Hello and welcome to the Elder Show, coming to you live from Cincinnati, Ohio. *Sick ol' timer announcer voice* "Last week we saw that the Elders had to say goodbye to loved friends but handled it well as they went to work doing what the Lord needed them to. What will happen next?"
Well let me tell ya, it's been a weird week for all of us 😂 There were a lot of surprises that kind of took us through some loops. Monday and Tuesday were pretty overall normal, but my favorite part was being able to do a baptismal interview for a girl that the elders were teaching. that was sick. Then Wednesday hit and everything kinda went through it's first turn. After having one of the most bomb district councils that you can have, full of some of the best testimonies that i think a lot of us could've ever heard, we had exchanges with the zone leaders, who are in our district. I also found out that one of the zone leaders needed my help with accompanying a song that he was going to be singing that Saturday at the baptism that they had. So i had to learn a new song in a couple of days and accompany someone after just learning it. This was kind of the focus for and hour on Wednesday and Thursday and pretty much all day on Friday. At least i can say that when i need to i can learn a song pretty quick! It turned out really well at the baptism and Elder Sheffield sang wonderfully and it was a really tender moment for all of us as we bore our testimony through music. I was really happy that i had the opportunity to learn that song and help him out.
Back to Wednesday, we were on exchanges with the elders and it was a really good time. We started our exchanges a little bit after district council after doing some classic administrative shtuff. We exchanged, then went to lunch at this really good chicken place called Raising Caines. We went back to the church and did some more administrative stuff and i practiced. We had just finished and since we had a late lunch it was already dinner time so we just went and played pool. I'm not gonna lie, my pool game's not all that bad. Afterword, we went to Elania's house. Elania is the girl that i did the interview so that was pretty neat. I got to hold a lizard, Spike, and share the gospel with it and he's getting baptized next week. Elania invited me to be in the confirmation on Sunday and that was a really sweet experience. At the end of the day we were pretty bummed that we didn't have nay more time for an exchange, because we had to exchange at 6 stinkin' o'clock because they were doing a thing at the seminary. So it was easily my shortest exchange I've ever had, but no worries, i think that elder Robinson and i will have some more chances to get to know each other pretty well before long.
Saturday was the baptism and it was a great baptism. Of course any baptism is a great baptism so that's not a worry at all 😆 Elder Sheffield and I performed the song and like i said it went really well. He sang and i played the piano. The song's a rendition of I Know My Redeemer Lives and it's a really nice song. After the baptism, we got news from a member that one of our friends (her neighbors neighbor) dad had just passed away really unexpectedly. They also had just had their new baby and he died only about a week later. So we made them cookies and took them over. They seemed to appreciate it and we had a nice chat. After walking home, we had, you guessed it: Transfer Calls. It's been a whole 6 weeks since our last call and we get to see if we're leaving, where we go and who our companion is. We found out that:
Elder Goodwine is going to be here in the Grove as District Leader, and will be receiving a brand new guppy!
I will be leaving the Grove after a good 2 transfer showdown. And will be moving to the EASTGATE AREA AS A NEW ZONE LEADER WITH ELDER ROBINSON LITERALLY ACROSS THE STREET.
Was that weird for me? You know it!
Told you i would have plenty of time to get to know Elder Robinson 😄
Well that pretty much sums up the week right there. We've just been killin' it over here as usual so i hope everything's going flippin' Swell for you.
Love You Guys!
~Elder Johansen
The District...............Elder Sheffield is going home........
Elder Goodwin...............
Well Hello There!
Another Month down! Only 14 months, 60.8 weeks, 420 days,10080 hours, 604800 minutes and 36288000 seconds left but who's counting???
This week we had to say goodbye to our friend Brook, who left for Lehi Utah this last Saturday morning. We've had a pretty awesome time with her and the sales team that she worked with. There were a lot of really good people and we all had a really good friendship. Now there are only two left and we're saying goodbye tomorrow 😭! The good thing is that Transfers are coming up quick, and I'm most likely leaving the Grove, so I guess I won't have to see them out of the Grove for all that long.
We've had a pretty quiet week this week. Like i said, we're staring at the end of the transfer now, so we're basically saying our goodbyes in the district. We've had some pretty awesome experiences in this place.
Recently, one of my favorites is this last Saturday we had a Zone wide contacting day. Basically we did nothing but go and try to talk to as MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE. Though we all try do that every day, it's nice to have a little bit of extra initiative. As a zone we had a goal to contact 430 people.... we got 501!! That's a lot of people who heard about our message.
