I got my flight plans this past Thursday! And so supposedly we all have our visas, but we won't officially know if we DON'T have them until Thursday. Basically, it's a "no news is good news" sort of thing. Here's the escape plan: We're flying Delta on the 14th, boarding the plane at 9:40 AM, but we have to be ready in front of the MTC at 5:30 AM. Then, we'll have a layover in Detroit from 3:14 to 6:20................ AND THEN IT'S OFF TO AMSTERDAM, landing at 8:05 AM. And I believe all of these leaving and arriving times are with the time changes too.... Yup, that makes sense. Just FYI, I have to pay $100 off my debit card to Delta for my second bag, but then the Church will reimburse us when we get to Amsterdam. Just FYI. I'm going to try and pack everything up and weigh it sometime soon so that I can see if I'm under the bag weight limits/if i can even get everything in my bags. Every time one of the districts in our zone leaves, they bequeath tons of their food and stuff to whoever's left, and it basically turns into the Hunger Games. So I'll try to utilize all that I have, but if anything does come to that monstrosity of a disaster, then I shall try to take pictures purely for entertainment purposes.
Thanks a ton for the package, much appreciated!!! Um so don't be upset, I'll make do, but.... Alterations sucks here. One of my shirts I took there is the right length in the sleeves now, but the sleeves are totally baggy. The 2nd is too short in the sleeves now, but no bagginess. I got frustrated and forgot to check the 3rd one. So I guess this Goldilocks and the Three Shirts story ends there... Anyways thanks a ton for the new shirts that will actually fit! I just gotta iron ém. Yup, so thank ya'll (Texas Boy is rubbing off on me) very much for each and every thing in that huge package =)
Speaking of my companion, I forgot to tell YA'LL that he hung up a huge Texas flag in our room a couple weeks ago! I think it's hilarious. Every once in a while we discuss my property plans in Texas for when they secede from the country. I'm pretty excited. Things are still going pretty well between us. It looks like we won't be getting that 3rd companion I talked about last week, which is probably a good thing for everyone. Every once in a while we still frustrate each other, but it passes quickly.
Oh so what was that really big thing this week.... Hm... There was something spiritual.... Ummmm.... Oh yeah! Algemene Conferentie! (General Conference, sorry to certain people *cough cough* who are to lazy to use google translate for my letters *cough cough*. Just kidding =) Ik bin grappig. Ha ha haaaaa) Yeah, it's amazing and funny to watch it all here at the MTC. Every time one of the General Authorities makes a good quote, you just see a thousand heads drop down and their hands start scribbling. It's pretty funny to me at least. The music was awesome!!! Especially Music and the Spoken Word before the Sunday session and then "Master the Tempest Is Raging" and "O' Divine Redeemer" from the Sunday Morning Session. So, I went in to it with some questions, tried to prepare myself well spiritually, and then took notes the whole time on whatever I was inspired to during each talk. Super sweet experience to do all of this at the MTC, where the Spirit is already usually strong; not to mention, that I'm currently one of the 80,333 missionaries that Pres. Monson mentioned! The main themes that I (just my personal opinion) gathered from it were:
-Repentence
-Back to the Basics of the Gospel (aka the most important)
-Faith (Arguably the most important principle of the Gospel to me)
-Importnace of Ordinances/Covenants
-Agency (which actually just has to do with everything ever at all, but they specifically kept mentioning our "choices," and how they impact others)
-Obedience
-Perilous Times, Be Prepared
-Missionary Work (especially going along with the things in the missionary purpose... I'll write it in a second)
Anyways, it was a super serious general conference I thought, but also extremely amazing. I think it was definitely meant to humble all of us and remind us of what is specifically most important. It was definitely way cool when President Monson said that this has been "one of the most inspiring general conferences" he's experienced. So all of my questions were answered (woo hoo!!!), questions I didn't know I had were answered (oh yeah!!!), AND even though I know that almost everything that is said during general conference is stuff we have probably already learned, these apostles and elders are telling us what we all need to hear now and in the way that we need to hear it. I seriously hope there were some non-members watching it, because I think there was tons of real good stuff that could 1) dispel misconceptions, 2) just provide universal good advice, and 3) *cough cough* get them to be interested to listen to me.... =D Yeah, the church is true.
