Mom,
and family,
not much time,
Love you all a ton adam i am super proud of you, i wish you could have seen all of the bolivian in the internet when i saw the bracket and your name with straight pins atta boy, seriously i am super proud of you for that. i was going crazy...
amanda just wanta tell ya how much i love you remember how beautiful you are,
This week was pretty awesome i love fasting because i always see a miricle, i hope everyone iss remembering th importance to fast and do it with purpose because realy god does miricles, keep working hard and always stay true to the faith, some day we will all sit down and i will teach you how to drink mate. jajajja
Love elder Olsen OR elder Balboa
Ps. pray for maria laura, elsa y laura,. they are progressing for baptism.
also wee need a miricile with felicidad. keep praying with me.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
6 Nov. 2011
Wow so i have so many questions, I got all of your emails from the other Elders in europe and I sent sean, and darin a letter a while back like six months back, i still have not heard if they have gotten it, i would appreciate an update. also it sounds like Cameron moon is a return missionary, and i am guessing stewart finished along time ago it is so crazy to hear that people are finishing there missions wow how crazy is that. Did stewart marry becky? or what is happening with all of that stuff...
Also how is cooper swenson doing? Is he still planning on preparing to go out on the mission? or whats up? How is jeff peterson, is he married?? wow i can not believe how fast everything is passing, shane durfey gets home in january and trevor norton in febuary wow the time is flying if you could janessa i would love an update on all the guys to see what they are doing.
Anyway this week was one of the greatest weeks in my entire mission and it was amazing i have never seen or felt so powerfully the spirit of God.
So a while back i wrote you all about the father and son we have found that have serious problems with the word of wisdom, they are always drunk, well his son luis is 22 and his dad genaro is 46 they always get drunk together and cause alot of problems, we showed up at there house, teach them the gospel and they start to change we set goals had a calender to quit drinking it was an amazing two weeks. suddenly one night they get drunk, i am litterally heart broken we go over to there house and i just start going crazy on the door because i know they were hiding inside because they were to ashamed to see our faces. the next door neighbor comes out starts telling me no one is home, i´m just like please you dont understand they need what we have to share with them. i said some prayers and still no one came out... very sad day... two days later we go contacting.. after talking with tons of people none of which were even the slightest intrested.. we sit down dissapointed out of our minds... suddenly comes to mind to go pass the plaza and to the other side of the street.. as we were walking i see a man i´m like sweet a father of a family that needs the gospel!!! as we get closer he stands up.. And walks away............. i´m thinking wow that sure was revalation.. and right behind him is sister roxanna Beltran i have never met her in my life she invites us in and i´m thinking who is this women??? she starts asking us how we are and all this great stuff invites us soda, then her daughter comes.. macarena beltran 17 yrs. old and she is familiar, then it all comes back, she is the girlfriend of luis and the night we found luis he was abusing her physically, and now we have met her mom. she is just amazing wants us to come and teach her and everything so we set an appointment and the next day we come with some sister from relief society, she lets us in and is super depressed, her daughter had ran away to be with her boyfriend and will not come home,, luckily we had brought the relief society, she calmed down and looked a little better, we shared with her mosiah 27 and told her to read the whole chapter before we come back...
After that the next day we decide to pass by for luis to tell this girl to go to her mom, we show up and the dad and son are both drunk, after a while they got mad at me and told me to never ever come back to there house, i told them they were drunk and did not know what they wanted, he almost wanted to fight me, it was super sad, so i just tell the macarena to go to her house..
Saturday we started our fast and that night we had a meeting with roxanna, we were fasting that her daughter could come home... and wow she came home.. we show up at the house talk a bit and then invite sis. roxanna to say the opening prayer, and macarena the ending prayer.. she gave an awesome prayer and right as she ends, macarena just started praying i´m like ok whatever its all good.. she just starts thanking god for everything it was a prayer that was a little choppy if you understand me... she just did not know what to say... then she just say thank you so much for my mom and coming to rescue me from that house.. she starts crying just jumps up and they both just start hugging and this is all during the prayer.. me and my comp are just sitting there and that is when i felt wow this is the Gospel; Bringing broken families together, it was the most joyful moment in my entire mission i just felt like wow i am doing my job as a missionary it was an amazing spirtitual moment for me.. and it just gave me so much strenght to keep pushing forward i was super depressed these last weeks we just have had no success and it was just an eye opener for me, that i am here to bring families together, i would work the rest of my life to have another experience like that.. the gospel is true, Jesus is our lord and saviour i love this work there is nothing better than being a missionary, God answers our prayers he knows our needs. I love you all so much this sis has passed through so much in her life her husband was killed 12 yrs ago her son in jail, but thanks to the gospel she is toghether with her daugher again.
Love you all so much, janessa dont forget to update me on the guys.
Love ELder Olsen
Also how is cooper swenson doing? Is he still planning on preparing to go out on the mission? or whats up? How is jeff peterson, is he married?? wow i can not believe how fast everything is passing, shane durfey gets home in january and trevor norton in febuary wow the time is flying if you could janessa i would love an update on all the guys to see what they are doing.
Anyway this week was one of the greatest weeks in my entire mission and it was amazing i have never seen or felt so powerfully the spirit of God.
So a while back i wrote you all about the father and son we have found that have serious problems with the word of wisdom, they are always drunk, well his son luis is 22 and his dad genaro is 46 they always get drunk together and cause alot of problems, we showed up at there house, teach them the gospel and they start to change we set goals had a calender to quit drinking it was an amazing two weeks. suddenly one night they get drunk, i am litterally heart broken we go over to there house and i just start going crazy on the door because i know they were hiding inside because they were to ashamed to see our faces. the next door neighbor comes out starts telling me no one is home, i´m just like please you dont understand they need what we have to share with them. i said some prayers and still no one came out... very sad day... two days later we go contacting.. after talking with tons of people none of which were even the slightest intrested.. we sit down dissapointed out of our minds... suddenly comes to mind to go pass the plaza and to the other side of the street.. as we were walking i see a man i´m like sweet a father of a family that needs the gospel!!! as we get closer he stands up.. And walks away............. i´m thinking wow that sure was revalation.. and right behind him is sister roxanna Beltran i have never met her in my life she invites us in and i´m thinking who is this women??? she starts asking us how we are and all this great stuff invites us soda, then her daughter comes.. macarena beltran 17 yrs. old and she is familiar, then it all comes back, she is the girlfriend of luis and the night we found luis he was abusing her physically, and now we have met her mom. she is just amazing wants us to come and teach her and everything so we set an appointment and the next day we come with some sister from relief society, she lets us in and is super depressed, her daughter had ran away to be with her boyfriend and will not come home,, luckily we had brought the relief society, she calmed down and looked a little better, we shared with her mosiah 27 and told her to read the whole chapter before we come back...
After that the next day we decide to pass by for luis to tell this girl to go to her mom, we show up and the dad and son are both drunk, after a while they got mad at me and told me to never ever come back to there house, i told them they were drunk and did not know what they wanted, he almost wanted to fight me, it was super sad, so i just tell the macarena to go to her house..
Saturday we started our fast and that night we had a meeting with roxanna, we were fasting that her daughter could come home... and wow she came home.. we show up at the house talk a bit and then invite sis. roxanna to say the opening prayer, and macarena the ending prayer.. she gave an awesome prayer and right as she ends, macarena just started praying i´m like ok whatever its all good.. she just starts thanking god for everything it was a prayer that was a little choppy if you understand me... she just did not know what to say... then she just say thank you so much for my mom and coming to rescue me from that house.. she starts crying just jumps up and they both just start hugging and this is all during the prayer.. me and my comp are just sitting there and that is when i felt wow this is the Gospel; Bringing broken families together, it was the most joyful moment in my entire mission i just felt like wow i am doing my job as a missionary it was an amazing spirtitual moment for me.. and it just gave me so much strenght to keep pushing forward i was super depressed these last weeks we just have had no success and it was just an eye opener for me, that i am here to bring families together, i would work the rest of my life to have another experience like that.. the gospel is true, Jesus is our lord and saviour i love this work there is nothing better than being a missionary, God answers our prayers he knows our needs. I love you all so much this sis has passed through so much in her life her husband was killed 12 yrs ago her son in jail, but thanks to the gospel she is toghether with her daugher again.
Love you all so much, janessa dont forget to update me on the guys.
Love ELder Olsen
Monday, October 31, 2011
31 Oct 2011
Buen Dia
Wow this week was super difficult, but also super amazing. We had a problem with our new converts They WENT TO A EVANGELISTS church and they were super confused about alot of the doctrine. well just the two girls, just Yoselin and rosalia. Alejandro And his mom lidia are super strong, alejandro told us that the pastor started attacking with telling him his church was bad and all that stuff he said he did not know what to do so just went home and prayed and he said I know this is the only true church. and his mom who was the biggest evangelist ever, is now just always blowing them up always just saying all they do is scream and shout but do not have it in there heart... and she still is not a member. but anyway yoselin and rosalia were super confused they both have boyfriends that are from other churches so they just feel super confused and they are always questioning them saying they dont know what the bible says... we tried to just tell them to just share there testimony but they wanted scriptures so we started explaining it all to them and they got super excited we showed them all the references of the book of mormon in the bible and she is just determined to convert her boyfriend it was awesome...Other than that the zone is not doing so well i worry alot i am doing my best to just be an example but sometimes i just to not know what to do, or how to get them excited pray that i can do better.
Also this week we had a first activity with the branch and there was more investigators than there was members. and all the members were an hour late..... yeah welcome to bolivia. i am pretty stoked to baptize all of missori when i get back....
but sunday i asked the branch president to give us some time... and we gave it to them super hard.... i创m talking my comp just straight up told them they were not worthy to take the sacrement without being better members of the church. then i got up and gave them alot more. it was good and ofcourse we did it with increased love at the end just as dyc tells us alot of people were alot more excited and i am sure there was some repenting going along.
Love my mission it is amazing. the hardest thing i have ever done in my entire life. sometimes i lose my temper and want to just beat some one up but it is not the way to do it. i am always striving to strengthen my relactionship with Christ and always remember him. it helps alot.
We are in the truth. there is no other path. Never forget what it means to be a Olsen, and more important A member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
We are different.. So be proud of it.
Love Elder Justin Foss Olsen
Wow this week was super difficult, but also super amazing. We had a problem with our new converts They WENT TO A EVANGELISTS church and they were super confused about alot of the doctrine. well just the two girls, just Yoselin and rosalia. Alejandro And his mom lidia are super strong, alejandro told us that the pastor started attacking with telling him his church was bad and all that stuff he said he did not know what to do so just went home and prayed and he said I know this is the only true church. and his mom who was the biggest evangelist ever, is now just always blowing them up always just saying all they do is scream and shout but do not have it in there heart... and she still is not a member. but anyway yoselin and rosalia were super confused they both have boyfriends that are from other churches so they just feel super confused and they are always questioning them saying they dont know what the bible says... we tried to just tell them to just share there testimony but they wanted scriptures so we started explaining it all to them and they got super excited we showed them all the references of the book of mormon in the bible and she is just determined to convert her boyfriend it was awesome...Other than that the zone is not doing so well i worry alot i am doing my best to just be an example but sometimes i just to not know what to do, or how to get them excited pray that i can do better.
Also this week we had a first activity with the branch and there was more investigators than there was members. and all the members were an hour late..... yeah welcome to bolivia. i am pretty stoked to baptize all of missori when i get back....
but sunday i asked the branch president to give us some time... and we gave it to them super hard.... i创m talking my comp just straight up told them they were not worthy to take the sacrement without being better members of the church. then i got up and gave them alot more. it was good and ofcourse we did it with increased love at the end just as dyc tells us alot of people were alot more excited and i am sure there was some repenting going along.
Love my mission it is amazing. the hardest thing i have ever done in my entire life. sometimes i lose my temper and want to just beat some one up but it is not the way to do it. i am always striving to strengthen my relactionship with Christ and always remember him. it helps alot.
We are in the truth. there is no other path. Never forget what it means to be a Olsen, and more important A member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
We are different.. So be proud of it.
Love Elder Justin Foss Olsen
Monday, October 24, 2011
19 Sept 2011
wow this week has flown by i cant not believe how fast time is passing. this week i went on transfers with a elder in villa montes it is an hour and a half away it was good i got to know him and we worked really hard. also we had another zone conference and i decided to have another title of liberty but this time i did not have to rip off my shirt. i just used my pillow case. (haha steve would kill me for that) but it was good i put the pillow case on a broom stick and went loco waving it around just going crazy, i just have so much energy, i dont know when i get pumped up and start giving a speach or something i just want to jump around and just get everyone pumped up, THIS IS THE WORK OF THE SALVATION OF MEN why are people not more excited i love this stuff. it turned out super good. and to finish the conference i had a elder from columbia direct the music with the flag of liberty we sang battle himn of the republic. and the last verse just jump up all of us start to stand and sing. it was super beautiful, the spirit is a powerful tool. i love feeling the spirit there is nothing better. at times i get confused of whether or not i am following the spirit or just my own thoughts but whatever. i have learned that if i keep the commandments and do the first thing that comes to my mind most likely it is the spirit guiding me. last night we had one of these moments we walked into a house i felt wow put a baptism date. which i always do but normally at the end of a lesson.. we walked in i told them who we were, we prayed then we read the end of mathew when jesus commands his disciples to go and baptize everyone, and very calmly told them that is why we have come and that we aare preparing a date for them this 15 off october. the next moment her cell phone rang and it was her brother They start talking then she just says the missionaries are here trying to put a baptism date for us. turns out her brother is a return missionary, i start telling them what more of a sign do they need, now is the moment for them, ju8st do it. in the end they did not accept a date, but i have implied the homework assignments idea mikey sent me and i really feel it is going to help them progress for this 15.of october. they are a couple more eductaded than others so i feel the homework is going to work really well. also mikey thanks alot for the idea i know i have not written alot but i have seen alot of people thanks to homework progress and enter into the waters of baptism.
