The Field is White

Yesterday, we baptized 3 people that went with us to Stake Conference last week! Lairce and her son Gabriel, and Aline, the cousin of Felícia (who was baptized last week). This past Sunday we had 14 investigators at church!

I will be staying here for the next transfer! My new companion will be Elder Oliveira, a Brazilian. I´m glad I´ll be staying here; this ward is really good and there are plenty of people who need to be baptized!

We made the cookies that you sent me with Felícia and Aline! There wasn´t enough room on the baking sheet, so they all mushed together and we had to cut them in squares, haha!  But they were still delicious! 🙂

Thanks for the package! I´ll be able to pick it up tomorrow. I´ll let you know if everything is in it.

Love,

Elder Olsen

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Made cookies with Felícia and Aline

Flood, Mud, and a New Convert

This week in São Paulo there was really bad flooding. In the area where we live, we weren´t really affected at all, just a few little leaks in our roof, haha! But the city where the church is was flooded really bad. The church wasn´t affected by the flood, though, because it is higher up on a hill. The canal that runs throughout the city caved in and destroyed the road. They said that water was up to the knees or even up to the chest in some parts. One of the grocery stores that is next to the canal was completely flooded and lost all of it´s food stock that is kept in the lower level. When we got to the city, the water had already gone down, but there was thick mud everywhere! It was a crazy sight. Attached are some pictures.

This week we baptized Felícia! She is the daughter of the step dad of Karen that we baptized last week. Felícia’s mom was previously married to Karen´s step dad, but then separated. Felícia said that she always wanted to go back to the Mormon church! (Her mom told us that Felícia would always ask when they were going to return… and then we showed up!) Felícia´s mom was also inactive in the church, but we brought her back!  She said the missionaries hadn´t gone to their house for 10 years. Felícia would go to church as a little kid, but before she was 8 years old, so she never got baptized. It was definitely the Lord that led us there! We baptized her after stake conference.

Conference was in a different city, so the church rented a big bus. Even still, we managed to bring 12 investigators with us! President and Sister Farnes were at the conference and gave wonderful talks as always.

Tenha uma boa semana!

Elder Olsen

No more road!

No more road!

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A Million Times BETTER

This week we baptized Dayanne on Saturday and Karen on Sunday. Dayanne had a difficult time; she was very scared of getting baptized and then sinning after. We went to her house before the baptism to help her relax and take away her anxiety. I taught the family how to play spoons (best card game ever) so she could relax until we left for the Baptism. She was even very sick with a cold and fever but she stayed strong; Satan sure didn´t want her to be baptized! After the baptism she said she felt a million times better and thanked us.

Karen´s story is miraculous. During the week, we were looking for less active members. We found a family in which the Dad was a member but the wife and kids weren´t. We invited him to return to activity in the church and he accepted! He said it was about time that he returned to church. The ward members said that they have been trying forever to get that family to church and we did it in one week! haha.  Karen, the daughter in the family, was very excited to be baptized.

This morning for P-day we woke us super early and climbed up a mountain called “Monte de Saboó”. It was a way prettier view than we expected at the top, due to the clouds that were covering the low-land. Apparently, it´s a super sacred area for all the Evangelic people. They go there to pray. We found a church group at the top and a few people were doing some hardcore praying.

Again, as always, thanks for everything!

-Elder Olsen

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Sacred Book on Sacred Mountain

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Teaching in the Street

This week we baptized the brother and sister of Matheus, Augusto and Vitória. We sent Matheus and Augusto to the stake dance on Saturday and they loved it!

We also baptized a 9 year old boy named Kaike. We have been teaching his family which consists of him, his smaller brother, and mom. Kaike is super intelligent about the gospel; he wanted really badly to be baptized. We even found him one day reading the Book of Mormon in the street and teaching a friend! (see attached picture) He loves to read the Book of Mormon. He is also trying to help his mom to prepare to be baptized. She still has lots of problems with smoking and drinking that we are helping her with. Kaike says that he doesn´t like that his mom smokes and drinks. He takes away her cigarettes so she can´t smoke, haha.

It´s starting to get a little more chilly here in Brasil as winter is approaching, but not the winter WE think of (without snow). Thanks for all the prayers!

Love,

Elder Olsen

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Test of Faith

This week we had a bunch of baptisms planned, but then suddenly everything fell through. I feel like it was a big test of my faith. I knew I was going to have a baptism, I just didn´t know who. Then, we met a young man named Matheus that had been getting to know the church. After church, he decided to be baptized. He said he wanted a change in his life. We set the baptism for that night. Later, we went to bring him to church and it started pouring rain when we got off the bus. We arrived at the church soaked. It looked like he had already been baptized in the rain, we joked! It was a very special baptism with lots of members who supported him.

My new apartment is actually a small house. It´s a little bit older, but not scary haha. It has hardwood floors and a cellar underneath full of spiders and cockroaches it seems like. This is definitely the house with the most cockroaches so far, haha!

