Tuesday, June 26, 2018

New companion!

Mon., 6/25/2018 (Luque)

Well here's the week in summary as I don't have too much time!

 It was week 6 of the change and we would have had a baptism, of our investigator Ramses, but the whole family got sick, and we'll have to wait a week or 2!

We received changes and it turns out that Elder Aguilar will be leaving! We then received a call today confirming that I'll be training a new missionary starting tomorrow! This change Elder Garrett went home, and Elders Baez and Tesucun also will be going home. It kind of hits home, because I'm going home relatively soon too! That reminded me of a quote that Pte Thomas S Monson gave, "Serve where you're called. Not where you were, or could be. Serve where you're called." That's what I'm here to do. Following in the footsteps of my trainer, Elder Bridge, and his trainer, Elder Wheeler, I will probably be finishing my mission training! Exciting stuff!

Thank you all for the emails and prayers!

Pictures:

1 From Zone Conference.

2 Burning our trash (there's no other way).

3 pt 2

4 The District sang Happy Birthday to Hna Alegre (next to me) and Elder Lovelace (one of our APs and a long time friend in the mission, we go back to the MTC in Mexico).

5 Our full District: Elder Baines from Canada, Elder Follett from the US, Elder Sotec and Elder Torres from Peru, Elder Aguilar, Hna Coy from Guatemala, and Hna Alegre from Peru!

and here are some throwbacks that I just got a hold of!




Monday, June 18, 2018

Out of time

Mon., 6/18/2018 (Luque)

Sorry! I'll have to write more next week as it's late and we're out of time! It was a fast week and we'll have a baptism this week! Thanks for the prayers, emails and Birthday wishes! [Elder Olson turns 21 on June 20!]

 I love you all!

[Elder Olson answered questions from his Mom]:

Q: What does Paz del Chaco mean?  Celebrating something?

A: Paz del Chaco means Peace of the Chaco; it marked the end of a bloody war.

Q: Are you in Bella Vista or Luque?

A: Bella Vista is the name of the ward and an area of the city. The city is Luque.

Q: Are you the District Leader now?

A:  As we're in a whitewash, I am not a District Leader anymore.

Q: Why did you teach in District Meeting?

A: Our District Leader didn't want to teach so we did instead. (It's weird as people think I'm District Leader, not him.)

Q:  What do the members feed you?

A:  The food we commonly eat for lunch is noodles with a little bit of meat, and if we're lucky fruits and veggies. Sometimes rice too. If it's a holiday-like Sunday was-then they serve Dio an asado (bbq consisting of basically 90 percent meat). Food here is eaten with a fork in the right hand and a piece of bread in the left. Sometimes they give us hot chocolate and a bread called mbeju when we are in lessons. We walk normally but sometimes take colectivos. Occasionally members give us rides but that's not common. Most people live in houses here, which are almost always 1 floor. Many have cars, many have motos and some people get by with just colectivos.

Q: Do you wash your clothes or does someone else do it?

A:  We have our landlady--who is a member--do the clothes. 

Q:  Are you playing the piano in your Sunday meetings?

A: I normally play piano, but this week I was in the choir.  Elder Sotec and I--he is from the other Bella Vista area--rescued them because it was 4 ladies.  Honestly they needed help so we went up there to help for Ward Conference.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Another week in Bella Vista!

Mon., 6/11/2018 (Luque)

Here we are once again on P-day. Today is Paz del Chaco day in Paraguay, so everything's closed everywhere. Good thing that there are despensas (a little room in front of peoples houses where they sell food) everywhere, so we won't starve this week! Also the fact that there are lunches with members every day! NOTE: If y'all have any questions or anything you'd like me to write about, let me know so I can make it interesting! This week was a bit of a slow one, with little noteworthy activities, but here are a couple of things that happened this week:

