Wednesday, August 10, 2016
August 10th, 2016
This past week and a half has been so great! Melony came to church and loved it. She is progressing really well. We are teaching her again tonight. The sister missionaries in our ward told us while she was in relief society she shared a cool experience about her prayer being answered and how she knows that when she recognized God's hand in her life she feels his love. She is progressing well. Vicky didn't come to church but she had a meeting but we are seeing her again Friday. It kinda feels like she's fizzling off a bit because we have had a lot of contact with her this week but we'll see how it goes. Elder Pongbundit's english is getting better slowly but surely. We have loads of fun and are constantly laughing together. Loving Plymouth and the many good times we have and miracles we see. A fun thing we did this week was go to a Fijians 21st birthday party. There were so many people there and SO much good food I got 4 plates and the last two were just muscles haha I had at least 20! It felt like I was back in Hawaii. We were the only people not from Fiji. A really cool miracle we saw besides Mel having a great time at church was finding Sam. We met a guy while knocking who looked really young but was 19. He was covered in tats and when we asked him if he was religious he turned his arm over to show a cross then pulled his sleeve up to show a picture of Christ. We talked more and he didn't know much about God. We taught about Christ and the atonement and how people can change and be free from guilt and sin through him. It struck a note in his heart and he said he has had times when he did something really bad so he prayed and felt better. We explained how through Christ we can be complete clean. The spirit was strong and we got a return appointment!
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
July 26th, 2016
This week was great! We taught Vicky who is now a progressing investigator. She used to be a former but we found her and started teaching her again. She is Filipino and has been living in England for a while. We taught her the restoration and Elder Pongbundit did a great job! The gift of tongues is real. He spoke better English in that lesson than ever before.
We also played touch rugby with some Fijians and it was crazy! So the other missionaries in our area are teaching one of them and they invited them out to play. They wanted as many people as possible so they invited us. It is such a fun sport, but it has a complete and totally different mindset from football so that was different, but I loved it and we are going to make it a weekly thing.
Then we had zone conference where 3 zones come together. That was really good. I really like the mission president. He is an inspired man and is definitely helping the mission stay on the right track. They asked everyone in the mission to prepare a 5 min talk beforehand and when we get there they randomly (guided by the Spirit) choose a few missionaries to speak. I always prepare the sickest talks but never get called on but this time they called on me. I actually didn't prepare this time but used a talk I prepared 3 months ago and had in my notes haha the topic was how Preach My Gospel helps us know our purpose or something like that. I used a movie scene I remembered my football coach a long time ago showed us from the movie 300 about the Spartans. I described over the pulpit to 70 or so missionaries and the mission president the part where Leonidas is with his 300 men and is talking to an army of 10,000 and their leader. Leonidas asks one of the soldiers, "what is your profession?" The man answered a farmer. He then asked another soldier the same question and got a similar response. He then turns around and asks his army, "Spartans! WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?" And they respond, "OWU, OWU, OWU!" So I very dramatically acted out this scene, shouting that last bit, then tied it into the point of how we have power when we know our purpose and know what we are here to do. It was the best talk I had ever given and everyone (except president Goobler) was laughing hahaha it was so fun!
The rest of the week was pretty chill. The ward is great and they feed us a lot. We have like 3-4 DAs (dinner appointments) a week. It's great to get to know the members and I love learning from them. People have such cool life stories. The only problem with so many DAs is it makes me chunky.... Morning exercise isn't enough to combat the powerful effect of pudding. Especially when they make eton mess which is my favourite English pudding. It's whipped egg whites with sugar (can't spell that word), thick whipped cream, and chopped strawberries and raspberries!! Loving the area of Plymouth and we see miracles daily! Elder Pongbundit is an amazing guy and I love him!!
Love, Elder Johnson
We also played touch rugby with some Fijians and it was crazy! So the other missionaries in our area are teaching one of them and they invited them out to play. They wanted as many people as possible so they invited us. It is such a fun sport, but it has a complete and totally different mindset from football so that was different, but I loved it and we are going to make it a weekly thing.
