June 2015

June 15, 2015



 This week was probably the best week of my mission this far. This week we set two people with a baptism date, taught 24 lessons and got 4 new investigators it was a crazy busy week good numbers don't come easy. The lord really tested us to see if we really wanted it. my companion and I are so tired haha but it was worth it. i had a really great spiritually amazing experience this week as well. So for the last two weeks or so we have been stopping by this less active members house, just trying to see why he is not coming to church and to help him come back. So we finally got down to the real issue this Sunday. He is convert of about 6 years and he said that the main reason he joined the church was for his wife and kids but now that the kids are moved out and he is divorced he hasn't gone back to church. he told us that he has always told everyone he is a Mormon and still lives the commandments.then he told us about how one of his friends has started questioning his religion and is telling him that he is only Mormon because of his X wife. and he had to stand up for the church which he did, but now he has let the words into his head and has started to doubt why he is a member. As he and my companion talked I just sat there and listened. (which for me is hard to do because I always have something to say haha) as i was listening i just was praying that i would know what to say to help him. Eventually it came to a point where it was my turn to say something. When they both looked at me for some reason I just laughed haha. Then when the looked at me again just confused this time. I just started talking about the period of time right before my mission and I guessed I laughed because I remembered the exact same feelings that he was describing. when it came time for me to act on my religion or not. Same with him then the lord filled my head with the words to explain the way i felt had how all it took was a little faith and now I am super blessed. then he said that we will see him on Sunday. it was so awesome! i love mission work!                    





June 9, 2015

Aloha Family!
I know recently I have been pretty brief when it comes to my emails, so I thought I would write this letter to catch you all up on my mission. So here I go. On May 14th I hit a milestone of 6 months on my mission. That's crazy, so shortly after I got transferred to my 2nd area, which is called Kalihi and for those of you who don't know its right next to the city of Honolulu and my last area was way in the country side. So now I am in a completely new world. As you know I am not exactly a big fan of city's , and so here I am right in the city. If you were to ask, most missionaries would tell you that the last place they want to go to is Kalihi. So when I found out I was going there, everyone's reaction was "Oh...I am so sorry" so as you can imagine, that made me real happy to be here. But I tried to keep a positive attitude about it. So  when I first got here I was freaking out just a little mainly because of the traffic and all the noise from the city was keeping me up at night. Very different from Eagle Mountain. Anyways, I have been here almost two weeks, and I actually like it. Sure it's a little getto but it's my piece of the getto. It's really fast paced. Here everybody is always doing something the city truly does not sleep. As for my new companion Elder Salazar, he is great! We are very different in almost everything, I like, he hates. Ha Ha. now that might sound like it wont work, but actually it gives us a lot to talk about. So he has moved all over, but he went to high school in Alpine, Utah but shortly after graduation, his family moved to Saratoga Springs which is only like ten minutes away from each other. So that's cool, we actually know a few of the same people. We have a lot of fun together, we both are set on working as hard as we can and following all of the rules, so that helps. Oh so here is a story for you, today we went to an investigators house where a few people live, actually now we know these people were a little crazy, they are not all there, if you know what I mean. Anyways, today we found out first hand why they are crazy! So we knock on their door and they seemed really excited to see us. They invited us in, and we sit down and we start to try and have a conversation with them. They had the TV on. So one of the 3 people, Bobbie wasn't really paying attention to us, but we started to share Helaman 5:12 and about 3 words into it this lady named Sam pulls out his little bag of something out of nowhere and then she pulls out some paper and starts rolling up her self some Pakalolo or weed or Pot whatever you want to call it. Ha Ha  Ya!! so my companion and I soon realize what is happening and so we start rushing through the rest of the verse and then she just starts smoking and we were inside this little room and she was just blowing it right into our faces! So as soon as we could we said a little prayer and got out of there!! As my companion and I walked away we were just shocked! as to what just happened to us! Also we were really hungry! Ha ha! Crazy that Kalihi for you. Ok well that's all you get. Love you all!!

