Russ email 4/30/2010

Hola,

Well, we're down to only 2 and a half weeks left, supposedly. That's if my visa comes. Me and Elder Wynn are the only ones that don't have our visas yet. Kinda a bummer, but everything happens for a reason. Non the less, I sure hope they come soon! This week in the TRC Elder Trumbo and I taught yet another native Spanish speaker and we nailed it! We wouldn't have done near as good if we hadn't prayed as much as we had. It truly is amazing what the Lord can do for you if you just ask and have enough faith.

Last Tuesday we had the privilege of having Elder L. Tom Perry come and speak to us for the fireside. It was the most awesome experience ever! The spirit was so strong, it was a truly unique experience.

All is going well with me. I've had a sore throat all week, but nothing 6 bags of cough drops can't fix. I've gone through one a day, probably because they taste so good!

My new teacher, Hermana Bingham, her dad is a member of the 70. His name is Elder Nash. He is currently the area authority for Northern South America. I thought that was pretty awesome. Oh, and her husband served in Merida!!!! She tells us stories and such about it. I cant wait to get there!!!!

Well everyone, I must say adios until next week. Hopefully I'll have my visa by then.
hasta luego!!

Elder Johnson #2

Jeff email 4/26/2010

Dear family,

Its good to hear from all of you this week. Again...my email to President Pickett,

Attaching it to here:


This week was a roller coaster. I have been getting very excited because this area is beginning to show signs of life again and the work is starting to almost get to the point where I would like it to be. As you know our companionship has not been the best thing. After an especially difficult day I sat and had a conversation with him. I did as you said and focused the conversation on my faults and things that I am doing wrong but he told me that it was in no way me that was the problem. He said that he has been in this area for a good amount of time and what he is doing hasn't worked since he has been here. Then said that when you aren't being effective in and area its time to leave. I asked him what he meant by that and he said that I had told him that if he was just going to wait out for the transfer it was just going to be lost time for him. I wasn't in any way able to convince him that he needs to be here at this time and that there are people here that he needs to help find and teach. What worries me is that he always appears to be very sad, and the members are seeing this. They even comment about it every time they see us. To me it seems at times that he wants them to see that he is not happy. I don't want the members to be wasting their time in worrying about our well being when they could be using this time to help us with references or simply giving help in the work and that is what led me to talk to him. We are on the verge of getting this ward back on track and that is why the work we are doing right now is so important. President, all I want is to work my behind off and I need someone that will help me to do that. I will continue to try and help Elder ..... to be that someone.

I especially liked the email today and the goal for the next month! Change is something that recently I have been noticing is very important. At times I find something that works in the area and I become happy with that thing but in that moment that I become happy with the work I am doing and don't look to change, my progression will either not happen and just stay at the same level, or it will regress. I want to be that missionary as President Godoy that is climbing at the end of his mission and will continue to climb throughout all of his life.

President, thank you for everything and you can count on my all in helping to achieve this goal of 120 this month!

After much thought and concideration I have come to the conclusion that I DONT want to come home!! The mission is TOO GREAT!!! You hear that Russell. Don't even think that it goes slow becuase you will wake up and you only get 4 more transfers in the field. I'm never going to get this opportunity again so I dont want it to end.

Don't worry I still love you all even though I dont want to go home!


Yours truly!!

Elder Johnson #1

Russ email 4/23/2010

Hey ya'll!!! Beautiful weather we're having...not really. We got stranded inside for gym the past couple days. Not fun, but it was a good chance to catch up on sleep. I have been doing absolutely great, except now I have a sore throat, but nothing cough drops can't fix. Because of my sore throat my voice has been cracking like a 14 year old the whole time, its pretty funny.

This week we taught a native couple from Peru in the TRC. They didn't speak a word of English! It was amazing! Although they were talking really fast and at the same time I could understand basically everything that they were saying. This last Wednesday was Hermana Bott's last day teaching us because she graduated and can't work here now. We told her that we were going to make the new teacher cry so that she would leave and then Hermana Bott could come back. We aren't really going to though. haha.

