Me Thinks

We heard Elder Peter Johnson speak at a stake conference this past weekend and he told the most touching story about when he was serving a mission. Perhaps some context would add value to the story. Elder Johnson did not grow up a member of the church.  His parents divorced and he lived with his father in New York until he was a teen, at which time he moved to Hawaii to live with his mother.  He was in a rap group in New York, but was happy to leave the violence of his neighborhood behind.  He played college basketball at BYU Hawaii and then Dixie State.  He joined the church and later decided to serve a mission. He was called to the state of Alabama.  At one point in his mission, he was paired with a companion who was from a large Utah family.  Elder Johnson was the senior companion which meant he carried around the key to the mailbox.  Whenever he would check the mailbox, he would find five to seven letters a day for his companion.  This went on for weeks.  Elder Johnson never received anything in the mail from anyone. He said he wasn't sure if his parents even knew or remembered that he was serving a mission.  One day Elder Johnson went to get the mail and there was only one letter in the mailbox and it was for HIM! He was so excited!  How could it be? Who wrote him a letter? He went back to his apartment, sat on the couch and began to read the letter.  

It was from his companion.

His companion knew that he was disappointed that he never received anything in the mail, so he wrote him a letter.  This act of kindness deeply touched Elder Johnson.