Pontificating and some "Odds and Ends"

 We can’t believe that in just two days it will be May, where does the time go? When we were young it was as though we had “forever” to accomplish our most important goals and desires. The most important ones have been realized…our covenants. As for the rest, the Prophet taught us that not all was to be learned in this life, but that our learning will continue long after we pass through the veil. The most amazing part is what the Spirit has been and is able to teach us while we are immersed in teaching others. Thus we have been given a glimpse of the process and our faith and hope has been increased.

 Learning by the Spirit comes not just through study alone but also by the words of prophets and other inspired men and women. A case in point is our speaker in church yesterday. Br. Biolo, a former member of the stake presidency, while speaking about the importance of the Temple and Temple service he expounded on baptism as an example of covenant making. He compared coming to a marriage covenant as individuals, one party in debt and the other with means. When the marriage is solemnized the party with means absorbs the debt of the other partner. This is an example of what happens in the baptismal covenant. The Savior has, because of His perfect sacrifice, an infinite ability to absorb debt (sin); we on the other hand have nothing to offer except the promise to do everything we can to become a better (repentant) spouse. And unlike some spouses (my words) the Savior’s willingness to forgive is also infinite. This was a perfect time for this talk because of the presence of Bob Peters in the congregation, our forever investigator. We will ask him again on Thursday if he is now ready for baptism.

 We have been truly blessed in our efforts to find and encourage members of the branch to come back and take part in the rich blessings of full fellowship and activity. We have seen the principle of faith work in our behalf and on behalf of those who needed our encouragement. Our testimonies continue to grow and our gratefulness knows no bounds.

Being propelled into an even richer and more rewarding existence,

Elder and Sister Johnson

This week our travels have taken us to some interesting places and sites, here are just three:

This guy would be home on the range if he were not so fenced in. About 20-30 minutes from here, down
in WI, we happened on a ranch that sells buffalo meat. The ranch is in the very small
town of Fence. The only store is called a post so the stores' entire
name is the Fence Post...sorry, but none the less true.

A further sign of Spring, in addition to the mid-seventys temperatures, are the many Robins
that have come to town. Notice this classy nest that is so well decorated
with robin-egg blue ribbon. Do you even think the
builder could distinguish the color?

Every time we pass this store in downtown Iron Mountain, Sister Johnson always comments
on the name of this business. You can tell her instinct is to think
of the city in Utah before the dragon slaying saint.

Penultimate Pasty Party and the Lost Guitarist

 We finished our penultimate pasty making month this week. The other volunteers are very sad we are leaving and I don’t think it is entirely because of the work we do. They want to know whom they can call so that our assignment can be extended. We have gotten to love them, and they us, in a way that only happens through genuine service. There have been a few questions about the church’s “peculiar” beliefs. The one that draws the most incredulity is our insistence on coffee abstinence. Our friends just cannot understand why denying ourselves the many pleasures of coffee drinking should make any difference to any religion. They playfully keep offering; hoping to see if we have finally come to our senses. The nearly two years we have been here has given these 15-20 individuals a close up look at Mormons in Action. We feel good about what they may have learned by our examples; we know we have learned much from them. These are very religious and loving people who, like us, receive marvelous blessings when they/we keep the Lord’s commandments. We will be happy to meet them again on any return visit or, ultimately, beyond the veil.

Just some of the #250 of potatoes it takes to make 650 pasties.

Making dough balls. They will soon be pasty crusts.

 We focused once again this week on our Visit and Home Teaching assignments. One of the assigned home teaching “families” is our former Branch President. When we informed him that we were doing our home teaching he said, “that’s great, it will be the first time in over six years that I have had home teachers visit me”.  That is sadly all too common in these small branches where the distances are great and the funds are severely limited. “Active” branch members are often the last to be visited. There is a reason the Lord requests/commands that all of His saints are frequently visited.

 The young Roche boy, Tyler, is now back home with his family. The operations were painful but he was a trooper. On Saturday we visited and took them fresh pasties and brownies to eat for lunch. They were very appreciative. The branch president and his counselor have scheduled to visit them this week for an assessment. Their home teacher has been in daily contact with them. They are now in the hands of the Lord’s local servants. We trust all will be well.

Elder and Sister Johnson 

For those who have yet to read this short "touching" account.

Last Respects

As a guitarist, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man. He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper’s cemetery in the backcountry. As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost.

I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight. There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch.

I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late. I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn’t know what else to do, so I started to play.

The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around. I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I’ve never played before for this homeless man.