So funny story, the other night when we were all alseep I slept walked out of the room and woke up the other Elders. They said I came back in 10 minutes later(they have no clue what I did) and kept asking what time it was. After they told me the time a million times I said very sassily, "you guys need to go to bed!!" then layed down on the floor and went to sleep. I laughed pretty hard the next morning when they told me.

So I don't exactly know anything about my visa. All I know is that we are suppose to leave May 10, but every other missionary going to Mexico has been delayed at least a week. So I'm not planning on leaving until the 17, but you never know.
Well, hope all is well with you all!!

-Elder Johnson #2

Jeff email 4/19/2010

Oi, Tudo bem. Como é que você tá??

Its good to hear that the Spanish Branch is doing good, even though I still havent gotten over the fact that they beat us out of the basketball tournament in 2008.

We are planing some activities to get the ward excited. The thing is that what I have seen work best is home teaching. Home teaching is what I have seen that helps the most with keeping the ward excited and on the same page. Just the other day I visited with a man that had called on his home teacher to help him out but the home teachers had left him out in the cold and did not go. In fact they stopped visiting him at all and he ended up leaving the church after that. Certanily this is not an excuse for someone that has a strong testimony to leave the church but the funny thing is that the home teachers are there to help him to gain that testimony. I cant imagine that in the judgement day things will look good for home teachers like this. In moroni 7;46 for all those that have charity in the last day everything will be alright for them. These two hometeachers sure didnt show charity in this situation so I'm pretty sure that we can say that for them in the last days everything will be terrible for them.....IF they dont repent. I gave a talk on charity yesterday and how charity is the preoccupation that we have for our salvation as well as the salvation of others. That is the focous of my studies these days. Charity and love and how these need to be my motivation for serving the Lord.

Congratulations Niles for getting ordained to the office of a Deacon!!! I cant wait to see you passing the sacrament when I get home and to see you out gathering fast offerings!!! Keep up the good work!!!
I sure do love all of you!!!
Elder Johnson(#1)
ps.
I hope you all know that Sister Morrise goes home here in 3 weeks. how crazy is that!!!

Family over for Niles Ordination

Russ email 4/16/2010

Hey everyone!

Yes, I am still alive. I went to the physical therapist on Tuesday...I think, and I am going again today later on. My migraine has however gone away quite a bit. Yesterday I got the prescriptions that the doctor prescribed me. Little did I know one of them was a muscle relaxant, so I took 2 as it said to right after lunch. I couldn't stay awake in class to save me life. Hermano Dubois kept waking me up, but two seconds later I'd fall right back to sleep haha. I even fell asleep while Elder Trumbo and I were teaching the 1st lesson in Spanish. The Elders that we were teaching kept busting up laughing because I would flinch in my sleep. I'll be sure to only take those ones at night now.

Everything is going great, I feel like I'm not progressing as much as everyone else in Spanish so this week I'm devoting all my free time to memorizing vocabulary in espanol. I have officially gained 9 pounds while being here! But the food is starting to get old and gross here so I think I'm going to stop gaining weight because all I eat is salad these days.

Last Tuesday Glenn L Pace gave the devotional and he talked about the spirit world. The ironic thing is earlier that day Elders Haws, Wynn, Trumbo, and myself were having a discussion about the spirit world. In his talk he literally answered every question that we had. The spirit was so strong there it was amazing! The topics that he talked about were so deep that he asked that they didn't record his talk because of the sacredness of it. It was a real testimony builder for me.

Well hope all is well with y'all
sincerely, Elder Johnson (#2)

Niles G's Birthday

Niles waiting for Grandma and Grandpa.

Niles with his birthday gift, a long board.

Todd: Lifesavers (Philadelphia) 12 April 2010

Independence Hall

The Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were both crafted and refined inside this building

The Liberty Bell

Independence Hall. George Washington sat in the chair at the front. There were 13 tables for the 13 Colonies. Jefferson, Adams and Franklin were among those who sat at these tables.

