HARD TRANSFERS = TONS OF GROWTH (week 66)

HEEEEEEEY FAM!!!! What's new?

Anyways I am currently reporting LIVE from Cali!! I had to come on a fun field trip here because I will be training a brand new missionary. I have know idea who he is or anything about this child, but it should be a good time!!! Right now I am just chilling with Elder Garner (remember my LZ Elder Garner I had when Elder Mcdermott left......yeah, him) and his Companion Elder Aroca!! It was a chill day.....because Elder Perez is gonna be working in Cali we were able to ride up here together......buuut I have no idea how I lived here for 6 months!! I walked off that bus and I was just like "nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!" It SO HOT and SO HUMID and uggggggh. Today Elder Aroca and Elder Edwards and I literally sat around in a circle with a rotating sun just circling around us......soooo I guess we can say its not Popayan!!

When we got to the terminal here in Cali guess who I saw? ELDER COOOOOOOOORBETTTTT!!!! He is seriously the best. He was like "ELDEEER OLLLLLSEEEEN HOW IS OCCIDENTE? HOW WAS YOUR TRANSFER WITH ELDER PEREZ? WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" I told him that I am gonna stay in Occidente training and he was like "WELL WOULDYA LOOK AT THAT!" Hahahah Elder Corbett is the best. I am also super stoked for this transfer because we got 2 brand new LZ in Popayan......Elder Stucki and (INSERT SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPER LONG DRUM ROLL HERE) ELDER CHACON!!!!! I am sooooo stoked to be working with them, it's gonna be sooo awesome!!! Elder Smith left for Pasto so that blows but I know that he is gonna KILLLLL it over there!!!

Okay, okay, okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay now that I am done ranting about my transfers went I wanna talk about my week......not gonna lie it was super difficult but SUPER CHEVERE!!! And I was able to learn a lot!!! As a district leader it is my job to interview all the baptismal interview candidates annnnnddd it is SCARY and it is HARD!!!! But there is just something about new converts.....the testimony that they have and the ability that they have to just SHARE IT!!! It was a stressful week because I really didn't spend as much time with my investigators as I would like but I learned a ton from those investigators from other areas. The challenges that they have and how they look past all that with firmness in Christ!!! 

It was even more incredible when we had our combined Occidente/Americas Baptism!!! Everybody in my district except for me was able to baptize this transfer.....I am so proud of all of them!!!! It was such a good baptism, we had a pretty good number that came too!!! While everybody that was baptized was changing we showed a video of "I know that my redeemer lives" and it was just POOOOOOOOOOOOOOWERFUL!!!!! Baptisms are the bestest.....I love seeing those changes in people.

Elder Perez and I were doing really well......we were so sure that he was gonna stay in Popayan and that I would be the one to leave PAILAS PUES!!!! His last week he finally got the motivation out of nowhere to really start learning the English Grammar and he was improving SOOO DAAANG FAAAAAST!!! He is going to be serving with another gringo here in Cali so hopefully he can keep it up......THAT CHILD HAS SOOOO MUCH POTENTIAL!!!!

FUN STORY TIME!!! OUR LAST DISTRICT MEETING WENT INSANE!!! Basically my Zone Leader Elder Gatica was dying so being a bomb district leader of course I bought Colombiana soda to share with everyone and Elder Soriano bought cake buuuuuut it didn't take long for Elder Gatica to put cake in our faces. Then Elder Echevarria splashed an egg on him.....before we knew it there was soda, egg and cake ALLLLLLL OVER the chapel hahahahah it was full on war!!! Then we all settled down to clean it up annnnnd of course those elders got soap water EVERYWHERE!!! LITERALLY THROWING IT AT EACH OTHER HITTING THE CEILING ANNNNND EVERYTHING!!! I guess we could say I had a fun district!

Our area is still going really well.....our investigator is still learning, slowly buuuuut surely with him!!! He was thinking our Branch President was the prophet so we taught him church organization this week....buuuuut I am not sure. I am thinking we need to go and teach it again hahaha he is doing really well in his church attendance though which makes me happy!!!

We also have this other investigator that has been coming to church......buuuuuut it's complicated with him because his girlfriend is a member and they have the cutest little girl!! He told us that he really wants to change to be with her.....but she doesn't want anything to do with him. Teaching him will be hard but it could totally help both of them out sooooooooo we will see!!!

