Another Week, March 1 2011

Wow what a fast week!  Sounds like it was quite eventful for all of you back home.  Thats too bad that DHills couldn't pull out the state championship but 3rd place is pretty sweet. We had a speaker on Sunday that told us the score of the BYu-San Diego game.  That was sweet. I forgot to tell you that last week me, Elder Thomas, and Elder Josh Parkinson sung Come Thou Fount with Sister Annie Powell on the piano?  Well we did.  We had to try out and then we got accepted to sing.  We would've got to be in one of the big sunday night devotionals but Elder Parkinson was leaving too soon so we got to sing for the Senior Missionaries orientation.  It went really well and it was a very pretty arrangement of Come Thou Fount. 

I can't believe it is Soccer season again for Brock.  I wish i could play soccer so bad right now, but the field is still closed.  So i will just have to stick with basketball and balling it up on the court :) by the way this week in a game i got hit in the eye pretty hard and got a cut under my eye(small) and it swelled up a bit but never turned into a black eye.  Not gonna lie I was kinda disappointed ha.  OH and for a little while my vision was black and cloudy in that eye but now things are good :) so don't worry haha.  Oh another thing with b-ball, one game my team was down 5-0 and I hit 3 3's(we go by ones and twos) and scored a layup to win 7-5! It was sweet.  Anyways...Congrats Stacy on getting your YW award!  that is way cool!  Thanks for the letter too.  You are funny. 

So i didn't think i knew very many people coming in to the MTC this last week but it turns out i knew a ton!  I saw Elders Blake Benham, Logan Terry, Cody Hayes(all going to Russia), and Tanner Larsen-yes the kid that used to be in our ward!  IT was so weird running into him but it was cool to catch up a bit.

Last tuesday we had the priveledge of hearing from Elder Patrick Kearon and his Wife (of the 70).  He spoke in conference in october.  anyways his talk was so good and he is a very funny man.  I learned so much from him, here are a few quotes:

- Look like you have a happy, joyful message as missionaries and members!

-We need to BE THE MESSAGE

- What you do and how you are is much more important than what you say

and my personal favorite,

-The Lord doesn't test us to give us a grade, but because the process will change us.

I think another reason why i liked him so much was cuz he had a sweet british accent :) and he kept saying "niggle" haha whatever that means

Our speaker on sunday was Stephen B. Allen from the missionary department... I don't remember exactly what he does but he's super important and this was my 2nd time hearing from him.  He is really cool.  He lets the elders take off our suit coats if we want (which everyone wants because it gets hot when you have 2000 missionaries in a room).  He talked to us about the turbulance we will experience on our missions/lives.  Sometimes The Lord gives us the bumps and rough waters to help us pass over worse things.  Basically saying, just trust in God and know that He knows what He is doing and He will help you through anything.  He also talked about something that really impacted me and i had never thought of before.  he said, "Satan sometimes encourages us to do many worthwhile things but makes you miss the essentials.  And then eventually he will lead you to do the bad things." So make sure you are stiving to do the essential things.

It reminds me of a talk E. Greer and I read on sunday as a companionship.  It was the Talk on Things that Matter most by Pres. Uchtdorf last conference.  Sometimes we just have to relax and refocus our lives on the things that matter most. 

I challenge you all to take advantage of the conference talks we have and to read them over again.  You can always learn more.  Also take the time to watch the videos on LDS.org.  they are so powerful.  I really like the one called Lifting Burdens.  Look it up.  Watch it. :)

I love you all and I'm so grateful for you.  I miss you but know that this is where i am supposed to be.

Love,

     Elder Brady Johnson