$100 worth of sweedish fish

Sup bones,

All is chill dope here in the mtc, i've only got a week left and then i'm hittin up the samoa side of things.  I'm stoked for sure, we got our travel iteninerariarray,  we're leaving scl at 4:55, be in lax at 5:55, and then leave lax at 10:00 pm.  So i'll probably call you sometime in that area or something.  So yeah, that's on monday.  And then we leave lax and fly all night to newzealand and get there in the morning.  But the dope part is that we have a 12 hour layover in new zealand, so we get picked up by the missionaries there, and we get to go work in new zealand for a day, which is freakin sick.  I'm stoked for that.  One of my good buddies is serving there, so maybe i'll get to see him, who knows.  So that's dope, i was way stoked when i hear that.  But yeah, then we leave aukland at 8:00 pm, and fly to samoa, get there at 1:00 in the morning.  So it's gonna be for real legit definitely.  I'm way stoked to get out and do the work.  But i also wanna utilise my time here in the mtc, so i'm as ready as i can be.  Not a whole lot is going on here in the mtc, thanksgiving was dope, it was like another p day, except we got to hear from russel m nelson.  and then two days before that we heard from d todd christofferson.  So that was dope, but yeah i ate thanksgiving dinner with austin, it was legit.  I think i would have been a little bummed on thanksgiving in the mtc, but i just spent the whole day with austin and blake, so i was way sick.  I'm way lucky to have two of my best friends in here with me.  Me and my companion hang out with Blake and his companion like every day, we're all chums all the way.  It's pretty cool for sure, we have some wacky wild adventures. Like the other day at lunch, blake was going for a big swig of orange juice, and at that exact moment, i decided to throw a banana at him from across the room but it so happened that i pegged his hand that was holding the orange juice, so it was like an orange juice explosion!  All over him, i was laughing so hard!  haha but he was way mad, he's making me dryclean his suit.  Oh yeah, thanks for the thanksgiving package by the way, i was super stoked.  Muma and snotty chin, it was dope.  Super dope package, everyone was way stoked on it, we were all the "deputies of the mtc" with our fancy badges.  It was OFF THE CHAIN!  Wicked cool!  But yeah thanks for sending me stuff, it's dope legit.  Oh yeah, i need you to fill up my debit card, it only has like sixty bucks on it, and i need 100 bones cold hard cash for the airport in case i have to buy a hundred dollars worth of sweedish fish, or an emergency like that.  But yeah, i can't really think of anything more that you need to know, everything is dank dope double cool sick here in the mtc.  So yeah i'll call the heck out of you guys next week for sure.  Anyways good luck, all is good here

 Ioanisoni

Dear Diary

Dear Diary,

You'll never guess what!  Today, that cute Elder said hi to me!  I know!  Oh diary, i feel like you're the only one i can trust.  You understand me diary, not like that mean companion of mine.  Sometimes i wish you could talk diary, you would know exactly what to say.  You're my best friend, diary.  I know you will never leave me, you'll always be by my side.  Anywho, i gotta go, goodnight diary!
Your friend,

Elder Johansen

 

