Update from Elder Johnson - August 2016 - MTC
1 August 2016
Përshëndetje, Familje — The MTC is AMAZING! I love it so much. It has been amazing, incredible. Where to begin?
Well, my companion (shoku) is awesome. His name is Elder Benson. (picture attached.) We have the BEST District. and the best Zone. There are two districts that speak Albanian. We are known as the Albys in our Zone. Elder Benson and I share our room with two other amazing missionaries, Elder Schneider and Elder Gardiner. Literally the best group of friends a guy... (My bad. Elder. That is probably the hardest rule here. Everyone accidentally call us guys, but immediately says, "Sorry, I mean Elders and Sisters") Literally the best group of friends an ELDER could ask for. Very spiritually-minded, ready to learn, and exactly obedient (and not everyone is). I am learning a lot from them. The sisters in our district are cool too. Motra (Albanian for Sister). Motra Dunn, Motra Bland, Motra Miles, Motra Haggard, Motra Suckow. We are all having fun learning the language together. Because our district is so amazing and exactly obedient, we get unlimited email privileges on P-Day. So I can take more than an hour to write. Seriously our zone is the best. The Hungarians, the Dutch (going to Suriname), and the Turks will get here on Wednesday. (And we won't be the newbies anymore. I don't feel like a newbie at all. We actually know what we are doing now. But, the first day, we had an orange dot on our missionary tag, so anyone who passed us said, "Welcome to the MTC!", but now we will be able to say that to the 900+ missionaries coming in on Wednesday.) Our zone leaders (Fischer Elder and Ballard Elder) were awesome, but they got released yesterday, and I bet the new ones are going to be awesome too.
Let's set the record straight. The food IS delicious. Even things that I wouldn't initially choose to eat, are actually amazing. So, I am being fed... probably too much. I'm trying to keep it down to one Orange ice cream bar per day and only two cups of Sprite per day.
One of the coolest parts of the MTC is talking with all the other missionaries. There are so many different languages on all the tags. People are always asking us what language ours is and where we are going, and we are asking everyone else the same thing.
So, the Shqip language is awesome! (That's Albanian for Albanian.) (It sounds like Shcheep.) Our teacher is amazing. I'm saying the word amazing too much. We love the language already. The only difference in the alphabets is that Shqip has a ç (c with a tail) and an ë (e with two dots) and doesn't have a w. It makes so much more sense than our alphabet, but it is still gonna take some getting used to. All the sounds are so cool. My missionary nametag will say Elder Xhansën or Xhonsen, I still haven't decided which. I wish I could show you how to say a bunch of words and pronounce things, but It'll have to wait 'til I can call you.
On Friday morning, we taught our first lesson to an investigator, në Shqip. Um, yeah it was hard, but it was good. We are starting to get this language. It is awesome. Our teacher speaks mostly Shqip. We have to figure out what she is saying. We actually teach ourselves mostly, during our study time. We can now pray, bear testimony, and introduce ourselves as missionaries of the Church all në Shqip. We are working on memorizing our missionary purpose në Shqip now. Also, Shqip literally means Language of the Eagles. Albanians love Eagles more than Americans do, what with the flag and the language. The word of the day yesterday was besim (which means faith.) We used it a ton in our second lesson with the investigator. Our third lesson will be tomorrow, I think. The investigator is actually one of the return missionaries on the prepare to serve website, so that's cool, but I don't think we are supposed to know that yet.
I went to the temple today and will every P-Day. I love it. It is so close. Exercise Time is awesome. Class is awesome. Study is awesome. Everything is awesome. Sunday is especially awesome. Everyone kept saying, Just make it to Sunday. And I was fine before Sunday, but I can definitely see why they say that. Sunday is amazing. We had an awesome choir practice (The choir director is hilarious and choir practice is on Sundays and Tuesdays) and devotional with an amazing speaker. (Devotional is also on Sundays and Tuesdays.) No Apostles yet, but I bet I will get to see one or two by the end of nine weeks here.
The other thing everyone said was to watch the Character of Christ by Elder Bednar. If you can find it online, just wow... mind-blowing. Ok gotta go. Ok, that's all for now. I've got to go do my laundry. Keep asking questions. I love you all so much! Love, Elder Xhansën
8 August 2016
Hey Everyone!
