August 24, 2015

hey y'all 

well this week has been a little hard, with all the rain mainly because we are on bikes this week until Tuesday.

we had a somewhat spiritual week with experiences, i taught again in gospel principals class, and elders quorum, the bishop in the word that i'm serving in said that if i keep doing well that i'm gonna need to watch out.... when i go home because the bishop at home might have a calling waiting for me.... haha do not tell that part in your talk on Sunday....hahahaha

my companion has been out for a year now and is still trying to figure me out.... i said to him good luck.... but i have been nice and also tried to help him out with missionary work through out the week, we do get along pretty well, he keeps challenging me though every day and tells me that he's going to beat in all that we do. so i don't know weather or not he wants the rest of the transfer to be a competition..... hahaha he doesn't know how the black family play's ball :) but this companion though is way more fun to be around mainly because he has a sense of humor. and get's my jokes... the mission life on the other hand has been really good thus far. i love the people here in Georgia, they have probably the best hospitality around and absolutely loves talking about the savior witch makes life somewhat easier to teach them.  have James's senior picture come in yet?? did they turn out pretty good? where did y'all take them at?

so i ate it pretty good the other day on the way back to our apartment, and it started to rain and i was hollin down our apartment road, and as soon as i turned the corner and by back my back tire slipped out from under me and i hit this puddle hard... got up looked around like no one saw it and my companion was just laughing at me, had a nice bruise on my face for two days...

other then that hahahaha this transfer has been great... really hope that y'all are doing well and that all is well back home love you all...

tell everyone at the track that i said hi and that i miss them all... and tell dad congrats's on the win again that's really cool, have y'all been videoing any of the races??

can't wait for the package to get here... really excited tell Brianna and Jacob that i said hi and to give McKenna a hug and kiss for me...

also tell grandma and grandpa that i said hi as well.

tell grandpa chuck that i said hi tooo.

LOVE YOU ALL 

talk to you later...

JOHNNY   

August 17, 2015

so transfers was last week, my new companion in Elder Albertson, he is from Roy,UT

IT's a Miracle that Brianna&Jacob got McKenna in the children's hospital, i have had her in my thoughts through out the day, and in my prayers. i hope that she get well real soon.

I didn't have as of a spiritual experience as i did last week.

dang haha i'm sorry y'all went through with cleaning my room, hope that it didn't make anyone keel over :), is it clean now?? what did y'all do with everything?

sorry about your thermal cup..... i'll be you a new one....

dang tell Sarah (Messenger) that i said hi and that i hope she get's well.

"oh ya" i some what get along with my comp, he keeps him self on the safe side with all of his jokes. he is pretty funny but probably the biggest nerd that i have met... he is pretty smart well a lot smarter then me anyway. we are completely apposite, he is a red head and kinda lazy, not athletic at all so i haven't been able to run in the morning lately, but it's totally cool. he loves to clean which is awesome and he is very organized. our apartment is always clean now.

hahaha we i love y'all and i hope that y'all have an awesome week. 

To: Grandma & Grandpa 

hey y'all how are you? the mission field has been great thus far. i have learned so much.... i am grateful that the blessings that i have received have come off even more so for the family i saw picture of everyone and when my folks were down there visiting, everyone has grown so much and looks different. tell 
Brianna & Jacob that they are in my prayers, also tell them to give McKenna a hug and kiss for me.

has Grandpa grown out his beard again since he has been released from being a bishop?? or is he keeping his face clean shaved? 

it truly is a blessing to be on a mission and to hear that the great blessing that come from that are helping my family in so many ways. i love all y'all and i hope that everything is well where y'all are at.. hope to hear from y'all soon.

LOVE ALWAYS 

Elder Black (JOHNNY)

August 10, 2015

hey y'all so this week has been a blast we had one of our investigators come to church this Sunday!! yay haha 

Elder Holt and I both ate it pretty hard on our bikes this last Tuesday, haha and as soon as it happened i said...... hahaha don't tell mom!

😥😅😂😀 then we said said lets go down that hill again.... knowing that he was going home this Wednesday.

my bike is doing great if you were wondering, and i just have a new scare forming actually a couple forming on my left hand they are pretty cool...... not gonna lie it hurts real good :)