Oh what the heck is that ^^^^?  Weird stuff, it was already in the email when i logged on, i don't know what it it.   Anyways, it's all good here in the Mtc.  Not a whole lot has happened this week.  My good friend blake came in, so it's dope to see him hanging around, being loud and obnoxios and cool stuff liek that.  Me and Blake and Austin all live in the same residence building, so sometimes we have secret parties and gatherings by the snack machines and gossip and giggle and wink at each other often.  It's a very lovely time in the mtc.  I got randomly asked to give a talk on sunday during sacrament.  It was good though, luckily i was actually prepared this week, so it worked out.  I told a story about how me and austin were on this double date and austin lost my car key, so we prayed that we could find it.  But when i told the story, i neglected to say that austin and i were on a date with seperate girls, so it just sounded like i said i was dating boys before i came on a mission. haha but that's okay, i think everyone in the branch knows i'm a litle strange anyway.  But yeah, it's all dope sick here in the mtc, no doubt.  I'm stoked for sure to go to samoa, but i wanna push myself as much as possible so i can be as ready as i can for the mission feild.  It's gonna be so sick, i'm stoked as ever. Usually i get up like a half hour early and read the book or mormon in samoan, and then in english.  We've been promised by President Hinkley that if we read the Tusi a Mamona in our mission language, then we''ll be fluent in the language.  So i'll give it a try for sure.  I can definitely see some progress.  But yeah, the language is dope, our teacher is still pushing me and my companion way hard.  I've sat in on the lessons with some of the other elders, he goes way easy on them.  But he told us that he's pushing us cause he feels like the two of us have great potential with the language.  But that being said, i still feel like i don't know a dang thing about samoan, it's pretty tough sometimes.  But i can definitely see the Lord's hand in my progression, this work is amazing.  I've had some really great experiences here in the mtc, i've been blessed with a lot of growing experiences.  I can't wait to go out and teach this gospel, it really does bless lives exponentially.  There are people out there in samoa waiting to hear the gospel, and i have the opportunity to teach those people, what a blessing that really is.  I just want to do those people justice that are preparing themselves to hear the gospel by preparing myself to teach them the gospel.  I really wish i had studied harder before i came in here, i'm really having to put in my all right now.  I want to fill my brain with knowledge so that i can draw from that at a time of need.  But everything is going really good, i love my companion, he's freakin dope.  Bros for life, no doubt.  And all the elders in my district and zone are freakin sick for sure.  We all have some way good times, it's dope dank sick here in the mtc.  I feel really blessed, i'm not sure why i've received so many great blessings, my life right now is amazing.  Everything is sick for sure.  I know without a doubt this is the best decision i have ever made. Anyways, good luck everyone, i love you all, keep squeezin your beans and slappin your goat lips in that lovely manner that i enjoy. 

alofa atu, toefeiloa'i, sekia,

Io-aulelei (Johandsome)

yoyoyoyoyoyoy

Hey talofa fambam, yoyoyoyoyoyoy for sure yo.  Not a whole lot is goin on heere int eh mtc, it's all the same for sure.  The time is flying by, pretty soon i'll be chillin in samoa, dope dank for sure.  The language is going really good, it's kinda starting to come together for me, my companion and i speak it as much as we can.  sometimes we speak only samoan for like half the day, it's way good.  It's cool, cause there's a ton of native samoan guys here that are going to the philipines, so we always stop and talk to them in samoan, it's sick.  I was talking to this samoan at the fireside on sunday and he asked me to bear my testimony in samoan for him.  But he said that i have the accent down perfectly, so i was stoked.  He said i speak better samoan than any of the palagi (white) kids that he's met.  But that's only because my companion and i speak it a ton, nobody else really tries.  And there's this program on the computer that we do every day where you learn samoan words and you can hear them spoken by a native speaker, it helps a ton.  It's all about mimicking the tone, because the tone is pretty important in samoan.  especially if you're asking a question, it you don't get right, it just makes it a statement.  But it's really good, i'm stoked on the language.  I can understand a ton, my problem is being able to speak it.  Cause i can talk to all the native samoan guys here pretty well, and i can understand everything they say, i just have troube speaking it back to them.  But it's all good.  I'm grateful for my companion, cause he practically has it down.  So he talks to me in samoan a ton, and that's the only way i can learn it.  I realised that from the beggining, i can only learn the language by hearing it.  The other guys can read out of a book adn learn, but that's way hard for me.  So it's good.  I can definitely feel a lot of progression.  Haha sometimes my companion pretends he doesn't speak english, and then says weird stuff to the palagi sisters, it's way funny.  Or we'll make fun of the tongan kids and they dont' know.  I think thats one of the perks of speaking samoan, mocking people when they don't know. haha, no just kidding, i wouldn't mock anyone, i reserve that for my sister and father. Oh yeah haha, when i was teaching a lesson the other day, i totally said the wrong thing.  The word "Orange" in samoan is "Moli" and the word for butt is "Muli".  And i had marked a scripture in oragne highlighter, so when i asked the volunteer (they have samoan volunteers come so we can teach them) to "read in the orange", i actually asked him to "read in the butt".  haha yeah it was funny.  There's a could of distinctions like that that might get me in trouble.  Haha but it's good.  Oh yeah, also, in samoa we're not allowed to do email now because i guess they lost their priveleges i guess. so for now it's just snail mail, but yeah no worries, i dont really care.  Mom might i guess, but it;'s not a big deal to me.  And the rule is always subject to change, so i'll just let you know.  But yeah, thanks ketket kyrk and methey kereik for the peanut butter bars and ties.  the bars were frfeakin good,. and the ties are gnarly dope, exactly what i wanted, thank you. Fa'afetai.  Also thatnks wendi and famclam for the pumpkin cookes, they were excellent.  And my comnaion was stoked on the package, thanks mom, it's good.  The pizza was dope.  Feel free to send us a real pizza if you ever feel inclined, that would be cool too.  But yeah, it's all good here.  My teacher, brother starfish is pushing me and my companion in the language and when we teach the lessons, cause he says that we show a lot of promise.  So he makes our lessons way harder, and it causes us to have to really work at it.  Cause he pretends to be an investigator and we teach him, it's pretty tough sometimes.  He'll ask questions that i'd have trouble answering in english haha.  But it's good, i'm trying to work my hardest and be the best missionary that i possibly can.  I can really see the had of the Lord in my life, and i know that he's helping me in my progression.  I'm way stoked to get to go to samoa, i feel really blessed.  I'm enjoying my time here in the mtc, it's really good.  I can really feel myself growing.  The Gospel is amazing, i feel really blessed to be a part of this great work.  I can't wait to go bless the lives of God's children in Samoa.