And as I played ‘Amazing Grace,’ the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together. When I finished I packed up my guitar and started for my car. Though my head hung low, my heart was full.

As I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, “I never seen nothin’ like that before and I’ve been putting in septic tanks for twenty years.”

Apparently, I’m still lost…

Don't "Let it snow" Anymore

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW…when will it end? We were “blessed” with another 5-6 inches this past Thursday and Friday. The locals are getting tired of it even to the point of complaining “to us” about the absence of spring. This past week it affected our desire to attempt the drive to appointments, some 45 miles in distance, to visit and home teach some of our assigned members. We moved the appointments to this week. We used the time for lesson prep, study and some branch reports we needed to complete because the quarter just ended.

The operation for the young Roche boy went well.  We sent a request to Sister Shumway for the Elders in Milwaukee to give the young boy a blessing before the operation. His other hip will be operated on this Tuesday and he will be coming home no later than Friday to face his three-month recuperation. He will have to stay completely off of his feet for that time. The Roche’s newly assigned home teachers are in touch and with perfect sensitivity are helping where they can. Additionally, we connected the father, Tom, with a branch member who is particularly helpful in assisting and directing people who need work.

Tom related to us that the phone visit with this branch member went very well, not just about work related issues but also with the connection he was able to make. Based on conversations with the family it is apparent they were not well integrated into the ward they left back in UT. There are some Word of Wisdom and other issues with the family but nothing stopping them from being loved into activity. Tom explained a powerful insight he was given by the member in that above conversation. “The church is here to help us learn how to live in heaven” We took this to mean that he (Tom) felt he wasn’t perfect so he “knew” he couldn’t live up to the expectations he thought he saw in the UT ward. It broke our hearts knowing what this family has been without and also realizing what blessings “complacent” ward members back home missed and are missing. Because of the mission, when we return home we will champion the “members in the margins” for the rest of our lives.

On Wednesday the U.P. part of the zone met for the first time since transfers. What wonderful group of missionaries. We have a couple of new elders who have arrived and were in our meeting. Elder Pike replaced Elder Dusterhoft here in Iron Mountain. Elder Dusterhoft received his regular call to the Colorado Springs CO Mission. Elder Pike is from Las Vegas as was Elder Trout. The fish tie-in has not been lost on the local branch and community. Additional missionaries were assigned to Marquette to serve with the sisters already there. The new missionaries are the District Leaders for the northern part of the U. P. We are seeing a relatively small number of the changes affecting many of the missions throughout the world. 

Feeling educated by the Holy Spirit,

Elder and Sister Johnson

Our friends Will and Brittney Stevens who we met in Marquette after a Zone Training Meeting. Brittney was baptized
by her husband about six months ago. They had recently moved down-state as the locals say. They are
also accused of becoming "trolls" as they now live "under" the (Mackinac) bridge. They are
delightful people and we enjoyed being together with them again.

A Texas Treat and All Boxed In

 What a wonderful conference with much meaningful and important instruction and many useful reminders. We especially enjoyed Elder Holland’s talk on "Faith and Belief" and its place in our lives. We wish every less-active and most active members would embrace its message; we are sure many will identify with it. In the coming weeks it is our goal to re-play it often as we visit members of the branch.  It was a delightful immersion into prophetic insights coupled with feelings of the love our Heavenly Father has for each of us. As has become our custom we provided lunch between the Sunday sessions for all who came. We were hoping to have some less-active members or investigators attend but this time there were “just” members.  It was our pleasure to serve.

 Another reason, and there were many, that made this conference special was a visit from our oldest daughter who braved the perpetual winter of the UP to visit from her “near tropical” home in Texas. Together we were able to listen to conference, she without interruption from her children and husband and us without the need to teach lessons and provide music for Sunday meetings. It was great to see her. We are thinking that all of our children and the grandkids should visit us so we could get readjusted before venturing back into civilian life.

5'4" Stephanie relaxing on our special, for guests, five foot couch.
It's a Gulliver like experience. They all look
so innocent when they are asleep.

