February 2, 2015

Mom & family,

So that is crazy! Happy Anniversary tomorrow!! You guys are such an example to me! I love you guys so much!  But of course-- you guys would have a super bowl party when I’m gone. Watch next year you are all going to watch ASU football (the good stuff-- cough cough haha) None of this NFL stuff hahahaha! Just kidding-- sounds like a fun and crazy week!   You guys are amazing! You’re all such examples to me! If I could give each one of you any advice it would be this-- tonight go kneel down in your room and say a prayer out loud. I know it’s weird but if you just do it this once, I promise you’ll feel something. Whether it’s comfort or peace or whatever it will be good-- I promise! Some of my most spiritual experiences come from that! DO IT I promise it’ll be good. Even if you haven’t prayed in super long or whatever-- just give it a shot. What could it hurt? For Spanish-- it’s kinda crazy! This week, speaking wise was a lot better, but I still have a ton to learn. As for Kathy-- I know I’ll have to teach her how to truly creep. Except for I kinda caught her in it. haha!! I know the ways!

This week was awesome!! Seriously Jaye being baptized was the coolest thing ever! I got the best seat in the house too! haha  It was so awesome! She just gave me the biggest hug and she was so happy! That just makes everything worth it. It makes the long days, the hard Spanish, the people cancelling every time, it makes everything worth it! Seeing the happiness and the glow in their eyes is the best thing in the world! Gary was super happy too! I got to talk to him just for a little while, and he was like I’ve been waiting for this day for a looong time. So it was so cool to see him so happy! As for Chris and Adri-- they are doing super good! Chris broke up with Darla so its kinda weird. We are in the middle of it and it’s been just a little awkward haha!  But all good times-- I just feel bad for Darla. She was super sad last time we saw her, but its ok-- they both have a super strong testimony so we are hoping this won’t affect them too much spiritually. Other than that, Spanish work is still going good.  We were low on miles this week so we had to walk… a lot!! haha!  I’ve been spoiled because just walking for a few days was tough-- but it’s all good!haha!  I love this work so much; there honestly is nothing better!   I feel like time is just flying wayyyy too fast! This is my sixth month on the 27th... that’s nuts! 

I love you guys so much!   You guys are seriously the best! I couldn’t do this without all of you! 

Best family ever! 

Love Elder Oliver 

January 26, 2015

Familia--

It sounds like a crazy week! Super fun though!  Mom-- just don’t pull a Cassie at camp and get tied to a tree hahahahaha!! jkjk I miss you guys so much and hope you have an amazing week! Keep sending pics and telling me about the little things! haha I love them! 

As for my week-- it was super good!! I really do love this work and there is nothing better!  The ward here is amazing! haha I love them so much! I feel its a second home haha which I hear most peoples first area is.  So,  of course I’m thinking I’m going to get transferred soon. Buuut we found a Spanish family this week!! They’re amazing and Heavenly Father is just literally putting people in our path sometimes it’s just crazy! We also have another super nice humble older Mexican lady who wants to be baptized so I’m super stoked about that! Little side note--something about older ladies and red hair!! hahaha It’s kinda creepy sometimes. So we are teaching an 84-year-old lady who is named Honey.  That’s the only name she wants us to call her hahaha!  We saw her earlier this week and she was like,  “Oh honey,  you look good”  and because I don’t know her real name I had to say, “Thanks Honey” back... hahahaha so awkward but you just have to go with it. Then before we left she gave me a big hug and its not too bad because she’s just an older lady so it’s super funny,  but its just kinda awkward because we aren’t suppose to give hugs, but we aren’t going to pull away so it just gets weird.haha!  Then Kathy (our recent convert) apparently looked me up on the internet and showed some older ladies in the ward my long hair hahaha I just laughed it off hahahaha!! I love Kathy! hahaha   On another note-- Jaye is getting baptized  tomorrow!!  It’s so awesome!! We’ve been over there a lot this week and she just keeps saying how happy the church makes her and it’s like the best thing to hear! That’s why I’m out here--to share the happiness I have with others. It’s the best! I’ll send some pics next week! Hopefully it’s as good as this one! 

I love and miss you guys so much! Hope you have a great week!  

Love Elder Oliver 

January 19, 2015

Dear Family!! 

Ok-- so first off I have to get this off my chest... why are you going to Cafe Rio instead of Costa Vida..? I can’t believe it hahaha!! jk Sounds like a crazy week, Mom, and those are never too fun. I do know when I seemed to be getting stressed out or things seem over whelming I just take a second and realize that I’m thinking too much and I kneel down and ask my Heavenly Father what He wants me to do. I hope things calm down a little.  So questions,  Yes-- we always have a car.  Her name is Beatrice haha!!  Um—it’s been kinda cold. It’s like 30 and then it rains so it’s just chilly haha but I love it here so much!   Living with Elder Nelson is the best thing ever. Seriously such a blessing from Heavenly Father. 

