November 16, 2015

Dear Mom and family! 

I’m glad it was just a normal crazy week for you guys!! hahaha I swear our family is one of the busiest hahaha but it's incredible!  I’m glad you sent that pic! I love Christmas!! hahaha 

So this week was incredible! And yes I know exactly how those Elders feel! Sadly we had that same thing happen to us yesterday but it’s ok because that just means this next week will be that much better!   It’s funny you asked about the food this week-- hahaha I’ll get to it! 

So this week was a spiritual powerhouse!! We had interviews with our President and they were so incredible! I love President and Sister L! They are seriously the best most loving people ever! They are just incredible and help me out so much! President really helps me to notice the enabling power of the atonement in my life! So I love him so much for that! Then after that we went to the Temple! Such an amazing experience, I looooove the temple! I received so many answers to my prayers, and I know what the next step is for me in my spiritual progression! The Temple really is the house of God and it's where we are the closest to Him! Everyone needs to get to the temple!  Probably the best news is—I don’t know if you remember Kathy P? (The first lady I taught)  Well she is going through the Temple on the 23rd of December and I can probably go with her!! I’m so excited for her!!

Ok so now for the food! So after the Temple,  the member who took us-- took us to a Sushi place and ordered a bunch of stuff.  Straight raw fish... hahaha!  Ahh man it was weird!!! I had eel and squid and every type of fish-- it was crazy!! Some of it was good but some of it was straight nasty!  But hey-- I ate them with a smile and said thanks! I was so proud of myself! hahaha

Anyways i love you guys and miss you a ton!  I hope you have an amazing week and please keep me posted! You’re all incredible! This church and gospel are incredible! 

Love Elder Oliver 

ps Yes-- I’m speaking a ton of Spanish! Heavenly Father is helping me a ton! 

November 9, 2015

Dear Mom and family, 

So as for my favorite part of the mission, I could be here all day because I love every part! hahaha  A few things that have been my favorite are 1) Being able to use the enabling power of the atonement to change. I have changed so much and I have seen so many people change through the power of the atonement. The atonement doesn't help us to adapt, it helps us to change our nature, everything about us! Our deepest desires, our hearts, our thoughts, and  our personality! I love my Savior and how through Him I can see people how He see's them. 2) I have really loved learning about the gospel and watching the light come into people as they begin to understand the doctrine and apply it in their life. That’s where the true knowledge of the gospel comes in, it’s in the application! I have so many other things and not enough time!! hahahaha  Ask me when we are skyping and I will give you the whole answer hahaha sorry!! I wish i could type faster!! hahaha 

So as for your week!   You guys are incredible! I started playing Christmas music of course the day after Halloween and the roommates weren't too stoked about it! hahaha But hey, I just like remembering the birth of my Savior sooner. Truth is-- Elder Krogue and I might of had Christmas days when we were together! hahahaha   Your week sounds awesome! Mom I wish I was there for that lesson-- that sounds incredible!  It’s great to hear everyone is killing it though! Carlee winning regional, that’s what I’m talking about!! hahaha 

My week was NUTS!! hahaha Just thing after thing happened and now I’m here emailing you guys hahaha!  So on Wednesday in the afternoon, our car broke down so we had to drive it to Wenatchee to the dealership and blitz the zone leaders area there. We then slept on the floor because we had mlc on Thursday (a meeting with all zone leaders and sister leaders) so we drove down to Yakima hoping that the car would be done.  Well, turns out the car wasn’t finished so we had to spend another night on the floor and then finally got to drive home! We then had a meeting in Coulee Dam which is an hour away.  Then we drove back because we had to  interview some baptismal candidates for another ward.  The next day we had another meeting way off in Coulee with the whole zone this time and it took awhile.  We came back and there was a crash on our way to dinner so we had to stay there for awhile and witness/translate for the cop! hahaha  Then it was Sunday... it was crazy!! hahaha  The best part is--not going to lie,  I was a little frustrated because I really wanted to proselyte and things but I was praying and it was weird-- I just really felt like it was all ok. It was all out of my control and God knows what He is doing! I realized that everyday on the mission God has a special plan for and if we listen to the spirit we will have an incredible day! 

I love the mission so much guys and everyday out here is the best day ever! I love serving my Savior and wearing his name on my chest! This gospel is true and everything about it is pure and simple and peaceful! I love you guys so much and miss you a ton! 

Love Elder Oliver

November 2, 2015

Dear Mom and family!

