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Dear Mom y familia!
So
first I couldn’t send pictures last time because we were on different computers
and I didn’t have a card ready haha!! Mom, I really do know that our Heavenly Father
is always with us! No matter what we are going through, He is there. Even if we
are just really tired He knows and wants to help us! hahaha I was reading
D&C 6 this morning and the Lord is talking to Oliver but we can apply it to
ourselves a ton! It's really good!
It’s good to hear everyone is doing great!
Seriously it makes it easier out here!!haha
But as for this week, it was an amazing kinda crazy week!! But I loved
it! So this week we had interviews with our President, which is always the
best! I love my President so much! He’s the nicest most spiritual guy ever! I
love him and every opportunity I have to talk with him! He always is able to
give me and say to me things that help so much! He’s really an awesome guy! haha Something really funny that he told me was
that my companion is a social butterfly and I died laughing hahahahaha!! I told my comp and he was so embarrassed haha!!!
iIt was so funny we just laughed forever hahaha So that was really funny but that day started
out so bad!!haha So we had in our planners and everything that the training
started at 12 and I went on exchanges the day before and the Elder took our
phone so we had no way of knowing that it was actually at 10!! So we are just sitting, studying our language and the zone leaders
come bursting into our apartment (it was locked) and all I said was, “Hey Elders
what’s up?” Just so chill hahaha!! It was so bad but we just rushed to the
training and luckily President knew it was an honest mistake and all he said
was-- it’s a good thing you were being obedient and thought it was the funniest
thing as Elder Cataldo and I felt like the worst missionaries ever!! hahaha It
was rough, but its ok hahaha!! Some other stuff that happened this
week was we built something for the Garcia’s from Ikea so I’m glad I got some
practice with dad before hahaha!! Also
my companion broke our bed haha so that
was super funny! Our bed is this really
sketchy bunk bed and I guess while he was getting up, the poles just snapped
hahaha! We also had to translate for
church this Sunday which was a little weird but kinda cool (really hard). I
don’t know-- as a missionary you have some of the most random experiences but
they are just the best and nothing matters because our whole purpose is just to
go out and preach the gospel and that’s honestly the best part of everyday!
Just everyone we get to talk to and tell them of the most important message in
the entire world. The message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ
is the only message that can change people’s entire lives! It’s the coolest
thing ever and I know its true with all my heart! Every time I share the first
vision the Spirit is just undeniable. There is nothing like it! I’ve never been happier and filled with more
love than I am right now! It’s just the most fulfilling thing out there! The Silva family is still doing way good! We
love them! We have a lesson with them today so we are super stoked!
I love and miss you guys a ton! Hope you have
an awesome week!
Love, Elder Oliver
ps one more story--
So we were walking down the road after kind of
a hard lesson and this guy pulls over and asks if we've got like 20 seconds and
of course we kinda get tense but the Spirit told both of us to just relax. The
guy then grabs our shoulders and just says he wants to say a prayer and bless
us. He says this awesome prayer with some really cool stuff and than says
thanks and leaves. Normally we would’ve felt weird or bad but we just felt
super good! The Spirit was so strong! It was so cool to see that the Lord cares
about us so much and wants the best for us and will put people in our paths
just to bless us!
I LOVE THIS GOSPEL!
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Tuesday, June 9, 2015
April 20, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
April 13, 2015
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Dear Family!!
CASSIE'S
HOMMMMEEEEE!!! That’s so crazy! That is so cool that Cassie is home! Man you
all look so good though!! Seriously! Just killin it! Tell Chantz I love the
flow!! haha
This week was kinda crazy to be honest. So some funny things first-- so you always
hear about people running from the missionaries and its always an exaggeration
until this week hahaha!! We were walking
down the street and this guy literally sprinted across the street and kept
going for the next 2 blocks hahahah we just started laughing. I don’t know if that was the best thing to do
but it was too funny not to laugh. Like how can someone be that scared of
a super white red head and a Chilean who are just cheesily smiling all the time
hahaha!! It was so funny! Oh also
something that was super funny was-- its been a little warmer over here this
week and we were out one afternoon and it was a longer afternoon and we were
fasting. Nobody was really outside but
then we are walking back to our car and a bird poops on Elder Cataldo hahaha!!
