Peter 10.29.12

hello,

i'm so glad that hey area everything worked out. elise mentioned that the baby was in a weird position and he's a big boy! wow 9.1! 

this week was great! i love this area! my companion and the ward! i feel so blessed to be serving here. this week we found and taught J. We contacted him while he was in his garage and he at first was hesitant but he came around and now seems like he has been prepared. we are going to see him again tomorrow. He was asking during the first lesson if we maybe had time we could come teach him or something... it was awesome! we assured him that we could. we also began teaching a members friend this week! N and her boyfriend. they have also been really prepared. N came to church yesterday and enjoyed it. it was so stress free with her friend bringing her and sitting by her. so we didn't have to play match maker to find a friend to show her around and she had attended an LDS service before in the cocoa ward. she is great and seems very ready for the gospel. she has 5 kids 2 boys are old enough to be baptized and her we feel very blessed especially because this week we started praying for a family to teach. we have received so many referrals here its been crazy! we also have a lot of part member families that we are hoping to start teaching.

i hope all is well and that jens is doing well. you'll be in my prayers.

i love you!

Elder Olsen

mom note.  Elise was thinking about Jens as her baby's name but settled on Josh.

Peter 10.22.12

wow i didn't know Micheal Lutes was going on a mission already!?! where is he going? when does he leave? I'm glad you were able to hear thomas report. i was thinking  about him recently. i'm glad he's doing well.

 i'm in a brand new area. the title is R east. but we really cover merritt island, cocoa beach and cape canaveral. the nasa space center is just outside our area so we'll hopefully get to see a launch :)  i didn't realize that we were opening a new area when i emailed last week. it wasn't until later that i called my new companion. so i went to the mission office and picked up the keys to our new apartment, supplies to proselyte with and an empty area book. it was pretty exciting! i am out of central florida for the first time. i'm now in the Cocoa stake. our area is basically two peninsulas with bridges that connect them. it is great! we on merritt island. and the church is over on the main land. the ward was covered by one set of missionaries before and they rarely made it out to the coast. so we came in and split the ward. How do you open an area? well we are trying to figure that out. we figure out were we are at, what our area is and then start talking to people. members, non members and work to find people to teach. we have 1 investigator that was being taught when we got here and we have i person that was baptized about a week ago. other than that we are looking for people everywhere. we have been going to members homes, principles get to know them and ask for referrals. we have recieved 5 this week. we will be contacting them soon.

it has been really fun because most of the people we talk to haven't seen missionaries very much before so most people we meet don't have much of an opinion about us yet. really this has been a huge blessing and opportunity. i'm grateful for it. this week has seemed kind of like a blur so much has happened but we are now pretty well settled in and are ready to focus 100% on proselyting  Elder Hibbard is from merridian idaho. he has been out for about 16 months and is great! he is a great missionary! he loves fly fishing and hunting.

well i've gotta go!

I love you!

Elder Olsen

ps my address is

200 spring dr. unit 8

Merritt Island, Fl 32953

Peter 10.15.12

hello

mom that's amazing that you all had bikes in working order to ride to church! i had a saddle bag thing on my bike for a while it worked really well! but i recently gave it away. and yes it has been cooling down here. i think its been down into the low 70s. its been great!  i'm getting transferred today... I'll be going to the Rocklage east area! its in a zone I've never been in and i may be able to see the ocean from there for the first time. i'll give you more information next week. i'll be going there tomorrow! i feel that this ward has moved a long way in the last 6 months.

Elder Zwick finally made it! He's been trying to for months. we had a mission conference when he came. he taught us a lot about teaching and using principles  examples, backing up doctrine scripturally and testifying frequently  it was simple but it has been powerful as we have began using it.

Dad

i can only imagine how much Isaac has changed. its crazy that bryant and steven could be going on missions so soon but it will be great! Elder Zwick said that the church has projected that the missionary force will jump to 90,000 missionaries in the next 6 months. the number amazed me but the Lord is now hastening his work!

