Monday, November 23, 2015

November 23, 2015

hey y'all
another week done and gone.... 
still going strong... its good to hear that everyone is doing good, mom you need to get rid of that cold.... but yet so do I, I have a really bad sore throat and I've been coughing up mucus for the past few days... I love the winter but I hate getting sick!!!
this week has been good and continues to do so... I can't wait for Christmas to finally get here so I can Skype y'all for awhile.... I've been kind of counting down the days.
Is it getting cold there yet? its getting to be below freezing down here and I could really use some thermals and a sweatshirt that pulls over... how's the photo album coming along??
y'all know how they say that all of your companion's are suppose to resemble your wife some day.... well that sucks, because my companion now is really now that I finally figured out how to read him, now being with him another transfer. he's definitely a preppy kid along with the rest of the district, fun fact they are all from the same county and all from Utah.... I dislike missionary's from "Utah" they think that they are better then everyone else... and its a good thing I can't be mean to people, cause I don't want to be transferred nor do I want to be sent home by any means.....
this transfer has been great other then the district being full up stuck up kids... its been awesome I love this ward and all of the folks that are in it.
I honestly can't wait to Skype home I miss each and every one of y'all so much!!! I'm glade that I get be comforted by the power of prayer and the savior through all that I do. tell everyone that has been asking about me back home in the ward that I'm doing fine and that I love being out here. if they have any other questions please have them email me and I'll be happy to talk with them:)
this next transfer meeting is going to suck if I have to go because its exactly a week before Christmas and I really don't want to leave this area till maybe next transfer.... and then maybe not even then. please keep me in all of y'alls prayers. love y'all so much and hope all is well.
give James and Jillian a huge hug for me. mom I love you and hope that you get better, if you can will you please sent out in the package or earlier some medicine... that would be awesome! Dad I love you and hope that work picks up and that you'll be able to continue with out any dizziness and or blurry vision.
LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY  

November 16, 2015

hey y'all ,
so this week has been slow but great we have had so much stuff to do and are never board.... haha but that's missionary life for ya :) 
I have picture for yall I just have to find them and send them off.
I was able to go on a team up with our bishop son who just got back and we taught together like PBJ it was sick, we got a bunch of member presents  and have had so many new investigators its great. 
the work is going well and slowly building its way back up to where we had it.
Grandma Bobbie sent me a very thin sip up sweater but I love it and its nice to have cause I don't have any other sweatshirts, so I just put on like three shirts and then that sweater.
we have the temple this Thursday and I'm super stocked for that I can't wait. I love being able to feel the spirit there always. so sad news when we go to our zone training at the temple all of the mission cars are getting this little black box called a tiwi or something like that. which sucks because we( my companion) likes to drive super fast in really slow spots jk, but those little black box's monitor everything that the car does and beeps at you every time you break just a little to hard or take a turn to fast and or press down on the gas peddle to hard... first thing that came to my mind was ( dad haha we need to put one of those in his truck.... haha that would be funny no just kidin)
but we are doing great as a companionship some days I just want to through him out the window, but then there are other days that I love him to death.... kinda like another brother haha that I wish wasn't there all the time again joking but not really.... I'm super excited for this thanksgiving though like a lot I love this time of year, with all the trees turnin and changing colors, its beautiful.
well hot dog... I'm cold this library doesn't know what a heater is... hahaha 
how's aunt sandy and uncle mike doing can you tell them I said hi???  tell tony and Tina as well... and Jennifer& Mickey  that I love them all...
can you ask aunt Sandy to go and put flowers down for me please......
we I hope yall are having a great day and that yalls week are doin the same. LOVE YALL SO MUCH GOTTA RUN TALK TO YALL NEXT WEEK!!!!!
JOHNNY

November 9, 2015

hey y'all,

sorry about last week I thought my email sent the whole thing..

so the update on the Cartersville zone, Cassville district we had transfers last week and my companion and I stayed in our area, thank goodness I didn't want to leave I love the folks here. we did have a baptism last transfer and I took pictures but I'm not able to send them off so y'all can see, because I lost my cord in my first area. I have been trying to get a new one here in Georgia but no one carries them in stock and I can't afford to order one. our baptism went really well the young lady that was baptized, her name is Kimberly
Barrios really solid young lady and has attended church regularly since her baptism, the bishop has spoken with her and is trying to help her to achieve her goal of getting to the temple. Its getting really cold down here in the south!!!