Love you all tons. i am suffering but everything is all good. i am in the work of the lord what more could i ask for.
a great scripture. hebrews. 10/39 i dont know what is says in english but in spanish super powerful being an Olsen i would like all of us to remeber this scripture NO SOMOS DE LOS QUE SE VUELVAN ATRAS. we are Olsens what a powerful name. always remember what name we have taken upon us Olsen. helaman 5/6-8. thinking of all that Grandpa Eugene FOSS Olsen did gives me strength every day to push adelante.
LOve ELder Olsen
Love you all tons. i am suffering but everything is all good. i am in the work of the lord what more could i ask for.
a great scripture. hebrews. 10/39 i dont know what is says in english but in spanish super powerful being an Olsen i would like all of us to remeber this scripture NO SOMOS DE LOS QUE SE VUELVAN ATRAS. we are Olsens what a powerful name. always remember what name we have taken upon us Olsen. helaman 5/6-8. thinking of all that Grandpa Eugene FOSS Olsen did gives me strength every day to push adelante.
LOve ELder Olsen
26 Sept 2011
Dear Family,
Yes i got the package from you and also from tyler, but what happened there is no letters in the package!!!!! It is hard to believe you guys would send me a package half way around the world and not take the time to write a little note, yes i am very thankful for the candy but i care alot more about how the family is doing. I have not heard from nanny and papa either i showed my comp of the picture of the family reunion in hawaii and he just said,.. and none of them write you??? I know i am not the best of responding to emails but i have a limited time on the computer and i have to give a report about the zone, i really dont have much time to write you guys. But i sure would appreciate a quick update on how the family is what is happening. All the cousins, uncles. The only reason i ask is just because i love yall so much.
But this week was a little difficult our investigator had a problem with the word of wisdom, baptism rescheduled for october so this will be the first month this year that i have not had a baptism, pretty tragic it was my goal to have all of 2011 with baptisms, but we have shoved it off to the side, and we are working super hard with the investigators that we have. The biggest problem is that they are not married every week we have 6 or 7 in sacrament meeting but the problem is four of them are in need of gettting married. All of them are progressing and we are working really hard to try and get the branch involved, this Saturday we have a marriage planned and for 15 of october, also we have the fam ortiz they are mom and three kids, alejandro 19 years old, joselin 16, rosalia 15, all of them are super excited, and alejandro is preparing for the mission he is super excited. What we need a little extra help is with the fam Arias they are just husband and whife without kids. The whife albanya is super excited, and the husband hector is a little tough around the edges, this past week we have worked so hard with them so he understands the nesecidad to have the priesthood, and last night we invited him to be baptized, he told us no, ya me bautizé, his whife readily accepted but she said she wants to be baptized with him. So i have alot of hope albanya has alreadry read all of first nephi and is super excited, last night she started crying about how much she loved the lessons in church, and her husband felt the spirit to. Just needs a little more cooking.
Well love you all tons i am sorry for being such a punk about wanting letters but i just have not heard much about anyone, i know it is not your fault and you guys are super swamped also but i just love yall so much i gotta know how your all doing . moroni 8.3, also tell the uncles to write me nanny papa i have not heard from any of them since i left the mtc. Ni tampoco cuando les llamé por dia de la madre. Ha pasado mucho tiempo, hay que escribir a su amado ñieto, hijo, mejor amigo, sobrino, chistoso muchacho, el cual es Elder Olsen.
Yes i got the package from you and also from tyler, but what happened there is no letters in the package!!!!! It is hard to believe you guys would send me a package half way around the world and not take the time to write a little note, yes i am very thankful for the candy but i care alot more about how the family is doing. I have not heard from nanny and papa either i showed my comp of the picture of the family reunion in hawaii and he just said,.. and none of them write you??? I know i am not the best of responding to emails but i have a limited time on the computer and i have to give a report about the zone, i really dont have much time to write you guys. But i sure would appreciate a quick update on how the family is what is happening. All the cousins, uncles. The only reason i ask is just because i love yall so much.
But this week was a little difficult our investigator had a problem with the word of wisdom, baptism rescheduled for october so this will be the first month this year that i have not had a baptism, pretty tragic it was my goal to have all of 2011 with baptisms, but we have shoved it off to the side, and we are working super hard with the investigators that we have. The biggest problem is that they are not married every week we have 6 or 7 in sacrament meeting but the problem is four of them are in need of gettting married. All of them are progressing and we are working really hard to try and get the branch involved, this Saturday we have a marriage planned and for 15 of october, also we have the fam ortiz they are mom and three kids, alejandro 19 years old, joselin 16, rosalia 15, all of them are super excited, and alejandro is preparing for the mission he is super excited. What we need a little extra help is with the fam Arias they are just husband and whife without kids. The whife albanya is super excited, and the husband hector is a little tough around the edges, this past week we have worked so hard with them so he understands the nesecidad to have the priesthood, and last night we invited him to be baptized, he told us no, ya me bautizé, his whife readily accepted but she said she wants to be baptized with him. So i have alot of hope albanya has alreadry read all of first nephi and is super excited, last night she started crying about how much she loved the lessons in church, and her husband felt the spirit to. Just needs a little more cooking.
Well love you all tons i am sorry for being such a punk about wanting letters but i just have not heard much about anyone, i know it is not your fault and you guys are super swamped also but i just love yall so much i gotta know how your all doing . moroni 8.3, also tell the uncles to write me nanny papa i have not heard from any of them since i left the mtc. Ni tampoco cuando les llamé por dia de la madre. Ha pasado mucho tiempo, hay que escribir a su amado ñieto, hijo, mejor amigo, sobrino, chistoso muchacho, el cual es Elder Olsen.
3 Oct 2011
Wow amazing weekend, But before i forget give me janessas email so i can write she is not very fast at writing letters.
And DID YOU GET MY PACKAGE? it is the most amazing package in the world, i hope it did not break
But wow we are so blessed to live in utah I LOVE UTAH the greatest place on the world this week watching general conferance with all the bolivian i was just like that is my house, i live there... i kinda bragged a little hhaa, but i love utah i am so excited to be able to walk around temple square when i get back, really we are so blessed to live in utah.
Anyway quick story so this transfer has been a tough one for me, alot of apostacy in the branch where i am, i had to talk to presidente and we had to change the president, alot of the members got a little angry with me and my comp for doing that, and they did not like to support us in the work, and after that the house we live in there is women that are young wich is agaiinst missionary handbook. so once again i had to change that, and the elders have lived in this house more than ten years, so everyone just thinks i am crazy. at times it has been a real big trial of my integrity we are way outside santa cruz i am zl no one is going to come check on us, so i think that is why elders have lived in the same house so long, talked with my comp and we decided to just be obedient. At time it really is difficult to be obedient to the commandments of the lord, they may look small and insignificant but every decision we make have eternal consequences, whether they be good consequences or bad. i am learning more than ever to just look forward dont think in the moment act in the moment, always have the eternal perspective in mind and this will change the way we choose to act, think, and be.
I love this gospel and i am realizing my many faults every single day, this last week i got into a big fight with my companion, he has been quite lazy this transfer, i have tried to animate him and do every thing in my power to help him be more excited for the work of the lord, this last wednesday i went to the shower at night got back and he was in bed, i lost it... i started talking in a loud voice and just telling him how horrible he is doing, and i made the big mistake, i started putting him down.. and after several minutes of him just listening to me, he just shut off did not want to listen and just became more lazy, i went to the bathroom to think for a bit and when i got back he just told me, all that he is going through how tired he is, how he does not have the endurance to work with me, and how sorry he is for not being perfect. and he asked me to forgive him.... never have i felt so inconsiderad of others, i just had all this guilt shoved into my face and it just came into my mind how would jesus handle this situation, certainly not like i did. the point of this story is that alot of people start to think that to be a good leader you have to be a big yeller and know how to make people feel bad, and what they are doing wrong, this experience has helped me realize once again how much i have to change. Every single one of us has the commandment to become like christ, i hope that all of us can have this more often in our minds, and pray every day for strentgh to become as he is. D and C 88.22 this is one of my favorite and D and C 76. 50-70 I invite and urge you two to be able to study these and learn for yourselves what is really is to Become as he is.
And ask yourself some questions
Where am i in my personal progress, and path to Celestial Kingdom.?
What are some of the attributes of a celestial being?
What should i do to gain these attributes?
What can i do today to start becoming, what i am destined to be?
I love you all tons, Happy b day mom. I love you tons Your the best mom in the world.
Love ELder Olsen
Arriiiiiba BOLIVIA
And DID YOU GET MY PACKAGE? it is the most amazing package in the world, i hope it did not break
But wow we are so blessed to live in utah I LOVE UTAH the greatest place on the world this week watching general conferance with all the bolivian i was just like that is my house, i live there... i kinda bragged a little hhaa, but i love utah i am so excited to be able to walk around temple square when i get back, really we are so blessed to live in utah.
Anyway quick story so this transfer has been a tough one for me, alot of apostacy in the branch where i am, i had to talk to presidente and we had to change the president, alot of the members got a little angry with me and my comp for doing that, and they did not like to support us in the work, and after that the house we live in there is women that are young wich is agaiinst missionary handbook. so once again i had to change that, and the elders have lived in this house more than ten years, so everyone just thinks i am crazy. at times it has been a real big trial of my integrity we are way outside santa cruz i am zl no one is going to come check on us, so i think that is why elders have lived in the same house so long, talked with my comp and we decided to just be obedient. At time it really is difficult to be obedient to the commandments of the lord, they may look small and insignificant but every decision we make have eternal consequences, whether they be good consequences or bad. i am learning more than ever to just look forward dont think in the moment act in the moment, always have the eternal perspective in mind and this will change the way we choose to act, think, and be.
I love this gospel and i am realizing my many faults every single day, this last week i got into a big fight with my companion, he has been quite lazy this transfer, i have tried to animate him and do every thing in my power to help him be more excited for the work of the lord, this last wednesday i went to the shower at night got back and he was in bed, i lost it... i started talking in a loud voice and just telling him how horrible he is doing, and i made the big mistake, i started putting him down.. and after several minutes of him just listening to me, he just shut off did not want to listen and just became more lazy, i went to the bathroom to think for a bit and when i got back he just told me, all that he is going through how tired he is, how he does not have the endurance to work with me, and how sorry he is for not being perfect. and he asked me to forgive him.... never have i felt so inconsiderad of others, i just had all this guilt shoved into my face and it just came into my mind how would jesus handle this situation, certainly not like i did. the point of this story is that alot of people start to think that to be a good leader you have to be a big yeller and know how to make people feel bad, and what they are doing wrong, this experience has helped me realize once again how much i have to change. Every single one of us has the commandment to become like christ, i hope that all of us can have this more often in our minds, and pray every day for strentgh to become as he is. D and C 88.22 this is one of my favorite and D and C 76. 50-70 I invite and urge you two to be able to study these and learn for yourselves what is really is to Become as he is.
And ask yourself some questions
Where am i in my personal progress, and path to Celestial Kingdom.?
What are some of the attributes of a celestial being?
What should i do to gain these attributes?
What can i do today to start becoming, what i am destined to be?
I love you all tons, Happy b day mom. I love you tons Your the best mom in the world.
Love ELder Olsen
Arriiiiiba BOLIVIA
10 Oct 2011
So this week we had three baptisms, alexandro is super stoked he is just wanting to go oon a mission and preach the gospel, he is the bomb. it has been my goal my whole mission to be able to baptize someone and for him to go on the misison i believe this young man will be one of them, other than that i have been doing really good. i am getting more tired i dont know what is happening but it takes alot more out of me to keep the pace i have had my whole mission. but i will never stop. i love my life it is the best. it is difficult to be in bolivia at times because everyone wants to marry me. last week we went to the dentist because my comp has some problems and the dentist come out and just looks and me and says "Ella esta enamorada de vos" (my secretary is in love with you.)
and she was right there in front of me, did not know what to say so i just said "hermana tiene que ir a la iglesia"(sister you have to go to church) super akward but priceless moments. i dont think that will ever have that happen in the USA. But being a missionary is the best in the world. yesterday everyone told me i have to become a pastor, sadly our church does not pay the bishops. but not kidding i could make a good church and i would be an amazing pastor. i think i would call my church "Elder Olsens ARK".(Arca de Elder Olsen) there is so many evengelistas here it is super funny the names they think up for the churches some day i will tell you all of them. and many other grand stories.
I know this email is a little scattered but i just had alot of thoughts in my head. take care and wish adam a happy bday, i would like to know if he is still super small. has he grown? is sam still chubby? andrew still super skinny ? amanda still the best at Biking? anyway lve you all .
