Thanks

November 22, 2010
GRATITUDE
At this time of year we give thanks once again. we set our day aside
just to give thanks, eat all we want, watch football, eat some more,
and to have a big parade in a city far way....
But where did it start?   when the white man come to this promise land
they did not know how to survive on this land. they had nothing.
and the native americans had compassion and helped them out. and for
that they set a day aside to give thanks for their help and their
friendship.
But what is it today? another reason to get work off? another day for
football?  a day for a parade? or is it the one day in the whole year
we remember to give thanks?
When should we show our gratitude? should we wait until the day that
is devoted to giving thanks? or constantly everyday of our life.
As President Monson said in Conference " Do we remember to give thanks
for the blessings we receive? sincerely giving thanks not only helps
us recognize our blessings, but it unlocks the doors of heaven and
helps us feel God's love."
President Hinckley said "when you walk with gratitude, you do not walk
with arrogance and conceit and egotism. you walk with a spirit of
thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.
with the lepers; through divine intervention those who were lepers
were spared from a cruel, lingering death and given a new lease on
life.  the expressed gratitude by one merited the Master's blessing;
the ingratitude shown by the nine, His disappointment.
WHICH ONE ARE WE?
regardless of circumstances, each of us has much to be grateful for.
if we will but pause and contemplate our blessings.  Do we think like
the world does?  that physical possessions and money bought things are
how we know we are blessed?  or do we look at the what really matters;
FAMILY, CHURCH, HEALTH, HAPPY CHILDREN BRINGING JOY AND MEMORABLE
TIMES INTO OUR LIVES. do we count big family gatherings as blessings
to see a group of people so close and who enjoy one another?
If ingratitude be numbered amoung the serious sins, then gratitude
takes place amoung the noblest virtues. "Gratitude is not only the
greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.
one can not boast of himself and be lifted in pride over others when
he gives thanks to God and others for the help and support given to
him.
one can not be jealous of others when he prays and gives thanks daily
for his blessings and what he has.
one can not feel treated unjust when he is grateful for the Atonement
of Jesus Christ and how he can be whole by it.
"a grateful heart then, comes through expressing gratitude to our
Father in Heaven for His blessings and to those around us for all that
they bring into our lives.  this requires conscious effort - at least
until we have truly learned and cultivated an attitude of gratitude.
Often we feel gratitude and INTEND to express it(our thanks)  but
forget to do so, or just don't get around to it.

                           "THANK YOU"
Do not take for granted the little things of life!!!! you can't
imagine life with out them!!
BE GRATEFUL AND SHOW IT!!!!!!!
MOST IMPORTANT BE GRATEFUL TO GOD. SHOW IT BY CARING FOR OTHERS, YOUR
FAMILY, TELLING THEM AND BY DOING WHAT GOD ASKS OF US.
"GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON" - THAT IS
HOW GOD SHOWED HE LOVES US, let us show ours and that we are grateful
to him by giving thanks daily and always, and following His Son!!!
THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR LOVE AND ALL YOU DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOVE
Elder JOHNSON

Ukraine Temple Dedication

August 30, 2010
well this week was better than last week, although we did a
lot of the same stuff HA HA HA  so the high-lite of this week waas
that we got to watch the Ukraine temple dedication (LIVE) on sunday,
so  we did not have church service this week.  we were blessed by
being able to watch the Ukraine temple dedication by satelite.  so we
had the 3 sessions playing during the day!!!  man, it was great!!!  we
had lots of members come and it turned out so well!!! it was great for
the members to see it because that is where our members will be going
to the temple now....  GREAT!!! it is a blessing to all!!!  also the
Prophet was making jokes and being funny it was so good!!!  he was
like leading the chior all crazy, poking at the piano as the guy was
playing the prelude music, making jokes about his wife liking the way
he looked in his navy uniform, about him getting in trouble by
security by not telling them where he went one time. (all of this was
during his talk about the temple in the celestrial room),(President
Uctdorf and Elder Nelson were just laughing and smiling, as President
went about doing it all) and the funniest was at the culture event on
saturday night (that we got to see), he grabbed the translator guy
after he was done translating and put him in a head lock and gave him
a nuggie!!!!!!  he messed the guys hair up bad HA HA HA HA HA it was
FUNNY!!!! then on sunday the same guy translated for him in the temple
and the prophet kept calling him "bucko" and :partner".  he is a
Prophet of God!!!  we were laughing all night long!!

