Willamina, Oregon!

What's up everyone?  I hope you all had a great week!  This week was pretty good!  Transfers were Tuesday so said the goodbyes last Sunday and Monday.  We transferred up to Newberg to get our car and when we get there, the car wasn't starting so they told our rides to just take us to Willamina.  So, we got dropped off in a small town called Sheridan (where our apartment is) with no car.  On top of that, our area books are all digital now and it takes a while for them to update transfers and so we were in a new area, with no car and no area book!  It was interesting!!  We finally got an area book the next day and our car on Thursday.  My new comp is Elder Szoke.  He's a funny dude!

Our area is pretty huge but most of it is nothing.  We're pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  There is a lot of old people, ha ha!  We do have one family that missionaries had been working with.  Their names are the Warnbergs.  The dad is a member and his wife and five kids are nonmembers.  They all have testimonies and want to be baptized.  The only problem is, that they haven't come to church yet.  The only reason they haven't is because they want to go as a family and the dad won't come!  I'm excited to work with them and hopefully get them to church and help them progress on the path!

The members were super excited to see us.  They haven't had missionaries since April and they haven't had Elders in well over 10 years.  So, they are pretty pumped.  They are all so missionary minded and want to help us as much as they can.  My new district is definitely a change from my last one.  There are 6 of us.  Four Elders and two Sisters.  Super tiny district but it should be fun.  I'm excited for this transfer, it's gonna be a blast!  Have a good week everyone!  Happy Homecoming to Tanner tomorrow!!  Crazy!

Sheridan USA (Sorry I'm awful at taking pics.  I'll try to be better)

Love,
Elder Johnson
937 SE Sheridan Rd Apt B104
Sheridan, OR 97378

SPLOOSH

Family and Friends

How's it going everyone?  Hope you all had a great week! This week was pretty awesome.  Me and Elder Wuthrich did work.  We found lots of new solid people to teach.  Our training plan this month stressed on finding and improving our contacts.  It has worked worked pretty well.  Our district went off.  We had 353 contacts and 32 new investigators in a week.  Seeing lots of success here in Salem!!  I went on exchanges with Elder Hill.  Always a good time in the YSA area!

We were able to watch the Worldwide broadcast on Tuesday!  The new first presidency is gonna be so sweet!  It'll weird not seeing President Uchtdorf in there anymore but Elder Oaks will be good!

On Thursday, we did a service project for this 95 year old guy in the ward.  We cleaned all of this super old food storage out of his garage.  Some of the food expired in the 70's lol.  It totally reminded me of Holes when Zero pops open the ancient jar of peaches and called it SPLOOSH.  ha ha I was so tempted to take one of the jars of peaches, but no---it was so disgusting.  We dumped all the jars and stuff in a dumpster and it stunk so bad.  I feel bad for everyone in that neighborhood.  Brother Decker took us to Shari's for lunch after so you already know I got a pie shake!

In other news, we got transfer calls on Saturday.  I am peacing out of the 5th ward and am going to re-open an area called Willamina.  It is a super tiny town in Western Oregon.  We are also covering a little town called Sheridan and the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation!  My new companion is Elder Szoke.  I've never met him and all I know is that he came out a transfer after me.  It's gonna be a fun transfer!

Totally gonna miss the 5th ward!  All of the members were so amazing.  5th Ward's gotta place in my heart!!  Have a good week everyone--I love y'all!

Saying Goodbye to the Peterson Family

Pie Shake

Saying goodbye to Salem 2nd and Salem 4th

Saying Goodbye to the Gonzalez family Investigators from Salem 5th

Saying Goodbye to the Taylors (the escargot family :-)

Last time at Qdoba

South Salem District
Elder Kehl, Elder Kersten, Elder Wuthrich, Elder Johnson, Elder Mitchell, Elder Gibson, Elder Hill, Elder Pectol, Elder Ptersen and Elder Wagoner

South Salem District

Love,
Elder Johnson

Sick Week :-(

What's up everyone? 

Happy Anniversary on Tuesday to the sibs, Zach and Nano!!  Love you guys!

I hope you all had an amazing week.  This week was kinda trash, ha ha!  Last Monday, I was absolutely destroyed.  I was puking all day and I just wanted to die.  All four of us were feeling really sick so we just thought it was food poisoning and that we'd be good the next day.  Nah, it was even worse the next day so we called the mission nurse and she told us it was definitely the stomach flu.  So, we were in sick Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and parts of Thursday.  Friday was our first full day out and working.  Even though we were sick most of the week, we were still able to find three new people to teach! Good stuff!