I FORGOT TO TELL YOU GUYS!!!!! Like 2 weeks ago we finally got a new pensionista.....her name is Katherine and she is soooo rad!!! Basically her and her husband are newlyweds and they are both young returned missionaries. They will literally just chill and talk and help us with all our missionary problems and they cook BOMB FOOD!!!! Hermana Katherine served in Mexico and she made us some DANK enchiladas!!! Hermano David served in Argentina.....he really wants to make us some Argentine food soooo we will see!!! They love to share mission stories and give us advice annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd come with us on our appointments IT'S THE BEST!!!!!! Elder Perez was so sad to leave our pensionista hahahahahahaahha

Soooo yeah this transfer was hard buuuuuuuuuut I grew sooooo dang much!!!! I am always grateful for the people and experiences that Heavenly Father puts in my path.....and now I have a whole other transfer to learn and grow and become more like my Heavenly Father! And even better I get to help other people do the same!!! Sooo here we go I guess hahaahaha

LOVE YOU DORKS!!

ELDER OLSEN

P.S Sorry there is no pictures I don't have my adapter here with me in Cali but, next week!!

Edit from 02/05/2018: Garrett was able to send us pictures from last week when he didn't have his adapter, so here they are!

 Elder Perez giving Elder Gardner a head massage and a back rub at the same time

 YAAAAY BAPTISMS!!!

 Con Elder Perezito

 The party we had after the baptisms!!!!

The Lord Has This (week 65)

HEY FAM!!! How are all of you doing? I hope all is well is Uuuuuuuutaaaaaaaah!!!

This week was good......a little long but it was still pretty cool!!! We have been working really hard with our investigator. He was totally gonna get baptized this week but he went to the pool a week ago....so the first thing we did this was teach about the Sabbath and why we keep it holy. It went well though because this week HE CAME!!! He actually has a few friends from school in our branch and they all had this nickname for him......"Daniel Millhouse" bahahahahahahahahaha gotta love the Simpsons....but I am just hoping we can help him progress just a little bit more but we will see.

Elder Gardner called me this week and he was like "sooooo uhhhhhm I am having an English class wanna teach with me?" and I was like "well I have nothing better to do, soooo sure why not?" Our first class was somewhat successful we had about 10 people there between my branch and the Americas branch buuuuuut it was good. It's always a fun time using your talents to help and serve others.....at least I think so!!

This week I dedicated a little more time to my studies. It has helped me keep my mind off of some of the things that are bothering me......basically I bought a nice hardcover notebook that has different subjects and I have been writing things that come to mind while reading the LDM and the New Testament. My favorite thought this week is that John the baptist didn't smell good.....there is no way he sat in water all day in camel hair.......QUE FEO!!

Buuuuut yeah family, not gonna lie I am kinda freaking out cause we will be getting transfer calls this Sunday. I don't know what I want, I just wanna know that things will work out. I know they will but in the moment it's hard to think that it will sometimes. But the Lord has this.....so I guess I got this too!!! I guess we will see next week!!

LOVE YOU ALL,

ELDER OLSEN

PS Sorry this was short.....I'm buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuusy!!!

 MEXICAN FOOD

The puppies the Diaz family just had

Everyone always gives me compliments on my HLJ ring

ENGLISH CLASS

 ENGLISH CLASS!!!

 Some photos from our hike today

Prophets are Rad!!! (week 64)

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey fam!!!!! What's new? Nothing much is going down here in Popayan.....same old same old!!!!

This week was both good and bad!!! The district and I have WORKED our butts off and we had all planned on a "white night" with our baptisms for the 27th......all was going well until our fecha (date) decided that he wanted to go to the pool with his friends instead of coming to church SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO now everyone has dates except us.......greeeeeeeat!!!! Hahahah agency has for sure been the hardest part of the mission but its good to have difficult investigators sometimes because you can learn how Heavenly Father feels about you!!!

