Why hello beautiful people.  Its been awhile hasn't it.  Well i hope this one doesn't bore you :)

From Hurricanes to Bishops not being on board, from organizing flood clean up to Halloween parties, from parents holding their kids back from progressing to sickness almost preventing covenants, and from visiting a district meeting where Elder A is the District leader to having one of the most spiritual baptismal services I've ever attended, this week I've done it all. Its been a wild ride and as I mentioned in another email to some of you, I feel like my mission is going so fast that if I even just blink, i will miss the rest of it.  We looked at what was ahead for this next transfer and every week is stacked with things to do and then this morning we got even more things to do from President in regards to all the new missionaries we will soon be having(Probably after i go home-so i get to do all the work but not get to see the fruits of my labors :(  But such is life.

So starting from the top. Monday was an incredible day! As the storm was raging outside, there were 20 of us missionaries chillin in the mission home with the Packard family.  We never lost power, we played games all day, ate, and then at night we did a big family home evening Packard style!  Everyone performed a talent as usual and there were some funny ones. A canadian elder sang the Star Spangled Banner haha.  Elder R and I actually performed, "In Christ Alone" by owl city and N P accompanied us on the piano. We had asked her to learn how to play it just a few days before we knew about the storm because we wanted to perform it at some point and it all worked out to do it that night. It went really well.  We of course had a spiritual thought as well about prayer. And I have come to realize that for me, I think i receive the most revelation in my prayers when i pray specifically about how i can help a certain individual. I've received some pretty specific things to do to help others. Now when i pray for personal matters, the answers are a bit harder to recognize.  I think thats when the scriptures come into play.  Kinda cool. Prayer is a great blessing.

Tuesday we got up and finally went home. The storm was done and only a few missionaries throughout the mission ever lost power.  As we were leaving, Michael(12) comes down stairs and says, "Are you guys coming back?" We said ya michael we come here pretty often remember? and then he said the funniest thing, "no i mean are you going to come back tonight and do the same thing as we did yesterday?" haha it was so sad to tell him no.  There was no real damage to our area so we just went back to normal missionary work.  But in the New Haven CT stake theres lots to do and half of the mission got to go down last saturday to help with some cleanup and this weekend the entire mission is going down to help out all wearing our Helping Hands T-Shirts so Im stoked! (We didn't get to go down cuz we were super busy Saturday....but when are we not?)

Tuesday we also found out that our bishop was not going to let the baptisms happen until he interviewed them and found them worthy and ready to be baptized.  Obviously he doesn't hold those keys so we called him and helped him see that and so he said then that he wants to meet with them in his office before the baptism so he can get to know them. Eventually everything turned out alright and T our investigator who has stopped smoking for over 3 weeks was able to get baptized.

Jumping to the baptism, It was one of the most spiritual services I've attended.  The members just love T and have been a big part of getting her in the ward.  Sis. K (the one from Portugal) gave a talk at it and did wonderfully even tho she's only been speaking english for like 3 months.  Its amazing to see the lord bless those who work hard with the gift of tongues. Sis K and her comp have been switching offf teaching with T over the past few months and I have no doubt that the reason she got baptized is because we got the sisters involved.  We have some really solid sister missionaries in our mission and they add so much to the work.  I had the opportunity and privilege to Confirm T that day as well and that was a cool experience.  She is such a sweet lady who has had a rough life.  She cried multiple times that day just out of joy and excitement.

Oh random side note, some italian reporters tried to interview me about the election but i told them no so instead they asked me about my mission and i was answering their questions and so they started filming me for a few seconds.  But then we had to tell them to leave the church grounds cuz we aren't affiliated with any political party.