Elder Olsen
BOLIVIA the bomba.
a quick spiritual thought, today i was reading in mosiah and i read mosiah 2 i know everyone knows and has memorized 2.17 but the whole chapter is amazing really gave me a good look on what a real leader should do. I encourage you all to study it and apply it in your lives. we are in the army of the lord, he needs leaders. not losers. Be BOLD.
and she was right there in front of me, did not know what to say so i just said "hermana tiene que ir a la iglesia"(sister you have to go to church) super akward but priceless moments. i dont think that will ever have that happen in the USA. But being a missionary is the best in the world. yesterday everyone told me i have to become a pastor, sadly our church does not pay the bishops. but not kidding i could make a good church and i would be an amazing pastor. i think i would call my church "Elder Olsens ARK".(Arca de Elder Olsen) there is so many evengelistas here it is super funny the names they think up for the churches some day i will tell you all of them. and many other grand stories.
I know this email is a little scattered but i just had alot of thoughts in my head. take care and wish adam a happy bday, i would like to know if he is still super small. has he grown? is sam still chubby? andrew still super skinny ? amanda still the best at Biking? anyway lve you all .
Elder Olsen
BOLIVIA the bomba.
a quick spiritual thought, today i was reading in mosiah and i read mosiah 2 i know everyone knows and has memorized 2.17 but the whole chapter is amazing really gave me a good look on what a real leader should do. I encourage you all to study it and apply it in your lives. we are in the army of the lord, he needs leaders. not losers. Be BOLD.
24 Oct 2011
WOW i wrote you guys last week but the internet was slow and so the email did not send in time..
But wow this is so crazy to think i do not have a house, jajaja but how are the kids taking it i hope they do not cry to often that would make me super sad, they gotta think of this as a time to just grow together as a family and have more fun together, i hope it is all good with that, i just still can not believe you have really changed houses, what is everyone going to do... is janessa living with steve and mike, and where is mike, where is steve, the only one of my brothers that has written me is tyler and half of the time it is nicole writtinng haha but i think i understand it a little better, i believe tyler is in idaho studying, steve and mike and janessa i have no idea what they are doing.... and amanda adam andrew and sam are all in ZION, with mom and dad...
just a quick question.. where am i going to live jajaj
That came to my mind pretty quick and has been distracting me this whole week because my unit is in salt lake, and it is 2 battallion 23 marine corp. fox company..... anyway i dont know what i am going to do with all of that.
I got alot of questions that is my this email is so scattered, i honestly just do not know what to think, all of my family is changed...
I guess i just always thought everything would always be the same, and i would get home to the same stuff, but life is not like that, i´m sure nefi felt the same, one day got home from school, or work, and his dad is just like well boys lets go camping in the desert.... man if you really think of the obedience and love to God that nefi had.. we can always learn something new from nefi.
But i hope you have kept care of my stuff.. it is super expensive to buy it again.
But this week was good i feel like i am finally able to work with the members, as you all know it has been rather difficult in the district for me, but with the recent members helping us we now have alot of new investigators and they have friends in the church so i am alot happier, it is just you feel so much relief when everything finally starts to come together after so much work, and prayers. The new investigators are Felicidad and her husband Mario and there two children, they are the most humble people i haave taught in my mission, they arre not married, and they live in complete poverty, after the first lesson the tentacion came into my mind to just think they are never going to progress they do not have money to get married or the education to understand our message.. i was proved wrong they all came to church by themselves, that is just what the spirit of the lord can do to someone... and it was super funny because during our gospel principles class my companion was speaking and he gave felicidad a folleto to read a small paragraph after finishing the paragraph she just kept reading, my companion tried to explain that ya that is good, but she just kept reading... she has a sweet spirit.. her husband mario has problems with the word of wisdom, and they have had serious problems in the past with there relacionshiop and i think that is why when two servants of the lord show up at the house,, they realize who we are and what we can do to help them solve there problems... i love this work there is nothing better than helping out the children of our heavenly father...
Another quick story that just made me super happy... so last nigh we were teaching lidia ortiz her son and daughters were recentlly baptized she however was not due to problems with her papers and is not married.. but is the most loyal sistter in the church... anyway last night and we were getting ready to she just starts telling me how much she loves her son from the united states, and she said it like this. te quirro mucho mi hijito chocito.. i love you alot my little white son... haha ah man it makes me so happy, i love the people of bolivia. my best relacionships have been with moms i dont know why but i am just a big mamas boy. sis. roxanna, sis ortiz. sis. mendez, sis soliz. i love tihis work, keep praying for me and nanny wrote me i do not have time to write her but slacks would be amazing. same size i think 32 but if she could send me black.. love you all.
Se cuida mis hermanitos no quirro que sean triste, esta es una oportunidad de aprender y unirse mas como familia.
ARRIBA BOLIVIA
Elder Olsen
But wow this is so crazy to think i do not have a house, jajaja but how are the kids taking it i hope they do not cry to often that would make me super sad, they gotta think of this as a time to just grow together as a family and have more fun together, i hope it is all good with that, i just still can not believe you have really changed houses, what is everyone going to do... is janessa living with steve and mike, and where is mike, where is steve, the only one of my brothers that has written me is tyler and half of the time it is nicole writtinng haha but i think i understand it a little better, i believe tyler is in idaho studying, steve and mike and janessa i have no idea what they are doing.... and amanda adam andrew and sam are all in ZION, with mom and dad...
just a quick question.. where am i going to live jajaj
That came to my mind pretty quick and has been distracting me this whole week because my unit is in salt lake, and it is 2 battallion 23 marine corp. fox company..... anyway i dont know what i am going to do with all of that.
I got alot of questions that is my this email is so scattered, i honestly just do not know what to think, all of my family is changed...
I guess i just always thought everything would always be the same, and i would get home to the same stuff, but life is not like that, i´m sure nefi felt the same, one day got home from school, or work, and his dad is just like well boys lets go camping in the desert.... man if you really think of the obedience and love to God that nefi had.. we can always learn something new from nefi.
But i hope you have kept care of my stuff.. it is super expensive to buy it again.
But this week was good i feel like i am finally able to work with the members, as you all know it has been rather difficult in the district for me, but with the recent members helping us we now have alot of new investigators and they have friends in the church so i am alot happier, it is just you feel so much relief when everything finally starts to come together after so much work, and prayers. The new investigators are Felicidad and her husband Mario and there two children, they are the most humble people i haave taught in my mission, they arre not married, and they live in complete poverty, after the first lesson the tentacion came into my mind to just think they are never going to progress they do not have money to get married or the education to understand our message.. i was proved wrong they all came to church by themselves, that is just what the spirit of the lord can do to someone... and it was super funny because during our gospel principles class my companion was speaking and he gave felicidad a folleto to read a small paragraph after finishing the paragraph she just kept reading, my companion tried to explain that ya that is good, but she just kept reading... she has a sweet spirit.. her husband mario has problems with the word of wisdom, and they have had serious problems in the past with there relacionshiop and i think that is why when two servants of the lord show up at the house,, they realize who we are and what we can do to help them solve there problems... i love this work there is nothing better than helping out the children of our heavenly father...
Another quick story that just made me super happy... so last nigh we were teaching lidia ortiz her son and daughters were recentlly baptized she however was not due to problems with her papers and is not married.. but is the most loyal sistter in the church... anyway last night and we were getting ready to she just starts telling me how much she loves her son from the united states, and she said it like this. te quirro mucho mi hijito chocito.. i love you alot my little white son... haha ah man it makes me so happy, i love the people of bolivia. my best relacionships have been with moms i dont know why but i am just a big mamas boy. sis. roxanna, sis ortiz. sis. mendez, sis soliz. i love tihis work, keep praying for me and nanny wrote me i do not have time to write her but slacks would be amazing. same size i think 32 but if she could send me black.. love you all.
Se cuida mis hermanitos no quirro que sean triste, esta es una oportunidad de aprender y unirse mas como familia.
ARRIBA BOLIVIA
Elder Olsen
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
12 Sept 2011
wow i wish i had more time to write you all and tell you all the amazing miricles that have happened this week but seriously i do not have time to do it. love you all tons keep serving the lord
Janessa did you get my letter..
I am sending a package here pretty soon so let me know when you get it.
LOve you all Tons
Amanda you are stellar when i get back you will have to take me bike riding so i can get back in shape.
Janessa i am so proud of you i also want to go to byu idaho when i get back, we should be roomies.
The only thing i would like is if yall could let me know how everyone is doing
Love elder olsen
Janessa did you get my letter..
I am sending a package here pretty soon so let me know when you get it.
LOve you all Tons
Amanda you are stellar when i get back you will have to take me bike riding so i can get back in shape.
Janessa i am so proud of you i also want to go to byu idaho when i get back, we should be roomies.
The only thing i would like is if yall could let me know how everyone is doing
Love elder olsen
Monday, September 12, 2011
5 Sept 2011
this week was so crazy i cant believe i have completed one year in the mission i do not like this at all.
so quick update my comp is from argentina and the other day we are walking down the road and he start singing (we dont need no education.... HEY TEACHERS LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE) song from pinkfloyd but seriously my comp is mikey before the mission it cracks me up so much. he is learnig alot of english but his accent is hilarious. and sometime when we are teaching or contacting and he feels like we should leave. he always just say dude lets get out of here. or if we are talking to women from cochabamba that do not speak spanish he always talks to them in english and they just say sis si si si ahahahh si si super funny.
we have started to jog everymorning i told him i was gonna make him skinny and all day yesterday he just kept asking eveyone if he looked skinnier wow he is super funny and is good company for me, just a jolly chubby argentino.
Wow well this week literally we worked our butts off the i have never worked so hard in one week in my life. but we put a really good impression with the members, our branch president could not come with us to teach so we to the district president to come with us, he lives in the other area and normally you could not do that but being zone leader has its benefits. afterwards we talked a half hour with him and he is excited to reactivate and help our our district. other than that the other members are super nice. it has the same problem as every other place in bolivia, the men are weak. we are working alot to find and baptize familys. that is our goal is to baptize families.
In the mission i think you see more miricles than ever so saturday we started our fast and pleaded with god to help us bring people to church. and bless all the work we have done. sunday rolls around and there is two families already there, but the biggest miricle is this young man alexander he is nineteen and is just stoked to be a missionary absolutley stoked he is already in chapter 15 of the book of nephi he is super excited and is assisting seminary. i love seeing the attitude of some young people. it is super motivating to see the rising of the next generation, it is so true Heavenly father is sending his strongest children for the most evil generation. i cant wait to see who my kids are going to be.
Well i love you all tons i pray for you all every day. tell janessa to write me back.
Steve how is my money?
Mikey i am preparing for our fight when i get back.
Tyler you gotta name your first child after me.
Janessa your the bomb keep destroying satan with your richteousness
Amanda dont beat up the boys in your school
Adam dont get beat up by the girls
Andrew play soccer like messi and not caca
Sam keep learning how to read, never give up!!
Hurrah For Israel.
Elder Balboa (olsen #4)
so quick update my comp is from argentina and the other day we are walking down the road and he start singing (we dont need no education.... HEY TEACHERS LEAVE THEM KIDS ALONE) song from pinkfloyd but seriously my comp is mikey before the mission it cracks me up so much. he is learnig alot of english but his accent is hilarious. and sometime when we are teaching or contacting and he feels like we should leave. he always just say dude lets get out of here. or if we are talking to women from cochabamba that do not speak spanish he always talks to them in english and they just say sis si si si ahahahh si si super funny.
we have started to jog everymorning i told him i was gonna make him skinny and all day yesterday he just kept asking eveyone if he looked skinnier wow he is super funny and is good company for me, just a jolly chubby argentino.
Wow well this week literally we worked our butts off the i have never worked so hard in one week in my life. but we put a really good impression with the members, our branch president could not come with us to teach so we to the district president to come with us, he lives in the other area and normally you could not do that but being zone leader has its benefits. afterwards we talked a half hour with him and he is excited to reactivate and help our our district. other than that the other members are super nice. it has the same problem as every other place in bolivia, the men are weak. we are working alot to find and baptize familys. that is our goal is to baptize families.
In the mission i think you see more miricles than ever so saturday we started our fast and pleaded with god to help us bring people to church. and bless all the work we have done. sunday rolls around and there is two families already there, but the biggest miricle is this young man alexander he is nineteen and is just stoked to be a missionary absolutley stoked he is already in chapter 15 of the book of nephi he is super excited and is assisting seminary. i love seeing the attitude of some young people. it is super motivating to see the rising of the next generation, it is so true Heavenly father is sending his strongest children for the most evil generation. i cant wait to see who my kids are going to be.
Well i love you all tons i pray for you all every day. tell janessa to write me back.
Steve how is my money?
Mikey i am preparing for our fight when i get back.
Tyler you gotta name your first child after me.
Janessa your the bomb keep destroying satan with your richteousness
Amanda dont beat up the boys in your school
Adam dont get beat up by the girls
Andrew play soccer like messi and not caca
Sam keep learning how to read, never give up!!
Hurrah For Israel.
