Week 24 San Gabriel

Happy Transfers!

Happy Tuesday! It was a pretty good week! I've told you a bit about Elder Whitlock but here's more! He was my zone leader in Ayacucho, and before that he was an assistant for six transfers haha. He is now a district leader here and I get to be a district leader co companion again! He is from Highland Utah and he's on his last couple transfers in the mission.

We had a great week, the ward is having a lot of activities this week. We had a ward-wide family home evening, it was all organized and everything! They chose like 3 families in 4 parts of Miguel Grau to host family nights and they had invited active and inactive members and investigators. We brought a family that have baptismal dates to the FHE. They are doing really well, we are working hard on getting their mom to church. Tuesday through Thursday they are having something called the festival of visits(or ministration) They have a list of active and inactive members and investigators that these people will go visit. Don't know how many will show up but we have high hopes. The point of the visits are to invite these people to an activity on Friday. The activity is going to be a potluck dinner and dancing. There will also be a soccer activity on Saturday. We will have tables set out in front to jot down names and addresses of people to visit. We hope to find the people that will attend both activities to maybe get them learning about the gospel. Sunday will be Ward Conference. We are excited to see how this all pans out!

Thanks for the quick note, I know we covered a grand majority in the call but thanks haha. I told Alejandro a bit about Ethan haha. He said his name was hard to say. I'll let him know Ethan is thinking of him.

Thanks again for the letter, sorry for the short one I sent haha. Thanks for your support, I love you all :DCon amor,

-Elder Olsen

 Elder Lagos.  He's a dude from Honduras that likes to say
 "Arrepiéntete hijo de Satanás (Repent, son of Satan)" Funny guy haha

Week 23 San Gabriel

Happy Monday Already!

Wow the week flew by, not only that but transfers are coming up pretty soon again. We had a great week, some investigators came to church, not many but it was all good. We had some youth minister and bring a young man name Luis to church, we will visit him next Sunday. We also had a family come, well her kids. They are a family of four, the have 3 kids, Carlos, Leslie, and Tatiana, and the mom is Jessica. She lost her husband recently and that is how we found her. She misses him and we have been talking to her. Her kids have come to church twice now and related their experiences of how much they loved it. She still isn't going, she says for work but I'm almost positive it's for fear. We are going to show them a video tonight about families being together forever. Wish us luck with the Flores Family!

We haven't had too many chances to study this week haha. We've missed a lot of days of personal study due to exchanges and a new thing the president has us do called visits. We basically visit the programs of the district to talk about something they need.

A bit about Skype, I'll get with you guys later today to get everything set up for Sunday, we'll know a bit more soon.

It's all good to hear all of you guys' things going on in the week, thanks for your letters! I'm sorry for a short one, but Sunday will make up for it I'm sure haha. I love everyone who reads this letter! Until next week

With love
Elder Olsen

Week 22 San Gabriel

Happy (Late) Monday!

Hello! I'm a little late again today, we had a P-day where we went to the Christ statue in Chorrillos. Thanks for waiting haha, it was a great time!

It's good to hear about the mission calls for Parker and Cole!!! Parker's going to China!! That is absolutely insane! That is was amazing to read! And Cole is going to be my neighbor, that's awesome too! It was also awesome to hear about the Bishop smackdown on Sunday!
We had a great week! We saw a miracle on Sunday with 6 investigators at church, that was awesome. We got a family there and a couple of progressing investigators. We found a guy named Walter, glad we found him because he could really use the Gospel in his life. His wife ran away, his daughters moved to Argentina, and he is really poor and lonely. He wants to change and we hope that we can help him get to the Church and help him change his life!

I came to a profound realization the last couple of days... I'm being a turkey!! Just a little confession for a sin I've committed, I haven't thought very much about Timberline in my mission. These last couple of days in my PMG study I've been thinking about principles I've learned at that inspired camp and my personal revelation is skyrocketing haha. I've almost forgotten that I was a teacher of the teachers of the teachers one year. I already have extremely good teaching skills I just need to dust them off a little bit. I promise you I will apply those inspired teaching principles, Timberline truly impacted my life, I just gotta let it impact me again. This week I thought a lot about the vision of my area, how many people with baptismal dates, personal growth in me. I learned a lot from thinking about that. This week I'm going to study "What is the 'Timberline' of the mission"

That's my time thanks for writing everyone!! Gotta be honest, I prayed that the whole family would write and it happened, church is true haha.

