December 15, 2014

Familia!!! 

Sounds like you guys had a crazy week-- but an awesome one! Just sounds like Christmas time haha!  I’m glad you liked the Christmas card haha!! Sorry I kinda gave you like an assignment-- I hope it’s ok and not too busy!   But ok so about my week! Ahhhh it was so amazing haha!! Obviously,  Kathy’s baptism was the best part! It’s like the hardest thing to describe.  So I was able to actually baptize her and I know its kinda cheesy but when she came up out of the water she had the best smile on her face.  It was so awesome!! Just knowing she was perfectly clean was crazy. She honestly was glowing-- really it was so cool to know that she's taken one giant leap towards Christ and I could be a part of it from the very beginning. Then Elder Hooper gave her the Holy Ghost on Sunday which again was  just awesome! Best weekend ever!  So something funny though--so Saturday night we went out to dinner with Kathy,  the Fieldings  and the Mercyns and her other friend. They are all over 60 and then,  there we are two-- 18 and 20 year olds talking and laughing with them like they are our best friends haha!! It was kinda funny when Elder Hooper and I got in the car and thought about it.  Chris is still going super strong. Cut everything off this week and hasn’t looked back! haha It’s awesome! He’s so much happier and it’s really funny because I guess he went to his both of his daughters after the blessing and was like you need to get yourself one of those.haha!! He’s a great guy and has really changed a lot! He loves church and its funny-- he'll get the guys who leave after Sacrament to stay haha!! He’s awesome! Also we've been teaching his daughters now-- Adri and Alyssa. Adri is killin it! She reads a ton out of the Book of Mormon and has a date of Jan 17th to get baptized so we're super stoked for her! Ok-- miracle story.  So we were sitting in with a lesson with Jaye and said we want her to pick a day to get baptized with the Lord. So we said a prayer in the middle of the lesson and she asked what day she should be baptized.   We just sat there and waited what felt like 10 min because I was just praying so hard she'd receive an answer and then she said,  “Thanks for the answer”  then closed and was like the 27th of January... crazy!!! But so awesome! It was like the coolest thing ever. Honestly it really just strengthens my testimony that  God loves his children so much and when they have faith He will answer them. There is so much power in prayer it’s crazy and I think sometimes we take it for granite. haha!! I know I do for sure. This week was just awesome  even though the weather was so bi-polar!! haha I think we had every type this week. We had warm sunny, super windy (like 80mph wind), foggy and cold, and rainy haha! It was a crazy but awesome week! haha I love it out here! Oh also,  we just got news that on July 1^st  our mission is splitting in half. CRAZY it came out of nowhere. But it’s exciting! I love and miss you guys so much! Hopefully you guys have the best week ever!! 

Love Elder Oliver 

December 8, 2014

IT'S BAPTISM WEEK! hahaha 

Dear Mom and family,

That’s so weird about the letters. I remember being home when we wouldn’t get emails so I am so sorry that’s never fun! I’m glad it finally got there though!!  Sounds like you guys had an amazing week!! Disneyland is always the best! And yes we definitely are vampires! ohhh I loved the pics haha!!  Although it wasn’t Disneyland-- this week was amazing!! Probably one of my favorites so far! So the beginning was pretty good, Chris's daughter wants to get baptized by Chris so that was awesome to hear and I really think Chris loved it! haha So we visited that guy named Bryce again who’s really intimidating but has such a big heart haha!! It’s so awesome to see!  We get there on Thursday with a sixteen year old kid from the ward who’s super shy and was super scared at the beginning but it actually got really good!  We talked and shared a little of the doctrine of Christ but at the end, out of no where,  he said,  “I want to be baptized.”  So no joke all of a sudden, January 27th came to my mind haha! I think it’s like a Tuesday-- it was weird.   I started getting all nervous because I wasn’t saying it, but then it just came out and I could  relax again!  We set up some stuff so he can work towards that day and he said he already quit smoking and is going to quit alcohol this week so we were stoked! But really the best part was, he started telling the guy that was with us-- that every time he was feeling his lowest we showed up.  He  starts crying and says how that’s how he knows God loves him. It was amazing. The spirit was so strong and the best part is really none of it was us! We were just guided to his house multiple times after  random assorted events!! haha  Honestly,  it’s the coolest thing ever to watch. Ok so not to interrupt,  but I just thought of a super funny thing that happened! haha Really painful but so funny.  So I was making Ramen... and we have a bunch of spices so I was just trying to make the Ramen the best it can be!  Elder Hooper had some left over jalapenos so I thought why not? Wrong. haha!! I put it in the microwave and was kinda watching it  to make sure it doesn’t boil over and my eyes start to get warm and I was just thinking wow that’s kinda weird its literally burning my eyebrows off soooo I rubbed my eye. Probably the dumbest thing I’ve done my whole mission haha!!  Some jalapeno juice was still on my hand so instant fire to my eyes hahaha! Just the worst pain ever hahahaha! I was dying, and Elder Hooper was on the ground laughing and literally I was laughing so hard. It was the funniest thing ever. I’ll send some pics of my eyes-- they were awful! haha  Ok-- so back to the update, Kathy passed her interview so it’s all set for this Saturday!! My first one!!  Ahhh it’s so awesome! Also,  Chris is stopping all tobacco today and asked for a blessing. Honestly it was the coolest thing ever! He asked me to give the blessing and after we were done,  the spirit was sooo strong. He just sat there in silence for a long time and then was like "wow, that’s so cool. I feel like a weight was just lifted from my shoulders." So me being me-- I started tearing up haha! It was so cool to see the Lord instantly bless him because of his faith. Jaye came to church again and the testimony meeting was so good! I think she really liked it. I heard her talking to Gary afterwards and just said she loved it! So she is still doing great! But honestly it’s the best thing ever! The work here in Walla Walla is awesome! It just keeps picking up!! I love it!!