20 missionaries total are going to Albania. (It was supposed to be 21, but one of the sisters got engaged and didn't show up) We are split up into two districts, with 4 Elders and 5 Sisters in our district. An amazing group of spiritually strong Elders and Sisters.
There are lots of funny words used here in the MTC... and not just the Albanian words.
Here at the MTC there are the 3-weekers, 6-weekers, and 9-weekers!
3-week-ers: English Speaking
6-week-ers: Learning a Language
9-week-ers: Learning a Hard Language (That's me)
And of course my companion, Elder Benson, has his classic phrases: "Oh, that's just plain precious." and "Let's bounce." This week, we learned how to use cases në Shqip. Our favorite words are Përshendetje (Hello) and Shqipëria (Albania).
Devotionals are amazing. Yesterday, Elder Holland's son spoke to us about Joseph Smith. And, guess what, next Tuesday, Elder Holland is speaking to us. We are so excited. Every Sunday, we watch a movie or talk after Devotional. The movies include stuff like Meet the Mormons and Ephraim's Rescue. The first week we watched the Character of Christ because everyone told us too. It was powerful. I took four pages of notes when I watched it. I love everything Elder Bednar says about turning outward and his comparison of the natural man to the cookie monster. I definitely have a lot to learn. This week, we watched Ephraim's Rescue, which was awesome, but also hilarious, because there was a kissing scene, and all the Elders FREAKED OUT! They went crazy! It was hilarious! The Elders went crazy every time it showed the girl. (I can't remember her name)
Also, as my companion likes to say, DearElders are like manna from Heaven! And packages are the best thing ever! Thank you so much for sending that package. I didn't realize how amazing packages and letters were until I got here. Every day, we ask Elder Schneider (Our District Leader) if he has checked mail, and he hands out letters and package slips and there are cries of excitement (I got a package!) and groans of dismay (My family doesn't love me.) I mean I don't care. You don't have to send packages and DearElders everyday, I just wanted you to be aware of the situation. And I promise I will send you letters home.
Everyone thinks my companion looks like Anikin Skywalker and I definitely agree. They also say he looks like Barry Allen, the Flash, and I definitely agree. (Mom, what do you think?)
Time is scarce here. We barely have time to study our scriptures or write in our journals because there is so much language study and other stuff and lesson plans to do. But, it is a good busy. Our motto at the MTC is Stress + Rest = Growth. But, we are tired every day. During lessons, someone is always nodding off. It is pretty funny, actually. Choir Practice and Devotional can be really hard to stay awake during. Yesterday was the biggest MTC Choir EVER. There were almost 2000 missionaries singing. We sang Praise to the Man and it was powerful!
We have the funniest elder in the other Albi district. Elder Nielsen. He just has this low funny voice and everything he says, especially në Shqip, is hilarious. One time, he just walked into our room and not one saw him and he said "Përshentedje" in his low funny voice. It was hilarious for some reason. Now everyone says Përshendetje just like that. It is so funny. But, at the MTC, to tired Elders who are isolated from the world, EVERYTHING is funny. Here is how a conversation with Elder Nielson goes: "How are you doing, Elder Nielson?" "Drinking a coke." "No, HOW are you doing?" "with my mouth." It is so funny. Also, he has the exact same pillowcase and socks as me, but mine are BYU and his are UTAH, so that is funny.
I had an amazing experience yesterday. After we got home, Elder Schneider asked us to give him a blessing because some health thing came up. He should be fine. But, I anointed him and his companion, Elder Gardiner, sealed the anointing. It is so cool to be involved with experiences like that, especially after watching Ephraim's Rescue, where Ephraim heals multiple pioneers!
I love you all! Good luck with your regular lives. I love it here! Elder Johnson
15 August 2016
Hey Everyone! — Exercise Time is an hour every day (except Sunday) and I love it! We play Four Square, Knockout, Volleyball, and Basketball. There is optional exercise time on P-Days. Today, I might study and nap instead. We will see.
So, Last Tuesday, Elder Neil L. Andersen spoke to us. It was amazing. I learned a lot. He said six important things for a mission and I made a little summary of his talk in the front of my scriptures. It was amazing. Someone said they saw a schedule that had Elder Holland speaking tomorrow, so hopefully he really is. I'll let you all know. (Turns out he wasn’t.)
