Jeff email 6/28/2010

Dear Eternal Family!

This week I am back in the Zone Colatina. Let me describe it to you. HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS HILLS, and the more HILS HILLS HILLS HILLS. You get the picture. When I was transferred here President Pickett pulled me aside and told me that I was being sent here for one reason, and that was to teach a basketball camp to around 30 young men ages 16-18. I was super excited for this assignment! We will have our first practice tomorrow.

This week we knocked quite a few doors. Upon being accepted to enter a certain door the man immediately began wanting to Bible bash with me. He was a JW. (Jehovah's witness). I let him do his little spiel and what not. He went on about the Bible and how the Bible is perfect and how it cannot be moved or have any other book to replace it. I then asked him how it was the the JW church had their own Bible then. He then said. "they are different words but they talk about the same gospel" I then said. "the Book of Mormon is also different words but the same Gospel" I didn't want to fight with him so I bore one of the most powerful testimonies that I have ever bore and told him that the Book of Mormon is the most correct book on the earth and how I knew it was a true book because our Heavenly Father was the One that revealed these truths unto me and that no man could take the Testimony from me. The man shut up, and I got up and left! I Love the Book of Mormon and I'm so thankful that I have the chance to be a "defender of the truth" and defend these wimpy attacks that the adversary is trying to lace at us!

I Love you all and hope you all have a GREAT week!
Love,
Elder Jeffrey Johnson

Russ email 6/21/2010

Russell's companion and pictures of his new apartment. He is in Merida.

Hola!!!

Hows it going up there in dry old Utah? Its going great here. This week was PONENTE!!!!!!!

So to start off the week on Wednesday when we walked into our apartment some huge bird thing flew and smacked me in the face, turned out it was a giant moth!!!!!!!! It scared the crap out of me but it was hilarious!!! I've still been sitting in the office all week waiting for Elder Reyes to get all the work done that he needed to do, but yesterday he finished and now we are in our new apartment. We spent all morning deep cleaning it. It kinda sucks cause we have no power or water yet so last night was freaking hot. I didn't sleep much so now I'm way tired, but there are tons of giecos everywhere in there so its pretty awesome. The area we are in is call Quetzacoalt. We are the ones reopening the area so we start at all 0s. I'm pretty excited, it should be a good expirience having to work hard for investigators.

Last night I learned that Elder Reyes is leaving next week to be a zone leader in Ticul, so I'm going to have a 3rd trainer!!!! I feel so unwanted... haha not really, but hey, who can say that they had 3 dads? haha.

On Saturday when we went to the church to fill up the font it was already full, full of 3 week old water that had algea growing in it. So we had to empty it and refil it, which took over an hour. Then at another baptism we overflowed the font cause we forgot the water was still on. It flooded the halls and everything, It was hilarious!

So that was my week. Hope all you are doing well. Go MEXICO in the World Cup lol
Love you all!

Love Elder Johnson

Jeff email 6/21/2010

Jeff with his kite that he wrote about a few weeks ago.

Dear those,

Can I just say that the world cup is very very intense here in Brasil. Just take a look at these pictures. All the roads are painted up and covered by banners and flags and everything. Tuesday before the Brasil Korea game we took these pictures. During the game we have to stay inside because everything here stops. Everyone gets drunk and because Brasil always wins they stay in the road untill like 1 in the morning partying. Its more crazy here then it is during carnival.

Well.. I have some bad news.. I was transfered. Tomorrow I will be assigned a new area and I have no clue where that area is going to be? All I know is that I'm going.

Today we are heading to Walmart to take some pics and do some fun stuff there. Well sorry my email isn't as cool as Russells but the fact that I have been doing emails for a year and 8 months is a good excuse!

Sure do love you all!
Jeff

Russ email 6/16/2010

Hola!!!!! Como esta?

How is it going my dearest family? I am doing super duper!!!

The athletes foot has only conquered 8 of my toes, the other 2 are staying strong! haha. The flight was good, the Mexican airline that we flew on from Mexico City to Merida was WAY nice, the airplane was so clean lol. I tried calling from Mexico City but the phone wouldn't let me call collect to our home phone number or a cell phone, so sorry :). Everything went well I didn't lose any luggage but Elder Wynn did, but he has it now. It came on Sunday.

My companion for the past 5 days has been one of the President's assistants, Elder Villera. Yes, he is a native that speaks zero English. but its all good. I have been living the life of an assistant the whole time, taking taxis everywhere, having all my food payed for and eating out pretty much every meal, and sitting in the mission office most of the day (that part sucks tho!). Yesterday we spent all day in the office installing new computers and updating the transfer board. They say that I'm the first greeny ever to see "the holy of holies" a.k.a the transfer board. I even got to sit in the presidents chair and desk!! I'm pretty much a legend now lol. My hammock is freakin awesome!! I sleep like a newborn baby in it! Except last night I had to sleep on a dirty old mattress(I'll tell you more later).