Then we had zone conference where 3 zones come together. That was really good. I really like the mission president. He is an inspired man and is definitely helping the mission stay on the right track. They asked everyone in the mission to prepare a 5 min talk beforehand and when we get there they randomly (guided by the Spirit) choose a few missionaries to speak. I always prepare the sickest talks but never get called on but this time they called on me. I actually didn't prepare this time but used a talk I prepared 3 months ago and had in my notes haha the topic was how Preach My Gospel helps us know our purpose or something like that. I used a movie scene I remembered my football coach a long time ago showed us from the movie 300 about the Spartans. I described over the pulpit to 70 or so missionaries and the mission president the part where Leonidas is with his 300 men and is talking to an army of 10,000 and their leader. Leonidas asks one of the soldiers, "what is your profession?" The man answered a farmer. He then asked another soldier the same question and got a similar response. He then turns around and asks his army, "Spartans! WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?" And they respond, "OWU, OWU, OWU!" So I very dramatically acted out this scene, shouting that last bit, then tied it into the point of how we have power when we know our purpose and know what we are here to do. It was the best talk I had ever given and everyone (except president Goobler) was laughing hahaha it was so fun!
The rest of the week was pretty chill. The ward is great and they feed us a lot. We have like 3-4 DAs (dinner appointments) a week. It's great to get to know the members and I love learning from them. People have such cool life stories. The only problem with so many DAs is it makes me chunky.... Morning exercise isn't enough to combat the powerful effect of pudding. Especially when they make eton mess which is my favourite English pudding. It's whipped egg whites with sugar (can't spell that word), thick whipped cream, and chopped strawberries and raspberries!! Loving the area of Plymouth and we see miracles daily! Elder Pongbundit is an amazing guy and I love him!!
Love, Elder Johnson
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| I made Oreos, Nutella, and peanut butter brownies.. Yeah I'm fat. |
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| My old district! |
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| my best bud Elder Bos who is headed home... Yeah we were a bit gay. Haha sorry |
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
July 19th, 2016
Basketball with our young men went to so well! 10 of them came and we balled for about 2 hours! It was so much fun. They all brought their new shoes that they had never worn because they never play indoor. They all have really good hearts and they are very inclusive and fun. I set ground rules of no swearing or fighting in the church and it wasn't a problem at all. After we were done I explained what youth was and told them they were all invited! They got really excited and said they would come. The youth activity is basketball as that's what us and the YM president decided. We want to get them used to coming to the church and get them to meet the other YM. I'm really excited to see what comes of it and know the Lord put us in this area specifically for this reason!
Me and Elder Pongbundit are becoming best friends. I found that no matter what language you speak or what your culture is the key to building a strong friendship that will last forever ever is to one: have charity, the pure love of Christ, for one another and two: have inside jokes haha he literally doesn't understand half of what I say, but we have so many inside jokes. For example, one running inside joke we have is we make fun of elder cox, our zone leader, who is a total meat head and ordered 10kg of protein powder. We always make fun and pretend to put his protein power on our food or we will act like the hulk and talk all deep haha loads of laughs with Elder Pongbundit.
The area is becoming more and more familiar! We got two new investigators this week! One from street contact and the other from looking through our area book. We have also been working closely to the YM president. We have been assigned as the YM missionaries so we are going to do all we can to build the youth we have and get more to come!
The miracle for the week I would say is just the speed that Elder Pongbundit is learning English. It has been noticeable in the past two weeks. It definitely takes a lot of patience but seeing progress definitely helps! I know the Lord's hand is in his life and in ours together. I feel the love of God continue to grow within me and I feel it changing me into a better person. Sometimes the change comes really slow, much slower then I want and I wish constantly I could be better but I have come to learn that the Lord has a specific plan for each one if us. I love him!
Me and Elder Pongbundit are becoming best friends. I found that no matter what language you speak or what your culture is the key to building a strong friendship that will last forever ever is to one: have charity, the pure love of Christ, for one another and two: have inside jokes haha he literally doesn't understand half of what I say, but we have so many inside jokes. For example, one running inside joke we have is we make fun of elder cox, our zone leader, who is a total meat head and ordered 10kg of protein powder. We always make fun and pretend to put his protein power on our food or we will act like the hulk and talk all deep haha loads of laughs with Elder Pongbundit.
