Emily, 11.7.11

To be able to finish.....

Hna Broome and I came home sad but determined. We called Elder Craig
and he said he would call adolfo. We also asked all of our district to
say a special prayer for him that night, and hna broome and i decided
to fast for him Friday. The day before his baptism. We prayed a lot,
and were hoping for a miracle.

Friday morning the zone leaders (elder Clark and Elder Palmer) came to
our house to pur screens in our windows so the mosquitos would stop
eating us. It was actually pretty funny. Our house is super nice. YOu
enter a door from the street and you enter a garage. Above the garage
lives a girl and we live behind the house in another house. But our
neighbor (the girl who lives above teh garage) has a dog. I had never
seen it, but every night when we come home it bartks its head off and
wepll just say if its bite is as mean as its bark then I hoped I`d
never have the opportunity top meet it. Friday morning we were waiting
for the Elders to come and for the water boys to bring us clean water
to drink. Our door bell rang, we went to our gate and i got to meet
that great bi dog that lives upstairs.. abnd it looked like its bite
was probably as mean as its bark. The door bell kept ringing b ut we
were trapped between our gate adn teh door to the street by this great
big dog. We found out it was the water boys and if we didn`t answer
the door they were going to leave and we were going to be without
water, We were desperate for water and decided wed have to make a run
for it. we gathered up all of our courage, opened the gate, and bolted
for the door. We flew out the garage door slamming it behind us in
time to see the water boys getting into the truck to leave. They just
looked at us like "what in the world are you crazy gringas doing?" Hna
broome and I looked at each other and began to laugh. Through fits of
laughter we tried to explain that there was a dog, and we were
trapped, but th at we still needed water.

Hna broome and i couldn`t stop giggling, the water boy just kept
staring at us like we were crazy, and then the elders walked up. haha
we explained everything to the elders and they said they would face
the big angry dog and go into our house to get our empty water bottled
to give them to the water boys. We sneakily opened the door and I will
never forget Elder Palmer fearlessly entering the garage with a little
baby hammer that he had brought to fix our screens. As they entered
the dog began to bark. Elder Palmer turned around, gave the dog a nasty
look, and threatened with his baby hammer and then kept walking, Elder
clark following close behind. We told them to be careful and they
thought we said the dog was coming  it only made us laugh more as they
took off running, flying through the gate and slamming it behind them,
much the same way we had just done it flying out the garage door. haha
just another morning in Bolivia - gotta love it.

Anyways - while the elders were helping with the screens we asked them
about Adolfo and what else we could do. They told us they had prayed
with our district the night before for him and they gave us some ideas
of scriptures we could use with him. Basically they gave us a little
pep talk. It was what I needed.

Friday night we went, fasting and praying for a miracle, to talk to
adolfo. We explained repentance, how it works and how it leads to
baptism. We also explained that we dont have to be perfect after
baptism, that thats why we have the sacrament. Because God knew we
were going to sin again so he has provided the opportunity for us to
repent and be made clean again every week. We bore testimony, read
scriptures, tried to help him understand the miracle of the atonement
and that he needed to let it work in his life. But he still didn`t
want it, he said he wasn't ready to be baptized, yet.

Hna broome and i left their house and i just began to bawl. it
seriously broke my heart. I cried a lot more then i`ve cried n a long
time. I just know that baptism is what he needs, its what is going to
help hium the most. When he receives the Holy Ghost its going to
strengthen him and help him to resist temptation. I just know with all
my heart that its the best thing he can do for his life, for his
family, for eternity. Its something that is going to change his life,
and he didn`t want it. I cried a lot friday night, and i prayed a lot.
I didn`t sleep much. Actually I think I woke up about every half house
and every time I woke up i said a little prayer for hno adolfo. It
truly broke my heart.