We've had a pretty good week this week, but I can say for certain that my favorite parts of this week have been the opportunities we've had to testify of the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon bring the biggest message since the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: That God had called prophets on the earth again to lead us, guide us, and give us the power to live and grow with our families for all eternity as we make and keep promises with God. The joy, peace and personal power that this message brings can restore humanity to a higher, holier and happier state of being. It can unlock our potential for greatness if we let the Spirit work within us. I've seen these promises come to pass in my short 10 months of being on my mission, and i know that it doesn't even take 10 months for someone's life to change.
I know that this message of this Gospel can change people's lives and if we let it, it can help us to continue to progress eternally.
The Church is True,
Sure Love You 😜
~Elder Johansen
Well hello again! Been a while
Well, not a whole lot this last week. We're grinding away at Cherry Grove and it's been a blast as always. We did get to have a couple fun times throughout the week though so this is gonna be a good time!
First off, crazy thing, found out that Brook went into the hospital this last Monday and she was in there from Monday till Thursday! Apparently she wasn't feeling all that great during the last weekend. Ended up that she had to have her appendix taken out, so she joined the San-Appendix club so we're twiners! She's doing fine now so there's nothing to worry about.
Elder Goodwine and I went on exchanges with the other elders in the district. I went with Elder Sheffield, an awesome Elder who has a whole lot to teach.
At one point we saw that there was a potential in an area we didn't recognize so we went to check it out and it was a super sketchy trailer park. I guess that Elmer's not allowed in that one😂
We did a Book of Mormon experiment in the park with the sisters, and man, there were some cray guys there. Were they drunk? Yes. Was it only 10 in the morning? Sure was. Did they speak nonsense and were they really creepy to everyone especially the sisters? Unfortunately so. So, the member that came with us and i ended up blocking all contact with the group while the group packed stuff up. It was dead anyway so it wasn't a huge loss, and we got a story out of it!
We also did some service for a member's neighbor who they've been trying to share the gospel with for quite a long time. (the Neighbor is on the far right). Her family is super awesome and they are just the sweetest people to walk this earth, no joke! This whole row of the cul-de-sac is incredibly allergic to poison ivy and sumac so we offered to help and they graciously obliged. They also bought pizza, and we were able to set up a time to do the same thing for another one of the neighbors! What a time! Knock on wood, but so far neither Elder Goodwine or I have gotten any reactions to the ivy so we're gonna go nuts!
So that's kind of my week so far 😆 you can fill in the blanks with whatever missionary stuff you think we do, which is probably a correct assumption anyway so there we go!
I love you all and i hope you have a KILLER WEEK!
Sure Love Ya
~Elder Johansen
Elder Sheffield and Elder Johansen
Did someone say Baptism?
GUESS WHAT!
DANG RIGHT!
This week was the week that we baptized Brook!
Let me just tell you a little bit about how we met this wonderful person and then I'm going to get on with my week... maybe 😂
We met Brook the VERY FIRST DAY that Elder Goodwine and I came into Cherry Grove. No joke, about an hour after we had entered the apartment and put our things away, we got a call from the Eastgate Elders, the other Elders in our district. They said that there was someone who had a friend that would like to be taught and it'd be best to go over and meet them as soon as possible. We went over and we met Brook and her friend Mark, the guy who referred her to us. We were able to have an amazing opening lesson with Brook. We learned about her struggles with even believing that there was a God who existed, or if she had any faith at all. As we showed her how much faith that she had in just wanting to find the answers to her questions, she gradually started to grow and it all started. We helped her find what she needed in the Book of Mormon, we taught her the lessons and just how much God really did love her and the plain fact that she is a beloved Daughter of God. Amazingly, since Brook was on a summer sales team, and apparently there are ridiculous amounts of returned missionaries and members who do sales, Brook was the only non-member on her team. That way, she had an incredible support group with her the whole time, not just when we were around. This not only helped Brook to be able to handle the questions she had, or have the exposure to members that she definitely needs especially since shes moving back to Utah at the end of the month, but it helped the members of that amazing team. Those whose testimonies maybe were struggling and needed a little extra light, Brook was there not only to receive, but to give.
