of falling. I took some hard falls. I was hurt. Injured. There were points where I didn't want to go on, but I was wet, so the promise of being able to take off the wet clothes was greater than the pain. Do you know when your legs get so tired you laugh because you're too tired to do anything else? I was there. I resorted to sitting on my butt and sliding down the mountain trail. It was dangerous because you go as fast as you would if you were on a sled. This made me very muddy.

We finally made it back down. I was too dirty to sit in the truck, so I sat in the bed. We made it back to the Cottonwood missionaries' apartment. We wanted to take off our muddy clothes in their apartment. Cottonwood was in a hurry to make it to transfers. We did not have to go because we were not getting transferred. So we were in no hurry. They left while we took showers. When we got out. I realized that I left the keys to our car in their car. Well, they were already in Anchorage. So Elder Tonga and I sat in our towels for four hours in their apartment while we waited for Cottonwood to get back with our keys, so we could go back to our apartment, change and then begin our proselyting hours of P-Day.

Thanks for getting everything organized with the missionary cards. Be sure to order a lot of them. Everyone in the ward will want one. How I'll respond to all of their e-mails I'll worry about later.

Love,

Elder Johnson   

Elder Johnson's July 13, 2011, E-Mail

Hi Mom,

 

Didn't get a chance to e-mail you yesterday. I was stuck, naked in a missionary apartment for half of our P-Day yesterday, so I was unable to e-mail, but we got permission to e-mail for a few minutes today.

 

Transfer News: Well, there really is none: I'm still in the Colony Ward! I was surprised. But when President Beesley extended the call, it went like this:

 

Elder Johnson, you've been in the Colony Ward for a long time.

 

Yes, President, I have.

 

Well, we need you there for one more. And I need you to be my District Leader there.

 

Yes, President.

 

You've done an amazing job there, and believe me, if we didn't need you there this transfer, I'd have transferred you out of there, but we really need you; Elder Tonga needs you for one more. However, in 5 weeks pack your bags, cause you're out of there.

 

Yes, President.

 

So I'm around for one more. This gives me a chance to perfect everything in preparation for the next missionary. We've got a lot of moving parts right now, so he'll need all the aid he can get.

Okay, we've got a lesson at 10:30 AM so we need to get out of here. I love you. Lauren is getting an awesome experience. Wow.

 

Please look into this website and get me these business cards so that I can give them to members and people who want to stay in touch with me. Shoot, I don't remember it. Just google it. It's really popular--every missionary has them except me. I think Heavenly Father kept me here so that I could make them. Google: lds missionary business cards, or ask some local missionaries what the website is. They're free, save the cost of shipping. You can make them and have them sent out to me. I'm not particular--do what you think looks nice. Just get the addresses right. If you need info, ask me next week.

 

Oh, and I'll explain why I was naked in a missionary apartment for half the day next week.

 

Love,

 

Elder Johnson

No E-Mail Today - July 11, 2011

No e-mail today, but ... maybe he got transfered!  I can't wait to hear from him!!!

In the meantime, instead of an e-mail, I am putting up three pictures that I have had on my phone for a while, but didn't know how to get them on my computer.  I figured it out, so here are they are. 

Sean Clawson sent us this one - Brad going into the MTC on October 6, 2010

Jake Babcock and Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson and Elder Collins

Putting together treats for a special

Sunday meeting put on by the the Ward Mission Leader

Elder Johnson's July 6, 2011 E-mail

Hi Mom,

Thank you for getting those things so quickly. The mission address has changed:

Elder Bradley Johnson

3250 Strawberry Rd.

P.O. Box 221649

Anchorage, AK 99522-1649

To answer your question: Are you still working hard? Yes, absolutely.  I'm not out here to waste time. If I was, I'd come home and do something else. The most pathetic group of people I can think of are missionaries that don't work. I work my tail off everyday. I'm the hardest working missionary in the whole mission.

The Matanuska Glacier was fun--it was our p-day activity. Never having been on a glacier, I didn't realize it was so dangerous. We almost lost Elder Ule on that one.

How am I feeling? I'm feeling great. I'm gearing up to leave the area, however. I imagine I'll be leaving the Colony ward on Monday. So I'm preparing the area so a new missionary could step right in and pick up where I left off.

Love,

Elder Johnson

He doesn't say much, but it sounds like he is really making his time count.  Steve says "he sounds like me when I was on my mission." He says he was the hardest working missionary in his mission too!

No e-mail this week

I used to love holidays, but now I don't like the ones that happen on MONDAYS!  So I waited through Tuesday to see if we would get an e-mail, but no luck.  We will hear from him next week.  We just have to be patient!

