Letter #19 December 2, 2013

Elder Churata is from Peru, and he has 9 months in the mission...and i am learning a lot from him. in different ways. He is such a humble awesome guy, but sometimes struggles with the motivation and desire to do things...which has had the opposite effect on me, i have never wanted to walk as fast, to work as hard, to contact, to teach, to do all the things with more focus and determination than now...well not write now..im a little tired...its P day. haha but seriously this past week, i have felt better than ever. Yeah there are still tons of problems, i still struggle sometimes with spanish, still dont know everything, its hard because we dont have like any investigators right now, etc. But...i dont know. Heavenly Father has blessed me with a fire, a pasion, a desire that wasnt there before. I get up in the mornings and excercise my heart out, and study hard, and im trying to be more punctual to things and im not afraid to talk in the lessons, i am pretty much managing the area right now,...Im still not perfect...WAYYY far from it...but i have never felt the desire to try sooo strongly in my life, or in the mission.

My testimony of change has really grown this past week. Change is hard (well not always i guess, if all of the sudden i had a year supply of chocolate, that wouldnt be too hard of a change) but i have really seen that through change and challenges, trials, we can learn things that we could never learn without difficulties. I am so grateful for the hard things that i have been given, because i have felt myself change, i have felt the growth that comes with them, I hope i can make the most of every situation that i have and learn and grow from it.

Letter #18 November 25,2013

Well first off, ill explain the pictures, so that you can laugh a bit about them and then keep reading! And of course they both contain COMIDA! haha so the first with our little jar of peaches that a miembro gave us, was thursday, and we thought that Thanksgiving was always on the 3rd thursday of Noviembre, so that night at 10 oclock, we were like...wait...TODAY WAS THANKSGIVING! So we took a picture of our feast to send!...but appently, its this week?? haha I think its a good sign that im losing myself..hopefully in the work and not just my mind! haha And the other picture is of us, with eggs, and bacon, and toast, we splurged and made a SUPER yummylicious breakfast. haha

So probably the biggest change! We got a phonecall from our District Leader last night, and Elder Reiley is leaving to finish the instruction of a missionary that is REALLy struggleing with spanish and im staying here, and a peruvian missionary that knows no english is coming to be my senor companion.

We were so shocked, because we were thinking, oh maybe we are going to leave, but about a week ago, we both felt, no, we are really started to work well together and figure this out, and we are going to POUND it this next transfer...so of course we are changing..Its really sad, He is my first real companion, because Elder Neddo and i always knew exactly when we were going to switch, but we have learned a lot from each other, things that we want to keep doing, and things that we have learned from and that we should improve...

Letter # 17 November 18, 2013

Hola familia!! Como les ha ido???? Let me tell you, yesterday i was SOOO excited for it to be P day!!! It was kind of a longer week this past one...but thats okay!

Wow, now that i am actually here writing I have completely forgotten all the things i want to write! So I am doing well, adjusting to the food more, but a lot of times i just get super huge cravings for CHINESE FOOD!! haha i mean i love this food, but man i crave Panda sometimes. haha Actually we had some pretty dang good meals this past week (we ate at subway 2 because none of the RElief society ladies put there names down to feed us a couple days..odd. ;) but we ate BBQ ribs one day and it was SOOOOOO good!!!!! and then another day we had this creamy corny sopa that reminded me of all of your yummylicious soups mom! and this mushroom spicy chicken that was TAN DELICIOSO!!! 

So this past week was good in a lot of ways. Elder Rieley and i have our ups and downs, like sometimes he doesnt have an opinion on things and it irks me, and sometimes i get impatient which im sure cuases him a bit of grief, but for the most time we really have a good time together, and we really did work hard this last week, but it was definetely a rough one. 

OH! so i dont forget, we were on the micro (the green buses that we take EVERYWHERE! ill have to take a picture for all of you to see) but anyway, we were joking around because one of us had sneezed and we were experimenting with different words and structures in spanish, instead of just saying "salud" haha we said stuff like i hope that blessings pour on your head (because of the "bless you" in english" i cant remember all the funny things that we said but the best was that i said "Que bendiciones derramen en su ojo" (i hope that blessings pour in your eye" and we laughed...and then Elder Rieley got something in his eye and started itching it, haha it was SOOO ironic and hilarious. haha so thats the funny thing of this week!

haha Elder Rieley said, im just going to eat cereal and ill be good. I bought onions, tomatoes, lettuce, and avacados, made some ricisimo sandwiches, and of course he didnt just want cereal..haha :D

Letter #16 November 11,20013

One day we ate something called MOLEY and it is really messy, so we wore bibs!!!!