Mom, I loved, loved, LOVED getting those pictures and everyone else in my district loved seeing them. Thanks! I am loving it here. The MTC is awesome! One of the Albi Elders, Elder Harris, is great. Whenever I say anything about my mom, he says, "Classic Sister Johnson." It is great. He is the guy you show every letter to because he just says, "No, That is the cutest thing." We have a great group of Albies. They are fun.
I had an amazing study the other day, when I spent about 2 hours straight studying just the Plan of Salvation. I made a huge Plan of Salvation chart with everything I could think of and find and remember. It was such a cool experience. I am going to try to keep adding to it as I go throughout my mission. I challenge you all to do it as a FHE or just a short personal study. 2 Nephi 9 is a great chapter for cool scriptures and information about the plan of salvation.
I love study time. It is so cool and I am so glad we get so much time to do it. Teaching investigators is so fun, even though it is terrifying and we aren't good at Shqip. Shqip is crazy and awesome. Last week I mentioned we are learning cases in Albanian. Cases are like nominative, accusative, genitive, ablative, and dative. Each form gives the noun a different ending. There is a lot of grammar to learn here!
I have officially worn all of my ties. I wore tie #20 today. I thought that was an accomplishment worth noting. (Two of my ties are too skinny to wear, so I guess I'll have to send those home or something... And my watch broke. I just changed the time and it stopped... So, that's fun.)
Yesterday, I watched 17 Miracles. That movie is horrible, but good.
Today, we said goodbye to the Huns (Hungarians) in our zone. They are on a plane to Hungary right now. They were the people who welcomed us to the MTC, so we love them. Now, we get to welcome the new Huns on Wednesday. and they will love us. Elder Schneider and Elder Gardiner are the new Zone Leaders now. Our district is amazing. Everyone is amazing and we all get along, so that's good. Motrat (The Sisters) are all great examples to me. (They told me to write that, and when sisters tell you to do something, you do it. I always take their trays after meals for them, but they seriously are awesome.)
Favorite scripture: D&C 65:2 The keys of the kingdom of God are committed unto man on the earth, and from thence shall the gospel roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is cut out of the mountain without hands shall roll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.
I will try to write more next week. I hope everyone is enjoying their lives. Good luck with school and all of those normal things you people are doing. Love, Elder Johnson.
22 August 2016
Ç'kemi, Everyone — This week has been amazing, just like every other week. Elder Holland didn't come, but Sister Oscarson (Young Women General President) did, which was so cool. And, yesterday, The Nashville Tribute Band came. They are amazing and sing songs about Christ and the Restored Gospel. It is really amazing. The spirit was so strong. Please look them up, especially the song "The Hardest Thing I Ever Loved to Do." (especially you, Mom) It was so powerful. We also got to sing with them for a few songs as the MTC Choir. (Again, the biggest MTC Choir in history, I think 1700 Elders and Sisters) We sang John's Song, I was Born, and Son of Man. After the Nashville Tribute Band left, we watched two videos about the Translation of the Plates and Foundation of the Church that have only been shown in the visitor's center at Palmyra. That was really cool. Yesterday had a really powerful spirit, and I am excited to go share this message to the world. The 'I was Born' song was powerful because it said a bunch of places around the world where people were born, and then we all came together to sing, "and we are here to serve our King!"
Lots of the missionaries are leaving today and tomorrow (I think about 800) so it is so cool that they got to leave after an incredible devotional like that one.
This week, we started doing TRC, which is where we meet with members and teach short lessons. They are usually return missionaries who speak Albanian, but we might also teach some native Albanians. It was really fun. The couple we taught, posted a picture of us on Facebook (which apparently you saw Mom - So fun to hear that you are talking to Sister Benson a little bit. Elder Benson is awesome, and, from what I hear, his family, especially his mom, is amazing! So, guess what, Elder Benson's older sister is practically engaged, which was a slight shock to Elder Benson. I am glad that I have not received any similar news from Katie. Haha, I make joke. (That is what Albanians would say, they don't have a 'just kidding'. They just say 'I make joke.' I can't remember what it is në Shqip though. (bëj shaka)))
Shqip is an amazing language, but also difficult. But, I am starting to get it. I only have one 'class,' but there are two teachers that take turns teaching. Each 'class' is three hours long and I have that twice a day. (except on Saturday and P-Day, we only have it once, and never on Sunday.) They teach us about how to teach and how to speak Shqip, but they only say things in Albanian. It is actually really cool. Understanding is coming, slowly but surely. The Gift of Tongues is real and is such a blessing as we learn this crazy language. Ti është (should be ‘je’) shumë mirë. Unë të dua ty. That last part means I love you! Literally, it translates to "I you love you." The first you is called a clitic and we have them everywhere. Whenever there is a verb (love) and a definite direct object (you), then you sandwich the verb with the direct object and a clitic. There is a lot to memorize in this language.
