Elder Olson's Letter Dec 22, 2014

Happy Holidays! And Merry Christmas??
It doesn't feel like Christmas at all here it's crazy, I can't believe yesterday I played Basketball outside and I didn't freeze to death. Hawaii is great it's just different because it's warm and instead of seeing snow covered mountains I see white caped 15 foot waves! Also where I am serving is considered the country mainly because we live right next to the Dole Pineapple farm, which is really cool when you're driving and all you see are fields and fields of pineapples it's awesome! We have some pretty cool people we are teaching right now but we don't have very many so a lot of time is spent driving house to house trying to follow up on referrals . Also something crazy about Hawaii is during the day the people are the nicest people ever but as soon as it hits 7pm they turn into raging monsters I don't get it 7pm isn't even that late, but here don't knock on people's doors unless you have an appointment. On a different topic yesterday I got to go to Pearl Harbor and do some service which was literally one of the coolest things I have done , we cleaned chairs and flag poles all over the S.S Missouri and then they let us go on a tour which was also cool pictures will be coming Monday. I would really love to personally thank everyone for sending me so many cards they're great! I have them taped up all over my walls and they give me motivation so thanks , you really have no idea how happy I was to receive them  and read them all, I am having so much fun here but it's no vacation it's hard work. But I know my message is good and the most important message out there. I have a testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ we celebrate his birth this Christmas but let us all remember that Jesus is the single best and first gift ever given to us by our Father so let us all take time this year to think of him this Christmas , now I wouldn't be a very good missionary if I didn't give you a challenge. My challenge this Christmas , is before opening gifts kneel down and thank our heavenly for giving us his only son Jesus Christ he is the true gift and he is all I need this Christmas, I will miss my family but through Christ I can live with my family forever so what's two years? I love you all and say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Letter/pictures from Elder Olson December 11, 2014

Dear Family,

I'm sorry I didn't get to write much in my email I only get an hour and I had to write my Mission President which took forever. But anyways I am so happy to say that I have been out here a week and a day, I know that doesn't sound long but trust me when I tell you it has been a long week. I am really excited for my Birthday because I can say that I am 19 which just makes me feel not son young. It will be really weird to not have if with you , plus the ony way I think I will get a cake is if I make one for myself. This might surprise you but I actually started to feel homesick the other day, and I think it's because I have been teaching a Christmas message to everyone and part of it is talking about sharing Christmas with your family which then I think of how I want to be with my family this Christmas and it was hard, also another thing is that the Christmas season in Hawaii sucks, there is no snow covered mountains, no hot chocolate and I can't listen to my favorite Christmas music and it's really hot outside, it's like the complete opposite of Utah. Anyways my companion and I are really starting to get along we definitely have our differences but I have learned to adapt. Oh mom you will be happy to know that the Bishop here is really into your DoTerra and they thought it was really funny that you sent me with some, I've actually been using them because one of the things they don't tell you is that if you are a white person the Mosquitos love to eat you while you sleeping so I was waking up with 5 new bites everyday. So then I was asking around what people were using to stop the Mosquitos and I had like 3 people tell me to use Terrashield , so every night I put it all over me 

(My companion loves the smell ) and I haven't had anymore bites, so thank you.   I really will miss you all this next few weeks but I know that families can be together forever, so what's two years? Let everyone know I love them and that I am really blessed to have grown up with friends and family that I did. Also if it's possible I would love some pictures of our family and my dog, oh and if you don't know what to get me for my birthday my camera is a piece of crap, just a little help. Oh and the mission home told me to tell you if you are going to send packages make sure you use UPS it's better that way for some reason. Oh and dad please make me some fudge I love you .

Oh sorry I keep forgetting the rules on the music are hymns, we have been listening to the same ones over and over again for a week now so please send me some CDs also we can have EFY music which is awesome so go to the church website under music for youth and download them.

