2nd Email from Elder Johns at MTC

Note from Dad:

Sorry I didn't get this up until today, he posted on Tuesday. Anyone sending letters should now send them to his California Mission Address where he will be on July 24:

Elder Bryce Johns
California Riverside Mission
5900 Grand Avenue
Riverside, CA 92504

The Italicized comments are my editorials on his email.

Email from Bryce on July 17, 2012 (2^nd Email from Bryce)

...

Feel free to post whatever you want on the blog, I don't have a set piece this week.

That's cool about the garage, I have a hard time picturing it clean again haha. (Editorial: we told Bryce we cleaned the garage last weekend).

Yeah, I see Rudy (Elder Frazier from our ward) around pretty regularly, we talk on occasion and we have a picture of us pointing at the map.

Anyway, We've been doing a lot of role-playing and lessons, especially about how to learn/teach with the Spirit.

Sundays are pretty busy. We have a Priesthood, District, and Sacrament meetings, A fireside in the evening (which you need to be a 45 minutes early for to get a decent seat), some study time in the morning and meals. The study time is usually spent preparing your portion of the district meeting lesson, and a 2-5 minute talk for sacrament meeting. (there are 2-3 missionaries randomly selected to speak out of the 24 missionaries in the zone.) Once the missionaries speak a member of the branch president speaks, and they are usually amazing meetings all round.

For our Sunday devotional Jenny Oaks Baker came and played! I thought you'd (Mom) be jealous. She played "Amazing Grace", "I Need Thee Every Hour", "Believe Me, Father's Endearing Charms (or something like that....), "This is the Christ" and "I know that My Redeemer Lives". In between songs she she talked about how her testimony has grown throughout her career/ life. Also, her 5 kids age 15-5 played "I am a Child of God" on piano, violin, cello and guitar. It wasn't half bad. they take after their mother. the older two were really good. The 5 year old on the guitar kept making funny faces the whole time. I'd like a CD of hers if possible.

We've also been listening to a lot of talks which has been good.

"Watching what I am eating" may be something of an overstatement lol. But I am working on it.

Well yeah, Sisters are here too, but there aren't any sisters in my district so I don't have too much trouble with that.

(Responding to the How are the role playing lessons going questions from Dad)

The effectiveness of my lessons has been varying, but I've had some good ones, and I'm getting better at listening to the spirit.

Oh yeah, I got my travel Itenerary. I leave on the 24th to the Ontario CA airport. I have to leave the MTC at 5:00, which isn't all that bad. (Mom and Dad are wondering 5am or pm? We are assuming AM, but having a hard time with Elder Johns' “isn't all that bad” comment since he is not a morning person.)

Tell Anthony and Jessica to get writing! lol, They haven't written me back. also, could you send me Jessica's address, I think I wrote it down wrong.

Please Tell Nolan's family thanks for the care-package. It was excellent. The cookies were a big hit and I care all the motivational papers they sent. I have some hanging up. (I especially like the one that says things like "Never say I Can't" My companion doesn't like it much though) and the apron should come in handy.

Also please tell grandma Johns that I loved the card, but what alarm clock is she talking about?

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Continued Editorial

(He sent some responses to his Sisters letters (one in email and two by letters)). We are all excited about him starting in CA this week and pray that all will be well with him as he starts his service in his mission field.