{9.21.15} IDK what to name this email.

Biking Fast in the Rain is never a good plan..
ripped the pants!

This week was a week filled with ups and down! It was truly a rollercoaster. To summarize, we went to the Hospital three times and gave over 10 blessings. The Greenie and I also had our first bike wreck together.. sealing our companionship and making him a "real" spanish Missionary. Each and every day, our entire schedule we

experiencing his first day on Bike in rain.
Crash+Rain=real spanish Missionary

planned the night before got completely changed. It was frustrating and stressful, but we also saw SO many blessings. Apparently the Lord was unhappy with how and planned my days, and it was as if he was saying, "No Elder Johns, I have something better planned for you." That seems to be the theme of my life, and I've come to accept and be grateful for it. Like Isaiah 55 Says:

 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.

 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This week a referral from the Bravo family came to church! Her name is Señorita, and she is super awesome! After a first lesson, we showed up to review, and she had taken the pamphlet and highlighted parts that she liked, written Bible reference next to them, and had done the same with her Book of Mormon! She also told us that after praying about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, she had a dream where she was on a beautiful beach dressed in white, and her children were off in the distance and she beckoned them to join her on the beach, and they were also dressed in white. She said it was the happiest feeling she's ever felt in her life! It was a pretty cool experience she shared with us. She's getting baptized on the 3rd!

Señor and Señorita are still working for the 3rd as well! A member of the Stake Presidency gave us a marriage class booklet, so we are teaching them a course on marriage which will allow them to get married quicker and obtain a marriage liscence (idk how to spell in english anymore, i'm sorry) for cheaper. It's' weird teaching families about marriage, having never been married before... except for when I lied to a girl in my Book of Mormon class at BYU and said I was so she would stop asking me on dates. (I'm a sinner and I repent fast).

Assiel, Claudia, and baby Kiley, as well as their friend Johan.
(My son is a big guy, stands at about 6'3")

We are working with Señor and Señorita still. Señorita has progressed SO MUCH. She wants to get baptized and she wants to get married RIGHT NOW so she can get sealed in the Temple in a year. Señor also wants his family to be sealed forever! But something is holding him back, and he won't commit to marraige right now. It's super frustrating, because now they've hit a wall and they can't progress anywhere. I know he is crazy about her and it has nothing to do  with him being scared of commitment for that reason, but I'm not sure what it is. We are having an FHE at the Bishops house with them tonight, so I really hope seeing and hearing their testimony about how marriage and the Gospel has blessed their lives will help him realize the importance of this step.

We've been teaching a lot, but no one else has been really progressing so we are going to spend this week focusing on finding new people and focusing on those that God has prepared that are waiting for us to find them! It will mean lots of knocking, but luckily we have others who are progressing and the lessons with them will keep us motivated.

Also, we recieved like 7 referrals from members of friends to go teach this week! No one except other missionaries knows how amazing a blessing that is! We found señor and señorita that way, and they are super solid! Señorita's first question to me was "so what is the difference between your church and all the others." ... So glad you asked!! We taught a quick, and powerful restoration. She loved it! she worked this Sunday, and she was actually mad she couldn't come to church.. like kinda threw a temper tantrum. It was interesting to say the least but I appreciated her desire and concern to know the truth! needless to say, her schedule for next week is changed and she is coming! 

Hope everything is all good with everyone. Love you all!

--

Elder Johns