April 9, 2012

Hola!
Well this has been quite the last week. We had many experiences and opportunities that I really think have put a new perspective in my eyes as a missionary. Well to start with is business of course. Madre tu eres lo mas amorosa persona que conozco. No te precupes de los discos que me dio. Esta bien todo y no hay una problema mas. Really I am just grateful for the discs in the first place. Plus they are working fine now, I just had to learn how to jiggle the disc in right. Trust me it plays great and I am getting the workout of a lifetime! I love you and your concern for me it is quite the sign of a wonderful mother.

Well as for some of the going- ons here, We did just get transfers and I am staying again. I will probably finish about 9 months here in Wauchula because not only am I staying but I also am getting a new companion. Elder Wedell is his name. He is a little bit of a hard elder to be with is what everyone says but I have always liked Elder Wedell and I am sure we will have a great and fantastic transfer if not two. But the sad part is that Elder Berry is leaving. I can now say that I really will miss the guy. We were becoming such close friends that there was a few times that we would say the exact same things at the exact same time or react in the exact same way. For ex. we were reading an email he got once and we both leaned back and said "what?!? No Way..... then we both looked at each other and laughed and couldn’t stop laughing because it was like we were ha ha haing at the exact same time and it really was quite embarrassing! haha So he will be dearly missed as he goes to Fort Meyers to be a zone leader. Meanwhile I did just get called to be the district leader here which is cool.
Now as for you guys I am soo happy that Easter was great. For me it was like I have never before experienced it. I was thinking so much of the Savior and all that He did that I was more happy and more in tune to the Spirit than I ever have been before. We tried to do a couple things to just make us think more about Him some of those being listening to talks or carrying our favorite picture of the Savior in our pockets. It actually really helped. My favorite picture is " I AM" by Simon Dewey that I cut out of my calendar haha. It of course was the picture for my favorite month.. March hahaha So sounds like the activities were tons of fun and that you guys are really getting busy. By the way to break a little secret I had I also have been practicing the piano because we found a keyboard in our apartment. I am now able to play two handed for most of the hymns. well we have a little booklet that has hymns done easy or something so its not too complicated. But asides from that I hope all keeps going up! I am so happy you guys all got to see Chelsey. It makes such a difference and makes it a lot more important to see your family members when they are usually not there. Its like a relief and just makes the day worth it haha. I get to feel that way out here a lot. We do have family out here and sometimes going too long without visiting someone really makes you ache for them. haha

I do have quite the stores for you this week. First off though we did have a very low number week. It was very difficult because we had about 4 days out of work. We had music practice Monday and Tuesday then Wednesday we had dm and our splits was gone because the branch asked us to participate in a youth activity. Then Friday we went to a baseball game for a less active family in the ward and spent some time with them. But here’s the cool parts of the week. On Saturday we get up and get our transfer calls then after many phone calls from other missionaries we head out to frisbee where we had 10 on 10 which is the largest it has ever been. Then we get back and we were asked to participate in the primary easter activity so that was like 3 hours setting up and cleaning up and all, then here’s the really interesting part. We had been asked by an investigator named Mitch Kuck to go see what is called "The Story of Noah" Its kinda like an Easter Pagent kinda thing but its put on by a different church and instead of Christ during Easter they choose Noah. Anyways its suppose to be this huge deal and the tickets cost 20 bucks each so we were pretty excited to go. Plus it was such a good way to spend time with this investigator who is having a rough patch in his life. Oh yea and he took us out to eat at Giovanni's an italian restaurant. Well to skip a lot the play starts and its pretty intense. Like a great set! There are camels and all sorts of cool animals and they have real wooden carts and everything. Well to depict the wickedness back in the day they have some pretty graphic and intense moments. Not to mention like a lot of chastity comments like slaves being sold as "fresh meat" kinda deal. Oh yea and there is this scene where this really buff guy lifts a kid up by his neck and runs him through with a sword. So in other words very graphic. haha especially for a play where little kids are watching. Not to mention the music for the background is like Christian rock where these pubescent boys are wailing about Jesus. Yea just very very different from the Easter Pagent. haha Anyways its actually pretty good and entertaining until the end--like all the way to the last scene. Well the last scene is called the end of all times. So of course they bring out the white, red, black, and pale horse stuff and start showing like death stuff and seriously like freaking us out. Then all of a sudden out comes the boyish christian band music and Who else but black Jesus comes riding out on this beautiful horse at which the whole stands start stomping the stands and clapping and screaming! Yea so you got the drum beat, sparks going all over, black Jesus flying across the stage on his stallion sword in hand, wailing boy voices singing about Jesus, some other Jesus dancing some form of a modern dance with zombies praising him and moving with him, girls with flags dressed in white, and about 400 people shouting praise Jesus and screaming all kinds of other things. Elder berry and I were utterly bewildered. I seriously felt like I was participating in idol worship from the olden days. It was all emotion and no spirit. Well after a long while of this entourage the thing finally closes and the pastor of this church who was Noah runs out to the middle of the stage and gets on the mic. " Well ladies and gentlemen lets here it for Jesus!" "YEAA :ASLKHFPOE!!!!" Thank you so much for coming out tonight...... blah blah blah....... so we are sending out angels among you with buckets (at which about 40 people done up as angels run out throughout the crowd) Not gonna beat around the bush these buckets are for money. If you feel so inspired to through some in we would really appreciate it. (okay these angels are like funneling the stairs and ways to get out so you have to pass by them) Not only that but if you feel so inspired that tonight you need Jesus we are going to be able to help you do that TONIGHT right behind these doors just come up this hill here after I am done. We even are doing free baptisms! right over there in that pool. We already had a bunch of people do it last week so just come over if you feel so inspired. Not to mention we have clothes and towels and anything else you will need. Everyone else have a great night! JESUS BLESS! well needless to say we hustled our way out and I almost donated because I have been listening to a lot of talks lately and I was thinking what would the apostles and prophets do. then I realized i had to pay tithing the next day so i didn’t and i really kinda felt bad about it. The Lord would have. Anyways I learned only one thing from this experience and that is how to explain the Holy Ghost. It IS NOT emotions like the kind you get listening to an intense song rather it is a sweet and tender quite voice that touches your heart with peace and happiness in a most respectful and beautiful way. I was soo sickened by this performance. It really was well done but the sickening part is how lost everyone is. They don’t even realize that they are the ones outside the boat when the doors are closing! ahhhh I just almost lost it! I just feel so much more of a need now to go out and teach people how to feel the Holy Ghost. What a missing piece of the puzzle. I promised to push myself harder than ever to save those people from the "flood" that is coming.
Also we got to celebrate Easter with the Juarez family and they ended up surprise attacking us with a shaving cream fight in the which everyone was covered in shaving cream. Good thing I had chosen to wear bad clothes. hahaha. I took pics so I will try to get them to you. I just really hope you guys know that this was the most special week in the history of time as it is the very time to remember the greatest accomplishment ever made. I love my Savior Jesus Christ and I promise to get as many of his children as I can back to him. I love you all and miss you much but there is just too much work to do. SO Back to work!
LOVE ELDER OLIVER

