Jeff is in the very back on the left (the tall one).We heard from Jeff on Christmas and sounds really good. He is still enjoying his mission and loves the people of Brazil. We can't believe that he returns in 10 months!
December 28, 2009
December 26, 2009
Christmas Day at Johnsons 2009
Susie worn out by an early early morning!
Aunt Donna, Kaylynn, Vally
Niles really wishing he was home so he could get his helicopter out to play with.
Emma using the camera she got from Mom and Dad.
Rachel LaNae, why do you like lying on Mom so much??
Sweet!
Christmas Day 2009
See if you can spot Lex????
In the midst of present unwrapping
Rachel and her purple electric guitar that she soooo wanted!
Now Russ can be modest at home and on his mission.
Yes, I know sunshine, I left the tag on....
Oh the anticipation!!!!!
December 21, 2009
Jeff email 12/21/2009
Feliz Natal!
So as you know, this week we celebrate something very special. Something that is very hard to forget nor ever will be forgotten. I'm sure that you all remember. 2 years ago this week I was dumped by my girlfriend that I had had for a matter of 4 days! Oh yeah, and the rest of the world is celebrating Christmas this week as well! Which means, CALL HOME!! I'm sure this will be the best Christmas call that I will have ever had on the mission (not to mention that it is the only one because I was robbed a call in the MTC). Oh, and by the way Russell, you will probably be robbed the mothers day call if you are there in May still. Anyways, we are getting pretty excited for that. Just this morning I was listening to AMY GRANT if you can believe that, and for the first time in my life that song “Ill be home for Christmas, if only in my dreams” has meaning for me. Except when I dream of home its always about food that I am missing, but I guess I could try to miss the family a little more. Ha ha. Yeah right!. Jk.
Saturday afternoon I had 2 more baptisms! That's right 2 more baptisms toward my goal! I think that it will be possible to reach my goal, though very time consuming. Good thing I have nothing but time right? We had another Christmas show yesterday and it was even better than the first. I'm sure the people in my house will be glad when this whole thing is over so that I will stop singing in the house, all the time practicing. Little do they know that I am trying to practice so that I can hit the higher notes so it doesn't end with the last show next week. I'm sure you are all expecting to hear me sing “I just called, to say, I love you” this week when I call home but be ready for bigger and better things !
I TE LOVE!!!!!
ELDER JOHNSON
December 14, 2009
Jeff's Email-- 14 December 2009
I’m not a child, but my heart still can dream!
This week was quite the week. It started out with a Training for the trainers and the new missionaries in the mission. It was quite good to learn a lot about how I can do better. And not to mention, I had a marveleous reunion with Elder Dial there! At the meeting, I finally got permission to get my lovley in-grown toenails taken care of. I was excited to go and get them done. I called the doctor that I had found and marked for the next day. I woke up that morning full of hope and faith that my toes would be healed for forever. I got to the Doctor's office and got a little nerveous. It was a very small place. He called me back and commanded me take off my shoes-- so I did. I thought he needed to like look at it for a second to see how much numbing he would give me or how big of a shot he would give me to take away the pain. He ended up taking out a razor and started cutting at the skin. All of this without pain killer mind you. I clentched my teeth together and made it through the first toe a little weak from the pain but still alive. When he started on the other toe I felt the worst pain that I had ever felt in my life. He basically cut the nail with the razor, then took some poker type thing and started digging inside my toe to try and get ahold of the ingrown part to rip it out. He dug in the toe for what seemed like years but was only about 5 minutes. The only thing I could do, in my own power, was try and think happy thoughts. It worked a little bit but I was still on the verge of tears. Finally he finished as he said:”These are some of the biggest ingrown toe-nails i have ever removed!” He said that one of them was so ingrown that it was actually growing back underneath the nail. Yeah....cool right! I'm trying to think of what kind of blessings I will receive in my life because of passing throught this experience but the only thing that I can think of that measures up to the pain would be a 30 out of 10 wife. (10 being the highest) We will see!
This week we will be having two more baptisms! She finally decided to actually follow the many responses that she has received and her and her daughter will be baptized this next Saturday! I am very excited for them!
Last night was the first of our Christmas music shows! It was awesome! We got probably 100 references there and brought a lot of people to tears while we were singing. It was quite the experience!
So my brother was called to Mexico for his mission. That's 3 lamanite missions that our family has been called to. Look out niles, I smell samoa!! Due to his being called to Mexico, I have decided to catch up on my Espanhol! Yo Hablo bem no é! Nosotros vamanos hablar mucho enquanto tú voltareis! Good right!
