E-mail from Neal - Received 12/31/08

Hello Family!!!!!

Just to warn you, this letter is going to be a bit short, cause I have to do a program fro Sean’s Baptism, WHICH IS THIS SATURDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sean is getting baptised on Saturday, and I am really really excited!!! He has come such a long way and really turning into a great young man. He is talking about a mission, which just makes my smile from ear to ear!!! He is keeping all of his commitments, and trying really hard to stay on the straight and narrow. We are going full speed ahead, and I will send pictures next week for sure!!

I know what you mean mom about helping the missionaries. The rules are tough sometimes. The numbers have to be uneven. That’s why a threesome is nice, cause we don’t need a fellowshipper to talk to a female!!! Now it is still good to get a member present, but at least we can teach! Help them out in other ways though. Feed them, give them referrals, and help them any way that you can. They are doing the same thing that I am doing, so you might feel closer to me by doing so. I hope that they are working as hard as I am, and that they are not being dodgy!!!! I do not like dodgy missionaries!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I am sorry that this is short, but I really need to get that program done!

I love you all

Elder Johnson

p.s. I have decided that I know nothing about the bible, and that really needs to change so I am have started to study the new testament. I know that I probably should have done this a long time ago, but I just never have. I know the Book of Mormon quite well, and I need to be the same with the bible.

E-mail from Neal - Received 12/24/08

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well I am excited, very very very very very excited. This week has been amazing, and it is just going to get better!

Friday was zone conference, and boy was it amazing!!!!!!!! It was in Chorley (I love that place!!!!), and I got to see some people, cause they were setting up for a party!!! I saw Clifford and Mavis!!!!!!!!! Mavis came into the chapel cause she saw me and E. Smith (who is now a zone leader and goes home this transfer), and she came and gave us both hugs right in front of like 80 missionaries. Yea we were really embarrassed, but it was nice to see them. Clifford is still looking great, even at his old age. It was great to see them.

We went to the Temple as part of the Conference, and we got to eat in the Temple cafeteria. That was the best cafeteria food I have ever had (next to the MTC). It was really really good! Then the session was amazing. An endowment room full of nothing but missionaries is quite the experience. It was cool in the MTC, but these are now truly my brothers and sisters in combat. It was an amazing session. I totally forgot that I have two names still back at the flat until I got to the temple so I guess I will have to wait until next time.

This is my first Christmas away from home, and I have been battling that one for a little bit, but the Lord always comes to the rescue. He not only hears my prayers, but he listens to the desires of my heart! When I was in the celestial room (again with my brothers and sisters in Combat), I WAS HOME!!!!! I closed my eyes, and I was with all of you in the Celestial room of the Denver temple! I felt the spirit so strongly, and it was great. Since then everything has been great. We are going to have a wonderful Christmas, with wonderful members, and I am happy!!! I am sad that I am going to be away, but that doesn’t matter. For these 2 Christmas’s I am right where I need to be, and I am excited about that!!!! Hearing from you all, and feeling the love of the saviour, and his atonement is all that I need to feel at home!! We have a lot of crazy cool rules for Christmas, but I will tell you them tonight ok.

Sister Bullock, who is an absolute saint told us a really cool quote, that she thought about one day. President Bullock, who is seriously one of my hero’s now said that it was revelation, and has been using it a lot. The quote is…… Because of the Saviours life, we celebrate his birth. Can you tell that she is the daughter of an apostle. I really think that that quote hits it right on the money! Because of what he did, we are here, and able to live the way that we live. I read the talk from conference called “The Way” this morning, and it is true. The only way to return to where God wants us to return to, is though Jesus Christ! Its an amazing time of year, and I am so glad to be here.

I put the Gardner Families name on the prayer role in the Preston Temple, so there are more prayers coming from England. Please tell them that the faithful and wonderful people of England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland are praying for them many many many times a day. Tell them that I know many of the temple workers in Chorley (perks of serving there), and they are amazing people. Their prayers are heard, and through faith their prayers are answered.

The Carol concert went really really great! They sang some really really neat songs, and I did the sound (I am becoming a legend in Manchester). Personally I don’t know why they used mics, but I don’t ask questions, I just mix!!! Obedience is the first law of heaven right. It was really funny cause I was right up front, where everyone could see me, and everyone that knew me asked what I was doing. It was really fun. We recorded it, but I am sure that it will sound much like Savior of the World did. I don’t mix for a CD, I mix for the people!!!!! I am so grateful that I am able to use my talents and gifts over here on my mission, and that people appreciate them. I am serving the way that I want to be, that is being myself. They ask me if I can run a sound board, and I say HECK YES!!!!!!! HA HA HA!!

