Go Yankees?….

Hey hey hey, 

First off I don't have a lot of time because we were able to go to a Yankees game today... So that took up a huge chunk. To answer any questions about the game:

1. I don't know if the Yankees even won. The game went into extra innings and we had to leave early so we could proselyte...

2. No, I didn't wear sunscreen. I got burnt to a crisp. Sorry mom.

3. Go Yankees?…..

Lebron James is my favorite quarterback on the Yankees. Go Team!

This last week our Ward had a "Meet The Mormons" event. Where we showed the film along with a little presentation before where we had people make a poster board that talks about themselves, things they like to do, how the church has impacted their life, etc. it turned out to be a great success. We hooked up the movie on a projector in the gym and tons of people from the ward, and even some people from the neighborhood walked in. I don't know if it's because "Meet the Mormons" is just a really good movie or because I haven't watched a "real" movie in a while, but it was on point. 

See that super basic sign? Yeaaaaaah I did that.

There's a super cool diner here called George's. It's a missionary favorite here in the mission. Everybody knows what George's is. I knew about George's before I ever served in the Olmstead zone. The owner, George, looooves the missionaries most likely because missionaries drop dough there, but also because he is a friendly guy and for the most part missionaries are friendly. He hooks us up with free stuff all the time. He is going to be expanding the diner soon and he said that he was going to put a booth in especially for missionaries. We all laughed and told him how funny he was for making that joke. George didn't laugh. George was dead serious about having a booth reserved for the missionaries. Haha I love that place. 

Like I said I don't have much time, but I do want to share an experience we had last Friday. Elder Thompson and I were out working n stuff when our appointment cancelled. We had some knocking doors as a backup, but Elder Thompson had the prompting that we should go visit a 15 yr. old investigator that is the son of a less active member. I've been learning never to doubt Elder Thompson because he is very spiritually in tune. I've also been learning never to suppress a good thought because they're usually from God. 

We immediately hopped on the train and rode to the stop his house is on. As we were getting off we met him in the train station. We were going out, he was coming in. Of the hundreds of thousands of people in our area what are the odds that we pass him randomly in the train station? I dunno what the odds are, but the odds were in our favor that night. He said that he was going to Modells (a sports store. It's super popular in the Bronx) to buy some stuff for basketball. He asked if we wanted to come with him, so of course we went with him to Modells. At first he was a little quiet. He wasn't saying much. Especially when we brought up "Holy things" (must say in your finest Nacho Libre accent.) He wasn't saying much, so I just started talking basketball with him. We talked basketball the whole time he was doing his shopping at Modells.

After that he invited us to go to Taco Bell with him. First off it's Taco Bell. There isn't too many Taco Bells in our area so we had to stop off and get the cheapest diarrhea in town. Second thing, I've learned that great conversations happen over a good Cheesy Gordita Crunch and this could be our chance to finally talk gospel. Once we got our Cheesy Gorditas and Crunchwraps we sat down and started conversing. We brought up the Gospel again and he was talkative and interested in it more than before. In talking to him we found out he is a super bright kid. He loves basketball, but the only reason he plays so much basketball is so that he can get a scholarship and go to college. He wants to go to school and get some money so he can get his mom out of the Bronx. He has a bright future and we let him know how the Gospel can help him with a bright future. We shared the classic Helaman 5:12 with him which says: 

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

When we put Christ first and build our foundation on Christ as opposed to building our foundation by putting all of our energy into other things like sports, work, school or Twitter we are able to have more purpose in life. Yes all those things are good, but we are what we spend our time thinking about. If we never give a thought to Christ we will never reap the rewards of a Christ-like life. You are the sum of your thoughts. If we can build our foundation upon Christ we won't be shaken up by the tough things in life. 

God is real people. That ain't a joke. 

Peace, love, and blessings.

Elder Tyler J Johanson