The Funny Video!!!

I finally got it to upload onto YouTube! Here it is:



Ah, Neal....


SORRY!!! Mom made me take the video down. It's still available on Facebook. If you didn't get a chance to see it, let me know. It's still on YouTube, but it's set to private. I can invite you view it. :)

Pictures from Neal - Received 9/25/08

Here are some of the pictures that Neal sent home:



Neal says: "Tree of Life Vision (Look closely, it's all there.)"


"I was cold, okay?"


Elder Johnson in action!



A canal. Looks very "England", wouldn't you say?



In the hills around Chorley

Update on the funny video: I've had a horrible time trying to upload it onto the internet. It's a large file, so it takes a long time. The only place I've got it up so far is Facebook (Check out my page to see it, if you're on there!) I'll do what I can to get it up so everyone can see it soon!

Videos of Neal - Received 9-25-08

We got a package from Neal yesterday. Included was a camera memory card full of pictures and videos! (Shauna, Heather, and I spent a hilarious evening looking through them all!) I won't have time until tomorrow to pick out which pictures to put up on here, but there are a couple of videos that you HAVE to see! Behold:

The Kebab Dance


The 4th of July (Sorry, it's sideways)


The Rain


These are taking FOREVER to upload, so I will post the VERY BEST ONE later. (Ah, the suspense....)

E-mail from Neal - Received 9/24/08

Hello Family!!!!
Well This week has been really really really crazy. Like I told you last week I am now in Stretford, and this place is literally the middle of Manchester!!! I am learning a lot because I am really forced to. We are opening a new area here and adding to the missionary force here. There are now 8 missionaries in Stretford. 1 set of sisters, the Assistants, and the 4 of us elders all in my house. 4 Man houses are nuts!!!!!!!!!! "The Best Two Years" really got it right. They are really fun though. There is always someone to joke with, and to just have fun with! The weather has been really nice here as of late! We have had sun and blue sky’s and no rain in like a week or so. That’s big for us!!!!!! I like it when it is nice here because it really reminds me of home. Cool, but sunny, that’s my favorite!!!!!! Anyways that’s enough about that, I need to tell you about Karl’s baptism.

The Baptism really went great! We saw such a change in him over the past week that we were working with him. He really dove into the scriptures are really got excited about the gospel. It was so cool to see the spirit touch his life, and that I was able to put that spirit into his life! His mom, her boyfriend (Tony), his biological father, and his Grandma were there at the baptism. They were really really nice and friendly, and really enjoyed it. The next day, his mom, tony, and his grandma came to church to see him get confirmed. It was a really great experience. His mom also works at the MTC and she has been interested in the church for a while, but has been scared because she didn’t know what Tony would think. Well the lord works miracles and we are seeing them now. Ever since the baptism Tony has been a different person. He has been really nice to us, and offering us rides and things. I got transferred so I don’t know what is happening now, but when I left E. McIntosh had an appointment set up with them on Saturday night!!!!! I cannot wait to hear what is happening in that house! The Gospel is so amazing, and it really does change peoples lives. I have seen it, again and again and I have only been out for 5 months!!!!! I can only imagine what I will see in the other 19 that I still have left! I know that as I work and am diligent that I will see many many many miracles!!!!!

Ok crazy story time…… My new ward mission leader (Stan Thomas) called us up last week. He was asking where all the new missionaries were from, and I said Colorado. He asked where and I said Denver Area (cause no one knows where Loveland is) and he asked me a wild question. He asked if I Knew Cody Loucks??? Well you can imagine my reaction….. Long story short, Cody brought Bro. Thomas into the church. How small is this world!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Its wild I know, but it is really really neat!

Ok here is your reading assignment for this week….. Mormon 9. This is one of the biggest Smack Downs ever!!! He tells you exactly how it is. Scary for the wicked, and awesome for the righteous. Check it out and tell me what you think. Sorry for no pictures still, I am trying to figure out this new computer thing, and they aren’t as cool as the ones in Chorley. I will try to send them soon, don’t worry.

I love you all!!!!!
Elder Johnson

E-mail from Neal - Received 9/18/08 (NEW ADDRESS!)

Hello Everyone!!!!!
Yes yes yes its true, I am out of chorley!! It was a good 4 ½ months but it was good to go. I was very sad to leave, but it was nice to see a change. I am now in Stretford, which is the absolute middle of Manchester!! The Manchester United Football stadium (old Trafford) is right down the street from my house. The city center in also in my area so that it really really cool. I just went from serving in Berthoud to serving in Denver!!!!!!!! Its crazy but here is my address……..

