March 25, 2009

Hey,
Well, Estancia is doing great. I think that I started to forget how much I love it here. I think that I could even stay one more transfer if it was needed.
The work has been a little tough lately, mainly because we haven´t been getting any references from the members, and no one was getting too involved in missionary work.
Being out here, I have truly been able to see the difference that comes when members get involved in this work. This past week, we have been working with Walisson and Rejane alot, and they have helped out a bunch! We are trying to use the method of teaching alot of people quickly; doing so, we are almost guaranteed to find those that the Lord is preparing. There are three things that I have found to be most important in bringing someone into this gospel:
-a diligent missionary.
-a member to befriend.
-and a humble investigator.
If we are able to work under these circumstances, já era!.

Over the past week I have really noticed that it doesn't depend on how well you explain the Restoration of the gospel of Christ, but how well you teach with the spirit. Believing solely on it's power of conversion. Then it all depends if that person will open his/her heart (2 néfi 33:1-2), and afterwards follow that conviction. The gospel is simple. It only takes a humble heart and a determined mind to follow what your heart tells you.

We have 2 incredible investigators. One is named Joabe. In the midst of his entire family, neighbors and friends who will not give up smoking, he stopped completely in 3 days, because he wants to follow Christ, and he knows that living this gospel will bring him happiness. He has a great determination.
The other is named Dani. I am so excited to help her. She has such great faith. Although she has had a rough life, she has made a huge comeback. I have been able to help her and see the change that the Atonement of Christ has made in her life. It really is something incredible. Dani is Rejane´s sister-in-law and I think that helping her, will help bring back Rejane´s brother, Roberto, to the gospel. I know that this is one reason that I was meant to stay here.
Also, we have been teaching the brothers of Maurício and it has been going well.
I am so grateful to have this gospel in my life. Here, it is such a huge diference between someone who lives the gospel principles and some one that doesn´t. I think that it it something that you cannot really notice while living in Utah.

Well, today was great. We went with Walisson to the really ancient part of Estancia called Santa Cruz. There are a ton of way cool looking ancient houses that poor people live in. As we went on, we found a trail that led off into the forest. It was such an awesome trail that went out in the middle of nowhere, until finally we came to a big river (it was saltwater too) called the "mare". As we followed the river, hiking through the brush and climbing little rocky cliffs we found an old abandoned factory... nossa, foi tâo massa!!I attached a picture for you guys.
Well, gotta go. Thank you for all your support.
valeu..-Elder Olson

March 18,2009 #2

More pictures from Estancia, Brazil

March 18, 2009

Dont worry, I´m still alive and well..!
Well, it has been a crazy 2 weeks and we had transfers in the middle of it all, just to make it a bit more complicated. It was good to hear from some of you since I wasn´t able to get to a computer last week.
Ha, I can't believe that Joe is 30 years old! What an old man!! -just kidding!
Let grandpa know that I got his letter, tell him thanks and that I will write him back as soon as I can.
So, all is going well here. Yes, here! I am still in Estancia.. I was almost positive that I would be transferred because I almost have 5 months serving here (which is not too common in our mission). I had already started to say goodbye to some of the members here. But looks like I will be staying for a bit longer.
I was kind-of looking forward to seeing new places and meeting new people in our mission, but I am not up-set with staying here. I really like Estancia.
Around mid-night last night a new sister arrived here, this is her first area. I´m sure that she will come to love Estancia. While we were waiting at the bus stop I began talking to a man sitting at the far end of the terminal, waiting for his bus. He was from Santiago Chile, and had been on the road traveling for the past 5 years. I guess there was something that happened back home that he was trying to get away from. He already knew about the church, he said that it was bigger in Chile than it is here. He had been to one sacrament meeting, but it was when he was passing through Bolivia. I talked to him for a while and left him with some information to contact the missionaries and to get a Book of Mormon. It was funny to talk to him, he spoke portuguêse mixed with a little spanish, but I was able to understand all that he was saying. He said that he learned portuguese in 1 month.
Well, the work is going well. However, our bikes are not! Any day now I am waiting for them to collapse, I have to stop myself from laughing everytime I look at them.
Also, during this transfer we will move into the new chapel! It is awesome, I am so excited to get out of that little house! I attached a picture of it to this e-mail.. Well, last p-day we had an adventure, and took off on some trail that led off into the jungle. We found a waterfall, and some other cool places. I will attach some pictures. It is beautiful here, I really love Estancia and I am glad that I got to stay with Elder Silva. He is such a great guy; we work hard and have alot of fun too. I am grateful for this opportunity to be here, I have grown to love Brazil and its people. But even more I have grown to love this gospel, it really is incredible. Well, I better go.
love you all...take care,-Élder Olsön

