Elder Johnson's September 7, 2012 E-mail

Found this picture on Elder Lawson's Blog!

 

WE'RE ALL EXCITED FOR ELDER JOHNSON TO COME HOME! 

ONLY 4 MORE WEEKS!!!!!

Sugar will be sooooo happy to see him again!

Not many e-mails left ... they are getting few and far between ...

Most recent from E. Johnson

Mom,

Thanks for the e-mail. Yes, you were correct. No e-mail on Monday.
Tuesday we had zone conference. Tuesday night there was a wind storm
like nobody's business that shut down the city for two days. Of course
no internet access during that time. And today we had a little time to
come out and e-mail. I have a commandment to e-mail my mother and then
President Beesley, so I'm going to do that.

I'm sorry my e-mails are not that cool. I have tons of faith-building
stories, etc. But e-mails don't do them justice. I'm always in a hurry
on these computers. I'll tell you all the good stories when I get
home.

Love,

Elder Johnson

 

A visitor from ... Missouri?

PRESENTING ... THE AMAZING ... KEITH FLYNN!!!!

 

Just after returning from his mission in Alaska

he made a quick trip to Arizona to meet Brittany. 

They have been writing each other for a year ...

 

Shopping in Scottsdale

 

 

Shooting hoops with Britt, Bishop Dad and his Dad who

came as his wingman ...

 

Then it was Brittany's turn (the following weekend) to visit Missouri ...

 

Checking out all the fun stuff to do at his house

 

Ready for Church

 

Swag before his homecoming talk in church

 

 

To be continued ...

Elder Johnson's July 23, 2012 E-mail

Ze Chef ... Elder Tonga

Hi Mom,

That last e-mail was my weekly to President Beelsey. I've got very little time on the computer now, and my e-mails will be very short unfortunately for the rest of my mission because I need to report to President Beesley on the status of my trainee, not my son or my greenie.

1.  What is your companion’s name and where is he from?

Elder Bret Wingard. Tebetts, Missouri.

2.  How do you feel about not being an AP?

I was the one who mentioned that I needed to move out. And I feel good. Training a new missionary is the best way to end a mission because it's the hardest assignment to have. Being an assistant is easy.

3.  What was cool about being an AP?

It was cool. But it was easy. You have a really good companion to teach with. You go and rock lessons, and then on the times throughout the day that are slower are usually filled with trainings and meetings with President Beesley.

4.  Do you miss Elder Flynn?

Yes. He was a very fun companion to have.

5.  Anything else you want to share?  I know you are busy, but give us a quick shout out.  And tell your greenie HI from your Mom.

We are teaching a family from south Sudan. His name is Mayak, pronounced My-yack. He's really neat, and hopefully he will be getting baptized soon.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's July 16, 2012 E-Mail

Dear Mom:

We've officially completed transfers this past week. Planning for the transfer begins typically near the end of week five of our six-week transfers. For two to three hours each day, Elder Flynn and I meet with President Beesley and plan out the transfers. This decision process goes for three to four days. It's like putting a giant puzzle together. Matching missionaries with other missionaries, deciding whether they'll get along, whether they'll work hard, etc. The Wednesday of the sixth week is the day we seek confirmation for all transfer decisions. We seek that confirmation and direction in the Temple with President and Sister Beesley.

This transfer process was an interesting one. For the first four days of the planning, it was expected that I would bring in a new assistant, and we would work in the Airport Heights area--this would most likely be the companion who I finished my mission with. However, Tuesday night I had a difficult time getting to sleep running over thoughts on transfers--something didn't feel right; I wasn't comfortable with what I was doing. Before I was able to fall asleep, I came to the conclusion that what was bothering was I should be training a new missionary for my last two transfers.

In the morning, we met with President and Sister Beesley before the Temple. I felt as if I should voice the impression I had so that President Beesley could decide what the Lord wanted. After the Temple session, we had our final transfer meeting, and President Beesley felt comfortable about me training. It was interesting to see, as well, how everything seemed to fall into place with the rest of the companionships after I was put as a trainer.

So at the last hour, essentially, it was determined that I would be training--for the fourth time--a new missionary in the Airport Heights ward. And that is how I'll finish my mission. I can't imagine a better situation.

As for my companion, we have an idea of who it will be, but we like to wait until we meet them face-to-face to make the final decision. We will be picking the new missionaries up from the airport at 11:30 AM and will be with them the rest of the day.