Letter #15 November 4,2013

 i forgot to tell you that i played the piano in sacrament meeting (only the last song while the teachers were leaving to prepare their classes) and it was good, really scary but good. I have actually thought about it a lot, we have a piano in the chapel, but only like 1 person knows how to play it, and i REALLLLLY wish i had practiced more, because a lot of people cant really sing very well without a piano, and there is just a different spirit when their is accompanyment, so yesterday i told elder rieley that we should plan things so we can go to our district meeting an hour early so i could practice, because i think even though i dont know know a lot of songs, if i practice every monday, i could be able to sight read at least the top hand of most of the songs, and maybe i can ask someone for the songs for the next sunday in advance and i could practice them that monday! So yeah, i hope that all hope isnt lost, and i can still learn and do what i should have done so much more!! I realllllly enjoy when i get the chance to play!!! Nic, Jenna, Zac, Hy, Loge, Spence, PLAY THE PIANO!!!! itll be worth it!!!!!!! promise!!!!! haha thats awesome about mixing my name up! And yeah you better practice!!!! ill come back just as fast!!! ;) I am way excited for the letters and that sounds like a fantastic idea!!!

Oh and so i dont forget, Elder Reiley and I bought icecream...3 times. haha so the 31 is halloween right? and we were by this icecream shop that has the BEST icecream ever, and i remembered what you told me, and we treated ourselves with you paying! ;) and then here in mexico they had the days of the dead (dia de los muertos) friday and saturday, and it just happened that both those days we were near that same icecream shop...i hope its okay, but we had you buy us icecream 3 times. It cost in total about 120 pesos, which is about 8 dollars, hope thats not too big of a treat! But just to prove that we enjoyed it, ive included pictures!!!! :D
Love, Elder Pear

Letter #14 October 28,2013

my sundays are actually kind of hectic, haha there is always things to do as a missionary, and because of that i absolutely love when i can just sit back and listen in sacrament meeting (and for sure take the Santa Cena, sacrament, and renew my covenants, i am so grateful for that) and learn! and im beginning to be able to understand most everything! haha so that makes it even better!!! The time really does fly by. sometimes the days are supppper long, but the weeks fly by!!!
Elder Pear

Letter # 13 October 21,2013

the language still gives me a headache, but its getting better, slowly but surely. Thanks for your love and encouragement! thought that i would share a laugh. I was sitting a little to much on the edge of my chair. haha dont worry im not hurt or anything, just kind of shocking and really funny!!! haha

Letter #12 October 14

 probably one of the funniest things of this week. A couple nights ago, i asked elder reiley ¨"como se dice pillow" and automatically he said "pillow". completely straight faced...we both paused for a second, and then started busting up laughing. haha it was soooooooo funny!!!!!! I think i am beginning to learn how to have fun in the middle of working hard and learning. 

Thanks for all your love and emails!!!!! i absolutely love all of you! thanks for everything!!!!!! Keep praying for me, i know that they help, always. I pray for you too! 

Con MUCHISIMO AMOR

Elder Pear!!!!!!!!

P.s. i bought some deraznos or peaches this past week, and OOOOOOH are they good!!! (because APPARENTLY its not mango season anymore! :O) haha and it made me think of all of you and fruit season. Love you all!!

Letter #11 October 7

Conference was so powerful. We got to watch all 5 sessions, and 10 hours has never gone by so fast. Zac, Jenna, Nic, Hy, Loge, I know that you dont feel like it, but enjoy every second you have to study, read, learn and grow, because right when you start to CRAVE it, is when you dont have enough of it! haha after working out i try to shower and get ready as fast as i can so i can have extra time to study in the mornings, ive gotten it down to 730, but i have a feeling that it is going to get a lot faster!!! why, you may ask?? well, we were cleaning the bathroom today (i REALLLY wish i would have taken before and after pictures, because it was ATROSHOUS!, and now it is NICE!!!) and guess what happened?? Elder Reiley broke the Water heater thingie majiger, so now we are going to be taking cold showers. HAHA and its so funny, because just the other morning, i just wanted to go back to bed, and i thought..you know what i should count my blessings, at least we have hot water that doesnt run out (it heats it up as it falls down) and i would kind of doze in the heat...haha ill find a different blessing to count.

The Lord lives. He is here in Mexico with me, He is with you. Sometimes things are SO darn difficult, sometimes it seems like once we finally get something to be a little bit better or under control, we do something else wrong, or figure out that there are 87 bagillion other things that we arent doing perfectly. I havent figured this out, as im sure none of us will in this life. But i know that when we trust in the lord, and just try, even though our efforts may be humble and seem totally without effect, he will help us. Our savior Jesus Christ, and our Heavenly Father live. We feel there love, we feel their light, we feel the truth through the Holy Ghost. I guess the mission, and life is to show us all our faults, in all their terrible glory, and then show us the way to try and lessen them, try to increase the strengths we do have. I think thats a key. Always remember the good. Take note of the bad, desire to change and constantly work towards perfection, but enjoy the good. Enjoy the beautiful. Love. Believe. Hope. Give. Joy. Faith. Family. Always remember these things, and let them overcome the weakness and imperfections of these life and of ourselves. Our Heavenly Father loves us, no matter what. But he also trusts us. he trusts us. 