I love you all,

-Ioanisoni

Gregarious Gary had ten weasels hidden in his beard.

Hey Sekia, family, sekia.  Not a whole lot of stuff is going on here in the mtc, it's pretty much the same.  We pretty much teach in samoan almost every day, so that's been pretty good.  Sometimes i don't prepare as well as i should, and then it' way hard.  But usually the lessons are really good.  My companion's really good with the language, he speaks better than anyone in the district.  But he's fluent in tongan, so that's why.  but it's really good, i'm learning a lot.  Sometimes i get frustrated with the language, but most of the time it's just dope.  Expecially when me and my companion talk about the other missionaries and they don't know what we're saying.  I think that's my biggest motivation right now, haha i just like making fun of all the weird elders here.  nah jkjk it's all good.  But yeah, i'm stoked for when i'm fluent, that's gonna be sick.  I translated the Arthur theme song in samoan the other day, you know, it's good to stay busy.  Not a whole lot has happened this week, my companion was sick for a couple days, so on wednesday i got to sit in the residences and read the book of mormon for like ten hours straight.  That was way sick, i loved that.  I'm really growing more of a love for the book of mormon, it's the dopest.  it's gun for sure.  But yeah i wish i had studied it more before i left, and preach my gospel too, i feel like i don't know any of the gospel stuff as well as i should.  But it's good, i guess that's why i'm here.  sekia, dope for sure.  I think the most exciting thing that happened this week was when two of the elders in my district got to go to the "outstide world" to go to the hospital cause one of the kids hurt his knee.  But yeah, that's pretty much the most exciting thing that happened, it's exciting stuff.  I talked to Austin the other day for like two hours, i see him every day and we swap weird scriptures that we find.  They're all really funny, the bible is freakin weird.          My companion is dope, we get along super good.  Me and him and Elder hansen are all super tight, we get into some "wacky adventures".  I try to do weird stuff to my companion and pull wacky pranks on him, but i think he's just used to it now.  He's been subjected to me for too long.  When we're talking to other elders that we don't know, he always pretends that he doesn't speak english, and then says a bunch of weird stuff.  But its' good, we've had a lot of weird stories, i just can't think of any right now, it's like six in the morning.  It's tight though, haha i think the only thing that bugs me about him is the he "Chonks" very loudly.  I timed it when he ate the sacrament bread, and it took him a minute and twenty seconds just to chew that little peice of bread. And he did so very loudly. i think that's your fault that that bugs me, papa.  haha but nah, i take that as a good thing, cause nothing else bugs me, we're freakin tight.  Langi is the dopest, i'm way lucky to be with a cool companion. one of the funnies kids i've ever met.  He's teaching me how to sing, i'm not gonna lie, i'm pretty good.  haha nah jkjkjkjkjkj, i wanna get good so i can sing in samoa, cause they love singing there.  And all the samoan songs are dope.  He's gonna teach me how to play the piano too, i wanna learn to play it.  I never realised how much i love music until now.  And singing and playing the piano is the only kind of music we get in here, so i thrive on it.  Langi is teaching me and Burgess how to harmonise, we're gettin it, we're gettin it.  Music is dope sick dank mean ill bad double dope tight sekia for sure.  No doubt, malo, sekia.  I can't really think of anything to write, so i'll just say some stuff.  "Stinky steve waddled gracefully."  "Gregarious Gary had ten weasels hidden in his beard."  "That's a mighty fine ferret you have, may i touch it?"