Our area is just hard because Elder Padilla literally left Elder Parez and I like 10 investigators and yeah that's it.......it's just hard and stale. We have been working soooooo hard but its been hard getting some results but as long as we are working hard and being obedient it will work out!!! Elder Perez is awesome though.....we have a new way for studying language basically we get out a Liahona in English or Spanish and have the other just read. If they read part of the paragraph in a feo (bad) way then we have to start over, it's basic but it works sooo good.....nothing is more motivating then being paused and hearing "otro vez" (once again) over and over and over hahaha

The district is a whooooole other story......my calling is so hard!!!! But it's another good thing for me. President Whitesides and I had a chat about all of the challenges that I have been having but he told me "but I feel from all of your letters that you are enjoying this challenge a little bit" and yeah it's true. It's not that I enjoy challenges but I have noticed that being a district leader enables me to think about other people a little bit more...I have noticed that my prayers have been more sincere and longer and por eso me encanta mi llamamiento. (That's why I love my calling...I think...that's what google says!)

Interviews were INSANE. We talked about a lot of things....mostly the district. I told him about all of my challenges and I how I have been struggling....it helped though because President told me that he trusts me. It was good to hear I needed it!!!! Hermana Whitesides had my hearing aid all ready for me......I have suffered a tad from a headache because I am not used to it buuuuut poco a poco I am doing better.

In my house I found a July 1996 Ensign in English and I loooooooooooved it. There's something about old Liahonas and Ensigns that I love so much. You can literally just entertain yourself by looking at the way people dressed and all the "new exciting things that are happening in technology!" BAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH but anyways I read an article about this family that started to do family history, so they went to the family history center in their stake and got all kinds of precious information on a tiny DISKETTE ;) They talked all about how they found 22 names to take to the temple and the feelings they had while doing them........and it was bad for me......with all the Baranquilla news I hear about I am veeeeeeeeeeeery trunky for the temple.....in other words GO TO THE TEMPLE.....can't wait to hear your temple experiences that you'll have this week....next week ;)

We also had the opportunity to watch Thomas S. Monson's Funeral.....I took my gringo crew outta there and we went into the secretaries office to watch it in English because the way they put Spanish over English makes me wanna throw up......¡QUE FEO! Buuuut anyways it was sooooo GOOD!!! I really liked his daughters talk (they were twins....like she is her dad hahaahha!) She talked about how she would go visit people and help them with her dad and after her dad would always "Ann, I think we have done some good today!" I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE that!! Elder Gardner also lent me his "On the Lords Errand" or the movie about Thomas S. Monson and it was cool. If you haven't watched it DOOOOOOOOOO ITTTTTTTTTT!!! It's sooo good! Thomas S. Monson literally dedicated his entire life to helping and serving others, he was such an awesome President. We just need to learn how to follow his example, Heavenly Father has given us prophets and apostles to help us learn what we need to do to become more like him, in preparation to RETURN and live with him. It's seriously such a GOOD promise but sometimes we have this idea that the prophets "don't understand us." Like we were reading the proclamation the other day with a less active family and I just kept thinking "this is actually really cool......I bet when this came out a bunch of people were weirded out because it didn't fit the time......but this is exactly what every family needs to hear TODAY!!" Prophets are RAD because they receive revelation that can help us ahead of time. I will miss Thomas S. Monson but I always think of his last talk......we need to treasure the Book of Mormon and we read it (even if its 5 minutes everyday) we will be strengthened!!!!

Anyways this turned out a little longer then expected buuuuuuuut that's good, it doesn't happen very often!!!  Loooooooove you guys have the bestest week!!! Mmmmmmkay? Mmmmmkay!!!

Stay Rad,

Elder Olsen

 When there aren't any minutes nearby and the public telephones are crap hahahah

 The Occidente crew at the Morrow!

 Selfie Stick in action!!!

Some of the zone at the Morrow

DIFFERENT CAPACITY (week 63)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY YOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUU GUYS!!!! This week was pretty CRAZY!! Pretty stressful and lots of firsts hahahaah

This week I had to be a good leader and take some of the other elders for divisions.....they needed help visiting some people that they haven't been able to visit in awhile and it was CRAAAAZY!!! I felt sooo grown up like I had evaluate them and talk to them about what they could do better.....which is weird cause both Elder Carrion and Elder Lopez have more time in the mission than I do, buuuut it was fun.

This week was also CARNIVAL here in Popayan and in Pasto! Basically people get a bunch of plastic bags and soap and throw them at everybody.......it's basically if Syracuse had a giant citywide water balloon fight.....and yeah we got to work in that! It was a fun time, we were able to avoid everyone......except the members hahahahahahah!