I could really use winter clothes, like thermals and a pull over sweat shirt.

its really cool that dad is the word mission leader... now, dad you need to be the sickest word mission leader ever... all the word mission leaders that I've had are worthless they don't follow through with anything that they say..

mom your going to be a great word missionary!!!!

so my shoes are fine there not falling apart on me yet so that's good.

my boots on the other hand they have seen better days the folks out here when they need service done around there house... its not just taking the trash out hahaha we do work and its really helped us to come closer to the word.

my bike is great finally got it broke in and it works like a champ.

but that should be about it I think uhmmmm......

mission field wise I think I have everything.... I think if there is anything that I need I'll figure it out and let y'all know in my next email.

it's really cool that the house is moving along well and that its finally getting all the things that y'all were talking about for it before I left.. and its about time that the down stairs is finally getting heat:) it used to be cold all the time.

my companion is doing fine still a little weird but you can't fix everything :)

no he's pretty cool beside the fact that he doesn't like to eat meat and doesn't eat much of anything. so in result of that we rarely ever have food in our pantry. our refrigerator is getting bare as we speak. no but close.

thanksgiving!!! I can't wait for the day its getting so close...... and then all the food will be here, I love the southern food and all the home cooking. we are booked at two family's houses we have the Wyman's for thanksgiving lunch and we have the Holt's for thanksgiving dinner.. and that morning we are have a turkey bowl I'm so stoked for that... its on thanksgiving morning bright and early:)

so there is a couple of things that I really really wish I had right about now....like thermals for sure that a huge thing actually.... a beanie and a pull over hoodie... its so cold here and they keep saying that it's suppose to get even colder here real quick like... and I'm not ready for that clothes wise.

I hope that everything back home is well and that y'all are as excited for your callings as much as I am... I love being a missionary its the greatest!!

I'm good and this week has been great so far. and I hope that it keeps it up... I LOVE Y'ALL SO MUCH...

Sunday, November 8, 2015

November 2, 2015

hey y'all ....

Halloween was great we carved pumpkins and for our Halloween dinner it was on Sunday at the Wymans

got to play Legos, that was fun. so why did dad give away his dog again?
sounds like a lot of remodeling is happening at the house. haha so dad is starting to wear dress shoes now :)

my cousins look so awesome in there Halloween costumes mister incredible is pretty mighty...

Charlie brown looks really cute, and that fairy wow can she help me fly... cause that would be awesome..

miss Jessie looks really cute and that outfit is great, she's missing bulls eye.... hahaha I bet they had a great Halloween and probably got a lot of candy.

I miss all of them so much...     

October 26, 2015

soooo......

this week was good. we have the Trunker treat coming up for the Cassville word

and there is going to be a chili cook off, and Elder Argyle and I are the judges for it. one of the brothers in the word is a BBQ master he says hahaha, but we'll see I love me some good BBQ. his name is brother holt and they just got back from one of the biggest BBQ competitions in the US. up in Tennessee.

and they got third place so I guess that's good.

Halloween is coming up and we have seen a lot of weirdo's out in bout, we thought that Wal-Mart had some weird ones late at night back home hahaha y'all haven't seen what Cartersville has to offer up. plus they are all huge rednecks and hillbilly's so I guess what get is what you get. I loved the picture that y'all sent thank you so much I needed them...

so this morning Elder Argyle and Elder Christian both talked me into drinking a shot of Apple cider vinegar, the worst thing that I have ever consumed in my entire life... I will never do that again.... they keep saying that it's healthy for you and I say my toe it is, now way will that be my diet plan.... hahaha

so you said that if I wanted to ask for anything I could... okay I have one more request for Christmas.....:) can y'all send MAX in a box, make sure that he is able to breath and that he has water on his way over thanks so much hahaha man I miss that dog.

how's McKenna doing is she getting better??

Mom you got my Christmas list right? 

I really hope y'all are having a great week thus far, I have a good one and plan to keep it up thanks for the prayers and the fasting as well I love all y'all so much. we have a baptism this Saturday @10:00am and we are so excited for it can't wait... well I love y'all please keep sending me pictures. even if they are weird and or awkward haha I love seeing all of them...

