{3.28.16} On the Upswing (Milagros por dias)

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Dolphin Mall aka "The Great and Spacious Building"
(Elder Cancino is with me. He's like my own personal
 "Fez" from that 70's show hahaha)

This week was crazy and should not have been productive, but was honestly one of the best weeks of my mission! I'll explain briefly.

First off, I've been working really hard here the past 2 transfers. Most of the effort has been aimed at the ward and strengthening it. Due to that and whatever other reasons, we haven't been able to find that many people willing to listen or that we've been able to really see that we've made any difference. People who we were helping and teaching all fell away for one reason or another, or just disappeared.

This last week however, we met Emely! Some Sister in another ward for Young Single Adults called us with a family that was on their ward list that lived in our area (if though they are about 45 mins away). We asked about the family, and it turns out a member of our bishopric baptized the mom and husband and oldest kids. We got in contact, they came to church, and their 13 year old Daughter, Emely, hasn't been and wants to be baptized! She's a really cool kid. She's really really smart, and even though she hasn't been to any church in forever she answers all our questions correctly and with meaningful answers. She's super mature for her age! She also has a really good heart. It's been really fun teaching her this past week and getting to know her. Her whole family is coming back to church, including her older sister and cousins.

Roberto Ramos from Fountainbleau!
He would come out teaching with us everyday.
He's now Ward Mission Leader. Great guy!
Cancino baptized him. Cancino served
 and was trained in Fontainebleau like me.

Also, we felt inspired to go visit the Herrez family. They were the super awesome Dominican family of four we were working with for awhile. We stopped by their work, and they were so happy to see us! they were really busy but told us to come by their house Saturday night. When we showed up, they had a HUGE dinner prepared for us. He bought this giant ocean fish with gnarly teeth and it was in this big pan on the table whole. It was about 4 feet long--but man we ate that whole thing! head, eyeballs, all---down to the bones! So that was cool, but even cooler is how humble they were. We lost contact just cause they've been going through a lot of hard times (mucho trabajo, poco dinero). We shared a simple lesson about how small and simple things bring great things, and how seeking God first leads to all the blessing we need, because God knows what he needs. They were really inspired and committed to make God a priority- we'll be remeeting with them now, more often throughout the week. The two boys (moises 12 and Nica 9) also were all in and were engaged in the lesson and committed themselves to read and pray without being asked. Really great family-- I'm so glad we get to meet with them again. God truly answers prayers!

Transfers will be NEXT week. This week was 7 weeks. So for all those asking for address, you can still send me stuff today or tomorrow probably but after that I'd probably just put it on hold till next week. Thank you Mom and Auntie Sue for the packages! I'm now the Mission "Girl Scout Cookie-Dealer" hahaha.

Love,

Elder Juanes

Elder Jace Johns

5841 W 20th Lane

Hialeah, FL 33016

Easter Video

Here's an awesome new video from the Church for the Easter Season. Share it with your friends!

https://www.mormon.org/easter/hallelujah

Elder Juanes

Elder Jace Johns

5841 W 20th Lane

Hiahleah, FL 33016

{3.21.16} Respuesta

This week was really good, and definitely got an answer to a lot of prayers. The ward (or congregation) with which my companion and I and two other missionaries work with is in need of a lot of restructuring and re-training. This week, we given "permission" more or less, or a better way to say it would be the guidance, to go in and change a lot of things in the ward. It was a pretty uncomfortable and awkward process, but as a majority the ward is behind us and are willing to make a lot of positive changes and raise their level of commitment.

This week we are able to find Raisa, una viejita de Cuba. We found her working in the Trailors at like 1 in the afternoon. She was in Cuba with Fidel Castro came in and shut down all religion and started killing people and beating them for saying they believed in God, but she always kept her Faith strong even though she wasn't able to openly worship for Decades. When we came to her porch, she was pretty skeptical. There are some other Christian groups around in Hialeah that are REALLY Pushy and persistent (knock the same peoples door every single week) and we get a lot of the backlash for that. But when we explained we weren't from that church she let us pray with her and we started sharing a message about Christ. She began to cry and told us she's been looking for this for years and that she wants to know more and come to church. She's a great lady and calls us her sons.

My thought for everyone is pretty simple this week. We are all really blessed. We have a Savior who died and paid the price for us. The First and Great Commandment he gave us was: Love the Lord Thy God with all thy Heart. Pretty simple right? It isn't hard to love someone who gave their life for you, and who gives you peace and comfort daily. But he once exhorted all mankind "if you love me, keep my commandments."  So, if we really love The Savior, what should we do? Keep his commandments. It shows that we don't take for granted that he can take away our mistakes, pains, and weaknesses. It shows our gratitude. And when we do, we are infinitely blesses. God's knowledge, glory, and plan can seem incomprehensible at times, but what he has taught us is truly simple. And when we live it, we are happy. We have peace, and we are blessed.

I hope everyone has a great week!

