Monday, September 25, 2017

CONFERENCE TIME!!! (week 48)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY FAMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! HOW'S LIFE.......I hope life is going swell for you guys!!!

Soooo before I get typing about how the week went I should write about TRANSFERS!!! And it ended CRAZY!! So last night I was chilling....just writing in my journal when PRESIDENTE WHITESIDES called...I answered and he asked me to pass the phone to Elder Chacon....so I put the phone on speaker phone (savage) and I passed the phone to Elder Chacon and President told him something like this "Elder chacon I know that you have never been a senior comp or a district leader but together with the lord I have felt impressed that you need to be a ZONE LEADER" TEEEENAZ NO? Sooo yeah Elder Chacon is an LZ in Cali now.....I am so proud of him!! I am gonna miss him here in Recuerdo Norte peeeeeeeeeeeero I have a companion TAN CHEVERE his name is Elder Monserrate....he's pretty new in the mission we were together in Pasto and he was in training during that time....but hes really excited which makes me excited :D

Our baptisms didn't work out :( Fernanda told us that she wanted Karolina to have a 1st Communion (her family is super catholic its more of a tradition thing) but she believes that the CHURCH IS TRUUUUE!!! She just needs a little more time....I am not worried about her, we got this!!! The sisters had some investigators that they were able to help get married and baptized the next day.....we had a lot of fun and felt the spirit a lot at both events......tan chevere los batismos :)

We didn't have a super successful week this week....unfortunately but I have high spirits......it will all work out.....we have "UN POCO" bit of investigators that can progress.....YO TENGO LA FE!! TENGO TODO LA FE!!!

Do you know what time it is? CONFERENCE TIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMME FUDDDDDDDDDDDDDDGE FREAKING YEAH!!! I have already been planning with Elder Corbett and Elder Marks all the snacks imma bring hahahahaha buuuut foreals I am STOKED! I have lots of questions for this conference and imma be taking notes and listening real carefully....that's my challenge to you guys....to do the same, but I want you to remember something that I wrote last week......"we can't receive revelation if we don't have questions." Write some questions down and be thinking about them during conference it will make the experience ten times more radical.......and that's pretty radical!!

Sorry this was short....my time got cut because I had to pick up my comp from the bus terminal. More pictures and information about him to come soon!!!

LOVE YOU TONZO!!
ELDER OLLLLLLSEN




 Distrito Recuerdo














 Here comes the bride....all dressed in white







We are the biggest dorks bahhaahhahaha 



Which is more beautiful.....the flor or me?



 Messing around in the back of Hermano Favian's gas truck








 Baptism of the hermanas




Cleaning and getting all the bugs outta the font (not sure if pictures like this are allowed but everyone has them)



 This is my "FUDGE YEAH BAPTISM" face.




 BAPTISM








The missionaries of Recuerdo Norte



 With Laura (Christians Niece)



With Karolina (Christians daughter) 



 Karolina loves taking photos



Mi querido familia Benitez :)



 More with my favorite family!!!!











Monday, September 18, 2017

The Spirit of Revelation (week 47)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY YOOOOU GUUUYS!!! I am not sure if this letter is gonna be long or not...I only sent 10 trillion and 2 pictures today....but hey that takes some talent!!!

I had the dankest, dopest, most spiritual week!! It was like BOOM one spiritual thing right after another and I LOOOOOVED every single second of it!! It started with my interviews with President which went really good!!! We had a great conversation about some of things that were bothering me!! I feel kinda bad though, it's obvious that President is worrying about my transfer and everything (transfers are this Sunday)!! I told him that I am not worried about...I was called to the COLOMBIA CALI mission not the Colombia Pasto/Popayan mission....I don't know, it should be interesting.

This week we also had a visit from ELDER DALLIN H OAKS!!! And it was rad, Elder Godoy and Elder Lynn G Robbins were though too!! And all their wives annnnnd ugh the feels. He talked a lot about how we can receive revelation...he said that some scriptures are better for receiving revelation than others!! He compared the Book of Numbers to 3rd Nephi!!! He also said something that really HIT ME...."we cannot ponder if we do not have a question" sooooo true!!! I don't have time to write everything he said but don't worry....I have it all in my spiritual journal (Aubrey I promised you that thing was gonna be rad.....and it is!) Elder Robbins wife totally gave the translator sass.....and then got mad when she started translating her sass hahahahahah that was fun to watch!

I appreciate all the prayers for our fechas peeeero Luz Alba does not want anything to do with us anymore....I am not worried about it, everyone has their agency!! Buuuuut ooooof Fernanda and Daniel are PROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSING GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! And I had the coolest experience with them......so we were just talking about the atonement casually, but I had a memory keep popping in my head.....when Aubrey found out about some worldy things going on in my life and FORCED me to say slow prayers with her....focusing on my feelings!! Anyways it was obvious the spirit was helping me out and FAST too! Because before I knew it we were on the floor...and I was praying.....telling them to pay attention to their feelings. Well.....it worked! We asked Fernanda how she felt and she said "I saw God.....I literally saw God but there was so many obstacles I had to go through but He wanted me to do it so I could be with him." We asked her about her testimony.....she gave it a solid 7 outta 10!! We are going to be asking her the bautismo interview questions for her interview in about 30 minutes.....crossing my fingers it all goes well!! Hopefully we have some baptisms this Saturday.

