July 13, 2015

dang sounds like a pretty chaotic week :) did you get my fathers day card?

man i miss the track and every buddy.....

my new area is really fun and exciting very country.

my new companion Elder Holt is really cool we get along pretty well.

being on bike on week and in a car the next.... is pretty hard..... but i manage :)

we've been working out hard in the mornings and i hat to admit i'm either getting fat or i'm getting big one of the two.

i weighed my self this morning and i'm sitting at 198!! when ever we are on bikes it feels like we are back at the YMCA in the bike room just sprinting hard on those bikes again.

but in this case we are on hills  and biking back up those things man i tell ya....

but the work is going well and these past few weeks have been a little hard..... mainly because on the 4th there was a tragedy.... the ensign ward lost a very special person..

we were helping take down the flags of the fallen solders here in Paulding county and we finished before the fire truck that we were on in the morning and no accidents accrued thankfully.

but that afternoon as the fire truck was coming around in the parking lot where we met up at, with the momentum the truck was caring the elders quarm in the ensign ward flew off and hit his head. at first it didn't seem real as we all watch so helplessly........ automatically the fire department was at the seen but the priesthood was the first to respond and we gave him a blessing leaving the rest in the lords hands. on the way... to the hospital in the helicopter he was brain dead and there was nothing else they could do. the funeral was this past Saturday..... very sad day for everyone here in this area he was a very well known man.

Sunday was full of the topic on the supreme courts discussion and over ruling with all the state now having to marry gay couples...... idk but what has this country come too...... other then all this crazy and sad stuff going on.

a really need to get another suit though like really bad!!!! yesterday i was getting into a members car for a team up and my slacks ripped right up the middle, and my other suit that i came out with doesn't fit me any more....

very sad day because now i have to just wear one of my other slacks with just a white shirt and tie.

so i'm doing my best to pay more attention to the prompting of the spirit, and i'm on the 4th time going through the book of Mormon, my testimony for it has been strengthened.

i'm building my foundation very strong and i love serving and sharing the gospel with everyone i come in contact with.

its good to hear that max is doing well :) i still don't have a picture of him..... haha but i guess i can keep waiting for that to come.... :)

tell every one that i said hi and that i love them so much.

hope to hear from you soon, talk to ya'll later

were fixin to go play some ball with the zone.

LOVE ALWAYS

JOHNNY

July 6, 2015

well this week has been extremely laid back and we haven't taught very many people since i have got into this area but the work is still pressing on strong.

my new companion Elder Holt is really cool and we get along really well other then our differences he's defiantly a city boy and knows nothing about cars and or animals. but other then that he's really cool so far one of my favorite comps.

the sister that got in the car wreck is in Utah and i don't really know very much other then that.

our new mission President is really cool a lot more easy going then President Harding.

the slide shows that he and sister Foote showed where really cool and it had some pretty nice music to go along with there presentation.

President Foote is really Awesome. i like him.

I have not yet met Elder Gillespie but maybe will later on in the mission.

in the past few weeks i haven't had any spiritual experiences but hopefully soon here in the near future i will.

any weird experiences uhmmm...... not that i know of but stay in tuned and i'm sure something will happen.

the pictures that ya'll have sent me are really small when i click on them to see them better they just get smaller is there a way that you can send them bigger?

haha i hope to hear from all ya'll very soon.

i love you all 

LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY   

June 29, 2015

hey y'all how's every one tell them all that i love them so much:) 

my new area is Dallas Georgia, My new Comp's name is Elder Duncan Douglas Holt, He is from tooele, Utah and has 4 brothers and sisters. he's really cool and is really big into wake boarding.

honestly only a couple things that i really need!!!

1.) home card.

2.) shorts and hoodie

that i really need until later on down the road in the mission i let you know.

i love all y'all and miss y'all so much. tell grandpa chuck i said hello

Love Always

JOHNNY

June 22, 2015

hey everyone :)

so transfer news came today I'm getting transferred this Wednesday heading to my second area.

I don't remember all of the questions that you asked last Monday, please send them again and I'll be shore to answer them.

Fathers day we had stake conference and it was awesome we had a general authority come and speak to us funny his talk was a lot on how when he was a missionary and he was told over and over to go home and to start dating right away then get married.

his talk ended up being on that kind of subject mainly towards all the young people that were there and listening, also he started talking to the missionary as well.

we had two investigators there and they said that they felt the spirit a lot when the stake president and his counselors got up and talked. our mission President also was there and he had a really good talk on family's and how much they are so important he also talk a little bit on how his journey here has been and expressed his gratitude and love to all that has been a part of his life and the missionary's lives.

for Fathers day dinner we went to a new members home and they fed us these fish tacos that the wife said was her home town famous fish tacos..... they used fish sticks out of a box and Mexican rice  with some home made ranch and then normal tacos toppings.

I started to tell them that we had fish tacos once but our family favorite is chicken tacos. well my favorite.

I still ate it, it was good Elder hope had like seven of them tells you how much he liked them.

so this is my last p-day here in the twin oaks ward, i got a call this morning from the AP's about transfer news and they told me that i'll be going to a car share area so I'll be able to ride my bike i already told you that haha :) my bad.

we get to meet our new mission President here in the next couple of weeks. pretty excited for that i wonder how he's going to be.

so down here it may be all muggy and gross but it is really really  hot but its cool cause i don't burn at all I've been tanning real good :)

alright well i love you all and miss you thanks for the support. hope to hear from you soon.

