Week 5!

Hola Todos, [Hey Everybody]

Como estan?  [How are you doing?] It has been another great week at the MTC!  Thank you to everyone that wrote me this week: Mom, Sydney, Kate, Allie (special thanks for the package!  I LOVED it all!), Aunt Linda, Aunt Jennifer, Dad, Keith, & Jeff!  Special thanks also to Mom and Grandma for the skirt. I love it, it was exactly the one I wanted and it fits great! 

This week has been a bit crazy!  We have had some teacher mix-ups and we have not been able to teach our investigators when we were supposed to.  In fact we only taught once this week.  Mostly, that is because our teacher Hno. Thompson has been sick and he doesn't want us to get to close to him.  Our investigator Lesme, is now our second teacher.  Her real name is Hmna. Camacho.  SHe is from Puerto Rico and she does not use her S's when she speaks spanish.  She also speaks really fast!  BUt I am learning to understand her.  So she is also pretending to be our new investigator Maria.  IT is kind of confusing and difficult to have her pretend to be 2 different investigators and she is our teacher, but it works out. 

So we taught Maria yesterday, and it went pretty well.  We sang a hymn “Families Can be Together Forever” because she knew a little about that and likes the idea.  She has 2 young kids.  We were going to teach her the importance of prayer and how to pray, and then have her pray about eternal families, but Hmna. Minert started teaching her about our purpose and the Doctrine of Christ.  So we taught her about faith, repentance, baptism, and the Holy Ghost.  It still went pretty well, but i was a bit off, because I didn't expect to teach her that.  At the end I asked her if she came to know that these things were true, would she be baptized.  She said yes.  It wasn't a strong yes, but it was definitely a yes!  We also commited her to pray and begin reading the Book of Mormon.

So our district has changed again.  We now have 13.  The Elders that were added a few weeks ago got put in a different district and then we got 6 elders from another district in our zone.  We now have 13 in our tiny classroom.  It is a tight squeeze but we make do.  It is a little hard because one of the elders in our new district is a bit rowdy, and sometimes a flirt.  It is really distracting but I am good at focusing on my work.  Others, are not.. but I think they are trying.

Things are continuing to go well with my companionship.  There are very few moments of tension and I really like working in a trio.

This week, Hno. Tonson (it is Thompson but he always pronounces it Ton-son)  shared with us his conversion story.  He is our teacher and so we spend a lot of time with him everyday. It was so cool to hear how the gospel changed his life (he used to have piercings and he fought a lot).  Now he is so amazing!  HIs love for the atonement, the gospel, and anything missionary related is so strong. 

We got to have interviews with him this week and he told me that he could see the great progress i have made and that he could see the great potential I still have.  He told me that he finds out a little bit of information about the missionaries he will be teaching about 3 weeks before they enter, and then he starts praying for them.  HE also prays for the gift of discernment and I think he has it.  I can't believe he was praying for me 3 weeks before I even met him.  I really feel his love for me and the work of the Lord whenever he teaches us.

On sunday, we taught our district about repentance.  I wanted to use a visual so of something that could represent sin covering our true potential.  As i was thinking about this and what I could use, I remembered the Hershey Kisses that Kate and Allie sent me.  I used the wrapper as the sin that keeps us from being pure like the Chocolate.  Who knew your package was so inspired that it helped me have an object lesson.  Kate, and Allie, I do not know why you decided to send me Hershey Kisses, but I think it was inspired!

I FINALLY saw Elder Johnson on Sunday at the temple, and now I see him all the time.  HE seems really well, and I love talking to him.  Also on Sunday, our District Leader Elder Howe gave Hmna. Minert a blessing.  It was his second time giving a blessing.  What a spiritual experience.  To see a young man of 19, exercising his priesthood authority.  He was scared to do it, but the spirit guided him and he gave a BEAUTIFUL blessing! 

Sunday we had a fireside with Bro Allen from the MTC.  After we got to watch a talk given by Elder Bednar on Christmas of last year at the MTC.  He talked about the character of Christ and continually thinking of others not yourself.  It was the best talk I have heard in a while. This is because Elder Bednar did an IMPRESSION OF COOKIE MONSTER!  He was talking about how we shouldn’t be thinking of ourselves.  It is the Lord’s will. He said in the perfect voice of Cookie monster, “I want cookie now.”  THen he said in cookie monster voice, "I want Baptism now" it was hilarious. 

I found out this week that every sunday they show a movie like legacy or something and then they show talks.  I thought they were just General Conference talks, but they are actually talks given at the MTC that ONLY THE MTC has the copy right to!  So awesome!

On monday we got up at 6:30 and the FIRE ALARM went off at 6:40!  We ran outside and some girls were all ready, and others were in their towels!  We were stuck outside for 10-15 minutes.  Something had happened with a microwave on the floor above ours. We could smell tons of smoke, but i don't think there was any flame.

So I really like Having Hmna. Camacho as our teacher.  SHe hugs us at the end of class and it is so nice to have hugs on a regular basis!

Other big news.  We have a new sister in our room!  She is a solo sister, spanish speaking.  She is super nice.  She is 23 and going to Texas.  So far I like her and things are good there.

I have started trying to write in my journal in spanish.  It is going pretty well. I am constantly amazed at how much I can say in spanish when I try!

Tuesday we vacuumed and got done so early we were told to go clean the vacuums and empty the dust out.  They were super dirty but I stuck my hand in and got huge wads of hair and dust out.  it reminded me of being a custodian at heritage!

Our alarm did not go off this morning.  i set it but forgot to turn it on!  We woke up 10 minutes late and got ready real fast so as to make it to the Temple on time!

Funnies:

I was welcoming some new missionaries at dinner on Wed.  and I asked them where they were going.  THey responded that they were done eating and looking for the tray return.  I told them where it was and laughed to myself because I meant where were they going on their missions!

Our district has a lot of fun translating English Idioms into Spanish.  Our teachers sure get a kick out of it.  I think my favorite is “like a boss.”  "Como un jefe"  We also use Spanglish which can be great fun!

THis week has been really good, but I have felt a little down at times.  I am working hard this week to tell myself that I do not have to be perfect.  I also have been praying hard to know what the Lord expects of me and to feel his love.  It really has been a great week.  I have felt pretty good about the things i am doing.

I know the Lord answers prayers.  I have had 2 at least answered this week.  I had been praying to see Elder Johnson and it happened.  I also prayed for my teacher Hno Tonson to be able to be well enough to make it to class after we found out he was sick.  Sure enough, he came right back to class and we did not have too many subs!  I know with all my corazon [heart] that prayers are answered.  If you don't, pray with real intent.  He will answer your prayer, of anything!

I love you all.

Kaitlyn, and Cosette, I don’t know if you still get these emails.  But i have been thinking about you, and wanted you to know that.  Love you both!

Aunt Lori, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!  You are in my prayers!

No info on visa.

Con Amor,

Hmna Olsen