HIS BEST TWO YEARS

Behold, I send you out to reprove the world of all their unrighteous deeds, and to teach them of a judgment which is to come.....And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Week 2-April 11th

Howdy,
So things are going here in Mexico. real spanish where we are talking with investigators, or my companion is so hard. It's different then anywhere else i have been taught spanish. One because now i have more than one thing-talking. Normally it's two people talking at the same time, sometimes at me. Or the cars outside, sometimes crying baby, last week a vomiting baby. But, its hard to focus on what they are trying to say.

Now that you know how the spanish is coming along the past week. so at the beginning of the week we had 9 people that were going to get baptized this past week. We continued to teach them and visit them. Then come Friday night, the night of their interview for baptism, they all passed but one. Then three others decided that they didn´t want to be baptized either. So when Saturday came around we went to go pick up three and they weren´t there. So we ended up only having two boys ages 10 and 8. It was my first time in the font. It was really cool, one reason is because i didn´t mess up on the prayer. (It's a little bit harder to remember in spanish).

But all is well. our church is one of the newest in the state. its only a year old and really nice. I don´t need money for a bike because for two reasons: one because it would probably get stolen, and two becuase there are so many hills that we would end up pushing them up the hill. but i have a pretty big sector and almost everybody in the mission walks except a couple sectors.
until next time,
and remember,
everybody loves a missionary,
Elder olsen

Monday April 4th-First email from Mexico

So i am sorry that i didn´t have time to check my email before i left the mtc. and if my typing is different it is because the keyboards are different.

Leaving the mtc was weird. me and my companion were the last ones to leave in our district so it was a little weird but leaving was weird the night before was hard because it started to set in that i am leaving. but the flight was ok it was pretty rough that they didn´t let us out of our seats only unless you couln´t hold it any longer. then we landed and before we meet the mission president there was the leaving missionaries in the terminal. so we talked to them for a little bit but then headed down and meet our mission president. He didn´t say much at first but that was ok. then we instantly drove across the border and worked out another visa thing. i think the visa i have now is only good for a couple of weeks, and the one that i will get should be about a year long.

We then made our way through traffic to the mission office. got sat down by the APs and told more rules. then walked up to the mission home for lunch. there are two rules that i think will have a hard time with and they are no COKE. and it is everywhere. and the second is every missionary needs a comb-over. well everyone needs a part in their hair.

I came here with two other missionary and all three of us got native companions. oh yea today is my p day for now on. so my companion is from Monteray Mexico and doesn´t speak English. and the first thing that he said to me is that i am huge. but he is pretty cool guy.

Tijuana is so big. we drove for about twenty mins to our area. we have terrazas here in Tijuana. and our zone is the most successful in the whole mission. my first day here after i unpacked some of my stuff, because our apartment just barley got the electricity(lights) turned back on yesterday, then went and talked to some investigators.

There are six adults living in one house with four kids. but anyways they committed to be baptized. My first baptism was yesterday, a girl named Ruth and she is fourteen. But i am running out of time i only have half an hour to type. but know that i am fine, little frustrated with the language and other things but i am alright.

until next time,
and remember,
everybody loves a missionary,
Elder olsen

Last Day at the MTC

With one of his teachers HNO Harris

Yes, I am leaving now and I thought that I would send one last letter out before I venture off into Mexico. And that's my problem, I don't have much to say. Out of 10 we started with in our district, 3 are left. One leaves tomorrow at 4am, and me and Elder Erekson leave at 8am-we will be the last ones to leave.

I am very excited, and very nervous. And since I am nervous there is no need for Grandma, mom, or Brittany to be nervous. Because we are nervous for different things. I am not nervous for my safety.

I think that is everything. Hopefully you know my new mail address because I don't know it.

But, until next time
remember Everybody loves a missionary,
ELDER OLSEN

BIG NEWS---March 22nd

Alright there has been big changes since my last letter home. Long story short, I got my VISA.

Now For the long story,
It all started last wed. when me and two other missionary's got called down to the travel office. They told us that we were going to the consulate that day at 1. So one o clock came around and they told us to go out to the parking lot. Once we got there they put us on a bus. So me and 21 other missionary's are on a bus when the bus driver says to stay in your seat belt for the whole trip. Wait WHOLE TRIP? yea that's right the consulate office is in SLC! So we got to go to SLC. It was awesome! To have a glimpse of the real world. Things i learned while in the real world, Gas is really expensive about 3.40 a gallon, Brad Paisly is coming to stadium of fire with david Archy, but most importantly, there still is life outside of MTC.

But we went to the office(right behind the Beez stadium), they took our picture, finger prints, and sign some papers. Then it was back to the MTC. But wait the story doesn't end there. The next day, Thursday, i got TRAVEL PLANS in the mail! So i leave the MTC a week from today! Tuesday March 29. I fly from salt lake to San Diego, where i will meet my mission president, and then we will drive across the border to where ever the mission home is. Pretty cool huh! then just the other day we got mail saying that we get to be hosts for the new missionary's tomorrow. So its been a good week.
That's all of the news from here at the MTC i believe, so the next time that i will write an email will be on, next Monday, because they give us the day before we leave as a P-day. But i don't know for sure if i will get to Email? I will write letter if not. But hope you all have a great week,

And remember,
Everybody loves a Missionary,
Elder Olsen

March 15th-Hola

Well one more week has gone by, and its official that we have been here the longest out of everyone in our Zone. Alot of new faces around here. No news on any VISA although i keep working at it. And we still haven't had an Apostle come and talk to us yet either. They really have forgotten about us here.

