January 14, 2013

Buenas Familia!

Well I am glad to hear that I have your support and I hope no one takes any of this personal.  Two years is a long time but It only happens one time in a life. They weren’t really letting people extend anymore but I kept getting the feeling. Like its been coming since pretty early in the mission, I have just finally kind of taken the action for it to be made real. I had asked President Summerhayes like 3 or 4 times about it before I actually sat down with him in an interview and asked for real to extend. What is funny is that he had kinda been saying I am not too sure but we will see, until this last time when he said "yes I could really use you to do some good in this mission, Yea the revelation is coming to me right now, I wonder if there is anyone else we could get to extend with you." Next thing you know Elder Vasher also asked to extend and now the plan is to be traveling missionaries--in a sense and to go around the mission helping the Spanish leadership. I really have been asking and praying about it and trying to listen to the feelings I get about it and at first it was kinda sadness thinking it would be another 30 more days but then as I kept praying I felt peace and it really started to feel right to me.  The service I get to offer to my Father in Heaven is priceless. I love being a missionary!  As for the week it has been just awesome! We have seen many beautiful things and are hoping to see some baptisms very soon. But as for everything over there it sounds pretty fun and delightfully cold. Over here we are in the 80-85 range and it is hot! Like I just got sunburned playing soccer and I had enough salt on my face to season a steak! hahaha But sounds like the birthday party went well and that things are nice.

As for this week we are now working with two very positive families. one is Peruvian and there are 3 above 8 and 1 below. They are the Garrido family and they are just doing awesome! They love having us over and actually said they would get baptized. We haven’t set a date but it will have to be after some time because he is getting a pretty big surgery done and will have to recover. Also we are working with the Colon family and the cool thing about them is that he keeps telling us that we are the only people he has ever felt comfortable listening to. He said usually he just hides in his room but ever since we have come over he has just felt different. The coolest part is our member took action and is holding a family night tonight in the which multiple members and these two families are coming over and we are going to watch “The Testament“. So we are super excited and the Lord is just working hard and so are we. Then we went finding and we actually didn’t even knock a door before we found a lady from Puerto Rico who had been the one to clean the Elders clothes and cook them food every day. She said she missed the church (not a member) and wanted us to come over. So that was also cool to see just how prepared she had been. Then we also found another family of Puerto Ricans who told us to come back on Tuesday and they actually didn’t think we spoke English at first! hahaha Apparently I look like a native nowadays HAHAHHAHAHA. We also were able to teach another Puerto Rican who knows our recent convert Danny and is good friends with him. So we already have a connection there. OH and the wife of Hermano Garrido is friends with the wife of the member who is hosting the family night so there is another connection. OH yeah and the coolest part is that the

Garridos are totally trying to set us up with the rest of their family!! LIke they want all of them to meet us. haha The coolest part about the Garridos though is when they told us how they are from Peru and the other day they had been talking about how they hadn’t seen any "Mormons" or missionaries here in Florida. Well the next day we show up on their doorstep and ask to come in. Of course they did!! hahaha how cool is that?? Well I have to get going but know that the work is going forth and that the gospel lived is much better than just the gospel known. I love this work and I love being a missionary. I really do miss you all and hope to be home soon to talk to all of you about the many adventures that have gone on in our lives. But until then I will be the best missionary I can be and I hope you will too.

LOVE ELDER OLIVER