The Spirit Teaches!

Hello everyone! It's been a crazy week this week! Lots of responsibility! It's fun though! I don't have a whole lot to go over today, but let's jump into the highlights of what I do have!

On Tuesday morning we had District Meeting! In our district we have:

Lexington 1 - Elders Ostler and Criddle

Lexington 2 - Sisters Kelly and Christopherson

Rockbridge - Elders Morgan (Our DL) and Kelly

Us

It was a blast! Elder Morgan, who goes home in 2 weeks, taught a great district meeting! We had a lot of fun, and I learned quite a bit, especially about baptismal interviews and dealing with tough situations. It was awesome!

That night we had dinner with the F. family, E. & E., who have only been married for a month and a half! They fed us an awesome dinner of delicious pork chops, and then came out to a lesson with Sister C. with us! The lesson went great, and the Spirit was strong. The F. [family] are super excited to fellowship Sister C. now! And now she is just that much closer to coming back to church. We will get her someday soon! We know it. She is such a great lady.

Skipping to Thursday, we had a really fun morning! Normally Thursdays drag on a little bit because it is Weekly Planning day, but we had a great chance to mix it up a little bit and got to do a missionary panel for a mission prep camp called Zion's Camp! It was super fun. We answered some awesome questions that really made you think about your mission experience. We get to do it again this coming Thursday for the next group of Zion's campers! I'm excited.

Friday was a blast! I had the opportunity to go with Elder Wheeler, one of our amazing District Leaders, on exchanges to his area of White Sulphur Springs/Lewisburg! Their area is HUUUUGE. One of the biggest in the mission, I know that. Like, 80 miles across and something like that vertically too. They make it work though! 

We had an awesome lesson with one of their investigating families while we were there. One of their teenage daughters had gotten anti'd by some of her friends the night before, and so she had a lot of honest questions and it was good to be able to help her see what the true answers were. They are progressing and we're super excited for them!

We also invited that daughter (M.) to come with us to a party that the ward there was throwing in celebration of the 24th! She had a really awesome time, and the Young Women's President (who was the party host) just wrapped her up with fellowship. It was so great to see members going out of their way to help a nonmember feel welcome. All in all, it was a fantastic exchange!

Sunday was amazing for me! We had a great sacrament meeting, you could feel the spirit just moving through everyone there. It was strong. Our Stake President, President J., who was presiding since our bishop was out of town, stood up right before the closing prayer and encouraged everyone who wanted more fully to access the power of the Atonement in their lives to speak with Bishop D. It was a call to repentance in the most humble, powerful, bold, and loving way. The Spirit taught everyone there that day that wanted it. It was great.

We also had a great lesson after church with a new investigator, G. We tracted into her a couple weeks ago, and this was our follow up appointment. The first time, we had left her with a Book of Mormon and Restoration Pamphlet and encouraged her to find out for herself. She didn't take it at first, but after some persistence, she decided that it couldn't hurt. 

Well, we come into this appointment and say the prayer and everything, and she pulls out like 10 pages of notes!!! She studied! She also says, "Sorry, I was really busy these past two weeks, and I was only able to get through the first two books of Nephi." I think our jaws hit the floor, including our member friend we brought with us, P. She had a lot of questions and concerns, but is open to learning more. I don't think I've ever met someone who knew the bible more than she does. It's crazy awesome!

I love you all! Thank you for your prayers and support! Know that I know that this gospel is true, and missionary work is the work of God on the Earth. Have a great week, and make it the best one yet!

Love,

Elder Brax Johnson

From last week - Elder Numbers.

From last week. Best dinner ever.

This place is amazing!

There I am!

#lovegolf

friends from the ward. :)

Miracle Week Two!

Hello everyone! Family and Friends! I hope your week was amazing! 

I don't have a whole lot of time, but I do have some highlights to jump into! 