But ok so as for this week!! Sooo amazing! ADRI GOT BAPTIZED BY CHRIS!!!! It was so cool! Honestly best thing I’ve seen yet. Way better than being in the water haha I know it's a little cheesy-- but afterwards,  they just stood in the font hugging each other tearing up and Chris just kinda said quietly,  that he loves her. It was the coolest thing ever, especially for Chris.  I mean-- he’s not the most talkative guy. So it was awesome! That was Saturday and I literally feel like part of that family. They’re all so awesome and I could just talk with them forever. Just having so many spiritual experiences over there really brings you close together. I love this work!! Ok then Jaye is still doing awesome! She went from a ton of fear to now-- none and she is  always talking to her daughter about it! Its super cool! She told us that once we leave she goes over and basically tells her what we talked about. So its super cool and I hope something will come from it! Oh another thing about the baptism,  so after Adri and Chris got changed we just kinda talked in the hallway for a little bit and Adri started crying because of how bad she wants her brother and sister to feel how she is feeling. It was so cool because this gospel and the Spirit really do change people’s lives, and bring so much happiness!  Then she said she wants to go on a mission!! I was going nuts haha!! She's awesome! Some other kinda crazy things that happened this week are we went over to one of our Spanish investigators house and they were packing everything up. They had to leave their home because the pipes underneath broke. Crazy. This lady just had a son die about 6 months ago and now this. Just so hard but she says what she does to get through it-- is read and pray! So she’s doing what’s right but she is really going through a hard time and I just want to carry her burdens for her. That’s probably one of the hardest things about being a missionary. Seeing these people struggle so much and wanting to be there to lift their burdens but we can’t. Not at least until they  allow the Savior to do it.  Other than that,  I ate fried bananas this week hahaha!!  They were actually really good. Oh another funny story-- so we are sitting in the Spanish branch and a High Counselor gets up and says that he loves coming because it reminds him of when he was on the reservation... soo it started out good but kinda went downhill!   Then I got to confirm and give Adri the Holy Ghost-- so it was awesome!! Great week hahaha!!  I love this life it’s the best life!  I love you guys and hope you have a great week!!

Love Elder Oliver! 

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

January 5, 2015

Heyyy family—

So speed round-- Yes the cinnamon roles were just from walmart but what people don’t know doesn’t hurt them! hahaha Sounds like an awesome New Years-- kinda like what we did! haha Came home and studied! haha It was one of my favorite New Years! That’s too bad to hear about dad’s head but I mean-- he did pay 50 dollars for an all day pass so you have to get everything out of it haha!! Don’t worry dad-- I’m right there with you! But I miss you guys and sounds like you’re just killin it! 

But as for my week, it was kinda crazy. So Elder Hooper left to go be a zone leader in Pasco which-- not gonna lie-- was pretty sad because he’s amazing!! But it’s all right the Lord wants him in Pasco. It was just the hardest telling all of our investigators.haha  They all were crying so that was kinda hard for him. My new comp is Elder Schulzke!!! He is a great guy! We kinda have two totally different personalities but it’s all good because as long as we both have the same goals and just do the Lord’s work it doesn’t really matter! Yes-- Elder Nelson moved in to our apartment!!!! It’s the best thing ever! Hahaha I feel bad because we just talk about everything and laugh all the time-- it’s just so awesome to be serving with him! He’s my zone leader so we work really close! He’s amazing! But other than that miracles are just pouring out haha!! Seriously though-- I love this place! Chris got interviewed and passed so his baptism is this week and we're so stoked! Elder Hooper actually gets to come back for that so we're stoked! Then Adri his daughter, is still loving it! Every time we go over there it’s so awesome to see where they are now as compare to before—they are  still doing great! Adri’s baptism is next week if everything goes well! Then Jaye-- where to begin with her. She’s amazing! Such an example to me! Every lesson we have with her is so awesome and so spiritual it’s amazing! When we walk in, it’s just like a wall of spirit haha!! It’s crazy but super cool! She is actually going through a really hard time and is kinda sad but every time she is just so thankful for the church because of the happiness it has  brought her. So every time I’m just in tears when she shares her testimony... it’s kinda getting bad haha!! but no, she’s amazing!   So there is a new kid who just accepted a baptism date!!!!! He came to this little girls baptism in the Spanish branch and said how awesome and cool he felt.  Then he came to church where everyone bore awesome testimonies.   Then we went over that night and he was like, I want to be able to say what they said and feel how that girl felt.  What 15 year old says that-- it was so awesome! So the date is the 23rd! Emanuel--that’s his name, I forgot to tell you haha!  But he's so awesome! I don’t know-- missionary work is the best and it’s weird to think but I really wouldn’t want to be doing anything else! I love it out here! I love this church and really know with all my heart that it is true and it does bring people happiness! The Book of Mormon is so true and there are so many answers to anything in it! I just love this church hahaha! 

I love you guys and miss you so much!

Love Elder Oliver