ELDER OLSEN!!!!

PEAR!!!

Letter #10 September 30,2013

wow, this past week was pretty rough, i was soooooooo tired all the time, and the language is obviously still hard, and there are just so many hard things in this...i just hope that i am learning what i am suppose to from all these hard things. So i have approximately 2 minutes left. today was kind of crazy. So we had to do 3 loads of wash today, because we had to wash our blankets, so we got up at 5 to do that, then we have to study 2 hours on p days, and then we found a scorpion on the wall of our apartment and that distracted us for a while (ill include photos) and then we got lost trying to find the members house for comida, and then we were there FOREVER! i really dont like when the members keep us there forever...i should be more assertive...and then we were headed back to drop off our groceries and grab our suit jackets before district meeting, and lets just say that sometimes the food still doesnt agree with me too well...so that took a while. haha and so yeah, that is why this is so super short, and i havent even been able to read any of your emails yet...but next week we are going to take at least 7 hours to write. haha probably not, but i cant wait to read all your emails and all from this next week too!! thanks for all your love and support, i realllllly appreciate it. it is such a comfort and encouragmenent knowing that i have an eternal family that loves me and is praying for me, dont stop! the language is coming. i can express myself resonable well, it just is hard because its slow and people dont understand completely, but i can understand pretty much everything, even a little bit more when people are talking to me (that always makes forget every word in spanish) so dont worry bout me (especially you mom! ;) i am doing GREAT! :) i just have to get through the hard things...i am going to start thinking of something i can learn or become better in for every hard thing that i go through. today, DEFINETELY was patience... anyways, i am going to attach some pictures, ill write TONS next week i promise!!!! dont worry itll be here before you know it! (it always does!!!!!) haha i love you all!!! MOM, DAD, ADREE, JARED, ZAC, JENNA, NIC, HYRUM, LOGAN, SPENCER!!!!!!!! AH dont have time, ill attach pics next week!!! they are great!!! haha love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ELDER PEAR

i was just reading a teeny bit of moms letter, and i thought to say ENJOY GENERAL CONFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Letter #9 September 23,2013

Segrada vaca!! hehe i cant believe that it has already been another week already! I have been in Mexico for 3 weeks, crazyness!! On one hand, it feels like i havent been here all that long, but at the same time it feels like i have been here for always. haha its so weird. Guess what!? tomorrow i will have been on my mission for 2 months. i cant believe it. i only have 22 months left!! I HAVE SO MUCH TO LEARN and BECOME!!! ahhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! haha looking back there is so much that i wish i would have done better, at the MTC in these past three weeks, but i just have to keep reminding myself that i have to be patient with myself, which is honestly one of the hardest things, you all know me. anyway, so yeah i have been and will continue to work on the whole, looking back with just enough regret to remember and change and improve!!! 

Phew, i absolutely love reading all of your letters, but it definetely makes it harder to write to all of you afterwards because i just want to keep on reading about everything from all of you!!!

OH! and when we were on intercambios with the district leader and his companion we saw a ton of high school kids blocking traffic in the city and protesting about that strike education reform thing! kinda crazy!!! 

Phew the weather is so weird, after i wrote you about it being so cold and everything, it has warmed up a lot, i just sleep in my shorts and tshirt and its been really warm during the days also. today is super hot!! AHHH!!!! we have to leave to eat, and then we still have to go shopping before district meeting. oh and im teaching the 5 minutes teaching minute thing in the meeting...fun. ah im scared. but anyway, that gives you a little better idea of all the people here.

Love 

Pear!!!

p.s. pictures of the first day i did my hair, and today! dia de preparacion!

Letter #8 September 16,2013

Holy vaca! i cant believe that it has already been another week. and that i have been in mexico for 2 weeks already!! 

So it rains..pretty much every day. usually in the afternoon, for 2 or 3 hours, sometimes more. a lot of times its just a cold drizzle, and others its realllly hard. haha my first week i think there were rivers in the callas, it was raining that hard. thats when we went and bought sweaters! (like you can see in the pictures!! :) wow i am shocked that it didn{t say in my packet to bring more warm ropas (sorry, i try to write a word, and i cant spell to save my life anymore!!) because it is cold!! the mornings are pretty brisk when we are studying, and my knee caps always get freezing cold. haha i am going to look for another blanket, and another pillow. i only have the one that you sent me, and i love it! but i think i just need another one so my head is higher up, because i always wake up and my shoulders hurt. Elder Reiley says its because i have broad shoulders. i hope so! haha OH!