The area is becoming more and more familiar! We got two new investigators this week! One from street contact and the other from looking through our area book. We have also been working closely to the YM president. We have been assigned as the YM missionaries so we are going to do all we can to build the youth we have and get more to come!
The miracle for the week I would say is just the speed that Elder Pongbundit is learning English. It has been noticeable in the past two weeks. It definitely takes a lot of patience but seeing progress definitely helps! I know the Lord's hand is in his life and in ours together. I feel the love of God continue to grow within me and I feel it changing me into a better person. Sometimes the change comes really slow, much slower then I want and I wish constantly I could be better but I have come to learn that the Lord has a specific plan for each one if us. I love him!
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| I made super tastey chicken salad! |
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| The District! |
Monday, July 11, 2016
July 11th, 2016
Elder Pongbundit is a champion. The day we met he almost made me cry. I met him in the mission office as I was the only trainer because he had come out 3 weeks into the transfer. A few things I quickly learned about him is his English is very weak, he loves to smile, and he has a rock solid testimony. On the drive from the mission office in Crawley to Stains where we were going to meet President Goobler I got to chat with him for the first time and in his very broken English he told me that he is a convert. He was baptized when he was 18 and this came through him meeting missionaries that were teaching English. His parents were very much against him coming on a mission and wouldn't let him go for 4 years. He went to university and worked in Thailand until in his 3rd year of uni his sister needed money so he gave her all the money he had. This prevented him from going to school. He said his parents saw that he was very sad because now he couldn't do anything for himself so they let him go on a mission. He is a miracle. He then bore his testimony on the atonement and although his English was bad he testified with such a moving power. He said he used to be very bad but now he is good because of Jesus Christ.
He is the most humble person I know. He came to the MTC and the president had to buy him shoes and a bag because he didn't have any. He always says thank you anytime I do anything even when I correct his grammar or tell him, "it's your turn to talk". It's really funny when I cook for him. He makes me feel like a pro chef haha. He is also like a sponge and tries to absorb everything and he actually does pretty well. It takes us about 10 times as long to teach/learn something because if we want to explain a thought we end up playing charades and looking in dictionaries and pointing a lot haha but it's honesty funny and we both laugh.
I have been non stop teaching English which has made me totally aware of how bad I am at English, but the Lord knows all things and has been helping me so much. I feel like I have been learning more than he has. I have been so humbled by Elder Pongbundit especially when he prays. His prayers are SO sincere. He is overwhelmed to be in England with an American companion who doesn't know the area and doesn't know how to teach very well, but he still trusts in God so much. I love him!
The week has been a lot of exploring the city of Plymouth. It's pretty difficult opening a new area because you have no clue how to get anywhere and what buses go where, but it's an adventure! We have been playing a game called mystery bus where we get on a totally random bus and just ride till we feel like getting off then we work around the area and catch the bus back. It's definitely a fun way to learn the area and we have met some weirdos. People in Plymouth are a lot meaner then in Salisbury. Some guppy tried bashing us on the bus and then we were knocking and these two atheist guys went at us as well. I talked to them for like 10 minutes and they were getting bothered and then Elder Pongbundit said in his broken English "sorry, we are not perfect, but we love you and know God is real." Hahah that shut them up real quick! And I don't even think he knew what we were saying!
A super random story that may be dumb to you, but means a lot to me that happened this week is when we moved into this flat the shower in our room was broken and didn't get warm so I got all the tools in the flat (two screwdrivers) and tried to fix it. I made it a bit better but didn't totally fix it because I needed a wrench. That night I prayed that the shower would be fixed so we could take warm showers. The next morning I turn the shower on not expecting a whole lot (weak faith) and I sat waiting for the water to get warm just feeling it with my hand. After about 2 minutes of waiting I just accepted the fact that it would be cold so I just got under the cold water and once I got under it started to warm up then get hot! It was a miracle and reminded me of the story of the children of Israel carrying the arc of the covenant with them and having the promise that they would be on dry ground and when they got to the river they just expected the water to stop, but it wasn't until they took the first step and got their feet wet that the water stopped and they were able to cross on dry ground. The Lord always answers our prayers, even when we pray to have a warm shower haha and even when our faith isn't where we with it was.