17 Mellor St.
Stretford M32 0PP
England

Send mail soon!!!!!!

I am in a house with 3 other elders so that is a very new experience. There are 8 missionaries in this ward. The assistants, my house, and a set of sisters. My new Comp is Elder Davis and he is from Wellington, Utah. He says that it might be on the way to Lake Powell check for me will ya. He is cool, but he is very Elder Kannon like ha ha ha!!! The girls will know what that means. He's cool though. I am technically opening a new area so there is not much going on. Net to no organization, so I am really going in blind. I am Senior comp even though E. Davis has been out for over a year. Its scary but I am up for the challenge. I know that this is the best way that I learn, is when I have to jump in a do it. Sorry that this is short but like I said transfers were crazy. I will write you a big one next week and include pictures from the baptism that went amazingly!!!!!!!!!! You should be getting two packages soon so enjoy!! I have to run now though!!!!

I love you all
Elder Johnson

E-mail from Neal Received 9-10-08

Hello, Hello, Hello!!!!!

Well I am going to start off by saying that Karl’s baptism is this Saturday at 2 pm (England time)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!! How amazing is that!!! I am so excited, and so happy for him. It is amazing to see the change that has come over him in the past few weeks. He had a lot of troubles, but he over came all of them and he did it by turning to the lord! His countenance has changed, and he has become a different man. He has fallen in love with the scriptures, he absolutely adores Joseph Smith, he got a copy of Preach My Gospel (amazing), and we were talking about a mission last night!!!! The gospel is so true, and I am seeing it first hand in the lives of the people that I am teaching! I know that I have used a lot of exclamation points in this letter, but there is no other way to describe my joy than with those little things!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HA HA HA HA!! So yes please keep him in your prayers though, and I will let you know how everything goes next week! Its going to be hectic, but I know that everything will work out. The lord is sitting right here with us, and I know that he will watch over everything. I have total faith that everything will be great, but prayers never ever hurt!

Alright moving on…… Sounds like everything is going well at home, and that the seasons are changing. This is the second season change that I have missed, so I guess that time is moving right along. Its crazy to think that I have almost been gone 5 months. Transfers are next week!!! Again the time has been flying! I am pretty sure that I am going to be moving this time though. Just judging off of presidents comments in interviews yesterday, I am quite sure that I am moving. There are 21 new missionaries coming into the mission this transfer! I don’t think that I will be training, but I think that E. McIntosh will be. So just keep in mind that I will probably be getting moved and so plan your post accordingly. Of course I will let you know my new address as soon as I can. E. McIntosh thinks that I will be moving to Liverpool zone so that would be cool. That zone is nice, and one of my first Zone leaders is serving there! Its crazy though to think that I will be moving. I am scared, but I am ready for a change.

I heard a really great quote at church on Sunday…… “No other success compensates for failure in the home.” How amazingly true is that? I Think that all too much people think that if they have other things (possessions, jobs, money) then they can forget about the home. This is completely false!!! There is nothing more important that having a solid home. I am serving in country that runs rampant with terrible home situations. I think that England is seriously one of the worst places for families. Kids have no good upbringing, and it is really sad to see that. That is part of my job over here, a big part actually. I am trying to help people make their homes the best that they can be, and that is through the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the fact that I was brought up in a home that supported my, and taught me this amazing gospel! I know that I didn’t totally follow it like I should have, but that is not your fault, that is mine, and that’s why I love the Atonement so much!!!

A few Final things……. I have been thinking about studying lately, and I came up with a cool formula that I want to share with you all. When you study the point is to learn, grow, and become better, right? Well I have found some words that really apply to this. First when you learn something new (whether by your own accord/study, or from some one else) you first must hear it. You must take it in and remember it. You then must either go back and study it, or simply go in deeper. You then must meditate on it. Think about it hard, and contemplate the things that you have discovered. Next you must ponder about the things that you have meditated on. The important part about pondering is that when you ponder, you allow it to enter into your heart. I think that when anything enters the “heart level” then it is huge. You can think all you want about something. You can think that you love someone, but when you truly know something, that’s when it has entered into your heart, aka reached the “heart level.” Last you must heed to the things that you have learned. You must apply and do the things that you now know to be true and real. Since they have reached the heart level, that should be easy!!!!!! This is what a mission does to you!!!!! Scary I know! Did you ever think that something like that would ever come out of my mouth????? HA HA HA

One last little nugget that I have come to gain a testimony of while I have been over here…… The work is full of ups and downs, but I have learned something while I have been thinking about my life and my mission so far, and I have kind of coined it as my phrase….. You learn from the low times, but you remember the high ones! I have been through so much in my life, and I learned from all of it. Now I am on my mission (a high time) and I am going to remember every second of it!!!!! You can really apply this to everything. I am loving my mission, even though it is hard, but just be warned, when you talk to me at Christmas I am going to be a completely different person, and in no way is that a bad thing!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love you all so much, and I thank you for everything that you do. You are all such and inspiration to me. Keep up the good work, and always allow the lord to be a part of your life. No matter what happens you always have someone that understands, and knows what you are going through!!!

