This week I had a cool spiritual experience. But the story starts 3 months ago with my old companion. 3 months ago I was looking through old records of investigators and picked out a few to go visit in a neighborhood super far away. We went to find the houses, but one we couldn´t find. Here in Brazil, it´s sometimes hard to find houses because people move and change house numbers, or the house numbers are all out of order, and sometimes house numbers don´t even exist that we have records of. We decided that the house didn´t exist, so I wrote “House does not exist” on the old record so missionaries wouldn´t waste time looking for the house in the future.

This week, I was looking through old records again and came across the same record on which I had written 3 months ago. When I saw “House does not exist” written on the top, I felt overcome by the Holy Ghost and I heard a whisper saying “go back, the house exists”. The next day we went back and I found the house right away. It was way further down the street from where it should have been. It´s number was way out of place. We found the family that was being taught in the past by the missionaries. They were super nice and receptive. We will continue to visit them to help prepare them for baptism. They aren´t quite ready yet, but have lots of potential. If I hadn´t followed the prompting I received to go back and look for the house again, they may have never been visited again by missionaries in the future. It´s very important that we learn to recognize and follow promptings we receive by the Spirit. I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Love,

Elder Olsen

My New companion is from chili, again!  I don´t have much time today to write more, but I´ll write to you next week!

Love,

Josh

The parks here have super old trees

Hey everyone!  This week was full of activities. We started off the week by going to the Campinas Temple! It´s been 5 months since I´ve gone to the temple so it was a real treat. President’s son was there who just returned from his mission in South Africa. That must have been weird for him…. completing his mission just to return to another mission.. haha.

A lot happened on Saturday.  After lunch we were walking on the street and noticed a dog walking toward us with a very bloody paw. A lady who was there said that the dog got into a fight and the other dog bit his leg. I secured the dog so he wouldn´t run away helpless. We happened to be right next to a scouting post for the Scouts of Brazil. They brought out a hose to wash off the leg and we bandaged him up. When we finished there was a huge pool of blood and bloody paw prints everywhere, it was sad. It was a bad wound. I let him go and he ran off. Then we started talking with the Scout Master who helped us. We told him we were both scouts from other parts of the world. (Elder F. is a scout back in Chili). The Scout Master invited us in the gate to meet the scouts there. It´s crazy how similar everything was to the Boy Scouts of America. It´s because Baden Powell started scouting and everyone just copied what he did. They even have the same Scout Oath that we repeat in BSA (translated into Portuguese of course). We bought a neckerchief and slide that they use in their troop.

Saturday night the branch had their annual Festa Julina. Everything was farm themed and they had lots of food and games for the kids. Everyone (besides us) participated in a traditional dance they do here in Brazil. The whole party could be compared to a country fest in the U.S., same idea.

Sunday we had a baptism!!! His name is Douglas. We found him two weeks ago knocking doors. He was super nice and accepting ever since we first met him. He received an answer that the Book of Mormon was true the very night we left him the book. He accepted a baptism date our first visit and was excited to be baptized. The baptism was amazing. The entire room was filled with members to support him. After church we ate lunch at the mission leaders house. They made esfias (dough with a pocket inside filled with meat) for us and I made chocolate chip cookies for them! On Sunday there was an old missionary who visited the branch. He served in this area 8 years ago. We had a family night at the family´s house who he baptized when he was here.

Transfers are tomorrow so we will be traveling to São Paulo for transfer meeting and to receive our new companions. I will stay in the same town and will get another companion from Chili.

Thank you everyone for your love and prayers!  A obra do Senhor não para!

Love,

Elder Olsen

My favorite part of the week was Sunday because we were finally able to bring a family to church! (most of the family) It was a very spiritual meeting. Lots of in-actives and investigators were there. We are constantly working here teaching and finding people. My area right now is one of the hardest to baptize in, but we have a firm baptism for this weekend.

These past few days it’s been raining but it cleared up today. I think it rains a little more here during the winter (now). There are palm trees, tropical bushes, cactus (once in a while), parrots, monkeys (very rare and usually in the less populated areas), bananna trees, lime trees, plants with crazy colorful flowers, bamboo…. Although it´s tropical, it’s not “paradise” because there´s no beach or pretty waterfalls  haha. It´s different than Florida or California because it´s 3^rd world here. All the streams and rivers are very polluted and everything is made out of cement and red clay brick. I’m sure the touristy parts of Brazil must be very pretty. We´ll have to come back and visit!

Tomorrow we´ll go to the temple! I´m excited. It´s been like 5 months since I’ve gone.

Love you all!

Elder Olsen

Hey everyone!  These past two weeks we´ve had family nights at a members house with investigators. We always try to have a family night every Monday to introduce investigators to the members. I was in charge of the game. I remembered a really fun easy game that Krista showed us in the long lines at Disney World. It was an iPhone app, but I was able to manage with sticky notes. I wrote a different animal name on a bunch of different sticky notes then stuck one on everyone´s forehead. (You can see everyone’s animal except the one on your forehead.) We had to guess what animal we were by taking turns asking yes or no questions. Everyone loved it!  It was a fun time.

