Dear Family and Friends,
I am still adjusting to the lifestyle here and I continue to love the people here more and more as the hours go by. Opening the Binolonan area is fantastic and the members in our ward are so strong and help us all the time with the lessons we teach to our investigators.
As I started the week I wasn't feeling very good, I was feeling very discouraged and frustrated with the language, the culture, and I was feeling very alone. As we were walking around I noticed the stars. The stars here are beautiful you can see so many of them since there aren't any city lights to drown them out. It really calmed me and humbled me. I realized how much time it takes that light to reach us here on Earth and was very thankful to our Heavenly Father that he prepared those stars millions of years ago for us to look up at and remember that he will abandon us. Another thing that helped me through this week is a goal I set for myself to make at least 40 people every day smile. I keep track of this in the back of my Book of Mormon and whenever I feel sad, I look at all the smiles I helped make and I see how much influence I have had on my mission already!
I was reading through the letters I had gotten in the MTC and came across a letter from my dad that had a quote from After Earth that really helped through the week which reads
" Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may never exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me; danger is very real, but fear is a choice" -Cypher Raige
I have no need to be afraid while I'm here, all the Lord expects of me is to do my best, to give my all, and I cannot do that if I'm preoccupied about bucket showers, eating balut, getting mosquito bites, etc. If I try my hardest, I WILL NOT fail, I CANNOT fail. I can do whatever I put my mind to. I thank you all for your continuing support as it continues to help me when I struggle.
Thank you again, MAHAL KITA, See you all in 2,
Elder Johnson
I am still adjusting to the lifestyle here and I continue to love the people here more and more as the hours go by. Opening the Binolonan area is fantastic and the members in our ward are so strong and help us all the time with the lessons we teach to our investigators.
As I started the week I wasn't feeling very good, I was feeling very discouraged and frustrated with the language, the culture, and I was feeling very alone. As we were walking around I noticed the stars. The stars here are beautiful you can see so many of them since there aren't any city lights to drown them out. It really calmed me and humbled me. I realized how much time it takes that light to reach us here on Earth and was very thankful to our Heavenly Father that he prepared those stars millions of years ago for us to look up at and remember that he will abandon us. Another thing that helped me through this week is a goal I set for myself to make at least 40 people every day smile. I keep track of this in the back of my Book of Mormon and whenever I feel sad, I look at all the smiles I helped make and I see how much influence I have had on my mission already!
I was reading through the letters I had gotten in the MTC and came across a letter from my dad that had a quote from After Earth that really helped through the week which reads
" Fear is not real. The only place that fear can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may never exist. That is near insanity. Do not misunderstand me; danger is very real, but fear is a choice" -Cypher Raige
I have no need to be afraid while I'm here, all the Lord expects of me is to do my best, to give my all, and I cannot do that if I'm preoccupied about bucket showers, eating balut, getting mosquito bites, etc. If I try my hardest, I WILL NOT fail, I CANNOT fail. I can do whatever I put my mind to. I thank you all for your continuing support as it continues to help me when I struggle.
Thank you again, MAHAL KITA, See you all in 2,
Elder Johnson