Zachary Justus Johnson

I remember growing up there were times when I felt alone. Times when I didn't feel good enough. Times when I felt like the people around me didn't really care. Things that everyone goes through. My mom always gave me the same piece of advice: "just hang out with the cool kids." I always knew she was right, but I never knew what it meant. In the mission, your job is meeting people. I literally am asked to spend my entire day going out and meeting people. It's actually kind of crazy if you think about it. I am one of the relatively few people in this world who keeps a record in a small notebook of how many people I have met that day. Some days I meet awesome people that I fall in love with immediately. Others take time. Either way my job is meeting and talking with people. Luckily the Paraguayan relaxed, porch-sitting culture makes that pretty easy sometimes. But it also makes it kind of hard.  As part of my mission I have always thought the Lord would lead me to th...

My senior year of high school I decided to quit cross country and pick up soccer. I had never played soccer before but I was determined to play. I don't know why I was drawn to it. I didn't follow soccer professionally--the only full matches I had ever witnessed were the endless Saturday soccer tournaments of my sister that I would often have to watch with my mom as a kid. I found the sport quite boring actually. But things change. In that time I craved the feeling of sweat on a hot day and the smell of yesterday's grass stuck in the lining of my old cleats. Soccer was one of the first things I tried just for me and I absolutely loved it! I wasn't a star but I felt like I was an integral part of the team. As a senior I sort of had to be. It's crazy to think all of that happened 2 years ago. Or in the way I think of it now, a mission ago. The work in Ayolas has started to feel smaller to me. It almost feels like there is no bigger mission. I've been here so long ...