Elder Olsen pic

Elder Olsen pic

Elder Olsen letter 27 May 2009

Wow, This week has been great! I am so excited to be serving a mission! Seriously I cannot believe how much the Lord blesses us. Sunday, well, was probably my roughest day as a missionary. My companion was sick, and we were supposed to have 10 investagators really interested in the gospel at church. Well, in the morning we started are"round up" of investagators, and all the sudden they all starting falling through, I am not sure if you remember Paula and her children walace and jenifer, Well they moved.... Like in the middle of the night without telling anyone, I think that I told a little about her on Mother´s day, but she was really interested in the gospel, but the man she lived with is really abusive and drinks ALOT! So, we went there, and he said that she had gone back to São Paulo, in the middle of the night and stuff, so I am thinking that he probably beat her and she had enough so got up and left, I am really happy for her, it is defintely for the better, they had barely any food, and lived in extremely humbling conditions, I just really hope that she looks up the church there in Sao Paulo, because that is the only way to happiness. And all our other investagator´s just feel through, we ended up having no one at church, which was really hard, and add on the fact that my companion was sick, so we had to return to the house early because he didnt feel good, it was by far the hardest day of my mission. But the Lord blesses us through our trials, because Monday night we were able to mark 4 baptisms for the 13th of June, and we have 4 others that are seriously going to be baptized the 13th too! So, we are really excited about the 13th! We really wanna try and break the record for most baptisms in one day on the mission! So we are going to work really hard this week to get ATON of people on church on Sunday so they can qualify for the 13th! My area is going awesome, I am really enjoying my Brasilian companion ELder Garcia, my portuguese is improving amazing with him, because I cannot speak english ever, It is really weird... Like I didn´t speak english for a week, that is really weird.. But it is awesome! We are going to start speaking english together so he can learn English, he can already speak a little, so I am going to help him learn, he is extremely smart, his goal is to study at MIT, so he is extremely smart. Yesterday at our Zone Meeting, President Castro Deus was there, and he talked about the Atonement, it was so amazing! I seriously loved it so much, he is a spiritual giant! Everyone pray for my area this week, we need miracles to happen to meet our goals! We are really excited about the work, and how it is going!
Justin, graduating? No way, I dont believe it! I got letters today! And Justin´s was in there with the invite for his graduation! Parabêns!
Janessa, wow 16! wow that is awesome, have you started Driver´s ed yet?
Mom, thanks for all the you do! I am so grateful for all that you do!!! Your the best that ever was.
Sammy awesome that you graduated from preschool you are so grown up now! Awesome! I am so happy for you!
I love you all! I am so grateful for your examples that you are too me, thanks for all the love and support that you give every week through letters and prayers!
Remember: Alma 5:14 the 3 questions that are in there. (sorry if they are not exactly word for word I am translating.)
1. Have you been spiritual born of God?
2. Have you recieved the image in your countance? (wow probably wrong, hard word to translate, semblante, mais facíl.)
3. Have you experienced the changed in your hearts?
We have to move first, to have the light of Christ with us, and we must have the desire to move, because the Atonement of Christ, He paid for our sins! Luke 22:39-44 where it talks about the atonement, he went through more than we can explain! Mosiah 5:2 how we can move our lives!
Love,
Elder Tyler James Olsen!!!#3
Eu sei que Cristo é Nosso Mestre!