Those same elders had a baptism this week.....Hermano Pedro!!! This guy is hilarious and has been investigating the church for over 2 different years and has quite a few sets of missionaries. He wasn't able to get baptized for a loooooong time but now he is......truly a testament that with the Lord we can truly overcome just about anything!

Elder Perez is the best companion ever!!! We just get closer and closer like this week I had a bunch of blackheads in my ears that he didn't like so he literally took some tweezers and just took them right out hahahahaha! He has been helping me a ton with my Spanish....he will have me read and if I don't speak in a good accent I have to start the whoooooooooooole thing over......it's frustrating but I love it soooo much!

We have a really good investigator named Daniel.....but our ward this week switched from 8 to 10 so he went to church with all the other Elders hahaahahahahha but the LZ were able to show him the filled baptismal font and I guess he got all excited and told them all about how he wants to be BAPTIZED! Sooooo yeaaah, I am excited for that!

Being a DL, is a hard job but I am enjoying being able to teach and serve in a different capacity....I am learning a lot through the struggle and its been good for me!!!

Sorry this letter was chichi, I just have a tooooon of stuff to do and not a lot of time to do it!!!

LOVE YOU ALL

ELDER OLSEN

Family Night with Hermano Sergio

The Bojorge family gave us a selfie stick for christmas so when we get bored we just take pictures like this hahahaah

My first set of divisions as a LEADER

ELDER PEREZ AND I LOVED CARNIVAL.....NOT 

 Waterbags all over the street hahaha

 Playing around waiting for a baptism

 TEEEENAZ :(

I am so happy for Hermano Pedro

 MALL CHINESE FOOD YAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!

Unpacking My Adjectives: 

Okay so I keep talking about jet so I figured that I should write about it. 

Chocolate: 

Jet chocolate is easily the most popular chocolate in the country and there are a bunch of different kinds. There is the basic regular chocolate, Cruj (kinda like a crunch bar), cookies and cream, and even raspberry kinds. But a lot of them don't come with stickers so the basic kind is the most popular. You can buy the basic small size bar for $400 which is super cheap or a bigger bar for $1200. They also have jet ice cream bars, I've never tried one but some of the other missionaries really like them. As far as the taste goes the chocolate is pretty basic...I don't think a lot of Americans would like them because they taste plain haha I really like them though...I like to put them in the freezer and eat them (: (Of course Garrett likes them! He doesn't like chocolate back home so it makes total sense that he would like the "basic" chocolate!)

The Album: 

About every two years or so Jet comes out with a new jet album...every year the album has a different theme. The last album was the "surprising planet" album which had photos of the planets and animals from all over the world. That album was a little more cartoony and had 300 stickers to collect. The current album is the "live the adventure Colombia" album. It's actually pretty rad, and there is national parks and animals from all over the country. The album is also divided into mini sections: marine adventure, adventure in the mountains, desert adventure, adventure in the forests and archaeological adventure. It's such a sick album and it shows places from all over the country. It also shows how you can get to them and endangered species in the area. They worked with National Geographic and the National Park Department of Colombia to make the album. It's rad! Something I have noticed about the album is that once they come out you have to buy them FAST...those suckers run out so fast! Pero VALE LA PENA! 

The Stickers:

The album is chevere...buuut a lot of it is black and white and you have to use the stickers that you collect to color it all in. There are 250 stickers in the new album...and I plan to collect them all. That's easier said than done considers some are more difficult to find than others. The stickers come packed in with the chocolate, it's literally a golden marketing scheme because nobody buys Jet for the chocolate....but for the stickers! Almost everybody that has a Jet Album also has a pile of repeat stickers that we use to trade. I have about 35 in my pile. The back of the album has a tracker to be able to see which stickers you have and what you are missing. 
Conclusion:

Soo yeah, it's a pretty rad system! And it's pretty addicting but it's something unique to Colombia and a classic! I know I'm always going to have memories of walking to the tienda "yo neiesto 4 chocolatinas Jet por favor" ;) (Garrett writes his unpacking my adjectives by hand and then I type them! There is another Spanish word in that sentence but I can't for the life of my figure out what it is so I'm sorry for all you Spanish speakers if that doesn't make sense!)