We've been talking so much lately to our teachers just more and more about teaching in the Netherlands and one of the teachers was telling us how when you get farther north in the Netherlands, they get more and more just ....straightforward. You can't beat around the bush at all to build up interest before they shut you out. You just have to within the first few sentences explain that you want to talk about God, granted that is depending on the person. Our lessons with our investigators (who are our teachers acting like people they've taught) have been going pretty well. There's times every once in a while, where the Spirit just kind of slips into your mind exactly what this person needs and then we just get in the zone and practically baptize their brains with amazingness. Elder South and I still really struggle a lot though, especially with practicing door knock approaches and stuff, but when those awesome moments happen with the Spirit, it makes us so happy! It's definitely true how General Authorities keep saying how much joy missionary work will bring anyone, no matter how big or small their part is in it. You just know that you're doing the right thing and it makes you so happy to help somebody in such an extremely important way.
So here's where things get craaaazzzyyyy..... I have like $15 left of MTC money... So we're all gonna use the remainder of our money to have parties and to buy a bunch of Books of Mormon (Book of Mormons?). And then we're gonna proselyte while we're in the airports and flying to the Netherlands. It's gonna be insanely terrifying at first probably, but we are all so pumped up!!!! I'm almost shaking just thinking about it! Our teachers have just told us way too many awesome stories. Not even half about baptizing really, but plenty of stories about just planting seeds of faith or bringing a smile to people. I'M SO EXCITED!
Okay so I also weighed myself a week or so ago and forgot to tell you guys. NO WEIGHT CHANGE AT ALL. It's weird. The food is so absolutely fattening somedays and I don't feel like I've been exercising hard enough EACH day to work it all off... But I guess my ventromedial hypothalamus has been helping me out too..... Ha ha that was fun to say. Okay well I'm obviously going a bit insane now, so I'm gonna try and finish up these letters and get out of these brick wall rooms for a bit.
Oh yeah, here's the missionary purpose in English and then in Dutch:
To INVITE others to COME unto CHRIST, by helping them to recieve the restored gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
Anderen uitnodigen om tot Christus te komen, door met uw hulp het herstelde evangelie aan te nemen met geloof in Jezus Christus en zijn verzoening, bekering, de gave van de Heilige Geest, en volharding tot het einde toe.
The Dutch one is a bit different for some reason, and I think I might have messed up some of the spelling.... But yeah =) And of course our purpose as missionaries is also so much more than those few words, but it's always good to remember the precise and important wording and the ordinances/blessings/counseling in that purpose statement.
Any questions I haven't answered either in your personal letters or in this? Lemme know! Thanks for usingdearelder.com! And thanks for putting my letters up on that blog! My friends have said that they appreciate it! Love to all my family and friends. I'll probably get to write everyone again once more before I leave from the MTC and be able to call you (family) while I'm in the SLC airport!! Hope all is well and I enjoy your letters! Especially the longer ones =D
Bye bye
Thanks a ton for the package, much appreciated!!! Um so don't be upset, I'll make do, but.... Alterations sucks here. One of my shirts I took there is the right length in the sleeves now, but the sleeves are totally baggy. The 2nd is too short in the sleeves now, but no bagginess. I got frustrated and forgot to check the 3rd one. So I guess this Goldilocks and the Three Shirts story ends there... Anyways thanks a ton for the new shirts that will actually fit! I just gotta iron ém. Yup, so thank ya'll (Texas Boy is rubbing off on me) very much for each and every thing in that huge package =)
Speaking of my companion, I forgot to tell YA'LL that he hung up a huge Texas flag in our room a couple weeks ago! I think it's hilarious. Every once in a while we discuss my property plans in Texas for when they secede from the country. I'm pretty excited. Things are still going pretty well between us. It looks like we won't be getting that 3rd companion I talked about last week, which is probably a good thing for everyone. Every once in a while we still frustrate each other, but it passes quickly.
