December 24, 2012

Buenas familia!

Just real quick!!! tomorrow at about 3 or 4 our time so 12 or 1 your time we are calling from a members house and I am sorry if it doesn’t work out perfect but it will be great I promise!! Passwords are either Oliver.lanae or lanaeoliver and the two possible passwords are 7children or 9family just try them all hahaha sorry I did it earlier but I don’t have my planner with me right now. Thank you so much for all the letters and pics!! They are awesome. I haven’t gotten the packages but should today hopefully.... hahaha I did get grandmas and Grammys and they were both so wonderful with me I truly appreciated it. So I love you and I can’t wait to see you guys tomorrow but I must warn you this year it is only 1 hour of time so we are going to have to talk very fast like 12 days of Christmas fast. LOS QUIERO MUCHO!!

LOVE, ELDER OLIVER

December 17, 2012

Buenas Familia!!

WOW This has just been one roller coaster of a week!! Much to tell you all I have. To start--Thank you guys so much for the wonderful letters!! They were beautiful. Now  the transfers did come and I am moving to ................. TAMPA hahaha really I am moving but one area over to be a zone leader with one of my best friends here in the mission Elder Vasher!! We have full car and a lot more responsibility. haha   We are pretty excited because we started our missions together and we never really thought we would be able to serve together but apparently the Lord saw fit to put me with him and now we are supa pumped!! However the address-- it appears that they don't know their own address and I can’t get it to you any other way than email and today is our only day to email so the office is going to be the only way to get them here. Yea bummer right?? haha We actually live within walking distance of the office so it should be fine. Like we pass by a lot so I won’t have to wait or anything.  I love you and just appreciate everything you do for me!! haha Also yes both packages got here and I am doing them 1 at a time!! I already gave away all the CTR rings to some kids and now the bands are next. They were so excited and loved them!! I seriously appreciate it!! As for our mission conference it went awesome! I love seeing all the other elders and I got many a picture! Plus it was the first and probably only time I got to see my MTC  comp that had to go home and then came back out--Elder Evans. He was so happy and just doing great. I love the atonement and how it can change us and make us so much happier people. We also got to hear many people sing and show us their talents as they put on a program about Christ which was awesome. Oh yea I thought I escaped singing at the program so instead I just got asked to sing a solo for the ward next Sunday by a  Hermana and she asked me yesterday!! haha Good thing I have so many showers to practice. And yes I do practice in the shower still. hhaahahahahahahahaha My comps all know it and some have taken to doing it also. I love my mission!! As for all them other things they are going well and I will tell you about them momentarily. As for you guys I am SO glad to hear that the tradition of the annual Disney land trip has not stopped nor will it by the sound of it. I am glad to hear that mom did not die probably driving like a chicken with her head cut off and that Chelsey probably did drive like a chicken with her head cut off as she stressed for the plane. Like mother like daughter eh??? hahahahahahaa I just couldn't help but make the correlation.

Well I love you guys and wish the most very merry Christmas and hope you got my package that I sent you. and that you do not open it until Christmas!!! See how it feels???? muahahahahaahahaha  I made a serious choice that I would be obedient to your wish mom even though I knew you wouldn't know to not open all 12 gifts the first day. It has been quite the process but I look forward to it every day and have loved each one so far! I love you guys!!