our resent convert i fon't think you got pictures of the baptism yet i think brother moss will send them here shortly... but they are headed back to salt lake here next week to be sealed together!!! i cried this last Sunday in sacrament meeting and tried to keep it to my self.... but the speaker saw me darn it. the talk just really hit home for me and i felt the spirit so strong... they both talk about family and some of they're life story's. i gave them both a hand shake and said thank you for your talk, and as i went in for there hand, sister Tatum gave me a hug and said your welcome. Saturday was really good we got to ride home in the rain after spending the afternoon with some deep southern baptist folks that was fun. oh i almost forgot yesterday afternoon after our ward got out and all of our meeting got done we also attended a baptist service we had agreed with this family that there would be no pros alighting and that we would just be there as friends. all the old folks in the service were asking so many good questions about the three kingdoms and whether or not they were going to see there family's again, or even be married to they're spouse. i wanted so bad to just turn to D&C and to answer there questions. but we couldn't. after we had left Linn the lady that we have become friends with followed us out and said how come y'all didn't say anything... and we were shocked, she then told us that she has a book of Mormon and the D&C with the pearl of great price... again we were really shocked and said have you been reading them. she said yes and no then asked if we could join them for dinner this Wednesday and talk alittle bit about these things. we said what time and now we have the rest of the family wanting on board as well.... i love DALLAS GEORGIA!!!! I knew sooner or later that the Lord would provide a way..... and not only did he answer our prayers but he answered some of our members prayers as well.... this family that we have been visiting and now have become really close to happens to be really well known in this small town. so that has been some of the most exciting news that i have thus far.... haha keep the Christian FAMILY in y'alls prayers that they will continue to flurrish and want to learn more of the gospel. that they will be able to feel all the blessings that heavenly father has in store for them.

TRANSFERS: 

so we got transfer news this morning and haha obviously my comp is going home!! yay :) 

I on the other hand, I am staying in my area to continue the work here in DALLAS. transfers are this WEDNESDAY.

I'm in desperate need of a new suit.. that's what i get for liking the Georgia southern food! my legs and behind are pretty big and now we are allowed to go to gyms as well and they are getting even bigger. biking has done them good :) i have ripped two pairs of slacks now and not on purpose i promise. i got my boots approved and now i can wear them all the time if i so choose. i have two white shirts that still fit pretty good enough that i can still breath. but i am at 195 now and still at 6"2' i have officially stopped growing upward and trying so hard not to grow outward.....

my wast size is still 34 and or the next size up but lets stick with 34 haha i'm doing my best to eat healthy and workout.

my hair is getting blonder and so far that's the update.

1st nephi 15;23-24  is the scripture for this week it has helped me out thus far and has kept me going through out this week and transfer.

nothing else really has happened thus far this transfer, i have a bunch of pictures to send off i got my camera some what working and it still takes pictures which is good. i'll send those off next week.

I love y'all so very much and hope to hear from you soon!!! LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY

August 4, 2015

hey yall i got permission from the mission president to come back to the library and finish emailing yall. 

yesterday ended up being really late for the afternoon which consisted on us not being able to come back and finish emailing....

transfers are coming up this week and my companion elder Holt is flying out and i am either getting a new missionary to train or just a regular.... but i am staying in the area, i'll find out more details next Monday. i did have a scripture to share with yall and i wrote it down, but guess what i did again.... i left it at the apartment right we got on the rode with our bikes i had remembered that i forgot something.... but my comp didn't want to turn around. did yall happen to get the picture from our p-day Yesterday, that was sent from a members phone in our district leaders area...... we played ping pong for most of the day, i found out that i am not good at everything haha then the rest of my district decided that we were going to play sting pong and guess what..... i lost at that as well i have a lot of welts on my back and i officially do not like that game any more!!

so today we were at district meeting and it turned out to be another day of picking on elder Black day's, then they brought out cupcakes and stated a surprise some what of a party for elder Holt..... just a bunch of piles :) but it was fun i did a training on Christ like attributes. as we were leaving my comp and the other two missionary's that are heading home as well stated singing a bunch of songs like i'm coming home, i'm leaving on a jet plain, your gonna miss me when i'm gone.... the rest of us decided to through a bunch of waded up paper at them to finally get them to stop there horrible singing... not that they chose bad songs because they didn't it was the fact that they are really bad at singing:)

i hope that this week gos by fast again like all the other one's this transfer, it's getting real hot down here and the bike have yet learned how to produce off air conditioning..... biking has got a whole lot easier not that i didn't know how to ride a bike before, well some missionary's would like to debate on that one. but it was the fact that 1) i was way out of shape when i got out here, and 2) i hated biking my first week now i would much rather be on a bike then in a car...... only if it would rain haha that would be real nice.

well i love ya'll and i really miss ya'll so much.... how's max doing?? i still would really like a picture of him. any way give him a hug and kiss for me... and i'll talk to ya'll next Monday and give ya'll more of an update with transfers and what's going on....

LOVE ALWAYS------- JOHNNY     

August 3, 2015

so we are at another set of elders library this morning and the computer is not working in our favor... we are going to end our p-day a little early to day so that I can finish emailing ya'll and so I can also get some more picture takin on elder holts camera and send those to you...

I love you all and I will by back on soon.

I'll send more pictures later these are some of my latest from tracting in our area.

