Como foi Natal para todo mundo?!  How was everyone´s Christmas?!  Did you guys get the presents you wished for?  Were you happy?  Did you spend time with family?  

 For me it started off like any other day: woke up at 6:30, prayed, did pushups, situps, squats, more pushups, took a shower, made a milkshake thing(complete with eggs, yogurt, bananas, ice, and chocolate crunch cereal), and then went to church (how great a blessing it was to have Christmas on the sabbath day to remember our savior Jesus Christ all the more)! Afterward we all opened presents that we had prepared for one another (ties, nutella, tapioca, chocolate, and a homemade-Elder Johnson style scripture case)!  I recieved a tie, chocolate, LOTS of FLOSS (thanks dad, I have enough to give to all the dogs in the city...ps there are more dogs than people here),  a card, a pendrive with music, m&m´s, my White Baptismal Clothes, and BEST OF ALL 1 hour to talk to my family face to face!

All these presents truly brought great happiness to me, but something special that I´ve learned on my mission is the importance of giving!  When we give, there´s an undescribable feeling that we will feel in our hearts that is more potent than just recieving presents.  King Benjamin taught,`When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God`.  Whe we give, we are serving others, we are helping them find happiness and the feeling that we have deep within us is poignant because it is good...IT IS OF GOD.  I know that Christmas is over, but now, a new year will begin, and I plead with each one of you to ponder on the gifts that you will give to God this new year, and for the rest of your life.

 

Beijos, 

Elder Johnson    

 pictures:
Enjoying Christmas
Playing Santa
Service missionary work
fellow missionaries

December

There are many things that fasinate me about Brazil.  One of the most eyecatching events that occur here is brincando com pipas or kite flying.  Because much of the population located here are poor (and have nothing but great families and smiles on their faces which is all that really matters in life), many of the children create toys out of old, used objects or even trash! A couple days ago I saw a child flying a kite made of trashbags and sticks!!  I stopped and stared at the beautiful sight for a minute or two deep in thought, then turned to my companion and share my thoughts.  That day had been awful because many of our appointments had fallen through or houses of less active member didn´t exist or because it was hot or because we could feel our shoes melting.  Either way, that day was especially difficult since we had tried so hard to help others open their eyes spiritually thinking to see the wonderous plan that God has for us. I said the following:

Elder Tavares, see that kite over there that the kid´s flying?  That kite is like our investigators, less active members. We as missionaries are like that kid, working so hard to get the kite to fly.  We must have wind in order for a kite to fly, just as we need the Holy Ghost while we teach.  However, most times our investigators and less actives never leave the ground to climb high in the sky.  Sometimes our kites (investigators and less actives) take off into the air only to fall for no apparent reason.  Only a few of these kites will fly high never to fall again through our efforts.  Our goal as missionaries(kids) is to help all people around us to feel the spirit(wind) and climb ever higher (come closer and closer to Christ).  

 

Let us try our best to fly high, come closer to Christ, and teach others how to do so as well!!

Elder Johnson

 Pictures:
Cristus over Castro
Birthday for one of the Elders
recieved Christmas package
pictures with member of branch