Highest of Highs, Lowest of Lows

Hey guys,

Oh man, this is one of those weeks I wish I could just talk to you guys. I don't even know where to start. I've heard that you experience the highest highs on the mission as well as the lowest lows. This week is proof of that. We have transfers today, and you already know Elder Tiebing is out. That means I will be staying here in Tenerife for a while longer. I'll talk more about that in a minute though.

I figured it would be better to start with the low first. 2 months ago we found a miracle. You probably remember, but we met a guy that really, really needed the gospel. We had an amazing first lesson and from there it was smooth sailing. He accepted and lived everything we taught him, he was incorporated into the ward quickly. It was just too perfect. I still don't know exactly what happened, but he called us Wednesday and told us he wouldn't be baptized and he is basically our sworn enemy now. I was just dumbfounded. We talk about the love you have for the people as a missionary all the time, so you could imagine when he called and said the things he did it really hurt. The good news is, as bad as that was, it got better pretty quickly. With general conference and transfers a few days later, there wasn't time to worry about it.

So that was Wednesday. Thursday we had a ward activity here in Puerto. It was pretty fun. We had a picnic and then played some soccer. It was awesome to see the small group of members here organize something and make it happen. I guess it's been a few years since the last activity here. Then the 2 of us were in charge of a ping pong activity later that night. It wasn't the best turnout ever, but we had 3 investigators come and it was fun. I love Ping pong.

Alright... Here is the big news. Elder Tiebing is going to ponferrada. That's in my old zone. His new companion is Swiss so they can speak German together. But it's getting crazy here in Puerto. I AM TRAINING!! I got a call from the AP's on Saturday morning and that was seriously the most stressful day of my life. Talk about feeling completely unprepared and inadequate. I couldn't tell anyone until Saturday night when transfers came out so that sucked too. General conference was good though. It helped me a lot. By Sunday night I was ready to go. I'm super excited now, completely ready to make or break this kids mission. 👍 That is definitely a high for the mission though. 

I will Skype in for a training tomorrow afternoon and then I will join in the meeting later to meet my new companion. So I don't even know his name yet or where he is from. Then Wednesday I will take Elder Tiebing to the airport and pick the new guy up. I still don't even know if we are keeping the car. 

I've only seen 3 of the 5 sessions of conference so far, but my favorite talks so far were from Elder Robbins and President Nelson's from Sunday morning. When Elder Sabin came a few weeks ago he made it very clear that this conference would be a historic one, and that came true this weekend. That was clearly a special one and I can't wait to reread and re-watch it. We are going to watch more tonight, and next week I'll write you guys more about it.

So I have a few questions for you guys. I'm surprised I have made it this long without asking, but I need a rundown of everything going on in the movie and music world. I have seen a lot of cool posters lately...incredibles 2, han solo, stuff like that. I specifically need the star wars universe. Can someone fill me in on the movie lineup and can you guys send me some cool star wars pictures. Also updates on soccer are always good. You guys are the best. I'll write you more next week if I don't destroy Tenerife this week.

Love you guys, 

Elder Johnson