February 16, 2015

Dear MOM y FAM

So just some quick answers-- here is my address: 512 2nd Street Apt #5,  Wenatchee WA 98801 or however you spell it! haha  I have no idea how-- but it is SO pretty up here! Like it’s unreal! haha  It is the prettiest place I’ve ever been to! I’ll have to send some pics! Annnd I will  be here during the spring so I’m super stoked! The weather here is perfect too! I love it here so much! Don’t get me wrong, it was super hard to leave my last area but it made it a little easier how cool this place is! But yeah-- it’s just Spanish! I’m so excited! I can already feel my Spanish getting better! Oh and by the way my comp is BRAZILIAN! haha  He’s like the coolest guy ever! I love him but he goes home after this transfer-- which is a bummer! I would  be so down to serve with him for a while! haha He’s just a super cool guy! We live in a super tiny apartment-- like not even the size of our kitchen but still awesome! My comp speaks Portuguese natively but has learned Spanish and English on the mission! So its super cool talking and learning from him! The area here is on fire too! It’s intense! We have a few families that are pretty close so we are super excited about that! Ohh-- a few funny stories about this week.  The Sisters had a baptism this Friday and we went and like 10 seconds before it starts the 1st counselor comes up and asks if I can give the baptism talk... it’s totally in Spanish. I was scared to death!! haha but it went ok-- I think haha It was fun! Oh and before I left, the Fielding’s (with the huge house), made us one last "dinner".  It was so good and then they gave me this super nice sweater from their place for free!!  So cool! haha I will probably just send it home so I can keep it nice! Umm-- other than that, It was super sad to leave Elder Nelson and that apartment!   I miss them a ton! haha It was a lot of fun serving with them! But this area is awesome and I’m super excited the zone is all Spanish!  We have p days and stuff with the English zone so its just like a ton of people! haha It seems like a party.  I will tell you guys about it next week! I love this so much! I’m so sorry I don’t have too much to write haha I just am still figuring out this area.  You guys are the best family ever! I love you so much! I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you guys! I love this church so much! 

Love Elder Oliver! 

February 9, 2015

Dear Family! 

Sounds like you’ve all had an awesome week--with a little craziness! haha If it’s not crazy its just too boring. So this week was kinda crazy! A little sad towards the end but still super good! This last transfer went by so fast! Transfers came on Saturday... and I’m leaving. I’m going up north to Wanachee, which was hard at first because now I have a huge possibility to be in the other mission.  That  was a little hard to accept but with a lot of prayer, I’m really excited! I’ll just be Spanish (finally) and I guess the area is huge so I’m really stoked. It was super hard saying good-bye to the ward though! They have been so awesome I’m going to miss them! It feels like my second home ward. Everybody was telling me when I come back I can stay with them! haha  They’re the best and I might have to take them up on that in a year and a half!! hahaha They are  awesome though! As for the apartment we are all together! After we get planning and studies done just as a companionship we always eat lunch and talk at night-- its super fun! haha  It’s really weird but I think the Lord blessed me so that I could live with Elder Nelson for at least one transfer, so that was awesome! I’ll keep you posted for my new companion! So other than that-- on Tuesday I went on an exchange to Dayton. Literally it is the smallest town ever!! haha  It has one stoplight-- but it was super fun and we ran into some awesome people there! Elder Shupe and I get a long really well so that was super awesome! He’s a great missionary! We met this guy named Arnesto and he was kinda funny-- a little creepy. He really liked me and told me he was going to kidnap me and tie me up and put me in a closet for a while. Little sketchy but you just got to laugh. Also figured out that the whole Relief Society has googled me! hahaha! Random ladies in the ward have come up to me like "Wow!  I can’t believe you had long hair" hahaha!!  Funny,  but just a little creepy! haha  Oh,  also randomly I ran into one of the Elders that did the dance with Chantz  on his mission.  His mom went to our Spanish party on Friday!!haha  Elder Wadell-- but other than that this week was pretty good nothing too big but I just love being a missionary!! haha  It’s honestly the best thing ever--nothing beats it! We have a few Spanish families now that we are teaching so I’m super excited to see if they go anywhere.  Seriously this work is the best!! So as for the story you need-- I was just thinking about the whole time with Chris, mainly with his dui... if we would’ve given up and not loved him because of his mistake,  he would never be where he is now. The coolest thing is that really none of it is us.   As a missionary,  you really just feel Christ’s love for them!

 As for the weather it’s been warmer here too. It’s been weird because  I haven’t seen the sun in forever until this weekend! haha It was weird but I missed it. Crazy right? haha I love this but miss you guys a ton.  Keep being awesome! I love you guys so much! 

Love Elder Oliver