LOVE JOHNNY     

October 19, 2015

this week......

so this week we met with president Foote, and it went well and sister Foote I don't how she does it but she can get the emotions out of you I cried a bit when she started talking about home. I'm tying my best to stay focused on the work and those that I'm teaching, but everyday it gets harder and harder because I'm constantly reminded about the shootings and all the other stuff that is going on back in Oregon.... and its not that I try to find these things out but that members tell me every time that they see me.

the work is going well we have a baptism on Halloween, I'm super excited and happy for the individual that we are teaching she is so ready to follow the example of our savior.

some exciting things that are coming up, are we have a meeting with elder zwick of the seventy on Wednesday, and even cooler elder Holland is coming to our mission on December 12th super stoked about that.

we have a lot of good things happening here in our area the ward is slowly getting bigger that I'm serving in and the members here are great. we've had a lot of service opportunity's this month and we have gotten to know more and more about the ward and its members with helping them out around there house and in town.

so I did get grandma bobbies package, but I have not gotten grandma Sewell's letter(card).

I have not gotten the chance to meet elder Gillespie yet but I'm sure I will before the end of my mission unless he is in a different mission here in Georgia. I'll ask around and see if he is serving here in Atlanta.

alright so I need a charger cord/ USB cord that will hook up to the computer so I can transfer over pictures, to send home to y'all.

so......

my Christmas list mainly consist of winter stuff thus far but also some other misc. stuff...

so there is this store that we go and store contact in a lot we there's two of them.

one of them is blue sky outfitters here in Cartersville, and the other one is called academy sports and they have some things that I really like its not a lot of stuff just a couple of things out of both stores, its getting really cold here and they say that its suppose to start snowing towards the end of October.

the other thing that I really want is a 32 gig flash drive so that I can have music now that president Foote has made it to where we can listen to music that I helps us stay up lifting... I really need some up lifting about now!

so the stuff that is at those stores is all cloths, like long sleeve shirts, PJ's, a sweater, two beanie's and some thermals along with some thick socks. that's all that I want for Christmas, oh wait I want a container of red lickerish.

I hope y'all are having a great week and that my head can focus more as well.

I love all y'all so much and miss y'all like crazy.... can't wait to hear from you soon love always JOHNNY        

October 12, 2015

dang it sure looks like that ya'lls lives are super exciting what...... hahahahaha

so haha my cloths fit James real good hah that too funny he looks like he was getting ready to go to a basketball game.... man I miss those....

did he get taller or is it just the way the camera was facing....idk :)

looks like dad has lost some weight mom what are you feeding him :)

lady is getting skinnier and looks happy now that she's in the house...

max still thinks he's a lap dog and just has no clue of what's going on hahaha 

I love that dog so much....

McKenna look like she is getting a lot better and is have so much fun taking pictures she is cute... can't wait to meet her for the first time... that will be awesome.

she is always in my prayers :)

random question??

what the weather like over there right now, have y'all been to the beach in awhile?

has dad gone fishing or crabbing lately.... I can't wait to be able to do that again...

wow Christmas is right around the corner that so crazy I can't believe that its almost here it feels like just yesterday I was getting on the plan heading to Utah.

almost nine months, its going by real fast... and I feel like I have just started the beginning on my mission...

time fly's when your working and having fun while doing the work....

so I did get y'all package it was heavy and full of hygiene stuff haha what is that suppose to mean huh :) :) haha alright I get it I smell what'evs I love y'all toooo

no haha it was great I love it thanks for the slacks and the tie as well as the bathroom stuff....

I'll send my list to y'all next week that I have for Christmas...

I did not get either one of my grandparents packages they probably sent them to the wrong address :) idk what happen but they didn't show to play....

but y'alls did and won the game...

but what I really need bad is a sweat shirt maybe two like really bad...

its starting to get cold here and something light to wear but helps keep my dry and warm is and would be life saver around this time of year... my huge jacket

that I brought out is really thick and I sweat to much when I wear because of the humidity is super bad here like insane in the brain bad haha.....

probably the perfect thing to send me would be one quarter zip  and one pull over hoodie :) I would be set... and then if mom could send me her recipe for pumpkin rolls and Cimon rolls my stomach would be so grateful :)

hahaha

alright well I gotta get runnin we're fixin to head over to the church for our p-day

ha funny joke right quick as missionaries we don't say hump day for Wednesdays but for Mondays we say P-DAY....