Elder Wynn and I stayed together in the same house up until Monday. His companion was the other assistant, so it was good getting to stay with him, but on Monday Elder Wynn got sent to Cancun to be with his real trainer. It was nice cause all 4 of us went, so I spent the day sitting on a tour bus going to Cancun. When we got there I said my finally good byes to Elder Wynn(I didn't cry to much lol jk I didn't cry) then me and Elder Villera went to one of the churches there were a district was having there district meeting. He wanted to do a surprise visit, and low and behold Elder Trumbo was there!!!!! It was great seeing him. While there we went on splits and went tracting. All I can say is Cancun is so much dirtier than Merida! After that we took a bus home at 9 and got back home at 1 in the a.m. I was dead tired. Oh, and I've already had 2 baptism, well they aren't mine, they were Elder Villeras, but I went to them lol.

I just got switched last night to my step dad(my real trainer) Elder Reyes. He too is a native and speaks very little English, which I like, cause I will learn Spanish faster this way. Back to what I said earlier about sleeping on a dirty old mattress, when I got switched last night we went and slept in the secretaries house which is in a apartment complex, and there were no more hammock hooks, so I had to sleep on the floor, it was great! I love having cruddy conditions to live in and be in. It makes what I'm doing here seem more worth it to me. The humidity hasn't really bugged me at all. I guess its cause I don't really get to bothered about sweating at all. I've worn long sleeves 4 out of the 6 days that I've been here. Oh, and fyi, whoever said that bloody noses are caused by dry air needs to be punched right in the face lol.

I hope all is going well, I love you all, I keep you all in my prayers.

Love, Elder Johnson #2

Summer Fun

David Archuleta singing Lean On Me. Let's just say he's amazing.

Rachel modeling David Archuleta's new book Cords of Strength

Perfect view of his beautiful face :)

Signing Rachel's book. He remembered her name. She went with her friend Rachel Covert and she was in line behind her and when she went up David said "Oh, another Rachel" so clearly he remembered Rachel's name

Awesome!!!

Russ email 6/8/2010

Well another week is done and we're still trapped in this wonderful prison. I do like it here, but I cant wait to get to Mexico and out of Provo. We are getting put back in with our old zone tomorrow. They can't decide what they want to do with us.

Nothing much has happened this week. We've just been teaching and having class. I'm pretty excited for tonight cause Elder Robert D Hales is coming to give the devotional. I found out through my sources (fyi Elder Fotu).

I hope all is well with you all and hopefully next time I email I will be in Mexico.

Love Elder Johnson #2

Update:

Elder Johnson #2 flew out this morning, Friday, June 11th. He is on his way to Mexico and very excited to be doing so!!

Jeff email 6/7/2010

Dear Family!

I just want you all to know that I am having the time of my life out here! I don't think that I have ever felt such a desire to help my fellow brothers and sisters here in Brazil than I have been feeling lately! I feel that I am higher up than I have ever been in my entire life! I just love working!!

We currently have some solid investigators that we hope to be marking baptismal dates with these next few days. We have a goal of 3 baptisms for this month and we know that it is an inspired goal and that if we work our hardest we will accomplish this goal!

Yesterday we had an area conference by satellite transmission from Salt Lake, like a big stake conference but the apostle was in Salt Lake. It was D. Todd Christopherson. He spoke in Portuguese so did the Relief Society President and a few others. You could tell that they were all Spanish speakers by the accent and the random Spanish words that they threw in there.

Everyone here is starting to get very excited for the world cup. Everything is getting painted green and the streets are full of banners and everything.. We cant watch it but I don't really care.. I need to work anyways.

Well I hope you are all happy because I sure am!!
I love you all!!!

Elder Johnson

On a side note....Jeff wanted us to add humble to the post before this one as Rachel was the one who wrote it :)

Rachel The Magnificent

Rachel is such a beautiful girl. I love her so much! She's so tall and wonderful. She cracks us up all the time. She makes us giggle so much. Once I laughed so hard I about wet myself. Oh what a goober she is. She is the most amazing athlete. She cooks delish food. I eat her food and I just dont want to stop. She helps out around the house without even complaining. She is going to be a fabulous mother. She has all the boys going after her. But she's got it under control. She is a fabulous driver. Sometimes I envy her driving skills. I feel bad that she has to drive the Burb around everywhere. That thing is a monster but she handles it with ease. She is so beautiful that I think she doesnt even need make-up. She lights up a room when she walks in. She has an amazing voice. She is going to be big and famous someday and she is so kind that she wont even forget us. I love taking her to the stores cause she just is herself and she doesnt care what anyone thinks. Her skin tone is just so wonderful. I envy it even though I know envying is bad, but with her its hard not to. Oh Rachel, you are so wonderful. How I got so blessed to have you, I dont know, but I am thankful. I LOVE YOU RACHEL LANAE JOHNSON!!!!!!!!!!

Russ email and pictures 6/1/10

Russ and a friend from school. Both are in the MTC.
Tripanionship. The three left behind waiting for the visas.

Russ and Jessie at the Temple on a Sunday afternoon. Both were in the MTC.

Hola! Como estan? estoy muy bien. No recibemos nuestras visa's.

That's Spanish for hi, how are you all? I am very good. We haven't recieved our visas, just incase you were wondering haha.
This week has been pretty good. Yesterday we went and volunteered in the trc for 3 hours being investigators, it was pretty fun.

The new Elders in our district are pretty funny, one is a HUGE 380 pound Tongan, he's pretty funny. The other two are elder Toone and Furlong, they are both scrawny white boys lol. We still haven't heard anything about our visas yet, we're just sitting here waiting, wishing. But all is well. Hope all is well with all of you.

Peace, love and happiness!
Elder Johnson #2