Mom, yes my pdays are on mondays! :) and Elder Reiley is from Hawaii, he has been on his mission 3 months, he just finished being trained, and now is training me. haha we get lost a lot. especially because he was in las vegas for 6 weeks waiting to get his visa, and then here for 6 when i got here, but thats okay! we are learning together! there is this thing that we do called the first 12 weeks, where the new missionaries get trained, so elder reiley and i do it every morning for companionship study, and we have two hours every day instead of one. its been hard, because its a lot of just practicing. and its hard because i just either want to be learning and studying doctrine, or spanish! i practiced a ton in the MTC and what better practice than teaching right? but yesterday i tried to be more positive and i learned a lot about how to teach things and say things, and its in spanish, so thats good practice right?? yeah, the language is still killer hard. its so frustrating. i can understand enough to know where the conversations are going, or get the jist of things for pretty much every situation, but talking is sooo much harder. and everyone here just expects that i know everything they are saying, and even when i do, i dont want them to know that because i dont know how to respond!!! haha but i think that i know a lot of spanish. words, tenses and such, i just need to practice them, because they are in there, they just are slow coming out, and correctly because i havent used them enough. I definetely want to learn more grammar, that is so hard. i think im figuring out how its opposite in a lot of cases, like we told him is le dicimos. weird. the first week i was reallly good at only speaking spanish, but this past week was a lot harder, 

Pear

Letter # 7 September 9, 2013 (First Letter From Mexico)

HEY!!!! i made it to Mexico!! i am alive and doing well (except that the keyboards here are really weird and it says i{m spelling everything wrong, but whatever.. haha) so i am going to attach some pictures to this one and then write my long one on the next one, and i{m just going to send it to mom and dad because i don{t know how well it will send to everyone! 

 so my area is called la Noria 1, and is way up in the mountains and you can see a ton of the city from up here, it is sooo awesome! oh and that view where we took the pictures is just a few minutes away from our apartment. Oh! and where we live is San Lucas, its a way cool place! and is cold too!! haha the first two nights i just slept in my shorts and tshirt like i usually did, and i froze!!! Last night i wore my sweats, 2 pairs of socks and a jacket. best i have slept since i got here!! 

Okay, to start off! so monday we flew a bunch and that was awesome, i had a really cool experience!! wow it seems so long ago!!! so in short there was a mom, a dad and a son that were sitting like diagnolly from me and it took me like 2 hours to finally just talk to them (its so hard when i know that i want to eventually talk about the gospel, but it is defintely getting easier, because honestly, isnt that what im all about? and for that matter, isnt it what this life is all about?? so i eventually talked to here, and it was great, but then she was just like, well it was nice visiting with you (we talked about homeschooling and stuff like that, which was cool) but i was so frustrated that i didnt get to talk to here about anything deep. but then i had the thought to make a little flapping bird to give to her son (he was 6) and i did and he loved it and then i talked to him a bunch and his mom and gave him a little mormon.org pass along card so he could go online and learn more about me and why i{m a missionary. haha he was sooo excited and then he tried to express how i could learn more about him, through his actions. haha it was sooo could and i told him that i might not be able to but that if he kept making good choices his parents would be able to see that. and that was sooo awesome! i loved it!!!

Its been really hard, but it is good, and its suprising how fast i am learning!!!

I love you all!!!! Ill have more time next week to write, so keep writing me!!! 

LOVE YOU TONS!!!!

ELDER OLSEN

PEAR!!!

Mexico City Here He Comes!!

So Perry goes to Mexico tomorrow! His new address will be:

Elder Perry Joseph Olsen
México México City South Mission
Av. Progreso 106, 3º Piso
Barrio Santa Catarina, Coyoacán
04010 México , Distrito Federal
Mexico

If you want to mail him through the Church's Pouch mail these are the instructions:
Letter folding: Lay the letter blank side down. Fold the bottom of the letter about one-third of the way up the page and crease. Fold the top of the letter to the bottom of the first fold and crease. Secure the long side with two pieces of tape about one inch in from each end, but do not seal the ends. In the top left corner write your name and complete return address. Affix first class postage i the right corner. In the middle write the missionary address as follows:

Elder Perry Joseph Olsen
México México City South Mission
POB 30150
Salt Lake City UT 84130-0150

Letter #6 August 31,2013 (Last MTC letter)

familia!!!!! how is everything going???? i can't believe that i am going to be thousands of miles away from all of you in two days!!! AHHHH!!!!! i am sooo scared, but at the same time i am getting excited (when i don't think about all the actual things that i am going to be doing and just think about the overall awesomeness of it, then i'm excited!) haha i guess that is what i need to do! Just keep the feeling of the importance of what i'm doing and keep working towards that end result of helping others to come unto cristo and partake of eternal life and salvation!!! Wow i don't even know where to begin!!! Oh! haha so i attached a few more pictures of my last days at the MTC, i hope that i'll be able to send some pretty soon after getting to mexico (and that i look somewhat alright in them! ;) so i got this sweet superman/CTR shirt, i don't know if you can tell what it says, but its way cool and i thought that you would all get a kick out of that!! :

