One week after recieving the information that I would be giving a talk in front of an Apostle of the Lord...PSYCH!!!  I was told that they wouldn´t be coming and that we should just expect an average mission conference.  Que LIXO(trash)!  However, I can still hold my head up high because I have a talk about understanding the spirit that will totally blow the minds of anyone that will hear it!!  Whahoooo!!  

 Before my mission, I worked Monday-Friday, 10 hours a day, in a landscaping company.  Life was tough.  Life was dirty....yet life was so simple.  To me it seemed like there was always someone more experianced, stronger, or older than me.  Automatically, I thought that I would just follow their orders and my life would be fine and dandy.  What I learned in those 3 months working under the blazing sun of San Antonio, Texas was: please the patient/house owner.  My opinion as well as all my fellow workers opinion was ALWAYS second to the owner to whom we were serving.  When giving the order to plant a tree, build a wall, create a pathway, or clear the yard we attended to the needs and wants of the owner first.  And we did it together.  A bleak, vacant yard full of rocks and thorns TRANSFORMED into something beautiful.  Finally, at the end of each day, I returned home filthy yet with a big smile on my face! 

 There are around 80000 missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints serving world-wide.  Each one has a specific way to plant a tree or build a wall (give a lesson), but what´s truly important is if we´re heeding the promptings of the spirit and attending to the needs of these investigators (house owners).  If we don´t listen to our investigators and just build a wall (give the average lesson), they will not be pleased...they will see the beauty of our message and refuse to change. CHANGE is our purpose as missionaries.  This is what I´m doing here in Brazil. I´m gettin´ real dirty because I´m working a ton and I´m workin´ happy.  An I hope you guys are too!

Elder Johnson

If nobodies told you yet...TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY!!!!  I woke up, started regular morning exercises, went outside to catch some fresh air aaaaaaaaaaannnd WHAM!!!!!! My companion ran outside with an egg and smashed it atop my head!!  The whites, yolk, and shell began sliding down my hair and onto my face.  Yet that wasn´t the worst part...the smell of egg, rotten egg, filled my nose!  

So, what did I learn?? Never celebrate your birthday in Brazil!!!

THAT was one of the worst/best presents that I got.  But let me share some of the others.

In a Zone Conference with President Hart, we watched a broadcast from the mission board counsel and received news that gigantic changes were to occur starting the following day.  The schedule of missionaries across the world were effected by these changes.  

1.    Missionaries here in Brazil and Latin America will now arise 7:30 am (in Africa it´s 6 am- poor guys) and their normal day of prosyliting will end at 10 pm. We´ve been given more freedom how much time to study in the morning and when to plan.

2.    Our key indicators have to changed and will now only incorperate numbers of: Baptisms/confirations, Baptismal dates, investigatores in the church, and new investigatores.  Much simpler, yet...a little crazy thinking about it.

FINALLY, for the moment everyone´s been waiting for...the biggest, most ginormous, most shocking surpise of all...I GOT A CALL.  Not just any call....nononononono.  In the middle of my district meeting, I received a call FROM SAO PAULO.  The secretary of Elder Costa (Area president of Brazil) called me and explained that on the 14 of February, the mission of Curitiba would have a conference with Elder Costa.  He then said that I had been chosen to give a 8 minute TALK on the Spirit.  Somewhat nervous, I expressed my thanks, said bye, and returned to the meeting.

Not seconds later the assistances to the President called me and asked me if someone had called me.  I answered `Yes`.  The assistant then began speaking in English and said inunciating clearly, `Elder Johnson, ELDER HOLLAND (the apostle) WILL BE PRESENT IN THIS CONFERENCE.` 

I almost fainted. AND...those are all the presents that I recieved for my birthday! 

Elder Johnson

(Pray for me, please please please)