Elder Balboa (olsen #4)
Monday, July 18, 2011
11 July 2011
WOW so i am officially a PADRINO ¨"Godfather" so the mendez family that we have been visiting for a while got married and it was amazing, and when the judge showed up to do all the paperwork they called me up to be the godfather of course i accepted it was amazing i love this gospel. I sent a picture of me signing the paperwork. anyway the wedding was way cute it was a little smaller and me and my companion showed up in our suit jackets and you should have seen the look of the face of all the people that were invited, they were all just looking at us like we owned the world. and it does not help that my skin is white. haha anyway seriously it was an amazing, the only problem was there was a ton of teenage girls that kept trying to take pictures of me, finally the sister flora just came up to me and said can you take a couple pictures with my cousins and i was lke ok it is all good but it was still super akward. other than that i love this family i have never really realized the power of the gospel until that moment when i was with them, it has changed there life and if was all thanks to a contact that i did nothing else, seriously this gospel is the greatest thing, the joy and power of the holy ghost is something that no one can live without, i want that everyone can feel the same joy i feel every day. and by the way my god child is vivian vanessa mendez ardaya she is 5 years old and the cutest little girl ever, i told her she was my little sister because they almost have the same name. vanessa/janessa ha she thought that was super funny.
Other than that this last week was pretty normal, well i guess it isnot every week that you get to be a godfather;
This week are transfers i am super scared i dont know wht to expect i have 3 transfers with the same comp in the same area, and he has one transfer more than i have, i dont know if they are going to change us or no, it is super weird because i have been with the same comp the same amount of time as all of my other companions in my mission until now so i have just really learned to love him, we fight a ton a ton, ha but it just makes it all the better. seriously it will be really sad if we have to leave or something.
Also we are teaching bro. Valentin, who told us he was born to be mormon and that his goal was to be baptized. he has 5 children and they all are good only the second oldest paola she is 17 and wow what a hard heart she never wants to listen or have anything to do with us, we have tried everthing we have brought over young men from the church to only flirt with her and she is still just so hard i dont know what to do, we have gotten to the point where my comp told me i need to be more charming haha but no... anyway it jsut came to my mind when tyler was in the mision i heard a similiar story and he had janessa write her testimony and send it to her, i honestly believe that could help a ton so dont be lazy i am in the work of the lord and i need your help.i know this will help soften her heart and listen to the restored gospel.
well i am running out of time we have alot of great investigators and alot of funny stories for when i return home but right now there just isnt enough time to sit around and talk
Love you all keep serving the lord, and attend the 3 hours of church, the first step to inactivation in the church is skipping 1 hour.
Elder Olsen
Other than that this last week was pretty normal, well i guess it isnot every week that you get to be a godfather;
This week are transfers i am super scared i dont know wht to expect i have 3 transfers with the same comp in the same area, and he has one transfer more than i have, i dont know if they are going to change us or no, it is super weird because i have been with the same comp the same amount of time as all of my other companions in my mission until now so i have just really learned to love him, we fight a ton a ton, ha but it just makes it all the better. seriously it will be really sad if we have to leave or something.
Also we are teaching bro. Valentin, who told us he was born to be mormon and that his goal was to be baptized. he has 5 children and they all are good only the second oldest paola she is 17 and wow what a hard heart she never wants to listen or have anything to do with us, we have tried everthing we have brought over young men from the church to only flirt with her and she is still just so hard i dont know what to do, we have gotten to the point where my comp told me i need to be more charming haha but no... anyway it jsut came to my mind when tyler was in the mision i heard a similiar story and he had janessa write her testimony and send it to her, i honestly believe that could help a ton so dont be lazy i am in the work of the lord and i need your help.i know this will help soften her heart and listen to the restored gospel.
well i am running out of time we have alot of great investigators and alot of funny stories for when i return home but right now there just isnt enough time to sit around and talk
Love you all keep serving the lord, and attend the 3 hours of church, the first step to inactivation in the church is skipping 1 hour.
Elder Olsen
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
6 July 2011
So we ended june with my birthday witch was awesome, sorry i did not have time the last week to write yall but it was way cool we had three different parties on my birthday and everyone was way nice it was just a good day.other than that we are doing really good, this month we had alot of succes in the zone i think we are going to end the month super good.
Wow it is so crazy that tyler is going to get married you guys gotta let me know when he is going to get married anyway this past couple weeks have been crazy so much stuff is happening in my life i dont even know what to do. right now we are teaching a couple familys that are super good at the end of giving him a lesson he told us that he was born to be mormon wow, that was one of the greatest moments of my life, and after he accepted a baptismal date along with his 4 kids, we are also teaching two more families that have to get married before they can get married there just is no plata haha but they are planning a wedding for this weekend and they asked me and my comp to be the Godfather of their kids. so looks like i might just end up living in bolivia the rest of my life. you know i was thinking and seriously i love these people there is not a better peeople in the planet, everyone is humble and nice, it is amazing.
WOW IT IS FREEZING, the tempature has dropped like crazy and it is a weather like you never thought, the cold goes straight to your bones , the other night i had to sleep with 4 different shirts, i do not have any sweatshirts it is pretty funny, i am only suffering a little bit. well during the suffering of the freezing cold weather i went to buuy a beanie and i was super happy later that same day we are walking down the street and we get to a members house we stop buy and talk to them for a minute then i realize he is in a torn up shirt, chinos jeans and sandles and shivering like crazy, imediatley the spirit tells me to give him my beanie, man that was hard, but yeah i did it, after words he is just super happy it made it all worth it. and every day since then that i have seen him he has it on. man that is the best feeling in the world. i love this place.
I got a letter from stewart and wow i started to think that wow he is going to finish his mission in this month or the next i dont even know, but i just wanted to remind yall to keep me updated on the amigos that i have in the mission field. and concerning that how is coop doing? today we went to a mission activity where there was 4 zones playing soccer and wow i saw a ton of kids from my group and it just made me realize how fast time has gone by. i would like to get an email from him with his plans of what he can do in july to recieve the strength mentally and spiritually to come back out on the mission. i really do love that kid i know he was called to serve a mission, and i know he can still do it. it might take a little time but he has had 8 months to progress and fight this challenge and to go back out on the mission.
I love you all let me know how everyone is, send me some letters from the little ones, and lots of pictures.
Wow it is so crazy that tyler is going to get married you guys gotta let me know when he is going to get married anyway this past couple weeks have been crazy so much stuff is happening in my life i dont even know what to do. right now we are teaching a couple familys that are super good at the end of giving him a lesson he told us that he was born to be mormon wow, that was one of the greatest moments of my life, and after he accepted a baptismal date along with his 4 kids, we are also teaching two more families that have to get married before they can get married there just is no plata haha but they are planning a wedding for this weekend and they asked me and my comp to be the Godfather of their kids. so looks like i might just end up living in bolivia the rest of my life. you know i was thinking and seriously i love these people there is not a better peeople in the planet, everyone is humble and nice, it is amazing.
WOW IT IS FREEZING, the tempature has dropped like crazy and it is a weather like you never thought, the cold goes straight to your bones , the other night i had to sleep with 4 different shirts, i do not have any sweatshirts it is pretty funny, i am only suffering a little bit. well during the suffering of the freezing cold weather i went to buuy a beanie and i was super happy later that same day we are walking down the street and we get to a members house we stop buy and talk to them for a minute then i realize he is in a torn up shirt, chinos jeans and sandles and shivering like crazy, imediatley the spirit tells me to give him my beanie, man that was hard, but yeah i did it, after words he is just super happy it made it all worth it. and every day since then that i have seen him he has it on. man that is the best feeling in the world. i love this place.
I got a letter from stewart and wow i started to think that wow he is going to finish his mission in this month or the next i dont even know, but i just wanted to remind yall to keep me updated on the amigos that i have in the mission field. and concerning that how is coop doing? today we went to a mission activity where there was 4 zones playing soccer and wow i saw a ton of kids from my group and it just made me realize how fast time has gone by. i would like to get an email from him with his plans of what he can do in july to recieve the strength mentally and spiritually to come back out on the mission. i really do love that kid i know he was called to serve a mission, and i know he can still do it. it might take a little time but he has had 8 months to progress and fight this challenge and to go back out on the mission.
I love you all let me know how everyone is, send me some letters from the little ones, and lots of pictures.
Monday, June 20, 2011
20 June 2011
wow so this last week was super good, so we had three baptisms Felipe, vicente and daisy, it was all beautiful, the best part was that a really good member of the ward did the baptisms, his name is hno. ever. we eat at his house every day and i have never met a funnier guy, he used to be a drunk and about 6 months ago the missionaries found his and he changed his life, anyway we told him we had some baptisms and recently he just recieved the priesthood so we go to his house with a pair of white pants that he can use in the baptism we just whip them out and hand him the pants, he just kind of looks at me like ¨what is this crazy white boy doing with white pants¨ we tell him he is going to baptize two people and he just flips out i have never seen anyone so happy, then it hits him he has to know all the words and how to do it, andhe just starts panicking man i have never seen anything so funny but it was all realy good.
Anyway yesterday i had a huge surprise the urione family came to montero to visit me for my birthday, this is the family that i knew in santa cruz when i was training elder baker, but wow i have never reallly realized the power of the gospel that we share with people it was so amazing, they brought me a cake, and bought me a way nice watch, they are seriously one of the coolest families in the world,(and they told me they tried to contact you guys but your not answering their emails or your not looking them up on face book, they really want to talk with you guys please look for them in facebook.) ( name= neydda amerika urione farfán) she has facebook and has been trying tocontact janessa)
anyway it was super good to see them and it is amazinghow much they have changed, they are seriously amazing. i love that family it helps me realize the importance of missionary work. God really is preparring people for me, i have never seen so many miricles in my life.
This coming saturday we do not have any baptisms planned but i plan on having at least one person come unto christ, it is possible i just gotta test my faith, right now we are teaching a good family of five and we are waiting for another family to get married but we are expecting alot of baptisms these coming weeks it is just gonna take alo9t of work andalot of prayers.
i am super grateful for everything your guys dothank youso much i love you all so much i am sorrry for not writing but i am just super busy i sent some stuff home for andrew and sam i also had more stuff for janessa but i could not send it because it cost alot to send it. by the way tell that girl to write me a email. i love you all please stay firm in the gospel it is the only way to be happy.
Love Elder Olsen
Anyway yesterday i had a huge surprise the urione family came to montero to visit me for my birthday, this is the family that i knew in santa cruz when i was training elder baker, but wow i have never reallly realized the power of the gospel that we share with people it was so amazing, they brought me a cake, and bought me a way nice watch, they are seriously one of the coolest families in the world,(and they told me they tried to contact you guys but your not answering their emails or your not looking them up on face book, they really want to talk with you guys please look for them in facebook.) ( name= neydda amerika urione farfán) she has facebook and has been trying tocontact janessa)
anyway it was super good to see them and it is amazinghow much they have changed, they are seriously amazing. i love that family it helps me realize the importance of missionary work. God really is preparring people for me, i have never seen so many miricles in my life.
This coming saturday we do not have any baptisms planned but i plan on having at least one person come unto christ, it is possible i just gotta test my faith, right now we are teaching a good family of five and we are waiting for another family to get married but we are expecting alot of baptisms these coming weeks it is just gonna take alo9t of work andalot of prayers.
i am super grateful for everything your guys dothank youso much i love you all so much i am sorrry for not writing but i am just super busy i sent some stuff home for andrew and sam i also had more stuff for janessa but i could not send it because it cost alot to send it. by the way tell that girl to write me a email. i love you all please stay firm in the gospel it is the only way to be happy.
Love Elder Olsen
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
13 June 2011
WOW June what an amazing month, wow i am just so blessed it is amazing i love Bolivia i love it. so this last week i went to santa cruz with my companion for the zone leaders meeting, we show up and all the other zones are asking how is Montero, my zone and we are justlike it is all good we are doing fine, working hard, the normal, haha. anyway during the meeting we always do a slide show of all the baptisms and the zones where are the strongest zones in the mission and where are the weakest. anyway 2 months ago we were number 4 or 5 in the list of baptisms. last month number 3, and me and my comp have really been trying to motivate our zone to just baptize everyone, anyway we are going through all the zone we get to our zone and well i know we are not supposed to glory in the honors of men, but not gonna lie i did have a little smile for this. we ended up being the best zone in the whole mission, and Presidente Calderon wow he sure did talk us up even more it was super animating we were pretty happy ahah.
anyway when we went up there after the concilio Pres. Calderon started showing us all of the statistics of our mission in the past two years and june is always the lowest month of baptisms in the entire year, it is because right nw it is winter here in bolivia and no one wants to get in the cold water. anyway this was the best part he just starts telling us how we need a miricle in june, we need to search under the rocks of the earth to find those people who are ready to baptize, and i will tell you i have never been so pumped up in my life, we walk out of there and imidietly i start thinking how i can translate this into my zone how i am going to excite them, that night i go to bed and i start praying for a miricle and for help for my zone.
The next mornign i wake up and sit down to study i was really wanting to read preach my gospel but something was telling me i neededto readthe bookof mormon, so i dive intoit. i amin alma and i happen tobe at the part when helaman sets the title of liberty and starts putting down the rules giving a motivational speach. i start thinking about that and i look up and it turnns out that i have this gospel art book and it just happens to be on the pictrue of helaman and the title of liberty, i think God is trying to tell me something here....... finally it comesto my mind i gotta have my on title of liberty.
Thursday was zone conference, all the elderes show up we start giving them all of the announcments and stuff,finaally we get to the part about how we need a miricle this month how we need to just baptize everyone. and well in the moment opportune while i am motivating my zone, i just get so pumped up i rip of my white shirt and start tearing it into pieces declaring to them that we need our title of liberty we need our standards of excellence, we needthis miricle (you should have seen the face of some of the elderes)(some of the scared to death others way pumped up, after my comp told me i was all red in the face almost screaming)... wow it was super adrenaline rush..... i write down on the shirt what is my motivation what is my reason to be here in themission and i just write down MY FAMILY. all the other elderes come up and writedown there reasons or there motivation and we set the title of liberty so we are goingto do it we are going tohavea miricle.
man i love the mission it is the greatest place inthe planet, this month i am going to be an instrument in Gods hands and we are going to havea miricle i know it.