Oh but first i wanted to say thanks so much for the package!!!! I went and got it when we sent our packages and it was so great! And please tell the Anderson's thanks for their package!!! It was awesome!!! haha it was like christmas! in August!! :D i can't wait to read my 10 first days in mexico! and i absolutely LOVED all the pictures...but they made me get really chocked up!! but like i have said with the other elder's countless times, if we didn't love people then we wouldn't dread saying goodbyes and miss them when they are gone. Like i said earlier when we had our district testimony meeting, it was so awesome! because i just felt and have felt so much love for my "temporary" family in my district, and even though they each have things that kind of bug me, and i'm sure many things about me bug them, i really have grown to love them and i appreciate them sooo much and they all have so many good things that they have helped me in. and i guess that is what love is, just realizing that mistakes and annoyances don't define who someone is...it's who they are on the inside, and who they are trying to be, or even who they COULD become...i think that's why Heavenly Father loves us so much! because he knows that we can get through any problem or sin or whatever and become AWESOME! well..we are awesome, he knows that too. :D haha

TESTIMONY:

Hey everyone!!!! I am off to mexico in about 36 hours 2 min, 39 seconds..I'm just kidding, I'm not THAT scared to go! I am definetly very nervous but i know that I will grow and learn and love many people as i Love the Lord and Heavenly Father and I am very excited!!! I don't want to leave, but I know that it is time and it will be great! So i just wanted to share a thought that i have had this last little while in the last week of being here!

To start off, I just want to say that i have received this knowledge and feelings that i want to share, through working for them. Through sincere prayer to my Heavenly Father, and thinking about things and waiting and KNOWING that he will give an answer. And then listening. REading the scriptures, especially El Libro De Mormon, and hearing his answer through the feelings of love, of peace and of happiness that i feel. I know that these feelings are the answers that i need, and are the greatest in the world, and i know they are from God.

So real quickly i just want to talk about the testimony that i have gained of Love. It being my 2nd to last day at the MTC i have defintely been looking back and reflecting on what i have learned the most here, and what i want to take with me into the mission field and what i want to improve on and get better at. And the one thing that has been at the foundation of all that i have learned is that we all have a Heavenly Father who loves us. No matter what principle or what doctrine i am learning or growing in, or what trials i am having, or what blessings I am given, i know that God the Heavenly Father loves us...so much. I have felt his love so much in my life, i grew up feeling his love through you my wonderful family, and especially the love from Mom and Dad. I don't think its possible that anyone could love me more than all of you have, but I know that Heavenly Father does. And that as we feel his love and know that he loves us, we can love others so much more than we could ever be able to without the love of God, and as we follow him, and talk to him in prayer, and praise him and LOVE him..then we are completing our purpose here, and we will have immense joy and happiness for FOREVER! Love is everything. I know this. I know that God loves you, and that his Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and friend loves us. And i love all of you as well!

LOVE,

Elder Olsen

So back to my best friends! (thats you fam! ;) i just hope that you all know how much you mean to me and how grateful i am for each one of you!!! It's going to be so sad when i don't have as much time to write you, but if i don't get out there and do what i am suppose to do then i won't have awesome stories to share!! That really is one of the best things for me. When i get down or discouraged and i'm sure ill do this a lot in the field as well. I just think that i want to do this and work on this so that i can "report" to all of you and tell you the things i am learning and the ways that i am growing! So thank you for that! i absolutely love hearing from you and sharing all of my experiences with you too!! haha i hope that you enjoy reading my letters as much as i enjoy sending them! i still don't know if they always make complete sense, so if it doesn't just make up something that i would probably say! :D haha you all are defintetly a huge part of what i enjoyed most about the MTC and i am sure that i will love getting letters and emails from you in the field as well! It's weird, the time that i have learned to love you all most is when i'm so far away, i guess that absence makes the heart grow fonder (not that i didn't love you all before!!!) but i am excited to keep learning how to love you all better, and just how to love in general, and to continue working and improving in that for the rest of my life! 

