Belezica..
Hey, how is everyone doing?
Thank you all so much for your letters, it is great to know the constant support that I have behind me and to hear how life is back home. I sure miss you guys.
The past few weeks have been busy and trying. But all is well here. I finally fixed my bike after working 3 days on foot-( wow, it makes quite a difference)
As for the food. I have really come to love rice and beans, plus all of the crazy fruit here.
The work is going well. Things have slowed down a bit, but the future is looking good. We have an awesome family that we have been working with; Irma Zefina, and her kids Fia, Gemeldo, Eduarda, and Divaldo.. They are awesome.
Ah, I am so grateful for the ward here..They are extremely helpful with this work. I have gotten to know many of the members very well.
It is difficult for me to explain Brasil to you..because everything is just kind-of marching to its own beat. Yet it is starting to become more normal to me.
Sorry, but I dont have much time.. I am very excited to talk with you all on christmas! But I dont know how it is going to work or where I will be. I will probably have to give you a call first or something.. Hopefully I can figure out a time that would be good for everyone.
I love you all so much.. This work really is an incredible work, and it is truly changing me.
Take care,-elder olson
p.s.- things that would be great to have:
-peanut butter (i have been craving this for some time)
-maple syrup extract
-M&M´s
-sunscreen (it is really expensive here)
-1-3 BYU hats (the members think that they are the coolest things ever.)
-photos of you all
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Saturday, December 13, 2008
December 10, 2008
Opa todo mundo..
Hey sorry about last week, we ended up going to Aracajú for an activity with some other elders. It was alot of fun.
Well, things have been good. We are working with a family right now that is progressing great, just gotta get them off coffee. Wow, I think kids start drinking coffee when they are like 4!
It is strange to hear everyone talk about it getting cold and such back home.. I think I have already forgotten what that is like. Usually I have a constant flow of sweat running down my whole body.. It´s kind of like swimming all day, only not.
So last saturday we baptized a mosina, named Bia, that was 8 1/2 years. We have been working with her whole family.. and she insisted that I baptize her..! Ha, she is way funny. The people here are great... I am looking forward to saturday, because we are helping a member build a new house (it´s a pretty crazy process).
Well, I hope all is well back home.. and congratulations blake and sarah (idaho eh..? thats awesome!), also it is great to hear that Tai is walking. whoo-hoo! -
Wow I miss you all a bunch.
I have to go, but I finally have been able to attach a picture to an email.. hope you guys get it.
(it is E. Gonçalves and me in Aracajú on my first day..i think)
tchau,-elder olson
Thursday, November 27, 2008
November 27, 2008
hey everyone..
Well, it has been a long week.. Full of new and strange things every day.
This past week we have a found quite a few new investigators.. almost anyone will let you into their house or stop to talk with you for a while.Most of the time though, we are teaching or tracting with a member (that is very helpful).
The members are awesome here. Each one willing to help out with the work, and they all love the missionaries. Many of them I have gotten to be good friends with. Also, everyday, we eat lunch at a members house.. ah, the food is good!
Well, to explain things a bit more:
Estância is somewhat spread out, the central part of the city has kinda nice roads and it is relatively city-like. We live near the center. But it is not our area. There are two other missionaries Elder Wurtz and Hoeppers, that take care of the central.
Our area is about 3-4 little sections of the city that are on the borders, in the poor parts, with alot of patches of jungle and mostly dirt roads and such. One section, we have to cross over a big river, and the others are on the far side.
It is truly beautiful here and the people are awesome; very friendly and easygoing. All of Estância is one branch, and our chapel is near the center of town.. (actually the chapel is just a house). But it is great, and always packed full of people on sundays. Elder Gonçalves is an awesome companion, and such a great teacher. Each lesson is full of the spirit, and he has a very good way with people.. able to joke, and still leave a powerful message. We have alot of fun together, he is an awesome elder.
The bikes are pretty good.. though, there are almost dead (because of the roads here) ..and once they are, that´s it. They are banning bikes in all of Brasil.
Well it has been a crazy week, a hard week, and an incredible week..
I know that this work is true with all of my heart. I love you all, and love hearing from you. I hope that all goes well.
Take care,-elder olson
Well, it has been a long week.. Full of new and strange things every day.
This past week we have a found quite a few new investigators.. almost anyone will let you into their house or stop to talk with you for a while.Most of the time though, we are teaching or tracting with a member (that is very helpful).
The members are awesome here. Each one willing to help out with the work, and they all love the missionaries. Many of them I have gotten to be good friends with. Also, everyday, we eat lunch at a members house.. ah, the food is good!
Well, to explain things a bit more:
Estância is somewhat spread out, the central part of the city has kinda nice roads and it is relatively city-like. We live near the center. But it is not our area. There are two other missionaries Elder Wurtz and Hoeppers, that take care of the central.
Our area is about 3-4 little sections of the city that are on the borders, in the poor parts, with alot of patches of jungle and mostly dirt roads and such. One section, we have to cross over a big river, and the others are on the far side.
It is truly beautiful here and the people are awesome; very friendly and easygoing. All of Estância is one branch, and our chapel is near the center of town.. (actually the chapel is just a house). But it is great, and always packed full of people on sundays. Elder Gonçalves is an awesome companion, and such a great teacher. Each lesson is full of the spirit, and he has a very good way with people.. able to joke, and still leave a powerful message. We have alot of fun together, he is an awesome elder.
The bikes are pretty good.. though, there are almost dead (because of the roads here) ..and once they are, that´s it. They are banning bikes in all of Brasil.
Well it has been a crazy week, a hard week, and an incredible week..
I know that this work is true with all of my heart. I love you all, and love hearing from you. I hope that all goes well.
Take care,-elder olson
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
November 19, 2008
Hey everyone,
Well, I have survived the first week, maybe with a few battle wounds or so but it has been great. We ride bikes everywhere! (until they break down..which happens alot) Our area is pretty huge... almost all of the roads here are either made of a very rough, uneven cobblestone; or just dirt.(i think that there is maybe 2-3 paved roads. it´s pretty sweet.. we usually have to share the road with many horses, chickens, dogs, wagons pulled by horses, other bikes, naked kids playing soccer, or beat up buses (and they are exactly like you said Blake).
It is great here, and so beautiful.. I wish I had pictures but I havn´t really had time to take any. It may be extremely poor and dirty everywhere but i love it nonetheless. The views are spectacular.. most houses are maybe a little bigger than a common bedroom, and each houses a large family. People have almost nothing, yet what more do you really need than family.
