Six weeks gone just like that!!  I have 4 days left in the Brazilian CTM and then I hit the streets of Curitiba to speak straight Portuguese for the next 20 months!  CRAZY!!  So where did I leave off last week?? No sei.  .  Most the week will probably be blurred together. 
Saturday I remember having the funniest mock lesson with our investigator Luna.  We were supposed to talk about Tithing, but disaster after disaster kept on happening!  First, we had our lesson outside where planes and helicopters frequently flew by.  Next, the day was extremely windy so Luna´s hair was literally everywhere.  Finally, the infamous strip club bus (giant bus with dancers and loud music that is sponsored by Brazilian politicians for support), drove by us twice.  Welcome to Brazil, right!?  Some time later, we had prosyliting on the streets of Sao Paulo where we handed out 9 books of mormon and took a selfie with a bunch of students (we also taught).  On sunday, I played for sacrament meeting, which was a miracle since I haven~t practiced in 1 month. Sunday we also had a 9/11 recognition night  (created by our district), where we gathered all the americans in the ctm, brought a 6 ft american flag to the auditorium, and sang the national anthem.  Monday, it was Justus´s birthday...so shout out to him for being the best example a younger brother could dream of... you ROCK (especially in Brazil, everyone seems to know you).  On tuesday, we listened to Elder Hollands devotional broadcast...here~s some things I got from it:

-If you ever have any doubts or fears...welcome to life

-your mission is as real as you´ll ever get to life

-I don´t want to lose any sheep (investigators), but I cannot concieve of losing the shepherd (missionaries)

-You have never done anything so right in your life

-The convert I ask for is you

-we call it missionary work for a reason...it´s not easy because it was never easy for Christ

-The road to salvation leads through the garden of Gethsemane. 

-FOLLOW CHRIST and help your investigators do the same

On wednesday, my companieros and I had the Worst lesson in the world.  We went in to teach an investigator, but everyone blanked on Portuguese, so we just taught it in broken english.  We forgot to ask if we could enter her house and also forgot to start with a prayer.  After hearing that she was probably going through a divorce with her husband and seeing that she was very depressed, my companions jumped into the lesson of tithing!!  I decided to share a scripture, but I don´t think the one I shared was right because it was in Malachi 3 and said something like `Have ye robbed God, yet ye have robbed me...Ye are cursed with a curse`!!  Yeah, then we challenged her to start paying tithing today....

So que nao (just kidding)!!!  We did give the lesson, but it was a purposely bad lesson for a new group of missionaries to see what we did wrong (which was pretty much everything).  We proceeded to re-do the lesson, but the right way!!
 IT was so hard not to laugh during it though!!  Speaking of new missionaries, guess who joined me at the CTM.....Elder Micheal Baldwin from our old ward Braun Heights!!!  He´s already district leader like me and dwarfs pretty much everyone.  I hope Brazilians don´t think he´s the Brute Squad when he comes to talk about the gospel with them. (get the reference?) Princess bride maybe???  I´d like to just say that... I think I am more fluent in portuguese than he was at spanish now...but that´s just what Brazil does to you. Also, the brazilian CTM helps you gain weight.. I´ve gained 11 pounds since being here,but hopefully it´s muscle.  We did pushup pyramids the other day (you start at one than companion does one, then two...etc until you can~´t do more...then you start going down by one), and I got a huge work out (111 push-ups does that to you).  Mom and dad, don~´t worry about me sleep walking anymore...I haven´t done that.  What I have done is wake up at 12 am, turn on the lights, yell for everyone to get up, and start getting dressed, because I thought we slept in...but it´s okay. 

Since I have no more time, I´ll just leave a short testimony with you.  I know that God lives and loves all his children on the earth.  He will help you, and lift you up so you cant even feel the tribulations and trials that way you down.  Have faith.  Have joy.  Have hope in the Savior of the world Jesus Christ, for through him anything is possible in his sacred name amen.  

