January 12, 2015

Dear FAM, 

Mom, I know what you mean about meetings in the morning--it  can be brutal. On Sundays we go to Milton for Spanish branch council and then to Walla Walla for English council then to Spanish for all three hours and then to English for all three hours!! haha  So Sunday is just church all day err day! But mom it really is the best thing being out here on a mission serving the Lord! 

      As for my week! It’s getting colder--which is fun haha! I like it and people are a lot nicer to us haha!! They'll either invite us in because it’s cold or just close the door haha so it’s always a party! Elder Schulzke is a great missionary!  The apartment (we call it the teepee because our zone is the Walla Walla tribe haha) is awesome! It’s nice to be living with other guys too!! haha  This week was amazing!! CHRIS GOT BAPTIZED!!!! Ahh it was the coolest thing ever! Elder Hooper was able to come to it and actually baptize him so it was the coolest thing ever! He’s come so far and changed so many things it was awesome to see him and give him a hug afterwards!! Then on Saturday Adri (his daughter) got her interview and passed!! So it’s this week!! Then on Sunday I had the opportunity to give Chris the Holy Ghost and then later he got the priesthood!!! Ahh man, it was by far the best Sunday ever! So this next Saturday he will be baptizing his daughter Adri... coolest thing ever! He was literally glowing and I asked him how he felt and he was like "good--kinda tingly" hahaha! I love Chris! So Adri is still doing super good! We keep trying to get her twin involved but I don’t know if she is too down haha! Then we've got Jaye, who has actually been really sick but did make it to the baptism and it was so cool.  She was talking to a ward member afterwards and said, "I came here to just see how it all happened. But now I know with no doubt that this is the true church and the right thing to do." So cool. Of course when the member told me I was just tearing up. It’s kinda gotten bad haha!! Friday was a good day! The last awesome miracle that happened was by the time the baptism got over it was like 8:30-8:40 ish and it would’ve just been easy to go home early. It was a good day and it would’ve been good just to go in, but we aren’t suppose to go in until 9.  So I decided we should just stay out and go knock even though it’s late.  And…we ran into this awesome Spanish family!! Just a miracle haha! It was so awesome! We talked for a little and they invited us back for dinner on Tuesday. Who does that?? 2 random strangers! It was so awesome and now I know more than ever that this really is our Saviors work and we are just little tools in his hands haha!  I love this church so much and just seeing Chris’s face after baptism showed me of the happiness it can bring everyone!! There is nothing better than being a missionary! 

      I love you guys so much and miss you a ton! Hope you have the best week ever! 

Love Elder Clay Oliver