Elder Gonçalves is awesome.. what a great missionary. I could not ask for a better comp. he has a certain way with people and is very sincere.
Well, on Saturday we had 3 baptisms.. Gil, Thaica, and Marcos Alan. It was great, they already had committed before I got here but I was able to get to know them.(mostly all Elder Gonçalves´s doing) This Friday we have 4 more baptisms.. all great people with a great desires. I am very excited!
The people here are very accepting of the gospel but they are very simple. Many people cannot even read, for this reason we have to teach very simply and explain a lot. I have a testimony already that this work is true, already.. The members here are incredible.. we spend most of the day teaching with 1-2 members. It is amazing to see their dedication and faith in this work. I love them all so much..
The food is good.. I have never eaten such good rice and beans - sometimes there is more, but i couldn´t explain to you what it was.
Well, this has been quite a week.. probably the longest week of my life.i dont think that anyone can really understand how difficult missionary work is until they actually do it. it is difficult... mentally, physically, all of the above. Yet I am happy. I still struggle in the language alot, the people here speak very very fast and sloppy.
I am grateful for your support, and the advice you all give me from your missions. It helps immensely. I miss you all so much.. and I hope that all is going well back home.
Take care..-elder olson
p.s.-send things only to the mission home address because it will definately be stolen if you send it here.
Mission Home:
Av. Dom Antonio Brandão 333, sala 402ED. work center - Farol Maceió - AL 57051-190
Well, I have survived the first week, maybe with a few battle wounds or so but it has been great. We ride bikes everywhere! (until they break down..which happens alot) Our area is pretty huge... almost all of the roads here are either made of a very rough, uneven cobblestone; or just dirt.(i think that there is maybe 2-3 paved roads. it´s pretty sweet.. we usually have to share the road with many horses, chickens, dogs, wagons pulled by horses, other bikes, naked kids playing soccer, or beat up buses (and they are exactly like you said Blake).
It is great here, and so beautiful.. I wish I had pictures but I havn´t really had time to take any. It may be extremely poor and dirty everywhere but i love it nonetheless. The views are spectacular.. most houses are maybe a little bigger than a common bedroom, and each houses a large family. People have almost nothing, yet what more do you really need than family.
Elder Gonçalves is awesome.. what a great missionary. I could not ask for a better comp. he has a certain way with people and is very sincere.
Well, on Saturday we had 3 baptisms.. Gil, Thaica, and Marcos Alan. It was great, they already had committed before I got here but I was able to get to know them.(mostly all Elder Gonçalves´s doing) This Friday we have 4 more baptisms.. all great people with a great desires. I am very excited!
The people here are very accepting of the gospel but they are very simple. Many people cannot even read, for this reason we have to teach very simply and explain a lot. I have a testimony already that this work is true, already.. The members here are incredible.. we spend most of the day teaching with 1-2 members. It is amazing to see their dedication and faith in this work. I love them all so much..
The food is good.. I have never eaten such good rice and beans - sometimes there is more, but i couldn´t explain to you what it was.
Well, this has been quite a week.. probably the longest week of my life.i dont think that anyone can really understand how difficult missionary work is until they actually do it. it is difficult... mentally, physically, all of the above. Yet I am happy. I still struggle in the language alot, the people here speak very very fast and sloppy.
I am grateful for your support, and the advice you all give me from your missions. It helps immensely. I miss you all so much.. and I hope that all is going well back home.
Take care..-elder olson
p.s.-send things only to the mission home address because it will definately be stolen if you send it here.
Mission Home:
Av. Dom Antonio Brandão 333, sala 402ED. work center - Farol Maceió - AL 57051-190
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
November 12, 2008
Well, here I am..
Wow what a crazy couple of days. I don´t know if I will be able to remember too much.. and I am in a huge culture shock right now...
The flight to Maceió was good, it took about 2 1/2 hours or so. As we flew in I could already tell that I was going to love it here.. It is a huge country side, with little towns here and there. Basically the exact opposite of são paulo.
In the lobby, President Beynon and his wife were waiting for us.. What awesome people! I am so grateful to have them as the leaders of our mission.. I could not ask for anyone better.
Well, we went back to the mission home, ate, and had a few meetings..then, we were to meet our companions.. Most of them were there to pick up their filhos. But Elder Bevan and I were told that we were going to Aracajú, which is around a 5-6 hour bus ride south in the state of Sergipe; and we would meet our companions there.
We took a public bus and arrived in Aracajú around 11:00 that night, and met Elder Bevans companion and o líder da zona.. I was told that I would meet my companion tommorrow, because I would be serving in Estância (I think that is how it´s spelled).
I stayed at the zone leader, Elder Paulo, and his companions house last night..
Today is our assigned p-day, so this morning we went to the stake center in Aracajú and played some soccer.. It was alot of fun. Wow, you would not believe the poverty here.
Around noon my trainer came and picked me up, Elder Gonçalves..wow, what an awesome guy.. I am very happy to serve with him, and I know that he will teach me alot.
We took a taxi for ~2 hours to the town Estância.. It is in the middle of nowhere.. I have no clue where I am. But I know that I am going to love it here.
I have never been so happy I guess that this area is the furthest away from the mission home than any other.. by far..also Estância is the only area where the elders have to ride a bike..
Wow, it is crazy here..but I love it already,
-take care,-elder olson
Wow what a crazy couple of days. I don´t know if I will be able to remember too much.. and I am in a huge culture shock right now...
The flight to Maceió was good, it took about 2 1/2 hours or so. As we flew in I could already tell that I was going to love it here.. It is a huge country side, with little towns here and there. Basically the exact opposite of são paulo.
In the lobby, President Beynon and his wife were waiting for us.. What awesome people! I am so grateful to have them as the leaders of our mission.. I could not ask for anyone better.
Well, we went back to the mission home, ate, and had a few meetings..then, we were to meet our companions.. Most of them were there to pick up their filhos. But Elder Bevan and I were told that we were going to Aracajú, which is around a 5-6 hour bus ride south in the state of Sergipe; and we would meet our companions there.
We took a public bus and arrived in Aracajú around 11:00 that night, and met Elder Bevans companion and o líder da zona.. I was told that I would meet my companion tommorrow, because I would be serving in Estância (I think that is how it´s spelled).
I stayed at the zone leader, Elder Paulo, and his companions house last night..
Today is our assigned p-day, so this morning we went to the stake center in Aracajú and played some soccer.. It was alot of fun. Wow, you would not believe the poverty here.
