Emily, 2.16.11

Mis Familia!

Hola Familia! How are you all? Its so good to hear from you. This week
has been awesome! Sorry if my last letter sounded discouraged at all.
Missions are hard, but I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to
serve. I am learning and growing so much, and having so much fun.
Missions are fun too :).

So this week.... Friday night I started getting a little nervous
again. I flipped open my Book of Mormon to find something I could
share during a contact and it opened up Alma 56:48, I think? Its about
the 2000 stripling warriors when they're deciding if they should go
back and help the army of Antipus, I think? Anyhow it says "We know
that God will go with us and we shall not fall, now let us go up" or
something close to that. In the margin I had written Faith does not
equal fear. It was amazing. So many tender mercies! Saturday went
good, I understood a lot more then I did the first week, and i had a
better attitude, and it was great! We didn´t get in any houses, but we
talked to a lot of really cool people, and we set up appointments to
come back. It was good.

Funny story of that day: This creepy homeless looking man yells over
to me in heavily accented english "good mornin" (it was about 2pm...)
I reply with a happy "good morning!" and turned away quickly, cause
he´s creepy looking. We knock on the door were at and get rejected so
we keep walking and he´´s right in our path. I decided to talk to him.
So I greet him in Spanish, and tell him our purpose, to invite others
to come unto Christ, I asked if he wanted to come closer to God? and
he then began to go off in some crazy Spanish taht I did not
understand at all. I reverted to my awesome talent of just smiling and
nodding smiling and noddding... adding a few Sí Sí, then smiling and
nodding some more. My companions jumped in and we left very rapidly. I
was completely oblivious to whatever had just happened, but they told
me that he when I asked him if he wanted to come closer to God he
replied with "yes, and more closer to you too"... and there I sit just
smiling and nodding and saying oh sí sí... haha oh man. Its a good
thing we left quickly!

All of the natives left yesterday, because they´re three weeks were
up. Hna Madrid should now be in Bolivia Cochabamba! Crazy! Im gonna
miss her. I am so grateful for her and her patience with me. She
taught me a lot. She left me a note and was very sweet. I think I
understood most of it :). I hope that I will get to meet her family in
Santa Cruz. For the next three weeks I will be in a three some, me and
two latina Sisters. One of them is here! I just met her, her name is
Hna Arreagala... I think? shes from Guatemala and already she seems
very sweet. Its crazy how much I was able to talk to her already. I am
excited to get to know her. My other comp is from Peru, and I believe
she will arrive sometime tomorrow. It´ll be funn getting to know them.
I also moved rooms, now I will be in a room, just me and my two latina
companions. I think it will be really good for me, it will help me
learn even more Spanish! Hooray!

Today because all the Latinos are gone and coming in, all of us Norte
americanas got to go on a little tour of Lima! It was good, except the
bus didn´t have windows... ha but we went to the ocean and took a
bunch of pictures, then we went to down town lima to the main square.
It wasn´t till I´d been there awhile that I realized that Peter and I
went there when we were here before. They have a lot of amazing
buildings. We also went shopping in this little market place. I really
wanted some earings, but no luck. But.... while I was looking one of
the girls who worked in the tienda, Rosana, asked about my plaque.
What an awesome opportunity! I started to explain to her and my dear
sweet Hna Maxwell helped A LOT. But we told her about the church, and
families being together forever, and I got to bear testimony. She said
she knew where one of our chapels were and she asked if she could go.
We told what time meetings were, and gave her a pass along card. Thats
all I had, I cant believe I went out in public so unprepared... but we
gave her one, and got her information and told her the missionaries
would give her a call. She was SO sweet and seemed really interested.
She was worried because her brothers hadn´t been baptized, we told her
we could help her with that :) It was awesome.

Hna Maxwell and I were also walking down a street with a bunch of
stores and deciding what we wanted. Mostly we just wanted food that
was ccm food. We were told there was a McDonalds close by, I´ve never
craved mcdonalds so strong in my life! But we saw this old man with
this yummy looking ice cream sundae. He noticed we were talking about
it and came and told us where he´d gotten it, and even gave me a
taste! Bahaha so funny. I also had a random lady come up and tell me
my eyes were beatiful, but that it was very dangerous to wear
contacts. Random. I think the fact that i stand out here is gonna help
me to talk to all kinds of people. Thanks for my blonde hair and blue
eyes!