I bet it is such an awesome party there with ADj and Jared living there, keep having TONS of fun!!! When you tell me of all the crazy awesome normal life things that go on, i feel like i am still a part of them, and i think i am, because even if we are so far apart, we are always in each others hearts!! :D we are all working towards the same goal!! Eternal life and happiness with each other!!! Thanks for being the best family in the world!!! LES AMO A USTEDES MUCHISIMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ELDER PEAR JOSEPH AWESOME SUPERMAN OLSEN! ;)

Letter #5 August 26,2013

OH!!! haha so you know how i said that elder neddo and i were called as zone leaders?? well we were called on sunday (just after sacrament meeting, the branch president asked us and we accepted, but it wouldn't have been made official till yesterday) and then on tuesday, we were talking to the zone leaders about following them so we can learn how to be zone leaders on wednesday night when all the new people come and they welcome them. and the zone leaders were so confused, they were like...what? weren't these other two missionaries called to be zone leader? thats what president wing told us. and we were like, uhhh...he asked us after sacrament meeting..but it would have made a lot more sense for the others to be, because they still have 4 weeks left, not 1 1/2. haha so then we took it that we were probably not going to be zone leaders, which was totally fine, and then on wednesday night we asked president wing and he told us that nope, we defintely were and it was suppose to be us, and so we were like...okay cool! we are good either way! haha and we explained the confusion and he said nope definetely you two. and THEN!! on thursday night, his first counselor came while we were studying and said that president wing has some senor moments and that it was suppose to be the other two elders the whole time. haha he felt so bad, but elder neddo and i were just laughing. we would have been fine having more responsiblitiy or not! so it was pretty funny, and it was cool, because i have always been pretty chill, with just whatever, but it just showed to me how we have to be okay when things don't work out perfectly how we want them to, or go exactly according to plan, and if things change we just need to trust in the Lord and be flexible! not saying that you shouldn't commit to things and work towards them and have plans, but be willing to follow the spirit in a lesson if you should teach something different than what you had planned, or whatever the case may be! pretty awesome!!! :D

LoVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!

ELDER PEAR!!!!!!!

Letter #4 August 19, 2013

(Before you start reading, let me just say that Perry went to Vegas to get his Visa. Now the letter will make more sense:) 

Okay!!! So where to begin??? so i hope that you got my letter in the mail that was like 22 pages long from when i was in vegas!! haha so thursday night we got back from vegas about 11:30 that night, and so i didn't get to sleep until after 12, and then still getting up at 6:30 was soooo hard!!! that was a major rough day. I fell asleep two separate times during our additional study times. One of them was okay though, because elder neddo was just reading a letter from his girlfriend anyway, im glad it was super long, because i was tired. haha anyway, so friday and saturday were realllllly rough days, probably some of the roughest that i have had here. I was still feeling the spirit and learning and we taught some really good lessons, i just felt soo...off. looking back on it, i'm sure part of it was that i got 10 hours of sleep..in two nights. probably not good. haha and i think that a huge part of it was because after going to vegas (which was so cool being out in the world as a representative of the lord) it was kind of like...wait i'm back here?? I woke up every morning, either expecting to be in the field or kind of confused where i was and why i wasnt home. Kind of interesting. Yeah, it was soooo hard to stay motivated and keep trying to learn and study. (oh interesting thing about home, when i got back from Vegas, that was the first time that i said "i just want to be home" and talked about the MTC. en espanol, there are two different words, casa, which is house, and hogar which is home, and they arent synonimis like they kind of are in english. you couldnt say, yeah lets go to your casa, you would only ever say lets go to your home. Interesting how the emphasis is placed on home being where your family is and where the people you love are. a casa is nothing more than a structure. So pretty cool, because you guys are my home, no matter where you are or i am!!) anyway, not saying that i think that the MTC is more of a home than there, because it's not. But i am growing to really like it here!! it is so hard, and with 2 weeks from today left, i am getting ready to just go and get out there, but at the same time, i am so scared and dont feel ready in the least, i hope that i will feel more prepared when it gets closer...probably not, but thats okay! haha its funny because now that i am in the routine and way of life here, i don't really want to leave...but i guess that is the one thing that is feared the most in the world, is the unknown, and change and not knowing what is going to happen. I guess that is how most of the world feels about this life. I will go through any frightening and scary change in this life to bring the comfort and assurance that i have, that i know what will happen after this life (not specifically everything) but i know the plan, and i know that we don't need to be scared, and that through Jesus Christ, his atonement, and following the plan of our Father, we don't ever have to be afraid of any change, in this life or the next. Kind of cool!! 