As Brook started to improve, Satan did his best to work on her, bringing a lot of questions about whether or not she should even stay in Ohio, or go back home to Utah. She wasn't sure about what her family wanted or how she was going to be able to continue on. But, through a lot of prayer, encouraging, blessings, and her own courage, Brook decided to stay in Ohio and continue to learn.
This is when she truly started to realize the great joy that she's been feeling and how big of an impact it's already made in her life, and the impact it can make in her life for her and for her family.
Brook was on the very steady path towards baptism. Every commitment we shared, she made and she held strong. She new that the only way that she could know whether or not this was true, was to do the things that she needed to do and see if that actually did bring her joy. Though she had questions, we did our best to help her understand that questions are good, and that as we ask questions with real intent to find the truth, God will provide a way for us to understand, at some point or another. He did this for Brook. It might not have been in a lightning bolt, a clash of thunder, or in a bright cloud, but her answers did come to her. They came and it was through finding the joy, the peace, and the love that our Heavenly Father has for us. She saw the love that families had for each other and she craved that same love. She saw the joy of those who followed the Lord, even though it's straight and narrow path is full of mountains to climb and walls to break through. She has seen this, and her desire for it has led her to be happier than she ever has been before.
Elder Goodwine and I have been almost to lucky to have seen Brook's progression and see the light in her eyes grow brighter and brighter and see it illuminate the souls of all those who are around her, including us.
Brook Hope was Baptized for the remission of sins on August 10th 2019 by Elder Kevin Johansen, and was Confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost on August 11th 2019 by Elder Clay Goodwine.
This is what it's all about,
That's why I'm in Ohio, and that's why every missionary serves when they serve with all their heart.
Bringing Joy to the world that the world can't offer.
This Joy is something that can't be found through the means that the world says you can. I know because I've tried.
This Joy is a part of why I believe this message to be true.
And this Joy can only be found through the One who has offered it to us, and I say these things in His name,
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
Newest Member..... Brook
Good Morning and here's to another week down!
I swear these weeks are going by faster and faster and it's just absolutely BONKERS, so, sadly, no long detailed and over-worded report today. But i do have some bombs to drop today 💣💣💣
This past week has been really good in the fact that we've stayed busy basically everyday and we're pretty much just coasting the waves that we started last transfer and trying to make new ones as we go along. We've helped a lot of people move in, had an unfortunate amount of dropped lessons where people either didn't show up or just yelled at us, which i could do without but hey, that's the life right? We had some really great food and time with members which is literally the best thing and i hope that that can continue because we are just a couple of lonely missionaries.
Some Highlights from this last week!:
1. Dinners- We've had some amazing appointments with the members here in Cherry Grove this last week. Meals are fairly rare so we were going nuts last week, it was so great. We were able to meet with wonderful families, have good food, and talk about the effect that the gospel has had in our lives. Who wouldn't want to have a night like that right? A big surprise to me this week was when a previous elder who i had spent basically my whole life as a missionary with ( and i saw this man die) came back to the mission and was at one of the dinners that we had! It was so good to see this Elder, well, Brother now, again and to talk with him about what it's like to have been home for the past 8 weeks. He had a date with a girl that just came off of her mission who lived in Huber Heights, an area that he served in for just a bit more than 6 months, so we weren't able to totally catch up on a lot of whats been going on.
Yesterday was another highlight dinner because we were able to not only break our fast, but it was with the bishop and his family (and also the sisters because we were in a meeting with the bishop about the ward) and a friend of theirs, Addie. Delicious food was had, great conversations were exchanged and then, the whole summer sales team, which we have become very close to because of us teaching Brook, came over for cake and ice cream! Then, after treats, the bishop, Bishop Mizukawa, absolutely destroyed EVERYONE at foosball! It was the closest thing to live sports that I've had in 9 months so it was pretty much the best.
2. GUESS WHO'S GETTING BAPTIZED THIS SATURDAY!!!!!
DANG RIGHT, ITS BROOK!
HECK YEAH!
After the dinner at the Bishop's house, we went to the church and Brook had her Baptismal interview done by one of the zone leaders here, Elder Robinson. She passed with flying colors, and is being baptized this Saturday!
It's been such a big blessing to be able to see Brook grow and strengthen her testimony of the Gospel. She's grown so much in the past several weeks and she is 100% the MOST ELECT PERSON EVER! We brag about her pretty much all the time and it's a blast.
That's pretty much it for this week, some great appointments AND A STINKIN BAPTISM!!!!