Its interesting. this week i received a whole bunch of dear elders
from all my missionary friends. I felt like the theme of all the
letters was learning to see the little miracles that God works in our
life every day. With hno Adolfo i was hoping, praying, and fasting for
a miracle. I was yearning to hear him say "you`re right hermanas, i
just need to be baptized, d`you think bishop sanchez could meet us in
the church tomorrow? lets just do it." But he didn`t. Friday night was
thinking about everything that had happened and I couldn`t help but
ask "why?" I know that God can change hearts, even the hardest of
hearts. You can read about it again and again in the book of mormon,
why didn`t he change adolfo`s heart? We were asking for something
righteous, why couldn`t this miracle happen? once again i was reminded
of Nephi when he said "I know God loves His children, but I do not
know the meaning of all things." I knew we were asking for a miracle -
a great big miracle, but I also knew it was absolutely possible. In
the midst of all of my ponderings I remembered what I had readin my
letters about seeing the little miracle, and then it hit me. All of
this transfer I have been praying to be able to feel charity for the
people that I am serv ing, to truly love them and see them as Christ
sees them. I realized that Friday night when we were teaching Adolfo I
had truly felt God`s love for him, and thats why it hurt so bad. I
truly feel charity for adolfo and his family. I wanted him to be
baptized not so we could say wepd had  another baptism last weekend, i
didn`t want it for the pictures, i wanted it because i iknow it is the
only way to true happiuness, the only way to eternal life, and it
broke my heart that he didn´t want it, yet.

And then I thought about God and how he must feel for all His
children. I just thought He must be so sad all the time. So many of
His children make such awful choices all the time. He has provided the
way for us to have never-ending happiness and so many people just
don`t understand. I feel a renewed desire to help the people here in
Bolivia see that Christ is THE way to true happiness, that only
through baptism hin HIS church can we start on the path. I truly love
the people here and i just want the best for them and the best I can
give them is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The miracle we were hoping for  - to see adolfo baptized - didnt
happen, yet. But a different miracle did. I felt what its like to
truly feel charity for someone. I felt it because I had truly done ALL
that I could to give adolfo the best that I could. Thats what Christ
did too. He gave His all, everything, so that we can have eternal
life. He loves us with His pure love. I`m sure it breaks His heart,
like adolfo broke mine, when we choose not to use His great gift of
the atonement in our lives, but He doesnt love us any less. I still
pray for adolfo every day and I can`t wait to hear hijm say that he is
ready to etner in by the gate that leades to eternal life. Just as we
keep teaching and praying for adolfo everyday, Christ is there praying
for, rooting for, and waiting for each of us to say "yes, I need thy
help, I want to accept the great gift of thy atonement in my life."
and when that day comes I can only imagine the amount of rejoicing and
happiness that we`re all going to feel. Its going to be amazing. We
didn`t witness the miracle we were hoping for, but the day of miracles
has not yet ceased.

Heavenly Father just keeps teaching me so much. The other day I told
hna broome, I don`t know why but Heavenly Father doesn`t see fit to
bless us with the things that I fast for. I know fasting is powerful,
and it works, but maybe I jsut don`t fast for the right things. I was
a little discouraged. But this fast sunday we fasted for the
investigators to come to church, three of them that we`re working
with. We prayed and prayed and hoped and fasted that they`d come. And
another miracle happened. All three came to church, and three other
investigators came to church too. It was as if God was saying, no
daughter, fasting works. You want three investigators in church? All
three are gonna go, and I`m gonna bless you , double fold, and you`re
gonna have 6 investigators in church. It was another miracle for me.
Heavenly Father is SO good to me. He is constantly blessing me. He
really does know whats best. I`m just gonna keep plotting along,
trying to learn all the lessons that He is teaching me, and share my
testimony in between.

We also had another miracle. Saturday morning the RS president called
us and said that she had a referral for us, of his neice. We called
her neice immediately and set up an appointment. Last night we went to
visit her. We asked why she wanted to receive us and she said I don`t
know, my aunt always asked me before if i wanted to talk to you guys,
but I told her no. But this time when she asked I just thought, ya, I
want to learn more. We talked a little more. She is catholic, but she
has found some things she doesn`t agree with in her church, and wants
to understand. She said she promised God she would pray every morning
adn night recently. She said sometimes she forgets and shes on her way
to school but then something just reminds her. Its like the light of
Christ is touching her and preparing her. I am so excited to teach
her. She truly is prepared to receicve the gospel. And her aunt is one
of the strongest members i have ever met. She is in good hands, and
she is about to experience a mighty change in her heart, and the
blessings are gonna come pouring out. Hooray for the gospel! Hoorah
for Israel!

I`m glad life continues to go well for you all. I am so happy here.
Transfers are in two weeks, and I`m nervous that hna broome is gonna
leave me ;( Ojala que no, she is so great and I love working with her.
I love you ltos and lots.

Love
Hermana Olsen