I love you all!!
Elder Johnson

E-mail from Neal - Received 12/17/08

HELLOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Well it sounds like you all are having a wonderful time in snowy Colorado. I am sad I must say, cause I really miss snow! I have seen it once this year, and that odd for me. Enjoy it all for me ok!!!!!!

Well I told you all last week that there were 2 new guys moving into our flat. Well that lasted for about a day! We got a call from President on Thursday and he said that Elder Young is getting ET’d (Emergency Transferred) to Wigan! So I am now in a threesome. Me, E. Lloyd, and E. Nielson. I am the oldest by far. E. Nielson has only been out for 3 months, but he is way way good! Its really fun being in a three. Teaching is a bit tough, but finding is awesome. It is really easy to talk to more people when there is three of us! We are having a lot of fun, and doing a lot of good. We have found 4 new investigators in the past week, and the blessings from that are amazing! Just wait until you see the pictures that we have, cause our flat is a bit different now.

Well we went to watch the 1st presidency devotional on Sunday (delayed a week cause of the time difference), and we were really excited!!! It starts, and for some reason we got the German transmission!!! It was really sad!! We had Sean there and we didn’t even get to watch it! Instead the stake president read some scriptures, and we sang a lot of carols. It was fun, but it wasn’t quite the Prophet! After words, I got asked to do the mics for the annual carol concert for this up coming Sunday, and they had a rehearsal. President said that I could so I am, once again, doing sound!!!!! I love it! I need to get a picture. My Comps went and taught Sean, and I helped out with sound. I was never alone, don’t worry!!! It is going to be really good I think! That’s not the best though. My Comps committed Sean to stop smoking that night, and he’s DOING IT!!!!!!!! Holy cow this is amazing. We have seen such a change come over him! It says in my Patriarchal Blessing that I will find joy in seeing the gospel change peoples lives, and let me tell you I have seen that. Alan, Karl, Sean, and I know that the list is going to go on and on!!!!!

Cool story really quick……. So we had an appointment with a PI (potential investigator), but he flogged us (dodged us, or didn’t show). We set up another one and we were in the area a bit early so we thought that we would pop by. He wasn’t there and the guy that was said that he would be back around 5 (our appt. was at 4). So we left and headed for the bus stop. While waiting we were talking to people and this guy gets off a bus. I hesitated, but the spirit told me to run after him. If I am learning one thing it is to listen more to the spirit. I went and talked to him, and it was our guy!!!! We went up and taught him, and he is now a new investigator!!!!!!! Amazing!!!

Well my time is all but gone!!

I love you all!
Elder Johnson

Email from Neal - Received 12/10/08

Hello to my Amazing family!!!!!

First of all, I must tell you that I am really kinda sad today….. I left my gloves on a bus last night, and I am rather frustrated about that! They were so nice, and the looked so good. They fit me perfectly, and they were warm!!!! I don’t know what I am going to do. I found a lame pair in the house that I will use for the time, but someone at home would be amazing if they sent me another pair!!!!!! I am going to look around here for some, but I don’t know if I will find anything good! I am sad, but I will survive after a few tears……..

I am staying in Stretford with E. Lloyd. I am going to be finishing training him so that will be fun. We are getting 2 new house mates, so we are going to be back to a 4 man house!! They are fun, but they are tough sometimes. This one is going to be great though because the 2 guys that are coming in are workers, and that is really really good!!!!

Ok now I really need to talk about all the amazing things that have happened lately….. First John Glespen has disappeared which is good and bad. He “had” a baptism date, but no more. He was a little unstable and it really was very difficult (spiritually, and emotionally) to teach him. We are moving on and forging ahead!

Sean Reader however sent us a text last week telling us that he had asks someone in the ward to baptize him!!!! Yea that came out of no where!!! We hadn’t taught him in a month, cause he would never keep appointments. We backed off and let the YSA take over, and boy did they!!! He has come to everything in the past few weeks, and now he is keeping all of his commitments! We have seen him everyday, and we are helping him to get ready. Right now we have scheduled him for the 27th, but that might change because all the YSA might be gone that weekend cause of Christmas. He is really really excited, and happier and more open than I have ever seen him before! We have even been talking about him going on a mission!!!!!!! MISSIONS ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!