So real quick to answer those first questions! Ephrata is completely different than Moses Lake right down to the members... hahaha it’s crazy but really fun and a good experience in learning how to work with all types of people! I love it up here. Our little Spanish group of 5 members got combined this week with the English ward so we'll see how that goes! I”ll be getting to do translation again! Elder G is from Utah and he's got about 6 weeks left hahaha little less than 6 months. But he works super hard and doesn’t let it get to him so that is super good! We call it getting trunky! hahahaha  So this week has been amazing! The Lord has been putting people in our path left and right and  it’s been incredible! We found a new family last night and a few potentials throughout the week--so we were pretty stoked! Halloween was awesome we went in early because of the trick or treaters but we didn’t get any. We were a little sad, but the Elders we live with are super fun so it was still a good time! Hey-- Thank you so much for that package! I loved it!  All the candy was perfect and those m&ms were bomb! hahaha But seriously-- I appreciated it so much!

I love you guys so much and sounds like you had an awesome week! With Halloween and everything sounds like things are about to get cray-cray hahaha!!  Seriously, Mom, you couldn’t be more right. Discouragment is probably one of the devils best tools for members of the church. I can feel it all the time out here.  It just depends on if we dwell on it or not! I study a lot about virtue and the power behind it and it's so incredible. It really is self-mastery.  The atonement is such a big part in everything we do, everything we are. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and what He has done and continues to do for me!

So this week has been filled with miracles ever since the beginning! Every companionship  in the zone is seeing miracles and it’s so awesome to see. The spirit is just lighter and everyone is changing. It’s amazing! We were counseling together,  Elder G and I, and the Lord showed us this awesome idea and vision for the zone! We are calling it “A Night in White” and it’s a stake wide baptismal service!!! Every companionship is going to baptize on November 28th and everyone is going to wear white ties or  dresses.   It’s going to be amazing and I can’t wait to see the change that happens here! We are just seeing so many miracles in our area! We met the V family who are incredible! We were standing at their door and it was kinda sounding like they didn’t really want to talk to us but I was praying super hard in my heart and then out of no where he said "entonces quieren pasar por un momento?" and we went in and taught the restoration.  The spirit was so strong! Sometimes I wonder why I ever doubt... the Lord provides every single time!!hahaha  It’s amazing and now they are on date for the 28th!! We’re so stoked!!

Man I love and miss you guys so much!! You’re seriously the best family in the world! Everyday I realize that and thank my Heavenly Father for that!

Love you guys so much

Elder Oliver 

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 

October 19, 2015

Dear Mom and family,

Holy cooooow this week has been crazy!! So yes, you all know the news before I could even tell you! I am leaving Moses Lake and going to Ephrata in just a Spanish area!!! I’m super excited and know that it’s where the Lord needs me to be! The only problem is leaving Moses Lake! I love this place and it's seriously my second home! I love everyone here! It’s the best place ever! I feel like I could’ve been here my entire mission, but I’m excited to go to a new area and find children of God.  It’s just going to be weird speaking Spanish... God will provide though! I’ll let you know my info as soon as possible as for now I know nothing about this new area! haha 

Sounds like you guys had a great week! I miss you guys so much but sounds like you're killing it!  This week has been amazing and sad all at the same time! Brother M got baptized!!! He’s incredible! I love him so much and our last lesson with him, he bought me a journal and wrote this awesome long note to me in the front that might have made me cry!! hahaha  He's just the best and I’m so glad I was able to be here to watch his entire life change! That family is the best!   I have a lot of pictures, I’ll send them, don’t worry! So some awesome things that happened this week was one, I saw C at church (Kenzi's brother) and he's doing awesome! Something else that was awesome was B (a recent convert) came to a lesson with W  and it was incredible! He bore an awesome testimony and really helped W! Also this week,  I went on exchanges with Elder D (who's my really good friend) so it was super fun! We visited this one guy who did not really like us. He was getting all worked up at us and freaking out in my face and honestly it was super sad because he just doesn’t really understand how this gospel can bless him and bring him so much happiness in this life! One day! 

Other than that,  this week I’ve really been studying consecration and the power behind it! I love this gospel so much and the ability we have to change! Something that I really learned through Brother M’s baptism is that with every step we take closer to God, He takes one closer to us and everything just makes sense! God loves us so much and we truly are His children! That’s why this all happened! That’s why the Gospel was restored.  That’s why Jesus came to the earth.  That’s why I am as happy and peaceful as I am--because God loves me and each one of His children! 

I love you guys so much and hope you all have a great week.  I am sure it will be packed with dance and school and everything in between! I love you guys so much and miss you a ton! I cannot believe how fast time is flying! You’re seriously the best family in the world and everyday I realize and thank my Heavenly Father for that! 

Love Elder Oliver