Elder Cardon of the Seventy came to our mission this week.
He
did a special fireside for all investigators in the mission on Saturday
night. We were asked to translate from English to Spanish and it was an
interesting experience. Before the fireside we went and knelt to pray
and ask for help translating. I was nervous since what he would say
would be powerful and I wanted to be able to convey it to the audience
in words just as powerful but in Spanish. It was a humbling experience
as I was able to translate far above my skill level. There was
definitely much divine help involved in that. I was using words I didn't
use any conjugations I didn't know.
The next night he held a special missionary
leadership council and sat down with 14 of us in a small room on ASU
campus to talk about "the Work of Salvation." The church is moving away
from "Missionary Work" and is going to be using the words, "the Work of
Salvation" more since it is more inclusive and is more inviting. It was a
really cool meeting and it got really really intense at one point. He
is a powerful man and not scared to say what's on his mind haha. Much
revelation was received.
I was thinking this week about missions. It struck
me that I think we go on missions for more than just other peoples'
benefit. Duh, I don't know why this hasn't hit me before but it hadn't.
It struck me that missions are a huge benefit to our personal salvation
as well. I was just thinking about where else I could be and what else I
could be doing and nothing seemed half as important for my own well
being as well as of others. I then thought about how much the church
membership is blessed by full time mission service, not just during the
mission but for the rest of their lives and eternity. The principles you
learn as a missionary are for far more than 24 months: planning,
dedication, concentration, how to love, serve, lose yourself to help
others (and then find yourself), the list could go on.
It was also really cool to teach a lesson over
Facebook with Mark this week! I've been trying so hard to find ways to
be effective on Facebook. I had a meeting with President Toone this week
while on exchanges with the Assistants and we talked about the progress
of the iPads, Facebook, and the technology initiative. He mentioned
some really cool things that I won't repeat but also mentioned that the
missionary department isn't getting as much feedback as they wanted. So
this week I made a survey and sent it out to the missionaries using the
iPads and Facebook - kind of a self assessment. This morning I got all
the results back and they were really interesting. Most people didn't
understand how to be effective. So today I'm going to put the results
into a presentable document and send it to SLC and the Director of the
Missionary Department and President Toone to let them do whatever they
wanted with that information.
I've been in contact this week with the Director of
Proselyting in the world (he's awesome!) about Facebook asking for ways
we can be better and other missionaries' success stories. He mentioned
that one mission tripled their weekly teaching opportunities because of
Facebook. I told him I set a goal to help two people get baptized
through Facebook before I get transferred away from it. But maybe it'll
go mission-wide before that, we'll see. Just these past two weeks we've
seen hundreds and hundreds of new missionaries get on Facebook.
It's beginning.
We had a
really awesome experience this week. One of our most amazing
investigators was reading "for fun" in the Lorenzo Snow manual this week
and discovered that he lived in the same city as her great great etc
grandpa! She hopped online and did some family history. Turns out she
loves family history and has gone back more than 500 years into her
family history. Crazy!!
She is so prepared for the gospel. She's getting
baptized next week and was interviewed yesterday. It will have been two
weeks since we met her and she was ready for baptism on day one.
Yesterday she taught me an amazing principle during our lesson. I was
getting ready to teach a commandment and commit her to it and before I
even presented it she said, "ok, I'll live it!" She has received her
personal testimony and it continues to grow everyday.
I left thinking, "am I willing to accept so quickly
the words that come from the living Prophet today?" I'm not a prophet,
by no means, but what I mean was her willingness to accept something new
from someone called to teach it. The Prophet is called to teach it. So,
are you willing to commit to live a commandment before you even hear
it? Is your faith that strong? I hope we can all get there and be like
this wonderful woman we are teaching.
But it gets better! She repented in the lesson we
taught! We told her something, she mentioned she did it, and without a
direct invitation from us she prayed and asked for forgiveness during
her prayer. Ah, so much faith.
At a family home evening activity this week I won a
laser pointer pistol that shocks you when you pull the trigger. Needless
to say, I shocked many people this week :)
Oh, I forgot I haven't even written about the anti that punched me this week! Ok, here goes!
After translating for the meeting with Elder Cardon
we hopped in the Cruze and started driving home only to realize we were
out of gas. Oh no! So we pulled into a Circle K and went inside to buy a
drank. As we walked inside a woman approached us and immediately
started to anti us. I'm not going to write everything she said but
needless to say she was an excommunicated woman who had been through the
temple. She went off and off about things she shouldn't have and said
things that didn't make any sense. Among some of her claims were that
the Catholic church founded the LDS church, that we are Masons, that
Mormons run the government, that we are connected to the mafia and the
iluminati, and that she was a descendant of Christ and was Christian
royalty. She followed us outside and continued to talk to us. In an
attempt to change the topic, Elder Harder said, "This is a good
milkshake!" She promptly took it and drank it. She told us to follow her
home and see her Porsche and how she was connected to the highest
ranked Jews. She said because I'm 20 she will know more than I will ever
know since she was 45. Ok. I started to testify to her and she talked
over me. So then I said, "Listen, these conspiracy theories don't -" and
then she cut me off. "CONSPIRACY THEORIES? KENNEDY HAD HIS BRAINS BLOWN
OUT TO BRING THESE FACTS TO LIFE!" I smiled because it didn't make any
sense and I had heard enough and then she went berserk.
Like really, she went insane. More than previous,
which I didn't think possible. She walked really really close to me and
started screaming in my face what my name means, how I'm iluminati, and
then she did what made me most mad; she flicked my name tag twice. At
this point I was starting to get pretty angry so I just turned around
and walked away. I didn't want to say anything I would regret. As I
walked away she screamed obscenities at me and then ran at me from
behind as I was walking and looking forward and punched me in the back.
A bunch of people saw and heard her since we were in public.
Anyway,
I forgave her and moved on but it was really intense. If she had had
something to hit me with other than her fist I'm sure she would have
used it. I've never seen anything escalate so quickly.
And it turns out that Elder Perez was anti'd by her a
year ago at Walmart! Small world! I mentioned her name to him and he
just looked at me and laughed and said, "I know her!"
So that was exciting.
We have two baptisms coming up next week. We were supposed to have one on the 17th but something intense happened.
We
fasted as a zone yesterday for miracles and in the middle of the fast
we got a text from the Ward Mission Leader saying, "Prepared family of
three ready to be baptized!" followed by address and information.
Miracles, man.
Elder
Harder's flight information for his flight home arrived this week. He
leaves in twenty days. He is hanging in strong and I frequently thank
him for that.
What mission is Arlington in now?
Thanks Mom, Eric, Will, and Elizabeth for the letters!
Hope all is well with all,
Love,
Elder Johnson
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