Around noon my trainer came and picked me up, Elder Gonçalves..wow, what an awesome guy.. I am very happy to serve with him, and I know that he will teach me alot.
We took a taxi for ~2 hours to the town Estância.. It is in the middle of nowhere.. I have no clue where I am. But I know that I am going to love it here.
I have never been so happy I guess that this area is the furthest away from the mission home than any other.. by far..also Estância is the only area where the elders have to ride a bike..
Wow, it is crazy here..but I love it already,
-take care,-elder olson
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
November 4, 2008
opa..
Well things have gone pretty good this past week.. I can´t believe that I am almost out of this place! I have really enjoyed my time here at the CTM. Yeah some days aren´t so great.. and some days I would rather eat my socks than what they are serving for dinner.. but in all it has been great. The elders in my district have become some of my closest friends, and while here I have been able to grow much in heart and mind.
One thing that I will miss the most besides the people are the incredibly meetings that we have here: all of the sunday meetings as well as the devotionals that we have through-out the week. I have never felt the spirit so strong, since I came here..
There is an immense love that everyone has for each other, its impossible for me to describe it to you..
Probably the most important thing that I have learned here is love..- The best example that comes to mind is of our older brother, Jesus Christ. Even though he was rejected, mocked, spit upon, and beaten.. He loved everyone so much that He still paid the price for us.. "He died for the ungodly" - Romans 4:6-8. This is charity, loving everyone despite their faults.. If our Savior could still love someone after being smitten, persecuted, and rejected by them I think that we can all show alot more love for each other.. plus its not a suggestion.. it is a commandment. I have stuggled with this alot, but I can tell you that I know that life becomes easier as we strive to love everyone..
On friday we went on our last proselying trip to downtown São Paulo, to a place called Avenida Paulista.. Wow it was incredible! It is like the equivelant to Wall Street.. so many people, and we were completely surrounded by giant, oddly shaped skyscrapers.. It was an awesome experience.
Oh yeah, sorry mom but I dont know my mission address.. or anyone elses, because my second week here I left my paper with everyones addresses in an internet cafe somewhere. So you may just have to look through some stuff..
Well, I better go for now.. You may not hear from me for a while as I will spend my whole next p-day traveling to Maceió and getting settled in. I am a little worried because I still dont know the language very well..but I will be fine, I am so excited to get there.
love you all,-elder olson
Well things have gone pretty good this past week.. I can´t believe that I am almost out of this place! I have really enjoyed my time here at the CTM. Yeah some days aren´t so great.. and some days I would rather eat my socks than what they are serving for dinner.. but in all it has been great. The elders in my district have become some of my closest friends, and while here I have been able to grow much in heart and mind.
One thing that I will miss the most besides the people are the incredibly meetings that we have here: all of the sunday meetings as well as the devotionals that we have through-out the week. I have never felt the spirit so strong, since I came here..
There is an immense love that everyone has for each other, its impossible for me to describe it to you..
Probably the most important thing that I have learned here is love..- The best example that comes to mind is of our older brother, Jesus Christ. Even though he was rejected, mocked, spit upon, and beaten.. He loved everyone so much that He still paid the price for us.. "He died for the ungodly" - Romans 4:6-8. This is charity, loving everyone despite their faults.. If our Savior could still love someone after being smitten, persecuted, and rejected by them I think that we can all show alot more love for each other.. plus its not a suggestion.. it is a commandment. I have stuggled with this alot, but I can tell you that I know that life becomes easier as we strive to love everyone..
On friday we went on our last proselying trip to downtown São Paulo, to a place called Avenida Paulista.. Wow it was incredible! It is like the equivelant to Wall Street.. so many people, and we were completely surrounded by giant, oddly shaped skyscrapers.. It was an awesome experience.
Oh yeah, sorry mom but I dont know my mission address.. or anyone elses, because my second week here I left my paper with everyones addresses in an internet cafe somewhere. So you may just have to look through some stuff..
Well, I better go for now.. You may not hear from me for a while as I will spend my whole next p-day traveling to Maceió and getting settled in. I am a little worried because I still dont know the language very well..but I will be fine, I am so excited to get there.
love you all,-elder olson
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
October 28, 2008
Hey all,
I am glad to hear that everyone is doing good.. thank you for all of the pictures, they always make me smile. It is good to hear about how everyone's family is doing and little stories about the kids..ha..I miss you all alot! I always appreciate the letters that you take the time to send. Tell Aaron and Sami congratulations from me.
I have attached some pictures to this email, hopefully you get them. They're not too good because it is against mtc rules to take your camera out of the building.. so I dont have any temple pictures or of the crazy streets here.
To answer your questions mom:
-->Tiago = James
--> We got a Brasilian companionship in our room, there is Elder Sande from Moçambeq, and Elder Seoane from São Paulo.. they are awesome. By now we know alot of the Brasilians here. They are all so funny.. we sit by them at lunch and practice with them during class on occasion. In the whole ctm there is probably less than 200 Americans and 50 Brasilians, so it´s not too hard to know a good portion of the people here. There are alot more Brasilians in the field though, because they only stay at the ctm for 2-3 weeks.
--> Campinas Temple is on top of a hill overlooking the beautiful city of Campinas.. it is a very cool view. The São Paulo Temple is deep in the city.. it is alot older, but so beautiful inside. I have never seen such beautiful stained glass murals.
--> and yes, I got the pictures that you attached..
Well this week started out a little bad, but it became a great week..on Wednesday, a missionary from our district, Elder Maher from Lehi, went home.. he had been struggling with sickness for the past few weeks and had some other medical issues. He had to leave us only with a note. It was hard to see him go, he was an awesome guy.. our district has grown very close together over the last month and a half. they are all incredible people..
On Saturday we taught another member family for practice.. this lesson went a lot better I thought. The family was 4 little kids and their mom sitting behind them..I loved teaching them. It kind of reminded me of my primary kids!
Later we had a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott and Neil L. Anderson.. I had been practicing with the choir for the past few days to sing Come Follow Me.. it went well. Right at the beginning of the meeting Elder Scott requested that we all shake his hand, so we made a big line and were able to do so.. He is a lot shorter than i thought..but has such a big countenance about him.
Elder Scott's talk was amazing.. he is so wise and full of the spirit. he emphasized how important is is to read the Book of Mormon for EVERY member of the church. he also allowed some time for us to just ask him questions, and at the end he shared with us a very powerful testimony..
It was a great meeting. One thing that I remember from his talk, that really struck me, was how important it is to trust the Lord, and pray to him often.. Sometimes I think that we all can take prayer for granted.. He testified that he knew that the "Savior is actively and personally involved in each of our lives every day", even if it may at times feel that he isn´t. He is because of the great love that He has for each of us.. every soul is precious in his eyes.
