Writings from West Virginia: First Week of the New Transfer!

Hello family and friends!

This week has been great! Let's jump into the highlights:

On Thursday, I took Elder Garrett up to Princeton to meet the van that would take him to transfers. It was really hard to say goodbye to him. Over the last 6 months, he's become a dear friend, and I am really grateful to have had the chance to know him. He's a great guy. Good luck in whatever you choose to do Z!

Elder Sawyer is here! It is really weird to have him back around me. I haven't seen him for forever! He is still the great, big teddy bear that I remember, and he is ready to work hard and turn Hillsville into a thriving center of the church! I know that he can! They had an amazing week this week, which is already showing the fruits of their commitment.

That night we had dinner at the V.'s house! Brother V. likes to take the missionaries out after we eat dinner with him, and so he took us to see a few people!

The first was a man named T. He had met with missionaries in the past, and adores the church. He's an older man, [who watches] religious things on TV. He's watched a ton of the BYU channel, and when we went over there, he basically taught us about the Restoration! He taught things that I didn't even know! How crazy is that? He is an awesome guy. We gave him CDs from last General Conference, and told him we'd be back in a couple weeks to see what he learned and how he liked them. I'll bet he'll have some more insights for us!

We also went and saw a man that I had never met before, R. He's a member of the church that hasn't been to church in YEARS, but still likes us. He had a really energetic dog that absolutely loved to play fetch. It was kinda funny. If you didn't pick up the object, she would start to nudge it with her nose or bark at you. Silly dog. It was funny.

Friday morning was pretty fun! There was a wedding at the church for two new move ins to the ward in the other elder's area. We got invited, and so we got to see them exchange vows, drop the ring, take pictures, etc. It was great! I wish them a long life of happiness together. :)

We also got invited to a Mennonite dinner on Friday, so we went! I had never really been around Mennonite's before, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. But man, if there is anything I know, it's that they can COOK! That food was so good. I wanted a crockpot full of it. It was awesome!

Friday night was really cool. Elder F. was ordained and elder and set apart as a missionary, and we were able to see it happen! We even got to participate! How cool is that? So cool! He is a great young man, and I wish him the best as he goes and serves! He will be great. Good luck Elder F.!

Saturday we had a really cool experience. Brother M. (a less active in the ward) had his mom, sister, and daughter out from Utah for the week, and they invited us, and J.'s (Bro. M.'s girlfriend) whole family over for a party of sorts! It was awesome! With 20 or 30 people there, Bro. M. goes and gets 40 or 50 balloons for this party. He gives us each a few balloons and has us right a prayer on them. We all gathered around in the field in a circle, holding on to our balloons, sung a song, had a prayer, and released the balloons up to heaven. Total Light of Christ meeting. The Spirit was strong. It was awesome.

Sunday was a great day, as usual! Unfortunately, no one came to Sacrament meeting, which was a real bummer. We were pretty disappointed. We did have a few people say they would come next week though! Doubling up our faith and hoping they come!

Yesterday, for Pday, we hung out with the Hillsville elders most of the day. Played some tennis, cards, made some homemade donuts, etc. Really just took it easy for a while. It was nice. After pday ended, we went to see the K.'s! Hadn't seen them for a bit, so we caught up and talked for a while. It was a nice end to an easy day.

Thank you all so much for your support! I am the man I am today because of all the great people in my life. I love you all, and make this week the best week ever!

Love,

Elder Brax Johnson