Seriously every single one of you is my motivation and my reasoning of why i am here suffering the insects and the heat and the food, i am here because i know that if i workmy butt off i might be able to help another family become like my family is, a family that is just amazing, i love you all and seriously i pray for you every day,it is not only about returning with honor but living with it our whole lives, i am preparing myself for the furture, i dread the day when i have to come home and go back to doing normal stuff. the missionhas helped me see the most important things in life. please remember that, i am talking to my brothers, remember what you felt, why you felt it , and how you can always feel it, i dont know what i would do with out it, the spirit is the guide of my life, always life worthy of this amazing influence of God. I Love you all.
Steve get married
Mike keep studying
Tyler well keep living the gospel
Janessa your my hero
Amanda hardest worker
Adam Not the man of the house
Andrew The second man of the house
SAM THE MAN OF THE HOUSE
Love you all
Elder Olsen
anyway when we went up there after the concilio Pres. Calderon started showing us all of the statistics of our mission in the past two years and june is always the lowest month of baptisms in the entire year, it is because right nw it is winter here in bolivia and no one wants to get in the cold water. anyway this was the best part he just starts telling us how we need a miricle in june, we need to search under the rocks of the earth to find those people who are ready to baptize, and i will tell you i have never been so pumped up in my life, we walk out of there and imidietly i start thinking how i can translate this into my zone how i am going to excite them, that night i go to bed and i start praying for a miricle and for help for my zone.
The next mornign i wake up and sit down to study i was really wanting to read preach my gospel but something was telling me i neededto readthe bookof mormon, so i dive intoit. i amin alma and i happen tobe at the part when helaman sets the title of liberty and starts putting down the rules giving a motivational speach. i start thinking about that and i look up and it turnns out that i have this gospel art book and it just happens to be on the pictrue of helaman and the title of liberty, i think God is trying to tell me something here....... finally it comesto my mind i gotta have my on title of liberty.
Thursday was zone conference, all the elderes show up we start giving them all of the announcments and stuff,finaally we get to the part about how we need a miricle this month how we need to just baptize everyone. and well in the moment opportune while i am motivating my zone, i just get so pumped up i rip of my white shirt and start tearing it into pieces declaring to them that we need our title of liberty we need our standards of excellence, we needthis miricle (you should have seen the face of some of the elderes)(some of the scared to death others way pumped up, after my comp told me i was all red in the face almost screaming)... wow it was super adrenaline rush..... i write down on the shirt what is my motivation what is my reason to be here in themission and i just write down MY FAMILY. all the other elderes come up and writedown there reasons or there motivation and we set the title of liberty so we are goingto do it we are going tohavea miricle.
man i love the mission it is the greatest place inthe planet, this month i am going to be an instrument in Gods hands and we are going to havea miricle i know it.
Seriously every single one of you is my motivation and my reasoning of why i am here suffering the insects and the heat and the food, i am here because i know that if i workmy butt off i might be able to help another family become like my family is, a family that is just amazing, i love you all and seriously i pray for you every day,it is not only about returning with honor but living with it our whole lives, i am preparing myself for the furture, i dread the day when i have to come home and go back to doing normal stuff. the missionhas helped me see the most important things in life. please remember that, i am talking to my brothers, remember what you felt, why you felt it , and how you can always feel it, i dont know what i would do with out it, the spirit is the guide of my life, always life worthy of this amazing influence of God. I Love you all.
Steve get married
Mike keep studying
Tyler well keep living the gospel
Janessa your my hero
Amanda hardest worker
Adam Not the man of the house
Andrew The second man of the house
SAM THE MAN OF THE HOUSE
Love you all
Elder Olsen
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
6 June 2011
WOW, so i am still in montero and it is officially the longest time i have in one zone, or one area,
right now i am with elder parrales the lord is really helping me with my ability to love and serve my companions
i am actually really excited for this transfer we have alot of really good investigators we are just waiting for some
really stupid reasons, one of them is marriage, another is they do not have permission from parents, but
they are all amazing people,
the biggest thing i have learned in my mission is to just be happy and the best way to
be happy is to smile all the time whenever i am teaching i am just trying my best to just smile, there really is
alot of power in a friendly smile, the funniest is fast sundays, it iswhenever i walk up to bear my testimony i just
sit at the pulpit and smile for a couple minutes until i see that everyone else is smiling, i have not decided if they smile
becaue they are happy also or because it is funny to see a white kid stand there smiling, either way it makes everyone
a little bit happier.
Sorry i have not written very much these last two weeks it is just really there is not time. i try my best but i am really trying
to lose my self in the work.
so i got a letter from darin hillyard, first off i cant imagine him being fat. second it was probably the funniest thing i have ever read
i am so thankful for all of your prayers and everything you have done for me.
Please pray for mario he is 15 his dad says he can be baptized but his mom no. he is a stud, janessa you have permission to marry him
Love ELder Olsen.
right now i am with elder parrales the lord is really helping me with my ability to love and serve my companions
i am actually really excited for this transfer we have alot of really good investigators we are just waiting for some
really stupid reasons, one of them is marriage, another is they do not have permission from parents, but
they are all amazing people,
the biggest thing i have learned in my mission is to just be happy and the best way to
be happy is to smile all the time whenever i am teaching i am just trying my best to just smile, there really is
alot of power in a friendly smile, the funniest is fast sundays, it iswhenever i walk up to bear my testimony i just
sit at the pulpit and smile for a couple minutes until i see that everyone else is smiling, i have not decided if they smile
becaue they are happy also or because it is funny to see a white kid stand there smiling, either way it makes everyone
a little bit happier.
Sorry i have not written very much these last two weeks it is just really there is not time. i try my best but i am really trying
to lose my self in the work.
so i got a letter from darin hillyard, first off i cant imagine him being fat. second it was probably the funniest thing i have ever read
i am so thankful for all of your prayers and everything you have done for me.
Please pray for mario he is 15 his dad says he can be baptized but his mom no. he is a stud, janessa you have permission to marry him
Love ELder Olsen.
Monday, May 23, 2011
23 May 2011
wow the mission is crazy i cant believe how fast time is flying by, i am loving life, i got super mad this week at some member that thinks he is all knowing, and he is 20 years old i almost beat him up but i withheld myself and then he went behind our backs and started turning our investigators against us, it was strange i got super mad but we cleared it up with our investigatores and he leaves this next two weeks for his mission, he is just a bad person, but i will explain more i need to have more patience and love i am really working on that, love you all no time but transfers are next week holy cow it is crazy fast i love the mission love you all i am doing really good. and keep praying that all of the investigators we have can be baptized.
Love Elder Olsen
Love Elder Olsen
Monday, May 16, 2011
16 May 2011
Holy cow, so in this letter i have included three pictures, one of them is of a motocylcle on fire infront of my house, turns out some guy was trying to rob someone, they stopped him beat him up and then lit his bike on fire and the whole mob was cheering, and the police were just watching it all happen. lets just say i did not get much out of my personal study time that day. but it was really cool, i really do love the mission the experiences are crazy. we only had one baptism this past week, and one of the families we are teaching were sick so they did not come to church. but it was really cool to see the desire they had to come, they all wanted to come but i told them it was all good, God does not see the outside but our intentions and our desires. anyway this saturday if everything is all good we should have four baptisms and the next week four more. they are way good families. i love all the people we are teaching they are amazing it is so special to really see some one change, the other day we went to the hourse of the sister flora, and she really like coffee obsessed, we asked her how she was doing with the word of wisdom, she was all like i am so good have not had a drop, we ofcourse were super happy, but the funny part was about half way through the lesson, she just breaks down starts to tell us how sorry she is, i am super confused just like what is happening, turns out she had a cup of coffee in the morning but it is all good, it was super special to see how she just broke down and really had a repentent spirit, that is my favorite part of this work really seeing someone just broken down, and through Christ they just change they are happier, really without Jesus Christ in our lives there is nothing, i would think it would be a great idea if every family night one of the return missionaries could talk about on of the attributes of christ in pmg, it is the most important thing we can do is really try to become like Jesus Christ, i love this gospel there is no word in spanish or english to describle the love that i have for this gospel and our Saviour Jesus Christ,
keep me updated on how eveyone is doing how is the family, steve, mike, tyler when are you going to have your first kid and name him justin. it is the best name in the family, also how is the ward, is anyone leaving for the mission, how are all my buddies doing.. i am still praying everyday for all of you i hope your all good. dad how is janessa she just does not really want to write me so honestly i do not know, but i did get a letter from her so thankyou very much, and if you say that fatter is cuter well i think i am going to start eating more.. how is dj doing in korea that is crazy i got the letter from sis. doman tell her thankyou so much. i love the little poster thing the sent. also i would love to get a package with the testimony of every single one of my brothers and sister and mom and dad with your personal picture and then a picture of the family all together. i love you all tons.
Elder Olsen
keep me updated on how eveyone is doing how is the family, steve, mike, tyler when are you going to have your first kid and name him justin. it is the best name in the family, also how is the ward, is anyone leaving for the mission, how are all my buddies doing.. i am still praying everyday for all of you i hope your all good. dad how is janessa she just does not really want to write me so honestly i do not know, but i did get a letter from her so thankyou very much, and if you say that fatter is cuter well i think i am going to start eating more.. how is dj doing in korea that is crazy i got the letter from sis. doman tell her thankyou so much. i love the little poster thing the sent. also i would love to get a package with the testimony of every single one of my brothers and sister and mom and dad with your personal picture and then a picture of the family all together. i love you all tons.
Elder Olsen
Monday, May 9, 2011
9 May 2011
well there is a couple things i wanted to say, first my health is way good, yeah for a little bit my feet were in pain but really everything is fine. next is i would like to know how all my buddies are doing. Corey, jeff, coop, clint, i really do worry about them alot. next is that i would appreciate it if once in a while you could send in the mail a update on how everyone is doing including shane, trevor, sean, jaron, jake, cameron, stewart, darin, everyone, the last update i have had of darin i think was his first transfer, where some old man was trying to kill him and two grannies entered into the avatar state and started whooping this old man, that letter is over 6 or 7 months old but i still laugh everytime i see it. and i still imagine darin running around trying to speack polish but does not understand anything. haha. so i would appreciate an update on that. next is a giant favor, so my teeth are starting to get more crooked i think i am growing or something and i went to the dentist with my comp. because he had an appointment and i asked her about it, and i think it would be really cheap, because when i went to get my chipped tooth fixed it was only 50 bucks, for everything but i dont know if that is really cheep it just sounded really cheap to me. just something for you guys to think about for my birthday. other than that i am doing super good i am loving bolivia, today we are going to play soccer against a different zone so i am way stoked for that, i wrote amanda a 2 page letter last night i felt so bad i did not have time to talk to her. there was just so many people to talk to i did not know what to do.
And they killed bin ladin???? what is the U.S. going to do i would like dad to give me an update on this, i mean it is a pretty big deal, probably my whole future rests in the death of this man.
yesterday we had 12 people come to church 3 different families, the only downside was that one the dads did not come, i was pretty dissapointed in that but we went yesterday to teach them and put a baptism date for 21st. only problem is the need to get married, that is one of the biggest problems in bolivia. everyone needs to get married, and they do not have I.D. so it is a giant proccess to do it. but i have faith everything will work out and it will all be good. other than that i am teaching a young man who is 16 his name is mario and he is already going to teach with us and he is not baptized!! it is amazing he will bear his testimony about the book of mormon the church joseph smith everything. he is a stud. he is way stoked to go on the mission. and janessa if you want you can date him.
also we are teaching celia, nelli, and elizabeth, three young women and they live with there brother who is a recent convert that we baptized. celia is way stoked to be baptized they come to church every week and are looking forward to it i think we are going to do it this 21st also. our goals for this month are super high so pray for me that i will be able to complete the promise i have made with the lord, and his children.
and to end it all, i was wondering how is all the ward doing, is anyone leaving for the mission, i dont get much letters from anyone, so i dont really know much. if you could do me a favor janessa and get some girls to write me i feel like a loner not getting any letters but i trust in you they will be good girls.
last question, nanny and papa how are they doing, also the uncles and aunts?? i am so happy to come from the olsen family there is not a greater last name in the world. or a greater family, i love you all.
Love ELDER OLSEN
also did brock mathews go back out on the mission?
and how is covey jones doing? i have not heard from bishop Jones since i got here i thought it was a rule or something to write the missionaries in your ward.
And they killed bin ladin???? what is the U.S. going to do i would like dad to give me an update on this, i mean it is a pretty big deal, probably my whole future rests in the death of this man.
yesterday we had 12 people come to church 3 different families, the only downside was that one the dads did not come, i was pretty dissapointed in that but we went yesterday to teach them and put a baptism date for 21st. only problem is the need to get married, that is one of the biggest problems in bolivia. everyone needs to get married, and they do not have I.D. so it is a giant proccess to do it. but i have faith everything will work out and it will all be good. other than that i am teaching a young man who is 16 his name is mario and he is already going to teach with us and he is not baptized!! it is amazing he will bear his testimony about the book of mormon the church joseph smith everything. he is a stud. he is way stoked to go on the mission. and janessa if you want you can date him.
also we are teaching celia, nelli, and elizabeth, three young women and they live with there brother who is a recent convert that we baptized. celia is way stoked to be baptized they come to church every week and are looking forward to it i think we are going to do it this 21st also. our goals for this month are super high so pray for me that i will be able to complete the promise i have made with the lord, and his children.
and to end it all, i was wondering how is all the ward doing, is anyone leaving for the mission, i dont get much letters from anyone, so i dont really know much. if you could do me a favor janessa and get some girls to write me i feel like a loner not getting any letters but i trust in you they will be good girls.
last question, nanny and papa how are they doing, also the uncles and aunts?? i am so happy to come from the olsen family there is not a greater last name in the world. or a greater family, i love you all.
