Hello!
Mom, your email made my week. That's so cute that Sean and Lia insist you two to be there now. I'm so excited to meet them. :)))) I love having random connections to people. Yesterday, I met a mainlander who's English name is Sean. Spelled just like the way my younger brother spells his name. He was a great guy and had a bit of interest in the gospel...which reminds me I need to send his information to our zone leaders who are mandarin missionaries (one of which actually knows Kenzie Coe...the world gets smaller when you get older). Random connections. Gotta love them.
As for meeting my mission president, you might be able to? His office is also in the mission office, so I don't know how you would go about that without visiting me, but the person who's spot I took over had his family come to Hong Kong and they were in the building where the office is, but never saw him. So it might be possible? I'm not sure, though.
I heard Disneyland Hong Kong is pretty small and pretty expensive as well, but I don't know much about the price, but even if you weren't to come to Kowloon Tong, I would recommend visiting Hong Kong. It's a really wonderful place. The New Territories, Kowloon, and Hong Kong Island are all very different compared to each other.
Last week was pretty interesting! Kayla (now Sister) Alder (from Jacob Lake) entered the mission field...in the China Hong Kong Mission. She also happens to be in my district! Again...the world is so small.
Also...Michelle North is going on a mission?! Where is she serving?!?!?
I've been studying a lot on the grace of Jesus Christ a lot this week. It's really been so great for me. I feel that I've come so much closer to my Savior.
I'm a perfectionist. I'm really afraid of saying something dumb, or being a bad teacher, or having poor grammar when speaking Chinese. So sometimes, this causes me to have stress because I feel that I'm not living up to the standards that are expected. However, I've come to realize, that just as we're not worthy to lower the bar of standards that God expects of us, we are also not worthy to raise the bar of standards that God expects of us. Because Christ paid for the penalties of justice, He can give us His own requirements He expects of us and that is to repent- to strive to change our lives to continue to live and follow His footsteps. Once we understand that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not for the perfection of the saints, but for the perfecting of the saints, we will be filled with peace. We will have a stronger desire to serve God and live (not just know about) His gospel. We won't be discouraged when we fall. We will understand that Christ is there for us to pick us up and help us continue to light our lives in the darkest of our trials. Oh, how I am so grateful for Christ and His Atonement. Learning about His grace, about how through Him we can truly do anything, really has blessed my life and has helped me to always remember Him. Through Him we can do anything. We may have to try a couple of times, but due to His sacrifice we can be picked up from our falls and try again to be better. If any of you are discouraged because you feel that what you are doing is not enough, now that you are appreciated and loved. Christ is pulling with you. As long as we strive to continue to live the gospel of Jesus Christ we are living up to our standards. When learning to play the piano, the choices are not only performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting playing the piano. Practice is required. Hitting a wrong note during practice does not keep us from performing in Carnegie Hall. "Falling short" does not keep us from receiving the blessings of Heaven. However, we must practice.
I'm so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I know that He lives. I know that He appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith to fully restore His original church to be back on this earth. I'm so grateful for Christ. He is my Savior, and He is your's as well.
I love you all. I hope you all have a great week, and allow the grace of Jesus Christ to enter your life.
Grace shall be as your day,
-Elder Johnson :)))
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Jan 21, 2013
Hello!
How are you all doing this week?? This week went by sooo fast! It was just jam packed with finding new apartments, moving other apartments, sending referrals to other missions, etc. I'm not going to lie, I'm tired, but it feels so good.
How is everyone doing? I hope you all are doing well!
"I recognize that there is always more to learn, but hope that we can better understand the things we already know." I love that statement, dad. I completely agree with that statement. As we go through life, we face many challenges and approach obstacles we have never faced before. No matter how difficult these things can get, truth does not change. We are still a huge part of the grand and glorious plan that our Father in Heaven has given us. He has given us so much worth, for we are His children. We all are brothers and sisters. We were all made differently- each of us having different talents and gifts that we can share to the world. As we begin to better understand the things we already know- who we are, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going- we will continue to feel the love that God has for us. We will also be able to grow and cause a synergistic relationship among all of those we meet. Our own strengths will work with the strengths of others, and we will work our way together towards eternal progression. There are sometimes where we feel that our works are unnoticed, or that we haven't had as great of an influence to the world as you would like. I want you all to know this is false. Our Father has designed a glorious plan for each of us. Just as a body will have difficult time functioning correctly without certain organs, the world would have a difficult time progressing without any of us. I'm so grateful that our Father in Heaven has allowed me to be able to know this growing up. I know that His plan is specific. He loves us all. We are of great worth to this life, and more importantly to Him. He loves us. With all of His heart. He wants us to succeed. Therefore, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, for us to be able to succeed. Because of the Atoning sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, we too can overcome death and we can overcome sin to return to our Father's presence and live with Him for eternity in an eternal, joyful state.