I´m starting to understand the language a lot better.. I think that I will learn a lot more when I am out of here because I will have no choice but to speak Portuguese.. I do okay though.
Speaking of which I only have 2 weeks left of the ctm! I am so excited to go to Maceió..
So this Friday will be Halloween! or in Brasil "O Dia Da Bruxa" (day of the witch) as you will all be trick or treating with your kids, or answering the door and handing out the candy..i will be out on our last day of proselyting while in the mtc.. so in a way we will all kind of be doing the same thing.. sharing candy with others.
eu espero que meu doce é mais melhor sabores..
Hey, i just got your e-mail dad.. thanks, I love ya a bunch. Well, I better go.. hopefully everyone gets the letters that I send.. if you do let me know and if you send a letter make sure that it is to my mission address. Love you all...
-Elder Olson
Friday, October 24, 2008
October 21, 2008
Oí família, tudo bem?
It´s good to hear from you all.. hope that everything is going well. mom, your interpreting of the last letter was muito bom, mais ou menos..
I´m very happy for Angela, give her my congrats..
Well, it has been quite a week.. It has been so hot here for the past little while, muito quinte. They are just coming out of their winter here, and it will only get hotter..but I will only be here for about 3 more weeks, pretty crazy eh? ..
Then I can fully roast alive in the temperatures of Maceió....não, I am actually very excited to leave to maceió, it will be great. I don´t know if I will even be able to wait the 3 weeks..
Last night a big group left out to their missions that are scattered all accross brasil. They have sort-of a social in the gardens below our room. They sang Called to Serve (in portuguese of coarse). It was a big group.. It was so loud and powerful! I´m sure it was heard for a mile.
Last friday, we went proselying again in the downtown of São Paulo.. It was a good experience. I dont know though, it seemed a lot harder than before.. We had alot of rejection, but the few that felt like a success made it all worth it. My portuguese is improving, very slowly, but still improving with each day. I can understand alot better and am able to put things together a little bit better.
It´s been good though, last thursday the elders in our room split and we got some brasilieros. They are really funny and help out alot with the language.. All the brasilians are so nice, I love the people here.
On saturday night we had probably the best devotional thus far.. It was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was so good, I can not really put it into words.. but it was marvelous.. I think we tend to take too many things for granted, and this should never be one of those things.
Eu sou muito grato por o sacrifiço e amor do Salvador..eu sei que Ele é o Redentor do mundo. Ele nos liberamos do todos nossos pecados.
On sunday, I was called to speak in sacrament meeting! It was great.. the branch is not very big. The only bad thing is that you dont know that you are talking until they anounce it after the sacrament. My talk this week was on patience.. What an excellent subject, it is something I am definately working alot on. As well as all of the attributes of Christ. Because thats what its all about, right? Becoming more like him, and helping others do the same.
Eu acho uma escritura beleza em Tiago 1:2-4.. eu pensei é foi muito nessesário..talves? conta-me que voces pensaram, eh?
Bem, this week has been going pretty well, we just came back from são paulo templo. it was great.. I dont know if I said anything about it last week, but it is so beautiful.
Well, I better go. Thanks for everything.. I´m happy to hear that mackenzie actually knows what I´m doing here, as do probably the little kids.. I miss them a ton.. I miss all you guys..
oh p.s. if you get a chance, you should listen to the Brasil National Anthem.. We sing it here every sunday night. I love it! It always makes me laugh (mainly just because it is so hard to sing).
bem, amigos e família.. eu todo vos amo,-elder olson
It´s good to hear from you all.. hope that everything is going well. mom, your interpreting of the last letter was muito bom, mais ou menos..
I´m very happy for Angela, give her my congrats..
Well, it has been quite a week.. It has been so hot here for the past little while, muito quinte. They are just coming out of their winter here, and it will only get hotter..but I will only be here for about 3 more weeks, pretty crazy eh? ..
Then I can fully roast alive in the temperatures of Maceió....não, I am actually very excited to leave to maceió, it will be great. I don´t know if I will even be able to wait the 3 weeks..
Last night a big group left out to their missions that are scattered all accross brasil. They have sort-of a social in the gardens below our room. They sang Called to Serve (in portuguese of coarse). It was a big group.. It was so loud and powerful! I´m sure it was heard for a mile.
Last friday, we went proselying again in the downtown of São Paulo.. It was a good experience. I dont know though, it seemed a lot harder than before.. We had alot of rejection, but the few that felt like a success made it all worth it. My portuguese is improving, very slowly, but still improving with each day. I can understand alot better and am able to put things together a little bit better.
It´s been good though, last thursday the elders in our room split and we got some brasilieros. They are really funny and help out alot with the language.. All the brasilians are so nice, I love the people here.
On saturday night we had probably the best devotional thus far.. It was about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. It was so good, I can not really put it into words.. but it was marvelous.. I think we tend to take too many things for granted, and this should never be one of those things.
Eu sou muito grato por o sacrifiço e amor do Salvador..eu sei que Ele é o Redentor do mundo. Ele nos liberamos do todos nossos pecados.
On sunday, I was called to speak in sacrament meeting! It was great.. the branch is not very big. The only bad thing is that you dont know that you are talking until they anounce it after the sacrament. My talk this week was on patience.. What an excellent subject, it is something I am definately working alot on. As well as all of the attributes of Christ. Because thats what its all about, right? Becoming more like him, and helping others do the same.
Eu acho uma escritura beleza em Tiago 1:2-4.. eu pensei é foi muito nessesário..talves? conta-me que voces pensaram, eh?
Bem, this week has been going pretty well, we just came back from são paulo templo. it was great.. I dont know if I said anything about it last week, but it is so beautiful.
Well, I better go. Thanks for everything.. I´m happy to hear that mackenzie actually knows what I´m doing here, as do probably the little kids.. I miss them a ton.. I miss all you guys..
oh p.s. if you get a chance, you should listen to the Brasil National Anthem.. We sing it here every sunday night. I love it! It always makes me laugh (mainly just because it is so hard to sing).
bem, amigos e família.. eu todo vos amo,-elder olson
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
October 14, 2008
Opa para vocês..
Well, things have been going muito ótimo lately. Every week seems to begin and end on the same day! However, every day seems to be about week long.. Yeah, its a little wierd..
On saturday we had to teach a fifteen minute lesson in portuguese to a local member family.
