18 Months

Friends and Family:

    As usual, I'll start off with the service we offered this week.:

Sweeping

     We took a few hours out of our week to walk around with brooms and dustpans. We drove downtown and walked from store to store, asking to sweep their little shops. Without fail, all of them thought we were crazy. Some of them offered us money, and some were so uncomfortable with the idea of 'SERVICE' that they told us to leave. Overall it was super successful. We met tons of people, and my sweeping skills have improved dramatically. #HusbandMaterial

Moving Railroad Ties (:

     This has been one of my least favorite service opportunities EVER. Over the course of four hours, we moved 15 railroad ties, and countless other farm supplies with our Branch President. The railroad ties were deceivingly heavy. To make it worse, this cat followed us around the whole time, and I tripped over it more than once. Eventually we locked it in a cage after we almost smashed it with a railroad tie. (Is that how you spell tie?)

Track Meet

     Besides the girls in running shorts, I had a good time in Iraan at their anual CACTUS RELAY!!! We had a good time. We felt super out of place. Everyone was in sweats or shorts with a t shirt but us. I worked the long jump. It was the first track meet of the year, and it was very obvious. Some of the guys could barely jump from the pavement into the sand... poor kids. 

Total Service hours this week... 15! 

     

This week we conducted exchanges with the Elders from Iraan. I was with Elder Kempe from Pokie, Idaho, and we got a lot of work done. We were able to teach a total of 23 lessons this week, and most of them with members there. Super busy all the time. Lots of driving... lots of work... I feel like un gallinito descabezado, or a chicken with its head cut off... a nickname I got from a friend out here because I'm always go go go. 

We also attended both of the district meetings that we had this week. One in Pecos, and one here in Ft. Stockton. I'm super grateful for my district leaders. They make my job SUPER easy. 

Lots and lots of driving these last few weeks. Kinda running out of music to listen to... any ideas for good music to listen to that's mission appropriate? 

We are teaching some investigators, John and Karisha Gonzales. They are preparing for baptism in April, and we are SUPER stoked for them. John soaks up information unlike anyone I've ever met. He basically taught us what the priesthood was the first time we met him, because he had been studying off of LDS.org. CRAZY! Anyway, they came to church again this week, and are super good friends with a few members here. It's been good. 

Our Mission President has given us a vision to turn our branches into Wards, and our District into a Stake! Since that vision has been established, we've been working super hard to achieve it. The branch has grown a ton since that vision was established. We've had 2 new families move in, and three new investigators coming to church. I've never been so motivated to work. 

Love Y'all!

Elder Johnson