Love ELDER OLSEN
also did brock mathews go back out on the mission?
and how is covey jones doing? i have not heard from bishop Jones since i got here i thought it was a rule or something to write the missionaries in your ward.
Monday, April 25, 2011
25 Apr 2011
bueno. well we had transfers this last week, did not have much time to sleep but that just always makes it the best. so quick story we always do transfers thursday in the morning always always always. so this last wednesday we had called the elders told them that we were going to send them thursday really early if they were leaving the zone. wednesday morning we are leaving the house and the phone rings it is elder ramirez one of the assistants and he asked me if elder fuentes had arrived in our zone. i was super confused because we do not have transfers until the next day but they decided to change it and send all the elders wednesday to there new zones. so now we had to go runnning around the whole city looking for a lost elder, and we found three. but not the one we were looking for haha... so i take all the newbies put them in my house and me and my comp go on splits to find the other elder. i went to the pension.(house where we have lunch) of the elders to tell them they needed to pack and get ready to leave in thirty minutes we get to his house all of his clothes are soacking wet but i just said no importa we shove all his clothes into his bags and send him to santa cruz in a taxi and then i meet with my comp and he had sent the other elder out. as we are getting to leave a member walks up with a elder hah luckily he saw some helpless elder without a comp and three suitcases and decided to help. so that is just one of the miricles i saw that day, it is amazing how much our Heavenly Father cares aboutall of our problems every single one and he helps us out it is the same with janessa and this algebra thing he knows all just dont doubt do your best and he will take care of the rest.
anyway later that night we had to wait until 11.30 to sleep because the elders never showed up at our house. they finally got there we all go to bed set the alarm clock for 4.30a.m. it goes off and while those elders are getting ready to go to the airport, i am calling the member that told us that he could take them to the airport. he doesnt answer and well it is 4 in the morning there is not any taxis at this hour so me and my comp leave in our flip flops, half asleep and just exhausted looking for a taxi. it is funny the mind does not think very well at this hour i am still sure there could have been an easier way to do it. we are just wandering through the streets and we happento run into a taxi just waiting in his car with his lights on, yeah whatver lets go, we return to the house and send the elder on his way now i have like 1 hour to sleep and i go get into my bed. and as soon as i get in someone starts honking. stick my head out the window and it is the member. hah i tell him he is late and what happened. tell him to come back in a half hour when there is more people to send. for the next half hour every five minutes he is honking his horn to ask me where are the missionaries. so yeah it was a strange night. but it all went good we got everyone to there house.and it wasgood.
Other than that i have been thinking alot about all my buddies in the mission i met some people from hammsburg, germany they are members i told them to tell elder thorley or elder tanner hola from bolivia. also i sent a letter to Elder Norton i think it was over a month ago, i sent it straight to his mission i think ahah. also i sent a package to yall. i still dont know if you have gotten it, it has a jersey for dj. and some letters. when is jeff getting married. and how is he doing. really you guys need to help him out so they can get married in the temple, also i am always curios abot everything. yes i got your package thank you very much.. last thing the familia uriona sent me another package with more letters and shoes. hah they are the greatest. they are the baptism i had in Hammacas. with elder baker. but i am loving it some days are hard but it just makes it all the bettter. i pray fro you every day. love ELder Olsen
anyway later that night we had to wait until 11.30 to sleep because the elders never showed up at our house. they finally got there we all go to bed set the alarm clock for 4.30a.m. it goes off and while those elders are getting ready to go to the airport, i am calling the member that told us that he could take them to the airport. he doesnt answer and well it is 4 in the morning there is not any taxis at this hour so me and my comp leave in our flip flops, half asleep and just exhausted looking for a taxi. it is funny the mind does not think very well at this hour i am still sure there could have been an easier way to do it. we are just wandering through the streets and we happento run into a taxi just waiting in his car with his lights on, yeah whatver lets go, we return to the house and send the elder on his way now i have like 1 hour to sleep and i go get into my bed. and as soon as i get in someone starts honking. stick my head out the window and it is the member. hah i tell him he is late and what happened. tell him to come back in a half hour when there is more people to send. for the next half hour every five minutes he is honking his horn to ask me where are the missionaries. so yeah it was a strange night. but it all went good we got everyone to there house.and it wasgood.
Other than that i have been thinking alot about all my buddies in the mission i met some people from hammsburg, germany they are members i told them to tell elder thorley or elder tanner hola from bolivia. also i sent a letter to Elder Norton i think it was over a month ago, i sent it straight to his mission i think ahah. also i sent a package to yall. i still dont know if you have gotten it, it has a jersey for dj. and some letters. when is jeff getting married. and how is he doing. really you guys need to help him out so they can get married in the temple, also i am always curios abot everything. yes i got your package thank you very much.. last thing the familia uriona sent me another package with more letters and shoes. hah they are the greatest. they are the baptism i had in Hammacas. with elder baker. but i am loving it some days are hard but it just makes it all the bettter. i pray fro you every day. love ELder Olsen
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
4 Apr 2011
so when i opened my email this day i noticed alot of pictures were sent to me, didnt really think about it much and i went to write presidente Calderon. super amazing by the way. anyway after that i opened dads email which just say july 28th and yeah.. i have just been sitting here for the past 15 minutes in awe not sure if i should believe it or not. and i am still not sure if it is true, how crazy is tyler, but following the prophet so it is all good. it is just so fast, i will not even have a year in my mission by the time that date comes. but that is all good i am super proud for tyler to be able to follow the prophet, with courage, dont wait there is no need for waiting it is only delayiing the blessings of our heavenly father if we wait, entonces siga no mas, estoy bien contento con tu. no quirro hablar en ingles mi español realamente es bueno, casi estoy latino, con mucho de mis investigadores yo les dije que yo soy paceño, de La paz, algunas veces soy espanol, pero me encanta la idioma de castillano, es mas bonita en todo el mundo en la manera que puedo expresar mi mismo y conversar con personas esta es un grande bendicion de Dios. esta conferencia que tuvimos me encantó todo los discoursos pero siempre me gusta Elder Holland, y poderoso su mensaje con nosotros, yo se que cada uno de ellos son escogido de Dios y son apostoles y profetas. hay que hablar con chino, no se si el ha assistido el templo, pero se que ahora el tiene que ir. el templo es mas grande bendicion en esta mundo y nos ayuda para preparar para las eternidades. yo se familias pueden ser eterna y estoy muy agradecido estar en esta muy grande y fuerte familia. mucho gracias para todo sus oraciones. estoy siempre orando para ustedes y quirro que tienen mucho exitó en sus vidas. se que nunca escribo mucho pero tango un bueno memoria, y en el reino celestial voy a countar todo mis experiencias. assiten el templo cada samana si sea posible no hay excuso viven en utah hay bastante templos. vaya y van a ser bendicidos yo se esta es la iglesia verdadero, no hay otro tenemos que siempre recordar nuestro salvador estamos aqui para llegar como el. muchisimo gracias.
Con mucho amor. ELDER OLSEN
Con mucho amor. ELDER OLSEN
18 Apr 2011
Wow i can honestly say i have never felt my life pass by so fast it is so strange to think how long i have been in bolivia and how much has changed in my life, my prioties. everything. but first off i had not read a bunch of your emails because i did not know where they were, but i just read a couple of them, and tyler i dont think you could go into the marines, it really just is not a good place to have a family, and the air force i really do not know i have been thinking about going to school after and trying to be an officer, but ultimetly (i cant spell in english anymore) my goal is to be a pilot, that is something i would just love to do, but si o si you have to go officer if you want it good. dont let them trick ya or anything study first and after you can join, that is something i wish would have done, dont take me wrong i honestly believe if i did not go, i would probably not be on the mission so it was obviously a step Heavenly Father put in my life to help me grow and prepare me for something bigger. the mission is the same every thing that happens is a test, it is a trial of our faith, so we can learn and grow and in the end become more like our lord and saviour.
so yesterday we had two baptisms, they were good mario is a way good young man he is way small but he is 19, and he is prepping for the mission. he is watching his six younger siblings the parents live in different parts but yeah we are prepping them for baptism also looks like 7 of may,, the other is a inactive daughter we have been teaching them for two three weeks and solo needed someno to visit them to invite them to churhc again.
this week we had to do a ton of stuff for the zone the president is going to open some areas here and we had to find a house, a pension. and just about everything took away about a solid day of proslyting i was pretty upset. also we have to go to santa cruz, to buy a bunch of furniture and prepare for the transfters which are this wednesday,thursday. so i am pretty stoked to participate in my first transfer i have heard they are pretty crazy.
Yesterday we went on intercambios with 2 young men and i got a referencia from a member she told me she was super intrested and wanted to come to church, i asked when we could contact her and she told me only is there in the middle of the day so i put an appoitment for today(preparation day) and when i got back to the house told my comp he got way upset, started trying to use the manual missional to explain we cant teach on monday, and i just lost it. nothing makes me more upset than whiners, complainers that just hits me in the very soul, we got into an arguement, he ended up calling the assistents to ask, and ofcourse they said claro que si. after that he calls the president, and by then i was just fuming, and i always have a hard time talking when i am mad, if i am not screaming, well it is even more difficult in spanish. the presindent talked to him for a solid five minutes after he passed me the phone and i explained it was a reference and it is only one appoitment, he just told me elder you can do that but, you have to have unity in the companionship, both of them have to be in agreement. he told me it would be better to go a different day. but in the future just be in agreement with your comp., i agreed we definetly had the spirit of contention with us and it is not good. other than that i asked him if this next transfer we could have a zone activity where we go to a plaza and sing and just do contacts,(i remember tyler doing something like that) but he said yeah it is all good. so this next week or so we are going to have that, i am pretty stokedthey need something to cheer them up, do something a little different, we have a couple companions that are really struggling. if there is any other ideas i will accept with arms wide open.
Other than that life is great i am loving the mission. tyler is getting married and his fiance has not written me, i expect a two page letter from the two of them, i did not hear from yall this week, hope everything is all good. How is all my budies, coop, jeff, corey, clint, i pray for them daily. and i pray for my family evey second i love you all your my motivation and my strenght with out you i would be lost.
Love ELDER OLSEN
so yesterday we had two baptisms, they were good mario is a way good young man he is way small but he is 19, and he is prepping for the mission. he is watching his six younger siblings the parents live in different parts but yeah we are prepping them for baptism also looks like 7 of may,, the other is a inactive daughter we have been teaching them for two three weeks and solo needed someno to visit them to invite them to churhc again.
this week we had to do a ton of stuff for the zone the president is going to open some areas here and we had to find a house, a pension. and just about everything took away about a solid day of proslyting i was pretty upset. also we have to go to santa cruz, to buy a bunch of furniture and prepare for the transfters which are this wednesday,thursday. so i am pretty stoked to participate in my first transfer i have heard they are pretty crazy.
Yesterday we went on intercambios with 2 young men and i got a referencia from a member she told me she was super intrested and wanted to come to church, i asked when we could contact her and she told me only is there in the middle of the day so i put an appoitment for today(preparation day) and when i got back to the house told my comp he got way upset, started trying to use the manual missional to explain we cant teach on monday, and i just lost it. nothing makes me more upset than whiners, complainers that just hits me in the very soul, we got into an arguement, he ended up calling the assistents to ask, and ofcourse they said claro que si. after that he calls the president, and by then i was just fuming, and i always have a hard time talking when i am mad, if i am not screaming, well it is even more difficult in spanish. the presindent talked to him for a solid five minutes after he passed me the phone and i explained it was a reference and it is only one appoitment, he just told me elder you can do that but, you have to have unity in the companionship, both of them have to be in agreement. he told me it would be better to go a different day. but in the future just be in agreement with your comp., i agreed we definetly had the spirit of contention with us and it is not good. other than that i asked him if this next transfer we could have a zone activity where we go to a plaza and sing and just do contacts,(i remember tyler doing something like that) but he said yeah it is all good. so this next week or so we are going to have that, i am pretty stokedthey need something to cheer them up, do something a little different, we have a couple companions that are really struggling. if there is any other ideas i will accept with arms wide open.
Other than that life is great i am loving the mission. tyler is getting married and his fiance has not written me, i expect a two page letter from the two of them, i did not hear from yall this week, hope everything is all good. How is all my budies, coop, jeff, corey, clint, i pray for them daily. and i pray for my family evey second i love you all your my motivation and my strenght with out you i would be lost.