So back to the DL kids not getting baptized.... That was probably the saddest and most frustrating days of my life. This week after hearing the mom say multiple times that YES her kids can get baptized, we went over to get her signature.  Well she wouldn't even show her face or talk to us and so we tried to communicate through messages passed to the kids to her and back to us and it went on forever and she just wouldn't budge. She said they can get baptized but that she was not going to sign anything.  J started crying when his mom said no to letting them get baptized and W kept saying over and over again, "I just want to be baptized, please let me do it." ;( It was heartbreaking.  But we will continue to work with them. I haven't given up all hope yet.

We've had some really spiritual moments with members at our dinner appointments lately and its because we actually prepare a lesson to teach them and think about their needs and teach to them.  But we often start out by asking them why it is they keep coming to church each week? What is it that brings you back? why?  And its been amazing the spirit that enters their home as they have the chance to bear their testimony to us but more importantly in front of their spouse or children in their own home.  Theres power in sharing testimony with each other in the home.  So i challenge all of you to do that this week sometime.  Ask each other what it is that keeps you coming back to the church or staying in it? And i promise that you will grow closer together and that you will share a spiritual experience, which are so essential to have in a family.  The reason why i keep coming to church is because it teaches me what it is that our Heavenly Father wants me to do and become.  I am a better person because of belonging to this church. I learn there. I learn that we can change. We can let go of our weaknesses and our mistakes and change and have hope in good things to come.  And that is something that i feel like everyone needs to know about.  Hope is what is missing in this world.  So share your light and bring hope to others this week and always. 

So yeah....This is why I never had the chance to write a real letter last week. We have a lot to do and I have only a little time left. Just Don't hate me, k? :) Love you all! Thanks to Blake Karli and Brody for being the first to send me something for my birthday! and Mom thanks for the package it was PERFECT!!!!!!!

Love, Elder Johnson

No time today to write so it looks like it wont be til Saturday. Sorry :( i feel so bad. but just know that im really really loving life. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end my mission. I love my comp and my area and we are teaching a ton and W& Jr and this other lady T are all getting baptized on Nov 4th and they all 3 came to church and same with our next door neighbor, L. It was a legit Sunday. We are making some great progress with W and J's mom. Things are coming. We are out doing stuff for president and what not usually every day from morning til 5pm and then work in our area from 5-9 and with that short time we manage to lead our zone with people coming to church, people with a baptismal date and lessons taught in the week. Don't ask me how but we'll just go with it :) Thanks for all the updates and support from everyone! Someone told me that I just have 8 weeks left... yikes. played soccer today with tons of missionaries (like 25!) It was heaven! Cept all of the really good players have already gone home. Oh well it was still good.

Brock you are the man! I love you. I'm really interested to hear what kind of things you've seen about me that have changed because of my mission. Mom you are fabulous! I love your insights. I shared the one with Pres Packard about how Christ counseled everyone go home to digest everything and then came back the next day to learn again cuz that is exactly what we are doing in our mission. Pres has unloaded quite a bit of info and tips and training and we took a step back to let people think about it and try it out and now we are going at it again just reinforcing everything.

Alright love you bye!

ps I totes got accepted to BYU! So mom if you could keep on helping me with all of that, that would be great. put me in a khmae class, photography class, ballroom, computer class of some sort so i can be more acquainted with them, and maybe a spanish class, and whatever else i need to be in. Thanks Momma you are the BEST!

Love,

Elder Brady Johnson

Sorry to write so late in the week

We are so insanely busy this week and it all has to do with the announcement made by Pres Monson about age changes for missionaries. Let me just say that A LOT more missionaries are coming out then were to be expected which is awesome, especially tons more sisters-super awesome. But that means they need to find where to put them. Well our mission has requested 50 more missionaries making our mission have 250 (the max a mission can have). Still not sure what will actually happen but Elder R and I are in charge of gathering all of the hundreds of suggestions from the missionaries here on where to put the new ones. That includes deciding where to put them (as in which branch or ward), if they are elders or sisters, if they speak english, Hatian, creole, portuguese, or spanish; and where to actually put them within the ward boundaries (cuz here, wards are multiple cities/towns big); plus we have to find out how many members are in each ward/where do most of the members live within each boundary, etc.

