November 20, 2017

Hey mom ! Sounds like you had a fun weekend ! This week was super busy for us we got a lot done. 

 I have a testimony of fasting ! My health is doing great and when we went to Elko on Friday it 

snowed on us so I got to drive on bad roads but luckily I had a truck so it wasn't too bad.  I can't 

believe it's already Thanksgiving either ! Time is going by way too fast out here and before you 

know it I'll be skyping home ! This week we were teaching a lot of people and we set 5 people

 with a baptismal date ! The work is going great out here. We helped a guy build some sheds

 for his sheep and other animals.  Friday we went to a zone conference in Elko

 and it was probably the best one I've been to ! The sister missionaries I came out with are

 going home because they are finishing their mission and I can't believe it ! This week for 

Thanksgiving were going over to a members' home and hanging out with them for most of 

the day and we're probably going to Winnemucca to hang out with the other missionaries.  

Yesterday we went to a branch out in the middle of nowhere and gave talks and I talked on

 the Atonement of Jesus Christ and it went well ! I'm grateful to be a missionary being able

 to serve people and help them in their lives and gain a testimony of the Savior ! Thanks for

 all you do mom and have a great week ! love you mom !

Elder Johnson

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November 13, 2017

Hey mom ! I'm doing pretty good today. We went to breakfast with the stake president this

 morning and it was nice.  We went to the Owl Club and talked about the work and everything. 

My new companion is awesome ! He is from Oahu and he has never seen snow before so 

he's excited to see some snow. He doesn't need clothes.  A lot of the members here have 

been buying him clothes and stuff. And my 21 birthday was spent at a funeral ! A family 

got in a car accident and their daughter was killed and so we were at the funeral with

 them. It was sad to see the family. She was only 12 years old.  Three of them are 

non members and so now we are going to teach their family and hopefully baptize them.

 On Friday we went out to a members ranch and helped them brand cows. Other

 than that not a whole lot happened this week ! It is very difficult to work in a small town

 and everybody here works at the mines and so they are never home and it's hard to find

 people to teach so it takes time to let the Lord humble people so we can teach them. 

That's good to hear you are going to women's conference ! I can't believe its already the

 middle of November... I only have just over a half a year left ! Time is going by way too 

fast ! Anyways, thanks for all you do mom and I hope you have a good week ! Love you 

mom ! 

Elder Johnson

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November 6, 2017

Hey mom ! This last week not a whole lot happened. We had transfers and so I was in 

Winnimucca until Wednesday and we went to the ward Halloween dinner but the ward was 

really small like it had about 20 people and then we had to be inside by 7 so we went inside 

and played monopoly for a couple hours so we didn't do much that day ! And then I got really

 sick on Thursday and Friday.  I think I had food poisoning or something so we didn't do much 

those days and then Saturday we helped a member put sod at their house and that was pretty

 fun !  My companion is from Hawaii and he started his mission in Puerto Rico and he was

 there for 8 months and then the hurricane hit and it flattened the place and so he got 

transferred here to Nevada and now I'm his companion. He's been out about 9 months now

 and he's got some crazy stories of Puerto Rico !  He is really awesome so it's nice to have a 

good companion! This week we don't have to much going just working and helping 

people out ! I don't know what I'm doing for my birthday probably just working as usual. 

Anyways, I hope you have a good week ! Love you mom ! 

Elder Johnson

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October 30, 2017

Hey mom ! Sounds like things are doing good at home ! This week went pretty well.  Monday we

 went golfing and then Tuesday we were in Winnemucca for meetings and we helped one of our

 investigators rake up some leaves and we went back the next day and you can't tell that we even 

raked because more leaves fell but it's alright ! We also went to a wedding for two of our

 investigators on Saturday and then we had a baptism ! But I'm for sure getting married in a

 temple.  That's crazy that they split the boundaries.

  But this week is transfers and I'm getting a new companion ! He's from Hawaii so I'm pretty pumped.

  Transfers are on Tuesday so I'll be

 in Winnimucca for about 4 hours and then we have to come straight home and stay inside for

 Halloween.  There was a ward chili and trunk or treat but transfers are in the way so we will

 miss it sadly but it's OK.  And thinking of Gina,  That's one of the hardest things someone will

 have to do in life is bury a child.  But I have a testimony that everything happens for a reason.