So, we did a whole lot of nothing most of the week.  We watched every movie on lds.org and played a ton of Monopoly.  It sucked so bad we were so bored.  The good thing about it was we were able to have a lot of study time.  I was filled with the Spirit and God's love as I read from the scriptures.

Last night, President Tateoka and our Stake President, put on a Stake Missionary Fireside.  It was an event for people to invite their non-member friends and less actives.  President Tateoka, the Stake President and a few recent converts spoke, there were some musical numbers by missionaries in the Zone, and some powerful Mormon messages played.  It was sweet.  Our Zone sang in the Choir and it was a powerful experience.  We sang the EFY medley, As Sisters in Zion/Army of Helaman and it was super powerful.  I couldn't help but tear up while I was singing.  I sat right next to President Tateoka in the choir and could hear him choking up, too.  Such a cool experience.

I came across a few of my favorite scriptures in my studies this week in 3 Nephi 14:

7 Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
8 For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I know that God loves each and every one of us.  He is Our Father.  He wants to hear from us and wants to help us in times of need.  He wants to answer our questions.  All we need to do is ask Him.  I have definitely seen the power of prayer in my life and particularly on my mission.  Prayer is real!  I love you guys.  Have a great week!  Transfer calls are on Saturday.  I'm probably bouncing out of 5th Ward :(

Sick!

Losing in monopoly

Love,
Elder Johnson
204 Boone Rd SE #8
Salem, OR 97306

Tommy Mons

What's up everyone?  It was so sad to hear of the passing of our beloved Prophet, Thomas S. Monson.  He was such a good man and always looked outward.  Let us all do the same and focus more on others and their needs rather than ours.  I know that President Nelson will be a great leader and Prophet of God!  My prayers are out to the Monson family, especially those in the 8th ward!

I hope you all had a super good week!  Elder Wuthrich and I had an amazing week.  The Lord definitely blessed us this week.  We had an amazing lesson on Tuesday with Kristina and Big City.  She is so open and really wants to change her life.  Big City is also ready to change and it is so awesome to see!  The atonement is so real and I have definitely witnessed that on my mission, it's crazy.  We set a goal for her to be baptized on February 10th!  Keep her in your prayers so she can make that date!  One of our new investigators we met the other day is bringing his "Christian mentor" that should be fun, ha ha.  Oh and we totally got tracted into by some J dubs, ha ha.  We opened the door and they're just like, "Oh, uh hello there" gave us a pamphlet and bounced.  It was funny!

Everything seems to be going good here in Salem!  I am loving my mission and the happiness it brings and the opportunity that I have to change people's lives.  I know this is God's work and that this is where I need to be at this time.  Love you guys--talk to you next week!

Elder Kaden Johnson

Happy New Year!

What is up!?

First off, Happy Birthday tomorrow to my outstanding mom!!  Best mom I could have asked for!  She spoils me!  Love you and miss you so much, Mom!

Holy Fweak like 2017 FLEW by! So crazy!  I'll never forget the memories that I have made this year.  Let the forgotten year begin.  I hope you all didn't party too hard last night since it was the Sabbath ;-)  You already know we went ham since we had to be in by 6 :-)

Christmas was a freakin' party!  We spent it hanging with the amazing members of the 5th ward.  The highlight though was definitely talking with the whole fam.  Love them so much and am so blessed to have them for a family.  Can't believe Tanner comes home this month!  Pretty crazy, that legit flew by.  I hit my 6 month mark this month, wow, where did all the time go??

Not a whole lot happened this week.  I went on exchanges with the homie Elder Mitchell.  He's a beast!  On our exchange, we found out that Uncle Chris is in his stake, pretty neat.  We are still working with Kristina and her boyfriend, Big City.  Yeah, you read that right.  Big City.  He's a rapper and apparently he's about to drop the most fire mix tape of 2018.  He's an inactive member who wants to receive the Melchizedek priesthood.  I keep bugging him to let me feature on one of his tracks but he won't let me ha ha!

This week we presented the 5th Ward Mission plan to the ward.  It is based on D&C 18:15: "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"  We challenged the ward to prayerfully choose "just one" person they could help bring to Christ.  Whether non-member, less-active, or anyone.  I am anxious to see what comes of it.  I would like to challenge you all to do the same thing.  Pick one person you can focus on.  The Lord promises that you will find "great joy" if you do.  Love you all and hope you have an amazing week.  And be sure to wish my mom a Happy Birthday tomorrow!

The Keizer Stake gave us these stockings

Love,
Elder Johnson
204 Boone Rd SE #8
Salem, OR 97306