December 10, 2012

BUENAS FAMILIA!!

Yes indeed it was a marvelous week! We had a lot of cool things and we got a lot of crazy news! I am happy to finally write and tell you all about it. But first business... I will be here at least all this week because transfer calls are on Saturday and I won’t leave if I do leave until Tuesday. My guess is that I am out of here. I really would love to stay because our area is about to start hoppin with baptisms. We just got a ton of things set up and now they are beginning to roll so I could really just finish my mission here if the lord saw fit. However I have now been here 3 transfers and President over a conference call told us that there were going to be a lot of changes due to the number of missionaries that are coming out soon. So he has to set up people to train and open a lot of new areas. It’s actually so bad that I am losing a week of my mission because they are sending everyone home now a week early!! Happy to see you guys sooner but I was actually kinda thinking of extending my mission for an extra month. What think ye?? Anyways so yea there is a lot going on!!! As for Christmas I haven’t really been able to think of anything else I would need or want so yea Wal-Mart gift cards or stuff alike.. Sorry I just don’t have many needs out here!! hahaha As for being moved so close to Christmas I am excited because I think it’s about making Christmas special for someone else rather than having ourselves a special Christmas. SO I think wherever I go it will be great and of course wherever you go people love and support missionaries so I am sure we will have an awesome one too! Now as to answer the other questions. Our Baptism of Sergio Bolanos went awesome yesterday!! It was at 9 in the morning and it was with another family of 4 that the other elders were able to baptize. It made for an awesome experience. I will send the pics asap! We actually found 8 solid new investigators!! It was super cool because we went to do a visit with an investigator late at night like 8, and he didn’t answer and all of a sudden I get a little "hey you should go knock" feeling. Well usually we try to avoid 8 at night knocking but I told my comp and he being awesome said alright. we walk to the first group of doors and I chose a very specific door that usually we knock last (there are always four doors to a group two up top and two on bottom) Well a woman opens up the door and lets us in. She has one son and her husband who she invites in to listen. We end up teaching most of the first lesson some of the third and many of the commandments including chastity and the word of wisdom!! These people just asked and asked so many questions!! It was like they were spiritually feasting upon everything we had to say!! We gave them a book of Mormon and they opened it right away and started asking us about the pictures inside and telling us how grateful they were to have it! We left almost laughing because I felt so much love and peace in my heart! They were great and want us back for this Saturday because the dad works two jobs and is never home and the mom watches disabled children. It was awesome that we had happened to knock into them at the one time they are home during the week. I love this work!! Then we also gave a woman a blessing that has been sick for a very long time because some members decided to invite us over to her house. She already knows a lot about the church and she said she would come if her health would permit. Her condition is terrible but she is a beautiful classy Puerto Rican from New York who just loved us!! She calls us her angelitos because she could feel the priesthood power as we pronounced the blessing upon her. I fell in love with her and I really saw her for what she someday will be!! We also were able to help a woman who knows nothing about God or religion get started reading the Book of Mormon! She was so nice and she was just so focused on what we had to say. We have just been doing awesome!! As for the cold there is not much of it here this year. Like it has been pretty warm, and we finally got the car back so we will have it for a couple weeks!! Clothes I am good, food is very present (we just got 7 gallons of milk to split between 6 missionaries this week at church not to mention bread and meats and cheese and all sorts of good stuff. Dinner appointments are here and there. If I wanted to I could get us a lot more but I prefer to be working! hahahaha there is the whole mission conference this week so it should be good!! As for you guys, Wow i never realized just how crazy your lives are. Roller coasters and performances and finals and Disney land trips and two weeks to Christmas and mad teachers at practice 16 girl parties James bond and ward bishopric changes oh my! Hahaha I love to hear that and I really hope you all enjoy this Christmas time. I know I will too!! As for the rest of everything we are awesome and time is going by way too quickly. We got to see a wedding and we are working with this awesome family named the llanos family who are Dominicans who love us and feed us every time we go over. We almost set another baptismal date with 2 more people but if not this week sometime soon. I love you!
LOVE, ELDER OLIVER