Mon., 12/26/2016
Picts. 1

1 with Elders Passos Hale and Robalino and the familia Benitez; we painted their house

2 with Elder Hale painting. A lot of pictures there is a bad one and a good one, so sorry if I send non photogenic pictures

3 painting

4 painting more

Mon., 12/26/2016
And more...

1 Shangri La for our last P day
2 Asuncion

3 Our sink, thats baically a pipe with a stopper on the end

4 pan dulce, we get this at least every week from a member

Ok I have to go now, have a good wek!

Mon., 12/26/2016
Mooore picts.

1 the milk liter boxes we get

2 the milk bags we also get

3 our sammich (sandwich) toaster. We have this and a stove to cook stuff, so it gets use a lot

4 the keyboards here...

Mon., 12/26/2016
More pics.
1 Elder Passos and I and Hermana and Hermano Gomez. She is a convert, and is strong in the church. She feeds us every week and the other Elders every week, and she heard we were sick so she made us a 5 gallon bucket of fruit salad, Paraguay style. He is inactive, never has a shirt on and is always partially drunk, but he is really nice and always says tranquilo. He always tells us he has read from the Book of Mormon, but the one he has is in guarani and he can't read it, but we pull it out and read to him in guarani sometimes. They say that they are our Paraguayan Parents, because whenever we stop by they give us ice cream, and they feed us all the time. Great couple.

2 since y'all asked for random pictures of what is around the house, here is some. The shower head.

3 the bathroom

4 the other side of the bathroom

Mon., 12/26/2017
Pics 2
1 carried that lawnmower halfway across Paraguay

2 same as 1

3 Christmas in Paraguay! I forgot to tell, we traded ties and shirts and stuff like that for Christmas.

4 As a parting gift, Elder Passos gave Elder Bridge a matching... Simpsons shirt hahaha

Mon., 12/26/2016
It has been a busy week as usual. I had to work with Elder Robalino 2 days this week, but its the end of the transfer so we won't have to do that anymore. President found out and he wasn't approving of how us 2 were together 2 times a week. The second day we were together, we had a service project, with Elders Passos and Hale, and scraped the walls of and repainted a house for a less active family. Then on Thursday we had another service project where we had to carry a lawn mower around 4 or 5 km to, and we cut her grass and weeds and other such tasks. The other Elders joined us, and we had 2 machetes and a lawn mower going. The yard had an old septic tank or pit or something in it that we weren't notified of beforehand, and that made it a lot harder because the yard was all wet and swampy. It was a scorcher that day, and no clouds. We worked for a few hours, and couldn't finish, so we told the Hermana(our recent convert who is getting surgery soon) that we had to leave. She was super mad, and it was knid of sad because we had done what we could and it wasn't good enough. Then we still ahd to carry that lawnmower to its owner, then walk a couple more km home. By the time we got home, Elder Robalino and Passos were home from a couple things they had to do after the project, and Elder Robalino was vomiting and such. He soon was taken to then hopsital. That night, I started vomiting and such too, and all friday I couyldn't get off my bed or I would throw up from having to stand. Fun stuff. Saturday was Christmas Eve, and I had to stay in with Elder Robalino who was just out of the hospital and finally ok after 2 days with an IV, but Elder Passos was fine from his diarrhea the previous day and Elder Bridge was fine so they went out and got stuff by members. Christmas eve here is christmas, because they are all drunk and eat tons. Theyall have different music in each house but it is all blasted and every house is different. Plus around midnight EVERYONE EVERYWHERE sets off fire works. Imagine Germany or London getting bombed in WW2. It was crazy. Sunday was Christmas. Elder Bruidge had to take a pill series called the bomb on friday that kills everything bad in your system since he is laving this week, so he finally felty it on sunday. He was super sick. We all had to give talks in church about Christmas, except for Elder Robalino. We gave Elder Bridge a blessing right at the beginning of church, and he was healed and had no pain til after his talk. Then he felt bad again. He stayed behind with Elder Robalino, and Elder Passos and I went out to go to lunch and other appointments. One lady is giving us a % gallon bucket of fruit salad... We can't even fit that in the fridge. They love the Elder here. We also taught a lesson in Portuguese, and I gave out my first portuguese O Livro De Mórmon. Elder Passos is from Rio, and the 3 people we taught are from Brazil too. They have a brother who is a less active in our ward. Then after that we skyped. Y'all know what happened for mine, but before there was an hermana in Argentina whose family and friends had to skype from the church and they started way late. After me was the 2 latinos then Elder Bridge. He isn't even emailing today because He is going to be home this week. Today we went to Asuncion, and had time so we went to Shangri La, which is like a chinese Golden Corral. It was really good, they had all kinds of good food but the best was some honey glazed fried chicken stuff. Then we went to the office and waited for Elder Bridges interview. Then we came here, and that's the week! I'll send pictures, but I don'ty have too much time. Ciao!