Momma, I had an amazing study time this morning. I read the last
chapter in Mosiah. Its wear King Mosiah is getting old and needs to
find someone to pass his kingdom on too, but all his sons didn´t want
it cause they preferred to preach teo gospel. Then he sent out a
document or something explaining why they shouldn´t have a king, but
they should choose a chief judge by the voice of the people. He goes
through and gives them all the amazing reasons of why a chief judge is
better, and at the end it says the people saw that it was a good idea
and went a long with it. I was thinking about and i realized that they
must´ve thought King Mosiah was crazy. They´d always had a King for as
long as they could remember, they´d had King Benjamin before him, and
they were both amazing kings. The idea of getting rid of kings mustve
sounded insane. But Kind Mosiah had been inspired, he had looked
ahead, and he had realized and been prompted to do something
different. To change the normal way of thinking, to do something that
would bring them closer to God. it goes on, the people accepted his
idea, and then before he dies it talks about how much they loved him
and appreciated him. They say all kinds of neat things about him.
Anyhow, i was thinking about how awesome you are mom. and how recently
you have felt prompted to do things a little differently. Halloween,
Christmas, your crazy hair and face ideas :), and how its been a
little difficult for some of us to understand why. Some people may
even think you´re crazy. But you have been prompted to change, be
different, and to do things that bring us closer to God. And mom, I am
so grateful. I am so grateful that pleasing God is more important then
pleasing others. Thank you for your example, and your hard WORK (your
special word) of bringing our family closer to God. I really am so
grateful for you. You have taught me so much.

K - sounds like you had an awesome valentine sim´s birthday. Hearing
about all that food made me hungry. I´m glad to hear everything is
good. Thank you for your prayers. I know the language will come, its
coming a little every day and its amazing. Heavenly Father does bless
me so much and takes care of me.

Sister Slingerland is a senior sister missionary that has been here,
but comes home next week. She reminds me alot of grandma p, and it has
been a blessing to know her. We got to talking about cake rolls one
day during lunch, and she wants the recipe. I gave her our number and
she may be calling you sometime in March to get it :) I also offered
our house for pageant time if they way. They are amazing and I am so
grateful for her! I got a bunch of dear elders this week! Thanks for
sending me my cousins letters. They are often times exactly what I
need to hear. Its amazing how much I can relat to them all here. Its
been a neat experience to share this time on our mission together.
Thanks so much! I should be leaving for BOlivia 3 weeks from yeterday.
I think its March 8? No se. I would love to have a copy of my call
letter. I canpt think of anything else that I really need. I have been
taking those vitamins since last week, and my health has been better.
I ve also been working on eating more fruits and veggies, its helped.
I miss american dulces... but i don´t exactly need any. I would love
smoe pictures of horses, from my siblings. Thats a good idea to draw
the shadows.

I hope elise and john and her kids are doing awesome! I can´t wait to
see more pictures.

I was wondering if  you got my box of stuff from the Provo MTC? I was
also wondering if I got paid more and if my tithing got paid? and how
my taxes are coming? And thanks so much for all your help with
everything. Thanks for sending petes letters too. It sounds like he is
rocking it. I sure love that boy. I am hoping to get the stamps you
sent very soon. Oh! We changed districts and now Hna Maxwell is once
again my Norte american companion. I couldn´t be happier! I am so
excited!

Thats crazy Lindsay got her call! I am so excited for her! I ahven´t
heard from her yet, but she better be writing me. Give her my congrats
porfa!

Well I think i´m out of time. I love you all so much! This gospel is
true! THanks for all your support and prayers, I can feel them.

Love

Hna Olsen

PS I figured out how to enter! Hooray!

PSS Because everyone is moving in today I get to play soccer... al
night! Its gonna be great! K bye!