I know that this Church is true. Joseph was called as a prophet at a young age just like the prophets of old. He testified of Christ and through him, Christ restored the fullness of His church on this earth so that we can all partake of this glorious gospel. This church has the fullness of the gospel and will bring our lives eternal happiness. I know this to be true. In the name of our Savior, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Johnson
How are you all doing this week?? This week went by sooo fast! It was just jam packed with finding new apartments, moving other apartments, sending referrals to other missions, etc. I'm not going to lie, I'm tired, but it feels so good.
How is everyone doing? I hope you all are doing well!
"I recognize that there is always more to learn, but hope that we can better understand the things we already know." I love that statement, dad. I completely agree with that statement. As we go through life, we face many challenges and approach obstacles we have never faced before. No matter how difficult these things can get, truth does not change. We are still a huge part of the grand and glorious plan that our Father in Heaven has given us. He has given us so much worth, for we are His children. We all are brothers and sisters. We were all made differently- each of us having different talents and gifts that we can share to the world. As we begin to better understand the things we already know- who we are, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going- we will continue to feel the love that God has for us. We will also be able to grow and cause a synergistic relationship among all of those we meet. Our own strengths will work with the strengths of others, and we will work our way together towards eternal progression. There are sometimes where we feel that our works are unnoticed, or that we haven't had as great of an influence to the world as you would like. I want you all to know this is false. Our Father has designed a glorious plan for each of us. Just as a body will have difficult time functioning correctly without certain organs, the world would have a difficult time progressing without any of us. I'm so grateful that our Father in Heaven has allowed me to be able to know this growing up. I know that His plan is specific. He loves us all. We are of great worth to this life, and more importantly to Him. He loves us. With all of His heart. He wants us to succeed. Therefore, he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, for us to be able to succeed. Because of the Atoning sacrifice that Christ has made in our behalf, we too can overcome death and we can overcome sin to return to our Father's presence and live with Him for eternity in an eternal, joyful state.
I know that this Church is true. Joseph was called as a prophet at a young age just like the prophets of old. He testified of Christ and through him, Christ restored the fullness of His church on this earth so that we can all partake of this glorious gospel. This church has the fullness of the gospel and will bring our lives eternal happiness. I know this to be true. In the name of our Savior, even Jesus Christ, Amen.
-Elder Johnson
Monday, December 10, 2012
December 10, 2012
Hello!! How are you????
So...craziness. The LAST thing I expected to ever happen to me happened a couple of days ago. In fact, I've never even thought of this happening quite literally. I am now training to be an office elder. Yes. The "supplies manager and referral secretary". A big title meaning I do simple tasks that I don't know how to do. ;) Work with computers, buying supplies, referrals being sent to other mission, and driving around Hong Kong doing tasks with my companion who is the housing coordinator. Yes. I said driving. In that case, could you send me my driver's license as soon as possible? I need to apply for a Hong Kong driver's license. Being an office elder also includes living in one of the apartments in the temple right next to the temple president's apartment and the mission president's apartment. Cool, huh? :)
The zone that I was in was great! It was going very strong! There should be quite a few baptisms this month in the New Territories stake! Soo exciting to see the New Territories grow so fast within only a few months.
We haven't had our Christmas program just yet. We'll be having it on Christmas Eve (for the mission) and for the Open House at the new chapel in the New Territories on Christmas. My friend Elder Hazen (from Temecula whom my great friend Lexie Andersen knows!) and I are singing The First Noel together. He's probably one of the best musicians I've ever met. It's SUCH a great opportunity to be able to sing with him.
Hi dad!!
That's so exciting to hear about the travel approval!! I'll definitely talk to my mission president to see if you all might be able to visit. If he says that it's alright, it might have to be just for one hour, but I'm not too sure.
As for Christmas, we won't be able to Skype. I'm sorry :\ BUT we still get to talk on the phone! We're allowed to talk on the 25th orthe 26th of December (our time). Do you know what the time difference is? What time would be best for you all to call?? Also you don't need to worry about getting a phone card, I can easily get a phone card for really cheap over here. That's so exciting that everyone will be able to be together!!! :D
I'm definitely happy and healthy. I love the work! Being in the office is great. My new companion is a native and this next move is his last move, so there's quite a bit to be learned. I'm so excited to learn so much from him.