I'm so lucky to be a part of this and I hope that all of you know that this is really the most amazing work that anyone can be a part of. The joy that being able to do this work has brought me, is truly changing and I can see myself becoming more of who I want and desire to be everyday. I know that this work and the gospel and church that it espouses is true, and if there's someone who doesn't believe that it is, or is struggling in testimony, then use the Savior's test for truth, He said that " Ye may know them by their fruits.". I can and will testify that the fruits of this church and everything in it, are really the fruits plucked from the Tree of Life itself. And even if no on e in the church is perfect, we know that the gospel is perfect. That Jesus Christ is perfect.. So let us each do our very best to become more like our supreme exemplar, our Lord, Jesus Christ. I say these things in his name, Amen.
I'm so excited to here from you guys! Here's to another week!
The Church is True
Sure Love Ya!
~Elder Johansen
Hello hello hello!
This week we started another transfer in the good ol Grove. With the first week down, things are really looking great for the next few weeks. We have people to teach and we have not 1, Not 2, BUT 3 BAPTISM DATES!!!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT?? I'll answer that, it's so awesome. We have dates for August 10th and two on August 24th. We just hope and pray that we can keep them moving forward and really use the Book of Mormon's admonition to "Endure to the End". What a wonderful time to be in Cherry Grove.
This past week, was very normal. Though, i still, sadly, haven't gotten my phone fixed so we're still playing the waiting game for those.
Fun things we did this last week:
We got fed 3 times and it was Great! The families here are phenomenal and i hope that i can be just like them when i get home because they're just so missionary minded and strong in the gospel!
We were invited to a birthday party for a 1 year old and yes, she was basically bathed in cake by the end. Was that the best part of the party? Absolutely.
We were only yelled at a couple times so that's always nice 😂
We helped people move in and such.
Sadly there was no celebration for July 24th, but it's okay, i might forgive them for that one. I'm still thinking about it though.
We lit a ridiculous amount of stuff of fire
Hollowed out an egg, made it a ginger, and made it a bed. His name's grEGG.
We taught Brook ( august 10th) her LAST LESSON WHOO WHOO!!!!
Over all, this week was a blast and a half and i cannot wait for this one!
The Church is true!
Sure Love Ya
~Elder Johansen
IS IT A COINCIDENCE?
Hi Everyone!
Not a whole lot this week, but i do want to share an awesome experience that Elder Goodwine and I had the other day just out of the blue.
For about a week and a half or more, our washer has been broken and we've been trying to have the repairmen come and fix it for us, but unfortunately they missed the appointment that they set up. So, because of the severe lack of clean clothes, we decided that we were just going to go to the laundromat that night so we would have something till the repairmann came the next week.
While we were at the laundromat, we met Amy. Elder Goodwine actually noticed her T-Shirt and started talking about a shared favorite football team. They had a good conversation, and both went back to their laundry.
Fast forward to helping her move her full tote of wet clothes into her car, and again going our separate ways, she ended up coming up to us and asking us who we were, and all the other pleasantries.
After introductions, she told us about how, after just walking in and seeing the two of us and then seeing "Jesus Christ" on our name tags, she knew it was a sign from God that He was there, and that she needed to talk to us. Though she delayed that prompting earlier, thankfully, we hopped on the ball! We were able to share great scriptures, both bare our testimonies, and set up an appointment to meet with her and her 2 sons this week.
I know i shouldn't be surprised by this kind of thing any more, but i just love it so much! It's so easy to see that The Lord is ALWAYS with us and is ALWAYS preparing the elect to hear the message that we bring as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and that as long as we do our best to be personally converted in what we do, we will have miracles unfold before us!
I love you!
Stay true, stay humble, sure love ya!
~ Elder Johansen
A LITTLE PIECE OF REVELATION...............7/15/2019
Good morning everyone!
This week was nice and quick. The only problem is, I don't have much to talk about this week.
Elder Goodwine and I are having a dandy ol time here in the Great Ohio, doing our best to teach repentance and baptize converts.
Speaking of the Great Ohio, a lot of this past week has been in the little village New Richmond, which is on the edge of the Great Ohio river! I got to stare Kentucky right in the face!
We've been able to have some really great progression in those that we're teaching, and it's great to see people's desire to learn more grow so much. Please pray that they will receive answers to their prayers, as we all have.
Remember that I love you, but Jesus loves you BEST!
Love, Elder Johansen
Saying good-by to Elder and Sister Welch
Elder Goodwin.........
