Well, for the first time this week everyone, I spent every day in my own area!! YAY! It was great to be able to organize all the visits that we needed and find some new families with great potential. But, even with all the great stuff that happened this week, I learned something. I'm not perfect!

What a revelation! Of course, I always knew it, but this week it really struck me, that no matter how hard I try, I mess up so easily. For example, we were helping the Bishop cut some trees in the front yard, and I was up in the tree cutting some of the bigger branches, when the branch I was cutting gave way and fell...directly on the electricity wiring. Don't worry, the Bishop and his neighboors were only out of power for a couple of hours. Turns out even when we're trying to do a good thing, it's easy to mess up. 

Anyway, other than this rather unfortunate event, this week was really great. We were able to work with everyone that we needed to, and we found some great new investigators. For the first time this week, I decided to try out a church tour as an activity, and it was great!! We had two investigators that went, M and F. F is hilarious, because he's obsessed with soccer. He literally doesn't talk about anything else. In addition to them, we were able to get a part of that one big family to church!

Other than all that, this week is the last week of the transfer, so next week, I'll have some transfer updates, and maybe a new area, who knows??

Well everyone, that's another week down. And it was a fun one. As tiring as it is to travel, I really love these opportunities to work in all types of places with different missionaries. This week we went to Maracaju and Dourados. 

In Maracaju, I was able to work with Elder V. Alves, and meet with the branch President. Just to explain a little bit more about how things are in the mission, outside of the big cities, there are a number of smaller towns that have little branches or groups of church members. Because these cities are far away from...basically everything, it is harder to care for and help out these small branches. With these geographical situations, and due to the "newness" of the church in these areas, they often become breeding-grounds for apostacy.  A lot of our work as missionaries here is to accompany the progress and leadership of these branches. When the missionaries are slackers, the branch suffers. A LOT. It is frustrating at times working so hard just to keep things from falling apart but, it's worth it.

Even in my own area, where there is a solid Stake, and a decently organized Ward, I am gaining a new appreciation for what it means to have "Opposition in all things". Recently, I've been feeling like I've been fighting an uphill battle. Doing everything possible to help people really make changes in their lives. With so many things, I feel like we are working with damage control, striving to make awful situations less awful. In every aspect of this work, I am recognizing more and more that ther is a powerful influence that is set against the work of God.  

I can only hope that through our faith and efforts we can overcome the obstacles and opposition, and even our own carnal nature to "bring to pass much rightousness".

Elder Johnson

Hey everyone! This week was great! First off, I was able to spend the entire week with one of the best missionaries ever, my Argentino friend, Elder Zárate. We had a week long division together, and it was just awesome. We got back to Campo Grande and back to work on Wednesday, and went scrambling to follow up with all of our investigators and recent converts. The good news is that B is just as excited as ever, and came to church with us this Sunday, and the bad news would be that just about everyone else dropped off the face of the earth. 

But, this week, we're counting our victories in different ways. This week we had remarkable success in working with and improving our relationship with the members of the ward. On Friday we were able to teach with members one visit right after the other. On top of that, we had a great Ward Counsil Meeting where we were able to discuss the entire time about investigators, Recent-Converts and Less-Actives. We feel like the ward is really rallying to help us out. We even have members assigned to pass by our progressing investigators while my companion and I are out of town.

Among other things, we were able to help Bispo out this week by cutting down a tree in his front yard. What makes the story exeptional is that here in Brazil they apparently don't believe in axes, so we hacked down the tree with nothing but a machete!!!! The bishops wife got some great footage, that I'll try to get send to eveyone in these following weeks. 

Finially, the neatest moment of the week was a direct result of working with members. We've been visiting a less-active lady named P, who recently had a baby. This Sunday we were finally able to help her come to church to have her baby girl recieve a name and a blessing. To my surprise, the mother chose me to do the ordinance. I was honored to hold the newborn in my arms and feel a powerful spirit. I was able to almost see the incredible potential of that little child, and I will treasure that moment until I can one day do the same thing for my own.

I know that we are childen of a loving Heavenly Father, and part of his eternal family. As such, each one of us has so much capacity for good!!! I want badly to understand my own capacities, and I'm gratefulfor this opportunity on a mission to discover them even more.

Ate mais gente!!!

