I Think She Was Concussed

Kia Ora my amazing whanau!  Man it was so good to be able to hear from you guys this week AND to hear your voices!  I had a very good Christmas.  I got to spend it with such amazing people that I consider family.  That helped me not really think about home or feel sad about anything.  Talking with you- that was the best Christmas present I could have gotten!  I could have talked to you guys all day, but it was important that I was obedient to the rules.  It was so good to talk though, man, I wish we could do that more often!  It gives me something to look forward to!

Elder Johnson, Sister Ruka, Elder Benetito

Elder Johnson's Christmas Feast

Sister Ruka and Raj

Elder Benetito, Elder Numanga, Elder Bartholomew, Elder Johnson with their member family

Sister Ruka loves Elder Johnson

Elder Johnson

After hanging up with you guys, I will admit, I was pretty upset.  I was crying for like 45 minutes.  I really missed being home and missing Christmas!  I was able to pull myself together just in time to go on a trade off with the Zone leaders.  I really wasn't in the mood to go with them because they like to correct me for everything.  I went with Elder Poloai.  It ended up going pretty well, I told him everything I have been doing--like setting goals and trying my best to be better.  He was actually really cool.  We talked with heaps of people on the side of the road.  One lady we talked with, her name was Jane...she was weird as!  I thought she was drunk....she said she had just fallen down a hill, I think she was concussed.  She was all cut up and told us that she had broken her back in three places so it was really hard for her to balance. As we were talking with her, she told us she was having a really hard time in life at the moment.  She's lost 5 family members in the past 2 years.  Me and Elder Poloai looked at each other and got her a Plan of Salvation pamphlet.  I asked her if I could say a prayer for her right then and there.  She said yes, that would be great.  As I was praying, I could hear her feet moving around a lot in the gravel.  I finished the prayer and looked up and she was loosing balance!  She fell down and just owned her head!!!  I ran off my bike and picked her up.  She was in heaps of pain and it made it worse for her to walk.  We asked her where she lived, and she said right across the road.  I just picked her up and carried her across the road.  Ha, while Elder Poloai (the big Samoan) just walked our bikes! ha ha come on!  It was a good experience because she invited us back to teach her more and us helping her really softened her heart, I believe!  It was nice to be able to adjust back into missionary work.

Yesterday, after church, we had a dinner appointment with the Reynolds family.  They made us heaps of food!  I ate it, of course!  Then we got a call from another member of the ward, Brother Donaldson.  He is the fellowship of a young boy we're teaching named, Kane.  He's the man!  He's 8 years old and is so keen to be baptized.  He told his moms (yes, he has two moms, I'll let you guys figure that one out!)  He told them we were coming over for dinner and to have a lesson with them!  So we got picked up and went to another dinner appointment--and I ate that all up!  We had such an amazing lesson with Kane.  Elder Benetito led the lesson and did very well!  I was proud of him cause normally he gets really scared!  It was so good, Kane is ready to be baptized.

Those were the highlights of my week!  It was so good to hear from you all.  I love you and miss you so much.  Thanks for all that you do.  I pray for you everyday.  I love you guys!

Love,
Elder Johnson