On August 30, 2010 Elder Johnson Wrote:

Hello Family and All You Others!

Well, Moses Lake is still here, ha ha. We haven't been taken up to heaven yet, but we're still hoping! We don't have any investigators with baptismal dates yet, so I don't have any of those pictures. However, I can tell you about them. We are teaching Francisco y Geronima and their three children. They are Catholic, but don't practice much of it. They love to talk about the gospel and love learning about OUR gospel. They started to really open up last week, we are excited about that. They have so much potential! We are teaching Jesus (you would think he'd already know about the gospel, right? ;) ) and his wife Monica, who are also Catholic. He is not interested at all, but she is, and since their house is small, he kinda has to sit in on our lessons. They are really nice though! They can't seem to get a grip on God and Jesucristo having two different bodies. We are teaching Juan, who is in his 20's. He's had all of the discussions, but is afraid to go to church. We are trying to get members to help us teach him so he will feel more comfortable in church. He has a son named Jonathan, who is 4 and never, ever wears a shirt, but he is cute as could be. Please pray that we'll be able to find more people to teach, because as cool as these guys are, they aren't progressing fast, and the Lord needs as many hands to help build up the kingdom as soon as they can (want to) start.

There is a secret they don't tell you in the MTC about the real world: There are actually people who believe some things (not usually our church, but others) enough that they would die for them. They have "prayed and asked and received an answer" and will never change. I'm happy they believe something. Most of them are nice and say no thank you or dismiss us with a smile, but a small percentage try to preach right back at you. They are genuinely concerned for our souls. They think the Mormon Church is "an abomination" and desperately try to save us from "the wrath of God and hellfire." I had someone tell me I was going to hell this week solely for believing what I believe. That didn't bother me too bad. As a matter of fact, it built my testimony. I know that there are people that are out to stop the kingdom of God, and they will do anything to do that. I have a testimony. It's renewed everyday when I bear it, when I pray about it, and when I feel the Holy Ghost testify of truth. It's a good thing I love people!

I bear a witness that the Savior of mankind did live, did die, and is living again. He restored his true church through the farm boy Joseph Smith, who He called to be a prophet, a seer, and a revelator to open the final dispensation. We have a prophet on the earth today who talks with the Lord daily, if not more frequently. This knowledge I have cannot be taken away from me. I bear this as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in his name. Amen, and amen.

I love you!

Elder Iver Johnson

P.S. Proverbs 25:25......