Not a whole lot other than that. The area of Plymouth is really beautiful. Another cool thing is we're in a 4 man flat and there are 6 missionaries in our ward so we literally see other missionaries in a daily basis which is so new to me.
A cool miracle we saw was the first day we were here was when we were about to walk into the chapel to do iPad training. I heard a basketball bouncing so I ran over to the fence to see what was going on. There were 6 kids playing at a park so we ran around and I walked up to them and said, "I'm American and I love basketball. Can we play with you?" (It's not very often you see people playing basketball. Actually it was the first time on my mission) so we played for like an hour and talked to them for a while after. We then asked if they do this often and they invited us back to play Saturday. We went and took the the ZLs (well they took us in their car) and played. When we showed up there was 8 kids, but by the time we left there was around 20. It was SO MUCH FUN! And I got to know most of them by name and they called all of us Elder and referred to us as missionaries. They were all such good kids. I asked them if they ever play indoor and they said no it cost money. I told them they could play for free at our church. They all got really excited to play indoor. So pretty much we got twenty 15-17 year old kids to come to church to play basketball! If that's not missionary work I don't know what is hahah
He is the most humble person I know. He came to the MTC and the president had to buy him shoes and a bag because he didn't have any. He always says thank you anytime I do anything even when I correct his grammar or tell him, "it's your turn to talk". It's really funny when I cook for him. He makes me feel like a pro chef haha. He is also like a sponge and tries to absorb everything and he actually does pretty well. It takes us about 10 times as long to teach/learn something because if we want to explain a thought we end up playing charades and looking in dictionaries and pointing a lot haha but it's honesty funny and we both laugh.
I have been non stop teaching English which has made me totally aware of how bad I am at English, but the Lord knows all things and has been helping me so much. I feel like I have been learning more than he has. I have been so humbled by Elder Pongbundit especially when he prays. His prayers are SO sincere. He is overwhelmed to be in England with an American companion who doesn't know the area and doesn't know how to teach very well, but he still trusts in God so much. I love him!
The week has been a lot of exploring the city of Plymouth. It's pretty difficult opening a new area because you have no clue how to get anywhere and what buses go where, but it's an adventure! We have been playing a game called mystery bus where we get on a totally random bus and just ride till we feel like getting off then we work around the area and catch the bus back. It's definitely a fun way to learn the area and we have met some weirdos. People in Plymouth are a lot meaner then in Salisbury. Some guppy tried bashing us on the bus and then we were knocking and these two atheist guys went at us as well. I talked to them for like 10 minutes and they were getting bothered and then Elder Pongbundit said in his broken English "sorry, we are not perfect, but we love you and know God is real." Hahah that shut them up real quick! And I don't even think he knew what we were saying!
A super random story that may be dumb to you, but means a lot to me that happened this week is when we moved into this flat the shower in our room was broken and didn't get warm so I got all the tools in the flat (two screwdrivers) and tried to fix it. I made it a bit better but didn't totally fix it because I needed a wrench. That night I prayed that the shower would be fixed so we could take warm showers. The next morning I turn the shower on not expecting a whole lot (weak faith) and I sat waiting for the water to get warm just feeling it with my hand. After about 2 minutes of waiting I just accepted the fact that it would be cold so I just got under the cold water and once I got under it started to warm up then get hot! It was a miracle and reminded me of the story of the children of Israel carrying the arc of the covenant with them and having the promise that they would be on dry ground and when they got to the river they just expected the water to stop, but it wasn't until they took the first step and got their feet wet that the water stopped and they were able to cross on dry ground. The Lord always answers our prayers, even when we pray to have a warm shower haha and even when our faith isn't where we with it was.
Not a whole lot other than that. The area of Plymouth is really beautiful. Another cool thing is we're in a 4 man flat and there are 6 missionaries in our ward so we literally see other missionaries in a daily basis which is so new to me.