I love being on a mission. I've been learning a lot. One thing that I've been thinking a lot about is something that I've been lacking and it's a part of a Christ-like attribute- humility. One of the things that causes one to become humble is to have the ability to be taught- again a quality of which I want, yet need to work hard for. As we allow ourselves to learn from those around us, we are able to become the kind of people that we want to be and more importantly we can become the kind of people that our Heavenly Father wants us to be. As said by my mission president the first step to be inspiring is to be willing to be inspired. There are so many times when I look back and think, "Man, that would have been such a great opportunity to learn from that person." But thank goodness there is repentance so that we all can strive to be "reborn" every week as we partake of the sacrament.
This time of year is such a special time. It is when the entire world brightens and remembers the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. However, it is not the only time to remember His birth, nor is it the only time to live this "Spirit of Christmas". Christ's entire life-from the beginning to the end- was all done with sacrifice. Despite being the literal Son of God He was born in a manger-the most humble circumstance there can be to be born in to. He lived the Father's will perfectly sacrificing His "reputation" and the natural man within, humbly following the Father's will. Instead of laying back and living the "easy life" and following the commandments that He wanted to, He sacrificed that "easy life" and lived in the service of our God- His literal Father. After the sacrifice He made throughout His life, He then performed the most important sacrifice-the atoning sacrifice to save all from sin and death. As missionaries, we invite all to come unto Christ, to have faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice, to repent, to be baptized, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and to endure to the end and continue to strive to serve God throughout our lives. I know that as we sacrifice our personal "natural man" and strive to constantly live our lives in harmony with the "Spirit of Christmas" and always remember the humble birth of the Savior, we will be blessed. I challenge us all to do this.
So...craziness. The LAST thing I expected to ever happen to me happened a couple of days ago. In fact, I've never even thought of this happening quite literally. I am now training to be an office elder. Yes. The "supplies manager and referral secretary". A big title meaning I do simple tasks that I don't know how to do. ;) Work with computers, buying supplies, referrals being sent to other mission, and driving around Hong Kong doing tasks with my companion who is the housing coordinator. Yes. I said driving. In that case, could you send me my driver's license as soon as possible? I need to apply for a Hong Kong driver's license. Being an office elder also includes living in one of the apartments in the temple right next to the temple president's apartment and the mission president's apartment. Cool, huh? :)
The zone that I was in was great! It was going very strong! There should be quite a few baptisms this month in the New Territories stake! Soo exciting to see the New Territories grow so fast within only a few months.
We haven't had our Christmas program just yet. We'll be having it on Christmas Eve (for the mission) and for the Open House at the new chapel in the New Territories on Christmas. My friend Elder Hazen (from Temecula whom my great friend Lexie Andersen knows!) and I are singing The First Noel together. He's probably one of the best musicians I've ever met. It's SUCH a great opportunity to be able to sing with him.
...
From another email:
That's so exciting to hear about the travel approval!! I'll definitely talk to my mission president to see if you all might be able to visit. If he says that it's alright, it might have to be just for one hour, but I'm not too sure.
As for Christmas, we won't be able to Skype. I'm sorry :\ BUT we still get to talk on the phone! We're allowed to talk on the 25th orthe 26th of December (our time). Do you know what the time difference is? What time would be best for you all to call?? Also you don't need to worry about getting a phone card, I can easily get a phone card for really cheap over here. That's so exciting that everyone will be able to be together!!! :D
I'm definitely happy and healthy. I love the work! Being in the office is great. My new companion is a native and this next move is his last move, so there's quite a bit to be learned. I'm so excited to learn so much from him.
I love being on a mission. I've been learning a lot. One thing that I've been thinking a lot about is something that I've been lacking and it's a part of a Christ-like attribute- humility. One of the things that causes one to become humble is to have the ability to be taught- again a quality of which I want, yet need to work hard for. As we allow ourselves to learn from those around us, we are able to become the kind of people that we want to be and more importantly we can become the kind of people that our Heavenly Father wants us to be. As said by my mission president the first step to be inspiring is to be willing to be inspired. There are so many times when I look back and think, "Man, that would have been such a great opportunity to learn from that person." But thank goodness there is repentance so that we all can strive to be "reborn" every week as we partake of the sacrament.