Elder Johnsons June 27, 2011 E-mail

Hi Mom,

Elder Benage is the one who's been taking pictures for me, so you should recieve a bunch soon. Yeah, that's the district that I was in with Elder Collins. 

Glad to hear things are going good. Call Jake and ask him specifics on weather, etc. I'll have to update you when I have more time.

Went King Samon fishing with Roger Lehrman-Bon and John Williams. Members pitched in and bought our fishing licenses. $30 each for a day-pass for out-of-staters. Didn't catch any fish. But again, we were fishing for men, not fish.

Got the birthday package. Thank you. There is no shortage of cookies as a missionary. Everyday people give us cookies, cake, pie, jam, bread, everything you can think of. Food is in no shortage.

But I will esteem you among the highest if you: 1) Go to Deseret Book and buy me a replica 1830 Book of Mormon. They're about $30 as I recall. Also, can you search online for a dictionary that was made in 1830? Amazon it. Please find me that and send it this week please, if you will to do so. Thank you.

Also, I need the Church-produced movie, Between Heaven and Earth, on DVD. $5, Deseret Book Bookstore

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's June 20, 2011 E-mail

Elder Johnson and his District

(I found this picture on Elder Benage's website!)

Hi Mom,

Real quick today again.

Went fishing with Roger Lehrman-Bon, Lisa's husband. We also took out Brother John Williams a less-active, ex-marine in Vietnam, who needed some love and friendship. It cost $40 for both Elder Tonga's and my liscense. I had to pay because he doesn't have any money. Tell dad I'm really sorry, and I hope that I haven't over-drawn any money. Tell him I chose to not buy groceries and instead bought the day fishing-passes. Didn't catch anything, but it was nice--even though we were fishing for fish, we were really being fishers of men.

I got the package with the voice recorder, but I have not gotten the birthday package. I did get both pairs of grandparents. Please express my love and appreciation when you speak to them. I will try to write a thank you letter asap. But thank them for me without delay.

Gotten letters from Isaiah and JA, and just got a letter from Marcus, which I have not yet read.

Thank you for everything. Please don't be mad that I've been distant in e-mails for a while. We've been busy teaching lessons most p-days, so we have little time.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's E-mail dated June 13, 2011

Hi Mom,

 

Thanks for the e-mail and the pictures. Yours are coming soon. I hired a missionary, Elder Benage, to take pictures for me during activities and such. He's been doing a good job. I'm just going to send the jump drive--takes too much time to send via e-mail. I've got a lot of pics for you though.

 

 It's Elder Tonga's B-day today, so I'm keeping it short so we can get out to do stuff. We're going to Matanuska Glacier (see Dad's letter).

 

We're getting a different mission president. President Beesley, instead of President Clark. It was a last second change. Quite interesting. President Beesley is apparently a big deal, though. I'll tell you more next week.

 

Love,

 

Elder Johnson

 

A letter from President Dance to all the missionaries:

Dear Elder and Sisters of the great Alaska Anchorage Mission,

 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, an adjustment has been made to the assignment of Pres. and Sister Clark.  They have been assigned to the Russia, St. Petersburg Mission as of Thursday night, June 9.  I received a letter from the Missionary Dept on Friday June 10 advising me that the new president of the great Alaska Anchorage Mission will now be President Jon S. and Sister SuusE Beesley.  (They were featured in the Church News of March 12).

 

Sister Dance and I spoke to them on Sunday, June 12.  They are very impressive and are very excited to come.

 

You will meet them at the "Meet the President Meetings". 

 

(Brother Beesley recently retired from a high security position as the Chief Test Pilot for Lockheed Martin.  He knows more about the new military jet aircraft than any other person on the planet.  Basically the Clarks are going where the Beesley's were first assigned).

 

Have a great and safe preparation day, give my love to your family and we will look forward to seeing many of you this week.

 

With love,
--
President Alan R.Dance
Alaska Anchorage Mission

Elder Johnson's June 6, 2011 E-Mail - Yea! An E-Mail!

Please see a response to one of your questions. They're about to kick me off the computer cause it's busy and a students need the computers more than missionaries--at least that's what they say. And then I see the student get on Facebook, while I haven't talked to my family in three weeks. Frustrating.

No I did not get transferred. I'm training again. A new missionary--Elder Tonga from Tonga. The library was not open during the holiday, and on transfers I had to go to a trainer's meeting in Anchorage in the morning. Our new mission president is not here yet. He will be here in a few weeks. President Dance is still the acting president. President Clark is the new mission president's name. 

 

I'm getting kicked off. I love you. 

 

Love,

 

Elder Johnson