Hashtags, Davi? En Serio?

June 30, 2014

Hashtags, Davi?  En Serio?

Ok, I am willing to forgive Davi for having used hashtags in her last email, mostly because my spacebar isn’t really working too well today.  Just imagine that I'm using hashtags.  [Don’t worry, everyone—I fixed all of the crazy sentences.]

Hey, and I got the package this week!  Thanks for everything from everyone.  I felt a little bad when I started reading the letter that explained that I can have fun with my investigators by sharing the Jelly Bellies with them, because as I was reading, I was, not kidding, eating the jelly beans as though I was Cookie Monster.  I stopped for a second when I read it and then continued to eat.  I hope my investigators like the black licorice ones.  [Shout out a big thank you to Aunt Lori for the Jelly Bellies!]

Another thing about the package—balloon animals were the edge that I was missing!  When I first saw it, I thought, Oh, I don’t know if I can do it—but it actually works!  I was feeling really ineffective contacting families, but now I have something weird to offer them.  During the weekend, we tried it out.  This family was walking by, and I said, ''Hey, can we give you something?''  They stopped and expected that I was going to give them a pamphlet, but surprise!   I whip out the balloon inflator and make the little girl a parrot.  It was hysterical!  They were all chuckling at me, and they actually started listening to us.  I'm carrying around balloons from now on!

Nayeli got baptized on Sunday.  Briggitte was a referral that also got baptized on Saturday.  We taught her 24-year-old step-brother as well, Erick, who was so close to coming to church on Sunday.  He was at the door!  But then he felt bad for coming because he admitted to us later that he had been drinking the night before.  Well, ok, we'll work on that.  Great guy, though.  He accepted yesterday to prepare for the 26th of July.

The ward council is also doing super great!  After the meeting, the ward council decided to visit two families with us, and both families said that they were wanting something like this and both committed to being fully active again.  That was great to see.

Something interesting I’ve learned here that I didn't think I would learn is how great fasting is.  I used to think fasting was going hungry.  Now I know that sometimes when you pray you try to express how strongly you desire something, and it's just impossible to explain it in words.  You can only really express it through fasting.

Love it out here.  Hope you all love it out there.

Elder Johnson