  There is no such thing as coincidences the Lord is all in charge 100%.  We read in ALMA 24

 that the Lord works in mysterious ways for the Salvation of his children.  Blake had work to

 do in the spirit world.  Now when we speak of the Spirit we think of a far off place but in reality

 the spirit world is here on the earth. Gina might feel that Blake is gone but he is truly closer than

 we think.  He can see us and knows what we are doing but we can't see him because of the veil.

  And as of what's going on right now the Lord is very near to finishing His work.  So we will see

 him a lot sooner than we think !   It just requires a lot of faith.  Read Ether 12:27 it's very true !

 Anyways thanks for all you do mom and I don't think I need anything but I hope you have a

 good week ! Love you mom !

Elder Johnson

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October 23, 2017

Hey mom ! Sounds like things are going good back home.  It's truly a great blessing to have a temple in Star Valley.  The members out here have to drive 4 hours in either direction to get to a temple and they aren't too happy about it !  So it's hard for people to do family history out here but they still make the effort to go.  That's a goal I want to have when I'm home is to go to the temple at least once or twice a month.  How's Grandpa doing ? I haven't heard from him in awhile.  And I know I can't believe I'll be 21 either !  I'm getting old. This last week went really good ! On Monday we went to Winnemucca for the zone activity and we went through a corn maze and had a BBQ afterwords. It was a lot of fun ! I really like the zone I'm in there's some good missionaries and then on Tuesday and Wednesday we helped a family on the outside of town do some yard work around their house and it was a lot of fun! They have been inactive for over 25 years and they actually let us be with them.  I have a very good way to get people to like me and I'm blessed with that ! But anyways she wanted a Priesthood blessing and so I gave her one and at the end she was crying and she told me "thank you for the love you share for me and my husband" and nothing brings greater joy than to have people feel the love I have for them because it is Christ's love ! Charity never faileth and I have a testimony of that ! The rest of the week went good we are having a baptism next week for our investigator and I'm looking forward to that ! Then on Sunday it was stake conference so we went back to Winnemucca for that.  Today we're just going to hang out here in Battle Mountain and go golfing or something and transfers are next week so we will see what happens ! Anyways thanks for all  you do and I hope you have a great week and enjoy this awesome fall weather ! love you mom ! 

Elder Johnson

September 25, 2017

Hey mom ! This week went really good I really like my new area and my companion. He is from Virginia and he is way chill ! He knows how to work hard and have fun and he's only been out about 3 months.  The members here are great and the work here is awesome ! There's lots of work to be done and I know this is where God needs me to be.  The recent converts here are amazing.  I was talking to one of them and she said the last missionaries gave her a Book of Mormon and they told her to just read the first page and so she did and then she said "she couldn't put the book down" and she read it twice and was baptized two weeks later ! She is now in the relief society presidency and has a strong testimony of it.  The area here is really flat and its only about 3000 people so we are back on the bikes and walking (even tho we have a car) but it feels great to be working hard and being outside all the time. It snowed on us on Thursday and it go a little chilly so we took the car out most of the day.  We found two new investigators and another one this morning !  Today were headed out to Winnimucca for groceries and to meet the zone so I'm looking forward to that.  I'm looking forward to  conference this weekend and we also have interviews with the mission President that day as well so it'll be a busy week for us ! Anyways thanks for all you do mom and I'll look up those pictures ! have a great week ! love you mom !

Elder Johnson

 

 

September 18, 2017

Hey mom ! Sounds like it's been a good week and the wedding went well.  I'm getting shipped off to

 Battle Mountain, Nevada, I will go wherever the lord needs me to go !

 It's been good serving here in Elko and getting to see all the miracles I did and it's going to be hard

 leaving here but time for a new adventure in the mission and more miracles to come ! So this last

 week went really good we did a lot of service for people and I dug a ditch and hauled gravel for 

some members in the ward and we helped a lady move on Saturday for 5 hours and I was hurting 

at the end of it because she had super old heavy antiques and it was up 3 flights of stairs but we 

got it done.  My health is doing alright and the smoke hasn't been bothering me.  Anyways thanks 

for all you do mom and I'll send you my new address next week.  Love you mom ! 

