So a couple of years ago Kirsten graduated from BYU Idaho and Neil L. Andersen gave a talk. Afterwards Mom went up to him and asked him if we could say prayer together. He agreed and so we got the whole family together in a room and we said a prayer. I was scared out of my mind. I don't really know why I was so scared. I guess I was scared that he knew what I had done. See this was a time in my life when I wasn't going to church and had no desire of ever going back. There was power with him though and it was quite scary to me. Anyways before he left he told me to write him a letter when I get my mission call. Well years later I turned my life around and got my mission call to the Oregon Eugene Mission. I had forgotten about what Elder Andersen had told me but then Kirsten reminded me to write him a letter. So I did and now he has responded to that letter. In the attached picture it has the letter. He also enclosed a talk that he gave to the mission presidents last year. Man I feel like I'm famous or something. It just really goes to show that these men are called of God. These guys are doing everything they can to strengthen each of the members even if it means sending letters to lowly missionaries like me. They love us. And so does Heavenly Father. I know that's true.
This week has been really quite incredible. There have been so many miracles. We've still been meeting with Devon and she is truly ready for her baptism. Today we had a lesson with her (yes we did a lesson on P-day). She said she told her family that her baptism is going to be this next Sunday and they weren't really supportive. She invited them to come to it but they rejected the offer saying that they can't go to a Mormon church. We were really scared that Devon would want to postpone her baptism or something, but she knows the Church is true and she has felt the Holy Ghost. She knows it and she knows that God knows it and she cannot deny it. So she will move forward with her baptism on the 29th which is next Sunday. She wants to be baptized and confirmed on the same day so she will be baptized before church. I'm so excited. This will be my first official baptism. In Dallas we had a few really close calls but I never got to see a baptism yet. I'm pretty confident that Devon's will go through at least I will be praying that it will. Oh yeah and also attached a picture of Devon's yurt that she lives in. It's pretty cool.
So our landlord's wife Lilian we set a date with her last week but her appointments have all fallen through so we will try our best to work slow with her.
Elder Mullenax went to Waldport this Sunday and I stayed in Newport so he got to have an appointment with Paiisha. He said it went really well. He tried to set a date with her but she said she wants to wait a little bit before she commits. I think it's just a matter of time for her.
We had a miracle this week. Elder Newman (who is assistant to the President) and Elder Jestes (who is our zone leader) both were trained here in Newport. They both had the opportunity to come to Newport this week. We went on Exchanges with them and I was with Elder Newman. Anyways they told us about a bunch of people they worked with when they were here so we got to know a bunch more investigators that aren't in the records. One of these people was named Marie. We had an appointment with her the next day and it went super well. She commited to come to church with her kids. They came and I talked to her afterwards and asked her how she enjoyed it. She said she enjoyed it very much. I asked her if we could meet with her again and she seemed super enthusiastic about it. I am really excited for her and her family. Her husband is actually a less-active member. I haven't met him yet. He has always been gone. But anyways this is going to be a super productive week this coming week. I can't wait.
Thanks guys for all you do. You're the BEST!
Love Elder Johnson!!!!!
P.S. Something really crazy happened while we were tracting the other day. There was a patch of clovers and I randomly said, "hey I'm going to grab a four leaf clover." I reached down and grabbed about 4-5 clovers and you'll never believe this, but one of those clovers was not a 4 leaf clover but a 5 leaf clover!!!!!!!! No joke check it out in the attached picture.
