Some Updates/Emails

I really feel the countdown is on! We are working on getting Michael's admission papers into BYU and BSU, and there is a lot of excitement for George and I as we think about how quickly December will be here. With school, football and life in full swing, the days go by so fast that I barely get a breather from emails and such and it is time to do it all again. Michael is doing very well and is working hard. I can tell he is determined to finish strong! I am so grateful for that. I wouldn't want him counting down the days like his mother is doing!! But I figure I am entitled to that. I hadn't added a counter to the blogs until we received his release date information. Such a model of restraint!

Sent: Monday, September 13, 2010

WOO BOISE STATE! BOO VIRGINIA TECH!
Well as long as we win, that's all we can ask for. I'm very pleased!
I wont discuss my feelings towards VT at the moment as that will cause me to lose the spirit for a month. haha
I LOVE THE CALLINGS FOR JEFF AND LAURA. I wish the church was well established enough for those here. We still struggle with having a functioning elders quorum presidency. haha
It's sad to hear that matt had to come home. i too hope he will be out again soon!
And oh my goodness.... jack looks like jeff and luke looks a but more like laura! that's cool.
The hammy is ok. i played today. so it was sharp.
sorry... i forgot to clarify elder sicotte is going home at the end of this transfer... sorry i didn't explain very well! :/
This week was a bit difficult.... Uyapho and Keneilwe ditched us! it was bad. but the bishop let us come over and do some missionary work with him!
This week was hectic. lots of ups and downs. we've been struggling getting people to come to church but it was a bit better this week we had 4. which is much better than 1. which is what we had for like 2 weeks straight.
it keeps getting hotter and hotter here. it's ridiculous. it's still just spring!
BTW i would still love to see some more pictures of the rest of the family.... the neices and nephews are great but... mom and dad and bros and sisters and others are ok too!
well i hope the byu thing goes ok!
Well i don't know if i have too much to talk about this week. My mind is kinda scrambled right now... our p-days are always crazy... no time for anything these days!!
hopefully maidah will be baptized this week! we're having a hard time with the daughters though! so we'll see what we can do, we've been fasting like crazy lately so we'll see what happens!!
the package will be sweet! and tell laura thanks for the email and pictures! she's the best sister in law that i have!
but ya have a great week!
the church is true!!
-elder johnson


Monday, September 06, 2010

ya the week has been crazy awesome galore! we had another powerful lesson with uyapho. he's definately becoming one of my favorites and will for sure be "my big project" before i leave! on thursday the bishop of the singles ward who stays just nearby is going to come with us to teach, it should be awesome. Remember the name Matswagotata(if you can) he's definately going to be a General Authority someday.
As well maidah is still on track for the 19th of september. her daughter should be home this week so we'll get her caught up and ready for interview by the end of this week! but we're racing against the clock. she's gonna be transfered up to francistown for work in a couple of weeks so we gotta have her ready before this month is over!
Ya soccer was rough.... i pulled a hammy today. and didn't play well but i got one goal.
ya the jerseys are a bit iffy.... we got hosed. but if we keep winning i guess it's just more money in our pockets!
i haven't heard from sydney very much at all actually! noone really writes me too much.... i'm just an old lonely sad sack these days! I didn't know anything about my bank card expiring but my card has been giving me troubles lately! definately find out about that one!
Oh and the greatest news is that our zone is improving a lot. that's one thing i had to adjust recently was to realize that it's not only my area that i'm in charge of but also the zone! and all of the districts are doing much better! so we're really happy about that!
faith and tendai are still doing well! yes they can and probably will do baptisms for the dead pretty soon! the only problem is getting down to jo'burg it's 4 hours away and with people tight on money this side it becomes a bit of a problem. but they'll be there a year from now for sure!
We are currently working on rebuilding our teaching pool again, that's kinda how it goes on mission i guess... so we'll see which new prospects we find!
college football sounds crazy as usual! i hope everything works out ok with the broncos. i am nervous as well!
but ya everything is sharp here. I got jerseys for the brothers and brother in laws.... but it sounds like kevin really wants a springbok jersey. so i'll try to get one for him.
But the church is true, for sure this time. I'm reading the book of mormon... and it continues to blow my mind. I think this will be the 3rd time on my mission. I've hit most of the standard works as well. all but the old testament.... apparently its not as relevant to missionary work. :)
-elder johnson

Uncle "Monkey's" Monkeys!