Elder Johnson

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August

Hey mom !  This week went really well. Thank you so much for the letter ! I'm definitely learning a lot from this area and training a new missionary and it's been going good ! I had a way better week than the week before and we did a lot of service this week.  We went out to the Indian Reservation and split wood for a while and it's pretty fun being out there with the Native Indians and they all have some interesting stories to tell. But we're going to start going out there more because they are more receptive people out there.   I don't have too many pictures for this last week but things are going great and today me and my companion are going golfing with our investigator so I'm pumped for that.  Anyways, I'll write you some more this week in a letter but thanks for all you do mom ! love ya 

Elder Johnson

August 7, 2017

Hey mom ! That's good to hear Brandon got married and I'm doing great ! This week went by really fast and I will be training a new missionary !  Not a whole lot happened so I don't have too much to write but I'm doing good and this up coming week will be crazy but I hope all is well back home and I will write more next week ! 

Love you mom ! 

Elder Johnson

July 30, 2017

Hey mom ! It's been a pretty good week a little slower than usual but definitely a lot of disappointment ! The greatest thing that happened this week was my favorite family here in Elko the husband is trying to quit smoking and we went and taught a 15 step stop smoking lesson and the first part of the lesson they have to get rid of all of their cigarettes and he and his family destroyed over $60 worth of cigarettes and to this day he is one week clean ! It's amazing to see how much faith can do and the goal is to get him and his family to the temple in the next year ! It's awesome, but other than that my hands are fine and we just stay here in Elko for zone conferences but we had a goal to get 5 investigators this week and it was going good and then people just shut us down so it hasn't been my favorite week but it's a new week so we'll see what happens ! We are going hiking today with the zone out to Lamoile Canyon so that should be fun ! Anyways, thanks for all you do mom and have a good week and enjoy boating ! love you mom !

Elder Johnson

 

 

July 24, 2017

Hey mom ! So I heard about the news and that's really sad but I hear stuff like this all day long and God has a plan.  This week was really crazy for us, we went hiking out in the Ruby Mountains and it was awesome ! On Tuesday we went to go help a less active guy do some tile work but when we got out to his place there was a big fire in his back field and so I grabbed a shovel and fought a crazy field fire for about two hours and stopped a hundred yard section and there were two helicopters dropping water and fire trucks and it was crazy ! I wrecked my hands pretty good and got them all blistered up but me and my companion saved two houses from burning down so that was my Tuesday afternoon.  We think a kid was playing with fireworks and got out of hand and it took off but we were the 4th people on the scene and it was already big by then ! The rest of the week went good we saw a lot of miracles and found a couple of new investigators we're going to start teaching and it's been a hot one this week ! Anyways thanks for all you do mom and have a great week ! love you mom !

Elder Johnson

 

 

MTC Companion

Elder Jared Johnson met his brother-in-law, Keith's, MTC companion in Elko, Nevada.
Small World!!

July 10, 2017

Hey mom ! Sounds like it's going really good back home ! This week was a ton of fun so we hung out

 with some less actives on Tuesday and they took us to the firework show and it was really good !

 I think it was better than the one in Idaho Falls and we had really good seats ! But early that day we 

were headed to a lesson and we got to our less actives house and there was a huge 41/2 ft snake 

right outside, so my comp has a blow gun and we killed it ! At first we thought it was a rattle snake

 but it ended up just being a bull snake and we took it home and then on Thursday I skinned it and 

made snake tacos haha they were pretty good ! And then we went out to the Indian reservation

 and it got really crazy out there. There's a few places where we have to take the truck across the

 river to get to some of the people's houses ! but we had a sweet lesson with some less actives

 about keeping the commandments and the spirit was super strong when we were teaching it and 

at the end of the lesson he told us that was exactly what he needed to hear because the week 

before he took his family out fishing on Sunday. We talked about keeping the sabath day 

holy and it was cool because we got to see him recognize that God truly does know what he

 needs in life. Also me and Elder McGee were driving back from a lesson to go get some lunch

 and was this lady at this super ghetto trailer park that we cover and she was sitting beneath a

 tree and I told Elder McGee to pull over and so he did.  We said a prayer and I walked up to 

the lady and asked if she needed help and she told us to go away and to leave her alone and 

so we continued walking on and as we were walking away she just started in tears and to get 

back to the truck we had to walk past her and so we said another prayer and we walked past

 her and I turned back one more time and asked her do you need help ? and in tears she said

 can I use your phone and so we let her use our phone and she called a friend and we sat there

 with her and talked about how God has a plan for us and that she's a daughter of God and we 

said a prayer with her and went about our way.  I know that she was comforted by the spirit

 we brought with us and it reminded me of a scripture in Alma where he says "aren't we all 

beggars?" Of how we all have spiritual and physical wants and needs and I know that we definitely

helped her with a spiritual need and I hope that we can run into her again and share a message 

of the Gospel with her.  It's amazing to see how God can lead us to his children if we follow the

 promptings of the spirit and I love seeing miracles on the mission because they increase my faith 

and testimony. My companion rolled his ankle and remember when I wrecked on my dirt bike 

and messed up my ankles and couldn't walk ? so that's what he did to one ankle but he didn't let it 

slow him down.  Thanks for the package and for the ties, they are amazing ! I'm actually

 learning how to make ties and it's way cool ! Have a great week love you mom ! 

