Emily, 4.4.11

 She didn't get to explain what these pictures were but I am guessing that this is the lunch that her cook makes each day.  The next picture might be from the Peru MTC because her current companion is from Peru and I don't think this girl is.  They do have the exact same shirt.  I'll hope that we get some more info sometime.  

Wow! Thanks for the picture! It looks beautiful! I love the idea of making conference a holiday. It felt like a holiday for me. It was so so so absolutely amazing. I don`t think I have ever enjoyed conference as much as I did this weekend. When they announced the last speakers, I almost wanted to cry because I knew it was going to end. But man, it was so so so so good. I loved all your insights and reviews. I got to watch 3 out of the 4 sessions in English, allelujah! It was like a taste of home for me. English is amazing and I seriously am so grateful to know English. Listening to a translator is super different. It is so good to hear the prophet`s and quorum of the twelve`s voices. IT means so much more to me. I feel bad for everyone else that has to listen to a translator. Really, the whole world should learn English, its beautiful :). When Elder Cook spoke about the women of the church I couldn't`t help but think how true it is. They are all so amazing. I am so so so grateful for the amazing sisters of the church that I have known and have helped me as I am growing and learning in the gospel. My mom, my grandmas, my aunts, my sisters, my Young Women leaders, all of them. They have all had such an influence on me. I am so grateful for their examples of being willing to give all that they do for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you all you amazing women that have helped me. 

I received the package, stuffed full of pills and things to keep me healthy. Thanks! They aren`t all garlic pills, right? What are the others. The grapefruit stuff should be good for cleaning my fruit, and maybe my face too. We have a bunch of regulations on what to eat. We can`t eat strawberries, pork, or lettuce. I have no idea why. They gave us a water bottle with a filter in the MTC, and i use that to t drink out of. We also have great big water bottle things of clean water that we can drink. I also brush my teeth with the clean water, and do my best to be smart about it all. We`re not aloud to eat food in the street. I`m still learning what that means. But I think its pretty easy to tell what is safely edible, and what I should stay away from. We have a blender and I would really like to make some smoothies in the morning, but I haven`t yet figured out what I could put in them. Today we`re going to go to the zoo as a Zone and I`m super excited! I`ll definitely send some pictures. My cord is working! Hopefully the pictures will upload fast enough to send you a few. 

Before I forget, I was wondering if my Danskos have a guarantee? The strap that goes over my foot to keep them on is pretty loose, which tends to cause blisters... My other brown shoes - the walking up hill ones, are awesome. I love them! I was also wondering about my taxes, and my tithing?? Thanks so much for taking care of everything for me back home. I am so grateful for this opportunity that I have to be a missionary. 

Yesterday morning Hna Ortìz and I went to pick up an investigator named W. Shes 28 years old and told us that she wants to find a way to have more time for God in her life, she wants to be closer to Him. We`re excited to continue teaching her. Anyhow, we told her we`d pick her up for one of the conference sessions and when we went she wasn´t there. bummer. We called her and she didn't answer and waited for awhile. We were going to call her one more time when we came across a woman trying to wake up her husband who was laying flat on the ground. We offered to help but didn`t really know how. She said he was drunk - and he was out cold. Hna Ortìz and i told her we could get a taxi for her and maybe the driver could help lift him into the car. We talked to three taxi drivers and all of them refused to help. Rude! Another taxi stopped and Hna Ortìz explained the situation, the wife was crying by then, i`m praying with all the faith that I can muster that this driver will be nice and help us, and the man is still lying there, out cold. The driver said he`d help and parked his car. Basically we didn't really know what to do. Finally decided we`d just have to pick him up, one person on each limb. Ha ha just picture me and hna ortìz, the wife, and this.... we`ll just say very nice taxi driver with not very many muscles.... trying to carry this fairly muscular build man to the taxi. It was hilarious. I never would`ve guessed I`d have that experience in the mission. We half carried half dragged him to the car, but we had no idea how we were going to get him into it. This whole time i`m imagining how it is in the movies, they always dump water on them right? Its gotta work. So we grab the water bottle and dump it all on him. Haha... Eventually we got him into the car. Then just as their pulling away we toss a pamphlet in the window of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hopefully she reads it, and wants to be baptized. Maybe we should thrown in a word of wisdom pamphlet too. hahah it was pretty interesting way to spend my morning before conference. 

Wow. I don`t have much time. I would love the talk on desires. And president MOnson and Elder Bednar´s talks from Sunday morning. I was super excited to hear them, but then it was in Spanish and it was super hard to understand. Also I would love some piano music, like the JOn Schmidt Hymns book that we have? It would be way fun. ç

Thanks for everything. I love you all so much and I am so grateful for you. I am so grateful for your prayers and your support. I pray for you everyday, and think about you often. I know that the church is true with all of my heart.ç

Love

Hermana Olsen 

PS Tell Lindsay about Jc Penney. Hermana Maxwell got a ton from there on a good sell. and tell that girl she should write me before she leaves! Thanks!