1 We got caught outside in the evening during a power outage and it was crazy dark! We could see the stars pretty well.
2 We have multiple members that asked us for copies of the Book of Mormon to give to their friends.
3 Shouting the words "tu primo" (your cousin) just became super popular in Bella Vista.
4 Elder Aguilar and I taught the lesson in District Meeting.
5 We helped a family move this week! It reminded me of the service projects helping people move with the missionaries in the states!
6 We went to the church for correlation Sunday afternoon and the choir was practicing. Well,there were only 3 ladies singing. Elder Sotec and I and Richard Britez (a Returned MIssionary that jjjjjjjjjjjjjust got home) went up to help and they sounded better.
7 There's an elderly man named Thomas that we've been teaching recently, and he came to church! We're not sure how much he understands, but he was beaming to just be there at church!
8 Members actually feed us here! Like real food! It still amazes me! hahaha. They are awesome here!

In my study of the scriptures, Liahona magazines, and so forth, I learned a lot about a 3-word phrase this week, which is "strive to magnify." We need to work and do our best to keep the commandments, work, and such but sometimes we don't do the best job, or by the choices of others or extenuated circumstances we aren't able to work to our potential! But God doesn't care as much in WHAT we do, but more in HOW and WHY we do it! For example if we keep the commandments so that others can see, we are like the Pharisees! But if we aren't perfect, recognize that, and try to get better, just like the publicans in Christ's parables! I also read a lot in 2nd Nephi and there were a ton of things I learned, but to sum it all up, Nephi was inspired of God, so were all the other prophets, and so is our prophet today. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is literally (as the name says) the church of Jesus Christ (that's why it's called that), and let me tell you, following the commandments is the best option if you want to be happy! I hope y'all have a good week! Thanks for the prayers and emails!

My camera won't upload the photos, so there won't be photos this week, sorry! Hopefully next week!

Wednesday, June 6, 2018

Che ro´y, koi hum, Its cold

Mon., 6/4/2018 (Luque)

Well, as the title says, it's a little cold here, well that means 40s or 50s, but that's a lot colder than a month ago! We had a busy week this week. As I may have mentioned, our mission is working on being more effective, and that has brought us to work more with the members. We have gotten to know many of them a lot better than before! It works better for us because, honestly, it's more successful for us and the members like being visited! We had a couple days with rain and a little cold, but the work goes on! 

Saturday we had a baptism of a girl named Zaira! She's 14 and goes to church by herself (not including when she brings her friends!). Her mom is a member but recently has been working on Sundays. Zaira understands all that we have taught her and is one of the most converted people I've seen in my mission! We've only been here a couple of weeks, but we have already seen the Lord's hand in the work. Other than the Baptism, the Bishop now knows I play the piano (honestly not really at all but they're all happy) so I played in Sacrament Meeting. 

One day this week we visited a family that really doesn't have a lot, and they have been passing [missing church?] a lot recently. We as missionaries were there to help them. During the lesson the daughter in the family that is 12 years old was cooking their dinner, and even though they had NOTHING, she was insistent that we eat with them. To refuse would be impolite. I have really come to see this week the importance of Christ's teaching that we need to be like little children, just like this one girl. How many of us (everyone) maybe think about ourselves first and others after? It's common. But really people with nothing still trying to give to others first, that's what Jesus Christ teaches us. Maybe giving time to visit someone sick when we have no time, maybe congratulating someone else for winning when we lose, maybe even turning the cheek instead of fighting when others bother us!

This has been a good week, and I am getting to like Bella Vista more and more. It's a night and day difference, working alone and working with members! Thank you all for your emails and prayers! We see miracles daily, and they only come as a result of our (and your) faith! I hope y'all have a good week!

Pictures:




1+2+3 Zaira Blanco's Baptism!

4 Last P-day with Elder Johnson, Elder Skelton and Elder Aguilar.

5 Our chapel, it's hard to get a good picture.

6 A cow. Oops.  Well I guess the cow didn't show up in number 6 (it's behind the pole) but that's my companion Elder Aguilar!

7 same as 6

8 I'm not sure which came first, the tree or the road...

9 Elder Aguilar with our new favorite tree.

For some reason I can't send more photos than this, the computer has some kind of problem!