Guys I love it out here,  especially in this area!   I think I’d be good staying here my whole mission haha!! But now that I’m saying this,  I’ll probably leave after this transfer haha!  And-- yes, I think it might be balding haha!! I guess you’ll see in 17 days!   The food here is so good except Thai food haha!  We had it and I put on a good face but deep down I was not liking it!!haha 

I love and miss you guys so much! Hopefully I can get the Christmas stuff out today!!! 

Love,

Elder Oliver 

December 1, 2014

First off-- dear Carlee, Happppppy Bbbbbbbb Dayyyyyyy!! I hope you got my letter and present from Mexico! 

Dear Fam and Mom,

Sooo first off I have some bad news, and then even worse news.  I have gained like ten pounds haha I weigh like 187 now and even worse there is a very slight possibility I might be balding! haha!  Idk for sure but I’ll keep you posted! haha  Sounds like you guys had an awesome trip and a few kinda crazy things happen!  How fun would it be if none of those things happened! haha 

As for this week--really it was just another amazing week like always! haha  So ok updates-- Kathy is the best!!! She is doing so good and it shocks me sometimes!  haha She bought flash cards for the Articles of Faith so she can memorize them.   I don’t even think I still have them  all memorized!! haha But it’s awesome and she asked me to baptize her not this Saturday but the next. I was of course in tears when she asked me. Because really-- not to get too preachy,  but we are just representatives of Christ so really its Christ baptizing her. It’s just so awesome to see it get so close and we can start planning everything! Chris (Darla’s boyfriend) is doing super good! He’s come around and stopped drinking and said he’s going to quit smoking and using tobacco by the 8th so we are super excited!!  When we were teaching him, just randomly he stopped, and was like, “ I’m going to quit by the 8^th”  so we are so stoked!!  His daughters actually have really gotten into it and came to church this Sunday so things are looking really good for them! Also we have been teaching this less active man named Gary.  He lives in a really small house with his wife Jaye who the first few times wasn’t interested at all.  But she has done a full 180, has a baptism date, and came to church!!! Sooo awesome! She said she would’ve never imagined  herself there in a million years. It’s so amazing to see how the Lord really is softening the hearts of everyone. We also have continued to see Joey who showed up to church this Sunday RIGHT in the middle of the sacrament! Haha  It was awesome to see him but since he didn’t know,  he just walked right in and started talking sooo loud to me haha!  He said he really liked it and  wants to come back so again we are so stoked for him! As for Thanksgiving-- we were idiots! haha We set up a lunch and a dinner so we literally couldn’t move going to our visits!! haha  Darla and Chris laughed because we like waddled into their house haha! But it was a great day and it was awesome to be out on a mission really during that day.  We were able to really focus on what we are really thankful for and kinda start this Christmas season off right! There is this video out now called,  “He is the Gift.” Super good!   As for the weather here-- it’s like ice now haha!! I think the high this week is 25 and the low like 5 haha!  It’s a good time though I love it!   You guys really are the best family ever and I do miss the holidays and traditions but hey now-- only one more Thanksgiving haha! You guys are the best and I really hope everything goes great this week!  As for me and my comp-- he’s really a great guy and honestly one of the best missionaries I have ever seen. We have a lot of time to drive so we talk a lot and just his attitude on everything is amazing! Honestly he helps me so much just figure stuff out. We work really well together and both have all the same goals so it works out great!  Love you guys and miss you so much! Have an awesome time at Disneyland!

Love Elder Oliver