Overcoming My Addictions

October 20, 2014

Ok, just to let everyone know, Elder Feller is doing very well.  Thanks for your prayers.  The news just kind of came out of nowhere, like at the end of our time on the computers, so sorry if that seemed abrupt in the last email.  But it’s obvious that he's really been blessed this week.

Just a little thing from this week.  I'm not sure if I mentioned Govinda before, but he's a former investigator that has read up until Alma in the Book of Mormon, but never got baptized because he could never get over an addiction.  We taught him last Sunday for the first time and set a game plan that we would call him every night at exactly 10:30 (which is when he really needs the phone call) and that he would pray out loud from now on and read the scriptures.  I also made my promise that I would give up junk food for him.  I'm not going to lie to you, I realize now how serious my problem is as well.  Someone in the ward on Sunday gave us dulce de leche candies from Argentina, and I thought I was going to hurt someone, I was so mad I couldn't eat it.  I will confess that I did fall in when less actives handed us Sprite, I just drank it.  And there was banana cake in district meeting from one of the sisters.  But the populace voted that the banana cake wasn't going against anything, so Govinda doesn't have to know about that one.  I did confess to him the Sprite incident, however.

But, guess what?  He went five days without consuming, which is miraculous, according to one of the missionaries that was there before.  We feel pretty confident that this week is going to be his week.  He is preparing for the 22nd of November, so I'm hiding away the dulce de leche for that day. 

And honestly, this is the most motivated I've been on my whole mission.  I really feel like I'm in my element in how we're working and the missionaries I'm with.  I'm really happy, although we also feel the challenge.

Yeah, you are right about preparing for the mission.  It's just like Elder Cook said, that most of us just expect that showing up to our mission is sufficient, and boy, it's really not. 

Yes, other things happened as well this week, but I feel like I'm writing everyone individually this week, so basta [enough].

Love you all!  Make good choices!

Elder Johnson

PS - Oh, and everyone in the newbies group knows Brandon Leyva.  Elder Welburn said, and I quote, "He's a boss."