On Tuesday I had the chance to go on exchanges with Elder Nielsen in Timberlake! It was so much fun!! I came out on my mission with Elder Nielsen, so this exchange was a particular tender mercy for us. We had a blast together. He is one of my most favorite missionaries (don't get me wrong, I love everyone, but I love him A LOT). It was great. We had a good time and set someone on date for baptism! That will take place August 8th. Great things are happening!

Wednesday afternoon we had the chance to teach J&B again! I'm not sure if I have written about them before, but they are awesome. They've been meeting with missionaries for quite a while, but haven't really been keeping commitments or progressing or anything like that. This lesson though, J. told us that he had read just a little out of the Book of Mormon since our previous visit! :D It was awesome! This is huge progression for him. We are super excited about it, and are hoping for some good things to be happening in the future!

I HAVE to tell you about Thursday dinner. We get fed pretty much every night in this ward (because they are the bomb.com) and Thursday night the C. family asked us to come over for dinner! They are an awesome couple that have been married for just over a year now, and the are HILARIOUS. Basically, long story short, is we had CAVEMAN STYLE DINNER! He texted us the day before asking us to come in casual clothes. We were confused, but did just in case whatever he made was messy. It was! Spaghetti! With no utensils or plates. Try THAT one sometime. It was such a blast. I just wanted to throw that little tidbit in there. We still have fun out here! We even shared a good message about being a wild and ferocious (and eating with hands) people.

Friday to Saturday was also a fun day! We had exchanges with Lynchburg this time! Elder Hallewell, who came out two weeks ago, came to BV with me! We had a blast together. He's a big rock climber from Vegas/Hurricane, Utah. He'll be a fantastic missionary!

Skipping to Sunday! WE HAD THE BESTEST MOST MIRACLE DAY EVER! The YSA ward was really awesome (it always is) and there always has to be a talk on marriage and family given. At least a reference. Every. Single. Week. It's funny. :P The family ward was ALSO great! We stepped out early to go to interviews with President Salisbury! That was such a blast. We're so blessed to have him in the mission. He's an amazing man! He taught me a lot about being an example in our interview and things like that. It was great!

That evening, we took Bro T., our Ward Mission Leader, out with us to see some people. Set up two return appoints for today and later this week, and then we went to contact a referral the B. family had given us. B. is an older lady, probably in her 80s, and her husband just passed away last month. The B's are very good friends with B. and her late husband and they are over there often. Well, it just so happened that as we go up, the B's are there too, talking to B. and her daughter D., who lives with her because she has some health problems. We chat for a bit and get to know what their desires and hopes are and get a feel for them and their life. After that, we start teaching the Plan of Salvation. We both got that prompting. I'm glad we did! We had the best Plan of Salvation lesson EVER and set them both on date to be baptized! They are super gung-ho about it and excited. We are too! They are going to be so great additions to the church. We caught them with the concept of eternal families and sealing. They saw the picture of the Salt Lake Temple and  that caught their attention. B. asked us if she could be sealed to her husband and her parents even though they were already gone. We told her they could, and she pondered about that and let the Spirit work his magic.

It's been a fantastic week here in Buena Vista! The Lord truly knows every single one of his children. Even in an area that's only 4 square miles, we still see miracles. I have a testimony of the power of the Lord and His ability to prepare people and make things happen. 

I love you all! Thank you for your support of me and all the prayers. I really feel them! Have a great week! Make it the best one ever!

Love,

Elder Brax Johnson

Miracle Week!

Hello hello everyone! We had an amazing week this week! The Lord really blessed us for the effort we've been putting in to really become consecrated and full purpose missionaries! Here are some of the highlights of the past week:

For P-day last Monday we met up as a District and had fun playing at the soccer fields that SVU uses! It was drizzling a little bit, so that made it all the more fun! A few young men also were there to play with us, but they are like, actual soccer players, so they won. A lot. :P It was still a blast though to get out and run!

