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| On one of our trips, it seemed to be the season for baby camels to be born. Babies were everywhere, even very close to the car and crossing the road. |
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| About 100 camels crossed in front of us on the road to Hawassa. You can see one of the herders keeping them going after they crossed with his stick and his yellow jug for water. There are huts in the background and a termite hill in front. |
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| There were about 100 camels walking through the fields between Addis Ababa and Debre Zeit from the expressway to the hills. |
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| This one lives on a hotel compound in Hawassa. He couldn't stop chewing his toenails. |
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| Can you see the camels peeking over? |
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| Camels Eating Cactus |
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| The Grass is always Greener on the Other Side There is a little baby lying down in center. |
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| "So the story of the week was most certainly the baptism of Jose Luis. We had a baptism Saturday in the afternoon and we were going to baptize Jose Sunday morning because he works really late. So we left the font with water in it so we could show up Sunday and start the baptism. What happened though is that the other set of missionaries who share the chapel with us forgot we were going to have a baptism so they drained the baptismal font... Ha, we showed up early Sunday to make sure everything was ready but when we opened up the font, it was dry. The baptism was going to start in 20 minutes but it takes an hour and a half to fill the font. We turned the water on and found 2 hoses and a couple of buckets. We hooked up the hoses and started a bucket brigade and the font was filled in 30 minutes! After everything, it turned out good and another one of our Heavenly Father's children was able to make a covenant with Him. I love the work and you guys!" Elder Johnson |
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| "I interviewed a couple to be baptized that are more than 90 years old!!!" "This week was pretty awesome! We had a lot of time in our area and we were able to find lots of good people. We also had a zone meeting, district training, and interviews with President. I have been learning a lot in these last couple weeks." Elder Johnson |
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| Beautiful misty morning on the way to Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. We started with traditional native dancers and orientation before trekking up through chrysanthemum and potato fields, bamboo forests and steep slopes. Then when the trackers located the Agashaya family group, the guides hacked through trees and vines till we caught up to them. We were surrounded by 20 gorillas but we couldn't see them all because of the foliage. We were able to spend an hour watching and following them. You can't touch them but they can touch you if they want. We learned to make the gorilla welcome sound. |
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| Suddenly, this big silverback(Agashaya) slid backwards down a slope like a child sliding down the stairs then brushed against my knee as he passed by. He was followed by a female with her baby on her back. It was amazing, we had a great experience! |
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| "This week in church, we watched the video of the round table discussion that the apostles had about the sabbath. I really liked a lot of things that they said, like how on the sabbath, we should be with our families, maintain a reverent attitude, eat food together and write letters to missionaries. Ha, I remember that mom was always telling us to write letters but I just never got around to it...I think I feel a little bit of carma now. Also, I was thinking about the spirit and how sometimes we think that it is an instrument that we have but really, we are instruments of the spirit. Sometimes we also think about the church and the work of God in the same way. We ask what the church can do for us or how can the work help us but we are completely turned around. I know that we are here on the earth because Heavenly Father gives us that opportunity." Excerpt from Young Elder Johnson |
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| We went to the Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda. It's hard to believe that people could spread hatred and commit such atrocities. It was only 20 years ago. It was even difficult to walk through the memorial. The amazing thing though is that people forgave their neighbors. Anyone we met over 20 years old, experienced it and lived through it. They all said the only way to live, to have peace, was to forgive. |
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| Beautiful Gardens where 250 thousand people are buried. |
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| They left the gunshot holes in the Parliment Building in Kigali as a remimder. |
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| We had the opportunity to go to Rwanda for a few days. It is a beautiful, very clean country with a thousand hills. We ate dinner in this restaurant, "Heaven". |
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| There were fantastic views from the hilltops. This view is from Heaven. |
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| The church has only been in Rwanda for two years. We went to Rwanda to meet a young man that has been a member for two years and was prepared to be set apart and serve a mission. |
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| We stopped at a market and bought this tiny fruit. The dried packet opens and it tastes really good, like citrus. |
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| Matt Leaning on his First Companion Since he has been in this area, Elder Johnson has been teaching a man whose family was baptized without him. Then he quit his job and they spent a lot of time teaching him but he never made a decision. "We were on the brink of losing hope because he got a new job and it won't have time anymore. Saturday night before stake conference we decided to pass by his house but had no idea what to teach and didn't have much time. We ended up teaching about Lehi's dream and the importance of having the vista puesta in the tree(eternal life-living with your family, God and Christ) instead of paying attention to the people in the building who are never going to help you be happy. We finished the lesson and went to stake conference. When the family got there, the dad told us that he decided to be baptized this week. We really have no idea what happened but I know that the Lord wants the family to be united and eternal. I know that Heavenly Father answers prayers when we pray with real intent." Elder Johnson |