Thanks for all the love!!
Elder Olson

May 2015

June 1, 2015

 

 I have been super busy with the new area and stuff also super exhausted all the time. Anyways I am doing great seriously I feel so good right know. they say that the first 6 months is the hardest and it was true. I think because that's were you decide if you are actually going to stay or give up. it was hard because I really just missed the way things were or the freedom that I had, But man threw so much prayer i made it! if you have time read this scripture Alma 26:12 its helped me so much. Ok topic change i have lost 5 pounds since coming to Kalihi mainly because all the missionary's here go and work out at the YMCA and so we are all motivated by each other we wake up at 5:30 get to the gym at 6 and leave at 7 its awesome! also they have treadmills! so now I can run where my companion can see me

 

New companion, Elder Salazar the crazy part he is from Saratoga springs but he lived in alpine when he was in high school but his sister goes to Westlake her name is Cassie (Kay-see) Salazar

 

thanks! the ward here only has 80-90 people come on sunday and there are 660 people in the ward so we have a lot of work to do less active work that is. they are really bad at feeding us though,

they put a ward missionary in charge of doing it and he is not very good at it haha its OK they are getting better and i am getting skinnier, ha ha.

 

 

May 25, 2015

(I had just told him his cousin Tyler got his mission call)

 

 

Man! lets trade missions! I want to goto Alaska so bad! haha jk. Thats so Awesome! man he needs to write me.

 

 

May 18, 2015

 

this week I have just been saying goodbye to everyone

its really hard actually but I have coped with it. I am getting transferred to a place in town called Kalihi its right on the out side of  Honolulu I am pretty excited   

 

 

 

May 10, 2015

 

We were able to Skype with Jason on Mother's Day, we got to talk with him for an hour and half, it was awesome!! What a great Mother's Day gift! I wish everyone could of heard what he said, all I know is Jason is not a boy anymore he has grown into a man. He is so much more mature even though he still has his great sense of humor, which I hope he never looses. Even though some aspects of his mission have been really hard for him he has learned to pray to his Heavenly Father, who has helped him get through all those tough times. He has figured out who he really is and what is really important in life. He bore his testimony to us and it was so amazing to see the difference from the start of his mission till now. He is so full of the Spirit and strives to do what our Heavenly Father wants him to do everyday. He's not afraid to talk to anyone anywhere, just in case that person is ready and waiting to hear the Lord's message. I am so grateful that Jason is out there serving the Lord, I miss him SO MUCH!! and seeing and talking to him made it even harder, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

 

May 4, 2015

Ok so I will skype you at 6:00pm sunday night. Also the last two weeks have been great! we have super awesome numbers! which means we have been helping a lot of people. So a lot of the ward members have been asking me what my last meal request will be before I go which is just reminding me that I wont be here anymore. I am ok with leaving but I would love to stay haha. I hope if i do leave it will be to Maui or Kawai. I will let you know if anything really awesome happens you know besides being in Hawaii.  love you.

 

 

April 27. 2015

Hey! this week was good I am trying to figure out how to send large amount of pictures to you without having to send them all threw an email one at a time it takes forever. also it wont let me send videos because they are to big. if you could try setting something up that would be awesome!  I'm not allowed to go to any websites but this one. Anyways this week was once again awesome nothing to exciting just teaching people trying to get them baptized. I will send some pictures of this week. we had some good dinner pictures this week! how is my dog? and hows the family? how weird is it to only have Ryan and Adam at home 

 Pearl Harbor

 

      Pearl Harbor

Helping Hands

      Elder Matsupua, Elder Olson

       Elder Matsupua, Elder Olson, Sis Warner-Mission Pres. Wife

       Didn't say who's boy this is :) cute though

                               

              The Riches Family, (above)  The Pollock Family

          Silly Elders!

               

Holding a little puppy and a parrot

 

Elder Olson and new companion Elder Salazar 

            Inside of his apartment in Kahlihi (doesn't look too bad)

          Outside of apartment he lives in Kahlihi

             Jason Cooking!

        Elders in his District

              The Riches Family