God's Will (week 87)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMILIA!!!!! ¿Que mas?

I hope that you are all doing good!!! This week was kinda super busy, but also kinda super not all at the same time hahaha it's kinda hard to explain.

Well the beginning of the week we really didn't do much......until Thursday when we took the 7 hour trip to Popayan for zone conference.....it was a loooooong trip!! I was sooo stoked when we got to the terminal because Elder Ancalle was the first person that I saw......I missed him!! He's actually in another area in Popayan now but he seems to be doing good!!! I was nice though and tried to talk to Elder Colorado buuut he was NOT excited to see me hahaha.....he was excited to see Elder Escaray though soo he could sit there and talk basura with him......RMMMMMMMEEEEEEE hahahaah

The conference was really cool I guess......the saw was passed very hard!!! The world cup is super chill and we have chill initivia cards to pass out and it's cool.....buuuut a LOT of missionaries are struggling with that, and Hermana Whitesides literally called ALL OF THE PENSIONISTAS in the mission to tell them 1.) we couldn't watch the Colombia game on Sunday and 2.) The TV has to be turned off at all times. A lot of the missionaries don't get it.....but I think it's pretty important!!! We also got the saw passed real hard cause the last month the mission did not have a lot of baptisms.....like a super low number and President was like "maybe if we were Asia we would be doing good......but we are not!" He told us that he knows that we could be doing better and that obediencia is the only way that we are gonna get there.....I LOVED IT!!! Hahaahah

Buuuut yeah that's literally the only excited thing that happened this week, we have been working really hard to find new investigators to teach because nobody is really progressing....like at all!!! Hermana Salazaar gave us a reference....A FAMILY!! We started teaching them....only the husband is really interested, and he is doing well and he read A TON of the Book of Mormon but he reads it too constructively......."Well it says here that this prophet offered a holocaust and I don't think god would do that" "it says here that Nefi told his brothers that God wouldn't be with them and I don't think God would say that" hahah he talks about a lot of weird things and refuses to believe that the old testament is the word of God......and we keep telling him to pray about it buuuuuut hes not receiving an answer....so it looks like we gotta find his iceberg!!!

The more that I read the Book of Mormon and the Bible (but really the Bible hahaah) I kinda realize that you can't read things constructively like that......if you wanna find the bad in anything YOU WILL BE ABLE TO!!!! Buuut if you wanna find Gods will for your life....tambien YOU WILL BE ABLE TO!!!! Just depends on what your looking for.....and that's just that.

Anyways fam I'm sorry I'm boring.....I'm gonna write some UMPS tonight (I know that I said that like 2 weeks ago but imma actually do it this time )

LOVE YOU

My dork companion hahaha

Goofing around with my comp!!!

More goofing around with Elder Escaray!!!

(This video makes me happy, they have a fun relationship! This video was too long to just add it to the blog. I uploaded it to Garrett's YouTube but it is set to private, so I'm not sure who will be allowed to view it or not. If you would like to see it and can't, please email me your email address at aubreycarter71@gmail.com and I will give you access.)

"and if we look to the right we will see a Latino in his natural habitat" 

 This is what happens when you leave your camera on your bed

 My comp finally got his glasses this week

:P

Getting ready to leave for Popayan 

 The zone on the way home

 CHULETA DE POLLO (QUUUUUE RIIIICO)

Elder Rosa my rad Brazilian zone leader 

Random Opportunities (week 86)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY FAAAAM!!!! How are all of you!!! Espero que todo este muy bien!!!!

Before I begin this email I just wanna say I SURVIVED!!! The volcano is really getting grumps!! We woke up at 4 in the morning on Tuesday to a pretty big earthquake.....they said it was the about the same size as the one in Guatemala but it didn't last as long so it didn't do nearly enough damage......buuut still about 3 people died. And ever since then we have had little mini earthquakes about everyday....usually in the night!!! But I think it's soo rad!!!! 

This week we decided to work in the other area a little bit.....it's sooooo difficult!!! Just finding directions and directions and that's super hard!!! But we are meeting a ton of really interesting people that could easily progress.....just gotta find them

My companion is doing really good!!! He's a really good kid that really wants to WORK HARD!!! I have gotten to know him a little bit more......he was a little LOCO before the mission and to make a lot of changes in his life. I don't know, part of me feels like missionaries that understand those kinds of things are better, they wanna help people from the disaster known as "the world" more than others.....and I like that!!! 

I have been helping Hermana Sandras daughters learn English and I have learned A TON about all the English tests that foreign students have to take to enter college.....it's pretty interesting!!!

On Saturday we had an activity to help earthquake victims from villages in the mountains and homeless Venezuelans!!!! We made sancocho......and Elder Escaray and I were set to go and deliver that food....buuuuut no "we don't have enough room in the trunk"  and what ended up happening is that the group of members that was supposed to come clean the church just kinda didn't come....so we helped Hermana Carolina do that!!! Annnnnnd of course a little nina from the barrio was getting baptized.....BUT NONE OF THE MEMBERS FILLED THE FONT!!! Sooo yeah we spent our entire Saturday cleaning the church, filling the font and making an agenda for the baptism (and of course I HAD TO LEAD THE MUSIC......IDK HOW TO LEAD MUSIC) and Hermana Ruby randomly showed up with a record player that she bought from a garage sale!!! She showed how it worked by playing "I will always love you" and all of us jovenes were FASCINATED!!! Buuuut all is well because random opportunities to serve are radical.

Today was Elder Allphins birthday and Hermana Lidia went all out....and she even planned to egg and flour him (typical birthday tradition here) buuuut he didn't like that and literally got all changed into some of Joses extra clothes and then left.....WHOOPS  buuuuut we also played soccer today and I feel like I did decent (totally scored some goals and made big latinos that think that they all that fall down) soooooo WINNING!!!

Buuuuut yeah that's pretty much all I got for this week!!! It was fun but exhausting!! Keep being good cause I'm still sharpening my saw!!!

LOVE YOU GUYS,

ELDER OLSEN

A cool sunset I found 

The Pasto stadium 

Not sure which is better looking that hair, smile, or stadium
(Definitely the smile. The boy needs a haircut!)

Brushing my teeth

Cooking for some homeless venezolanos  

 My dork comp and I 

Hermana Ruby's sweet record player

 I want a record player to play before church!!!

 Elder Allphin's birthday party today

Throwing the eggs and flour (poor kid ran outta his party mad hahahah) 

Love these kids!!!

The fish that I bought for Hermana Ruby (she has a giant radical fish tank ) the white one is Elder Escaray and the Multicolored one is Elder Olsen 

Getting ready for the baptism

Improvement and Excitement (week 85)

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEY FAAAAAM!!!

Its been a crazy week.....really long but it's cool that I can finally write about it!! Monday night I picked up my new companion, his name is Elder Escaray (Es-KAH-Rye But with a Spanish "R" not an ingles one) and he his from Bolivia!! He has 21 years and has about about 7 months in the mission....he's really cool though and totally down to work, soooo I can't really complain!

Buuuut because the other companionship of Ecuadorians left, I am currently working my area and OPENING ANOTHER ONE!! It's kinda insane my area is literally so huge and the other Elders didn't really leave us any records in their area book so yeah, its greeeeeeeeeeeeeeat!!!! But my companion is all kinds of excited to work hard....which is good, it motivates the crap outta me and right now I really need that!!

We also had to change pensionistas because Hermana Sandra lives closer to us and she was already in the payment system, so that's been a little bit of a change too!!! But really it's just more people to meet and love!

My companion and I have made it a big deal to start working with the youth here.....a lot of them are mission age but don't have too much interest...we will change that by inviting them to come make visits with us! It's gonna be a great time and we are gonna get work done!!!

My companion is really great at teaching and has even made me think about how I need to improve.....its been a minute since I have felt that way!!! This last week I have had a ton of motivation to really get going on my scripture and language study....obviously I have been doing those things, but I could always put a little more effort in!!!! I am sure there will be a lot of improvement this next transfer!!! And I am excited!!!!

Anyways that's about it!!! I know my letters are always short and sucky but I will write an UMA letter this week!!! pinky promise!!!

LOVE YOU,

ELDER OLSEN

Here's a bunch of goofy pictures of Elder Escaray and I! 

Looking at my comps photos!! He took these of me. 

 (Okay THIS FACE! This picture makes me miss Garrett so bad! This is the face he would make when he was telling me I am awful or annoying, which sounds mean but it is terms of endearment between us hahaha! I still write "from your awful sister" at the end of each letter I write to him. Dang I miss this kid!) 

Loofey loves Elder Escaray

Karl's rooster also loves my comp

Cooking with my comp

And the zone asado

It Will All Work Out (week 84)

HEEEEEEEEEEY FAM!!!! ¿¿¿QUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUE MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS??? Espero que todo esté bien!!! 

Before I begin I just wanna say that I SURVIVED MY FIRST EARTHQUAKE!!! On Tuesday, it was a 4.3 earthquake......and everybody is freaking out because the volcano is like super active right now.....it's fine though. (Oh okay Garrett...if you say so! Honestly, I'm just happy he didn't say that the earthquake was dank.) 

The week consisted of the usual.....I am lucky though I have a really good district leader and really chill Zone leaders that have helped me through the transfer.......Buuuuuut I am happy to say that I will be staying here in BACHUE!!! However my 3 comps have left and I will be trading them for a Bolivian comp....I don't know much about him and I keep forgetting his name because it's kinda complicated but I am excited, it should be good!!!

Hermana Ruby and the bishop weren't sure which of the 4 would be leaving soooo they offered to have an asado for us on Sunday....it was awesome!!! They are the best, Hermana Ruby is so cool, but I am not sure if she is still gonna be my pensionista because both of the areas were combined!!! I hope so though.

We had a really cool actividad yesterday too!!! We went to parque infantil with a TOOOOON of members and we played world cup trivia with people, handed out wrapped up copies of the Book of Mormon, had prizes, and made contacts. Everyone from my group was from Bachue annnnnd teeeenaaaz!! Those members did a super good job contacting......I was supppper impressed and we were able to contact about 7 families and about 5 of them were from Bachue. But who knows how much ALL THE MISSIONARIES CONTACTED....I think a ton!

Sooooo yeah!!! I always sit there wondering why we have to go through things.....but Heavenly Father knows better than I do!!! I have learned a ton about patience and love during my mission.....only through hard times!!! So I don't really know how it works....I just know that if you put in faith and trust it will all will work out!!!

I love you guys tons!!! Keep killing it.....remember I am sharpening my sierra always!!!!

LOVE YOU,

ELDER OLSEN

Yaaaay for surviving earthquakes and possible volcano explosions!!!

This is the Rodriguez family.....Hermano Freddy is the one that looks and acts just like Steve Harris!!!

 Elder Franco and Nicolas

Getting everything ready 

How we tried to get the fired started 

 The bishop using his car painter air thing to start the fire!!!

Los misioneros de BACHUE 

 With Hermana Ruby, the bishop and their family

The missionaries and members during our World Cup contacting activity! 

 And wearing our Pasto Zone shirts (it's a guy with a Book of Mormon)

Elder Smith and I with our sign!!