Family nights are very important to help bring our families closer together. I still remember having family night as a kid. Even though I don´t remember what was taught or what we did, I remember having them. Even when I was in high school, I remember mom and dad gathering everyone together to have family night. Even though I was usually on my phone the whole time and only thinking about when it would be over, I remember having them. It´s so important to set traditions in the families early on because the kids remember. In the Book of Mormon, we always hear the phrase “tradition of their fathers”. It only took one generation for the Lamanites to turn completely against the Nephites; just because that´s what the parents taught their kids. I never really understood “traditions of their fathers” until my mission.

Literally, everything in this life depends on the traditions of your parents. Monkey see, monkey do… as I like of think. We always see and hear so much on the mission that directly relates to the “tradition of their fathers”. Kids grow up thinking that things are right and normal because they see their parents doing it or teaching it. The funniest thing we hear on a daily basis is: “I was born catholic and I´ll die catholic. My father was catholic, his father was catholic, and the father of my father was catholic” haha. This is a perfect example of what the Book of Mormon warns us about. Here is what happened to the people of Zarahemla because of the traditions of their fathers:

“Now it came to pass that there were many of the rising generation that could not understand the words of king Benjamin, being little children at the time he spake unto his people; and they did not believe the tradition of their fathers.

 They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ.

 And now because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened.

And they would not be baptized; neither would they join the church. And they were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after, even in their carnal and sinful state; for they would not call upon the Lord their God.”  (Mosiah 26:1-4)

Love,

Elder Olsen

My favorite part of the week was Saturday because we traveled to another city for a conference with an area General Authority, Elder Shmeil. I always like traveling inside the mission because it reminds me of all our family vacations and travels. We usually travel by bus but sometimes the mission rents a van and driver that picks up missionaries. Every city has a bus station with really nice comfy busses that take you anywhere. You can always catch a bus, you don´t need to buy a ticket ahead of time or anything.

It´s getting a bit cooler, but not freezing (Freezing for the Brazilians’, though). The sweaters I have are perfect for the temperature, and it´s only once in a while that I need a sweater. Usually, it´s still super hot.

We met some tartarugas at our lunch appointment this week! They carried my Book of Mormon for me haha.  At members’ houses, we eat rice and beans every single day.  And then they always have some sort of meat and salad. And about the pizza…..Brazillian pizza is a little different. First of all, the crust isn´t as thick as American pizza and they don´t use as much sauce under the cheese, if at all.    And they don´t have pepperoni pizza. The most popular pizza is calabresa and onion. Calabresa is a really cheap meat like sausage. Still not exactly sure what it´s made out of!  haha

Love,

Elder Olsen

The Tartaruga is helping us preach!

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!!! My first birthday in the mission was a bit weird. Never had a birthday like it before! Usually, I hang out with friends and go do something crazy, but this year I couldn’t. The missionary work can´t stop. We worked all day, like normal, most of the time forgetting it was my birthday. And no one knows it´s your birthday except your companion (and luckily he was nice and let some people know). At night we went to a members house for some cake and to sing Happy Birthday. And the night before Elder F. and I ordered pizza and made cookies!! I also opened some packages that I received for my birthday with lots of goodies inside:D The musical card you and dad sent was hilarious! hahaha  And I´ve already used the dog whistle–the dogs all look at me funny haha! It was a one-of-a-kind birthday!

We taught the Restoration several times this week. I´m getting lots of practice with it! Portuguese is still coming along everyday! Thanks for everything!

Love,

Elder Olsen

Email isn’t working this week.  Above is a picture of the ward mission leader and his family from the last area.  In our current area, we walk the tracks a lot because it´s faster to go between neighborhoods!

We´re still doing 80 doors a day! It´s a goal for the entire month of May.  My area is a bit tough, the branch isn´t the most organized and we haven’t found any new firm investigators recently. We had two baptism dates set for this past weekend, but both fell through.

There were about 30 people at church on Sunday. The missionaries give talks every 3rd Sunday of the month. My favorite thing this week was taking the sacrament to an elderly lady in a nursing home, yesterday. She has a super strong testimony of the church but can’t go to church anymore.

My companion was born in Chili and has a giant family. He doesn’t really speak any English besides, “I don’t speak English” haha. (Just about all the Brazilians and Latinos know how to say that.) I am forced to only speak Portuguese with him, which is good! I’m getting a lot better at Portuguese because of it.  Elder F. has a pretty thick Spanish accent, though, which will just make it easier to understand people without accents!

Love,

Elder Olsen

Here is a statue of some guy playing the cello, not sure of his name or who he is though… Tatuí is the music capital of Brazil.

Chimarrão e violoncelo!