Week 73 - Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone! Sorry I have not been able to write in a couple of weeks, our schedule was changed quite a bit. My companion and I, Elder Parra, have been together for 2 changes now and we are in our third change together. We get along very well and do our best to work hard. We've had a great couple of weeks out here in Soyapango and I have some experiences that I would like to share.

About two weeks ago, we were looking for a member-family with our list of members and as we arrived to the house we felt the impression to contact and talk with their neighbors who lived right next door. As we began to talk with the mother of the family, Irene, we explained that we were missionaries of Jesus Christ and that we wanted to share a message that could bless her and her loved ones.  She told us she was looking for more unity in her family and gladly accepted. We came back on the assigned date and met her husband and two kids and we shared about the Book of Mormon. They were very interested and desired to read it. They came to church last week for the special Christmas sacrament meeting and loved that too. They told us they felt like family and that they felt something special, and they even accepted a baptismal date for the 25th of January! We also found out that the father's father (or the grandpa) lives in another city but is a counselor in the bishopric of the ward there, and just the other day he came all the way over here to join us in a lesson. It has been so awesome! The Gospel changes lives and we are seeing the change in this family right now! More to come...

A few nights ago, we left with a member, whose name is Jose Luis, to go visit a few recent converts and also some references that he had for us. In our last lesson of the night, we visited a family whose daughter just found out she was pregnant at the age of 17. It has been a really difficult situation and we could see the sadness in their eyes. My companion and I shared a small message about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and that we can turn to Him to find comfort and peace. Tears were shed and the Spirit was felt and at the end of the lesson, hermano Jose Luis shared his testimony. He said, "I may not have brought Jesus Christ to you, but I have brought his representatives." I felt the Spirit very strong and in that moment I felt so honored to be a missionary. The Gospel of Jesus Christ gives us guidance and brings us peace and I am so grateful that I get to be apart of this great work. The Church is true!

Happy New Year!

Elder Johnson