Outside the Pennsylvania Convention Center

The Italian Stallion statue

Imagine the theme from the movie "ROCKY" playing as you view the next few pictures

"Gonna Fly Now..."

Jeff email 4/12/2010

Being that I wrote an amazing email to my mission president and it has a ton of information about my life, I am going to send it to you as I sent it to him....

Upon being transferred I was sad to leave my area, the investigators that were preparing for baptism, and the members that I grew to love. BUT I was very excited to start again in a new area and gain that kind of love for the people in my new area. I got to the new area with high hopes hoping to hit the ground running at the same level as the Elder that was here before me. I got here and saw that the work didn't seem to be running at any level. The saddest part is that the members knew that almost no work was happening. Many members have told me that they were praying for a change so that the work here could run better. This week I spent visiting the members and beginning to try and get their trust again. I managed to pull out around 8 references this week but there are still a few members that like us, but don't trust us enough to give us anything yet. It's sad to see this happen. The fact that an area with so much potential could fall to a state like this. I can see a lot of growth in me as a missionary from this experience because in the past the way I found this area when I got here would be a recipe for becoming dis-animado, but I am more excited that I have ever been! I can see the potential that this ward has and I can't wait to see the full potential in action!

President, I thank you for the opportunity to face this "challenge" of sorts. I know it was inspired of God and in the end this ward will be in great form!!

This week I would like to wish a late happy birthday to SUSIE, and happy birthday to Niles G J and happy April to you all!
Peace, love and tenderness!!!!

JOHNSON

Todd: Amish & Valley Forge-- 10 April 2010

The Ewells home in Leola, PA-- where Sgt. Dockstader and I stayed for a couple of days

An Amish farmer (probably a teen) out plowing

A Country Market where the Amish have their own small businesses


An Amish man stocking the display



An Amish scooter. I saw a few adults using these around town.

The rental car

Valley Forge Visitor Center

Part of Valley Forge

Replicas of Soldiers Quarters

General George Washington's Valley Forge Headquarters

Todd: Gettysburg, PA-- 09 April 2010

Gettysburg, PA

Just a few of the graves that were marked. Many were buried without markers.

One of the battlefields. Devil's Den is towards the right side.

One of the barns that was hit by a cannonball below the two diamond patterns

Russ pictures from MTC

MTC Zone

MTC District

Todd: New York-- 08 April 2010

Macy's

Empire State Building


Time Square

The Ed Sullivan Theater

The Hello Deli. Rupert G. was not working when we stopped in

Central Park

With the Central Park Mounted Police

The Trump Tower

Outside The Today Show studio

The New Year''s Eve ball at Time Square

Susie's birthday reaction

Todd: New Jersey & New York- 07 April 2010

My first view of New York as we were coming into New Jersey. The Empire State Building can be seen through the haze.

A Mounted NYPD Officer


A bit too warm. It was hard to find a water fountain. But, there was plenty of water being sold for $2.00 a bottle by the street vendors


Looking up


We got half off the admission since we are Law Enforcement


A window section from one of the planes flown into the towers on September 11th

Items belonging to a NY Fire Fighter that died when the building collapsed

A computerized look at what the WTC will look like when all of the new construction is completed. You can see where the original towers stood. Those spots will have water running over the walls

Our tour guide. He was working at the WTC when it was bombed in 1993, and during the attacks on September 11th. On September 11th, he was told by a frantic co-worker that the north tower was on fire. He said that he and a few of his co-workers decided that they would leave their 76th floor and begin heading down out of the building just as a precaution. As they were heading down, the second plane impacted at between the 78th and 84th floors.

Construction at WTC

New Jersey in the background

I purchased a $2.00 pretzel and $2.00 bottle of water from this street vendor

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.
I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

China Village

I don't know if this guy was actually sleeping or putting on a show for sympathy? Notice his cup to collect donations?