This time of year is such a special time. It is when the entire world brightens and remembers the birth of our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ. However, it is not the only time to remember His birth, nor is it the only time to live this "Spirit of Christmas". Christ's entire life-from the beginning to the end- was all done with sacrifice. Despite being the literal Son of God He was born in a manger-the most humble circumstance there can be to be born in to. He lived the Father's will perfectly sacrificing His "reputation" and the natural man within, humbly following the Father's will. Instead of laying back and living the "easy life" and following the commandments that He wanted to, He sacrificed that "easy life" and lived in the service of our God- His literal Father. After the sacrifice He made throughout His life, He then performed the most important sacrifice-the atoning sacrifice to save all from sin and death. As missionaries, we invite all to come unto Christ, to have faith in Him and His atoning sacrifice, to repent, to be baptized, to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and to endure to the end and continue to strive to serve God throughout our lives. I know that as we sacrifice our personal "natural man" and strive to constantly live our lives in harmony with the "Spirit of Christmas" and always remember the humble birth of the Savior, we will be blessed. I challenge us all to do this.
Monday, November 19, 2012
November 19, 2012
This week was good. It's supposedly a fairly difficult area, but I feel that there's a ton of potential. We just need to go out and find more and have more faith. I know that there are a ton of prepared people in our area. We just need to find them. :)
I've been writing in my journal a lot. I realized how much I love writing. I usually write about what happened that day, but I mainly right about what I've been thinking a lot about that day. Lately I've been thinking a lot about change. In Chinese there's two types of change. There's change meaning the very general meaning of change and there's change meaning changing into a better state. Is there a word for that? Progress? Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about the latter form of change. This life is all about progression and walking by faith. Having faith in something and believing in something are two very different things. Merely believing in something is like basing the foundation of your house upon the sand of the beach. Having faith in something infers that you are acting upon that faith. Faith in Christ leads us to act. To strive to live a more Christ-like life. Having faith in something is like having a firm foundation to hold up one's house. With belief, the house can easily fall down. However, with faith, the house will stay strong This is why we're encouraged to build our foundation upon the Rock of the Redeemer. To have faith in Christ.
Being able to progress is an amazing gift that Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us. Heavenly Father is so willing to forgive us of our imperfections. In fact he knew that we wouldn't be perfect, so He was willing to send His Only Begotten Son to atone for our imperfections. As it says in the scriptures, Christ has overcome all temptations, pains, and afflictions. As we act and have faith upon our Savior we too can overcome temptation, pain, and affliction.
The power of partaking the sacrament is amazing. One looking at who they are currently and looking back on how they used to be is a really powerful moment. If we fully use the power of the Atonement we can receive the type of change that I've been really talking about every week. We can become closer to Heavenly Father and become more like Christ every week. Yes we'll still make mistakes the next week, but again, if we consciously use the power of the Atonement and consciously recognize the power of the sacrament, we don't need to worry about what we've done. We can repent and strive to be better. We can learn from the past rather than live in it.
The love shown from our Father in Heaven by sending His Only Begotten Son to be sacrificed for the inhabitants of the world is powerful evidence of the love that God has for His children. The love shown from our Savior by living a life of being rejected, for suffering an unimaginable pain in the Garden of Gethsemane, and and for dying on the cross is powerful evidence of the love that Christ has for us. It is also powerful evidence that we can have this hope to overcome life's challenges. No matter how large the challenge seems, Christ has overcome it first. He understands the challenge and He is waiting to help you. All we need to do is have the active faith that I've been talking about.
The reason I chose to serve a mission is described in the paragraphs above. The Father and the Son have both shown us Their love. We too must show Them our love.
I really love being here. It's difficult. In fact, quite possibly the most difficult thing that I have done. It is also the most amazing and rewarding thing that I have done as well, and I would not rather be doing anything else right now.
I love being here.
Love ya,
Elder Johnson :))
I've been writing in my journal a lot. I realized how much I love writing. I usually write about what happened that day, but I mainly right about what I've been thinking a lot about that day. Lately I've been thinking a lot about change. In Chinese there's two types of change. There's change meaning the very general meaning of change and there's change meaning changing into a better state. Is there a word for that? Progress? Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about the latter form of change. This life is all about progression and walking by faith. Having faith in something and believing in something are two very different things. Merely believing in something is like basing the foundation of your house upon the sand of the beach. Having faith in something infers that you are acting upon that faith. Faith in Christ leads us to act. To strive to live a more Christ-like life. Having faith in something is like having a firm foundation to hold up one's house. With belief, the house can easily fall down. However, with faith, the house will stay strong This is why we're encouraged to build our foundation upon the Rock of the Redeemer. To have faith in Christ.
Being able to progress is an amazing gift that Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us. Heavenly Father is so willing to forgive us of our imperfections. In fact he knew that we wouldn't be perfect, so He was willing to send His Only Begotten Son to atone for our imperfections. As it says in the scriptures, Christ has overcome all temptations, pains, and afflictions. As we act and have faith upon our Savior we too can overcome temptation, pain, and affliction.