Love ELDER OLSEN
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
21 March 2011
so i did not here from ya all last week, this week was good we found some good new families and we put alot of baptismal dates it is weird to be back to jr. comp, sometimes i forget that my comp has more time than me, we are getting along good but we got into one fight on sunday when he did not want to go to get our investigadores but i just said lets go, that is the best part about being gringo you can just say no entiendo, and they just kinda gotta follow you, but we went and they were not there and he was all put out that we had to walk but about half way through the day he apologized and told me why he does not like to go to investigators houses because when he was converted he did not like it when the misionaries passed by to get him, but now he is on the mission so we agreed we are going to do it. anyway this week was crazy emergancy transfers in my zone, dont get alot of sleep had to do a ton of stuff and this next week i have to send in all the finances for the zone so most likely i will continue my schedule of not sleeping till eleven thirty and waking up at five thirty haha but it is all good i love the work am super happy, there is not a better place on the planet. i was wonder how the fam is doing how is all the kids, when is tyler getting married and so so, also send some pictures i do not have any.
Love ELder Balboa
Love ELder Balboa
14 March 2011
oh yeah one more thing absolutley hilarious, My comp from equador is always says, Whatever, and it sounds just like gunner anyway it was just pretty funny, also we had another baptism, but i do not have my camera.
LOVE ELDER OLSEN
LOVE ELDER OLSEN
14 March 2011
man, the mission is crazy. this morning i was walking through the "store" just a giiant flea market, when i just saw a bunch of dead chickens on the floor piled up, and i thought to myself ha and that is how they prepare my favorite food, anyway it is just good sometimes to realize how crazy bolivia is.. anyway this week was super sad, we had transfers and i had only been in hammacas for one transfer and of course i got transfered to montero, pampa la madre it is like an hour out of santa cruz so not to far, but i was called to be zone leader, i am just wondering if i will ever have time to be a missionary that is all i want just a good comp a time to teach the gospel we spent the last two day running around doing stuff for the zone, and worst part is i got all the money, and well you guys know how i am with money haha. anyway i really did love hamacas wow the sister uriona farfan, the one with the picture it was super sad to leave her and the young man gustavo is prepping for the mission, i am just starting to realize alot of the work i do is for other elder to see the fruit, ha lke when i was in puerto suarez we found a family of 7 and then i leave, but theydid get baptized the week after i left, and in hammacas i left alot of people i really do love, anyway montero is more like puerto suarez not so nice like santa cruz but kinda in the middle some of the streets are paved but not all. i am learning a ton of stuff every day i finished jesus the christ during carnaval three days where no one can leave the houses because it is just a giant paint fight in the streets.
also i chipped my tooth another time so that was pretty funny i was walking around for three days looking like lloyd off dumb and dumber, it was prettty funny. other than that my new area is pretty cool, my comp is from ecuador it is good to be wtith a latino again i was starting to realize my spanish was getting rusty always being with a gringo. my comp elder baker left the area also went to a different zone he has alot of potential we got along really well in the end i learned alot about patience.i am really loving the mission i would love to see more photos of the family.. also if you could send another of the family with janessas testimony hah the familia farfan asked me if they could keep it, so i gave it to them the funny thing is that it does not have me in it haha, but they didn´t care they just wanted something.
now more than ever i am convinced of the power of the gospel in families i am so thankful to have beeen born into this gospel, it changes families changes everything, it is not an option we have to baptize everyone they need it, even if they do not know it or even want it, they gotta have it. during the first zone meeting we had i just gave my testimony about the importance of baptizing and i feel likee we are gonna have alot this transfer i am stoked to be in this area it is huge we have a normal area but also a whole city like an hour away that we have to go to, so it is alot of people but like i told my comp it is only alot more baptisms we do not have very many investigators right now so we are gonna find a couple families this week but i really wanna try something new, so if you got any ideas i would be very thankful, we are already going to start singing more i was thinking that that is a good way to open the hearts of people.. i am loving the mission i gotta go, send me some pics. also tell bro. thorley thanks i get a letter from him every week it is super cool i was thinkin everyone had forgot about me haha.
Love elder Olsen
also i chipped my tooth another time so that was pretty funny i was walking around for three days looking like lloyd off dumb and dumber, it was prettty funny. other than that my new area is pretty cool, my comp is from ecuador it is good to be wtith a latino again i was starting to realize my spanish was getting rusty always being with a gringo. my comp elder baker left the area also went to a different zone he has alot of potential we got along really well in the end i learned alot about patience.i am really loving the mission i would love to see more photos of the family.. also if you could send another of the family with janessas testimony hah the familia farfan asked me if they could keep it, so i gave it to them the funny thing is that it does not have me in it haha, but they didn´t care they just wanted something.
now more than ever i am convinced of the power of the gospel in families i am so thankful to have beeen born into this gospel, it changes families changes everything, it is not an option we have to baptize everyone they need it, even if they do not know it or even want it, they gotta have it. during the first zone meeting we had i just gave my testimony about the importance of baptizing and i feel likee we are gonna have alot this transfer i am stoked to be in this area it is huge we have a normal area but also a whole city like an hour away that we have to go to, so it is alot of people but like i told my comp it is only alot more baptisms we do not have very many investigators right now so we are gonna find a couple families this week but i really wanna try something new, so if you got any ideas i would be very thankful, we are already going to start singing more i was thinking that that is a good way to open the hearts of people.. i am loving the mission i gotta go, send me some pics. also tell bro. thorley thanks i get a letter from him every week it is super cool i was thinkin everyone had forgot about me haha.
Love elder Olsen
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
24 Jan 2011
wowowowowow
what an amazing week i am going crazy right now i can not even believe what has happened. wow. so this last week i recieved a email from tyler that pretty much says decide now to baptize and you will do it.. as you all know i have not had the privelige to baptize and with sincerity it has been really hard for me. every week tyler sends more pictures of all of his baptisms and i know how good of missionaries mike and steve were so i was really started to doubt whether i could baptize and when was it finally going to come. ecspecially since transfers are tomorrow... anyway i have been fasting and praying alot to. and well the lord stepped it and had a changed the way i think.. so tyler said baptize every month. so we had inter cambios and i was with elder ramirez when i decided you know if i wanna baptize i just gotta do it. so we went to clemente house and i just told him we were going to baptize him this saturday and elder ramirez interviewed him.(this was on thursday) well he said yeah and he was way stoked and he told me he wanted me to baptize him. man the joy that came over me at that moment is indescribable.. anyway long story short we called my comp that night who is leader of the zone and told him we were going to baptize clemente and he said no?? we cant?? so i said why?? so i ended up calling the assistent and we got permision to baptize.. the problem was that we did not tell the president inthe last email( it was not in our goals for the week) yeah i was pretty confused myself...
anyway this last day we decided it would be best for the dad to do it. very new to the church and has really bad legs. can barely stand but we asked him if he wanted to do it and he said he did and he had faith christ would heal his legs.. wow the humility and faith of this man is incredible... ok so it is day of the baptism and they are all at the church, when i get the impression to bring another pair of white pants. i did not listen. so we go to the church the family is all in white and they get into the water and the dad falls and does not have the strength to baptize(he tried to or three times) yeah so we shut the doors to the font and go in and talk to him when he just said elder olsen can you baptize my son for me.. man seriously missionarry work is the greatest thing in the world. at that moment i dont think i have ever sprinted faster in my life....got the pants and i have the privelage to baptize clemente.. Man it was amazing.. mike was right i would go through hell and back to have one baptism.. it really is amazing i have never been happier..
other than that this week was good we got alot of investigators and we are working me and my comp still are not gettting along perfect but i am trying to just serve him and learn from him because he is a fantastic teacher..
Also i recieved a package!! and a bunch of letters, the package was from nanny( thank you very much nanny), it was super cool to read so many letters and to know that i am still loved in bolivia.. i got a letter from clint, alyssa,jaron, someone in the ward, man it really was good.
I have scriptures!! but they are not my scriptures they are some elder in my group that had an extra pair it is only i would lke to have my other pair so if you could send them that would be awesome.
i am doing great i am really loving the people. the president of the rama hereis crazy,,, in a good way.
i really would like to here that talk that dj gave.and tell him to have patience in the mtc. hahah.
love you all tons send some pics of the fam. other things i wanna see some snow..
Love Elder Olsen
what an amazing week i am going crazy right now i can not even believe what has happened. wow. so this last week i recieved a email from tyler that pretty much says decide now to baptize and you will do it.. as you all know i have not had the privelige to baptize and with sincerity it has been really hard for me. every week tyler sends more pictures of all of his baptisms and i know how good of missionaries mike and steve were so i was really started to doubt whether i could baptize and when was it finally going to come. ecspecially since transfers are tomorrow... anyway i have been fasting and praying alot to. and well the lord stepped it and had a changed the way i think.. so tyler said baptize every month. so we had inter cambios and i was with elder ramirez when i decided you know if i wanna baptize i just gotta do it. so we went to clemente house and i just told him we were going to baptize him this saturday and elder ramirez interviewed him.(this was on thursday) well he said yeah and he was way stoked and he told me he wanted me to baptize him. man the joy that came over me at that moment is indescribable.. anyway long story short we called my comp that night who is leader of the zone and told him we were going to baptize clemente and he said no?? we cant?? so i said why?? so i ended up calling the assistent and we got permision to baptize.. the problem was that we did not tell the president inthe last email( it was not in our goals for the week) yeah i was pretty confused myself...
anyway this last day we decided it would be best for the dad to do it. very new to the church and has really bad legs. can barely stand but we asked him if he wanted to do it and he said he did and he had faith christ would heal his legs.. wow the humility and faith of this man is incredible... ok so it is day of the baptism and they are all at the church, when i get the impression to bring another pair of white pants. i did not listen. so we go to the church the family is all in white and they get into the water and the dad falls and does not have the strength to baptize(he tried to or three times) yeah so we shut the doors to the font and go in and talk to him when he just said elder olsen can you baptize my son for me.. man seriously missionarry work is the greatest thing in the world. at that moment i dont think i have ever sprinted faster in my life....got the pants and i have the privelage to baptize clemente.. Man it was amazing.. mike was right i would go through hell and back to have one baptism.. it really is amazing i have never been happier..
other than that this week was good we got alot of investigators and we are working me and my comp still are not gettting along perfect but i am trying to just serve him and learn from him because he is a fantastic teacher..
Also i recieved a package!! and a bunch of letters, the package was from nanny( thank you very much nanny), it was super cool to read so many letters and to know that i am still loved in bolivia.. i got a letter from clint, alyssa,jaron, someone in the ward, man it really was good.
I have scriptures!! but they are not my scriptures they are some elder in my group that had an extra pair it is only i would lke to have my other pair so if you could send them that would be awesome.
i am doing great i am really loving the people. the president of the rama hereis crazy,,, in a good way.
i really would like to here that talk that dj gave.and tell him to have patience in the mtc. hahah.
love you all tons send some pics of the fam. other things i wanna see some snow..
Love Elder Olsen
Monday, January 17, 2011
17 Jan 2011
Oh man the time is flying on the mission it really is insane next week is transfers.. man i am so nervous i really have come to just love this place, it is amazing the relief society treats me like a son so mom dont worry i got alot of love here in bolivia. i am really starting to see the rama( district) change. it is so weird but awesome to have members come up to me and say come to my house i want you to teach me friends... it is awesome puerto suarez really is changing i love it so tomorrow we are having family night at hmo. pardo house he is in the police and ever since he found out i am in the military he treats me like a king haha it is pretty funnny the whole rama knows i am in the marine corp. and i have not told anyone i think it is the presedent because everytime he sees me he throws up a salute and shouts some weird phrase i have not been able to translate¨"he was in the bolivian army"...
other than that i still have not recieved any packages and i dont have an adress, another elder told me that we need to probably go to santa cruz and it is just chillin in the mail room or something but i dont know.
and by the way it is all good that you are not going to brazil (it is a little over rated) haha just kidding but when you come to bolivia we can tour here then go on down to brazil to visit tylers mission because i really do want to see more of brazil it is beautiful.
holly cow dj is leaving next week that is crazy, i would love to hear the talk. so please record it also tell covey work his butt off.
anyway i know this letter is really scattered and you probably do not understand it but just a quick recap of my week. my comp left for zl conference for three days and while he was in santa cruz i went to pto. quijarro with elders abbot, ramirez it was pretty intreesting we taught some great lessons and i learned alot of how the teach and differnt ways to contact. but the best was we were teaching this inactive member and we were sing songs for him to cheer him up, he was drunk. so we ended he stood up threw his alcohol over the fence and just started crying saying how much this has ruined his life, it was actually really sad. we encouraged him and told him we are always here for him as we were leaving i noticed he was going for another beer. so i gently stood him up and started telling him it was time to sleep and it was really late. walked him to his bed tucked him in, and hit the lights. locked up his house and we left. first time i have ever tucked in a grown man. good experience. anyway so we had another baptism date for clemente but my comp feels we should wait one more week even though he has 5 times in church. some times i just wanna beat someone up. anyway we talked about it and after a pretty heated discussion we decided to wait so he could prepare a little longer. the familia riveros has a date for feb. 5 so that is going to be realy really special they are a strong family they just need to finish up there papers for marriage. other than that we are meeting some really good people i am loving it. the language is coming along i can pretty much get around but far far far far from fluent.
tell adam if you let him go to state and he does not win he has to clean the kitchen for 3 weeks. and andrew to just keep being a stud. also adam will never be the man of the house until he can beaat me up wich will never happen.
also mom with jeff you cant call you just gotta show up to his house to visit. his grandma or him or his mom there is always some one there i cant even tell you how many times i just chillled in his room when he was not there. also send some pictures i would love to see how the family is doing and adam wrestling.