Dane

Great job! you really pushed it to cut off 40 sec. in just a week. we'll have to go running when i come back. i've been running at least 5 days a week since march. but i'm not sure how much faster i'm getting... i also liked your analogy about the race. thanks and i will be pushing it! and i'm excited for the opportunity to really push it! i will have only 6 weeks to do so in my next area so we are going to have to work like crazy! and i'm glad the trucks still goin' good for you! i really look up to you! thanks for the great Example

your brother

Elder Olsen

ps i just finished using the 12 week program with Elder Kunzler. it is an inspired program. i think it helped me more than elder kunzler.

Peter is front and center.

He's coming home!

Peter will be coming home on November 28!  That is just 7 weeks away.  He will be speaking in church on December 9.  For details leave a comment or give me a call.  I'm very excited.

Peter 10.8.12

Mother dear!

I received Dane's letter with your note.

Conference was amazing! i really enjoyed it! especially with the minimum age requirement adjustment. i know one missionary from Portugal that came when he was 18. he is a great missionary. my testimony was truly strengthened that God has called a prophet again. God speaks! His work is going forward!

Conference seemed to fly by. i was shocked that Sunday afternoon came so fast. its strange here being that the sessions are from 12-2 4-6 and then priesthood from 8-10 it was a late night but well worth it. I'm currently not sure about a favorite... there were so many great ones! one that i really enjoyed was by a seventy it was about raising vision. seeing people as they can become. it really has raised my vision and i am excited to study it again. Elder Christofferson's talks were great! they seemed to really hit home. i have come to love learning from him. other favorites were Elder Uchdorfs talk in priesthood and Elder Holland's from Sunday. I've learned one way to take notes that is really been neat. i take notes on what was said and the general messages but in addition when i find myself thinking or pondering something else unrelated to the topic i make a star and record the impression. it was neat it was usually  a specific thing i needed to do or change. God will bring his messages to us whether we are told specifically by the speaker or by the spirit. the talk sat morning by the seventy that lost his child at 8 months by choking on a piece of chalk is exactly what M needs to hear. L would have benefited greatly to listen to some of the saturday sessions. i guess thats why they record it. i believe he was able to catch the last of the late afternoon session sunday.

 

Saturday while we were working to figure out how to get L to priesthood session. i was on the phone with him he informed us he wouldn't be making it and the conversation was about to end when i felt he had something to say. as he spoke up he said " i think that i'm going to get my whole family into the religion" Hallelujah! it actually took a little by surprise  we are taking a Book of Mormon in Spanish over tonight! we're excited for him to read. it's be great!

 

this week we will have a zone/mission conference with Elder and Sister Zwick. its been a long time they have been planning on coming and now they're going to actually be here this week. we are really excited! it will be held at the chapel and we are really excited to receive further instruction.

 

 

Dad,

its great to here from you! i'm glad the mining show went well! it sounds like the dump truck was really the trick! to get attention and also sounded like you have some awsome equipment!

 your letter almost made me cry. its so strange that my time to serve full-time is almost over. i will magnify the opportunities! are many and i am greatful for them and i know i can magnify them due to the help that is available! The Atonement is real!  thank you for your example you are to me. you really have given me the example of what elder Christofferson said a "Man" should be.

thank you! 

           I Love You!

              Elder Olsen

Peter, 10.1.12

'ello

I'm glad to here your still getting produce! that sounds so goood!  i have really started to like veggies. i can tell how much better i feel when i eat healthy. Dane looks like he is doing great!  i love how they both had to take their own trucks! Dane is supper tan. How did dad show do? did the dump truck work properly? is their any work that he'll get from getting it?

this week was really good!  We actually met with S 3 times. he is really doing very well. His baptismal date had to be moved till Oct 20. we had an awesome lesson with him and his member friends and Brother I came with. we taught about revelation and used 1 kings 19:12-13 about how the spirit works and it really helped him. we then prayed with him on the spot. and he received a confirmation.  prayer is real and answers can come really fast. i feel like we think God answers in his own time and that His time is not right now. but he does answer fast! revelation isn't something that is going to happen in the future. Revelation is real! God loves all his children! Jesus Christ has restored His Gospel! and HE SPEAKS!

we're super excited for conference as well

have fun at elise and Johns

love you

Elder Olsen

ps when is elise due? is everything ok