February 4, 2013

FAMILIA MIA,

Well might I say that this has been yet again a great and marvelous week in the work of the Lord. I am sorry to say but I have not much time once again and I think I might even set the habit of talking a little more about what’s going on here in the work than following up on how everything is going. I love you and I love hearing about you and I am so thankful for all the letters and updates you guys always make sure to give me. They still mean a lot to me and I hope you know how much I miss you guys. But wow I am so close to done! I have to just kill this last part and then rejoice with you all at the end. I love this work and I hope you all know how much it means to me. There is a joy and peace and excitement that comes from serving our Heavenly Father one that I have never before experienced or even thought of. I love the Savior and my personal relationship grows and is still growing everyday with Him. I hope and pray that you are all doing something everyday to get closer to your Father in Heaven and to get to know who is your Savior in a very personal way! I would exhort you all to read the scriptures.

Well this week for us here in Tampa was somewhat of a rough one. We had a lot of success but also many many fall throughs. We found some new and pretty positive families and hope to be able to start the life changing process of conversion. We also, with our new bishop (who is finally a Hispanic because before there has always been a white bishop) are really starting to take fire with the ward. A bunch of very inspired callings were made and we are getting ready to function like a ward should. 33 baptisms this year is the goal and I know we can do it. We already have 2 dates set in my area alone and they are pretty set in stone-- given they are for the 9th of March with the Garrido family but it is only due to the fact that the Hermano just had his prostate removed. They wanted to get baptized the 16th of Feb but after the operation they very humbly asked to change it to the 9th of March. I just really hope I am here to see that through. I love that family and they somehow have just been very prepared. Every prayer they ask that we be their family and that we always come back! haha Also after quite a bit of boldness we got them truly reading the Book of Mormon. The father loves it and the wife has even found him up late at night like 3 in the morning just reading. Its awesome because at the same time they are really opening up to us. We came to find out just how much prayer (not recited) helps him with the stress he has being the father and provider and not being able to work. It is so bad that he can’t sleep. So he reads and he explained that in a very real way he is coming to the knowledge of who is his Savior and Lord as he pleads constantly for the help and means to provide. I love hearing what they tell us for it always reminds me who is my Savior and what He does for me every day. We also came to get the wife to open up as she shared so tenderly her fear for her daughter. I realized probably more than ever before the love that a mother has for her children. Of all the things she has to worry about, of all the hardships and struggles she is going through the thing that worries her the most is her daughter. She shared how much she cries unto the Lord pleading for her that she might be softened of heart and that she has success in this life. And at this point I just realized how much I love my mother. I felt a deep gratitude that the Lord in all His mercy and love saw fit to give me the best mother in the world. And not only that, but the fact that He even gave His wonderful tender daughters to us men that we might have joy and experience the Saviors love through them. How grateful I am to my wonderful Savior. Asides from them we are working with the Berrios who are also an awesome family. We have kinda been having a really hard time getting with them because recently the father received some bad news from the doctors. He had received a diagnosis a year ago that said he only had 6 months to live yet here he is still living. What a blessing it has been to the family and now in the moment when they were striving to become even better he received news that he has two tumors in his body. We have been praying for them and asking to know what we can do to help and as we went to zone leader meeting this week we knelt down in mighty prayer and a beautiful revelation came to me. It was small and simple but the answer is to do just as the Savior would. We will show them our love and encourage them to go on. I have full faith that my Father in Heaven is leading this work and in a very real sense leading me by the hand. I can’t explain the joy that comes from living as a missionary. I feel my love growing and my heart becoming more tender, I feel greater understanding and a undying hope for everyone I come in contact with. I feel more patience to endure my trials and a humility that has brought me to my knees to plead before my loving Father in Heaven for people that I have barely come to know and for myself personally. I feel a fire and hunger for the truths of the gospel and a strong desire to live the very best I can. I feel sad for those who are sad and happy for they who are happy. And for just small little instances I have begun and continue to see people and myself as our Heavenly Father sees us. The potential in every one of us is unlimited and the mercy for each of us is eternal. We have been so blessed in our lives to be in the true church and to feel the comfort and surety that comes as the spirit whispers these things are true. I hope and pray that all of you are doing everything you can to build your relationship with Him and to establish a firm foundation so when the whirlwinds and storms come you will not fall. Otherwise I will go to the ends of the earth to ensure that we ALL make it back together. This is it, This is His church, These are the last days. It is coming quickly to an end. Prepare personally and privately. I love you and hope you know again the love I feel when I think about you all. The day is coming quickly when I will come home and a whole new adventure will start. I cannot wait for that day and I look forward to it.

 

PS (lightning round, I like dogs now, My favorite personal item I have received on my mission from members is a box of dominos that came directly from Cuba handcrafted, I love my companion, he lives on Higley and Southern, YEP two miles from our house, He understands about QT and how much it dominates Maverick and any other gas station, He is also a red head so we are just two peas in a Hispanic pod, I am thinking about playing a lot of soccer when I get home)

LOVE ELDER OLIVER