My shoes are worn out, but I´m on the search for new ones today. If I don´t find anything good here in the next few weeks I´ll let you know, but I´m sure I´ll find something good. There are a million shoe stores here!

Thanks for all the love and support you give me!

Love,

Elder Olsen

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New Area and Companion

My new area is in the interior again. I got a little worried when I was sent to the interior again because generally it can be a little tougher to baptize. But when I arrived here I got pretty excited! The ward is big and has tons of really helpful members. We have the best ward mission leader that I have ever had!  He returned from his mission like 8 months ago and is our age. He always is super helpful and teaches with us.

Elder Jones and I opened the area which means we arrived here at the same time without knowing anything! But even still, we were blessed this past week and baptized a girl named Larissa, who is a member´s niece, and also brought 5 people to church!

Our church building is in a nicer town that’s a little touristy.  It’s only 3 weeks old!  (It just got done being remodeled). There is also a ski resort in the town!! Do you believe that?? Apparently they make fake snow and throw it on the little slope. I´ll have to check it out:) We work in a city that´s like 15 minutes from the church.  We have to take the bus to get to the church.

We brought a single mother with two little girls to church. She loved it and said she wants to come back every week! We´ll baptize her this weekend. We also brought her two friends.

My new companion, Elder Jones, is from San Diego, California. He is great! He is my first American companion since my trainer.  We are serving as Zone Leaders.

Thanks for all the love and support!!

Love,

Elder Olsen

Fluffiest dog I've ever laid hands on!

The fluffiest dog I’ve ever laid hands on!

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Last P-day we went to P.F. Chang’s!:D

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Our street flooded and turned into a river!!

 

Mission Record!

Yesterday we had the baptisms of Raissa, Daene, Wesley, Estefani, and Jennifer.   Me and Elder Medina ended 27 baptisms in the transfer, a new mission record!!

I’m sending more  pictures today and put some captions with every photo! I will check for the packages tomorrow! I will be transferred  with Elder Jones. Thanks for everything!

Love,

Elder Olsen

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Baptisms for 20 consecutive weeks!!

Feb 3, 2016

Our zone broke the mission record for baptisms in the month!

When we broke the mission record for baptisms in the month, President invited us over to his house to eat Dominos Pizza and play ping pong! It was a great time. Here is a picture of me playing against him (He destroyed me)

When we broke the mission record for baptisms in the month, President invited us over to his house to eat Dominos Pizza and play ping pong! It was a great time. Here is a picture of me playing against him (He destroyed me)

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Zone signing sashes at President’s

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Me and Elder Medina ended 27 baptisms in the transfer, a new mission record!!

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Crashing with the bird after baptizing 27 in one transfer!

 

Thank God for the Miracle

This week was a big rush, we baptized 4 more people and broke the zone record! The zone record was 49 and the zone baptized 61 this month. Also, we broke the mission record with 351 baptisms in the month!

On Tuesday, we fasted with the purpose of having the Lord put in our path people who are ready to be baptized. The next day, a woman with 2 little girls passing by greeted us. I stopped her and asked if she was a member of the church. She replied “Yes, and here are my 2 daughters. I have been wanting to return to church and baptize my 2 little girls, can you help me?” Me and my companion looked to each other with a giant grin and then replied “YES!!” haha.  It was seriously a miracle from God and a response to our prayer. We baptized them the next day!

On Sunday, the mother invited her whole family who are active members from another ward to watch the confirmation. One of the relatives of the 2 girls was a return missionary who was one week off the mission from Rio de Janeiro.  He confirmed his cousins and afterwards he thanked me for what we had done with his family. I told him it wasn´t us to thank, but God for the miracle. God lives!!

I´m getting used to being a ZL, we are always super busy! Last night, the sisters called us at 9:15 at night because a miracle happened and they needed a baptism interview. We called up a member who drove us to the other area to do the interview and then be the 2 witnesses at the baptism. Without us they wouldn’t have been able to perform the baptism that day!

Love,

Elder Olsen

 

Still Working Hard!

This week we had 3 more baptisms; Pamela, Emmanuel, and Jorge. They are all relatives of people that I already baptized:)

I still haven’t gone to the dentist but I´ll try when I have the chance!

Love,

Elder Olsen

The Lord’s Hand

After lots of hard work this week, we had the privilege of bringing 13 souls unto Christ! We baptized a mom, Maria Rosa with 6 kids, Gisele, Marlon, Tiago, Lucas, Gislane, and Mateus; 2 neighbor kids, Ana and João (who have parents who are in the prosess of getting married); a young girl, Sarah, who is a friend of a member; Isabel and William, who are friends of my recent convert Edimario; and Luzinede who is engaged to a member.

It was a lot of hard work, but it sure paid off!  We broke 2 mission records! The record for baptisms in one day, which was 11 but now 13, and the record for baptisms in a zone in one day, which was 18 but now 21.

I am definitely seeing the Lord’s hand in the work here. When we do our part, the Lord does His!

I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.  D&C 82:10 

Have a great week!

Love,

Elder Olsen