 

Elder Juanes

Elder Jace Johns

5841 W 20th Lane

Hialeah, FL 33016

{3.7.16} Square 1

This week consisted of lots and lots of knocking, but I can't really complain! We met a lot of really cool, and interesting people hahaha. Last night, we were knocking in a really affluent area. We were knocking on this huge front door, when this Porsche pulled up into the driveway and a young couple with a 3 month old little girl came out of the car. I complimented him on his car and we started talking; his name was Diego and 29 years old from Venezuela (I love Venezuelans). We asked to come inside for a prayer, we he readily accepted. He explained he and his wife have really been searching out God in their lives, because their 3 month old daughter had to have a heart operation within the first few hours of her life and will be having another one soon. They asked what church we were from, we explained we were "Mormons" and they explained that they have friends on business from Argentina (my comp served for a year in Argentina and loves Argentines hahaha, win-win) who were talking the very night before about how good of an impression the Mormons have left on them and how many of their friends in Argentina are Mormons. Tender mercies of the Lord haha, because it lead to a very open conversation and we were able to answer a lot of questions and teach him briefly. We have a return appointment and we're super excited to see them again!

This past Sunday was also amazing. It was fast sunday, so everyone had the chance to go up and bear their testimony if the wished to. Several less-active members that have been returning to activity got up and bear their testimonies--and they were powerful. Last week, feeling so down about not finding as many new friends to share the Gospel, I neglected to reflect on how much my companions and I, as well as Elder Spotts and Cancino, have been able to help those in our little flock in Doral increase and become more fortified. The highlight was when a young woman from a recenetly re-activated testimony stood up and shared a powerful testimony of how she knew the Gospel helps her through her hard times, and how she wants to serve a mission because of the example the missionaries have set for her and her family.

The Church is true!

Elder Juanes

Elder Jace Johns

5841 W 20th Lane

Hiahleah, FL 33016

{3.1.16} My Personal Conversion

1year mark "burning of the shirt"

So to be honest, this week has been pretty rough. There were several times this last week I thought about "quitting" this whole missionary thing.. not really, because I love it. But there was a lot of frustrating things.

First of all, my companion and I weren't able to find anyone to talk to us. It really makes the days drag on and on. These last few weeks and these 2 transfers have been the hardest I've worked on my mission, with some of the least amounts of "success." I also feeling like I'm doing the most I've ever done to become the best missionary I can be, but I'm falling short of what I can be. On top of it all, the Herrez family has been going through some things and have been unable to meet with us and go to church. They will still continue to progress! There's just some road bumps (policias muertas en cubano) in the way.

On a much more positive note:
 Elder Cancino and I met the
Amazing Spiderman of Miami this week!

But yesterday we had a special training from Elder Dube of the seventy. Super sick guy from Zimbabwe. At the end of the conference, we had a short testimony meeting with half the mission. Everyone got to get up and bear a short 1-2 min testimony. They were short, but they were powerful. One of the Elders before me shared a few scriptures from Mosiah Chapter 4. This is one of my favorite chapters for a simple reason: It was reading this chapter that I first received a testimony of the Book of Mormon, and the first time I desperately asked and received an answer my Savior knew me.

Spidey even showed me the ropes...

I was at BYU for a summer semester. I was feeling pretty alone and a little out of place in the Land of Mormons in Provo. All my roommates were out at a ward party, but I hadn't felt like going and stayed home to catch up in my classes. One of my classes was a religious study of the Book of Mormon, and I was behind in my reading. I was mostly "skimming" and my mind was focused on other things: feeling out of place, lost, and I believe I was even wondering if a mission was what I wanted to do. I put the book down, and thought for awhile over and over the doubts in my mind. I finally, for the first time in forever, hit my knees and began to let out my frustrations to the Lord. I asked if he was there. When I closed that prayer, I heard something tell me to open the book of Mormon, and actually read it. So I did. The whole Chapter is amazing, but I"m going to focus on the Scriptures I marked that night, and that mean the most to me.

 5 For behold, if the knowledge of the goodness of God at this time has awakened you to a sense of your nothingness, and your worthless and fallen state—

 6 I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge‍ of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement‍ which has been prepared from the foundation‍ of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust‍ in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body—

 7 I say, that this is the man who receiveth salvation, through the atonement which was prepared from the foundation of the world for all mankind, which ever were since the fall‍ of Adam, or who are, or who ever shall be, even unto the end of the world

19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have..

20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission‍ of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit‍ upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

 27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster‍ than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order

30 But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch‍ yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue‍ in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.

and then 2 verses in Chapter 5:

2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change‍ in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.

5 And we are willing to enter into a covenant‍ with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days..."

That day I entered into my own covenant with the Lord, that I would forsake everything for him, even until the end of my mortal life. There was times I could run fast enough, and times I wasn't strong enough, but my Savior was there, and through his atonement he was able to make up for the shortcomings because I put my trust in him. So this week, I remembered that, so I would perish not. Bad weeks happen, but this week will be a good one. The Herrez family, and anyone else, will be able to overcome their problems as they rely on the savior. I'm grateful for the Book of Mormon; it truly testifies of Christ, and brings us closer to him. I'm grateful that in these latter days, he continues to lead and guide us. Not just from what he left us before he died, but today, because he lives today. He was resurrected, and he is the head of a church in the same way he was when he established his church--through direct, inspired revelation, to men called to be servants of God. I hope everyone knows Christ loves them! In a very real, personal way, no matter who you are, what you've done, or you're religion. That's my testimony.

Love,

Elder Juanes

Elder Jace Johns

5841 W 20th Lane

Hiahleah, FL 33016