JOHNSON IN WISCONSIN

This past week was incredible. I gave a district meeting about miracles and inviting more people. Elder Ballard last year challenged all the missionaries in the world to invite at least 10 people a day (which for a companionship is 20 people per day 140 per week)> for some reason i had not applied myself to that challenge from an apostle from the lord as i know we would be blessed by comitting ourseleves so last week me and E. Whiltock got bold and started inviting everybody, busses, streets, houses, and bpy were we blessed. We taught 20 lessons last week (which in our mission is really good). We met so many new people to teach and saw a few miracles of our own. Last night we were tractign a street and were havinh no luck. We were tired and hungry and murmuring cuz nobody on that street would talk to us. There were only 2 houses left and we honestly wanted to say "screw it lest go home and eat dinner" but we knocked on the 2nd to lats door and this guy Dave told us to come in. He proceeded to tell us that he had just gotten back from Utah as his son is going to a school for kids who need help from breaking the law and stuff like that. He said he has always been impressed with our church and that this last time in Utah he was really thinking about looking into the church and we showed up on his doorstep, talk about the Lord having a hand in this work!! He had not time to talk unfortunatly so we quiickly gave him a BOM and got his contact info and he wants us to teach him. Man i love being a missionary as it strenghthens my testimony so much, even when we were complaining and almost gave up we got blessed by finding this new & prepared man to teach. Sometimes we just need a wake up call. I cannot wait till i come home and i can read to you from my journal all of the miracles i have seen on my mission and testify to you that the Lord really does lead us and guide us in our lives when we turn to him. Dave was only one of many new people we met last week and hope to teach again. Life is good in Madison!

Benjamin is stayin in Madison for 6 more weeks. E. Winkler got shipped off to Wisconsin Rapids and i got a new companion Elder Whitlock. He has been out 8 months and is from Salt Lake City. I love him. I had met him at Christmas Zone Cnfrence and i was excited that we are getting to serve together. Its my first companion ive had in 7 months that im way tight with. Weve had a fun few days thus far. He is an actor and has agents back home and he's been in some comercials and a few indy films. That was an answer to prayer. The weather is so much nicer, all the snow has been melting and its in the 50's today! I like that a lot better. I am also the distrcilt leader again, ive been off the last 3 months but im so excited to be it again. One of my duties is to interview baptismal canadites in my district and i got to do that on Saturday night. It was a great experience. We met at Cal Boui's home of the Madison 2nd ward. My Zone Leaders, Elders Aho & Hyde were there as well and Marcus, who was baptized yesterday. I felt honored to interview him and pass him for baptism. Marcus is 29 and has had a rough life and his friend Cal brought him to church in December and wow, what the gospel does for people. His countence was so great as he was so happy for the cleansing effect of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and was very excited for his baptism. I got to interview him and share my testimony and excitement for his baptism much like King Benjamin in Mosiah 5. Afterwards we all met in the front room and all bore our testimonies and the spirit was so strong. I felt the smae burning feeling i felt when i baptized Jon Flippin. It was another one of those spiritual witnesses of the gospel that i cannot deny. Ive had quite a few on the mission and added another lego to my tower on Saturday. I know this church is true and the gospel is such a blessing. Yesterday, Nan, our 78 year old investigator came to sacrament meeting and enjoyed it! We plan to keep teaching her even though she doesnt fully grasp the depth of what we teach with her age but you never know. We got a lesson tonight at the Cannon's, their friend wants to learn about the church so were hoping that turns into a new investiagtor. Good things are happening. Each week i have experinces that strengthen me and help me love my savior and his gospel more and more. Ive had so many cool things happen that wouldnt had i not come on a mission. Well peace out.

How come nobody ever posts comments on here, give me a shout if you actually read this thing! Love you all!

Hey, I now go through my trials and challenges by trying to figure out what the lord is trying to teach me and what im supposed to learn from it. I went through that when i lost my camera and i learned that i need to exercise more faith in Christ when i face trials, even though at the time i was very stressed i look back now and realize it helped me learn and grow and will prepare me for my trials in the futre. Its awsome to see the lord give us object lessons in life and maybee this operation is for you to learn something. Be sure to pray often and talk with heavenly father about it and try and see what you can learn from your experinces in life, i do that a lot in the mission field. The scriptures teach us that when we put our trust in the lord we are promised with strength in our afflictions. Have a prayer in your heart always, check out Mosiah 24, its a great illustration of that, one of my favorite chapters. Also look at 2 Nephi 4, great sermon by Nephi. Oh boy what would life be withut the BOM. Well, tranfers are this week and E. Winkler is most likely leaving so i should be gettin a new companion and be in Madison 6 more weeks. Im ok with that. 2 transfer areas are wierd so im happy to stay another even with the bus during winter. Hopefully all the snow and cold will only last a few more weeks, its gettin reall old. Im much more pleasent during spring and summer. We have a few new people to teach as this transfer starts. Jamses doesnt want offical meetings in members homes anymore but said we could stop by. He plans to continue studying the BOM and about Joseph Smith but so far he doesnt feel that he was a prophet afetr he translated the BOM. With time i feel that he will come around. I am goinng to strongly encourage him to attend general confrence in a few weeks, nothing better than hearing the inspired words of a prophet and apostles. We got a new investigator last week, Nan Mulhern, a 76 year old widowed Irish woman we met tracting 2 weeks ago and gave her a BOM on her doorstep. We taught her the Restoration and she loved it and is a ver sweet older lady. Were taking Sister Watkind from the ward over there tomorrow for another lesson. Whats really cool is that she only lives 3 blocks form the church and she plans to go with us next week. SWEET! We hopefully gonna start teaching Tammy, the Burtons neighbor this week, the weather last week sorta messed that up on Saturday. We also have a nice list of potentilas that we are gonna work on and hopefully get some new investigatrs as we contact and teach them so this next transfer could be exciting. I will probably become the District Leader (i enjoyed it a few months ago so that will be nice) again and this will be the 7th transfer in a row that me and E. Larka, form Sweeden, will be in the same district. He is training on Campus so that should be fun. Tomorrw we are having a combined district meeting with everybody serving in the Madison zone at the Capital!! We got a swee hook up form a mamber and we get to use on of the rooms of the capital, maybee we can make some new laws while we are there. Another week has paseed and i still feel strong in the faith. I love this gospel and my time i have to be a missionary, its such a rewarding experience. I got a nice taste of the fruits of my labors today as Sister Guenther in Marqutte emailed me and told me that she got her temple reccomend and should be going to Chicago to get her endowment. She has only been a member for 18 months and has a had a rouhg firrst year and a half as a member going through a divorce and heath issues and a bunch if stuff and remember how she used to feed us every week? She told me that i played a big part in helping her prepaerf for the temple and get her recomned and keep her on track. It was nice to hear that i am impacting peoples lives from my service. There were a lot of people who helped me get where i am and thats whay i came out here, to share my testimony and joy in the gospel with others to help them and i guess i am doign that, even without tons of baptisms. The last few weeks me and E. WInkler have been discussing that part of our calling as a missionary (especially in Wisconsin) is to edify the saints, and i guess thats how i was able to help Sister Guenther. I love being in the service of my fellow man and God, Mosiah 2:17, sorry ill stop showing off. I get lots of time to read the scriptures out here. I will be 16 months on Firday and will only have 1/3 of my mission remaining. I cant imagine what it will be like not to be a missionary. Luckily i still have to wait a while before i know. Have a fun March week. What happened to February? Love you all so much and let the good times roll. Love, Elder Benjamin Russell (not Richard) Johnson