March 5, 2012
Lai Lai Lai Lai Li Lai Lai! HOLA Familia!
Well I thought this week I might explain some of the pictures and videos considering you may not understand why they were taken and how they work unless you are out here. I realize that some of them might actually have been frightening. hahahaha To start off, Sister Beck is a new sister missionary. She actually is very cool and I really like her a lot for as much as an elder can think of a sister. We the elders find lots of joy and comfort in messing around with the sister missionaries with every opportunity we get. This one was particularly a good time to mess with her considering she had just got to the mission field and not to mention she is serving with Vogelsburg so we thought we would give her a little love. haha Also yes that is a bucket of gel and me and Elder Spendlove had quite the wonderful time but it like fried our heads. Also Thank you for all the great comments about the movie they always make a guy feel good. haha We have a couple others but they are on my hardrive because my camera couldn’t film them at the time. I think there is also a picture where I am like dancing with a very painful face on. We had been doing ballet poses at Monica’s for Elder Clark’s last pics with them and when I went to ballet position my leg cramped up soooo bad that I yelped and everyone started busted up laughing. It actually was a very funny/embarrassing moment in my life. So if you have anymore concerns or worries please ask! hahahaa

As for me and my week, thing were alright this week. Our number of lessons this week shot way low because we were so busy with so many other things. This week we had pday so that takes up most of the day then we had zldc ( a conference for district leaders and zone leaders because Elder Berry is district leader) followed by singing practice for 2 and a half hours and then we had to drive 1 hour and a half home. so Wednesday was gone, then Thursday we had district meeting in Sebring so like 3/4 of our day was gone, then Friday was weekly planning in the which much had to be planned out and talked about, then Saturday was frisbee and then Elder Berry had a baptism in Apollo beach so we went out there for the rest of the day only to come back and have Elder Clark, Elder Parkinson and Elder Clark’s companion Elder Nelson at our house for the night because Jose was getting baptized on Sunday. Sunday is a day where we drive pretty far to spend some time with some recent converts and their nonmember mom and less active dad not to mention they live with another family who is also investigating so we spend a good amount of time there. Oh yea and we had to get Jose interviewed by the zone leaders. OH my it was quite the busy week and therefore not so many lessons were had. But we did finally have the baptism of Jose who has investigated the church for 13 years and his son who is 8 and they had their baby blessing all in the same day. Well Jose is a brother in law to the Juarez inactive side so guess what?! Every member of the entire Juarez inactive family was at church! Every one of them! It was awesome and they were all so happy and all their non member spouses were there and they had a good time! The only bad part is that all the active side did not come... the grand poopa of all the Juarez family is bleeding internally at 90 years old and went in on Sunday to be operated on. So everyone was at the hospital leaving us with about 60 people at church instead of the about 120 we could've had. But that’s ok and what really is important is that Buela (abuela) is ok and recovers. She is the nicest most oldest mexican I have ever met and I love her a lot. She is the epitome of genuine and humble. I really hope she is ok. We will see how the operation goes. But the baptism was awesome and super spiritual. I have so much faith in the gospel and how it can take the most wicked men and make them into spiritual warriors of God. I also had a very special tender mercy this week. During sacrament meeting which was fast and testimony meeting I was sitting there stressing about the baptism and things that needed to be done and how we were going to do everything, this is already after I bore my testimony, so its not that kind of stress, And there I was praying in my heart that Heavenly Father would help me calm down and find a way to get everything done when all of a sudden a little girl walks up to the stand. Well it was Maria the girl who I just barely baptized. She gets up there probably being the newest member of the whole branch and she bears the sweetest tender testimony I have ever heard. It filled my heart with so much peace and happiness that I really just began to cry. It was like a little ray of light telling me that I was doing ok and that I have already made a difference. I really felt a divine love letting me know that He is there. I testify to you that He is there and that He loves each and every one of us and that He is proud of what we have done in our lives. We are His sons and daughters and this is His gospel restored by a prophet Joseph Smith. The keys of the kingdom are here on this earth and all we have to do is grab a hold of them never to let go again. I Just love being out here. I love my mission it is an inspiring motivational learning and growing experience that will never be forgotten. I despise how fast time is flying by. It fills me with urgency to do everything I can! I love you guys and miss you tons you really are a light in the dark to me in ways that you don’t even know. You guys are my eternal and celestial family that I would not trade for all the world!
LOVE, ELDER OLIVER