Elder Tyler Olsen Letter 20 May 2009

Hello!
Wow, this week was amazing! I am so excited to be on a mission!! Last Thursday was a wedding of Marcos and Elisângela we got to go and it was awesome! Their brother(or uncle or something) is a professional photographer so he was there filming it and everything it was awesome! They have a DVD and everything about the wedding and they gave us copies, it was awesome! Saturday we have the baptisms of Marcos Elisangela Igor Gaberiela and Renato! It was so so espiritual! It was amazing! It was by far the happiest day on my mission so far! It was awesome seeing the together as a family so happy and everything! Sunday we have the baptism of Marcelo, it was awesome! It was really good, he is a little slow in the head,(he is a professional fighter, he does fighting all day, so I think that he has been hit in the head ALOT! because he is really smart, just really funny... think Rocky Balboa.) But he is really excited to be a member of the church. Monday my companion was transfered! I spent the day in the Center of Campinas in a meeting with President Casto Deus, he is truly an inspired man, I am so excited to be working with Elder Gracia now, he is Brasilian, so say good bye to english, I probably will not speak alot of it for awhile.. it is good it will be really good for me, it will really help my portuguese. Elder Gracia is awesome! He is the type of companion i am going to get along with really good, he is way excited about missionary work, yesterday we probably talked to 50 people in the streets just practically running from place to place! It is awesome! We are setting some really high goals this transfer!! The other day I met a lady named Andreia, And she is really in touch with the spirit, it is awesome, we marked her and her child Mateus baptism for the 31!! so we have another 2 baptisms next week that I am really excited for! We are setting some really high baptism goals for baptisms this transfer! So we are ready to get to work! Sounds like everything at home is going really well. I haven´t recieved mail for 3 weeks... On fault of the Zone leaders. They always say they forget our letters.. So not sure on what is going on there, so sorry if I havent wrote anyone back, I am waiting for letters myself, I will proabably get them next tuesday.. I hope. Well everything is going great here, I love my missoin so much! I am so excited to be here! I love portuguese, it is the greatest language in the world, second to english that is. Everything is awesome! I love you all. Remember the attributes of Christ! Mosiah 3:19 I love you all, keep me in your prayers!
Elder Olsen #3

pictures

Elder Olsen Letter 13 May 2009

Family,

Hello family!! It was so great to talk to you all on Mother´s day! It was so great to hear everyone´s voices, and to hear that everyone is doing great! I am so happy that everything is going so well! Wow, I am not sure how we managed to pull of me talking to Mikey, but that was really awesome! I can´t believe how fast time goes by! It has been over 3 months since my mission started, I can´t believe it! Transfers are next monday, I am not sure at all what is going to happen, it is crazy, but I really want to stay in my area, so we will see what happens! Well, everything here is amazing! We still have 6 baptisms marked for this week, 5 are for sure going to get baptized, and 1.. well we are still playing it by ear, he wants to be baptized this week, he asked to be, but we are just not sure he is ready to make that commiment.. but chances are he will be baptized too! We have 2 other possibles this week too, we are really working hard to get them baptized the same day, how awesome would that be if we had 8 baptisms in the same day!! that would be really awesome! So we are working really hard with Maria and Mekila, so please pray for them! They don´t have any problems, they are just concerned they aren´t prepared, we are trying everything we can to get them baptized this weekend! Well on Monday started a strike for the bus drivers, and it was only supposed to last 1 day, but we are hearing now it could be anywhere up too a month! So, that is really going to hurt Campinas, because everyone works in the center, about an hour bus ride, and without the bus, they really dont have a way to get to work, we are teaching people that just said they couldnt go to work, because they didnt have a way to get there, and a lady said she had to leave at 5 yesterday to make it to work by 8, so it is an exciting time in the neighborhood! We are really enjoying our week! It is really a crammed packed week, because we have to see all 8 of our baptismal people this week everyday, so it makes for alot of walking, and really stressful, it is great, we are really enjoying it. Tomorrow Marcos and Elizângela will be married in the Center(Campinas) and we found out yesterday that we are going to be able to go! So that is way exciting! I will take lots of photos! Because I am way excited, my first wedding! Everything here is great! I am really enjoying everything, My mission is the best, I love everyday, it is so much fun. I love the language, I am not as good as I want to be!!! But, I work on it every single day! I really wanna be able to talk without a lack of words stopping me, but as if right now, that is happening, So.. I need to work harder! Well, everyone thanks so much for your prayers, the power of prayer is amazing! It is the one thing investagators can do to know the church is true, it is awesome! God answers our prayers, It is true. The coolest part about a mission is seeing lifes change. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me, and what life I get to be a part of while it changes, I am so excited for today, tomorrow, and the rest of my mission! Thanks for all the love and support, know that I pray for all of you every single day! I love you all! I love this Church, this gospel, Especially Jesus Christ! I love him, he suffered for all of our sins, he suffered for all the we suffer through everyday, his love is infinite. 2 Nep 31:16-20. I love you all, I love my mission! Keep writing and supporting me!