The power of partaking the sacrament is amazing. One looking at who they are currently and looking back on how they used to be is a really powerful moment. If we fully use the power of the Atonement we can receive the type of change that I've been really talking about every week. We can become closer to Heavenly Father and become more like Christ every week. Yes we'll still make mistakes the next week, but again, if we consciously use the power of the Atonement and consciously recognize the power of the sacrament, we don't need to worry about what we've done. We can repent and strive to be better. We can learn from the past rather than live in it.
The love shown from our Father in Heaven by sending His Only Begotten Son to be sacrificed for the inhabitants of the world is powerful evidence of the love that God has for His children. The love shown from our Savior by living a life of being rejected, for suffering an unimaginable pain in the Garden of Gethsemane, and and for dying on the cross is powerful evidence of the love that Christ has for us. It is also powerful evidence that we can have this hope to overcome life's challenges. No matter how large the challenge seems, Christ has overcome it first. He understands the challenge and He is waiting to help you. All we need to do is have the active faith that I've been talking about.
The reason I chose to serve a mission is described in the paragraphs above. The Father and the Son have both shown us Their love. We too must show Them our love.
I really love being here. It's difficult. In fact, quite possibly the most difficult thing that I have done. It is also the most amazing and rewarding thing that I have done as well, and I would not rather be doing anything else right now.
I love being here.
Love ya,
Elder Johnson :))
Monday, November 5, 2012
November 4, 2012
I feel like I write more about what I do in my weekly letter to the president than I do in regular emails to home...so here you go!
Hello President Hawks!!
How are you doing? This week has been really great! It's amazing what happens when all of one's thoughts and efforts are directed toward our missionary purpose.
As for investigators, I haven't met [BW] investigator yet because he was sick the day we were going to see him. Hopefully he'll get better so we can see him soon!
We did find a pretty solid potential named [HJ]! He seems pretty interested in the Plan of Salvation. We're looking forward to meeting with him this week!
We met with [M], a less active that doesn't come to church because he sleeps in due to going to bed so late after playing video games. However, we ended up taking him to church this passed Sunday and the next couple of Sundays we'll have the young men pick him up and they'll go together! (yay for fellowshippers!!)
Studies have been great. The Book of Mormon is such a powerful testimony of the church being true. In fact, it is THE most powerful witness of the truthfulness of this church. I didn't really understand that quote "It all comes down to them knowing whether the Book of Mormon is true or not," until just this morning. It's a powerful witness of Jesus, our Christ. It's a powerful witness that God exists. It's a powerful witness that Joseph Smith truly was called of God and was the instrument in the Lord's Hands to restore the fullness of His gospel. Having a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon is key to serving a mission. It is one of the most important things to know in order to fully serve God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. I know that the The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is the most true book that has ever been on the earth. I know that it was translated through the power of God.
Speaking of serving with all one's might- I'm finally beginning to internalize Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 into my stubborn head. "The field is white, already to harvest." Wow, what a powerful statement. It is in the scriptures. It was a revelation given to the prophet Joseph Smith. So who is one to say that an area doesn't have much potential while the field is sitting there just waiting to be harvested? In my honest opinion, every area has a ton of potential. If one were to approach a child as if the child had no potential to grow, the child would most likely almost immediately start to regress and absolutely no development in the child would occur. This is the exact opposite of how one should approach an area or even a mission! If one were to approach an area thinking that there's not much potential, well of course nothing will happen in the area!! That kind of mindset is a first class ticket to no success. Treating each area as if it were filled with potential will only cause the success rate to rise tremendously. Treating a child as if they had potential and allowing them to grow will cause them to well...grow! How do you expect something to grow when you don't even think it will! I'm so excited to serve in this area! I see the potential it has and I'm so excited to work as hard as possible with the members and really strive to be obedient.
I love this work.
-Elder Johnson
I'd like to add a bit more. See the potential in all of those you see. See the potential that Heavenly Father sees in not only your fellow brothers and sisters, but also in yourself. As you do this, tremendous growth will come about and your life will be tremendously blessed. I know this to be true. Heavenly Father loves us so much and gave us a reason to live. This life has a purpose- to prepare ourselves to return to our Father in Heaven.
I have to go, but I love you all.
Keep the faith. Share the gospel. Wonderful blessings are in store.
-Elder Johnson :)
--
Elder Timothy Johnson
China Hong Kong Mission
18 Dorscet Crescent
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon
Hong Kong
Hello President Hawks!!
How are you doing? This week has been really great! It's amazing what happens when all of one's thoughts and efforts are directed toward our missionary purpose.