March 4, 2009

Hey, y´all.
It was great to hear from so many of you, and know how you are all doing. I was very happy to hear the news about John Norton. That is truly something awesome. I will try to write him a letter soon. Thought I´d let you know, I received Grandpa´s letter today.
Well, this week has been great. Elder Silva and I just barely got back from Aracajú, where we have been for the past two days because of Zone conference. Zone Conference was awesome. We talked alot about personal revelation, and some new patterns that the mission is trying to start. It was cool though, because alot of the new ideas that the president had, were things that Elder Silva and I had already begun to practice. I always love Zone Conference, it is always a great spiritual experience. This was the first time that our Zone had gotten together this transfer and some of the Elders in my District in the CTM(MTC) had been transferred to my Zone, Elder Neuberger and Elder Deurden. It was a great and hilarious reunion, as we talked about our adventures on the mission so far! (Wow, Maceió sounds like a crazy place). They are friends that I will have for life.
We spent the night in Aracajú in Elder Silva´s old area. It was great to meet some of the members and people there.
This morning we had a big Zone party with the 2 Zone´s of Aracajú, in a little Sítio out in the countryside. It was a blast! I spent alot of time with E. Neuberger and Deurden, they are so hilarious. The Sítio had an orchard of all kinds of fruit trees, lots of animals, and lots of space and fields where we spent some time relaxing and enjoying the day. We also took a dirt road that led to a little secluded village in a small valley, which was kinda borderlining nowhere. There we found a soccer field made of sand and had a blast playing with all the missionaries and some kids passing by. Today was a great day.
Well, the work here is going well. In my last letter, I talked about a man named Mauricio, who´s parents live out on that farm in Estancia (Family with 15 kids)--Well, we went to his house and have been teaching him and his family. His wife is very hard, and because of this, Mauricio was about to give in. However we had an incredible lesson with him about faith, and helped him realize how we are able to discover the truth of things. (I love Alma´s example in Alma 32 about using faith as if planting a seed- it is such an incredible way to show this principle). By the end of the lesson he realized what he needed to do. He also told us that he has never felt the urge to search and learn more about religious things, until he discovered the Book of Mormon. He told us that there is something "mysterious and interesting" about it; that makes him want to read more. This book truly has something special and unique about it, something that catches the interest of those with an open heart.
Also, this week we finally began working in this little Villa that I have always wanted to work in and we found a great investigator named Jeane. We taught her about the Restoration and about Joseph Smith. She had a great desire to go church, and really made an effort (the church is really far from her house). On monday we passed by, and she told us how much she enjoyed church, and that she had already received a blessing from the Lord for the choices that she had been making. She would begin working the next day (which was something that she was really needing). Jobs are hard to come by here. After she told us this we felt impressed to just ask her flat out what she thought of the Book of Mormon, if it was true... -she responded that she really believed that it was the word of God, and that it really does help. We then, plainly asked her if she would be baptized and she answered "yes". Our part in this conversion was just too easy. The spirit did pretty much everything. We gave her the invite and told her the "good news" and the spirit told her that it was true, and led her to act on these feeling of the spirit. I could tell that this really meant something special to her. I am very excited to continue teaching her in preparation for her baptism. It was a neat experience.
I truly know that the lord is preparing people to hear this gospel. In truth, I like to think that He is preparing everyone. There are just those more willing to open their hearts and listen to him; and to give a place to a portion of his words and follow the feelings of the spirit. That is how we are truly converted.
Well, gotta go. I love you all a bunch.
tchau,-Elder Olson