On Monday, December 7, 2010 Elder Johnson wrote:

Family and Friends:

Hello! I hope you are all doing well! My companion wanted to visit with the president today, so we went down to the city (two weeks in a row for me), and found my package waiting for me in the offices! Thanks mommy and dad for the treats and the love! I appreciate it! Also thanks for the letters! It's fun getting letters from the 8th of October, ha ha. Thank you all for thinking and praying for me around Thanksgiving time!

Sad news on the baptism front. The couple was supposed to get married, but we found out the night before that they didn't have all the paperwork done, which sucks. So they couldn't get baptized. I hope we can help them do that here in the next two weeks or so. I'm feeling some big responsibility this coming week because it's almost 100% positive that Elder Larranaga is being transferred (he's been here for about six months) and it's a lot of responsibility to take over an area. Our ward mission leader is also being released this next week, so that means I have to make friends with the new one (whoever it is) fast, fast, fast. It's not gonna be easy.

We are working with another couple named Manuel y Alma. They were studying before with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but feel more comfortable going to our church. They are so excited to be baptized, and we were able to teach them 5 out of the last 7 nights. We had a great lesson with them and a member who bore a powerful testimony of the power of prayer in conversion. I echo that testimony. If you haven't prayed, do it.

I had a good interview/conversation with president today. We talked a lot about obedience, and how to have joy in the mission. He gave me a lot of good points and things to try and to work on. I also was able to watch as he received revelation for the mission. It was pretty cool. You could see it in his countenance. He also told me about how some of the missionaries who came with me (and were delayed in other missions) are having a hard time letting go of their last missions. It's hard to hear that, because THIS is their mission, not the other one. It's hard for them to let go. It was difficult for me at first, but I'm working my butt off to try and change that (doin' pretty good so far) and he knows that! He told me also that the mission is the one place you are pushed to your absolute limit and farther than you have ever been pushed before. Amen and amen. "Now is the time to prove what you are made of. Satan's got your back against the wall. Are you going to throw in the towel? Are you going to run? Are you going to fight?!" I have a great mission president and I soak in his counsel every time he speaks.

I love you all! I hope you are well! Happy December!

Elder Iver Johnson