Microwave

We got a MICROWAVE!!!!!!!!! The apartment is awesome now! We have two desks, two chairs and a microwave! Although it still smells like cigarette smoke and it gets really humid and warm. Its pretty nasty.

Sorry but I'm out of time.

Love YOU!

-Elder (Andre) Johnson

Just kidding I have a little more time!

Well now I'm going to have to think of something to write about. Its only been a few days since I wrote last. The Moran Prairie Ward is AWESOME! The ward is mostly young married adults with little kids. Then there are a few middle aged families and a few super old people. A lot of people move in and out of the ward for college. Especially right now. We have lots of new people moving in that will be going to school in the fall. Most of them are either medical or law students going to graduate school or residency. I love young married students because they are super excited about missionary work. We keep having families move in that come up to us and tell us that they are willing to help! It is super cool! The Rhotens are awesome! They just moved here about two weeks ago. They said that they have been praying for missionary opportunities. Well we happened to meet run into them the day they moved in. We were just talking to some other people in the apartment complex. The Smiths are the Best! They're probably my favorite family! ( I don't know if I'm allowed to pick favorites) The Smiths are both ward missionaries so they help us out a lot. Sister Smith was baptized about 6 years ago. She is such a great missionary. We brought her to this lesson that we had with a returning less active we have named Jennifer. Sister Smith bore such a powerful testimony. We could all feel the spirit really strong. I think it really helped Jennifer to hear the things that she said. Brother Case is sweet! He is the first counselor. He is super missionary minded. He befriends all of his neighbors and finds some way for us to go over there. We have been meeting with one of the families for a while now (Aaron and Oh). Elder Wilson and I gave a talk on yesterday at church. His talk was on covenants and my talk was on ordinances. I learned a lot while preparing for that talk.

Challenge: Read Matthew 3:13-15. Then read 2 Nephi 31:5-9. It talks about how Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. Then it talks about the straightness of the Gate and the narrowness of the way. That last phrase was kind of the theme of my talk. The way to eternal life is straight and narrow. God has provided us with a path to help us find our way back to him. This is a concept that a lot of people out here don't understand. They say that they know God in their heart and that is enough. While that is awesome that they know him in their heart they don't realize what they are missing out on. God loves us enough to make a very specific path for us to follow. The pathway are the saving ordinances we must do to get back to heaven. Baptism, Confirmation, Receiving the Melkizadek Priesthood, Receiving Temple Endowments, and Temple Sealing. Because God loves us he gave us these ordinances that serve as reminders of the covenants that we are making and the promises that we will receive. God commanded that we do these ordinances. It is a blessing to be able to "humble ourselves according to the flesh" (2 Nephi 31:8?) and perform the ordinances he has commanded us to do in the way he has commanded and by the proper priesthood authority. Anyway that was what my talk was about.

When I very first got here Elder Aidukaitus came to the mission and did some training with us. One of the things he told us was that every companionship in this mission should be baptizing weekly. He promised us that it was possible. That is a pretty bold thing to say. We haven't had a baptism since I've been here. However I definitely believe that it is possible. I've found since I've been out here that if the Lord wants something to be done, he can make it happen. And because his mouthpiece told us that it should be done, I know that it can be done. Anyway that goal is pretty hefty but I'm going to shoot for it. Even if I don't ever achieve it I can prepare areas so that the next elders will be able to get it or maybe the next.

Love you guys!

Elder (Andre) Johnson

P.s. I Met another guy named Andre! And this one actually seems pretty interested!