Alofa Atu,

Elder Ioanisoni

 

Wassup fambones

 it's all good here in the mtc, for sure for sure.  Not a whole lot is really going on, every day is the exact same, they all kind of mash together.  Oh yeah, i have a confession.  I was gonna tell you guys the first week, but i forgot.  Remember that cat that crawled into that cooler and died?  Yeah, that was me.  I was playing with it, but then mom said we had to go to mcdonalds, so i put it in the cooler so i could play with it later.  But when i came back six hours later, it was all slimy and dead.  So there's my story, it's been weighing me down for the last fifteen years.   Haha now you know.  ummmmm....but yeah, not much going on it really is all the same.  We had district meeting the other day, and our biggest goal as a district for this week is "to not bring toys into the classroom."  Haha so i guess you can tell our maturity level, we're just a bunch of "Giggly Boyz who like Toyz".  But yeah the district is tight.  Everybody picks on me, i'm the lame one of the group, like yesterday everybody was making fun of me for those "dansko" shoes, i wore them for the fist time.  They're all like "Johansen's wearing those dutch clogger shoes! Look at him!"  and they all laugh and laugh.  I knew those shoes were ugly, you tricked me.  haha jkjk       But yeah what else...Chase left yesterday morning, me, him and austin had a last 'funtime buntime' on sunday night up in austin's bedroom.  I'm way jealous that he already gets to leave, i'm still in here for another month. haha but it's cool, the mtc's dope for sure.  But yeah we got some pictures and had a giggly ol time, just us boyz, for old times sake. 

Yeah halloween wasn't that cool, it was pretty much the same as every other day.  But it was alright, Langi and i wore our "Special Matching Ties" ;) We were the bell of the ball!!   As we walked around the campus, there were heads turning left and right!  "Who's those handsome boys with the matching ties?!" they all seemed to say.  Also thanks for the shades,  they make me look "cool".  I'm trying to boost my image with the other boys, so they think i'm "cool".  Haha but yeah, thanks for the package, it was dope for sure, we played some good pumpkin soccer in the hallway at the residences.  And also, thanks g-ma and g-pa for the package, everyone was WAY stoked on the scotcharoos, they were super good.  So fa'afetai lava, thanks for sure.  Oh yeah, those glowsticks came in handy as well.  My companion got written off the other day, and he was all down, so after lights out i cracked a few of those glow sticks open and had a secret rave party in my companion's bed!  I crawled right in there and started jumping on him and going "Woo-Woo!"  and waving my glow sticks.  I think it really cheered him up, i know people like stuff like that.  And then starfish was sick too, thanks for sending that,  brother stakisi didn't know what to do when i brought a mea alofa present for him during our lesson.  He was like "Ae sole!  Fa'afetai lava mo Mea Alofa!"  haha but he's way funny, our teachers are pretty tight.  Oh yeah, the other day we got a sister missionary in our district.  I thought it was gonna be way sucky cause all the sister missionaries are super weird, but she's actually pretty tight.  She's a big sassy samoan girl, I'm sure she and Langi will get married.  But yeah i guess they don't sisters to samoa, so she's going to nui sila new zealand, samoan speaking.  Oh yeah, papa, if that blue hoodie is still in the back of your car, i would totally love to have it.  But if not, just send me a jacket or something, it's way cold all the time.  sick dope for sure mean boss.

The language is coming along pretty good, i can understand quite a bit, but it's hard for me to speak.  But i'd say that i'm doing pretty good, i can get all the intinations perfectly.  And i understand more than a lot of the palagi kids.  But yeah we started teaching "investigators" on the second day, and we pretty much teach every day.  But it's good, it keeps you on your toes.  That's sick about the dar hunt, i'm stoked for you guys.  I got a letter from Buck Davis, i guess he shot a nice six point up ther in them mount'ns.  Doug was going wild, no doubt.  But yeah i knew that wendi was pregg for sure, that was common knowledge before i left.  There really isn't a whole lot more to talk about, nothing really changes here in the mtc, but it's all good.  It's super refreshing to be able to read scriptures and talk gospel all the time.  I've really come to love reading the scriptures, and especially the  Book of Mormon.  It's way sick, i wish i had more time to read the Book of Mormon.  But it's way good, All is dope sick dank ill mean tight for sure here in the mtc.  I feel really blessed.  Anyways, i love you all, keep steezin!

Elder Johandsome Ioanisoni