As for investigators, I haven't met [BW] investigator yet because he was sick the day we were going to see him. Hopefully he'll get better so we can see him soon!
We did find a pretty solid potential named [HJ]! He seems pretty interested in the Plan of Salvation. We're looking forward to meeting with him this week!
We met with [M], a less active that doesn't come to church because he sleeps in due to going to bed so late after playing video games. However, we ended up taking him to church this passed Sunday and the next couple of Sundays we'll have the young men pick him up and they'll go together! (yay for fellowshippers!!)
Studies have been great. The Book of Mormon is such a powerful testimony of the church being true. In fact, it is THE most powerful witness of the truthfulness of this church. I didn't really understand that quote "It all comes down to them knowing whether the Book of Mormon is true or not," until just this morning. It's a powerful witness of Jesus, our Christ. It's a powerful witness that God exists. It's a powerful witness that Joseph Smith truly was called of God and was the instrument in the Lord's Hands to restore the fullness of His gospel. Having a personal testimony of the Book of Mormon is key to serving a mission. It is one of the most important things to know in order to fully serve God with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength. I know that the The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ is the most true book that has ever been on the earth. I know that it was translated through the power of God.
Speaking of serving with all one's might- I'm finally beginning to internalize Doctrine and Covenants Section 4 into my stubborn head. "The field is white, already to harvest." Wow, what a powerful statement. It is in the scriptures. It was a revelation given to the prophet Joseph Smith. So who is one to say that an area doesn't have much potential while the field is sitting there just waiting to be harvested? In my honest opinion, every area has a ton of potential. If one were to approach a child as if the child had no potential to grow, the child would most likely almost immediately start to regress and absolutely no development in the child would occur. This is the exact opposite of how one should approach an area or even a mission! If one were to approach an area thinking that there's not much potential, well of course nothing will happen in the area!! That kind of mindset is a first class ticket to no success. Treating each area as if it were filled with potential will only cause the success rate to rise tremendously. Treating a child as if they had potential and allowing them to grow will cause them to well...grow! How do you expect something to grow when you don't even think it will! I'm so excited to serve in this area! I see the potential it has and I'm so excited to work as hard as possible with the members and really strive to be obedient.
I love this work.
-Elder Johnson
I'd like to add a bit more. See the potential in all of those you see. See the potential that Heavenly Father sees in not only your fellow brothers and sisters, but also in yourself. As you do this, tremendous growth will come about and your life will be tremendously blessed. I know this to be true. Heavenly Father loves us so much and gave us a reason to live. This life has a purpose- to prepare ourselves to return to our Father in Heaven.
I have to go, but I love you all.
Keep the faith. Share the gospel. Wonderful blessings are in store.
-Elder Johnson :)
--
Elder Timothy Johnson
China Hong Kong Mission
18 Dorscet Crescent
Kowloon Tong
Kowloon
Hong Kong
October 28, 2012-I apparently forgot to post
Hello!
This week was just superb! We've been really trying to strengthen the ward even more and have been meeting with the leaders of the ward to. Wow. I feel so silly not working with them this close ever before. This is my fourth move in Hong Kong, and we're just starting to really work with the leaders in Yuen Long. It's really amazing to see the vision each inspired leader has for their class or quorum and find out how we can help them accomplish this vision that they have. It causes full-time missionary work and member missionary work to become as one and turn into just missionary work! Wow! I love the members here, they are great. Kristin told me that back home your missionaries sent a thank you note! Something so simple is such an amazing way to help members and missionaries have a stronger relationship.
I'm not really sure what to say right now.
I guess I'll talk about something that I've been thinking about for the passed couple of weeks and that would be sacrifice. (That's quite a hook.) By sacrifice I mean to really give your all to the Lord. It's really important to serve God with all of our hearts, all our might, all of our mind, and all of our strength. As we are given a very special responsibility (also known as callings) we are called to serve in that position and serve in that position as the best you can possibly be. We all have our different strengths and we all have our different weaknesses, but this is the reason we are given the opportunity to serve God in different callings so that we can use our strengths and even our weaknesses (Ether 12:27) to help others receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve our Father in Heaven.
This can even apply to life as well. Love what you are doing for work, love what you're doing with your family, love what you're doing in life, and when I say love what you're doing, I really mean love what you are doing. As you go throughout life, Heavenly Father will bless you with opportunities to serve others. Magnify the blessings that Father in Heaven has blessed you with. Be the best teacher you can possibly be, be the best student you can possibly be, be the best doctor you can possibly be. Be the best that you can be not for the money, not for the recognition, not for anything except for your love for God. Let everything that you do allow the light of Christ shine through you for others to see and emulate. I promise that as you do, Heavenly Father will pour more blessings than you can imagine into your life. Always remember our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. Let your actions be a testimony of your love for them and for a sign of gratitude in what they have already blessed you with and what you will be blessed with in the times to come.