So today we went to the temple early, we are suppose to be there at 8:30 because our session starts at 9, so we got there at 8 today because our zone wanted to eat in the cafeteria for a change from here (not that it isn't good...but it defintely gets old. and its so boring trying to eat healthy with 0 variety!) haha except that the cafeteria is closed on mondays. haha i was fine, because i was just hoping they would have smoothies or something like that (i still don't eat much breakfast these days, definetely more than the nothing i use to!! the other day i had granola with my fruit instead of just fruit, and it was SOOO good! and super filling to!! but i can say that since my second week i am filling soooo much better, and i know its because i am really trying to take care of my body! thanks again for your example mom! i always think of you whenever people are like "youre only eating fruit, shouldn't you balance that out with some protein or something?" someone said that the other day, sheesh how much meat do you think we should eat!!!?? haha anyway, so we were just standing there, and some of the elders were getting stuff from the vending machines, and a temple worker asked us if we had somewhere we were suppose to be right then, and we said not really, we didn't need to get ready for our session until 8:30, and he said that they were WAYY behind in the laundry room, so if we wanted to help in there for a while. so we did! haha it was way cool!!! the whole time i was just thinking "this isn't the type of service that i have usually given in the temple, but this is awesome!!" i have never really thought about that aspect of the temple, but i suppose that magical harry potter elves don't clean the clothes. haha so we did that until like 8:40 and then were hurrying to get to our 9 oclock session, except we didn't count on there being 75 missionaries and other people waiting to get names in front of us. haha needless to say we didn't make it on time, so we didn't get out of the temple till almost 12, but its okay! im really glad that we helped the people in the temple, i mean what better thing to do right?? and it just meant more time being in the temple! even though now our p day is super short and rushed! and i need to sew my pants because i ripped them! don't worry mom, i had to sew a few other things, and i did a great job!!!

Elder PEAR!!!!

Pictures :)

Today Perry sent us a ton of pictures. So here you go!

Well Elder Olsen has been in the MTC for 3 weeks. Crazy how fast time goes!!

So here is what has been going on in his life starting with July 24

The Family before taking Perry to the MTC

Mom, Dad and Perry unloading the car.

There he goes for 2 years!

We got a letter that he wrote the first night on Friday, he told us his P-day  is on Mondays. So we waited anxiously for his e-mail. (Pictures will be posted at the end)

E-mail #1 July 29, 2013

OH!!!!!! and we watched a video called "character of Christ" by Elder Bednar, and it was SOOOO good, i wanted to tell you all so many things that i loved and that helped me sooo much, except there were too many, so for family night tonight or maybe on sunday watch it as a family and really look up the scriptures and talk about it!! I loved how he talked about the character of christ is turning outward and not inward, and i think that will really help me, because the last 5 days have really been about me and how uncomfortable this all has been, but if i focus on helping others i will feel better myself. I have really noticed that in helping elder neddo feel better, helps me to feel better.

love, ELDER OLSEN!

or

Pear

E-Mail #2 August 5, 2013

Okay! So we taught this teacher who was pretending to be an investigator like 5 times, and its so cool because if you didn't know that he wasn't he would TOTALLY seem like an investigator. Before we started teaching they told us that everything that is important is real. The spirit is real, the lessons and doctrines are real, and it's cool because they play the roles of investigators that they had on their missions, although Tomas, now hermano angel, told us that he played himself, and that it wasn't so much the spanish or the teaching that he cared about, but what he was looking for was if we truly cared about him, and wanted him to be happy and if our messages and lessons applied to him. Later when he was talking to elder neddo and i, he said that was why he committed to be baptized!! speaking of which!! he committed to being baptized by all four of our companionships!!!! so he will be baptized on the 10 of august 4 times....oh wait. haha but even though it wasn't technically real, it was so cool to feel the spirit so strongly and to feel that love for him. And the third lesson, we really wanted to focus on understanding him, and we could about 95% and ever since then i have been able to understand pretty much everything my teachers say, and if not i can usually piece it together, and Elder neddo said that my speaking has improved a ton too!!! :D not trying to brag, believe me i have a lot of humbling times every day, but it does feel good to know that i am trying and desiring to do this, not for the benefit of myself, but for the benefit of others, and the Lord has and will keep blessing me because of that! 

Love,

Pear

E-Mail #3 August 12, 2013

Hola Familia!!

Well, I am approaching 3 weeks of being in the MTC and of my Mission. It is so crazy. I feel like I have been here for at least 3 years, but at the same time it feels like maybe 3 days. I have had so many amazing experiences, and so many really difficult ones as well. Spanish is SOOO hard to learn, and yet it has been coming faster than I ever expected!! I know that i am recieving help and strength way beyond what i could do on my own. I am still adjusting to having little or no energy each day, and still doing at least 16 hours of mentally exhausting things! I defintely ejoy gym and food breaks! It is amazing how fast i became such good friends with my companion, he is awesome! We feel like we have known each other for so much longer than 3 weeks (which we have, of course. I know that we were best friends as spirits with heavenly father before we came to earth). That is the most amazing part of being here in the MTC and on my mission as well. The power and peace that i feel all the time. Even when the language is so hard, and i am annoyed with everyone, and i am so tired, I have NEVER once doubted if this is what i am suppose to be doing. i know that it is. I have learned sooooo much about the gospel of Jesus Christ. I came thinking that i had a pretty good knowledge of doctrines, and a strong testimony, but holy cow! I have learned and grown sooo much!!! If it is okay with all of you (and you cant really say no..so..;) Im just going to share some experiences and things that have strengthened my knowledge and conviction that God is our loving heavenly father, and we lived with him before this earth, and Jesucristo is in fact our brother, and friend. and also our savior. We have a missionary statement or our "objective" and i hope i can remember it in english (ha..never thought id say that) but it says that our objective is to "invite others to come unto christ, by helping them recieve the restored gospel, through faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement, repentance, baptism, the reception of the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end."

