This area is amazing!

There was a fireside last week. I wish you could have been there. It was really beautiful. It was a fireside in which the missionaries sang some hymns and some recent converts bore testimony. By the end it was near to impossible not to feel the spirit. We had an investigator there with her husband and child. It was a really big step because the only reason our investigator hadn't been baptized yet was because her husband won't let her. He's too scared she will "run away with Mormons" if she joins.

Monday 22
We had p-day.   Elder Larson bikes by me as I went for a long run. Then we went and played basketball and soccer for a few hours. After that we went and played card games. We went knocking from 6-7 pm. (p-day ends at 6) After that we went to the hospital, gave a blessing, and visited with some people in the hospital.  This is the view from St. Joseph's Hospital:

Tuesday 23
We sent an email home. After that we walked back towards home and stopped at the park for contacting and knocked on some potential investigators doors. Later we went knocking and then more potentials.

Thursday 25
The mission had a great opportunity to go to Zions camp! It is pretty much the USU ropes course with gospel principals applied to the courses we did.  It was a lot of fun. That same day we saw "Meet the Mormons," the movie coming to theaters this weekend. I think it was a really well done movie. I'm impressed the church is able to put it into theaters.

Friday 26
Elder Larson had some member friends come down from a previous area and they fed us lunch and we had a very enjoyable day with them. They have 4 young boys. We played with at the church.

Those are all the major things that happened this week. It's been a good week. This area is amazing! I couldn't think of a better area! There are so many cool things and so many humble people.

Stadium High School Area:

A Sunset a Few Nights Ago I took Riding My Bike:

On the dock down by the rich part of our area:

A view from the park near the dock:

I Felt Even More Blessed to Be Part of That Miracle

This week has been rough. Both me and Elder Larson got a bad cold/flu last week. We were not able to work as much as we had liked to. We are both getting better though not fully up to speed. But a lot better. 

Cool story of the week... last Saturday we were told to go give a blessing to a small boy who had e coli. We were able to go give the blessing and talk to the parents for a while (who are non members but one of their moms is a member and asked for us to give the blessing) Anyway, we left thinking no more of it. Two days after the blessing we got a call from the grandma and parents of the boy thanking us for giving the blessing. Apparently the boy got e coli from this ham sandwich that he and his buddy shared.  His his buddy got e coli as well but ended up dying in the hospital from it. The whole incident was in the paper and on the news. The family was very grateful for what we had done and I felt even more blessed to be a part of that miracle.

As of right now we have only one really solid family as far as it comes to investigators. Her name is Julia (38) and Metri (13) Sam (8). They are such a wonderful family and I really hope they are able to get baptized and come unto the gospel. Please keep them in your prayers. 

As I mentioned before, we cover downtown Tacoma and we meet some very odd people. I really wish I had more time to look at all the history in Tacoma. It is amazing how many old churches and buildings there are. One of my favorite places in Tacoma is Stadium High School. It looks like Hogwarts and the football field is right next to the sound. It is a really beautiful place. I'll send some pictures of it.  i took a lot of pictures this week and was exited to send a lot today. But I brought the wrong cord with me to the library! Sorry! i'll have a lot of pictures next week

This is my old zone. 

We See God's Hand at Work...

I am sorry I haven't been able to write people back but I will in time.  Expect emails on Tuesday now because all of Tacoma is closed on Mondays. I have no idea why, they just are.

I have been placed in the stadium area which is downtown Tacoma. It has some very sketchy areas which is why sister missionaries are not allowed in our area. The people here are very humble and much different then Bremerton. In Bremerton, people were just crazy and poor. The people here are just crazy, poor, and desperate for help.

Two hospitals are in our area, both the Tacoma General and St. Joseph which means we get calls daily to go over to visit people in the ER and rooms. We give at least 2 blessings a day and each time we see God's hand at work. it is spectacular to see God perform things through us that are impossible. There was one time that we went and gave a blessing to a women who just had open heart surgery and could not breath on her own. We gave her blessing and then she was able to breath all by herself. The doctors could not explain it but we knew it was God performing his work.

I miss Elders Kliene and Anderson. I don't know how I got so close to them so fast. Elder Larson is very good at talking with people even more so then my old companions. The ward here is a lot stronger than in Bremerton, but very poor. The bishop is busier than any bishop I've met. He served in the Army, ran college track and xc, then coached the University of Pudget Sound in xc to take 3rd at nationals. The picture is of me and Elder Larson at the bishop's home with his very loved, live size replica of Jar Jar Binks.

Don't send packages to me here or letters with anything valuable. Please send those to the mission office where it will be safe.

-Elder Johnson

Transfer: Bremerton to Tacoma

Yesterday was labor day so I couldn't get on the computers. I'm sorry to cut this short but I'm going to transfer meeting then to my new area so I only have a few moments.

I am going to the Stadium Ward in Tacoma. It is on the east side. My companion will be Elder Larsen who I have heard good things about.

I am very sad to leave Elder Kleine and Anderson. They have been dear friends to me.