é foi bem.. They were really nice people (and luckily, patient enough to listen to me). I probably would have been a bit more prepared if we had been told a little earlier than the day before we taught.. más.. tanto faz.
It is very difficult to talk to people.. because they talk so fast! Then I will finally understand..only to not know how to respond. It´s a little frustrating. Luckily we have awesome teachers.sometimes we get off subject a little bit.. All the instructors here are natives who have only been home from their missions for about 1-2 years. Needless to say, we have heard some awesome stories... Just glad that I wont be going to Rio.. brincadeira..
As I look back each week, its amazing to see how far I have really come in only a month.. Although I am not anywhere close to where I need to be to effectively teach this gospel, I have still come quite a long way.. I´m not too worried though, because it is not my ability to speak that will convert someone to this gospel.
The food here is alright.. every meal we will have rice, beans, and a few other items(usually meat or a cassorole) and then a ton of fruit. Some days it is awesome, like a brasilian churrasco or something weird that I have never seen but tastes delicious.. Then other days it can be awful; like a weird greenish black blob of something mixed with cheese, cabbage, or something else. I usually try to taste a bit of everything, and some times I find that I am not able to swallow it..!wow, they have some sick stuff in here!..it makes me wonder what kind of weird things I will be eating outside of the ctm. Dont worry though, I´m working on my gag reflex.. I should have it down by the time that I´m out of here..haha
Então, last night, Elder Maher from Lehi came in to our room and asked me to give him a blessing. He has been extremely sick for the past few days.. It was great to be able to give him the blessing. I know that this is it.. This is the truth.. I am so grateful for this gospel in my life. I am so glad to be here serving.. This is exactly where I am supposed to be. Estar aqui, e´ muito duro.. eu não tabalhar este duro em toda minha vida..mas, é tudo boã.. eu sou feliz e amo brasil. é tão bem aqui..
Thank you all so much for your letters, they are always very helpful.. Let me know what´s going on with everyone..
I love you all, -Elder Olson
p.s.-Sorry that it takes me so long to write you all back individually, I really dont have too much time, but I will try.. love ya all
Well, things have been going muito ótimo lately. Every week seems to begin and end on the same day! However, every day seems to be about week long.. Yeah, its a little wierd..
On saturday we had to teach a fifteen minute lesson in portuguese to a local member family.
é foi bem.. They were really nice people (and luckily, patient enough to listen to me). I probably would have been a bit more prepared if we had been told a little earlier than the day before we taught.. más.. tanto faz.
It is very difficult to talk to people.. because they talk so fast! Then I will finally understand..only to not know how to respond. It´s a little frustrating. Luckily we have awesome teachers.sometimes we get off subject a little bit.. All the instructors here are natives who have only been home from their missions for about 1-2 years. Needless to say, we have heard some awesome stories... Just glad that I wont be going to Rio.. brincadeira..
As I look back each week, its amazing to see how far I have really come in only a month.. Although I am not anywhere close to where I need to be to effectively teach this gospel, I have still come quite a long way.. I´m not too worried though, because it is not my ability to speak that will convert someone to this gospel.
The food here is alright.. every meal we will have rice, beans, and a few other items(usually meat or a cassorole) and then a ton of fruit. Some days it is awesome, like a brasilian churrasco or something weird that I have never seen but tastes delicious.. Then other days it can be awful; like a weird greenish black blob of something mixed with cheese, cabbage, or something else. I usually try to taste a bit of everything, and some times I find that I am not able to swallow it..!wow, they have some sick stuff in here!..it makes me wonder what kind of weird things I will be eating outside of the ctm. Dont worry though, I´m working on my gag reflex.. I should have it down by the time that I´m out of here..haha
Então, last night, Elder Maher from Lehi came in to our room and asked me to give him a blessing. He has been extremely sick for the past few days.. It was great to be able to give him the blessing. I know that this is it.. This is the truth.. I am so grateful for this gospel in my life. I am so glad to be here serving.. This is exactly where I am supposed to be. Estar aqui, e´ muito duro.. eu não tabalhar este duro em toda minha vida..mas, é tudo boã.. eu sou feliz e amo brasil. é tão bem aqui..
Thank you all so much for your letters, they are always very helpful.. Let me know what´s going on with everyone..
I love you all, -Elder Olson
p.s.-Sorry that it takes me so long to write you all back individually, I really dont have too much time, but I will try.. love ya all
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
October 7, 2008
Hey everyone,
Well, my past week has been really busy.. it has been great though. I am really glad to hear from all of you, and its good to know what is going on back home. I appreciate the letters and stories from you all.. they always make my day better. I miss the kids so much..Whenever I hear stories about Taide rolling around comically yelling, Mackenzie playing with Toby, or Devyn telling me about her birthday; I realize that is what I miss the most.. watching all the kids grow up. Dad, I miss sitting and just talking with you.. mom, I miss laughing with you.. grampa, I miss working with you.. grandma, (surprisingly) I miss scratching your back. I miss every one of you.. ..yet I would not trade anything at all for the work that I am doing right now.
So last wednesday, our district with a few others took a bus down to the federal police station.. It was pretty cool; we were scanned, had to get our fingerprints taken, and had to turn in a bunch of identification papers.. I guess so they can catch me when I rob a bank or something. Anyways, while I was waiting for them to call my name on a bench with a few of my companieros, two catholic priests that were dressed in mideval looking red tunics walked over and sat next to me. They had huge jedi boots on and wore a large metal chain and rosary beads around their waists.. quite a sight! When they sat down I began talking to them in my broken portuguese.. Luckily one of them knew about as much english as I knew portuguese, so we were able to communicate somewhat okay.they were catholic missionaries from mosambeque and were serving just north of Sau Paulo. We talked for a few minutes.. The one told about 3 cousins that he had who belonged to our church. They were actually really nice guys, it was alot of fun to talk to them..