July 27, 2015

hey every one i'm sorry that i haven't been very exciting in my emails, i don't really know how to be.

i can't seem to figure out to be more emotional or enthusiastic through email. i also want to say i'm sorry for not pictures very often I've been trying to look for a cheep cord to transfer over my pictures to the computer because i have lost my other one..... then last week we were at a car show with an investigator and i was trying to take a really cool picture on the other side of this fountain of this sweet 1970 an half split bumper Camero, i slipped and fell some what into the water and my camera stopped working.... these may seem like excuses but i promise they are not. i've been trying to look around for a cheep camera and haven't found one.

i truly am sorry mom that my emails haven't been more jam packed with cool experiences and more info. i'm trying so hard to be a good missionary and to focus on the work and trying to keep my mind off home and other things that i don't need to worry about......

i'm still trying and i'll keep trying.

honestly this week has been pretty good president foote likes to call more often with all of the missionary's then president Harding did. so that's pretty cool that we get to talk to him on more of a daily basis. we have a baptism coming up on the first of august a young girl of the age of nine and she is super excited to be baptized and to follow Jesus Christ example, along with her grandmother's too.

i really wish i could sent off some picture to ya'll because i have changed a little maybe in size no i'm not getting fat or huge but my face is looking a little more full if that makes sense.... it probably doesn't but oh well.

i really wish the mission life was more exciting or i guess more a peeling of a story to give out, either that or i'm just really bad at telling it i don't know, it's probably that i'm not good at telling it. i love the mission and i love learning and growing out here in the field even getting to know my companions and what they are like...... honestly elder Holt is going home in two weeks....... that's most likely the nicest way and appropriate way to put it. i have leaned a little from him but other then that... like i said he's going home in two weeks.

this week has started off good i rally hope that it ends well. last week i did not email grandma or really anyone else but ya'll and the mission president that was all. i'll try and get better at that as well. well tell everyone that i said hi and that i miss them. and the tell JILL that her cool picture will be sent off as soon as possible..... i hope to hear from Ya'll soon.

ya'lls missionary

- JOHNNY   

July 20, 2015

so...... haha not getting any skinnier......

the mission field is really good i've learned so much being out.

we got weighed and measured the other day, and i'm currently at 185 pounds, and i'm finally at 6'1" but they said that i'm probably not growing any more then that.

bummer ha i thought that i was going to be taller then dad..... i guess i can just settle for being taller then mom :) haha love you....

our new mission President really likes me and said in our interview that i might be in leadership roll sooner then i think.

sister foote automatically new who i was from day one. she said that my name was the first one that she could get down, and she automatically remembered where i came out from along with saying that they are very familiar with the coos bay area. pretty cool right.

i've learned so much about the gospel that i didn't know before probably because i didn't pay much attention in seminary..... sure wish i did.....

for the longest time i've a lot of questions and have been confused with all the other questions the people have asked us.... not being able to answer those questions really bugged me to the point where i had a meeting with the bishop in Dallas ward that i'm serving now.... a lot of the questions that i had asked him are pretty simple and not very hard questions but have no answers to them..... so i looked to our father in heaven, and fasted along with diligent scripture study..... and all i acquired was a since of peace and convert, knowing that i guess those random questions that where bugging the heck out of me didn't matter.... and that i needed to keep focused on the work at hand.

because of these examples and experiences that i have had my testimony has grown sincerely stronger then i have ever thought it could. this week has been more ...... not only exciting but worth while to go out and to share the gospel with everyone i came in contact with.

my prayers have become more sincere and meaningful. i feel like my relationship with heavenly Father and Jesus Christ has become more dear to my heart then has ever before in my life.

you have always asked how i'm doing and if i have had any spiritual experiences..... i'd have to say that has been the biggest one yet, and i for awhile i just tried to do the tough guy thing and not worry about it thinking that it would just go away sooner or later.

my mission has become more of a learning/ growing experience for me as not only a young man but as a priesthood holder as well. i just want ya'll to know that a completely honor and respect the both of you for being amazing parents and for helping one another to raise the three of us kids. and want to apologize for all the.......trouble haha that we caused you growing up.

thanks for pushing me through school and struggling haha well dealing with ....... me

i love you so much and am grateful to have the both of you in my life.

that's really cool that Collin is going to be helping dad out when he can..... i'm glade that he is staying out of trouble some what hahaha.......

maybe if i play my cards right and do what i'm told to do and follow all the rules, as well as being exactly obedient to the mission and the commandments..... that heavenly father will bless me in showing my that path that i need to take further in the future.

hopefully the odds will be in my favor and things will work out.......

so the things that i really need other then money..... are.....

(1) i really need a camel pack.

(2) my waste size is 34. and length is 34 as well.

(3) mhmm... i need new shoes my shoes are goners for sure!!

(4) i also need a new suit the crotch in my light suit tore all the way up, and i asked if some one could be able to fix it, and they said that i'm better off getting a new suit all together.

other then these things, that is really what i need honestly...... 

alright well i love you and tell everyone that i miss them.

hope to hear from yall soon, haha stay out of trouble.....

LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY