The Great Wall (week 2)

YOU GUUUUYS!!!

Phhhhhewwww another week down!!! The days here are sooooooo looooong and exhausting....nothing really interesting happens here but there is still a ton of details about the CCM and other stuff that I did not get to include in my last email.

For starters, the CCM is under MAJOR construction....basically something was wrong with the gym roof and now we are getting a new gym roof....after that is done they are gonna replace the chapel roof!!! Normally this would not bother me....but my classroom shares a wall with the gym.....a wall, A DOOR AND A WINDOW.....WE CAN HEAR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!! Every single hammer, drill, construction dude talking....everything! Also on my very first day my feet were in a puddle of water because it was raining and it leaked through the non-existant gym roof and out our classroom door (who puts a door to the gym in a classroom?) sooooo yeah because of all that we all have to stay outside during gym time.....usually the hermanas take the court but it´s fine cause the elders get to go to the real world at the park across the street....it´s soooo weird they have flea markets, and dog races and theres a huge painted brick wall (butterflies....painted butterflies) AND ALSO (Aubrey waaaaait forrrr it waaaait for itttt) THERE´S A ROLLER RINK!!!!!!!! (YAY shout out for me!! Which is good because my personal email was about two sentences so I needed the love, ya know? Anyone who is anyone knows that I love roller bladding!!) But the weirdest part of the park is that unlike parks in America.....people actually go to the park...it´s kinda wierd!

Hmmmm what else can I talk about.....well we don´t really have heating or AC here (I have looked for vents they are not a thing!) in most of the bedrooms or rooms that have part of the window you can´t close....they are just slanted soooo air can come in....most of these rooms have a little place about the door where a window should go but there isn´t one soooo air can flow through the whole building....normally this would be great but it´s freezing cold all the time and all my teachers make sure the fans are on.......I was expecting Colombia to be hot and humid...but it isn´t (thank goodness I am not staying in Bogota)

Jaime is doing great!! He got baptized so now I have two new investigators Giovanni and Juan Pablo......Giovanni looks a ton like Hermano Arango and Jauan Pablo and Jaime could be twins!!! (Fun story...Dane wrote Garrett an email all about how cool it was that Garrett has "real investigators" in the MTC...Garrett's whole email this week to Dane was him just explaining to Dane that his teachers are his investigators hahaha) 

My district consists of Elder Heninger (Hen in Jer) he is from saratoga springs he is way cool kid I like him a lot!!! And his companion Elder Robinson....he is technically from Pennsylvania but he moved to Manti over the summer....I like him a ton too!!! And then me and my comp.....we are a small district but we get along great.

The other district has 6 other kids!!! I like them all too.....To answer all of your questions I do like Elder Vincent and I do like Elder Carey!!! I am surrounded by lots of nice people :)

I looooove the temple here.....it´s a little mini Bountiful temple inside and out, I have gotten lots of impressions there!! And yeah I actually go through in English so that´s not really a problem!!

I would say that my biggest challenge is for sure Spanish........There is a giant language barrier and it´s about as big as the Great wall......that being said though I don´t really believe there is a great wall in missionary work!! Me and Elder Eldredge KIIIIIILLLLLL our lessons with our investigators....I have made sure that the non-existent great wall does not bother me....I have drawn pictures...done actions.....pointed to things and have used my very LIMITED Spanish!! I am not really improving but I do things so that I will (I totally bore my testimony Sunday!) Sooooo yeah it only exists if you tell yourself that it does

In life I think we all create "Great Walls" for ourselves....school is hard....work is hard...life is hard sooo we need to stop worrying about things that don´t matter...this week our challenge is to get out our favorite bulldozers and knock out a couple of our "great walls" stop worrying about things.....they always work out...I promise :)

-Élder Olsen

This is all the pictures I have!! We do not get a ton of time to take pictures...only on P days!!!

So this is a very crappy map but it has the right idea...

...And my schedule for this next week in case you ever wanna know what I am doing. (Yeah Gar....let me just read that schedule that's in Spanish! No hablo Espanol Elder Olsen!! He probably just got really annoyed of me asking where he's at and what he's doing at all hours of the day. I'm not obsessed with him at all.) 

(Here we can see how his class connects with the gym! Which is apparently really upsetting...)

Mermaids and Rocketships (week 1)

YOU GUYS!!!!!!

Thank you sooooo much for all writing me.....I tried to reply a little bit to each of you but I don´t get a ton of time here, plus the keyboard is super complicated and frustrating but it´s all good I will figure it out.

The plane rides were very good....on the first one I had an aisle seat.....next to me was another Elder on his way to Peru and across the aisle was another Elder on his way to South Africa.....we had a bunch of good conversations....the kid going to Africa was teaching the girl next to him and she asked if he had any information about the church.......he didn't so i was actually able to give out my pass along card!!! (WINNING) The second flight was a liiiiitttle more different.......us elder´s were the only one´s that spoke English.....i sat next to two nice Colombian ladies who decided that they were going to adopt me.......so that´s cool i guess xD

We got here at like 11:30ish i think.....the driving wasn´t too weird because it was suuuuuper late.....so yeah we got our companions....got showed to our rooms (and of course a got a shoe box sized one but it is whatever) and we went to bed....the next day we had orientations, first emails, first classes ......first everything!!! it was a good day!! Colombian food is either really really really good or really bad there really isn´t anything that I think is just okay......my stomach doesn´t always agree with the food though and that has caused some problems if you know what i mean ;) (Fun fact from Aubrey here, Garrett emailed me privately the complete story of this and called it my birthday present. HA! I've never gotten a better email, or birthday present for that matter, in my life! I can't share all the details, but just know that Elder Olsen is already having some funny experiences!!) We eat a lot of fried foods so the CCM smells like oil all the time!! we also eat lots of rice, soups, and meat!! the rice is okay it usually has like roast and peas and weird stuff that does not belong in rice in it......the soup is either really goood or really bad last night I had a chicken noodle soup kinda thing with a piece of corn on the cob in it.....cause you know that´s normal i guess.....I actually don´t really care for the juice BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE THE SODA!!! there is this one soda that is super good....it does not taste like bubblegum but the only thing i can compare it to is bubble gum.....sooooo good!!

I struggle with the whole companion thing, I think we both kinda do. I can´t go to the bathroom alone....I can´t eat alone....there´s just no privacy and for a very private person like me it´s a struggle!!! We share a room with Elder Sadana from Peru and Elder Flores from Bolivia....I LOVE THEM!!! They are quick to help us with our Spanish, eat whatever food we don´t want and help me with hearing aid stuff and tying ties....they are kinda the best.

Spanish is difficult but I am literally surrounded by it everyday....I have already learned how to pray, testify, and a whole bunch of other things in Spanish...I have also had to write AND GIVE A SACRAMENT TALK (bet you can imagine how thrilled i was about that one) All my teachers (Hermano Arango and Hermano Casiblanca) are native but they speak perfect English...it´s not like it´s Spanish all the time like some people told me it would be :) We have lots of language challenges where we have to go testify to the natives and stuff.....I hate those but my Spanish gets better and better the more that i talk to them...but my Spanish is easily the worst out of all the kids that came with me.

My investigator´s name is Jaime......he looks a lot like Hermano Casiblanca ;) we have taught him 3 times....he has already read parts of the BOM...prayed about it, wants to go to the celestial kingdom and will be joining us at church this weekend :) We are lucky cause the other companionship in my district have a HAAAAARD investigator (ten people came out with me so they made a district of 4 and a district of 6.....I am in the district of 4)

I could go on about how hard it is here.....never before I have felt so stressed, so unworthy, so frustrated but at the same time I have never felt as close to my heavenly father as i have here......the best advice anybody gave me about the CCM was Landon Carter....I remember him talking about how Satan is gonna work on you and make you feel unworthy and that is 100% true!! I was thinking the other day how easy it would be if I didn´t come out here and that´s not true life is not mermaids and rocket ships the struggle will always be real but so will Christ :)

So this week for my weekly challenge I want you all to write down everything that is going good for you.....and everything that is bad, I want you to compare because i know you´ll be able to see how blessed you really are........it´s not necessary but if you wanna write me about the experience that would be cool too!! (I challenge everyone reading this blog to complete the challenge Garrett gave. I think it's a great one! I'm so proud of that boy!!!) 

Love,

Ëlder Olsen

He said he had Halloween candy in his mouth in this picture!

(We interrupt this blog for breaking news!!! Garrett's cousin Krista just saw this very attractive picture of our missionary on her friend's instagram. It's a small world after all!!

Hahaha I imagine this is the face Garrett makes when the food doesn't agree with him. Too far? I don't think so, I think I'm hilarious!

I'M HERE

Soooo I didn't die or anything, this keyboard is kinda weird so i'm trying my best. I really like it here and everyone is really nice helpful and friendly. My companion is Elder Eldredge from Arlington Texas sooooo yeah thats cool....also my p days are Tuesdays.

I gotta go but I love you bye,

Elder Olsen

The Best Worst Day!

Hello everyone! I'm Garrett's sister, Aubrey. I'll be running this shin-dig while he is on his mission. We would have my lovely mother do it but she isn't what we like to call "tech savvy." As for my dad, he already has 99 problems so a blog can't be one (that's my way of saying he's real busy!). So you're all stuck with me, you lucky dogs who will read Garrett's blog!

So today was awful. Wonderful. Sucky. Amazing. Horrible. And terribly awesome. It truly was the best worst day ever. Garrett, Dane (my handsome husband for those of you just joining us), and I all had a sleepover in the living room last night. It was really fun! Dane passed out pretty quick and Garrett and I stayed up all night talking. It was a great way to spend our last night together. We laughed and cried and talked about pretty much everything. For those of you who don't know Garrett is one of my favorite human beings on this earth, so I've been emotional to say the least. 

We woke up at 6:30 AM and started getting ready for the airport. Garrett...oh sorry, ahem...Elder Olsen, was up and ready to go. He was all business and just ready to be out the door. The rest of us not so much. We stopped at the golden arches for breakfast (because we're so fancy!) and it ended with my mom spilling ketchup all over herself. For anyone who knows my mom, they know we should have stopped her right there because 1. She's a spiller on a good day...when she's not in a moving vehicle. 2. Ketchup is red....yeah, not pretty. The Elder and I just rolled our eyes and laughed. 

When we got to the airport it was bawl fest 2016 (not us at this point, we held it together for the first 20 minutes). There were SO many missionaries and their families already saying goodbye. It was kinda like watching a depressing Mormon film where you don't get to see the happy ending because it happens two years from now. 

We checked Garrett's bags in and then found a corner to hang out in and people watch.

It was great that we got there at the crack of dawn so that we could spend a few extra minutes together and just hang out. Garrett seemed so happy, excited, and ready to go.

Yes, yes we took a lot of pictures. We just know as Garrett is gone he's going to lose all the fat he has so we had to capture him as the chubster he is. As we were waiting until we had to say goodbye my dad got talking to a few other missionary dads and we found someone going to Garrett's exact mission! It was pretty exciting! They instantly hugged and acted like they were long lost friends. His name is Elder Carey, we talked with him and their family for quite a while. Keep in mind that during this whole airport experience our cute Elder kept on forgetting that he still had one carry on bag. He could not keep a hold of that thing.

Finally, it was time to say our goodbyes. Like any person who has a strong grip on their emotions I held it together and only shed 10,000 tears. Could've been a lot worse, but I'm tough.

I guess we need to remember the ugly pictures too. After Elder Olsen gave my mom her last hug he handed her a note, and told her not to open it until after he was gone. 

Elder Carey finished saying his goodbyes a little bit before Garrett and waited for him so they could go through security together. Garrett ran off to meet him and left his carry on bag sitting there with us. My mom called after him and told him that if he didn't remember it he would lose it somewhere a long his way to Colombia. He grabbed the bag and ran off to his next adventure!

My mom opened the note and inside was her and my dads first "clue". Garrett spent the last few days (really he planned it for a couple months) getting a scavenger hunt ready for my parents. He wanted to give them something that would take their minds off of the situation and let them have some fun. I tell you what...he gets all of his thoughtfulness from me (; haha just kidding! But really ever since he got his call he has been so aware of how the situation must be so hard for our parents. He loves them so much and this was such a great gift for him to give!

Her face when she found out what was happening is my favorite!

So we left the airport and started our scavenger hunt! I'm posting the clues so my parents can have a place to remember them. Most of them are inside jokes so you probably will think that we're really weird when you read them. 

He did not spell you're right or ma'am...Good thing he won't need English for two years anyways.

Also I had nothing to do with the menstruation comment but it did give me a chuckle. 

My parents were good little guessers and went right for the glove box when we got to the car. 

I do want full disclosure and honesty with all my...(I mean Elder Olsen's) followers and readers, so I feel obligated to let you know that this picture was staged. I forgot to get one the first time so I made them look in the glove box later. 

Clue #2. This was left in the glove box. 

Literally as we were pulling out of the airport we got a call from the TSA saying that Garrett Olsen had left his bag in the security line. Oh. My. Good. Gracious. The little turd was already disobeying his mama! They told us that they would call Garrett to come down but that they could not personally deliver the bags to him. My dad ran in the airport and he could hear them paging Garrett. By the time he was talking with the security ladies the bag had been picked up. So hopefully it was Garrett that picked it up....

We drove back home to where the next clue took us. Garrett hid this under the trophies in Ty's old room. 

This is where we find clue #3 which stated...

When Garrett opened his call he had four or five months before he was supposed to report to Colombia, so my mom was constantly telling him to get a job. She really wanted him to work at Fiiz. It was entirely selfish though, we all know she just wanted free diet coke. 

Before we headed off to Fiiz my mom changed her clothes (because of the ketchup incident). When she walked downstairs her pants were on backwards. My dad and I laughed and went to the car as she switched her pants around. When she came outside her shirt was on inside out. We laughed even harder and told her to go change. She told us no and then got in the car. She was obviously emotional form the days events and it had gotten to her head! Finally after our weird looks she went inside to switch up her shirt. I think she was contemplating just switching it right there but I gave her an even weirder look and she ended up doing the right thing and not exposing herself to the hood.

Garrett knew my parents would get a diet coke on their own if he didn't send them there, so he made this one of their first stops! Here they received clue #4.

This clue proves what a good listener our dear Elder is. 1. My mom loves Harmon's. She probably would have gone there today anyways to drown her sadness in samples and organic-crush it yourself-peanut butter. 2. My mom has been craving cinnamon bears, so there ya go!

No samples. Makes us wonder if Harmon's is going downhill. They probably just didn't realize who we were. AKA the "crazy sample people who take so many samples that it should really be called lunch" people. 

Garrett is a cuddler, this much we know! That and my parents are obsessed with apple fritters. They would always get one to share between themselves and Garrett. 

Update on how our life is at this point in the day: Mom is doing great. She only shed tears so far at the airport. My dad is switching between two or three apps telling us exactly where Garrett is, what his altitude is, what he speed is, and basically everything that you could possibly know about the flight except how Garrett is doing. Also, he's crying a lot. Manly tears though, not those other kind (; 

My mom has what we call a "secret stash" of cash. She always changes it's location and she really believes that no one knows where it is! Her kids are too smart for that and we always know where it is. That being said, after I make this post the secret stash is being moved, so none of you fans, friends, and relatives can find it. She apparently also doesn't want me to know where it is anymore hahaha

My dads face pretending he does know that my mom is stealing...oh ahem..."stashing" cash

There they found the next clue....

My mom always says that we have inappropriate conversations around our kitchen table. So Garrett thought that they would find this one right off the start but they went to his room instead of the kitchen. I found it hilarious...you had to be there though. 

It took them quite a while to find the little piece of paper tucked away in those grapes.

This one is kind of random and only my mama would understand it. Even my dad was really confused!

My mom said I couldn't take a picture of this one. The clue should tell you why!

Garrett put the clue that this one leads to down in our food storage area. When my mom opened the clue she said "Oh! I know right where this is!" and starts heading to the bathroom. I asked her why she was going there and she said "I have a peach candle!!" Okay mom....no. 

Yep it's dusty, we don't eat food storage. We just store it!

We always get Ty and Anastasia's kids to call my mom "Granny O" and she hates it. Also we call this the granny bathroom so it was a two for one. Yet my mom still tried to go to her room instead of this bathtub hahaha

One time Jarin made green bacon....we'll just leave it at that!

My mom and dad always recycle their pop cans, which is good because they drink a lot so they're really making an impact for the earth! Anyways, we always use the can money to buy drink cards on cruises! As Garrett is gone these next two years we're all going to save money and go on a cruise to the Panama Canal! We chose that cruise because it stops in Colombia. 

Anyone seen business time? If not look it up on youtube, and prepare for a good laugh. There are also many stories about the game "Bang" and why Dane and I don't play it anymore. We might get a bit competitive...

Everyone has a junk drawer right?! Well the Olsen's don't anymore because they had to clean the whole thing out searching for the next clue. 

The last place Garrett sent them to was our shed!

In the final place he put a letter for each of them and a beautiful necklace for my mama. I can't even tell you the thought that Garrett put into this scavenger hunt. The clues that he chose and the places he sent them all have hilarious memories for our family so it was a great way to make my parents laugh and take their minds of things. When Garrett first came to me with this idea he said to me "I know it's going to be hard for me sometimes, I know that. But I know it will be just as hard for mom and dad. I really don't want them to be sad, I want to distract them and make them so happy!" It really made our morning so enjoyable!

Sorry mom, but this picture is my favorite. 

The scavenger hunt did make my parents so so happy! Until they read his letters, then came the water works. 

We went to lunch at our favorite place that Garrett hates going to, Taggarts! My dad kept tracking Garrett of course. As of right now he is officially in Colombia!! I already miss him so much but I am so proud of him. He is going to be a great missionary. My next post will be his first email!!! I can't wait to hear from him!

(Update from 11/01/2016. I sent Garrett an email all about how the scavenger hunt went, this was his reply to me... hahahahahahah i love this.....i got about halfway through this email last week when one of the teachers started yelling at me in spanish hahah yeah i got my bag, they ended up forcing me to check it which i was worried about buuuuuuut it all worked out :) I hope that you have the bestest birthday ever i have been thinking about you alllll day!!! LOVE YOU. So for those of you wondering how the bag thing turned out it all ended up alright! It was probably a blessing they made him check it because he was for sure bound to lose it again. I also found it hilarious he got yelled at for trying to read my email! I sent it to him that night that he left so when he got on to write his "I'M HERE" email is when that happened)