I heard from E. McIntosh last week…. Karl is doing amazing, and his mom and her boyfriend are going to get married in January, and then baptised the next week!!!!!!!!!!! Again MISSIONS ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!

I got to give a blessing to a girl that is not a member last week. Her name is Neetika, and she is a Hindu from India. She grew up in Belfast, and her best friend is a member (RM from Germany). She has been having a lot of problems lately and so her friend told her to call us (we live right around the corner), and SHE DID!!!!! I had the privilege to do the blessing and let me tell you……. WOW!!!! The spirit was with me. Scriptures were flying through my head, thoughts and words, and inspiration was coming from all directions. I know that the Lord was talking through me, and what is better is I am learning more and more how the Lord talks to me. He speaks to each of us differently, and I am really tuning into how he speaks to me. I am trying my hardest to listen and to more importantly obey!!! The power of the priesthood is incredible, and very very real!!!!!! This church is true and living, and I am so grateful to be able to partake of it!

I love you all, and I hope that all goes well for the holiday season! I am missing all of you, cause this is my first Christmas away from my family and my home, and that is sad sometimes, but I know that you are all there and praying for me!!!!

STAY STRONG!!!!!!
Elder Johnson

Note from Mom

Note from the mother of a missionary! Don't forget to send a holiday greeting/letter to your favorite missionary in England! He would love to get a Christmas "hello" from all the people who read his blog.

E-mail from Neal - Received 12/3/08

Hello family!!!!

GUESS WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

IT SNOWED YESTERDAY!!!!!!! We had district meeting in Swinton (north Manchester), and there was about 3 inches of super wet, slushy, English snow!!!! I was so happy, I was totally in my element. It was a really cool morning, and I was really excited. I love snow so much , and I miss it immensely. There is a really funny “Snow Slide” that they built in Piccadilly….. Yea the surface is white Astro-turfish stuff and it is quite lame if you ask me. That’s so amazing that Loveland pass got 48”. 17 months, and I will partake, only 17 months. Tear tear HA HA HA HA!!!!!

Ok enough of the riff-raff….. on with the week. Transfers are coming up this next Wednesday, but unless something really wild and crazy happens (which could, cause the Lord is the Boss) me and Elder Lloyd will be staying here in Stretford. That will be good, cause that means that the ward will know us for Christmas, and that will be great. Our ward has 4 missionaries out, and they put our boxes for them and they are overflowing with gifts. Do I have something like from Lakeside? I doubt that there is anything like that from Twin Peaks, just cause there are like a million missionaries out from there, but I am just curious. I guess that it is tougher though with missionaries all over the world. All of the boys out from here are close, I think the farthest one is France.

Way sad to hear that Elder Wirthlin died. I loved his last talk. It was so funny and had such a good message. I think that that was Heathers favorite. We got our conference ensigns at interviews so I have been reading all of the talks that I missed (Sunday Afternoon), and then working though all the rest. I have never gotten into conference this much. NEVER!!! I guess missions change you ha ha ha ha. Who’d of thought that!?!?! I love reading the words of the prophets. My favorite quote so far has come from Pres. Monson’s, To Learn, to do, to be, talk. It’s the one that talks about how great shall be our sorrow, when someone has to wait for a more prepared servant to come along to help save them. I don’t remember exactly what it is, but it hit me hard. That quote has really resonated in my mind this transfer. That among many other things…..

Are you all ready for my “Transfer Theme”?? Remember how I told you that I put a theme on the back of all my planners? Well this one is “All things will work together for good.” Romans 8:28 is one of my most favorite scriptures!!!! That has gotten me though some tough tough times, but I have made it though. Missions are really tough, but they are meant to be. Like we all know, it was not easy for the Savior, why should it be easy for us! We must always work hard, and study harder! There is so much to be done, but it is never out of our reach!!!! The Lord stands right beside us, and even when we think that all is lost, there is hope. Go read, “Hope ya know, we had a hard time,” “The infinite power of Hope,” and “Come what may, and Love it” and you will understand, as I have, how much the Lord is there to help us. Even when we have bad, tough, or rough days we must press ahead. Neal A. Maxwell said “ We must not let yesterday hold tomorrow hostage!” I agree whole-heartedly. If I allowed that to happen, then I would never be happy! Thank you for all that you do, and thank you for teaching me how to always work hard, and to smile off the bad times!!!! You are all and inspiration, and I cannot wait to talk to you on Christmas. Stay strong and cleave to the scriptures and the prophets, and you will never go astray!!!!!!

With much Love,
Elder Johnson