Tuesday was a CRAZY, but really AWESOME day. We had MLC on Tuesday, which stands for Mission Leadership Council. All the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders meet President and the Assistants in Charleston at 9 in the morning. That was an amazing experience. A lot of my friends in the mission were there, including my former companion Elder Davis! I forgot to grab pictures, so that was a bummer, but oh well! I learned a LOT (It was a 7 hour conference, so there was a lot of time to learn a lot, haha). I am excited to be serving the capacity that I am! I hope I can be a blessing to those that I lead.

After MLC, which ended at 4, we went on an exchange with the Assistants! I had the chance to stay in Charleston wit Elder Markowski! IT WAS AMAZING! He taught me so much, and we were only together for 24 hours! I am applying what I learned the best way that I can so that I can be the best missionary I can be! He really did teach me a lot. We had a blast together.

Skipping ahead to Thursday, we had two Stake Correlations! Stake Correlation is when the missionaries, Stake President, Mission President, and anyone else the Stake/Mission President invites comes to a meeting at the Stake Center to discuss the missionary work of the stake! Unfortunately, President Salisbury wasn't able to be there, so for the first Stake Correlation it was just us, President B. (Mission Presidency counselor), and a High Councilman from the BV stake (Becuase the Stake President wansn't able to be there either.) It was a really great meeting though!

The second Correlation meeting was with the YSA Stake President and one of his high councilmen! President Bohon also came to that one. President Brotherson (Stake Pres) is a really awesome guy, and we had a really good conversation about what we can do better as a YSA stake. I think usually the YSA elders usually go to that stake correlation, but since we are covering the YSA ward for the summer, it was our job! 

Thursday night we had a miracle! We were invited over to dinner with the G. family, who are house-sitting for another member family while they are on vacation! We had a fun dinner and lesson with them, but the reason I bring them up was the prayer at the end and it's results! They had their younger son, C., who is probably around 9 or 10, say the closing prayer. In his prayer, he asked that the missionaries (us) be led to those that need to hear the gospel. It was a really nice thing for him to say, and we said thank you and went on our way.

Not 5 minutes later, just down the street, we stop and talk to this lady (literally two doors down from the G. family). At first, she really isn't interested. She was married to a less-active LDS man for a while, but they got a divorce. She also expressed some discontentment with the way she felt some members of the church had judged her (not sure how true that is, but it was a definite concern that we wanted to help her with). We kept being persistent and talking with her, and eventually Elder Numbers asked if he could share a scripture with her. The scripture, out of 2 Nephi 4, totally softened her heart and she suddenly became interested! It was a miracle! We picked her up as a new investigator, and she committed to baptism "after she learned more and felt she was ready!" WOOOO!!! It was amazing.

Friday continued the amazingness of Thursday, starting with Zone Meeting! I was pretty nervous, but it was amazing! The Sister Training Leaders came up from Roanoke to help us teach, and they were a HUGE help! We really focused on getting the zone involved in the conversation so that we weren't just spewing information at them and them not getting anything out of it. By doing that, we got insights from just about everybody, and we were all edified and uplifted! It was fantastic. We were really blessed!

That night we had a lesson with our less active that we've been working with, Sister C.! She is moving along, and is slowly getting better at dealing with the problems she faces in life. We brought an 18 year old young man, Z., to the lesson with us, and that was awesome! He is such a fantastic teacher, it was a real blessing to bring him along. She still isn't coming to church though, so we are going to hammer that one next lesson! She's so close to returning to activity. She just needs a good push in the right direction and more and more fellowship.

Saturday afternoon we had a lesson with a girl named S.! She has been investigating for a long time, and has some real desires to change her life and become better. We are really blessed to be able to teach her! We brought a YSA guy named B., our YSA Ward Mission Leader and the son of the Family ward Bishop. He got back from his mission to Alberta about a year ago, and he's still a great teacher! It was HUGE to take him with us, and we think it helped S. out a lot. We're hoping to get her to church sometime soon!