This week went by like lightning!! The good thing about these transfers though is that I am staying really close to my beautiful greenie. I really couldn't have asked for any better of a call. But some cool things this week happened that I really want to share with you guys. This week we have had the car and it has been awesome!! However Tuesday we had a bunch of things set and absolutely everything fell through! Like even our most positive people who always take us in didn’t have time, We knocked for like 3 hours and got nothing, we went to members who weren’t home, we called everyone!! It was awful and I truly felt like good ol Alma and Amulek. Then as the day was coming to a close we were in the car and we had been praying all day to know what the Lord would have us do that we might see success and of course nothing..... So I am there with Elder Russell just trying to think of what to do and as nothing comes to my head I let out a "what would you have us do Lord?" I kid you not I had not even made the last d sound before we got a text with a referral for a man named JESUS. Ironic eh?? Well we had no more time that night but the next night we go over to his house and he welcomes us and ends up sharing about his strong desire to have a great family and to quit smoking and drinking and how he wants to know about God because in Cuba they don't really have choice in religion. It was a beautiful experience that once again reminded me that it is after all we can do that we see the hand of the Lord. Not only that but we were able to go to an activity call NOCHE DE BELEN or night in Bethlehem. It was beautiful and the spirit was super strong and I had the opportunity of giving away a couple cards and a Book of Mormon all in under an hour!! That was while I participated in the show and all the side activities there were. I just kinda finally feel like it’s coming to me and I am starting to see how missionary work can be done in every moment and situation. We just have to offer and open our mouths and the Lord has never failed to fill it. I just know He is there and that He loves us for trying. I love wearing my clothes and name tag because people know who and what I am. I have never felt so much joy in being a saint in the true church. I love sharing my testimony and I love to love. It has actually been hard just to move one area over because I will not be able to see these people as much and it just makes you want to cry. We were with our over the top positive investigator Jacqueline who has already done 3-- 24 hour fasts so that her husband’s heart would be softened (we had her do the first and then a couple weeks later she ends up telling us she had already done two more) She gave up coffee since the first night we told her and she reads every night. Yet in her greatest hour she is also passing through some of the hardest experiences I have ever seen a woman pass through. It was pretty rough having to tell her I would no longer be coming over all the time! She almost gave me a besito!! haha (Latina cheek kiss) And she told me I was to come back and see here as much as possible. Good thing is that as ZL I have to do splits with the dl and Elder Russell's new companion is a DL. SO I will probably be visiting quite often!! Anyways. I love this area and I love my mission and I love you guys and I hope you all have a great Christmas!! I will probably get to call you to set up Skype and stuff but try to remember all the passwords and all that whodaladdy.

LOVE,  ELDER OLIVER

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

December 3, 2012

I know I am way behind on Chantz's letters so I am just going to do all of December's and then I will be caught up--Hopefully I will be better in the New Year!!

Querido Familia Mia!!

Might I endeavor to say to that you guys sound busy!! wow like really really busy hahaha. I am happy to hear it but I hope you are enjoying it all! hahaha Those letters were awesome and I feel very very filled in on the whole going ons of the Oliver household. Thanks so much for taking time to write and for making them great. I love you guys! As for me here things are also going great. We are having a lot of fun and like always we are a work work workin. Transfers are in two weeks so I have no idea where I will be and I don’t really know what to tell you because I could definitely be transferred having been here 4 and a half months with only 6 remaining but I could also stay here. I really don’t have a preference but I love this area!! and we might actually get to use the car soon! Hallelujah. Also I don’t know if you all saw it but man that was an awesome devotional last night!! I felt so inspired by it and I am ready to make this Christmas awesome!!  Mom--Holy camole you sound like a flurry of random rather bothersome task killer. I am impressed and starting to realize just how much you always do for us. I must applaud you because it takes enough from us to just bake a cake for an investigator and actually get it to him. hahahaha I love you and also cant wait to talk to you guys on skype. Dad, Think how easy it was to get those people baptized and then next time remember how important the work is and then teach it to everyone in a way that all members become a missionary and then miracles will always happen. The work is hastening and we can either support or not support it. I know you are doing great as a leader for the ward and I hope you feel the burden lift every time you see a tender mercy. I know you are a pro at that and I can’t wait to talk to you for hours on end about the gospel. It has now become a favorite past time of mine. I was thinking the other day if I would be really weird when I got home and I kept thinking "nah I won’t be that different." Well we were riding in the car with an investigator who was taking us to his house for a lesson and usually we use this time to try and befriend them and really listen to their other interest when I realized that within the first five minutes of talking with him the whole conversation had switched to the gospel and then the whole car of about 5 people joined in and then I realized yep I am definitely a little different because all I know is missionary work and that’s all we talk about all day. I just hope to come home not saying "look at all them ninos!" hahaha
Well this week went great and we are having a baptism this week on Sunday. Super pumper are we and things are just getting better. We found a new guy this week who asked me to come over 60 more times before my mission ends because we make him feel good. He is a drinker and a smoker but he has desires to stop and he is also not married but he really is worried about his girlfriend because she was suppose to have lived only one more year due to some cancer she has. But she has passed that time and is just continuing forward not knowing when it could just completely take her. I imagine the fear she feels and the way we must make her feel as we share the gospel with her. Also her boyfriend asks us to pray for her and was actually the one that introduced us to her. I love teaching people and giving them hope when they have none. It is probably the most gratifying type of experience a guy can experience out here. For that reason I love being a missionary. Other than that we had a lot of things fall through but we found a couple more people and hope to start them on the path. Really not much more than that happened this week but the work continues on and we are desirous to get everyone we can. I hope you guys have a great week and that you are able to make someones Christmas in even the smallest way.

LOVE ELDER OLIVER