Elder Johnson

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July 4th, 2017

July 4th in Elko, Nevada

July 3, 2017

Hey mom I ran out of time but I'm doing really good and I'm liking my new area and companion ! my address is 505 copper st #1803 Elko, NV 89801.   There's a member coming to Star Valley this week and so I'm going to send home some stuff with him! Anyways, thanks for everything and I'll write more next week ! love you mom 

Elder Johnson

June 26, 2017

Hey mom ! I had a really good week here in Quincy ! So I found out where I'm getting transferred 

and it's Elko, Nevada !! I cover the Indian reservation in Idaho ! It's so crazy I'm really pumped to go.

 It's crazy that I've been out a year and only have a year to go ! The mission is just cruising by and 

I'm grateful to be able to go serve the people of Elko.  This week went by really fast for us and we

 got a lot of work done.  We went to Reno on Monday and had a big BBQ in the park and it was 

a lot of fun ! There was about 20 missionaries and we played Frisbee and football and had hamburgers.

  The rest of the week went by fast and we taught all of our investigators and almost set one with

 a baptismal date but she is going to go home a pray about it. We had a good meeting on Tuesday 

about how president wants us to have the vision to baptize because when we baptize someone it is 

for the remission of sins and we are the only church that holds the priesthood that allows us to truly

 access the atonement of Jesus Christ and it changed the way I contact people because I want to let 

everybody know that we hold the keys to enter the Celestial Kingdom ! and then we went to Portola

 and the members there had a nice going away BBQ for me and there such a cool family ! They're Hawaiian

 and so they gave me a really nice flower necklace. But it's going to be hard to leave because it's just like

 leaving

 home again ! but I know that the Lord needs me to be in Elko and to teach the people there.  

So yesterday night I got really sick. Remember the night I graduated and I got really dizzy ? so 

that happened to me again last night and idk how I'm even emailing but I'm going to go back to the

 apartment and sleep because I have a long day of driving tomorrow ! When I'm on the reservation in 

Idaho I will be 4 hours from home so I might make a stop home. Just Kidding!!  But thanks for all you do mom !

  thanks 

again and have a great week ! love you mom 

Elder Johnson 

also I don't have my new address yet but I will next week ! 

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June 12, 2017

Hey mom ! It's been a good week here in Quincy as always but this week we did a ton of driving. 

 We went on two exchanges and then went to Reno for interviews but this week went by really fast !

 We started out the week by going on a sweet hike up to Gold Lake which over looks a lot of California

 and then went and played some more disc golf.  Then on Tuesday we went on exchanges with the

 Zone leaders from Reno and I had a lot of fun with Elder Jensen we talked to a lot of people and

 did some service but there was one lady who we contacted into and started talking with.  She's

 like yeah I've met with missionaries from the Mormon church and the Jehovah's witness church and

 I asked her "how did you feel with the LDS missionaries vs the JWS?" and she started crying and I 

thought I offended her or something but then she said "the love that the lds missionaries had for

 her was an amazing feeling and that she could tell a huge difference" and I told that that is Christ's

 love because we are representatives of him and that the message we share is true and told her

 she could find out for herself if she would read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.  Then

 she said she won't read the Book of Mormon and so we left but it's hard when the people can feel

 the spirit so strong and still won't accept our message.  The people here in Quincy know that the

 Mormon church is true but they don't want to change because they feel like it's too hard for them. 

but it's OK because the work goes on ! and then we went to Reno for interviews and we went to the Olive

 Garden for lunch because I haven't been to a nice restaurant in a while and it was good. It's weird 

going back to Reno because there's so many people.  Then we went on exchanges on Friday 

and Saturday and did a bunch of service and it was fun.  Anyways thanks for all you do mom and

 have a great week ! love you mom 

Elder Johnson

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