Con amor y oración,
Elder Olsen

Some pictures

PS Can you send me lead sheets of Jazz? Should only have the melody and chord markings in C for piano. Thanks just send a couple of standards like the way you look tonight autumn leaves or others in PDF or in the next package, maybe a piano solo of ill go where you want me to go. thanks


Ethan,
Thanks for your letter man!! It was good to hear that you just shook that girl off that was being a jerk. If I learned anything throughout my life, I gotta say it's just shaking what people say off and being you! Remember that, and remember that your family loves you and the Lord loves you. Thanks again man!
Te amo mucho hermanito,
- Elder Olsen

Week 21 San Gabriel

Happy Monday!!!!

Good afternooon, emailing a bit late because of P-day, we left in the morning to a place called Lomas. It's just a really high mountain that has this sweet Inca head on it. I sent pictures of it, it was a good time!
The area is doing pretty good, we are dying for people in the church again haha. We had 11 plans for people that said they'd go and only 1 showed up, and we didn't even plan for that one haha. But we are doing way good in new investigators we had 10 this week. The only problem is a lot of them won't progress because of either living with someone or just won't want to haha. We'll work hard with them still because we believe in miracles!

Elder Montes de Oca is doing way well too. A bit under pressure for the church plans but that's me too. I love the guy and appreciate his hard work and patience with me as a newbie haha

Is it really already getting hot over there, man the time is passing too fast haha. I noticed it's actually getting pretty chilly over here at night, which I'd never imagine being Lima and all haha. With the members we eat with it comes out of our 200$/month that we have. We pay our own Pensions but yes the money does come from the Church. We had a really good mission conference with Elder Montoya from the Seventy. He talked about some really good stuff. Basically the jist of it was that us as missionaries have a bunch of relations in our mission and we should do our best to keep in contact with all companions, converts, and some members that we meet. He talked about a lot of other stuff too, I'll have to bring some notes next week. We did get to see all the mission in one chapel. It was awesome because I saw Elders Gutierrez and Mozo there! And all of my buddies in Ayacucho, the only thing was the fact that we weren't allowed to talk to any of them haha. My Spanish is coming slowly, I can pretty much say whatever I want, sometimes I just can't understand people haha. Not sure if it's inability, can't hear well, or they don't speak well haha. I have been playing the piano every week so far in the mission haha. The Ward pulled a dozy though. They made me play All Creatures of our God and King. I made a valiant effort! I will be Skyping on Mother's day, and it's wierd that it's tranfer day. Poor people skyping on basically their last day of their mission haha.

Good to hear everything from you all, tell Ethan to shoot me a note though it's been a while since I've heard from my boy haha

That's my time this week, I love you all and pray for you individually! Thanks for your support and love!

Gracias por todo, les amo mucho,
Elder Olsen

Week 20 San Gabriel

 Because I Totally Forgot to Say it the Last Two P-Days...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA!  I love you so much despite my horrible memory for days haha.  I just now remembered it was April 3rd, haha, sorry!  I won't be mad if you forget my next birthday haha.  Thanks for all that you did for me in my life, preparing for mission, and support while on my mission!  It is a blessing to not only be raised in the Gospel but to be raised in a home where all of my brothers are faithful as well!  You really did a great job with all of us and I thank you for all of your hard work!  I love you!  Of course I remember everyones birthday but yours, just my luck with my memory haha.

   

Aside from that sad little paragraph, it was a great week!  We have been just tearing it up with new investigators!  San Gabriel is a great area and I am glad to be in it.  We are finding some humble people ready to accept the message.  We are teaching 2 people that are progressing.  Edgar and Brenda.  Edgar is a little hard to find with his job but he is reading and praying!  Brenda doesn't feel like she "knows enough" to be baptized but she is also reading and praying and coming to church without us dragging her there haha.  We almost got to teach some Venezuelans but they live in another area.  We were encouraged by the area presidency to look for Venezuelans because they are just like the people in distress in Alma.  Can't remember the exact reference but I'll bring it next week.  It says that they are more prepared to recieve the Gospel and it's true.  Almost every Venezuelan I've met is either a member or a progressing investigator haha.