Elder Justus Johnson

Ya know those weeks that go by and at the end, you're not even really sure what happened...that would describe this past week pretty well. We worked with a couple of new families, and are trying to involve the members more and more. We've got a couple of great family nights and activities that happened that helped the members in the ward get more excited, and we're going to use that energy in this coming week. 

Even with all that great stuff happening, we've had some problems with our Recent Converts recently. M, G and B are all having trouble getting to church. But, we're determined to keep them on track, and help them all get to the temple one day!

1. division with Elder Anderson (MTC buddy) and Elder Foster

2-4. P-day at the park with the ZONE!!!!

 1&2. Capivara

3. Guiacurus statue

4. Campo Grande (arial view)

Other than that, things are in a remarkable state of normalitly (is that a word), and I am as happy and as excited as ever. The mission continues to be the best, and I really mean THE BEST thing ever.

AMEM

Elder Johnson

Hey everyone! This week was great! My new companion is here and we're working a lot! Transfers was the usual stress and craziness (we had one elder get here 7 hours later than planned), but the difference was that this time I was ready for it! novo companheiro, Elder Leão!!!

As soon as everything got settled, we got to work here in our area, and we had a lot of success in working with the members this week, We were able to get some really good visits in, along with a great Noite Familiar with some investigators. Among other things, the gigantic family we found last week is progressing! In our lessons with them, they expressed great desire for the family enteira ( 8 people, 5 with baptismal age) to be baptised. Now we just have to help them keep going to church and get married (of course).

The other big event that went down this week was our last-minute division in Aquidauana. That particular branch had a lot of changes take place in the transfer, so we headed on over on Friday to give them a head start! We went there with President Reber's counselor here in the south, Presidente Oliveira. The entire experience was a trial of patience. We wanted to leave Campo Grande at 2:00 but weren't able to leave until 5:30. On Saturday we had to leave Aquidauana at 3:00 in order to get back in our area in time for the batismo of B at 7:00, but of course, the bus didn't leave until 4:00...Needless to say, I was able to really develop my "christlike attributes" this week.

At the end of it all though, Everything went alright. B was baptised, we helped the Elderes and Sisteres in Aquidauana, and we even had a few investigators at church!

That was basically my week. Here comes another one now!!!

Elder Justus Johnson

1&2. P-day no Mercadão

3&4. Drinking Tereré from a guampa!

Well everyone! It's once again transfers time!!! I'll be staying here in Campo Grande, but with a new companion, Elder Leão! 

With the transfer craziness, I don't have a lot of time to write, but here's some lessons I learned this week.

Priesthood power is real

and

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Other than these life lessons, our week was pretty normal. We're still teaching our little buddy B

1. nosso distrito (antes da transferencia)

2. divisão com Elder Zárate

3. Um membro que ajuda a gente bastante

4. Familia que estamos ensinando (S e F)

(nine years old), and now that he has a member who can be responsable for his progress in the church, he can be baptized this week!!!

This past week we also found a couple of great families who just need to GO TO CHURCH, and all will be well.

Fica firme tudo mundo!

Elder Johnson

Hey! It's 2015 now! How about that? 2014 passed by so fast, I don't know how it's possible. Wtih the new year in front of me, I'm ready to give this last phase of my mission all I've got. As always I've got new goals, a new vision, and a determination to do everything and anything the Lord expects of me.

But as for this week, we started out with a division with the Group in Fatima do Sul, where I was able to work with Elders B and W! It's always a special feeling to be working as pioneers expanding the church! Immediately after that division we headed on down to Ponta Porã, and had an awesome meeting with the stake president there. I learned a lot about how inspiration works to guide chuch leadership. That night, we celebrated the New Year with a member family, and there were fireworks aplenty. I imagine that it sounded something like a warzone for about 15 minutes. the entire horizon was illuminated by the light of all the fireworks, little smokebombs and random gunfire.

Day one of 2015 was a missionary holiday, and we spent the day with two zone's worth of missionaries, eating churrasco, and playing futebol! 

After all the festivities, we finally got back to work in our area on Friday, but due to some randomness (that is becoming more normal than random), I once again spent the weekend in...DIVISION! This next week should be a lot more organized, and me and my companion are excited to end the transfer working hard!

Até mais!

Elder Justus Johnson