As for my golf clubs, yes, I would like to send them home. I found out that I can send them home through Fed-Ex for around $120. They actually have a box specifically for golf clubs. These are very nice clubs. They would probably be $600-$800 dollars buying them new.

I look forward to see some of the things that Brittany and Chandler have come up with. I know someone else who is as well.

I love you very much. We've a busy day.

Oh, and I should mention, because I will be training, I will not have as much time to e-mail for the remainder of my mission. I will try to still write good e-mails, but do not be shocked if they are concise and brief. We just don't have enough time allotted to us to write a good e-mail.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's May 28, 2012, E-mail

Grizzly - Don't try this at home ...

Johnson, Lawson and Flynn

(scammed from Elder Lawson's blog!)

Hi Mom,

Thought you might like to see the pictures that Sister Beesley attached to her weekly e-mail this week. LOOK AT THAT GRIZZLY! They were only 20 feet away.

 

Love,

Elder Johnson

 



Elder Johnson's May 21, 2012 E-Mail

Hi Mom,

Thank you for the e-mail update. You know, you've been so diligent all these weeks--for the last year and a half. I don't know if you've ever missed a week of writing me. That's pretty good. Do you think you can last for the next four-and-a-half months?

Shouldn't Lauren and Brittany always be snotty teenage girls who stay up all night and where pajamas all day? What's with this growing-up stuff? That ain't right.

Tell Brittany that I'd like to see her talk. Ask her to send it to me, please.

Tell Dad it's an endurance race and not to push it too hard.

Last week, some Elders were driving from Girdwood back to Anchorage after church on Sunday--only about 25 miles from where I am. They stopped on the highway with about 15 other people to check out the giant 8- to 9-foot grizzly bear that was hanging out just off of the road.  According to these missionaries, they were able to get within 30 feet of the bear--and they have a picture to prove it. I'll have to send it when I get a chance. 

The bear was remarkably comfortable with everyone around him. However, when a photographer got a little too close, the bear stood up and was beating his paws together, so everyone backed away. The missionaries were able to get a picture of this, while the bear's paws were clasped together. It's funny because it looks like he's in the posture of prayer. It's a really cute picture. Apparently, after this whole event, a newspaper article was published, discussing how stupid the people were who stopped and took pictures. The reporter recommended that no one do this.

Of course, we know why everyone was protected--the missionaries were around.

I love you. Thank you for your love and support. Oh, we had the opportunity to hear from Elder Duncan of the Seventy and Elder Call, an area seventy this past week in stake conference. I had the opportunity to meet them and mix it up a little bit.

Love,

Elder Johnson

A MOMENTOUS OCCASION!!! 

Elder Flynn's Mom and Dad - Kim and Andy

Proof that E.Johnson's and E.Flynn's parents got together in Arizona!

Seriously, how often does the family of one current companion get together with the family of the other current companion?  That has got to be a rare occurrence, right?  So, on April 17th, Kim and Andy Flynn, from Missouri, visited the Johnsons in Arizona!  We got together at our house, went out to dinner (Mexican - Andy Flynn's favorite), hung out, shared stories and pictures for the rest of the night and became good friends!  A Momentous Occasion!

Elder Johnson's April 9, 2012 E-Mail

Hi Mom,

Did you get your box today?  (p.s.  I will try to make your birthday box better - not so much candy, etc. ...)

 I don't know yet. The mail hasn't come in. I'm sure if I didn't, it will be here soon.

Where did you eat for Easter Sunday?

At the Doyle's house. It was our first dinner with ward members for a week. We have two missionaries in the area, and we make sure they get most of the dinners. But the Doyle's invited both of us, which was a pleasant surprise Sunday morning at church. 

Did you eat anything traditional that Alaskan’s like to have at Easter?

 No, they don't do anything special beyond what most of us do for Easter.

I heard you guys had another four inches of snow and that a roof in a church auditorium caved in.  Was that one of our ward building cultural halls? 

Yes, we've experienced the most snowfall in Anchorage that has ever been recorded. There's a lot of snow.

Yes, interesting that you heard about the church auditorium caving in. To answer your question, no, it was not one of our meeting houses. 