Oh so what was that really big thing this week.... Hm... There was something spiritual.... Ummmm.... Oh yeah! Algemene Conferentie! (General Conference, sorry to certain people *cough cough* who are to lazy to use google translate for my letters *cough cough*. Just kidding =) Ik bin grappig. Ha ha haaaaa) Yeah, it's amazing and funny to watch it all here at the MTC. Every time one of the General Authorities makes a good quote, you just see a thousand heads drop down and their hands start scribbling. It's pretty funny to me at least. The music was awesome!!! Especially Music and the Spoken Word before the Sunday session and then "Master the Tempest Is Raging" and "O' Divine Redeemer" from the Sunday Morning Session. So, I went in to it with some questions, tried to prepare myself well spiritually, and then took notes the whole time on whatever I was inspired to during each talk. Super sweet experience to do all of this at the MTC, where the Spirit is already usually strong; not to mention, that I'm currently one of the 80,333 missionaries that Pres. Monson mentioned! The main themes that I (just my personal opinion) gathered from it were:
-Repentence
-Back to the Basics of the Gospel (aka the most important)
-Faith (Arguably the most important principle of the Gospel to me)
-Importnace of Ordinances/Covenants
-Agency (which actually just has to do with everything ever at all, but they specifically kept mentioning our "choices," and how they impact others)
-Obedience
-Perilous Times, Be Prepared
-Missionary Work (especially going along with the things in the missionary purpose... I'll write it in a second)
Anyways, it was a super serious general conference I thought, but also extremely amazing. I think it was definitely meant to humble all of us and remind us of what is specifically most important. It was definitely way cool when President Monson said that this has been "one of the most inspiring general conferences" he's experienced. So all of my questions were answered (woo hoo!!!), questions I didn't know I had were answered (oh yeah!!!), AND even though I know that almost everything that is said during general conference is stuff we have probably already learned, these apostles and elders are telling us what we all need to hear now and in the way that we need to hear it. I seriously hope there were some non-members watching it, because I think there was tons of real good stuff that could 1) dispel misconceptions, 2) just provide universal good advice, and 3) *cough cough* get them to be interested to listen to me.... =D Yeah, the church is true.
We've been talking so much lately to our teachers just more and more about teaching in the Netherlands and one of the teachers was telling us how when you get farther north in the Netherlands, they get more and more just ....straightforward. You can't beat around the bush at all to build up interest before they shut you out. You just have to within the first few sentences explain that you want to talk about God, granted that is depending on the person. Our lessons with our investigators (who are our teachers acting like people they've taught) have been going pretty well. There's times every once in a while, where the Spirit just kind of slips into your mind exactly what this person needs and then we just get in the zone and practically baptize their brains with amazingness. Elder South and I still really struggle a lot though, especially with practicing door knock approaches and stuff, but when those awesome moments happen with the Spirit, it makes us so happy! It's definitely true how General Authorities keep saying how much joy missionary work will bring anyone, no matter how big or small their part is in it. You just know that you're doing the right thing and it makes you so happy to help somebody in such an extremely important way.
So here's where things get craaaazzzyyyy..... I have like $15 left of MTC money... So we're all gonna use the remainder of our money to have parties and to buy a bunch of Books of Mormon (Book of Mormons?). And then we're gonna proselyte while we're in the airports and flying to the Netherlands. It's gonna be insanely terrifying at first probably, but we are all so pumped up!!!! I'm almost shaking just thinking about it! Our teachers have just told us way too many awesome stories. Not even half about baptizing really, but plenty of stories about just planting seeds of faith or bringing a smile to people. I'M SO EXCITED!
Okay so I also weighed myself a week or so ago and forgot to tell you guys. NO WEIGHT CHANGE AT ALL. It's weird. The food is so absolutely fattening somedays and I don't feel like I've been exercising hard enough EACH day to work it all off... But I guess my ventromedial hypothalamus has been helping me out too..... Ha ha that was fun to say. Okay well I'm obviously going a bit insane now, so I'm gonna try and finish up these letters and get out of these brick wall rooms for a bit.
Oh yeah, here's the missionary purpose in English and then in Dutch:
To INVITE others to COME unto CHRIST, by helping them to recieve the restored gospel through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His atonement, repentance, recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end.
Anderen uitnodigen om tot Christus te komen, door met uw hulp het herstelde evangelie aan te nemen met geloof in Jezus Christus en zijn verzoening, bekering, de gave van de Heilige Geest, en volharding tot het einde toe.
The Dutch one is a bit different for some reason, and I think I might have messed up some of the spelling.... But yeah =) And of course our purpose as missionaries is also so much more than those few words, but it's always good to remember the precise and important wording and the ordinances/blessings/counseling in that purpose statement.
Any questions I haven't answered either in your personal letters or in this? Lemme know! Thanks for usingdearelder.com! And thanks for putting my letters up on that blog! My friends have said that they appreciate it! Love to all my family and friends. I'll probably get to write everyone again once more before I leave from the MTC and be able to call you (family) while I'm in the SLC airport!! Hope all is well and I enjoy your letters! Especially the longer ones =D
Bye bye
Check the blog page for all of our updates from Quinn on his mission!
You can e-mail him at [email protected]
Mission Field Mailing Address:
Belgium/Netherlands Mission
Elder Preston Quinn Johnson
Schipholweg 66
2316 XE Leiden
Netherlands
You can e-mail him at [email protected]
Mission Field Mailing Address:
Belgium/Netherlands Mission
Elder Preston Quinn Johnson
Schipholweg 66
2316 XE Leiden
Netherlands