August 31st, 2016

This week was great as far as the work was concerned. We found a lot of new people. The most promising one was a married couple who literally got married a week ago and have been in their house for 5 days. We were out contacting and they were cleaning this nasty house out. We stopped and asked if they needed help and they got super excited. They are so cute and nice to each other it's really funny. We got to help them with their new house and they were so grateful. They are very faithful Christians already. I don't know the name of their church but it's just one of those small local ones who go do service missions in Africa and things like that. We did service for an hour then shared our conversion stories and then had to go so we haven't had a real full on lesson with them so idk how they will receive the message of a restoration but we will see how it goes. I loved the way they acted and treated each other though. You could definitely tell they were brand new at the whole marriage thing. For example, me and Pongbundit were working in the back garden with him and there were these weird bugs and he called her to come check out these cool bugs that we had unearthed and she ran over barefoot to see them and he got all concerned because he didn't want her bare feet to get hurt on the ground. So that was Alex and Hannah then we had a good teach with Marie and Anthony, the couple who lives far away, and it went really well. We spent an hour and a half teaching them the plan of salvation because they had so many good questions like when we said God created our spirits she asked, "if God created us then why are we all so different and why would something he create be so evil like Satan?" Yeah so they are really interested and they will be coming to church on Sunday.

Other than all that other stuff the rest of the week has been alright. There were definitely some ups and downs as there always are in life and in a hindsight way I am grateful for them because they make me always turn towards my Savior. No matter what is wrong in our life whether from our own personal mistakes, the mistakes of others, or just the crappy times in life bringing us down we can always turn towards him for comfort and peace. I love being reminded of that truth which is the most important part of the gospel.

I broke a member's £200 driver

August 24th, 2016

 A cool insight I had last while an area 70 was speaking to us! Worthiness comes from keeping the commandments. Spirituality comes from how much we are striving to come close to God.

As we go through life, our worthiness usually doesn't change. Our spirituality does though because so many variables in life affect our spirituality such as health, time, finance, where we live, friends and family, job, general stress, our study and prayer etc. We often time mix the two though and we think because we are low spiritually then we are not worthy. This is a tool Satan uses to make us feel unworthy and when we feel unworthy and we are low spiritually then we are vulnerable to Satan and can become unworthy.

So something that sucked is Melony dropped us. It was sad too because we had a really good teach with her last week but she messaged us and said she can't join our church because her beliefs of evolution are too strong and deeply rooted and she doesn't feel like she would ever be able to change. We will see what happens with her though. I think it will click for her one day.

The rest if the week was great! A super cool miracle we had was when we went to have a DA (dinner appointment) with a member in a town called Tavistock which is about a 30 min drive from Plymouth. I have never been there and apparently missionaries haven't been there in a very long time because the buses we use don't go out there and missionaries were probably too poor to leave the city of Plymouth. So we went home with the Hoopers after church and we had a few hours in between getting there and dinner time so we went knocking on the houses around theirs. The first street we knocked in we found a guy who was a bit weird but listened and we taught him at the door. Then we had about 10 minutes before dinner and I felt like we should go knock a street really close to the Hoopers house and within a few doors we met Marie who is the mother of two girls. We taught her at her door for about 30 minutes then got an appointment for the next day. We came by and her and her boyfriend/partner (they don't live together) were there and we had such a good teach and they really soaked it all up. She was especially interested because she believed in God, but was so confused by all of the many different Christians religions. When we taught her about how Joseph Smith had the same feeling and he just wanted to know which church was right it really clicked with her. She said she's not much of a reader, but she would take the time to read. The spirit was really strong during the lesson. They were both really excited to see us next week and said they would have their 14 yr old daughter join the lesson too! So stoked for them.

Life is good here in England and I'm loving the growth and change that this time is having on me. I am strengthening my faith in Christ daily and making Him my foundation in life.

kanakai

i made homemade Oreos for district meeting and the were SOOOOO good!!! I got the recipient from elder cox's mom!! 

HALF TIME

The work week was really good. We taught Melony with a member and it went really well and she is progressing at a steady rate and it is sinking in. She has a lot of great questions that don't always pertain directly to the lesson, but we teach to her needs and she has loved it. It's good that she understands that the way to receive her answer is through personal revelation. She wasn't able to come to church because a family member got seriously ill and she had to go to the hospital, but we are seeing her this week! Vicky has fizzled off and is now "too busy" but that's life and some people need more time before the message really sinks in. England isn't the easiest place in the world to do missionary work, but I sure do love it.

One of the highlights of my week was going on exchange with a missionary who is still in his first transfer and was struggling with homesickness when he was fresh. He is from Utah and just barley turned 18. He's a super smart and talented kid though and it's was really cool to be able to talk to him and boost his spirit and teach some things about missionary work and life. Getting to know people and building great relationships has been one of the best parts of my mission. I have made so many life long friends.


It is really weird to think I've been out for one year now. I can't believe it's already halfway over. It seems that every day has gone by faster than the last one. The month of July felt like a week. I'm so glad I'm keeping a daily journal because I wouldn't be able to remember anything that happened on my mission because it all goes by so fast! I love serving the Lord full-time and know this time is turning me into the man I need to be and I have grown so closely to the Lord in this past year. I love it!

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!

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

I made Oreos, Nutella, and peanut butter brownies.. Yeah I'm fat.

My old district!

my best bud Elder Bos who is headed home... Yeah we were a bit gay. Haha sorry 

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!

I made super tastey chicken salad!

The District! 

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

Went shopping at the Asian market and got some mochi!

The first meal I made my comp was eggs spam and rice haha