Later that day, another miracle occurred! We were tracting around a less actives house, and we ran into this girl, T. At first she gives the usual response that she is Christian and goes to church, so whatever, but we are PERSISTENT missionaries, and kept talking to her! Had a great conversation about prophets and false prophets and recognizing the true from the false. Her heart was opened, we set a return appointment (for tonight!), got her number and address, and left! It was great. The Lord really blessed His missionaries.

Church on Sunday was fantastic! It always is. The sacrament was especially meaningful to me this time around. I'm so grateful for the chance I have to renew my covenants EACH WEEK! That is a tender mercy that we all have the opportunity to experience. Elder Numbers and I actually both gave talks about Baptism in church! I love to speak in public, so it was a blast for me! I hope that my message was able to be taken into the hearts of the congregation! I asked for referrals, you know, because I'm a missionary. :P It was kinda funny.

That was my week! Thank you all for your love and support of me this past year! I love all of you and hope you have a fantastic week! Make it the best one yet!

Love,

Elder B Johnson

A gift from Elder Numbers! A Zelda replica - Shout out to Ryan!!!

My great note from the Elders! :)

Mom - I'm cleaning it up! I promise :)

Our couch. :) Look how clean the floor is!

Semi organized desk!

It Feels Like Utah! - I'm in Buena Vista, VA!

Hello friends and family! I am here safe and sound in Buena Vista, and I am having a blast! I'm with Elder Numbers, an awesome guy from Utah! We are already having a blast together.

Let's get into the highlights of the week!

Last Wednesday we went up with the Hillsville Elders and Bluefield Sisters to a place called Comer's Rock and Hale Lake. It was absolutely beautiful! Comer's Rock is a big lookout place, and it was just crazy to see so many of God's wonderful creations, all wrapped up in one great view.

That night I said my final goodbyes to Ch., S., Sister B., and T.. I also said goodbye to R. and J. and many other friends. Goodbyes are hard, but I'm thankful for this opportunity to be here in Buena Vista.

Thursday was a crazy busy day! Transfers was really fun though. Elder Bean and I spent most of the day with Elder Bingham as he packed up, and he and I hopped on the van around 4, said goodbye to Elder Bean, and headed East! I got into BV around 8:30 and met my new companion, Elder Numbers, as well as Elder Morgan, who is the District Leader of our district! He is with Elder Kelly, the same that I went to school with and served around in Kentucky! That is going to be super fun to be able to be with them.

Friday I finally saw some of my area! What's really funny, is that our area is like 2.5 miles x 2.5 miles. That's the whole ward. I'm serving in Utah! It's so much fun! I'm super excited to be able to serve here for the time that the Lord wants me to be here. I also got to meet our Ward Mission Leader on Friday, Brother T. He is a fireball who has an amazing testimony of missionary work and is just a hilarious guy to be around. 

We went with Bro. T that night to see a less active lady named Sister C. She was baptized when she was a teenager, around 40 years ago. She got scared from some anti-material, and decided not to go back for the time being. The missionaries started meeting with her a while ago, and after a couple amazing spiritual experiences, she is slowly but surely coming back to her covenants! We are super excited for her.

Saturday was America day! Not a whole lot happened, it seemed everyone was out of town to go see the fireworks. We did have a cool experience that night though! We went to go try a former investigator, P. We walked up to his house, and he is sitting on his porch talking to his friend, who we've never met. We get talking, and the guy, C., is super impressed with what we're doing. He seems interested, so we get into the conversation about the Book of Mormon, and long story short, got a great potential investigator! We're hoping we'll be able to meet with him sometime soon. He committed to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it. Wooo!

Also, the member who fed us dinner hung up a UK flag and fed us Fish n' chips. It was hilariously awesome.

Sundays are great here! Because of Southern Virginia University, Buena Vista has a really big Mormon presence. When school is in session, there are YSA missionaries that cover the 6 wards there, but when school is out, there isn't a whole lot of need for them, so we get to cover our family ward as well as the YSA summer ward! Two wards! Two sacraments! We usually only go to Sacrament in the YSA ward from 9 to 10 and then all 3 hours at the family ward from 1 to 4. 