oh man it was so good!!!!  i have a testimony that he is a Prophet! ha ha ha
ya so this week went by way fast!!!  i don't even know what we did HA
HA HA  oh ya... we moved our apartment this week, and helped some
other missionaries move their apartment.  that was good!
another great high-lite was the wheather!!!  it rained so hard the
other day!!!  like the rain drops were about the size of marbles.... i
tell you this why.... well the day it rained our last apointment fell
through so we had 1 1/2 hours before it was time to got home. so we
decide to go get food and then head home beacuse of the rain.....  so
me and my comp walked 1 1/2 hours in the puoring rain carring
groceries, up hill with a wall of water running down the road and side
walk.  we were soaked so bad!!!  our books in our backpacks were
ruined and there was more water in the bags we were carring then there
was food HA HA HA our clothes are still wet today and that was
wednesday!!!!! it was about an 5 miles walk!!!!  my shoes are ruined
and still wet and a have had them on the heater since then..... we had
the most fun ever!!! just us two out in the ran, no one was out, taxis
were stopping and asking us if we wanted a ride and we were like, "why
would we want a ride? we still got time before we have to be home." HA
HA HA  everyone thought we were crazy!!!!  it was great!!!  I LOVE THE
RAIN AND GEORGIA!!!!!!!!!!!
so we had a great week and this next one is going to be crazy.....  my
companion is going to armenia for the week for training meetings so i
will be on exchanges for the week, and will be working 3 areas.  mine,
my exchanges area, and the Zone leaders area.  so it will be a busy
week. it is going to be great!!  it will be good!!!  so glad i am not
going to armenia!!!  i never want to go back!!! HA HA HA

                                                 

LOVE,

ELDER JOHNSON
SUPERMAN

You can hear the joy...

As time passes, he just sounds happier and happier to be there and to be serving the people of Georgia. You can hear the joy in his voice. It makes us so happy to hear it.

March 15, 2010
hey!!!
so this last week was a long crazy one lol!!! so first off we have one baptism this saturday!! and another planned for the 27th!!!! it is so great!!! the work is going great!!!!  i love it!!!  the work is good!! only two
weeks till the new missionaries come!! and i start training!! i am so excited!!!  i love it here so much!  even though i don't speak the language the best i love it all!!  this is the best place for me right now!
well that is about it for this week. just all that fun stuff that comes with being a missionary!!  good fun!!
so things are good for me here. i hope all is well with you!!

LOVE
SUPERMAN
JOHNSON

Happy Thanksgiving, love Elder Johnson

He hasn't sent any pictures yet, but we hope to see some soon! We missed spending the holiday with him, but doesn't he sound wonderful?!

Dear Family,
this e-mail is about thanks!
Thanks to my mother and father who raised me in the truth and put up
with and the wild and rebel stages i went through. thanks to them i am
where i am today. thanks for the love they have to let us learn
lessons on our own but to help us when we are down or in need even
when i can't see i need help. thanks!
thanks to my brothers and sister and brother-in-law. thanks for
supporting me. thanks for being my friends and helping me learn
important lessons of life. thanks to my older brother and sister who
were an example to me to follow. thanks for my little brother who gave
me the oppurtunity to an example for.
thanks for aunts and uncles. thanks for the love they have and the
support they give.
thanks for cousins. thanks for the good times and fun things we did
together. thanks for the love and blessing they bring.
thanks for grandparents. thanks for the sweet feeling they bring all
the time. thanks for the love that they have and the stories they tell
about their lives so we my learn from their lives.
thanks for friends. thanks for the strenghth that they give us and the
help they povide. thanks for the joy they bring and the example they
are even when they don't realize that they are. thanks for them for
helping keep our standards high and for helping us build our faith.
thanks for missionaries. thanks for the hard work and the sacrifice
they make to help others they don't know. thanks for the love and the
faith that they have.
thanks for the Gospel. thanks for the joy and the blessings it brings
to us that have it and to those that are learning about it. thanks for
the knowlegde of the truth and the happiness it is to know it.
thanks for miracles. thanks for the priesthood and the power and
responsibility it brings to us that have it. thanks for the
oppurtunity it is to have it and to excersice it and bless others.
thanks for miracles and the hand of God that we may show those who do
not knoe the power of God that they may be believers.
thanks for JESUS CHRIST AND HIS ATONEMENT. thanks for the love that He
had and has for us that he would suffer so much, that we have no idea
how much pain he suffered, for us. thanks for the Atonement and the
rule it plays in our lives. IT IS EVERYTHING!!! we can not return to
Him without it and we can not rise from the dead as immortals without
it. Thanks for the purpose it gives our life and what it means we can
accomplish because of it. we can accomplish everything with the
Atnoement!! Thanks for the blessing it is to know that.
Thanks for HEAVENLY FATHER. Thanks for His love that He gave us His
only son. He gave us Everything He had and He still gives us more
today. Thanks for Him. Thanks for everything we have because
everything we have is from him. Thanks for Him and the love He has
that He would build us the earth and send us down here and then He
would prepare a way for us to come back to Him. only Love med this
possible.
Thanks for LOVE. it is everything. nothing is done without LOVE. it is
LOVE that overcomes all fear and it is LOVE that overcomes all hate.
LOVE it what the real power of God is.
So now is a day of thanks. but we must not wait for one day to give
thanks. we NEED to give thanks everday, every second, every moment. we
can not afford to not give thanks.

Love always,
Elder Johnson