He was so mad but we just started laughing for like 30 min because out of all
things a bird comes and poops on his shoulder hahaha!! It was good! This week
was just super fun!
On a more spiritual note we found this family
(the Silva’s) and they are so prepared! It’s so cool! They have a baptism date
for the 2nd of May and they are all so stoked!! The kids are all reading in the
Book of Mormon and just loving it! They’re awesome and so nice and just such a
blessing and miracle from the Lord! We love it!
Being a missionary is the best thing ever! I
love it so much! The amount of happiness I have is crazy hahaha!! I’m just
always smiling. I know this church is true and it’s a church of
joy and happiness. We need to find the
joy and happiness in all things!
I love you guys and miss you a ton! Give Cassie
a really long hug for me!
Love Elder Oliver
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Friday, June 5, 2015
April 6, 2015
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Dear Mom and family,
First-- yes that’s the right address, they just
always make us go to the Post Office to pick it up. Oh my
gosh seriously--I love you guys so much and you really know how to make a
missionaries life haha!! Those ties-- Ohhh sooo cool! Thank you so much!
Seriously it means so much and you are really the best family in the whole
world. I was so excited, you have no
idea hahaha!! I love you guys!!
Wow! Sounds like an awesome Easter!! hahaha The strings... not going to lie I might have
looked for a string Sunday morning and it lead right to the Post Office but the
Post Office was closed so the Easter bunny had some pretty good tricks!!
haha But man-- was Conference amazing!!!
Seriously for the first time, I was awake for it all and sad that it went by
wayyyyy too fast hahaha!! I loved it!! That was the first time though at the beginning of the Sat.
afternoon session I heard people say they were opposed. I got like a sick
feeling in my stomach. So sad but then they get up and say that our church has
never been stronger! That was so cool!! Something that I really liked from Conference
was when they were talking about Peter’s gaze on Christ when he was walking on
the water and it wasn’t until his gaze left Christ and fear set in that he started to sink... that hit me
super hard!! How if we ever take our focus off of Christ we will surely sink! I
don’t know-- just something that I thought was really cool!
That’s crazy!!! Cassie is already coming home!!
hahah I can’t wait to see her (through Skype) haha!! It’s been a whole year!
That’s so crazy though! hahaha
So as for this week! Well with the Spanish—it’s
getting better poco a poco haha Not going to lie sometimes it is tough haha
but with the help of the Lord all things are possible! For the food I haven’t
really eaten anything weird haha!! I ate habaneros haha like a ton! I love them
haha!! The G’s were waiting for me
to be dying but it wasn’t that bad hahah umm so about the G’s-- this week
was really hard with them. We went over
to have a dinner and basically tell them if they aren’t willing to keep
commitments and stuff we weren’t going to come by as much... but we ended up
talking and it got super spiritual and Brother Garcia just broke. It was the
saddest thing I’ve ever seen. He’s a
tough guy and always really happy but he started crying and was just so
confused and lost and didn’t know what to believe and it was so sad to see
someone you love just look completely lost.
The worst part is, we have the answer but they have their agency and we
have to wait until they are willing to find it.
So that was a really hard lesson but I have so much faith for him! He
knows and wants it so that’s good!
