Gari Soakings and Gatorade

Good morning everyone! I hope you all had a great week. 

In reference to the title, we weren't too responsible with our food money this week and kind of ran out of everything with a few days to go. There's a food called gari, which is cassava pounded into tiny pieces that's almost like flour that we've eating a lot of, because it's super cheap. You just add water, sugar, groundnuts, and milk powder to it and it's really good. Almost like cereal and milk. My mom also sent me some Gatorade powder as well so I've been enjoying G
atorade with my gari. It's been fun. 

So like I said earlier, we said goodbye to President Morrison on Thursday. I will miss that man. President and Sister Morgan seem so great though. We had MLC over zoom on Saturday and we were able to ask him a lot of questions and figure some stuff out. It's gonna be a good year. President Morgan seems very spiritual and soft spoken and his testimony was powerful. Sister Morgan seems really kind but also firm. Things will be different this year, but I know they will be wonderful. 

This week we had so many powerful lessons about the restoration. I love teaching the restoration, especially here. There's so, so many churches here with confusing doctrines and contentions and the restoration just sheds so much truth on it. 

I especially love teaching it with my companion, Elder Barile. He's from Nigeria and joined the church on his own in 2016. His testimony is just astonishing. I've never felt the Spirit in lessons like I have since he came. It's just incredible. I told him after a lesson last week that I wanted to go get baptized again after hearing his testimony. 

Listening to him strengthens my own testimony. This is the restored gospel we're teaching. This is the "one faith, one baptism" that Ephesians 4 talks about. And the blessings of it are just massive. 

I have so much respect for Elder Barile. We've come from such different places and circumstances but we're here with the same understanding of the same gospel to do the same work. And our work is to help people find the same thing we've found for ourselves! 

Today as I read an email from my angel grandmother I really felt that. She was telling me about her missionary efforts with a friend who told her that she "always feels peace" when she talks to her. She told her friend that it's the gospel that brings her peace and belonging and offered to bring missionaries over to teach her more about it. My grandma's friend accepted, and they've been learning the gospel together. 

Life is not easy, but the gospel makes it worth it. My family is evidence of that. I think of my grandma and grandpa. They've not had an easy life. Sickness and other issues have disturbed them. But as they've focused on their family and the gospel, they've made it through! And now all six of their children are benefiting from their example, including my parents. 

My parents too have never put the gospel second. I remember as a very small kid asking my mom if she loved me more than anyone. She said that she loves me more than anyone except Jesus. And I've never forgotten that. When God is first, everything else falls into place. The joy and peace in my family is a direct result of my parent's commitment to Christ and His restored gospel. And now all six of us, their children, get to benefit from their example. And hopefully one day teach our children what they need to do to obtain salvation. It's a beautiful circle.

And it's a circle that is big enough for everyone. We're here to invite people to enjoy what we are enjoying. We're here to help people feel what we feel and experience what we are experiencing. That's our duty and calling. That's why I'm here in Ghana, and why you're where you are: to help others to receive the blessings we've received. 

The gospel is true. I'm so grateful to be able to bear my testimony of that every day, several times a day. There's no place I'd rather be than where I am. 

Love, 

Elder Johnson

1-2. Me and Elder Barile's best attempt to be on the next cover of adjusting to missionary life. 

3-5. Me, Elder Barile, Nicolas (our legendary ward missionary), and Jack (the dog and my best friend) squinting yesterday. 

6.  An ad for a witch doctor/ritualist dude that I thought was so funny. "Business to growth" and "you need more population in your church" were some of my favorites. Give him a call if you need any of these things. 

6. Me and Robert, one of my friends in branch 1. He's the funniest guy ever. 

7. Me training to accompany the tabernacle choir at Temple Square. 

8. Old pic of me and Elder Amevor, the best district leader ever. 

9. Me and Elder Smith. Words can't describe this man, but numbers can. 10/10 best dude ever.