Last Week in the US of A!!! for 2 :)

Talofa lava!!

I hope all of you have a great week. Before I begin I would like to give praise to the people who sent me packages. THEY have been AWESOME!!!! I am grateful for the fun gifts and food; they're the best!

Last Sunday was good; we had a great priesthood meeting...we asked a lot of questions which helped the lesson move along. Elder Timothy and Elder Adar taught us about the Holy Ghost. Then during Sacrament meeting my soa played the piano! He is soooo good. We had a lot of meetings for our departure this coming Sunday and had a testimony meeting with my district. Monday morning we did some great service and I taught a lesson to my teacher Uso Anderson. Tuesday night was devotional night with Elder Wadell; it was way good. He talked about the Book of Mormon. I did some really good studying this week in the Book of Mormon with my soa. 

Thursday, yesterday...we found out that half of my district didn't get their visas. They sent them in way late, like the day they came to the MTC. We were down as a district knowing that we all weren't going to Samoa. It's good though, they are going state side for awhile and will then will join us. It reaffirmed to me that there are people in Samoa for me to teach. I am humbled and honored to teach the Samoan people. 

I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared, but I am excited. I know the Lord will strength me. The MTC has helped me soooo much; my teachers are my best buds! They are the BEST! The Spirit is sooo strong here! 

Alofa!

Elder Johnson

Month Down

Malo lava! (Ha ha, I just used that to spice things up.)

Well, this week went by fast! Honestly, I didn't feel like emailing...sorry, Mom. I love you ALL! But I'd rather be in class....it is the first P Day that I have felt like this.

I am here and am grateful that I am here. I came past a scripture today, Helaman 10:5:

"And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will."

This is what I strive for each day at the MTC. I know it takes time but this is one of the things I want to be.

So this week: 

For the Sunday devotional we had an amazing musician, Kenneth Cope. It was really good and I felt the Spirit HARD. It was awesome! Tuesday was weird with the eclipse, I walked out of class and it was nice and cool. The shadows were awesome! We had the Tuesday devotional around the eclipse and Elder Clayton talked about the Light of Christ; it was a really cool analogy! I am doing well! Don't forget that I am at the MTC and am a missionary ;) Email me if you want :) brantley.johnson@myldsmail.net 

Thanks!

Elder Johnson

MTC Life

Talofa!!

Well, I hope everyone's week went well. I hosted some tours at the MTC last Saturday, it was not too bad. Actually, it was really nice; I got to talk to people besides missionaries ;) I was out by the flags so it got hot when the sun came out of the clouds. 

This past Sunday Elder Ballard came and spoke to us about having the eye single to the work and enduring to the end. Monday I did some service with Lalau-Potutau, a way funny kid! We did some wipe downs on windows and dusted in the new building (T4). Tuesday night we had Elder Neilson come!! It was crazy, two apostles in the same week. He talked about goals, having faith and that everyone is going to have it hard. Tuesday felt good, we went running at like 5, good stuff. 

The Samoan language is going well; I have another teacher, Bro. Kenison. He is great. We planned well for our lesson yesterday (Thur.) about obedience. The studying is getting better and better. I started Jesus the Christ. Wow! I had to reread the first pages a few times :) The BOM (Book of Mormon) has been my power on these early mornings with late nights. I just got done with Alma 43 to 48, with the battles...wow, I love Moroni!! I hope all is well!

Alofa!

Elder Johnson

Week Tolu in the MTC

Hey!!

Well, this week went by in a flash!!! It was the first Fast Sunday out on a mission; it was great! I sought for the Spirit for our investigator and for strength to go about the week. Last Saturday was good; I got close with a lot of the Elders in my district. It was cool to talk about home and why they wanted to come out. We had a devotional Sunday night with Sister Baker and then later that day we watched the Charter of Christ, a talk by Elder Bednar about turning outwards when others would turn in and also building a testimony of Christ and His doctrine.

ELDER BEDNAR CAME AFTER!!!!!

He came for some Q&A after the clip. Wow, I didn't have the guts to stand and ask some of my questions, but a lot of them were answered. I love how that works in the gospel. Oh, on a different note, in Samoan "talalelei" means the good news or the gospel, pretty cool! Monday we did some service, like any other Monday ;). It was fun; we swept and mopped some bathrooms. My room is awesome; we have some Elders going to Tonga: Elder Christopherson and Elder Lomu. They're awesome Elders!

We had Elder and Sister Sitati from the Area Seventies come talk to us; it was good. They talked about missionary work and said that you never will know the lives that you have touched.

We taught Lakope (Jacob), he is our teacher, and Uso Anderson. It was just role playing, but it was great. Then just last night we went to go teach some TRCs. Sorry, I don't know what it stands for. We got there and I was super nervous. Ha ha, just try thinking of a language you know okay, Spanish or something, then think of teaching the gospel in it. We went and no one was in the room, so we taught Laulu-Potutoua (sorry, I probably spelled his name wrong). It was still really good. I need to rely on the Lord more!!!! He is the one who can help me the most.

ALOFA!

Elder Johnson

HEY!

Talofa!!!

So I have been waking up on time this week. I haven't been late to any class, unless it was for little things like my soa (comp) had appointments with the travel service. We had an Elder in our room, Fatui, he is going to Hawaii speaking Samoan. He had some trouble with his visa so he waited behind like a week. He was in our room, from Samoa. He speaks really well. He left this week on Tuesday. Going into depth in the Missionary Hand Book, the mission rule book sometimes called the white hand book. This week was tough on the language a lot of grammar thrown at us...sentence structure. But I had an amazing time on Sunday, haha, at home we have 3 hr block, here they are 6 hr blocks. It was good, the Spirit was strong. Elder Bednar gave a talk on the Charter of Christ, you can only see it  in the MTC... sorry. It was about turning out, not in during trials. So I tried it this week. Hard to turn out when things are going wrong. I know Christ is always there. We, my soa Chu-Shing, and I have an "Investigator", just a practice one... he is our teach. WE HAVE TO SPEAK SAMOAN. You would think a no duh but, it was hard. I'm not the best book smart, think of language smart. It was good, we gave a simple lesson about Heavenly father, the Spirit was there. Food here is like eating at a rest home, I'm sorry, that's blunt. 

I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell. (2 Nephi 33:6)

Thank goodness. I love this scripture!!!! I am so glad cause I can only speak in plainness. I need it though, fundamentals.

I love you all! God love you!!! 

Elder Johnson

P.S.

Send amazing thoughts...if you feel so :) Or packages, THANKS MAMA WADE!!

Elder Brantley DJ Johnson
SEP04  SAM-API
2005 N 900 E Unit 138
Provo UT 84602

MTC

Well, first three days, wow, crazy. The Samoan language is good, I just don't really know it. I was told welcome to the MTC five million times with my pink sticker. My companions are Elder Rex and Elder Chu-Shing. Elder Rex does football and has a full ride to BYU and Elder Chu-Shing is Austrian and his accent has rubbed off on me...I have a really weird voice. The food is good, awesome lessons and the Spirit is sooooo strong. Reading and learning in Samoan is difficult.

Elder Johnson