Elder Neal

E-mail from Neal Received 9-3-08

Hello Fam!!!!!

Thanks for the package!!! The cookies were really really great, and the jeans are awesome, I really like them! The Board shorts however were a bit depressing. I am really getting big I guess cause I can barely even squeeze into them now. Thanks for sending them, but you might be getting them back soon ha ha ha!!!! They didn’t fit all that great before I left, but they really don’t fit now. I have put on almost a stone (14 lbs) since I got out into the field. I am exercising though, and doing lots of sit ups, I am just really hoping that I don’t get into a car area, cause then I will really have a problem losing the weight. I don’t want to get fat!!!!!!!!! Speaking of cars….. I am planning on really jumping into my driving license stuff soon. I will be taking lessons and tests and what not, so don’t freak out when my bank account starts going down fast! Its not cheap, but I am glad that I am a fast learner, so that I can take as few lessons as possible. I am really kinda scared and excited at the same time though!!!!

Alright on with my week!!!!!
We had Zone Conference last Thursday, and that was really really great! We really talked about the mission vision, which is 3 fold.
Pure in Heart – Doing the right things for the Right Reasons. Exact Obedience - Because that’s what the Lord wants. Preach My Gospel – We are going to be a Preach my Gospel Mission

I am not too sure if I have shared those with you before, but that’s what they are. They are really great goals and focus points, and they have really helped. We talked a lot about the study of PMG (preach my gospel) and how to do it. Pres. Bullock talked a lot about how you can really dive deep into it. We shouldn’t just skip over the obvious, but we should really give time to everything. I tried that this morning and it really works, and it brings the spirit in SOOOOO Strong. We decided to study a big chunk of chap 4, recognizing the spirit, and we really only got past the first 2 questions in the consider this box!!!! It was so amazing, and it really helped. It’s a great thing to develop unity, and to really dissect topics! I am totally going to be doing that more and more, and I would encourage you to do the same in your studies!!! Other than that zone conference was really great, and it was good to see everyone. I saw E. Smith again, and it was good to catch up with him!!!!

Karl is totally back on track!!! He has gotten past all of the concerns that he had, and now he is fully committing himself to his study of the gospel!!! IT’S SO EXCITING!!!! We left him a march Ensign, and committed him to read a few of the points about the doctrine, the bible, and modern day revelation says. He read the whole thing!!!!!!!! 25 points, and he loved it!!! He has read all of the King Benjamin chapters, and he is cruising along!!! No date yet, but there will probably be one by next week so I’ll let you know!!!!

So I have really been starting to study a lot about Jesus Christ, and just certain points about his life. I have found some really interesting things. It talks about how he “laid down his life for his friends.” He laid down his life for us…… We are friends of Jesus Christ!!!! How amazing is that. When I thought about that I was totally in awe! I also read about how when you really start to understand and use the atonement, that it changes you. I HAVE SEEN THIS!!!! When I was fully using the Atonement, and repenting and doing the things that I needed to do, I saw a change! Someone would ask me to do something, and I would not groan or complain. I would answer very kindly, and I would do it. I think that I noticed this the most with dad. I remember him asking me to do something one day, something that I would not normally like to do, or want to do, but I did it, and I was happy about it. I thought to myself at the time that that was really odd, but I know now that that was the Atonement at work. It had changed my attitude about life. I am so grateful for the Atonement, and it truly is the very center of my testimony, and because it is the center that means that Jesus Christ is the center as well!!!!!! Here is your reading assignment for the week…… 3 Nephi 17. That chapter is totally amazing, and I want you all to read it and think about it. There are a lot of really really cool things that it talks about….. see if you can find them all ha ha ha!!!!!!!

Well that about wraps that up!!! I hope that this week really goes well, and that you all don’t get sick. I am still working hard and trying my best. Areas always go up and down (craig will tell you that too), and right now we are in the process of bringing it back up to where it was. It can be a long process sometimes!!!!

I love you all so so so so so Much!!!!!
Elder Johnson