Buuuuut yeah!! This week kicked my butt....I am realizing what it takes to receive revelation......but we need to put in our part too!!! I have been praying and meditating (with questions) soooo hard this week BUUUUUUT I AM DOING SOOO WELL....ugh I just want that for you guys......I hope they are doing the things needed to really get to know our Heavenly Father.....and listen to him, it's a hard thing....but it's the chillest thing so we ought to do it.

I love you all soo much......stay rad!!

Elder Olsen



Unpacking My Adjectives: Recuerdo Norte 2
(Garrett writes Unpacking My Adjectives letters to tell us more about his area he is in! He hand writes these letters in his free time and then I type them up for the blog.)
Hey guys, so I figured I would write a quick UMP letter since transfers are this Monday and yeah!
The area: Recuerdo Norte 2 is a chill area, it's in the northern part of Popayan...literally in the middle of no where. It's a decently sized area though our boundaries cover: Gran Britana, San Ignacio, Busques De Morinda, San Geraldo, Zildemaya, Bello Horizante, Bello Vista, Neuva Gaililea, and part of La Paz. The other part of the norther part of Popayan belongs to the Hermana's, but the entire thing is part of our branch.
The House: Our casa is horrific haha! This area used to have a super nice house in a gated community but because they got caught using the pool and a bunch of other issues they had to change the house. We live in a sketchy neighborhood and our neighbors below us always smoke a bunch of stuff so it smells awful and they blast their music. Haha it's a little different for sure!
The branch: I don't know, I've always been in wards and stakes so being in a branch and district is a little different. There's a ton more work to do. Sometimes the attendance is super good and the chapel is packed! Other times there is barely anyone there...it's so weird. There There are a bunch of less active and part member families, so there's a ton to do. The members are good! Some of them are really good about helping us...others, not so much. We have ward counsel every other Wednesday which is weird...it's usually every Sunday after church. We also don't have our missionary meetings because we don't have a branch mission leader...but it's all good there is a lot of work to do.
Conclusion: Soo yeah, this was a little short but all is well in Popayan. It's different but i'm enjoying it and I can't wait to see the district grow in the future :) 



 Helping Christian and Fernanda wash their dog....I nicknamed her gringa!!









 Mucho desayuno




ELDER CAREY



 ICE CREAM



 With Elder Carey and Elder Marks








Monday, September 11, 2017

El Consolador (week 46)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUYS!!! So I just wanna start off this email by saying that we are at a different internet place than usual and our internet is kinda sucky....so yeah no pictures (well not all of them) :( but I will send them neeeeeeext week.

So this week was really good! We had scheduled appointments alllllllllll week long...we are busy busy buuuuusy, but it's good that way!! The time goes by a lot faster!! We have been able to find so many new people but its been a challenge because we ran out of copies of the Book of Mormon to give them....so yeah!!! We are doing somewhat well :)

We had a really fun ward activity and we talked about some scriptures and played games...it was fun!!! Not a bunch of attendance though :/ neeeeext time!!! We were also able to help some of the members out of their....I don't know farm? We basically just hoed down some fields for them, and it was super hot and the dirt was super hard buuuut I enjoyed it all of the priests were there and I told them I was from Pasto.....so yeah my new nickname is "gringo pastuso" I think it fits me veeeeeery well :) 

Our investagators are doing very well too......we had 3 dates for baptisms buuuut one of them didn't come to church soo now we have 2!! They are Fernanda and Daniel.....part of the Benitez family!! They are struggling with gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon and Joseph smith....buuut Christian and Silivia have been working and reading with them so that's really good!!!

Our other fecha that we had is a girl named Luz Alba, her sister is a member and we committed her to be baptized on her first lesson and she accepted but now we have to change her date to the 30th....which is next transfer so we will see how that goes down!!!

We have interviews tomorrow and I am actually really looking forward to them!!! We had to memorize Doctrine and Convenents 31: 11 through 13 which says:

11 Sigue tu camino, doquier qusea mi voluntad, el  Consolador te indicará lo que has de hacer dónde has  de ir.
12 Ora siempre, para que no entres en tentación y pierdas  tu galardón.

13 Sé fiel hasta el fin y, he aquí, estoy contigoEstas palabras no son de hombre ni de hombres, sino mías, sí, de  Jesucristo, tu Redentor, por la voluntad del Padre. Amén.
(11 Go your way whither soever I will, and it shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do and whither you shall go.
12 Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward.
13 Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man nor of men, but of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father. Amen.)

It was a little tough but I was able to get it down really quickly!!!
Buuuuut yeah I have been thinking about these words a lot lately!!! Because it's true....the Holy Ghost will help us if we are worthy and wiling to be taught!!! We just have to that....that's the hard part. sometimes I feel like I really am not able to listen but honestly if I look back I can see the spirit helping.....every step of the way!!!
Sorry this is short....this internet place is crap and we wont be coming here again xD but I will send all of the photos from this week that I took next week....deal?
Love and miss you all tonzo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Elder Olsen
 Picking mandarins with Hermana Silvia







Waiting for people to come to the branch activity....




....still waiting










Our service project




























 More of the service project




 My comp is a stud




We were literally in a rain forest so it was chill











Con mi cooooompey!!!



 Our P-day hike to the waterfalls







 Our hike




 With Elder Corbett and Elder Rodriguez



GRINGO CREW



ELDER RODRIGUEZ



 Elder Rojo (Elder Olsen) y Elder Corbata (Elder Corbett)







MUCHO LZ