On friday we had our first experience of proselyting! Wow, what a day that was.. We drove to a place called Santa Cecilia, it was an old chapel right above a subway junction, so there were plenty of people. I was actually really scared, as were the rest of my district.. Right before we left I read to them 2 timothy chapter 1 and we had a good prayer.. I think this helped alot. At first it was very difficult, I could not hardly speak..but after about the 3rd person I was throwing together sentences with every word that I knew, and it just started to come. The only problem was when they would ask a question back...I usually could only pick up 1 out of 10 words... First of all, My vocab isn´t too big; and secondly, they talk so fast!! When I would understand the question, I wouldn´t always be able to answer it because of my lack of portuguese. It was definately a humbling experience.. most people were very kind and would listen to the message, but some people just shrugged off the message.. Some where in too big of a hurry.. and some protested it because they were diehard catholics. However, I noticed that the people whom I would talk to because they had stood out to me for some reason, would listen intently.. and I could see that they were pondering what I was saying. This was when I was able to speak the best as well.. I like to think that I may have changed someones life.. I hope..one certain story was when elder holmes and I both felt impressed to walk inside an old sewing shop. We both spoke to the 2 old ladies working there.. told them of the restoration, about Joseph Smith, and I promised them that the book would bless and help their families.. We spoke with them for about 15-20 minutes or so. They were so extremely happy.. We ended up giving each of them a Book of Mormon with an information number inside.. They were so happy, They hugged the books, thanked us, and blessed us for the message. We both walked out of the store a little bit higher than before. I love the people here already..
At midnight on saturday night there was a huge thunderstorm that woke a few of us up.. because we had the windows wide open. Half of the room was soaked with rain..but wow, it was such an incredible storm.. I have never heard such deep thunder.. I watched it for quite a while..
Well we were able to watch all of conference this past weekend.. What a powerhouse of talks! Every one was so good.. maybe it´s just because I´m on a mission, but it was awesome. I know that the leaders of our church truly are men of God. What great council..!
Well minha família.. I better go now. Thank you for everything.. Keep in touch and let me know how everyone is doing.
I love you all,- Elder olson
Well, my past week has been really busy.. it has been great though. I am really glad to hear from all of you, and its good to know what is going on back home. I appreciate the letters and stories from you all.. they always make my day better. I miss the kids so much..Whenever I hear stories about Taide rolling around comically yelling, Mackenzie playing with Toby, or Devyn telling me about her birthday; I realize that is what I miss the most.. watching all the kids grow up. Dad, I miss sitting and just talking with you.. mom, I miss laughing with you.. grampa, I miss working with you.. grandma, (surprisingly) I miss scratching your back. I miss every one of you.. ..yet I would not trade anything at all for the work that I am doing right now.
So last wednesday, our district with a few others took a bus down to the federal police station.. It was pretty cool; we were scanned, had to get our fingerprints taken, and had to turn in a bunch of identification papers.. I guess so they can catch me when I rob a bank or something. Anyways, while I was waiting for them to call my name on a bench with a few of my companieros, two catholic priests that were dressed in mideval looking red tunics walked over and sat next to me. They had huge jedi boots on and wore a large metal chain and rosary beads around their waists.. quite a sight! When they sat down I began talking to them in my broken portuguese.. Luckily one of them knew about as much english as I knew portuguese, so we were able to communicate somewhat okay.they were catholic missionaries from mosambeque and were serving just north of Sau Paulo. We talked for a few minutes.. The one told about 3 cousins that he had who belonged to our church. They were actually really nice guys, it was alot of fun to talk to them..
On friday we had our first experience of proselyting! Wow, what a day that was.. We drove to a place called Santa Cecilia, it was an old chapel right above a subway junction, so there were plenty of people. I was actually really scared, as were the rest of my district.. Right before we left I read to them 2 timothy chapter 1 and we had a good prayer.. I think this helped alot. At first it was very difficult, I could not hardly speak..but after about the 3rd person I was throwing together sentences with every word that I knew, and it just started to come. The only problem was when they would ask a question back...I usually could only pick up 1 out of 10 words... First of all, My vocab isn´t too big; and secondly, they talk so fast!! When I would understand the question, I wouldn´t always be able to answer it because of my lack of portuguese. It was definately a humbling experience.. most people were very kind and would listen to the message, but some people just shrugged off the message.. Some where in too big of a hurry.. and some protested it because they were diehard catholics. However, I noticed that the people whom I would talk to because they had stood out to me for some reason, would listen intently.. and I could see that they were pondering what I was saying. This was when I was able to speak the best as well.. I like to think that I may have changed someones life.. I hope..one certain story was when elder holmes and I both felt impressed to walk inside an old sewing shop. We both spoke to the 2 old ladies working there.. told them of the restoration, about Joseph Smith, and I promised them that the book would bless and help their families.. We spoke with them for about 15-20 minutes or so. They were so extremely happy.. We ended up giving each of them a Book of Mormon with an information number inside.. They were so happy, They hugged the books, thanked us, and blessed us for the message. We both walked out of the store a little bit higher than before. I love the people here already..
At midnight on saturday night there was a huge thunderstorm that woke a few of us up.. because we had the windows wide open. Half of the room was soaked with rain..but wow, it was such an incredible storm.. I have never heard such deep thunder.. I watched it for quite a while..
Well we were able to watch all of conference this past weekend.. What a powerhouse of talks! Every one was so good.. maybe it´s just because I´m on a mission, but it was awesome. I know that the leaders of our church truly are men of God. What great council..!
Well minha família.. I better go now. Thank you for everything.. Keep in touch and let me know how everyone is doing.
I love you all,- Elder olson
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sept. 30, 2008
I ai minha família, e tudo bem?..
It´s really great to hear from everyone, and to hear about all the little things that I miss so much..
I tried to attach a voice recording to this..so hope fully that makes it through. I also tried to attach some photos, but wasn´t able to... hopefully next time eh?
Things are going pretty good here, we were able to go to the Campinas temple again today. It is always a great experience..as much as I miss you all, I actually really love it here. All of the elders in my district are awesome guys, we get along phenominally! To be honest, I'm am having so much fun and working very hard.
The language is coming slower than I want, but I am learning so much..We have about two 4 hour classes with the funniest instuctors ever (irmão da luz, and irmão nascimento) eles é muito ótimo, and then alot of mdst (missionary directed study time) time.
All through out the week I feel like I am making no progress on the language, and then sunday will hit, and I will look back and see all of the progress that I have made...I love sundays alot. They are a bit more layed back but probably my favorite day of the week. This week was fast and testimony meeting. It was such a powerful meeting, I dont know if there was a dry eye in the whole room. There is a wonderful spirit here at the CTM, every meeting that we have is incredible and inspired.
Ah, I love the brasilian people already.. I usually will try to sit by a few during lunch and practice my awful portuguese..suprisingly though, it will sometimes make sense to them. They are always so patient. I really love talking to them though, they are all so funny and everyone of them has a great sense of humor. They are the most easy going people I have ever met..so I guess I'm in the right place eh?