However, interesting story about that: Sister Tupua, a Sister in our ward was picking up her car from the shop. The guy who owns the shop, who was handing back her keys and running the bill, who also is an assistant pastor at this church, got a call 30 minutes after the roof collapsed and was told about the event. He hung up the phone and told Sister Tupua about the unfortunate occurrence. 

Sister Tupua walked back to her car and, feeling unsettled about the event, called me to see if there was anything that we could arrange as missionaries to assist.  I called our Bishop and made sure I was following protocol, and then after receiving the go-ahead, I called the guy who was an assistant to the pastor 45 minutes after the building collapsed and offered up services from the 26 missionaries in our zone and from other members in our ward to help clean up wreckage.

He thanked us and said that we couldn't do anything on the property yet because they were waiting for the insurance company to inspect the damage. But when they needed help, they'd call us.

Since that time they haven't called us, but how's that for first-response?  

How has it been driving around in the snow and (I suppose) Ice?

 Roads aren't too bad. Most of us missionaries cruise around in 2011 Colorados with 4 wheel drive. However, mission-wide, we had 15 accidents last month. Some very bad accidents. Thankfully, no missionaries have been hurt at all.

How are you and E. Flynn getting along?  Is it easy to live with him?

 Yes, he's a great missionary and friend.

Tell me one thing that was awesome, fun, funny or cool that happened this week.

We had another wedding/baptism! I've worked with this couple since I first got into the area. The girlfriend was immediately excited for baptism, but she knew she either had to move out of her boyfriend's house or get married. They decided to get married. The husband, who has quite an amazing background, is still working on some things, but he's excited to get baptized soon.

Love,

Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson's April 2, 2012 E-mail

TRIO

E. Flynn, E. Johnson and E. Tonga

 

Mom,

 

Yes, I think Elder Lawson's hope was that you write him. You should send him a bunch of funny pictures of the family. He'd enjoy that. Have Brittany and Chandler do something funny over picture or something too. He's a cool guy. He complained that you hadn't written him back when we were in Soldotna this week. He's the zone leader there in Soldotna, and he and Elder Adams (both former members of The District) gave a great training for their zone conference.

 

Your questions:

 

1. Where you able to get a break from travelling this week or was it another rush rush week?

It was another rush week. We started with Chugach on Tuesday, Soldotna on Wednesday and Wasilla on Friday. It was good to be back in Wasilla for really the first time since I left. I had an opportunity to see Roger and Lisa Lehrman-Bon. Lisa, whose conversion I was blessed to be a part of, is going through the Temple for the first time this Friday. I will be attending that Temple session. I imagine it will be one of the great moments of my mission.

2. Any way you can put your camera in your pocket today and take a few pictures around the office or of your apartment or something? Not to nag or anything, just a gentle reminder.

Yes, Elder Flynn and I decided we'd make a greater effort to take pictures. Sister Beesley is really good at taking pictures and has taken a lot from all the zone conferences. I'll have to download some. But here's one she sent to the entire mission in her e-mail this morning.

3. Last week you had two baptisms and a wedding! Awesome! What’s going on this week with your investigators?

And guess what? We're going to have another wedding and baptism this week. NAME and NAME. Elder Witt and I found NAME and NAME right when we arrived in Inlet View. They've been investigating since. NAME's ready to be baptized; NAME needs a little more time but is excited for his wedding . [Please subsitute the exact names with NAME if you're going to put it on my blog. We've had problems with investigators finding out what missionaries are writing about them to their parents. A couple of times it's been bad.]

4. Anything funny, exciting or scary happen this week? Do tell.

 

Elder Flynn and I had a miracle occur. It was a similiar miracle that Dad had on his mission. And immediately when it occurred I recalled Dad's similiar experience.

 

Elder Flynn and I were driving back from Wasilla after our zone conference and spending some time with people that we know in the area. I was driving. About halfway through the trip, our gas-light came on.

 

We weren't concerned because Wasilla's only about 50 miles away from Anchorage. I figured that we would wait to fill up until we reached the gas station that was closest to our apartment; it most convenient and time-saving.

 

We didn't think about it again.

 

As we were approaching the right-hand turn to get into the gas station, the car died--completely shut off and started to roll powerless. I tried pressing the gas and received no power, so I didn't press on the brake; we wheeled around the turn quite rapidly, but after the turn, much of our speed was taken away. We were about 30 yards from the pump.