Mahalo

Letter/Pictures from Elder Olson, December 5, 2014

Hey!!
I am still doing pretty good, I do miss home every once in a while but I'm alright. I have made it to my first zone and are it's called Mililani, Waialua. (on the island of O'ahu) the ward here is great they already love me and I don't even know them yet. My companions name is Elder Lee Chip Sao, I just call him Elder Lee. He is pretty cool, but I feel like him and his last companion would break rules a lot. But I'm keeping him on the path now. So our pad is really small it has like 2 rooms plus a bathroom it looks like something like this (he drew a diagram). Its like if you put our front room and kitchen together that's how much room we have, oh and we literally live right next to the church and I mean like 30 steps from the building.. The only part of our pad that really bugs me is the bathroom, when you go in it feels like the floor is going to collapse right beneath your feet. Also the floor is all tile but it moves because of how cracked it is, also if you wear socks in there you will absorb water out of the cracks, plus I don't think any missionary's have ever cleaned it , so guess what we're doing on Monday. Alright that's enough ranting, but seriously its gross! I guess I will share one of spiritual experiences, so we are teaching this investigator named Bill, and basically his mentality is "hey, I'm getting old, so now maybe I will go to church" So we get there and I am super nervous because this is my first real investigator, we go inside and sit down, he is in a wheel chair because he got hurt at work. He loves to surg so we talked about surfing for about 20 min. but eventually we got to start teaching the restoration which i know like the back of my hand thanks to the MTC. and then that's when the Spirit just filled the room, we just talked about Joseph Smith and the priesthood, the Book of Mormon and then we came to the subject of baptism. Which means we are doing pretty well, so we told him how Jesus was baptized and that he should be like him and also be baptized and he said YES!! Just kidding ha ha ha, he said he would read and pray in order to know if he should be, maybe next Tuesday. Anyway I love it here the Ocean is way better than the one in California. I love you, have fun in the snow!!
Elder Olson



Please have everyone send all mail to this address
Elder Jason Olson
Hawaii Honolulu Mission
1500 S. Beretania St  Ste 416
Honolulu, HI 96826

My email address is     jason.olson@myldsmail.net





Here are some pictures from the MTC and Hawaii

Pictures the Mission Home sent us

Phone call from the Mission Home

I got a phone call from the mission home last night. It was the secretary. She said she asked Jason for my phone number the day before and he accidently gave her his own phone number, that's why I didn't hear from them. So she got the right one from him and my email, but she couldn't read his handwriting very well, ha ha. So I gave he that too, She said Jason arrived there safely and was in a training meeting with the Mission President. They would be getting the area assignments and new companions the next day. She also said they were taking some pictures and would email them to me, I cant wait to get those! I asked her what the temperature was there and it was 75 degrees and that was a little "cool". I also asked her if they allow families to come pick up their missionaries when their mission is over . They said they highly discourage it, one Elders parents insisted on it and got the Stake President to release him over the phone. He missed out on all the farewell activities they do before they send the missionaries home. So I think we will have Jason come home and then go back out there in January when its freezing here, then he can show us around, I can't wait!!

Phone call from the airport

I got to talk to Jason today, he called me from the airport before he got on the plane to Hawaii. It was so great to hear his voice!! He sounded happy and excited. He said he had a great last week at the MTC they got hear Dallin H Oaks speak and on Thanksgiving morning Elder Bednar came and spoke to them, he said it was awesome! However the food at the MTC wasn't that great, he mostly ate cereal and juice. He said he made some really good friends at the MTC and really bonded with his district. He said it was really hard to leave and that he cried more when he left there than when he left home. (can you believe that! lol) Anyway he was so excited but nervous to fly on an airplane for the first time. Can't wait to hear if he liked flying. His flight was about 6 hours I think. I waited anxiously the hear that he arrived safely, but didn't hear anything till the next day.

