Emily, 4.23.12

Wow, i am so glad you had a good day mom, and you have great friends to take care of you. I prayed for you! I sent you a birthday letter awhile back - and one for nat too - hopefully you get them soon! I haven`t received any packages - but i have been waiting anxiously :) Cualquier rato, seguro. Hna Ramirez has been telling me about the technology that has been progressing - and it blows my mind! I only wonder what it`ll be like when ig et home - shocking for sure. Elder Howell is in seattle washington?? I didn`t know that. Several missionaries from my MTC district went there. I wonder if they know each other. Is he speaking english or spanish? How did dad`s work go? and is going? How is his new program and everything? 

This week was good -. we had a zone conference and it was awesome! We talked about Mosìah 2-5 and I loved it! We also study in depth some chapters from the book of mormon and pres Calderòn explains it so clearly, in a way i had never even thought - always pondering every word of order. It is awesome. In MOsìah 2:4 i think it talks about having righteous men as teachers - and we talked about how in the church we don`t call good teachers to teach, we call good men, righteous men, and then they become good teachers thanks to the spirit. then a verse or two later there is a cause and affect. If we keep the commandments (cause) we will be full of God`s love (effect). When we are full of God`s love it affects everything we do and the WHY of it all. In the mission do we do contacts in the street just to complete with the goals, check it off the list, or do we do contacts because we love the people and we hope that they too can have eternal life. We also talked about service and how important it is to serve, that it transforms us. In Mateo 25:37-39 - what is it that made them righteous? That they served their fellow men. When we serve, we become righteous people. Later in the chapter it also talks about if we don`t repent we leave the presence of God. It made me remember that talk mom sent me about grace and that we have to learn heaven. If we don`t repent we are not gonna feel comofortable in heaven. we are gonna leave .- its not that God is gonna kick us out, we leave. He wants us to say, but its all up to us. 

In the end president talked about his first years married. He said they had to live in the middle of nowhere bewcause they couldnj`t afford rent. Hermana Claderòn decided she would stay home with her kids like the prophets counseled, and they sacrificed a lot. There wasn`t any water where they lived so they ahd to dig a well and pull all of the buckets of water out by hand. Everything they used was like htis - shower, baths, laundry, food, to drink, everything they had to heave out the water by buckets. and they did it so they could follow the prophets counsel. it reminded me of hte talk that said that there is nothing shameful to have to scrimp and save a little. The family is hte most important. and its true! its the most important for me. 

Well the time flew by today. Everything is good here. We keep looking for the elect, and God is blessing us. I love you all lots. THank you for your support and prayers! Please take care of yourselves! The church is true!

love
Hermana Olsen