Apart from the G’s-- the week was crazy
hahaha! On Monday we had a member come out with us and there was this guy on
the road and said, “Hey Elders” so of
course I stopped and wanted to talk but it turned out to be a guy who really
didn’t like Mormons hahaha! So for us it
was nothing, I just felt super bad for the member hahaha! Also I got told I look like I’m 35 a few days
ago. That was weird-- I didn't think I
looked that old haha!! When I told him I
was 18 he didn’t believe me for like 20 minutes hahah!! It was rough!! I think I’ve already got to
many wrinkles or something hahaha!! But something that is really cool about the
work is that if you are looking for it, there are spiritual experiences everyday! For
example we were tracting these apartments and ran into a girl who didn’t really
like us hahaha and she went up the
stairs and into an apartment. We had no
idea which one, so we said a little prayer to have some help. As we walked down the hallway she opened her
door, walked out and back in for literally nothing. Elder Cataldo and I just
started laughing and both thanked our Heavenly Father for that direct answer
hahaha, it was so cool! I love it out here! Also one day we had a really long
afternoon and me and my companion set a goal to talk to 10 people in the afternoon
when its super hard. At 4 o’clock we
had nine people and nobody who was interested but then the last one-- the tenth
person was the most golden person ever!! Her name is V and she has been
reading the Book of Mormon and already knows it’s true!! It was the coolest
thing ever! There really is nothing better than this work!! I love it so much
and Conference was just the cherry on top! I know this church is true and that
we have a prophet of God on the earth today and that Christ leads this church!
I love it so much haha and it just makes me so happy!! hahaha I love this
gospel!
I love you guys and miss you so much!! Give
Cassie a big hug for me!!
Love Elder Oliver
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Thursday, June 4, 2015
March 30, 2015
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Dear Mom and family!
Ok... I know last week was a hard week, some
things happened and I didn’t have too much time... I’m sorry! I’ll be better--
I promise!
So first about the companion! He is seriously
awesome! He got here on Wednesday and he seriously is an amazing missionary! He
loves to work and is super funny and really nice! He is learning English but is
already really good. We are going to
try to speak solo Spanish so I might have a accent after this transfer! hahaha
He is seriously such a blessing to me I
love him! Being district leader has been
kinda crazy but I’ll talk more about that later! So that is really sad to hear
that Dad is released!! haha It’s crazy-- I was just 13 and now
I’m on a mission haha!! Time just flies haha!! Everyone out here says that being
a District Leader is like being a Bishop. I already have so much love for all the people
in my district I can only imagine dad and five years! That’s so awesome and I
look and think about his example every day!
So it's kinda weird but our Easter isn’t
until the week after General Conference here haha!! You guys should watch
the new Mormon message called “Because He Lives!” It’s awesome!
This time of year really is special and I want all of you to know how
grateful that I am that my Savior lives! It means we can all be together
forever, which is the best thing in the world! You really are an amazing family
and I do love you so much!
So as for this week, it’s been kinda crazy! So my companion went home on
Monday and I was with the Zone Leaders for two days until I got my next companion. We had some crazy stuff happen! First it's
super sad but the G’s aren’t anywhere close... I guess they were just saying
the stuff that they knew Elder Ribeiro wanted to hear. When we went over there without him booooom
so much stuff came up! Super sad but its
ok-- it’ll still come just not super soon! Later that night though we were
driving home and I saw a little 2 year old girl just walking down a sketchy
road at 9:10 at night! haha So we pull over and as we are calling the cops this
guy comes up and calls her by her name-- not even running or anything. He just says
“Thanks” takes her and walks
away!! Like your baby almost died and he does nothing! haha It was crazy! But I
forgot-- while we were at the Garcia’s I was able to bear my testimony about the
Book of Mormon and it was one of the coolest things ever. Seriously, I don’t know why but the Spirit was so strong
and I just know it’s true and it really is the physical evidence that our
church is true. So then once Elder Cataldo got here, we have just been working--really trying to
find new people to teach and just getting to work! We ran into a guy that
started talking about all this crazy stuff and its kinda cool but sketchy at
the same time... but literally before people even start talking about sketchy
stuff we can feel the Spirit leave and then it is just trying to get out of
there and make them stop talking. hahaha It’s like a game sometimes!! haha! Umm-- I gave my first baptism interview this
week before I even got trained on it--so it was just totally by the Spirit!
hahah I loved it! The guy was awesome! Really cool experience! I love this work
so much!! There is nothing better!
I love you guys so much! Hope you have an
awesome week!!
Love Elder Oliver
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