Lately we have planning and practicing the 1st and 2nd lessons (restoration and plan of salvation). I have known this stuff my whole life, but teaching it to someone who knows nothing is an entirely different story. I can barely teach this in english! But that will soon change...we have been working on a street contact in portugese.. and will soon be using it.. On friday we will be taken down to the "wall street" of Sau Paulo and will be dropped off for about 4 hours with a bunch of pass-along-cards and a few book of mormons. ..Yeah, I´m pretty scared, but definately more excited! This will be great, I'm just hoping they will understand my cave-man portuguese.
Anyways, we are probably going to go out and explore the town, there is a really cheap tie shop up the street.. I think we will stop by...
Thank you all for your advice and inspiration (and baby stories) they are great to hear and really help me out.
I love and miss you all so much.. take care, and keep me up to date on whats what.
com amor,-Elder Olson
It´s really great to hear from everyone, and to hear about all the little things that I miss so much..
I tried to attach a voice recording to this..so hope fully that makes it through. I also tried to attach some photos, but wasn´t able to... hopefully next time eh?
Things are going pretty good here, we were able to go to the Campinas temple again today. It is always a great experience..as much as I miss you all, I actually really love it here. All of the elders in my district are awesome guys, we get along phenominally! To be honest, I'm am having so much fun and working very hard.
The language is coming slower than I want, but I am learning so much..We have about two 4 hour classes with the funniest instuctors ever (irmão da luz, and irmão nascimento) eles é muito ótimo, and then alot of mdst (missionary directed study time) time.
All through out the week I feel like I am making no progress on the language, and then sunday will hit, and I will look back and see all of the progress that I have made...I love sundays alot. They are a bit more layed back but probably my favorite day of the week. This week was fast and testimony meeting. It was such a powerful meeting, I dont know if there was a dry eye in the whole room. There is a wonderful spirit here at the CTM, every meeting that we have is incredible and inspired.
Ah, I love the brasilian people already.. I usually will try to sit by a few during lunch and practice my awful portuguese..suprisingly though, it will sometimes make sense to them. They are always so patient. I really love talking to them though, they are all so funny and everyone of them has a great sense of humor. They are the most easy going people I have ever met..so I guess I'm in the right place eh?
Lately we have planning and practicing the 1st and 2nd lessons (restoration and plan of salvation). I have known this stuff my whole life, but teaching it to someone who knows nothing is an entirely different story. I can barely teach this in english! But that will soon change...we have been working on a street contact in portugese.. and will soon be using it.. On friday we will be taken down to the "wall street" of Sau Paulo and will be dropped off for about 4 hours with a bunch of pass-along-cards and a few book of mormons. ..Yeah, I´m pretty scared, but definately more excited! This will be great, I'm just hoping they will understand my cave-man portuguese.
Anyways, we are probably going to go out and explore the town, there is a really cheap tie shop up the street.. I think we will stop by...
Thank you all for your advice and inspiration (and baby stories) they are great to hear and really help me out.
I love and miss you all so much.. take care, and keep me up to date on whats what.
com amor,-Elder Olson
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sept. 23, 2008
oi minha familia.-
hey how is everyone doing?well, I sent a letter home last week on my p-day but i dont know if it has arrived yet or not. Everything is going very well..iIam sitting in a small, hot room in an internet cafe down the street from the CTM. In a bit we are going to go find a little tie shop that we heard about a few blocks over, so i´ll try to keep this short. I know that I have only been here for about 2 weeks but wow!..it seems like I've been here for years..the CTM is good though, I am in a room with 5 of the best elders in all of brasil..we all get along very well.. our room is on the 7th floor of the CTM. there is an excellent view of Sau Paulo metropolis, it is HUGE! I never imagined that so many skyscrapers could exist in such a small area.. plus every building seems like it is slowly crumbling away. Even though it is smoggy, dirty, and rundown.. I think that this place is beautiful. I love it here..the language is coming along okay, yesterday we started writing street contacts in portuguese.. yea, mine still needs alot of work. I guess on week 4 we get dropped off at a bus station with a bunch of pass-along cards and a few book of mormons for a few hours...that will definately be interesting. Ihave some really great instructors to help me though..as well as help from the Lord. I need him now more than ever. I know that this is going to be difficult, not only to speak portuguese, but to teach the gospel and express my heart in portuguese. Although, I know its not a matter of if I will be able to speak it, but when! I know that the Lord will provide a way.. Over the past week I have been reading the packet of letters you guys hid in my suitcase.. thank you everyone, every one of them has helped me out alot. well, por meu orar.. I could use the help, and let me know how things are going.
love you all, até logo..-Elder Olson - give toby a hug for me.
hey how is everyone doing?well, I sent a letter home last week on my p-day but i dont know if it has arrived yet or not. Everything is going very well..iIam sitting in a small, hot room in an internet cafe down the street from the CTM. In a bit we are going to go find a little tie shop that we heard about a few blocks over, so i´ll try to keep this short. I know that I have only been here for about 2 weeks but wow!..it seems like I've been here for years..the CTM is good though, I am in a room with 5 of the best elders in all of brasil..we all get along very well.. our room is on the 7th floor of the CTM. there is an excellent view of Sau Paulo metropolis, it is HUGE! I never imagined that so many skyscrapers could exist in such a small area.. plus every building seems like it is slowly crumbling away. Even though it is smoggy, dirty, and rundown.. I think that this place is beautiful. I love it here..the language is coming along okay, yesterday we started writing street contacts in portuguese.. yea, mine still needs alot of work. I guess on week 4 we get dropped off at a bus station with a bunch of pass-along cards and a few book of mormons for a few hours...that will definately be interesting. Ihave some really great instructors to help me though..as well as help from the Lord. I need him now more than ever. I know that this is going to be difficult, not only to speak portuguese, but to teach the gospel and express my heart in portuguese. Although, I know its not a matter of if I will be able to speak it, but when! I know that the Lord will provide a way.. Over the past week I have been reading the packet of letters you guys hid in my suitcase.. thank you everyone, every one of them has helped me out alot. well, por meu orar.. I could use the help, and let me know how things are going.
love you all, até logo..-Elder Olson - give toby a hug for me.
Tues. Sept 16,2008
Ol Minha familia. Tudo Bem?
Hey, Hows everyone doing? Well, right now I am on a bus going to the Campinas Temple, and I had a little time, so I figured I would write you all. It is so beautiful here, But I have never seen such poverty. Sao Paulo is so gigantic; everytime I look off in the distance(in any direction) I see a huge wave of skyscrapers.
Campinas is a little far away. Right now we are going through the countryside, which is thick rain forest with a small cluster of slums here and there.
