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March 6: Good Times in Toronto!

Hello! (I would apologize for the long email but that would just make the email even longer. I love you guys!)

Happy Belated birthday to the my eldest brother Dustin! Yet another birthday and you're still in school! =D

When I say "good times" in the title I'm referring to barfing and diarrhea for me and a head cold for my companion! After a big dinner on Monday evening my stomach felt very full and upset. We got home and I laid down for almost an hour but I didn't feel any better. I then went to the toilet with the hope I might clear up the pipes down there to relieve my stomach. I'll spare you the details of what happened next: I'll just say that for the next few hours, everything I had consumed the past day or two exited my body in very unpleasant ways. It happened once, then I would lie back down, then the uneasy feeling would return, so I would go back to the toilet and do it again. After round 5 of this there was literally nothing left in my body, so I was able to go to sleep finally at about 1:30 AM. As strange as it may sound, my experience that night increased my appreciation for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I was able to bear the suffering much more because I knew that my Savior had suffered the same things. I thought about the suffering he must of gone through and realized how insignificant my suffering must be in comparison: in affect, that made my suffering more bearable. I truly felt my Savior helping me get through that night. I must really be a missionary if that's how I feel when I'm barfing! 

My companion and I didn't get much sleep that night so we both slept in. I didn't eat much the next day because my stomach was still a little irritated; it must have been something I ate but I have no idea what it was. I had an afternoon nap to regain some strength so we could do some work and we found a nice guy on the street while contacting who wanted to learn more about the Gospel. We met with him on Friday only to find out he's into some crazy stuff (which will not be named) so we said Adios! We didn't actually say "Adios!" and leave but we left respectively and we won't be going back anytime soon, the spirit was just not feeling it. By Wednesday I was feeling fine but soon my companion would get sick.

Elder Coffey starting feeling cold symptoms on Thursday but he could still work. He got a little worse on Friday and by Saturday he was bed-ridden with a pretty bad head cold. He said he felt like he was high; I wonder how he knows what it's like to be high haha. So Saturday was a lot of fun for me (insert sarcastic overtone) just sitting in the room by myself trying to study church stuff all day long. 2 hours of studying is a great amount but 8+ hours drags on for sure. Elder Coffey is still recovering today, so the whole weekend was a little bit blah but it was still a good week overall because our investigators are doing great!

Hubert, one of our investigators, is progressing really well! He has quit coffee and tea already and he is smoking less and less everyday. He says he should be done with the cigarettes soon, and then he will be baptized! It's truly remarkable to see the power of Christ changing Hubert as he strives to draw closer to him. It's a privileged for me to be able to help Hubert draw closer to Christ and to God and then witness the fruits of his faith and repentance.  

On Saturday evening we were able to watch the youth Face to Face with Elder Holland and President Eyring. It was so inspiring! Most of the questions were about communicating with God through more effective prayer, understanding and utilizing the Atonement of Jesus Christ, recognizing the Holy Ghost, and so much more! I learned so much from their answers. Maybe I got so much our of it because I'm a missionary but nonetheless, there's something for everyone in that face to face! I have applied what the apostles said about prayer and since then my experiences with prayer have been nothing short of amazing. I am able to reach a higher plane of thinking as I "approach the throne of God" through prayer! The way I feel when I humbly kneel before my God and feel him communicate his love through the Holy Ghost is indescribable. If you haven't already, I invite you to watch the face to face whether you are a youth or not; it won't be a waste of you're time, even though Satan will try to convince you otherwise! It's on the front page of lds.org. Although it is kind of long, it would still be a great family home evening activity to watch parts of it! 

I know that prayer is a gift from God; it is an act of faith. I'd like to share what I have learned about prayer recently. If we are using prayer to get God's will to align with our will, we are doing it wrong. Praying in faith and with real intent is a process of aligning our will with God's, and having the determination to act upon HIS answer. God already knows what we need before we pray, he knows what's in our hearts, our requests in prayer are of no surprise to him. As I have understood that fact, I have learned why and how I should pray. This realization has also increased me ability to let my Savior's love and grace change me by the power of his Atoning sacrifice. I invite you to evaluate your prayers and strive to have more meaningful prayers. Can't we all get a little better everyday?  

A old Chinese proverb says: "When you drink the water, don't forget the well from whence it came." 

I know that God is the well from which everything comes, I am so grateful. I feel my love for my Savior and Heavenly Father increasing everyday! I am striving to do His will and not mine and I have seen so many blessings and miracles as a result! Have a faith-filled and happy week everyone!

Elder Johnson

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