Well have to go BAPTIZE THE WORLD!!!!!
Eu amo cada um de vocês!
ELDER JOHNSON!!!
This week was quite the week. It started out with a Training for the trainers and the new missionaries in the mission. It was quite good to learn a lot about how I can do better. And not to mention, I had a marveleous reunion with Elder Dial there! At the meeting, I finally got permission to get my lovley in-grown toenails taken care of. I was excited to go and get them done. I called the doctor that I had found and marked for the next day. I woke up that morning full of hope and faith that my toes would be healed for forever. I got to the Doctor's office and got a little nerveous. It was a very small place. He called me back and commanded me take off my shoes-- so I did. I thought he needed to like look at it for a second to see how much numbing he would give me or how big of a shot he would give me to take away the pain. He ended up taking out a razor and started cutting at the skin. All of this without pain killer mind you. I clentched my teeth together and made it through the first toe a little weak from the pain but still alive. When he started on the other toe I felt the worst pain that I had ever felt in my life. He basically cut the nail with the razor, then took some poker type thing and started digging inside my toe to try and get ahold of the ingrown part to rip it out. He dug in the toe for what seemed like years but was only about 5 minutes. The only thing I could do, in my own power, was try and think happy thoughts. It worked a little bit but I was still on the verge of tears. Finally he finished as he said:”These are some of the biggest ingrown toe-nails i have ever removed!” He said that one of them was so ingrown that it was actually growing back underneath the nail. Yeah....cool right! I'm trying to think of what kind of blessings I will receive in my life because of passing throught this experience but the only thing that I can think of that measures up to the pain would be a 30 out of 10 wife. (10 being the highest) We will see!
This week we will be having two more baptisms! She finally decided to actually follow the many responses that she has received and her and her daughter will be baptized this next Saturday! I am very excited for them!
Last night was the first of our Christmas music shows! It was awesome! We got probably 100 references there and brought a lot of people to tears while we were singing. It was quite the experience!
So my brother was called to Mexico for his mission. That's 3 lamanite missions that our family has been called to. Look out niles, I smell samoa!! Due to his being called to Mexico, I have decided to catch up on my Espanhol! Yo Hablo bem no é! Nosotros vamanos hablar mucho enquanto tú voltareis! Good right!
Well have to go BAPTIZE THE WORLD!!!!!
Eu amo cada um de vocês!
ELDER JOHNSON!!!
December 13, 2009
Johnson Family Christmas Party- 2009
Silly String
Indian Leg-wrestles. Rachel and Devin went at it several times and Rachel won each bout
Don beat each of his brothers
December 9, 2009
December 7, 2009
Jeff email 12/7/2009
GOOD MORNING BERLIN!
Well my dear friends. This week brought transfer calls and my companion Elder L was transferred to another place. As we got to the bus station where the transfer meeting would take place I was full of anxiety not knowing what was in store for me. As the new missionaries arrived as usual I went over to greet them and welcome them to the mission. After I had greeted everyone I went back to talk with some of my good friends here in the mission. That was when the only American that came out of all the 15 new missionaries, came up to me and said….”are you Elder Johnson?” I said yes. He then said….”you’re my trainer.” I was flabbergasted! It seems that I just got here yesterday and met my trainer and there I was being told that I would be training. After a few minutes of standing with my hands on my knees to try and get my head around what was said to me I got excited that President Pickett trusts me with the training of another Elder. His name is Elder Grange and he is from Ogden Utah. We spent the week working our hind ends off and we have had some great experiences and some weird, but funny experiences as well.
