Howdy!

On November 28, 2011 Elder Johnson wrote:

Hello Friends and Family:

This week was a good week, we were able to bring some happiness into the hearts of many. This week we brought a great lady to church, her name is Lourdes. She was happy to be there and to learn and to feel the spirit. It was a miracle that she came because it has been cold here the past week or so, and not many people want to leave their houses. She is a sweet older lady who is looking for peace and happiness in her life. She is looking for that in the right place!! We are going to help some of our investigators get married this week, their names are Doris and Victor. They are a great couple, but are having a few problems, but who isn't?! They were not able to come to church this week, but next week they will be able to, and are really, really excited about going.

We are getting along, my companion and I, and he is really excited about learning English. It's fun to walk down the street with him and try to help him say things in English, but he is learning and excited about being able to do it. We have a lot of good people in our ward. The Bishop is a younger guy with long hair and is very enthusiastic. He only has a few months as Bishop and is trying hard to help everyone and figure everything out. We have some good young men who like to help out the missionaries, and the majority of the sisters in the ward cook really well.

I love you all!!

Elder Johnson

Howdy!

On November 21, Elder Johnson wrote:

Well All You Happy People:

Here I am in San Juan del Rio, Queretero. It's a charming town that is filled with tons of tourist things to do. I will have to take some pictures. The center is pretty cool, a lot of stores and a lot of cool little restaurants and such. The majority of the members here are pretty rich; this week we went out to lunch with two different members. I ate the best tasting meal I have ever had in Mexico in a fancy restaurant in the center.

We are teaching some really nice people. Right now we are teaching a lady named Vanessa who has three daughters, two little ones and one who is grown-up and out of the house. She is divorced and struggling to find a church to join. We taught her about the restoration and the Book of Mormon and she is starting to see that it is true. She is wanting to go to church this Sunday, I sure hope she does!! That would be sweet, and she will be super blessed.

It's good to hear that Bernie and Tyson are back. I hope you tell Tyson "hi" and Bernie "hola."

I'm getting along will with my companion, he is a good guy. It is refreshing to have a companion from Mexico. I am getting better everyday in my Spanish. He is a funny guy and likes to work. We have decided to work with the inactive members in the ward, and get them back to church.

I love you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Elder Iver Johnson

Howdy!

On November 14, 2011, Elder Johnson wrote:

Well, I just got transferred. I am now in Queretero again, I returned to the land of my mission "birth" to "die", haha! Well, I'm pretty excited. My companero is named Elder Hilario, from Nuevo Leon. It will be nice to have a Spanish speaking companero again.

Because I got here late (I spent a bunch of time jammed into a bus) we don't have too much time to write, but I will send some pictures, they're worth 1000 words each anyway...

I love you all!!

Elder Johnson

Howdy!

On November 2, 2011 Elder Johnson wrote:

Friends and Family:

Well this week was a good one. We spent a good three days helping Fidel and Mariana get married, and later we helped Mariana get baptized! It was such a good weekend! Teresa and Eusebio came to church again and as they were there, they asked me, "where can we pay our tithing?" That was a really cool thing to see, especially because they don't have any income right now (Eusebio is very sick and cannot work) and any and all the money they get goes to buy food for their sweet little girls. Teresa has such faith in the promises of the law of tithing and will be blessed immensely for that. We also had three new people come to church this week, Patricia, Karen, and Maricela. It was a miracle that they came this week! They liked it a lot and we hope they will continue to progress.

This week was Dia De Los Muertos, and it was pretty cool, they celebrated it three days here (the first day is normal Halloween, and the other two are the "official" holiday). All three days the kids go trick or treating all dressed up. I took a couple pictures, but my computer won't let me take them off my memory, so I'll have to send them later.

We are going to the temple this week! I am really excited because I have not been for a long, long time, for about eight months, I think. It is going to be fantastic to feel the spirit and to have a great time there.

I hope you all are well, and are all happy!

Love:

Elder Iver Johnson

Howdy!

On October 31, 2011 Elder Johnson wrote:

Well, we had a productive week this week. We were able to bring two new people to church this week, which was awesome! Their names are Eusebio and Teresa, and they have three wonderful little girls. They loved church and accepted a baptismal date! I hope they continue to progress. Mariana and Fidel also came to church. If all goes well, they will get married this week and we will be able to have Mariana's baptism this week. As always, I ask you to keep them in your prayers, as they need many.

Well, we're getting ready to start Dia de los Muertos here in Mexico. All over people are buying flowers to put on the graves and the alters of their dead ancestors. Here soon they all will come back as spirits to eat some treats that are placed on their alters and have a fun time being back on Earth another little while. Maybe we'll even get to teach them the gospel...I guess we'll see! Pictures next week, seeing as they all just started decorating today. There is also a lot of "Bread of the Dead," which is very yummy, especially with some milk, which is good for the ol' bones.

This week was "EAT SOME BUGS" week for Elder Hille and I. At the start of the week, we helped a family in our branch make some salsa with worms in it. The worms are called chiniquiles and live under the agave plant. It's the time of year to catch and eat them, so we did. They make a fine taco after being toasted and salted, with some avocado and chilies. At the end of the week we ate some good grasshoppers, that were made by a lady in our ward. You just toast them up and eat them like popcorn. Those were pretty good, and we took some home to eat later. Yes, you eat them legs and all. Crunchy, yet satisfying.

I love you all!

Elder Johnson