Just to let you know because its not that important but i have gained ten pounds. Now its just the beginning, but its a start. Starting lose focus here, because with so many people I have known that has left, and i am hopefully down to my last two weeks here, it has been hard because you just want to get out. But i am here and i am still learning everyday. The spanish is coming along but i still have a lot to learn. We have been suffering through lessons in spanish, but we are beginning to get our meaning across. Hope you have a great day because i am doing alright, and its a great day to be alive,
Everybody loves a missionary
Elder Olsen

March 8th

So once again i am here typing a letter home. Not much has changed-even the Tueday's Firesides. We still haven't had an apostle come and talk to us yet, so it's either the prophet is coming tonight or they really have forgot about us. Last Tuesday they took a lot of pictures of us for some article in the New york Times. So look for that, they didn't day when they just said that it would be in the future and that was last week. Three of our district members leave tomorrow for the Peru MTC so it has been a little bit different of a P-day than normal. They will go to the Peru MTC for three weeks before going to Bolivia. Past couple of weeks we have started to teach the lessons in Spanish and it is actually really hard, but with more practice i am sure that it will get easier. Tomorrow makes six weeks, but who is counting.

Hope things are going good,
And remember,
Everybody loves a Missionary, Elder Olsen

March 1st

So here i am again writing my letter home. And i forgot all the questions that you wanted me to answer but i will try and answer them as well as i can.

This past week we got a new district leader because our old district leader, Elder Salmon, leaves to go to the Peru MTC next week along with Elder Osborne and Elder Krueger. So next wed. our ten man district could be down to seven as long as they have room for them at Peru. Just this morning we got two new roommates in our room, because they are redoing another building or something so they need every available bed, or something. And since there was only two of us in a four person bedroom, we now have two more. They are not in our district, and i have only talked to them once so for all i know right now they could be eating all my chips and i would not know their names to yell at them.

No we did not get an apostle this week at the Tuesday Devotional, but we are hoping for the Prophet tonight.(and praying) Yes we are being pressured into doing everything in spanish, which includes teaching the lessons, which means that our lessons are now a little crazy. Went to the temple today and only saw Bro. Murdock from the ward.

Not a lot changes around here just the faces. Every wed. we get two new districts in our branch, because two left between Monday and Wednesday, But it might be different this week because we are only losing one district. But what do i know. Basketball is fun, that's what i play when i have GYM time(not recess). There are some good players which makes it fun. I usually play against a kid that played at snow College last year, and he usually beats me. Tomorrow makes five weeks that i have been here at the MTC. Don't know what else you want to know because like i said i forgot all the questions. Hope everything is good in the outside world because its good here in spritual prison( yea its a joke).
Remember Every one loves a Missionary,
Elder Olsen

Feb. 22nd

So not much has really changed here, but i quess since they give me some time on the computer i better use it.

Sunday was probably one of the best days here yet. Our Sunday starts like any other day, up at 6:30 we have to be in our classroom at 7:00 a.m. just like any other day. Then we had breakfast and at 8:00 sacrament meeting. The reason this meeting was so special was because the wife of branch counselor brought her four grandsons with her. They aged from 3-8. And she started off her talk by having them sing, "I hope they call me on a mission" so cool to hear them sing that because it took me back to when I would say that, and it kicked me a little bit because i am on a mission. But then we have a couple other meetings and study time and lunch but the last thing of the night is a fireside where we all go to the gym and have a one hour conference. this time they did it a little different because they wanted to sing. So they had microphones and a couple missionary's said their favorite song and we has a large group would sing one verse. So that was cool but after half an hour they cut it off. Then they instructed us on how we could sing Called to serve, where we would start at whisper and by end really loud. anyway that's about the fifth time we have sang it but it was definitely the coolest. Then they said the closing prayer and after we all sang Army's of Helaman, which was the first time we had sang that song and it was so COOL (yes i know i am using cool a lot). Then after that we get to watch a church movie every sunday and we watched legacy, which can be really funny but it was good. So that is how Sunday went it was good.

Tonight when we have our devotional we are supposed to have an apostle since we haven't had one come yet, (we think they forgot about us because they are supposed to have one come every three weeks) but other than that things are good here in "Spritual Prison". Yea its a joke with us missionary's because although we are learning spiritual we still feel like we are in prison, something like that.
Now for the most frustrating thing about the MTC:
When you see so many people that have come into the MTC after you but leave before you. This first started when a district of native spanish speakers came in the same day as us and we became pretty good friends. But since they already know spanish they were only here for three weeks. And i hope i have my visa.
Scripture of the week Mosiah 4:9
And remember,
Everybody loves a missionary
Elder Olsen