A cool miracle we saw was the first day we were here was when we were about to walk into the chapel to do iPad training. I heard a basketball bouncing so I ran over to the fence to see what was going on. There were 6 kids playing at a park so we ran around and I walked up to them and said, "I'm American and I love basketball. Can we play with you?" (It's not very often you see people playing basketball. Actually it was the first time on my mission) so we played for like an hour and talked to them for a while after. We then asked if they do this often and they invited us back to play Saturday. We went and took the the ZLs (well they took us in their car) and played. When we showed up there was 8 kids, but by the time we left there was around 20. It was SO MUCH FUN! And I got to know most of them by name and they called all of us Elder and referred to us as missionaries. They were all such good kids. I asked them if they ever play indoor and they said no it cost money. I told them they could play for free at our church. They all got really excited to play indoor. So pretty much we got twenty 15-17 year old kids to come to church to play basketball! If that's not missionary work I don't know what is hahah
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| Went shopping at the Asian market and got some mochi! |
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| The first meal I made my comp was eggs spam and rice haha |
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
July 4th, 2016
The week was so so so good!!! We had some great lessons and Alex's baptism was amazing. We started the week at wrestling and Jo Taylor, the less active who teaches the class, asked me if I brought my bag with me. So the night before we went to his house and shared the restoration with him and his non member wife. We do this object lesson that I love using nails. (I'll send a video I made for my zone). So when we get into wrestling he asked if we brought the nails because he wanted us to teach the whole class!!! We didn't but tonight is the last night and I am going to do it with all of the people there!
We also taught that family who is from the Caribbean again. We planned to do a lesson about faith, but when we got in we changed the lesson to the plan of salvation which we had taught the week before but the mother wasn't there. She loved it and the husband took notes this time. He learned a ton and said it gave him hope! I learned loads as well during the lesson and my testimony was strengthened. I love how no matter how much we think we know we can always learn and build on what we know. I've taught that lesson many times and this time the Spirit taught me. The highlight of the week was Alex's baptism of course. And preparation for his baptism. When we had the interview on Wednesday I got to talk to him after he passed and bear my testimony to him. I told him my favourite scripture. 1 Corinthians 2:9. I told him that life is going to be hard and Satan will try and take him off the path and when things get really hard the most important thing to do is to love God. When we love Him we follow Him, we keep His commandments, and we represent Him. The day of the baptism was really special and we had another good chat right before he was baptized when we were in the bathroom getting ready to go in. The baptism itself was so special and when I was holding his arm I felt like I was holding my little brother. After he came out of the water I gave him a big hug and knew God was happy with him. I felt so much love for him. After he expressed how he felt like the water went through him and he felt so clean and warm and I told him that feeling can always be with him if he keeps his promises he made. He was very happy and I knew he felt it. He is a special kid. The confirmation was great and Elder Foster was the one who got to give him the blessing. Life is very good! I get to leave Salisbury on a very good note and now I'm moving on. My next stop is Plymouth! I'm so excited to get my boy and stay in the west of England. It is such a beautiful country. That's pretty much my week! I love being a missionary and serving the Lord.
Friday, July 1, 2016
June 27th, 2016
The week has been fantastic! We have had lots of lessons and two investigators came to church! Alex was one of them and he is so ready to be baptized on the 2nd of July. Jason a guy who we have been teaching for a few weeks came to church. It always seems to happen that the Sunday you bring an investigator to church something bad happens. It wasn't necessarily bad, but a guy from the stake gave a 25 min talk on genealogy and it was SO boring. Me and Elder Foster kept looking at each other with the look of "oh my days" but it all worked out. He said he liked it.
We had a Caribbean family we taught as well. The husband is really cool and inquisitive. The mom is Shika and the daughter is 7. It was the second teach we had with them and it was one of my favourite teaches I've had in the mission. We didn't practice it at all or have very much prep and due to buses we got to his house an hour early. We got in and the Spirit was strong. We taught the plan of salvation and answered all his questions. We flowed so well and worked in perfect unity and the key I think was just having love. When a companionship loves each other and strive to love those around them everything will always work out.