I had the chance to bear my testimony in the family ward. Elder Numbers and I thought it would be a great way to show the ward that we [the missionaries] are ready and excited to serve them, and that we really want to. I'm really thankful for the opportunity that we have to bear our testimonies in fast and testimony meeting. 

Lastly, on Sunday we got to teach a man named J.! We picked him back up as an investigator and had a really good lesson with him and his friend B. It was a bit all over the place, but he did commit to reading and praying about the Book of Mormon, and B. said the closing prayer in the lesson! That like, NEVER happens! The Spirit can do some really amazing things.

That's my letter for this week! Thank you all for your kind words and support to me! Thank you for all of your prayers in my behalf. I know that prayer has power, and that God really does hear and answer all of his children who ask in faith. I love all of you, and hope this is the best week ever!

Love,

Elder Brax Johnson

Beautiful Virginia!

Elder Sawyer!

Strangling poor Elder Bean. :)

Beautiful Virginia again!

Saying goodbye to good friends!

Goodbyes are hard! Friends for a lifetime.

Will it all fit?

Ta-Da!

Elder Numbers!

My heart is staying in Wytheville!

I am leaving Wytheville after 7 months! This place has absolutely changed my entire life. I love it (especially those in the ward, those I taught, and the families I love) and I will miss it here. I am headed to Buena Vista​! In BV there is SVU, a small college/university that actually is geared more toward the LDS community! One of my favorite authors, Orson Scott Card, teaches at SVU! I MIGHT GET TO MEET HIIIIMMMM! That is so cool.

The week has been full of goodbyes. Been crazy busy with everything. This is going to be short, because I need to get going, but here are some highlights: 

Last Thursday we did service at the Food Kitchen! It was my last time, and it was actually really really fun. I love seeing how happy the people get by getting fed good food. It makes me smile when people get excited by something I do/did.

On Saturday morning, we got a call from G. He was having a hard time with some of his family, because they treat him really poorly. It was a great show of faith for him to call us and ask us to come over and talk with him. We shared some scriptures and really just chilled out and calmed him down. Elder Bean gave him an amazing blessing, it made G. and I cry. He also came to basketball that night, and I think the exercise was good for him too.

Sunday was Stake Conference in Pembroke! A member of the 6th quorum of the seventy, Alain L Allard, from Montreal, came to preside. It was a really awesome meeting. President Averett gave a great talk about Covenants, the associated promises, and the sacrifices we need to sometimes make to gain the blessings. I have a testimony that sacrifice brings blessings. The Lord never forgets those who "give up something [they] love to the God [they] love even more."

President and Sister Salisbury also attended Stake Conference! After the meeting, the Hillsville elders and I were standing next to the bathroom, waiting for Elder Bean, when up walks President! He pulls out these sheets of white paper that are stapled together, tells us that it's the information on where EVERYONE in the mission is going, and starts taunting us with it! Looking us up and talking all vaguely about our new areas/companions. Gosh dang it President! I still love him though. He is an amazing man. 

I was so excited Tuesday night to find out that I was going to Buena Vista. For those who don't know, BV has a lot of personal meaning to a family member who is very close to me, and he and I are pretty close, so it is a huge tender mercy for both of us that I will be going there to serve. I am thankful for this chance, and it's just a testimony builder to me that the Lord really knows who we are and is watching over us.

Sorry this is so short! I love you all, but I have to get running. Busy day today too. Going on a hike! Have a great week, and make it the best one yet!

Love,

Elder Brax Johnson

Side note: Brax will be serving with Elder Numbers. They will be the Zone Leaders for the Buena Vista area.

Thank you mom for the recipe! We made 100 cookies!

A goodbye dessert from the M. family! So good!!!

I have a lot of stuff to pack...