Monday, August 30, 2010
alright alright alright! what a week!
WE had monkeys all over at our church on saturday! it was awesome!! i'll try to attach a picture if it doesn't take too long! Faith got confirmed. and both her and tendai are so pumped about the gospel and tendai wants to get to the temple! so we're stoked about that!
And i scored 2 goals today in soccer including the game winner which i scored on a header! it was epic!!
So i am pretty happy in other news... it's about 90 degrees today! summer is here and the girls are letting us know it. IMMODEST DRESS!! BAGOO! So i just put my blinders on and carry right on ahead.
The work is great Sister Maidah is doing awesome! she'll baptized with her daughters on Sept. 19! we're excited for that. WE found a few new father led families this week! one of them is very promising. as well i'm coming out of a kind of sleepy slump that i was in for a bit last week, but i'm starting to wake up, i swear if you have one bad night of sleep as a missionary it will haunt you for the rest of the week!
the package will be nice i'll still get it. jerky is always a winner. but you don't have to if you don't want to.
so i was just wondering if you guys want any souveneir type things i got the scarfs.... do you still want flags, african paintings, jerseys, botswana and South africa flag neck ties and what not. i just want to make sure that people will be pleased!
ya memorization is key.... we often start our sentences with quotes by Bruce, Mark E. Petersen, and especially our all time fav.... ELDER HOLLAND!
Speaking of quotes...."Amongst the general ranks of our family there is no brother/son more beloved than President Kevin Curtis Johnson, we praise him for the service he will render as an EQP."
Kevin is a stud and so is Jeff. Sometimes i get so pumped thinking about how sweet those guys are and the awesome example both of them are to me!
I'm glad mom talked to audrey, that's super. Tell her i never hear from her! i don't know what she's talking about! but nonetheless i will send her a nice little something soon.
How are jeff and laura doing? and when is the season opener for the broncos? soon i presume?
Well, i hope that everything goes well with school. I'm going to send the pictures this week but unfortunately it will cause me to cut my email short because it takes forever to send them, but i think you'll enjoy them!! :)
HAVE A LEKKER WEEK!
The church is true!
-elder johnson


Monday, August 23, 2010
WIND STORMS, CONFERENCE JUMPING?!?! things are getting out of hand back there!
I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT BSU IS NUMBER 3!! that's awesome. we still gotta do it though. :)
wow i'm glad that the young men are doing well. well i had pictures from the baptism but the computers at this place are being lame again. so i'll work on sending them next week! everything went well, faith is gonna be powerful. And once tendai gets back into the swing of things they'll be an awesome family in the ward.
The restoration Dvd is great. I've memorized the whole thing. "How will we know if we are saved" " well joseph, i don't reckon that god intends to save just some of his children but i do believe you can know where you stand" we quote them but then replace them with mission stuff. so instead it's " how will we know if we are transfered?" well elder, i don't reckon president will keep you here for more than two years but i do believe you can know where you stand. Remember what the transfer news says "pack and you will receive" "if you pack with faith president will book your flight."
sorry that was random and a lot of mission humour but i had to share. :)
But the work here is awesome. I will tell you of my most recent super spiritual moment. we're teaching a recent convert and her family her husband has been raised with traditional beliefs and doesn't believe in god. For 11 months missionaries have taught the family and had no success with getting him to pray. He loves to listen to us and everything but not to pray. But last night we had our part time missionary elder lebang who is a disabled guy in a wheelchair... but he's powerful. anyways.... as usual brother Ouyapho declined to pray as usual and chose elder lebang but elder lebang said ONLY if you close. and we say that all the time but it never works!
anyways the time came for the closing prayer we had just read in the book of mormon with the family and studies 3 nephi 11. but it was a nice lesson. Anyways this time ouyapho looked up and said that he would pray! AND IT WAS AWESOME!! he sounded like a member. At the end he was smiling and laughing and the whole family was so happy. it was so great and i was backing out the car as we left i had a manly crying moment. but oh, it was great.
We're hoping that this will be a big turning point and we'll be able to put him on date soon!
The pastor is kinda AWOL now. He's hard to work with and kinda crazy! but we had a fun time for a couple of weeks.
so this week has been awesome. don't worry i'm planning on having those Essays finished by the end of this week!
have a great week!! :)
THE CHURCH IS TRUE!
-elder johnson