Los amo,

Elder Olson
matthew.olson@myldsmail.net
Paraguay Asuncion North Mission

Mon., 12/19/2016

Its been a busy 6 weeks! Most of the time has been just working a lot. Weve had a good dealof rain, and its been raining all day. 2 Saturdays ago we had a baptism! It was this nice lady whos around 60 years old, and she was excited to get baptised. That day we went to the church at 6:30 and cleaned the baptismal font, then started filling it with water. We went home and got ready for the day, then came back and turned the water off. Then we made brownies and a coconut cake for the baptism. We had the baptism around 4 that day, and then had our food and some sandwiches and soda. then last monday we went  to San Lorenzo, Del Maestro and Mboi'y for Elder Bridges despedidas(visiting old areas is allowed for 2 mondays in you last change in the mission.) Mboi'y was last, and we were a bit behind schedule when we got on a collectivo to Limpio(were right outside of Limpio). Well the bus went back to San lorenzo. Then Asuncion, and then Limpio. It took us a loooot longer to get home. So thats why I didn't email much last week. The next day, Tuesday, we went to Asuncion for a 2 zone conference. It was pretty good and we learned a lot. After, we had a few things to get, and oredered my Guarani nametags. They should be here before my training is over! To answer dads question, yes we use the Light the World video and pass along cards, but for us its Illuminar el Mundo. Wednesday and Thursday were really hard, because I had to work with Elder Robalino 2 days straight and he is just as new as me, and we had to walk super slow because he has an ankle problem or something like that. But I was back with Elder Bridge for the rest of the week. Saturday we had a cool service project; the 4 of us elders helped Hermano Flor tear down half of his house. That took al morning, then later that day was another baptism, this time for Elders Passos and Robalino, but Elder Bridge and I ended up cooking the brownies and this time made a marble cake, because the other Elders can't cook. We also went tothe store because the bishop gave us 50 mil to spend on soda and cookies and such. Yesterday after church we had lunch with Hermana Gomez; she feeds us every Sunday and its always a ton. She stuffed us full of empanadas, rice, milanesa, and fruit salad, among other stuff, (and by the way we have to eat everything we can stuff into our faces because its rude to not eat everything you're given) then after we couldn't finish she brought out ice cream. We were slowed down all day, but didn't even need to eat dinner hahaha. Today was Elder Bridges last Pday for despididas. We went to an area called Piquete Cue, which doesn't have many trees. A minute or 2 after we got off the collectivo, the rain started. It was really hard rain. Since then it has been raining all day. We are in Luque for emailing. This is my last week with Elder Bridge, since he is leaving in a week for home, and I'll have a new companion. I will probably stay here for the next 6 weeks, but it is possible that they will send me to another area, who knows? Thats all for this week, but I hope you all have a good one!

Elder Olson
matthew.olson@myldsmail.net
Paraguay Asuncion North Mission