January 11, 2016

Clay and one of his first converts going through the Temple!

Dear Mom and of course La Familia!

So sounds like your week was nuts!! I don’t know how you make it through! haha But you're a pro at it! Dance seems just nuts! hahaha  Happy birfday Cami! I love you guys so much!

This week was just incredible and crazy all at the same time! hahaha  So  we got transfer calls and we're staying!!!! We are so stoked! It’s going to be a great transfer! Our whole apartment gets to stay and we are going to start working out super hard you know... so we can dunk it! hahaha So there has been a lot of awesome things this week! The mission is really changing the culture and everything! President really made a good point that this is the first year as the Yakima mission! So we've changed some things and it's going to be an incredible year! I’m so excited! We also have training by the missionary council coming up so that will be awesome! Something else that was super funny that happened this week was L, (a recent convert from Moses lake) told the missionaries that he needed to talk to me but he wouldn’t say why.  So the whole mission started getting curious.  I  called him (after getting permission from President) and all he wanted was

Dad's number because he has a dump truck he's trying to sell in AZ! hahahahaha  So funny but it was like talking to part of my family! It was so good to hear them and just talk to them for 5 min. They are still doing great! There have just been tons of miracles this week! Our area is just exploding! God is blessing us so much! We have our one male member who has started to take us to his family (we are really the first because he is super careful with his fam and we've spent all this time building up trust and praying and now it is finally  taking off) His name is R and he says he wants to come out with us every night! On Friday he brought us to his brother’s house to share the restoration and the whole family was there!  The mom and one of the sons came to church and the son that was at church said he wants to be baptized! It’s just incredible and God is just putting them in our lap! hahaha Our goal is to one Sunday have more investigators than members hahahaha it’s awesome! They are really my family! We are all so close and it just feels like a big Mexican fam! haha  R and his fam are my favorites though! His kids are awesome! They are like mine and Elder W’s little brothers! haha They always want to sit by us at church! I just really do love being a missionary, there is nothing better! I love the people here and just the love that you can feel God has for them! Something I’m really trying to work on is seeing everyone through God's eyes and recognizing if my love is conditional. There is an awesome talk from last conference!

Anyways I hope you guys have a great week and know how much I love you! You’re all incredible and examples to me!

Love Elder Oliver 

January 4, 2016

Dear Mom and family,

Sounds like you guys had an incredible week though! I do not miss taking down the Christmas decorations that's for sure! hahaha But that's so good to hear that everyone is getting good at snowboarding!  I also forgot to tell you my gift to Christ. This year it’s going to be pride. I really am trying to become a nice always gentle meek person. So that’s my goal for the year--as well to dunk a basketball!! hahahaha Just kidding!

So this week was crazy, that’s for sure! We didn’t really get too much time in our own area. But we still saw tons of miracles and God blessed us way too much! So Quincy is pretty close but I’ve never seen her. She’s been telling everyone though that she's seen me since I was in diapers, so I’ll get random people coming up to me telling me that this lady in Quincy has known me since diapers!! hahahahaha I met her that one time in Wenatchee but never here. She’s super nice I would love to run into her! This week has been super cold and super snowy, probably more than a foot. Elder W and I just kinda run everywhere we go!! hahahaha  This week on Wednesday we went up to a town called Omak and then to a town real close to the border called Oroville which was super cold. We visited the Sister companionship up there and then went on exchanges in Omak and then on Thursday in Coulee Dam.  There was a lot of driving involved but it’s super fun because I love Elder W and we just talk about everything. He helps me so much! We have also made a lot of really funny videos! hahahaha I think you'll like them!  We did have a lot of really cool spiritual experiences this week.  Probably one of the coolest was when we were out on New Years with our group leader and he suggested we go by a less active who they haven't seen in 6 years.  Well she was home!!   She has been wanting us to come by for soooo long, she just works a ton-- 12 hour shifts 7 days a week. Her prayer though was the most spiritual part. I haven’t heard a prayer that humble and loving and desperate in a long time. All of us were in tears. You only get experiences like that out here and they are so hard to explain but that's why they are the best!

So our Spanish group here is really really small! hahaha This Sunday we had sacrament on the stage... it was super different but still great and spiritual. I had to lead the music and if you know Spanish singers, imagine them without a piano!  I was pretty much just singing a solo!! hahahaha But testimony meeting was super cool. People get up that never would in a bigger setting and theirs are always the best! I love the little group we have and how close we are! It’s seriously incredible!

Oh also this week we did some really nasty service... we were taking out and replacing carpet.  But not just any carpet,  carpet with dog and cat poop just mashed in. Ahh man,  it was disgusting and smelt terrible but feels so good!! I love doing service its a great feeling!

I love you guys and hope you all have a great week going back to school and everything! Time is going by way too fast!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!

Elder Oliver