Emily, 5.23.11

Family!!

Hi! I love you! I feel so happy! and I dont know why. Maybe it has
something to do with belting primary songs in the shower this morning,
it makes me so happy. Thats crazy Lindsay is on a mission, I`ve been
thinking about that girl all week, remembering what it was like to
enter the mtc. I would love her address of the mission. THanks so
much! I came to internet this morning (we all email together as a
zone, i`m not sure why) and we got a new elder yesterday! Elder Waters
from California sacremento. Super random in the middle of a transfer,
but hes fresh, and excited, and his Spanish is pretty good. Its
awesome! ITs so fun to see new missionaries coming in, i hope a great
big group comes this transfer. I am so glad that you`re planing a
garden, and feeling more self sufficient. You ordered a lawn mower
that doesn`t have an engine??? Does that mean your just gonna push it,
and get big muscles? You`ll have to let me know how it works. I can`t
believe school is ending and summer is starting. HOw exciting! I`ve
been thinking about Neil a whole bunch too, i can`t believe he`s
coming home this week! SO EXCITING! Give him a big hug for me. I can`t
believe missionaries really do go home. But there is a sister in our
zone that is leaving at the end of this transfer, so i guess it must
actually happen. haha

Thats crazy natalie and william are gonna be married for a whole year
now, i told Mar Lu, this girl that always goes with us on Sundays to
visit people about Natalie and William and the crazy fast courtship,
and she was a little shocked. She`s been dating a guy for four months
and know that she wants to marry him, but not yet... but i told her,
why wait?! :) haha Jenny Cluff is engaged?? thats crazy.

Aaaa Nina is going to come and stay with you?? HOw random is that, but
awesome. I hope she enjoys my yellow room! Maybe the tights would be
good to have. On the colder days here I`ve been wearing them and I
think they help. YOu could send the sweaters if you want, I still have
like 4 cardigans. I just dont know how to prepare for this crazy
weather. The other night we got a ride home from one of our
investigators, De and they had a temperature gage in their car,
in fahrenheit so we could understand it! It was a little cold, I
wouldn`t have minded having a jacket, and it was 75 degrees!!! I`m not
sure what I`m gonna do when its super cold. HOpefully i adjust no mas,
everyone keeps telling me that its gonna be colder and longer than
last winter... Man the weather is crazy. 

DEbbie! Congratulations on graduating from preschool! Thats awesome!
What are you all gonna do in pageant? whats the plan! Tell me
everything!

Mom! You`re a relief society teacher! How awesome is that! what a fun
calling. YOu are gonna learn so much. I still have so so so much to
learn about teaching. The hardest thing for me is to ask inspired
questions. I need to keep them involved, thinking, and understanding
everything, and its rough stuff. The word on the street is that theres
going to be a new Preach my gospel in July, have you heard anything?

I received a brownie recipe today! But not the others... hopefully
i`ll get them soon. HTe mail is so awesome in South America :) You
found Hermana thorpes mom! How awesome! That makes me happy. We always
talk about our moms!

Well. the work is slow here... Hermana Thorpe and I are looking for
new investigators. On Thursday we decided we were wasting time with
pretty much all of them, they weren`t progressing, and we decided to
drop ALL of them, but one. Super hard, because we just want them to
know how amazing the gospel is. There are so many people that are so
confused. Like it says in the scriptures ¨when they are learned they
think they are wise and hearken not to the counsels of God¨ its pretty
rough. Sometimes I just want to take them by the shoulders and shake
it into them! THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH! YOU NEED THE GOSPEL IN YOUR
LIVES! YOUR SALVATION DEPENDS ON THIS! They are so comfortable where
they`re at and they don`t know what their missing. Its sad, but we are
going to find the elect, I know they`re out there.

We`re trying a different approach, where we just ask them hey! Did you
know families can be eternal? Or Did you know Jesus came here, to the
americas?? But that one doesn`t seem to work to good, because they
always say yes, and then I don`t know what to say. Haha it stumps me.
Well, me too! haha but we are trying to find the elect and not waste
the Lord`s time.

Maria Louis, the evangalist that we decided to drop promised us she
was going to coem to the stake conference we had yesterday, amazing i
thought! We told her we `d pick her up and go together. I decided to
call her in the morning to make sure she was awake and raedy, and when
I called her son answered and said she went to church, the other
church. Disappointment. I immediately thought maybe we can pass by
anyways, but we didn`t. Last night we went by her house and she was
there and she told us that she woke up at seven got showered and put
all kinds of make up on and was super ready to go, and when we called
she had just stepped out to buy some bread for her family to eat for
breakfast, but sat there waiting for us all morning... aaaa why didn`t
we listen to the spirit? Hermana thorpe said she had the same thought,
maybe we should just pass by anyways, but we didn`t and she didn`t go
and mian... I was kicking myself all the way home last night. Its so
frustrating to be human! But I am grateful for repentance and hermana
thorpe and i have decided taht we tell each other everything we`re
thinking and act on the whispering of the spirit immediately.
Hopefully we`ve learned our lesson and will be able to follow the
spirit better now.

Today we`re going to go out to eat Mexican, Hermana THorpes favorite.
We`re excited. Right now its raing cats and dogs, and bears and lions
and all kinds of craziness! Maybe we`ll e stuck in the internet for
awhile. its really nuts. Thats crazy you`ve had a bunch of rain. Are
all the flowers coming up, trees blossoming, grass green? I think
every tree here has so awesome flower or exotic fruit. its really
pretty.

This is our very last full week together, I can`t believe I`m about to
finish another transfer in the mission. Hermana Thorpe and I are going
to work super hard.

I love you all. I know this gospel is true, and absolutely essential
for all of our salvation. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and
that He understands everything, and can help us. I am so grateful our
family is eternal. I love you all so so so much. Thanks for
EVERYTHING!

Hermana Olsen