 In addition to General Conference other events the first week of April included the completion of some of Sister Johnson’s Visiting Teaching assignments plus our regular visits with less-active members. It was on a mid-week day we encountered the Roche family. Their names and information had appeared on the branch rolls just a few weeks prior to our visit so we wanted to meet them and assess the situation. We arrived, unannounced, early Wednesday afternoon. It was spring break so all of the family was home including the father who had, unfortunately, lost his job just three days before. We were politely and cordially received. The family had moved to Crystal Falls from Taylorsville, Utah some seven months previous. In addition to the father and mother there are three children, a 16-year-old daughter and sons 13 and 11. The boys are possibly not baptized since neither one showed up on the records that came to the branch. We were excited to meet this intact family with actual children. The father said he looked up when we knocked and he just knew it was the missionaries at his door. It was to him as though we had been sent. After all of the previous evidences of God’s handiwork and love for his children we are inclined to agree with him. The better news is, there are active members living not far from this family. The branch clerk and his grown son live just four houses away and have already volunteered to be their home teachers. In this small town these two brethren had, in fact, already met the mother who works part time at a small local store. Since this families’ presence has been revealed to us we have begun the process of helping the husband find another job and involving other branch members who can help. Another need is with the 11 year old son who suffers from Spina Bifida and some other serious birth challenges. He will undergo surgeries on both hips in Milwaukee this week. We are grateful the Lord inspired us to meet with this family and that there are individuals in the Lord’s storehouse who are capable and willing to help.

 We are slowly climbing out of the throes of Global Cooling to the much more pleasant prospect of Global Warming. After exhaustive analyzation and research I think the arguments all boil down the size of the beaches available for sun bathing. 

 Here are some Pics of a local woman in our most recent winter storm with strange protective head gear.

What was that???  Let's have a closer look.

That's what we all thought...so now we have a new definition for "boxed in".

It’s great to be missionaries,

Elder and Sister Johnson

Olecranon Bursitis and a Shirt Cake

 Why is it starting to feel like members are distancing themselves from us – oh right it’s because they know we are leaving “soon”. It happened at our recent Branch Conference, while it was great to see and visit with many of our stake friends, including the presidency, it was both good and odd to hear many thank-yous for the good job we have done for the branch.  It was a great spiritual feast nonetheless. Maybe we are just being too sensitive? Perhaps it isn’t just the missionaries who need to adjust to an upcoming change but the members also. It’s not a big deal, just an interesting observation; it’s only the second time it has happened to me in 50 years.

 It doesn’t look like we will be baptizing Bob Peters before we go but young Akasha Carlson and her brother are still on for June we hope. We haven’t given up on Bob but something is making him more determined than ever to stay “dry”. He has felt the Spirit on numerous occasions in our presence. We only hope he won’t chose to remain just one of the “honorable men of the earth”. 

 Dealing with some minor health irritations this week. I (Elder Johnson) had to have a cavity filled which was pretty routine if you don't mind giant needles molesting your mouth or part of your gum being cut away so the dentist can have an easy shot at filling the hole the sweets I have eaten caused. I also came down with Olecranon Bursitis. It is not painful just always in the way. It can be drained, but for now I am just watching to see if it will resolve itself. 

Not my Olecranon Bursitis but one that looks similar.

We enjoyed a fantastic pot-luck at church yesterday. It was President Nishida's 60th birthday. He is an Hawaiian hence the aloha-shirt cake. Pretty clever, huh.

President Nishida, the Aloha-shirt cake and cake baker
extraordinaire Sister Klatt

 We continue to receive many blessings from the Lord; we are finding and inviting more less-active members all of the time. It is great to witness these miracles as the Spirit moves these wandering sheep gently back into the fold. I remind all who listen that the big advantage in working with the less-actives is they already have had the Gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed upon them and when these members do any positive thing in the direction of returning to activity they receive an immediate witness from the Spirit who testifies to them of the truthfulness of their choice.

We supported a Single Adult FHE/party that went much better than expected.

Mimi Madsen, Bob Erickson and Sister Johnson enjoying some of the great food at the party.

Elders Dusterhoft and Christensen doing what, arguably, what missionaries do best.

Elder Dusterhoft and Dennis Klingman. Br. Klingman is giving the lesson he prepared.

Bob Erickson, Bill Matson, Mimi Madsen and Rich Matson waiting patiently for the action to start.

This activity was completely organized by the branch, something that probably would not have happened a year ago. It was held in the home of Dennis Klingman who has made giant strides back into activity. This is one of the blessings referred to in the previous paragraph. We had three singles, the missionaries a sister, and an old married couple...us. We promoted it on Facebook along with other meetings and events arranged by the branch leadership. Facebook is a great resource for a spread out branch like this one. In addition to using Facebook many wards back home are pretty much run using texting apps. We know the youth are way into it; this requires the adult leaders to master it as well. More to learn – sigh. ASIG*

On the backside of the learning curve,

Elder and Sister Johnson

*And So It Goes for the less tech savvy among us (I had to look-it-up myself)