Week 6

Hola Todos, [Hey Everybody]

IS THIS REAL LIFE?!  I have been in the MTC for over a month.  Wow.  Love it!  I am doing really well!  Let me tell you all about it!  First off, thanks to Mom for the letters and package, and to Sis. Huch, Aunt Jennifer (thank Forrest for the pictures and note!), Lauren Lindner, Kate, Heidi, and Aunt Deborah for the letters! Jeff, I forgot to tell you that my companion Hmna. Minert is the cousin of the Hmna. Minert you served with!

Okay, so I have spoken so much spanish this week.  It is great.  I even write in my journal in Spanish.  A little english...Espanglish? 

This week I had some of the best experiences of my life.  I have CHANGED PEOPLES LIVES this week!  On Friday, we got to teach a member girl about the Book of Mormon.  We asked her how she used the Book of Mormon in her life and she was so open with us she said she was so busy with school that she did not read it everyday. we were able to testify of the blessings of reading every day and how it helped our lives.  We committed her to read it every day the following week.  I then felt prompted so strongly (using the gift of tongues--I used words I don't think I knew or knew how to put together) and PROMISED her that she would be able to have the time to get everything done IF she read every day.

We also changed our investigator Daniels life.  We committed him to be baptized on Oct. 1. and he said YES!  He is very excited.  He said he knows this is what God wants him to do.  He has a rough boss, so is trying to get work off, but he told us he would just skip work if he had too!  I love Daniel soooo much!

Sunday was probably the highlight of the week.  Such a wonderful day.  It was fast sunday, so I bore my testimony again, yup in SPANISH!  I don't know how I do it!  Sunday evening we got to have our devotional and we got to watch the 85th Birthday Celebration of Pres. Monson.  The Mo-tab sang a bunch of songs. Highlights include one from Phantom of the opera, “76 trombones” and the best by far "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.  THe guy who sang it did so well that all the missionaries gave him a standing ovation even though it was just a movie! Steve Young narrated the celebration and they showed tons of pictures of President Monson growing up (jealous mom? You should try to watch it!) The atmosphere in the room was so fun, missionaries were swaying and clapping and just having fun listening to NOT CHURCH MUSIC!  After, we got to watch “Labor of Love”--a cheesy, but sentimental movie about missionary work.

This week we were committed by Hmna Camacho (our teacher) to practice contacting and knocking on doors.  We pretended to do it with each other in our classroom.  Then Me, Hmna Minert, and Hmna Greenwood decided to go to different spanish classes on our floor and contact.  So we went tracting down our hallway and contacted like 4 different classes!  It was such good practice and a lot of fun! 

This week we had a workshop about feeling the Spirit.  Our teacher was Brother Christianson (he is in the district movies in California. Mom, he is the blond missionary that teaches Jynx (no coffee!).  I don't know if anyone has seen these, but my mom has!  It was cool to be taught by him.  i talked to him afterward about the district movies.

We found bubbles that were being given away so we went outside one day during gym and sat and blew bubbles.  It was fun.  And the elders were playing soccer nearby and one time Hmna. Greenwood was blowing bubbles and we cheered for one of our Elders.  He looked up and later told us that he thought we were cheering for him and that he thought hmna. Greenwood was blowing him a kiss cause he couldn't see the bubbles!

Yesterday, we were supposed to be taught by Hmna Camacho, but she has pink eye!  So we had a sub and we were supposed to teach Maria (played by Hman Camacho) but we taught the sub who pretended to be the husband of Maria.  His role is that he is okay with his wife meeting with missionaries but not interested himself really.  SO it was a little hard to get in the door, we came by and he told us Maria wasn't home so we could just come back later.  But I got us in, and we taught a pretty good lesson.  i asked more questions than I ever have and tried to relate to him.  We learned this week the importance of ALWAYS asking people if they know others that might be interested in the gospel, and I put that into practice last night.  I asked him and he said his neighbors might be interested.  It isn't real, but good practice!

Not much seemed to have happened this week.  Things are well with my companionship so far.  I feel like my biggest problem is they spend a bit much time talking about music and movies and talking to one of our Elders who is kind of a flirt.  Our whole district talks a bit too much about "babalonia" things.  Or worldly things.  It isn't bad, and I understand that it is hard.  But it is a little hard for me, because for whatever reason, I have NO DESIRE to quote movies or talk about those things.  I just want to focus on the work!  It can be hard to concentrate when the room is really loud and full of babalonia. I think it is babalon in English.  No recuerdo...[I don’t remember]  I also still speak more Spanish than anyone else, but i just speak it even though it is hard.  I still LOVE my district, there are just moments that are hard!

There were 2 nights this week where I was kind of sad.  I felt like I was working SO HARD and speaking SO MUCH spanish, but I felt like such a terrible missionary.  I know that isn't true, I just felt kind of down.  But, I am doing much better!  I have just had so many great experiences this week.  I have been kind of homesick (just a LITTLE) but I wouldn't go home for anything!  i can't.  I don't want to. 

Aunt Deborah, if I don't have time to write you a hand written letter, thank you SO MUCH.  Especially what you said about Grandma Olsen being happy and excited.  I have felt not neccessarily her presence but the fact that she is aware of what I am doing and that she is proud of me on several occasions!  I LOVE YOU and everyone else in KANAB!

Oh!  I got my hair thinned.  Not shorter or anything--just thinned.  I LOVE IT!  The little things that make you happy in the MTC!  I also got a note from Dayna errr. Hmna Rawson.  She cleans my bathroom for her weekly service and wrote me a note!

Con Amor,

Hmna. Olsen