Love yall

Elder Johnson

Hey guys!!  

Elder Johnson is back and with tons of news!!! I missed alot of stuff last week so I have to play catch up. Last time I went to the temple, I was one of the 5 of 70 missionaries to take part in a sealing session!!  My first time, and it was in Portuguese!!  There was a lot of things that I missed, but there were twice as many things that I learned!

Also,  Last Saturday I went prosyliting for the first time and my companion, Elder King, and I gave out 7 books of mormon!!  Essentially, we were driven to one of the busiest streets in Sao Paulo dropped off and warned not to go farther than 2 blocks in either direction!!  Lagao (cool), right?!
At first we were extremely nervous, but than we just decided we just needed to take action and the Lord would do the rest.  Friends, family, ladies and gentleman, he did.  We talked with a lady setting of a story, someone waiting for the bus, a man playing pokemon go, 2 guys on there way to work, and tons of other people.  It astounds me to see how willing people are to listen and just socialize!!!  My proudest accomplishments was speaking to a police officer (all he wanted to do was talk politics), a motorcyclist with vodka in his satchel (he took a book of mormon), and an instance where we even sat down with a man eating lunch.  Literally, his eyebrows shot so high, I thought they´d go airborne!
Our entire district did amazing! Out of the 34 books of mormon we were challenged to pass out, we did 27!  The whole mtc is very surprized with our district, because of our accomplishments with the language and our ability to make everything fun!
Okay, maybe, I´m bragging about our district a little bit, but I think I should.  Ever since I became district leader, a lot more has been put on my plate, so my stress levels were through the roof.  I felt like no one was listening to my instruction, I was constantly making simple mistakes, and I was always the one to forget something.  I was really down because I felt like I just wasn~t getting any support.  One night I knelt down in prayer to my Heavenly Father and prayed for strength and a confirmation that I was doing something right in my district.  I remained there for quite a while, and not one minute after climbing in my bed, I heard Elder Mooney say
`Elder Johnson, I think you´re a great district leader.  Thank you.`  How is that an answer to a prayer.   Honestly, there have been many answers to prayer and many miracles happening here at the mtc.  There was this one sister in my district this past week that had talked to the president about going home.
The stress of the language was affecting her mentally and physically in that a she began to have great pain in her arms and legs.  The spirit told me to have a district fast for her and also write a whole bunch of letter to her.  After doing this, her resolve has been strengthened, the pain has diminished, and she once again has hope to serve the lord.  The biggest news I should share this week was about a special devotional we had on quinta-fera. Elder Neil L Anderson of the 12 apostoles came to speak with us!!!  The devotional started a little late but no one cared.  One of the lords anointed had come to visit us!!!  Here are some of the interesting tidbits I got from his talk.

We will experiance good and bad on your mission. God thanks you. We are to find people of
faith.When you don´t know what to say speak of Christ. You dont know everything, but you can still try.  Every moment try to get to know Christ. You must be certain people understand repentance. Teach ppl to work with the unseen. Don't rush people to the waters of baptism if they don´t understand. You must have a teaching pool, not just one investigator. Conversion doesnt just happen in three weeks. Always challenge for baptism. The Holy Ghost  makes it all happen. Growing spiritually takes time and wxperiance so be patient with yourselves. Be obedient, have a pure heart, work hard, and have your sins repented of.  

Much of what he spoke of felt personal to those going to curitiba because, most missionaries down there have been focusing on baptism numbers and not the actual people. Its all a mess...i think igot a new mission president too because of it.

Love yall

Elder Johnson

Bom dia!