  

Question time.  The chapel you saw could very well be my chapel, but there are also chapels in Pamplona, Brillante, and a few others I can't remember.  Miguel Grau has two stories, a soccer field at it's left and a brick building behind it.  In front of it is a little road that goes up at an incline to the right.  There are quite a bit of chapels, the only difference from Utah is there is a quite a little less and they put one or rarely 2 wards in one chapel.  Our apartment is good, we live with other members that used to be our Pension.  Now they dropped us so we eat and a different member's house from here on out.  That same member does our laundry too.  We find the majority of the people through street contacts.

   

Sad to hear about members in the ward passing.  I loved Sister Grisham and make sure Stacie's dad knows that I'm praying and thinking about him.

  

I don't have too much more time but thank you for all of your letters, I love you all!  Alma 37:35-37

 

Les amo bastante,

Elder Olsen

One of the many mannequins. I'm serious, Peruvians are addicted to having these things in their shops

"Companionshiply" expensive food purchase

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Week 19 San Gabriel

Happy Monday!

Hey from San Gabriel!  To answer a few of your questions, my ward is called Miguel Grau and I am in Miguel Grau II.  The members are way good here and they love their missionaries dearly.  It's good to work with the many members that are here.  Our investigator pool is still doing great!  Not as good as in Ayacucho but I'll work to find the difference and apply it in this area so that we can get some more peole to teach.  The majority of the chapels in Peru have fences around them, our chapel has a 2nd floor to it for sacrament.  I played the piano this week too!  It's fun to play in sacrament meeting for these people.

  

My companion is from Guatemala, Guatemala City, he has more than a year on the mission!  I love the guy so much, he has a great Christlike love for all the people that we teach and visit.  I'm blessed to have a companion that I love.  He and I are working hard in the area to get some people on the right path.  One of the children of God came into the fold this Saturday.  His name is Joseph and it was amazing to see him enter the waters of baptism.  A lot of good insights were shared about remembering our own baptisms.  It was really a spiritual time.

   

I'm learning quite a bit from the Book of Mormon study the mission in doing.  I'm learning about how important Christ actually is in the Book, how much he taught through the Book, and how much he taught in the Book through revelation.  Keep asking your questions, I love to answer them, and I hope little by little I am!

  

It was awesome to hear about your weeks back in good ol St. George!  I'm glad everything with the roof went well!  And that Stake Conference was way good with the ministering!  Ministering is truly revelation and I think it will help people immensely.  This General Conference will be a source of personal revelation for us all as we review and study some of their words. Well I'll send some pics off then I'll be done this week.  "To the battle, the banquet, and the temple!" as my mission president says.  Lova ya.

Con Amor,

Elder Olsen

 

Baptism

 

 

Ayacucho

 

Week 18 San Gabriel

Happy Transfers!

First off transfers, we got our transfers on Saturday and I got moved to Lima in the zone San Gabriel in the program Miguel Grau II. It is a new chapter of the good ol mission and I'm excited to work in this area. I was telling Kalin a little bit about what I thought about the area, I said Ayacucho is what I imagined Peru being like and San Gabriel is real life haha. San Gabriel is an area that doesn't have Sisters serving, but don't worry, the Lord watches over His missionaries. It is really dusty, hot, humid, and cold(or maybe that was my fever, I don't know yet haha) I got a little bit sick the day before transfers haha, of course when I wasn't feeling great I had to pack and travel haha. I've recovered though so I will be alright.

My companion is Elder Mountains of Goose. Nah that's just the English translation, Elder Montes de Oca sounds a lot better haha. I am a co companion for a district leader now, it's a bit different from being a co companion for any other plain ol missionary haha. He is from Guatemala and he seems like a great guy, I haven't had any problems with him so far.

Conference was absolutely insane! Russel M. Nelson truly has revelatory power! I thought the announcement in Priesthood Session was insane, then he came with more in the last session haha. I love how some big themes in this conference were personal revelation and serving others. I loved all the things that were said about serving other people by small means. Well, after this conference the Bishops are gonna have to keep busy huh haha. There was a lot of stuff for Bishops in this conference as well as a lot of work, I'm praying for you Dad that you can do all this work while applying the things said meant for Bishops in this conference! The solemn assembly was awesome, the 12 Apostles are truly chosen by the Lord. Speaking of which we finally have a Latino Apostle! It was awesome to hear the new guys' testimonies. I thought it was way funny when even the Prophet laughed when he announced the temple in Layton Utah, I thought it was funny too. There will be a temple in Salta Argentina too! Elder Gutierrez lived in that city and it was awesome to hear that!

That's all my time, I'll tell you more later, talk to you later!

Elder Olsen and Elder Montes de Oca