Just remember them. Always keep them in your mind, and everything that needs to happen will happen to fully obtain the blessings Heavenly Father is so eager to bless you with.
I love you all. Stay strong and keep the faith. Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ are there for you.
Love you all,
Elder Johnson :)
This week was just superb! We've been really trying to strengthen the ward even more and have been meeting with the leaders of the ward to. Wow. I feel so silly not working with them this close ever before. This is my fourth move in Hong Kong, and we're just starting to really work with the leaders in Yuen Long. It's really amazing to see the vision each inspired leader has for their class or quorum and find out how we can help them accomplish this vision that they have. It causes full-time missionary work and member missionary work to become as one and turn into just missionary work! Wow! I love the members here, they are great. Kristin told me that back home your missionaries sent a thank you note! Something so simple is such an amazing way to help members and missionaries have a stronger relationship.
I'm not really sure what to say right now.
I guess I'll talk about something that I've been thinking about for the passed couple of weeks and that would be sacrifice. (That's quite a hook.) By sacrifice I mean to really give your all to the Lord. It's really important to serve God with all of our hearts, all our might, all of our mind, and all of our strength. As we are given a very special responsibility (also known as callings) we are called to serve in that position and serve in that position as the best you can possibly be. We all have our different strengths and we all have our different weaknesses, but this is the reason we are given the opportunity to serve God in different callings so that we can use our strengths and even our weaknesses (Ether 12:27) to help others receive the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and to serve our Father in Heaven.
This can even apply to life as well. Love what you are doing for work, love what you're doing with your family, love what you're doing in life, and when I say love what you're doing, I really mean love what you are doing. As you go throughout life, Heavenly Father will bless you with opportunities to serve others. Magnify the blessings that Father in Heaven has blessed you with. Be the best teacher you can possibly be, be the best student you can possibly be, be the best doctor you can possibly be. Be the best that you can be not for the money, not for the recognition, not for anything except for your love for God. Let everything that you do allow the light of Christ shine through you for others to see and emulate. I promise that as you do, Heavenly Father will pour more blessings than you can imagine into your life. Always remember our Father in Heaven and our Savior Jesus Christ. Let your actions be a testimony of your love for them and for a sign of gratitude in what they have already blessed you with and what you will be blessed with in the times to come.
Just remember them. Always keep them in your mind, and everything that needs to happen will happen to fully obtain the blessings Heavenly Father is so eager to bless you with.
I love you all. Stay strong and keep the faith. Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ are there for you.
Love you all,
Elder Johnson :)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Tim's conference review
Hi dad!
How are you doing???? Today is the last day of Thursday preparation day and will now be on Monday! Yup that's right! This coming Monday is yet another preparation day, BUT that doesn't mean we have two preparation days. Just one. On Monday. Yay.
It sounds like Stake Conference was amazing! That's so exciting that mission prep now includes young women and also starts even earlier!! Wow, I love that so many people will be serving missions now!!!!!!!!!!
This passed weekend we watched General Conference! Oh lanta, it was amazing. For those who don't know what General Conference is, twice a year the leaders of our church will give talks about whatever gospel related subject they feel the need to speak about. We also believe like in the times of the Old Testament, there are Prophets and Apostles on the earth today, like Moses, Abraham, and Elijah. Through the restored gospel of Christ they hold all the keys of the priesthood- the authority to act in God's name- as did the prophets of old.
Elder Holland's talk was very powerful- it definitely caused me to want to work MUCH harder. He spoke of not only having a testimony, but also sharing your testimony. As Christ was resurrected He instructed His Apostle, Peter to keep preaching the gospel rather than merely going back to his trade after the death of Christ. Quite the speaker, he is.
As for the Saturday night session- that's so great how powerful the meeting was on temples. Today we did a temple session and the Spirit was so strong. The inside was so beautiful and caused me to think of the talk from General Conference about the inside of the temple needing to be perfect inside, a tiny error in the interior is not sufficient. The inside must be perfect for the temple to worship our God. As I think of that, this is kind of how we need to be living our lives. Yes, we may seem like we're active, strong members in our faith, but where is our heart? Even though we outwardly seem that we are living our faith, are we inwardly living our faith? I'm not saying that we must be completely perfect, that's impossible, that's the reason that Heavenly Father sent His Son, even Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed for us, but are we striving to live better lives? Are we constantly repenting? Are we partaking the Sacrament because it's a mere weekly habit, or are we partaking of it to take full advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and to become born again? Do we look forward to partaking of the Sacrament, or do we go to church because we have to?
