October 26, 2015

(Wow!!  I am really behind!!  New year--new goal!!)

Dear Mom and family,

As for your week, man things are just crazy!! hahahah awesome though! (Besides the whole ticket thing) hahaha!   I can’t believe you got a ticket... that’s got to be the worst feeling ever! Seriously!   Man that’s just nuts! It’s so exciting about Kenzi!!! Imma be an uncle hahaha!! Did I tell you I saw Carter???

So as for everything here! So first thing is-- Moses Lake was like a second home for me so it was really hard to leave! I have tons of pictures and memories there! I truly changed more there than probably anywhere besides my first area! I loved it! But it’s just how missions go!  I’ll be back to visit! Buuuuut I love Ephrata!  Man,  it’s incredible here! So the area is the whole city of Ephrata (it’s a small town) but we have everything here in Spanish! We just get to work Spanish! The first day was a little hard just trying to get back into it but I have an amazing comp and an amazing Father in Heaven that has helped me out so much! Everyday it just gets better and better! I mean I’m still not fluent by any means and its a very humbling experience, but I’m truly growing and learning how to rely on the Lord more and more everyday, so I love it! My favorite thing in the world is changing and progression and how we have so much potential as children of our Heavenly Father! So we work in just a tiny group... its super different then Moses Lake!hahaha Two huuuge wards and now I am in just a small Spanish group of like 15 people! We had sacrament in the Young Women’s room and then an hour of gospel principles and a little "rama drama" hahaha and then we were done. Quickest church of my life hahaha! but I think, now that harvest is over we are changing and might combine with an English ward! But either way, it’s super fun! 

My new comp is Elder G and he is pretty incredible!  He served 18 months in Mexico and got super sick pretty much the whole time so he came here and now we are serving together! (His Spanish is incredible)  He is just such an example to me! He’s had a lot of hard things on his mission but he just keeps going and keeps killin it! We are going to have a really good transfer and I’m super stoked because he really likes to work! So we are going to get to work! hahaha! The Lord has blessed us with so many miracles just in these last 3 days alone!! So we have an investigator named L and we were in her home teaching her and the someone knocks on the door.  All of a sudden, two people walk in and tell us they have been looking for us.  They want a better life and they know that we are how they find it!! It was the coolest thing ever and seriously just an answer to my prayers!!  Then-- because God is incredible haha we went yesterday to this trailer park and found a family and a new single investigator!! God has seriously just been placing people in our path! It’s amazing!! Something that I’ve really learned with all this, is that the Lord expects us to work hard, He expects us to work for our prayers. Does that make sense? Like He doesn’t want us just to say things and then wait, but He wants us to truly show Him our faith and act and allow Him to bless us! Our Heavenly Father loves us so much and that’s really all this gospel is about. Because God loves us, He has given us all these things! It’s incredible and I love every minute I get to wear my Savior’s name on my chest! Sometimes I feel like those minutes are flying by way too fast! 

Ohhh-- so the stake had this musical thing and so we invited one of our investigators and went to it.  Well after the show we were just talking to her about it and this lady comes up to me and says I have a little girl who want to meet you. So this super cute little girl kinda walks around her back and says,  “hi!” hahaha  She was so cute, so I shook her hand and talked to her for awhile.  It was so sweet! haha  I don’t know-- just little things like that really make my day! I love this life!! hahaha I know that’s cheesy, but it was just something that was cheesy but awesome and little! 

I love you guys and miss you so much! I hope you have an incredible week and know that you’re in my prayers! You’re the best family I could’ve ever asked for! 

Love Elder Oliver