Our first work day we were walking to a members house when a bunch of teenage girls about 16-17 years old started yelling “Tio” at us which means uncle but can mean dude sometimes. We just ignored it and continued on. They continued screaming “TIO” so I decided to turn and face them and to do a contact with them thinking that they would shrink away with embarrassment and go away. All but one walked past us blushing because of embarrassment. I began the contact about the church. I didn’t want to get her address or go teach her at her house so I just invited her to go to church on Sunday at 9 o’clock and left it at that. I reached out to shake her hand when it happened she pulled me close and said….”um bejo na rosto” which means kiss on the face. The little snake was trying to pull a move on me. Being a little shocked at the sudden and bold move of the girl, I was a little frightened but managed to blurt out a “não pode”… or you can’t! This whole experience brought me back great memories of the before mission life when I had to walk around with a 9 iron to keep the girls away from me. Just kidding. Let’s hope that here in next October when I get back the females are still with the desire to get a piece of this man candy! ;)
On the spiritual side. Elder Grange and I went up to teach this lady named Patricia on Saturday night. As we got there we saw that she had a Book of Mormon and it was opened as if she had been reading it. The Elders in the other area had taught her the first lesson and left a Book of Mormon with her and asked her to pray about the church and ask whether or not the church is true. When I got to that part in my lesson I asked her if she had done the prayer. She then explained something really amazing! She said that the first night she had read the title page of the Book Of Mormon and then went to pray while everyone else in the house was sleeping. She said she felt nothing so she went to bed. The next day she thought nothing of it until she was alone again in the house and decided to read 3 Nephi 11 which was a part that the Elders had left. She read about Christ and His visit to the people here in the Americas. She then decided to give it a shot again and pray. She said that right after she asked in the prayer she felt like someone had their hands on her head. She said the hands had a warmth that started in her head and went all the way down to her toes. I then went for the kill and marked her baptism for the 19th of this month. I love to see the love that Our Heavenly Father has for His children and how He shows His love by answering their prayers!
I know that God will always answer our prayers, we just need to make the first pace and ask!
I love you all!
Elder Johnson
Well my dear friends. This week brought transfer calls and my companion Elder L was transferred to another place. As we got to the bus station where the transfer meeting would take place I was full of anxiety not knowing what was in store for me. As the new missionaries arrived as usual I went over to greet them and welcome them to the mission. After I had greeted everyone I went back to talk with some of my good friends here in the mission. That was when the only American that came out of all the 15 new missionaries, came up to me and said….”are you Elder Johnson?” I said yes. He then said….”you’re my trainer.” I was flabbergasted! It seems that I just got here yesterday and met my trainer and there I was being told that I would be training. After a few minutes of standing with my hands on my knees to try and get my head around what was said to me I got excited that President Pickett trusts me with the training of another Elder. His name is Elder Grange and he is from Ogden Utah. We spent the week working our hind ends off and we have had some great experiences and some weird, but funny experiences as well.
Our first work day we were walking to a members house when a bunch of teenage girls about 16-17 years old started yelling “Tio” at us which means uncle but can mean dude sometimes. We just ignored it and continued on. They continued screaming “TIO” so I decided to turn and face them and to do a contact with them thinking that they would shrink away with embarrassment and go away. All but one walked past us blushing because of embarrassment. I began the contact about the church. I didn’t want to get her address or go teach her at her house so I just invited her to go to church on Sunday at 9 o’clock and left it at that. I reached out to shake her hand when it happened she pulled me close and said….”um bejo na rosto” which means kiss on the face. The little snake was trying to pull a move on me. Being a little shocked at the sudden and bold move of the girl, I was a little frightened but managed to blurt out a “não pode”… or you can’t! This whole experience brought me back great memories of the before mission life when I had to walk around with a 9 iron to keep the girls away from me. Just kidding. Let’s hope that here in next October when I get back the females are still with the desire to get a piece of this man candy! ;)
On the spiritual side. Elder Grange and I went up to teach this lady named Patricia on Saturday night. As we got there we saw that she had a Book of Mormon and it was opened as if she had been reading it. The Elders in the other area had taught her the first lesson and left a Book of Mormon with her and asked her to pray about the church and ask whether or not the church is true. When I got to that part in my lesson I asked her if she had done the prayer. She then explained something really amazing! She said that the first night she had read the title page of the Book Of Mormon and then went to pray while everyone else in the house was sleeping. She said she felt nothing so she went to bed. The next day she thought nothing of it until she was alone again in the house and decided to read 3 Nephi 11 which was a part that the Elders had left. She read about Christ and His visit to the people here in the Americas. She then decided to give it a shot again and pray. She said that right after she asked in the prayer she felt like someone had their hands on her head. She said the hands had a warmth that started in her head and went all the way down to her toes. I then went for the kill and marked her baptism for the 19th of this month. I love to see the love that Our Heavenly Father has for His children and how He shows His love by answering their prayers!
I know that God will always answer our prayers, we just need to make the first pace and ask!
I love you all!
Elder Johnson
December 1, 2009
Running With Susie
On 28 November (Saturday), Susie and I went out for a 5 mile run. Here at 2.5 miles, Susie began pulling away from her slow Old Man. Before going out on this run, Susie was worried that she would not be able to run such a distance without having to stop and walk at some point along the way. I assured her that it would be easier than she thought, and that if I could do it, she could do it. Well, she ran the entire distance and gained a whole lot of confidence. I made it back home several minutes after Susie arrived.
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