LOVE ALWAYS

JOHNNY    

June 15, 2015

so this week was awesome my companion and I had the opportunity to witness on of the investigators of the district that I'm in get married that was very interesting haha i'll send y'all some pictures.

everyone is just getting so big "wow" Lila and Marley are so cute and really funny it stinks that Charlie is gone he was one of the greatest dog's in the world I'll miss him. James look's just the goofiest in his treky uniform haha but I did to so :)

along with this week being just the craziest well mission life is always crazy and full of up's and downs but along with all of the fun we've been having bummer news has come into our court and tried taking over the game. one of our investigators fell off date and has been pretty evasive with us not answering any of our phone calls or texts hasn't been to church and his baptism was suppose to be last Saturday. unfortunately it didn't happen. we are still trying to get a hold of him and figure things out can y'all pray for him his name is Yusuf.

this library that I'm at is really lame so I might not have any more time to email here in a few minutes i'll try to email a little later today.

let every one know that I love them and miss them so much.

love you mom and tell dad that I miss him and love him too.

make him a fathers day card for me. LOVE ALWAYS

JOHNNY   

June 8, 2015 testimony & email

scripture Mosiah ; 18:7 is what I've picked

testimony: I know that this church is the true restored church and that joseph smith is a true prophet of god who was given the authority from god the eternal father him self to go forth and re-establish the church of Jesus Christ of later day Saints, I know that President Tomas S. Monson is the prophet here on the earth today. I know that I was sent here and given a body and two amazing Earthly parents to lead and help guide me as well as teach me the gospel, I know that through there strong and faithful testimony I was able to learn and grow in the church. I know that Jesus Christ loves each and ever one of us and that he livestoday. I know that I have a loving and caring heavenly Father that sent his only begotten son to die for us so that we can live him again once more. I know that as a missionary I can learn to love the one's that I come in contact with and I can be the hand that helps them when they fall. I can show them the path which heavenly father has laid out for them. I love this gospel and this church I love my savior Jesus Christ and the example he sets for me. I love being a missionary and serving my heavenly Father. I love teach the amazing people here in Georgia, this mission is wonderful it has taught me so much. already even though I haven't been out that long. I love my mom and dad and the example they set for me and my siblings. and I leave these things with you in the name of our beloved savior and redeemer Jesus Christ amen.

so yesterday was fast Sunday and probably one of the most funniest fast and testimony meeting I have been so far it was suppose to be just short and brief testimony's but we have a lot of members that are resent converts form Baptist churches and they got up well some of them got up and when it was there turn it kind of turned into story time and they used a lot of body language it just was the funniest thing ever I tried to hold it in and be quiet but I just could not stop laughing I was a little quiet and we were in the back of the gym so we didn't make to much noise but man that was a great testimony meeting. and later on after church on of our investigator's that we went to go visit came out side and told us that she wanted to be baptized and that she wants to learn more about the church. yesterday was just awesome. differently strengthened my testimony.

this church is so true It hurts in side to see people just reject us or tell us that they are not interested. we had one older lady yell at us before we could even get to here drive way, to don't even think about it. just busted our bubbles and we kept walking. Elder Hope say's hello and so does the rest of our district they are all here at our library today. I' really excited for this week to continue and to go out and find more folks to teach this beautiful message that we have to share with them. my heart just fills with joy when I see them except this great blessing of the gospel into there lives. I hope to sent y'all some picture this next week my camera has been dead for the past transfer because I haven't had any batteries for it so hopefully I can get some to you here soon.

 I love you all and miss you  keep me in your prayers and pray that Elder Hope and I continue to do well and keep baptizing and finding folks to teach the restored gospel.

 LOVE ALWAYS

JOHNNY (ELDER BLACK)

June 1, 2015

haha why don't you want to give max a hug and a kiss you'll just smell like wet dog for awhile and have nice slobbery kisses on your face :)

anyways haha its really nice to here everyone is doing well it feels like yesterday I emailed y'all so it's like I don't much to email but I can tell you a couple of story's that have happened here recently.

transfers came around and now I have the hulk as my comp and we baptized three people last weekend, I was very excited and spiritually over happy if that makes sense. we are trying to teach our new investigator her name is Michelle Taylor and she is just full of story's its like story time every time we go over to her house. :) we are also teaching a pretty solid family the lowery's  there name is spelt differently so the computer doesn't like it but they are a really cool family of five ages from 18 to 48 Dalton sr. is 48 and his wife Barbra is 47 and they have four children but we only see three so we say family of five Dalton jr. is next and he's a police officer he doesn't like it when his brother and dad call him five-o haha I think its kind of funny and he's 25, the next one is Walter he performs every night at the club he raps brother cairns calls it crap and gives him a hard time. his stage name is wolf and I call him wolfy but he say's I'm only aloud to call him that he calls me black so I guess it works. last one is Desiree she just turned 18 last week the whole time I thought she was like 21 but I guess not everyone picks on her cause she's the little one they feed us pretty good every once in a while. they're pretty solid as well. we have another baptism coming up which will make this one number four if you count Ashley's baptism but its Just three for me on the mission his name is Yusuf he's from Nigeria and he's really big into soccer age is 22 and he doesn't talk that much but he is super solid and ready to be splashed into the waters of baptism haha:) so far that's it other then that the mission is doing great I'm doing well and healthy we had a really good breakfast this morning I made pancakes bacon and eggs for my companion and I it was so good. today is kind of like our calibration for our baptisms we are going to Applebee's for lunch today a member is buying the district lunch there and then we are eating at another members house for dinner tonight. pretty busy day I love you all and hope to hear from you soon. still waiting on those packages y'all said were coming. hope my home card comes with them :)

alright well gotta run lave ya and miss you lots!!

LOVE ALWAYS JOHNNY

ELDER BLACK