Obviously we don't make any final decisions-thats done by the mission pres but we get everything ready, all the info, so he can make a decision. We could start increasing our mission numbers within the next 6-9 weeks which means no time. Yeah, pretty intense! So I am sincerely sorry for the lack of writing, but Im doing all that i can to write in my journal so i can be sure to tell you all about the crazy and fun things that are happening here at this time. There is alot of excitement in the air and good things are coming. I'm only sad that i will just be here to set everything up but not get to see how it all works out. I love being a missionary and I love that our prophet continues to receive revelation for the Church. The Second Coming is near and that is why the church is getting more serious about spreading this gospel throughout the world. Please be a part of that spreading of the message. Nothing could be more important, and nothing can bring the spirit more fully into your life then when you are sharing the gospel. I love you all! Thanks for all of the Love and support!

PS: Dad you are a baller! i love it. Brock, you are such a stud! Mom your insights are amazing! Wescotts, I absolutely LOVED your package!!!! I think it was one of the best package i've received on my mission. So thanks! :)  Nikki your package was also one of the best! much needed! loved it. Blake and Ryan, Mom and Dad thanks for the advice. Everyone/anyone else that i've forgotten, thank you for everything!

Love,

Elder Brady Johnson

What day is it?

As you can see by the title, i do not know what is going on. This week was a blur and i don't even know what day it is most of the time. All i know is that things are super busy and I am having so much fun. I love serving with Elder R. And i know you are all pronouncing it wrong but it rhymes with Fever so we often call him R Fever (like Bieber fever -and everyone's got it haha). He is from Mesa Arizona, and no he doesn't know the Allens. He is the youngest of 5 and loves to skate and is very musically talented (was in a band as the drummer plus he sings and plays guitar too). So you might be thinking that we must be pretty different but actually we aren't. We get along very well and have a lot of fun. He's pretty overwhelmed with the idea of him being the new assistant but he will do great!

We have yet to have time to get our feet underneath us as it has been go go go for the past week plus 10hours of conference, arrivals, transfers, departures, Zone Leader council and office work. Fun, huh? No but really i love it. We thought that by having the Traveling Elders (and mom they are just new to our mission not to all missions) we would be freed up a lot more to work in our area but i don't think that will be happening. Cuz this transfer we have interviews with President, where we go with the Pres and Traveling Elders around the whole mission and do various trainings while President interviews each missionary, and we also have Zone Conference. Its gonna be insane but super fun.

Picking up the Arrivals from the Airport was probably one of the funnest things i've done on my mission (that may be a bit of a stretch but still, it was awesome). Sister K from Portugal was in that group and my buddy Butch totally served in her branch and worked a lot with her family and preparing her to serve a mission. He was actually there when she opened her mission call and found out she was coming here. Small world, huh? She's way cool. Elder C (dad's friends's son from Rexburg) was also in that group and he was telling me that he stayed at our house a while ago! Small world again. Geez it blows my mind how many connections you can have all over the place when you are a Mormon.

So we picked them up, drove them to the Cambridge church for a light snack and then got to take them out contacting/talking to people in down town Boston. Elder R and I took the "party bus"(12 passenger van we drive during transfer week-I want one when i get home haha) and a whole car full and went to Copley station right next to the John Hancock building and let them loose. We went with them and it was such a rush to be out contacting in the heart of Boston. The new missionaries did very well and had alot of fun. For some it was a big wake up call but good experience.

So that was last tuesday. the next day we spent with them at the mission home giving various trainings on what is to be expected/how we do missionary work in our mission/how we work with members/ everything they need to know. Power packed day and it was splendid, but the children (new missionaries look like children to me) were pretty exhausted. Thursday was the transfer meeting and going to the temple with the departing missionaries and hanging out with them all night and hearing the fabulous advice from the Packards for whats next for those missionaries as they go home. I love the Packards so much! They had us 4 AP's (the 2 traveling elders are counted as APs too) over for family home evening and we ate delicious salmon, all performed a talent, told some stories, read the email from their son who is on a mission, and President taught us from the scriptures. They really are my family away from family.

As for Conference here are some things I loved. 1) it was incredible. I'm sad its my last one as a missionary. All the talks kinda run together for me in my head but some things I picked out was that we really are lead by modern revelations. It is incredible to know that President Monson really is a Prophet and that he receives direct revelation from the Lord to know what to do to help the work progress. I'm so excited for the age change for missionaries. Its going to be amazing. I'm excited for Brock, I can't believe he can already go on a mission so soon after i get home. He is going to be such a great missionary, I wish i could have him as one of my companions.

In reviewing my notes, I realized that a lot of what was emphasized or maybe just my focus was the need to help others and be aware of others and how you can bring them closer to Christ. I really liked what the relief society Pres said "first observe, then serve" Its a great motto to live by. Pres Eyring also talked about building zion and we are trying to do that in our mission...ok so just got a text and we got to go help some sisters with a ride some where.... so to be continued. haha Sorry Family!

I love you all!

Love, Elder Brady Johnson

Thanks mom for the packages for Elder B and Elder A. They get left out alot because they are from Cambodia and so far from home. I'm so excited for Brock and Stacy and Homecoming! I miss high school so badly. I wanna go back ha. Make sure to send me some pictures of them and their dates. Good times.

So i don't have much time this week cuz we don't get a P-day cuz we are with the new greenies Tuesday and Wednesday then transfer meeting and temple trip on Thursday and then party all night (well, not really) with the departing missionaries and then Friday we wake up super early to take them all to the airport. Its gonna be a blast!

My first Transfers went well. It was a lot harder than I thought and it took many hours of counseling and thinking and prayer to finally get every once situated. It was interesting to me that there weren't any "he needs to go here" or "she has to be with this companion" feelings, but as we worked on the transfer board, things just fell into place and felt right. It was pretty fun knowing everyone's fate before they did :)

The L family all came to church!-cept for the mom. but the 4 kids all came and it was awesome! The ward members surprised them with their very own scripture quad each! That was unexpected but they loved it. We had some sweet lessons with them this week as well and we are finally getting somewhere with them and I think they finally like us.

Oh I almost forgot. I'm getting a new companion. His name is Elder R and I have already been living in the same apartment with him for the last 6 weeks and we are best buds so its going to be really great. Im really excited. Elder R and I are the AP's and then Elder M and Elder M are the, brand new to our mission, "traveling Elders." What they do is go where ever they want when ever they want and help, lift, encourage, inspire, and train other missionaries throughout the mission full time. So they will live with us and come to church with us but other than that, they will be all over the mission. Elder M is an awesome missionary and will do great things in that responsibility. I will continue doing the things in the office and organizing things/running the behind the scenes operations, where i like to be. I'm stoked to be with Elder R and with the new traveling elders, we will have more free time to work in our area and I forsee alot of great things on the horizon.

Well thats about it! Love yall!

Love,

Elder Brady Johnson

Ok so I've been sitting here for like 10mins trying to think of what to write about this week. A ton has happened over the last few days but nothing that exciting. We've been apartment hunting for some other elders in preparation for transfers, we've been meeting with President talking about some changes in mission rules, I played M's (President's son) saxophone and it took me back to the good old days playing in band with Casey Spilker haha. We had lots of dinners with members- we actually had every day signed up for this whole transfer. How legit is that! Just FYI that is not normal but I like it :) 

 The members in the Cambridge 2nd Ward are mostly all young couples going to Havard Business school and they are super cool. I think by the end of my time here, which will be till the end of my mission, I will really want to come back here after going to BYU and go to HBS. That'd be sweet, right? And its not a dubious (word of the week ha) ambition, I am really liking it here and could totally see myself back here. Pretty much following suit with Blake with going back to his mission to go to graduate school.

We taught the L family again and had a really solid lesson. The mother sat in and listened quietly and at one point you could feel the spirit so strong as one of our members testified and you knew that she was feeling the spirit. It will take time but im sure her heart will soften. We are moving the baptism date back into mid october to give us more time to get the whole family active. Jr came to church with one other sister but the rest of the family did not, unfortunately. :(

Also at church, some random lady from Beijing China came walking in and said she her school class was told by one of her professors to go study about a different religion. She loved our church meeting and now wants to meet with us this week. Her name is Yan and she has only been in the US for 2 months but speaks fairly decent english. How cool is that?! And to top it all off, a member came up to us at the end of church and said the best thing, "Elders! I have someone ready for you to teach in our home thursday night at 8pm. Can you come?" uh, heck ya we can come :) So this week should be legit. Plus this week we will be working on transfers with President and Sister Packard so I am equally excited for that.

So there is this subway stop here called Porter Square. And it has the hugest stair case ever! like more than 100 stairs. Some of the less informed sister missionaries thoguht it would be fun to challenged Elder M and me to race up them. They went about training for like 3 weeks and we did our usual workouts and met up last saturday morning to race. The whole zone showed up to watch. It was my first time seeing the stairs and I was a little intimidated but we raced and obviously we won :) By a long shot. Moral of the story, don't buy mission vehicles. jk, But really tho, don't buy them. the real moral of the story is not important. well thats it love yall!

Oh also need to thank everyone who has written me lately that I haven't had the time to respond to. I have been receiving some mail every day this last week and its so great so thank you one and all.

<('.'<) <( '.' )> (>'.')> -check it out, its Kirby dancing!

Love,

Elder Brady Johnson

To answer some questions:

We take the departing missionaries to the airport each transfer-we are always the ones to drop them off and to pick them up-which I will be able to do in a few weeks!(president comes with us too).  I keep up on my language by mainly reading the Book of Mormon in Khmae every day and also all of my personal prayers are in khmae. There is just not a lot of spare time to do language study especially because my companion doesnt' speak another language so i feel bad making him sit around while i study a language. No i don't speak khmae with hardly anyone except for other missionaries at meetings cuz I have yet to find a Cambodian in my area.

Yes I am still somewhat learning spanish but only passively. I speak it with other missionaries and when i can even tho its not soo good and I ask others who speak spanish to talk to me in spanish so i can practice.

W the 12yr old I mentioned last time and Jr, her little 9yr old brother are both set to get baptized in october! When we went over there to teach them we straight up asked them if they wanted to be baptized like their older siblings right at first and they both excitedly said YES! So we have been teaching them and things are going really well. Their mom isn't too sure if she is going to let them be baptized tho. The other 3 older sisters and very active and love young womens. So we will have to see. But keep them in your prayers and pray that the mother's heart is softened.

We haven't had a whole lot of time with President lately because we've all been busy preparing for a general Authority coming...and that happened these past few days. Elder O. Vincent Haleck and his wife came and toured our mission. He is brand new as a GA and it was great getting to be with him. We had 4 zone conferences in 2 days that Elder M and I had to set up all the technical equipment and get the buildings open and pretty much make everything happen so He and President Packard could just show up, speak, bring the spirit in great abundance, and then leave. So we really didn't get any one on one time with Elder Haleck but we got to hear him speak 4 times and each time was a little bit different. He shared a lot of experiences from his mission in Samoa and also his experiences as a mission president 40yrs later in the same place! Cool huh? So it was a bit of a stressful and tiring 2 days-feels like 2 weeks should've passed in that time haha. But its done and things are settling for this week and then next week we start doing transfers with President. That should be really fun.

Our ward is awesome and we are bound to see alot of amazing things here in the next few months so I'm stoked. Loving life, thats for sure! Loveya bye!

Love, 

Elder Brady Johnson