Love, Elder Olsen #3

Elder Olsen Letter 6 May 2009

Wow, sounds like everything is great at home. Sounds like everyone is doing really great! Mom, I can´t believe you already got my package that is a really good thing that you got it so fast! I thought for sure it would be over a month, but I am glad you got it! Justin, I can´t believe you leave in 26 days or something crazy like that! Wow, that is crazy! You will be a Marine! That is way awesome, Janessa, 16, yeah right! I don´t believe it! Dad thanks so much for all the photos! They are pretty.... Funny? Justin, your lame, you would try to pull a move! Sounds like everyone is doing awesome! Mom, how did you like the package? Dad, the strange BofM is crazy huh!! Way crazy! Well everything here is amazing! The work is really starting to take off, and transfers are coming up, I really want to stay here! On the 14th Marcos and Eliâgela will be married, and they well be baptized on the 16th! We will also have their children baptized that day too, with another man named Renato! we will have 5 baptisms the 16th! It is going to be a special day, I am really excited! Renato is 19, João Vitor, our first baptism talked to him on a bus, and invited him to church, and last Sunday he showed up. His life story is crazy! He has already had so many spiritual experiences; he has been searching for the true church for awhile, so when he was in church before we had the opportunity to teach him, he already knew this was the true church. He asks some really hard questions to answer, so tomorrow we are going to give him a triple and have him read the D&C at the same time as the BofM, because he is reading ALOT everyday. He is EXTREMELY intelligent.. He is learning Japanese right now, and he probably is a nerd, He likes Kung Fu, and Japennese things alot I think. It is awesome I get along with him really good, because I am a nerd at heart. Paula and Manoel still haven´t agreed to be married.. Paula loves the church, but I think Manoel loves drinking more, He drinks allot. So it is really hard to teach him. They went a couple days without food, and they have 2 small children, so we and the ward members got them some food and things, and are trying to help Manoel find a job, it is really sad, because Paula really is in a tough situation, Manoel isn´t a very good person, and I think he may be a little abusive.. but she has to think about her kids. they aren´t in school or anything because they can´t afford school even, they literally have no money, it is really sad. We are trying to help them get on their feet. Marcos Elizâgela Igor Gabrella are golden, they are already members basically, they go to all the activites, and they help out in the ward alot, they are awesome! I am really excited for them. Well, you know how I always said that I had the loudest clap in the world.. Well this talent has really helped in Brasil.. That is the system for knocking on doors right. Well I am basically pro. I can make people in the very back of the house hear me, sometimes the neighbors come outside because they think that I am knocking on their door, it is quite funny. Everything here is amazing. I love being here; I am having the time of my life. I can´t wait till I can speak perfect portuguese, it is my dream. I can get along pretty good right now, but still need ALOT of work. We need to work on finding people too, but we are getting better. I love being a missionary. I am so full of the spirit all the time. I love it. I get to feel of the spirit all day, it is truly an amazing gift. Keep me in our prayers, because the power of prayer is amazing. Remember Alma 37:37, we need to pray ALWAYS!! it is so important, only God and Christ can help us when we ASK! I love you and miss you all. Mom, I am excited to talk to you on mother´s day! I love you all, I pray for you every day!

Hurrah for Israel!
Elder Olsen #3