Emily's last email 7.23.12

Hey elise! happy birthday! Thanks for the letter.... and no
information! haha guess i`ll just have to be patient:) That`s to bad
John won`t be there friday, but i`ll see him soon ;)

Sounds like things went great! Youth conference sounds awesome, Neil
and Caitlin are sealed for forever! thats so happy! And the olympics -
justito voy a llegar.

It has been an amazing week. We visited Paola this week. She is
progressing like a weed! It`s amazing. We called her on Monday to see
how she was doing and she cleaned her room! Ever since we met him she
always said that her room is a huge disaster and that it was aweful.
But she received the gift of the Holy Ghost and didn`t want to live
like that anymore. So she cleaned it, dejunked everythign, and she
started reading the book of mormon. Yesterday she told us she was in
Enos! She`s flying. She also read about half of the daughters in my
kingdom book - she is super excited to belong to such an amazing
program -.relief society! She also asked if she read all of the gospel
principles book if she could go to the other sunday school class. -
haha. She is so funny. She asked us if it was a sin to call her
boyfriend a lamanite. When she got to church yesterady she said she
has sinned gravely. We asked why? and she said they invited her to
help clean the church on saturday and she didn`t go - cause she didn`t
find out till late. haha she is so great, and so much happier. She is
loosiing all her excess weight, taking better care of herself - and
its amazing. The gospel changes lives.

We talked to Diego yesterday. He is amazing. According to him he used
to be a hard core rocker. And then he met his girlfriend (who also
loves rock, but is a member). He has been going to church with her in
another ward and has changed completely. It is so amazing. Now he
spends his sundays in shirt and tie, visiting in active young adults,
and going to church everywhere! haha We had taught him before and we
told him he needed to pray about hte church and baptism. He told us he
wanted to have a dream, and we explained that God doesn`t always
answer that way, sometimes, but not always. But he is a man of great
faith  -.because saturday night he received his answer in his dreams.
He knows the gospel is true, and he needs to be baptized. He is so
excited! The picture i sent with the couple is Diego, and his
girlfriend, Margot. He is going to be baptized on August 11. awesome!
They promised to put their pictures on facebook!

Arturo and sara started their family history this week. Arturo had his
interview to receive the priesthood, and hopefully the sunday he can
receive it. I am so happy for them.

The gospel is so real. Its true. all of it. And it changes lives. The
atonement is amazing, and i am so grateful to be able to apply it in
my life.

I can`t believe i am going home this week. It still doesn`t seem real.
The mission is so amazing. I have learned, struggled, enjoyed, and
grown so much. I feel eternally grateful for this special, sacred time
to be a full time representative of Jesus Christ. I am just hoping to
be able to keep up the excitement all my life. I love you all lot and
lots. See ya soon!

Hermana Olsen