Letter from Elder Olson

November 22, 2014 Hey Mom and Dad, Sorry this is the first time you have heard from me. I have been really and I mean really busy. I just want you to know that I love you guys so much. I am so happy with my decision to serve a mission. The last 3 days i have met some of the coolest people. My companions name is Elder Ames, he is a really cool kid and we get along great. On thursday I was asked to be the District Leader, despite my wishes to fly under the radar. My district is strange we all have a great love for each other and the gospel. On Friday we had our first gym time and I was super stoked to play some ball with my district. But after only playing for about 5 min I twisted and sprained my ankle pretty bad, it's feeling a lot better now but its 2x bigger than my other one also its super purple so now my District just calls me Elder Gimp. I would love to get a lot of letters so tell people to write me my mail box # is 193 at the MTC. Once again I love you and mom STOP CRYING! oh also look in my room for my patriarchal blessing it is in a blue envelope and mail it to me please.

First Email from Elder Olson

I was so excited to get this email today! Its been a rough week not being able to communicate with him. I feel so much better now! Here is his email. HI! I am so glad I got the chance to email you. I sent a letter to you yesterday but its probably not there yet it has my mailing address its a really cool think to get a letter hear it makes everyone wish they had one. I am doing really well the MTC is really busy every single minute is accounted for I have already learned so much its insane. something cool is that we have these fake investigators that role play for us, fake dose not mean easy. We basically teach just as we would a real person and our teacher replies like a real person. so far we have committed one investigator to baptism and one to read and pray about the book of Mormon. also we have a real investigator which was pretty scary honestly but me and my companion Elder Ames handled it pretty well he committed o preying and to read the intro to the Book of Mormon. as my letter states I have been called as a district leader which is really cool i love my district so much already. half my district is going to Lancing Michigan the others are going to salt lake Temple Square Mission and then there is me and Elder Ames going to Hawaii. In my district we have 5 Elders and 4 sisters. the Elders all sleep in the same room and we are all just best friends already. i wish they could come with me to Hawaii. We have Elder Houser, Elder Heskasia and Elder Millar we have alot of fun all three of them are the zone leaders. We also have sister Tomas, Sister Anthian (its french so plug your nose when you say it haha) we also have Sister Macklany and Sister Desent. We all have a great time in class Becausesister Decent is really really funny. she is Latino and has no filter whats so ever. so she is really blunt some times because as soon as something enters her head its already out of her mouth. Me and Elder Ames Report with 16 other Hawaii bound missionary's on the 1st of December so we only have 6days left in the MTC. I cant Wait! the MTC fells like a prison sometimes Because we are always inside and cant see the mountains or the sunset. I am taking lost of Pictures but theses Computers at the Lab wont lest me upload them. I love you all very much please send me letters so i can show off how much people love me. also DEAR ELDER works really well also. please let the family know how much I care for them this Thanks Giving. tell them that the lord picked which family we are in for a reason and that we should all be grateful just to be together around the table together this year. also please as soon as possible me a list of emails. and my pachiartical blessing. (please ignore all spelling errors you know im bad with grammar) With Love your son Elder Olson

This is hard!

Today I just feel sad, I miss Jason already, it's so strange not having him here, I am home alone today. I wish I could just call or text him and see how his doing. I know he is happy and learning lots a great things at the MTC. All I can do is wait to hear from him and it so hard! I don't know how I am going get through the next 2 years, I don't want to be sad, because I am happy for him, just sad for myself.

The MTC

Today Jason entered the MTC in Provo, Utah. It was a really hard thing for me to let him go. I felt happy but sad at the same time. It's hard to wrap your brain around the fact you can't see your son for two years. I do take comfort in knowing he will be taken care of as he serves the Lord. He will be a great missionary and the people of Hawaii will be blessed to have him. I'm sure Jason would love to hear from his family and friends his address at the MTC is Elder Jason Tad Olson 2005 N 900 E Provo, Utah 84602 If you register on dearelder.com you can type him a letter and they will print it out and give it to him for free 😊