LOVE ALWAYS JOHNY 

October 5, 2015

hey y'all I heard about the shootings that have been going on through members and was a little worried but then was converted by a warm welcome from the spirit telling me that everything will be okay... I know that the lord is watching over my family and I'm am so grateful to be able to know that with all of my heart.... my birthday was great my companion made breakfast for me and the district took me out for lunch we had a great day, my mission president also called me and he and his wife wished me a happy birthday... I felt special hahahahaha it was great.... I have found a physical therapy place that is really close by my apartment the mission nurse said that I could go and check it out we have scheduled that in for today so I will be going there today.... my knee feels good and bad off an on through out the day if I don't wear the knee brace I pay for it big time but if I do it feels so much better... hahaha learned my lesson the hard way once again, one day I will learn... conference was so spiritual I loved every minute of it I took so much notes but then there was those talks that were to good and I couldn't not listen so I wrote down print off in my notes cause they were so great. I loved the talk in the Sunday session that elder Russell M. Nelson did it was powerful, and elder David A. Bednar's talk was as well.

elder Holland's talk was so spiritual I tried to keep from tearing up...

I loved every minute of conference...

This transfer has been great we have so many great folks that we are teaching I'm so thankful for the power of prayer and the blessings that it brings....

as long as we pray for things in specific we will get a specific answer.

the beauty of getting promptings that are giving by the holy ghost in direction that is leading you to a specific house or street is amazing I love seeing the smile on the family's faces when they are spiritually prepared to indulge the gospel in there lives... the atonement is real and it works....

as the spiritual Yoda would say the spirit is strong with this one!!!

the mission is great I can't believe the greatness that I have witnessed and the great many things that I have learned since being out here. I love our heavenly father and his son Jesus Christ and for all that they have given me. I love this work with all my heart. this gospel is amazing and does wonders for family's all over.... I can surely testify of the greatness that it entails...

I can't wait to be able to learn more each and every day.

I hope that everything is well back home and that all good!!! ;)

I love you all as well as miss you greatly...

LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY     

September 28, 2015

hey y'all this week has been really good.

transfers went well I'm back in a district leader companionship, my new companion's name is Elder Argyle from south Jordon Utah, this is his first time as a district leader.... and thus far we are getting along pretty well.

the ward that I'm serving in has a lot of folks that used to live in Oregon, and have welcomed me in like family. we have a couple of really solid investigators that are getting ready for the baptismal proses, I'm really excited to be working with these awesome people here in this area, the area is out in the middle of nowhere has a lot of truck stops and a bunch of farming through out it we have a lot of potential here with tracting as long as we have the car we will be in great shape. the topic that the mission and a lot of the stakes as well as individual wards go's has been based on the home, family, and marriage. president Foote has emphasized on these topics for the past few weeks we are going strong trying our best to teach folks about eternal family's. and how we can be together for ever. we have emphasized so much in our lessons on how we can help family's come to know the gospel and atonement more fully.

I have come to really know for my self on how essential and important the family is for me.

I have grown a stronger testimony on family as well as on the book of Mormon my study's have been more spiritual since I have been learning more about eternal family, and marriage. the mission really helps you understand what is important for the rest of your life. the beauty of temple and the proses of getting to the point of this great path of eternal life with our investigators.

fall has hit and is so beautiful I wish I had my camera cord but I lost it back in my first area. I would love to show y'all the beautiful country out here as we have been tracting and driving along the roads here in Cassville Georgia it amazes me how wonderful the scenery is out here. I never would have thought that it would be this beautiful out here in Georgia.

the people are just amazing and are so full of love for the missionary's weather they be non members or members, anywhere you go no matter who you are everyone always wants to talk about Jesus Christ and either how they have been saved or what they can do to be saved. and if they don't know they always have a lot of questions that lead up to asking the right one, which gives us our foot in the door.... I love serving and doing this work it bring such joy to my heart, as well as happiness to those that we bring this great joy to.

heavenly father has really shown me what I am capable of, and I am truly grateful to be able to repay him in the service of being a missionary.

I have learned so much in the time being out here on my mission.

I have truly found my foundation and have built up an even stronger one to add to it, I love that I am able to help and relate to folks while being out here in this beautiful country.

I wish I could share the sights and people that I meet with everyone back home.

I believe truly that I have found me while being on this mission, even though I have still a while to go, I will be able to fly even higher through out these next 17-18 months.

I just want to thank all y'all for the love and support, that y'all have given me through out the years..... and I want y'all to know that I'm constantly praying for each and everyone of you. I love y'all so much and I am truly grateful to have each and everyone of you in my life!!!

LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY (ELDER BLACK)