anyway i love you all tons i pray for you everyday, janessa still has not written me. that is so crazy tyler is going home wow time flies. keep me updated on the life back home. love ELDER OLSEN arriba bolivia!!
other than that i still have not recieved any packages and i dont have an adress, another elder told me that we need to probably go to santa cruz and it is just chillin in the mail room or something but i dont know.
and by the way it is all good that you are not going to brazil (it is a little over rated) haha just kidding but when you come to bolivia we can tour here then go on down to brazil to visit tylers mission because i really do want to see more of brazil it is beautiful.
holly cow dj is leaving next week that is crazy, i would love to hear the talk. so please record it also tell covey work his butt off.
anyway i know this letter is really scattered and you probably do not understand it but just a quick recap of my week. my comp left for zl conference for three days and while he was in santa cruz i went to pto. quijarro with elders abbot, ramirez it was pretty intreesting we taught some great lessons and i learned alot of how the teach and differnt ways to contact. but the best was we were teaching this inactive member and we were sing songs for him to cheer him up, he was drunk. so we ended he stood up threw his alcohol over the fence and just started crying saying how much this has ruined his life, it was actually really sad. we encouraged him and told him we are always here for him as we were leaving i noticed he was going for another beer. so i gently stood him up and started telling him it was time to sleep and it was really late. walked him to his bed tucked him in, and hit the lights. locked up his house and we left. first time i have ever tucked in a grown man. good experience. anyway so we had another baptism date for clemente but my comp feels we should wait one more week even though he has 5 times in church. some times i just wanna beat someone up. anyway we talked about it and after a pretty heated discussion we decided to wait so he could prepare a little longer. the familia riveros has a date for feb. 5 so that is going to be realy really special they are a strong family they just need to finish up there papers for marriage. other than that we are meeting some really good people i am loving it. the language is coming along i can pretty much get around but far far far far from fluent.
tell adam if you let him go to state and he does not win he has to clean the kitchen for 3 weeks. and andrew to just keep being a stud. also adam will never be the man of the house until he can beaat me up wich will never happen.
also mom with jeff you cant call you just gotta show up to his house to visit. his grandma or him or his mom there is always some one there i cant even tell you how many times i just chillled in his room when he was not there. also send some pictures i would love to see how the family is doing and adam wrestling.
anyway i love you all tons i pray for you everyday, janessa still has not written me. that is so crazy tyler is going home wow time flies. keep me updated on the life back home. love ELDER OLSEN arriba bolivia!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
10 Jan 2010
WOW; what a fantastic week woww wowowow
I love being a missionary it really is so cool, there is no feeling like it honestly it is strange, but i really do love it. So this week we were contacting and there is this house way out in the boonies i mean out there!! and that morning i was study about how to follow the spirit and Elder Scott says that "often our most prized and most valuable spiritual prompting are our first thought or prompting that go unnoticed because we do not act upon them" and it is so true so we were walking and we were just gonnna pass by this house because it is out there, but i felt like we should go.but we just kept walking. again i looked back just kinda thinking "oh it is not important" nothing is gonna happen with this house" so i kept walking. finally the spirit was able to hit me in the side of the chest and say go! so i turned around started walking towards the house and my comp was like huh i just said vamos haha any way we go up to the house and before we even get to the fence the man is coming out to meet us saying pass pass.. we go in and he is just excited, i´m in heaven and my comp is kinda lost in the sauce... turns out he had been going to church when the first elders came here 30 years ago when there was not a church building or nothing and he has been looking for it since but didnt know where the building was or any of the members. wow... coolest feeling ever.. but it gets better.... 7 little girls the cutest little girls you have ever seen. (i am going to send a picture next week of this family and janessa is going to die that is how cute these little girls are) the whole first lesson the little 5 years old was laughing at me the whole time, now normally this is a distraction but she is just so darn cute it doesnt even matter. it really is the coolest thing i have ever experienced just a little prompting and we found this family. wow. i love it. the spirit is insane, the way it works with us and with others just blows my mind. anyway they are way stoked 5 of them have baptism date for this 5 of febuary we still need to talk to one more of the girls that is 17. but the only sad thing is i could not be there to see them baptized. this next transfer is 27th of january so i dont know what to think right now.. anyway we have a date for a girl named carla 9 years old and she is just like amanda no joke it is so funny she is always at the grandmas house(which is how we know her) they are recent converts and she is always going to church with granparents i asked my last comp why she was not baptized he told me the parents would not let her,, so with my new comp we talk to those parents and they said yes. so pretty sweet she is a way sweet little girl. other than that me and my comp are getting along alot better. i found wheni just will make him breakfast or dinner iit is easier to just love him haha. oh yeah funy joke every one in south america says peruvians are thiefs and every one always says hide your wallet when my comp tells them he is from peru.. hahh so next time you see chino you can tell him that. Other than that i am doing good quick funny story really quick i went into a drunk guys house and the whife kinda had just this upset look on her face. i could telllsomething was wrong so my comp was talking to her and the husband was telling me about all the chickens that he owns. ( dont know why but seriously drunk people just like me alot) so why he is tellling me about all his chickens i went around his house just kinda chatting with him, and distracting him, while i hid all his beer :) all of it haha under the table under clothes and the whife just looks over with a big old smile hah anyway it was pretty hilarious and we got a return appointment with the whife when he is not wasted...
anyway i still want more updates on how it all my buddies doing and my family. also mom i do not really have time to write the ward just tell them i love them and seriously i miss having so many good members and people that we can rely on, the members here and really flaky so i miss the confidence and trust that i had in utah. also how is coop doing tell him to send me a letter or something seriously he does not know what he is missing out on.. also dad a few weeks ago you asked me what was that animal i was holding it was a monkey,and yeah they are pretty freaky. mom i know i do not write as much as you want me to,so i got a little assignment for you i know how much you love to talkand visit with people so i would love it if you visited with jeff and his mom and grandma great people, also there is clint and his parents great people., corey, dj, the list goes on and on and write me after and tell me how is went.
anyway i love and miss you all every single day my spanish has really talking a big step of improvement but i still got a long way to go. i´m working my butt of, i am not having much success but it is coming i have faith i would love your prayers and fasts for my investigators thank you so much for always teaching us to do what is right.. wow the world really is a different place. i love you alll tell adam he is not the man of the house.
Love Elder Olsen
I love being a missionary it really is so cool, there is no feeling like it honestly it is strange, but i really do love it. So this week we were contacting and there is this house way out in the boonies i mean out there!! and that morning i was study about how to follow the spirit and Elder Scott says that "often our most prized and most valuable spiritual prompting are our first thought or prompting that go unnoticed because we do not act upon them" and it is so true so we were walking and we were just gonnna pass by this house because it is out there, but i felt like we should go.but we just kept walking. again i looked back just kinda thinking "oh it is not important" nothing is gonna happen with this house" so i kept walking. finally the spirit was able to hit me in the side of the chest and say go! so i turned around started walking towards the house and my comp was like huh i just said vamos haha any way we go up to the house and before we even get to the fence the man is coming out to meet us saying pass pass.. we go in and he is just excited, i´m in heaven and my comp is kinda lost in the sauce... turns out he had been going to church when the first elders came here 30 years ago when there was not a church building or nothing and he has been looking for it since but didnt know where the building was or any of the members. wow... coolest feeling ever.. but it gets better.... 7 little girls the cutest little girls you have ever seen. (i am going to send a picture next week of this family and janessa is going to die that is how cute these little girls are) the whole first lesson the little 5 years old was laughing at me the whole time, now normally this is a distraction but she is just so darn cute it doesnt even matter. it really is the coolest thing i have ever experienced just a little prompting and we found this family. wow. i love it. the spirit is insane, the way it works with us and with others just blows my mind. anyway they are way stoked 5 of them have baptism date for this 5 of febuary we still need to talk to one more of the girls that is 17. but the only sad thing is i could not be there to see them baptized. this next transfer is 27th of january so i dont know what to think right now.. anyway we have a date for a girl named carla 9 years old and she is just like amanda no joke it is so funny she is always at the grandmas house(which is how we know her) they are recent converts and she is always going to church with granparents i asked my last comp why she was not baptized he told me the parents would not let her,, so with my new comp we talk to those parents and they said yes. so pretty sweet she is a way sweet little girl. other than that me and my comp are getting along alot better. i found wheni just will make him breakfast or dinner iit is easier to just love him haha. oh yeah funy joke every one in south america says peruvians are thiefs and every one always says hide your wallet when my comp tells them he is from peru.. hahh so next time you see chino you can tell him that. Other than that i am doing good quick funny story really quick i went into a drunk guys house and the whife kinda had just this upset look on her face. i could telllsomething was wrong so my comp was talking to her and the husband was telling me about all the chickens that he owns. ( dont know why but seriously drunk people just like me alot) so why he is tellling me about all his chickens i went around his house just kinda chatting with him, and distracting him, while i hid all his beer :) all of it haha under the table under clothes and the whife just looks over with a big old smile hah anyway it was pretty hilarious and we got a return appointment with the whife when he is not wasted...
anyway i still want more updates on how it all my buddies doing and my family. also mom i do not really have time to write the ward just tell them i love them and seriously i miss having so many good members and people that we can rely on, the members here and really flaky so i miss the confidence and trust that i had in utah. also how is coop doing tell him to send me a letter or something seriously he does not know what he is missing out on.. also dad a few weeks ago you asked me what was that animal i was holding it was a monkey,and yeah they are pretty freaky. mom i know i do not write as much as you want me to,so i got a little assignment for you i know how much you love to talkand visit with people so i would love it if you visited with jeff and his mom and grandma great people, also there is clint and his parents great people., corey, dj, the list goes on and on and write me after and tell me how is went.
anyway i love and miss you all every single day my spanish has really talking a big step of improvement but i still got a long way to go. i´m working my butt of, i am not having much success but it is coming i have faith i would love your prayers and fasts for my investigators thank you so much for always teaching us to do what is right.. wow the world really is a different place. i love you alll tell adam he is not the man of the house.
Love Elder Olsen
3 Jan 2010
Gunner is getting married????? ( he is just doin whatev!!)
hah i cant believe he is getting married before steven that is so good. and no i have not gotten any of the letters or anything and i dont have an address. all the stuff just gets sent to puerto suarez and we go and pick it up at the TAM. dont really know how it works but whatever you guys think will work the best.
anyway this week was super long my comp was "sick" for two days straight.. man it was hard to sit in the house all day when we have so many fantastic people to teach. right now we are teaching 3 women maria 50, diana 22, mariolli 18 they all love me haha diana even tried to kiss me the other day (must be my olsen charm) but i felt bad because i didnt know what to do or what to say so i just kinda jumped back and was like i´m sorry i cant, i didnt know how to explain it and she was super emberressed and felt way bad. but my comp cleared it up and explained that as missionaries we have rules and such, but it was pretty funny.
other than that we have found lots of new investigators, i dont know how long i am going to be here so i am trying to change my attitude of how i work. i used to always just think about me baptizing but most of these people i am meeting i am realizing i have to prepare them to be baptized it doesnt matter who does it i gotta always work like there is no tomorrow.. that was the problem with my first comp he kinda died out and didnt want to work his last three weeks because he could not baptize them. i dont wanna be like that.
other than that how is the family, did dad take coop the letter i just wanna know how he is doing? how is steve? how is mike? is he really dating a columbian?? HAHA that is pretty cool. everyone here says that after the mission i need to go to brazil to find my whife haha so who knows maybe i will learn portugese ha
anyway i am doing better i had some rough spots with my comp but i am really tryingg to just see the good in everyone i meet, i try to study ch 6 of pmg for 10 minutes every night it is helping alot helps remind me of who i am representing and who i need to be worthy to represent.. Big responsibility.
anyway much love
Elder Olsen
hah i cant believe he is getting married before steven that is so good. and no i have not gotten any of the letters or anything and i dont have an address. all the stuff just gets sent to puerto suarez and we go and pick it up at the TAM. dont really know how it works but whatever you guys think will work the best.
anyway this week was super long my comp was "sick" for two days straight.. man it was hard to sit in the house all day when we have so many fantastic people to teach. right now we are teaching 3 women maria 50, diana 22, mariolli 18 they all love me haha diana even tried to kiss me the other day (must be my olsen charm) but i felt bad because i didnt know what to do or what to say so i just kinda jumped back and was like i´m sorry i cant, i didnt know how to explain it and she was super emberressed and felt way bad. but my comp cleared it up and explained that as missionaries we have rules and such, but it was pretty funny.
other than that we have found lots of new investigators, i dont know how long i am going to be here so i am trying to change my attitude of how i work. i used to always just think about me baptizing but most of these people i am meeting i am realizing i have to prepare them to be baptized it doesnt matter who does it i gotta always work like there is no tomorrow.. that was the problem with my first comp he kinda died out and didnt want to work his last three weeks because he could not baptize them. i dont wanna be like that.
other than that how is the family, did dad take coop the letter i just wanna know how he is doing? how is steve? how is mike? is he really dating a columbian?? HAHA that is pretty cool. everyone here says that after the mission i need to go to brazil to find my whife haha so who knows maybe i will learn portugese ha
anyway i am doing better i had some rough spots with my comp but i am really tryingg to just see the good in everyone i meet, i try to study ch 6 of pmg for 10 minutes every night it is helping alot helps remind me of who i am representing and who i need to be worthy to represent.. Big responsibility.
anyway much love
Elder Olsen
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