Hey guys this is Kumen again!!  Sorry my letter last week was so short!  I really understand the importance of time management while writing emails now!! So many things I been happening in my life!  I have awesome room-mates, great instructors, and a growing testimony of the gospel. 
It´s growing so much now, that I could probably bear it in my sleep in portuguese!!  No joke!!!  Almost everyday I wake up to hundreds of questions from my companions about what my dreams were like!  They say I have `conversations` with persons unknown in my sleep.  Sometimes they actually ask me a question and I answered!!  Once they said I stood up, walked to the window, stood staring out at nothing, then fell back into my bed (hitting the ladder in the proccess).  All the while speaking fluente portuguese.  I guess the gift of tongues truely does exist for me, but only at night so far.  
 Learning portuguese has been probably the biggest challenge of my life.  Imagine taking a language class for 4 years in high school...now imagine learing the same quantity of material in 6 weeks.  I kind you not this is what it feels like.  I´ve already had about 14 lessons ranging between 15-30minutes with Brasileiros.  Some times the lessons were rough (like when I asked and investigator to pray with Joseph Smith instead of to pray like Joseph Smith - she didn´t like the idea of praying with random spirits). 

Other lesson were a fejoin lagaou (cool beans), like one where I recited the first vision in portuguese, then asked the investigator to be baptised(remember these are mock investigators).  I really love my companion elder K because we´re both really in tune with the spirit.  Also, we became close last p-day when he broke down after writing emails to home.  We both locked ourselves in our room and prayed....and cried....I´ve learned here that really men cry.  Other than that, our district is awesome!!  Elder N is on crutches because he pular-ed (jumped) in a game of volleyball and strained his knee.  Yesterday we actually gave him a blessing of comfort and healing, that was cool!!
 Elder M is a champion and our distric leader.  He and I started working out with a bunch of brasilieros at 6 am.  He wants to join the army and is very patriotic (we hung an american flag in our room).  The food here is amazing!!  Guarana, beans and rice, salad, pon de kashu, chicken, and jello is pretty much every meal!  The temples here are magestic too!! 
Every pday we go to either the Sao paulo temple of the Campinas temple which are both beautifull!  They do the sessions in english, but still, I was floored when I stepped inside both.  All I can say about the experience the real test, because we go prosyliting for 2 hours and have 6 Livros de mormon to pass out. I´ll give you an update next week on how it goes. These past few weeks have been a blast!  I´ve really been getting to know who I am and what I what to do in this life.  Personally , I would encourage every one of you to serve a mission because of how powerfull the experiance is and amazing grow that happens all around you and your investigators.  If anyone is worried about the future or feeling lost, my advice is this: SEEK TO SERVE.  There´s a scipture that says he who finds his life, shall lose it, but he who loses his life for Christ´s sake will find it or something along those words.  I can testify with my whole heart and soul that this is true.  God will show you your path if you serve his children.

Mom-thank you for your letters and prayers.  I can say I feel them. Ive been praying and fasting for the whole family with the move. I hope in went well.  Please make sure this gets to my friends, blog, family, because I haven't written them.

Dad- you always lift my spirits up!  I proud to bear the name of Johnson on my chest every day.

Justus- you have so many friends here!! Sis T is my teacher and bro W is the teacher next door.  There´s about 5 more who serve with you here.  Tell K hi for me.

Hunter- youre the best! you need to meet e. mooney because he is exactly like you in every way.  you two would totally hit it off. maybe ill talk more about him next week

Ammon- keep on keeping on. you find a new job?

Tal- hows catching wabbits coming

Zenock- has school started yet?

Avery- happy birthday, I love you!! Keep your brothers being good.  If they do bad, tell them jesus is watching.

Hey again!!

Elder Johnson here!! This week has been absolutely hectic!!  So, the biggest news first...I´m district leader now!!!  Most of you are probably like WHAT??  How is that even possible?!!!  Well, Elder M was called to be the zone leader, Elder N left our district, because he already was fluent and joined a Brasiliero district.  As soon as he left, he was also called to be a zone leader!  My companionship is now a threesome consisiting of E. M, E. K, and I.  I can officially say that our distict is the most popular, not only because I´m the leader of it, but also because we are famous for our fabulous Portuguese (and workout schedules and injuries).

Lots of love! Got planing to do

Elder Johnson