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