As we inwardly live our religion, we will become closer to Heavenly Father and to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
That's so great about that missionary that you talked to at home. He sounds like he must be an amazing missionary with that much passion for the work! That's so awesome!
This week was great. A lot more happened than last week. Someone who had been less active for so many years that she didn't know what the restoration of the gospel meant randomly came to watch General Conference with Hong Shui Kiu sister missionaries's investigator (the lady ended up being the investigator's sister-in-law!!!). I'm so excited to teach her again and help her remember the great principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I really am so grateful to be able to serve God and His children. I'm so grateful that I can be the instrument in the Lord's hands to help the people of Hong Kong learn more about Christ. I'm so grateful for this gospel. I know it is true. I cannot deny the feelings that I have felt as I have asked Heavenly Father if these things are true or not. I know for a fact that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and through him, Jesus Christ restored His church back onto the Earth. I know that Heavenly Father knew that many people would doubt this glorious message so He brought forth the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ that fully supports the teachings of the Holy Bible as powerful evidence that this church is the true church on this earth.
I know that through the restored gospel, we can live with those we love the most for not only time, but also for eternity.
I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!
Talk to you Monday! :)
How are you doing???? Today is the last day of Thursday preparation day and will now be on Monday! Yup that's right! This coming Monday is yet another preparation day, BUT that doesn't mean we have two preparation days. Just one. On Monday. Yay.
It sounds like Stake Conference was amazing! That's so exciting that mission prep now includes young women and also starts even earlier!! Wow, I love that so many people will be serving missions now!!!!!!!!!!
This passed weekend we watched General Conference! Oh lanta, it was amazing. For those who don't know what General Conference is, twice a year the leaders of our church will give talks about whatever gospel related subject they feel the need to speak about. We also believe like in the times of the Old Testament, there are Prophets and Apostles on the earth today, like Moses, Abraham, and Elijah. Through the restored gospel of Christ they hold all the keys of the priesthood- the authority to act in God's name- as did the prophets of old.
Elder Holland's talk was very powerful- it definitely caused me to want to work MUCH harder. He spoke of not only having a testimony, but also sharing your testimony. As Christ was resurrected He instructed His Apostle, Peter to keep preaching the gospel rather than merely going back to his trade after the death of Christ. Quite the speaker, he is.
As for the Saturday night session- that's so great how powerful the meeting was on temples. Today we did a temple session and the Spirit was so strong. The inside was so beautiful and caused me to think of the talk from General Conference about the inside of the temple needing to be perfect inside, a tiny error in the interior is not sufficient. The inside must be perfect for the temple to worship our God. As I think of that, this is kind of how we need to be living our lives. Yes, we may seem like we're active, strong members in our faith, but where is our heart? Even though we outwardly seem that we are living our faith, are we inwardly living our faith? I'm not saying that we must be completely perfect, that's impossible, that's the reason that Heavenly Father sent His Son, even Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed for us, but are we striving to live better lives? Are we constantly repenting? Are we partaking the Sacrament because it's a mere weekly habit, or are we partaking of it to take full advantage of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and to become born again? Do we look forward to partaking of the Sacrament, or do we go to church because we have to?
As we inwardly live our religion, we will become closer to Heavenly Father and to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
That's so great about that missionary that you talked to at home. He sounds like he must be an amazing missionary with that much passion for the work! That's so awesome!
This week was great. A lot more happened than last week. Someone who had been less active for so many years that she didn't know what the restoration of the gospel meant randomly came to watch General Conference with Hong Shui Kiu sister missionaries's investigator (the lady ended up being the investigator's sister-in-law!!!). I'm so excited to teach her again and help her remember the great principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
I really am so grateful to be able to serve God and His children. I'm so grateful that I can be the instrument in the Lord's hands to help the people of Hong Kong learn more about Christ. I'm so grateful for this gospel. I know it is true. I cannot deny the feelings that I have felt as I have asked Heavenly Father if these things are true or not. I know for a fact that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, and through him, Jesus Christ restored His church back onto the Earth. I know that Heavenly Father knew that many people would doubt this glorious message so He brought forth the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ that fully supports the teachings of the Holy Bible as powerful evidence that this church is the true church on this earth.
I know that through the restored gospel, we can live with those we love the most for not only time, but also for eternity.
I love you all, and I hope you have a great week!
Talk to you Monday! :)
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