We had a Caribbean family we taught as well. The husband is really cool and inquisitive. The mom is Shika and the daughter is 7. It was the second teach we had with them and it was one of my favourite teaches I've had in the mission. We didn't practice it at all or have very much prep and due to buses we got to his house an hour early. We got in and the Spirit was strong. We taught the plan of salvation and answered all his questions. We flowed so well and worked in perfect unity and the key I think was just having love. When a companionship loves each other and strive to love those around them everything will always work out.
Here's a random video of me chewing I thought you might enjoy.... Hahaha
Went to the cathedral today. It was so cool. We took the official
tour. It was crazy and I took lots of notes haha the cathedral was
built in 1200ad and it only took 38 yrs. it's like 2 times the size of
the salt lake temple. Too bad it's the church of the devil whore of
the all earth....
Still nice to look at though haha
tour. It was crazy and I took lots of notes haha the cathedral was
built in 1200ad and it only took 38 yrs. it's like 2 times the size of
the salt lake temple. Too bad it's the church of the devil whore of
the all earth....
Still nice to look at though haha
June 20th, 2016
The new companion is German and he is so funny. Well it's not just him it's more of the 3 of of us together haha he is just as sassy and sarcastic and me and Elder Foster but he is German so it makes it so much funnier. He doesn't say things politely. Me and Elder Foster don't know if it's because he's German or just rude hahah when we ask for things he will just say "give me that" in his German accent and then we just laugh at him haha. We all get along equally and we don't feel like anyone is third wheeling. I'm honestly going to be sad when I have to leave. I've laughed so hard in the past 4 days!
So Alex, our most progressing investigator, is doing so good!! We have taught him a lot and he comes to church every week and he answers questions in young men that are spot on. I love that kid! Every time we see each other he gives me a hug! That's one of my favourite parts about being a missionary is making life long friendships! I absolutely love it out here. I've been growing and changing so much into the person the Lord wants me to be or I at least have been trying to.
The rest of the week has been great! We have been teaching a lot of black people! First lesson on Tuesday night was with a Nigerian family. I was at the temple that night so went a part of it. They were referred to us by a member. Wednesday during knocking we found a Caribbean family and taught them all on Friday. The lesson was really good and wasn't too weird or awkward. We actually flowed well and the family really liked the lesson and committed to reading the BoM. On Saturday we played football only with Ghanians and we were the only white people as usual haha! We got a ride home with one of the people playing and it's around a 30 minute drive and we had a really good gospel conversation. Never taught that many black people. 👍🏿
My new companion comes on July 5th. He doesn't know English and that's why he is is not here yet. He has to stay an extra 3 weeks to learn. So I'll be teaching him haha and he is Thai straight from Thailand! I don't know the area I'll be going yet. It's all a mystery. President Goobler jokingly asked me if I have any revelation in where I should go so he doesn't even know where I'll go haha.
So Alex, our most progressing investigator, is doing so good!! We have taught him a lot and he comes to church every week and he answers questions in young men that are spot on. I love that kid! Every time we see each other he gives me a hug! That's one of my favourite parts about being a missionary is making life long friendships! I absolutely love it out here. I've been growing and changing so much into the person the Lord wants me to be or I at least have been trying to.
The rest of the week has been great! We have been teaching a lot of black people! First lesson on Tuesday night was with a Nigerian family. I was at the temple that night so went a part of it. They were referred to us by a member. Wednesday during knocking we found a Caribbean family and taught them all on Friday. The lesson was really good and wasn't too weird or awkward. We actually flowed well and the family really liked the lesson and committed to reading the BoM. On Saturday we played football only with Ghanians and we were the only white people as usual haha! We got a ride home with one of the people playing and it's around a 30 minute drive and we had a really good gospel conversation. Never taught that many black people. 👍🏿
My new companion comes on July 5th. He doesn't know English and that's why he is is not here yet. He has to stay an extra 3 weeks to learn. So I'll be teaching him haha and he is Thai straight from Thailand! I don't know the area I'll be going yet. It's all a mystery. President Goobler jokingly asked me if I have any revelation in where I should go so he doesn't even know where I'll go haha.
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| Fred and Jill brewer both 80 yrs old have been married for 53 years. The first picture is them on wedding day. The 2nd is their 25 wedding anniversary, and this is them now. They still makes jokes at each other and mess around. They making me so happy!!! |
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