 

Luckily, our tank is on the left-side, and there was a pump open on the left-side--a near straight-shot from where we were at. We started yelling and screaming, encouraging the car to keep pushing, keep moving. Go! Go! Go! It started to slow at an incline in the gas lot. It was eeking forward. I just had my hands on the wheel; I didn't even want my feet close to the brake.

 

We rolled and rolled, and without pressing the brake the car rolled to a complete stop. I put the parking brake on and got out of the car. We were parked perfectly to get our gas. It was almost comical. The gas hose had a perfect amount of slack to be off the ground yet not too far from the car to make a difficult reach to our tank. It was absolutely a perfect park job, and I didn't even hit the brake to park.

 

We saw it as Divine support. Apparently, the Jeep we were driving didn't have as much reserve gas space as other cars do--we only went about 25 miles after the gas-light came on. We were simply obedient missionaries on the Lord's errand, trying to be efficient with the His time. Heavenly Father watches over us, and he used this opportunity to show us that he's there.

 

Love,

 

Elder Johnson     

Elder Johnson's March 26, e-mail and Shoe Shine Boy Video

This was at a Zone Conference were all the missionaries

were given a shoe shine kit and they each shined their

companion's shoes.  Awwww.

Hi Mom,

Thank you for the e-mail update. When you get a chance can you send me a picture of Lauren and this new guy? He's a return missionary--is that correct?

JA's looking beastly. He looks like Jason Stathan.

Oh, we had two baptisms this weekend. And a wedding before. It was a great time. The Root family. Elder Wallace and I started teaching them and did so for a month. And then Elder Duvall and Elder Wallace took over for the past two weeks.

How was the trip to Juneau?

It was good. We did our training and then messed around for a couple of days. Saw the Medenhall Glacier--a particularly special one for some reason. Forgot my camera for the entire trip, but we'll see if I can bum some pictures off someone else. Elder Flynn didn't bring his camera either. 

Tell me who Sister Schindler is who took the video?

She is a senior couple missionary. She and Elder Schindler are the CES Missionaries in Juneau. That's like her thing to send videos each time we have a zone conference in Juneau. The only problem about the last two times I was there was I couldn't remember your e-mail. This time I had the capacity to log-on online and get it.

Did you eat the big burrito?  (I hope not).  Or the big burger (I hope not)

No way. Elder Flynn made the attempt. Key word--attempt. He failed miserably.

Is the ice breaking up yet?

It appears that's the case. In Juneau there was none. It was like spring. But up here in Anchorage there's still a lot of snow to melt--a lot. It's record-breaking snowfall. But it has been melting the past couple of days, but everyone says it will probably snow some more still. We'll see. 

Tell me something funny or something you enjoyed doing this week.  Also, please actually write it yourself.  Haha!

Something funny. Hmm. The Juneau zone leaders were really pumped about an activity that they had planned during their training. It involved going into the thick forest behind the church--thick like a fairy forest thick--moss, green, brush, stumps of fallen trees swallowed by undergrowth--and going through this Lehi's-dream-like progression until you advance to the end. They used me and Elder Flynn for the first part; Sister Beesley acted as the large and spacious building, and President Beesley was like Lehi at the end. 

Well, it was all good and well initially for the Beesley's. They may have found the forest walk a little difficult early-on--mainly due to the fact that we were all still in suits and dress shoes. But Sister Beesley's a big outdoors person, so she was cool; President Beesley didn't mind too much. We did our thing. And then the end came, and it was time to head back to the church.

The only problem was the fastest was back was down a steep hill with rocks and slick ice that had yet to thaw. I made it down with great difficulty as did the other Elders. But when President Beesley made the attempt, he slipped, landed on his rear and slid all the way down. Sister Beesley, when it occurred, said: Just keep slidding, Jon! Then she made the attempt. Hers was much more graceful. She hung-on to the trunk of a tree, took a step down to a slick rock (she was wearing semi-high-heel boots), did a little twirl once her balance shifted and began to fall; President Beesley, having just risen from his fall, caught her with his left arm and shoulder and then carried her to flat ground. Then we brushed off the dirt and twigs from President Beesley's nice trench coat and went back to eat lunch.

Story Two:

Word on the street was that if you drank 2 liters of water with 3 tablespoons of salt mixed it would act as a natural colon cleanser. Elder Flynn and I tried it. I got 3/4s the way finished before regurgitating all I drank.

Love,

Elder Johnson