Things have been going great this past week. I will admit, the first day was one of the hardest, distressed days of my life. All my companions are awesome guys, we get along extremely well. There are 6 of us in our room; Elder Whitehead & E. Clark, E. Duerden & E. Neuberger, and E. Holmes and I. We all have alot of fun together.
The CTM here is incredible, I really have enjoyed it alot. All the instructors here are natives, they are great teachers and have awesome personalities. They are really funny.
The portuguese is coming pretty slow, but I am getting better every day. I said my first prayer with a group, in portuguese on Saturday. It was a bit scary, but I had no problem.
WOW! we have almost been in 8 wrecks...driving here is insane!
Well, today is our P-day, and I think that we are going to walk around town. Maybe find an internet cafe or go to the supermarket, I'm sure it will be good. I haven't had much time to do anything, we have been so busy. We work hard and study alot, But I am having the time of my life. Being with all 6 of my companions, there is never a dull moment.
I know that Iam where the Lord wants me to be, and I know that the people of Maceio' are waiting to hear the gospel. I can barely wait.
Thank you for all your letters and prayers, they help me stay focused and dedicated. I love and miss you all...thank you for all of your love and support.
E voce amor eu enviais. -Elder Olson
Hey, Hows everyone doing? Well, right now I am on a bus going to the Campinas Temple, and I had a little time, so I figured I would write you all. It is so beautiful here, But I have never seen such poverty. Sao Paulo is so gigantic; everytime I look off in the distance(in any direction) I see a huge wave of skyscrapers.
Campinas is a little far away. Right now we are going through the countryside, which is thick rain forest with a small cluster of slums here and there.
Things have been going great this past week. I will admit, the first day was one of the hardest, distressed days of my life. All my companions are awesome guys, we get along extremely well. There are 6 of us in our room; Elder Whitehead & E. Clark, E. Duerden & E. Neuberger, and E. Holmes and I. We all have alot of fun together.
The CTM here is incredible, I really have enjoyed it alot. All the instructors here are natives, they are great teachers and have awesome personalities. They are really funny.
The portuguese is coming pretty slow, but I am getting better every day. I said my first prayer with a group, in portuguese on Saturday. It was a bit scary, but I had no problem.
WOW! we have almost been in 8 wrecks...driving here is insane!
Well, today is our P-day, and I think that we are going to walk around town. Maybe find an internet cafe or go to the supermarket, I'm sure it will be good. I haven't had much time to do anything, we have been so busy. We work hard and study alot, But I am having the time of my life. Being with all 6 of my companions, there is never a dull moment.
I know that Iam where the Lord wants me to be, and I know that the people of Maceio' are waiting to hear the gospel. I can barely wait.
Thank you for all your letters and prayers, they help me stay focused and dedicated. I love and miss you all...thank you for all of your love and support.
E voce amor eu enviais. -Elder Olson
First Letter home -Sept 10,2008
Letter from Matthew- Sept 10, 2008
Hey Mom and Dad,
Well I am supposed to write you this to tell you that I am okay and that I made it here safely, but I think you already knew that I would.
The past 2 days have been the longest 2 days of my life and I have been running off a mere 1 ½ hrs of sleep.
As it turns out, I did meet up with a few elders in Salt Lake and we picked up a few more in Dallas. They are all really funny and great young men. We were able to talk and get to know each other a lot better during the 10 hr. flight to Sao Paulo.
During the flight something cool happened…One of the flight attendants started talking to me because apparently I reminded her a lot of her son. I began to talk with her for a while, I told her where we all were going and what serving a mission means. She was a little interested. I guess her son had just started dating a mormon girl. Needless to say she had a lot of questions.
I told her about the Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smiths role in the restoration. I also explained the apostasy.
I gave her a small Book of Mormon and my pass-along card. She told me that she was interested and that she really wanted to try to keep an open mind. Well… I hope it will help her out.
It’s a little weird … I don’t really feel like a missionary. It felt great to share the gospel with the lady, but I don’t know… this is hard/
My first day at the MTC was okay. We took a tour of the building and the surrounding neighborhood. The people are very poor in this area.
Things seem a little packed here, even in the MTC. My room is a little bigger that my room back home. There are 6 of us. My companion’s name is Elder Holmes. He is a big funny kid. There is also an Elder Neuberger from St. Louis, he reminds me of Jason Moffat. He is a lot of fun.
Well it’s a bit discouraging, but I think that’s just because it’s the first day. I know I’m in the right place though. Thanks for all the letters, they really helped me out today.
Love ya all- Elder Olson
UPDATE OF ADDRESS:
Elder Matthew Howard Olson
Box 31 District 37-B
Brazil Maceio
Rua Padre Antonio D’Angelo, 121
Casa Verde, Sao Paulo, SP
Brazil 02516-040
Hey Mom and Dad,
Well I am supposed to write you this to tell you that I am okay and that I made it here safely, but I think you already knew that I would.
The past 2 days have been the longest 2 days of my life and I have been running off a mere 1 ½ hrs of sleep.
As it turns out, I did meet up with a few elders in Salt Lake and we picked up a few more in Dallas. They are all really funny and great young men. We were able to talk and get to know each other a lot better during the 10 hr. flight to Sao Paulo.
During the flight something cool happened…One of the flight attendants started talking to me because apparently I reminded her a lot of her son. I began to talk with her for a while, I told her where we all were going and what serving a mission means. She was a little interested. I guess her son had just started dating a mormon girl. Needless to say she had a lot of questions.
I told her about the Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smiths role in the restoration. I also explained the apostasy.
I gave her a small Book of Mormon and my pass-along card. She told me that she was interested and that she really wanted to try to keep an open mind. Well… I hope it will help her out.
It’s a little weird … I don’t really feel like a missionary. It felt great to share the gospel with the lady, but I don’t know… this is hard/
My first day at the MTC was okay. We took a tour of the building and the surrounding neighborhood. The people are very poor in this area.
Things seem a little packed here, even in the MTC. My room is a little bigger that my room back home. There are 6 of us. My companion’s name is Elder Holmes. He is a big funny kid. There is also an Elder Neuberger from St. Louis, he reminds me of Jason Moffat. He is a lot of fun.
Well it’s a bit discouraging, but I think that’s just because it’s the first day. I know I’m in the right place though. Thanks for all the letters, they really helped me out today.
Love ya all- Elder Olson
UPDATE OF ADDRESS:
Elder Matthew Howard Olson
Box 31 District 37-B
Brazil Maceio
Rua Padre Antonio D’Angelo, 121
Casa Verde, Sao Paulo, SP
Brazil 02516-040
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