Elder Benson and I teach some pretty great lessons together. So, we are currently teaching two different investigators, who are actually our teachers. Motra Kokol is so good at teaching and is a really fun teacher. Motra Kokol is investigating as Kejti (Katie). I think that is the coolest name ever. We have committed her to baptism. The spirit is so strong when we teach her. I don't think it will be this easy in the field, but it is really cool to teach and help others come unto Christ. Our other teacher, Vellai Bangeter, is investigating as Maksim (see my time in Berat where Maksim was a member). He is slightly harder to teach. I am excited to go out into the field, but I am loving my time here.
So, I have made a commitment to do 10 pushups for every time I say the g-word ("guys") and, on Friday, I had to do 230 pushups, but I am getting better. Tonight, I need to do 50 pushups from yesterday, and hopefully no more. I haven't said it yet today. But, by the end of my MTC experience, I am going to be so buff.
Thank you so much for your letters, emails, and packages. It is always fun to hear from everyone! Thank you and thank to the Moons for the huge packages full of food. We can't even find time to eat it all, but we are enjoying it! — Elder Johnson
29 August 2016
Hi … Sounds like you’ve had a great weekend and fun family night. I won't say that I miss weeding as a family, but I do miss you all!
I love the WORK WEEK! Even P-Day is super busy. But Oh I love it so. Every day is a good day at the MTC. Actually Friday was sort of tough, because we didn't teach very well that day, and we got a lot of constructive criticism. But it was so worth it for two reasons. 1. That night, I got DearElders from Katie, Dad, and You (and opened them in that order) and also got a super nice package from Motra Bland's (one of the sisters in our district) mom. It was the nicest thing ever. She gave each of the Elders socks, candy, and a personalized note. It was great. My candy was York's because Motra Bland asked what our favorite candy was beforehand. So nice. and 2. The next day, we applied everything we learned and taught an AMAZING lesson to Kejti. and the spirit was so strong. It was just amazing! So life is great here.
My favorite part of each day is personal study. It is such a blessing. I study so much more and so much harder than I did before, and it is wonderful! I wish I had shared what I knew more than I did. I go to the temple every P-Day morning and do endowments. It is pretty great!
I will send you a picture of my schedule and a picture of my district holding up a 1 for ONE MONTH. I can’t believe it has already been a month. It is crazy. And, I will already be 1/12 of the way through the mission by the time I get to Albania. But, yep, I love it, I love you. The other picture is our district making a bird symbol just like the Albanian flag.
Sorry I didn't send out a long email. Have a good week! Thanks for everything! I will be looking forward to that package! : ) — Elder Johnson
PS: Hey Katie! That's MY car! bëj shaka! (I make joke!) That is so fun for you though. Congratulations on getting your license!
—
This week we also got a letter from Elder Benson -- Elder Johnson's companion...
Sister Johnson,
Hey, This is Elder Johnson's comp, Elder Benson! I just wanted to send a quick email and say how grateful I am to have been your son's companion for the past 5 weeks. It has truly been a blessing to have someone as kind, devoted, and sincere as him. I told him this past week that I don't know if i've met anyone who is so positive as Elder Johnson. Not once have I heard him complain about anything in the MTC (except a meal or two) ;) His attitude is unreal and it's contagious. He'll always come out of devotionals and say "Isn't it wonderful to be in the last days as a missionary" and I just look at him and say "Heck yea it is". We both love being missionaries here and we work super well together. I honestly could not of asked for a better first comp.
So thank you so much for raising him the way you did. I haven't even met you but i know that you have to be an amazing person just by getting to know your son. Plus your family is so cute! Elder Johnson has showed me pics wow what a bunch of good looking humans! Thanks so much for your sacrifice and for your son. God bless your family :)
-Elder Benson
