Emily 6.25.12

Rain, rain go away . . . to Manti!


IT rained a TON this week. There is flooding in some parts. I washed my clothes Monday morning and they didn`t dry out till Friday! It`s crazy, i didn`t know it could rain so much. It pretty much rained 4 days  straight and they said its gonna rain some more starting tomorrow. Hopefully we can get our clothes all dried out before it comes again. I`ll praying that it goes to Manti. It`s definitely a challenge to being a missionary in so much rain. But its also a blessing, some of the people have pitty on us and they let us in their houses to warm up a bit.

WHAT ARE YOU ALL IN PAGEANT???? I love pageant time and have been thinking about it this week. I hope you have lots of fun visits and enjoy the spirit! Tell all the Petersons hi for me and i`ll be waiting for all the letters that they`re gonna send me - the time is short! ;) Have you seen Felicia yet? if you do tell her hi! and Steph gets home soon, right? What else is new?

This week has been good. We have been visiting Arturo and Sara. We visited them on Tuesday and they said they hadn`t realized how close July 7 was and they didn`t know if they were gonna be able to plan
everything for that date. We told them about fasting and prayer, and they said they were gonna do their best. They said they don`t have enough money to be able to do everything they had wanted (rings, a wedding dress). We had planned on teaching them about tithing, but as they talked about the need for more money i was a little nervous at how they were gonna take it. Nefi and Ninnet, a young couple that live next door to us, that are members, came with and shared their testimony of temple marriage and how its worth every sacrifice. It was awesome. As we talked about fasting, Ninnet mentioned fast offerings and the Arturo asked one of his inspired questions, he said "I already feel like a member and I was wondering if you could explain to me how I can pay my tithing?" I smiled and said, well I love tithing because it is a commandment that has a promise that blessings will be poured out until there is not room enough to receive them. He replied that that sounded like something his family needed right now. It amazes me the faith that he has. We taught him and they are excited to be able to pay their tithing - i think they might start before they are baptized. AWESOME ;) I called Thursday and Arturo was pretty stressed out with everything, and they had a small dispute about the wedding. Arturo said that he thought they would need 5 more weeks to be able to get it already. WOW Hermana Gayol and I studied a bunch on Friday for them, and we went armed with scriptures that talked about the dangers of procrastinating their repentance. We had a planned lesson, with lots of prayer and study, that would help them feel how urgent it was that they act now. When we got there they told us that they had gone to the distribution center with hna Leyla, and bought scriptures, scripture cases, hymn books, the gospel principles book, Book of Mormon for children, the bible on cd, and they subscribed themselves for the Liahona. They were content with everything. They said they just wandered around and they never wanted to leave, they felt how sacred it was - the garments are all there too. It was neat. We started our lesson with a song and tried to do what we had planned, but it just didn`t seem right. They say they know they are gonna do it, but it might take a little longer. But I believed them. They are so happy and excited. They even said they had prayed about it and they felt the peace they were looking for. You can`t fight with that. I ended up sharing how special they are for me (I may have cried a little - they were thinking the end of July, and I am not gonna be here) and how they just need to be SO careful, because the devil how great members they are gonna be. Sara cried to, we`re just a bunch of cry babies ;) They said maybe for facebook or skype I could go to their wedding and baptism, haha.

THey went to church yesterday (suit, tie, skirt, scriptures in hand - everything!). As we were going into Relief Society I asked Sara how their plans were for their wedding and she said "they`re good hermana olsen, but we have a surprise for you." But they don`t want to tell me yet! We have a family home evening with them tonight and they`re gonna tell us. I`m hoping and praying it will be that their wedding and baptism is gonna be before I leave. Maybe July 21 - that way i`ll still get to go to a wedding that weekend, even if its not Neils! ;) but I don`t know. I just know that they are a family that is super special for me, and I love them like crazy! And as we talked that night I felt how its not that important that I cant be there - the important thing is that they do it, that they get baptized and start preparing to go to the temple. They are so great because when we ask them why they are gonna do it all, they say so we can go to the celestial kingdom and be an eternal family and live with God again. And they want all their family and friends to be there too, so they are sharing the gospel with everyone! its awesome!

We also received a referral this week from the guard at the institute. He gave us the name Josue, and said that he had come to the institute several times, that he liked it, was interested, and wanted to be baptized. wow! Sounds like an awesome referral right?  We called him and made an appointment to teach him in the institute. When we went he wasn`t there, but he had gone early and left a note for apologizing for not being able to go. We thought wow, he must really be interested, how responsable! We called him and made  another appointment but this time in the church. He said was very willing and we met him there. He beat us there, and I was thinking - how awesome is that. He must have felt the spirit and know its all true. WE`re
gonna baptize him! Turns out he was born in Bolivia, but grow up in Texas. We started teaching him and he seemed like a great guy. We asked what he thought about the institute and he said "its beautiful, the walls are well built, its huge, a really great learning environment" - hmm not exactly what we were hoping to hear, but
well.... So i asked him later what he was hoping for from our visits - he said  he was flabbergasted (I didn`t know I had that affect on people) i asked why, and he said "I thought this was a business meeting" Apparently the guard had told him he could teach english classes there. hahaha We taught him anyways and invited him to church. But it was an interesting experience. haha


We are also teaching Paola. She is a great girl - but a little strange. She accepted a baptismal date for July 13 (yep, its Friday the 13, but it fits her... ;)) She is excited. She has a boyfriend so we taught her about the law of chastity, and she said she would live it, that it  wasn`t a problem. She smoked, so we taught her the word of wisdom, and she has gone a whole week without smoking. It was neat because she has been praying to know if this is the true church and she hadn`t received an answer. We asked again when we went and she said she talked about the church with her boyfriend and he started saying.. things about the church and she found herself defending the church. She said in that moment she felt like it was all true. It was neat. She went to church yesterday and really liked it. The gospel is changing her life and its amazing to see.

It has been a great opportunity to be here so long because i have been able to see Paula, Isabel, and Jesus progress in the gospel. Isabel came to a lesson with us. The hna was saying that she didn`t know if she would be baptized again, because she is already baptized. Isabell piped in all on her own, and shared how she was baptized as a baby too, but she started going to church, received her answer and found out it was true, and now she goes every week, and she is happy. It was so special. Yesterday in sunday school we talked about the Holy Ghost and Jesus shared his testimony of when he knew it was all true. Jesus and Paula have the temple recommends and are gonna do baptisms. It is so neat!

Well i love you all!
Hna Olsen