I have come to know and love my Father in heaven, who is the God of all creation and of us, so much. Even though he is the supreme creator of everything, he wants each and everyone of us to talk to him, daily, multiple times a day. He has given us the gift of prayer, and if we truly pray to him, he does hear us. I know that with all my heart. He will answer our prayers, not with thunder or lightening, but with peace and hope. He will confirm the truth to us, if we just ask him, truly wanting to know. He will help us. We can ask for anything, and if it be righteous and according to his will, he will give us it. And thats the thing...sometimes we don't get an answer, or we get a hard one, or one we don't want, but it is only because he loves us and knows what is best for us! He has been where we are, and he knows the way to become like him, if we obey his commandments with faith, he has promised that we can live with him AND our families forever, in absolute happiness. We just have to live our lives in the way that he has shown us. And that way is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his church.

Its been so cool. The first day of getting here was SOOOO hard. We taught a lesson, completely in spanish, knowing nothing, and it was really difficult...afterwards Elder Neddo (my companion) and I, had a really long talk about why we are here, and why it has to be so hard. We knew that it was going to be hard, but didn't think that it would be this hard...I said a prayer after our whining session...and it was the most powerful experience...Even in the midst of feeling completely alone, i felt like i wasn't. I felt, and I know, that God and his angels were and are helping me, and strengthening me. I felt wrapped up and secure in his eternal love. Sometimes it is hard to believe that if we pray, someone will hear. I have had a lot of times in my life where i feel like i am simply talking to the air...but I have gained a greater knowledge and testimony that all the goodness, hope, happiness, contentment and absolute Joy we feel in this life, is from God. He want's us to be happy. He wants us to live our lives in the way so that we can return to him again.

When i pray, i have started to picture a man, standing directly in front of me, but he is hidden behind a white sheet, i can see his outline, but i can't make out who it is or anything distinct. Except i know he is listening, he is absolutely attentive to every word that i say, and every thought that i have. He doesn't interrupt me, or question me, he just lets me talk. And so i do. I tell him how i'm feeling. How i am struggling, how i don't understand spanish, my frustrations with people here, my frustrations especially with myself, how i miss my family, how i am so tired all the time...and then i thank him, i thank him for this opportunity to learn how to preach his gospel, to those people in mexico, who i am beginning to love, even though i have no idea who they are. I tell him of the joy i feel when i begin to understand something, or feel of his love and his AMAZING gospel and hope that i have for a better life, not only in this life, but also the hope that i have of an eternal life with my family and ALL who i love. I thank him for my family, for the love which they give me, and the wonderful home of peace and love, and LIGHT that i have. When i start to realize that all of these things are from him, thats when i realize how much i need him. I need help. I need guidance, on what to say, on what to do, on what to become...and so i ask for it. I ask for his help, believing with all my heart that he will help me...because he has...so many times...i don't know when his answer or his strength will come to me, but i know that it will, in his time and his way, and i know that he is behind that sheet or that veil...with his arms extended towards me...he is so glad that i want to talk to him, that i realize that he is there, and that i love him. And i know that he loves me too.

Being here on my mission, i pray dozens and dozens of times every day, and i have began to truly and sincerely pray. Realizing that i need My Heavenly Father and my God, SOOO MUCH! and realizing that he helps me, SOOO much!!! That is the greatest testimony and knowledge that i have gained from being in the MTC and on my mission. That no matter what we are going through, and no matter how great or hard life is, we have a living Father in Heaven, who sent us here so that we can become like him, and he didn't leave us alone, he is with us, helping us, giving us peace and strength and hope, and if we follow him we can have eternal happiness. I know that he lives, and that JesusChrist lives, and that he lived and died for us, so that we can make it back to him!

I am SOOO excited to help others to feel of this overwhelming love and joy which i feel EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!! it is so amazing the spirit that is here in the Missionary Training Center. I know that it is dedicated by God for his servants (one of which i am!! :D) to really learn, and love the gospel and to feel of his love all the time. I can't wait to go to Mexico and help others to truly KNOW and truly FEEL the way i do.

I guess as a missionary i should leave with an invitation. You know that I know these things, but don't take my word for it. Whether you know with all your heart that you have a loving Heavenly Father and Savior, or if you aren't for certain, I know that if you sincerely ask him, wanting to know, he will answer you!! He has answered me. I know why i am here, and i will never give up. Because with the Lord, My God, I can do all things.

I love you all, and am so thankful for the light and truth you have given me throughout my life, i wouldn't be where i am without you. You are all the best family that i have ever had.

Love, with all my heart,

Elder Olsen

or PEAR!!!! :D